Ghost Towns of Route 66
The quintessential boom-and-bust highway of the American West, Route 66 once hosted a thriving array of boomtowns built around oil mines, railroad stops, cattle ranches, resorts, stagecoach stops, and gold mines. Illustrated with gorgeous sepia-tone and color photography by Kerrick James, this book tours dozens of ghost towns in:
- Illinois (Braidwood, Braceville, Gardner, Dwight, Bloomington, Funks Grove, Springfield)
- Missouri (Rolla, Dootlittle, Springfield, Halltown, Paris Springs Junction, Avilla, Carthage, Joplin)
- Kansas (Galena, Riverton, Baxter Springs)
- Oklahoma (Narcissa, Afton, Tulsa, Warwick, Bridgeport, Foss, Elk City, Erick, Texola)
- Texas (Shamrock, McLean, Alanreed, Jericho, Amarillo, Glenrio)
- New Mexico (San Jon, Tucumari, Montoya, Newkirk, Cuervo, Dilia, Tecolote, Santa Fe, Thoreau, Gallup)
- Arizona (Lupton, Chambers, Two Guns, Flagstaff, Truxton, Hackberry, Kingman, Goldroad, Oatman)
- California (Needles, Goffs, Essex, Cadiz, Chambless, Amboy, Ludlow, Newberry Springs, Daggett, Barstow)
This edition also includes directions and travel tips for your ghost-town explorations along Route 66, as well as a fold-out map of the Mother Road.
Explore the beauty and nostalgia of these abandoned communities along America’s favorite highway!
Jim Hinckley is the author of twenty books and hundreds of feature articles on Route 66, the American Southwest, and the American auto industry. He has been a featured speaker at European Route 66 festivals in Germany and the Czech Republic, and at events in the United States and Canada. Hinckley is a former associate editor for Cars & Parts, and currently writes a monthly feature for New Zealand-based MotoringNZ. He also assists with the creation of visitor guides for communities such as Tucumcari, New Mexico, and the development of historic district walking tours. Jim is the creator of the Jim Hinckley’s America network that includes a website (jimhinckleysamerica.com), social media, the weekly livestream Coffee with Jim program, a YouTube channel, and the Wake Up with Jim podcast. Linked with this are community education programs developed to foster an increased awareness of an area’s history and its role in the development of tourism as a component in economic development.