List of ghost towns in Idaho facts for kids

Have you ever heard of a place that used to be full of people and busy with life, but now it's mostly empty? These places are called ghost towns, and Idaho has many of them! A ghost town is like a forgotten village, town, or city where most people have left, but you can still see buildings and signs of what it once was. Towns often become ghost towns when the main reason people lived there, like a mine or a factory, stops working. Sometimes, natural disasters like floods, or even government decisions, can make everyone leave.

What Makes a Ghost Town?

Ghost towns aren't all the same. Experts often group them into different types based on how much is left of the original town.

Barren Site

Imagine a town that has almost completely disappeared! A barren site means there's hardly anything left to see.

• The town might have been destroyed.
• It could be covered by water, like a lake.
• Sometimes, the land has turned back into open fields or forests.
• You might only find a few old foundations or bits of rubble if you look very closely.

Neglected Site

A neglected site still has some clues about its past, but it's clearly abandoned.

• You might see piles of rubble where buildings once stood.
• Many buildings might be standing, but their roofs are gone.
• Even if houses are still there, most of them are empty and falling apart.

Despite multiple reconstruction attempts, Burgdorf is still abandoned.

Abandoned Site

This type of ghost town has more buildings still standing, making it easier to imagine what it was like.

• Most buildings and houses are still standing.
• All the buildings are empty and abandoned.
• No one lives there, except maybe a caretaker.
• Sometimes, only one or two buildings remain, like an old church or a general store.

Burke had 15 residents in 1990.

Semi-Abandoned Site

A semi-abandoned town is a mix of old and new. It's a ghost town that still has a few people living in it.

• Many buildings and houses are still standing.
• A lot of buildings are abandoned and empty.
• However, a small number of people still live there.

Bayhorse is owned and preserved by the state.

Historic Community

A historic community is a town that was once much bigger and busier, but its population has shrunk a lot.

• Buildings and houses are still standing.
• It's still an active community, but much smaller than in its busiest years.
• The number of people living there has dropped dramatically, sometimes to one-fifth or less of its original size.

Famous Idaho Ghost Towns

Idaho is home to many interesting ghost towns, each with its own story. Here are some of them:

Images for kids

• 

  Burke in 1888

• 

  The former hotel in Burgdorf

• 

  Silver City in 1892

• 

  A preserved cabin in Chesterfield

See also

• List of counties in Idaho