Jump to content

List of ghost towns in Washington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in Washington, a state of the United States.

Classification

The school swimming pool is the most distinctive element left at Fairfax.

Barren site

  • 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
Rotting buildings in Bodie

Neglected site

  • Only rubble left
  • All buildings uninhabited
  • Roofless building ruins
  • Some buildings or houses still standing, but majority are roofless
Abandoned schoolhouse in Govan

Abandoned site

  • 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
United Brethren Church, one of the few standing structures left in Elberton

Semi-abandoned site

  • Building or houses still standing
  • Buildings and houses largely abandoned
  • few residents
  • many abandoned buildings
  • Small population
Buildings preserved at Liberty

Historic community

  • 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

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 / 48.49778; -119.72611 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

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Wallace, Elizan M. (1906). "Alpine, the Deserted Village". An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties. Interstate Publishing Company. pp. 469-470.
  3. ^ "Origin of Washington geographic names, by Edmond S. Meany ..." HathiTrust. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Remnants of the Gold Rush Litter This Washington Ghost Town".
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Emmett O'Connell (October 9, 2013). "Bordeaux, Washington – Last Remnants of a Thurston County Ghost Town". Thurston Talk.
  7. ^ "Bordeaux, Washington". Atlas Obscura.
  8. ^ "More WPA Work Being Planned For Lewis County". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 19, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Burnt Ridge Site Sold". The Daily Chronicle. October 9, 1962. p. 4. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Plat Map of Penawawa, (1910). Plat Book of Whitman County Washington". Anderson Map Company. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Pluvius Drew Name from NP Building". The Daily Chronicle. June 6, 1953. p. 24C. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_ghost_towns_in_Washington&oldid=1254035009"