Clint Thomsen is a freelance writer based in northern Utah. Most of his work appears in various publications of the Transcript Bulletin Publishing Company. Thomsen pens a weekly outdoor column for the Tooele Transcript Bulletin, which was named best column in a daily newspaper for 2008 by the Utah Press Association. Clint took second place in UPA's 2009 contest, where he also won an award for best feature story (The Heart of Vernon). In addition, his work and comments have been featured in The Associated Press, U.S. Outdoors Today, and the Dallas Morning News.

Tombstone, Bodie, St. Elmo, Silver City: these are some of the most famous of the Old West ghost towns and mining camps that dot America's landscape and provide hints to the country's history. But literally thousands more are scattered throughout the West, with some states boasting hundreds of abandoned boomtowns. Attracting thousands of visitors every year, many of these are protected by public and private parties alike, and visits are carefully regulated in order to preserve these valuable historical relics. Clint Thomsen describes various types of ghost town, explains their histories, and outlines ongoing research and archaeological study into decaying towns and mining camps.