According to several historians, the U.S. state of Oregon contains over 200 ghost towns. [1] [2] Professor and historian Stephen Arndt has counted a total of 256 ghost towns in the state, some well known, others "really obscure." [3] The high number of ghost towns and former communities in the state is largely due to its frontier history and the influx of pioneers who emerged in the area during the 19th century. [2] Many of the ghost towns in Oregon were once mining or lumber camps that were abandoned after their respective industries became unprosperous. [2]
This list includes towns and communities that have been described as ghost towns, and may be abandoned, unpopulated, or have populations that have declined to significantly small numbers; [lower-alpha 1] some may still be classified as unincorporated communities. As of 2019 [update] , some of the towns included may have small residual populations; others may retain few physical remnants of their existence, but are broadly considered ghost towns under prevailing definitions in the United States. [lower-alpha 2]
Many historians and enthusiasts of ghost towns use a classification system to distinguish ghost towns by types. This classification, which breaks towns into numerous different types, was established by photographer Gary Speck, and has been adapted here. [6]
Class | Distinguishing features [6] |
---|---|
A | No apparent remains of former settlement exist. In some cases, site may be marked and/or contain a cemetery. |
B | Dilapidated buildings and/or remnants of buildings present, along with rubble and debris. |
C | No population, but structures are still mostly intact; may be actively preserved. |
D | Area is sparsely populated and may boast period structures (of varied physical condition) and/or a cemetery, but no operative town proper. |
E | Has retained a small population and historic structures, though typically not as substantive as in its heyday. |
Town | Est. | Dis. Est. | County | Class | Notes | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Airlie | 1882 | 1927 | Polk | D | The railroad from Airlie north to Monmouth was abandoned in 1927, but the community survived, anchored by a general store and gas station.. | [7] [8] |
Ajax | 1888 | Unknown | Gilliam | B | [9] | |
Andrews | 1880 | Harney | C | When it burned down in 1996, the community became a ghost town. In 2011, artist John Simpkins moved into the abandoned school at Andrews. He set up residence in ... | [10] | |
Anlauf | 1901 | 1946 | Douglas | D | The home was sold in the 1960s and then torn down when the freeway was built. Clarence, who was also a logger, and Grace Anlauf, the parents of Clay and Pat ... | [11] |
Antelope | 1871 | Wasco | D | As more Rajneeshees moved to Antelope, more of the town's original residents sold their lots and left. The old-timers panicked, and held a vote to disincorporate | [12] | |
Apiary | 1889 | Columbia | D | Two principal roads to Apiary are being completed within the next year, and a part of the old one abandoned. The Cloverdale road, known as the market road ... | [13] | |
Ashwood | 1870 (c.) | Jefferson | C | [14] [15] | ||
Auburn | 1861 | 1940s | Baker | B | Site of first gold rush in eastern Oregon. | [16] |
Aurora | 1858 | January 22, 1883 | Marion | E | Founded as Aurora Colony; has residual population. | [17] [18] |
Austin | 1888 | Grant | B | [19] | ||
Ballston | 1878 | Polk | D | Ballston was founded in 1878 by pioneer Isaac Ball on his donation land claim. Ball and his family immigrated from England, and arrived in Oregon via the Oregon Trail in 1848. Ball named the town "Ballsville", and it had a post office of the same name. The name of the post office was changed to Ballston in 1880. | [20] | |
