# List of ghost towns in Oregon

According to several historians, the U.S. state of Oregon contains over 200 ghost towns. Professor and historian Stephen Arndt has counted a total of 256 ghost towns in the state, some well known, others "really obscure." The high number of ghost towns and former communities in the state is largely due to its frontier history and the influx of pioneers who emerged in the area during the 19th century. Many of the ghost towns in Oregon were once mining or lumber camps that were abandoned after their respective industries became unprosperous.
This list includes towns and communities that have been described as ghost towns, and may be abandoned, unpopulated, or have populations that have declined to significantly small numbers; some may still be classified as unincorporated communities. As of 2019, some of the towns included may have small residual populations; others may retain few physical remnants of their existence, but are broadly considered ghost towns under prevailing definitions in the United States.

## Classifications

Many historians and enthusiasts of ghost towns use a classification system to distinguish ghost towns by types. This classification, which breaks towns into numerous different types, was established by photographer Gary Speck, and has been adapted here.
| Class | Distinguishing features |
| A | No apparent remains of former settlement exist. In some cases, site may be marked and/or contain a cemetery. |
| B | Dilapidated buildings and/or remnants of buildings present, along with rubble and debris. |
| C | No population, but structures are still mostly intact; may be actively preserved by a caretaker. |
| D | Area is sparsely populated and may boast period structures (of varied physical condition) and/or a cemetery, but no operative town proper. |
| E | Has retained a small population and historic structures, though typically not as substantive as in its heyday. |
| F | Not a stand-alone classification, but an addition to any of the above. It usually designates a restored town, state park, or indicates some other “additional” status. |

## Towns

| Town | Est. | Disest. | County | Class | Notes |
| Airlie | 1882 | 1927 | Polk | D | The railroad from Airlie north to Monmouth was abandoned in 1927, but the community survived, anchored by a general store and gas station. |
| Ajax | 1888 | 1940s | Gilliam | A | 20 miles Northwest of Condon lies what's left of Ajax, along with its accompanying private use runway. |
| All Hours | Un­known | Un­known | Josephine | A | A gold mining town 4 miles east of Takilma in the Illinois River Valley. |
| Alma | 1880s | Un­known | Lane | A | It was the location of a work camp for the county Department of Corrections in Lane County until 2008. |
| Andrews | 1880 | 1996 | Harney | C | When it burned down in 1996, the community became a ghost town. |
| Anlauf | 1901 | 1946 | Douglas | D | Near modern Curtin. |
| Antelope | 1871 | | Wasco | D | As more Rajneeshees moved to Antelope, more of the town's original residents sold their lots and left. The old-timers panicked, and held a vote to disincorporate. |
| Apiary | 1889 | | Columbia | D | Currently, Apiary Road is a popular freight route for forest products moving from the Northern Oregon Coast Range to markets in Longview, Washington. |
| Ashwood | 1870 (c.) | | Jefferson | C | |
| Auburn | 1861 | 1903 | Baker | A | Site of first gold rush in eastern Oregon. |
| Austin | 1888 | 1950 | Grant | C | |
| Bacona | 1897 | | Washington | A | Four families from Denmark immigrated at the same time and settled in the area. |
