The Mining Camps Speak: A New Way to Explore the Ghost Towns of the American West

by Beth Sagstetter, Bill Sagstetter

The Mining Camps Speak is for people who have visited ghost town sites in the past and were disappointed because there was "nothing left." Here is a new way to explore these mysterious sites, even if all that's left is rubble. The techniques are valid in any western state, even Alaska. It begins where other ghost town guidebooks end. It is the first book to guide readers around a site in Sherlock Holmes fashion. Using the techniques of a historical sleuth, you will learn to identify forgotten pieces of the past. You will see for yourself the lives that passed this way and you will hear The Mining Camps Speak . Illustrated with hundreds of black and white photographs and antique engravings.

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, Archaeology

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 1998

Reviews

[Lkelly6]

This is a truly wonderful book. It's the kind of book I like for a "coffee table" book. I learned so much about the daily lifestyle of pioneers in Colorado.

I learned how to decipher clues at abandoned cabin sites in the mountains. Since we love to hike, we do see these things, and now I know how to "read" the remains of buildings. We even look at how cabins are constructed in our rural mountain neighborhood in order to judge the era reflected in their architecture.

Everyone who loves to hike in the mountains anywhere SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

[Matt]

If you've ever planned a visit to a ghost mine town, this book is a must. It will help you understand what you will find. More than anything I enjoyed the book simply for its insight into mining history, processes and practices.

[Winnie Thornton]

Pretty much everything a writer needs to get a feel for mining camps without stepping outside the house.