Four Mile Old West Town, Custer

Ghost towns, even those operated as tourist attractions, all seem to have similar problems for photographers. They don't have any people in them! Well, not at Four Mile Old West Town, which is (believe it or not) four miles west of the live town of Custer.

The collection of rustic buildings is surrounded by a wooden fence that blocks out most of any distracting modern intrusions, but not the beauty of the Black Hills in which it sits.



Wagons, buggies, and other vehicles are sitting around the town as if they've been abandoned by their drivers and teams.



Wandering down boardwalks, over stone pathways and through the grass brings you to varied buildings, all of which are open for photographers to explore. Hundreds of antiques scattered throughout the town make choosing what to shoot a fun adventure.




So why did I say a lack of people isn't a problem at this ghost town? Costumed reenactors of many ages wander through the town as you do, some with corny questions about your health or intentions for illegal activities in the town. These kids provided an intriguing addition to my pictures on a recent visit.




The town's photography studio contains the remnants of a large bellows camera for those interested in the history of the art.



I even ended up losing a game of stone checkers to this young cowpoke.



For more info, check out http://www.fourmilesd.com/.