America's Ghost Towns - Why Did They Leave?

Abandoned towns are scattered throughout the American Landscape.

These remnants of bygone eras tempt us to speculate about the lives of those that left … 

Why did they leave?

 What makes the American West particularly populated with these so-called “Ghost Towns?”

Noodles and I explore the desolate ghost town of Grafton - just south of Zion National Park - to find out! 

Recommendations: 

Good reference before visiting Grafton, the detour shouldn't take you more than two hours: 

https://graftonheritage.org/history-settlement/

Zion Hikes: 

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/the-zion-narrows-riverside-walk

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/angels-landing-trail

Don't Forget Utah's Mighty 5 (easily doable if you plan!) 

https://www.visitutah.com/places-to-go/parks-outdoors/the-mighty-5

Works Cited: 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/20589495?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24889487.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3A69f9058b1c2537ad4427f269f32fac60&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&initiator=&acceptTC=1

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41784569?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44671309?searchText=ghost+towns&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dghost%2Btowns%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Aa083d002fc7d91c16babbaf915c2cd7d&seq=2

https://graftonheritage.org/history-settlement/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/ghost-town

https://travel.usnews.com/gallery/americas-15-coolest-ghost-towns-to-visit?slide=16

https://www.canyoneeringusa.com/zion/hikes/grafton#:~:text=Located%20past%20the%20west%20end,Cassidy%20and%20the%20Sundance%20Kid.%22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7G2DRrxbtE

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/gt-hiddentales/

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/