b"americanexpeditioners.comThis little town's motto says it all: Chloridequaint, quirky.cool! Chloride is the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in Arizona. It is about 3.5 miles off Hwy 93 between Las Vegas and Kingman, snuggled up against the Cerbat Mountains. This not-a-ghost-town is as real as it gets. A rtists and retirees, outdoor enthusiasts, and awas once home to some 75 mines and 5,000 few young families revel in the clean air, quietresidents. The town at that time had a brewery, and peaceful setting with killer sunsets, andgeneral store, blacksmith shop, post office, and star-spangled night skies. Cattle are open range andseveral saloons. The local miners excavated come into the yards to graze unless they are kept out.minerals like silver, gold, and turquoise for Deer, quail, cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, coyotes, andover six decades, until in the late 1920s when roadrunners roam freely. You can hike in the mountainsthe town was burnt to the ground in its (near) year-round. If ATVing is your thing, you can do that too.entirety. By the 1940s, it had practically become There are rocks to climb, rocks to find, and miles anda ghost town. Total production from one of the miles of desert to explore. One of the largest turquoisemines alone was $7.5 million by 1948. mines in North America with an awesome gift shop is just 25 minutes from town. The town is whatever youThe original post office was opened March 27,balls. Please be respectful of private residenceswant to make it! It might even be a good place to retire1873, but on July 14, 1875, it was closed because so fewand obey any signage.when you are finally ready to get away from it all. people were in the area. It reopened on February 1, 1893, has been in operation since that time and is the longestAlthough they are a bit hard to reach the Purcell Murals HISTORY continuously operating post office in the state of Arizona.are worth the visit. A 1.3-mile, 4-wheel-drive-only road The name Chloride came from the silver chloride foundpast abandoned mines and ancient Native American in the hills among other minerals in the area. Today,WHAT TO SEE petroglyphs will take you up the hill to the murals of Roy silver chloride is used in photographic emulsions andThe bizarre art of Chloride can easily be seen alongPurcell, who, in 1966, was a local prospector working the antiseptic silver solutions. Founded in 1862, Chloridethe roadside of the non-historic part of town. DriversDuval Mine. Not yet showing the signs of weathering, can admire a flamingo made of a gas tank, aPurcells The Journey covers 2,000 square feet of tin man with a blue hat, and a junk tree withcliffside granite and is dense in symbolism, featuring rusty items hanging from the branches. Someyin yang, a giant red snake spanning multiple rocks, of the graves in the town cemetery are evenand a fertility goddess. Roy Purcell is well recognized topped with old telephones. Inthroughout the Southwest, his artwork can be found in fact, of thecollections of many well-known figures including Clint 20 currently- Eastwood and the late Dale Robertson.inhabited residences ofThe Jim Fritz Museum just east of the park is open Chloride, eachevery Saturday for about an hour or two around high of them featuresnoon. Artifacts in the museum date from as far backsome displayas the 1880s.of scrap art. One house, forCyanide Springs is the western storefront town built example, featuresby the gunfight troupes located at 123 Cyanide Road. an elaborateIts a great spot for photos. The Silver Belle Playhouse bottle tree;inside was built in 1989 by the Silver Belle Players, who another displaysperformed melodramas and became well known for a metallic spidertheir raucous performances. Gunfight skits are now next to a caterpillarperformed the 1st and 3rd Saturdays at high noon bymade of bowlingthe High Desert Drifters.28 October 2019"