This TOWN Was UNDER 60 Feet Of WATER! - St. Thomas Ghost Town - Lake Mead 

Thank you for enduring the heat and donkey, I’m old and disabled so I really appreciate younger people doing videos like this so I can enjoy them!

I’m a retired LAPD officer and a former Army Paratrooper………..first……. Always……and I mean ALWAYS trust your instincts. You don’t need to know exactly what the threat is just relocate when your instincts tell you to. Second…..I accidentally found your channel today. Thank you for introducing us to places most will never see. I love the fact that you are so safety conscious. I also love your editing. Thanks again and stay safe

Feral donkeys can be really dangerous, you did the right thing. Thanks so much for sharing this! Cool place!

No longer the age to have these sorts of adventures makes me appreciate all the more the chance to tag along with you. Your production technique is flawless, dazzling views, and you captured it all. Stay safe. 💙

Don’t let people online correcting you ruin your confidence, or question your intelligence. “I don’t know,”-you DO know. No need to apologize. If the internet doesn’t like your videos they can move on. Much love and support

The VIN on that engine block says it's a 1962-64 327 V8 out of a Corvette.

Years ago I was in North Eastern Arizona, and after studying a Gazetteer, I departed the Navajo Reservation in the early evening and decided, instead of taking the paved roads and needing to go more than 100 miles out of my way, I would drive the power-line roads and I drove 22 miles in four wheel drive low, even broke an axle shaft. My destination was a small mountain lake that I had never been to but was told that there where Pike in the lake, and I had never fished Pike before. I arrived at what I assumed was my destination at 2:30am. I was up at sunrise, put my tent and sleeping gear away first and had a quick breakfast. I walked out to the edge of the small lake, and went left up the bank and out into the open. I made a single cast and heard this huge crash from the other side. I was this very large BULL and apparently I had just made him mad. He was a big bull and he was making very aggressive big bull noises in my general direction and he was trying to crash down all of the brush and trees between him and myself so I suddenly lost interest in that particular lake and decided to drive away.

It's refreshing to get someone sharing their experiences without all the forced enthusiasm for likes. Thanks for keeping it real.

Donkeys are incredibly terrirotrial, that's why so may people use them on farms as livestock guards, they raise a ruckus anytime something new enters their terrirotry.

The square holes with iron over them are cisterns for storing water. Next time you go there, wear a white sombrero with a really wide brim, wear a lose fitting long sleeved white cotton shirt that hangs to your knees. Lose fitting white pants, You will not believe the difference. All black in 100 degrees is not good. Maybe pause with your camera for just a couple seconds on the signs, they are interesting and we can pause our video to read, thanks.

I live in Nevada and know exactly what you mean about the heat being over 100 degrees. Thank you for walking through the extreme heat to show us the ghost town of St Thomas. As for that poor donkey in the heat and all alone, I think. It is very strange to suddenly see and hear a donkey when there seems to be no one in sight. I don't blame you for taking it as a sign to leave. I would have done the same thing. Again, thank you very much for sharing this video. I learned something new today. Keep up the great videos coming.

I work in 110-120 degree temps for 8-10 hours a day and it is rough, though I would still hike a few miles to see all those great sights. I was there about 20 years ago and you could see chimney's and poles poking out of the water.

If they're going through the trouble of putting up all of those historical markers, they're probably not expecting water back anytime soon.

Thank you very much for walking out in the dangerous heat so we can see the historical town that was flooded so long ago! Very cool! Ty! ❤

Coming from over the pond, I salute that you show us the journey to get there , I love visiting the states but it’s the vastness that still blows me away every time …cheers for showing us the scale … great videos

...it's truly amazing what has happened to Lake Mead this past few years...

As an over the road truck driver I drive-through this area from time to time...... I have driven all over the area of the Colorado river basin... very recently..... There's lots and lots of water coming down through the Colorado river.....so if lake Mead is being drained I assure you the government is behind it....its not a drought as you're being told

It's amazing how the foliage comes back so fast... When I lived in AZ we had a lot of rain one year I believe it was 96 or 97 and the entire desert turned into this crazy wildflower landscape (every color in the rainbow). People that lived there for a while said it was rare to see that (some near my age at the time said they never have (I lived there from 95-98)). Those seeds and old dormant root systems last a long time I guess. Usually, it was all cactus, desert bushes, and weeds the entire time I lived there except that one spring.

