Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Rice County, Kansas

Silica

Unincorporated community in Rice County, Kansas.

Record

About Silica

Silica is an unincorporated community in southwestern Pioneer Township, Rice County, Kansas, United States. It lies along local roads a fraction of a mile (about 500 m) north of U.S. Route 56/K-96, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Ellinwood and 14 miles (23 km) west of Lyons.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Silica, 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 Silica is

USGS topographic map around Silica
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

6 historic USGS maps cover Silica

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.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

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 Silica

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Kansas index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Silica": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Silica, Kansas": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q7514900.
  4. USGS GNIS 484747.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).