Dudley is the name of two ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

s in Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. One Dudley in Wapello County

Wapello County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,625 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,098 housing units, of which 14,552 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, one in Polk County

Polk County, Iowa

Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 430,640 in the 2010 census, an increase from 374,601 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city of Iowa...

.

Wapello County

Both 1908 and 1920 surveys of northwestern Wapello County have a post office

United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 located here. A sign on the former edge of town reads: "Population 12 and God only knows how many dogs and cats."

Polk County

The Polk County town of Dudley was destroyed by the Flood of 1851

Flood of 1851

The Great Flood of 1851 occurred after record-setting rainfalls across the U.S. Midwest and Plains from May to August, 1851. Hardest hit was the State of Iowa, with significant flooding extending to the Lower Mississippi River basin. Historical evidence suggest flooding occurred in the eastern...

, many of its citizens relocated to Carlisle, Iowa

Carlisle, Iowa

Carlisle is a city in Warren and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 3,497 at the 2000 census. The city is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area....

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