“Are there really ghosts in ghost towns?” My friend Scamp was worried as we prowled around the abandoned buildings.  No silly, it just means the town has been abandoned. It happens when a natural disaster happens such as drought or floods.  A war could drive people from an area, or maybe the main business of the town like a mine or manufacturing plant closes.  Sometimes a train will stop providing service or a freeway will change the traffic flow and leave a town isolated.  The term was popularized when the California Gold Rush of 1849 ended, but there are ghost towns all over the world.  Some have been preserved and have become tourist attractions or movie sets. Others have slowly drawn people back to live and work in the area.  No need to be a “fraidy cat”, Scamp, we won’t be ghost hunting today.     Purrs, Gulliver