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Shafter Lake West Texas boom town

Ghost town Documented sitePermission required

What you could find

Reported finds from this ground.

Coins and tokensCoins and tokens
Buttons and bucklesButtons and buckles
Nails and fittingsNails and fittings

Also reported: Indian Head and early Wheat cents, freight wagon parts, bottles.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service, Amy Downes, (CC BY-SA 2.0), Unknown (Public domain), North Lincolnshire Museum, Martin Foreman, (CC BY 2.0).

Why this spot

1907-1912 land boom town

Shafter Lake was platted in 1907 on a salt playa and reached 500 people by 1910 with a bank, three churches, stores, a blacksmith, two hotels and a newspaper, plus a planned railroad of which only a mile was graded. It narrowly lost the county seat election to Andrews, and by 1912 most residents had moved there.View source →

Before you go

Hazards noted for this site.

alkali playa mud, remote

Keep exploring nearby

More spots in this area.

Check access and collecting rules for each site.