A ghost town disappeared beneath 60 feet of water after Hoover Dam was built; Lake Mead’s decline is bringing it back to life

A ghost town buried beneath Lake Mead for decades is emerging again as the reservoir's water levels continue to fall, revealing roads, building foundations and other remnants of a community that once stood in Nevada's desert.

St. Thomas, a former Mormon settlement, was submerged after the construction of Hoover Dam transformed the Colorado River into Lake Mead. With the reservoir now at historically low levels, visitors can once again walk through parts of the town that were believed to have disappeared beneath the water.

How did St. Thomas end up underwater?

St. Thomas was established in 1865 by Mormon settlers near the Muddy River. The settlers built irrigation canals and tried to transform the desert into farmland. They initially hoped to grow cotton and create a supply route connecting California and Utah through the Colorado River.


The settlement, however, proved difficult to sustain. Extreme heat, mosquitoes, scorpions and disputes over land taxes created challenges. Cotton also failed to grow as expected, prompting many of the original settlers to return to Utah in 1871.

The town later attracted a more diverse population. Farming expanded, mining became an important source of income and St. Thomas developed into a freight stop. By 1918, the settlement had a grocery store, cafe and hotel.

At its peak, about 500 people lived there. St. Thomas had a school, post office, church, stores and other businesses, although residents did not have electricity or indoor plumbing.

That changed when the US government approved the construction of Hoover Dam.

In 1928, Congress approved the Boulder Canyon Project, which authorised construction of the dam. The project would create Lake Mead, a massive reservoir designed to provide water to the rapidly growing southwestern United States.

But the new reservoir would also cover St. Thomas.

Residents were compensated and gradually moved away as construction progressed. Lake Mead began filling in 1935. Hugh Lord, the town's last resident, stayed until June 1938 before leaving as the rising water reached his home.

At the reservoir's highest level, the tallest building in St. Thomas was about 60 feet (18 metres) beneath the water, according to the National Park Service.

The town's school, ice cream parlour, homes and other buildings were submerged. For years, only the tops of some cottonwood trees could be seen above the lake.

Why is St. Thomas visible again?

The story changed decades later as Lake Mead's water level began to decline.

The ruins of St. Thomas first became visible again in 2002 after a sharp fall in the reservoir's water level. Streets, foundations and other structures emerged from beneath the water, with much of the town's original layout still recognisable.

The settlement has resurfaced several times as water levels have fluctuated. The National Park Service says the longest period of exposure after Lake Mead was filled lasted for more than nine years, from July 1963 to November 1972.

Former residents and their descendants have also returned during these periods, holding reunions at the site in 1945, 1963 and 2012.

The reappearance of St. Thomas is closely linked to the prolonged drought affecting the Colorado River Basin. As Lake Mead loses water, more of the abandoned settlement is exposed.

Today, visitors can walk through the ruins when conditions permit, seeing the remnants of streets and buildings that once formed a functioning desert community.

The falling water level, however, is also a warning sign. Lake Mead is a major source of water for the US Southwest, while Hoover Dam depends on the reservoir for hydroelectric power. Lower water levels have reduced power-generation capacity and increased concerns over the region's long-term water supply.

The same water that once forced St. Thomas' residents to abandon their homes is now retreating far enough to reveal the town once again.