We pulled off the main highway into the small town of Cokeville (estimated population 547) as thier city park offered free overnight camping. Upon checking it out it was extremely quiet so I thought good enough to call it a day.
After lunch I took a little walk.
After lunch I took a little walk.
Post offices in little towns are really good for their notices they up inside.
Well okay, I don't need to be seeing these kinds of notices.
Like so many small towns I come across, Cokeville was no different.
Their Main Street was most all closed stores, out of business, vacant.
The grocery store (the white facade) still had food items stacked on the shelves.
They just locked the doors, put a For Sale sign in the window and walked away.
One store window had this large painting propped in the window.
Notice the black arc. Those are dead flies. That is as far as they can fall in the window as the painting is pressed up tight to the glass at that point.
I thought this funny addition to the art.
This is their miniature golf course made long ago by donations from town businesses and community member donations. I can imagine the excitement and big ceremony when this was dedicated long ago and now it appears to have barely ever been used.
Nearby a snow cone trailer.
It was Labor Day weekend when we stayed here
and I saw not one person in the park while we were there.
When was the last snow cone sold here?
In looking up online to get the population for this post I saw this interesting tidbit of news about Cokeville's past:
On May 16, 1986, former town marshal David Young and his wife Doris Young took 167 children and adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. during the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis. The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. Both hostage takers died, while 79 hostages were wounded.
If interested here is a link to the story.
9 comments:
The Wikipedia page was interesting. I wonder where the residents go for groceries.
What a sad town.
There are probably many small towns across America that are suffering the same fate. Your pictures show no cars, no people, not even a stray dog. And the Cokeville Wikipedia page is fascinating. I wonder how many of those hostage children have gone on to live happy lives, or has the experience changed them in some way.....
As a resident of this cute town, i find the "sad town" comment a bit rude. We are small, but that's how we like it. Everyone knows everyone, it's peaceful, it's quiet, and its country to the core. Our little snow cone shack is actually usually pretty busy (as busy as a little town can get anyway��) our grocery store closed for numerous reasons. It's hard to make a business thrive here when there's only 550 people living here. We are known for the unfortunate incident in 86... but... we are so much more than that, which most people wouldn't understand. We really are a COMMUNITY, always helping others in need. I'm glad you were able to come and see our little slice of heaven. Come back during the 4th of July or memorial weekend. We have lots of small town festivities going on then! ��
I re-read what I wrote a couple of times and couldn't see where I wrote "sad town". Finally I saw it was a comment I received you were referring to. I love these little towns like Cokeville and try to plan my route through them as much as I can. Everything you wrote is true for most all the small towns I see. Although I didn't write it here, I am sure I may have in other small towns posts, there is no escaping the fact that it is "sad" these little towns are no longer what they once were decades ago. It is of no fault of their own, it is simply just a fact of our times. They do have what all big towns and cities do not...COMMUNITY. You already knew that. Thanks for your comment and visiting my blog.
They travel to Montpellier ID ... about 30 minutes.
I too happened upon the town of Cokeville, WY about a year and a half ago when my daughters and I, along with some friends, traveled out west for a much needed adventure. We stayed in a cabin on a ranch in the town for a few days and it changed our lives...coming from an extremely fast paced area of the country where materialism and entitlement are sadly the norm, my family and I could not fall in love with Cokeville any more, as it is the polar opposite. The town and it's inhabitants are the real deal. Even from our short stay it became apparent that the families of Cokeville are hard-working, salt of the earth people who have a tremendous sense of family, community, pride, and respect for the land, themselves, their neighbors, and their town. Characteristics that are so often lacking in today's society. I am especially thinking of one family that we were lucky enough to cross paths with who were some of the most likable, kindest people we have ever met. Our children spent a morning comparing the similarities and differences of eachother's worlds, it's something my kids will always remember. So, thank you Cokeville and it's wonderful inhabitants, we brought a little of you back with us and cannot wait to experience your little slice of heaven again :)
Good job Savannah!
thank you! We love Cokeville too. Come back soon!
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