The Wild West was a land of rugged beauty, wilderness, and adventure. Stretching across vast deserts, towering mountains, and the endless plains, it was a place where fortunes were made, and lives were lost in the blink of an eye. But beyond the notorious shootouts and iconic outlaws, there were forgotten towns. These places once echoed with the sounds of saloons, stagecoaches, and the laughter of miners. These old towns, now little more than ghosts of their former selves, stand as silent witnesses to a bygone era. Whether they thrived with gold rushes, were abandoned overnight, or simply faded away with time, these towns offer a glimpse into the untold history of America’s frontier days. Here are 15 photos of old towns from the Wild West.
1. Eureka, Colorado, 1900.
Those four look like they’re on a mission.
2. Cripple Creek Colorado, 1893.
These people are working on a hillside mine.
3. Dodge City, 1878.
As you can see, shootouts weren’t as common as you’d think. Firearms weren’t even allowed in this town.
4. This small homestead is just outside of Salem, Oregon.
Evidently, everything was taken down and it’s all farmland now.
5. Tombstone Arizona, 1881.
If you zoom in you can see a wagon being pulled by 15 mules.
6. Wickes Montana, 1886.
I’d like to try out a restaurant in the 1880s.
7. Creede Colorado, 1892.
Creede was the last silver boom town in Colorado.
8. Deadwood South Dakota, 1870s.
As you can see, this was one of the more populated towns of the decade.
9. A stagecoach crossing a bridge in Silverton Colorado, 1890.
Let’s just say I wouldn’t trust the structural soundness of that bridge.
10. Colorado Springs Colorado in the late 1870s.
This place almost looks like a ghost town.
11. This man rode an elk through Sheridan Wyoming.
To say the least, things were different in the Wild West.
12. Main Street in Tombstone Arizona, 1880s.
Wide streets make for easy U-turns.
13. Part of Las Vegas Nevada, 1895.
Today this area is covered in asphalt.
14. Old Flagstaff Arizona, 1883.
Check out how tiny that hotel is.
15. The first house that was built on the present site of Dodge City, Kansas.
In houses like this, they had cloth ceilings to prevent dirt from falling on them all day.
