Shaniko

Hidden in Central Oregon’s sweeping high-desert cattle lands, the town of Shaniko is frozen in time. Though it was once a bustling hub for the wool trade, economic setbacks and devastating fires left Shaniko deserted circa 1910. Today, it’s a veritable ghost town, complete with decrepit wooden storefronts, a haunted hotel, and just 28 residents in all.

Cowboys in full regalia are not an uncommon sight in Shaniko, but they’re not always genuine ranch hands: The town’s dramatic scenery makes an ideal playground for the Shaniko Gunslingers, a group of quixotic Oregonians who come to town to re-enact the town’s glory days.

Nostalgic for a romanticized version of the Wild West, the Gunslingers hold black powder gunfights in Shaniko’s streets on weekends. Often, they depart on Sunday evenings, with most heading back to contemporary lives, jobs, and homes, leaving Shaniko streets desolate once again.

Like the locals, Gunslingers don 10-gallon hats and time-worn bandanas, and many stay “in character” for the duration of their visits. Such costumery reveals an escapist urge to break free of modern society’s complications, and the line between the Gunslinger and the person beneath is often murky.

Between the reality of Shaniko—a literal ghost town—and the Gunslingers’ sepia-toned fantasies, an uneasy discord has taken hold. Wistful out-of-towners seek to recreate an era they’ve never known; meanwhile, Shaniko residents toil to make their day-to-day lives work. Combined with old-timey aesthetics and vast, panoramic views, the tension creates a limbo between gritty facts and old-west myth.

Every so often, dreamers show up in Shaniko, scheming about how to reinvigorate the town. Their plans reliably involve playing up the town’s existing Wild West themes: Civil war reenactments, cowboy campouts, and Gunslingers on horseback are just a few of the ideas tossed around. With dappled high-desert as far as the eye can see, Shaniko seems destined for a perpetual backwards gaze.

With a heavy ambiance and frontier aesthetics, the town simultaneously intrigues and perplexes its visitors. Shaniko’s historic quality offers a unique attraction, yet a palpable sense of unease hangs in the quiet air. The line between old-West fantasy and ghost-town reality is blurry in Shaniko, further adding to its haunting allure.