Oklahoma Ghost Towns You’ve Probably Driven Through Without Knowing

There are two kinds of ghost towns in Oklahoma.

The ones everyone knows about... and the others you've likely driven through without realizing it. Blink, and you miss it...

When most people picture a ghost town, they generally envision the same thing. Crumbling buildings, old saloons with swinging doors, tumbleweeds in the street... Blame Hollyweird for that.

Truth is, Oklahoma's ghost towns are a little more subtle.

Some still have a handful of people hanging on. Some still have a post office, or a building that says "Post Office," but locals know it's just a mailbox drop-off. Others are only marked by an old co-op elevator, a church, or a sign to nowhere off the major interstate.

When you get off the beaten path, you discover things. First and foremost, the best restaurants in Oklahoma are in the smallest towns. In places where every other business has folded, if they're still serving food, you know it has to be good. In that sense, you've probably driven through your fair share of Oklahoma ghost towns and not even known it.

Every one of those places has a story.

Most weren't doomed during the Depression, others died out with the railroads. At least one Sooner State ghost town took a nosedive off a cliff when it was declared the most toxic place in the country. Little by little, small towns all over Oklahoma are fading. What better time than now to rediscover them?

Here are some Oklahoma ghost towns you've probably driven through without even realizing it. Some are true ghost towns. Others are towns that are hanging on by a thread. Oklahoma has a lot of gray area.