List of ghost towns in Idaho

The following is a list of ghost towns in Idaho. A ghost town is an abandoned village, town or city, usually one which contains substantial visible remains. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions or uncontrolled lawlessness.

Classification

Barren site

  • Sites no longer in existence
  • Sites that have been destroyed
  • Covered with water
  • Reverted to pasture
  • May have a few difficult to find foundations/footings at most

Neglected site

  • Only rubble left
  • Roofless building ruins
  • Buildings or houses still standing, but majority are roofless
Despite multiple reconstruction attempts, Burgdorf is still abandoned.

Abandoned site

  • Building or houses still standing
  • Buildings and houses all abandoned
  • No population, except caretaker
  • Site no longer in existence except for one or two buildings, for example old church, grocery store
Burke had 15 residents in 1990.

Semi-abandoned site

  • Building or houses still standing
  • Buildings and houses largely abandoned
  • Few residents
  • Many abandoned buildings
  • Small population
Bayhorse is owned and preserved by the state.

Historic community

  • Building or houses still standing
  • Still a busy community
  • Smaller than its boom years
  • Population has decreased dramatically, to one fifth or less.

Table

Name Other names County Location Settled Abandoned Current status Remarks
Aline Teton County 1888 1901 First settlement of Latter-Day Saints in the area.[1]
Bayhorse Custer County 1877 1897 Historic A former mining town turned state park[2]
Bonanza Bonanza City Custer County 1877 Abandoned [2]
Burgdorf Idaho County 1860s Before 1945 Semi-abandoned
Burke Shoshone County 1887 1991 Semi-abandoned A mining town that closed after several natural disasters.
Caribou City 1897 1930 [citation needed]
Chesterfield Caribou County 1879 After 1928 A former Mormon settlement, now open to the public as a tourist attraction.[3]
Cobalt Lemhi County 1950s [2]
Comeback Mining Camp 1862 [2]
Copper Queen
Custer Custer County 1879 1910 [2]
De Lamar Owyhee County 1888
Florence Idaho County 1861 sometime after 1951.
Gilmore Lemhi County 1902 1930s
Golden Age camp [2]
[2]
Joseph Idaho County 1883 1887
Joseph Plains Idaho County
Leesburg Lemhi County July 16, 1866 by the end of World War II [2]
Mount Idaho Idaho County 1892 1922 [4]
Placerville Boise County 1862 1899 [2]
Rocky Bar Elmore County December 1863 1960s
Ruby City Owyhee County November 1863
Sawtooth City Blaine County 1879 1888 [2]
Silver City Owyhee County March 10, 1863 1890
Strevell Cassia County 1974
Vienna 1878 1879 [2]
White Knob Custer County 1884 1928
Yellow Jacket 1943 1945 [2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic history of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints,. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 868. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Weis, Norman D. (1971). Ghost Towns of the Northwest. Caldwell, Idaho, USA: Caxton Press. ISBN 0-87004-358-7.
  3. ^ Oregon. "Idaho pioneer cabin moved to Chesterfield site". OregonLive.com. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Adkison, Norman B. (July 1, 1962). "Bustling, booming Mount Idaho now nothing but a ghost town". Lewiston Morning Tribune. p. 1–sec.2.