Customer Reviews

Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Camps: A Travel Guide to History

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This book contains a wealth of factual background data on each ghost town, as well as numerous "back then" and "see it now" photographs. The book maintains the high standards expected from the publishers of "Arizona Highways Magazine"

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[Paired review with Ghost Towns of Colorado, by Philip Varney]

Ghost town books are traditionally rather scruffy affairs, with dim
photos, little organization and an amateurish look. Philip Varney
has raised the bar with these two books. Both feature clean design,
good directions to the sites, excellent photographs and well-written
text. Varley writes "I wanted a practical, informative guide that
would give me the details I needed next to me on the sea of my
truck." Both books are squarely on his mark.

The Colorado book is nicer: all the present-day photographs are in
color, and the extra 24 pages allow more photos and a bit more depth
to the text. But the Arizona book is no slouch: it has the advantage of
Arizona Highways' long experience in producing good, easy-to-use
guidebooks (plus it's cheaper). I've been to most of the sites in both
books; in almost every case I've learned something new from his
books. The photos are excellent, the maps and directions are easy to
follow, and Varney's writing style is personable and informative.

Either book will make a fine companion for your next Colorado or
Arizona vacation, even if you don't ordinarily pay much attention
to ghost towns. Those with an interest in Western history *need*
both books. And they're both excellent for armchair travellers.
We're already talking about a Colorado trip next summer --
Kathleen's never seen the *real* South Park.

Varney really has no competition for either state. These are the two
best ghost-own guidebooks I've seen. He'salso written ghost-town
guides for New Mexico (1987?) and Southern California (1990). The NM book is decent, but out-of-date. I haven't seen the other.

Happy reading--
Pete Tillman
Consulting Geologist, Tucson & Santa Fe (USA)

Pete Tillman visited his first Colorado ghost towns some 40 years ago, and has since been to hundreds more throughout the West, both for work and for fun. Vulture (AZ) is his current favorite "true" ghost. But, hmm, Bodie (CA) is bigger and better-kept.... And Jerome (AZ) has the best views... And I've *still* never been to Crystal (CO). So much to see, so little time....

If you're planning to cruise Arizona looking for ghost towns, this book will be a great help. I used it recently on a trip to Arizona and found it to be an invaluable guide. Basic history is provided for each entry, along with directions and road conditions. The photography is great as well. The book is interesting even if you never get a chance to visit these forgotten places.

This book is probably the best ghost town book published for any state in the U.S.. It is nicely divided up by area of Arizona. So you can easily travel to a particular area and visit a few ghost towns in a row in a rather short period of time. Each area has its principle site (uually the site with most to see and the most history). Also, two to six secondary sites area listed for each area. Then minor sites are also listed so you can prioritize you visits to maximize what you see in a smaller amount of time.
The author also includes detialed driving directions and if a four wheel drive or high clearance vehicle is needed to get there. The pictures in this book are amazing. I am guessing that there is information on over 100 ghost towns in this book. Due to the dry climate, the ghost towns here tend to stay pretty well preserved. And the author does a good job of showing you the best there is to see here. I have personally visited probably 30 to 50 of the towns in this book, and I am telling you it is worth every penny.

This is an interesting and well-illustrated book on ghost towns and mining camps in Arizona. The book is divided into eight sections (most in the southern part of the state), and within each section the various sites are described and located.

Each section has one major ghost town as its main attraction (Oatman, Swansea, Vulture, Sasco, Ruby, Jerome, Clifton, and Bisbee), and then several nearby sites are listed and described. Many photographs (historical and contemporary) are included, all of high quality and on slick paper, similar to the magazine Arizona Highways, which published the book.

Important for people who actually enjoy visiting ghost towns when possible, Varney tells exactly how to find each site, whether a high-clearance vehicle is necessary to get there, and whether each is on private property or not. The book is useful, informative, and a pleasure to read. Anyone interested in ghost towns in Arizona, whether as an armchair traveler or in-the-field explorer, will want to have this book.

I found this book to have some very interesting photographs and accurate information about the Arizona area. Good resource book for accurate historical information.

The information and directions included in this book are very informative, but not in a lot of depth. Photos were fantastic. Buy it with another book whose emphasis is Arizona history with more specific directions and it will be a winning combination.

For anyone who enjoys Ghost Towns, and what reader interested in the 'west' doesn't? This slim volume shows what was once possible for an at that time fine magazine of travel and history, Arizona Highways. Published back in 1994 or so, prior to the magazine changing both editors and editorial direction. However, buy a copy of this book from the good, old days and relish what once was.

The chapters for the book are listed below:

Introduction
Yavapai Ghosts
Vulture Ghosts
Mohave Ghosts
Ghosts of the Rivers (Yuma, Ft. Yuma, Yuma Prison, etc.)
Color Portfolio
Mining Districts Map
Ghosts of Copper Country (Clifton, Old Morenci, and Metcalf, Copper Hill)
Ghosts of Silverbell
Santa Cruz Ghosts
Tombstone Territory Ghosts (Bisbee, Tombstone Area, Fort Bowie, Dragoon Springs)
Index
GPS Waypoints, Topographic Maps
and Specific Directions
glossary of Mining Terms/Ackknowledgements
Ghost Towns Map

Charming little book. If one is interested in Ghost Towns and/or Arizona this book is great reference. My husband and I will use this reference material many times in the future.

Excellent! Just what I was looking for our next trip to AZ.

RKO