Miner's Delight, Wyoming facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hamilton City
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An abandoned cabin in the ghost town at Miner's Delight
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | Fremont County, Wyoming, NE of Atlantic City |
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| Nearest city | Atlantic City, Wyoming |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004047 |
| Added to NRHP | June 4, 1980 |
Hamilton City, often called Miner's Delight, was a small town in Fremont County, Wyoming. It was located in the southeastern part of the Wind River Range. This town grew quickly during the gold mining rush in the American West in the late 1800s.
Miner's Delight was like a "sister city" to nearby Atlantic City and South Pass City. Today, only a few old buildings remain. They stand as a quiet reminder of Wyoming's exciting past.
Like many mining towns, Miner's Delight had times of great success and times of struggle. Gold was first found there in 1868. By 1870, the town had 75 people, with 40 of them working as miners. The first gold rush slowed down from 1872 to 1874.
However, the town saw new growth in the 1880s. Smaller booms also happened in 1907 and 1910. Even during the Great Depression, there was some mining activity. People lived in the town as late as 1960. As of 2015, no one lives in Miner's Delight.
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Exploring Miner's Delight History
Gold Rush and Quiet Times: 1868–1910
The main gold mine, called the Miners Delight mine, was found by Jonathan Pugh. It was located just west of Hamilton City. The town experienced periods of growth and decline. In March 1882, the mine completely closed down. It did not reopen until the early 1900s. The short periods of growth in 1907 and 1910 were also due to mining.
A famous event happened in Miner's Delight in March 1893. It was called "the brass lock service mystery." This story was reported in newspapers across Wyoming. The postmaster of Miner's Delight, James "Jimmy" Kime, sent eight important letters. He used a special postal service with canvas bags locked with brass locks. Only postmasters had keys to these locks.
When the mailbag reached Rawlins, about 120 miles away, the postmaster found it had been cut open. All the important letters were gone. U.S. Postal inspectors investigated for many months. They found other similar thefts of valuable items from locked mailbags.
Eventually, Postmaster John Gatlin and his wife Stella were arrested. Their trials took place in Laramie City. Charges against John Gatlin were dropped. Stella Gatlin confessed to taking the items. She said she had a strong urge to take things. She claimed she had struggled with this for years, keeping it a secret from her husband.
On November 25, 1893, a jury found Mrs. Gatlin guilty. Two days later, she was sent to the Laramie Prison. She was the first woman to be imprisoned there for a federal crime in Wyoming. She was released in December 1894 for good behavior. After she left, the prison added a new section just for women.
Miner's Delight: A Ghost Town Today
Today, Miner's Delight is a ghost town. The Bureau of Land Management and universities work to preserve it. This helps historians learn about early life in Wyoming and the gold mining culture.
The town site has seventeen old buildings. These include seven cabins, a saloon, a meat house, and a shop. There is also a shaft house, a pantry, a cellar, three outdoor toilets, and a corral. All these buildings are made from logs or unfinished wood.
Miner's Delight was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 4, 1980. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
How Miner's Delight Got Its Name
The name of the town, "Miner's Delight," is a bit of a mystery. People often wonder why it wasn't just called "Hamilton City." There are two main stories about how the name changed. Both stories involve finding a rich vein of gold, which would certainly be a "miner's delight," on the ridge above the town.
One story says that in 1869, a man named William Jones was looking for his cows. He found some quartz rocks with gold flakes in them. He thought no one else would ever find this remote spot. But when he came back later, other miners were already working the gold claim. He tried to tell them he found it first, but they didn't believe him and sent him away.
The other story is less dramatic. It says that Johnathan Pugh, who was one of the first people to find gold there, discovered the gold himself. He described the quartz ridge above town, complete with gold nuggets.
Getting to Miner's Delight
- The road west from Miner's Delight connects with Wyoming Highway 28 about four miles away. Wyoming Highway 28 then meets U.S. Route 287 thirty miles north of that intersection.
Images for kids
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The Bureau of Land Management works to preserve the ruins of Miner's Delight.
