Ghost towns are communities which have either been completely abandoned or now have only a tiny fraction of the population they once had. There are an estimated 50,000 ghost towns across the United States.

Ghost towns are especially common in the western U.S. As the West was being settled in the 1800s and early 1900s, many towns sprang up quickly, centered around industries such as mining and ranching. These towns were often abandoned just as quickly, as the industries they were centered around dried up.

There are several ghost towns in the Moab area. One example is Sego, which began as a coal mining camp in 1912. When the mine finally closed in 1947, everybody moved away. Today, all that is left of the town is a few crumbling remains of buildings and old foundations. Cisco is another ghost town near Moab. Established in the 1880s, Cisco was a livestock shipping and supply center for the cattle ranchers and sheepherders, and was also once the largest producer of oil and natural gas in Utah. However, the town's economy eventually declined. Nowadays, fewer than a dozen people still live in Cisco. Most of its buildings are abandoned and falling into disrepair.

The town of Bodie, California is said to be the best-preserved ghost town in America. This town, which sprang up around gold mines in the area, once had a population of 10,000 at its peak. Now, only 30 buildings remain, about 5 percent of the original town. Bodie is now maintained in a state of "arrested decay" by the California Sate Parks and Recreation Service. In other words, park employees work to stop the elements and the passage of time from causing more damage to the buildings than has already occurred.

Most ghost towns, however, are not maintained. Some towns only have few buildings left, while in others all that is left is only rubble. Many U.S. ghost towns are gradually disappearing as a result of time, erosion, and vandalism.

Many people are fascinated by ghost towns. There are numerous Internet websites devoted to the subject, and guided tours are sometimes available for those interested in exploring them. These abandoned towns represent a tangible link to people and times past, and a poignant reminder of how transitory man-made creations can be.

By Mary Adair