Creative Endeavors »Gibber-gabber
symbolism
dave anderson over 1 year ago | 10 responses    

Looks like a sad cross to me. Sort of like that used to be a building with a church, but when the bar and cafe took over and the cross bar in the cross sunk down real sad and low. And what with all the drunken miners and godless men running around the whole town just died. And that’s when god just went and put an arrow on the end and bent that cross right down, pointing to where all those sorry drunken blasphemers are going someday.

I would love to see the whole building. (You know you can upload multiple pictures to one post, right?).

I don’t know about that symbolism, but I do see a place to get a drink went out of business.

I get sentimental and nostalgic when I see these old ghost towns, but I do love the imagery and memories they leave behind.

Now everybody go shop local or with small business (like CoTradeCo ;) so our new towns don’t turn into ghost towns and our whole economy doesn’t fall apart.

Thanks for sharing Dave. Keep them pics comin’.

The photo inspired me to dig further..
Taken in Thompson, Utah, if I am not mistaken Dave? Have you been there?
Thompson got its start in the late 1800s, possibly around 1890 when a rancher named Thompson settled at the mouth of a canyon with a good stream. Shortly after he settled, a small community established itself, and took the name Thompson Springs. The settlers were mostly farmers or ranchers. The town itself was small, but contained a hotel, pool hall, railroad station, store, and a number of houses.

For all the details check this link

Here is another view of the street ... and a surprisingly clean inside shot

And here is a little more history at Legends of America that shows another street view where the sign has fallen down.

I love history.

Hey, I wasn’t that far off about the mining (though I was perhaps taking the symbolism title a little far). I just read this on the Legends of America site I just mentioned…

In the meantime, commercial mining in was progressing rapidly, brining out numerous loads of high grade coal. Though the coal was in high demand; the mine suffered financial difficulties from the start, due to lack of water and management issues. Railroad operations to the mine ceased in 1949, which placed further operational issues on the mine. However, the mine continued in Sego Canyon until 1955, when the railroad began to use diesel engines, replacing the coal powered steam engines and reducing the need for the mine’s products. Sego then became a ghost town. Unfortunately, Thompson wasn’t far behind.

Though my fanciful version was far more dramatic!

I like an active imagination..

I’ve got a lot of that…and very little reality! No wonder I never get anything done.

You know..this gets me thinking. Dave posted this for thoughts, we treated it almost similar to a scavenger hunt.. Let’s do it again. Dave, can you send us on another exploratory journey?

Kristen is right on. It is Thompson. The thing that killed the place is, the inter-state highway by passed it. This place is still there as is the hotel (trashed) and the railroad station (intact) Zoe’s inside pictures are correct the bar and grill looks as if all they need to open is cash in the register. There are a few homes occupied. One has many animal skulls hanging on the fence. spooky. Thompson is on a road leading to a petroglyph site. For me a bad feeling abounded around the whole place. I would not go back there unless armed to the teeth, with body armor and back up.

I will dig in the archives and see if I can find any more photos of Thompson.