Coolidge Ghost Town

Part of the Pioneer Mtns intrigue for me was that there is a ghost town along the way.  The ghost town of Coolidge is the old site of the Elk Horn mine which was discovered in the late 19th century.  I figured it would be interesting to learn a little more about the local history.  Silver was the primary resource that was mined here.

 Most of the old cabins are falling apart but it still provides a unique experience.  What was amazing to me is how small the cabins were/are.  The upside is there would not be much space to heat up but I just can't imagine living in such a small confined space with other people!

The town's milestone achievements seem to be that it had electricity and telephone wired to the area at significant expense.  It established a school district around 1918 and a post office around 1922...then the school was shut down circa 1927 and the post office ran the same fate around 1932.  They must have spent a few winters there and wizened up to just how cold and hard the living must have been.  The altitude up here is probably somewhere around 7,500 ft and you are in a valley so I imagine the days must be really short in the winter since you don't probably see the sun until somewhat late in the day due to the surrounding mountains.

The town's demise is probably linked to the Wise River Dam breaking and subsequently demolishing sections of the railroad that had been built to move the ore.  Apparently once they got everything rebuilt around 1930, the metal prices had dropped sufficiently to not warrant starting the operation back up.

Most of the structures all had separated out-houses.  I just can't imagine bundling up in the middle of winter in -30 degree temps to go to the bathroom!  These people must have lived a hard life.  It makes me realize just how soft we have become with our cushy homes, big screen TV's, etc....not too long ago these people worked their aces off while also enduring some serious hardships!

It was definitely a worthwhile diversion to check out.  The off-shoot spur is not too far off the main road and it is a flat walk to the ghost town.

All in all it was a great weekend with a lot of new territory explored and a new experience in checking out the ghost town of Coolidge.  It was fun to get out of the usual routine and go off the beaten path a little.