the ghost town of cerro gordo

Visiting Cerro Gordo Ghost Town in the Inyo Mountains in California

Table of Contents

The Cerro Gordo Ghost Town is one of the best-preserved ghost towns I ever visited. I have been to other so-called “ghost towns” but they were more like a tourist trap. Cerro Gordo which means “fat hill” in Spanish was a bustling silver mine. The mine was established in 1867 and was the first major silver strike in Owens Valley.

Today the town is privately owned by a group of investors but still open for tourists. Ultimately the owners plan to transform the ghost town into a retreat center for conferences, workshop events, and film shoots.

Cerro Gordo is located 200 miles north of Los Angeles and 200 miles west of Las Vegas. The closest town, Lone Pine, is about 22 miles away. In Lone Pine, you can find hotels, restaurants, and stores if you are in need of these on your journey. From Lone Pine, you will travel east on State Route 136 until you meet the turn off to Cerro Gordo St in Keeler. The town sits in the Inyo Mountains near Death Valley National Park.

The drive from the intersection of Cerro Gordo Road and CA-136 to the ghost town is just under 8 miles. Cerro Gordo Road is a County-maintained dirt/gravel road. A 4WD-vehicle is recommended for the drive up to Cerro Gordo. In reality, you can do it in a 2WD car, but you should have some ground clearance.

On your way up to Cerro Gordo, you will gain over 4300 ft (1310 m) in elevation. The town is located at an elevation of approximately 8000 ft (2440 m) above sea level. You could suffer slight altitude sickness, so be aware.

Drive slowly ad the gravel here has some sharp edges and can damage your tires, which is the last thing you want to experience on your trip. Also, keep an eye on your transmission temperature. On your way down you should put your transmission into a low gear. That way the engine will assist you in breaking on your way down. This will save your brakes from high wear. It will take you about 30 minutes to get up or down.

The road starts out wide and flat but you will pass some very narrow spots and also drive very close to the side of the hill. There is two-way traffic on the road, be prepared to stop. There are plenty of turnouts to let opposite traffic pass. Here some photos from the drive to Cerro Gordo Ghost Town.

Once at the ghost town, park around the church or at the turnout just before that. Don’t park on the road as it is a public road and there are people traveling through here. Once there, make sure you check in with the caretaker. There is usually always a caretaker on site. Just look around. He lives in the first house you see on your right while driving into the town.

There is a fee to tour the ghost town. It’s private property and you have to pay the fee either for a self-guided tour or a tour given by the caretaker.

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town Tour

I recommend you make reservations in advance. As I just found out about the place as I was in the area, I tried my luck and drove up there and encountered the caretaker checking in another group just before me. They only accept cash when you pay on location. Advanced reservations can be made on the homepage of the Ghost Town . However, the website shows a price of $15 at the checkout page , but $10 on the regular homepage . I got charged $10 which I paid cash on site.

The Cerro Gordo Mining Town website shows that the guided tours take place at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Jonathan, the part-time caretaker giving my tour, told me that you can just come up and they are welcome to accommodate you.

Opening Hours

The town is open to be visited all year long. Remember that there is no snow removal in the winter. Hours are during the daytime and are as follows.

Standard Time

Monday – Sunday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Daylight Savings Time

Monday – Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

You want to make sure, you get off the mountain before it gets dark. It’s just for safety.

Guided Tour

I joined a guided tour by the part-time caretaker Jonathan. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the town and all the artifacts around the place. He guided us through most of the different buildings in the ghost town. He told us about what buildings got upgraded from its original state. Some of them needed to have some work done for safety reasons. If you look closely you will find some satellite dishes up here on some of the buildings. Also, the large cell tower on the hill next door is a little bit disruptive in photos.

During the tour, you get to know all the facts about the mine past and current. Our guide, Jonathan was very knowledgeable and gave us in-depth information about how the mine was first founded, operated, and so on.

You won’t be able to get into the mine shafts themselves. There are 25 miles of tunnels in the mountain and many of them are unsafe, including the entry to the tunnel system. I got told, that you can request a special tour to get to the entrance and up to the tower, but you won’t be allowed inside the mines for safety reasons.

The old store got transformed into an exhibit hall for all kinds of artifacts from the mine’s time period. Our tour guide explained some of the objects found there, which I would have never guessed what they were supposed to be. Jonathan showed us how the silver came out of the mountain and in what it was transformed before it got loaded on a mule train heading down the mountain. You can buy Cerro Gordo Ingots in the old store as a souvenir or on their website .

In case you are a geocacher, there is a nice cache up at the ghost town. Easy to find, but wait until the muggles pass. Probably after the tour or in between. There are multiple other caches on the way up, might worth checking out as well.

Cerro Gordo (Fat HILL) Ghost Town

Photo Gallery

Below you find a gallery with all my pictures of Cerro Gordo Ghost Town. You can click the “Load more photos” button at the bottom of the gallery or just click on the album name to open Flickr.

Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.

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A ghost town's caretaker

August 22, 2021 / 9:52 AM / CBS News

There might only be a few people on Planet Earth who can say they've been more socially-distant during the pandemic than Brent Underwood. "I thought, hey, you know, what better place to socially-distance than an abandoned town in the middle of nowhere?" he said. "And so, I packed up my truck, I drove out here."

"Here," perched on the edge of Death Valley, eight miles up a winding dirt road, is the abandoned mining town of Cerro Gordo, California. Population: Brent.

Correspondent Luke Burbank asked, "Do you ever start to feel sort of like Tom Hanks in 'Cast Away'?"

"I do!" Underwood laughed. "People think that it's a really lonely place, and it can be. But I think to combat that, I remind myself that a lot of people are lonely in the past year."

Underwood isn't just Cerro Gordo's sole resident; he also owns it, all 380 acres. Back in 2018, he and some business partners bought it to turn it into a tourist destination by restoring the town and its old hotel.  

"It was $1.4 million; I didn't have anywhere close to that much, but I had enough to put down the earnest money deposit," Underwood said. "So it was, 'Let's secure this thing, and let's figure out the rest later.'"

As it turns out, people have been taking a chance on Cerro Gordo ever since 1865, when silver was discovered here, high in the Inyo mountains.

"Things during the silver period were wild," said Roger Vargo, an expert on Cerro Gordo. He co-wrote a book about it, along with his wife, Cecile. "We talk about a wild west town right out of a Clint Eastwood movie. Various newspaper accounts had shootings once a week, stabbings, other kinds of violence."

At its peak in 1872, Cerro Gordo generated roughly $150 million (adjusted for inflation) in silver and lead mining. But like all booms, things eventually went bust. By the 1930s, Cerro Gordo was all but abandoned.

Over the years, a series of different owners lived here and maintained the town before 34-year-old Brent Underwood bought it.

Burbank asked, "How long do you think you're going to stay here?"

"A long time," he replied. "During my time up here, my parents sold my childhood home, and so when people ask me what's home now, it's Cerro Gordo. You know, this is my home."

Underwood left his city life in Austin, Texas, where he ran a hostel, to live and work full-time at Cerro Gordo … and it is very much a full-time job.

