Atlantic City – Booming & Busting For More Than A Century

WYOMING LEGENDS

Atlantic City – Booming & Busting For

More Than A Century

<< Previous 1 2 Next >>

Situated some 27 miles south of Lander, Wyoming lies the once prosperous gold mining camp of Atlantic City. One of several gold camps that were outgrowths of nearby South Pass City, prospectors discovered gold near Rock Creek in the summer of 1868. The mineral rich quartz vein, they called the Atlantic Ledge due to its location on the east side of the Continental Divide, was several feet thick and thousands of feet long. Word quickly spread and within no time, the area was flooded with miners. To accommodate these many prospectors, three men by the names of Collins, Thompson and Tozier soon platted the town, sold lots, and Atlantic City was born.

Historic Atlantic City, Wyoming.

This image available for photographic prints

and downloads HERE!

Atlantic City, Wyoming today, Kathy Weiser, July, 2008.

Though its location was isolated, being some 100 miles from the nearest railhead, winters were harsh, and Indian attacks were frequent, it didn’t keep the men from flocking to the new gold find. The camp boomed to a population of some 2000 people and boasted a church, a general store with a dance hall on its second story, a brewery, an opera house, a school, a drug store, and several saloons. Atlantic City’s first boom lasted about a decade before the gold ore began to play out.

However, in 1884, in came a French engineer named Emil Granier, with investment capital to begin a hydraulic mining project. Hiring some 300 men, he began to build a 25 sluiceway to provide water to his claims east of Atlantic City down from Christina Lake, high in the Wind River Range. The ditch, that passed through miles of hard rock before snaking its way to Atlantic City, was finally completed in 1888. But Granier’s dream would be foiled when it was found that the ditch had been built with too much slope and when the water rushed through it, many of the sluices were destroyed, spilling water and gold along the way. Small miners then rushed in and used the water for panning in the numerous gullies, many of whom were successful.

By 1893, Granier’s company was bankrupt, and the defeated man returned to France to explain the project’s failure and request additional financing. Instead, he was jailed, tried, and sentenced to life in prison, where he died a few years later.

Vintage Atlantic City Mercantile.

This image available for photographic prints

and downloads HERE!

The old Atlantic City Mercantile now serves as saloon and steakhouse, Kathy Weiser, July, 2008.

This image available for photographic prints

and downloads HERE!

Though its boom days were over, Atlantic City survived and new businesses were created over the next several years including the Giessler Store in 1898, which continues to stand today. Constructed by Lawrence Giessler with adobe brick and covered with metal siding, the building first served as the Atlantic City Mercantile. In addition to running the store, Giessler also operated a freighting business and a ranch on Willow Creek. After his death, his wife, Emma, operated a cafe and boarding house in the building. The building finally closed in the late 1930s and sat abandoned for the next three decades. Today, the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, operates as a saloon and steakhouse.

Continued Next Page

Constructed about 1869, this store owned by Judge Robert McAuley, once had a second story on it which held a dance

hall and according to local legend, Calamity Jane onc

e worked there. The 2nd floor was removed after being weakened by an earthquek in the early 1900s. It later served

as Hyde's Hall, another saloon, for several years.

Kathy Weiser, July, 2008.

This image available for photographic prints

and downloads HERE!

There were several buildings here owned by the Huff family including the Huff Hotel, a livery barn, a bunk house and a candy store. The candy store is the only remaining building. Kathy Weiser, July, 2008.

This image available for photographic prints

and downloads HERE!

<< Previous 1 2 Next >>

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Discoveries America Wyoming DVD - Yellowstone Park, "Devil's Tower", learn of Wyoming's other motto…the Suffrage state, Jackson Hole, " Old West Days" celebration, kayaking Snake River, Thermopolis Hot Springs, Dubois - a community turned cowtown to artist haven, Cheyenne, world's largest coal mine, Cody, and Buffalo Bill Historic Center.