Thank you for taking the time to show us all, yet another piece of history on lake Mead. Especially in the heat. I personally don't think I could have possibly even made it half that far.

I enjoy your videos and I can tell that you are passionate about the things that you find and I appreciate your honest and genuine approach to this set of adventures and discoveries. There are many many people that are unable to go anywhere or see anything and this little thing that you do, brings unparalleled happiness and interest to so many people that you may never meet, but your art and love of these out of the way places has put you in a position to touch the lives of so many in a positive way. Don’t be discouraged by ANY NAY SAYERS OR JEALOUS AND PETTY PEOPLE SHAPED LOOSERS! You are a great source of positive information and that’s a rapidly disappearing fact of existence for many many people and many channels! keep it up! Sincerely D.

4:56 Curtis Machine Company was founded in 1946 with a lathe, milling machine, and welder in a 20 x 30, foot chicken house behind the Curtis home in Dodge City, Kansas. One of the first jobs contracted for was the manufacturing of a gearbox. Curtis Machine’s design of “straddle mounting” the bearings results in a smaller and symmetrical gearbox with more torque carrying capacity than competitors. Curtis Machine Company now dedicates 56,000 square feet exclusively to gear, gearbox, and precision machined parts production. Curtis Machine Company also produces parallel shaft gearboxes with spur or helical gearing. Straight bevel, spiral bevel, right angle, and off-angle gearboxes are common projects. These units are used in hundreds of applications including: military equipment, transportation, material handling, vehicle steering featuring low rolling torque and compactness, fan drives, pump drives, petroleum industry, and food processing.

Thank you for going out there and showing us what the town was like. I used to live in Las Vegas Nevada. I've gone to the Hoover Dam. I've seen Lake Mead. When me and my family left Las Vegas that town was just beginning to show. You could walk down the main road but it was advisable that you didn't and if you did they wanted you to wear hip waders and you couldn't get all the way back there. I left back in 2007 and before I left I really did want to go see that town but I never really got to. At the time we lost a family member. We were going to have to move because we couldn't afford to live in Las Vegas Nevada anymore. So thank you for showing me what it looks like now. I really enjoyed that.

I love that you come across as probably the most cynical and disinterested adventurer on RU-vid. But clearly you have a passion for the stuff. Sunken towns are fascinating. I don’t know how you with stood the heat. Even more so, I cannot imagine why pioneers got out there and decided it was a great place to settle down. They must’ve been lizards.

Such an interesting piece of history….both the old ghost town and there act of covering it to build a dam. My husband was part of building a dam in Salt Lake City a few decades ago, and they were required to take all measures to avoid impacting a “possible pony express station”. They had to reduce the capacity of the dam substantially. Apparently covering a complete town wasn’t even an issue back in Coolidge’s day. Thanks for sharing the experience!

Andrew Smith Gibbons was one of the founders of St. Thomas / Callville. He was sent down to Arizona in the 1800's to address difficulties in the area when it was still a territory. He was a 5th great grandfather of mine. I remember taking this walk years ago and it was in the cool of the evening in the fall so much more bearable.

I'd bet that every single one of those cement-filled barrels lying around out there has a corpse in it. The one they "found" is just the only one that was already broken open, so the police couldn't easily ignore it.

It’s crazy to think of all the boats and jet skis that cruised over the lake, and the people not knowing there was an entire town 60 feet below them underwater.

This whole adventure was a hoot. Its hard to imagine that town being over 60 feet below. When I was 12 I toured the dam in 1983 at full pool. I didn't know how lucky I was to witness its spooky full power. I just assumed it would always be like that. The history peppering this drying lakebed is endless. Anybody interested in some free boats? Lol! I see those motors and wonder if anyone was tied to them when they went down. I loved that western bluegrass Doboro song you played on the drive in. It really set the mood. I may make an audio copy of it.

St. Thomas is the final destination of John Wesley Powell in his original exploration of the Green and Grand Rivers (later renamed the Colorado River) This is where his trip ended.

