Castle Dome

The road is rough but
the scenery is desert
beautiful and bright.

~ carliewired

It was a perfect day for a drive. Off we went to Castle Dome Mines Museum, 30 miles north of Yuma in the ghost town of Castle Dome.

Castle Dome was once a busy mining town of some 3000 inhabitants and far out-paced Yuma in its day. It had the longest working mine in Arizona (1862-1979). It was a productive mining area with results in silver, lead, zinc, copper and gold. Today it remains a popular mineral collecting district.

Castle Dome got its name from the Castle Dome Mountains and, in particular, from the Castle Dome Peak, a butte and the highest point on the range. It is a very distinctive feature on the horizon. Castle Dome was named by the American soldiers at the old Fort Yuma in the 1880s. The early Spanish explorers had called it "Giant's Head" or Cabeza de Gigante.

The Castle Dome Museum is in two parts. One is the "ghost town" and the other is the self-guided walking tour of the mining district. Last winter we explored the ghost town portion spending a few hours taking photos. Today our visit was a bit short-circuited by the presence of a wedding party. We chose not to do the walking tour and just enjoy the drive.