Ghost Towns Of Utah That Are Easy To Get To

The Beehive State is full if history.  And it is the numerous ghost towns in this state that  tell the stories of old. Many born out of necessity of protection and others a testament to the hopes and dreams to become prosperous with the discovery of gold and silver and other precious metals, and materials like iron.

Abundant Abandoned

According to ksl.com there is 195 known and recorded ghost towns in Utah.  With a majority of these abandoned settlements located in the states northern counties,  there is something to see just about everywhere you go north, south, east, or west.

And for many like myself that have a fascination with old things and the story behind them, ghost towns offer a unique look into the past.  And not all ghost towns are completely abandoned. Some are still around or at least have new settlements build nearby.  Some now are little more than a single grave marker to show where the site was.

Right Off The Highway

As I was looking into this, I was surprised to see that many of these sites are easy to get to.  So for people like me that have mobility issues and a desire to visit these historical sites here is a very short list of ghost towns in Utah that you can get to by vehicle.

Old Iron Town

located about 15 miles west of Cedar City, Iron Town was founded by Mormon pioneers in 1868,  This was meant to be the new center of iron mining in southern Utah ten years after the mining operation in Cedar City had failed. But due to the money panic of 1874 and lack of suitable transportation the Iron operation there was closed in 1877. Now the only remnants left are a Spanish Erastra, old furnaces, and a Charcoal Kiln.

Grafton

One of the most famous of Utah's ghost towns, Grafton  is located about 15 miles east of Hurricane just off Interstate 9.  Featured in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the brick school house is the most recognizable structure left in this town. Originally settled a mile downstream from its current location in 1959  a flood completely wash away the first settlement in 1862.  Today only about 3 families still live there.

Park City

Although not technically a ghost town because is boast a population of about 7500, Park City maintains many of the old mines that made the city big enough to rival Salt Lake City in 1880 as the prime city in Utah.  It was almost abandoned when mining operations dug down to the water table and the mines started to flood.  Park City was saved when the mine owners joined together to create drainage canals to drain the mines.

There are so many more stories and sites like these.  You can find out more information or even report a newly discovered ghost town at ghosttowns.com