No, your spot on walking away from a donkey. Don't ever challenge or threaten one. They will bite the shit out of you.

It is amazing, and very sad, just how low the water level in the lake is. Considering how many millions of people depend on it, the situation is very scary. Let's hope this winter is VERY snowy in the mountains and VERY rainy to help bring the levels up.

I live in NC and I could never imagine living in a desert like that, much respect to you and people who do. It definitely has its own unique beauty but I’d miss the hills and trees and stuff too much. Respect tho lol

This was very interesting. I learned a lot of new things from your video. You taught this ol dog something NEW! I appreciate your effort in doing this in the sweltering heat and being chased by a rabid wild burro. 😂🤣😂 All kidding aside, you took me on a hike that I would likely never get to experience otherwise, all while I sat in a comfortable AC room. Thank you for that.

Awesome video! My grandparents had a trailer at what was then Lakeshore Village Trailer Park at Lake Mead. I spent lots of time with them there, boating and fishing with my grandpa, watching the storms rumble through the area and just enjoying looking out on the lake from their patio. It makes me sad to see how it all looks now. Happy I have those memories!

I'm glad I had the chance to see Lake Mead before it had gotten to this point. So sad. It was beautiful at one time. Donkey/Buro whatever. Those critters can get dang nasty. I don't blame you for backing off. The sky is so beautiful. Such a beautiful blue and the fluffy clouds that kids would make pictures from. Don't forget to hydrate!

Thanks for this video; I really enjoyed it. It's crazy to me to see the massive drought out west, since there is plenty of water; it's just in the wrong place. I'm in Alabama and it's rained almost every day here the past two weeks. Just today we got about two inches of rain. I can stand on my porch and hear the grass grow. BTW, as a former scoutmaster in the deep south, I can tell you to not wear a black outfit hiking in hundred degree weather, especially when there is no shade available. I'm surprised you didn't outright melt on this hike. Great hat, though. Love the videos. Keep it going.

Great video! Thanks for walking those extra miles for us! I really appreciate seeing some ‘new’ history out there. Cool little desert rig. 👍🏼

It's crazy to think you might spent a day at the lake 10 years ago. But it's now a walk in the desert. Thank for showing us this place.

Thank you for exploring this cool old town, I'm glad you took all the precautions you did. Very interesting spot that I will research more on. Godspeed

Thanks!!! That was incredible! You're a trooper - 4 miles in that heat! Hope you rested up after that one!

The most likely explanation for the V-8 engines is as cheap anchors for warning buoys. When the lake was first filling and later as the town was re-exposed, the buildings would have been a danger to power boaters. Or if the town were deeply submerged,, Scuba divers would want to know where to dive on the town. Engine blocks are a nearly free permanent anchor.

Thank you really appreciate your time showing us around. Here's something that help stay little cooler next time. Try if you can find all white hat and wear a cotton white shirt. Black and dark clothes will attract the heat.

Great video! Gosh, I have not seen a Trooper like that in years. They gave way to rust long ago in my neck of the woods. Thanks for showing us those sites, I appreciate the efforts you made in that heat. Travel safe!

the double time driving clips we're so ... relaxing. watching the terrain change

So cool getting that wild burro on camera and it yelling at you.

Thanks for taking the time to walk out there so we could look around.. Great video. Take Care 👍🏼

Really enjoy your treks! Thanks for sharing and withstanding the heat👏👏👏👊👍😊🙏

Thank you for hiking and doing the hard work and giving us a first hand look at Lake Mead. I use to drive through that area to get to Las Vegas years ago. Sad to see now.

Yes thank you for risking the heat and your time so I can see this stuff 👍

This is also a reminder of what can happen to some towns when a dam is constructed to form a reservoir and the rising water of the reservoir covers the town. There were a sizable number of towns in the People's Republic of China that ended up under water when Three Gorges Dam was constructed. If remember correctly around a million Chinese people had to be relocated.

