Ghost Town Tuesday; Santa Claus, AZ (Santa literally for sale)

I figured that I would start this series off with something festively Christmas themed given it is December; the ruins of Santa Claus, AZ.

Circa 2011-2012 I often found myself traveling to Clark County Nevada for work and would often utilize US Route 93 to do so. About 14 miles north of Kingman I often noticed a weird accumulation of festively themed buildings on the south side of US 93. After looking into a map of Mohave County, Arizona on Ghosttowns.com I learned what I was looking was once an inhabited place called Santa Claus.

With the completion of the Hoover Dam in 1936 travel directly between Kingman and Las Vegas had become possible first with US 466 followed by US 93 likely in 1938. Santa Claus traces it's roots back to 1937 when Santa Claus was opened by Nina Talbot. The original vision for Santa Claus was a resort-like community surroundings the Christmas shop which was to act as a centerpiece so to speak. Santa Claus essentially was a company town which was populated by workers of the Christmas shop. Apparently the size of Santa Claus (more likely the notable name) actually warranted post office service.

After decades of decline the Santa Claus Christmas shop shut down and the site largely has been for sale ever since off the side of US 93. Apparently there was still roughly 10 people living in Santa Claus as of 2000 but they were all apparently gone by 2006. My understanding is that postal service continued to 2005. Back in 2012 the Christmas shop was still standing off the western side of US 93, it is still standing on the 2016 Google Car Image. I found the town sufficiently weird and kind of creepy to warrant my attention on the way back from Las Vegas on the way home from a work trip.

Comments

Petroleum Club Road (former California State Route 33 and US Route 399 past the Lakeview Gusher)

Petroleum Club Road is an approximately 5.3-mile rural highway located in the Sunset Oil Field of western Kern County. This corridor was constructed as a frontage road of the Sunset Railroad and would be the site of the Lakeview Gusher in 1910. Petroleum Club Road was the original alignment of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 between 1934-1938. In 1938 the West Side Highway was constructed west of Lakeview Gusher and still serves as the current alignment of California State Route 33. Part 1; the history of Petroleum Club Road Petroleum Club Road is the original highway which linked the oil communities of Maricopa and Taft. Both cities were developed around the early boom of the Sunset Oil Field. The early Sunset Oil Field can be seen centered along Cienega Canyon Road southwest of Buena Vista Lake in Township 11 North, Range 23 West on the 1898 Kern County Surveyors map . In 1901 Post Office Service would be established at the Su...

Kuakini Highway (former Hawaii Route 11 in Kailua-Kona)

Kuakini Highway east of Palani Road in Kailua-Kona is the original alignment of Hawaii Route 11. The highway upon being commissioned in 1955 began at the Palani Road (then Hawaii Route 19) and followed Kuakini Highway southeast towards Holualoa. Hawaii Route 11 was shifted to an extension of Queen Kaahumanu Highway during the late 1970s which bypassed downtown Kailua-Kona. This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series. A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking here . Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 11 and Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona Hawaii Route 11 is part of Mamalahoa Highway (the Hawaii Belt Road) and is the longest Hawaiian State Route at 121.97 miles. The highway begins at the mutual junction of Hawaii Route 19 and Hawaii Route 190 in Kailua-Kona. From Kailua-Kona the routing of Hawaii Route 11 crosses the volcanic landscapes of southern side of ...

Jerseydale Road (Mariposa County)

Jerseydale Road is an approximately six-mile-long rural highway in Mariposa County. As presently configured Jerseydale Road begins at the intersection of Darrah Road/Triangle Road and terminates at the site of the Sweetwater Mine in Sierra National Forest. Jerseydale Road was part of Hites Cove Road which had been commissioned in 1864. The roadway traditionally served the Sweetwater Mining District and Skelton's Ranch. By the 1880s a small mining community would develop and would come to be known as Jerseydale upon receiving Post Office service in 1889. The Jerseydale Post Office would operate until 1930, and the Sweetwater Mining District would shutter later in the decade. Part 1; the history of Jerseydale Road Jerseydale Road and the namesake community of Jerseydale are historically linked to the Sweetwater Mining District at the northern end of Clark's Valley. The Sweetwater Mining District was placer mined beginning in the early 1850s in th...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog