Cleverness and ingenuity was evident in the innovative machinery and how it was used.
There was prosperity in the artifacts and buildings; evidenced by homes that had three layers of wallpaper, the variety of goods in the general store and the existence of a gymnasium.
Gasoline was delivered in cans and the cans were cut up and formed into metal shingles on the Gas Station.
A hydroelectric plant was engineered and built 13 miles away and the first electrical transmission lines constructed in the west. They built the electrical lines straight as they weren't sure that the electricity could turn corners.
There was also impatience evident in the construction of a boom town that did not do well in the harsh winters and over time. But the desert with its high altitude dryness preserved the materials well enough.

Presented as a photo-essay
Contrast elements such as time frame incongruities
Use B&W and Sepia to simplify the expression to make visual comparisons easier to detect
Rather than use the tried and true sepias for the interiors which had muted colors of age and dust I chose to de-saturated the colors
Investigate the clever machinery and use of electricity that allowed $100 million in gold to be extracted mostly in only four years
Express the sense of a bigger place than what it is today
Show the inside to outside contrasts