Ghost Towns of Kansas Volume One (1976)

Work began on Ghost Towns of Kansas Volume One in December of 1973. At that time I was 14 years old. This project was actually a collaboration with good friend Brad Trimble. Brad and I had agreed to write a book of approximately 100 ghost towns. I would write half of it, Brad the other half. I would take those that began with letters A-L, Brad M-Z. A simple plan! Since Kansas has approximately 6,000 ghost towns in its long history, the pool of possibilities was vast and interesting. Brad dropped out of the project after a few months. Three towns, however, were his contributions. The focus of a large portion of the book was on ghost towns in the Eastern half of the state. That was because Brad and I traveled to nearly all the towns represented in the book. At the time I had an old 1966 Ford Mustang. It was not the most reliable car in the world, so we concentrated on lost towns in our own backyards. To the credit of Ford, it was rugged. The car went a lot of places that it probably should never have gone. Ghost Towns One was completed by November of 1974. It was approximately 300 pages long and the goal of writing about a hundred towns did materialize. However, since I was fourteen years old, the chance of actually getting it published was not great. A couple of publishers looked at it and that was about it. A local historical society took an interest in the book during the summer of 1975, and they encouraged me to continue to publish it. In February of 1976, I was given a name and phone number of an up and coming local publisher in Holton, Kansas, called Bell Graphics. They took a look at the manuscript and raved that it would be a success. However, we would have to invest the money in publishing it. After much deliberation, and with the assistance of my parents, the $1,200 initial publishing cost was risked, and the book was published. I was a senior in high school, and knew very little about book promoting. The book was released on December 16, 1976, with an initial run of 1,000. Endless promoting and book reviews in various newspapers and journals kept the momentum going on sales. The first thousand sold out in two months, the second in six months, and the third by the end of the first year. It became an enormous success that amazed everyone. The Topeka Capital Journal in 1977 called it a "monumental work." Whether that is true or not remains to be seen. It did generate a lot of interest and led to four sequels, and working on a fifth. Ghost Towns One led to a sequel, released in 1979, named appropriately Ghost Towns of Kansas Volume Two. I will discuss that one at a later time. The original Ghost Towns of Kansas has become a collector's item. The last copies sold out in 1988 right before Ghost Towns of Kansas: A Travellers Guide was released. There have been a number of requests to reissue this book. Prices for the book on Ebay have surpassed $100 on occasion. It is not difficult to find rare book dealers attempting to sell this volume for over $50. There are no current plans to reissue. I occasionally run into spare copies here and there. If you have an interest in getting a copy, email me and I will place you on a mailing list. Of all the Ghost Towns of Kansas books, I have received more correspondence from fans regarding this one. I'm not sure why. It reads rough today, but honest and fresh. Perhaps that is why it is the favorite of many folks who have purchased the entire series.

Playlist for Ghost Towns of Kansas, Volume One:

Albion, Harper County
Alcove Springs, Marshall County
Alexandria, Leavenworth County
Allen, Lyon County
America City, Nemaha County
Americus, Lyon County
Anna, Bourbon County
Appomattox, Grant County
Arizona, Doniphan County
Arlington Heights, Shawnee County
Armstrong, Wyandotte County
Auburndale, Shawnee County
Aurora, Coffey County
Avondale, Franklin County
Barnesville, Bourbon County
Bavaria, Saline County
Bellemont, Doniphan County
Belmont, Woodson County
Belvoir, Douglas County
Berlin, Bourbon County
Big Springs, Douglas County
Big Stranger, Leavenworth County
Bishop, Shawnee County
Black Jack, Douglas County
Bloomer City, Saline County
Bloomington, Cherokee County
Blue-Jacket's Crossing, Douglas County
Bonanza, Cherokee County
Boston Mills, Cherokee County
Breckinridge Center, Lyon County
Brooklin, Linn County
Brooklyn, Douglas County
Brookville, Saline County
Brownsville, Cherokee County
Busby, Elk County
Calhoun, Shawnee County
Cave Springs, Elk County
Charlestown, Doniphan County
Cokedale, Cherokee County
Colokan, Greeley County
Columbus City, Doniphan County
Coronado, Wichita County
Cox's Creek Settlements, Crawford County
Crawford Seminary, Cherokee County
Crystal Springs, Harper County
Decatur Center, Decatur County
Diamond Springs, Morris County
Doniphan, Doniphan County
Dragoon Creek, Wabaunsee County
Eagle Springs, Doniphan County
East Leavenworth, Leavenworth County
Eminence, Finney County
Empire City, Cherokee County
Eugene, Shawnee County
Eustis, Sherman County
Favor, Cherokee County
Fernandino, Marion County
Folsom, Cherokee County
Fort Aubrey and Stage Station, Hamilton County
Free Point, Cherokee County
Friendship, Cherokee County
Geary City, Doniphan County
Goose City, Wallace County
Greenwood City, Greenwood County
Gregory City, Cherokee County
Helena, Atchison County
Henshaw Station, Wallace County
Hickory Point, Jefferson County
Hohneck, Saline County
Indianola, Shawnee County
Ingalls, Gray County
Iowa Point, Doniphan County
Itasca, Sherman County
Juniata, Pottawatomie County
Kendall, Hamilton County
Kenneth, Sheridan County
Keystone, Logan County
Ladore, Neosho County
Lake Sibley, Cloud County
Larkinburg, Jackson County
Lecompton, Douglas County
Leona, Doniphan County
Pawnee Station, Bourbon County
Port William, Atchison County
Richmond, Nemaha County
Rome, Ellis County
Runnymede, Harper County
Sherman City, Cherokee County
St. Clere, Pottawatomie County
Sumner, Atchison County
Trading Post, Linn County
Wanamaker, Shawnee County