Drought-dry Lake Mead recedes to unveil long-submerged Wild West town

A building foundation in St. Thomas revealed by receding water levels at Lake Mead. A building foundation in St. Thomas revealed by receding water levels at Lake Mead. Photo: JKotto, Wikimedia Commons Photo: JKotto, Wikimedia Commons Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Drought-dry Lake Mead recedes to unveil long-submerged Wild West town 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

Eighty years after being flooded by the waters of Lake Mead, an old Wild West town has become a major tourist attraction after revealing itself again thanks to the ongoing drought.

The town of St. Thomas, Nevada was founded in 1865 as a Mormon settlement that served as a stop-off between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. At its height, 500 people lived and worked in the town's farms, hotel and stores.

But in 1938, it was flooded by the rising Colorado River as construction on the Hoover Dam went forward. The last resident, Hugh Lord, waited until June 11, 1938 to leave as waters were perilously close to consuming the remnants of the town. Before the drought dried up the area, the tallest buildings in St. Thomas were resting under 60 feet of water.

This isn't the first time St. Thomas has peered out from its watery grave. Over the years, it has appeared as water levels fluctuated. According to the National Park Service, it first started to surface in 2002 due to drought conditions and has become a part of the landscape ever since.

Along with St. Thomas, a submerged B-29 Superfortress has also become more easily accessible.

The B-29 crashed into the lake in 1948 while on a secret mission (weren't all missions during the Cold War secret?). The five crew members all survived, but the bomber has remained in the water for 70 years.

Now, lowered water levels have made the water so shallow that sunlight reaches the resting B-29. Scuba divers can book tours to see the plane.

Lake Mead is currently down to 37% capacity, but that's still over 10 million acre feet of water, making it one of the top five-biggest reservoirs in the nation.