Local Recommendations: Climb to the top of the upper rock pile for a magnificent view of the valley. The town’s population peaked at 1,200+ in 1887 and dwindled to 100 by 1903 showing how quickly the pendulum of prosperity swung. This site has restored buildings, a Visitor Center with interpretive exhibits and a self-guided walking tour to introduce you to copper mining and town life. Visit (and stay at) Central Mine located north of U.S.Talk to locals. Most are willing to tell you about the area and its history.The trees will give you a sense of where children played, neighbors caught up on the news and rugged men soaked up the sun after spending hours in the dark earth. Look for old apple trees. Townspeople frequently planted these hardier fruit trees for a food source in their backyards.Use caution near deteriorated townsite buildings, too. Dangerous, open mineshafts and wells are hidden by overgrowth. Use extreme caution especially at abandoned mining sites.Heed posted “Private Property” and “Keep Out” signage. If in doubt whether you can explore the property, contact the local Department of Natural Resources Customer Service Center or the Michigan Nature Association.AS YOU TRAVEL FROM GHOST TOWN TO GHOST TOWN … The industries’ booms and busts led to rapid population increases and declines creating ghost towns throughout the region, particularly in the Keweenaw Peninsula due to copper mining activity in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many rough tracks criss-cross the surrounding land, some still in use but others overgrown and long abandoned.Because of its history with natural resource extraction industries like mining and logging, you’ll find many of its ghost towns in the Upper Peninsula. There are several tunnels in the hillside above, and the rocks show clear signs of mineralization - some are stained various shades of red and yellow, and the cliffs have occasional bluish outcrops. The fast-flowing creek waters are often stained bright turquoise from present-day operations further up the canyon. The first old structures are found about a half mile further, comprising mine buildings and an iron bridge over the creek to one side, and some concrete foundations on the other. It forks soon after one branch re-crosses the creek and climbs towards several working mines on privately-owned land, while the other continues along the south side, past a tailing pond and a flat area suitable for camping. The track fords the creek and becomes more uneven and narrow a 4WD vehicle may become necessary to progress further.
The first visible relic is the Copper Creek town sign, on the left side of the road close to the stream. The surrounding land becomes steep and rocky with large trees near the water and saguaro cacti on south-facing slopes higher up. After 7 miles the road drops down steeply past a large open area towards the narrow canyon of Copper Creek, through which a stream flows year-round. The route is uneven in places and the surface is heavily ribbed but generally fine for 2WD cars. The unpaved road to the Copper Creek ruins starts half-way along main street it crosses the river and another road, follows a litter-strewn dry wash for a mile or so and then climbs steadily up a low ridge, eventually gaining about 1,800 feet. Mammoth is a rather forlorn little town with a distinct air of inactivity. In recent years, the ranch owner has prevented access to a section of Copper Creek Canyon, a part that includes some of the ruins of the old town. Most of the land is administered by the BLM, though some is part of a working mine, while other areas are within the boundaries of a private ranch. For the more genuine sites, the amount and condition of the surviving buildings tend to be proportional to the difficulty of reaching the site and so the best preserved towns are remote and hard to find, such as Swansea in the Buckskin Mountains of west-central Arizona, where many abandoned buildings stand complete but the site is reached only after a long, difficult journey over rough tracks.Ĭopper Creek is a more typical example it may be accessed by a rocky, 9 mile dirt road and has quite a few scattered ruined buildings and old mine structures spread out over steep, cacti-covered hillsides east of Mammoth, 44 miles from Tucson. There are dozens of 'ghost towns' in Arizona, with various degrees of completeness and preservation - some, like Tombstone or Oatman on old Route 66 in the northwest have many good old buildings but still with some permanent residents, while for many, nothing remains but a few foundation stones or other scattered debris.
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