TravelGrahams : Exploring Chloride, AZ

On Tuesday, November 4th we headed north to the living ghost town of Chloride, AZ. Chloride is a former silver mining camp and is considered the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in the state.American author Louis L'Amour visited Chloride sometime between 1927-1929 after the Weepah, Nevada gold rush, where he had bought, and then sold a claim for $50. During his visit the town of Chloride caught fire. L'amour assisted the town citizens in a bucket brigade that ultimately failed to stop most of the town from burning to the ground. Today Chloride is home to approximately 350 residents, some interesting old buildings and hosts a gunfight at high noon every 1st and 3rd Saturday during July and August, with a gunfight every Saturday the rest of the year. Chloride may have the largest collection of yard art anywhere..we're not really sure, but there is a lot of it.

Chloride cemetery, Chloride, AZ.

Main street shoot out location, Chloride, AZ.

Sheila at the Dead Ass Saloon, Chloride, AZ.

Chloride post office selfie.

Located in the hills behind Chloride are the famous Purcell Murals painted by the artist Roy Purcell. In 1966, Roy Purcell took a break from pursuing a Master's degree in Fine Arts at Utah State University to labor as a miner in the Cerbat Mountains near Chloride, Arizona. While he was there, and with the support of local residents, he painted "The Journey," a 2000-square-foot set of murals on some boulders about a mile and a half outside of town. The murals have held up well during the many years, and the colors remain vibrant.

After exploring the town of Chloride, we decided to go see the Purcell Murals and set off on the dirt road that wanders up into the mountains west of town. Fortunately for us our truck is a 4 wheel drive with high ground clearance as some portions of the road were somewhat washed out and steep.