Ghost Towns Alive: Trips to New Mexico's Past
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Book Overview
The first book of the twenty-first century on New Mexico's ghost towns, this illustrated survey is based on research, interviews, and the travels of author Linda Harris and photographer Pamela Porter. They have divided the state into eleven regions comprising seventy ghost towns, from the Santa Fe Trail and Colfax County in the north to the southern mountains and the boot heel at the other end of New Mexico. For this writing, Harris has redefined ghost town to refer not just to permanently abandoned places but also to those that have declined without necessarily dying. She sheds light on the ways some towns have survived and how some have reinvented themselves, like Madrid and Cerrillos, former mining towns turned artistic and bohemian enclaves. All the towns in this book are accessible. Many have their own web sites and most have benefited from the efforts of preservation-minded residents and museum curators. Roads have been improved, churches restored, and schools have been transformed into community centers, libraries, or residences. Ghost Towns Alive will certainly entice New Mexicans and out-of-state tourists alike to pack a lunch and hit the road. Don't forget to bring walking shoes and your camera!
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:082632908X
ISBN13:9780826329080
Release Date:October 2003
Publisher:University of New Mexico Press
Length:256 Pages
Weight:1.20 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 7.3" x 9.7"
Related Subjects
Food, Lodging & Transportation Mountain Reference Road Travel State & Local Travel WestCustomer Reviews
2 ratings
A very good book on New Mexico ghost towns
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Not only is this book a good guide to many of New Mexico's ghost towns, but it is also incredibly readable. It is by far, among my very favorite books on the subject. Plus, it passes the one-question test I give to all New Mexico ghost town books: "Does it include Hagan?" Hagan, New Mexico--the greatest, most overlooked of all ghost towns anywhere. Many ghost town books just include all the obvious ones, like Shakespeare and Steins, but only the good ones know about Hagan. Not only does this book include Hagan, but it also has a fact or two about it that I've never come across in the rest of my reading. Buy this book, stock your car's CD player with Caribou and the "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" soundtrack, and set off driving. There's a lot out there waiting for you.
Author Instills Life in Ghost Towns Book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Visiting a ghost town can leave you wondering but never knowing what stories lurk behind the crumbled adobe walls, abandoned wagons, and other relics of lives once lived. Author Linda Harris does a suberb job of introducing the characters who helped form these old towns--the curmudgeons, the criminals, the benefactors, and the adventurers. Harris also offers the filter of her own heart, soul, and considerable knowledge as an area historian to breathe life into each narrative. Ghost Towns Alive isn't just a mere recitation of facts, statistics, and driving directions, although you'll find plenty of useful information to get you to your destination. Instead, this book is an absolute must to guide you through an intimate experience of New Mexico's past.
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