List of ghost towns in Washington explained

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

Classification

Barren site

Neglected site

Abandoned site

Semi-abandoned site

Historic community

List of towns

NameCountyLocationSettledAbandonedCurrent status  Remarks
AinsworthFranklinThe northern bank of the mouth of the Snake River, in what is now Pasco, Washington.October, 1879 (platted)Approximately 1885[1]
AlderdaleKlickitatAlong Washington State Route 14, where Alder creek connects into Columbia River1907 (post office established)1962 (post office closed)BarrenIt is believed that Lewis & Clark camped at nearby Alder Creek in 1806.
AlmotaWhere Almonta Creek connects into Snake River1878 (post office established)1961 (post office closed)SubmergedRemains of Almota were flooded by construction of the Little Goose Dam.
AlpineSkagitShore of Lake Cavanaugh, Skagit County18941898AbandonedEstablished as a resort, the village had homes, a schoolhouse, a post office, and a nascent hotel. By 1906 it was described as deserted.[2]
AlpineKingCascade Mountains near Skykomishlate 19th centuryc. 1929Destroyed
AltoEleven or twelve miles north-east of Dayton.1882 (post office established)1903 (post office closed)[3]
Amelia1895 (post office established)1901 (post office closed)
Ankeny
AttaliaWalla Walla1906 (post office established)1952 (post office closed)
Baird1896 (post office established)1934 (post office closed)
Barneston19011924Abandoned in 1924 after the City of Seattle disallowed all human habitation within the Cedar River watershed in order to keep the water pure.
BarronWhatcomNear modern Winthrop[4] 18931907
Belcher Campc. 1897
Bishop1913 (post office established)1925 (post office closed)
Blewett[5] c. 1874 After 1905Neglected
Bodie18861934Neglected
Bolster1899After 1916
Bonita19031927
BordeauxThurston1890s1941BarrenLogging 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]
Bossburgc. 1892c. 1910Semi-abandoned
Brief
Burnt RidgeApproximately east of Onalaska[8] 1880sUnknown (schoolhouse shuttered in 1945)[9] Locale, landformLocation of the Burnt Ridge Airstrip (WN74)
Camp 1Pierce
Canyon1905 (post office established)1918 (post office closed)
Cedarville1890s1911
Clay CityPierceBefore 1913
CoeySpokane
Craige1898 (post office established)1941 (post office closed)
Diamond CityPend Oreille
DarknellSpokane
Delaney
Drumheller1906 (post office established)1909 (post office closed)
DuncanSpokane
Ehrlich18961915
Elberton1886 (platted)1966 (disincorporated)Semi-abandoned
EwartsvilleWhitman
FairbanksWhitman
Fairfax18921943 (post officee closed)Barren
Fishtrap1906 (post office established)1936 (post office closed)
Frankfort1876 (Homesteaded)After 1960
Franklin1880sAfter 1919
FreedomSpokaneBarrenNearby the town of Spangle.
GalenaSnohomishNortheast of IndexPlatted in 1891
Gettysburg1887 (settled)1926 (post office closed)Barren
Gilmer1883 (post office established)1919 (post office closed)
Godfrey1905 (post office established)1912 (post office closed)
Golden1887After 1910
Goshen
GovanLate 1880s1967 (with population remaining into the 2010s)Abandoned
Grange City
GrisdaleGrays Harbor19461986
GulerAbsorbedA 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)
HanfordBenton1907 (settled)1943 (depopulated)Evicted/demolished
Hanson Ferry1891 (post office established)1929 (post office closed)
Haven1907 (post office established)1913 (post office closed)
Hillhurst1878 (post office established)1920 (post office closed)
HolmanPacific1889 (railroad stop established)1930 (railroad stop removed)
Hot Springs1886Before 1918Barren
IlliaGrant
Interior
Jameson1906 (post office established)1912 (post office closed)
Jericho
JeritaWhitman
Kennedy
KenovaWhitman
Kerriston1904 (post office established)1935 (post office closed)
KeystoneAdams
Knappton1871 (post office established)1943 (post office closed)
Kopiah1906 (post office established)After 1930
LadowWhitman
between Glenwood and Trout LakeEarly 1960sA small town part of Broughten Lumber Company.
Lester1891 or 1892About 1984Demolished/barren
Levey
Liberty1873After 1960HistoricAbandoned gold mining town associated with an 1873 gold rush.
Liberty BondKlickitatBetween Appleton and GlenwoodAround 1930sA former logging camp and town
Lindberg1911 (post office established)
Loop Loop
Mack
Manito
Martindale
McAdam
McGees
McGowan1853 (established)April 15, 1939 (post office closed)Abandoned
Melmont1900Early 1920sBarren
Mendota1909 (post office established)1923 (post office closed)
Mineral CitySnohomishNorth of Galena on Silver Creek1873 (settled as Silver City)1892 (established as Mineral City)Barren
Mock
Molson1900August 1967 (post office closed)Historic
Monohon18881925
Monte CristoAbout 18891983Barren/neglected
MoonaxAround 1940SubmergedRailroad station submerged underwater.
Moore1892 (post office established)1955 (post office closed)
Mora1891 (post office established)1942 (post office closed)Barren
Mottinger1908 (post office established)1951 (post office closed)
Nagrom1911 (post office established)Before 1984
Old TorodaOkanoganAbout 1897Not to be confused with Toroda, which was moved and renamed Bodie.
OsceolaAround 1900Abandoned
Pacific CityAbout 18481865 (post office closed)
Page
Park1884 (post office established)1925 (post office closed)
PenawawaWhitman1871Named 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 City1859After 1882
Pleasant ViewWalla Walla1894
ProvidenceAdamsNear where the town of Servia stood.
PurringtonWhitman
Renslow
Riparia1882 (post office established)1963 (post office closed)
Robinson1900 (post office established)1902 (post office closed)
Rockdale1912 (post office established)1915 (post office closed)
Rockwell
Rodna1912 (post office established)1931 (post office closed)
Roza1904 (post office established)1935 (post office closed)
RubyOkanogan48.4978°N -119.7261°WSpring 18861893Not the Ruby in Pend Oreille County.
Ryan1897 (post office established)1912 (post office closed)
Rye
Sanderson1908 (post office established)1920 (post office closed)
Sauk CityNear Rockport1880s (original town), 1901 (new town)1897 (original town), early 20th century (new town)
SeahavenLate 1880s1891 (post office closed)
SelticeWhitman
Servia
Shanako
ShanoAdams
Sheridan1892 (post office established)1895 (post office closed)
Sherman1880s-1890sAbandoned
Skagit City1868Early 1910sAbandoned
Swift
SynarepOkanogan
Taunton1908 (post office established)1913 (post office closed)
Taylor18931947Evicted/barren
TeskeAdams
ThavisAdams
Theon18841909 (post office closed)
Tono19071976Barren
TrinityChelanAround 1914
Unfried1910 (post office established)1917 (post office closed)
Union CenterWhitman
VailThurston1930 (post office established)1963 (post office closed)
WaltersWhitman
WalvilleLewis1903 (post office established)1936 (post office closed)
Wellington1893After 1929DemolishedRenamed Tye
WestonAround 1885-1886Around 1915Barren
White Bluffs18611943Barren
Whitney1882 (platted)1914 (post office closed)
Wilcox1892 (post office established)1935 (post office closed)
Winesap1909 (post office established)1944 (post office closed)
Zindel1902 (post office established)1912 (post office closed)

