Just three miles past the Arizona-New Mexico border a sign by the side of the road made me swing impulsively off the Interstate. I remembered reading something about Steins, a railroad ghost town, online. So I quickly took the offramp and made a sharp left, passing through a very narrow cement underpass.

A ghost town it was, appearing completely deserted, without a car in sight. I parked and got out to explore. A crumbling foundation stood not far from the railroad tracks, the remnants of what was once a two-story hotel. Clusters of cactus, weathered fences and and old stagecoach stood nearby. I took a look around.

Online searches will reveal various dismally repetitive accounts of 1800's Steins history, which includes stage coach usage first by the Birch Stage Line and then the Butterfield Overland Stage Company. Southern Pacific came through in the 1880's and established the town as a work station, remaining there until after World War II. A rock quarry also provided business for the area. Thus the town managed to grow to a population of about 1300, which it maintained fairly steadily between 1905 and 1945.

As with many towns of the Wild West, Steins has a colorful past of Apache attacks and encounters with horse thieves and stagecoach bandits. Those days long gone, it's now a first-hand chance to see inside the life of those who lived there.

Not far behind the old hotel's foundation, Steins Mercantile looks at first like just another abandoned building. But with a closer look and a step inside, I met up with Linda Link, who, with her husband Larry, moved from Phoenix, AZ in 1988 and purchased the property, determined to make it into a living history exhibit. As this tiny town was used for decades as a private residence before the Links purchased it, much was left undisturbed and many of the belongings of those who lived there earlier in the century were still there, stored in boxes, rooms and sheds.

For a fee of $2.50, a tour of ten buildings can be taken, all restored with everything from pots and pans and clothing to washing machines, old stoves, dusty bottles and hundreds of other belongings from the past. I jumped at the chance.

Stepping below the low doorways and into these buildings took my breath away. The sounds of the passing cars and trucks on the nearby Interstate faded away and were replaced with a sense of days gone by. This was time travel at its best.

There are sixteen rooms in all, each one telling a story of its own. This combined with Linda's knowledge of history of the town, much learned from former residents who've come by over the years to visit, made this a fascinating tour. I took many pictures and was grateful to Linda for her patience.

Heading back to Steins Mercantile, we visited a little more and I added a signed and dated dollar bill to a collection on the walls and ceiling, a tradition started by a customer years ago.

I've read online accounts of visitors who huffed at the $2.50 charge, which helps with Linda and Larry's efforts to continue to make available this living history. location. Those who have passed up this opportunity to see life in the late 1800's/early 1900's up close have missed a rare treasure. This was the best $2.50 I've spent on yet on this trip.

Just a sign by the side of the road and a quick swing off the Interstate. This is what I love most about travel.