Burke ghost town is an abandoned former mining township established in 1887. Silver, lead, and zinc were the most minerals extracted in Burke's mines. Burke was deserted in the early 1990s after several mines shut down. The town was deserted and has been decaying ever since.

Rise of a community

Mines at Burke town were discovered in 1884, three years before the town was established. With finances from the profitable mines, a railroad was constructed connecting Burke’s principal mine Tiger mine to Wallace. This accelerated the mining activities and the first shipment of ore to Wallace took place in December of 1887. It’s in this period that Burke town was officially established.

Fall of a promising town

In 1892, only five years after its formal establishment, a strike ensued for all rock miners in Shoshone County. This brought about a war between miners and their replacements at most of the mines. During a gunfight between miners, the principal mine Fisco Mill was burned down by an ignited dynamite killing six people. The most profitable mine in the area closed down permanently. The military intervened to stop the battle in the region but this still couldn’t prevent the town from its fated death. A series of avalanche and fire outbreaks continued to haunt the town for years. One avalanche that was closely followed by a fire outbreak killed at least 20 people. Due to these unfortunate events and the principal mine shut down, more mines lost momentum leading to their closure. The last mine closed down its operations in 1991 driving the last nail in the existence of Burke town. Burke was declared a ghost town by 1992.

What is the current situation of Burke Town? 

Burke town has been left deserted for years now with no known resident in the town. The buildings are disheveled to an unrecognizable state. Back in 2012, Hecla mining company invested in the ghost town believing that they would get a profit of 23 million US dollars if all goes well. They renovated and activated some of the old mines which they are currently exploring.

Is Burke ghost town open to the public?

Burke town is currently leased to Hecla mining company and does not permit visits or trespassers on the property. The mining company which is currently exploiting the town has plans of opening the mines to the general public once they have exhausted the riches. My advice would be to stay away from the mines until it is declared safe by the government.