Long before the town of Ajo took shape, the land was known to the Tohono O’odham as Mu’i Wawhia meaning “many wells” a desert oasis where water pooled naturally in rock basins. Later, Mexican miners searching for copper pigments called the area Ajo, a name that may have stemmed from the O’odham word au-auho.

In 1847, a traveler named Tom Childs Sr. stumbled across the rich ore in this remote region on his way to Mexico. He and a friend soon formed the Arizona Mining & Trading Company and began shipping copper ore all the way to Wales. It was a bold venture, cut short when a shipment sank off the coast of South America.

The area saw more mining schemes and colorful characters in the late 1800s. One showman even claimed to invent a smelter that could run forever on a single spark and separate metals like magic. Spoiler: it exploded during testing.

The real breakthrough came in the early 1900s, thanks to mining visionary John Campbell Greenway. A former Rough Rider and Yale football star, Greenway brought new life to Ajo. He developed the Plaza (still the heart of town), pioneered new ore processing techniques, and ensured Ajo had a reliable water source a well that still serves the town today.

Under Greenway and later the Phelps Dodge company, Ajo grew into a classic Southwestern mining town.

The Ajo Copper News printed its first issue in 1916 and remains in circulation over a century later.

Mining thrived for decades, until the strike in 1983. By 1985, the copper boom had gone bust. But Ajo didn’t disappear. Retirees, artists, and new residents gave the town fresh energy. The old Curley School was transformed into an arts hub, the historic Plaza found new life, and the desert kept its timeless beauty.

Today, Ajo is a place where history lingers in the architecture, the sunsets, and the stories told on porches. And here at the Farmers Inn at the Guest House, you’re staying in a home that’s witnessed generations of change a little piece of Ajo’s living past.

• Cruise behind the “A” - Take a Drive on the Scenic Loop behind A Mountain. Perfect at golden hour, this 10-mile drive offers wide-open views, saguaros, and the kind of silence you didn’t know you needed.

• Stargazing - Thanks to Ajo’s low light pollution and wide-open skies, the Milky Way stretches overhead in stunning clarity. Whether you're out on the edge of town, lying in the bed of an old truck, or sitting on the inn’s front porch, the stars here feel close enough to touch.

• Hiking The Sonoran - Lace up and head to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, just 30 minutes away. Trails like Arch Canyon or Bull Pasture bring you into the heart of the Sonoran desert

• The Pit - The Ajo Mine Lookout offers a view into the enormous open-pit copper mine that once was the heart of the town.

• Ajo Historical Museum - Step inside this intimate museum housed in the 1916 mission-style St. Catherine’s Indian School. Learn about Ajo’s frontier past, indigenous roots, and its rise as a copper capital.

• The Curley School Art Complex - explore alleyway murals, and pop into the Sonoran Desert Inn or Plaza shops for rotating art installations. Ajo has a quiet, magnetic draw for creatives.

• Markets - Wander the Artisan Market at the Plaza, where you’ll find handmade pottery, soaps, jewelry, desert-foraged gifts, and stories with every item. There’s no rush, just good conversation and craftsmanship.

• Vintage - Ajo might surprise you with its secondhand scene.
  Explore local thrift shops, antique stores, and roadside vendors selling everything from vintage books and clothing to old boots and vinyl records.

• The Picnic Grounds

• Vergil Elis Shooting Range

• Ajo Country Club and Golf Course

• Radar Mountain - 2nd Saturday of the Month -

• Cabeza Prieta

Ajo time is a real thing! so remember hours of operation can vary. the best way to know for sure if something's open, is to ask a local.

More Coming Soon!