For Ghost Town Chasers

So it's not enough to read about one of these old places -- you want to visit it?  That may be as easy as finding it on a map or as challenging as searching old records for clues and then scouring the area for ruins.  

Although there is now a great deal of information online, I still recommend "The Roads of Oklahoma" for anyone doing field work.  I have the 1997 edition, and have found that many of the rural cemeteries, churches and schools that it shows can be matched with various online information to obtain a more detailed picture than is available from any one source.

For research purposes, I like to divide "Ghost Towns" into three categories:

• Some survive as remnants of more prosperous times and thus appear on detailed modern maps and in online databases;

• Others are marked on topographical maps by a cemetery, school, or church -- if you know where to look.

• Most have disappeared without a trace.

• Enter the name without specifying the type of feature, if you suspect the town you seek no longer exists.  This way you'll get any feature bearing that name and some may provide the clues you are looking for.
• Save the Latitude and Longitude provided by GNIS to use with other systems that use geodetic references, like topographical maps, then rely on those or other land maps for details like Section, Township, and Range, roads and landmarks.   

If the GNIS search finds the latitude and longitude of the place, it will include a link to the appropriate topographical map from Terraserver.  This site also has aerial and satellite photos. 

Tip:  If you aren't familiar with geodetic coordinates, it may help to visualize

And if the GNIS search does not find the location you're looking for?  This site has maps and lists of locations in Oklahoma that you can use to find a starting point for your search.  

With the Section-Township-Range and the name of a nearby present-day town, you can use Topozone's search to find the appropriate

Go to GNIS now.  [Warning:  this is a one-way trip.]

Go to Topozone now.   [Warning:  this is a one-way trip.]

For a few examples, see my worksheet.