GO WEST GUNFIGHTERS, GOLD-SEEKERS GET FREE REIN IN OATMAN.

Byline: JERRY RICE Staff Writer

OATMAN, Ariz. -- You'll never attend a wedding like this back home.

Only a handful of the guests knows either the bride or the groom, the attire is generally T-shirts and shorts, and sometimes there's a jackass in the wedding party.

No, not some crazy uncle. We're talking about the four-legged variety.

There were no burros around when Christopher and Shyloh Simmons tied the knot here in May, but plenty of other characters set their nuptials apart from a traditional wedding. Most notably, a bearded, snaggle-toothed character by the name of J.W., who appeared right on cue after the Rev. Gimpy McStumpy asked, ``Is there anyone who can show just cause why these two should not get married? Let him speak now or forever hold his peace.''

It seems the bride-to-be already had a husband -- J.W., who wanted to put a stop to the proceedings.

But just that quick, a pair of cowboys stepped in, guns blazing, to issue an Old West divorce decree. J.W. was no more.

After that, the shotgun wedding could proceed without a hitch. And it did.

``A lot of couples want to do something different,'' said Steve Burch, McStumpy's alter ego, who really is a man of the cloth. ``We do more of them than you'd think.''

It's one example of how the wacky intersects with the Old West in Oatman, a fun family day trip from the casinos of Laughlin, Nev.

The place wasn't always known for its sense of humor. In the early days, matters got downright serious at times.

That story -- and the one of the area's founding -- goes something like this: In 1900, Mexican prospector Jose Jerez was looking for his lost burros when he accidentally discovered gold. He and his friend, Henry Lovin, immediately started digging, and within months they had a 15-foot-deep shaft along a rich vein.

As word of the find spread, the region from Needles to Chloride was booming with activity, and Oatman sprang up right in the midst of it.

Jerez and Lovin sold out for $50,000 to a group of Los Angeles investors. The claim changed hands twice more and by 1907, the property, which by then had become known as the Gold Road Mine, had produced $2.25 million in bullion.

Fortunes continued to grow, and by 1916 there were 10,000 people in Oatman and the surrounding area, mostly miners. Despite the harsh conditions (the temperatures can get to 115 or higher in the summer), life was relatively good. There were three movie theaters, two swimming pools and a tennis court.

Still, this part of northwestern Arizona got pretty wild.

``There was a man who had a stage, and he hauled ore to Kingman,'' said Oatman historian Jackie Rowland. ``He had one of the first motorized trucks (in the area), and he says there were a lot of days when bullets were flying. Claim jumping was big in this part of the country, and an over-abundance of booze.''

Things were decidedly less serious when Burch and the other Bitter Creek Outlaws pulled out their weapons for a staged gunfight on the main street (Route 66) through Oatman, shortly after the shotgun wedding. Their aim wasn't to give visitors a history lesson, but to entertain -- which explained the cornball comedy that echoed the Wild West show at Knott's Berry Farm. One of their routines went like this:

``You ever hear of Judge Roy Bean?''

``You mean the hanging Judge Roy Bean?''

``That's right.''

``You ain't Judge Roy Bean.''

``No. I'm his cousin, Pinto.''

The gunfights usually happen in front of the Oatman Hotel, which has a story or two itself.

Built in 1902, the two-story adobe structure had rooms that were generally rented by miners who worked in the area. One of them was William Flour, an Irish immigrant who was trying to save enough money to bring his family to the United States. During their voyage to join him, his family members perished, and he was so distraught that drank himself to death behind the hotel.

Despite that unfortunate end, some believe his occasionally playful spirit, nicknamed Oatie, is still around.

``When we were renting rooms, my housekeeper would finish cleaning all of the rooms and then do a walk-through -- and the drawers would be out, the beds would be messed up, the window would be open and the curtains blowing,'' said Susie Clark, one of the owners of the hotel. ``Sometimes the window would be closed and the curtains would be blowing. There was no explanation for it.''

The hotel also is famous for being the place where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their wedding night in 1939. Their modest upstairs room -- with the bathroom down the hall -- is set up basically the same way it was back then. Until a couple years ago, visitors could spend the night in that room, but now all they can do is peek inside.

The Hollywood couple's honeymoon stay has been commemorated over the years with Gable and Lombard look-alike contests.

The real Gable returned occasionally to play poker with miners, no doubt spending late nights in the hotel's saloon that is wall-papered with more than 20,000 dollar bills.

``That started with the miners,'' Clark said. ``They would come into the saloon on payday -- they only got paid once a month -- and would put their dollar up. Beer was 5 cents a glass, so they could drink on that dollar until they got paid again.

``Now, anyone who comes in can put up a dollar and say they've been here. It's become a huge deal. We don't take them down because so many people come back -- and they want to visit their money and make sure that it's still here and take pictures of it.''

Many of the miners who tacked their money onto the walls inside the Oatman Hotel worked at the Gold Road Mine, a little more than two miles away. The site has been in operation on and off for longer than a century, and the most recent closure came in 1998, when the price of gold fell below $300 an ounce. But with today's higher gold prices, there's talk of resuming mining operations.

In the meantime, it's open for walking tours that go about one-eighth of a mile into the mine. And if Barry Britt is your guide, prepare to have your leg pulled along the way.

When we went, he delivered a brief history about mining in general and the Gold Road Mine in particular. He explained how drills and the other equipment worked. He stressed the dangers posed by the 3,400 abandoned mines within a seven-mile radius of the Gold Road Mine. Then he talked about the sturdiness of the support beams. And when he spotted one that seemed to hang precariously from the rocks above our heads, he stopped and put his hand underneath it.

