List of ghost towns in Washington
This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in Washington, a state of the United States.
Classification
[edit]
Barren site
[edit]- Sites no longer in existence
- Sites that have been destroyed
- Covered with water
- Reverted to pasture
- May have a few difficult to find foundations/footings at most
Neglected site
[edit]- Only rubble left
- All buildings uninhabited
- Roofless building ruins
- Some buildings or houses still standing, but majority are roofless
Abandoned site
[edit]- Building or houses still standing
- Buildings and houses all abandoned
- No population, except caretaker
- Site no longer in existence except for one or two buildings, for example old church, grocery store
Semi-abandoned site
[edit]- Building or houses still standing
- Buildings and houses largely abandoned
- few residents
- many abandoned buildings
- Small population
Historic community
[edit]- Building or houses still standing
- Still a busy community
- Smaller than its boom years
- Population has decreased dramatically, to one fifth or less.
List of towns
[edit]| Name | County | Location | Settled | Abandoned | Current status | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ainsworth | Franklin | The northern bank of the mouth of the Snake River, in what is now Pasco, Washington. | October, 1879 (platted) | Approximately 1885 | Absorbed into Pasco | [1] |
| Alderdale | Klickitat | Along Washington State Route 14, where Alder creek connects into Columbia River | 1907 (post office established) | 1962 (post office closed) | Barren | It is believed that Lewis & Clark camped at nearby Alder Creek in 1806. |
| Almota | Whitman | Where Almonta Creek connects into Snake River | 1878 (post office established) | 1961 (post office closed) | Submerged | Remains of Almota were flooded by construction of the Little Goose Dam. |
| Alpine | Skagit | Shore of Lake Cavanaugh, Skagit County | 1894 | 1898 | Abandoned | Established as a resort, the village had homes, a schoolhouse, a post office, and a nascent hotel. By 1906 it was described as deserted.[2] |
| Alpine | King | Cascade Mountains near Skykomish | late 19th century | c. 1929 | Destroyed | |
| Alto | Columbia | Eleven or twelve miles north-east of Dayton. | 1882 (post office established) | 1903 (post office closed) | [3] | |
| Amelia | Mason | 1895 (post office established) | 1901 (post office closed) | |||
| Ankeny | Adams | |||||
| Attalia | Walla Walla | 1906 (post office established) | 1952 (post office closed) | [1] | ||
| Baird | Douglas | 1896 (post office established) | 1934 (post office closed) | |||
| Barneston | King | 1901 | 1924 | Abandoned in 1924 after the City of Seattle disallowed all human habitation within the Cedar River watershed in order to keep the water pure. | ||
| Barron | Whatcom | Near modern Winthrop[4] | 1893 | 1907 | ||
| Belcher Camp | Ferry | c. 1897 | ||||
| Bishop | Whitman | 1913 (post office established) | 1925 (post office closed) | |||
| Blewett[1][5] | Chelan | c. 1874 | After 1905 | Neglected | ||
| Bodie[1][5] | Okanogan | 1886 | 1934 | Neglected | ||
| Bolster[5] | Okanogan | 1899 | After 1916 | |||
| Bonita | Douglas | 1903 | 1927 | |||
| Bordeaux | Thurston | 1890s | 1941 | Barren | Logging town that had a post office by 1909. Town site purchased by Courtney Love in the 2000s;[6] some concrete foundations and a smokestack remain.[7] | |
| Bossburg[1] | Stevens | c. 1892 | c. 1910 | Semi-abandoned | ||
| Brief | ||||||
| Burnt Ridge | Lewis | Approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Onalaska[8] | 1880s | Unknown (schoolhouse shuttered in 1945)[9] | Locale, landform | Location of the Burnt Ridge Airstrip (WN74) |
