Southern California's Best Ghost Towns

Release on 1994-03-011994-03-01 by Philip Varney

Author: Philip Varney

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

ISBN: 0806126086

Category: Travel

Page: 152

View: 626

The ghost towns of Southern California-some dramatic and nearly intact, others devastated-are well worth visiting. Most are remnants of once-colorful mining towns, though there are also railroad towns, a World War II relocation center, a promoter's swindle, and a failed socialist colony. Some excellent attractions remain. One of the best-preserved stamp mills in the West is in Skidoo. Smelters, homes, stores, and the remarkable wooden American Hotel can be found in Cerro Gordo, which the author calls "California's best true ghost town." Seasoned back-roads traveler Philip Varney, who has visited nearly a hundred ghost towns in the area, provides a down-to-earth and helpful guide to more than sixty of the best in Southern California and nearby Inyo and Kern counties. He defines a ghost town as a town with a population markedly decreased from its peak, one whose initial reason for settlement no longer keeps people there. It can be completely deserted, have a resident or two, or retain genuine signs of vitality, but Varney has eliminated those towns he considers either too populated or too empty of significant remains. The sites are grouped in four chapters in Inyo County, Death Valley, the Mojave Desert and Kern River, and the regions surrounding Los Angeles and San Diego. Each chapter provides a map of the region, a ranking of sites as "major," "secondary," and "minor," information on road conditions, trip suggestions, and tips on the use of particular topographic maps for readers interested in more detailed exploration. Each entry includes directions to a town, a brief history of that town, and notes on its special points of interest. Current photographs provide a valuable record of the sometimes fragile sites. Southern California's Best Ghost Towns will be welcomed both by those who enjoy traveling off the beaten path and by those who enjoy the history of the American West.

Travel

Language: en
Pages: 316

Introduction to Birds of the Southern California Coast

Authors: Joan Easton Lentz

Categories: History

Type: BOOK - Published: 2006 - Publisher: Univ of California Press

This easy-to-use handbook is a must for anyone who wants to leave behind Southern California's noisy freeways and crowded beaches in search of the wild places where birds can be found. A perfect companion for excursions from San Luis Obispo County to the Mexican border, it is designed to familiarize

Language: en
Pages: 152

Southern California's Best Ghost Towns

Authors: Philip Varney

Categories: Travel

Type: BOOK - Published: 1994-03-01 - Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

Language: en
Pages: 288

Hiking Southern California

Authors: Roddy Scheer

Categories: Sports & Recreation

Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-10-01 - Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Boasting a mild climate, incredible diversity, and thousands of miles of hiking trails, Southern California offers a gem for every hiker. Hiking Southern California is your ticket to rewarding adventures in the backcountry of the southern third of the Golden State, including Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve, the

Language: en
Pages: 10

OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) Lease Sale No.48, Offshore Southern California

Authors: Roddy Scheer

Categories: Sports & Recreation

Type: BOOK - Published: 1979 - Publisher:

Books about OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) Lease Sale No.48, Offshore Southern California

Language: en
Pages: 87

Weather of Southern California

Authors: Harry P. Bailey

Categories: California, Southern

Type: BOOK - Published: 1975 - Publisher:

Books about Weather of Southern California