Burbank asked, "Do you know how to build things? Like, do you have a background in that?"

"No. I do not. And so, I'm learning on the job," Underwood laughed. "On-the-job training, if you will." 

 But of course, living in an abandoned mining town has its perks. Brent gets to explore the mines, which haven't been touched in decades, and the stuff that he finds all goes into his museum.

"The most common type of bottle you find here is the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce," he said. "Because the meat was so bad, they needed to put a lot of sauce on all of the meat that was here."

And when he finds cool things, Underwood is sure to put them on his YouTube channel, "Ghost Town Living."

He shares both the highs and the lows of living in Cerro Gordo, as when a fire burned down the old hotel.  

The videos have become so popular that fans often trek up the mountain to volunteer, or just tell Underwood they love the channel.

Visitor Al Hernandez said of Underwood, "Someone's chasing a dream. That's what I see. I see somebody who's able to do what the others would only think about in the back of their mind. And you got this guy, right here. And you're doin' it!"

Burbank asked Vargo, "Have you been pleasantly surprised at how he's thrown himself into it?"

"Oh, absolutely. He's gained an understanding of Cerro Gordo that you can only get when you actually live there and experience it for an extended amount of time."

Of course, even Underwood's biggest fans eventually head back down the mountain. For now, his cats, goats and alpacas will have to do for companionship. His priority, Underwood says, is to rebuild that town hotel that burned down so he can start hosting paying customers.

Who knows? Maybe Cerro Gordo has one last boom in it after all…

"It was here before I was here," he said. "I just see myself as the current chaperone. And to do my best, I'm willing to give it my all, you know?"

        For more info:

• Cerro Gordo Mines , Cerro Gordo, Calif.
• Friends of Cerro Gordo (Facebook)
• "Ghost Town Living" (YouTube)
• "Cerro Gordo: Images of America"  by Cecile Page Vargo and Roger W. Vargo (Arcadia Publishing), in Trade Paperback, available via  Amazon  and  Indiebound

        Story produced by Young Kim. Editor: George Pozderec. 

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Cerro Gordo Ghost Town High Above the Owens Valley

03/23/2023 by DayTrippen 4 Comments

In the Inyo Mountains high above the Owens Valley, Cerro Gordo Ghost Town, a once-booming mining town, sits abandoned and alone. It wasn’t always this way. Throughout the 1800s, Cerro Gordo (or the “Fat Hill”) was pumping out thousands of tons of high-grade silver, lead, and other metals. Pablos Flores made the first significant silver discovery near Buena Vista Peak. Not long after, hundreds of miners flooded into the area.

Mortimer Belshaw was a mining engineer credited with helping to establish many of the smelters, shops, and other businesses that sprouted up as word of the silver strike spread. He also built the first real road up the mountain. The rock that had to be cut through during its construction was yellow. Thus, the road became known as the Yellow Road.

It’s the same winding path that you will need to take today to access Cerro Gordo. On the drive up, spectacular views of Owens Lake and the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains can be had.

As you approach the town, you’ll see the remnants of one of the smelters Belshaw built. Unfortunatley, the 1871 American Hotel burnt down in 2020. The town’s current owner is slowly rebuilding the hotel to current-day standards, including a sprinkler system to prevent fires.

It’s doubtful any mining town would survive long without a brothel, and Cerro Gordo stays true to tradition. She’s not in as fine a shape as she once was, but “Lola’s Palace of Pleasure” stills stands on its original site a century later. If only Lola could speak, the steamy stories she could no doubt tell!

The town’s saloon shared in the shenanigans that went on after work in the mines was done. There were more than 150 bullet holes on the floor of the building. Perhaps the one thing that Cerro Gordo lacked (but could have used) was a police station.

It’s worth stopping in at Mortimer Belshaw’s private residence. Its bright red paint is now worn and faded, but it’s believed to be the oldest building in the town. Everywhere you wander in Cerro Gordo, you’ll find mining relics and bits and pieces of the town’s past. Of course, you can look at and even touch some of what you find lying around, but removing anything from the property is strictly prohibited.

Is it impossible to resist the urge to take a piece of California history home with you? Be warned that stolen souvenirs could bring you bad luck. Some California ghost towns are believed to hold a curse over those trying to take a piece of the town’s past with them. A few caretakers have even received bits of plates and nails in the mail with anonymous notes asking that they be returned to their original resting place!

Anyone interested in early mining machinery and techniques will be fascinated by a visit to Cerro Gordo. Most of the mines were open pits and relatively primitive. But old mine ore cars, safes, and drilling equipment are still on the site. Inside the Union Mill building is a relatively well-preserved and sizable air compressor.

There are ghost towns to be found across America, and California is no exception. There are some excellent places to visit, once busy towns that eventually ended up on the wrong side of the boom and bust cycle. Why we are drawn to these remains something of a mystery. Nevertheless, visitors make their way to the deserted towns scattered across the deserts and hidden high in the California hills every year.

Getting to Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

The Cerro Gordo Ghost Town is privately owned, and you’ll need permission from the owner to access the property. Cerro Gordon road passes through the ghost town. Do not enter any buildings unless you have permission. The current owner of Cerro Gordo is Brent Underwood. You can subscribe to his YouTube channe l for information on visiting the twon and the latest news on the rebuilding of the hotel.

If you plan a visit during the winter, keep in mind that the town is at an elevation of more than 8000 feet. Heavy snowfall is common, and a 4WD is recommended to get in and out of the town safely. Cerro Gordo is about eight miles up from Owens Valley town of Keeler , just about a ghost town with about 60 residents. We recommend you stop by Stinky Sock Hot Spring and see where the miners used to take their yearly baths and wash clothes.

California Ghost Towns

Owens valley charcoal kilns, highway 395 inyo county.

01/05/2019 at 2:46 pm

Hey Daytrippen, My name is Larry and I am the assistant caretaker on site. Since the sale from Sean to the group of new owners in July of 2018, im not quite sure about the waivers. Often we get visitors that have no idea they need to email or check in. As this property is very remote, this sort of thing can happen. Sean and his family are still an integral part of the history of Cerro Gordo and everything else he states above is still true. We encourage those that dont call or email in advance to check in with the on site caretaker.

01/05/2019 at 2:53 pm

Hello Larry Thanks, for the update.

We were just in the area a couple of weeks ago. We made it to Keeler, Stink Sock Spring, and the Owens Lake Plaza. Unfortunately, we did not have time to drive up the hill to Cero Gordon this visit.

I look forward to our next trip to the Eastern Sierra is a wonderful area of California.

Gordon Daytrippen.com

05/17/2017 at 9:31 pm

Thank you Daytrippen for the nice description. We really appreciate our guests to email prior to heading up, [email protected] . We are not accommodating overnight lodging at this time. Tours are $10 for adults, and kids 5-12 are free. All proceeds go to the Cerro Gordo Historical Foundation, founded to preserve and improve the town site of Cerro Gordo. Our goal is to continually upgrade amenities and keep the town intact to be enjoyed and explored as a true historical site in California. When you have a chance, go check out our new website cerrogordomines.com. You can find our WAIVER on the website, as we require a SIGNED WAIVER from every guest. Keep up the good work! Thank you, and take care.

