Coal mining created prosperous towns in Hot Springs County, and the decline of the industry in the mid 20th century led these towns to fade from existence.

Chief among the county’s “ghost” mining towns are Gebo and Crosby.

Crosby, active from roughly 1907 to 1933, began as a camp for the Kirby Coal Company, while Gebo, with its heyday from circa 1906 to 1938, was the company town of the Owl Creek Coal Company.

Gebo was particularly well known for its large number of citizens of Central and Eastern European origin. This background contributed to Gebo’s culture in many ways, including plays performed by miners in Serbo-Croatian. During World War One, a group of Gebo miners of Serbian ancestry joined the army to help defend their European homeland.

Many residents of modern Thermopolis grew up in Gebo or Crosby. Today all that is left of the two boom towns are a few ruins on the sites. Many buildings that were purchased and moved to other locations in Thermopolis and the county, and the Gebo cemetery.