Durlin Hotel ~ Oatman, Arizona, USA.
N 35° 01.584 W 114° 23.007
11S E 738716 N 3879100
Donkeys Rule in Oatman, Burros, Gold mines, Jackasses, saloons, rickety wooden walkways, & old prospectors mules. The Former Durlin Hotel now the Oatman Hotel a listed NHRP building in Mohave County, Arizona.
Waymark Code: WMNCTJ
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 02/16/2015
Views: 2
As you drive through Oatman be prepared to stop many times, as the Burros have right of way at all times, & protected by Law.
The Durlin Hotel now known as The Oatman Hotel first built in 1902, destroyed by fire in 1921, reopened in 1924, and still serving route 66 trippers to this day.
The most famous guests in the Durlin were Clark Gable and Carole Lombard who stopped at the historic Durlin Hotel for their honeymoon after their wedding in Kingman, Arizona in 1939, & returned many times in later life.
"Located in beautiful and historic Oatman and named for its builder John Durlin, the Durlin Hotel is the only historic two-story adobe building in Mohave County. From its famous guests to its otherworldly inhabitants, the Durlin, known as the Oatman Hotel today, is a must stop for Route 66 travellers." Text source" (
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"Should you decide to take a leisurely drive along Historic Route 66 and down through Oatman, don't be surprised if your journey comes to a sudden halt thanks to some stubborn jackass in the middle of the road. The town is full of them.
I'm not talking about the people, of course. I'm talking about burros. And they're the reason most visitors stop in Oatman to begin with, whether they're blocking the way or not. Sure, Oatman's got a gold-mine tour, Wild West shootouts and an annual egg-frying contest, but it's the braying beasts of burden everybody comes to see. Come to think of it, it's probably the only vacation spot tourists flock to in order to be surrounded by asses entirely on purpose.
"The burros, though they've gotten quite comfortable among humans, are actually wild. It's estimated there are about 600 feral burros meandering between Kingman and Lake Havasu City, and about a dozen of them enter Oatman on a daily basis. They come down from the Black Mountains of their own accord and invade the town as though commuting to work. When the shops begin to close and the tourists start to leave, they head back out again.
They're direct descendants of pack animals that were once used in local mining operations. When the federal government shut the mines down in the 1940s in response to the war effort, workers simply let the burros go. They never really left, though, and due to their obstinate charm, Oatman has survived becoming a ghost town, though just barely. As a nearby sign admits, "If it were not for these burros, in all probability, neither you nor this plaque would be standing here today." Text Source: (
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"Wild burros freely roam the town and can be hand-fed carrots and "burro chow," both readily available in practically every store in town. Though normally gentle, the burros are in fact wild and signs posted throughout Oatman advise visitors to exercise caution. The donkeys are descended from pack animals turned loose by early prospectors, and are protected by the US Department of the Interior." Texy Source: (
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