This is a photo of the remains of the Conoco gas station shown on page 135 of the Shermans' book (1975).  Note the sign and the old style gas pump outside.

This is a photo from about the same vantage point on April 5, 2000.  The Conoco sign is still there, amazingly enough, and that's probably due to the fact that the town is now a preserved historic site and on-site caretakers watch over the place.  The gas pump is gone as is the cuppola-ish thing on the roof.

This is a photo of the service station from page 111 of Varney's book (1981).  The cupola was still there when he visited.

This is a wider shot of the gas station from April 5, 2000.  Note that the cupola (or whatever it is) that is present on the roof in the upper left corner of the 1975 photo at top is no longer present.  There is what looks like a piece of sheetmetal covering the opening.

This is a photo of Lake Valley appearing on page 168 of Looney's book (1968).  The Conoco gas station is in the background at left.  Note the remnants of the boardwalk in the foreground.  There was no trace of it in April 2000.

This photo of Lake Valley appears on page 153 of Meleski's book (1972).  That's a safe in the right foreground.  The buildings in the background at left appear to be the same as those to the right of the gas station in the photo above this one, just taken from a different angle.

This a photo of a gravestone that appears on page 135 of the Shermans' book (1975).

This is the same gravestone above photographed on April 5, 2000.  It is still quite readable and looks essentially unchanged.  I guess that's the point!

This is a photo that appears on page 135 of the Sherman's book (1975).  It is taken from the cemetery looking north toward the town of Lake Valley.  The cemetery is located across the highway about 1/2 mile from the town.  In the foreground are some of the remnants of the cemetery, and the in the background at right is the schoolhouse.

This photo is from page 112 of Varney's book (1981).  It's from a vantage point very similar to the Shermans' and to my photo (below).

This is a photo of pretty much the same view as the photo above that I took on April 5, 2000.  The picket fence is in a little worse shape.  You're getting pretty tired of this view, aren't you?!

This photo, showing more detail about one of these fenced-off graves, appears on page 35 of Florin's book (1971).  According to Florin, these fences were built to keep the coyotes out.

This is another photo I took from a similar vantage point, but with a different foreground.  The schoolhouse is at right, but it's more centered in this picture.  Note the shape of the mountaintops in the back right of the top picture.  There is a hump at far right, a slightly larger hump immediately to the left, and a sort of short, flat ridge extending to the left of that.  In this photo, these same features are present, but they're more centered.

Taken on April 5, 2000, this is a closer, front view of the stone monument that appears at the far left of the top three pictures in this series.  The fenced-in gravesites that are seen in the foreground of the top photo are seen right behind the monument in this photo.

This is a photo taken on April 5, 2000 that does not correspond to any shown in the Shermans' or Varney's book.  This is the entrance to the town.  Note the gate across the road.  It's not locked during the day, but you have to get out and swing it aside.  There is a guide to the town in a box to the right of the gate.  Donations are accepted.

This is the ruins of an old building on April 5, 2000.

This is the schoolhouse as photographed by Varney and appearing on page 112 of his book (1981).

This is the now restored schoolhouse on April 5, 2000 with the caretakers of the town posing out front.  There are a very friendly, elderly couple who were passing by on their Harleys one day, saw a sign advertising for someone to do this job, and stayed.