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STEINS RAILROAD GHOST TOWN
Steins Railroad Ghost Town located at exit 3 on Interstate 10, is owned and operated by Linda and Larry Links. The Butterfield Overland Stage Company once ran through the small community of Steins back in the mid 1800's. Indian raiding parties often attacked travelers on the stagecoach runs, and often it was Cochise and his band of warriors who were attacking the travelers as they approached Stein's Peak. The Indian chief killed many people in an attack lead in 1861. Though some of the travelers were killed in the first onset, others were captured by the Indians and were hung upside down and burned alive. Their bodies were found and buried by passing freighters. It was a violent time in the Old West and the residents of Steins were no strangers to fear and death.
With the onset of the Civil war later that same year, the Butterfield road was ordered closed by Congress. Later during the 1880's the Apache Indians once again figured into Steins history when the Army set up a heliograph station on Steins Peak to signal information regarding the movements of Geronimo. With the surrender of Geronimo in 1886, citizens of the Territory were able to breathe a sign of relief, but for only a brief period of three years when later the Army was hard on the trail of the Apache Kid. Later, gangs of horse thieves, express robbers, and murderers terrorized the little village. Black Jack Ketchum and his gang made their presence known in Steins as did many other historical and colorful historical Old West outlaws.
As the country became more modernized, so did Steins. The Southern Pacific built track through Steins Pass and the town was established as a workstation for the railroad. Dwellings were made of rough-cut lumber, adobe, and salvaged railroad ties. Water was hauled from Doubtful Canyon sold for a dollar a barrel. Numerous businesses were established and included three saloons, two bordellos, a boarding house, and a general store. At the close of World War II, Southern Pacific switched from steam to diesel and the workstation was closed down and the town began to die.
Located just three miles from the Arizona border, this intriguing real Old West town beckons visitors to experience a historic settlement like no other. Clothing, antique furniture, bottles and glass gives Steins a feel of a living history museum. Steins, preserved on a 7 1/2 acres, gives visitors the opportunity to walk through an Old West frontier town. The town site is comprised of a haunted section house, crumbling stagecoach station walls, and remains of the infamous "death house" which are on the property. Visit the ten buildings with sixteen rooms that house beds, books, trunks, clothing, and tools, which were once owned by people long gone. Today, Steins is living history that is preserved for serious researchers, or tourists who are simply interested in a walk back through time.
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