Visit Old Alder Before it Vanishes…Again

Visit Old Alder Before it Vanishes…Again

The term “ghost town” in today’s time has evolved from its more literal interpretation to describe any small town that has been abandoned or vacated. In fact, there’s a whole culture of folks dedicated to discovering and exploring ghost towns and their history. Most of the time, however, towns devoid of inhabitants have nowhere to grow but older. Not so for old Alder. Join your fearless field guide Erich Ebel

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Ghosts of Liberty come to life

Ghosts of Liberty come to life

Liberty – the tiny central Washington town that is slowly becoming one of my favorite places in our great state – has more to offer than just fascinating history and exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities. In fact, “Washington’s only living ghost town” (as it’s known) is home to one of the most interesting “ghosts” I’ve ever met. This one’s name is Wes Engstrrom.

Yesterday’s history is today’s tourist attraction

Yesterday’s history is today’s tourist attraction

The ability to entice visitors to your corner of Washington may lie in your area’s unique local history. Statistics show that more and more people are citing historical—whether it be natural, cultural or heritage tourism as the reason for their travel. You need to stay on the forefront of this emerging trend…but how? What is heritage tourism? The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines heritage tourism as “traveling to experience

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Washington’s only living ghost town

Washington’s only living ghost town

Returning from an overnight trip to Leavenworth (always a must-see if you happen to be in the Wenatchee National Forest), I spotted a sign along US-97 pointing the way toward Liberty, Washington, which billed itself as the only living ghost town in the state. Only two miles off the main road, I decided to take the extra few minutes to check out what Liberty had to offer. What I found was

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