I appreciate your content and your updates. We look forward to more. If it wasn't for you and a few others, we would never get this information elsewhere

Thank you for sharing your hike and your positive energy and hope you know how much I appreciate your video. I had done a bike trip with my geology class in 1989 through that area. Well it still looks like it did 33 years ago. I hope you have a blessed rest of your o🙏👍

Dude, nothing but respect for backing off that ass. The last thing you want to have is the shit kicked out of you out there.

Thank you for putting your self through the heat to get this footage for us. I know what the heat can be in that area. Thanks again.

I met a young man who survived falling in a well. Lucky enough that someone heard him right before dark. He was humble and thankful to be alive. Always be careful around old homesites, wells behind most every one of 'em.. 👍 Great video.

I must say; the video quality of your camera is beyond excellent. Thanks for posting!

THAT WAS SO COOL THANK YOU FOR WALKING WAY OUT THERE

I’m not a superhero 🤜🤛 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. Too funny. Bro. You uploaded a good video! I hate pouring sweat! So I appreciate your dedication to making a good video. Thanks for sharing. PS. keep being you. Don’t change for views or money. Be real. The well part made me chuckle. But also I appreciated how real you were there.

Thanks for taking the steps to share with us

Thank you for all the efforts!

Kudos to you for braving that intense heat to make a great video. You're blessed that you have someone nearby who cares enough about you to let you call them every 30 min. to check in.

Wow! Thanks for an amazing video. Thanks for taking me to this place which I have never seen! I have hiked the desert like you did to produce this video. It is beyond hot and rough doing so. I am proud to say that you EARNED a new subscriber! I thank you once again.

Wow, so exciting , love the energy that you put into this …

Thank you for braving that scorching heat to show us that area! I am shocked to see Lake Mead like that, I hear it on the news, but to see it is unbelievable! I think of Lake Mead as a beautiful turquoise jewel from above, when flying in and out of Las Vegas. I hiked around the Colorado river, and that has changed dramatically too! All the wrong places are getting all the precipitation lately, during this water emergency, it seems!

Thanks for pushing through that heat, man. I recall a time during the prime of the Florida summer when i lost BOTH of my power windows on my civic coupe once. Took me a week to get that fixed, so i kept a spray bottle of cold water on me going to and from work, so i understand. Thanks for the video and the travels to get there while pushing through. By the way, the donkey wasnt mad. He just wanted water.

Thank you for your wonderful post. It brought back happy memories of hiking among the cactus's. I lived in Arizona for four years or so (many years ago.) Two in Phoenix and two in Kingman. Being acclimated to the heat does help, but staying hydrated is key. For those who haven't spent time in a desert please understand "dry heat" is a real phenomenon. Peeing is rarely a problem because the sweat transpires as soon as it hits the air, that means your clothes don't get wet or even damp. The first time I filled a glass with ice water I was amazed there was no condensation on its outside.

Hey thanks for going out there and taking video in the 100° heat so I do not have to 🙌 Online is the same as in-person for me, just a whole lot easier 😉👍

Awesome experience thru you brother thank you!

Thank you for showing us this we really appreciate it without folks like you we would never ever get a chance to see something like this

Can't imagine how hot it was down there! I live up in Maine 🇺🇸 So we deal with heat in the summer, but rarely see anything close to 100 that holds more than a few hours. Thanks for pushin through so we could get a look at it! I appreciate ya bud! #allthelove from Maine 🇺🇸 🤘

Great video!! Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. That was above & beyond. I live in Arizona and I can totally relate. Out in remote areas you never know what 4 legged or 2 legged animal you're going to encounter. Kudos. 🤗🤗🙏

Again thank you … always amazing

Awesome content! Thanks for posting!! Would never of heard of or seen without your braving the elements! Suggestion: Wear light colored loose clothing, will help reflect the sun versus absorbing it. Hydrate to the max, plenty of acres to pee.... Stay safe... Thanks Again!

This was amazing! I'm impatient af, so this was perfect! ! Loved the speed. I WILL be watching you more. Thanks for this.

Thank you for informing us. Great video. Keep hydrated.

Good video. Nice and chill. After my stressful work it's nice to have chill people making videos. At work people freakin' out. This video... totally chill. Good stuff.

Pretty cool. I appreciate you hiking through all of that heat to share your experience.