| Ballston | 1878 | 1969 | Polk | D | Previously known as “Ballsville”, the name of the post office was changed to Ballston in 1880. |
| Bates | 1917 | 1975 | Grant | A | Named after Paul Chapman Bates |
| Bayocean | 1906 | 1953 | Tillamook | A | Destroyed by coastal erosion; In 1971, the last remaining building (a garage) fell into the ocean. |
| Beaver Hill | 1896 | 1926 | Coos | A | |
| Bethel | 1865 | | Polk | D | The only remaining structure is a school, now serving as a church. |
| Black Rock | 1910 | 1960 | Polk | A | In 1943, Black Rock was incorporated into the U.S. tree farm system. |
| Blaine | 1882 | | Tillamook | D | James G. Blaine. Smith was appointed postmaster in 1882. |
| Blalock | 1879 | 1968 | Gilliam | A | Inundated by the John Day Dam in 1968. |
| Blitzen | 1915 (c.) | 1943 | Harney | B | |
| Bohemia City | 1893 | 1922 | Lane | B | The mining town depended on provisions from Cottage Grove. |
| Boston | 1858 | 1899 | Linn | C-F | Partly resected and subsumed by Shedd in 1899. |
| Bourne | 1895 | | Baker | D | Originally named "Cracker City". |
| Boyd | 1861 | 1955 | Wasco | C | Repurposed as farmland. |
| Bradwood | 1930 | June 25, 1963 | Clatsop | A | on June 25, 1963 the mill & entire town was sold at auction into private hands. A major fire in 1965 destroyed the mill & much of the remaining buildings, and another fire in 1984 took care of what buildings remained. |
| Bridal Veil | 1886 | | Multnomah | D | |
| Brighton | 1912 | 1950s | Tillamook | D | Named for the seaside resort of Brighton, England. It was hoped the place would become a popular vacation spot. |
| Browntown | 1853 | Un­known | Josephine | B | It was located near the mouth of Walker Gulch on Althouse Creek before being moved in 1876. The flat on which the town stood has been long since sluiced away, and no trace of the old townsite remains. |
| Buena Vista | 1850 | | Polk | D | |
| Bull Run | 1893 | | Clackamas | D | Originally named Unavilla. Site of Bull Run Hydroelectric Powerhouse. |
| Buncom | 1851 | | Jackson | C | |
| Burlington | 1855 | 1857 | Linn | A | Burlington post office was established in 1855 and ran until 1857 when it was renamed Peoria and likely moved to the other town |
| Butteville | 1840 | | Marion | D | |
| Cabell City | 1880s | | Grant | B | Mining encampment; also contains cemetery. |
| Cascadia | 1892 | | Linn | C | Originally a stage stop on the Santiam Wagon Road, then a summer resort also known as Cascadia Mineral Springs, Cascadia had a post office established in 1898. |
| Castle Rock | 1881 | 1968 | Morrow | A | In 1968 Lake Umatilla inundated the railroad bed and the adjacent highway. The railroad station was subsequently moved to a higher elevation about a mile south and renamed Castle. |
| Champoeg | 1841 | 1861 | Marion | C-F | Destroyed by the great flood of 1862 |
| Chapman | 1905 | 1990s | Columbia | A-F | Originally the terminus to the Portland & Southwestern Railroad. In 2005, the Port of St. Helens donated the Chapman Landing property for a future trailhead, park, and water connection. |
| Cherryville | 1884 | | Clackamas | D | Remaining cemetery designated local historic site in 2014. |
| Chitwood | 1887 | | Lincoln | D | |
| Chinatown | 1864 | 1940s | Baker | A | In the 1970s, the last of its buildings were torn down. |
| Clarksville | 1862 | 1880s | Baker | A | |
| Clatsop Plains | 1870 | 1910s | Clatsop | F | Clatsop Plains extended from the Skipanon River to Seaside. Eventually, Gearhart came into being and the town was subsumed by it. |
| Clifton | 1874 | | Clatsop | D | |
| Coe | 1889 | 1952 | Marion | B | The original townsite of Detroit (coe) was inundated in 1952 when the Corps of Engineers finished Detroit Dam on the Santiam River. |
