Vulture City Ghost Town

I finally had time to take a day off for myself, and what an adventure it was.

We hopped on our bikes for the straight, flat ride to Wickenburg, about an hour and a half away down I-10 and US 60. It was almost 100 miles away, but speed limits of at least 65 the whole way put the miles behind us deceptively quickly. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that after the low speed limits of the congested northeast where I grew up.

Vulture City was a company town for the Vulture Mine. Legend has it that Henry Wickenberg, for whom the nearby modern town is named, discovered this place rich in gold and silver while following a vulture. In reality, he’d simply noticed a quartz ledge about 14 miles away from their camp (the future town) and traveled out here to investigate. Vulture City was established in 1863 and was home to about 5,000 people at its peak. From 1863 to 1942, the mine produced 340,000 ounces of gold and 260,000 ounces of silver. In 1942, the War Production Board ordered the closing of all non-essential mines to ensure that resources were focused on the war effort. With no operating mine to support it, Vulture City was abandoned soon afterward. But today, the mine is still operating on a small scale.

After paying $15 for admission, we were invited to hop on a mule wagon for a guided tour of the town for an extra $10. It was a short ride since the town is small and walkable, but we learned a lot about the history of the place, and the novelty of it was fun. Then we consulted the map we were given at registration and explored Vulture City on foot at our own pace.

This is the powerhouse that supplied electricity to the city. The windings inside this generator are far larger than what I’m used to seeing in alternators and such. We discussed whether such an engine would fit on Dorian’s Harley or under the hood of my van.

The Vulture’s Roost is now a small museum with many artifacts from the town’s heyday. Originally, it was the home of the mine manager.

The old gas station is a good example of the level of preservation they’re doing here. I haven’t seen an old cash register like that in years. Yet they also have a sense of humor, with the alien toxic waste in the small tanker parked outside. We’ll see even more of their humor later.

The pump house provided all of Vulture City’s water, both for the town as well as mine operations. I recognized this drill from the Bisbee Copper Queen Mine tour. The ore may be different, but the equipment and techniques are the same.

Next to the blacksmith shop live Laverne and Shirley, a pair of alpacas. They weren’t too active during the hottest part of the day when we were exploring. They were the smart ones, finding shady spots to relax in.

The assay building is where they assessed the purity, and therefore the value, of the gold and silver they produced. During years of neglect, much of this building had fallen in on itself, but they’ve restored it in recent years. The original building was made completely out of rock that came from the mine itself. The restored portions don’t quite match but are close enough.

This nondescript building housed both the doctor’s office and the brothel. How convenient for one-stop shopping.

I think they had a little too much fun setting up the Halloween displays inside the brothel. They had some fun dioramas set up nearby as well.

On the way out, I noticed this traveler, who reminded me of a lot of people coming to Quartzsite.

This is only a tiny fraction of what we saw. Vulture City is a good balance between a truly abandoned, empty ghost town and a curated experience without going overboard. It’s historical and educational for history nerds like us, but it’s clear they also have fun with it, too. If you’re ever anywhere near Wickenburg, Arizona, it’s well worth the trip.

We vastly underestimated how long it would take both to get here, as well as to explore Vulture City. We grabbed “lunch” in Wickenburg around 4:00 p.m., and then I raced the sunset back to camp. (Fortunately, Birgit had already volunteered to keep an eye on Lister, and didn’t mind her extended deployment at all — thank you!) I lost the race and the sun went down, but it was by far the most spectacular sunset I’ve seen since getting back to Arizona. Since I was heading west, I was forced to watch the whole thing while blasting down US 60 and I-10 back to Quartzsite. I didn’t get any pictures, so I’ll steal one of Birgit’s.