Fairbank A Ghost Town Of The Old West…Arizona…..

GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN GHOST TOWN

 In The Old West

Fairbank is a ghost town in Cochise County, Arizona, near the San Pedro River. First settled in 1881, Fairbank was the closest rail stop to nearby Tombstone, which made it an important location in the development of southeastern Arizona. The town was named for Chicago investor Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank who partially financed the railroad.

We have to get an early start so we can catch the stage from Tombstone to Fairbank.(not really, I just wanted to use the photo of the stagecoach)

Originally called Junction City, Kendall, then Fairbank

I wonder if they are going to bust some “ghosts”

Fairbank was built on an old Mexican land grant, the San Juan de las Boquillas y Nogales.

A very important room in any self respecting ghost town.

Due to its proximity to Tombstone, and the fact that it boasted the nearest railroad station to what was one of the largest cities in the western United States, Fairbank acted as a way point between Tombstone and the rest of the country.

The Bureau of Land Management acquired the land that was once the Mexican Land Grant in 1986 as part of the San Pedro Riparian NCA. Today the area is open for the public to enjoy. Take a self-guided tour around what was once a thriving boom-town of the wild west! Looks like the B.L.M. put some new spouting on the building.

Time for a walk.. Please take plenty of water and watch out for Venomous Creatures.

Remains of the old railroad bed.

San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating about 10 miles (16 km) south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, near Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. The river flows 140 miles (230 km) north through Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and Pinal County to its confluence with the Gila River, at Winkelman, Arizona. It is the last major, free-flowing undammed river in the American Southwest, it is of major ecological importance as it hosts two-thirds of the avian diversity in the United States, including 100 species of breeding birds and 300 species of migrating birds.

This is an area where Coronado and his fellow conquistadors rode almost 500 years ago.

This would be a good time to return to Fairbank and check out the schoolhouse.

In 1889, Fairbank had five saloons, a meat market, general store, grocery, three restaurants, a hotel, a Wells Fargo Office, livery stables, train and stage depots , a school, post office, and resident's houses.

The schoolhouse was built in the late 1920s. The original building was one-room but a partition (long missing) separated it into two rooms. This block structure replaced a wooden structure that had burned down. In the early 1930s, a "third" room was added. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) meticulously restored the schoolhouse in 2007 using original materials where possible. READ MORE

A highlight is the old school house. On weekends there is usually a docent who can explain the fascinating history of railroads in Southern Arizona in the 19th century.

Linda says,”I think I need to learn a little more about rattlesnakes in Arizona”…. LOL

Now. it’s time to get back to Tombstone for some “RELAXATION”

Hope you enjoyed your visit to a real ghost town of the old west. Joe Todd is going to be busy for awhile.. Hope Linda doesn’t find out……

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