Quite a few years ago, when I visited my brother in New Mexico, we explored a few old ghost towns near his home. It was fun.

For decades, ghost towns across the United States have captured the imagination of adventurers, storytellers, and thrill-seekers. These abandoned places are often remnants of gold rushes, mining booms ...

Not every town gets to stick around forever. Some start with a bang—gold rush fever, a mining boom, a railroad deal—only to fizzle out just as fast. Others fade slowly, little by little, until one day ...

The Earth is constantly changing, and sometimes that change comes at the cost of entire communities. Over the centuries, countless towns, cities, and even entire communities have disappeared, ...