8 Spooky Utah Ghost Towns

Utah has a bunch of ghost towns all over the State. These can be fun to check out as a family and give peek into some Utah history. Here's a list of eight haunting ghost towns:

Silver Reef (Washington County) – Silver was discovered in 1866 and Silver Reef became a mining town. Silver Reef contains the only known commercially mined silver from sandstone. By 1884, most of the mines were idle or closed; the last was officially closed in 1891. Multiple gun fights and killings happened outside of the cities saloon. A murder occurred on October 3, 1880, when Thomas Forrest stabbed Michael Carbis for firing him because of his violent nature. The murder occurred near the Buckeye boarding house. Silver Reef's residents were angered by the murder and soon lynch threats were delivered. Forrest, who had been arrested soon after the murder had been committed, was hung by a lynch mob that overpowered the sheriff. Remaining today is the Wells Fargo Building that serves as the museum, many remnants of houses and other buildings, a Catholic church, and cemeteries.

Old Iron Town (Iron County) – Utah's 1st Ghost Town, Old Iron Town is just west of Cedar City and was established in 1851 to take advantage or iron deposits in the area. It eventually died out in 1876 due to transportation challenges and economic down turn. Remaining today are a beehive style charcoal oven and a furnace known as an “Arastra”, which prepared sands for molds. Parts of the original foundry remain, including the chimney.

Grafton (Springdale) – Just a few miles South of Zion National Park. Said to be one of the most photographed ghost towns in the West. Established in 1859 for cotton growing. Continued severe flooding discouraged resettlement, and most of the population moved permanently to more accessible locations by 1921. Today you will find the old church, Russell Home, Louisa Foster Home, the Berry fence in the cemetery, and John Wood home which were restored. Some say that the cemetery is haunted. There are many graves of babies at this cemetery as there was a high infant mortality rate back then. Some claim they have heard babies crying.

Forest City (Utah County) – This city was built up American Fork Canyon in 1871. In late 1872, severe winter weather forced operations in American Fork Canyon to shut down for the season. That winter a diphtheria epidemic swept the town, killing a number of people including 11 children. The dead were buried in a small cemetery nearby, which became known as Graveyard Flat. The only thing that remains today is that cemetery.

Thistle (Spanish Fork) – Thistle had a landslide in 1983 that dammed up the river causing a huge flood. Residents were evacuated and no causalities were reported, but Thistle was almost completely destroyed. There are still some buildings covered in water.

Latuda(Carbon County)- Several avalanches hit in 1927, destroying many houses and killing residence in this mining town. Latuda was abandoned in 1968. All that remains are some building foundations, a bridge, and some coal tailings. This town is reportedly haunted by a ghost called The White Lady of Latuda. There are numerous reports of how she died, but several visitors and locals claim to have seen her.

Frisco (Beaver County) – Silver was discovered in 1875. Gun fights and killings were common in Frisco with 23 saloons located in this town. In 1885, the mine caved in and the town died out by 1920. Today you can find remains of charcoal ovens, various structures, and a cemetery.

Sego (Grand County) – Sego was inhabited about 1910–1955 as a coal mining town. It was eventually abandoned due to diminishing water supply and flash floods. Today, the stone company store and several old foundations and wooden structures remain.