Lee Theater

The old Lee Theater in Little Rock was built in 1940, but it has been abandoned for decades. And now it seems that the roof of the building has finally collapsed, taking down the boarded up doors and revealing the pile of debris that stands in the former lobby.



The theater had been named one of the state's most endangered historic places in 2015 by Preserve Arkansas (and some of that history is sadly, quite sinister). Now the old theater is nothing more than a shell, just the fragile facade of a long-forgotten place.

Still Standing

You can't help but wonder why certain places have been left empty and abandoned. Why did people leave this home behind, why did they shut that door for the last time? When this old house was built, the road nearby must have been a rough dirt road. Over the roads that road was paved, and is now a busy four-lane highway. The roar of traffic echoes against the quiet old house.

Dust In The Wind

You see houses like this all across the Ozark Mountains. Built decades ago, but now empty and abandoned. The metal roof has turned orange with rust, the wooden siding turned gray by time and weather. The people moved out long ago, for whatever reason. Now a few different critters have snuck in to claim the space for themselves.



The old house sits along an unpaved road, close enough that the dust that is kicked up by passing cars or trucks have coated the porch with a thick layer of dirt and grime. An old chair also sits on the porch, one that perhaps used to be the favorite spot of an old granny who would sit and watch the cars or time pass by. They are gone but the chair remains, covered with a layer of dust like a blanket.





After taking a few pictures I headed back to the car and drove off, kicking off more dust that silently drifted over and settled on the old house.

Judsonia and Bald Knob

I was driving through the small town of Judsonia the other day (as one does), and stopped to get a few pictures. There is a very photogenic old bridge here, which was built in 1924 across the Little Red River.



It is a cantilever swing bridge, and it used to swing out across the river for boats to float by.



Judsonia sits along Hwy. 367, which used to be designated as Route 67. Like old Route 66, Route 67 was once a busy road for travelers and there used to be several old motels here. Most of them are abandoned or torn down now, like this old motel. Nothing exists of it anymore, except for this weathered and faded sign.





And down the road is another old motel, the Texas Ill Motel. It was built in the 1940s, and was in operation up until the 1990s.



The motel probably got its name because it sat at the midway point of Hwy. 67 (which ran from Texas to Illinois).



Near the old motel was this gas station, which has also been abandoned.



And a quick peek inside:





And next to it is this old abandoned building:



Not sure what it was used for, except that it was an office for something.



I headed over to the small and amusingly-named town of Bald Knob. Along the railroad tracks, by the old train station, is this abandoned hotel.



The hotel was built in 1910. According to the "Abandoned Arkansas" website, this was one of three hotels along Bald Knob's Skid Row. Back then, "'Skid Row' was a famous strip of bars, brothels, and boarding houses in the area around 1920 to about 1970...These hotels were notorious for prostitution and hide-outs for passing through criminals."



There was nothing that nefarious going on this day, just some guy walking around taking pictures.

School's Out

In the flat and verdant lands of the Arkansas Delta sits an abandoned school. The rusty metal doors were probably once locked up tight, but they had been pushed open at some point. It's hard to tell how long it has been abandoned. There are still some library books on shelves and assorted toys scattered about. But also parts of the roof are gone, and chunks of ceiling tiles and insulation sit in soggy heaps on the ground.





It had stormed the day before, and rainwater had percolated throughout the building. The long hallway in the middle of school was interspersed with puddles, and the floors were still wet.



I'm not sure of the history of the building. It was once an elementary school, but it probably closed when the school district was consolidated. It then served as a daycare/learning center. In one room, there were some old teddy bears left behind.



In one room there were desks set up, as if a teacher would stroll in at anytime to start a lesson. But most of the chairs were filled with debris or water. Many of the desks had water damage, the fake wood peeling up like sunburned skin.



Like all abandoned and forgotten places, there was that sense of both sadness and foreboding. This building must have seen decades worth of kids passing through, running down the halls and trying to sit still during math lessons. Now the only movement was water dripping down through the gaps in the ceiling.





Although the students are long gone, there are a few reminders of them. Like this stuffed animal, sitting on a book shelf that's covered with fallen debris from the ceiling.



The screams and laughs of kids at recess are nothing but memories. Now the building is quiet, the only noise being the sounds of the occasional car driving down the nearby road. 

Branch

The small town of Branch sits in the very southern tip of Franklin County, in western Arkansas. Branch was founded back in the early 1900s along a rail line that connected several coal mines. That rail line and the coal mines aren't around anymore, but there are a few old buildings still in Branch.





North of town is this abandoned church, tucked away amongst some pine and oak trees. It's been so dry this summer that some of trees are already starting to show some fall colors.





The tall grass in front of the church was home to a large population of grasshoppers, who leapt and jumped out of my way as I walked around the building for pictures.

Road Trip: Alta

The ghost town of Alta sits deep within the San Juan Mountains, at a lofty elevation of 11,800 feet. Hundreds of people used to live here, but only a few scattered buildings remain. Most of them are barely standing, their wooden boards bleached and weathered. Many of the buildings have collapsed, leaving behind nothing but piles of wood and debris.

Alta was established in 1878, and was the company town for the Gold King Mine. At one point, Alta had a general store and a school, along with several homes. This building, which looks like it could collapse at any moment, was once the mining company office and store.







Looking through the window, you have a great view of Mt. Wilson.









Next to it is the old boardinghouse. It looks like it has been renovated recently because it is in much better shape than the other structures here. It was built in 1939.





The mines operated until 1945, when a fire in one of the shafts ceased operations. The town started to wither away after that, the buildings left behind as a weary and fragile reminder of the San Juan's mining history.





It must have been hard to live here back in the olden days. But it would have been totally worth it, for sure. The views from Alta are breathtaking. Here you have a grand view of Mt. Wilson, which stands at 14,252 feet.



The mountain is named after A.D. Wilson, a topographer who was among the first to reach the summit of the mountain (and not named after the neighbor from Home Improvement or the volleyball from Cast Away, apparently).



If it looks familiar, Mt. Wilson is the mountain shown on the logo for Coors beers.



After that it was about time to start heading back to Durango. Luckily the drive was just as scenic and amazing on the way back.