| Copper | 1924 | 1980 | Jackson | A | Remaining buildings demolished and/or flooded to make way for Applegate Lake. |
| Copper | 1904 | | Wallowa | B | Now part of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area |
| Copperfield | 1898 | 1927 | Baker | A | |
| Cornucopia | 1884 | | Baker | C | |
| Cross Hollows | 1879 | 1911 | Wasco | B | Thought to be the previous name for Shaniko, August Scherneckau arrived at Cross Hollows from Germany in 1874. |
| Danner | 1863 | | Malheur | D | |
| Dee | 1906 | | Hood River | B | |
| De Moss Springs | 1887 | | Sherman | C | |
| Divide | 1900 | 1909 | Lane | A | |
| Dolph | 1880s | 1960s | Tillamook | A | In 1916–1917, a new public road was built from the Little Nestucca road over Sourgrass Summit to join the old road, Because the new route to the coast was free, there was no longer a need to collect tolls and the town no longer had a reason to exist. |
| Dufur | 1893 | | Wasco | E | |
| Elk City | 1868 | | Lincoln | D | Originally named Newton. |
| Ellendale | 1850 | | Polk | D | |
| Eola | 1844 | | Polk | D | |
| Erskine | 1882 | 1907 | Sherman | A | Also known as Millra. |
| Eureka | 1892 | | Baker | B | |
| Eureka Bar | 1903 | | Wallowa | B | As of 2015, only foundations of buildings remain. |
| Farmington | 1845 | | Washington | D | Was known as Bridgeport for a short time. |
| Fleetwood | 1913 | 1938 | Lake | A | |
| Flora | 1897 | | Wallowa | D | |
| Fort Clatsop | 1804 | | Clatsop | C | |
| Fort Stevens | 1863 | | Clatsop | C | |
| Frankport | 1850s | 1905 | Curry | A | |
| Fremont | 1908 | 1922 | Lake | A | |
| Friend | 1903 | | Wasco | B | |
| Galena | 1865 | | Grant | C | |
| Geiser | 1898 | 1910s | Baker | A | |
| Geneva | 1910 | | Jefferson | B | |
| Glencoe | 1842 | 1910s | Washington | E-F | In 1910, a railroad line to Tillamook was built to the north of Glencoe with much of the community relocating one mile west to the new community of North Plains. Whole buildings were moved to the new town. |
| Golden | 1840 (c.) | | Josephine | C-F | Golden has been a Oregon State Heritage Site since 2011. |
| Grandview | 1910 (c.) | 1930 (c.) | Jefferson | B | |
| Granite | 1867 | | Grant | D | |
| Grant | 1880 | 1894 | Sherman | C | Almost completely abandoned after a flood, This site is currently privately owned. |
| Greenback | 1897 | | Josephine | B | |
| Greenhorn | 1897 | | Baker, Grant | C | |
| Greenville | 1871 | | Washington | D | |
| Hardman | 1881 | | Morrow | D | |
| Hobsonville | 1870s | 1940s | Tillamook | C | By World War II the community was largely defunct, with some portion of the Hobsonville Indian community moving to the town of Garibaldi. |
| Horse Heaven | 1933 | | Jefferson | B | |
| Idiotville | Un­known | | Tillamook | A | |
| Izee | 1889 | | Grant | D | |
| Jawbone Flats | 1931 | | Marion | C | |
| Jennyopolis | 1851 | 1860s | Benton | A | The first murder in Oregons history took place here, it would go on to shape the State of Oregon's legal procedures and laws. |
| Jimtown | 1904 | | Baker | D | |
| Jonesboro | | 1990s | Malheur | A | |
| Keasey | August 5, 1890 | 1955 | Columbia | A | There are no remains of the original community due to the destruction of the Portland, Astoria & Pacific Railroad. |
| Kent | 1887 | | Sherman | D | |
| Kerby | 1884 (c.) | | Josephine | E | |
| Kerry | 1917 | 1940s | Columbia | C | It was founded to extend the Columbia & Nehalem River Railroad. |
| Kernville | 1896 | | Lincoln | D | |
| Kings Valley | 1855 | | Benton | D | |
