Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 28, 2026, 7:15 p.m.

The Vulture Mine, located 12 miles south of Wickenburg, AZ, was home to Arizona's most productive gold mine. It was founded in 1863 by Henry Wickenburg, though due to a dispute over his claim after selling the mine to Benjamin Phelps (and the investors Phelps represented), Wickenburg lost the rights to his claim and was pushed out of camp.

Vulture Mine pushed on without the presence of Henry Wickenburg and produced 360,000 oz of gold and 260,000 oz of silver. Most was mined between 1864 and 1912, though the town wasn't abandoned until 1942 when the Second War Act was passed and all "non-essential" gold mines were shut down.

The mining camp sat abandoned for decades until the current owners acquired it from the Vulture Mine (which began operations in 2014) and restorations began in 2017. Now 16 original buildings remain and have been stabilized so as to be safe to enter.

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