See This Creepy Ghost Town That’s Up for Sale in Utah (’Free-Range’ Llamas Included!)
- Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:34am by
Billy Hallowell
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Ghosts towns are known for their creepy ambiance and unsettling emotive powers. We’ve already told you about a Chinese ghost town, a South Dakota ghost town that was recently purchased by a Filipino church and plenty of other eerie properties. Now, there’s yet another vacant locality worth telling you about. This one — a railroad ghost town in Emery County, Utah — consists of more than 700 acres of land and is currently up for sale.
The town, called Woodside, has been abandoned for years. At its height in the 1920s, about 300 people resided there. By all accounts, it was a tiny town with very few bells and whistles. Despite this fact, Woodside’s intriguing history may help market it to prospective buyers.
Broker Mike Metzger is being tasked with unloading the property, which will be sold along with water and partial mineral rights. And, for an extra added bonus, the lucky purchaser will also inherit a number of “free-range llamas,” the only inhabitants roaming about the land.
Deseret News reports that the town had its beginnings back in 1881. First, it was named Lower Crossing and was used by as a railroad water stop. Eventually, the town grew and stores, a blacksmith shop and a school were conceived. When the railroad consolidated following the 1920s population peak, things changed for Woodside.
“When the railroad had no more use for (Woodside), it was just kind of doomed to a slow death,” said Edward Geary, a retired BYU professor and the author of “A History of Emery County.”
The town got a brief reprieve in the late 1930s when the highway was built and a cold water geyser — created decades earlier by railroad workers seeking fresh water for their steam engines — became a minor sensation with tourists.
“They had signs up and down the highway and they built up a board fence so you couldn’t see it without paying admission and going inside,” Geary said, noting that at one time the so-called “Roadside Geyser” was blasting a column of water about 75 feet in the air every 40 minutes.
“As I recall, it was just about the time they invested money in it, that it petered out,” he said. “I think probably by 1970, there were no full time residents at all in Woodside.”
Metzger, like any good salesman, touts the benefits of owning such vintage property (despite the town’s decay). After all, the land, in itself, is valuable. And if anyone has any extra money laying around and an urge to own a town of his or her own, this would certainly be an interesting way to invest.
“It’ll take a little bit of fixing up, as you look around. It hasn’t been in service for a few years, but it‘s a classic piece of Americana that isn’t available anywhere else that I’m aware of,” he explained. ”You would need to reinstate the charter, to make it an official town, but that’s all that is required.”
Read the rest about this fascinating ghost (or llama) town over at Deseret News.
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Comments (93)
Grumpytroll
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:09pmDon‘t look like it would work very good for a Galt’s Gultch so I pass.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:48pmHeck, I might drive out there just to salvage that Coke sign…Maybe even fill up on that 89 cent gas while I’m at it… :)
Report Post »FreedomsQB
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 5:21pmThis isn’t a ghost town… it’s a few buildings in the middle of nowhere on 700 acres for sale. Austin Nevada, on the other hand, is a real ghost town with lots of old vacant churches, buildings, abandoned mine shafts and only a few people living there. Spectacular!
claymoremacm
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 6:11pmAnyone want to go in with me putting a chick-fil-a there?
Report Post »idarusskie
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:58pmthat’s 1.89 gas not .89.
Report Post »UptohearSTL
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:54pmhey a great idea – buy the town, make yourself sherrif, install a red light camera and reap the profits – it seems to be thing to do for cash strapped towns nowadays
Report Post »OperationNorthwoods
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:39pmThey should make Bloomberg the mayor of this town so he could ban things all he wants without it effecting anybody.
Report Post »Big Media Bias
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:01pmBloomberg looks like a character from The Hills Have Eyes.
Report Post »The Sergeant Major
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:36pmI usually do not make comments like this……BUT Mr. bloomberg and his ilk are not welcome out west. Stay back east and corrupt the mindless masses that live in your filthy cities.
Side note: I had the spicy chicken at Chick-Fil-A for lunch and it was great.
Report Post »Elena2010
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 3:57pmYeah, and I’m still slurping on a Coke Zero after chowing down on waffle fries and a classic Chick-fil-A sandwich. The one in Mission TX was jam packed even at 2 pm when I left. Folks turned up in church tee-shirts. Others were just plain mad and had enough of the gov’t telling us what is and is not okay.
Obama — take note. We are coming for you. You are going to be fired and beat like a drum come November! We may not be thrilled by Romney, but we like YOU even less! Start packing.
Report Post »loverofcats
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 6:09pmLovely…absolutely lovely! I could not agree more:-)
Report Post »TerryJ2
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:14pmI love it!!!
Report Post »BLUDOG_3
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:04pmJust wait a few years. There will be thousands of towns like this available after the collapse of our society. Thanks Progressives!
