Adamsville: Wiped Out by a Flood


Arizona is known for its vast deserts, mountains, great sunsets, snakes and hot climate just to name a few. Arizona is also known for the many ghost towns scattered around the state. One such town is Adamsville, which is about 2 miles from Florence.

Adamsville was founded by Charles Adams in the 1870’s. He removed the shrubbery so he could plant grain and make this a flourishing farming town. He dug ditches to irrigate the land and soon saw his crops prosper. Soon after, the first store was erected followed by the post office with William Dumont appointed as the first post master. By 1871 the overland mail stage stopped in Adamsville where by this time stores, homes, a post office, a flour mill and water tanks, now existed. In 1872, at the town’s climax was at 400 residences calling the place home.

This once thriving town sat on the flood plains of Arizona. In 1900, the horror of its location was sadly revealed when the nearby Gila River rose over its banks and completely rubbed out the entire town from extinction. All the buildings and vegetation were completely destroyed leaving many of the residences to flee to the nearby town of Florence.

Today, the only things that remains of Adamsville are the cemetery, old flour mill, some ruins, water tanks, and a sign that carries the town's name.


Comments

  1. I love ghost towns. Tragic story. It seems like the west was shaped by dramatic events like this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We definitely need to make a trip down to Florence/Adamsville some time. The cemetery is very strange and it's on the 33rd parallel which is supposed to be rather powerful. There's also a fantastic big medicine wheel someone constructed in the cemetery--I've never seen anyone put one in such a place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes Jessica, the west has some wild stories.

    Sharon, I would love to see the place in person and do a follow up post on it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Truly sad. At least it isn't sitting under a ton of water. Visitors can appreciate what once was.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I totally agree Andrea. I for one plan on being one of those that will visit what is left of the town.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, creepy place! Destruction of biblical proportions.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nate; it is too bad Charles Adams didn't know that he was building a town right in the middle of a flood plain. Maybe Adamsville would have survived longer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yikes. But great pics and great info to go with them. THANKS!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

26 Bar Ranch (John Wayne Ranch)

Historic Downtown Payson

Cowboy Mummy Found in Desert