Dome, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Dome is a ghost town
located in Yuma County
, in southwestern Arizona
, United States
. Originally Swiveler's Station, 20 miles east of Fort Yuma
, on the Butterfield Overland Mail
route, a post office was established here in 1858. It was first under the name of Gila City
the nearby boomtown 1 1/2 mile west of Dome but the post office closed July 14, 1863, after most of the town was swept away in a flood in early 1862, and then abandoned for the La Paz gold rush along the Colorado River
. After the railroad passed by the site and an attempt to do large scale mining of the placers began, a new post office was established as "Dome" in 1892 but soon closed when the attempt failed. Subsequently it opened and closed several times before finally closing in 1940.
Today the site lies along the railroad and a road that follows the old Overland stage route, south of the Wellton-Mohawk canal and Gila River
. All that remains on the site is a large adobe building, one small adobe remnant and foundations. There is a cemetery nearby to the west.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located in Yuma County
Yuma County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*2.0% Black*1.6% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.8% Two or more races*20.8% Other races*59.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, in southwestern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Originally Swiveler's Station, 20 miles east of Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma is a fort in California that is located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861 and was abandoned May 16, 1883, and transferred to the Department of the Interior. The Fort Yuma Indian School and a...
, on the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
route, a post office was established here in 1858. It was first under the name of Gila City
Gila City, Arizona
Gila City is a ghost town in Yuma County in the U.S. state of Arizona. The town was settled in 1858 in what was then the Arizona Territory.-History:...
the nearby boomtown 1 1/2 mile west of Dome but the post office closed July 14, 1863, after most of the town was swept away in a flood in early 1862, and then abandoned for the La Paz gold rush along the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
. After the railroad passed by the site and an attempt to do large scale mining of the placers began, a new post office was established as "Dome" in 1892 but soon closed when the attempt failed. Subsequently it opened and closed several times before finally closing in 1940.
Today the site lies along the railroad and a road that follows the old Overland stage route, south of the Wellton-Mohawk canal and Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
. All that remains on the site is a large adobe building, one small adobe remnant and foundations. There is a cemetery nearby to the west.