Swansea Arizona What was and is no more

Swansea is a ghost town in La Paz County,  AZ. It was settled around 1909 in what was then the Arizona Territory. It served as a mining town as well as a smelter of the copper ore taken from the nearby mines.

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Camping ON the site of a Ghost Town is a totally new experience
We were surrounded by old building foundations long ago stripped of anything of value during the war.
We were surrounded by old building foundations long ago stripped of anything of value during the war.
More foundations
More foundations

pano-swansea

This is Swansea. Or, what’s left of it.

Remnant of a formerly hard-working truck
Remnant of a formerly hard-working truck
A very unfriendly RAZOR sharp cactus
A very unfriendly RAZOR sharp cactus
The friends group in partnership with the BLM did a nice job safeguarding the main abandoned mineshafts with these metal grates. You can look deep into the 1500ft holes in relative safety. Big Red in the background.
The friends group in partnership with the BLM did a nice job safeguarding the main abandoned mineshafts with these metal grates. You can look deep into the 1500ft holes in relative safety. Big Red in the background.
Signs of the copper and tantalizing minerals that drew people from a world away to the desert
Found areas that were former dumps of the town. If you know my enjoyment of glass collecting, these were sad sites indeed.
One of the few somewhat standing structures remaining
One of the few somewhat standing structures remaining
More history getting reclaimed into the desert
More history getting reclaimed into the desert
Fragments of metal bits in the soil
Fragments of metal bits in the soil
A fascinating spot indeed. Based on photos, the roof collapsed on this building sometime in the last 20 years.
A fascinating spot indeed. Based on photos, the roof collapsed on this building sometime in the last 20 years.
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