Tubb Town, Wyoming

Last updated

Tubb Town
Field City
Ghost town
Field City or Tubb Town WY Ghost Town sign.jpg
Historical marker off U.S. 16
USA Wyoming location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tubb Town
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tubb Town
Coordinates: 43°49′17″N104°08′27″W / 43.82139°N 104.14083°W / 43.82139; -104.14083
Country United States of America
State Wyoming
County Weston
Establishedspring 1889
AbandonedSeptember 1889
Founded byDeLoss Dewitt Tubbs
Named for founder
Population
 (2024)
 • Total0
Time zone UTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)

Tubb Town, also known as Field City, is a ghost town in Weston County, Wyoming, United States. It was initially intended as a railroad town but quickly gained a reputation as a rough place to live, as saloons, brothels, and similar establishments became the main draw. Settled and abandoned within months during 1889, it is an early example of a boom and bust town in the Black Hills.

Contents

Naming

Originally, founder DeLoss Dewitt Tubbs chose the name Field City for the new settlement. However, all residents except Tubbs called it Tubb Town in his honor, and most sources refer to it as such. [1] Other sources refer to it as Tubtown or Tibville. [2]

History

Establishment and boom

In the late 1880s, the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (CBQ) made its way through Wyoming Territory, and several settlements popped up in its potential path, vying for a depot that would support a town's economy. In the spring of 1889, Field City was built by DeLoss Dewitt Tubbs, a resident of Custer, South Dakota, further down the expected site of the railroad. [3]

At first, Field City only consisted of Tubbs's general store. [3] Shortly thereafter, F. R. Curran, also a Custer native, arrived. He soon set up a bar, building the walls and roof over it later. Curran convinced Tubbs that the only way to encourage people to stay in town was to provide them a bar, as a general store would provide only a stopping point. [4]

By the time construction on the saloon was complete, the town was beginning to boom. The bar was used by workers from the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad. Later, oil drilling went on in the area. [3] The residents of Whoop-Up, Wyoming, a nearby railhead town, moved to Tubb Town, expecting it to become a large city. [5] Tubb Town soon gained a reputation for being a very rough place to live; [1] reportedly, the initiation was to buy drinks for everyone at the saloons. [6] Saloons, brothels, and dance halls quickly became abundant in the town. [6]

That always lively place, Tubtown,[ sic ] was the scene of unusually stirring times Saturday last. At one time a number of fights were going on in the street, and Deputy Swisher was worn out trying to stop them. No sooner would he quell one of the melees than he would see another fight going on a little ways off. He finally quit in disgust, and told the boys to fight all they wanted, but he would kill the first one who tried to use a gun. The trouble was caused by a fistic rivalry between graders and miners, large numbers of whom were in town that day. From all accounts an officer in a town like tibville[ sic ] couldn't be paid all he earns, as a good many frequenters there want to deal out misery to him in big chunks. [2]

— Sundance Gazette, August 1889

Besides the bars and general store, Tubb Town sported multiple other establishments: two restaurants, a Chinese laundry, a livery stable, and a dairy farm. [4] Frank Nelson founded the Field City Journal, which covered a political rally by Frank W. Mondell for U.S. Representative of Wyoming. [6] The first editions of the Stockade Journal, the forerunner to Newcastle's newspaper, were published in Tubb Town. [7] Calamity Jane is rumored to have visited the town. [1]

Late in the summer, a makeshift school opened for the town's children, operating as a Sunday school on the weekends. [lower-alpha 1] F.B. Curran's brother, J.B. Curran, planned to build a Presbyterian church in Tubb Town, but a dispute between the Curran brothers delayed its establishment, [8] and the town went bust before it could be completed.

