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Near Tombstone, Arizona
Fairbank Historic Townsite does not offer reservations through Recreation.gov. Please take a look at the area details below for more information about visiting this location. Enjoy your visit!
Fairbank is a "ghost town" located within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (NCA), along the San Pedro River.
Its life as a town began with the construction of a railroad in 1881, and it soon became an important depot as well as the closest railroad stop to Tombstone, then one of the largest western cities (15,000 in 1882). Originally called Junction City, Kendall, then Fairbank, it was officially named Fairbank on May 16, 1883. The name refers to N.K. Fairbank of Chicago, who helped finance the railroad.
The town, was built on an old Mexican land grant, the San Juan de las Boquillas y Nogales, which was bought by the Boquillas Land and Cattle Company in 1901. The company evicted all potential land owners, but continued to lease the mercantile building and a few residences well into the 1970's. The Bureau of Land Management acquired the land that was once the Mexican Land Grant in 1986 as part of the San Pedro Riparian NCA.
Today, the area is open for the public to enjoy. Take a self-guided tour around what was once a thriving boom-town of the wild west! Be on the look-out for historic points of interest. But note: It is illegal to remove any historic artifacts from public lands. Please leave everything in its place. Thank you for your help in preserving our historic resources!
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