Thompson Canyon | Sego Canyon | Utah

Petroglyphs are ancient carvings on rocks.  In this area these are from 3 different time frames and different tribes. 

It seems to me that the red ones are less prevalent than the ones just carved in the stone walls. I have not seem many of the red ones, but lots that are not colored.

Since this was an old mining area, there are a few of these old train trestle, which is how the ore was moved to processing areas.

The rock formations in the area is stunning, they make you feel really small. 

In these canyons, people lived and died, and therefore were also buried here.  There is a little cemetery that people still visit.  Graves are rustic or modern, as you can see.

Many of the stones have items, like coins on them that visitors have left.

The most modern grave is one of a Vietnam Vet who had lived in this area.

Nearby is a tree where people have left items that have special meanings.

This was the strangest one I saw and it looks like part of a vehicle to me.

Back in the mining days, the workers lived out here and I'm assuming this is a small house built by one of them.  Or it could be that it was left from some of the Indians who lived in the area.

Around the corner, this little oven has been covered to help preserve it.

This building was a store for the mining people.  Unfortunately, this is all that remains.

Next door, this building was made of wood, but has fallen down over the years.

Someone had a car out here and behind it that square looks like the remains of a refrigerator.

Another house that has gone to ruin.  This was a nice one and even had a basement of sorts, possibly food storage.



Pioche | Nevada

 

 

Pioche is a very small town, no stop lights, no grocery store and very little traffic.  But, they appreciate RV people so much that they have set aside a free campground for them, even though there are quite a few regular campgrounds.  This city campground has water hookups as well as sewer and you can stay here for a full week.  There is a little box near the list of rules requesting donations.  In back of our little campground, we see deer during the evening. 

 

 

Of course, there are multiple old abandoned buildings, such as this old hotel from the mid 1980s.   

 

Right next door is the "Million Dollar Courthouse". It didn't take a million dollars to build it back in those days, but the money sure adds up when you have all sorts of problems with financing and other things that soak up money.

 

In back of the courthouse is the jail, which looks very inviting.

 

 

The Overland Hotel and Saloon is building which is still in business and is left over from the mining days.

 

 

The Nevada Club is still operating also.

 

 

There was a section off the main road with these old buildings and equipment.

 

I love this little slanted house with the upside down roof peak.

 

More interesting buildings are scattered around, some now house businesses and some are just abandoned and locked up.

 

I don't know for sure, but I can probably figure out what this building was used for back in the mining days. 

Miner's shacks looked like this.

 

There was some culture in town, since they had an opera house as well as a movie theater.

 

Amid all the closed, abandoned buildings, there is a park with a gazebo and little waterfall and some old mining equipment up on a trestle.

 

 

One evening while I was out watching the deer, we had  pretty nice sunset.  They are not as plentiful as in some areas I've been.

 

 

 

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.