Bayocean | 1906 | Tillamook | A | Destroyed by coastal erosion; last residence collapsed into sea in 1960. | [21] | |
Beaver Hill | 1896 | Coos | A | [22] | ||
Bethel | 1865 | Polk | D | [23] | ||
Blalock | 1879 | Gilliam | A | Inundated by the John Day Dam in 1968. | [24] | |
Blitzen | 1915 (c.) | Harney | B | [25] | ||
Bohemia | 1893 | Lane | B | [26] | ||
Boston | 1858 | Linn | D | Partly resected and subsumed by Shedd in 1899. | [27] | |
Bourne | 1895 | Baker | B | [28] | ||
Boyd | 1861 | Wasco | C | Repurposed as farmland. | [29] | |
Bridal Veil | 1886 | Multnomah | D | [30] | ||
Buena Vista | 1850 | Polk | D | [31] | ||
Bull Run | 1893 | Clackamas | D | Originally named Unavilla. Site of Bull Run Hydroelectric Powerhouse, abandoned in 2008. | [32] [33] | |
Buncom | 1851 | Jackson | C | [34] | ||
Burlington | 1854 | Linn | A | Abandoned after 1874. | [35] | |
Butteville | 1840 | Marion | D | [36] [37] | ||
Cabell City | 1880s | Grant | B | Mining encampment; also contains cemetery. | [38] | |
Cascadia | 1898 (c.) | Linn | C | [39] | ||
Champoeg | 1841 | Marion | D | [40] | ||
Cherryville | 1884 | Clackamas | D | Remaining cemetery designated local historic site in 2014. | [41] [42] | |
Chitwood | 1887 | Lincoln | D | [43] | ||
Clifton | 1874 | Clatsop | D | [44] | ||
Copper | 1924 | Jackson | A | Remaining buildings demolished and/or flooded to make way for Applegate Lake. | [45] | |
Copper | 1904 | Wallowa | Unknown | [46] | ||
Copperfield | 1898 | Baker | A | [47] | ||
Cornucopia | 1884 | Baker | C | [48] | ||
Danner | 1863 | Malheur | C | [49] | ||
Dee | 1906 | Hood River | B | [50] | ||
DeMoss | 1897 | Sherman | C | [51] | ||
Divide | 1900 | Lane | A | [52] | ||
Dufur | 1893 | Wasco | E | [53] | ||
Early | 1902 | Sherman | A | [51] [54] | ||
Elk City | 1868 | Lincoln | D | Originally named Newton. | [55] | |
Ellendale | 1850 | Polk | D | [56] | ||
Eola | 1844 | Polk | D | [57] | ||
Erskine | 1882 | Sherman | A | [51] | ||
Eureka | 1892 | Baker | B | [58] | ||
Eureka Bar | 1903 | Wallowa | B | As of 2015 [update] , only foundations of buildings remain. | [59] | |
Fargher | 1878 (c.) | Wasco | D | [51] [60] | ||
Flora | 1897 | Wallowa | D | [50] | ||
Fort Clatsop | 1804 | Clatsop | C | [61] | ||
Fort Stevens | 1863 | Clatsop | C | [62] | ||
Frankport | 1850s | Curry | A | [63] | ||
Friend | 1903 | Wasco | C | [64] | ||
Galena | 1865 | Grant | C | [65] | ||
Geneva | 1910 | Jefferson | A | [66] | ||
Golden | 1840 (c.) | Josephine | C | [67] | ||
Gordon | 1896 | Sherman | A | [51] [68] | ||
Gorman | 1892 | Sherman | A | [51] | ||
Granite | 1867 | Grant | D | [69] [70] | ||
Greenback | 1897 | Josephine | B | [71] | ||
Greenhorn | 1897 | Baker, Grant | C | [72] | ||
Greenville | 1871 | Washington | D | [73] | ||
Hardman | 1881 | Morrow | D | [74] | ||
Horse Heaven | 1933 | Jefferson | B | [75] | ||
Hoskins | 1856 | Benton | A | Founded at site of Fort Hoskins. | [76] | |
Idiotville | Unknown | Tillamook | Unknown | |||
Izee | 1889 | Grant | D | [77] [78] | ||
Jawbone Flats | 1931 | Marion | C | [79] | ||
Jimtown | 1904 | Baker | D | [80] | ||
Kent | 1887 | Sherman | D | [81] | ||
Kerby | 1884 (c.) | Josephine | E | [82] | ||
Kernville | 1896 | Lincoln | D | [83] | ||
Kings Valley | 1855 | Benton | D | [84] [85] | ||
Kinton | 1894 | Washington | D | [86] | ||
Kinzua | 1927 | Wheeler | A | [87] | ||
Klondike | 1899 | Sherman | B | [51] | ||
Lamonta | 1890 | Jefferson | A | Originally named Desert. | [88] | |
Latourell | 1876 | Multnomah | D | [89] | ||
Lime | 1899 | Baker | B | Site of former lime cement plant. | [90] | |
Locust Grove | 1895 | Sherman | B | [91] | ||
Lonerock | 1881 | Gilliam | D | [92] | ||
