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SALT LAKE CITY — As people around the world face the difficulties of enduring drought conditions, some interesting history has been uncovered by the retreating waters.
Below are descriptions of three "ghost towns" in the Western U.S. that used to be covered by water, but have since re-emerged, giving the world a second chance to learn about the people who used to inhabit them.
St. Thomas
The receding waters of Nevada's Lake Mead uncovered this Mormon settlement in 2002, but the story of the ghost town recently went viral as outlets like CNN shared photos and video of the small town online. The town was purposefully flooded in 1938 during the Hoover Dam's creation, according to the National Park Service. At one point, the town's tallest structure was under about 60 feet of water.
At its peak in the 1880's, the small town was home to about 500 people, according to the NPS. While members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were responsible for founding the town in 1865, they reportedly abandoned the town after realizing they had mistakenly selected a site in Nevada instead of Utah. However, new settlers soon arrived in the area and constructed buildings including a school, post office and ice cream parlor.
The government purchased land from property owners in St. Thomas after the bill to create Hoover Dam — and as a result Lake Mead — was signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Lake Mead's waters started to overtake the town in 1935.
Currently uncovered due to drought conditions, the ghost town is open to those who visit the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Remnants of the school and ice cream parlor, among other buildings, can be seen after visitors travel down a 3-mile-long dirt road. Directions to the site are available online.
Mormon Island
Another settlement with ties to members of the LDS Church also emerged from under a lake in recent years. Known as Mormon Island, the small mining town was buried under the waters of California's Lake Folsom when the Folsom Dam was completed in 1955, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Low water levels at Folsom Lake revealed the foundations of buildings belonging to the Mormon Island community in 2013. While much of the town still remains underwater, visitors have taken advantage of the opportunity to examine the exposed remains. The Mormon Island site is located within the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area.
During its heyday, Mormon Island was home to about 2,500 people and featured a school, seven saloons and four hotels, according to KRCA. The gold rush town was reportedly founded by members of the Mormon Battalion.
Old Kernville
This old haunt, which was uncovered in 2002 when the water levels of Lake Isabella in California retreated, was founded by gold prospectors in 1860, according to the Los Angeles Times. Before being flooded by the U.S. government as part of the creation of Isabella Dam, the town was notably featured in the 1939 Western "Stagecoach," which starred John Wayne as Ringo Kid.
Called "Whiskey Flat" after the local saloon during its gold mining years, the community grew as residents built a school, jail, general store and Methodist church in the community. All of those establishments were blasted with dynamite before the waters arrived, but the ruins and foundations of various buildings are once again visible due the reservoir's withdrawal.
The low water level at Lake Isabella, which currently holds only 5.8 percent of its potential capacity, according to the Los Angeles Times, has also exposed old trees and numerous other everyday items like horseshoes. The ghost town is located near modern-day Kernville, where many of the community's inhabitants moved before their homes were buried by water.