Cerro Gordo Mines Phone: 760.689.2443 Email: [email protected] Website: cerrogordomines.com

05/18/2017 at 7:42 am

Hello, Sean. Thanks for the updated information. And thanks for preserving Cerro Gordo.

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Death Valley-Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

Site Location and Description   Cerro Gordo Ghost Town located in Death Valley,  is considered one of the best ghost towns in California.  It is privately owned and operated by the Cerro Gordo Historical Society. Because this is on private land, permission to visit must be obtained. Do not try to enter buildings without the caretaker there to give you a tour and do not remove any items from this historic site.   TAP note: Robert, the caretaker, may be available for a guided tour. He is friendly and highly knowledgeable. If he gives you a tour, please feel free to leave a generous tip as it goes to the maintenance of this amazing piece of historical Death Valley.    This 1868 town site includes: the American Hotel built in 1871, the 1904 Bunkhouse, and the Belshaw House built in 1868. The General Store, now a museum, gives the visitor a peek at the colorful history of the mine and life in the town as well as a vast array of artifacts to explore. You can also see the 1877 Hoist Works, and numerous other remaining structures. The views from this town site are amazing.

  Directions: Starting point from the west: California 136 at Keeler, 12 miles east of Lone Pine.

  The History of Cerro Gordo Mine  

The early days….

Cerro Gordo, means “fat hill”in Spanish.  It was named for the vast amount of silver it contained.  The principal mines at this time were: San Lucas, San Ygnacio, San Francisco, and San Felipe. Within four years, the number of mining claims would increase to more than seven hundred.

Cerro Gordo’s ore was of extremely high quality, but numerous obstacles  restricted it’s growth, these being mainly the ruggedness of terrain, scarcity of water on the mountaintop, and the location which was far from any settlement with a large population.  It did not become a boomtown overnight. The first claim to be seriously developed was the  San Lucas mine in 1866 by Jose Ochoa, who was extracting about 1112 tons of ore every 12 hours. The silver ore was transported in sacks by pack animals to the Silver Sprout Mill located west of Fort Independence.

The “Boom”….

This trade brought prosperity to Los Angeles and, by the end of 1869, 340 tons of bullion had passed through the city. Cerro Gordo and it’s silver ingots(retangular blocks of silver) became well known and were displayed in most prominent businesses.  News of the  lawless”goings on” at Cerro Gordo was widespread and many prospectors heard that copious amounts of riches were to be had there.  Local farmers and businessmen prospered from sending mule wagons and other freighters full of produce, flour, sugar, barrels of wine and all other consumables as well as bales of hay and mining tools to the Cerro Gordo miners.  Within a year,  Cerro Gordo was the leading source of business in Los Angeles.

By 1871, Cerro Gordo was well established as a mining town.  The American Hotel was completed that year, as were several other permanent structures. A general store, restaurants, and saloons replaced the canvas shacks that has been scattered throughout town.  Small clusters of stone and canvas homes were built down the San Lucas canyon and the side of the canyon was also covered by prospect holes. The biggest structure located there was the the 300-foot vertical shaft house covering  the Newtown mine.

Cerro Gordo was known as a “wide-open town”, meaning it had only little to no law and order.  The law  was not respected by most of the town’s inhabitants, and enforcement proved a challenge. This lawless type of miner/prospector found Cerro Gordo’s remoteness a refuge, and was responsible for the bloody record of shootings compiled during the bonanza days. Today, you can see the bullet holes of past fights in the saloon area.

Whiskey and women made the dance halls, and the red-light houses  the main stage for gun battle.  A story told by Dr. Hugh McClelland, a physician at Cerro Gordo claims that he had gone to a dance hall with friend and was telling him about a nick-name given to one of the girls there.  She came at him with a stiletto in her hand and was intercepted by another girl who caught her by the wrist and grabbed the shoe out of her hand.  Meanwhile the first girl’s enraged boyfriend was shot while attempting to charge the good doctor with a knife drawn, ready to plung it into him.   As a result of the killing, a widespread gunfight broke out amongst the attendees and stopped only when the lights were extinguished.

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The Cerro Gordo Ghost Town Guide

By: Author The Drivin' & Vibin' Team

Posted on April 1, 2021

If tales of the American Wild West ignite your excitement, you’ll love learning about the ghost town of Cerro Gordo. This ghost town sits in California’s mountains and has a simultaneously dark and prosperous past. 

Let’s dive into the history of the Cerro Gordo ghost town to help you decide if it’s worth visiting.

Where Is Cerro Gordo Ghost Town and How Did It Come to Be?

Cerro Gordo is a ghost town in the Inyo Mountains near Lone Pine, California. Like many ghost towns today, it was once a bustling mining town in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The main mining prospect was silver, but the area also produced zinc and lead. Prospectors worked the mines here off and on until 1933. 

Although the remote and mountainous location made it difficult to transport supplies, this town once had over 4,000 residents, seven saloons, and three brothels. Additionally, it was once known for “a murder a week,” creating a poignant image of the dangerous American Wild West days. 

As the minerals began to dry up, miners left, and no one worked the mines. Consequently, Cerro Gordo was a ghost town by 1938. With so many instances of death-by-draw here, it’s no wonder people believe it’s haunted! 

Today, Cerro Gordo has private owners and is mostly intact–just the way it was when it was a booming mining town. 

Can You Visit Cerro Gordo?

Although Cerro Gordo is privately owned, you can book guided or self-guided walking tours. All tour proceeds go to the Cerro Gordo Historical Association, which funds and preserves the town. 

As a result of the association’s efforts, the town is utterly picturesque, offering many photo opportunities. So, don’t forget your camera!

If you come to visit, note that there are currently no camping or overnight stays allowed. You might not want to camp there either since there’s no wifi, limited cell service, and no facilities other than outhouses. At least they allow pets, but you must keep them on a leash. 

Adult admission is a $10 donation, and children are free. 

Who Owns Cerro Gordo?

The abandoned town’s owners are Brent Underwood and Jon Bier, two friends who purchased the town for $1.4 million with other friends and investors’ help. The pair planned to preserve the town’s history while making it an excellent place for visitors. 

As a result of his investment, Brent Underwood has since moved to Cerro Gordo full-time and is documenting the journey on a YouTube channel called Ghost Town Living.  

Does Cerro Gordo Still Have Silver?

Cerro Gordo once had California’s most fruitful silver-producing mines, but do they still have silver today? Probably, but nothing worth a commercial mining effort. 

One long-time resident explained that he’d spent 22 years searching for a lost vein of silver. And, in 22 years, he’d only found approximately a wheelbarrow’s worth of the precious mineral. 

Love ghost towns? Then you will love our collection of 5 creepy ghost towns in California .

The Best Hikes to Experience Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

Cerro Gordo lies in a remote mountain setting with stunning views of other mountains and the valley below. One of the best ways to get a closer look at the ghost town is hiking some of these trails. 

