Castleton is a ghost town in the Castle Valley in southeastern Grand County, Utah, United States.
Castleton, Utah | |
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Ghost town | |
![]() ![]() Castleton Location of Castleton with the State of Utah Show map of Utah![]() ![]() Castleton Castleton (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
Coordinates: 38°36′12″N 109°19′4″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Utah |
County | Grand |
Established | c. 1880 |
Vacated | 1967 |
Elevation | 5,896 ft (1,797 m) |
GNIS feature ID | 1439525[1] |
The community located on the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, some 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Moab. The nearest inhabited town is Castle Valley, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) to the northwest.
A short-lived gold placer mining camp existed here in the 1860s,[2] but the area was first settled by a prospector named Doby Brown in the late 1870s or early 1880s. By 1882 enough settlers had gathered to establish a post office.[3] In 1888 when a local gold rush began at nearby Miners Basin, Castleton became important as a supply town.[2] It had a general store, hotel, two saloons, and several other businesses. At its peak in 1895, the population exceeded that of Moab.[4] In fact, when Grand County was organized in 1890, Castleton vied with Moab for the chance to be county seat.[5]
The Panic of 1907 closed down the area's mines, and soon ranchers were Castleton's only residents.[6][2] By 1910 the businesses were gone, leaving only the post office, and the population had dropped to 50.[4] In 1930 there were six residents.[5] A few people stayed in the dead town for decades, but in 1967 the county commission officially vacated Castleton as an occupied town.[7]
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Castleton has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[8]
Media related to Castleton, Utah at Wikimedia Commons
Municipalities and communities of Grand County, Utah, United States | ||
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County seat: Moab | ||
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Town | ||
CDP | ||
Indian reservation |
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Ghost towns | ||
Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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