In 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed across Wyoming and the road over South Pass lost its traffic flow, but the gold rush kept South Pass City buzzing with activity. Reality did not keep up with the promises of riches. Most residents simply found themselves doing extremely hard work in a harsh environment for nothing more than daily wages. By 1872, most had packed up and moved on in search of bigger promises and greener pastures. There would have been very little going on in South Pass City by the time Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch passed through.
South Pass City is now a historic site with more to offer than most. A brochure describing the reconstructed buildings is provided with admission. There are also other books and maps available in the store. Other stories about the town and the buildings are told on signs and plaques.
After spending some time visiting South Pass City, we drove through Atlantic City. It has a country store (no gas), and there were signs for a bed and breakfast. Atlantic City was founded about the same time as South Pass City due to the gold rush. It is not a ghost town.
We turned on the Fort Stambaugh Road and followed it to a ghost town northeast of Atlantic City. It has not been reconstructed but is in a state of what one ranger called "arrested decay." That apparently means some efforts are being taken to prevent the buildings from falling down, but very little is being done to rebuild them. In any case, Miner's Delight is an interesting place to visit. Numerous buildings still stand, and most are in stable condition.
Miner's Delight began as Hamilton City in 1869 when specks of gold were found in quartz rocks scattered around the area. The name was changed when larger, "delightful" discoveries were made. We spent some time dressing like outlaws and taking some photos then followed the road past the site of Fort Stambaugh.
The fort was established in 1870 and operated for eight years. Its purpose was to protect the miners from hostile Indians. Other than a marker for the location, we found nothing of interest in the area.
The road past Fort Stambaugh took us east and then north across wide-open spaces. Ranches along the way seem to be so isolated as to have no easy connection to the world outside their own. The rolling hills offer scenic views across hundreds of miles in any direction.
We stopped in Shoshoni for gas and supplies. There are no more services between this point and Hole-in-the-Wall.
The setting sun reminded us that another day was coming to an end. Wyoming is known for its fierce winds, and Mother Nature was planning to make up for the quiet nights we had previously enjoyed. We needed a campsite with some sort of shelter. My first choice would have been a campground in the forest in the Big Horn Mountains, but that was still too far away. That meant implementing Backup Plan One.
We took back roads to a BLM information board north of Arminto. I had used that location many times before for the same reasons. It is located at the geographic center of Wyoming and at the beginning of a 102-mile backcountry byway. The area has been a popular hunting ground since the days of the Comanche and Shoshoni Indians due to the abundance of wildlife.
Behind the information board is a huge corral used during cattle drives and sheepherding across the open range. The corral walls are built like a fort, with logs and lumber standing vertically to a height of about eight feet. Happy Jack located a spot where the wind was blocked by the south wall. We set up our tents and dug the steaks out of the ice chest. Happy Jack leaned back in his chair and pulled his hat down over his eyes. "It just don't get no better than this," he giggled.
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