Thistle Utah Ghost Town: 1983 Landslide and Land

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Where Is Thistle, Utah?

Thistle sits in Spanish Fork Canyon in Utah County, about 65 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, where U.S. Route 6 splits from U.S. Route 89. Its remains are visible from a pullout on US-6 and from the Amtrak California Zephyr.

Thistle History and the 1983 Landslide

Established in 1883, Thistle grew as a railroad service town on the Denver and Rio Grande Western. Its fortunes rose and fell with the railroad, and it faded once diesel locomotives ended the need for steam servicing.

In April 1983 — a hundred years after its founding — a massive landslide dammed the Spanish Fork River. The lake that formed behind it flooded and destroyed most of the town. It was the costliest landslide in U.S. history at the time and Utah's first presidentially declared disaster area, and it forced US-6, US-89, and the railroad to be rerouted to higher ground.

A red schoolhouse, a church on a hill, and a partially sunken house still stand. The canyon land around Thistle offers dramatic scenery and open terrain for hunters, hikers, and buyers looking for remote Utah acreage.

Buying canyon land near Thistle? Access, water rights, and flood and slope risk matter more than square footage here. Olivia Pelton sold 120 acres in Duchesne County in 2025 and can help you check a parcel before you commit. Ask Olivia about a Thistle-area property.

More Real Estate Guides Near Thistle

See all of Utah's historic townsites at Utah ghost towns for sale, or read Utah's Best Kept Secret: Ghost Towns.

Thistle Area MLS Listings, Updated Daily

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