Historic Towns - Western Travel Magazine | News | Rodeos | History | Towns | Old West | New West

Montana’s Ghost Towns Virginia City, Nevada City Bring Old West To Life

Mikeharris@oldwestnewwest.com (Mike Harris) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:22:55 +0000

Ever dream of being in an old Western, where you mosey into the saloon, holsters and chaps on, ready for the bartender to pour you a brew, and a table waiting for a round of fearless poker?

Well, walking down the boardwalk in Montana's Virginia City you can easily imagine just that. A short drive from the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park and the fine fishing burg of Ennis, Mont., Virginia City and neighboring Nevada City are two old mining towns that are mostly in tack as they were in the 1800s when the Montana gold rush was in full swing.

San Francisco’s California Street Cable Cars Running Again

Mikeharris@oldwestnewwest.com (Mike Harris) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 04:46:29 +0000

Just in time for the 2011 summer influx of tourists, San Francisco's historic California Street Cable Car Line is running again after a six-month pause to make street infrastructure upgrades.

One of three cable car lines in the City, the California Street line runs east to west and carries passengers from the Financial District, through the famous Chinatown, up over Nob Hill, stopping at Van Ness Avenue.

Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Returns to ‘Battle of New Orleans’ Tour Service

Mikeharris@oldwestnewwest.com (Mike Harris) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:47:56 +0000

The Mississippi River paddlewheeler Creole Queen is once again making daily tours to Chalmette Battlefield from the French Quarter, giving visitors a unique way to reach the site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.

The battlefield, part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, was a daily destination for the Creole Queen until Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in fall 2005.

Step Back in Time and Enjoy California’s Gold Rush Days

Mikeharris@oldwestnewwest.com (Mike Harris) — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:18:58 +0000

Just as the merchant economy seemed to spring up overnight in the gold fields, Columbia State Historic Park will be alive with activity in its own tent town as history is recreated for the public and school children during the last weekend in May.

Visit the Town of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Mikeharris@oldwestnewwest.com (Stephanie Moreland) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:41:54 +0000

Buffalo, Wyoming, known to some as the "Gateway to Yellowstone," is an American gem that many visitors only discover on their way to one of the West's most popular outdoor destinations.

But this little town, tucked between the rolling plains of the rugged western landscape in northern Wyoming and the towering peaks of the Big Horn Mountains, as well as the vast Big Horn National Forest, is just dripping with the dramatic history of the "Old West."

Searching for Early California's History: El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Ángeles

Mikeharris@oldwestnewwest.com (Mike Harris) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:36:50 +0000

With a population approaching 4 million, it's hard to think of glitzy Los Angeles as anything more than a megalopolis (second largest city in the U.S.) made up of movie stars, really wacky people (oops, did we just repeat ourselves?) and - palm trees.

At one time, however, Los Angeles was nothing more than a dry, coastal land of grasses, chaparral and rattlesnakes, occupied by members of the Tongva - Native Americans who lived throughout the Los Angeles basin including the offshore islands.