Opal isn’t the first baby donkey to use the road for a nap. A book about the orphaned donkey and the amazing town he calls home! The town is known for its quaint stores and restaurants as well as being home to the Oatman Hotel, where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent time during their honeymoon. Oatman Chamber of Commerce In 1921, a fire burned much of Oatman, but the town was rebuilt. Your health is important to us. Even now, a trip through Oatman makes it possible to see descendants of the mining donkeys roaming freely across the streets and throughout the surrounding areas. © Kathy Weiser-Dave Alexander/Legends of America, updated January 2020. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. So, even though it made the drive more difficult on those old Model-T’s, the road took the hazardous journey up Sitgreaves Pass and bypassed Yucca.

Do you think he's as cute as we do? People travel from miles away to see the town run by donkeys and perhaps pet one of the free-range creatures. They shared their journey with Walter by creating a local Facebook page after the towns social media page garnered overwhelming attention of him. src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/reading-time/2.0.0/readingTime.min.js". “The ten-volume series will be annually.

All Rights Reserved. Smith currently works as an executive assistant for a large radio group in the river community. It had been suggested time after time that Walter needed a children’s book written about him so others can have the same happiness in their lives. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible with a response. Oatman, Arizona, located in the Black Mountains of Mohave County got its start as a mining camp after prospectors struck gold in the area in the early 1900s.Later, it became part of Route 66.. Often described as a ghost town, it doesn’t quite fit the category, but, close enough, considering that it once boasted over 10,000 people and now supports just a little over 100 people year-round. Hope those burrows stay safe , Your email address will not be published. But in the 1960s, when the route became what is now Interstate 40, Oatman almost died. “Walter was adopted,” Brad explained. She teamed up with her mother, also a journalist, and won a nomination for “Best Director” for a documentary at an Austin, Texas film festival along with a nomination for “Best Movie”. Later, it became part of Route 66. Separate Investigations Lead to Drug Arrests. When the mines shut down and the miners began to leave town, they simply released their donkeys to stay behind. The happy story's and the sad. Officials with the Bureau of Land Management contacted the Blake Family and asked if they would care for Walter and become his new family. Once in Oatman, there is limited parking. This old hotel renamed the Oatman Hotel in the 1960s, is the only historic two-story adobe building in Mohave County. rachel_schur. But for now, all eyes are on Walter, the adorable donkey who was rescued by long-time residents, Brad and Kelly Blake. The town is known for its quaint stores and restaurants as well as being home to the Oatman Hotel, where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent time during their honeymoon. “The book is due to be released through a select publisher and is scheduled for release by June 1, 2020,” said Andrea Z. Smith, a contributor and liaison for the authors.

There are at least a dozen on the parkway in bullhead . These adorable, gray animals consider themselves to be the stars of the show and will take over where they want.

These survivors who managed to learn to live off of the Arizona land without the help of humans are now a leading tourist attraction in Oatman. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Donkeys roam the streets of Oatman, Arizona by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. Just sayin! OATMAN, AZ.–It was bound to happen. This is about the Oatman Arizona burros. Walter’s followings on Facebook have climbed very fast with people from all over the world falling in love with this adorable orphan. The book “Walter, The Orphan Donkey”, being published by Armagon Press of Los Angeles, tells the story of how Walter was found alone, lying on the ground cold and scared in the desert of Oatman.

I think it will be very popular with children everywhere.” she said. Let us know - and make sure to pass this along to your friends and family -  baby donkeys make everything better! An official town began to form around 1904, complete with a Post Office when the Vi-vian Mining Company began operations. RV’s or those traveling with trailers can often have difficulty finding a parking spot. A premiere book signing will also be announced to launch the book. By this time,  Oatman no longer held the clout that it had earlier when the Mother Road was first implemented. Between 1904 and 1907 the mine yielded over $3,000,000 and a large gold find at the Tom Reed Mine in 1908 brought in $13,000,000. Walter has an amazing family who loves him to pieces. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When Route 66 was first built in the 1920s, several supporters worked to have the road parallel the railroad through Yucca, where its supporters lived.

