List of ghost towns in Kansas facts for kids

Map of the United States with Kansas highlighted

Have you ever heard of a ghost town? It's a place where almost everyone has left, leaving behind empty buildings and quiet streets. Kansas has many of these forgotten towns. This article will tell you why towns become ghost towns and list some of them.

Why Towns Become Ghost Towns
List of Kansas Ghost Towns
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Why Towns Become Ghost Towns

Towns become empty for many reasons. Imagine a town that was once busy, full of people and shops. Then, something big changes, and everyone starts to leave. Here are some common reasons:

Changes in Travel and Roads

Long ago, people traveled on trails like the Oregon Trail and Santa Fe Trail. Towns grew quickly along these paths. Later, railroads became important, and towns popped up along the tracks. If a town wasn't near a new railroad, it might slowly disappear. Today, big highways and interstates let people drive farther. This means small local shops lose customers to bigger stores in larger cities. When businesses close, people often move away.

Political Decisions and Rivalries

Kansas had a tough political past. Some towns supported slavery, while others wanted Kansas to be a free state. When Kansas became a free state in 1861, many pro-slavery towns faded away. Also, towns often fought to become the county seat. The county seat is like the main town, where the government offices are. If a town lost this important title, it often meant its end.

Lack of Jobs

Many towns grew because of one main job, like coal mining or military bases. These were "boom towns" that grew very fast. But when the mines closed or the military base shut down, there were no jobs left. Everyone had to move to find work. The 1930s Dust Bowl also caused many farming towns to become empty. The land became too dry to grow crops, so people had to leave.

Building Dams and Flood Control

Sometimes, the government needs to build dams to stop floods. Since 1951, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has built many dams in Kansas. When a dam is built, the area behind it fills with water, creating a lake. If a town is in that area, it has to be moved or completely taken down.

Pollution and Unsafe Land

Some towns become unsafe to live in because of pollution. For example, in places where lead and zinc were mined, the soil can become very dirty and dangerous. This kind of pollution can make an entire town uninhabitable, meaning people can't live there safely anymore. Treece is an example of a town affected by this.

List of Kansas Ghost Towns

Kansas has many ghost towns that are no longer official cities or communities. Here are a few examples from different counties. This is just a small peek at the many places that once thrived but are now mostly forgotten.

