List of historic structures in Oatman, Arizona
This is a list with images of some of the structures in the historic mining town of Oatman, Arizona which is located in the Black Mountains of Mohave County. Two of the structures are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Also, included is the gas station of Cool Springs, which served automobile travelers on the historic Route 66 in the vicinity of Oatman. Brief history The Black Mountains of northwest Arizona are an extensive long mountain range. The Hualapai Native-American Tribe inhabited the area. Tensions between the Hualapai people and settlers began with encroachment of Indian lands. Between 1867 and 1869, the Hualapai were at war with the American settlers from the east coast who lived in this area after the death of the prominent Yavapai leader Anasa. The United States Army arrived in the defense of the settlers in what now is known as the Hualapai War. Skirmishing continued for almost two more years in the area after the majority of the Hualapais surrendered due to an outbreak of dysentery and whooping cough in 1869. Vivian tent city John Thomas Moss was a frontiersman and prospector from Utica, New York who learned the languages of many of the tribes in the area. In 1862, he discovered gold in the Black Mountains and staked a claim in what became known as the Moss Mine. In 1863, he went into the Hualapai Mountains and organized the profitable Wauba Yuma Mining District. Soon after a tent city was established and named "Vivian" nestled in the southern portion of the Black Mountain range. The tent city of Vivian grew as miners and prospectors continued to arrive in the area. Burros, which is the Spanish word for Donkey, were used by the miners to carry essential supplies, including rock and metals in those days. The wild burros, roaming the streets of Oatman today, are the offspring of the burros that were let lose after they became useless to the miners as resources ran out and mines closed. In 1902, John Durlin built the Drulin Hotel which provided shelter and food to many of the miners in the area. Currently, the hotel, which was renamed in 1960 "Oatman Hotel" is the only historic two-story adobe building in Mohave County. By 1904, the Vivian Mining Company began operations and a Post Office was established. Between 1903 and 1905, the town and mines were served by a narrow gauge rail line. The narrow gauge trail line ran 17 miles to the Colorado River near Needles, California. Oatman In 1909, Vivian was formally named Oatman in honor of Olive Oatman. a young 14-year-old girl whose family was attacked by a small group from a Native American tribe believed to be Tolkepayas (Western Yavapai). All were killed except for three of the children: Lorenzo, age 15 (who was left for dead), Olive, and Mary Ann, age 7, who were taken to be slaves for the Yavapais. Olive and Mary Ann were sold as slaves to the Mohave