Ghost Places

[JoeL0]

It only take 2-3 generations before the old skills are lost. In the Georgia mountains I've heard that families have worked the same ginseng patch for generations and they have rip-offs hit their patches and don't care about leaving anything for the next year. My grandparents trapped and hunted but didn't pass the skills along to our generation. They taught my dad, but he booked up when I was two. What I have learned and it isn't much, I learned on my own and by trial and error and with me it's a lot of error. Someone wrote a book one time called: The People of The Deer and it was about a tribe of people who became dependent on traders and lost the old skills and their people died off when the traders quit coming. Whether it's fact or fiction, I don't know. Makes sense tho to survive on your own talents and not depend on others to live. Be interdependent, but not dependant on anyone for your survival.

While in therory, this sounds great but, 99% percent of this country, if not more, depend on others. And some who do grow there own crops, raise there own cows, milk or beef, also depend on others, to buy there goods. So, even though those who could survive on there own, don't want to survive on their own.
A simpler life style would suit me fine. Could I do it, most likely not, not the way world has become.

 

[Charles B]

It's a lot more difficult than people think to survive on their own. It would take a lot of preparedness. Ask youself; can you build your own shelter with rudimentary hand tools, forage and hunt for your own food, provide clean water, protect yourself and those with you from assault, are you dependent upon medication to live for a condition such as diabetes, are you able to do with leaves, corn husk and the sears catalog rather than the nice soft charmin paper, can you reload your own ammunition or make your own arrows, do you know about animal hubandry, can you read and navigate the terrain without a map or compass.....and this is only the beginning!

I think the best that we can hope for is to be prepared to survive for a week or so in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane, flood or earthquake. I have had to rescue my mother-in-law 4 times in less than two years from Connecticut because of 1 hurricane (Sandy) and three severe snow/ice storms that knock out the power. The most recent dropped 32" of snow in 1 day. I've learned to "anticipate the need" I drove up to get her on Thursday (400 miles 1-way) and on Friday the blizzard hit. She was safe with us. I can't stress enough to anticipate the need......I'm a firm believer in being at least semi-prepared for a long loss of power, water, heat etc....What will you do if marshall law is instated during a disaster? Will you have enough food on hand to survive a week or two? What is your plan once the looting starts? Is your home secure? Do you have a place that you can retreat to and protect your family? (Don't just say off the cuff, "oh, I'll shoot them" Have you ever put a man in your sights and pulled the trigger? It's not like on television.)
Have you ever experienced the fear and panic of being completely lost; having no idea of where you are, how you will get out and where you will get food and shelter?

I've started a new facebook page about this check it out.....Beil's Wilderness Survival

I'll be adding more to this. It seemed relevant considering the places I go to find these ghost towns. Sometimes I'm 7-10 miles in the mountains with no roads etc....I think...What would I do if I broke a leg....got lost....attacked by an animal....got bitten by a snake? I try to anticipate the need and prepare accordingly.

Survival has a romantic notion to it. Just try to start a fire without matches!
Anticipate the need.....I'm not a smoker but I always have a lighter!

 

[LabradorBob]

Yes, it would be tough to survive,many do not know the types of trees,plants,what is edible what is not.
i have carried a small lens with me for years,it does no good unless the sun is out,but you can start fires with them.
I gather old pine knots in the fall,old pine stumps.
There is nothing better for starting fires, i use small pices to get my wood stove going!

 

[fongu]

I have a little meat in the freezer, but it would be no good without electricity. I remember the days when we had an outhouse and used the catalog and corn husks to finish our paperwork, so to speak. The older generation didn't pass down what they knew because they thought it was too hard for the kids and grandkids to do and they wanted life to be easier for them. Life's harder when you lose the accumulated knowledge of generations past. I can still remember my grandpa saying he would whip me until my a** wouldn't hold shucks and I knew exactly what he meant...With my elderly Mama to look after and because of my ignorance, we wouldn't last a week or two. I'd like to check out your facebook page, but when I signed up for that site, I was deluged with vulgar email. Maybe I gave out too much information. I'm not computer savvy at all.

