Step Back In Time Through 13 Deserted And Forgotten Towns In Wyoming
Wyoming’s rugged landscape hides countless abandoned settlements, each with its own fascinating story of boom and bust.
These ghost towns once bustled with miners, ranchers, and dreamers seeking fortune in the Wild West.
Today, their weathered buildings and silent streets offer a haunting glimpse into Wyoming’s frontier past, waiting for curious explorers to discover their secrets.
1. Cambria: The Coal Mining Powerhouse
Nestled in the northeastern corner of Wyoming, this once-thriving coal camp supported over 1,500 residents during its heyday in the early 1900s.
When the mines closed in 1928, Cambria’s fate was sealed. Today, only crumbling foundations and the old commissary building remain as silent witnesses to the town’s industrial past.
2. Keeline: A Railroad Dream Gone Bust
What a difference a railroad makes! Founded in 1908 as a stop along the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, Keeline briefly flourished with a hotel, bank, and several businesses.
Harsh agricultural conditions and the Great Depression delivered the final blow. A few dilapidated structures and the old schoolhouse are all that’s left of this prairie community’s ambitious beginnings.
3. Kirwin: The Alpine Mining Haven
Hidden away in the Absaroka Mountains at 9,200 feet, this remote mining settlement once attracted fortune-seekers searching for gold, silver, and copper.
Mother Nature had other plans when a devastating 1907 avalanche killed three residents.
Following decades of sporadic mining attempts, Kirwin was eventually abandoned, leaving behind remarkably well-preserved structures accessible only by rugged mountain roads.
4. Kane: Swallowed by the Waters
Ever heard of a town that’s literally underwater? Founded in the 1890s as a ranching and farming community, Kane supported generations of hardworking families until progress demanded its sacrifice.
When the Yellowtail Dam was constructed in the 1960s, residents were forced to relocate as the rising waters of Bighorn Lake submerged their homes forever.
During drought years, eerie remnants of the town occasionally emerge from the depths.
5. Miner’s Delight: The Gold Rush Settlement
Fortune hunters flocked to this South Pass gold camp in the late 1860s, when the precious metal was discovered along Spring Creek.
Originally called Hamilton City, the more optimistic “Miner’s Delight” name stuck as prospectors dreamed of striking it rich.
Among its notable residents was future governor Esther Hobart Morris. The preserved cabins and mining equipment offer a remarkably intact window into Wyoming’s gold rush era.
6. Tubb Town: The Oil Boom Community
Blink and you might miss what’s left of this short-lived oil town! Springing up practically overnight in 1917 when black gold was discovered nearby, Tubb Town quickly attracted drillers, roughnecks, and entrepreneurs.
Like many boom towns, its prosperity was fleeting. As oil production declined, residents moved on to more promising locations.
Almost nothing remains today except scattered debris and the whispers of Wyoming’s petroleum history.
7. Cumberland: The Coal Mining Metropolis
Imagine a bustling town of 5,000 residents deep in Wyoming’s coal country! At its peak in the early 1900s, Cumberland boasted hotels, saloons, shops, and even an opera house.
When the mines began closing in the 1950s, Cumberland’s fate was sealed.
Today, explorers can find the town cemetery, mine entrances, and scattered building foundations – silent reminders of this once-vibrant community that helped power America’s industrial growth.
8. Eadsville: The Frontier Trading Post
Frontier entrepreneurship created this tiny settlement along the Oregon Trail in the 1850s.
Started as a trading post serving westward-bound pioneers, Eadsville briefly flourished providing supplies, repairs, and respite for weary travelers.
As migration patterns changed and the transcontinental railroad diverted traffic elsewhere, the outpost gradually disappeared.
9. Empire: The Cattle Baron’s Dream
Cattle royalty once ruled this ambitious ranching community established by wealthy Eastern investors in the 1880s.
With elaborate plans for development, Empire briefly flourished as headquarters for massive cattle operations spanning thousands of acres.
The devastating winter of 1886-87, known as the “Big Die-Up,” decimated Wyoming’s cattle industry. Empire never recovered, gradually returning to prairie as its grand buildings decayed into the landscape.
10. Fort Steele: The Military Outpost
Guarding the transcontinental railroad was serious business in 1868 when this military installation was established along the North Platte River.
Named for Civil War general Frederick Steele, the fort protected railroad workers and settlers from Native American conflicts.
After the Indian Wars ended, the fort was decommissioned in 1886. Unlike many ghost towns, several original buildings remain intact, offering visitors a remarkably well-preserved glimpse into frontier military life.
11. Gebo: The Underground Inferno
Few ghost towns have as dramatic a story as this once-prosperous coal mining community near Thermopolis.
Established in 1907, Gebo quickly grew to over 2,000 residents with modern amenities including electricity and running water. Disaster struck when underground coal seams caught fire, burning for decades beneath the town.
After the mines closed in the 1930s, Gebo emptied out, leaving only the haunting cemetery and scattered ruins as testament to its fiery history.
12. Hecla: The Company Mining Town
Perched high in the Medicine Bow Mountains, this company-owned mining community extracted copper, gold, and silver from 1898 until the 1920s.
Unlike some rowdy mining camps, Hecla was strictly managed by the Hecla Mining Company, which built orderly streets of company housing.
Despite its remote location at 10,000 feet elevation, determined explorers can still find impressive mining structures, including the remains of an aerial tramway system that once transported ore down the steep mountainside.
13. Jeffrey City: The Uranium Boomtown
Unlike most Wyoming ghost towns, Jeffrey City’s heyday was surprisingly recent.
Established in the 1950s during the Cold War uranium boom, this company town exploded to nearly 5,000 residents by the 1970s, complete with schools, businesses, and modern amenities.
When uranium prices collapsed in the 1980s, residents fled almost overnight.
Today’s eerie landscape of abandoned ranch-style homes and empty streets offers a distinctly mid-century twist on Wyoming’s ghost town legacy.
