Historic South Pass City and Atlantic City, Wyoming

After looking at the roadsigns of the South Pass Overlook area that the emigrants traveled, we took a little side trip while at South Pass to South Pass City.  This is an historical state park which has over 30 log, frame, and stone buildings from the gold rush of 1867 of South Pass City.  At the height of the rush approximately two thousand people lived here.  Dozens of mines with placer claims were worked.  Today - maybe 4 people live there.  Boom to bust.

At the peak the town had 7 hotels, several general stores, saloons, brothels, restaurants, clothiers, and even a jewelry store. Two local breweries functioned there, several liveries for their horses, blacksmiths, local bank, post office, gunsmiths, even a shooting gallery. A tough looking jail housed those folks that did not follow the rules, there was a one room schoolhouse, lots of cabins and homes of the miners and families. Churches, law offices, assay shops to determine amount of gold dug to turn into money. Very thriving community.

As all things that go boom, it busts.  We walked the deserted, restored buildings then drove down the street to where folks live today.  Maybe 4 homes - I don't think anyone lives here full-time.  The museum staff said that the winters are very harsh - snow as early as beginning of September.  Brr.
As I walked through the hotel, I got happy - the different patterns of of quilts on all the beds - took picture after picture for future quilt projects for myself!

The biggest mine - Carissa

After visiting South Pass City, we drove to Atlantic City - same principal - Boom to Bust.  However, Atlantic City is still hanging on.  We saw people at the mercantile (general store/restaurant), active church, people working in their yards or making repairs to their homes, people walking around.  I think people do live here full-time even though it's just 4 miles down the dirt road.

Even US Steel had at one time the largest open pit mine, digging for coal.  We saw the after effects of their mine - huge ponds where the deep pits  were.  Uranium, coal, copper, iron ore mines all around.
Today people can still mine for gold - looking for the luster of, and lust for, gold.