America's ghost towns hide old mines, abandoned buildings and eerie stories; these 10 forgotten places offer a haunting road trip through the nation's past, from coast to coast

Old mining camps, abandoned buildings and forgotten communities still dot the American landscape. Some have been preserved almost exactly as they were, while others have found unexpected new lives. From California and Alaska to Montana, Colorado, Maine, Oklahoma, Wyoming and New York, these ghost towns offer a glimpse into places that once had schools, hospitals, railroads, saloons and busy streets, as per a report by Smithsonian Magazine.

Their stories are different, but each one shows what can happen when the reason for a town's existence disappears.

Why did these towns disappear?

Bodie, California, may have the strangest reputation of them all. Visitors have long been warned that taking anything from the abandoned town brings bad luck. Park ranger Mark Langner says he receives items in the mail a couple of times a month, including "an old nail or a piece of glass, with an anonymous letter apologizing—they know they've done something wrong." His response is simple: "karma is karma."

The attraction of ghost towns goes beyond stories of curses. Many grew during the 19th-century Old West, when gold and mineral discoveries brought people rushing in. When the money disappeared, residents often left behind homes, saloons and other reminders of the communities that once thrived there.

But mining was only part of the story. Gary Speck, a ghost town expert and author of Ghost Towns: Yesterday and Today, points to highways bypassing communities and declining production in one-industry towns such as logging camps. "There are as many reasons for towns dying as there are towns," he says. "Some towns were bypassed when highways were built or, in one-economy towns, when production decreased, like in logging camps. If the need for the town was gone, the town went bye-bye—unless it could adapt."

What can visitors still see?

The level of preservation varies widely. Virginia City, Montana, has turned remaining buildings into a lively tourist destination, while Bodie remains in "arrested decay." Repairs are made when necessary, but the goal is to preserve the town without making it look new.

"We'll do repairs as needed—replace a roof or fix a window—using the right materials from the time," Langner says. "If you do too much, it looks fake, but if you do too little, it become a pile of sticks."

Kennecott, Alaska, tells a different story. The former copper-mining town produced $200 million worth of ore between 1911 and 1938 before it was exhausted. Its remote location made survival difficult. The original mill buildings remain inside Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, along with reminders of the community's former hospital, school, skating rink and tennis court.

In Colorado, St. Elmo began as a mining village and railroad stop in the 1870s. Hotels, dance halls, a school and telegraph office once served the community. After the railroad closed, the town faded by the 1930s. Today, visitors can still find the seasonal General Store, rent four-wheelers and stay in a rustic cabin.

Swan Island, Maine, can only be reached by boat. Its past includes early settlement, fishing and ice-cutting, as well as old homesteads, stone walls and a cemetery. The state began acquiring the land in the 1940s.

Which ghost towns still tell their stories?

In Oklahoma, Texola grew around 1901 near Route 66 and the 100th Meridian. The town's identity was complicated by uncertainty over whether it belonged to Texas or Oklahoma. It was also affected by the Dust Bowl and the arrival of I-40. Today, an old cemetery and abandoned Watering Hole #2 remain among its most visible reminders.

South Pass City, Wyoming, grew around gold mining in the 1860s. By the Depression, the mine could no longer produce. The state bought the land in the 1960s, and visitors can now explore cabins, restaurants, dance halls and a jail.

Garnet, Montana, was another gold rush settlement, although the town produced more red gemstones than gold. Its fortunes eventually declined, and a 1912 fire destroyed much of the community. About 30 historic buildings remain, including cabins, a saloon and part of an old hotel.

Even New York City has its ghostly corner. North Brother Island, a 20-acre island in the East River, once housed Riverside Hospital, which opened in 1885 as a quarantine facility for smallpox patients and later treated people with other infectious diseases. It eventually became housing for veterans and a rehabilitation facility for heroin addicts before deteriorating into abandoned buildings surrounded by trees.

High in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, Animas Forks sits at 11,000 feet. The former silver and gold mining town once had about 500 residents and was famously described as the biggest city in the world at that altitude. Several cabin-style buildings and a small jail remain, while the surrounding area offers mountain scenery along the Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway.

Ghost towns continue to attract visitors partly because they preserve things that modern life has erased. Bodie still has stocked stores, and visitors sometimes recognize products their parents or grandparents once used.

"People yearn for simpler times," Langner says. "And sometimes they're just blown away that they're somewhere that doesn't get cell service."

America's ghost towns preserve abandoned mines, homes, saloons, hospitals and other traces of communities that disappeared when mining, railroads, logging, farming or isolation ended their usefulness. From Bodie and Kennecott to Garnet and Animas Forks, these forgotten places offer a haunting look at the country's changing past.

FAQs

What is America's most famous ghost town?
Bodie, California, is one of the best-known.

Why do ghost towns disappear?
Mining, railroads, highways and declining industries all played roles.