Goldfield Ghost Town, Arizona

Goldfield Ghost Town, Arizona. ⇑

Aaaah, ghost towns! Varmints, critters, and broken down, rusted out, old relics! In Arizona no one does it better than Goldfield Ghost Town, along The Apache Trail. About 5 minutes from Apache Junction is the only authentic ghost town in the Phoenix area – Goldfield Ghost Town. Goldfield was once a thriving mining town that sprang up after an 1892 gold strike in the nearby Goldfield Mountains. That rich gold vein yielded about $1.5 billion in bullion. At its peak, Goldfield had a population of 5,000 and included a boarding house, a general store, brewery, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse and three saloons.

Goldfield Ghost Town, Rusted Old Pickup Truck. ⇑

The good times did not last long however. The vein faulted, and the town died a slow painful death. A number of efforts were made to reopen the mines, and the town did come to life again from 1910 on and off until 1926. The remnants of all this history is a fascinating and authentic glimpse into the hardscrabble life of a mining town at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. Chock full of fascinating relics, machinery and well worn architecture, it is a photographers paradise!

Goldfield Ghost Town, Rusted Old Cars. ⇑

I visited Goldfield Ghost town during the summer and fall. There is nothing like the blazing sun and searing 100-plus degree temperatures of the Arizona desert in the summer! Drinking water and sunscreen are essential parts of your photographic toolkit in this locale. The sun’s unrelenting glare can also be a challenge to good photography. To get the most favorable light, I picked days that were partially cloudy to add some interest to the backgrounds and soften shadows. I also shot in the late afternoon when the sun was lower in the sky and cast interesting shadows. The images seen here are captured with an Olympus E-300 and kit lens. The Kodak sensor in this camera renders vivid slide-film like colors in bright settings, and did well in this sun drenched location. I also used a polarizer to control reflections and for a bit more color ‘pop.’ Many of the scenes you will capture will look great converted to black and white as well. Because of the strong light you can get great photos as long as you avoid the midday glare.  I generally underexpose slightly to preserve highlights and lighten shadows as needed in post-processing. These photos were all shot in RAW mode and edited in SilkyPix 4.0. SilkyPix allows you to mimic the vivid color palettes of different film stock in the edited photos. I used the “Memory Color 2: setting for the color images shown here.

Goldfield Ghost Town is also a fitting introduction to The Apache Trail, a thrilling ride through some of the most beautiful and rugged countryside in Arizona. Sitting at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, it provides a nice first stop on your tour of this scenic area. I hope to return during the winter months to capture some of the town’s features in the warmer, softer winter light. However, with a bit of creativity, good results can be captured in any season. I will be adding photos from the Goldfield Ghost Town on The Apache Trail in Arizona to my Photo Gallery all this week. So bookmark the site and return for more!