Gleeson: Arizona Ghost Town. Volume 01: The Jail.

Volume 01:

We visit the Gleeson Jail and Museum.

This jail was identical to the one in the nearby ghost town of Courtland. At some point in the 1930s, the county needed parts for the jail in Benson, so county workers scavenged them from the jails in Courtland and Gleeson.

We have located the missing parts of these jails and we show them in our upcoming videos about Courtland and Benson Arizona.

"The Mysterious Rider" was filmed here in 1938.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSOHCaSIRd4

Gleeson was an old west mining town. It was originally called Turquoise and the post office was established in 1890. In 1894, John Gleeson registered a copper claim and the town was renamed Gleeson and in 1900 the post office was opened.

It's now a ghost town, with a few residents still living there.

Joe Bono, who grew up in the town of Gleeson, owns the jail, which has been renovated and turned into a museum. Every first Saturday of the month, the jail is open to the public and the Bono family members give tours, tell stories of the old town etc.

These are super nice people and we encourage anyone in the area to stop by and learn about this town. You might find that it had quite a bit more going on "old west" style than Tombstone or other notorious towns.

We really want to thank the Bono family for being so gracious and kind and a special thanks to our tour guide Rene, who gave us a lot of history and insight into the town.

We plan on going back once it cools down a bit and doing another tour.

The Gleeson Jail Website, loaded with information and pictures:

http://www.gleesonarizona.com/

Other interesting links:

http://www.ghosttownaz.info/gleeson-ghost-town.php#

https://tv.azpm.org/p/sportsandrec/2020/5/15/172695-bono-buys-gleeson/

https://historicpearce.org/gleeson.html

https://www.frrandp.com/p/the-map.html

http://www.abandonedrails.com/

www.tunetank.com
Song: Wild West
By: EDRecords