Ghost Towns of America

Bannack, Montana by Kathy Alexander

Bannack, Montana by Kathy Alexander

Produced by Kathy Alexander. All images available for photo prints & commercial downloads HERE!

Ghost Town Categories & Articles
Quarai Church, New Mexico by the National Park Service

Quarai Church, New Mexico by the National Park Service.

Ancient Cities of Native Americans

What is a Ghost Town?

Cemeteries – Outdoor Museums of the Forgotten Past

Emerging Ghost Towns of the Plains

Forts Across the American West

Ghost Town Code of Ethics

Ghost Town Photo Gallery

Ghost Towns In The East

Ghost Towns Facebook Page

Ghost Towns Reveal Hidden Tales of Old West

Route 66 Ghost Towns

The Sadness of Old Buildings

Stay Out of That Old Mine!

The past belongs to the future…
but only the present
  can preserve it.
— Unknown

 

Elkhorn, Montana Buildings

Elkhorn, Montana Buildings by Kathy Alexander.

THIS OLD TOWN

I was born here.
In a long-ago land of shadows and muted sounds
I brushed against the pages of my days,
Partially separated the shadows and sounds.
The world was hot and cold against my cheeks

Within these small structured walls, I learned
While my fancies found wings
And sailed far beyond these walls.

I worshipped here.
The soaring sounds touched God
And He made me a sinner.

I loved here,
And became immortal
For a moment.

Gascoyne, North Dakota School

Gascoyne, North Dakota School by Kathy Alexander.

I heard the music of life
And I carried the music within me.

In the melted minutes of larger shadows and louder sounds
I sweat cold sweat
I smelled the odors of life
Tasted dirt
Felt pain
And slowly died.

I was buried here
Under the cold clay of a faraway field.
A few unheard words gave my entire life meaning.
Stirring my silent screams even more than before.

The town is gone now
And the treasure of my life is spent
Upon the night winds and the weeds,
And on eternity.

—  Perry Eberhart, Ghosts of the Colorado Plains, Swallow Press Books, Athens, Ohio, 1986.

See our Ghost Town Photo Galleries HERE

© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022.

Also See:

The American West

Destinations of America

Forts & Presidios

Lost Landmarks & Vanished Sites