Visting a Ghost Town
One of the hidden gens of the American west stems from our gold rush history. The Ghost Town. Spread across the desert and located in high remote mountains are scattered reminders of the gold fever that once swept the nation and pushed the westward expansion. The dilapidated and rusted ruins of these gold rush boom towns are link into our past and a way of life that has long disappeared.
( Watch the full video - Exploring a Real Old West Whorehouse! 🤠 | Vulture City Ghost Town, Arizona )
Inside the office of an 1860s mining office.
A good ghost town is sometimes hard to find. Many are no more that foundations with sage brush growing around them with the occasional rattle snake. Others, like Vulture City outside of Wickenburg Arizona, offers a lot to see from a time gone by.
When visiting, remember, you are now in the mid-1850s. Our nation was only 70 to 80 years old. This part of the country was more like what we would refer to as a third world nation today. Law was a suggestion. Morals were weak and vices were strong. Danger was everywhere. Yet, these towns popped up and created their own societies in the middle of unchartered and nearly uninhabited lands.
A wash basin from the 1860s.
Despite the feeling that you are going to need a tetanus booster after your visit, you should be ready to view what you recognize. Offices with type writers. Homes with a kitchen table. A post office with mail slots. A saloon with whiskey. The difference? None of them rely on electricity. This is the life of the past. Radio started broadcasting in the 1920s. The telephone started service in the 1860s. The Model-T was produced in 1908. Much of our modern life has its roots in what you see in a ghost town, but yet still different.
A Ghost Town is a place of discovery for adventurers and a gold mine for photographers. As you visit the past, photography can be fun. I suggest the cooler months for photography. Not only is it more enjoyable to be outside, but the low angle golden light flowing through the windows adds the dramatic lighting that still life photographers enjoy. You do not need a long lens for this type of photography unless you are looking to add extra bokeh effect to your background.
Don’t worry, the sage brush and rattle snakes will still be there. Take your time, explore the location, and enjoy the wild west.
An old rusty cup on a dusty wood table.