Ghost Towns of the Pacific Northwest: Your Guide to Ghost Towns, Mining Camps, and Historic Forts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia [Paperback]

Philip Varney (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pictorial Discovery Guide | Publication Date: April 30, 2005

Get ready for adventure as ghost town expert Philip Varney takes you on a tour of the Pacific Northwest’s most fascinating historic ghost towns, mining camps, fishing villages, lumber towns, and historic forts of Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. With intriguing anecdotes, current travel information, maps, and outstanding color and historical photographs, this thoroughly practical book serves as both a fascinating history of the Northwest and British Columbia and a trustworthy travel guide to the region’s ghost towns. If you’re an armchair traveler, you’ll appreciate the rich color photographs and descriptive text that bring the region to life. With chapters arranged geographically and featuring detailed maps, this pictorial guide makes traveling the area a breeze. About the Author and Photographers: Long-time ghost-town hunter Philip Varney is the author of Voyageur Press’s "Ghost Towns of Colorado" and "Ghost Towns of Northern California." He regularly contributes to "Arizona Highways" magazine and frequently leads travel groups on ghost-town tours. John and Susan Drew’s work has been published worldwide in calendars, magazines, and books, including Voyageur Press’s "Ghost Towns of Colorado" and "Ghost Towns of Northern California."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Book News, Inc., November 2005 (circ. unavailable)

“Varney focuses on sites likely little-known even to Northwest residents.”

Bookwatch, September 2005 (circ.: 80,000)

“Any with an interest in Northwest history and vintage towns, whether it be armchair traveler or destination visitor, will relish this intriguing history.”

The Oregonian, Aug. 1, 2005 (circ.: 335,980)

“A fine guide to discovering these fascinating places where time has moved on.”

From the Publisher

Philip Varney is the author of Voyageur Press’s "Ghost Towns of Northern California" and "Ghost Towns of Colorado," and he has written books on ghost towns in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California. The work of John and Susan Drew has appeared worldwide in calendars, magazines, and books, including Voyageur Press’s "Ghost Towns of Colorado" and "Ghost Towns of Northern California."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (April 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896585921
• ISBN-13: 978-0896585928
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Oregon
  • #44 in Books > Travel > Canada > Provinces > British Columbia
  • #94 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Americana

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK but not as well-done as other books in this series, May 30, 2008

By 

ZoneIII (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Towns of the Pacific Northwest: Your Guide to Ghost Towns, Mining Camps, and Historic Forts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Paperback)

I have had an interest in western ghost towns since the late 1960s and have sought out and photographed many ghost towns over the years. To that end, I have about 30 or 40 ghost town books and I would have to say that this is not one of the best. In my opinion, it is one of the worst. In fact, it's not as good as other books by Philip Varney in the same series. However, as a professional photographer myself, I can say that the photographs by John and Susan Drew are quite good. One problem with this book is that it lacks the depth of most other ghost town books. The information given just skims the surface. It's generally just raw facts such as when the town was founded, etc. Good ghost town books should go into the colorful stories that all these towns have. That's what's so fascinating about ghost towns. Another problem with the book is that it shows too many towns that are not really ghost towns at all but may only have a couple old historic buildings or they may be simply tourist towns. Many of the pictures are not of towns at all but rather dilapidated barns, etc., which can be seen anywhere in the country and are certainly not ghost towns. There is a classification system for ghost towns and not all ghost towns are classic "true" ghost towns, of course, but this book has very few ghost towns that will be of interest to a real ghost town enthusiast. In addition, the text doesn't always clearly specify the status of the towns so a reader may travel far to see a ghost town only to find that it's bustling town with a couple historic buildings, a museum, or it may be just a tourist town. I would like to know the true condition of these towns but Varney is very vague about that. Most of my ghost town hunting has been in the Southwest, California, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Montana so it is possible that there simply aren't that many good ghost towns in the Pacific Northwest but other books that I have would suggest otherwise. Unlike some other books in this series, the maps do not use symbols that represent that actual state of the towns. For example, a crossed shovel and pick symbol often represents a "true" ghost town. But this book does not follow that useful and helpful practice, which is odd. It almost appears as if Varney simply got lazy in this effort and didn't bother to seek more remote ghost towns or gather more information about he towns he does cover. Good ghost town books should be enjoyable even to the armchair traveler who will never actually go to these towns. To accomplish that, the unique and interesting stories of the towns should be sought out and shared by the author. Florin's books, although dated, are wonderful examples of how ghost town books should be. Fortunately, if and when I do seek out ghost towns in the Pacific Northwest, I have other books that cover that region much better than this one.

One other point: A very interesting and fascinating feature often included in the best ghost town books are "then and now" pictures that juxtapose images of the past and the present of the towns. For example, it's very interesting to see period photographs of, say, the town's main street along side a recent photograph of the same scene. There are a couple old pictures in this book but recent photographs of the same scenes are not included.

All-in-all, I can't really recommend this book to ghost town enthusiasts but I suppose it's a moderately interesting addition to a ghost town book collection. But if you are seeking true ghost towns and interesting information about them, you can find better books to meet those needs.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for those looking for Northwest Ghost Towns, September 4, 2007

By 

Rick Stromberg "Movienut" (Kennewick, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost Towns of the Pacific Northwest: Your Guide to Ghost Towns, Mining Camps, and Historic Forts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Paperback)

This book covered many of the most popular ghost towns in the Northwest corner of the US and Canada. A myriad of good photos and just enough information to entice you to get in the car and go. I would have liked to have a little more information regarding those obscure ghost towns that are not easily accessed or identified.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Photos, January 6, 2010

By 

meggie's momma (idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Towns of the Pacific Northwest: Your Guide to Ghost Towns, Mining Camps, and Historic Forts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Paperback)

This book is great, if only for the amazing photos. I have many books on Idaho ghost towns, and while this one does not have as much written information as many of the others, it has the best photos of any of them! It would make a great coffee table book.