Abandoned Record
About Big Spring
Big Spring is a ghost town located in Wayne County, Iowa, United States. By 1887, several mineral springs had been located nearby.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Big Spring, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Big Spring is
Historic maps
5 historic USGS maps cover Big Spring
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1954 Centerville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1957 Centerville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1958 Centerville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1964 Woodland sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1981 Leon sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Big Spring
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Iowa index.
- Terre Haute17.8 mi W · Decatur
- New York18.2 mi NE · Wayne
- Mount Pisgah39.3 mi NW · Union
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Big Spring, Iowa": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q23130657.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).