Ghost Towns of Northern California [Paperback]

Philip Varney (Author), John Drew (Photographer), Susan Drew (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

No one knows ghosts towns--nor what ghost town lovers want to know about them--like Philip Varney. Tony Hillerman. Get ready for adventure as ghost town expert Philip Varney takes you on a tour of Northern California’s most fascinating historic mining camps and ghost towns. Ghost Towns of Northern California provides background on the Gold Rush of 1849 and later strikes, as well as comprehensive information on more than 50 towns and sites--from out-of-the-way Campo Seco and New Idria to popular sites such as Coloma and Bodie. Varney also covers ghost forts, Chinese fishing villages, and the famous "ghost prison" of Alcratraz. If you’re an armchair visitor, you’ll appreciate the rich color photographs and descriptive text that bring the region to life. With chapters arranged by region and tons of travel information and maps, visitors will find this pictorial guide makes traveling the area a breeze. John Drew is the photographer of Ghost Towns of Colorado; he and his wife Susan Drew have photographed ghost towns throughout the West.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Varney has mastered the art of writing books on ghost towns of the West, having authored such guides as Ghost Towns of Colorado and Southern California's Best Ghost Towns. In his latest volume, he once again combines the elements of an interesting narrative blending the personal with the historical with excellent photographs that provide a glimpse of both the past and the present. Varney also includes the necessary tourist information pertaining to museums, tours, maps, and directions. The result is an outstanding travel guide to northern California's 50 deserted mining towns, plus the "ghost prison" of Alcatraz and a couple of Chinese fishing villages in the San Francisco Bay area, that also serves as a good supplement to books on the gold rush. Recommended for all public libraries in California and for larger libraries in the rest of the country. John McCormick, New Hampshire State Lib., Concord
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"No one knows ghosts towns--nor what ghost town lovers want to know about them--like Philip Varney." -- Tony Hillerman

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896584429
• ISBN-13: 978-0896584426
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Illustrated Guide for the Ghost Town Lover!, June 29, 2003

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ghost Towns of Northern California (Paperback)

I am a native Californian, although I have lived in Boston for many years. One of the most intriguing parts of California for me has been visiting abandoned and restored pioneer towns in the Golden State. About 70 miles from my first home in San Bernardino, is located an old mining town, Calico, in the middle of the Mojave desert. That town has set my expectations for visiting pioneer towns.

For my 49th birthday, my father and wife arranged for me to have a 49er vacation that included attending a San Francisco 49er football game and then heading off into the gold country to revisit the sites where the great gold rush first began.

From knowing a lot about California history, I knew of many towns and sites that I wanted to see. But along the way, I was intrigued by signs and notes about many sites that I had never heard about before. I wished that I had had along a source as fine as Ghost Towns of Northern California.

Although his book will seem like a coffee table book to some, I found it to be an essential exploration guide. More than 50 towns and sites are described and pictured. Mr. Varney does a fine job of giving you the local history (which often includes how much gold was mined locally and how it was mined) while the photographs give you a sense of what there is to see. You also get maps that can easily be used to find each of these locations. Most are concentrated in the gold areas (such as near the Oregon border, near route 49, and in the high Sierras), but others have different backgrounds and locations such as Alcatraz and China Camp in the San Francisco Bay area.

The author defines a "ghost town" as being a town that has had a large slide in its permanent population, even if it is still populated. So few of these "ghost towns" are uninhabited like Calico was when I was a youngster.

I double checked the accuracy of the information by comparing my experiences on my 49er vacation to what the book says, and the information and views tallied perfectly. Nice job!

The photographs are more realistic than artistic. That is not to say that they are not beautiful in many cases, but they give you a realistic view of what you will see rather than a "sunset at Sedona" feeling.

You probably won't want to visit all of these ghost towns, but the book will help you decide when and where you will want to visit. I strongly urge you to decide to visit the sites that interest you and to use this valuable guide to help you plan and follow through on your plans.

I thought the book is an exceptional value. I would have gladly paid more than twice the asking price for this great resource!

After you finish enjoying the photographs and text, spend some time rereading Mark Twain's stories about the gold camps. It will help you get in the mood for planning a wonderful trip!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait!, March 5, 2002

By 

Timothy D. Tyler (Detroit, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ghost Towns of Northern California (Paperback)

Bought the book in anticipation of being out in that area soon, and after reading the great historical info and seeing the beautiful photos, I can't wait to get out there and see some of the places for myself!

I only wish the maps had been a little more detailed, and that the author could have provided coordinates of the sites from a GPS, to make it easier to get to the locations.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on California History, September 2, 2011

By 

B. Maddox (Folsom, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ghost Towns of Northern California: Your Guide to Ghost Towns & Historic Mining Camps (Pictorial Discovery Guides) (Hardcover)

This is a great book all around. Great reading, great pictures and great history. If you find this subject interesting you need to get this book.