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ruth Kirk and Carmela Alexander . Exploring Washington's Past . University of Washington Press . 1995 . 0-295-97443-5 . Revised . Seattle and London.
  2. Book: Wallace, Elizan M. . An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties . 1906 . Interstate Publishing Company . 469-470 . Alpine, the Deserted Village.
  3. Web site: Origin of Washington geographic names, by Edmond S. Meany ... . 2024-06-16 . HathiTrust . en.
  4. Web site: Remnants of the Gold Rush Litter This Washington Ghost Town.
  5. Book: Weis , Norman D. . Ghost Towns of the Northwest. 1971. Caxton Press. Caldwell, Idaho, USA. 0-87004-358-7.
  6. Web site: Thurston Talk. Emmett O'Connell. Bordeaux, Washington – Last Remnants of a Thurston County Ghost Town. 9 October 2013.
  7. Web site: Atlas Obscura. Bordeaux, Washington.
  8. News: More WPA Work Being Planned For Lewis County . June 20, 2024 . The Chehalis Bee-Nugget . February 19, 1937 . 3.
  9. News: Burnt Ridge Site Sold . June 20, 2024 . The Daily Chronicle . October 9, 1962 . 4.
  10. Web site: Plat Map of Penawawa, (1910). Plat Book of Whitman County Washington . Anderson Map Company . August 28, 2021.