The interesting thing about going on a self guided ghost town hunt is that it is more like searching for abandoned history, and Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state. Now some might say it is a product of people leaving the state or moving to urban areas, but there are ghost towns right in the midst of the suburbs! I prefer to think of it as a state that values its place in the history of the United States and the westward expansion.
Pioneers made their way to Oregon by covered wagons not long after Lewis & Clark explored the area in 1805, By 1843 the first settlers started arriving via the Oregon Trail, and the rest is history. Well, it is kind of a living history because of the ghosts that remain and the people of Oregon that value the history.
There are well over 50 towns that are either completely vacant or have very few residents, and even the Internet resources do not cover or know about all of them. I know this because I have stumbled on several that were not on anyone's list. Long forgotten settler towns, stagecoach stops, and even lumber towns abound. I have only ventured to or uncovered about 8 so far so I have only barely scratched the surface, but one of the creepiest I have been to is Cornucopia in Baker County.
Cornucopia was a mining town that happened to have one of the richest deposits in U.S. history although this town is long forgotten. Many buildings remain, but as I arrived in May, I could only make it as far as the bunkhouse before I was forced to turn around due to snow. Yes...it is that high in elevation! It might not be as scary or creepy with other people around, but I was the only soul for about 10 miles. At one point I had visions of getting stuck up there with no one to find me until my long decayed body was discovered sometime in summer by a wandering local or tourist. Having said that, I was NOT going back without something to show for it so I was able to make it to the bunkhouse (picture on Ghost Town Page under the Places tab) and get a few shots, yet I couldn't help but feel someone was watching me. Now, I have never seen a ghost, and I am not sure I even believe in them, but something gave me the chills and that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. No, it was not the lunch I had stopped for earlier in the day either. Being a dedicated photographer, however, I took a deep breath, got a couple of photographs, and got the heck out!
Some of the places you will see in the Ghost Town section here are right in the middle of suburban areas. Many of those are now on private property and lovingly kept alive by residents. Places like the Kinton Schoolhouse or the Farmington View Schoolhouse stand smack in the middle of busy suburban areas that were long ago swallowed by nearby towns, yet these little nuggets of history still remain to remind us of those that came before us.
Pioneers made their way to Oregon by covered wagons not long after Lewis & Clark explored the area in 1805, By 1843 the first settlers started arriving via the Oregon Trail, and the rest is history. Well, it is kind of a living history because of the ghosts that remain and the people of Oregon that value the history.
There are well over 50 towns that are either completely vacant or have very few residents, and even the Internet resources do not cover or know about all of them. I know this because I have stumbled on several that were not on anyone's list. Long forgotten settler towns, stagecoach stops, and even lumber towns abound. I have only ventured to or uncovered about 8 so far so I have only barely scratched the surface, but one of the creepiest I have been to is Cornucopia in Baker County.
Cornucopia was a mining town that happened to have one of the richest deposits in U.S. history although this town is long forgotten. Many buildings remain, but as I arrived in May, I could only make it as far as the bunkhouse before I was forced to turn around due to snow. Yes...it is that high in elevation! It might not be as scary or creepy with other people around, but I was the only soul for about 10 miles. At one point I had visions of getting stuck up there with no one to find me until my long decayed body was discovered sometime in summer by a wandering local or tourist. Having said that, I was NOT going back without something to show for it so I was able to make it to the bunkhouse (picture on Ghost Town Page under the Places tab) and get a few shots, yet I couldn't help but feel someone was watching me. Now, I have never seen a ghost, and I am not sure I even believe in them, but something gave me the chills and that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. No, it was not the lunch I had stopped for earlier in the day either. Being a dedicated photographer, however, I took a deep breath, got a couple of photographs, and got the heck out!
Some of the places you will see in the Ghost Town section here are right in the middle of suburban areas. Many of those are now on private property and lovingly kept alive by residents. Places like the Kinton Schoolhouse or the Farmington View Schoolhouse stand smack in the middle of busy suburban areas that were long ago swallowed by nearby towns, yet these little nuggets of history still remain to remind us of those that came before us.
RSS Feed
