Old West Ghost Towns

[ken7700]

My kids and I wanted to head west to see an old west Ghost Town. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

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Photo added by Frenchtowner on June 13, 2008. This is a public domain photo of Bowdie California from Wikipedia by Jon Sullivan [see a large version here].

[Rabscuttle]

I would really recommend Calico Ghost Town in California desert. I went there as a kid and loved it...

Info:
Calico Ghost Town, an Old West Mining Adventure, in California

[frenchtowner]

Ken,

I posted the photo of Bowdie above. I had never heard of it before. It is a National Park. It looks like it would make a great destination for you and the kids. Read more about it here.

FT

[DianaR]

Eagle County in Colorado boasts at least 8 ghost towns and mining camps. I haven't been to any of them yet, but have read about some of them.

Some require a four wheel drive vehicle to reach them, but I bet there is some old guy running tours where special vehicles are needed!

[Agent Fred]

I have family who have been to Bodie and they loved it. They had kids with them, too, and the kids apparently liked it.

[Simplyme]

There are almost 300 Old West Ghost towns in AZ and unfortunately I have only had the opportunity to go to one which was Pearce and Fittsburgh in Cochise County Here is a quote from historybufftraveler.com on Pearce and Fittsburg

Pearce and Fittsburg

Fittsburg, located in Cochise County, is where the mine that drove the economy of Pearce is located. Pearce was founded by a man named Jimmie Pearce and the town even received a post office in 1896 that is till in operation today. The population of Pearce once grew to an estimated 1,500 before the mine and the economy dried up during the 1930s. Those who visit Pearce and Fittsburg today can see the remains of a jailhouse, an old school, and an old store that was built in 1894. Pearce General Store is now home to a museum that houses items from the town’s history and tells of the older mining days. Those who wish to pay respects to the deceased of Pearce and Fittsburg can travel down Middlemarch Road and visit Pearce cemetery.

It was a very nice little day trip for us and the kids and the fact that there were still remaining signs of the old town was really neat for the kids. They all got to learn a little history if the town and pick up some trinkets from the trip. All in all I would definitely recommend it if you are ever out near Cochise county.

[bika]

Is there ghost? Or just it is called ghost house? If there is no danger then you can take your kid otheriwse, change the plan.

[DianaR]

Originally Posted by bika

Is there ghost? Or just it is called ghost house? If there is no danger then you can take your kid otheriwse, change the plan.

They are called ghost towns because the buildings are empty, and if any people are living there, they must be ghosts. I don't know if there have been any studies done to see if any unexplained or unseen energies linger, though.

Other than the possibility of stepping through a rotted floor board, I haven't heard about any risks that should prevent children from enjoying a visit.

[Simplyme]

Yeah , no ghosts to my knowledge and if there were I doubt they would hang around with all the families that come around. They have set up little gift shops and stuff in there so people can take home little trinkets so it is fun for the kiddo's too.