Ghost Towns and the Boom/Bust Cycles of Western Economies

7 Locations | Curated by Megan Bailey, Brigham Young University

Why are there so many ghost towns in America?

New communities came to life to support the booming industries of the railroad, mining, and westward travel through Route 66. But just as quickly as many of these towns were built up, they were abandoned. The demise came most often from a change in priority, be it wartime efforts or newer innovations–many of these communities now thrive on the charm and intrigue of their past, welcoming tourists and curious travelers from all over the country, and even the world.

Route 66 is famous for its 1950s era diners and eclectic curio shops, but it was a road traveled long before it was paved and has remained iconic even after it was removed from the highway system.
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In an overgrown cemetery, amidst tombstones and memorabilia, a child’s white metal bed frame sits above a grave. Golden, New Mexico–population zero–is a ghost town in more ways than one. 
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Once among the largest and most prosperous towns in California, Bodie is now defined by the ghost of its past in the form of abandoned objects, peeling wallpaper, and half-destroyed buildings.
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There is a community in the mountains of Santa Fe County, New Mexico that has redeemed itself from “ghost town” status–though they still claim the title. Madrid was best known for its wealth of coal during the mining boom in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The town was first…
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