The Ghost Town of St. Thomas, Nevada

St Thomas, NV is a ghost town that was abandoned in the 1930's as the land it occupied was to be dammed with the creation of Lake Mead. Although its heyday was long over by that point.

"In 1935, the Nevada town of St. Thomas, which included the Gentry Hotel, began to slowly disappear under the rising waters of Lake Mead after the construction of the Hoover Dam." Photo: The Gladys Gentry Collection. (WEF Highlights)


Founded by Mormons in 1865, it was nearly abandoned six years later when a new survey commissioned had put the town within the borders of the State of Nevada, as opposed to Utah or Arizona. Nevada wanted back taxes from the settlers, and most refused to pay. (Location)

Image: "Ruins exposed after being submerged under Lake Mead for many years" Daniel Jost, Wikipedia Commons

The townsite had a cemetery, and the graves at the cite were relocated to nearby Overton, NV. 

The last resident, Hugh Lord, left the town in 1938, setting his house on fire in the process. The area was quickly inundated by lake water from the newly constructed Hoover Dam.

However, Lake Mead has been receding for decades as a result of drought and overuse of water resources, and the old townsite of St Thomas reappeared again early in the 21st Century, and remains beyond the waters of Lake Mead, in spite of once being sixty feel underwater. 

Image: Anne Burke, San Francisco Chronicle

The site is maintained by the National Park Service. Here's a YouTube video tour!


Thanks for reading and have a look at our Ghost Towns Map to discover more ghost towns and abandoned places of the world! Also, read up on some other towns abandoned due to damming!

Location: St Thomas, NV 89040, USA

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