Thompson Springs | Utah

Antelope!  They seem to wander around near the train tracks in this little community.  They were a little shy, but they did pose long enough for me to get this shot.

This hotel has seen it's best days, although when I was there taking this photo, two men were peeking in the windows at the mess inside.  They told me they were thinking of making it a little hotel again for tourists.  I hope they love lots of hard work!

Considering the age of this car, it doesn't look all that bad......    This was right outside the RV Park I stayed at. 

This one didn't fare so well......  But it's older!

Schoolhouse built in 1907, nicely refurbished.

There are multiple abandoned and derelict buildings here.

Spooky on an overcast day.

I have no idea if it's true, but someone said this is the café that was in the movie "Thelma and Louise".  Looks way more interesting inside than outside!

Other buildings are just shells.

I'm not really fond of the purple color here.......

One of the residents has yard that looks more like a mini-museum - he had everything back here.

 

Mountains look like they are melting into plains here.  

Rocks are multicolored here.  I think I remember someone telling me that the green rocks have copper in them.

A restaurant, show place was nearby, but unfortunately it was all closed up and looking abandoned.

The weather did this a few days while I was here, but only got a few sprinkles one day.

This is the third Boot Hill that I've seen.  I don't think this one has anyone really there. 

Red rock is everywhere near Moab, and it is stunning.

Tonopah | Nevada

A mural was done in honor of the Army Airfield that was here in the 1940s.  It shows some of the different airplanes that flew out of the Airfield.  However, I must admit that the first thing I thought of was that the one in the upper left corner was a UFO!  I know it's not, it's some kind of stealth fighter.

Old mining towns sometimes had bad luck and injuries.  Big Bill was the hero one day when he arrived to work and found a fire in the mine, he went in multiple times to rescue some of his co-workers.  The last time he went in, he didn't return. This mural and the statue below, honors him for bringing some workers out of the mine.

One of the old hotels is being refurbished, it's nice that they take care of the landmarks.

Some of the old buildings are still in use.  The door states that there is a physicians office inside. I don't know if it is still open.

 

The Fire Department building, at least it was years ago.   I didn't see any fire trucks around. 

Right next door was the Water Company office, I'm not sure if it's in use still.  These buildings might be kept up because it's right near the Mining Park.

There are many abandoned houses around.

An old garage has a Lincoln Mark V sitting up on blocks.  It looks pretty good for being as old as it is.

 

And, of course, lots of old vehicles in different stages of rusting away.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to name a business after a clown, after all, some people don't like clowns.

 

The old building above has some intricate work supporting the balcony.  You certainly don't see that anymore.

 

This is a mural about a race over 100 years ago - a rich man's game.

 

This hotel is famous and has been around since the town started.

One of the old buildings left from the mining era, on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

A gazebo in town.

With all the antiques and old buildings, I was surprised to see this.  Apparently, they thought that Tesla was going to make it big. 

 

Goldfield | Nevada

There is no shortage of vintage vehicles in this town.  Everywhere you go, there are old vehicles and all sorts of different mining equipment.

This library is from the mining days, but it looks much more modern when you go around to the front of the building.

This is a bit of the touristy area.

Many old buildings are closed up and unused. 

 

I love these old signs on the buildings.

There are a few vehicles around town that have been fancied up for contests - this one caught my eye. 

 

This old hotel is being refurbished, I have no idea how long it will take them, or how long they've been working on it.  I didn't see anyone working on it.

 

Some of the old saloons are in business, but some have been closed for years.

This building is still intact and looks good, but it has been closed.  The window still has gold letters that tell us it's the "Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company".  Those markings on the building in the shape of an X look a bit like a swastika.  I have found out in many other mining places that a swastika means good luck.  I have no idea if that what these markings mean here, but it sure would fit.

The old high school from 1907.  This building is also under construction to restore it.  Again, no one was working, but a sign says they are relying on donations.

An old time fire station.

This gas station has been closed for a long time, but if you peek in the windows, you'll see an old Edsel in pretty good shape.  It's actually a Edsel station wagon, I never knew they made them!

Just a little house on the corner.  It looks from the front like it could be in use today, but not from the side, where a curtain was hanging crookedly in the window.

 

There is no shortage of all sorts of abandoned, derelict buildings in town.   Some of them have labels telling what their function was way back in the mining days.

 

More cars rusting out.  These almost look like the same model.

The court house was built in 1907 and is still in use today.  Inside is all original.

Some flowers don't seem to mind that no one is taking care of them.

There were multiple buildings at this dirt road intersection - all sorts of things for sale - but none of them were open.  The covering on the walls of the building looks like slate, but there was no one to ask if it really was.

 

Mining equipment is scattered all over the town. 

 

Brothels were a big business during the mining boom.  A couple in town purchased the building last year and are restoring it for possible use as a small motel.  They will have indoor plumbing when it's done, which was lacking back in the early 1900s.  This tiny building housed 6 bedrooms during the height of the mining season when about 30,000 mine workers were in town.  The new owners told me there were four square blocks packed with saloons, dancehalls, gambling and more brothels in this red light district. 

The inside was being worked on, and it will need lots of attention.  The roof has already been done and all the rafters looked actually quite good for the age of the building.

One of the windows on the outside has already has had work done on it. 

And right across the street was the jail!  Sure doesn't look like a very inviting place!

 

These were on a side street and look like they came from somewhere that had subways or something.  I don't know why they're here, but it looks like they've been there for ages.

 

And of course, every old mining town must have a cemetery.   This is a large one - some sites have no names and some are quite fancy.