Late 19th century and early 20th century settlers in the Mojave desert from the eastern U.S. and Europe were often more concerned with mineral exploitation than in maintaining permanent settlements. Several areas were settled and then abandoned and have remained unused. These ghost towns and mines provide sites to study vegetation response to disturbance over a period of about 100 years.
Use of repeat photographs from the heyday of the settlements through to the present show compaction patterns and vegetation response to disturbances caused by settlement.
USGS is particularly indebted to the Arizona Historical Society, Nevada Historical Society, and the Sidney Norman Weight Collection for use of their historic ghost town photography.
Greenwater, CA (main street)
Kunze, CA (main street)
Kunze, CA (Greenwater Times)
Rhyolite, NV (whole town)
Rhyolite, NV (east of town)
Patsy Clark Mine (at Furnace)
Page constructed 9/16/98
The URL of this page:
<http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/MojaveEco/GhostTowns/gt.html>
Created by Susan
Benjamin (sbenjamin@usgs.gov)
