Main Street in Goldfield, Arizona. Photo by Kathy Alexander.
Situated atop a small hill between the Superstition and Goldfield Mountains, the settlement of Goldfield began in 1892, when low-grade gold ore was found in the area. Low-grade or not, a town soon sprang up, and on October 7, 1893, it received its first official post office.
Superstition Mountain from Goldfield Ghost Town, Arizona, by Dave Alexander.
This “official” find, coupled with the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine, which had circulated for years, drew plenty of new miners to the area. The town soon boasted three saloons, a boarding house, a general store, a brewery, a blacksmith shop, a butcher shop, and a school. For five years, the town boomed until some 4,000 souls were residing in the burgeoning city.
But, like other gold camps, Goldfield’s bustling days were quickly dashed when the vein of gold ore started to play out, and the ore grade dropped even more. Just five years after it began, the town quickly began to die. The miners moved on, the post office was discontinued on November 2, 1898, and Goldfield became a ghost town.
Goldfield, Arizona head frame, Kathy Alexander
However, some prospectors clung to the area, sure they would find the elusive Lost Dutchman Mine or perhaps a brand-new vein. Others tried to reopen the existing mines, but all attempts failed until George Young, the secretary of Arizona and acting governor, arrived on the scene in the first decade of the 20th Century.
Young brought in new mining methods and equipment to recover the ore, and the town began slowly to come alive once more. Also built were a mill and a cyanide plant. A second post office was established on June 8, 1921, and the “new” town was called Youngsberg. However, the town’s “rebirth” would last only about as long as it did the first time – just five years. Finally, the gold was gone, the post office was discontinued on October 30, 1926, and the town died for a second time.
But Goldfield was not destined to die permanently. In 1966, Robert F. “Bob” Schoose, a long-time ghost town, mining, and treasure-hunting enthusiast, made his first trip to the Superstition Mountains and instantly fell in love with the area. He moved to Mesa, Arizona, in 1970 and soon began to dream of owning his own ghost town. He had heard of the old site of Goldfield but, on inspection, found little left besides a few foundations and rambling shacks. He and his wife, Lou Ann, then found another five-acre site that had once been the Goldfield Mill and decided to rebuild the old town. Purchasing the old mill site in 1984, they first reconstructed a mining tunnel, including a snack bar, and opened for business in 1988. Next came a photo shop, the Blue Nugget, a General Store, the Mammoth Saloon, and the Goldfield Museum.
Goldfield Street, photo by Kathy Alexander.
Today, Goldfield is filled with authentic-looking buildings, includes underground mine tours, and is the only narrow-gauge railroad in operation in Arizona. Numerous shops and buildings include a brothel, bakery, leatherworks, a jail, a livery, and more. The authentic-looking street is filled with people in period costumes, horses and wagons, and sometimes authentic gunfighter presentations.
Goldfield is located off  Mammoth Mine Road, just North of Apache Junction, Arizona.
See our Goldfield Photo Gallery HERE
Mammoth Saloon, Goldfield, Arizona, Kathy Alexander.
Contact Information:
Goldfield Ghost Town
3710 S Goldfield Rd
Apache Junction, Arizona 85219
480-983-0333
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.
Also See:
Arizona (main page)
Ghost Towns Across America (main page)
See Sources.