Oatman is an old mining town in the middle of nowhere in Arizona.
It was abandoned a century ago and has remained like that ever since.
It came to the limelight recently when a new national road was constructed very close to this place and tourists started flocking here.
Walking on the footpath, locally called the sidewalk, took me back in time over a hundred years.
I was amused to witness many objects and practices that were prevalent more than a century ago in this part of America.
At one end of the sidewalk that spans the entire main street in Oatman are wind chimes whose charming sound is the only interruption in the quiet and calmness of Oatman.
As I walked along, I noticed that they had taken enough care back then to make the entire sidewalk aligned and accessible for the differently abled.
Also, there were retro wooden benches that provided relief to those who wanted a break a full day of walking and wandering around aimlessly.
Another feature I noticed was the liberal use of the horseshoe embedded firmly in the sidewalk.
This practice is common in India as well and now I know it’s in the US too.
This is partly a custom and partly a superstition in both countries.
Another interesting feature was a penny press machine wherein a US Penny coin is pressed for a small fee and a picture is embossed on the flattened coin to be taken away as a souvenir… cool.
Also, there were public phones with old-fashioned handset and push buttons. These were coin operated and also accepted cards.
When the afternoons got very warm several shopkeepers closed for business.
They used old fashioned bar-and-lock styled locks.
Street vendors took this opportunity to sell their little stuff like jewelry made from local found gemstones and China-made cheap clothing.
Then I came across some of the spookiest stuff ever in the entire trip to the US last year.
A talking Cobra snake that would tell your fortune along with some entertainment for a fee.
It accepted both coins and cards.
Besides this snake was a bread shop with attractive statues of Native Indian folks.
Further down the sidewalk, I noticed a very old-styled washing machine lying in the open.
t was a bit heavy and virtually unmovable for a single person.
It had manual knobs for setting the temperature, speed, and the fabric type.
Besides that, was Zoltar, a Turkish/Arabian talking manikin that would also tell your fortune for a small fee.
On the opposite side of the main street, the walkway was equally interesting.
Some parts of this were remnants from the Spanish occupation era with retro-styled arches from the 1800s.
Some funny signs were also seen, mentioning not to ‘Peein off the porch’ whatever that meant in American English.
The most unusual piece of entertainment on the sidewalks of Oatman was a ‘Love Tester’ that measured your passion with the Love Meter.
For US$1 and after squeezing some handle, it would tell your love index categorized as Uncontrollable, Burning, Wild, Jealous, Sweet, Clammy, and Blah!
If that was not amusing enough further down was a cutout of a donkey with a hole at the top where people would stand behind and stick their faces through to take a picture.
The Donkeys, locally called Burros, are very popular in Oatman, Walter the Orphan Donkey being the most famous of the lot.
As a mechanical engineer, some objects simply could not escape my attention.
The one on the left was surprisingly a portable commode meant for the miners.
And the rusted box on the right was probably a casing for some battery.
Finally, here comes my favorite experience wherein a real native Indian person would, for a small fee, perform an age-old ritual to bless you and bring good charm, health, wealth, and prosperity by gently chanting the secret mantra and shrouding you in the mystic smoke produced by burning some unknown type of wood and then fanning the smoke with the feathers of an Eagle and an Ostrich.
Very unusual but entertaining at the same time.
There is much more to discover in the historic mining town of Oatman, Arizona in just half a day.
Some other interesting things that I have documented are:
Walter the Orphan Donkey of Mining Town Oatman
The Wild West Gold Camp Museum of Objects from the 1800s
The Fascination for Gold Rush in Mining Town Oatman, Arizona
How to Reach
There are many day tours from Las Vegas to reach Oatman and the tour also covers the historic Seligman and Kingman towns.
Where to Stay
There are not many large places to stay since most tourists spend only a few hours here.
A notable hotel is the Oatman Hotel, Bar and Restaurant.
Accessibility
The various shops in Oatman along the sidewalks are partially accessible.