Biography - Denise Hawkins is a Cheyenne-based photographer and artist. Her work is focused on landscapes, nature, and abandoned places. Her interest in documenting abandoned places has led to volunteer work for the Alliance for Historic Wyoming.
About the Photo - “Storefront Window” was taken in Shoshoni, Wyoming. Unlike the now-demolished buildings on the east side of Main Street, which were taken down in 2018 after fire and neglect left them vacant for over 30 years, the buildings on the west side of the street, including this store, are still standing.
History - Ghost towns tell tales of booms and busts from the railroad, mining (gold, coal, copper), and frontier life, leaving behind eerie ruins and remnants of once-thriving communities abandoned when resources dwindled or routes shifted. Shoshoni, Wyoming, began as a 1905 railroad town, named for the indigenous Shoshone people who long inhabited the region, but faced early setbacks like a major fire and the original Boysen Dam’s failure before becoming a gateway to the Wind River Canyon, evolving from a frontier settlement to a community deeply connected to its Shoshone heritage and rugged Wyoming landscape.
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