Swansea - Arizona Ghost Town

SWANSEA

NAME: Swansea
COUNTY: La Paz
ROADS: 2WD
LEGAL INFO: T10N, R15W
CLIMATE: Mild winter, hot summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Winter, spring, fall

COMMENTS: Watch out for the 4WD races.
REMAINS: Many buildings left, a railroad station, mining equipment.The large smelter walls pictured below have since blown down.

Swansea's post office was established March 25, 1909 and was discontinued June 28, 1924. Swansea was the headquarters for the Clara Consolidated Gold and Copper Mining company. A railroad connected Swansea to nearby Bouse in 1908 and the camps population grew to a total of 750. Swansea had an electric light company, an auto dealer, a lumber company, even a barbar and an insurance agent. The town was active until 1924 but the original mining company went bankrupt in 1912. There are two cemeteries at the site, and ruins of the smelter are extensive. Swansea was named after Swansea, Wales, where refined ore from the site was shipped. The ore was shipped via railroad to a destination on the Colorado River, where it was transferred to river freighters and then again transferred to ships on the gulf of California for shipment to Swansea, Wales via Cape Horn. -GT Swansea. To reach Swansea, start from Bouse (SR 72) by taking Plomo-sa Road in direction northwest over the railroad tracks. Plomosa Road change from pawed road to dirt road and become Swansea Road, witch cross Central Arizona Project Canal. 13 miles from Bouse is the destroyed town Midway, witch was "water stop place" on the short railroad line that connected Bouse and Swansea. Take the left fork and continue until the crossing 18,5 miles from Bouse. Take the right fork to the northeast for another 7 miles to Swansea. Swansea existed in only 5 years before the town disappeared in the desert. The town is in middle of nothing and its mystery for its self. The town did not have buildings and stores like Jerome, Oatman or Bisbee. Area was first investigated in 1886 by 3 mend who were disappointed when the ore show only cobber and silver. When the cobber was more valid 10 years later, one of them came back together with one new partner and a little mining started. The short existents of Swansea ended after WW1 when cobber prices dropped down. In the year of 1937, the Swansea was already a ghost town. Bobby Zlatevski Swansea, Arizona: An article by John Hilton in Desert Magazine on the Clara Mae Mine, which is also about Swansea, with four photos, a DM map, and more perspective on Swansea. January, 1941 issue: http://www.dezertmagazine.com/mine/1941DM01/index.html Dave Taylor	Swansea circa 1910 Courtesy Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott Swansea Courtesy Tom McCurnin Swansea Courtesy Tom McCurnin Swansea Courtesy Tom McCurnin Swansea Courtesy Bobby Krause Zlatevski Swansea Sign Courtesy Bobby Krause Zlatevski Swansea Workers House Courtesy Bobby Krause Zlatevski Swansea Courtesy Robert Holcombe Swansea 9-1-02 Heidi Winter Swansea 9-1-02 Heidi Winter Swansea 5/25/08 Courtesy David Gebhart Sunset at Swansea Courtesy Tim Sullivan New Roofs Courtesy Tim Sullivan
Swansea Courtesy and Copyright S.Martin Shelton

Swansea's post office was established March 25, 1909 and was discontinued June 28, 1924. Swansea was the headquarters for the Clara Consolidated Gold and Copper Mining company. A railroad connected Swansea to nearby Bouse in 1908 and the camps population grew to a total of 750. Swansea had an electric light company, an auto dealer, a lumber company, even a barbar and an insurance agent. The town was active until 1924 but the original mining company went bankrupt in 1912. There are two cemeteries at the site, and ruins of the smelter are extensive. Swansea was named after Swansea, Wales, where refined ore from the site was shipped. The ore was shipped via railroad to a destination on the Colorado River, where it was transferred to river freighters and then again transferred to ships on the gulf of California for shipment to Swansea, Wales via Cape Horn. -GT

Swansea. To reach Swansea, start from Bouse (SR 72) by taking Plomo-sa Road in direction northwest over the railroad tracks. Plomosa Road change from pawed road to dirt road and become Swansea Road, witch cross Central Arizona Project Canal. 13 miles from Bouse is the destroyed town Midway, witch was "water stop place" on the short railroad line that connected Bouse and Swansea. Take the left fork and continue until the crossing 18,5 miles from Bouse. Take the right fork to the northeast for another 7 miles to Swansea. Swansea existed in only 5 years before the town disappeared in the desert. The town is in middle of nothing and its mystery for its self. The town did not have buildings and stores like Jerome, Oatman or Bisbee. Area was first investigated in 1886 by 3 mend who were disappointed when the ore show only cobber and silver. When the cobber was more valid 10 years later, one of them came back together with one new partner and a little mining started. The short existents of Swansea ended after WW1 when cobber prices dropped down. In the year of 1937, the Swansea was already a ghost town. Bobby Zlatevski

Swansea, Arizona: An article by John Hilton in Desert Magazine on the Clara Mae Mine, which is also about Swansea, with four photos, a DM map, and more perspective on Swansea. January, 1941 issue: http://www.dezertmagazine.com/mine/1941DM01/index.html

Dave Taylor

Swansea circa 1910
Courtesy Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott