Cleator, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Cleator is a ghost town
in Yavapai County
, Arizona
, United States
. It lies along the road that has replaced Murphy's Impossible Railroad
between Cordes
and Crown King
.
Cleator was established in 1864 as a placer gold mining site under the name Turkey Creek Mining District. A post office was established at Turkey Creek in July 1869 but closed within three months.
Turkey Creek was renamed Cleator in 1925 after James P. Cleator took possession of the town from Levrett P. Nellis. He then named the post office after himself. The post office closed July 15, 1954.
Cleator's population fell in the 1920s as mining in the area declined and the town was put up for sale by James Cleator in April 1949. It then had about 60 residents. James P. Cleator's son Thomas bought the town and lived there until his death in 1996. He kept the small bar open most of the years he lived there. After his death everything was inherited by his sister Eleanor and her son. The bar is still open and a favorite stop along the dusty road for recreational ATV drivers and weekend tourists.
Several original buildings remain and are occupied.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Yavapai County
Yavapai County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.3% White*0.6% Black*1.7% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*5.0% Other races*13.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies along the road that has replaced Murphy's Impossible Railroad
Murphy's Impossible Railroad
Completed in 1904, the Crown King Branch of the Bradshaw Mountain Railroad, also known as Murphy's Impossible Railroad, linked the town of Crown King with the end of the Prescott and Eastern Railroad at Mayer, Arizona....
between Cordes
Cordes, Arizona
Cordes is a ghost town located eight miles southeast of the area of Mayer in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. Cordes was established in 1883 by John Henry Cordes....
and Crown King
Crown King, Arizona
Crown King is an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, located at an elevation of 5,771 feet . Crown King has a ZIP Code of 86343; in 2000, the population of the 86343 ZCTA was 133. The site of a former gold mining town, Crown King is 28 miles west of Interstate...
.
Cleator was established in 1864 as a placer gold mining site under the name Turkey Creek Mining District. A post office was established at Turkey Creek in July 1869 but closed within three months.
Turkey Creek was renamed Cleator in 1925 after James P. Cleator took possession of the town from Levrett P. Nellis. He then named the post office after himself. The post office closed July 15, 1954.
Cleator's population fell in the 1920s as mining in the area declined and the town was put up for sale by James Cleator in April 1949. It then had about 60 residents. James P. Cleator's son Thomas bought the town and lived there until his death in 1996. He kept the small bar open most of the years he lived there. After his death everything was inherited by his sister Eleanor and her son. The bar is still open and a favorite stop along the dusty road for recreational ATV drivers and weekend tourists.
Several original buildings remain and are occupied.
Further reading
- Philip Varney, Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Towns: A travel guide to history, Phoenix, Arizona: Highways Books, 1988, 117 pages.