392: Vanished From The Map: Roanoke, Hell Town, And A Town On Fire

In this gripping episode of Mile Higher, hosts Josh, Ian, and Janelle dive into the eerie mysteries of vanished towns across America, exploring both real and legendary disappearances. The episode opens with a look at Roanoke Colony, the 1587 English settlement that vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the cryptic word 'Croatoan' and a legacy of theories ranging from Native American assimilation to alien abduction. The conversation then shifts to Centralia, Pennsylvania, where an underground coal fire has burned for over 60 years, turning the town into a smoldering ghost town. Helltown, Ohio, is examined next—a place that gained notoriety through internet folklore involving satanic cults, mutant pythons, and haunted bridges, though in reality, its abandonment was due to government land acquisition for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The hosts also explore the myth of Ashley, Kansas, a town said to have been swallowed by a massive earthquake in 1952, which was later revealed to be a fabricated story from Reddit’s NoSleep. Other fictional towns like Doveland, Wisconsin, and Erkhammer, Iowa, are discussed, with theories ranging from military cover-ups to deliberate cartographic hoaxes. The episode concludes on a poignant note with the true story of Deerfield, Colorado—a self-sustaining Black community founded in 1910 that thrived during the early 20th century before fading during the Great Depression, now preserved as a historical landmark. The hosts emphasize that behind every ghost town lies a human story of hope, struggle, and resilience.