Arriving in Oatman leaves you feeling like you stepped back in time to the wild west. Dirt roads, historic wooden buildings, wandering burros, and daily shootouts hearken back to the days of old.
Oatman was founded back in 1863 as a small mining town. Gold was struck in 1915, resulting in a population boom. While the boom didn't last, and a 1921 fire almost burnt it all to the ground, the town's wild aesthetic and location continued to cater to Route 66 travelers.
Today, you can shop, feed the wild burros, and watch the afternoon wild west shootouts in town. Have some cowboy fun. Visit the Oatman Hotel to see thousands of dollar bills that have been signed and tacked to the walls and ceiling. The Oatman Hotel no longer functions as an inn, but you can visit the Honeymoon Suite that Clark Gable and Carol Lombard stayed in.
There are more burros than people in this dusty town, and you can feed them alfalfa cubes (AKA burrow chow), which are available for purchase in Oatman.
Please do not feed the burros any carrots, apples, or other human food! It's terribly damaging to the burros' digestive system and can make them sick.
The burros of Oatman live in the surrounding Black Mountains. On any given day, you will cross paths with them in or around town as they wander on Route 66. They are direct descendants of the burros who carried supplies for local gold miners to in the early 1900s. When the mines eventually closed down, the burros were sent to roam freely in the hills.