Abandoned Record
About Elko
Elko was an unincorporated community in eastern Edmonson County in south-central Kentucky, United States. It was one of a few settlements in eastern Edmonson County that were displaced for the area to become a portion of Mammoth Cave National Park.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Elko, 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 Elko is
Historic maps
8 historic USGS maps cover Elko
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.
- 1922 Mammoth Cave sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1923 Mammoth Cave sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1954 Rhoda sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1954 Evansville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1957 Evansville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1961 Evansville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1965 Rhoda sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1981 Beaver Dam 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 Elko
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Kentucky index.
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Elko, Kentucky": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q123382677.
- USGS GNIS 507924.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).