Tales of the Ghost Towns Trivia Quiz

Answer: Como

Como is not only a city in Italy, it is also the administrative capital of the Province of Como. It is also the name of a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, as well as a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The glacial Lake Como has been a popular tourist attraction in Lombardy since the time of the ancient Romans.

Como, Nevada, was established in 1863 due to a gold rush in the Palmyra Mining District. At its peak it had a population of 700 people and contained the Cross Hotel, a post office, and a newspaper, as well as the other necessary amenities. Today it is considered to be totally abandoned with only some of the building foundations and mine supports visible, although, interestingly, there are also Native American caves and petroglyphs to be seen in the area.

Answer: Charleston

Charleston, founded in 1760 and named for King Charles II, is the largest and oldest city in South Carolina. Not only is Charleston the largest city in nearby West Virginia, it is also the capital. The dance which is called the Charleston was named for the city in South Carolina; first seen in the Broadway show "Runnin' Wild" (1923), the dance was popular in the U.S. during the 1920s.

Unlike its counterparts in the East, Charleston, Nevada, was named for Tom Charles, who was a prospector in the area. The town's post office remained active from 1895-1951.

Answer: Hamilton

The original tract of land where Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland is located today was given to the Hamilton family for their loyalty to Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence. Hamilton, located in Ontario, Canada, is an important manufacturing area and port on Lake Ontario. Alexander Hamilton, well-known today due to the popularity of the musical "Hamilton" (2015), was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and the first Secretary of the Treasury.

The town of Hamilton, Nevada, came into existence after the discovery of rich silver mines in the area in 1868; at first it was called Cave City and the settlers lived in caves found nearby. Named for the mine promoter, W.H. Hamilton, the town eventually had a population of 12,000; just two years later, however, the silver began to run out and many of the 200 mining companies left. One fire destroyed what was left of the business district in 1873 and another destroyed the courthouse and its records in 1885. The town was never rebuilt.

Answer: Metropolis

The earliest settlement around the ancient city of Metropolis in western Turkey was made during the Neolithic Age. Hittite and Mycenaean artifacts have been found at the site, however, it was during the time that it was controlled by Pergamum during the Hellenistic Age that the city reached the height of its development. Metropolis, Illinois, located in the southern part of the state, was founded in 1757, although it was the site of a large Native American Mississippi culture prior to that. A fictional city in comics, Metropolis is said to have originally been modeled after the city of Toronto.

The city of Metropolis, Nevada, was founded in 1910 by Pierce's Pacific Reclamation Company with the intention of creating an agricultural community. It was largely settled by Mormons. From the beginning, the city struggled due to the failure of the company to procure water rights. In addition, when the settlers killed coyotes, the area became overrun with rabbits, who ate the wheat before it could grow and mature. Just ten years later the company declared bankruptcy and many people left to find opportunity elsewhere. Today the area around the ghost town is surrounded by cattle ranches.

Answer: Rochester

Rochester, an historic city founded in England in 604, is believed to have the second oldest continuously run school in the world. In 2016 the agricultural town of Rochester in Victoria, Australia, had a population of 3,113. John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, considered by some to be "the best English satirist", was a poet in England during the Restoration.

Gold was originally discovered in Rochester, Nevada, in the 1860s by people who had immigrated from Rochester, New York. What really made its population soar was the discovery of silver ore there in 1912; eventually the town had 1500 occupants, as well as a railroad line. It is estimated that the mines in the area produced over $9 million in gold and silver, however, the mining operations slowed dramatically by the 1940s. By the early 1950s the town was mostly abandoned.

Answer: Saint Joseph

The capital and largest city of Costa Rica, San Jose, which was founded in 1738, is named for the Biblical earthly father of Jesus, St. Joseph. Found in Trinadad and Tobago, the town of Saint Joseph, the oldest in the nation, was used by Sir Walter Raleigh for the base of his explorations while searching for El Dorado.

Saint Joseph, Nevada, was founded in 1865 and named after Joseph Young, a son of the Mormon leader, Brigham Young, who was one of the town's founders. Just three years later the town burned to the ground and was abandoned.

Answer: Stillwater

Stillwater is a small fishing and farming community located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia; its New Zealand counterpart, located on North Island, is a suburb of Auckland. The American band, Stillwater, was active from 1973-84, releasing two albums, although a third release was made in the 1990s. The band in "Almost Famous" (2000) was also called Stillwater, but the two bands are unrelated.

Founded in 1862 as a station for the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, Stillwater, Nevada, was named for the stream nearby. By 1868 it became the county seat, however, its highest population was only around 150 people. When the county seat was moved in 1902, the town of Stillwater was abandoned. Today the area is part of the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Answer: Bristol

Actually there are two cities named Bristol in Canada; one is in Quebec and the other is in New Brunswick. Bristol, Peru, is a very small village (population 285 in 2000) located in the northern region of Loreto. Hotel Bristol is a world-wide chain, with budget locations (San Francisco, California), as well as luxury locations in Paris, France and Warsaw, Poland.

The town of Bristol, Nevada, also known as Bristol Wells and Bristol City, was founded near the Bristol Mine on the west side of the Bristol Mountains in 1870. Deposits of silver and lead ore, as well as the eventual discovery of copper, kept the town running until 1950. In 1972 Bristol was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Answer: Berlin

Berlin, Germany, is not only the largest city in the country, but its capital as well. On the other hand, Berlin, South Africa, founded in 1857 by German settlers, is a small town located in Eastern Cape Province. The Battle of Berlin in 1945 was the last major military operation in Europe; afterwards, many Nazi leaders, including Hitler, were dead, and the German army surrendered.

Named after the Berlin Mine, Berlin, Nevada, was founded in 1897 as a company town by the Nevada Company. It is estimated that the town eventually had a population of 300 people with 75 buildings. Mostly abandoned by 1911, the town was maintained by the Nevada Company (explaining the preservation of many of the buildings) until it became part of the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in 1970.

Answer: Cortez

As of 2017, Puerto Cortés in northern Honduras, was the country's largest seaport, due to the building of a railroad there and a booming banana export industry. In the Philippines, the city of Cortes was rebuilt after being burned and occupied by the Japanese during WWII. It was later liberated by American forces. The expedition led by Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, is well-known for the destruction of the Aztec Empire in Mexico in the early 1500s.

Cortez, Nevada, was indeed named for the famous Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes. Little is known about the abandoned site; the town's post office was in operation from time to time from 1868-1943.