Report Post »Trollkiller68
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:24pmThink positive man. It is possible the new administration will turn the economy around and you will someday have your very own town.
Report Post »muffythetuffy
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:37pmThat looks like the set where the film Legion was filmed.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:44pmLook at the price of GAS!!!
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:48amYou could have your own little Newspaper, etc.
Report Post »januscatinhat
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:52pmTrue, try to get internet service, put newspaper out there telling of llama petting zoo, small restaurant (your kitchen), grow own veggies–but have to have humvee to get supplies back and forth… stuff to do… become one with nature, universe-stuff… not bad idea like old-west…
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:47amYou could set up a lot of mail order things until you got some good stores.
Report Post »LimaBean
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:24amThink it’s out in Palmdale or Lancaster CA…don’t know if the buildings are owned by a stuido, but they do filming there. The pics above remind me of it.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:45amHad some Navy Duty in Lancaster before they shut it down. Don’t know what is there now.
Report Post »GoodStuff
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:19amHow long til Beck buys the town and turns it into the next Jonestown? “Witness the Third Great Awakening!!!”
Creepy…
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:49amFrom the sounds of you, you may not be invited to own property.
Report Post »Coralchristie
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:50amYour post is really creepy!
Report Post »hayesstephen
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:27pmMore nonsense from White Liberal Trash. Thanks for playing, now get off the stage.
Report Post »armyofnibiru
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:26pmjust drink your koolade now,hurry up.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:46pmBe better than the HUD house you’re living in goodstuff. Enjoying your free internet?
Report Post »C. Schwehr
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:49pmCreepy…..
Yes, you certainly are! Communist Troll….
Report Post »Shamrock241
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:34amTo bad the people who are on this site would not seriously think about joining together and buying this town. Someone looked up the asking price $3.9 million there are 700 acres, if you could get 700 patriotic american with the Prepper mentality and out of those 700 hundred you had desirable skills Doctors,farmers,electricians etc, you could start a first class society. 3.9 mill / 700 = $4,286.00 small price for Mayberry, i think i could send my kid to a school in this town without him feeling the need to wear his pants around his ankles.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:49amIt is too cold there for me. Turn it into somewhere to drill for oil. There will be some spillover there somewhere out in the boonies. Well, I guess it is all “the boonies,” but that is not a bad idea at all if you like cold weather. I am from a much more moderate climate. We have seasons but they are not near as extreme as in most places. We have mountains nearby, but this is like a foothills area and it is just home. We are blessed in many ways.
Report Post »Shamrock241
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:49amcorrection on my math it would be that price if you talked the seller down to an even 3 Mil.
Report Post »CATSUEY
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:57amShamrock, as soon as I saw the headline, I was thinking the same thing!!
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:42pmhaha! I was thinking the same thing! Only maybe turning it into one big paintball battleground…
Report Post »AmericanPatriot
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:11pmI was thinking the same thing. A bunch of people get together, buy and restore it (or tear down and build anew). It would be pretty cool!
I wonder what the “partial mineral rights” is all about?
Report Post »neidermeyer
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 6:03pm$4,000/acre is WAY TOO MUCH ,, you can buy good farmland in an area with decent weather and soil for half or less…
If you can get the price down to $50/acre or so then it’s worth thinking about.
The only valuable thing about it is the water and it’s barely flowing.
Report Post »LeadNotFollow
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:20am…
Report Post »700 acres for 4 million.
It would be great to own a whole town.
blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:54amI will visit as a tourist. I hope something like that can materialize, but just remember Obama has promoted the imminent domain thing and they will take if it starts producing. He should go first before anything is to be worked toward because he will tell you that “you didn’t do that.”
Report Post »MIBUGNU2
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:43pmBush era gas prices… Thanks to BO, prices have doubled,
Report Post »Food prices up 40%….Does MSNBC know about this ????
NAAAAAAA !! Bushes FAULT !!
schroeder123
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:56amBest thing about this town, it’s right on a hwy. Lotta people drive by. It’s a little dry out there.
You could sell some towels and bed covers off the side of the road. I’d go $10 K.
How about a Burning Man festival..No one to bother you.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:59amWhat about keeping hedonism out of the town and get God’s blessing on it? You want it to succeed keep out the vermin from control in the town. We could build a town in our minds. Do not allow those without a solid foundation in control in the town or you are wasting your time and your money. Call it Freedom and make sure it is, but on terms of God in the Constitution and faiths that are built around Jesus Christ, keep the people out who try to get in your business. I just do not see how America has stood as long as she has. I am already tired. I think I do not want to be involved with a townload of personalities. They would be in each others’ business.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:41amThat burning man thing pizzes me off.
