Located ten miles from the untamed Buffalo River and 124 miles from Little Rock lurks a 1300-acre ghost town. Situated in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hiking trails and spindly trees, lies the once-thriving town of Rush, Arkansas, which was named after the mining rush in the 1880s. People began flocking to the town, and by the 1890s, it was alive with workers, houses, businesses, and the mines themselves. There were a total of 15 active mines operating within the Rush mining district in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and up to 5,000 people lived in the region during its peak in 1914-1917.
While there are a number of local airports within easy driving distance of Rush, including Boone County Airport and Branson Airport, the largest is Memphis International (MEM), about 240 miles away. When you arrive in town, there’s a car park to leave your vehicle in as you hike the short Morning Star Interpretive Loop, which takes you past some of the town’s most important structures. You can also book a 9-mile river excursion, paddling from Buffalo Point to Rush Landing.
You can’t stay within the town itself, as all the buildings are condemned, but there are several campsites and cabins nearby. Rush Campground is 1.4 miles away, and Buffalo Trail Cabins is 2.8 miles outside of Rush. For a bed & breakfast experience, Buffalo River Lodge is about 4.5 miles away.
Eerie buildings and exploration in Rush
Early in your trip, you’ll likely pass a cemetery with graves that date back over 100 years, its weathered stones offering a creepy welcome to this abandoned town. Rush’s popularity peaked in the early 20th century. After World War I, zinc ore’s popularity dwindled, and the mines were shuttered. The last residents left in the 1960s, and Rush was officially declared a ghost town in 1972. The sounds of neighbors conversing and walking along the streets were replaced by the chirping of birds and the bustle of insects…