In Aladdin, Wyoming, a 118-year-old General Store is still in operation. On its porch, a historic “Liar’s Bench” still sits. It’s the perfect photo-op for tourists. Fourteen other buildings sit on the 30-acre town that has gone up for sale. The “For Sale” sign is hand-written, of course, but has been confirmed by the town’s owners as they found themselves in the national spotlight this month. Located on Highway 24, Aladdin, Wyoming isn’t a ghost town. In fact, in early August, Nashville star Lexi Larsen will be performing in the small town. It even has a bar.
The General Store doesn’t have running water, but working outhouses are located near by. It does have a new roof, though. It’s heated by a pot-bellied stove. The operational General Store even has a functioning, popular Facebook page . Aladdin’s General Store sells groceries, jewelry, gifts, art, beer, cigarettes, hardware, and fishing supplies.
Aladdin, Wyoming was purchased 28 years ago, according to Fox News , by Rick and Judy Brengle . Judy explained, “We bought this place because I had empty-nest syndrome. All our kids had gone to college, so my husband bought me a town.”
That town, with a population of about 15, is located halfway between Devils Tower National Monument and Sturgis, South Dakota. It’s nestled in near the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains. The Brengles are asking one and a half million dollars for the historic town.
The town got its name from the Arabian Nights folktales, as one might suspect. The original townspeople hope to strike it rich just like the legendary Aladdin, and named the town in 1894, according to People . It was formerly a coal-mining town, but now is frequented by bikers and tourists headed to Devils Tower.
The original purchase of Aladdin, Wyoming may have started out as a hobby, but it quickly became a full time job. Judy spends her days tending to the store, ordering stock, and sorting mail. The Brengles have decided to retire from their positions as town owners and pass the job on to a new family. For the price of a fancy house in the suburbs, a homesteader could own an entire town, devoid of town council ordinances, and live out their days in the peaceful paradise of a time long since passed.
Do you wish you could buy Aladdin, Wyoming and make a life away from the busy, modern world?
[Photos from Aladdin’s General Store’s Facebook page ]
