Does Anyone Live In Arlington, Wyoming Anymore?

If you drive from Laramie, Wyoming westbound, you'll see the tall angle of Elk Mountain cutting the sky in the distance.

Miles before its base the highway navigates a line of thin ridges as it climbs.

Then, a sudden dip and turn and a drop toward a river below before another steep climb and that is where you'll see a sign for Arlington, Wyoming.

The turnoff is at the bottom of the hill where a river cuts under the highway.

You can take the ramp down there, if you're curious, or you can push the peddle down to climb steeply up the next hill.

Down on the right is an old "A" frame building that used to be a convenience stop for drivers. It's been closed for years.

There are several other structures down there.

One building looks like an abandoned convenience store.

Down the road, to the right, are some still busy energy companies.

There seems to be some activity to the right.

But that is not where we are going.

The most interesting part is hiding to the left, under the interstate where the pavement ends.

That's where you'll find old buildings like this one.

Some of these places look like they were once homes.

There are barns and other outbuildings.

A couple of places look like they might have been stores or perhaps housing where travelers might have stayed.

Arlington was always a highway stop.

Nobody stops there anymore.

What is left of the orgional town, still stands.

Most of the buildings there are boarded up, with no trespassing signs.

But the land and the structures look as if someone is caring for them.

The mailboxes give the impression that plenty of people live up the road from the old town.

At one time Arlington was a commercial stop along the Overland Trail.

Founded circa 1860, it began with the establishment of a bridge and stage stop at the crossing of Rock Creek.

It was named that until the early twentieth century.

In 1983, the community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district for its nineteenth-century significance.

In 1882, a post office was established at Rock Creek under the name of "Rock Dale."

Except for a gap in 1924 and 1925, a post office with the name of Arlington was operated in the community from 1902 to 1943.

The road continues up into the hills beyond and is often used for recreation.

There are homes farther up in the hills, split up into a wooded subdivision. That's probably what those mailboxes are for.

As host of the Wake Up Wyoming, which is heard on stations across the state, I used to get calls from a sweet lady who lived in Arlington.

I have not heard from her in a while and so I wonder if she is still with us.

Standing in this spot I also wondered which house she lived in.

The Google Earth image below shows many more structures in the old town area than can be seen from the road.

Arlington's population was 25 at the 2010 census.

As of 2022, the population was listed as 1.

I was there a few weeks ago. It does look like one house is occupied.

But I can't be sure.