Great job showing everyone what use to be a town.👍🏻

Really neat! I enjoyed watching you explore, thank you for not peeking down at that, things like that creep me out too so I was fully ready to skip! it's crazy to see what once existed & what remains.

Really liked this video! Had no idea about this ghost town! Thanks for dealing with the heat and definitely back you on the burro as a sign lol.

THIS was a really neat video. The immense desolation and town remnants were mind-blowing. Thank you for posting this.

You made the right call about the burro those things are mean as a rattlesnake when they wanta be! We use donkeys/burros at our place to keep guard over the horses & calves 💪 Them suckers will destroy any coyotes that think our livestock would be a good meal. So very smart call!

This is really fascinating. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for showing us that, and absorbing the hot conditions!

Thank you for hiking in the heat to show us the old town.

Great job keeping the Trooper alive. Miss my 1990 SpaceCab (2nd), 1990 P’up (4wd), 1999 Rodeo (2wd). Be nice to see some Isuzu’s come back.

Thank you for taken time to show the old town

Thanks for sharing we used to live in Las Vegas for 7 years that's when the water was high thanks for all your hard work I enjoyed watching it..... Rock on brother Rock on..... May God bless you and keep you safe on your journeys at you provides all of us cuz I'm just too old to get out there and walk that far..... Thank you again....

There’s gotta be a bunch of good metal detecting finds out there.

I appreciate all your hard work in bringing this to viewers. This was educational and you actually have some humor so that's great.

It pains me to see my old house completely gone after the water subsided. It’s just karma is what I tell myself I remember growing up here with my 2 sisters. Dad worked on the dam from about 3:30 in the morning until 5 or 6 he would come home completely drenched in sweat and just sit in his chair listening to records until he drifted off to sleep where he sat. I remember the day he told us that the plans had changed and we would not be able to stay much longer after the dam was completed “unless we wanted to be mermaids”. It was heartbreaking. He had built our house just 4 years before that and we moved in from the hotel we had been staying at for over a year. I couldn’t imagine how he must have felt, knowing that it would all be washed away. He still went to work everyday until he was struck in the head by a falling boulder from the top of the damn while patching a leak found during testing about a month later. He was never the same after that. It was like a switch had gone off, and he had just given up. The day it flooded my Mom and older sister Sheryl tried to literally pry him from his chair, but he just kept shouting that he will die with his home as he pushed them away. This lasted for 10-15 minutes, them shouting and fighting with each other. I remember hearing a loud crackling sound followed by a boom.. The tree in the Heimerleicht’s yard had crashed onto their house. The next thing I remember is waking up next to my Mom and younger sister Ann on the bank. We just hugged each other and cried on the waters edge, knowing that Sheryl and Dad weren’t coming out of the water.

Interesting tour! Pretty brave walking out that far in that heat by yourself. Not gonna lie, I don't walk around my block when it's over 100°.

At another similar themed site I saw that the well-looking square holes were actually cistern water holding tanks and there was an underground irrigation system of ditches/pipes that carried river water from one or both nearby rivers to the town's farms and homes. The federal govt. put the grates over the holes for safety after the lake receded and people started exploring the ghost town.

So this community / town was populated, then went under water when the dam was built. Now with the lake drying up, the ruins are there and they placed historical signs recently for reference? Amazing!

Nice to see a trooper on the road!

Anywhere you see an old dam, you're likely to see a western town submerged on the lake bed. Western towns were built along all of the major rivers back in the day. When a dam is built the valley fills with water and the towns go under. Same thing happens all across the country. A lot of relics were uncovered when Folsom lake CA dried up 15 years ago.

i remember visiting las vegas for many years in the 90's and how people would flock to lake mead as a oasis in the desert to play. we drove out one year and i remember i just felt some type of sadness.

Man great video!!!! I know how hot it can get and it sucks that's for sure!!!!! But you did great work!!!! Stay safe out there!

Thanks for taking the long walk on a hot day! That ghost town was awesome!

Thanks for the great adventure. I live in AZ, and have been wondering what Lake Mead looks like these days. When you entered St. Thomas, the flooded ghost town, it brought to mind the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?". :) Also, great Dobro music in the middle section!