Swansea-Cerro Gordo OHV Route

This route is a 34-mile OHV loop trail that starts near Lone Pine, California, and can be used as an alternate route to access the ghost town. As the name suggests, OHVs (off-highway vehicles) most often use this trail, which has excellent wildlife-spotting opportunities. 

Mobius Arch Loop Trail

The Mobius Arch Loop Trail is a shorter hike near Lone Pine that’s just 0.6 miles long. As you walk, you’ll see incredible scenery around the Lone Pine area. 

It has a moderately steep grade, so although it’s a short hike, it might be challenging for some. But at least you can bring your dogs and horses along! 

The Best Campgrounds Near Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

Because there are no campgrounds inside the Cerro Gordo area, you’ll need suggestions on where to stay. Here are some nearby campgrounds you’ll love. 

Boulder Creek RV Resort

Address : 2550 S Highway 395, Lone Pine California 93545

Why You’ll Love It : This RV resort is in Lone Pine , California, a 40-minute drive from the ghost town. It has RV sites for rent, cabins, and even a market for supplies. Plus, you’ll love the free coffee and muffins served in the morning at the clubhouse!

Price : $55 nightly rate for all sites

Diaz Lake Campground

Address : 3 miles south of Lone Pine on Highway 395

Why You’ll Love it : Diaz Lake Campground is a no-frills dry camping area along the shores of Diaz lake, south of Lone Pine. Therefore, if you’re into dry camping, this is the spot for you! Activities include swimming, water sports, fishing, and more. 

There are no showers at this campground, and the bathrooms are vault toilets, but it’s a great jumping-off spot for exploring Cerro Gordo and the Lone Pine area. 

Price : $14 per night

This Well-Preserved Ghost Town Is a Must-See

Cerro Gordo is one of the best-preserved ghost mining towns, so it’s definitely a must-see! A step into this town is like a step back in time to miners’ lives and living conditions over a hundred years ago. 

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From LA lifeblood to rusted wasteland, a hidden California ghost town is getting a second chance to shine

150 years after its prime, Cerro Gordo's newest owners are breathing life back into the town—all while keeping its history intact

By Amanda Bungartz

Turning off the smooth pavement of Highway 136 and onto the sun-baked gravel road, the only inclination that I’m on the right track is a small, forgettable street sign marking Cerro Gordo Road. As I make my way up the hill, I don’t see a single hint of the town that awaits. The road abruptly angles back and forth, narrowly cutting through columns of rust-colored rock and shifting sand, masking anything more than 20 feet ahead.

The drive itself has become an adventure I wasn’t prepared for. At times, I feel like the car is mere centimeters from slipping off the edge and plummeting hundreds of feet down a rocky slope. But as Helen Keller once famously said, “Life is a daring adventure or it is nothing at all.” So, after eight miles of pinched roads and a mile of elevation gain, I finally round the last turn and my real adventure opens up before me. There it is in all its rusted glory: the hidden ghost town of Cerro Gordo.

What Los Angeles is, is due to Cerro Gordo

Cerro Gordo got its start back in 1865 when a man named Pablo Flores started mining silver from the large hills that overlooked the Owens Valley in California (Cerro Gordo means “fat hill” in Spanish). But the quantity and quality of silver being harvested from these hills wasn’t kept secret for long. Local businessmen Victor Beaudry and Mortimer Belshaw caught wind of the riches and began acquiring mining claims in the area.

Beaudry and Belshaw eventually took over the entire property in 1869 and turned it into the largest producer of silver and lead in California. In that same year, The Los Angeles Times wrote: “What Los Angeles is, is mainly due to Cerro Gordo. It is the silver cord that binds our present existence. Should it be uncomfortably severed, we would inevitably collapse.”

“What was once the shimmering jewel of the Owens Valley had quickly turned into a sunburnt wasteland.”

Over the next 50 years, silver, lead, and zinc were religiously mined from the hills. And by 1900, roughly $17 million in precious minerals had come from Cerro Gordo (adjusted for inflation, that number is closer to $50 million today). Much more than just a mining den in the mountains, Cerro Gordo had blossomed into a fully functioning town, including 4,000 residents, 100 outhouses, seven saloons, and three brothels.

But like so many mining towns before it, once the money-making resources dwindled and natural water supplies dried up, the residents started to move on. And by 1938, Cerro Gordo had officially become a ghost town. What was once the shimmering jewel of the Owens Valley had quickly turned into a sunburnt wasteland.

But it wasn’t destined to stay that way forever… 

“We’re not refurbishing a ghost town”

In June 2018, after being privately owned by one family for decades, Cerro Gordo officially went up for sale. And for $1.4 million, the town—and all of its buildings, outhouses, mines, and history—was sold to two friends, Brent Underwood and Jon Bier.

“Our goal is to figure out how we can keep Cerro Gordo authentic without making it into a museum,” Bier tells me, explaining why this purchase was so unique. “We want to keep the story and keep the integrity, but we’re not refurbishing a ghost town. We’re building something new with these amazing bones that we’ve been given.”

Underwood and Bier have officially owned Cerro Gordo for one year now—the deal was finalized on Friday, July 13, 2018. And since that freaky Friday, the friends admit they haven’t done a whole lot to the property. 

“We were up there most of last summer after we bought it. But we didn’t really do a lot,” says Bier. “We explored mostly. Not just the land itself and the structures that are on it, but the houses were all furnished. The pictures were all there, the clothing was all there. Obviously there was a lot of junk and garbage and gross things, but then there were also a lot of gems.”

Some of these gems included tintypes from the 1800s, thousands upon thousands of antiques, and even some unopened whiskey bottles.

But as Bier mentioned, the new vision for Cerro Gordo is not to simply refurbish the past but to carry the town into a new day. Over the course of its history, the town has seen many different phases—history books chapterize its past into things like the Gordon Era (when silver was first discovered there) and the Zinc Era (when zinc ores mined from the hills proved to have commercial value). And for Underwood and Bier, they merely view themselves as the town’s next era.

“I think Jon and I are just the newest members of this historical lineage,” says Underwood. “We went up there and we saw that this town could be something more, something really special, and we’re excited to see that through.”

California’s own Emerald City

The second I set foot out of the car, I can almost feel the magic that Underwood and Bier described. Cerro Gordo appears out of nowhere. One moment you’re weaving your way through sandy turns, and the next you’re staring at the face of an old wooden mining hopper—something that looks eerily like a giant praying mantis. Beyond the bug-like hopper, there are countless other structures nestled among the hills. Bleeding into the surrounding terrain, I probably wouldn’t have noticed them all if the sun hadn’t been so high, allowing the tin roofs to reflect every heated glare.

So far, the place seems very Oz-like, and I’ve concluded this is my trying, yet magical, journey along a yellow road to reach California’s hotter and drier version of the Emerald City. I even have my own kind of Toto with me, albeit slightly larger and more goofy looking.

And if I’m Dorothy in this fictional tale, then 72-year-old Robert Desmarais is my very own Wizard of Oz.