Luper | 1850 | Lane | C | [93] | ||
McCoy | 1879 | Polk | B | [3] | ||
McDonald | 1904 | Sherman | A | Site of a former river crossing, only modern ranch buildings remain | [51] | |
McEwen | 1891 | Baker | D | [94] | ||
Mabel | 1878 | Lane | C | [95] [96] | ||
Malheur City | 1863 | Malheur | A | All wooden structures destroyed in 1957 brushfire, leaving only stone remnants. | [97] | |
Marysville | 1848 | Benton | Subsumed by Corvallis. | [98] | ||
Mayville | 1884 | Gilliam | D | [99] [100] | ||
Medical Springs | 1868 | Union | D | As of 2014 [update] , three buildings remained. | [101] | |
Miller | 1860 (c.) | Sherman | A | [51] [102] | ||
Millican | 1913 | Deschutes | D | [87] | ||
Mitchell | 1873 | Wheeler | E | [103] | ||
Monkland | 1886 | Sherman | A | [51] | ||
Narrows | 1889 | Harney | A | [104] | ||
Nelson | 1880s | Baker | A | Location of lime cement plant between 1979–1980. | [105] | |
New Era | 1876 | Clackamas | D | Also location of the New Era Spiritual Camp. | [106] | |
Nolin | 1860s | Umatilla | D | Originally named Happy Canyon. | [107] | |
Nonpareil | 1882 | Douglas | D | [108] | ||
Orleans | 1850 | Linn | A | Significantly damaged in the Great Flood of 1862. | [109] | |
Ordnance | 1943 | Umatilla | B | [110] | ||
Orodell | 1867 | Union | A | [111] | ||
Ortley | 1911 | Wasco | A | [112] | ||
Paisley | 1873 | Lake | E | [113] | ||
Persist | 1902 | Jackson | Unknown | [114] | ||
Pinehurst | 1878 | Jackson | D | Public school still operating as of 2017. | [115] [116] | |
Pittsburg | 1879 | Columbia | D | [117] | ||
Placer | 1885 | Josephine | D | [118] | ||
Pocahontas | 1862 | Baker | A | [119] | ||
Pondosa | 1927 | Union | D | [120] | ||
Richmond | 1899 | Wheeler | B | [121] | ||
Robinette | 1898 | Baker | A | Inundated by Brownlee Reservoir in 1958. | [122] | |
Rock Point | 1852 | Jackson | C | Original tavern (est. 1864) restored by Del Rio Vineyards in 2001. | [123] [124] | |
Rosebush | Sherman | A | [51] | |||
Rutledge | 1884 | Sherman | A | [51] | ||
Saint Joseph | 1872 | Yamhill | D | [125] | ||
Sanger | 1871 | Baker | D | Originally named Augusta; renamed Sanger in 1887. | [126] | |
Scottsburg | 1850 | Douglas | D | Population significantly declined after Great Flood of 1862. | [127] | |
Shaniko | 1901 | Wasco | D | [128] | ||
Shelburn | 1850 (c.) | Linn | D | [129] | ||
Sherar's Bridge | 1860 | Sherman | A | [130] | ||
Southport | 1875 (c.) | Coos | A | [131] | ||
Sparta | 1872 | Baker | B | [132] | ||
Sterlingville | 1854 | Jackson | A | [133] [134] | ||
Sumpter | 1889 | Baker | E | [135] | ||
Susanville | 1864 | Grant | B | [136] | ||
Thatcher | 1895 | Washington | D | [137] | ||
Thornberry | 1916 | Sherman | A | [51] [138] | ||
Tiller | 1902 | Douglas | C | Sold in 2018 to be converted into a resort. | [139] | |
Valsetz | 1919 | Polk | A | [140] | ||
Waldo | 1852 | Josephine | A | [141] | ||
Wendling | 1899 | Lane | A | [142] [143] | ||
Westfall | 1870 | Malheur | B | Originally named Bully. | [144] [145] | |
Whitney | 1900 | Baker | C | [146] | ||
Yaquina | 1887 | Lincoln | A | [147] [148] | ||
Zena | 1858 | Polk | C | [149] | ||
Zumwalt | 1903 | Wallowa | B | [150] | ||
Whitney is an unincorporated community, also considered a ghost town, in Baker County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 7 southwest of Sumpter. It is on the North Fork Burnt River, near the Blue Mountains and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
Carpenterville is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the former alignment of U.S. Route 101 known as the Roosevelt Highway, about 16 miles north of Brookings. Carpenterville was the highest point on the former main coastal highway and the area is known for its views.
