Friday, January 17, 2020, was a busy day. We were up early to make sure we had a spot in line for homemade Boomerville cinnamon buns! Because the line was so long, we felt guilty buying more than just two. There were 220 RVs in Boomerville and only 79 buns! Would it surprise you to know that our two cinnamon buns never made it back to our rig? Their warm ooey gooeyness was devoured just steps from the front of the line. It was the only way to keep them safe from the hungry horde!
Those buns supercharged us for the adventure ahead. Last year, we drove our Jeep over to the Swansea Ghost Town. To see our blog from that trip, click this link. We thought it an adventure worth sharing with friends. This year, we decided to lead a small caravan of the Unusual Suspects to Swansea for a short hike and picnic.
The townsite is located near Bouse, Arizona, which is about an hour's drive from Boomerville. Swansea was settled around 1909. It served as a mining town as well as a location for processing and smelting the copper ore taken from the nearby mines. Prospecting and mining in the area first began around 1862, but the remote location and lack of transportation kept activity to a minimum. As you can see from the photo below, the area is still pretty remote.
The area is managed by the BLM. There is a rest stop and informational markers just before you enter the townsite. Pictured below is our caravan. From left to right: the blue van is Connie and Jim, behind them is Jim Dicke, white Jeep is Terry and Jane, white truck is Duane and Jean, the tracker is Bob and Cathy, the grey Jeep is Tony and DeeDee with our little tan Jeep Dusty leading the way.
There is safety in numbers. The desert is unforgiving. Just ask the guy who drove this truck.
As we drove down into town, we saw a number of adobe structures, the remains of the railroad depot, two cemeteries, and several mine shafts. Remains of numerous cars can be seen scattered throughout the site. Here are photos of some of the structures:
While many of the structures are in ruin, some have been stabilized. The BLM has restored roofs to the rows of the single-miner's quarters:
After a quick walk around town to stretch our legs, we did what Boomers do best. We pulled out the camp chairs, circled up, and began eating and drinking! As the afternoon wore on, we decided to pack it up and head back to Boomerville. You'll be happy to know we all made it back in time for Happy Hour. And so ends another adventure!
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