Old West Places, Living and Dead

Comment by G.E. "Dutch" Nicholson on March 29, 2009 at 2:12pm

Elizabethtown, NM, located 5 miles north of Eagle Nest, NM on State Hwy 35, is all but gone now. As a child growing up I recall three or more buildings, all in ruin. The east wall of the old Mutz Hotel is all that remains today, besides several foundations and a graveyard.
In 1870, E-Town, as the locals called it, boasted 7,000 residents, seven saloons, three dance halls, five stores, a school, and two churches. Each saloon had dance floors, gambling tables and bars that ranged from 100 to 200 feet long.
A local rancher named George Mutz built the Mutz Hotel, one of several and the grandest of them all, and was a two-story building of some renown. It was also a favored hangout of a local rancher/gunfighter by the name of Clay Allison. Clay was credited for up to 15 shooting/killings in his lifetime.
I don’t know the name of the saloon but it’s reported that the bloodiest and deadliest saloon shootout in the history of the west occurred in E-Town. When the smoke cleared some 26 people had been killed or wounded.
There is now a small museum that has artifacts and pictures of E-Town in its heyday and be sure to check out the cemetery, some of the headstones tell a story by themselves.
And for the “Lonesome Dove” fanatics like myself, when you leave Elizabethtown head south on the same hwy 38. Five or so miles past Angle Fire, NM you will find an area known as Black Lake. There’s a campground and not much else, other than the lake itself and that takes a little getting to. But a little known thing about Black Lake is that all the Montana scenes for the movie “Lonesome Dove” were filmed in that area. One look at the country and you’ll understand why ‘cause it gives a new meaning to the word picturesque. If you're ever in the area it's worth a visit.

Comment by Ginny Morgan on March 31, 2009 at 3:07pm

Hi Dutch and Jennifer...I just saw this group and thought it would be interesting. I used to travel a lot years ago and did some off roading..there is a place in Arizona..Oatman..that is still pretty much active with folks who live there. It was a wild mining town and still has that flavor. Above Needles and Bullhead City..Burros still roam the streets and a lot of movies were filmed there. I have photos but I would have to hunt them down and scan them...LOL...I will do that someday.

Comment by Ginny Morgan on April 13, 2009 at 8:08am

Hi Mundo...That is a cute picture of the burro..It has been many years since I was there so that is probably the great grandburro of the ones I saw!

Soapy, I so want to visit Skagway. Your pictures are so cool..I personally like it the way it was...don't care for the newfangled colors either...but at least they are saved.

Comment by Will Killem on May 16, 2009 at 7:32pm

San Angelo, Texas ~ The history of this frontier town began in the late 1860s across the North Concho River from Fort Concho, which had been established in 1867.

Shortly after the fort was established, Bartholomew (Bart) J. DeWitt, the founder of San Angelo, bought 320 acres of land from Granville Sherwood for a dollar an acre and, over the river, established a trading post, which was later called Santa Angela. There are several stories as to how the town was named, including one in which it was named for DeWitt's sister-in-law, a nun in San Antonio. A local historian found that DeWitt named the town in memory of his wife, Carolina Angela, who died in 1866. The name had changed to San Angela by 1883, when application was made for a post office. The proposed name of San Angela was rejected because of the ungrammatical construction. The name should be Santa Angela or San Angelo.

As an early frontier town, San Angelo was characterized by saloons, prostitution, and gambling. Officers of nearby Fort Concho would not leave the garrison after dark because Santa Angela was so wild and dangerous. At any given time in the 1870's, the town was full of buffalo soldiers, buffalo hunters, cowboys, drovers, and rift raft of all kinds.

The Butterfield stage line came through the area in the late 1850,s and Santa Angela was also located on the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail.

Comment by G.E. "Dutch" Nicholson on May 16, 2009 at 8:14pm

Interesting Will, love the picture, thanks.

Comment by Odessa Red on May 24, 2009 at 3:07pm

One of my all time favorite places to visit is Bodie Ghost Town in the Eastern Sierra...as stated in the piece below, it's kept in a state of arrested decay. The moment you enter the park you are whisked away to another time when things were simple, but harsh. I enjoyed looking into the homes, stores, and other buildings where the tenants left behind what they couldn't take. One of my favorites was taking the tour in the Standard Mill where they once processed over $14 million in gold and silver over 25 years. You could almost feel the miners toiling as you walk through areas with heavy equipment. This place is magical and is a definite 'must see' on your ghost town tours.

Bodie... A town frozen in time.
Here you'll see what's left of Bodie. An original ghost town from the late 1800's. Bodie stands today in a state of "arrested decay". So coined by the State of California when they took over the town in 1962 to make it a State Historic Park.

In 1859 William (a.k.a. Waterman) S. Bodey discovered gold near what is now called Bodie Bluff. A mill was established in 1861 and the town began to grow. It started with about 20 miners and grew to an estimated 10,000 people by 1880! By that time, the town of Bodie bustled with families, robbers, miners, store owners, gunfighters and prostitutes of all kinds. At one time there was reported to be 65 saloons in town. Amongst the saloons were numerous brothels and 'houses of ill repute', gambling halls and opium dens. Needless to say that there was entertainment for every taste.

After a long day working the claims, the miners would head for the bars and the red light district to spend their earnings. The mixture of money, gold and alcohol would often prove fatal. It is said that there was a man killed every day in Bodie. Presumably, the undertaker never had a slow day.

There are records that say that Wm. Body took a ship from New York, around the horn to end up in San Francisco. The name of the town was changed at some point in time, before the majority of the people made their way to Bodie. There are different stories as to why - one says it was to keep the correct pronunciation of town's namesake. Another says that the sign painter didn't have the room for the tail of the lower-case "y". Today, even though Bodie is lost down a dusty 13 mile long road, off of state highway 395, it is amazing just how many people are aware of this once glorious town.

There's a story about a little girl whose family moved from San Francisco to Bodie. Depending on who tells you, or where you read it, she wrote either: "Good, by God, I'm going to Bodie" or "Goodbye God, I'm going to Bodie". Once you get through this site, you'll have to decide for yourself.

here is a link to explore Bodie! http://www.bodie.com/

Comment by Odessa Red on May 24, 2009 at 3:08pm

Bodie is near Virginia City (another fav of mine), a living ghost town and Reno as well...

Comment by Bill L. Nicholson on May 25, 2009 at 5:54pm

Red, many thanks! Great story about Bodie; keep up the good work. Thanks again-

Comment by Odessa Red on May 25, 2009 at 9:29pm

Thanks Bill...Bodie truly is a fantastic place. A friend of mine is volunteering there for 3 weeks this summer...I'm so jealous!...it's about 7 hours north of me and we'll be taking a weekend jaunt up there this summer...pics to follow!

Comment by KD Younger on June 10, 2009 at 3:19pm

I mentioned this in another thread...sorry to double up on a thought...but, for those of us who enjoy the Ghost Town trail...how many are active "Ghost Town Ghost Hunters"? I've had my share of experiences along the rides..enough to convince me that we do, indeed, share this world with things we cannot normally experience or see.

If there might be enough interest, perhaps, the folks who run the website might consider setting up a forum header to discuss that aspect as well...

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