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Evening in Kirwin

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At 9200 feet in a beautiful valley of the Absaroka Mountains is a collection of abandoned buildings: cabins, a hotel, general store, stables, a post office, and shaft houses. This is the ghost town of Kirwin. Kirwin was established in the 1880's after gold and silver were discovered nearby. But the mines were never profitable and life was rough up here. Very heavy snowfall and avalanches were a regular occurrence. A bad avalanche in February of 1907 swept away buildings and killed 3 people. The town has been abandoned ever since, although some buildings have been stabilized in recent years. Another interesting tidbit of history is that Amelia Earhart and her husband loved this area so much that they had a cabin built. But when she disappeared it was never finished. I visited here at the end of August. The road up is steep and rocky, with river crossings that make it a fun drive. A storm was clearing and the sun came out for just a few minutes before disappearing again behind the high peaks.

Copyright
Kevin Palmer
Image Size
5662x3894 / 12.5MB
Keywords
Contained in galleries
Recent Work, Wyoming, Landscapes
At 9200 feet in a beautiful valley of the Absaroka Mountains is a collection of abandoned buildings: cabins, a hotel, general store, stables, a post office, and shaft houses. This is the ghost town of Kirwin. Kirwin was established in the 1880's after gold and silver were discovered nearby. But the mines were never profitable and life was rough up here. Very heavy snowfall and avalanches were a regular occurrence. A bad avalanche in February of 1907 swept away buildings and killed 3 people. The town has been abandoned ever since, although some buildings have been stabilized in recent years. Another interesting tidbit of history is that Amelia Earhart and her husband loved this area so much that they had a cabin built. But when she disappeared it was never finished. I visited here at the end of August. The road up is steep and rocky, with river crossings that make it a fun drive. A storm was clearing and the sun came out for just a few minutes before disappearing again behind the high peaks.