Allen County

Cofachique
Octagon City

Butler County

Cherokee County

Treece

Douglas County

Finney County

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Cofachique, Kansas

Cofachique
Octagon City, Kansas

Octagon City
Hyattville, Kansas

Hyattville
Mount Pleasant, Kansas

Mount Pleasant
Pardee, Kansas

Pardee
Oil Hill, Kansas

Oil Hill
Plum Grove, Kansas

Plum Grove
Wingate, Kansas

Wingate
Elk, Kansas

Elk
Ellinor, Kansas

Ellinor
Homestead, Kansas

Homestead
Hymer, Kansas

Hymer
Thurman, Kansas

Thurman
Treece, Kansas

Treece
Calhoun

Calhoun
Jaqua, Kansas

Jaqua
Lawnridge, Kansas

Lawnridge
Marney

Marney
Orlando, Kansas

Orlando
Lexington, Kansas

Lexington
Broughton, Kansas

Broughton
Browndale, Kansas

Browndale
Como

Como
Macyville, Kansas

Macyville
Sibley, Kansas

Sibley
Yuma, Kansas

Yuma
Floral, Kansas

Floral
Wilmot, Kansas

Wilmot
Bassetville, Kansas

Bassetville
Decatur, Kansas

Decatur
Hawkeye, Kansas

Hawkeye
Hooker, Kansas

Hooker
Jackson, Kansas

Jackson
Lund, Kansas

Lund
Sheffield, Kansas

Sheffield
Shibboleth, Kansas

Shibboleth
Stephen, Kansas

Stephen
Vallonia, Kansas

Vallonia
Geary, Kansas

Geary
Belvoir, Kansas

Belvoir
Franklin, Douglas County, Kansas

Franklin
Lapeer, Kansas

Lapeer
Louisiana, Kansas

Louisiana
Media, Kansas

Media
Prairie City, Kansas

Prairie City
Twin Mound, Kansas

Twin Mound
Weaver, Kansas

Weaver
Cave Springs, Kansas

Cave Springs
Fiat, Kansas

Fiat
Upola, Kansas

Upola
Chetolah, Kansas

Chetolah
Easdale, Kansas

Easdale
Hog Back, Kansas

Hog Back
Mendota, Kansas

Mendota
Rome, Ellis County, Kansas

Rome
Smoky Hill City, Kansas

Smoky Hill City
Stockrange, Kansas

Stockrange
Turkville, Kansas

Turkville
Terra Cotta, Kansas

Terra Cotta
Eminence, Kansas

Eminence
Ravanna, Kansas

Ravanna
Appanoose, Kansas

Appanoose
Forrest Home, Kansas

Forrest Home
Garlington, Kansas

Garlington
Greenwood, Kansas

Greenwood
Minneola, Franklin County, Kansas

Minneola
Norwood, Kansas

Norwood
Ohio City, Kansas

Ohio City
Pleasant Hill, Kansas

Pleasant Hill
Silkville, Kansas

Silkville
Alida, Kansas

Alida
Pawnee, Kansas

Pawnee
Alanthus, Kansas

Alanthus
Hackberry, Kansas

Hackberry
Jerome, Kansas

Jerome
Fargo, Kansas

Fargo
Happy, Kansas

Happy
Houston, Kansas

Houston
Kebar, Kansas

Kebar
Millbrook, Kansas

Millbrook
Olean, Kansas

Olean
Roscoe, Kansas

Roscoe
Togo, Kansas

Togo
Turnerville, Kansas

Turnerville
Whitfield, Kansas

Whitfield
Wild Horse, Kansas

Wild Horse
Astor, Kansas

Astor
Teterville, Kansas

Teterville
Thrall, Kansas

Thrall
Utopia, Kansas

Utopia
Albion, Kansas

Albion
Annelly, Kansas

Annelly
Santa Fe, Kansas

Santa Fe
Dentonia, Kansas

Dentonia
Mortimer, Kansas

Mortimer
Delaware City, Kansas

Delaware City
Bacon, Kansas

Bacon
Bayne, Lincoln County, Kansas

Bayne
Cedron, Kansas

Cedron
Herman, Kansas

Herman
Lone Walnut, Kansas

Lone Walnut
Milo, Kansas

Milo
Monroe, Kansas

Monroe
Orbitello, Kansas

Orbitello
Orworth, Kansas

Orworth
Paris, Kansas

Paris
Pinon, Kansas

Pinon
Pleasant Valley, Lincoln County, Kansas

Pleasant Valley
Pottersburg, Kansas

Pottersburg
Rosette, Kansas

Rosette
Topsy, Kansas

Topsy
Towerspring, Kansas

Towerspring
Union Valley, Kansas

Union Valley
Woodey, Kansas

Woodey
Yorktown, Kansas

Yorktown
Hail Ridge, Kansas

Hail Ridge
McAllaster, Kansas

McAllaster
Sheridan, Logan County, Kansas

Sheridan
Elk, Kansas

Elk
Gnadenau, Kansas

Gnadenau
Hampson, Kansas

Hampson
Oursler, Kansas

Oursler
Waldeck, Kansas

Waldeck
Watchorn, Kansas

Watchorn
Bigelow, Kansas

Bigelow
Irving, Kansas

Irving
Blue Hill, Kansas

Blue Hill
Buel, Kansas

Buel
Coursens Grove, Kansas

Coursens Grove
Elmira, Kansas

Elmira
Saltville, Kansas

Saltville
Victor, Kansas

Victor
Walnut Grove, Kansas

Walnut Grove
West Asher, Kansas

West Asher
Le Hunt, Kansas

Le Hunt
Comiskey, Kansas

Comiskey
