The Wild West Awaits: 13 Ghost Towns in America You Can Still Explore
South Pass City, Wyoming
South Pass City was established in 1867 when the Carissa Mine struck a rich vein of gold. Hundreds of miners and prospectors rushed to the area and within a year the population had reached nearly 2,000 people. The town’s main road expanded to a half-mile to allow businesses such as saloons, banks, blacksmiths and other merchants to build their establishments to provide for the mining town.
There were more than 30 mines in South Pass City but when they stopped providing in 1872, the town’s residents moved away. The town was later used for ranching but today remains as a tourist attraction as one of Wyoming’s largest historic sites.
South Pass City is open to the public from May 15 through September 30. Admission is $3 for residents of Wyoming and $5 for non-residents. Find a map and instructions for how to get there here.
Virginia City, Montana
Prospectors struck gold near Alder Creek in 1863 and within weeks, Virginia City, MT was home to thousands more fortune seekers. Although Bannack, MT was originally named the first territorial capital, the title moved to Virginia City in 1865 and remained the capital until 1875.
Virginia City is famed for more than being a Victorian mining town. Before becoming a ghost town, Virginia City was the birthplace of Montana’s first newspaper and the home of Montana’s first public school.
Charles and Sue Bovey began buying and repairing the town in the 1940s, putting work into maintaining the decaying structures. Once restored, the well-preserved gold mining town was open for tourism in the 1950s. The ghost town is now a National Historic Landmark and is operated as an open-air museum providing several tours and attractions.
Virginia City is open for visitors from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Park and attraction prices vary depending on packages and memberships. Find more information and a full list of attractions here.
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Garnet, Montana
Garnet is yet another abandoned mining town, however this one dates to the 1860s. Fully established in the 1890s, Garnet was a bustling center for the mining of the semi-precious red stone found in the area, as well as gold. The town was a good place to live; there was a school, hotels, barber shops, a doctor’s office and a butcher. Garnet’s crime rates were low, and there was plenty of liquor in the town’s many saloons.
The town’s population fluctuated over the years as silver mines became popular and then unpopular, bringing miners back to Garnet. When President Roosevelt raised gold prices the town saw more people arrive to work in the mines, but with the arrival of World War II, the population of Garnet had moved away, leaving it a deserted ghost town.
Garnet today hosts many nature trails and outdoor activities such as camping and fishing. It’s open year-round, however access is limited in the winter.
