Arizona Ghost Towns: Courtland

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Courtland Arizona

1909

It was 1909 and mining had found itself in the blood of many young men of that time. Gold and silver had been found throughout the Tombstone area. According to author of Arizona Ghost Towns, Noah Austin, it is estimated that a population of several hundred to 2,000 people lived in Courtland at its peak. Both the El Paso and the Southern Pacific railroads had branch lines to Courtland.

Things were looking good for Courtland. Both the El Paso and the Southern Pacific Railroads had branches to Courtland. Commerce was looking good as well with many new businesses and even a Post Office (which closed in 1940) coming to town.
 ,

    As with mining anywhere, the great days        will come to an end. The ore will run out,        the miners will hit limestone, or it will just     become too expensive to make a profit.            And ultimately, Courtland became a ghost     town.

    Now, it isn't a long drive from Benson to        Courtland unless you can't see what you        drove to see, and that's what happened to        me.

 The buildings I photographed are outliers. As the sign I photographed above says, we need to make an appointment. What I wanted to see and what I came to see were not available, and that is frustrating.

So here's what you do before you come. Call before the day you want to go to make arrangements. Or you can go here:

How to Make an Appointment:

  1. Check Listings: Look for "Courtland Ghost Town & Turquoise Gallery" on TripAdvisor or similar sites to find contact details (phone/email) for booking.
  2. Contact Directly: Call or email to schedule your tour, as tours and turquoise collecting (like at the George Mine) are guided experiences requiring advance booking.
  3. Specify Your Interest: Mention if you're interested in the historical tour or turquoise collecting, as tours can be tailored to your interests, notes this TripAdvisor review. 
  4. CrowMac Creek will re-review, explore both Courtland and Gleeson, and update this subject  in the near future.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31217-d17334462-Reviews-Courtland_Ghost_Town_Courtland_Turquoise_Gallery-Elfrida_Arizona.html

                                                                                      Here's what's left of the Courtland Jail. The                                                                             Benson Museum has the original jail door.

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