Discover Gold King Mine & Ghost Town in Arizona

Image via Gold King Mine Ghost Town/Facebook

Have you ever wondered what gold mining towns looked like during the gold rush? The Gold King Mine & Ghost Town is one of the coolest ways to discover this morsel of history. Located about a mile from the town Jerome, Arizona, this spot is so authentic there’s nowhere like it.

Founded by the late Don Robertson, the place started out as a visitor center with an untouched miners town, an old-school working sawmill, and Robertson’s own collection of historical cars and trucks, including Fords and Studebakers that date back to 1902.

A famous item in his collection is Big Bertha, a huge mining gas engine that still runs! 

Over thirty years after Robertson started Gold King Mine & Ghost Town, it has expanded far beyond what he had expected. For starters, it offers a unique opportunity for young and old adventurers to learn and practice gold panning.

The visitor center offers tours of the Ghost Town, including passing through the little petting zoo, where there are goats, chickens, and a visitors-friendly donkey who welcomes anyone who approaches him.

The place hosts beautiful weddings and serves as a film location, and they even run a Jamboree event! It’s a place you will never forget. We know people who go back every so often, just to see what’s new in the old town.