In places like Gebo, my “nose ends up on the ground”, as my dad used to say. “Look up! Look around!” So I do… for a while… but that anthropology/archaeology degree keeps me looking down.

Glass. Blue glass, green glass, purple glass, milk glass, pottery. Metal. Uh, things… bits and bobs. When a town gets razed, you sure can’t walk barefoot! And, seriously, does anyone know what those metal coils are? They are NOT springs.

All I can think is that they look like conduit. There’s three huge piles of them.


It’s difficult to believe an entire town and coal mine were right *there*… See those little square bungalows under the arrow? Well, the Greets bought one of those… hauled it to Ten Sleep… and added onto it! It was my house for years and it now is Daniel and Tess’ place! When I moved in, we got rid of the coal heat and put in propane. We also removed the sawdust that was used for insulation in the ceiling (gross). We replaced the windows too. There still isn’t insulation in the walls, however. Yeah, really.
Something I had scanned while trying to get us up to date on Gebo had stated that the cemetery (always described as “creepy” or “haunted”) was on a hill. I *swear* I read that somewhere. Anyway, we walked the hilltops, drove down the ridge past the huge foundation of the tipple (?), and never saw the cemetery!
The sun was setting as well… and when we got home, I researched it and saw the cemetery just a short ways away (NOT on a hill). Well, poo. I’m gonna have to go back again!
My only “archaeology” find of note:

A “Denver HIFIRE Fire Clay Co.” brick. “Manufacturers of Furnaces, Muffles, Crucibles, Scorifiers, Etc. : Also Fire Brick and Tile for Metallurgical Purposes : Manufacturers, Importers and Jobbers in Chemicals, Chemical and Physical Apparatus, and All Kinds of Assayers’ Supplies : Wholesale and Retail Photographic Stock Dealers”. Cool, eh? Oh, and if you want a complete brick like this, there’s one for sale on eBay for $125! No kidding! There’s many a broken and crushed $125 bricks out there.


I *have* to go back and get a better photo of this elephant rock! Isn’t it a treasure?
Tomorrow’s Wordless Wednesday photo will be well worth coming back for…
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Final days of the contest…
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Contest ends on January 31st, 2020 at midnight, Mountain Time.
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Please keep in mind that this ghost town of “Gebo”, like many Montana ghost towns, is on private property. Because of the people trespassing and taking items without the owners permission, this property is now gated off with cameras installed. The cemetery is open for the public.
Wow that is so cool! I see it now. I was focusing on the opening thinking isn’t that neat then realized and saw the elephant!
Thanks again Carol for taking us on a wonderful journey. Such great history….
THIS WAS VERY INTERESTING!! And all your current plus historic pictures made a big difference in the read. I’m glad you both had fun “looking around for treasures!” The pile of coils ?? Loved seeing the “elephant” rock – nature’s work undoubtedly.
Seems that almost every town/city in America has a same-name counterpart somewhere in the country, but I have not heard of another “Gebo.” Any lore on how the town got that name?
One of the founders of Owl Creek Coal Company, Samuel Gebo came from Canada. Between 1895 and 1897, Sam Gebo’s Clarks Fork Coal Company developed the Gebo Mine near present-day Fromberg (originally named Gebo) in Carbon County, Montana. In 1900 he and Butte businessman Henry Frank formed the Canadian American Coal and Coke Company and developed a lucrative coal mine at Frank, Alberta, Canada (the mine was damaged by the Frank Slide in 1903, but soon reopened and remained productive until 1918). After the death of Henry Frank in 1908, the Canadian American Coal and Coke Company was reorganized into the Canadian Consolidated Coal Company with Gebo as its managing director. Gebo also developed the Spring Creek Mine near Lewistown, Montana and the Owl Creek Coal Mine in Gebo, Wyoming. In 1910 Gebo purchased the Citizens’ Electric Company and the Spring Creek Power and Electric Company and merged them with the Lewistown Coal, Gas and Light Company.
Gebo built the large Director’s house in Frank in 1901, and also built a 300-acre (1.2 km2) ranch near Fromberg between 1904-1908. It included a large brick house and a 9,000 square foot barn (National Register of Historic Places #5000512; Jun 01, 2005). Under pressure from an indictment on federal land fraud charges in Wyoming, Gebo abruptly left for Guatemala (where he developed a marble quarry) in 1913, and his Fromberg ranch was put up for auction. Gebo retired to Seattle in 1927 with his second wife, and he died in 1940 at home from a gas-leak. According to Wikipedia.
I was doing some research with one of Sam Gebo’s g-grand-daughter’s – Karen Davidson and we both were collection info on the Gebo family lines. Sam would have been my husband’s 4 cousin or so. I never got to finish following Sam’s line so I’m not sure.
it’s still interesting to read about this family and all their adventures.
Barbara & Ed Gebp
Very interesting- & I always look down, If nothing more, to find that “lucky” penny, The original part of my house was built in early 1900, when I replaced a window I got to see inside the wall, wide space filled with old cloths, paper,ect. & I found the spot in the backyard where the out house was, close to the creek, no worry about water quality back then I guess, lots of treasures buried when they filled it in, I like that elephant rock, can’t wait to see the puzzle!!
Shared this post on FB & tagged my daughter, who lived in Cody for three years. (Glad she’s back, close to Gramie & Grandpa, expecting her 1st baby in June)
Love the history here.