Wyoming is home to dozens of ghost towns, established when mining or railroad booms brought thousands of people out west. Many of these towns flourished for years until the mines dried up and people moved on, or in the case of the little-known town of Piedmont, the railroad left town. Read the tragic story of this once bustling town below.
Ten miles south of Evanston, off of Exit 24 from I-80 you’ll find an old, abandoned town sitting at the end of a dirt road. Welcome to Piedmont.
Flickr / dvs
Piedmont, originally called Byrne, was settled in 1867 as a resource town for the Union Pacific Railroad. Charcoal kilns were built here, and Charles Guild established one of Wyoming’s first ranches.
Flickr / Jay White
Piedmont thrived! In 1868, railroad crews arrived to lay down track, and Piedmont became a wood and water refueling station. A mercantile was opened, and four saloons kept workers well hydrated.
Flickr / Jay White
In 1877, Moses Byrne built four charcoal kilns to help the established logging industry in town. These kilns still stand today, and you can read about them here.
Wikimedia Commons
Unfortunately, Piedmont’s prosperity was short-lived. When the Union-Pacific dug the Aspen Tunnel in 1910, the railroad was able to skip the steep and winding route down from Piedmont, and the new track avoided the town altogether.
Flickr / Chris Dunphy
By 1940, Piedmont was effectively abandoned, and today just a few crumbled homes and the charcoal kilns remain standing.
Flickr / Brett Mosley
For more of Wyoming’s most tragic ghost town tales, read You’ll Love Driving Through This Eerie Wyoming County Full Of Ghost Towns and plan your history seeking adventure for this year.
Flickr / dvs
Flickr / Jay White
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Flickr / Chris Dunphy
Flickr / Brett Mosley
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