Iowa’s plains have been the victim of flood after flood over the years, and occasionally, these floods cause widespread destruction. One particularly bad natural disaster led to the destruction of an entire town. Read below to see the story of Elkport, the tiny Iowa city that vanished practically overnight.

Elkport is a tiny town in Iowa that sits between the Volga and Turkey Rivers. Though it was once a thriving community, it has since been all but abandoned.
Google Maps
In the early 2000s, the tiny town of less than one square mile was inhabited by almost 100 residents. There was a church, a schoolhouse, a bank, and a town hall to serve its citizens.
Flickr / Matthew Ephraim
Sadly, the devastating floods of May 2004 tore through this town, leaving widespread destruction everywhere. The residents all agreed to a federal buyout of their homes, rather than to rebuild, and their community became a ghost town in Iowa practically overnight.
Flickr / Matthew Ephraim

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More than two years later, the homes, church, schoolhouse, and bank were all marked for demolition. You could still see the high water mark on many of the structures.
Flickr / Todd Ehlers
The eeriest thing about Elkport before it was demolished was how everything seems to have been abandoned all at once. There were still shavings in the pencil sharpener in the schoolhouse, and the classrooms looked like they had been left in a hurry.
Flickr / Matthew Ephraim
Remarkably, one of the buildings that escaped tremendous damage was the Church. Though the basement was destroyed, some of the artifacts from the main floor were able to be salvaged.
Flickr / Matthew Ephraim
Today, only a couple of buildings remain, and the town is home to a small handful of families. At last count, the population of this ghost town in Iowa hovered around 35.
Flickr / Todd Ehlers

Today, almost every building that was damaged and abandoned has been razed and removed, leaving nothing but old photos to keep memories of Elkport in our minds. Do you remember the destructive floods of 2004? If you lived in Iowa at the time, they’re certainly hard to forget.

If you enjoy reading about the history of Iowa’s abandoned places, check out 11 Abandoned Train Depots In Iowa That Will Take You Straight To The Past.

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