Nestled in the desert of the American southwest is a little town sharing a name with a well-known part of the Black Country. The Black Country is a long way from Las Vegas and the dry, arid landscape of the Mojave Desert in Nevada. Both places seem worlds apart, and geographically, they almost are, with more than 5,000 miles separating them - nearly a quarter of the world's circumference. But despite this vast distance, it appears one Black Country name has made it into the region.
Location and Features of Dolan Springs
Located around an 80-minute drive southwest of Sin City is a little town called Dolan Springs. Situated just over the border in Arizona, it is made up of just under 2,000 people, featuring sandy roads and rustic, off-grid-type buildings in the desert. The town is sometimes used as a route taking tourists between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
Mount Tipton: A Black Country Name in Arizona
But a peculiar feature of the area is that a nearby mountain overlooking the town shares a Black Country name. Mount Tipton stands at an elevation of 2,180m (7153ft) as part of the Cerbat mountain range, with Dolan Springs located at its base. There's also a school, called Mount Tipton School, located on the main road through Dolan Springs.
Despite this familiar-sounding name, it's believed the mountain was actually named after a US Army lieutenant, who formed part of an expedition party to the Colorado River in 1857. But for Black Country tourists passing through this isolated part of the US, it shows how our names appear to be far reaching.
