Abandoned Record
About Govan
Govan is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, in US state of Washington. An abandoned schoolhouse, post office and grain elevator, along with a few houses, both deserted and occupied, are all that remains of the town.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Govan, 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 Govan is
Historic maps
5 historic USGS maps cover Govan
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.
- 1953 Ritzville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1959 Ritzville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1965 Ritzville sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1969 Govan sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1983 Coulee 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 Govan
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Washington index.
- Sherman11.8 mi NE · Lincoln
- Sanderson21.4 mi NW · Douglas
- Saint Andrews28.2 mi W · Douglas
- Baird31.2 mi W · Douglas
- Jameson39.1 mi W · Douglas
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Govan": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- Wikipedia, "Govan, Washington": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q19878366.
- USGS GNIS 1511003.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).