It's a lot more difficult than people think to survive on their own. It would take a lot of preparedness. Ask youself; can you build your own shelter with rudimentary hand tools, forage and hunt for your own food, provide clean water, protect yourself and those with you from assault, are you dependent upon medication to live for a condition such as diabetes, are you able to do with leaves, corn husk and the sears catalog rather than the nice soft charmin paper, can you reload your own ammunition or make your own arrows, do you know about animal hubandry, can you read and navigate the terrain without a map or compass.....and this is only the beginning!

I think the best that we can hope for is to be prepared to survive for a week or so in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane, flood or earthquake. I have had to rescue my mother-in-law 4 times in less than two years from Connecticut because of 1 hurricane (Sandy) and three severe snow/ice storms that knock out the power. The most recent dropped 32" of snow in 1 day. I've learned to "anticipate the need" I drove up to get her on Thursday (400 miles 1-way) and on Friday the blizzard hit. She was safe with us. I can't stress enough to anticipate the need......I'm a firm believer in being at least semi-prepared for a long loss of power, water, heat etc....What will you do if marshall law is instated during a disaster? Will you have enough food on hand to survive a week or two? What is your plan once the looting starts? Is your home secure? Do you have a place that you can retreat to and protect your family? (Don't just say off the cuff, "oh, I'll shoot them" Have you ever put a man in your sights and pulled the trigger? It's not like on television.)
Have you ever experienced the fear and panic of being completely lost; having no idea of where you are, how you will get out and where you will get food and shelter?

I've started a new facebook page about this check it out.....Beil's Wilderness Survival

I'll be adding more to this. It seemed relevant considering the places I go to find these ghost towns. Sometimes I'm 7-10 miles in the mountains with no roads etc....I think...What would I do if I broke a leg....got lost....attacked by an animal....got bitten by a snake? I try to anticipate the need and prepare accordingly.

Survival has a romantic notion to it. Just try to start a fire without matches!
Anticipate the need.....I'm not a smoker but I always have a lighter!

 

[fongu]

It only take 2-3 generations before the old skills are lost. In the Georgia mountains I've heard that families have worked the same ginseng patch for generations and they have rip-offs hit their patches and don't care about leaving anything for the next year. My grandparents trapped and hunted but didn't pass the skills along to our generation. They taught my dad, but he booked up when I was two. What I have learned and it isn't much, I learned on my own and by trial and error and with me it's a lot of error. Someone wrote a book one time called: The People of The Deer and it was about a tribe of people who became dependent on traders and lost the old skills and their people died off when the traders quit coming. Whether it's fact or fiction, I don't know. Makes sense tho to survive on your own talents and not depend on others to live. Be interdependent, but not dependant on anyone for your survival.

While in therory, this sounds great but, 99% percent of this country, if not more, depend on others. And some who do grow there own crops, raise there own cows, milk or beef, also depend on others, to buy there goods. So, even though those who could survive on there own, don't want to survive on their own.
A simpler life style would suit me fine. Could I do it, most likely not, not the way world has become.

I agree, Joel, we need each other. Having people you can count on and trust with your life or your family is worth more than anything. That's why I favor interdependence.

 

[JoeL0]

That's another thing, TRUST. I can only imagine it was so much better years ago to trust your fellow neighbors and community around you.
Heck, even back in my early days my parents trusted the neighborhood.
Oh well, rambling on here and taking things to far away from the subject.

I guess now we still get to live these older times, older vanished places,,, through research, history, discovering and just dreaming.

 

[LabradorBob]

This one is south of jewell,Ks

 

[LabradorBob]

39 27'09.91"N
97 42'31.27"W
Old Union star School 1877

 

[LabradorBob]

Old House N.E. of Glasco,ks

 

[LabradorBob]

So far, no maps needed for any of the pics i have posted here.
simply found looking at pics through panaramio on google earth.

 

[fongu]

I don't think times have changed as much as people have changed.