Ghost Towns
Explore abandoned settlements and their forgotten stories.
About Ghost Town Exploration
Ghost towns are abandoned settlements that offer a real window into the past — mining boom towns that emptied out the moment the ore ran dry, forgotten farming communities hollowed out by drought or the Depression, and WWII-era POW camps left to the desert once the war ended. Each type leaves a different footprint: mining towns often still have foundations, mine tailings, and standing headframes; farming ghost towns tend to be subtler — a collapsed silo, a cellar hole, a line of dying fruit trees marking where an orchard used to stand.
Most Western mining ghost towns trace back to a single boom-bust cycle — a strike brings a population spike (sometimes thousands of people in under a year), followed by total abandonment within a decade once the vein plays out. That compressed timeline is actually useful: it means a ghost town's structures and debris are usually from a narrow, datable window, unlike a site that was continuously occupied for a century.
This resource covers how to locate ghost towns, what you might find there, legal considerations, and how to explore these fascinating places safely and responsibly.
Ghost Town Directory — Database of abandoned settlements and their histories.
Historical Research — Learn about the rise and fall of frontier towns — many mining town booms and busts are documented in period newspapers and territorial mining records.
Photography Guide — Tips for documenting abandoned structures safely, including how to shoot interiors without entering unstable buildings.
Safety & Ethics — Responsible exploration of historic sites — most ghost towns fall under either state historic preservation law or private property law, sometimes both at once.
Forum Discussion — Join the community discussion about ghost towns and abandoned places.
Research property ownership first — many ghost towns sit on private land, even when they look abandoned and unfenced.
Never enter unstable structures — collapsed roofs and rotted floor joists are the most common cause of injury at these sites; observe from a safe distance instead.
Use metal detectors in open areas around old buildings and roads, not inside or directly against structures.
Study old maps and historical records (USGS topo maps, territorial mining claim records) to understand the town's original layout before you go.
Leave artifacts in place — removing them may be illegal, especially on federal or state land, and it strips the site of context for the next researcher.
Bring plenty of water, food, and emergency supplies — most ghost towns are remote, with no cell signal and no nearby help.
Communities and Clubs
Western History Association — a real academic organization founded in 1961 studying the American West, holding an annual conference each October.
Videos & Seminars
Videos (evergreen, for self-paced learning):
Ghost Town Living (YouTube, Brent Underwood) — a real, hugely popular channel documenting Underwood’s actual restoration of Cerro Gordo, a genuine historic silver-mining ghost town above Death Valley.
Seminars & Live Events:
Western History Association’s annual conference, held each October — check westernhistory.org for current location and dates rather than listing one here.
