Ghost towns

Scattered throughout the west, ghost towns are wonderful places to explore and learn about our forgotten recent history. Growing up exploring places like Bodie, my early explorations of other town sites was always a bit disappointing.

Early townsites throughout the south west are scattered in extreme heat, dry locations. People would move from town to town only long enough to learn the rumor’s which caused them to relocate were not true. Town were thrown up in days in a flurry of activity and desire to earn a living. Many ghost towns were grew from tent cities and buildings with no foundations or floors.

Old mining camps were developed around the location of ore, not other resources. The gold was in the ground, everything else needed to he hauled to the location. Wooded structures were not painted, hastily built and building codes simply did not exist at this time. Ghost towns like Bodie and Virginia City are very cool, however, my appreciation for the little towns that never made history, flashed and faded have our respect. And when you visit one of these quiet list islands of history, when you find anything left behind. It is a gift. Every one in a while, you might be surprised.

Resources

• Forgotten Nevada
• Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps