Reymert, Arizona began as a silver mining settlement in 1887, established by James DeNoon Reymert following a promising strike. The town thrived briefly, with its post office operating only from June to December 1890 before silver veins proved too shallow. Operations later shifted to manganese mining, sustaining the community until the 1950s. Today, you’ll find stone kilns, foundations, and the remarkably preserved Sugar Shack miner’s cabin. These weathered ruins hold fascinating stories of Arizona’s mining heritage.
Key Takeaways
- Reymert was established in 1887 following a silver strike, with mining operations later shifting to manganese production until the 1950s.
- The ghost town is located in the Galiuro Mountains southwest of Superior, Arizona, with remains including stone kilns and foundation ruins.
- Access requires high-clearance 4×4 vehicles via Mineral Mountain Road off US-60, approximately 44 miles east of Apache Junction.
- The settlement’s brief silver boom ended by 1891, with the post office closing within months of opening in 1890.
- The Sugar Shack miner’s cabin remains as a preserved testament to Reymert’s mining heritage, located on protected state trust land.
The Birth of a Mining Settlement: Reymert’s Founding Story
In the rugged terrain of Arizona’s Galiuro Mountains, the story of Reymert began in 1887 when James DeNoon Reymert, an enterprising newspaper editor of the Pinal Drill, established a mining settlement that would bear his name.
The town emerged following a silver strike, with the Reymert Mine officially claimed on December 1, 1887.
You’ll find this settlement was strategically built in tiers within a canyon, southwest of what’s now Superior. Its historical significance stems from being both a milling and mining community serving the Reymert operation two miles away.
Early mining techniques focused on silver ore extraction, with smelters and kilns constructed to process the valuable mineral. As the silver resources depleted, the mine operations transitioned to manganese extraction to remain viable. Among the remaining structures today are two processing kilns and several stone foundations that hint at the town’s once-bustling mining activities.
Journey to the Ghost Town: Access and Trail Information
Finding Reymert presents a quest that rewards the determined explorer with a glimpse into Arizona’s mining past.
Seekers of forgotten history will find in Reymert’s scattered remains a tangible connection to Arizona’s rugged mining heritage.
You’ll travel eastbound on US-60 for approximately 44 miles from Apache Junction, then turn right onto the poorly marked Mineral Mountain Road after mile marker 215.
Be aware that GPS and off-road trail maps are essential, as Reymert Road doesn’t connect directly to US-60 as shown on many maps.
For a successful expedition to these remote ruins:
- Bring a high-clearance 4×4 vehicle, as access routes consist of rugged desert roadways.
- Check seasonal weather conditions, as monsoon rains can make trail conditions treacherous.
- Use GPS waypoints rather than relying on sparse signage in the area.
- Prepare for self-guided exploration with appropriate safety gear for desert hiking.
Once you arrive, remember that Reymert was established around a post office that began operation on June 6, 1890.
The site sits at an elevation of 2,802 feet above sea level, offering visitors impressive views of the surrounding Pinal County landscape.
Silver to Manganese: The Evolution of Reymert Mine
When James DeNoon Reymert established his namesake mine in the late 1880s, he couldn’t have foreseen the operation’s remarkable evolution from silver bonanza to manganese production hub. The initial silver extraction operations commenced in 1887, drawing prospectors to the budding boom town equipped with smelters, cabins, and essential services.
As epithermal silver deposits gradually diminished, Reymert’s economic viability hinged on adaptation. Miners discovered valuable manganese-bearing ore, presenting an opportunity to extend the site’s productive life. This pivotal shift from silver to manganese mining sustained operations through several production cycles well into the 1950s. The nearly one mile long vertical vein provided extensive mineral resources that supported decades of extraction. The town’s residents primarily worked at Reymert Mine until operations finally ceased.
Evidence of this industrial evolution remains visible in the impressive stone and brick kilns that once blazed at nearly 2,000 degrees, processing both silver and manganese through Reymert’s multifaceted operational history.
Exploring the Ruins: What Remains Today
The towering stone and brick kilns of Reymert stand as silent sentinels to Arizona’s mining past, offering visitors today their first glimpse into this once-bustling settlement.
As you explore this ghost town on State Trust Land (permit required), you’ll encounter scattered foundations that once supported miners’ homes, a store, and possibly a post office. Like many abandoned mining towns, Reymert experienced economic decline after its resources were depleted.
The site reveals four distinct features showcasing historic artifacts and mining techniques:
- Thick-walled smelting kilns engineered to withstand extreme heat
- Low stone wall remnants partially reclaimed by desert vegetation
- The Sugar Shack miner’s cabin with carved interior shelves and refrigerator remnants
- Well-defined trail system leading to key ruins
Much of Reymert was bulldozed by the 1970s, leaving these weathered structures as the last witnesses to Arizona’s silver mining heritage. Similar to Fort Bowie, the area preserves important adobe wall remnants that tell the story of frontier life.
