There are many excellent books that cover the history of the American West. Shown below are some of our favorites, with reviews by Howard Frisk.
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At 872 pages, this book is humongous! I am primarily interested in ghost towns found in Washington and Idaho, and even though the book encompasses such a wide geographic area, the coverage of Washington (33 ghost towns) and Idaho (16 ghost towns) is pretty complete. The book is loaded with present-day photographs (as of 1970 when it was first published) but very few historical photographs. The production quality of some of the photographs is not very good; they tend to be very dark and look under exposed. Strictly speaking, some of the places featured in the book are not true ghost towns, because there are still active businesses with residents living there. Overall, however, this is a great resource for anyone who is intrigued by the ghost towns of the west. I would buy it again. I have many books on the subject, and it is still one of my favorites. |
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What is remarkable and unique about this book is that it is written in the first person. The author visits the locations in the book and describes what he sees, and relates the conversations he has with the locals. This is the source of some very interesting anecdotes and stories that are not found in any other books on the subject.
The primary drawback of the book are the photographs. They are all black-and-white, and the production quality is quite low. Many are washed out (low contrast) and very dark or underexposed. Photographs are by the author, but I wished he had done a better job with his camera. This is what makes this book get three stars instead of five. The other thing you need to know is that the book was published in 1971, so all the photographs are at least 50 years old. I visited many of the ghost towns included in the book in 2022 and 2023, and so many of the buildings pictured in the book simply do not exist any more. That said, the book is still a good buy because of the historical information and anecdotes in the text. The history in the 1800s and early 1900s does not change even after 50 years. |
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I have read numerous books on Idaho's ghost towns, and it seems as if every book I read includes interesting historical details that all the other books have missed, and this book was no exception. The book was published in 1974, and I visited many of the locations described in the book in 2024. Sadly, many of the buildings featured in the book are no longer standing, 50 years later. This is a great book to take with you if you ever visits ghost towns in Idaho. |
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I make a lot of road trips around Washington State as part of my photography work. This book has a huge amount of historical information about the big cities, small towns, industries and people that make our state so unique and captivating. I enjoyed the historical photographs and anecdotes about the people that lived in our land a hundred years ago. Especially in the small farm towns of eastern Washington, you can go there today, find old homesteads and barns, and learn the names of the people who built them. It is a wonderful way to connect to history. The only drawback is that the quality of the photographs could be better, so that is the only improvement I could suggest. |
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I have read quite a few books on the ghost towns of Idaho, and this is one of my favorites. The author has done extensive research and had included a lot of color photographs showing the current condition (as of 2023) of the buildings that remain on these locations. I visited many of these places in 2024, and this book was very helpful in allowing me to identify what I was seeing. |
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I enjoy taking road trips to eastern Washington State, and this book is a comprehensive list of ghost towns in the northeastern part of the state. I have visited many of the the places mentioned in the book.
There is a good amount of historical information. The main drawback of the book is the photographs. They are all black-and-white, small, and generally of poor quality. This is still a good book to buy if you can get it used. This is the 2002 edition of the book. I also have the 2011 edition of the book, which has been expanded with about 120 more pages. |
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This is the second edition of the book. I have the first edition, which was published in 2002. The second edition was published in 2011, with about 120 pages added. The quality of the black-and-white photos has improved; four sections on the history of Native American peoples were also added. The most important addition is the addition of a whole chapter on historic mines, about 60 pages worth. This is a great book for explorers of Washington State. |
This is a vintage map of Idaho published in 1911. The ghost towns in the Idaho book series by Howard Frisk can be found on this map.
Photographs of Rocky Bar and Atlanta where the story of Peg Leg Annie takes place, as well as relevant historical information, can be see in the Western Echo Publishing Historical Photo Gallery.