Please come back to tv soon ️. Do you think if I can come to Oatman Walter could sign my book? By now, you would have to be living in a cave here not to know who Walter is! The town boasted two banks, seven hotels, 20 saloons, and 10 stores. Then, in 1995 the Gold Road mine was reopened, taking out 40,000 ounces of gold annually. Contact Brad or Kelly Blake regarding any business or sales information for this publication. Walter is the cutest little donkey ever! When that failed, Brad & Kelly Blake adopted Walter. Your email address will not be published. Often described as a ghost town, it doesn’t quite fit the category, but, close enough, considering that it once boasted over 10,000 people and now supports just a little over 100 people year-round. The road to Oatman from Kingman is very narrow with several sharp hairpin curves. Kelly agreed, “Other children can relate and have hope that they too can also be happy after something bad happens to them.” Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Oatman burros of Oatman Arizona has 9,828 members. Last year visitors mistakenly thought a sleeping baby donkey had been hit on the road and were visibly shaken when they decided she was dead. Oatman started becoming very lively again. Some of the proceeds from the sales of the book will go to benefit a collaboration on a series of books called, “Walter The Orphan Donkey Series.”which are slated to be released in the Winter 2020, just in time for the holidays.

Required fields are marked *. Oatman survived by catering to travelers on old U.S. Route 66. Smith will be penning the children’s series along with the Blake’s. Route 66 was changed to make an easier route south of the mountain passes in 1953. Soon, the town had its own newspaper, the Oatman Miner, as well as dozens of other businesses. The Drulin Hotel, which was built in 1902, did a brisk business to the area miners. Oatman, Arizona, located in the Black Mountains of Mohave County got its start as a mining camp after prospectors struck gold in the area in the early 1900s.

Walter is the newly elected mayor of Oatman, a genuine Arizona ghost town situated along the famous Route 66. This is wonderful news! When traveling westbound Route 66, Oatman Highway continues another 20 miles to Golden Shores. In Oatman, the donkeys don’t watch out for people; instead, people have to watch out for donkeys! Prospector Johnny Moss first mined the area for Gold in the 1860s, staking claims to two mines, one named Moss, the other Oatman, after Olive Oatman who was kidnapped by Apache warriors, sold to Mojave Indians, and released after five years near the current townsite in 1855. Walter is the newly elected mayor of Oatman, a genuine Arizona ghost town situated along the famous Route 66. Though Oatman is only a shadow of its former self, it is well worth a visit to this lively “ghost town” that provides, not only a number of historic buildings and photograph opportunities, but the sights of burros walking the streets, as well as costumed gunfighters, and 1890s style ladies strolling. The road from Golden Shores is not nearly as steep or sharp.
Someone just posted on Facebook that one of the donkeys are missing from Oatman and was last seen yesterday 20w Reply. Oatman is a fun place to visit -- an authentic old western town with burros roaming the streets and gunfights staged on weekends. In 1998, the mine closed again because of low gold prices. Gold mining would have its ups and downs in the Black Mountains until the early 1900s. When the mines shut down and the miners began to leave town, they simply released their donkeys to stay behind. The burros are tame and can be hand fed.

OATMAN, AZ.–It was bound to happen. A book about the orphaned donkey and the amazing town he calls home! The Walter train has taken off full-speed ahead with all sorts of t-shirts and calendars that have the cute donkey’s picture on them and all sorts of memorabilia that appear virtually everywhere you look in this town. “I am very honored and excited about this book. I love how you and Vicki left the show and then the world shut down.
Last seen on 4/19. Oatman, Arizona Hotel Sign, by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. In its heyday, from the early 1900s to the 1940s, Oatman and the nearby town of Gold Road were the largest producers of gold in Arizona. For further information, contact A. Smith at 928-763-3072 between 9 am -12 noon and 2 pm until 4 pm. The landscape along the way is dotted with mining remnants of more prosperous times. It all started when Oatman was a mining town and people would use donkeys to pack things throughout the area.

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