Wild West Trip!

My family I are hoping to go on a historical sort of road trip and see sights of significance from the Old West. We live in Southern Iowa, and we about six days to make the trek. Any ideas of some really fantastic places to see, like ghost towns or places like the O.K. Corral, and also small and out of the way historical sites that might not be commonly known.

We're all adults, so kid-friendliness isn't an obstacle, and also, places that represent the unsavory and bawdy parts of the West are options for us. ;)

Thanks!

You could start with heading to Dodge City, KS. A good place to go from there might be Amarillo, TX. This would then put you on the path of old Route 66. Out in far western AZ, there's Oatman on old 66.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Unfortunately, the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ is probably just a bit too far to get to and still enjoy the drive and the history. The same can be said of glc's recommendation to include Oatman and a significant portion of old route 66. Realistically, 1400 miles is just a bit far to try to get (and back) in only 6 days. More enjoyable would be a terminal target of, say Taos/Santa Fe, NM. That would let you structure your trip around several Old West towns like Abilene and Dodge City, KS; Kit Carson's home and the Pueblo in Taos, NM; the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe. For a slightly different return trip, you could stay a bit farther south and get more Indian than Cowboy history with stops in Mescalero, NM; Anadarko and Oklahoma City, OK; and Fort Scott, KS.

AZBuck

..........lie the Rockies of CO, WY, and MT.

Southwest and west-central MT are rich in out-of-the way ghost towns and less-visited historical sights. The towns of Bannack, Granite, and Garnet are but a small sampling. While in the vicinity one can visit Philipsburg, Butte, and Anaconda. It's around 1,200 miles from Des Moines to Butte.

Central CO is home to Leadville and Central City and innumerable ghost towns and old mining camps.

Central and NW WY are rich in mining towns and cow towns and railroad towns.

Both CO and WY are some what closer to home than NM and MT are, too.

Foy