Quick Facts
- State
- Texas
- County
- Jeff Davis County
- Status
- Unknown Status
- Access
- Unknown Access
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
Chinese Coal Mine doesn't need a haunted reputation — the empty streets do the talking. A ghost town of unknown status in Jeff Davis County, Texas.
Texas ghost towns run the full arc: cattle railheads, cotton towns the boll weevil broke, and oil booms that went bust.
Jeff Davis County holds 3 documented ghost towns, including Chispa, Madera Springs — Chinese Coal Mine keeps them company on the map.
The story of Chinese Coal Mine
The Panhandle and West Texas got the Dust Bowl; East Texas got the sawmills; South Texas got the railroads and the border trade. Every region of Texas has its own way of making ghost towns, but the mechanism was usually the same: a single-industry bet that stopped paying. Cotton towns died when the boll weevil and falling prices broke the tenant-farming economy. Lumber towns died when the pine ran out. Oil towns died when the pressure dropped. Chinese Coal Mine, out in Jeff Davis County, is what those economics look like from the ground — a main street built for a future that got canceled.
With a name like Chinese Coal Mine, the town's whole reason for existing is stamped right on the map.
What you'll find today
The on-the-ground condition of Chinese Coal Mine is unverified — it's listed here with unknown status. That could mean standing buildings, or an empty field. Go prepared for either, and consider sharing what you find so the record improves.
Nobody has confirmed the access situation, so treat any visit as reconnaissance: verify land ownership first, and be ready to admire from the road.
Getting there
Here's the honest truth: access to Chinese Coal Mine is unverified. We couldn't confirm whether the site sits on public land, private property, or something in between — so verify land ownership and local rules before visiting, and respect private property at all times.
Good to know
Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.