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Abondoned Settlements in the West

Lynn A. Rosenvall

During the latter half of the 19th century, the Mormons established nearly 500 settlements in an area covering seven western states and stretching from Mexico to Canada. Since abandoned settlements often leave little evidence of their past, it is difficult to determine which of these settlements still exist.

Research, however, indicates that 69 of the 497 communities (13.9 percent) that were founded in the West during the period of 1847 to 1900 have been abandoned. When the communities that were founded in the Midwest, Canada, and Mexico are included, the failure rate jumps to 16.4 percent or 88 out of a total of 537.

The year 1900 has been recognized as a practical terminal date for Mormon colonization, and on these maps only settlements that were founded prior to 1900 are shown. The year 1930, however, was selected as the closing date for abandoned settlements, and only settlements that failed before 1930 are included. The period of 1900 to 1930 provides a potential "failure zone" for settlements that were founded toward the end of the 19th century.

It is difficult to assign an exact abandonment date to many of these settlements because they were vacated over a period of time and because adequate records do not exist. For some settlements, the failure period could be before or after the given date, or both. Some of these sites, such as San Bernardino, Mormon Station, and Las Vegas, were reoccupied in later years by others.

Failure rates may appear to be high in light of the careful attention that Mormons gave to locating their settlements. On the other hand, one must consider the uninviting environment and the debilitating external factors that the inhabitants faced.