Ghostville : remembering Wisconsin ghost towns
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references.

The Wisconsin Territory was designated in 1836; statehood came in 1848. By then, emigration into the region was in full swing. Farmers from the crowded Eastern seaboard seeking cheap land cleared away the forest; businessmen of all sorts located and developed towns. The solitude of the wilderness was interrupted, but these high-spirited pioneers bridged the way into Wisconsin's incredible future. All settlements, of course, did not mature to large, important cities. Some didn't survive the catastrophes that befell them. But they all surely experienced grand moments, when anticipation of greatness loomed and prosperity seemed well within grasp, and before they passed from existence, they wrote some colorful pages in Wisconsin history. Twenty-six of these villages once again come to life here in Ghostville.