THEN AND NOW: What life was like in 7 American towns before they were abandoned

Parts of the old mining town is still standing today, including the school, the memorial site, the cellar where the children were killed, and the tents where the residents lived.

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Ludlow was a mining town of over 8,000 people. In 1913, the miners went on strike to demand better pay and safer working conditions. They set up a tent city in front of the mines, so they couldn't be pushed out. But the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company would often ransack the makeshift city. It all came to a head in April 1914 when the National Guardsmen were called in and murdered 25 people, including 11 children.

After its decline, Calico became a ghost town. In the 1950s, however, the town was restored and became a State Historical Landmark. At the time, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the town is "California's Silver Rush Ghost Town."

Calico was the idyllic Wild West mining town, with 500 mines. During its time in operation, the town produced $20 million in silver.

Thurmond no longer served a purpose when diesel engines were introduced into the railroad industry. The town is now considered a ghost town.

Captain William D. Thurmond decided to purchase and develop 73 acres of land in West Virginia near the C&O Railroad. After 1903, the town quickly became an important stop on the railway for coal and miners, as it had a great steam engine repair shop.

The government bought out all the residents of Centralia, as multiple deaths and health risks were reported. Today, the roads are covered in drawings and writings, renaming the abandoned streets Graffiti Highway.

In the late 1800s, Centralia, Pennsylvania was a booming mining town, dependent on coal. In 1890, there were 2,700 residents in Centralia, which also had shops and entertainment.

In the 1900s, the town turned one of the old mining shafts into a dump. In an effort to get rid of all the garbage that had accumulated, the town attempted to burn all of the trash. But the fire spread throughout Centralia.

The town is now known as Bannack State Park, where people sometimes come for ghost tours. Sixty structures from the original Bannack still stand, including the jail cells Plummer built when he was sheriff.

In 1862, gold was discovered near Grasshopper Creek in Montana, and Bannack was born. People came to the region to mind the ore, and the town grew to 3,000 by the end of the year.

But Bannack is perhaps more well known for its infamous sheriff Henry Plummer, who secretly led a murderous gang known as "The Innocents." During Plummer and his gang's reign, they killed 102 people and stole from many more.

Today, Bodie is a State Historic Park and a National Historic Landmark. More recently, the parks department says the site has been "visited by tourists, howling winds, and an occasional ghost."

In the late 1800s, Waterman S. Body found gold in the hills near Mono Lake in California. By 1879, many had flocked to the area, the town quickly becoming known as Bodie. Over 25 years, the town produced $15 million worth of gold. At its peak, over 10,000 people lived and worked in the town, which had over 2,000 buildings.

Bodie had saloons, dance halls, and hotels. The town also earned a reputation for lawlessness, as street fights, gun fights, and thievery became common.

Though Kennecott still stands, the ghost town is in ruins and has been named a National Historic Landmark.

Miners flocked to this copper-rich region to make money. The miners worked seven days a week and lived on the grounds. The men would then send the money they earned back to their families. During its peak, the Kennecott mining town made $200 million worth of ore.