In the 1890's, Meeteetse became the jumping off place for a minor gold rush to the upper Wood Valley. In 1885, William Kirwin discovered gold in the valley. By 1891, the Wood River Mining District had been formed. The center of the mining district was town of Kirwin 33 miles to the southest of Meeteetse and at 9,500 feet in elevation. A number of mines were created in the area including the Molly Logan, the Smuggler and the Tumlum. The Tumlum was the deepest, 250 feet deep with a steampowered hoist and three-story tall headframe. The gold was brought out by mule. At its peak the town had a hotel, a saloon operated by Andrew J. Stone, and a store owned by Charles L. Tewksbury and his wife Sarah.

Tewksbury was the manager of the Wyoming Mining & Milling Co. Previously, he had been the superintendent of the Fortunatus Mining Company's short lived but expensive efforts at gold mining near Bald Mountain City west of Dayton, Wyoming. In 1895 startling information was revealed as to the discovery of a rich claim at Bald Mountain. Mining machinery was hauled up the steep slopes by ox team from Dayton. In all, Fortunatus poured in about a half million dollars into the effort, all for naught. In late 1896, mining engineer and professor of chemistry and geology at the University of Montana, Fred D. Smith, in the Engineering and Mining Journal exposed the claims as being exaggerated. Although some mining continued near Bald Mountain City as late as 1903 and a revival was tried in 1937, the gold was not commercially viable. Today, Bald Mountain City lies abandoned with nothing to show that it was the site of a gold rush.

In February 1907, Kirwin was beseiged by blizzards. In one eight-day period the town was hit by over 50 feet of snow. From the slopes above, an avalanche, the "White Death" of the Rockies, roared down on the Tewksbury Store. The store's three occupants were killed. With the spring thaw, the remaining occupants of the town left. Tewksbury, however, continued to file and prove up claims. Later he advertised apparently without success for investors in Mining & Engineering World.

In the early 1930's, Carl M. Dunrud (1891-1976) and his wife Vera (1902-2002), made an effort was made to revive Kirwin and opened the Double D Dude Ranch at Kirwin. The Wolf Mine opened. They had previously worked on the Pitchfork's Timber Creek Dude Ranch. Dunrud served as a guide in Yellowstone. There he met George P. Putnam who later became the husband of Amelia Earhart. As a result, Putnam employed Dunrud as a roper on Putnam's 1926 expedition to Greenland. On the expedition, Dunrud roped polar bears, musk oxen and walruses.

Among the visitors to the dude ranch were Earhart and Putnam. Earhart directed that a cabin be built for her future use following her around-the-world flight. Kirwin is accessable by four-wheel drive vehicles in summer months. With the coming of World War II, the dude ranch became unviable. Dunrud a job at the Larson Ranch at Wood River and Themma taught at the Dick Creek School. In 1947, the Dunruds sold their interest in Kirwin. The Earhart cabin, located about 1/2 mile from Kirwin, remains unfinished awaiting Earhart's return.

The Mercantile was the Company store for the Pitchfork Ranch. The smaller one-story building on the left is a saloon. As can be seen in the next photo, porches have now been added to the saloon and mercantile.

The First National Bank building is on the left. See next photo.