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:31pmOkay, first town ordinance: No burning man festivals. No Mardi Gras either, I don’t like that one…Voodoo crap and all that…Let’s see, what other laws should we pass?
No liberals! Definitely! In fact, no Democrats at all.
And no Bulgarians allowed. I had a bad experience with a little old Bulgarian lady once…
Report Post »Pink_Panther_Party
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:48amAccording to the sign in the picture, it’s only been for sale since gas was “20 9/10ths” cents per gallon.
Think of it this way….flash mobs aren’t going to be a problem…
Report Post »jcldwl
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:03amLook closer it’s 1.89,1.99,and 2.09
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:46amYes, they wouldn’t get much. Lol.
Report Post »John 3:16
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:43amI’ll bid $100,000 Max.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:51amThe Llama is worth that.
Report Post »jamesctheman
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:36amSold!
Report Post »Dismayed Veteran
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:09amI have driven by Woodside any number ot times. It is located on US 6 between Green River, Utah and Price, Utah. It is in the middle of nowhere. Periodically, someone tries to open the gas station but it doesn’t make it. It used to be a meth lab. All that remains is the gas station, a barn and some small out buildings. It is decorated with abandoned vehicles.
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:19amI know that sex offenders who are released from jail often can‘t find a place to live because they can’t be near any children. Maybe some place like this would be good for them, rather than having them live under bridges.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:54amWell that is a good start if you can get you some refigerators to put on the front porch, you could have your own redneck village. You got the abandoned cars. If the cars don’t work raise some more llamas and ride them. That is a mighty lonesome looking llama. I do so hope it has a mate.
Report Post »Landon410
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:51amfree hand gun for any one who buys a home
Report Post »IslandMama
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:15amCan you say, “Who’s John Galt”? Perfect spot for the John Galt society to begin …
Report Post »JesterJay
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:08amyou had me at llama
Report Post »CATSUEY
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:19pmHahahahaha!
Report Post »rfycom
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:55amA great opportunity for Beckville.
Report Post »bigbear_awake
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:34amwould be the best DAM town in the USA I’d be there
Report Post »bikerr
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:42am@ rfycom—Stalker.
Report Post »huey6367
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:53amI’m in. Where do I place a bid for this town? Will not appreciate for resale anytime soon but sometimes ya just need to get away.
Report Post »JesterJay
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:06amjust looked it up 3.9mil not bad if u thimk u get mineral rights. I live in Arizona we have tons of towns like this, (but ours aren’t all compleatly ghost towns) same kinda stoy western miner town mine closes people leave, but now they are finding that the mines have not been tapped out like once thought.
Report Post »JesterJay
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:49amI am buying this town declairing myself mayor then Im gonna anex it from the rest of the country. Who’s movin into my town ( FYI no Taxes 10 or so people can live with out roads and bridges)
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:47amAh Utah, gonna git me anuther 4 wives
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:31amWant mine? It is getting on time to trade her in…
Report Post »Macman1138
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:43amSure thing, I’m in too.
Report Post »The only other women I know fit to marry are my wife‘s cousins and they don’t seem quite right.
But it could work!
bifgroovey
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 5:35pmOnly difference between splinter Mormons and the rest of America is that the splinter group Mormons actually marry their other women…
Report Post »grudgywoof
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:46amLooks like a ghost gas station. I’m not sure why this is a story. Now the China ghost cities are wierd and spooky but a gas station?
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:44amLike some of those many “last chance” gas stations you see when on the hiway going across to Nevada and California. If it is the first time someone goes, it could put a worry or two in them. Lol.
Report Post »sta
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:44amYour link to Deseret News doesn’t work,
Report Post »historyguy48
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:41amThere are actually quite a few ghost towns rotting away throughout America. like this one they were created for a purpose and when that purpose ended so did they.
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:32amThey don’t call you history guy for nothing!
Report Post »bikerr
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:45am@historyguy48–Wow! we never knew!
Report Post »Le Sellers
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:17amThe other two comments (at 201208010755MDT) are harsh (although somewhat accurate).
The reason for ghost towns is not solely because the original purposes for the towns ended, but because there were no other reasons for them to exist.
1850s Fillmore, Utah, was designated the Territorial capital — it was the center of the Territory/State of Deseret (“honey bee”, the original name the “Mormons” chose for their political entity, and which Congress, as a slap in the face of Brigham Young, refused to acknowledge). That was the only reason (or pretty much so) for that particular town to be. When Congress later stripped off present-day Nevada, etc., Fillmore was no longer in the center. But Fillmore never anything BUT the geographical center: Salt Lake City was the heart of (by then) Utah Territory – economically, socially, and culturally. So Fillmore, while still a good place to visit and live, with the original Utah capitol building as its only man-made tourist attraction, has little purpose, and will never become a metropolis.
Cities are living things. They adapt or die.
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