Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
John Moss discovered gold in the area in 1860. It wasn’t long before a small tent city sprang up named Vivian. Moss staked two claims naming one Moss, the other Oatman, after the young Olive Oatman who had been kidnapped by Natives. The town boomed in 1904, and a post office was established, making the town official. It continued to prosper until 1941, when the government ordered that all gold mining cease and other minerals be mined instead. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned here in the Drumlin Hotel. Built in 1902, this eight-roomed hotel was renamed Oatman in the 1960s after several fires almost destroyed the town. This also coincided with the alignment of Route 66. The hotel is said to be haunted by a chambermaid who takes naps, an Irish miner named Oatie, who plays the bagpipes and pulls bed linen from the room he once occupied. Clark and Carol are also meant to pop in from time to time! Oatman has been the movie location for many films and TV series. How The West Was Won, and more recently, Killer Holiday, to name but two. But what makes Oatman more famous are the donkeys who roam the roads. It is estimated that over 5000 burros/mules inhabit the surrounding countryside, descendants of those who were left behind or escaped from the mining days.
If you like what we do and would like to support us:
✅ Become a Patreon: patreon.com/pinintheatlas
✅ Help fuel Tonto: paypal.com/paypalme/pinintheatlas
✅ AMAZON WISH LIST - items that we need: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FJC5W7Z1C19A/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
Contact us: info4pinintheatlas@gmail.com
Website: pinintheatlas.com
More Route 66
Seligman : youtu.be/iGo5vVUTfgU
Hackberry Ghost town: youtu.be/SjLYKNBdsck
Check out our Oatman Blog post: pinintheatlas.com/travel-blogs/oatman-ghost-town
Topock to Kingman blog post: pinintheatlas.com/travel-blogs/topock-to-kingman-arizona-route-66
Music:
Acoustically driven instrumental by Hyde - Free Instrumentals soundcloud.com/davidhydemusic
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Music provided by Music for Creators youtu.be/2iWw0kJ6V4U
John Moss discovered gold in the area in 1860. It wasn’t long before a small tent city sprang up named Vivian. Moss staked two claims naming one Moss, the other Oatman, after the young Olive Oatman who had been kidnapped by Natives. The town boomed in 1904, and a post office was established, making the town official. It continued to prosper until 1941, when the government ordered that all gold mining cease and other minerals be mined instead. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned here in the Drumlin Hotel. Built in 1902, this eight-roomed hotel was renamed Oatman in the 1960s after several fires almost destroyed the town. This also coincided with the alignment of Route 66. The hotel is said to be haunted by a chambermaid who takes naps, an Irish miner named Oatie, who plays the bagpipes and pulls bed linen from the room he once occupied. Clark and Carol are also meant to pop in from time to time! Oatman has been the movie location for many films and TV series. How The West Was Won, and more recently, Killer Holiday, to name but two. But what makes Oatman more famous are the donkeys who roam the roads. It is estimated that over 5000 burros/mules inhabit the surrounding countryside, descendants of those who were left behind or escaped from the mining days.
If you like what we do and would like to support us:
✅ Become a Patreon: patreon.com/pinintheatlas
✅ Help fuel Tonto: paypal.com/paypalme/pinintheatlas
✅ AMAZON WISH LIST - items that we need: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FJC5W7Z1C19A/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
Contact us: info4pinintheatlas@gmail.com
Website: pinintheatlas.com
More Route 66
Seligman : youtu.be/iGo5vVUTfgU
Hackberry Ghost town: youtu.be/SjLYKNBdsck
Check out our Oatman Blog post: pinintheatlas.com/travel-blogs/oatman-ghost-town
Topock to Kingman blog post: pinintheatlas.com/travel-blogs/topock-to-kingman-arizona-route-66
Music:
Acoustically driven instrumental by Hyde - Free Instrumentals soundcloud.com/davidhydemusic
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Music provided by Music for Creators youtu.be/2iWw0kJ6V4U