| Kingsley | 1878 | 1930s (c.) | Wasco | B | After the construction of the Great Southern Railroad in 1913 & the Dalles-California Highway in 1926, these bypasses sealed the towns fate. |
| Kinton | 1894 | | Washington | D | |
| Kinzua | 1927 | 1978 | Wheeler | A | |
| Kirk | 1920 | 1948 | Klamath | A | |
| Kishwalks | 1930s (c.) | | Wasco | B | Likely named after Elijah Kishwalk, about 5 mi south east of Simnasho |
| Klondike | 1899 | 1951 | Sherman | B | |
| Lamonta | 1890 | 1934 | Jefferson | A | Originally named Desert. |
| Latourell | 1876 | | Multnomah | D | |
| Leland | 1888 | 1943 | Josephine | D | |
| Lime | 1899 | | Baker | B | Site of former lime cement plant. |
| Linn City | 1843 | 1861 | Clackamas | A | Linn City was a community that existed from 1843 to 1861 and was destroyed in the Great Flood of 1862. The former site of Linn City was incorporated into the city of West Linn. |
| Locust Grove | 1895 | 1914 | Sherman | B | |
| Longcoy | 1890s | 1900s | Lincoln | A | Longcoy only existed for about ten years. Taft on the north side of Schooner Creek and Siletz Bay were better settlement locations so residents moved. |
| Lonerock | 1881 | | Gilliam | D | |
| Luper | 1850 | | Lane | C | |
| McCoy | 1879 | | Polk | D | |
| McDonald | 1904 | 1922 | Sherman | A | Site of a former river crossing, only modern ranch buildings remain |
| McEwen | 1891 | | Baker | D | |
| Mabel | 1878 | | Lane | C | |
| Malheur City | 1863 | 1911 (c.) | Malheur | B | All wooden structures destroyed in 1957 brushfire, leaving only stone remnants. |
| Marysville | 1849 | 1853 | Benton | F | Eventually became Corvallis on December 20, 1853 |
| Mayville | 1884 | | Gilliam | D | |
| Maxville | 1923 | 1933 | Wallowa | A | No buildings remain. |
| Medical Springs | 1868 | | Union | D | As of 2014, three buildings remained. |
| Miller | 1860 (c.) | | Sherman | A | |
| Millican | 1913 | | Deschutes | D | |
| Mitchell | 1873 | | Wheeler | E | |
| Narrows | 1889 | | Harney | B | |
| Nelson | 1880s | | Baker | A | Location of lime cement plant between 1979 and 1980. |
| New Era | 1876 | | Clackamas | D | Also location of the New Era Spiritual Camp. |
| New Pokegama | 1903 | 1909 | Klamath | A | Previously a freight & stage terminal, site located south off Green Springs Hwy. |
| No Fog | June 7, 1915 | Feb 28, 1918 | Douglas | B | Also referred to as Nofog. |
| Nolin | 1860s | | Umatilla | D | Originally named Happy Canyon. |
| Nonpareil | 1882 | | Douglas | D | |
| Old Pokegama | 1897 | 1903 | Klamath | A | The Sugar Pine Logging Company operated here. Nothing remains of the logging camp and all the railroad tracks were removed in the 1910s. |
| Orleans | 1850 | 1862 | Linn | A | Significantly damaged in the Great Flood of 1862. |
| Ordnance | 1943 | | Umatilla | B | |
| Orodell | 1867 | 1878 | Union | A | |
| Ortley | 1911 | 1922 | Wasco | A | |
| Paisley | 1873 | | Lake | E | |
| Palestine | 1891 | 1903 | Multnomah | F | Eventually subsumed by Portland. |
| Persist | 1902 | | Jackson | B | |
| Pine Grove | | | Umatilla | B | The old townsite can be found along W Birch Creek Rd, off of 395. |
| Pinehurst | 1878 | | Jackson | D | Public school still operating as of 2017. |
| Pittsburg | 1879 | | Columbia | D | |
| Placer | 1885 | | Josephine | D | |
| Pocahontas | 1862 | | Baker | A | |
| Pondosa | 1927 | | Union | D | |
| Rajneeshpuram | 1981 | 1988 | Wasco | B | The Oregon Supreme Court closed its litigation in 1987, leaving Rajneeshpuram vacant, bankrupt, but legal within Oregon law. |
| Richmond | 1899 | | Wheeler | B | |
| Riverview | | | Umatilla | A | |
| Robinette | 1898 | 1958 | Baker | A | Inundated by Brownlee Reservoir in 1958. |
| Robinsonville | 1878 | 1880s | Grant | A | |
