Scattered throughout the west, ghost towns are wonderful places to explore and learn about our forgotten recent history. Growing up exploring places like Bodie, my early explorations of other town sites was always a bit disappointing.
Early townsites throughout the south west are scattered in extreme heat, dry locations. People would move from town to town only long enough to learn the rumor’s which caused them to relocate were not true. Town were thrown up in days in a flurry of activity and desire to earn a living. Many ghost towns were grew from tent cities and buildings with no foundations or floors.
Old mining camps were developed around the location of ore, not other resources. The gold was in the ground, everything else needed to he hauled to the location. Wooded structures were not painted, hastily built and building codes simply did not exist at this time. Ghost towns like Bodie and Virginia City are very cool, however, my appreciation for the little towns that never made history, flashed and faded have our respect. And when you visit one of these quiet list islands of history, when you find anything left behind. It is a gift. Every one in a while, you might be surprised.
 Aurora NevadaAurora, Nevada is a ghost town in Mineral County near the California border. Aurora is often mentioned as a footnote to larger better preserved town… |
 Ballarat CaliforniaBallarat, California Located in Inyo County, Ballarat California is a ghost town which supposedly has a few residents living their dream within the town. Ballarat… |
 Belmont NevadaFollowing a silver strike and quartz vein by a Native American in the area, Belmont Nevada was founded in Nye County, Nevada. The silver boom… |
 Berlin NevadaBerlin Nevada - 1910 Berlin Nevada is a ghost town located in Nye County, Nevada and found within the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park some 19 miles… |
 Blair NevadaBlair Nevada is a ghost town and mine site located in Esmerelda County. The town site is located a few miles north of Silver… |
 Bodie CaliforniaBodie, California is the ghost town by which all others are judged. Located at 8300 in the Bodie Hills above Mono Lake, Bodie is the… |
 Bristol NevadaAlso known as National City, Bristol City and Tempest throughout its history, Bristol Nevada is a ghost town in Lincoln County, Nevada. Bristol is located about 14 miles… |
 Broken Hills NevadaBroken Hills Nevada, c 1915. Ore sacks being loaded for shipment to the railroad at Fallon. Broken Hills, Nevada is more a descriptive term than… |
 Bullfrog NevadaLocated at the northern end of Amargosa Desert, Bullfrog is a ghost town in Nye County, Nevada. The Bullfrog mine was discovered on August 9,… |
 Bullionville NevadaBullionville Nevada began early in 1870 when John H. Ely and W.H. Raymond removed their five-stamp mill at Hiko and placed it at this point.… |
 Callville NevadaCallville Nevada is a ghost town and Colorado River Steamboat port, which is now submerged below the waters of Lake Mead. Bishop Anson Call founded… |
 Candelaria NevadaCandelaria was a ghost town in Mineral County, Nevada located about 120 miles south of Falen. The location may be closed due to another local… |
 Carrara NevadaCararra, NV as seen from US 95 south to Beatty, NV Carrara Ghost town is a small ghost town and marble mine located about ten… |
 Cerbat ArizonaFounded in 1870 Cerbat Arizona is a gold mine ghost town and former county seat for Mohave County, Arizona. The surrounding area started to attract… |
 Cerro Gordo CaliforniaLocated in the Inyo Mountains on the eastern side of Owens Valley, Cerro Gordo California is a currently a ghost town after almost 100 years… |
 Chloride City CaliforniaChloride City California is located within Death Valley National Park and Inyo County, California. The town arose out of silver discoveries in nearby Chloride Cliff… |
 Columbia NevadaThe Columbia Nevada ghost town and mine site is location just one mile north of Goldfield in Esmeralda County Nevada. Originally named Stimler, the town… |
 Columbus NevadaDowntown Columbus, Nevada, late 1870's. Spanish miners discovered silver in the area in 1863. A small mining camp was established in the area which became… |
 Delamar NevadaDelamar Nevada in the 1890's. Many of the buildings were transported from nearby Pioche on wagons. After the devastating fire in 1909, most of the… |
 Diamondfield NevadaLocated just five miles north-northeast of Goldfield, Diamondfield is a ghost town and mine camp in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The camp was founded by Jackson… |
 Dun Glen NevadaChafey, Nevada. 1908. Prior site of Dun Glen, Nevada. Dun Glen Nevada later known as Chafey Nevada is a ghost town and mine site located… |
 Nelson Nevada and Eldorado CanyonRock spires carved by erosion located in Eldorado Canyon, Nelson, Nevada. The ghost town of Nelson, Nevada, which is located in Eldorado Canyon along Lake… |
 Fairview NevadaFounded in 1905, Fairview Nevada is a ghost town and silver mining camp located in Churchill County, near the town of Fallon, Nevada. The towns… |
 Fay NevadaFay Nevada is a ghost town and gold mining camp located in Lincoln County Nevada near the border with western Utah. The townsite is located… |