Life in a Desert Mining Camp: Daily Existence in Reymert
Daily life in Reymert revolved entirely around the rhythms and demands of silver mining operations that began in 1885 after John Reymert’s initial discovery. As one of approximately 75 residents, you’d find your daily routines dictated by the Triple Company’s production schedules, with most inhabitants working directly in the mine.
The post office, established June 6, 1890, served as the hub for community interactions during its brief operation before closing in 1891. Your home would likely be one of the hillside-integrated cabins featuring wall-carved shelving and primitive refrigeration—innovations necessary for desert survival. The area provided stunning views of the Superstition Mountains and surrounding landscape.
When not extracting silver or later manganese, you might’ve read James DeNoon Reymert’s Pinal Drill newspaper.
The nearby DeNoon settlement processed your extracted ore through stone and brick kilns operating at nearly 2,000 degrees, completing the economic cycle that sustained this harsh frontier existence. Travel between Reymert and nearby attractions required traversing the 23-mile trail that today serves as a popular route for off-road enthusiasts.
The Sugar Shack: Reymert’s Most Intact Structure
You’ll marvel at the Sugar Shack‘s intelligent hillside construction, where miners carved the structure into the slope to capitalize on natural insulation and wind protection.
The cabin’s stone walls and integration with the landscape exemplify frontier architectural ingenuity, maintaining more comfortable temperatures without artificial means in Arizona’s harsh desert climate.
Despite the bulldozing of most Reymert structures in the 1970s, the Sugar Shack has withstood the ravages of time, preserving its carved interior shelves and historical artifacts as a proof of mining-era resourcefulness.
Hillside Construction Features
Nestled into the rugged terrain of Reymert, the Sugar Shack stands as the most intact structure in this Arizona ghost town, exemplifying the practical ingenuity of miners who constructed their dwellings directly into hillsides.
This miner architecture wasn’t merely aesthetic—it was survival engineering. The hillside integration provided natural insulation, keeping interiors cooler during scorching summers and warmer through bitter winter nights.
You’ll notice four key advantages to this construction method:
- Earth-backed walls reduced material costs while increasing structural integrity
- Hillside positioning minimized exposure to harsh desert winds
- Natural terrain offered protection from mining hazards and flooding
- Stone construction, with shelves carved directly into walls, maximized limited space
Despite bulldozing in the 1970s, the Sugar Shack survives as authentic testimony to miners’ adaptive building techniques.
Preservation Against Time
The Sugar Shack stands as a tribute to time’s passage in Reymert, where most structures have surrendered to the elements or fallen victim to 1970s bulldozing. This stone miner’s cabin, nestled into the hillside, represents remarkable durability within its historical context.
You’ll notice the architectural significance in its practical design—stone walls with carved shelving and strategic hillside integration for natural temperature regulation. These features have preserved the structure through decades of desert exposure, while the surrounding town disappeared.
Its survival provides a rare physical connection to Reymert’s mining heritage from the late 19th century through the manganese production era of the 1950s.
The cabin’s location on state trust land within a private claim has inadvertently protected it from vandalism, allowing this piece of Arizona’s mining past to endure.
Reymert’s Brief Boom and Rapid Decline
You’re looking at a town that vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, with Reymert’s silver boom lasting barely longer than a season in 1890.
The post office—a critical marker of town legitimacy—opened in June 1890 but closed within months as the initial silver veins proved disappointingly shallow.
James Reymert’s mining dream effectively died before he did, with his 1896 death merely formalizing the end of a settlement already sliding into abandonment.
Silver Dreams Crushed
While dreams of silver wealth initially attracted miners to Reymert in the 1880s, the boom proved frustratingly brief.
James DeNoon Reymert’s discovery sparked a flurry of Mining Techniques as settlers rapidly established smelters and cabins. The Economic Impact was immediate but short-lived.
The silver boom’s collapse followed a predictable pattern:
- Silver deposits began depleting within years of discovery
- Mining operations shifted to manganese to survive
- Production continued only in sporadic bursts through the 1950s
- By the 1970s, Reymert was completely abandoned
You’ll find the post office closure marked the community’s official end.
Most structures were eventually bulldozed, leaving only scattered stone kilns and foundations as evidence to the transient nature of frontier wealth and the harsh realities of mining life.
Abandoned Within Months
Rapidly established after James DeNoon Reymert’s promising silver strike in the late 1880s, Reymert’s transformation from barren landscape to bustling settlement occurred virtually overnight—only to falter almost as quickly.
The ghost town‘s brief existence typifies Arizona’s volatile mining history. By 1890, approximately 254 residents operated the community’s post office, store, and smelting kilns that blazed at 2,000°F.
