Customer Reviews

Ghost Towns of the Northwest

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this book the author describes his travels through ghost towns. In describing the areas, the author explains the directions and difficulties that were endured getting to the actual site. There is history about the towns and the author also notes the cause of a towns' demise. There are wonderful anecdotes from old-timers and some humorous tales of the author's travels. It is a book that makes for good reading, but not one that may be easily referred to during traveling, so reading and taking notes or marking pages is helpful. There are descriptions of the roads, but not all directions are clear whether some of these roads are accessible without a four-wheel drive vehicle. Many good photographs, but all pictures are in black and white. It does however make this reader want to get off the couch to travel and explore.

This is an absolute great book about searching out and exploring all kinds of abandoned towns in the boonies of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. The author explores a total of 62 ghost towns. It would be of interest to history buffs, explorers, and off-roaders, as well as nature lovers. It's interesting, even if you never venture out your front door. Weis is a great writer, with a light, lively and humorous style as he recounts the ups and downs of back roads, dirt trails and encounters with locals as he tracks down these lost worlds of the west. And Weis is also truly an outstanding photographer, with dozens of dramatic black and white photos here to prove it. We've all heard about a handful of "tourist attraction" ghost towns, but this author, after checking out a few of those, goes way beyond and finds all kinds of ghost towns that truly have been forgotten. Reading this book is truly inspiring, encouraging readers to go out and explore and find their own lost towns with their weed-filled roads and teetering buildings, and perhaps a few odd characters lurking about. Weis gives tips for how to study topograhic maps to discover old town sites and what it takes to get to them. This book really strikes a chord in the heart of all would-be explorers and western history buffs. This is truly an enjoyable book, mixing light history, exploration, and just plain fun. It includes maps, and lots of great info. Who knows what has become of these ghost towns since this book was written? Weis' book makes that a question most people who read it will be hankering to explore.

This book is a really wonderful guide to the ghost towns of the Northwest. The writing is entertaining and informative, including some accounts with "current" locals--and the pictures are great. The sole reason for not giving the work a 5 of 5 is that it is a bit dated; the current state of these locations are not what they were when the work was published in 1971. Some of these towns have disappeared entirely since the author's visit, reclaimed by nature or the land owners where the properties once sat, and other towns have undergone revitalization, making them a lot less ghosty.

However, as far as history, story telling and a black & white glimpse of northwest ghost towns, you won't find many guides better than this.

Received this book just before going out West on vacation. We were able to easily locate an unused part of an old wagon train trail near the area we were camping. So with metal detector in hand and nothing but this book and a county map, off we go. Using the landmarks and county roads referenced in this book, we found a two-track trail that our four-wheel drive pickup could handle. This lead us to an abandoned town that was not visable from any of the roads. There were 4 buildings still standing, including the livery for the Pony Express riders. Also, an old gravesite marked with a historical placque and stone markers identifying this as part of the Oregon Trail. This was the highlight of our trip and out teenager is now hooked on HISTORY! Can't believe it... this book is worth every penny...can't wait for our next trip.