Gary B. Speck

Everybody has some interest in history. Some folks just dream about The Good Old Days, while others do something about it.

Author and photographer, Gary B. Speck is in the latter category. Shortly after his book, Dust in the Wind - A Guide to American Ghost Towns hit the market in 1996, CNN featured him on a prime time news segment, dubbing him the Ghost Town Guru.

A third generation native Californian, Speck has an unquenchable passion for the past, which has led him to research and explore thousands of ghost towns across the United States and Canada over the past 40 years.

His first published magazine article was in 1978, and to date, that number has climbed to well over 900 articles, 5000 photographs and two books. He has appeared on national television three times, including his latest adventure with the History Channel's Life After People series, Episode 4, which first aired in May 2009.

His GHOST TOWN USA column is a popular monthly feature in Western & Eastern Treasures magazine, and is now deep into its 37th year!

He is the author of two Ghost Town books, the first is the previously mentioned DUST IN THE WIND - A Guide to American Ghost Towns, which was published in 1996. His second book hit the shelves in May 2010 and was entitled Ghost Towns - Yesterday & Today and also features several dozen of his photographs. That book has been reprinted in two additional editions (#2 - 2017 - "Ghost Towns - America's Lost Cities", and #3 - 2021 "Ghost Towns.")

His sense of adventure has allowed him the privilege of being buzzed by jet fighters in the Mojave Desert, being run off PUBLIC land by a shotgun totin' old-timer and being bit by a rattlesnake.

He hopes his brood of grandchildren grow up with the same sense of adventure and love of history.

In addition to his regular writing, he maintains his website at: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gtusa/

A Facebook Page (Ghost Town USA) and is the Admin for the very active discussion group - Ghost Towns: Yesterday & Today. For the two letter do a name search on Facebook for the links.

He can also be contacted via E-mail at: gbspubs@gmail.com