| Camp 1 | Pierce | |||||
| Canyon | Whitman | 1905 (post office established) | 1918 (post office closed) | |||
| Cedarville | Stevens | 1890s | 1911 | |||
| Clay City | Pierce | Before 1913 | ||||
| Coey | Spokane | |||||
| Craige | Asotin | 1898 (post office established) | 1941 (post office closed) | |||
| Diamond City | Pend Oreille | |||||
| Darknell | Spokane | |||||
| Delaney | Columbia | |||||
| Drumheller | Franklin | 1906 (post office established) | 1909 (post office closed) | |||
| Duncan | Spokane | |||||
| Ehrlich | Skagit | 1896 | 1915 | |||
| Elberton[1] | Whitman | 1886 (platted) | 1966 (disincorporated) | Semi-abandoned | ||
| Ewartsville | Whitman | |||||
| Fairbanks | Whitman | |||||
| Fairfax | Pierce | 1892 | 1943 (post office closed) | Barren | ||
| Fishtrap | Lincoln | 1906 (post office established) | 1936 (post office closed) | |||
| Frankfort | Pacific | 1876 (Homesteaded) | After 1960 | |||
| Franklin | King | 1880s | After 1919 | |||
| Freedom | Spokane | Barren | Nearby the town of Spangle.[citation needed] | |||
| Galena | Snohomish | Northeast of Index | Platted in 1891 | |||
| Gettysburg | Clallam | 1887 (settled) | 1926 (post office closed) | Barren | ||
| Gilmer | Klickitat | 1883 (post office established) | 1919 (post office closed) | |||
| Godfrey | Stevens | 1905 (post office established) | 1912 (post office closed) | |||
| Golden | Okanogan | 1887 | After 1910 | |||
| Goshen | Whatcom | |||||
| Govan | Lincoln | Late 1880s | 1967 (with population remaining into the 2010s) | Abandoned | ||
| Grange City | Columbia | |||||
| Grisdale | Grays Harbor | 1946 | 1986 | |||
| Guler | Klickitat | Absorbed | A small town that was absorbed into Trout Lake, Guler was a dairy and forestry community in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It had a small store and tavern and gas station. Once the Forest Service came in and built housing, Trout Lake and Guler merged into one town now known as Trout Lake. Some folks tend to call the town of Trout Lake "Sleeping Beauty Valley", as the mountain at the foot of Mt. Adams and between Adams and Flat Top mountain resembles a sleeping Native American Maiden said to be "Bird Woman", the bride of Adams. (also known as Patoe)[citation needed] | |||
| Hanford | Benton | 1907 (settled) | 1943 (depopulated) | Evicted/demolished | ||
| Hanson Ferry | Asotin | 1891 (post office established) | 1929 (post office closed) | |||
| Haven | Grant | 1907 (post office established) | 1913 (post office closed) | |||
| Hillhurst | Pierce | 1878 (post office established) | 1920 (post office closed) | |||
| Holman | Pacific | 1889 (railroad stop established) | 1930 (railroad stop removed) | |||
| Hot Springs | King | 1886 | Before 1918 | Barren | ||
| Illia | Grant | |||||
| Interior | Whitman | |||||
| Jameson | Douglas | 1906 (post office established) | 1912 (post office closed) | |||
| Jericho | Grant | |||||
| Jerita | Whitman | |||||
| Kennedy | ||||||
| Kenova | Whitman | |||||
| Kerriston | King | 1904 (post office established) | 1935 (post office closed) | |||
| Keystone | Adams | |||||
| Knappton | Pacific | 1871 (post office established) | 1943 (post office closed) | |||
| Kopiah | Lewis | 1906 (post office established) | After 1930 | |||
| Ladow | Whitman | |||||
| Laurel | Whatcom | between Glenwood and Trout Lake | Early 1960s | A small town part of Broughten Lumber Company. | ||
| Lester | King | 1891 or 1892 | About 1984 | Demolished/barren | ||
| Levey | Franklin | |||||
