Zzyzx, The Ghost Town That Started As A Scam
Albert Moote/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesA sign leading to Zzyzx.
Perhaps the strangest ghost town on this list is Zzyzx in California, the creation of notorious grifter Curtis Howe Springer.
Springer, who’d spent a good chunk of his life peddling “miracle cures,” founded a spa called Zzyzx around a natural hot spring in the Mojave Desert in the 1940s. But Zzyzx — so named so that it would be “the last word” in the English language — wasn’t a hot spring at all. It was a normal spring that Springer had fitted with heaters.
Despite the scam, people flocked to Zzyzx. Springer opened a hotel and offered his guests over two dozen different “miracle” cures for their ailments. Zzyzx actually became a fairly popular destination — until 1974.
Public DomainToday, Zzyzx is part of California State University.
Then, the Bureau of Land Management forcibly removed Springer from the property. He had never actually purchased the land. Instead, Springer had filed a mining claim, which gave him the right to whatever he successfully mined. Of course, Springer hadn’t mined anything at all.
Despite Springer’s attempts to fight back, Zzyzx shut down for good. Today, it’s a part of California State University’s Desert Studies Center.
The story of Zzyzx, like all of the ghost towns on the list, shows how unique the life of a town can be.
Towns like Goldfield prospered as mining hubs; places like Portlock grew around a cannery. And though each of these towns died slightly different deaths, they all met the same fate in the end. Today, they’re all ghost towns — a dusty reflection of their former glory.
After reading about ghost towns from around the United States, look through these stunning photos of China’s uninhabited ghost cities. Or, discover the story of Peace Village, North Korea’s propaganda town.
