Ruins Of Past Days

I've been spending some time up in the Rocky Mountains lately. Tramping through the woods and coming across ruins of old 1800s miners cabins scattered across the mountainside was a real find.
 

On a hillside, we came across an old cellar that was crumbling and once inside, you can look up and see all sky. I just wonder... who lived here and what was their life like? What kind of dreams and aspirations did they have for themselves and their families? The search for gold wasn't always out of greed, but to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones.

This particular area of these mountains (about 9,000 to 10,000 feet) has such a varied terrain, from pine forests to rolling plains, all within a few miles of each other. Verdant valleys to dry plains and ever-changing weather added great challenges to these people of the mid to late 1800s.

Places like this only raise a lot of questions for me. I just sit at these sites for a bit and wonder.
There were no conveniences, just a lot of hard work and faith.  Survival was their daily occupation in these mountains. It amazes me the ingenuity of these folks. They did so much with so little. Could we live as they did if we ever had to?

Below is just a short clip of an old ghost town, just a few miles away from the old cellar. Enjoy!

Take care!
Ace of Wands Photography