Ghost towns are not all that uncommon and can be found in all fifty states and around the world. West of the Mississippi hundreds of towns sprang up in response to western expansion, gold strikes, water sources and railroads. Just as many disappeared seemingly overnight, left to decay and to be seen by only a few curious hikers or historians. An unseasonably warm January day and an opportunity to get off road in my FJ Cruiser led my wife and I to explore the ruins of two area ghost towns here in the Ozarks, Melva and Garber, Missouri.
There are striking similarities to these two abandoned towns. Both were rail communities. Both had a train station made from a converted rail car. Both bordered creeks, Turkey Creek in Melva and Roark Creek in Garber. One became famous for its inhabitants who were immortalized in literature, the other for unthinkable tragedy…
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toadstrangler 