Happy Thanksgiving!

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Here is a shot from a 1970's era Souvenir Guide of the "Family Dinner" display that I believe used to be in the building pictured below which is behind the Miner's Bank and the Candy Store on School Road. There is a dentist display in this building now.

Have a happy holiday, Thanks for Readin'

“Assay Office” Peek-In

This somewhat less popular neighbor to the east of Hop Wing Lee’s Laundry still exists in what looks to be original form. It is weathered but authentic. In the foreground is Deadwood Dicks Grave also a Ghost Town original. There was once an active gold mine just across the way from this Assay Office. It has gone dry and been sealed up and now they are pulling gold out of the stream over behind boothill. This little office probably doesn’t see near the business it used to but you can still see it if you make a trip out to the farm.

“The assay office was an important and necessary part of every early-day mining camp. Here the ore was sampled and assayed, and fortunes were made or lost on the results of these assays. You understand of course that the assayer determines the amount of gold in a single representative ounce of the sample brought him and then gives the miner and assayer’s certificate which shows him how much gold per ton would be in the same kind of rock. From this the miner determines whether the mine would be profitable to work or not.”

- Pg. 13 - Ghost Town History & Reference –

http://vintagedisneylandtickets.blogspot.com/ has a great Knott’s before and after feature today, and more to come judging from the “Part 1” in the title.

"Inside the Assay office a prospector waits while his ore is Assayed."

"A close-up of the Assayer's equipmet"

Thanks for Readin'

Main St. Windmill...........Missing!

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A quick post to address the fact that the windmill is missing at the end of Main Street. I am prety sure it was still there the last time I visited the park on Oct. 19th. It was most certainly gone (at least the top of it was) when I visited yesterday 11/09. Perhaps this is the next piece of ghost town to be refurbished.

"This old windmill was brought to Riverside from England by an English syndicate that laid out and subdivided Riverside in the 1860's. When we started Ghost Town we bought the old windmill and put it at the end of Main St., which at that time we thought was as far as the town was going."

-Ghost Town History and Reference-

New Jail in Ghost Town

This weeks post features the newly rebuilt Jail behind Goldie’s place on Main Street. The old jail was completely torn down and a new one was rebuilt in it’s place. The original Jail was still there on Father’s day of this year but when I went back by there two months later on 8/21/08 the new jail was standing in it’s place. That’s how fast these things happen. Not only has the jail been rebuilt but I am pretty sure that the guy inside is not the same “Sad Eyed Joe” that was in the original. They have also removed Sad Eyed Joe’s Fanmail (see photo) and it does not look like they plan to replace it. It’s a shame because it was little details like these that gave ghost town so much charm. I will miss this as much as the ghost Town Bulletin board that used to be over by the Miner’s Bank. Also gone is the staircase that used to be attached to the side of Goldie’s Joint.

One part of me is certainly glad that they rebuilt the Jail instead of just removing it altogether but the nostalgic part of me laments another piece of ghost town being replaced with a replica.

The old jail the last time I saw it on Father’s day 2008. As this photo shows it was slipping into a state of disrepair.

The new Jail decorated for Halloween.

Sad Eyed Joe’s Fanmail

A view looking from the jail back out to Main Street showing the staircase that was removed from the side of Goldie’s Joint.

Take care for now. Thanks for Readin’