There are a ton of ghost towns scattered throughout Arizona, a freeze-framed testament to the state’s rich mining history. Many of these ghost towns are either buried under reservoirs, or in such bad condition that one would hardly notice them. The Mohave County ghost town known as Santa Claus is one notable exception, and stands out among even the best-preserved ghost towns for one simple reason- Santa lived there!
How Did Santa End up in Arizona?
The story of Santa Claus, Arizona is an unusual one, and dates back to 1937. A real estate agent named Nina Talbot created the Christmas-themed town, which was located 14 miles Northwest of Kingman, to promote nearby real estate subdivisions. The buildings were built with pointy roofs and peppermint candy paint schemes, and the town featured a year-round Santa Claus and a pink “Santa’s train”. Talbot, who, at 300 pounds, billed herself as “California’s biggest real estate agent” and clearly had a sense of humor as well as a flair for getting attention. But she couldn’t convince anyone to move to the desert near Santa Claus, and she ended up selling the town in 1949. Despite her failure to get anyone to move there, Santa Claus did manage to become a successful tourist attraction whose restaurant “The Santa Claus Inn” earned popularity for its rum pie- Jane Russell even threw her birthday party there in 1954. Still, financial profitability remained scarce for the small town. in the 1960’s, Santa Claus become known as a place where you could have a letter postmarked from Santa Claus for 25 cents, but Santa Claus even struggled in this department as there was a much bigger city also named Santa Claus in Indiana who’d been doing it for free since 1914. Eventually, Santa Claus fell into decline and near-total neglect, leading the town to finally shut down for good in 1995.
Would You Like to Buy a Ghost Town?
In 1983, the owner of Santa Claus put the city up for sale, listing it for 95,000. After receiving no takers, he lowered it to 52,500- but still no one wanted the derelict town. Now, it sits in ruins. Three buildings and Santa’s Train still stand, although they are now covered in graffiti. There are several sad reminders of what the town once was, including a fair amount of Christmas decorations weathered by the passage of time. If you’re in the area, you can stop and explore the remnants, although it has become increasingly hard to locate the town in recent years. Still, Santa Claus is a fascinating and fun chapter in Arizona’s roadside lore and, like Rudolph, has gone down in history.
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This article is part of a series on Arizona’s Amazing Roadside Attractions
