Wednesday, January 05, 2022

St Thomas Nevada Ruins

 St Thomas was a town built in the late 1800s and started thriving in the early 1900s.   The dam changed everything and soon it all became submerged.   Families that had been there for years and had built homes, businesses, and communities, watched as everything disappeared.  

It wasn't until recently that the ruins of the town were uncovered.   This place is out in the middle of nowhere with gorgeous cliffs on every side.   It feels strange to see broken seashells at your feet and sand from the lake floor.   Now overgrown with tall shrubs, there are just a few concrete structures left and bits of metal that provide proof that this was once a bustling city.   

Walking what was once the main street, I was all alone except for my doggy. 

We explored the structures, now made decrepit by the water.   But hints of life are everywhere.   

There are the old wells that go down to a deep empty darkness.  

The smallest person was chosen to be lowered into the well to clean the sides of these structures.  Often going down 19 feet or more.  

 Since I'm small, I know it would have fallen to me!  I can only imagine how terrifying that would be going down into the depths, the echoes of your feet against the sides, and having only a small strap separating you from the water below.  

Once a central part of life, they remain a spooky remnant of a time long ago.   The tree-lined avenue is now a bunch of withered trunks.  Old fence wood somehow still stands, the last sentinels of the city.   You can almost hear the children's laughter coming from the school.   

This had been a place of good memories and good times, as well as sorrow when evacuees said goodbye to everything.   

I can only imagine how beautiful the sunsets were here in the evening with the hills and valley.   

Wandering too far into the fallen city, I had forgotten the time and had to rush to get out of there before the darkness set in.   There was a strange cry from the outer part of the city.  Was it a bird or a burrow?   Boomer looked worried.  I reassured him and tried my best to beat the dark and get back to the car in time. 

 
I wish I had been able to see the entire city.  As it was, I had been gone too long.   Out of breath, I made it back up the hill to the car before night fell.   I'm glad I got to have a glimpse of it all.  So many memories are hidden in those broken foundations and overgrown streets of St Thomas.


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