Desmarais is not only a Cerro Gordo expert and author, but he has lived on the property for 22 years—the last nine have been full-time. Outfitted in a flannel shirt and a belt dripping with tools, Desmarais rolls up on an ATV to greet me and take me to the first spot on the property: the clubhouse.

“This is where all my tours start,” Desmarais says, as we enter through a doorway adorned by two rusted pickaxes. Since Cerro Gordo isn’t fenced off or gated, drivers will often wind their way up the long dirt road—either on purpose or by accident—and Desmarais is always there to greet them and offer directions or a spontaneous tour.

“The town has had power since 1916,” he says, as the lights flick on inside the clubhouse. “It was all running on steam before that. But we still don’t have running water.”

Two of the buildings do have some running water, but Underwood and Bier (who Desmarais affectionately refers to as “the boys”) have plans to get consistent water to every structure this year. But for now, Desmarais is pretty much reliant on locals from the nearby town of Lone Pine to truck up dozens of containers of fresh water every two weeks.

Moving from the clubhouse—which is packed with so many artifacts, photographs, and mining relics it’s hard to know where to focus—Desmarais and I make our way up to the mining cabin, and then back down to see the church, bunk house, and hotel. Along the way, I listen to a detailed recap of the entire property, as Desmarais rattles off names and dates of importance, mentioning them so easily you’d think they were part of his own kin.

Interestingly enough, I learn that the church is actually the most recent addition to the 337-acre property. Built in the late 1990s but made to resemble it’s much older neighboring structures, the little stained glass chapel acts as both a storage facility and a movie theater. 

“During its prime, the town never had a church, schoolhouse, or jail,” says Desmarais. “The church was built by the former owner as a memorial to his wife, who died of cancer in 2001. She’s actually buried on the property.”

Halloween 2019

Walking among the rusted tools and original wooden buildings, I can see glimpses of the progress Underwood and Bier have begun to make and their touches of modernity—newly painted cornhole boards lean outside the clubhouse, a Casper mattress rests in one of the hotel bedrooms, and a bottle of Espolòn tequila sits atop the old bar. And while the two friends have tentative plans to put in a music studio and a spa, their ideas for the town seem to change regularly.

“This is evolving quickly. And because we’re open minded, the town is going to morph into exactly what it’s supposed to be,” says Bier. “But what that looks like right now is still undecided.”

“I think the more time we spend out there, the more the vision of the place is going to become clear to us,” Underwood adds.

While the exact use for each of the structures might be subject to change, one thing is for certain—Cerro Gordo plans to host people on Halloween.

“We’ve always said, from the day we bought Cerro Gordo, that we would do something around Halloween, 2019,” says Bier. “It might be a mixture of people camping and some staying in the properties that we have, but we will definitely do something that is on a more mass scale for Halloween this year.”

Beyond that, only time will tell what direction Cerro Gordo will go.

Left in good hands

After hours in the desert sun, once I’ve explored as much of the property as physically possible (omitting a few small lean-to structures that Desmarais warns might house a mountain lion), I must face the fact that my visit here is temporary and press on. After all, there’s no place like home.

But I feel at peace leaving knowing Cerro Gordo is in truly exceptional hands. Not only the new hands of two young entrepreneurs with a dream and a vision, but the old hands that have worked it, mined it, and protected it for over 20 years. As I go to leave, Desmarais thanks me for coming up and spending the day with him.

“I appreciate what you’re doing,” he says. “I love this place. And the more people that know about it, the more I hope they can learn to love it, too.”

It’s moments like this that stick with you—these rare glimpses of pure human heart and openness. It is for this I will return to Cerro Gordo again.

Cerro Gordo is located at the end of Cerro Gordo Road, right off Highway 136. Open every day from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Desmarais is usually available to give tours (there is a $10 suggested donation for the tour). We recommend calling ahead of time to schedule a visit.

Meet the Author

Amanda Bungartz

Amanda Bungartz is an editor and creative lead at Roadtrippers. She loves ice cream, perfectly symmetrical buildings, and classic hip-hop. She currently lives in Chicago, where you can find her petting every dog she passes on the street.

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The Man Who Risked His Life Savings to Resurrect a California Ghost Town

Posted: October 27, 2023 | Last updated: October 28, 2023

In a world full of hustle and bustle, it is hard to believe that someone would give up their life savings to purchase a neglected, crumbling ghost town. However, that is exactly what one man did. Leaving behind the world of finance and business to restore the ghost town of Cerro Gordo, this man hopes to turn his passion project into a thriving tourist attraction.

Cerro Gordo was once a thriving city

In 1865, prospector Pablo Flores discovered a vein of silver in the Inyo Mountains, and within two years, droves of prospectors made their way to the area to find their own riches through mining . The town erected there would be called Cerro Gordo, meaning "Fat Hill" in Spanish.

Located only three hours outside of Los Angeles, Cerro Gordo quickly became the largest and top producer of silver in California. Business in the town brought in so much wealth that in 1872, the Los Angeles News wrote , "To this city, Cerro Gordo trade is invaluable. What Los Angeles now is, is mainly due to it. It is the silver cord that binds our present existence. Should it be unfortunately severed, we would inevitably collapse."

By today's standards, Cerro Gordo would have generated $50 million over its rather brief history.

It was also extremely dangerous

With its rapid expansion, Cerro Gordo also experienced a spike in violence, becoming one of the most violent in all of America at the time. Even before it became an established town, the area was steeped in violence. When five Mexican prospectors were searching the area, they were attacked by a group of Native Americans, killing three of them.

When the town was established, it was pretty clear what kind of business it was involved in. Of the 500 buildings that were erected, including multiple brothels and saloons, not one church or schoolhouse was built. It is believed that "there was a murder a week..." during Cerro Gordo's peak, and even rumors that Butch Cassidy hid out in the town's hotel.

The last reported gunfight to take place in Cerro Gordo was on December 29, 1892. Bill Crapo, a French-Canadian engineer who had served as the town's postmaster, shot and killed the man who replaced him, Henry Boland, and his friend. Apparently, it was caused by an election dispute, and Crapo shot the men as they walked by his house, situated next to the town's hotel. Their murders placed a $500 price tag on his head, one that people from neighboring towns tried to fulfill. Supposedly, Crapo disappeared, never to be heard from again.

Decline and resurgence

Unfortunately, the excessive wealth the town was experiencing was not to last - by 1880, the silver had run dry. Within just a decade, the 4,000 residents that lived there had abandoned the area.

In the early 1910s, Cerro Gordo experienced a second, smaller resurgence after zinc was discovered in the hills. However, this, too, was short-lived, and the last resident of the town left, leaving the place entirely deserted by 1938. The ghost town sat uninhabited and untouched for over half a century.

Purchasing the town and future plans

The story of Cerro Gordo doesn't end there, though. In 2018, entrepreneur Brent Underwood and some other investors purchased the abandoned ghost town. The 336 acres and its 22 dilapidated buildings came at a whopping price of $1.4 million .

