Cambria ghost town

     Wyoming has many ghost towns. South Pass City, Atlantic City, and Kirwin are probably the most well known.  Many towns in Wyoming during the late 1800’s popped up because of a mining boom. Gold, silver, and coal mining towns were established and later abandoned when the supply ran out. 

   The coal mining town of Cambria, Wyoming was such a town.  Established in 1889 in Weston County.

  I grew up just over the hill from the town and have been there several times. The best was when we rode the horses there. Not much is left of the town but it was always fun to go check it out. As well as the cemetery there.  One of the old coal shafts was on the hill above our house. We would play in the mine (though we were not supposed to) when we were kids until it fully caved in. Thankfully we weren’t in it at the time. 

Cambria, Wyoming

  After the Civil War, coal demand increased as railroads expanded west.   Kilpatrick Brothers & Collins searched the Black Hills and found a coal deposit in 1887. A rail line was built from Newcastle to the new Cambria mine in 1889.

  Cambria was a booming little town with a school, hotels, churches, an opera house, bank, courthouse, a variety of stores, and many houses.  Dance halls and saloons were banned. But a beer wagon came from Newcastle to supply the miners with beer.

  By 1928 the coal seam was too thin and not worth going after and the mine was closed. The town was quickly abandoned as miners and merchants moved on. The town stood empty and in 1929 the rail line was removed. Over the years the town was scavenged and during World War 2 the town was salvaged for wood and iron to help with the war effort.

  Today very little is left of Cambria. It is mostly building foundations and scattered lumber. The abandoned cemetery has been vandalized over the years. The town is on private property and has been closed to the public because of the vandalizing. 

  When I first started writing I was going to set my books in the town of Cambria. I haven’t done it yet, but I will get it done someday. Descendents of my current books might just live there one day.  

There is so much history surrounding this town and so many other abandoned town in Wyoming.