Bust and abandonment

At the close of the summer, negotiations between local land owners and the railroad company began to break down. The plot CBQ desired for their depot was on LAK Ranch, owned by Joseph Spencer. CBQ and Spencer failed to agree on a price. [4] On September 1, 1889, the railroad announced that it would not pass through Tubb Town in favor of Newcastle. [3] On September 10, the first lots in Newcastle were sold, and a mass exodus from Tubb Town began. [1] Some residents moved entire buildings from Tubb Town to Newcastle; others simply walked out of their homes. [7] Curran reportedly set up a bar in the back of his wagon and operated for the town's residents while on the move. [4] Within 48 hours, the town was completely deserted. [6]

Overwhelmed by the influx of new residents, Newcastle did not have enough housing. Tubb Town's former residents largely congregated in dugouts along Cambria Creek on the outskirts of town. [7]

Legacy

In the 1970s, local oil businessman Al Smith tried to turn the old townsite into a tourist attraction. As the post office was never actually disbanded, Smith even considered re-opening it. [9] He bought and disassembled buildings in Newcastle and reinstalled them at the ghost town. However, this venture quickly failed and was also abandoned. [1]

In 1980, a metal sculpture of a man panning for gold and his mule was erected in front of the Provident Federal Savings and Loan bank in Newcastle. A local contest to name the mule was held, and the winner was selected as Tubb Town Trixie. [10]

Geography

Tubb Town was located along Salt Creek and the Custer-Belle Fourche Trail, 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Newcastle in Weston County, Wyoming, and 7.9 miles (12.7 km) west of the South Dakota border. [3] Today, the former townsite sits alongside U.S. Route 16. There are no remaining original buildings, and what ruins are there are the results of Smith's attempt to recreate the town. The site is now marked by a memorial commemorating the town's boom and bust. [1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Accounts differ as to how many children were enrolled. Miller (1953) claimed there were nine; Rebbeck (1968) listed ten.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle, Wyoming</span> City in Wyoming, United States

Newcastle is a city in and the county seat of Weston County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,374 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad</span> Former railroad in the Midwestern United States

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and also in Texas through subsidiaries Colorado and Southern Railway, Fort Worth and Denver Railway, and Burlington-Rock Island Railroad. Its primary connections included Chicago, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver. Because of this extensive trackage in the midwest and mountain states, the railroad used the advertising slogans "Everywhere West", "Way of the Zephyrs", and "The Way West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairbank, Arizona</span> Ghost town in Cochise County, Arizona

Fairbank is a ghost town in Cochise County, Arizona, next to the San Pedro River. First settled in 1881, Fairbank was the closest rail stop to nearby Tombstone, which made it an important location in the development of southeastern Arizona. The town was named for Chicago investor Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank who partially financed the railroad, and was the founder of the Grand Central Mining Company, which had an interest in the silver mines in Tombstone. Today Fairbank is located within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Swearengen</span> Pimp, early entertainment entrepreneur in Deadwood, South Dakota

Ellis Alfred Swearengen was an American pimp and entertainment entrepreneur who ran the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, in Deadwood, South Dakota, for 22 years during the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molson, Washington</span> Community in Okanogan County, Washington, United States

Molson is in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. By road, the community is 15.1 miles east of Oroville. The ghost town of Old Molson is 1.7 miles south of the Canada–United States border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miner's Delight, Wyoming</span> Ghost town in Wyoming, United States

Hamilton City, or Miner's Delight as it was commonly known, was a town in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States, on the southeastern tip of the Wind River Range, that prospered during the mining boom in the American West in the second half of the 19th century. It was a "sister city" of Atlantic City and South Pass City. Today a few buildings still stand as a reminder of an era in Wyoming's past history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashcroft, Colorado</span> Former mining town in Colorado, United States

Ashcroft is an extinct mining town located in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The silver mining camp was founded as Castle Forks City in the spring of 1880. A post office named Ashcroft operated at the site from August 12, 1880, until August 5, 1881, when the name was changed to Chloride. The Chloride post office operated until January 3, 1882 when the name was changed back to Ashcroft. The renamed Ashcroft post office finally closed on November 30, 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesela, South Dakota</span> Ghost town in South Dakota, United States

Minnesela is a ghost town and was the first settlement in and county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Minnesela was founded in 1882 and was located three miles southeast of present-day Belle Fourche. The railroad's decision to bypass Minnesela and to continue on to Belle Fourche in 1890 caused the town to be abandoned by 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Hills</span> Mountain range in South Dakota and Wyoming, United States

The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to 7,242 feet (2,207 m), is the range's highest summit. The name of the range in Lakota is Pahá Sápa. It encompasses the Black Hills National Forest. It formed as a result of an upwarping of ancient rock, after which the removal of the higher portions of the mountain mass by stream erosion produced the present-day topography. The hills are so called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they are covered in evergreen trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahsatch, Utah</span> Ghost town in Utah, United States

