Smart Ass
000 Oatman, AZ And The Burros
Smart Ass • Oatman, AZ • Day Two
Oatman, AZ wasn’t the first photography stop of the day, but it was a marquee target.
Oatman was a mining town founded around 1906. By 1931 the Oatman area mines had produced almost two million ounces of gold. By the mid 1930s the boom was over. The remainder of the mines were closed in 1942.
Oatman today is a western tourist town on steroids. You feel like you are walking through a classic western movie set, but with asphalt roads instead of dirt, and hybrid SUVs instead of horses. All of the classic western storefronts are there: saloon, mercantile, general store, etc. Most of signs look period, but the merchandise is mostly modern tourist fare.
Then there are the burros. The famous Oatman Burros wander freely through the streets, greeting tourists, posing for photos, and looking for food.
The burros were originally brought to Oatman by prospectors. They were used to hall water and supplies, and used in the mines to move rock and ore. When the town dissolved, the burros were released into the hills. Their descendants apparently hang out in those hills and pop into town for food.
There is a sign in town warning that the burros are “wild animals.” They will “bite and kick.” Tourists should “keep a safe distance.” Sure. Tell that to the burros.
If you stand still for too long, a burro will find you, ask you for food, pose for a photo, and even try to climb into your car.
Wild animals, my ass.
I wanted to get a shot of a burro without a smiling tourist taking a selfie with it. For the featured image (above), I waited for a tourist to get her shot, then followed this burro for a couple of minutes. As if on queue, he wandered up to the door of the museum.
A cultured burro, that one.
Oatman Mercanitle. The chair allegedly wards off ghosts.
Oatman General Store. They have film cameras! Or is that Film and Cameras?
000 About This Series
From April 12 through April 20, 2025, I was on a Route 66 Photography Adventure (The Trip) with three good friends and like minded photographers. This series is recap of The Trip in stories and images.
All of the images were shot on that historic road or within a couple of miles of it. Neither the images nor stories are necessarily presented in chronological order.
Enjoying the series? Drop a comment.