Mohave and Milltown Railway
Encyclopedia
The Mohave and Milltown Railway was a narrow gauge private railroad built in 1903 to serve the Leland Gold Mine near Oatman, Arizona
, USA
. The railway was incorporated in 1903 and construction of the 17 miles (27.4 km) line was completed that same year. The railway started on the Arizona side of the Colorado River
, across the stateline from Needles, California
. From the Colorado River the railway went northeast through Milltown and terminated at the Leland Mine, Vivian Mine and the Midnight Mine (near Oatman).
The railway hauled ore from the mines near Oatman to the mill at Milltown.
The railway was operating for only one year when several washouts in September and October 1904 damaged six miles (10 km) of the railway and led to its abandonment. The rails were removed in 1912, the same year that Arizona became a state.
as the Mohave and Milltown Railroad Trails.
built in December 1903.
Oatman, Arizona
Oatman is a former mining town in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Located at an elevation of , it began as a tent camp soon after two prospectors struck a $10 million gold find in 1915, though the area had been already settled for a number of years. Oatman's...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The railway was incorporated in 1903 and construction of the 17 miles (27.4 km) line was completed that same year. The railway started on the Arizona side of 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...
, across the stateline from Needles, California
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
. From the Colorado River the railway went northeast through Milltown and terminated at the Leland Mine, Vivian Mine and the Midnight Mine (near Oatman).
The railway hauled ore from the mines near Oatman to the mill at Milltown.
The railway was operating for only one year when several washouts in September and October 1904 damaged six miles (10 km) of the railway and led to its abandonment. The rails were removed in 1912, the same year that Arizona became a state.
The Mohave and Milltown Railroad Trails
Seven miles of the abandoned railway grade are preserved by the Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
as the Mohave and Milltown Railroad Trails.
Historical timeline
- March 16, 1903 - IncorporatedIncorporation (business)Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
- June 27, 1903 - Materials for railway construction arrive by ferry boat from Needles.
- July 8, 1903 - Grading commences
- September 1, 1903 - Laying rails
- September 30, 1903 - Construction completed
- September/October 1904 - Track damaged by washouts and line abandoned
- 1912 - Track was removed
Motive Power
Mohave and Milltown Railway #1 was a Porter (Builder No. 2970) 0-6-0T0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
built in December 1903.