Wahsatch is a ghost town in Summit County, Utah, United States. It lies along I-80 at the northeastern end of Echo Canyon some 23 miles (37 km) east of Echo, and 11 miles (18 km) west of Evanston, Wyoming. Wahsatch was established as a railroad camp, later achieving local prominence in sheep ranching. It was inhabited from 1868 until the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Mile, South Dakota</span> Unincorporated community in South Dakota, United States

Four Mile, historically called Moss City, is an unincorporated community in Custer County, South Dakota, United States, located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Custer at the junction of U.S. Route 16 and Pleasant Valley Road.

Sherman is a ghost town in Albany County, Wyoming, United States. Sherman is 19 miles (31 km) southeast of Laramie in the Laramie Mountains and is named for Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman, purportedly at his request. From the 1860s to 1918, the town sat at the summit of the original grade of the first transcontinental railroad along the rails of the Union Pacific Railroad, at an elevation of 8,247 ft (2,514 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewey, South Dakota</span> Unincorporated community in South Dakota, United States

Dewey is an unincorporated community near the southwest corner of Custer County, South Dakota, United States, less than one mile from the Wyoming border in a prairie region of the Black Hills. There are approximately five or six homes in town. Dewey has a volunteer fire department in the Edgemont city district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonate, South Dakota</span> Ghost town in South Dakota, United States of America

Carbonate, also known as Carbonate Camp, West Virginia, Virginia, and Carbonate City, is a ghost town located in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States.

Addie Camp, also known as Kennedyville, Addie Spur, or Canadaville, is a ghost town located in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It was a mining camp in the Black Hills that was active from the early 1880s until the 1910s.

Cambria (1889–1928) is a ghost town located in the Black Hills of Weston County, Wyoming, United States. It was a successful coal mining town for decades.

Tigerville or Tiger City (1878–1885) is a ghost town in the Black Hills of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The old mining town exemplifies the boom-and-bust fate of many Western towns.

Myers City, today called Myersville, is a ghost town in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States.

Galena is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It is often considered to be a ghost town, although a few families still live in the area. It is not tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystic, South Dakota</span> Ghost town in South Dakota, U.S.

Mystic is a ghost town in Pennington County, South Dakota. It began as a placer mining encampment called Sitting Bull in 1876, later attracting multiple railroads to the area. Its population began to decline in the early 20th century, and it now has few to no permanent residents. The old townsite was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 under the name Mystic Townsite Historic District.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raisch, Bruce A. (2006). "Wyoming Black Hills Ghost Towns". Ghost Towns and Other Historical Sites of the Black Hills (4th ed.). Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning Company Publishers. pp. 100–101. ISBN   978-1-57864-351-6.
  2. 1 2 Dobson, G. B. "Newcastle, Tubb Town, the Coming of the Railroad." Wyoming Tales and Trails. N.p., n.d. Web. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Lambert, Hugh K., and Watson Parker. Black Hills Ghost Towns. First ed. Vol. 1. Chicago, IL: The Swallow Press Incorporated, 1974. 91, 194. 1 vols. Print.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Mabel (June 26, 1964). "Newcastle Sets Diamond Jubilee Celebration For This July 2-3-4". Rapid City Journal . Newcastle. p. 14. Retrieved February 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Hafnor, John. Black Hills Believables: Strange-but-true Tales of the Old West. Fort Collins, Colorado: Lone Pine Productions, 2002. 54. Web. 8 Aug. 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Rebbeck, Dick (November 17, 1968). "Tale of 3 Cities". Rapid City Journal . p. 3. Retrieved February 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 3 Miller, Lois (March 15, 1953). "Newcastle Took Over Population Of Nearby Town". Rapid City Journal . p. 5. Retrieved February 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Brasher, Bri; Cash, Leonard (August 9, 2018). "Past Presbyterian presence in Newcastle". News Letter Journal. p. 6. Retrieved February 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Bock, Pat (March 28, 1976). "Tourists pay better than oil well". Casper Star-Tribune . Newcastle. p. 13D. Retrieved February 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Dean, Kim (April 24, 2014). "23: The tale of Tubb Town Trixie". 125 Reasons. News Letter Journal. p. B6. Retrieved February 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.