The Story Behind This Indiana Ghost Town Will Break Your Heart

Ghost towns are always a little bittersweet to visit. They remind you of what could have been, what was, and, in some cases, what should have been. Indiana has its own fair share of ghost towns, each with their own unique stories. However, there’s one amazing ghost town in Indiana that had so much potential at one point, you’ll likely be pretty bummed to know that its plans ultimately failed…

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City West was originally founded by Jacob Bigelow in 1836. After a visit from then U.S. senator Daniel Webster, the members of City West became determined to build a grand city with an amazing port. Jacob Bigelow drew up the above plans that same year.

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During the early 1800s, Chicago, which we all know as one of the largest cities in the country, was dangerously close to become a ghost town itself, due to disease and economic turmoil. City West was Indiana's grand plan for constructing an amazing city that the entire country would flock to. In short, City West was almost what Chicago is today.

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Sadly, the plans for City West never came to be. What began as a grand endeavor to build a remarkable port city eventually crumbled and was buried away in the sand.

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Today what's left of City West is burrowed under the Indiana Dunes, specifically the Indiana Dunes State Park. While we'll never know what City West would look like today, had it succeeded, one look at this magnificent view tells you Indiana still won.

You can read more about this extraordinary ghost town here. To learn about Indiana’s underwater ghost town, read on!