Ghost Town Emerges From Drought-Stricken Lake Mead!!

The ongoing drought conditions plaguing the West have continued to lower the level of Lake Mead. The receding waters, which hit historic lows last week, have uncovered the ghost town of St. Thomas, Nevada, reports the National Park Service.

The town, founded in 1865 as a Mormon settlement, served as a stop-off between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City and boasted 500 residents at its height, according to SFGate.com.

By 1918, there were 6 established businesses in St. Thomas, according to the Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce: Gentry’s Store, R. Hannig Grocery Store, Gentry Hotel, William Sellers Cafe, Howell Garage, and Rox Whitmore Meat. The community was thriving, having established itself as an early ‘tourist attraction’. Motorists driving through found it a welcome place to stop for food, supplies, and if needed, car repairs.

Things weren’t always saintly in St. Thomas, though. As Lake Mead National Recreation Area public affairs officer Christie Vanover told CBS News, "Things got a little wild out here. There were some horse thieves. There were some cattle rustlers.”

But by 1938, everyone -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- had to leave town as the recently completed Hoover Dam backed up the waters of the Colorado River. Local legend has it that garage operator Hugh Lord wouldn’t leave until the last possible moment. "The day that he left, he woke up with water swirling around his bed,” historian Aaron McArthur told News3lv.com. “And he put his last possessions into a rowboat and rowed away from his house, and as he was leaving, he lit his house on fire."

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