Wyoming

Atlantic City (WY) Mercantile.

Former store in Atlantic City, WY.

Former Duncan Mine, a gold and silver mine, just outside Atlantic City.

Site of the former Carrissa Mine, outside South Pass City, WY. Though the landscape here looks empty, we're actually on a plateau and there's far more hidden (see nearby pictures) in nearby valleys than is visible here. (Best viewed in Lightbox large version)

The mill for the Carissa mine (gold), taken from the descent into the South Pass City area (see adjacent picture). The gold mine, like seemingly all mining, went through repeated boom and bust cycles. Gold mining first started in the area in 1867, the facilities visible here are from a redevelopment in 1928-29, the mine closed in 1949. Its integrity is due to the fact that Wyoming began development of the area as an historic site in 2003. Tours of the mine are available, though not the day I was there.

A surprisingly long trestle for a conveyer system from the mine to the mill at Carissa gold mine. (best viewed in Lighbox large version)

South Pass City, WY is basically the remains of an old mining town, with about half converted into a state historic district and about half being contemporary residences. I'm not usually one for enjoying reconstructed history, but they've done a very good job and there is some quite surprising history (see following pictures). See also: wyoparks.state.wy.us/Site/SiteInfo.aspx?siteID=30

The main restored part of South Pass City

Another view of the main restored part. I like this photo better than the adjacent photo, but the adjacent photo provides more of a sense of the buildings, so I kept both.

Away from the main reconstructed part is this set of buildings. The way they are set off, I almost didn't explore them, which would have been unfortunate. The most interesting display is actually in the very last building on the right (see next pictures).

This is the home and office of the first woman justice, a justice of the peace, Esther Hobar Morris. The monument says 'first woman justice of the peace in the world', which I suspect may be a semantical distinction from women in other societies who had similar levels of authority but may not have had the same title. BUT, it's still remarkable there here she was, in quite rural Wyoming, the first female judge, in 1870. AND, she took part in passing the first suffrage (right to vote) law in the U.S., for the territory of Wyoming (Wyoming became a state in 1890). See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Hobart_Morris

On the wall in Morris's cottage, a map showing when each state (or territory) granted suffrage (voting) rights to women. The states in brown granted full voting rights to women prior to the US consitutional amendment (19th amendment, passed in 1920) which granted the right to vote to women; the states in yellow granted partial suffrage (could vote for some offices) to women, and women in the states in gray did not gain full suffrage until the passage of the 19th amendment.

Morris's cabin also once housed the local newspaper and there were interesting displays concerning early typesetting.

Inside a former hotel and bar in South Pass.

I was pleased to see a marker for the location of the community bathhouse...

In the tiny town of Farson, WY, very few houses and a population of 313, a surprisingly substantial building AND a store that has a reputation for its ice cream (link below). The only thing I could figure out for its fame is that it is one of the few stops on the road from I-80 to the Jackson Hole area. www.farsonmerc.com

I've been curious for years about the Flaming Gorge reservoir and the area of northeast Utah, so went through there on this trip. Much of the drive is away from the reservoir and the views from the road are of vast stretches of uninhabited land. Unfortunately, the vastness makes it difficult to photograph -- here's one attempt.

US-191, which is the Flaming Gorge Uintas Byway.