| Rock Point | 1852 | | Jackson | C | Original tavern (est. 1864) restored by Del Rio Vineyards in 2001. |
| Rowland | 1886 | 1905 | Linn | D | |
| Saint Joseph | 1872 | | Yamhill | D | |
| Sanger | 1871 | | Baker | B | Originally named Augusta; renamed Sanger in 1887. |
| Scottsburg | 1850 | | Douglas | D | Population significantly declined after Great Flood of 1862. |
| Shaniko | 1901 | 1911 | Wasco | D | |
| Shelburn | 1850 (c.) | | Linn | D | |
| Sherar's Bridge | 1860 | | Sherman | A | |
| Shevlin | 1930s | 1950s | Deschutes Klamath | B | |
| Silver Falls City | 1888 | 1930s | Marion | A-F | It was home to approximately 200 people at its height. While none of the structures remain, a trace of this settlement can be seen at the Orchard Picnic Shelter, where the apple and pear trees date back to the Volz family homestead. |
| Skipanon | 1845 | 1903 (c.) | Clatsop | A-F | First known as Lexington, eventually known as Skipanon. Nothing remains because the settlement was eventually subsumed by Warrenton. |
| Sodhouse | 1872 (c.) | 1878 | Harney | B | Sodhouse was a short lived community near the present-day headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge |
| Southport | 1875 (c.) | 1890s | Coos | A | |
| Snooseville | | | Washington | A | About 8 miles north of Mountaindale, a sawmill used to stand in the town. |
| Sparta | 1872 | | Baker | B | |
| Spicer | 1886 | 1904 | Linn | D | Previously known as Lengs. |
| Stauffer | 1910 | 1950s | Lake | A | Residents originally wanted to name the post office Lost Creek. However, the United States postal system already had a post office with that name, so it was named after Charles Stauffer, who was the community's first postmaster. |
| Sterlingville | 1854 | 1957 | Jackson | A | |
| Sumpter | 1889 | | Baker | E | |
| Susanville | 1864 | | Grant | B | |
| Tallman | 1886 | 1923 | Linn | D | |
| Thatcher | 1895 | | Washington | D | |
| Thomas | 1898 | 1920 | Linn | D | The town took its name from the nearby Thomas Creek |
| Thornberry | 1916 | 1923 | Sherman | A | |
| Three Lynx | 1920s | 2020s | Clakamas | B | On September 8, 2020, the Riverside Fire tore through the area, destroying all but five of the Three Lynx houses. The remaining buildings were removed in 2022, and the land returned to a more natural state. |
| Tiller | 1902 | | Douglas | C | Sold in 2018 to be converted into a resort. |
| Valsetz | 1919 | 1984 | Polk | A | |
| Vanport | 1942 | May 30, 1948 | Multnomah | A | Vanport was destroyed on May 30, 1948 due to the Columbia River Flood. The city was underwater by nightfall, leaving around 18,000 of its inhabitants homeless. |
| Waldo | 1852 | 1928 | Josephine | A | |
| Weatherby | 1879 | 1920 | Baker | B-F | In 1884, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company established a Weatherby station on its line to Huntington. |
| Wendling | 1899 | 1922 | Lane | A | |
| Westfall | 1870 | | Malheur | B | Originally named Bully. |
| West Lake City | 1905 | 1918 | Klamath | B | Eliminated by irrigation and drainage projects, what was once White Lake is bisected by California State Route 161, connecting U.S. Highways 139 and 97. |
| Whitney | 1900 | | Baker | C | Logging declined in the area in the 1940s, which caused the town and the railroad to fade. |
| Yarnell | 1901 | | Lane | D | |
| Yaquina | 1887 | 1930s | Lincoln | A | By the beginning of World War II, Toledo was the western terminus of the rail line, and the tracks from there to Yaquina were removed. Roughly 20 years later, the former seaport's population dropped to zero. |
| Zena | 1858 | | Polk | C | |
| Zumwalt | 1903 | | Wallowa | B | |