So often in the era of steam engine-powered trains, towns popped up all around the country so these steam engines could be refueled with water. These small towns thrived in the 1800s, but sadly as steam locomotives were replaced by diesel engines beginning in the 1930s, the towns started to die right along with the “little engine that could.” The little town of Cisco, Utah was once a thriving community. Today, it’s a Utah ghost town with a tragic, heartbreaking history.

You'll find the Cisco ghost town along a lonely stretch of State Route 128, near the border of Utah and Colorado.
Google
Click here for the interactive map, which will allow you to find directions to Cisco from your home.
This little town was once thriving - now it sits abandoned in the desert.
james michael thomas/Flickr
It sure looks lonely out there, doesn't it?
In the 1880s, Cisco was founded as a watering stop for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.
grassrootsgroundswell/Flickr
Back then, steam engines needed to stop for water along their routes. Many small towns sprung up along rail lines for this purpose.
Ranches and farms were established, and the town became a place to get supplies and ship out products.
James Good/Flickr
In its heyday, as many as 100,000 sheep were sheared in Cisco - the wool was sent to market via the train.
The Cisco Landing Store was once a gathering place.
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
Residents and farmers met here to swap stories and get the latest gossip.
For a brief time in the 1920s, Cisco enjoyed a boom with the oil and gas industry.
Karah Levely-Rinaldi/Flickr
Oil was discovered here in 1924 and Cisco grew to be the largest producer of oil in the state. In the 1940s, people began taking road trips in their cars and Cisco was a popular place to stop for a meal.

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In the 1970s, Interstate 70 was built and it bypassed Cisco.
Chris barker/Flickr
Without drivers stopping to spend money, and with the gas and oil gone, Cisco quickly became a ghost town.
People moved out and the post office closed.
Karah Levely-Rinaldi/Flickr
Today, Cisco is left rotting in the vast, empty desert.
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
The roofs of many buildings have caved in.
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
Others are partly demolished.
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
Cisco has appeared in several movies over the years.
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
Scenes from "Thelma and Louise" were filmed here, as well as parts of the 2005 movie "Don't Come Knocking."
Today, the only people you'll find in Cisco are here to take pictures of a ghost town.
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
The town is eerie, but also quite picturesque, standing alone in this vast, empty landscape.

Take a drive through the Cisco, Utah ghost town in this video from Decelerated Travel:

Cisco history is a sad reminder that time doesn’t wait for anyone. And while technology will always expand and make our lives better, it also leaves behind remnants of the past that cling to life in any way it can. Do you remember when Cisco, Utah was still a lively town? Tell us about your memories in the comments!

Is Cisco, UT a ghost town in the literal sense? Or, is it simply a nearly forgotten town that once was filled with life? There are plenty more ghost towns in Utah, some with sordid histories. Check out this road trip to several ghost towns in Utah. But, before you go, make sure you take a look at our ultimate road trip packing list.

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More to Explore

More abandoned Utah towns

Chris Muras | January 28, 2023

How many abandoned towns are there in Utah?

 

There are believed to be more than 100 abandoned towns in Utah. Many of these ghost towns have been featured in movies, typically about the Old West since many of these towns were thriving during that period of history. Here are a few abandoned towns in Utah that are still clinging to a scrap of life:

  • Grafton, Utah: Perhaps the most famous abandoned town in Utah because it was used in the movie, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
  • Sego, Utah: Located in the red rock country around Moab, Sego was a coal town, but is now just a blip on the earth it once called home.
  • Latuda, Utah: Frank Latuda opened Liberty Fuel Company in 1914 and this town, originally called Liberty, grew up around it. As the coal mine slowed down its production the town slowed down as well until 1968 when it was abandoned.
  • Old Irontown, Utah: One of the very first abandoned towns in Utah, this town was settled in 1850 with hopes of being a thriving iron ore mining town. It was officially founded in 1868 but abandoned in 1876.
  • Thistle, Utah: Another steam locomotive town that lost its steam so to speak. Originally a cattle ranching town in the mid-1800s, it began to grow as a water stop for steam engine trains. But, by the 1950s, it had blown its last steam whistle and has slowly declined ever since. It hung on until 1983 when a landslide hit the area and everyone had to evacuate.

 

Can you buy a ghost town in Utah?

 

Surprisingly enough, you can buy a ghost town in Utah. Generally, you are buying the land on which the former town occupies, but technically, yes it is possible to buy a ghost town. The town of Lucin, Utah was on the market a number of years ago for a very affordable $18,500. It was once a thriving railroad town but has been mostly vacant since 1936.

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Cisco, UT 84540, USA