My Photography ~ 2 ~

I love using black and white film. It gives such an endearing classic feel...

Here are photos from the Phoenix Zoo, the Arizona Desert,

and Goldfield Mining & Ghost Town.

This lion looks like a big kitty laying back cleaning his paws.

What a beautiful and serene photo.

There's something about saguaro cacti, standing tall and proud in the desert, that stirs the soul.

Goldfield History... 
In the late 1800s, gold seekers rushed west. They settled in desolate areas and worked long, hard days. The Mammoth Mine, just north of where Goldfield Ghost Town now sits, lured thousands and produced about $1.5 million worth of gold in those days. In today's market that gold would be worth more than $20 million.

The ore was extracted in the original mine at a depth of more than 1,000 feet. The miners worked 10 to 12 hours a day and got paid  $3 per day. The life expectancy of a miner was only 30 to 35 years because of the dust they breathed. The miners lived nearby in a tent city. The town of Goldfield began as a collection of white canvas tents, complete with a post office and school.

In its five-year run as a bustling town, it consisted of three saloons, a boarding house, general store, blacksmith shop, brewery, meat market and a schoolhouse. More than 4,000 people lived there during its boom, but gold production withered and the town did, too.

Although the original town burned in a fire, owners Bob and Lou-Ann Schoose rebuilt Goldfield in the 1980s and have scoured the West for authentic mining machinery to make the town as original as possible.

Information: Goldfield Ghost Town, (480) 983-0333 or www.goldfieldghosttown.com

Goldfield History article is written by: http://www.burlingtonnews.net/burlington_ufo_center

The tiger sits peacefully with its tongue sticking out. Hmmm, I have a dog that does that trick!

There... now you can see that little tongue tasting the wind.

This is the starting point for the Dutchman Trail. The road that winds through the Lost Dutchman National Park located in Apache Junction, Arizona. One of the most well used trails into the Superstition Wilderness. The legend of the Lost Dutchman's Mine has drawn people from all over the world in search of gold and fame. Is it true? Is there a secret gold mine buried in the Superstition Mountains? Many have spent their lives looking for the mine, and some have died trying.

This outhouse is a display found at Goldfield. Although it is not a current working unit... it shows what the old settlers used to use before piped in plumbing was available.