But within just eight years, Reymert’s promise evaporated. Silver deposits proved disappointingly shallow, and high transportation costs diminished profits.
After Reymert’s death in 1896, the mine changed hands repeatedly as operations shifted to manganese. Despite these efforts, the post office closed in 1898, signaling the town’s effective abandonment.
Today, only scattered foundations and decaying kilns remain—silent witnesses to dreams that rose and fell within a single decade.
Postmaster’s Short Stint
The eight-year lifespan of Reymert’s post office perfectly encapsulates the town’s meteoric rise and precipitous fall in Arizona’s mining history. Established in June 1890 and named after founder James DeNoon Reymert, the postal service operated until May 1898, reflecting the settlement’s brief prosperity.
Postmaster duties extended far beyond mail handling, serving as the lifeline between this isolated mining community and the outside world:
- Managing crucial communications for mining operations amid communication challenges
- Facilitating connections with larger Arizona settlements and external markets
- Adapting to fluctuating population levels as silver fortunes waxed and waned
- Maintaining services despite the town’s increasingly transient workforce
As silver ore diminished, the post office’s closure marked a pivotal moment in Reymert’s shift from boomtown to ghost town.
Photography Tips for Capturing Reymert’s Haunting Beauty
Capturing Reymert’s haunting beauty requires careful attention to lighting, composition, and equipment selection as photographers venture into this atmospheric ghost town.
The golden hour bathes weathered kilns in warm light that accentuates textures, while early mornings eliminate heat haze for superior clarity.
Frame your shots by layering foreground ruins with mid-ground structures and distant Superstition Mountains to create visual depth.
The brick-lined kilns—evidence of historic mining techniques—photograph best with symmetrical compositions that emphasize their industrial precision.
Equipment-wise, pack both wide-angle (16-35mm) and telephoto lenses.
The former captures expansive desert vistas, while the latter isolates architectural details.
For ghost town photography success, maintain apertures between f/8-f/16 to keep foreground elements and background landscapes equally sharp.
Consider HDR processing to balance exposure between bright skies and shadowed interiors.
Preservation Challenges and Future Prospects
Despite decades of natural weathering and human interference, Reymert’s remaining structures face an uncertain future as preservation challenges mount across this historically significant mining settlement.
Time ravages what once thrived at Reymert, leaving historical treasures vulnerable without intervention.
Without coordinated preservation strategies, the stone kilns, Sugar Shack cabin, and scattered foundations will continue deteriorating at an accelerated rate.
Four critical factors affecting Reymert’s survival include:
- Private ownership complications creating jurisdictional barriers
- Ongoing vandalism and unauthorized vehicle access damaging site integrity
- Harsh Sonoran desert conditions accelerating structural decay
- Lack of National Register recognition unlike comparable ghost towns
Community engagement represents the most viable path forward, as volunteer-based maintenance programs have successfully preserved similar Arizona ghost towns.
Balancing authentic historical presentation with practical protection measures will determine whether these remnants of Arizona’s mining heritage endure for future generations to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Reymert Ever Affected by Significant Natural Disasters?
Detailed documents deliver no evidence you’d find flood events or earthquake history affecting Reymert. You won’t discover any significant natural disasters in the town’s chronology, as its decline stemmed from mining economics rather than nature’s fury.
Are There Any Reported Ghost Sightings or Paranormal Activity?
You won’t find documented ghost encounters in Reymert. Unlike other Arizona ghost towns, historical records and paranormal investigations reveal no confirmed spectral activity, though its desolate ruins evoke an eerie atmosphere.
What Wildlife or Dangerous Animals Might Visitors Encounter?
Keep your eyes peeled for rattlesnakes, which pose the primary danger. You’ll potentially face scorpions in abandoned structures, coyotes throughout the area, and mountain lions in surrounding desert regions. Snake encounters warrant particular vigilance.
Did Any Famous Historical Figures Visit Reymert?
No famous historical figures beyond James DeNoon Reymert visited the town. You’ll find the site’s historical significance lies in mining operations rather than celebrated visitors during its brief existence.
What Indigenous Peoples Inhabited the Area Before Mining Began?
For countless millennia before mining’s invasion, you’d have encountered primarily Apache tribes in the Reymert area, with ancestral connections to the ancient Hohokam culture that once dominated central Arizona’s desert landscape.
References
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOPqYRj1WOc
- https://azgw.org/pinal/ghosttowns.html
- https://www.pbase.com/geokolb/reymert_mine
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShmHgdGA9uE
- https://www.azghosttowns.com/towns/reymert.html
- https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/reymert.html
- https://www.boldcanyonoutdoors.com/2020/06/15/explore-the-reymert-denoon-arizona-ghost-town/
- https://www.boldcanyonoutdoors.com/category/exploring-arizona/
- https://mapcarta.com/N8481712260
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reymert
