[.ca] Ghost Towns of Kansas (PB) (ISBN 0700603689)

Listed by KC Star as the best traveler's guide to old towns.:
I know the author personally. As I see above that Joseph W. Snell is listed as designer. Not so. He only did an introductory page. I typed & edited the manuscript. A sequel that is doing just as well is "Faded Dreams, More Ghost Towns of Kansas". Both volumes contain at least 100 old KS towns & histories, with maps and many pictures. Both are of great interest to the western history buff. Thanks.

A ghost world of hopes and dreams:
This book made tangible the hopes and dreams of the men and women who moved west in search of better lives. Fitzgerald has included maps, photographs and layouts of towns that illustrate the optimism (and in some cases, the deceptiveness) of investors and town founders who hoped to establish new communities. I have lived in Kansas most of my life, but never appreciated why earlier generations moved here, and ultimately why they thrived or failed. Fitzgerald clearly demonstrates how county seats, mines, railroads, rivers, and interstates can save or kill a town. In addition, he has included where to find the town's remains - if there are remains to be found. This book is easy to read in little snippets. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Kansas history and the history of westward expansion, as well as anyone who enjoys good anecdotes that build connections to those who have come before us.