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Dust in the Wind -

A Guide to American Ghost Towns

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Ghost Town of the Month

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Illinois, like many other states is not written about much.

History to follow.

If you know of any ghost towns in the Land of Lincoln that are not listed here, or know the current status of towns listed with little information, please contact us…

HELP!  (NEW FEATURE) Please check here to find a list of ghost towns that various contacts are looking for.  IF you have any information on these places please e-mail me and I can respond back to those looking for info on these ghosts.

PLEASE NOTE: 

Where photos are indicated thusly (PHOTO!), please use your browser’s “BACK” button to return to this page.  More photos will be added over time.

Alpine

(Period photo and maps)

Cook Co.

Located 30 miles southwest of Chicago and three miles south of Orland Park.  It was established as a Wabash Line Railroad station in 1891.  In 1910 Alpine was at its peak. In 1912 fire destroyed the store and two saloons, putting the town in a tailspin and by WWII it was a vacant site. 

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for April 2007

BAKER

La Salle Co.

On CR (County Route) 22, a mile east of the junction CR22/State Highway (SH) 23, seven miles west of Sheridan.

BALLARD

McLean Co.

On road paralleling the railroad, and I-55, four miles southwest of Chenoa

CULTON

La Salle Co.

At junction of US 52/SH 251, five miles south of Mendota, four miles west of I-39 at Exit 66.

CUSTER

Marshall Co.

On SH 17, three miles west of Evans, three miles northwest of Toluca.

DOSTER

McLean Co.

On CR 13, five miles south of Weston.

GREEN OAK

Bureau Co.

Three miles north of Dover, on Bureau Creek.

HENKEL

Lee Co.

On US 52, at its crossing of Bureau Creek, six miles northwest of Mendota.

LaCLAIR

DeKalb Co.

Five miles north of Earlville, on road that runs along the county line in southwest corner of the county.

LITTLE ROCK

Kendall Co.

In northwest corner of county, at junction of CR 12/16, five miles northwest of Plano.

MINOCK JUNCTION

Woodford Co.

Two miles south of Minonk, two miles north of Woodford, on road just east of and paralleling I-39

MISSAL

Livingston Co.

Four miles east of South Streeter along railroad, and just south of the county line.

NEVADA

Livingston Co.

On SH 17, seven miles west of Dwight.

RADLEY

DeKalb Co.

Four miles north of Earlville, on county line road. In extreme southwest corner of county.

SMITHDALE

Livingston Co.

On railroad & CR 14, two miles east of South Streater.

SPIRES

Woodford Co.

On SH 116, 18 miles west of Pontiac, four miles east of I-39 at Minonk Junction.

SUNBURY

Livingston Co.

On SH 17, six miles west of Dwight.

VERMILLIONVILLE

La Salle Co.

One mile east of Lowell, at junction of CR 6 and road to Buffalo Rock State Park.

WALDO

Livingston Co.

On CR 8, four miles north of, then two miles east of Gridley.

WHITE WILLOW

Kendall Co.

Two miles east of Central, which is on SH 47 a mile north of the county line, five miles south of Platteville.

YANKEETOWN

Woodford Co.

On CR 2, four miles west of I-39 at Minonk.

Historians estimate that there may be as many

as 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. During the next five years, Gary B. Speck Publications will be publishing unique state, regional, and county guides called

The Ghost Town Guru's Guide

to the Ghost Towns of *** ™

These original guides are designed for anybody interested in

ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind them, they will be a welcome addition to any

ghost towner's library.

Thank you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail!

For more information on the ghost towns of ILLINOIS,

contact us at

Ghost Town USA.

E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE:

Due to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer open any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc.  If you do send E-mail asking for information, or sharing information, PLEASE indicate the appropriate location AND state name, or other topic on the “subject” line.  THANK YOU!  :o)

IMPORTANT

These listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in ILLINOIS above are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites.

If the reader of this guide is a metal detector user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting, it is the READER'S responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners. Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same.

When you are exploring the ghost towns of ILLINOIS, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.