Abandoned Record
About Hecla
Hecla is a ghost town in Laramie County in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Although not posted, what remains of the stamping and smelting facilities is located on private property.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Hecla, 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 Hecla is
Historic maps
5 historic USGS maps cover Hecla
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.
- 1905 Sherman sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1954 Cheyenne sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1958 Cheyenne sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1962 Hecla sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1981 Laramie 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 Hecla
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Wyoming index.
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Hecla": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- Wikipedia, "Hecla, Wyoming": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q29465903.
- USGS GNIS 1589463.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).