Sundad is an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in the far west of
Maricopa County
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, United States, along the border of
Yuma County. It has an estimated elevation of above sea level.
It is located north of
Agua Caliente and east of
Sacation Flats.
The
Bureau of Land Management considers Sundad a historic site.
History
Sundad was initially a mining town, and in the 1920s was the proposed site of a
sanatorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
.
By the 1950s, Sundad was referred to in the local press as a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
, with several reports noting this in September 1953, when nine U.S. Air Force crewmen were forced to parachute into the location following the collision of their airplanes during a refueling exercise. A 1966 report noted that following the death of resident Lee R. Bailey, his wife Velma "was now left alone in this remote, small ghost town", living in their one-room mining shack with no telephone and no neighbors.
In 1970, R. Agin owned the Sundad Copper Mine, located on Bureau of Land Management land at . The mine produced both silver and copper from surface and underground mining activities.
A 1991 piece in ''
The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...
'' on area hiking noted that "the hilly areas near the old Sundad Mine are particularly lovely, especially where the ocotillos and saguaro cactuses are mixed on the hillsides", but cautioned that "the old mine site is difficult to find", marked by rocks laid out to spell Sundad.
A 500 feet deep
wildcat oil well was once drilled near Sundad.
[''Wildlife Views''. (1966). Arizona Game and Fish Commission, United States. p. 68.]
References
External links
Sundad– ghosttowns.com
– Ghost Town of the Month at azghosttowns.com
Off Road - Sundad{{Maricopa County, Arizona
Ghost towns in Arizona
Populated places in Maricopa County, Arizona