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Kingman is a small city along historic Route 66 in Arizona. We made a quick stop there while passing through on our way to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Powerhouse
Our first stop was the Powerhouse, which is a historic power plant built between 1907 and 1909. The plant became obsolete in 1938 after the construction of the Hoover Dam and sat idle for many years. It was renovated and opened to the public in 1997.
Today, the building serves as a visitor center, the Route 66 Museum, and a gift shop. The museum opened in May 2001 and is open daily. Admission of US$10 for adults, US$6 for seniors over 60, and free for kids under 13 (as of September 2024), which also includes admission to the Mohave Museum of History and Arts and Bonelli House (see below).
Locomotive Park
Across the street from the Powerhouse is Locomotive Park. The park contains Santa Fe #3759, which was used by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was built in 1928 by Baldwin Locomotive Works and ran for several years on the passenger route between Los Angeles and Kansas City. The locomotive traveled a total of 2,585,600 miles and made its last run in 1955 on a special round-trip service from Los Angeles to Barstow, California. It was donated to the city of Kingman in 1957.
To the west of the park is the Mohave Museum of History and Arts (closed Sundays), which we didn’t visit.
Along Route 66
Next, we took a quick walk along the part of Route 66 running through Kingman. It was a bit run down and disappointing, but we were able to see a few of the historic buildings, including the Hotel Brunswick and former Hotel Beale. Hotel Brunswick opened in 1909 and was in the process of redevelopment when we walked by. Hotel Beale was built in 1900 and purchased by Tom Devine, father of actor Andy Devine, in 1906. It sat empty.
Railroad Depot
Across the street is the railroad depot, which was built in 1907. The first building was built in 1885 and destroyed by fire in 1900, while a second depot stood on the site from 1900 to 1906. It currently houses an Amtrak waiting area and the Kingman Railroad Museum, which costs US$2 to visit or free for kids up to age 12 (as of September 2024). The museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
Just east of the depot are historic water tanks erected by the Santa Fe Railway in 1910 for the use of their trains. The tanks were given to the city in 1950 to hold water for fighting fires, but today they sit empty.
Central Commercial Company Building
From Route 66, we walked into downtown Kingman and noticed a few interesting buildings. First was the Central Commercial Company Building at 4th and Beale. The Central Commercial Company operated there from 1917 to 1978. The building was renovated in 2008 and now houses multiple businesses.
IOOF Building
A block east on 5th Street is the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Building, which was built in 1915. It’s privately owned.
Bonelli House
A block north at 5th and Spring is the Bonelli House, which was built in 1915. There are 25-minute guided tours of the house offered Tuesday through Friday between 11am and 3pm.
Mohave County Courthouse
Finally, at 4th and Spring is the Mohave County Courthouse, which was built in 1915. The Neoclassical building served as a center of government for 70 years. It has several tall trees in front of it that look out of place.
Chillin’ on Beale Street
On the day we passed through town, Chillin’ on Beale Street was going on. This block party and car show occurs on the 3rd Saturday of every month from April to October. We saw some amazing cars and met some great people.