The intent behind purchasing Cerro Gordo is to slowly restore the town to its former glory and transform it into a tourist destination. Along with restoration, Underwood intends to build a museum where he will display all of the various things he finds as he explores the area.

The fire at the American Hotel

While the restoration process has been and will continue to be a long process, Underwood has come into his fair share of snags along the way. Rife with unexpected problems, returning the town to its glory hasn't been easy.

One of the buildings Underwood hoped would be the jewel of the town was the American Hotel, believed to be the oldest hotel in California east of the Sierra Nevada. Sadly, while Brentwood has been living in the ghost town, exactly 149 years after it had opened, the American Hotel burned down in a fire .

The cause of the fire is unknown, but Underwood has a pretty good idea as to what could have caused it. He believes it started from an electrical issue, as century-old wiring ran through the building. That combined with the aged, dry wood of the structure and its newspaper insulation, the American Hotel was a sitting duck for the devastation caused by fire.

The fire extended beyond the hotel and reached both the ice house and Crapo's former residence. "It was probably the most devastating day of my life,” Underwood explained . "I couldn't even talk about it for the first few weeks. You are literally watching your life savings and hopes and dreams burn in front of you."

Documenting the journey

Soon after purchasing the property, Underwood made the life-changing decision to live in the abandoned ghost town while executing the restoration process. With this, he also began documenting his journey, posting videos showcasing tours of the town, what life is like living in a ghost town, and his various explorations in the area.

Unsurprisingly, his adventures in Cerro Gordo have gained quite a lot of traction, with his YouTube channel reaching 0ver 1.6 million subscribers and his TikTok reaching over 3.1 followers.

"The town has become what I’ve dedicated my life to,” Underwood explained . “I think the history of Cerro Gordo is important and I think preserving it and allowing more people to experience it is important. YouTube and TikTok are allowing more people to learn about the town and I think that’s awesome.”

His social media exposure has really boosted his fundraising for restoring the town, with his campaign to rebuild the American Hotel hitting over $120,000 of its intended $500,000 goal.

While the town isn't ready to be opened to the public, Underwood has granted permission to some select influencers who have also helped to spread awareness of his Cerro Gordo restoration project. For Underwood, he's in it for the long haul. "I don’t have an exit plan. Dying here is the exit plan," he said.

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California ghost town with a bloody past suffers a new calamity

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The smell of scorched wood and melted wiring lingered in the air Thursday as Brent Underwood surveyed the damage to this 19th century mining town perched 8,500 feet above the Owens Valley floor.

The marketer and his partners bought the Cerro Gordo ghost town for $1.4 million in 2018 with the goal of transforming it into a remote tourist attraction. Visitors would enjoy gourmet meals, hikes to scowling mine shafts and overnight stays in a rickety bunkhouse and hotel.

But that dream suffered a fiery setback last week. Underwood said he was awakened at 3 a.m. June 15 by the stuff of nightmares: furious winds driving flames that were leaping like demons and scorching unpredictable paths up slopes dotted with historic mining structures. Then came the explosions of propane tanks as flames engulfed the hotel.

In a cruel irony, Underwood said, “The American Hotel opened on June 15, 1871, and it burned to the ground 149 years to the day later on June 15, 2020.”

Asked Friday about the cause of the blaze, the Lone Pine Fire Department said only that it was still under investigation.

There is no running water in Cerro Gordo’s weathered collection of old mining equipment, junked cars and 22 structures, some of them with walls insulated with newspapers. “All I could do was call 911,” Underwood said. “And then, with help from a caretaker, I used buckets to desperately fling water from storage tanks onto the flames.”

After firefighters put out the last embers, three historic treasures had been reduced to ashes: an icehouse, a residence and the hotel.

“We may never know exactly what started this fire,” Underwood said from a balcony overlooking the charred ruins. “Fire officials told me that it could have been a thousand different things in these old buildings.”

Then, the lanky 32-year-old suggested the cause might be paranormal. “The caretaker here told me that he and another person saw a shadowy apparition moving in the hotel kitchen at 4 p.m. the previous day.”

Strange occurrences and ghostly apparitions are part of the myth and allure that Underwood and his partners are banking on, in part, to create a wilderness hideaway like no other for urbanites aching to escape the clatter and routine of city life.

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Their supporters include Terri Geissinger, a historian of the West. “Cerro Gordo is a nugget in time that needs to be preserved,” she said. “But maintaining a ghost town is only for the roughest and toughest of people. That’s because you’re going to get frustrated, beat up and kicked in the gut.

“You can’t do it with just money,” she added. “It’s takes a heart of steel.”

Located on roughly 400 acres in the Inyo Mountains, Cerro Gordo was not designed for comfort.

In its heyday, there was a murder a week in Cerro Gordo, an extraordinarily violent community of about 500 people. Silver miners slept on cots surrounded by sandbags stacked 4 feet high to protect themselves from stray bullets. In the late 1800s, an estimated 30 miners who had emigrated from China were buried in a mine shaft.

The house that was destroyed by fire on Monday once belonged to a man named William Crapo, who gunned down a postmaster as he walked along the dirt road skirting the American Hotel.

A fundraiser organized by the nonprofit Friends of Cerro Gordo has already collected more than $17,000 that will be used to rebuild the hotel to current construction and safety codes.

“The loss of the American Hotel is incalculable,” said Roger Vargo, president of Friends of Cerro Gordo, “due to its historic value to the growth of Los Angeles and much of the Old West.”

“Only a week ago,” he added, “it commanded the center of town on a mountain with views of Owens Valley and the eastern Sierra Nevada to the west and Death Valley to the east.”

A year ago, the hotel and other Cerro Gordo structures were explored in an episode of the TV show “Ghost Adventures” that focused on two children who died after being trapped in a steamer trunk.

Underwood’s commitment to the Cerro Gordo restoration project has been tested mightily in recent months.

The mean comments on social media platforms started the moment Cerro Gordo was sold. Underwood was vilified as a trust-funder who took over the mining town as some sort of hobby.

“That hurt a little bit,” said Underwood, the son of schoolteachers who was born and raised in Tampa, Fla.

Shortly after he decided to wait out the coronavirus lockdown in Cerro Gordo, the area was buried in 5 feet of snow.

“There was no way in or out for several weeks,” he said. (The only way to get to the mining town is via a 7½-mile steep, gravel road.) “ After the snow melted, I was hospitalized with a bad case of appendicitis.”

Judging from historical records, the original residents of Cerro Gordo may not have been sympathetic.

The town’s name translates from Spanish into “Fat Hill,” and 150 years ago it was the home of silver miners who shipped their diggings off to the small pueblo of Los Angeles by 20-mule team or by steamboats that navigated the once-full Owens Lake.

Life was short and hard in the area, which produced 4.5 million ounces of silver before declining precious-metal prices sank the local economy, save for a zinc revival from 1911 to 1919.

Today, only a small fraction of the town’s original 500 structures still stand. They include a general store, an assayer’s office, the well-preserved mining operation up on a hill and the remains of a brothel once known as Lola’s Palace of Pleasure.

