Visiting the Abandoned Fairbank Ghost Town – Arizona

In this blog post, we’re going to cover how to find the Fairbank ghost town in Arizona. You’ve probably heard of Tombstone, Arizona, right? You know, the famous OK Corral gunfight between Wyatt Earp and his besties vs. those rebel cowboys? But did you know that there is a relatively unknown ghost town only about 5 miles west of Tombstone? It’s called Fairbank, Arizona and it’s just a short drive away.

Quick History of Fairbank, Arizona

This ghost town is Fairbank, Arizona, and back in the 1800s, it once held the train depot for all of the ranches in this area. If you arrived via train to Tombstone, you’d have to get off at Fairbank and then take a stagecoach to get into the town.

Fairbank was initially named Junction City, as it served as a vital supply point for nearby southwestern mining towns, including Tombstone, during the heyday of the silver mining boom. But at some point, it was renamed after Chicago banker Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank who helped finance the railroad.

Like most boomtowns (and now ghost towns) of the American West, its fortunes fluctuated with the rise and fall of mining activities in the region. In the 1880s, Fairbank experienced a brief but intense period of growth as miners flocked to the area in search of silver. Population reached its all time high at about 480 residents. However, the decline of silver prices in the 1890s led to a downturn in the local economy, causing many residents to leave. By 1900, only 171 residents remained.

Fairbank continued to decline in the early 20th century as mining activity waned and railroads bypassed the town in favor of more lucrative routes. By the mid-20th century, Fairbank had become a ghost town, its buildings falling into disrepair and its streets deserted. The post office was the last remaining business and it closed in 1972.

Visiting the Fairbank Ghost Town

Today, Fairbank Arizona is managed and preserved by the Bureau of Land Management. The Fairbank ghost town is located only 11 minutes away from Tombstone, so you could easily add a quick visit to this site after visiting Tombstone.

There is no admission fee to visit the Fairbank ghost town, it’s located right off the highway, and there is plenty of parking. The ghost town is open from dawn to dusk and the gates are locked at night. However, they do offer tours of the school house and operate a museum in the former depot, and small gift shop, but during my visit, all of this was closed.

The parking lot here is large and after you park, you’ll have a bit of a walk to get to the actual ghost town. For those with handicap placards, there is a reserved lot that is much closer to the town. Dogs are allowed.

There’s only a handful of buildings remaining, including the school, the post office and a few other buildings, which I’m guessing were homes. You are free to wander around on the grounds as you wish, but you cannot enter any of the buildings. Likewise, when looking through the windows, there really isn’t much to see. You really have to use your imagination here to picture what this place looked like with 400+ residents!

You can also walk a trail to the San Pecos River from here — the trail follows the old train tracks. There is also a cemetery you can visit. I didn’t have time (or the interest, if I’m being honest!) to do either of those while I was here!

Fairbank Ghost Town – Final thoughts

Overall, it’s okay. There isn’t a whole lot to see here. You can’t go into any of the buildings, but they are nicely preserved. It’s definitely not the most exciting ghost town I’ve been to but the area is well-maintained, authentic and accessible. It’s worth a quick visit if you’re in the area, however, I wouldn’t make a special trip out here just to see Fairbank.