Ghost Towns of Wyoming
Wyoming’s ghost towns followed the transcontinental railroad across the high desert, from helper-engine depots to the charcoal camps that fueled them.
South Pass City
An 1867 gold rush boomtown on the Continental Divide and the birthplace of equal suffrage, where Esther Hobart Morris became the nation’s first female judge.
Piedmont Ghost Town
A Union Pacific railroad and charcoal-kiln town whose well-preserved 1869 limestone kilns still stand along the transcontinental route.
A Short History of Wyoming’s Ghost Towns
Wyoming’s ghost towns rose from gold strikes and the transcontinental railroad, two forces that briefly filled its high plains and mountains with people before moving on. South Pass City, near the historic emigrant crossing of the Continental Divide, boomed after an 1867 gold discovery and grew into a lively camp of miners, merchants, and saloons. It earned a lasting place in history in 1869, when the territorial legislature passed the first law granting women the vote, and a South Pass City resident soon became one of the first women to serve as a justice of the peace. Piedmont, farther southwest, was a railroad and charcoal-kiln town tied to the early Union Pacific line, remembered for its beehive-shaped kilns and a brush with outlaw legend. Both faded as their reasons for existing disappeared.
Getting There & Access
South Pass City is preserved as a state historic site and reached by a paved then graded road off the highway between Lander and Farson; its restored buildings are open seasonally, typically from late spring through early fall. Piedmont is more remote, approached by unpaved county and ranch roads where its charcoal kilns still stand; these roads can be rough, muddy when wet, and are best driven with good clearance. This is open, wind-scoured high country with long distances between services, so carry water, fuel, and warm layers even in summer, and check road and site-season conditions before you go. Winter snow closes or complicates access to both.
Public Land & Responsible Visiting
South Pass City’s buildings and artifacts are protected within a state historic site, so enter only where permitted, pay any posted fees, and leave everything in place. Piedmont’s kilns sit amid a mix of public and private ranch land; respect fences and gates, close any you open, and do not disturb the fragile masonry. Across Wyoming, much of the backcountry is Bureau of Land Management land where collecting historic artifacts is prohibited and abandoned mine openings pose a real danger — stay out of shafts and adits. Pack out all trash, drive only on existing roads to protect the thin high-desert vegetation, and give any livestock and wildlife a wide berth so these windswept sites endure.
Explore the Map
Interactive map of Wyoming’s mapped ghost-town sites. Click a marker for details.