The outdoor plumbing consists of unheated and unlighted Old West outhouses. The ground bristles with artifacts: rusty pocket watches, iron tools, shattered window glass and whiskey bottles.

“The fire was heartbreaking, because I have a deep emotional attachment to this place,” Underwood said. “But we’re not giving up.”

“Truth be told,” he added, “we’ve got big plans for little Cerro Gordo.”

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Louis Sahagún is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. He covers issues ranging from religion, culture and the environment to crime, politics and water. He was on the team of L.A. Times writers that earned the Pulitzer Prize in public service for a series on Latinos in Southern California and the team that was a finalist in 2015 for the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news. He is a former board member of CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California and author of the book “Master of the Mysteries: The Life of Manly Palmer Hall.”

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The Man Who Risked His Life Savings to Resurrect a California Ghost Town

In a world full of hustle and bustle, it is hard to believe that someone would give up their life savings to purchase a neglected, crumbling ghost town. However, that is exactly what one man did. Leaving behind the world of finance and business to restore the ghost town of Cerro Gordo, this man hopes to turn his passion project into a thriving tourist attraction.

Cerro Gordo was once a thriving city

In 1865, prospector Pablo Flores discovered a vein of silver in the Inyo Mountains, and within two years, droves of prospectors made their way to the area to find their own riches through mining . The town erected there would be called Cerro Gordo, meaning “Fat Hill” in Spanish.

Located only three hours outside of Los Angeles, Cerro Gordo quickly became the largest and top producer of silver in California. Business in the town brought in so much wealth that in 1872, the Los Angeles News wrote , “To this city, Cerro Gordo trade is invaluable. What Los Angeles now is, is mainly due to it. It is the silver cord that binds our present existence. Should it be unfortunately severed, we would inevitably collapse.”

By today’s standards, Cerro Gordo would have generated $50 million over its rather brief history.

It was also extremely dangerous

With its rapid expansion, Cerro Gordo also experienced a spike in violence, becoming one of the most violent in all of America at the time. Even before it became an established town, the area was steeped in violence. When five Mexican prospectors were searching the area, they were attacked by a group of Native Americans, killing three of them.

When the town was established, it was pretty clear what kind of business it was involved in. Of the 500 buildings that were erected, including multiple brothels and saloons, not one church or schoolhouse was built. It is believed that “there was a murder a week…” during Cerro Gordo’s peak, and even rumors that Butch Cassidy hid out in the town’s hotel.

The last reported gunfight to take place in Cerro Gordo was on December 29, 1892. Bill Crapo, a French-Canadian engineer who had served as the town’s postmaster, shot and killed the man who replaced him, Henry Boland, and his friend. Apparently, it was caused by an election dispute, and Crapo shot the men as they walked by his house, situated next to the town’s hotel. Their murders placed a $500 price tag on his head, one that people from neighboring towns tried to fulfill. Supposedly, Crapo disappeared, never to be heard from again.

Decline and resurgence

Unfortunately, the excessive wealth the town was experiencing was not to last – by 1880, the silver had run dry. Within just a decade, the 4,000 residents that lived there had abandoned the area.

In the early 1910s, Cerro Gordo experienced a second, smaller resurgence after zinc was discovered in the hills. However, this, too, was short-lived, and the last resident of the town left, leaving the place entirely deserted by 1938. The ghost town sat uninhabited and untouched for over half a century.

Purchasing the town and future plans

The story of Cerro Gordo doesn’t end there, though. In 2018, entrepreneur Brent Underwood and some other investors purchased the abandoned ghost town. The 336 acres and its 22 dilapidated buildings came at a whopping price of $1.4 million .

The intent behind purchasing Cerro Gordo is to slowly restore the town to its former glory and transform it into a tourist destination. Along with restoration, Underwood intends to build a museum where he will display all of the various things he finds as he explores the area.

The fire at the American Hotel

While the restoration process has been and will continue to be a long process, Underwood has come into his fair share of snags along the way. Rife with unexpected problems, returning the town to its glory hasn’t been easy.

One of the buildings Underwood hoped would be the jewel of the town was the American Hotel, believed to be the oldest hotel in California east of the Sierra Nevada. Sadly, while Brentwood has been living in the ghost town, exactly 149 years after it had opened, the American Hotel burned down in a fire .

The cause of the fire is unknown, but Underwood has a pretty good idea as to what could have caused it. He believes it started from an electrical issue, as century-old wiring ran through the building. That combined with the aged, dry wood of the structure and its newspaper insulation, the American Hotel was a sitting duck for the devastation caused by fire.

The fire extended beyond the hotel and reached both the ice house and Crapo’s former residence. “It was probably the most devastating day of my life,” Underwood explained . “I couldn’t even talk about it for the first few weeks. You are literally watching your life savings and hopes and dreams burn in front of you.”

Documenting the journey

Soon after purchasing the property, Underwood made the life-changing decision to live in the abandoned ghost town while executing the restoration process. With this, he also began documenting his journey, posting videos showcasing tours of the town, what life is like living in a ghost town, and his various explorations in the area.

Unsurprisingly, his adventures in Cerro Gordo have gained quite a lot of traction, with his YouTube channel reaching 0ver 1.6 million subscribers and his TikTok reaching over 3.1 followers.

“The town has become what I’ve dedicated my life to,” Underwood explained . “I think the history of Cerro Gordo is important and I think preserving it and allowing more people to experience it is important. YouTube and TikTok are allowing more people to learn about the town and I think that’s awesome.”

His social media exposure has really boosted his fundraising for restoring the town, with his campaign to rebuild the American Hotel hitting over $120,000 of its intended $500,000 goal.

While the town isn’t ready to be opened to the public, Underwood has granted permission to some select influencers who have also helped to spread awareness of his Cerro Gordo restoration project. For Underwood, he’s in it for the long haul. “I don’t have an exit plan. Dying here is the exit plan,” he said.

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They Bought a Ghost Town for $1.4 Million. Now They Want to Revive It.

By Melissa Gomez

• July 18, 2018

In Cerro Gordo, a town nestled in the Inyo Mountains of California, near Death Valley, there’s a single saloon with swinging doors, two out-of-tune pianos and a mysterious bloodstain on the wall beneath three bullet holes.

It’s one of Brent Underwood’s favorite places in the ghost town, and now that he owns it, he plans on sharing it with the world. (He’s still trying to learn the story behind the bloodstain.)

On Friday, Mr. Underwood and his friend Jon Bier became the latest owners of Cerro Gordo, which translates to “fat hill,” after buying it for $1.4 million. They plan to restore the town while preserving its past, Mr. Underwood said, adding that they hope to attract a variety of visitors. He said they expected to spend about $1 million to get things started.

Jake Rasmuson of Bishop Real Estate said that he received hundreds of inquiries after the sale was announced in early June. Twelve of the offers were serious, he said, noting that the original asking price was $925,000.

The previous owners of Cerro Gordo, who prefer to remain anonymous, are brothers who had inherited the town from their family, Mr. Rasmuson said. They felt it was the right time in their lives to sell the town, but they wanted to preserve its long history, he said.

