Bumble Bee, Arizona

Bumble Bee is a ghost town in the Bradshaw Mountains of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States,[1] named for nearby Bumble Bee Creek. The townsite area is commonly used by RV campers in winter.

Bumble Bee, Arizona
Ghost town
Bumble Bee townsite, 2017. Bumble Bee Creek is above the house.
Bumble Bee townsite, 2017. Bumble Bee Creek is above the house.
Bumble Bee, Arizona is located in Arizona
Bumble Bee, Arizona
Bumble Bee, Arizona
Location within the state of Arizona
Bumble Bee, Arizona is located in the United States
Bumble Bee, Arizona
Bumble Bee, Arizona
Bumble Bee, Arizona (the United States)
Coordinates: 34°12′03″N 112°09′11″W[1]
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyYavapai
Elevation
[1]
2,579 ft (786 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))

History
Road sign along Bumble Bee Road, 2017

Established in 1863, Bumble Bee served as a stagecoach stop and an outpost for the U.S. Cavalry, with a post office established in 1879. The creek, and by extension the town, were so named because early travelers in the area claimed that the indigenous people there were as "thick as bumblebees".[2][3]

Bumble Bee's population was 25 in 1920,[4] and 20 in 1940.[5]

Ghost town status

With the demise of the stagecoach and the mining in the surrounding area, the site eventually faded away. An attempt by Jeff Martin to make the town a tourist attraction during the mid-1930s resulted in the construction of the current buildings. In 1960, Charles A. Penn, retired publisher of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine, purchased the site and tried once again to establish a tourist attraction and museum. Penn died before his plans came to fruition and the property reverted to private ownership. Many of the faux historic buildings have since been torn down and smaller homes have been built in their place.

Bumble Bee is located 55 miles north of Phoenix, just off I-17 at Exit #248.[2]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bumble Bee, Arizona
  2. "Bumble Bee Just Never Made It". Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  3. Moyer, Armond; Moyer, Winifred (1958). The origins of unusual place-names. Keystone Pub. Associates. p. 18.
  4. Premier Atlas of the World: Containing Maps of All Countries of the World, with the Most Recent Boundary Decisions, and Maps of All the States, Territories, and Possessions of the United States with Population Figures from the Latest Official Census Reports, Also Data of Interest Concerning International and Domestic Political Questions. Rand McNally & Company. 1925. pp. 165–166.
  5. The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 85.
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