Cochran, Arizona

The ghost town of Cochran looks out over the Gila River in the desert of south-central Arizona. The site's main attraction is this row of five stone "beehive" charcoal kilns, constructed around 1882, which were used to turn mesquite wood into hotter-burning charcoal for nearby smelters. The kilns at Cochran are some of the most well-preserved of any ghost town.

Cochran is not easy to get to, but it is well worth the effort. Depending on the choice of routes, to reach the site may require some rough four-wheeling, hiking or river-fording ... maybe all three! At the time of my visit (November 1997), there was no one at the site and it was not posted against trespassers, but one or two of the kilns showed signs of renovation and recent habitation (note the glass window in the left-most kiln in this photo).