Old Buildings

Oregon is an interesting state for ghosttowners. It was the end of the trail for the Oregon Trail and thousands of emigrants who headed west beginning in the early 1840s, in search of arable land and freedom. What they discovered were rich river valleys, rain, green trees, rain, salmon-filled rivers and rain. Did I mention rain?

That same rain causes trees to grow huge, and it didn't take long for the logging industry to take off. Military posts developed to protect the mouth of the Columbia River, and fishing villages multiplied along the length of the river. Farming communities grew up in the outback (east of the Cascades), and two rich pockets of gold mining contributed hundreds of mining camps to the civilization of the state.

Railroads were built, and removed; their construction camps, stations, and whistle stops becoming memories as modern diesel locomotives supplanted the old steamers, and their need for watering stops. Winding highways were replaced by freeways: the little Ma 'n Pa Corners with their ever-present post office, store and gas station became rubbled sites.

Oregon is no different than any other state when it comes to ghost towns. The state has well over a thousand locations that can be considered. Unfortunately that same rain mentioned earlier, and the effusive growth of greenery has made it difficult to find many of the old sites, especially in the more humid western half of the state.

Eastern Oregon is more typical of the western states with low humidity, desert, and pine-clad mountains. The variations of Oregon's geography and weather patterns make for a very unique state, and a wide variety of ghost towns to choose from. Come with us as we explore a few locations in the Pacific Wonderland known today as Oregon.