Goldfield Ghost Town

What is the fascination with ghost towns? Perhaps it's the eerie sound of the name itself. Or maybe just a way to look into times long past. What was life like when it was a thriving town. How did people live back then? What drew people to settle an area and what circumstances led to the town being abandoned?

As the name suggests, Goldfield was originally settled because of a gold mine. Back in the 1890's, Goldfield boasted 3 saloons, a boarding house, general store, blacksmith shop, brewery, meat market, school house, and a bordello. Just when it looked like the town would outgrow Mesa, the vein faulted, the grade of ore dropped and the town died a slow, painful death.

After several unsuccessful attempts to reopen the mines, the town did come to life again, off and on from 1920 until 1926. After more than 115 years, travelers from all over the world still visit this gold mining town located on the historic Apache Trail and enjoy the excitement and grandeur of Arizona's wild west in this popular tourist attraction.

The tour of the town was a lot of fun and we even got to see a gunfight!

The Bordello was particularly interesting. Women didn't have many options to support themselves back in the 1800s. One of the only ways to earn a living was "servicing" the male population of the area. A woman could earn a minimum of $1.00 per client, and see 40 to 50 men a night. She had to pay the bordello 1/2 of her earnings, which still was excellent money in those times. It was reported that one madam amassed over $7M during her career, between servicing her own clients and her 50% take on the girls that worked for her. Most madams took very good care of their employees, making sure they were educated on a variety of subjects and learned how to read and write. Since women were considered property of their husbands, sometimes men would even prostitute their wives to earn extra money. Sure glad times have changed!

Bathtub in the madam's quarters.

Women who were quite busty with small waists were quite popular at the bordello.
Smaller feet were also preferred.

Typical room at the bordello. Not very big but I guess they didn't need much floor space.

The "working" girls were also known for their kindness in taking care of sick town's people, bringing much needed food to poor families, and generally being good Samaritans to all in need. Even with all their good deeds they were still scorned by the townsfolk because of their profession. It was also interesting to note that big dogs were a sign of respectability and small dogs were often kept by the bordello women. Taking their small dogs for a walk was one way they advertised their profession without being too obvious.

Mom rockin' the cowboy hat at Cantankerous Carl's Hat Store.

--Sammy