| Liberty[1][5] | Kittitas | 1873 | After 1960 | Historic | Abandoned gold mining town associated with an 1873 gold rush. | |
| Liberty Bond | Klickitat | Between Appleton and Glenwood | Around 1930s | A former logging camp and town | ||
| Lindberg | Lewis | 1911 (post office established) | ||||
| Loop Loop | Okanogan | |||||
| Mack | ||||||
| Manito | ||||||
| Martindale | Franklin | |||||
| McAdam | Franklin | |||||
| McGees | Jefferson | |||||
| McGowan | Pacific | 1853 (established) | April 15, 1939 (post office closed) | Abandoned | ||
| Melmont | Pierce | 1900 | Early 1920s | Barren | ||
| Mendota | Lewis | 1909 (post office established) | 1923 (post office closed) | |||
| Mineral City | Snohomish | North of Galena on Silver Creek | 1873 (settled as Silver City)
1892 (established as Mineral City) |
Barren | ||
| Mock | Spokane | |||||
| Molson[1][5] | Okanogan | 1900 | August 1967 (post office closed) | Historic | ||
| Monohon | King | 1888 | 1925 | |||
| Monte Cristo | Snohomish | About 1889 | 1983 | Barren/neglected | ||
| Moonax | Klickitat | Around 1940 | Submerged | Railroad station submerged underwater. | ||
| Moore | Chelan | 1892 (post office established) | 1955 (post office closed) | |||
| Mora | Clallam | 1891 (post office established) | 1942 (post office closed) | Barren | ||
| Mottinger | Benton | 1908 (post office established) | 1951 (post office closed) | |||
| Nagrom | King | 1911 (post office established) | Before 1984 | |||
| Old Toroda | Okanogan | About 1897 | Not to be confused with Toroda, which was moved and renamed Bodie.[1][5] | |||
| Osceola | King | Around 1900 | Abandoned | |||
| Pacific City | Pacific | About 1848 | 1865 (post office closed) | |||
| Page | King | |||||
| Park | Whatcom | 1884 (post office established) | 1925 (post office closed) | |||
| Penawawa | Whitman | 1871 | Named after a nearby creek at Union Flat, the town of Penawawa lay twelve miles west of Almota. Its first permanent settler, Mr. Ed Johnson, arrived in 1871 and raised cattle. In 1872, the territorial road running from Walla Walla to Colville stopped at the settlement and helped its economy greatly. It was platted in 1877 by founders Emsley Flincher, C.C. Cram and Francis Marion Byrd. Cram owned a ferry business on the other side of the Snake River and Penawawa grew as a ferry station and an exchange station that kept fresh horses for the stage coach route from Spokane to Pendleton. It was widely used until the highway was built and bypassed Penawawa for Central Ferry instead. There was also a railroad in the vicinity, located near Camas Prairie Road. The Penawawa post office was in existence from 1872 to 1937. Their school, which had begun sometime before 1890, consolidated with Colfax in 1940. The cemetery was also moved to Colfax in 1966 due to the likelihood of water levels rising from construction (beginning 1963) of the Little Goose Dam.[10] | |||
| Pinkney City | Stevens | 1859 | After 1882 | [1] | ||
| Pleasant View | Walla Walla | 1894 | ||||
| Pluvius | Pacific | Watershed divide of the Chehalis and Willapa rivers | 1891-1892 | Voting precinct only by 1950s | Named after the Roman god, Jupiter, by the construction crew of a Northern Pacific Railroad line, due to heavy rainfall during the build.[11] | |
| Providence | Adams | Near where the town of Servia stood. | ||||
| Purrington | Whitman | |||||
| Renslow | Kittitas | |||||
| Riparia | Whitman | 1882 (post office established) | 1963 (post office closed) | |||
| Robinson | Okanogan | 1900 (post office established) | 1902 (post office closed) | |||
| Rockdale | King | 1912 (post office established) | 1915 (post office closed) | |||
| Rockwell | Adams | |||||
