From our maps, it appeared that we could make our way via a spider's web of roads from the Moss Mine to the 4WD road forming the western boundary of the Mount Nutt Wilderness. Although their maps don't show the route numbers we saw on the sign, the Kingman Field Office of the BLM has done a good job of signing the legal routes on the ground. No matter, we are well experienced in navigating back roads. We didn't always know where we were but we knew where we were going. We reached the wilderness boundary and once again turned north since the road northward offered the promise of the more interesting terrain. The wildly eroded slopes just on the other side of the wilderness boundary offered Moab-esque scenery as we negotiated several small canyons. The distinctive profile of Thumb Butte grew in our windshield until we were traversing the road directly at its base.
Decision time again: Should we take a smaller road north through rough country to enigmatically named Secret Pass or push through to the highway leading down to Bullhead City? We were on limited time and we wanted to do at least some preliminary exploration of the area on the other side of Oatman. Schedule won out and we quickly looped down through Bullhead City and back up Silver Creek Wash to Oatman.
The town of Oatman boomed in the early 1900s with a series of gold strikes in the district. A prospector, on a $15 grubstake from a local merchant, discovered the Gold Road property. The Vivian followed a few years later, and things really started moving with the establishment of the Tom Reed and United Eastern properties. It is estimated that the mines in the area yielded over two million ounces of gold (over 62 tons!) between 1900 and 1950. The Tom Reed, United Eastern, and several other mines all exploited the same lucrative vein of ore that ran at or near the surface for nearly a mile. By 1913, the Oatman area had 10,000 residents. The mining activity had mostly run its course by 1930 and the end came when the government declared gold mining `non-essential' to the war effort during the second World War.
Oatman survived for a number of years as an important stop on busy Route 66. The town's demise looked imminent in 1953 when the new highway was further south through Topock. The population base quickly dwindled to a hardy few. The town has survived since on the appeal of its mining history and, more recently, on rampant Route 66 nostalgia. Foundations and huge tailing piles on both ends of town are about all that remains of the mining unless you include the burros. The pesky descendants of those hardy mining beasts of burden occupy a hallowed status in the city boundaries. Although technically `wild', the burros spend the day panhandling for food and chasing after tourists. Local shops sell carrots and other treats for feeding them. A quick lunch and we pointed the hood south out of Oatman and toward the Boundary Cone.
Boundary Cone is a huge, dark volcanic plug that rises over 1,500 feet from its base and dominates the views southwest of Oatman. The landmark was so named because it was thought at one time that the 35th parallel bisected its summit (the line is actually about a mile to the north). It also marks the entrance to interesting roads that provide access to other historic mining relics in the area.
According to the map, it looked as if some routes connected as loops. But it had to be ground-tested. We started with a route two canyons east of the Cone. After about two miles of climbing the narrow canyon, the road dead-ended at a high saddle near the boundary of the Warm Springs Wilderness. No loops here. There were several relic mining sites to explore but none large enough to warrant a name on our maps. The views from the top of the ridge were spectacular in all directions as the low winter sun lit the craggy volcanic escarpments and pinnacles in vivid relief.
 This historic photo (circa...  This historic photo (circa 1921) shows the mill at the Ruth Mine and the prominent outcrops of the Moss vein. We were drawn to the site by the foundation remaining from this mill. Photo by F. L. Ransome, from the U.S. Geological Survey collection. |  The landscape around Oatman...  The landscape around Oatman is a jumble of volcanic plugs, dikes, and outcroppings cut by a web of desert washes. There are numerous dirt roads winding over and around the hills and up and down the many washes. Most can easily be driven in a stock SUV, with a little care. |  This would have been an impressive...  This would have been an impressive building in its prime. Of heavy rock construction, with a plastered interior and a concrete floor incised to look like square tiles, it was probably a company store or office. |