The Americas, Weird, Odd & Just Plain Fun

Throw away that Monopoly board and uninstall Sim City, your dreams of running your own town could be made a reality, if those dreams involve Colorado and you have access to $350,000.

The ghost town consists of 5 acres of land.

The ghost town consists of 5 acres of land. Image by James Johnson/Craigslist

Cabin Creek is an abandoned ‘ghost’ town in Adams County – a 45 minute drive from Denver – and the entire town is for sale on Craigslist. The purchase includes a gas station, motel, house, motor home and cafe. 

 

The town was once a bustling pit stop with a popular cafe but after the owners were apparently murdered in a robbery, the town became abandoned and deteriorated into disrepair. While many would not welcome buying a murder site but it didn’t put off James Johnson, who purchased the town a number of years ago.

 

Johnson told KD-VR that he bought the town with great plans to turn it into a roadside attraction for tourists but now retirement beckons and he hopes somebody else sees the potential he does to turn the town into a success.

We're pretty sure the skeleton is just for effect...

We’re pretty sure the skeleton is just for effect… Image by James Johnson/Craigslist

Total control of your own personal domain comes with a price however. While it costs $350,000 to buy the entire town, Johnson warns that it will require extensive renovation and investment. He put a huge amount of work into securing proper electricity, water and a sewerage system, as well as making significant improvements to the buildings. There’s still a lot of work to be done though, which is part of the reason why he’s decided to find the Colorado ghost town a new owner.

 

That hasn’t turned potential buyers off though. “We’ve had so many people look it’s been amazing” Johnson said, though the right owner hasn’t come along just yet, so you should hurry if you have your heart set on owning a Colorado ghost town with a slightly murky history.

 

So you have $350,000 to spare and you’re ready to invest. The only question left is, what will you do with your ghost town when you own it?