Guide
7 Ghost Towns on Route 66
When Route 66 was established in 1926, hundreds of vibrant small towns prospered along it, offering travelers the gas stations, diners, and motels needed for their drive, as well as the striking landmarks and landscapes that earned the road its iconic reputation. As Route 66’s popularity declined in the 1960s and ‘70s, many of these communities also waned. While some remain only as ghost towns, others still have a few residents, or are angling for a revival.
Read about 7 of the quietest places along Route 66, and learn how the National Trust for Historic Preservation is working to preserve the Mother Road and support communities along the route.
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Photo By: Rhys Martin
Funks Grove, Illinois
Isaac Funk, a descendant of 18th-century German immigrants, established this historic settlement in McLean County, Illinois, in the 1820s. Decades before Route 66 came through, the Chicago & Alton Railroad served the area. Funks Grove was a favorite stopover for train passengers, who bought syrup harvested from the local sugar maples at the town’s general store. Today, Funks Grove is deserted, but travelers can still visit the overgrown train depot, the general store, and Funks Grove Nature Preserve, one of the largest remnants of virgin forest in Illinois and a National Natural Landmark. For those who have a sweet tooth, the town is still the home of Funks Grove Maple Sirup which has been in operation since 1824.
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Photo By: Kbh3rd via Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Times Beach, Missouri
Located near St. Louis, Missouri, the suburban town of Times Beach was once home to about 2,000 people who shopped at a grocer on Route 66. The town was evacuated and demolished in 1985 after the Environmental Protection Agency discovered that waste oil containing the toxic chemical dioxin had been sprayed on its streets to suppress dust for years. The area was declared safe again in 2001. Today, the 400-plus-acre Route 66 State Park stands where Times Beach once was. The park’s visitor center is housed in the old Bridgehead Inn, the only remaining building from the former town.
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Photo By: Rhys Martin
Depew, Oklahoma
Visitors to Depew, Oklahoma, will find it is only half a ghost town. A few hundred residents still live here among abandoned buildings from Depew’s heyday. When the town was founded in 1901, residents came to work at a cotton gin, lumber yards, and an oil field, and the railroad rumbled through to collect these commodities. Route 66 arrived as Depew’s oil boom was waning, and the loss of oil and the Great Depression contributed to its decline. Today, the historic brick Main Street district and Gimmel Gas Station are favorite attractions for those traveling along Route 66 through downtown Depew.
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Photo By: Rhys Martin
Glenrio, Texas-New Mexico Border
Straddling the Texas-New Mexico border, Glenrio once served tens of thousands of rail passengers and motorists traveling along the Rock Island Railroad, the Ozark Trail, and Route 66. Glenrio’s fortunes turned in the mid-1970s when Interstate 40 bypassed the town. Its population dwindled, and buildings stood abandoned for decades. In 2007, Glenrio was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the Glenrio Historic District includes the old Route 66 roadbed and 17 abandoned buildings, including a former Texaco station and diner designed with Art Moderne influence.
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Photo By: Rhys Martin
Cuervo, New Mexico
Located between Tucumcari and Albuquerque, the town of Cuervo, New Mexico, was established at the turn of the 20th century as a water stop along the new railroad. The town grew with the rise of cattle ranching and the arrival of Route 66, peaking at a few hundred residents in the 1940s. Its decline began with the construction of Interstate 40, which split the town in two. Today, Cuervo’s old homes, two churches, two schools, and a gas station lie in various states of disrepair. Still, its reputation as a notable stopping point along Route 66 endures.
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Photo By: Rhys Martin
Two Guns, Arizona
Two Guns, Arizona, was once a thriving stop along the Mother Road, attracting travelers with a trading post, gas station, and even a small zoo housing mountain lions and other local wildlife. The town sits on the east rim of Canyon Diablo, where a namesake bridge opened in 1915 to carry the Old Trails Highway that later became part of Route 66. The disused bridge is now on the National Register of Historic Places, and Two Guns sits abandoned. The area remains a popular stopover for history lovers and those chasing local legends of buried treasure and paranormal activity.
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Photo By: Rhys Martin
Amboy, California
Located in California’s Mojave Desert, Amboy is best known for Roy’s Motel and Cafe. That business is the only one that remains open in Amboy, and its neon sign and retro-futuristic design harken back to Route 66’s golden era when the town catered to thousands of visitors and a few hundred residents. Before the Mother Road turned Amboy into a boomtown, it had been a modest railroad stop — the first in a series named in alphabetical order along the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. Tourism declined and the town was deserted after Interstate 40 bypassed it in the 1970s.
Marianne Dhenin is an award-winning journalist and historian. View their portfolio and contact them at mariannedhenin.com.