Towns of the Old West

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NancyNGA

Well-known Member
Location
Georgia
Towns in the U.S. Old West have always fascinated me, especially old pictures. Thought I'd start a new thread with these pictures in case anyone else is interested.

Kokomo, Colorado (circa 1880)

"...Significant mining in the area did not begin until after rich silver deposits were discovered in 1877. By 1881 the town was booming with a reported 10,000 inhabitants. Kokomo experienced a fire in 1881 that burned most of the town to the ground. The citizens rebuilt, but the local mines were already in decline and the town never again reached the bustle of 1881." Kokomo is now a ghost town.

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A residence in Kokomo.

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School teacher and children

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Oatman, Arizona

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Oatman started life over 100 years ago as a mining tent camp, and quickly became a flourishing gold-mining center. In 1915, two miners struck a $10 million gold find, and within a year, the town's population grew to more than 3,500.
Oatman was named in honor of Olive Oatman, who as a young girl, was kidnapped by an Apache tribe, sold toMojave Indians and later rescued in a trade in 1857 near the current site of the town.

Oatman was served by a narrow gauge rail line between 1903 and 1905 that ran 17 miles to the Colorado River near Needles, California.
But both the population and mining booms were short-lived. In 1921, a fire burned down many of the smaller shacks in town, and three years later, the main mining company, United Eastern Mines, shut down operations for good. Oatman survived by catering to travelers on old U.S. Route 66. But in the 1960s, when the route became what is now Interstate 40, Oatman almost died.


Oatman, today
Oatman-Arizona.jpg
 

We forget back in the day of no electricity when the sun set everything was pitch black-no street lights, no lights at all. Gas lamps were eventually used to light the streets.
 
Cripple Creek, Colorado

"Cripple Creek was put on the map by a cowboy named Bob Womack, who for almost 15 years searched the southwest slope of Pikes Peak for gold. In 1890 he finally discovered the precious metal in Poverty Gulch, which later became the town of Cripple Creek.

After 1900, the area’s gold production declined, and by the early 1940’s gold production was down to less than one percent of what it once was. By 1990, the town was almost dead with only 600 residents, but in 1991 with legalized gambling, the town was revived. Many of the old town’s historic buildings were refurbished as casinos."

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NancyNGA said:
Cripple Creek, Colorado

[FONT=&]"Cripple Creek was put on the map by a cowboy named Bob Womack, who for almost 15 years searched the southwest slope of Pikes Peak for gold. In 1890 he finally discovered the precious metal in Poverty Gulch, which later became the town of Cripple Creek.

[/FONT][FONT=&]After 1900, the area’s gold production declined, and by the early 1940’s gold production was down to less than one percent of what it once was. By 1990, the town was almost dead with only 600 residents, but in 1991 with legalized gambling, the town was revived. Many of the old town’s historic buildings were refurbished as casinos."[/FONT][FONT=&]
[/FONT]
0658d88b7782e25c2b099986e07e38f5.jpg




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....it figures, Nancy, that the gold would be hidden in "Poverty Gulch"!
 
Meanderer said:
Oatman, Arizona

oatman-2223.jpg


Oatman started life over 100 years ago as a mining tent camp, and quickly became a flourishing gold-mining center. In 1915, two miners struck a $10 million gold find, and within a year, the town's population grew to more than 3,500.
Oatman was named in honor of Olive Oatman, who as a young girl, was kidnapped by an Apache tribe, sold toMojave Indians and later rescued in a trade in 1857 near the current site of the town.

Oatman was served by a narrow gauge rail line between 1903 and 1905 that ran 17 miles to the Colorado River near Needles, California.
But both the population and mining booms were short-lived. In 1921, a fire burned down many of the smaller shacks in town, and three years later, the main mining company, United Eastern Mines, shut down operations for good. Oatman survived by catering to travelers on old U.S. Route 66. But in the 1960s, when the route became what is now Interstate 40, Oatman almost died.


Oatman, today
Oatman-Arizona.jpg
Click to expand...

