Explore the Map
Interactive map of Texas’s mapped ghost-town sites. Click a marker for details.
A Short History of Texas’s Ghost Towns
Texas is vast enough that its ghost towns span nearly every kind of boom and bust the frontier produced — railroad stops that dried up when the line moved, farming colonies abandoned to drought, and mining camps that flared briefly in the desert. Terlingua, in the Big Bend country near the Mexican border, is the state’s most striking example. It grew up around cinnabar, the ore of mercury, and at its height the district produced a large share of the nation’s quicksilver, drawing hundreds of miners and their families to a raw settlement of adobe and stone. When mercury prices collapsed after World War II and the richest ore played out, the Chisos Mining Company shut down in 1946 and the town emptied almost overnight, leaving ruins scattered across the creosote flats.
Getting There & Access
Terlingua sits along Highway 170 between the towns of Study Butte and Lajitas, a short drive from the western entrance to Big Bend National Park. The ghost-town ruins, cemetery, and restored buildings are open to visitors year-round, and a small living community of residents, cafes, and outfitters has grown up alongside the old townsite. This is genuinely remote desert: the nearest full services are hours away, summer heat is severe, and distances between fuel stops are long. Carry far more water than you think you need, keep a full tank, check road conditions before venturing onto backcountry routes, and plan visits for the cooler months or the early morning when the light on the Chisos Mountains is at its best.
Public Land & Responsible Visiting
Much of the Big Bend region is protected as national park and state park land, while the Terlingua townsite itself mixes private ownership with historic structures that remain in active use. The old Terlingua cemetery is still a working burial ground and a place of remembrance, so treat it with quiet respect. Do not enter fenced ruins or unstable mine shafts — abandoned mercury workings are especially hazardous and best appreciated from a distance. Leave artifacts, ore samples, and building materials exactly where they lie; collecting on park land is prohibited and stripping the townsite erodes the history others come to see. Pack out all trash, stay on established roads and paths, and support the small local businesses that keep this corner of West Texas alive.