The Historic Mine Trail and Byway Program designated the Gold Flakes to Yellowstone Historic Mine Trail in 2005. This trail links significant finds of gold, iron ore, and uranium, each of which played important roles in Wyoming's history.
The Gold Flakes Region
Gold found at the Carissa lode in 1867 set off a rush, Wyoming's largest, to the South Pass region. The towns of Miners Delight and Atlantic City sprouted to support the miners. The gold quickly played out, and most people eventually moved on, leaving behind shells of the boom towns that once existed. In addition to gold, the highest open pit iron ore mine in the United States operated in the region from 1962 until 1984.
The Yellowcake Region
A stampede of prospectors followed the initial 1953 discovery of uranium in the Gas Hills by Neil M. McNeice (Lucky Mc). The boom that followed transformed the community Home on the Range, a gas station and post office, into thriving Jeffrey City. But with every boom comes a bust; the mining operations drastically dwindled and the streets of Jeffrey City emptied by 1988.
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