SOUTHWEST : Salvation Army Gets Its Own Ghost Town

An entire ghost town, the once-thriving Arizona desert mining community of Sasco, has been given to Salvation Army chapters in Tucson and El Paso, Texas. “Rarely does any charity get a million-dollar gift--much less the deed to a ghost town,” said Greg Bodine, director of planned giving for the Southern Arizona and El Paso Salvation Army. The 120-acre site, about 35 miles north of Tucson, is valued at $1.2 million. Bodine said the Salvation Army plans to sell it to help fund the two chapters. “We are hoping some entrepreneur might see it as a tourist attraction,” he said. The town was founded in 1902, but by 1921 it was already considered a ghost town. It was given to the Salvation Army by cattle and real estate investor Phillip Haas.