Detour through Fairbank

Today when Brad was coming to pick me up from dialysis, he came upon an accident that was blocking the road, when he was about halfway between Tombstone and Sierra Vista, and he couldn't get through.  Emergency personnel and everyone was there, but traffic was stopped both directions.  He had to call and tell me he'd be late... it ended up being about 45 minutes late, because there really is only one way to get from Tombstone to Sierra Vista!!  He had to turn around, go back to Tombstone, and find another route.

He finally found a way there, and I looked up another roundabout way to get home... which took us past the ghost town of Fairbank, so we decided to stop and take a look.

I was surprised to read that the town was only completely abandoned in 1972, when the Fairbank Mercantile, operating as the store, post office, and gas station, finally closed its doors.  The real demise of the town was in 1966 when the last train depot in town closed.  The railroad line that went through Fairbank is the same railroad bed we've been walking behind our RV park.

Fairbank was founded in 1882 as a stop along the Arizona and New Mexico Railroad, and served as the depot for Tombstone and other towns.  People could catch a stagecoach ride from Fairbank to Tombstone for $1.50.

Pics of some of the remaining buildings.

Once we got home, we were gifted with this beautiful sunset.