This week on the Facebook group “Ghost Town Lovers” my partner in crime on researching Cedar Mountain posted some photos from Cougar Regional Park. This is an area rich in history and coal mining from a century or more ago. Alan posted some photos taken by Milt of the old shack off the trail there.

Bingo I knew I had been there and started a search for the photos I took. There is a gate that leads to this shack and I know I photographed that & the shack. Got to love a random gate in the woods.

I found those photos and decided there is enough material to write an article. What follows was from June 2017 – about 3 1/2 years ago.

Down to business!!

This is the trail that is across the street from the Red Town Trailhead at Cougar Mountain Regional Park. It follows the creek and has good history signage on the mining activity in this area. The first thing you see when you cross the street is a chunk of concrete from a building long gone.

Moving on down the trail there are a couple cool things to see. First off is an open hole that was once a vent shaft to the coal mine.

Then one comes to a place where you overlook the creek flowing along. When you look at the photo board, I am sure you will gasp. This used to be an industrial complex over 100 years ago. How can I be standing in the same place? Time Travel?

Focus on the Steam Plant. We have a clue to link our time travel moment.

Then I saw it!! A mossy old gate up on the ridge. What Hunter of Lost Things can resist going through a gate. Yes, I do trespass at times and was not sure where it went. That did not stop me and thru the magic hole I went.

Behind the gate was a little shack. The same shack that was in the current Facebook Group posts.

I went to the door and this is what I saw. I even climbed around a bit in there but left it as I found it.

I read in the Facebook post that the foundation (seek it bottom right) was rumored to be off the General Store. That store was next to the hotel in days long past.

One more thing I found there that might be of interest to those that seek old lost things… Next to this old building was a pile of brick. You can see it in one of shed photos above and the one below.

There you have it!! One of my adventures seeking history through a door into that time machine.