7/23/2022 Day 13... Leaving Las Vegas

Hello Route 66 & Oatman, Arizona... It was a fun and easy day drive from Las Vegas. It's an famous old & original mining town. Little shops, old saloon... but the main attraction is the donkeys! They are descendants of the original donkeys used in the mines.

Prospectors explored the Black Mountains area of Arizona as early as the 1860s. One of the early claims located during those years was named the Oatman, after Olive Oatman, the famous woman that was captured by Indians in the Arizona Territory following what was called the Oatman massacre. Olive Oatman spent five years as a captive of the Mohave tribe before being returned to American society. She was famous for the facial tattoos she received while in captivity.

Oatman was more fortunate than other former mining towns as it was located on U.S. Route 66, known as "The Main Street of America", a popular and important road for travelers. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard stopped at the town during their 1939 honeymoon. Gable fell in love with the town and returned frequently to play cards with the locals. The Oatman Hotel still features the "Gable Lombard" Honeymoon Suite...

We definitely did not reserve that room but we did move on to Route 66... Seligman, Az.

It is a quirky small town along a preserved section of Route 66 between Flagstaff and Kingman, AZ that captures a vibrant slice of Americana.

A night of rest in the nostalgic Stagecoach 66 Motel along route 66 so we can hit the road again refreshed and ready for another day's adventure...

Nana