Wagons were parked everywhere — just like cars and trucks today. This looks like a utility wagon hauling whatever needed to be transported from point A to point B.

Main Street contains a number of different shops (including the Bordello next door). This is the trading post — a store that accepts items of value (in addition to money) for the goods they have to sell. So different than today — would today's local grocery store accept my watch for a bag of potatoes? Not likely. In fact, they'd probably call the police, assuming that the watch was stolen.

I'm not sure what this is. It has wheels that must run on a track — in or around the mine, perhaps. The sections with the chains must have been used for transporting fairly large items — but I have no idea what types of items it might carry. Your guess is as good (or better) than mine.

And here is a wagon that could be used on a farm — ideal for transporting tools and machinery as well as produce and animals. Looking at it closely, it is likely that the wheels and other metal parts were fabricated by the local blacksmith. Then the farmer or tradesman could add the wooden chassis, and he or she was in business.

Ah, a true anachronism (although backward in time as we usually think of such things). Color photos of the surrounding countryside plus one of the church. I'm impressed even though I am certain they were taken with a modern camera and processed on a computer. Good job!

The church, a necessity in small rural towns. Not only used for church services but also for weddings, funerals, and community meetings. I do note the flag — it appears to be a replica of the original official flag of the United States of America with thirteen stripes and thirteen stars. Cool.

When I saw this tower from a distance, it appears to be a water tower — although that would probably not have existed at that time in the real wild, wild west. When I got closer, I could tell the "tank" at the top was not a tank at all but a cylinder containing modern electronic equipment. Still, it added a bit to the ambience of this old western town.

Another church — this one being the Church at the Mount. What mount? This was not a high point in the town. Go figure. I did note that the organ was outside the church. Was that to provide music for overflow crowds? BTW, this looks like an organ my grandmother used to play so many years ago. Note the foot pedals — that was what provided the wind for the internal pipes (each a different note) which made it a real musical instrument.

Another trading post. I guess that qualifies this as a "big town" — two trading posts. I do note this flag having 50 stars — a true anachronism.

This was interesting. It appears to be lucky horseshoes for sale. In those days, many people would mount a horseshoe over the main door into their home or even into a barn. I was curious about the origin of the idea of luck being associated with horseshoes. I found the following story in Wikipedia.

"Opinion is divided as to which way up the horseshoe ought to be nailed. In much of Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, it is typically hung facing downward, symbolising the pouring of blessings or protection as it allows good fortune to flow onto those passing beneath. However, in parts of Ireland and Britain, an upward orientation is preferred, based on the belief that it catches luck and prevents it from "running out." These differing traditions were carried to the United States, where those of English and Irish heritage often hang horseshoes upward, while French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Balkan influences favor a downward position.

Despite these differences in interpretation, the horseshoe’s true primary purpose is to serve as a protective charm, regardless of its orientation, rather than merely a luck-catching device.

The superstition acquired a further Christian twist due to a legend surrounding the tenth-century saint Dunstan, who worked as a blacksmith before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. The legend recounts that, one day, the Devil walked into Dunstan's shop and asked him to shoe his horse. Dunstan pretended not to recognize him, and agreed to the request; but rather than nailing the shoe to the horse's hoof, he nailed it to the Devil's own foot, causing him great pain. Dunstan eventually agreed to remove the shoe, but only after extracting a promise that the Devil would never enter a household with a horseshoe nailed to the door."

Between buildings, I caught a glimpse of the mesa whose photo I shared in the first part of this series. It still looks magnificent.