Gebo, Wyoming

Walking Through the Bones of a Boomtown

Just a few miles north of Thermopolis, near Kirby, tucked into the high desert hills of central Wyoming, lie the quiet remains of Gebo a once-thriving coal mining town that has all but faded into the sagebrush. Today, it stands as a ghost town, a place where crumbling stone walls and scattered foundations tell the story of boom times, hard lives, and eventual abandonment. For travelers with a taste for history, solitude, and off-the-beaten-path exploration, Gebo is a haunting and fascinating stop.

A Brief Glimpse Into the Past

Gebo was established in the early 1900s as a company town for the Owl Creek Coal Company, named after Samuel Wilford Gebo, a prominent mining entrepreneur. At its peak, Gebo was the largest town in Hot Springs County, home to nearly 2,000 residents, along with a school, post office, company store, and rows of company-built homes. It was a bustling place noisy, gritty, and full of life fueled by the coal seams that ran beneath the surrounding hills.

But like many towns built on a single resource, Gebo’s prosperity was short-lived. As coal demand shifted and mines began closing, the town slowly emptied. By the early 1930s, most operations had ceased, and by the 1970s, many of the remaining structures were torn down. What remains today is a skeleton of stone and silence, slowly weathering back into the land.

What You’ll See Today

Visiting Gebo today is like stepping into a forgotten chapter of the American West. The site is dotted with stone foundations, crumbling chimneys, and remnants of old cellars, quietly resisting time. Nature is slowly reclaiming the site sagebrush and grasses grow up through the walls, and birds nest in the cracks of former homes.

There are no visitor centers or signs here just open land, wide skies, and the whisper of wind. It’s a place to wander, imagine, and reflect. The quiet is profound, broken only by the occasional rustle of a rabbit or the call of a hawk overhead.

For photographers, historians, or anyone with a love of ghost towns, Gebo offers a unique experience: it feels authentic, untouched, and eerily beautiful.

Getting There

Gebo is located about 11 miles north of Thermopolis. From town, take Highway 120 north and look for Canyon Hills Road (also called Gebo Road). It’s a gravel road, generally passable by most vehicles in dry weather, but use caution after rain. There’s no formal parking area just pull off respectfully and explore on foot.

Please note: this is a fragile historic site, and while it’s open to the public, visitors are asked to tread lightly. Don’t climb on structures, remove artifacts, or damage the remaining ruins. Leave the site as you found it so others can feel the same sense of quiet wonder.

A Stop Worth Making

Gebo isn’t a major tourist attraction and that’s exactly the point. It’s a place where time lingers. A place to step out of your car, feel the crunch of gravel underfoot, and walk among the stone bones of a once-busy town. In the stillness of Wyoming’s wide-open spaces, the stories seem to rise from the earth itself.

If you’re visiting Hot Springs State Park, the Bighorn River, or just road-tripping across the state, consider taking a short detour to Gebo. It won’t take more than an hour but it might stay with you much longer.