I LOVE Oatman! (Of course I do-it`s full of donkeys!) We had so much fun when we visted there.
 
This Tiny Utah Town Has A Crazy, Wild History

Most of Utah’s towns were founded by Mormon pioneers, but one little Utah town was not only founded by ‘Gentiles.’ but was proud of its non-Mormon heritage. Take a look at the history of this spunky, interesting Utah town.

In 1869, pretty much everything in the Beehive State was owned and operated by Mormons. Non-Mormon business owners had suffered for three years under Brigham Young’s policy that Mormons should not shop at Gentile businesses. Samuel Auerbach noted in his memoir that special signs were placed over the doorways of Mormon businesses in Salt Lake City in 1868, so that Church members could differentiate those businesses to patronize. It became increasingly difficult for non-Mormon shop owners to survive.

The town of Corinne was named after General J.A. Williamson’s daughter, and it initially enjoyed prosperity. More than 500 buildings and canvas tents housed over 1,000 residents. The railroad town had 28 saloons, 16 liquor stores, a few dance halls and a no-nonsense Marshall to keep everyone in check.

As the transcontinental railroad approached completion in northern Utah, a small group of non-Mormon merchants and some retired army officers got together and decided that it would be a great idea to settle a little town near the rail lines.

The town was the choice of many politicians for the state capitol of Utah but Brother Brigham ruled.

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NancyNGA said:
It does. Thanks Roadwarrior.
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I drove through Corrine every workday for 35 years, Almost bought the Mason lodge there when it came up for sale, was going to create a family commune. Glad that idea never became reality! Sometimes I worry about my thought process.

In it's day it was the most corrupt & evil city in Utah according to Mormon legend. Brother Brigham was said to have put the evil eye (curse) on the future of the town. My company was located about 5 miles from the Golden Spike site. My father rode fence & broke mustangs for the Browning Bros (Browning Arms), they had a large ranch that paralleled my companies plant & bordered the rail line. Corrine was located about 25 miles from the GS site.
 
Later on the Mason's took over the lower floor, boarded up the windows turned it into a kitchen/dining/etc. & office space. That building was much different out front at the time I almost bought it. It was going for a song then, I don't even know if it still stands. I know they was very motivated owners then, that would have been around 2000-01. It did have a lot of potential though.
 
Meanderer said:
Corrine Mason Lodge
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Roadwarrior said:
Later on the Mason's took over the lower floor, boarded up the windows turned it into a kitchen/dining/etc. & office space. That building was much different out front at the time I almost bought it. It was going for a song then, I don't even know if it still stands. I know they was very motivated owners then, that would have been around 2000-01. It did have a lot of potential though.
Click to expand...
Roadwarrior, I always had dreams of buying one of those old two story 8 room schoolhouses and convert it to a home, with a big wide hallway down the middle. This might have been just the ticket! :)
 
NancyNGA said:
Roadwarrior, I always had dreams of buying one of those old two story 8 room schoolhouses and convert it to a home, with a big wide hallway down the middle. This might have been just the ticket! :)
Click to expand...
My wife, son-spouse-2 children, my oldest daughter-spouse & youngest daughter-spouse-3 children was going to divide it into 4 apartments. It had a huge staircase going to the 2nd floor. It was a brilliant plan in my mind but since that time my son got divorced-remarried twice, OD's spouse passed away, she moved out of state, YD got divorced, remarried had 1 more child. I retired had health problems (hopefully behind me) moved to Oregon, it would have been a can of worms to disolve the commune, in a perfect world it might have worked.
 
This is the little town of Burke, Idaho. There was not much of the town except one street, which was also the railroad tracks. The hotel was built with the train tracks right through the lobby of the hotel. The mountains were so high and steep on either side that the only place was the little area at the bottom of the canyon, so that was where the whole town was located.
Several of these little north idaho towns were in canyons like this, and when the terrible wildfire of 1910 went through, some towns were completely wiped out.
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That is such a great picture, HappyFlowerLady. Thank you.
 

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