Ruby is one of the many great ghost towns in the American Southwest. Ruby is located in Santa Cruz County near the border with Mexico. Like many ghost towns of the Old West, it was originally founded as a mining town. Today, visitors are greeted with reminiscences of a bygone era, including abandoned buildings. Located at the foot of Montana Peak and in the pristine landscape of southern Arizona.
Like Vulture City (another great ghost town in Arizona), Ruby is privately owned and open to the public. Another great place to learn about the Old West is the living ghost town of Tombstone, Arizona. There visitors can watch a reenactment of the famous shootout at the OK Ranch.
Ghost towns of the American West
Ruby Arizona History – From Boom to Bust
Ruby Located in Bear Valley, it was originally called Montana Camp (a mining camp was set up at the base of Montana Peak). As with much of the Southwest, the first Europeans to arrive in the area were the Spaniards in the 1500s. However, European settlers remained sparse for the next few hundred years, until the area became part of the United States in the mid-1800s, when ranchers, miners and others settled there.
The first gold strike in the Montana vein occurred in the late 1870s, and by 1900 Ruby was the largest mining camp in the area. Ruby mines didn’t just produce gold. It was also Arizona’s largest zinc and lead mine. In addition, the mines also produced silver.
It was a town with stories of fortune and wealth. From 1920 to 1922 he was also the scene of three of his double murders called “The Ruby Murders”. The Ruby murders sparked the largest search operation in Southwest history (and the first plane used in the search).
At its peak, the population exceeded 1,000. Ruby reached its peak in the mid-1930s, but declined soon thereafter. The mine closed in 1940 and the town was abandoned by the end of 1941.
Old crumbling buildings and Montana Peak in Ruby, Arizona
Things to Know When Visiting Ruby, Arizona
Ruby’s Ghost Town now preserves about 25 buildings with their roofs intact, including an old school and a prison. Ruby is a great day trip from Tucson (only 6 miles from the Mexican border). Ruby is privately owned and open to the public Thursday through Sunday. Open from 9am to dusk, self-guided tours are available.
- business hours: 9am to dusk
- Business day: from thursday to sunday
- Admission fee: $15 per person
$15 admission is a day pass that gives access to nearly 350 acres of trails, including a ghost town and two lakes. Visitors must obtain an entry permit in advance (usually takes 24 hours or more to issue; same-day permits are difficult but possible).
- Email: Rubysantacruzaz@gmail.com
Visitors can tour a collection of old mining artifacts and an on-site museum that showcases historic photographs of what Ruby looked like when 1,200 people called it home.
american ghost town
Visiting Ruby is easy from Tuscon and worth the trip. However, visitors are advised to check the local weather conditions (and to see if they are open) before coming. The monsoon season in this part of Arizona is his July-August, and the dirt roads that access Ruby can become impassable during this period. Most cars can get there, but taller vehicles are recommended.
Camping and Other Attractions and Activities in Ruby, Arizona
People can enjoy more than just the ghost town itself. The private property also offers lake bass fishing, trail hiking, bird watching, mountain biking, paddle boarding, and trail camping. It’s also a great place for stargazing at night, and the ghost town is perfect for photography. One of the most notable attractions is to see his 150,000 migratory bats that emerge in the evenings for food.
- camp: $20 per person
- Activity content: Hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking, photography, paddle boarding, bird watching
To get a residence permit or to enjoy the various activities Ruby has to offer, see here. Ghost Town official website.
Spend some time exploring other ghost towns in Arizona, such as Swansea (a ghost town reputedly spookier in real life).
A stagecoach on the historic streets of Tombstone, Arizona
There are many other wonderful ghost towns in the American West. Perhaps the most famous is the remote California ghost town of Bodie (preserved as a California State Park). If you go to Wyoming, visitors can find Cody. The old buildings in the area have been salvaged to recreate a ghost town.