| Rodna | Spokane | 1912 (post office established) | 1931 (post office closed) | |||
| Roza | Kittitas | 1904 (post office established) | 1935 (post office closed) | |||
| Ruby | Okanogan | 48°29′52″N 119°43′34″W / 48.49778°N 119.72611°W | Spring 1886 | 1893 | Not the Ruby in Pend Oreille County. | |
| Ryan | Stevens | 1897 (post office established) | 1912 (post office closed) | |||
| Rye | Kittitas | |||||
| Sanderson | Douglas | 1908 (post office established) | 1920 (post office closed) | |||
| Sauk City | Skagit | Near Rockport | 1880s (original town), 1901 (new town) | 1897 (original town), early 20th century (new town) | ||
| Seahaven | Pacific | Late 1880s | 1891 (post office closed) | |||
| Seltice | Whitman | |||||
| Servia | Adams | |||||
| Shanako | ||||||
| Shano | Adams | |||||
| Sheridan[5] | King | 1892 (post office established) | 1895 (post office closed) | |||
| Sherman | Lincoln | 1880s-1890s | Abandoned | |||
| Skagit City[1] | Skagit | 1868 | Early 1910s | Abandoned | ||
| Swift | ||||||
| Synarep | Okanogan | |||||
| Taunton | Adams | 1908 (post office established) | 1913 (post office closed) | |||
| Taylor | King | 1893 | 1947 | Evicted/barren | ||
| Teske | Adams | |||||
| Thavis | Adams | |||||
| Theon | Asotin | 1884 | 1909 (post office closed) | |||
| Tono | Thurston | 1907 | 1976 | Barren | ||
| Trinity | Chelan | Around 1914 | ||||
| Unfried | Garfield | 1910 (post office established) | 1917 (post office closed) | |||
| Union Center | Whitman | |||||
| Vail | Thurston | 1930 (post office established) | 1963 (post office closed) | |||
| Walters | Whitman | |||||
| Walville | Lewis | 1903 (post office established) | 1936 (post office closed) | |||
| Wellington[1] | King | 1893 | After 1929 | Demolished | Renamed Tye | |
| Weston | King | Around 1885-1886 | Around 1915 | Barren | ||
| White Bluffs | Benton | 1861 | 1943 | Barren | ||
| Whitney | Skagit | 1882 (platted) | 1914 (post office closed) | |||
| Wilcox | Whitman | 1892 (post office established) | 1935 (post office closed) | |||
| Winesap | Chelan | 1909 (post office established) | 1944 (post office closed) | |||
| Zindel | Asotin | 1902 (post office established) | 1912 (post office closed) |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ruth Kirk and Carmela Alexander (1995). Exploring Washington's Past (Revised ed.). Seattle and London: University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-97443-5.
- ^ Wallace, Elizan M. (1906). "Alpine, the Deserted Village". An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties. Interstate Publishing Company. pp. 469-470.
- ^ "Origin of Washington geographic names, by Edmond S. Meany ..." HathiTrust. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "Remnants of the Gold Rush Litter This Washington Ghost Town".
- ^ a b c d e f g Weis, Norman D. (1971). Ghost Towns of the Northwest. Caldwell, Idaho, USA: Caxton Press. ISBN 0-87004-358-7.
- ^ Emmett O'Connell (October 9, 2013). "Bordeaux, Washington – Last Remnants of a Thurston County Ghost Town". Thurston Talk.
- ^ "Bordeaux, Washington". Atlas Obscura.
- ^ "More WPA Work Being Planned For Lewis County". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 19, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Burnt Ridge Site Sold". The Daily Chronicle. October 9, 1962. p. 4. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Plat Map of Penawawa, (1910). Plat Book of Whitman County Washington". Anderson Map Company. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Pluvius Drew Name from NP Building". The Daily Chronicle. June 6, 1953. p. 24C. Retrieved October 17, 2024.