Ashwood is a ghost town in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States, 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Madras.
Austin is an unincorporated community, considered a ghost town, in Grant County, Oregon, United States. It is located north of Oregon Route 7, near the Middle Fork John Day River in the Malheur National Forest.
Auburn was an unincorporated community in rural Baker County, Oregon, United States, now considered a ghost town. Auburn lies off Oregon Route 7 southwest of Baker City and east of McEwen on the edge of the Blue Mountains.
Susanville is an unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon, United States, in the Blue Mountains about two miles up Elk Creek from Galena. The place was started as a gold mining camp in 1862 or 1864 and is now considered a ghost town.
Lancaster is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located about two miles south of Harrisburg and two miles north of Junction City, on Oregon Route 99E near the Willamette River.
Prosper is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It is about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Bandon next to the Coquille River. There is no longer a town at the site.
Drew is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. It is located about six miles south of Tiller and 21 miles north of Trail on Oregon Route 227, surrounded by the Umpqua National Forest.
Cherryville is an unincorporated community and former town in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, founded in 1884. It is located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Sandy on U.S. Route 26, near the route of the Barlow Road.
Hamlet is an unincorporated community in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. It is located approximately six miles southeast of Necanicum, in the Northern Oregon Coast Range near the confluence of the North Fork Nehalem River and the Little North Fork Nehalem River. It is surrounded by units of the Clatsop State Forest.
Holland is an unincorporated community in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. It is about eight miles southeast of Cave Junction, in the Illinois Valley south of Oregon Route 46.
Vaughn is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Noti in the foothills of the Central Oregon Coast Range near Noti Creek. Author Ralph Friedman described Vaughn as "a mill in the meadows".
Clifton is an unincorporated community in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. It is located north of U.S. Route 30, about nine miles northwest of Westport on the south bank of the Columbia River. It is on Clifton Channel across from Tenasillahe Island.
Randolph is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States, founded as a "black sand" gold mining boomtown in the 1850s. Although it is considered a ghost town because there are no significant structures left at the site, the USGS classifies Randolph as a populated place. It is on the north bank the Coquille River about 7 miles (11 km) north of Bandon and about 3 miles east of the Pacific Ocean.
Hobsonville is an unincorporated community in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. Although it is considered a ghost town, it is still classified as a populated place by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Hobsonville is on the east shore of Tillamook Bay, about 2 miles south of Garibaldi via U.S. Route 101 or about a mile from Garibaldi across Miami Cove.
Fargher is a former community in Sherman County, Oregon, United States. It was founded by Arthur W. Fargher, a native of the Isle of Man, who arrived in Oregon in 1878. The community's rail station was located near the Sherars Bridge. It is contemporarily considered a ghost town.
Gorman is a former community in Sherman County, Oregon, United States, established in 1892. Its post office opened August 25, 1892, and operated for eight years before closing in 1900. Gorman is contemporarily considered a ghost town.
Miller is a former community in Sherman County, Oregon, United States, established circa 1860. It was named for Thomas Jefferson Miller, a settler of the area, also for which Miller Island on the Columbia River takes its name. Miller is contemporarily considered a ghost town.