Cleator, Arizona

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The town of Cleator, Arizona is located on the road that has replaced Murphy's Impossible Railroad between Cordes and Crown King.

Cleator was established in 1864 as a placer gold mining site under the name Turkey Creek Mining District. A post office was established at Turkey Creek in 1869 and closed within months.

Turkey Creek was renamed Cleator in 1915 after James P. Cleator took possession of the town from Lev Nellis. He then named the post office after himself.

The population of the town of Cleator declined in the 1920's as the mining in the area declined and the town was put up for sale by James Cleator in 1949. James P. Cleator's son Thomas Cleator bought the town and lived there until his death in 1996. He kept the small bar open most of the years he lived there. After his death everything was inherited by his sister Eleanor and her son. The post office closed in 1954.

Several original buildings remain and are occupied.

[edit] References

Philip Varney, Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Towns: A travel guide to history, Phoenix, Arizona Highways Books, 1988, 117 pages.
Jan Bard, friend of the Cleator family