Train Robbery And A Kidnapping In A Wyoming Ghost Town

There is nothing much left of the old town of Piedmont Wyoming.

Folks who founded the town had such high hopes.

Like many Western towns, things did not always go as planned.

During the 1800s and the settling of the West, stagecoach lines and the Transcontinental Railroad brought about the thriving town of Piedmont, Wyoming.

From train hold-ups to hostage situations, to child kidnapping, there's plenty of history to savor from this ghost town.

Piedmont is, or was, a town located in Unita County, Wyoming.

It was once a thriving small railroad and timber town.

It was a really cute place at one time but it started to decline when Union Pacific opened a new line that bypassed the town.

There are many stories in the video, below, worth hearing.

The child kidnapping happened when a boy was by himself, near home at the Muddy Creek Train Station, and a couple of Soux Indians saw him and ran off with him.

Long before, and after, the arrival of the white man, American Indians were known to make slaves of women and children.

By the time the family had figured out what happened, they figured the chances of getting their son back were little to none.

Two years later the Shoshone Chief Washakie rode into the station to speak with the family. He had their son with him.

It turns out that the Chief was friends with the manager of the train station. So Washakie went to the Soux and negotiated for the boys' return.

This is one of many stories you'll hear in the video above and the one below.

What is left of the town can be found in southwestern Wyoming.

You can still explore the old buildings.