``What the heck,'' he said. ``It will either stay there or fall down.''

A little farther along, he delivered a line especially for the visitors from Southern California.

``Right now we're 457 feet underneath the surface,'' he said. ``At this point, I like to talk about earthquakes.''

Then he pointed out a fault line just a few feet away.

Some stops along the tour were more fun fact than funny. One of those was the Route 66 highway marker, which signified we were standing 320 feet below the Mother Road.

The highway was and still remains an important lifeline for Oatman. The community sits along the longest unbroken stretch of Route 66, from Topock to Seligman, Ariz., -- a distance of 167 miles.

``Route 66 is significant to our summer traffic,'' said Jerry Love, who owns The Classy Ass gift shop in town. ``We get tourists from all over the world traveling it. I'd even hazard a guess that Europeans know more about the true history of Route 66 than most Americans because they study it. Plus, they are enamored with the Old West.''

Visitors find plenty of that in Oatman -- namely the wood-plank sidewalks, the weathered storefronts, and the burros. The animals have had their run of the place since the 1940s when the miners cut them loose after the government closed the gold mines during World War II.

Nowadays, the animals accustomed to wandering around and being fed by tourists (carrots are a favorite). They seem to enjoy the attention and sometimes will stick their heads into open car windows.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: Oatman, Ariz., is about a 30-mile drive from Laughlin, Nev. Cross the Laughlin Bridge to Bullhead City, Ariz., and head south on Highway 95. Turn left at Boundary Cone Road and proceed to the town.

EVENTS: When it comes to special events, Oatman goes for the offbeat. ``We try to do what nobody else is doing,'' said historian Jackie Rowland. A sampling of what's going on throughout the year:

Bed Races. Teams of five people -- four to push and one to ride -- race a bed along a 30-yard course. At the halfway mark, they need to make another bed with a fitted sheet and pillow cases before they can speed back to the start/finish line. The 16-year-old competition takes place on the second weekend in January.

Sidewalk Egg Fry. Taking advantage of the staggering summer heat, competitors cook the most edible-looking egg they can in 15 minutes. ``When we started, we let them fry eggs right on the sidewalk, but that was a mess to clean up because the eggs fried into the sidewalk,'' Rowland said. Now, the cooking is done on a piece of aluminum foil, or in a range of solar-powered items -- from traditional cast-iron skillets to elaborate contraptions. The competition, which begins every July 4 at noon, attracts entrants from around the country.

Burro Biscuit Toss. Donkey doo is painted gold and contestants try to toss the clumps as far as possible. The competition is one part of Gold Camp Days, which happens during Labor Day weekend.

Christmas Bush Festival. With Douglas firs in short supply, creosote bushes and yucca are worthy stand-ins for the annual holiday competition. Tinsel, ornaments and other decorative items can be used (except for anything edible because of the burros). Prizes are awarded. The fee is $15, and $10 of that is returned if the entry is cleaned up by Feb. 1.

ATTRACTIONS: Bitter Creek Outlaws. The guns-for-hire stage Wild West shootouts, tour bus holdups and, for those so inclined, perform real weddings. Their next ``shotgun wedding'' is 3 p.m. Sept. 23. Shootouts are at 11 a.m. daily and sometimes at 3 p.m. Two other groups -- the Oatman Ghost Riders and Oatman Outlaws -- perform shootouts at different times. Information on the Bitter Creek Outlaws: www.oatmangold.com/bittercreek; [phone]

Gold Road Mine Tour. A walking tour is conducted at the mine that once produced 40,000 ounces of gold annually. Mining operations ended in 1998. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; the last tour starts at 4 p.m. Cost is $12.50 for adults, $6 for children age 11 and younger. Information: www.goldroadmine.com; [phone].

Horseback riding. One- and two-hour rides are offered through the Black Mountains, along trails once used by the U.S. Cavalry. Also available are rides that end with a steak or chicken dinner, and cattle drives. Available mid-October through May. Information: www.oatmanstables.com; [phone].

LODGING: Accommodations are as rare in Oatman as cool on a summer day. Overnight stays aren't even possible at the Oatman Hotel. Lodging options are a 40- to 45-minute drive away in Laughlin, Nev., where nine hotel-casinos line the Colorado River. For information, go to www.visitlaughlin.com or call the Laughlin Visitor Information Center at [phone]. Rooms also are available in Bullhead City and Needles.

DINING: The Oatman Hotel & Saloon serves an assortment of burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and a taco salad. One of its specialties, the Wild Buffalo Burger ($6.95), with a half-pound meat patty, rivals the best bison burger available on Catalina Island. The Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich ($6.95) also is worth trying. On the downside, the Burro Ears appetizer ($2.95) -- potato slices deep-fried in the kitchen -- were OK but certainly didn't live up to our expectations. Call [phone]. The Olive Oatman Restaurant & Saloon serves traditional breakfast fare (pancakes, ham and eggs, omelets) and burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and salads for lunch (the restaurant closes at 4:30 p.m.). Call [phone]. Both places also have Navajo Tacos, which are made with Indian fry bread and topped with chili, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion.

INFORMATION: Oatman Chamber of Commerce: www.oatmangoldroad.com; [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Desert-mountain backdrops and authentic Old West ambience, above, make Oatman, Ariz., a popular side trip for Laughlin visitors. On the main street, good guys and bad guys still blaze it out in mock gun battles, left.

(3) Oatman's gold mine has been closed for several years, but it is open for tours. Don't go without a guide, however.

(4) Christopher and Shyloh Simmons find the Old West charm of Oatman, Ariz., an appealing setting for their recent wedding. The procession goes right down the main drag.

Jerry Rice/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO (see text)