Ladore, Kansas

Ladore
Bower, Kansas

Bower
Brett, Kansas

Brett
Cactus, Kansas

Cactus
Devizes, Kansas

Devizes
Fairhaven, Kansas

Fairhaven
Hanback, Kansas

Hanback
Hedgewood, Kansas

Hedgewood
Rayville, Kansas

Rayville
Rockwell, Kansas

Rockwell
Smithton, Kansas

Smithton
Wakeman, Kansas

Wakeman
Banks, Kansas

Banks
Bristow, Kansas

Bristow
Cheyenne, Kansas

Cheyenne
Delhi, Kansas

Delhi
Deliverance, Kansas

Deliverance
Dial, Kansas

Dial
Bristow, Kansas

Emley
Forney, Kansas

Forney
Free Will, Kansas

Free Will
Handy, Kansas

Handy
Deliverance, Kansas

Pleasant Plain
Potterville, Kansas

Potterville
Roundmound, Kansas

Roundmound
Twin Creek, Kansas

Twin Creek
Vincent, Kansas

Vincent
Yoxall, Kansas

Yoxall
Vine Creek, Kansas

Vine Creek
Crow, Kansas

Crow
Dickeyville, Kansas

Dickeyville
Goode, Kansas

Goode
Jimtown, Kansas

Jimtown
Luctor, Kansas

Luctor
Matteson, Kansas

Matteson
Myrtle, Kansas

Myrtle
Pleasant Green, Kansas

Pleasant Green
Powell, Kansas

Powell
Wagnerville, Kansas

Wagnerville
West Cedar, Kansas

West Cedar
Achilles, Kansas

Achilles
Beardsley, Kansas

Beardsley
Beaverton, Kansas

Beaverton
Burntwood, Kansas

Burntwood
Celia, Kansas

Celia
Chardon, Kansas

Chardon
Gladstone, Kansas

Gladstone
Greshamton, Kansas

Greshamton
Mirage, Kansas

Mirage
Rawlins, Kansas

Rawlins
Rotate, Kansas

Rotate
Kent, Kansas

Kent
Sherdahl, Kansas

Sherdahl
White Rock, Kansas

White Rock
Crawford, Kansas

Crawford
Galt, Kansas

Galt
Adamson, Kansas

Adamson
Alcona, Kansas

Alcona
Amboy, Kansas

Amboy
Chandler, Kansas

Chandler
Cresson, Kansas

Cresson
Earnest, Kansas

Earnest
Frankton, Kansas

Frankton
Gould City, Kansas

Gould City
Highhill, Kansas

Highhill
Hoskins, Kansas

Hoskins
Igo, Kansas

Igo
Laton, Kansas

Laton
McHale, Kansas

McHale
Motor, Kansas

Motor
Nyra, Kansas

Nyra
Portage, Kansas

Portage
Slate, Kansas

Slate
Sugarloaf, Kansas

Sugarloaf
Survey, Kansas

Survey
Rockport, Kansas

Rockport
Belfield, Kansas

Belfield
Brookdale, Kansas

Brookdale
Fenton, Kansas

Fenton
Flavius, Kansas

Flavius
Hampton, Kansas

Hampton
Hutton, Kansas

Hutton
Lippard, Kansas

Lippard
Olney, Kansas

Olney
Pioneer, Kansas

Pioneer
Ryan, Kansas

Ryan
Saunders, Kansas

Saunders
West Point, Kansas

West Point
Bayne, Russell County, Kansas

Bayne
Blue Stem, Kansas

Blue Stem
East Wolf, Kansas

East Wolf
Fay, Kansas

Fay
Forest Hill, Kansas

Forest Hill
Greenvale, Kansas

Greenvale
Hawley, Kansas

Hawley
Jack, Kansas

Jack
Kennebec, Kansas

Kennebec
Success, Kansas

Success
Winterset, Kansas

Winterset
Woodville, Kansas

Woodville
Arkalon, Kansas

Arkalon
Richland, Kansas

Richland
Adell, Kansas

Adell
Alcyone, Kansas

Alcyone
Chicago, Kansas

Chicago
Lucerne, Kansas

Lucerne
Museum, Kansas

Museum
Mystic, Kansas

Mystic
Phelps, Kansas

Phelps
Sheridan, Kansas

Sheridan
Ute, Kansas

Ute
Violenta, Kansas

Violenta
Cora, Kansas

Cora
Anderson, Kansas

Anderson
Clifford, Kansas

Clifford
Corvallis, Kansas

Corvallis
Covington, Kansas

Covington
Crystal Plains, Kansas

Crystal Plains
Custer, Kansas

Custer
Germantown, Kansas

Germantown
Hardilee, Kansas

Hardilee
Jacksonburg, Kansas

Jacksonburg
Judson, Kansas

Judson
Ohio, Kansas

Ohio
Troublesome, Kansas

Troublesome
Twelve Mile, Kansas

Twelve Mile
Tyner, Kansas

Tyner
Uhl, Kansas

Uhl
Woodsdale, Kansas

Woodsdale
Bushnell, Kansas

Bushnell
Cleardale, Kansas

Cleardale
Doster, Kansas

Doster
Ewell, Kansas

Ewell
Metcalf, Kansas

Metcalf
Roland, Kansas

Roland
Sumner City, Kansas

Sumner City
Copeland, Thomas County, Kansas

Copeland
Cumberland, Kansas

Cumberland
Kuka, Kansas

Kuka
Otterbourne, Kansas

Otterbourne
Quickville, Kansas

Quickville
Banner, Kansas

Banner
Bosna, Kansas

Bosna
Cyrus, Kansas

Cyrus
Wilcox, Kansas

Wilcox
Vera, Kansas

Vera
Strawberry, Kansas

Strawberry
Farmer City, Kansas

Farmer City