Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Baker County, Oregon

Sparta

Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States.

Record

About Sparta

Sparta is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named for Sparta, Illinois, by William H. Packwood, a prominent Oregon pioneer who visited the gold diggings at the Powder River there in 1871.

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

USGS topographic map around Sparta
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 Sparta

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 Sparta

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Sparta": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Sparta, Oregon": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q7573813.
  4. USGS GNIS 1136770.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).