 Goffs CaliforniaOriginally known as Blake, Goffs, California is a small unincorporated community located off of Route 66 in the Mojave desert near the Piute Mountains. Originally… |
 Gold Point NevadaFounded in 1860s, Gold Point, is a ghost time and silver mining camp located in Esmerelda County, Nevada. The townsite was known by three different… |
 Goodsprings NevadaGoodsprings, Nevada is locate about seven miles west of the I-15 near Jean, Nevada. Mining activity in the area started in 1868 when a group… |
 Grantsville NevadaGrantsville Nevada 1886 Named for Ulysses S. Grant, Grantsville Nevada is a ghost town and gold mining camp located in Nye County Nevada. Initial prospecting… |
 Greenwater CaliforniaIn 1904, a copper strike near Greenwater Spring and ensuing rush to profit caused the formation of Greenwater in Inyo County, California. Originally known by… |
 Harrisburg CaliforniaHarrisburg California is a ghost town is located at 4987 feet above sea level in Inyo County and currently part of Death Valley National Park.… |
 Ione NevadaIone Nevada is a ghost town, which is located in Nye County, Nevada. In April 1863 a silver stike was made by P. A. Haven… |
 Jackrabbit NevadaJackrabbit Nevada is a ghost town and silver mining camp located in Lincoln County Nevada. Local legend attributes the discovery to the locator picking up… |
 Jessup NevadaJessup Nevada is a ghost town and gold mining camp located in Churchill County, Nevada. The site was first discovered in February 1908 by Frank… |
 La Plata NevadaFollowing the discovery of silver in 1862, La Plata Nevada is a ghost town locate in and the second county seat of Churchill County, Nevada.… |
 Leadfield CaliforniaLeadfield California is a ghost town located in Inyo County and Death Valley National Park and found on the Titus Canyon Trail. The town boom… |
 Lida NevadaNow on private property, Lida Nevada is a ghost town and mining camp located in Esmeralda County, Nevada just off State Route 266. The area… |
 Logan City NevadaLogan City Nevada, also known as Logan City, Logan Springs and Logans Springs, is a silver mining camp and ghost town located 12 miles north… |
 Manhattan NevadaManhattan Nevada 1906 Located about fifty miles north of Tonopah, Manhattan Nevada is ghost town located at the end of Nevada State Route 377 in… |
 Mazuma NevadaMazuma, Nevada - 1908 Mazuma Nevada started its short life in 1907 when the Seven Troughs gold strike started attracting an influx of miners from… |
 Mineral Park ArizonaMineral Park is a ghost town located in Mohave County Arizona founded in 1870. Once started, operations continued until 1912. The journey was tough just… |
 Oatman ArizonaOatman Arizona is a small community with a rich history located in Black Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona. Located near Bullhead City, the town of… |
 Palmetto NevadaTent business in Palmetto, 1906 Palmetto Nevada is a ghost town located just off of highway 168 about 30 miles west of Lida, in Esmeralda… |
 Pine Grove NevadaOne of the lesser known yet longest running gold mining camps is Pine Grove, Nevada. Located in Lyon County, Nevada just East of the 338… |
 Pioneer NevadaBeginning as a mining camp near the Mayflower, Pioneer Nevada is an old mining camp and ghost town in Nye County, Nevada. The Pioneer gold… |
 Potosi NevadaPotosi Nevada is the oldest lode mine in Nevada and the town site is located just off highway 160 between Las Vegas and Pahrump, Nevada.… |
 Rawhide NevadaRawhide, Nevada. 1908. Rawhide Nevada was a mining town in Mineral County. The town site is located approximately 55 miles south of Fallon, and 22… |
 Rhyolite NevadaRhyolite is a ghost town location just outside of the Eastern edge of Death Valley National monument in Nye country, Nevada. Founded in 1904 by… |
 Rioville NevadaFounded in 1865, Rioville, Nevada was founded by Daniel Bonelli at the confluence of the Virgin River and the Colorado River. Bonelli was a Mormon… |
 Rochester NevadaUpper Rochester, Nevada 1918 In the 1860s, immigrants and prospectors from Rochester New York discovered gold in the nearby mounts and the silver mining town… |
 Seven Troughs NevadaSeven Troughs Nevada 1907 In 1894, Frank Ward a sheepman in the area, built seven water troughs to water his sheep. The name Seven Troughs… |
 Skidoo CaliforniaSkidoo California was famous in the first decade of the 20th century when gold had been found in Inyo County and the town established in… |
 St Thomas NevadaFounded in 1865 when Brigham Young sent settles to the confluence of the Virgin River and Muddy Rivers. St Thomas Nevada remained a Mormon settlement until… |
 Troy NevadaIn May 1867, prospector Alexander Beatty worked the the Grant Mountain range when he discovered silver and founded the town site of Troy, in Nye… |
 Tybo NevadaTybo Nevada - 1875 Tybo Nevada is a ghost town in Nye County located some 8 miles north west of U.S Route 6 and some… |
 Vanderbilt CaliforniaA metal headframe marks a vertical shaft in the mining district outside of Vanderbilt California. Located in the New York Mountains, Vanderbilt California was an… |
 Wonder NevadaWonder Nevada is a ghost town and mining camp, which is located about 14 miles north of the US 50, in Churchill County, Nevada. In… |