Bristol - Places in the USA

Bristol - Wisconsin

Population (2000) - 4,538

A small town that we visited in July 2002 on the way to Patty's brother in Minnesota.

Bristol, Wisconsin

Bristol garage

A house in Bristol

A house in Bristol - no, this isn't the school

Bristol school

This is the school

Bristol Plains Pistoleros

Bristol, Alaska - The Phantom City

Here's a strange story, it concerns Bristol and Alaska. I found it in a book called "Phenomena - A Book of Wonders" by J Michell and R J M Rickard and published by Thames & Hudson Ltd. It is probably a hoax, but I'll put the story here for the sake of completeness.

For some reason the sky above Alaska seems strangely receptive to images of Bristol. Charles Hoy Fort in a book " New Lands" mentions reports that a mirage of Bristol appeared in the sky several times. Apparently these sightings are more common between 21st June and 10th July. Fort also reports that the local Indians were seeing these images before white settlement.

In 1887 the pioneer, Willoughby, saw and photographed this aerial city. Some people have claimed that this photograph was, in fact, a picture of the real city of Bristol and not some spectral phantom.

Willoughby's Phantom Bristol

On 31st October 1889, the New York Times an article appeared saying that Mr L B French reported seeing quite plainly in the sky near Mount Fairweather "houses, well defined streets and trees. Here and there rose tall spires over huge buildings, which appeared to be ancient mosques or cathedrals ... It did not look like a modern city - more like an ancient European city".

Fort quotes another correspondant from the Yukon who in June 1897 had seen a great city in the sky. Members of his party speculated on whether it most resembled Toronto, Montreal or Peking, but concluded that it was more like "some ancient city in the past".

I did a search on the net for Charles Hoy Fort, I didn't think I'd find anything, but found the complete text for New Lands, the page that mentions Bristol is Part 2, Chapter 19.

Bristol - Other sites worth visiting

Alternative Bristol

Bristol Information

Bristol Population Information

Champions of the Silver Dragon

Naming of America

Renaisance Fayres

US Census information

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