Ghosts of the past

The settlement of Goldfield, in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains and the Goldfield Mountains, began in 1892 and the following year was formally recognized with an official post office. Miners seeking the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine or another rich vein of gold flocked to the area. A mine opened when high grade gold ore was found in the area and the town grew to a population of 1,500. Unfortunately, that rich vein played out within five years and the town began to die. The post office closed on Nov. 2, 1898, and Goldfield became another desert ghost town.

But Goldfield refused to die. Some miners remained in the area and tried to reopen and operate some of the existing mines, but to no avail. Enter George Young, who was the secretary of Arizona and the acting governor. Young brought new mining methods and equipment to recover the ore and the town came alive once more. The post office was reopened on June 8, 1921, and the town was given the new name of Youngsberg. But the rebirth lasted about as long as the first incarnation and the post office once again closed on Oct. 30, 1926.

Then, in 1966, Robert Schoose came to the area and fell in love with desert living. He moved to Mesa, Ariz., and a few years later found Goldfield. The former mining town was little more than some shacks and a few foundations where buildings once stood. About five miles away, Schoose found the abandoned Goldfield Mill and decided to buy the 5-acre site and began to reconstruct Goldfield Ghost Town in the new location.

Today, Goldfield is a complete town with a collection of authentic 1800s buildings. The buildings in Goldfield have new framework and foundations but are covered with original 1800s facades. Those buildings include a chapel, a livery stable offering rides for both novice and experienced riders, a saloon and a bordello. Goldfield also has a reconstructed mine featuring a 25-minute underground walking tour given by knowledgeable guides. There's a museum with exhibits on the history of the area including a dress coat once owned and worn by legendary gunfighter Doc Holiday.

Tours of Lu Lu's Bordello tell the history of women in the 1800s and what it was like for them to leave their lives in the east and move to the western territory. The tours are suitable for the whole family.

Church at the Mount at Goldfield Ghost Town is complete with an 1800s organ, a pulpit that was once a pipe organ in the famous Hammond Theater, pews built in 1931 in the style of the 1800s, chandeliers made from old wagon wheels and a rough hewn wooden cross. Worship service is held every Sunday at 11 a.m.

The Prospector's Place offers everyone a chance to become a prospector and pan for gold. A gold expert guides amateur prospectors in how to find those elusive slivers of the precious metal and any gold found can be taken home.

Visitors can also take a ride on the Superstition Scenic Narrow Gauge Railroad that resembles an 1800s train and includes a passenger car and caboose. The train circles the town on a mile and a half track while the engineer tells the history of Goldfield, the Superstition Mountains and the desert southwest.