Legends Letter

Howdy Pardners!  Hope summer is finding you "cool" and getting a chance to travel some of the great American West.  As for us, we've jumped off of the ole Mother Road 66 for a bit and galloped back onto the Old West trails. 

As usual, along the way we've found a bucket load of treasure, a coupla ghosts, a new outlaw or two, and have added a lil' bit of Oklahoma and Montana to our growing list of states featured on Legends of America.

For our Route 66 fans, not to worry, we'll be back on the Mother Road next month.  You can also look forward to a lil' bit of California and a few new ghostly legends.

If you're new to Legends of America, we focus on travel destinations that appeal to the nostalgic and historic minded.  Not really interested in the glitter and glitz of the big cities, we hunt out those places with a little "elbow room," lots of history, and hidden attractions. 

I truly hope you enjoy the newsletter and the website!!

Kathy Weiser, Owner/Editor

In this Edition: 

New Additions to Legends

Central City, Colorado - From Boom to Bust

Featured Book- Western Ghosts

Bannack, Montana - A Perfectly Preserved Ghost Town

The Old West - Arizona

Ghosts and Mysteries

Coming Next Month:

Back on the Mother Road

A Lil' Bit of California

More Spooky Tales

Searching for an interesting new outlaw or two, the Legends "posse" happened upon a little known outlaw named Henry Plummer.  This sheriff turned bandit played both sides of the fence in Bannack, Montana, so Montana got quickly added to the list of states we feature.

We promised some Arizona Treasure Tales, but ohmagosh, we didn't know how really big that was going to be.  Did you know that Arizona has more stories of lost treasure than any other state in America?  Well, we now have some eleven pages of Arizona treasure troves, a list which will no doubt continue to grow.

And, as long as we were dabbling in Arizona, we figured  that the most famous lawman of the Old West Frontier belonged on our legendary pages.  Welcome Wyatt Earp, the story of the OK Corral and Tombstone - The Town Too Tough to Die.

We added a Submit Your Story page to the website and have received two new ghostly legends that you are sure to enjoy - Buffalo Ranch Haunting in Genesee, Colorado and A Sad Ghost Story in Pennsylvania.  We also received an update from a visitor at the Haunted Lemp Mansion in St Louis, Missouri.

We've added several new travel directories for interesting destinations.  Check out the attractions at Central City Colorado, Lawrence, Kansas, and Branson, Missouri.  If you have a travel related business in the American West, you can add your information on-line.

To see all of our recent stories visit our What's New page.

What our readers are saying about Legends of America:

Absolutely wonderful site! Will add you to my honeymoon pages. I love the content and layout! - Cate

I really enjoyed what you had on the Enchanted Circle. My friends and I are going to plan a motorcycle trip through the area. I've been to Taos but never stopped to really smell the roses. Thanks for info. - Don

I have enjoyed every minute spent on your wonderful web pages. I have a hard time leaving them. What a wonderful entertaining and informative site. - Moni

I find the history very interesting about the Maxwell Land Grant. I have lived in Maxwell, New Mexico for several years and it is a very nice place. I really am glad for your site because of all the history. - Lance

Tell us what you think!

Central City, Colorado-- From Boom to Bust

Central City was born in 1859 when gold was discovered in Gregory Gulch.  The area was soon heralded as the "richest square mile on earth."  Like most mining towns, it quickly gained a reputation for lawlessness and its streets were filled with saloons, gambling parlors and "sporting houses."

Central City was almost destroyed by fire on two occasions but continued to hang on.  In 1877, Elizabeth Bonduel McCourt Harvey, later to become known as Baby Doe Tabor, moved to Central City.

By 1991, Central City had become a virtual ghost town until the state legalized low stakes gambling.

Today, Central City offers a peek at the past with tumbling down gold mines outside of town, museums that feature its rich history, gambling for those so inclined, and a host of shops and restaurants to entertain the historic traveler.

Hey, if you like the newsletter, forward it on to your friends!!

They too can receive updates when we add new content, provide product specials from our Rocky Mountain General Store, and more!  Click HERE to sign up for the newsletter

Western Ghosts, a compilation of ghost stories by several master story tellers. This paperback features a collection of ghost stories from the American West.  The book highlights ghosts who are earthbound after massacres, ambushes, and gunfights in the Wild West.

Got a great tale about the Mother Road, a Ghost Story, a legend in your State, or a photograph you would like to show on our site? 

Send it on!!  We'll be happy to feature you on Legends of America.   Send us an E-mail

Ghost Towns

Bannack, Montana was born when gold was discovered by Colorado prospectors in 1862.  News of the strike traveled fast and led to the greatest rush in the West since the California Gold Rush in 1848.  Bannack quickly became known as the New Eldorado. 

The people who rushed to Bannack were not only miners, they also included many deserters of the Civil War, outlaws and businessmen intent on profiting from the many newcomers.

Soon, outlaw Henry Plummer would become sheriff, riding both sides of the fence in the lawless town.

When the gold played out, so did the town.  By the 1940s, it was a ghost town.  However, in 1954 the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks saved the town from the elements and vandalism by making it a state park.

Today, over sixty structures remain standing, most of which can be explored.  The staff preserve, rather than restore the buildings of this old town allowing visitors an opportunity to relive the American West. 

The Old West  

As we said before, we started exploring Arizona and this state has just tons of stuff to offer up to Legends of America.  Arizona has more treasure stories than any other state in the nation.  Check out these new articles:  Bronco Bill Loses to Wells Fargo, Flagstaff Outlaw Cache, Ghost Town Treasure Tales, Outlaw Roy Gardner's Buried Loot, Outlaws Steal Outlaw Loot, Prescott Treasure Tales, Red Jack Gang in Arizona, Treasure Troves in Flagstaff, Wells Fargo Stolen Cache, and More Arizona Treasures.

In addition we also added Wyatt Earp, the story of the OK Corral and Tombstone - The Town Too Tough to Die.  Tombstone was a lawless town that almost became a ghost.  But its citizens figured out that Tombstone offered a wealth of history and began to promote the city as a tourist site.

Thank Goodness, what a loss it would have been if Tombstone died the slow death of so many ghost towns.

We've added several Ghostly Legends tales over the last month.  Thanks to a couple of our readers' submissions, you can read the Buffalo Ranch Haunting in Genesee, Colorado and A Sad Ghost Story in Pennsylvania.  We've also added Ghost Town Ghosts in Bannack, Montana and Haunted Springfield, Missouri.

We're still looking for "Proof Positive" stories that we could submit to the Sci-Fi Channel, who is looking for compelling paranormal stories of possession, alien sightings, reincarnation, or ghosts that can be backed up with video, audio, photographs, polygraphs or other ways that the legend could be put to the test.

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

Very funny, Scotty. Now beam down my clothes.

UFO's are real - The Air Force doesn't exist.

It IS as bad as you think, and they ARE out to get you.

EARTH FIRST!  We'll strip-mine the other planets later.

We always appreciate feedback about the website and our newsletter.  Do you have a suggestion about content that you would like to see, or perhaps, would like to contribute a photograph or a story?  We would love to hear about it!  We also want to hear about suggestions for improvement.  See a link that doesn't work or a picture that doesn't appear -- please let us know. 

Just drop us a line at our Email address and tell us what you think.

This newsletter is copyrighted© 2004 by Legends of America.  Our reader's e-mail addresses are never sold, rented or otherwise made public.

Legends of America

A Travel Guide for the Nostalgic & Historic Minded

P.O. Box 19423

Lenexa, KS 66285

913-708-5119

Kathy Weiser

Owner/Editor

   www.legendsofamerica.com

Email