They felt that the offer from Mr. Underwood and Mr. Bier, while not the highest bid, aligned with their hope, Mr. Rasmuson said.

“The sellers really liked their vision,” he said, adding that they closed the sale on Friday the 13th in “true ghost town fashion.”

The town, which is about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, is just over 300 acres. It is known for its part in Wild West history and used to average about a murder a week during the 1870s, the height of the mining era, Mr. Rasmuson said.

The property includes houses, an eight-bed bunkhouse, a church that also serves as a small theater, a general store and a museum. As with any credible ghost town, there have also been reported ghost sightings, he said.

Mr. Underwood, 31, heard about the sale from a friend. As founder of HK Austin, a hostel located in Austin, Tex., he had been looking for other opportunities for a place that could combine his passions of hospitality and history.

He researched the town and read books about its history. About three weeks ago, he flew out to meet with the owners and Mr. Rasmuson. He toured the town and met its current caretaker, Robert Desmarais, who will continue to live there as they restore buildings.

In 1865 a man named Pablo Flores discovered silver at the site , near where Mexicans had been searching for precious metals, and he began mining operations there, according to the town’s website. By 1869, the town became the largest producer of silver and lead in the state, until falling prices and setbacks ended most of the activity.

It was revived once more in the early 1900s, when high-grade zinc was excavated, and Cerro Gordo became the largest producer of zinc carbonates in the United States, according to the site. But by 1920, only about 10 men were employed by a Cerro Gordo mining company.

By the 1950s, the town was largely abandoned. In the mid-2000s, the owner at the time tried to restore parts of the town with the help of volunteers. He also catered to large parties in the American Hotel, a two-story building attached to the saloon.

Mr. Desmarais is currently the only resident in town, but Mr. Underwood said his plan is to soon make it comfortable enough for more groups to stay. He said that Mr. Desmarais had recently installed a water pump in the bunkhouse, which will be the first building restored.

Some of the plans include creating a music studio within the bunkhouse for musicians and building an observation deck in the town, Mr. Underwood said. On the night they closed the deal, he said, he saw shooting stars in the clear skies.

Mr. Underwood, who lives in Austin, plans on moving to Cerro Gordo in August, managing his hostel from afar as he and Mr. Bier restore the town. The first year will likely be a labor of love, he said.

“We might get quite a bit more done because there’s not too many distractions when you’re up miles away from anybody else,” he said.

From a balcony in the hotel, Mr. Underwood said, Mount Whitney is visible. On the other side of town, Death Valley National Park is within view.

The saloon, with its wood stove and antique bottles, is an experience unique to the town, Mr. Underwood said. He said he hoped to attract both individual travelers and groups on retreats.

“You very much feel like you’re back in time,” he said.

Follow Melissa Gomez on Twitter: @MelissaGomez004 .

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Man Who Got Stranded For Months In Desert Ghost Town Decides To Stay

Brent Underwood has had strange experiences he ‘can't really explain’ on the property said to be haunted.

Cerro Gordo's last shootout occurred in December of 1892 when miner Billy Crapo walked out of his cabin (seen here) one morning and gunned down Cerro Gordo postmaster H. B. Boland, then shot John Thomas in cold blood near the post office. Thomas survived his injuries, Boland was shot dead on the street. [via Discovery Inc.]

A man who recently spent $1.4 million to purchase Cerro Gordo, a ghost town in California’s Inyo Mountains, recently got stranded on the remote 360-acre property.

Founded in 1865, Cerro Gordo — Spanish for “fat hill” — was an infamous boomtown for silver and lead miners looking for the metals deep under the desert near Death Valley. In 1938, the last inhabitants packed up and left the depleted mines behind.

For more on the history of this historic ghost town, stream Season 22 Episode 3 of Ghost Adventures .

Over 80 years later, in March 2020, the town’s new owner, Brent Underwood, decided to take a “little break” and loaded his truck and drove from Austin, Texas, to Cerro Gordo to relieve the town’s caretaker during the start of the COVID crisis. The following month, the area was hit with a snowstorm that left him stranded.

Underwood's spent 16 months in Cerro Gordo as of this past July , and he now lives by choice in the ghost town that’s 30 miles from the nearest grocery store. “That little break has become a longer break.” he told Insider. “I’m OK with that.”

Underwood’s ongoing goal: rebuild the property’s 22 existing structures and explore the abandoned settlement in order to open it up to tourists.

According to the entrepreneur, at the height of Cerro Gordo’s infamy, law enforcement steered clear of the 5,000-resident town , where shootouts were frequent and there was around at least one murder a week. The buildings are still riddled with bullet holes and a blood stain where a man was killed could once be found on the saloon floor of a building that recently burned down.

Miners would try to dodge death by stacking sandbags in their beds to deflect any stray bullets from striking them as they slept.

In the 1870s, Underwood learned, a mine collapsed and trapped around 30 Chinese miners , who were never rescued and are still buried underground. “There was a lot of bad stuff that happened here, and it’s part of the town’s history,” Underwood told Vice.

When @underwoodbrent bought a ghost town, he didn't imagine he'd end up living there — alone — during a pandemic. And he definitely didn't think that videos of him exploring mines and digging through rubble would blow up on TikTok. pic.twitter.com/o2JI00n0lz — VICE News (@VICENews) April 16, 2021

“It’s impossible to avoid death at Cerro Gordo,” he continued. “Whether it was the people dying in the street, whether it was the miners dying down in the mines.”

Cerro Gordo's cemetery is the final resting place for these residents as well as those who passed away during the Spanish Influenza that swept the world near the beginning of the twentieth century. “So the last major pandemic to hit the world affected Cerro Gordo," Underwood pointed out. "So to be here during this modern pandemic is a very interesting time to me to be here for historical reasons.”

Part of the town’s history also includes unexplained incidents, Underwood said, such as lights that switch on in unoccupied buildings.

“I went in, turned them off, re-locked the building, and they were turned on again that night," Underwood told Insider.

He’s found his wallet in places he didn’t put it and books spontaneously have fallen from shelves. “Just stuff I can't really explain,” he said. “I think if you're in a town like this, when you're not expecting to see anybody or hear anybody, [and] nothing could be moving or happening, when something does move or happen you obviously first jump to ghosts.”

In 2019, Zak Bagans and the crew of Ghost Adventures paid Cerro Gordo a visit and concluded paranormal activity here could be the result of two child spirits trapped in Belshaw House, an 1800s structure Underwood was living in.

Underwood has spent a considerable amount of time learning about his more-earthly surroundings as well. He recently rappelled 1,100 feet underground in a six-hour exploration of parts of the Union Mine that nobody has seen for over a century. He found artifacts ranging from boxes of dynamite and blasting caps to tobacco tins and a newspaper dated May 5, 1913.

Back above ground, Underwood discovered in the town’s general store a briefcase filled with more personal artifacts from the miners’ lives, which he said included their “their highs, their lows, their bank statements, their divorce settlements, lawsuits, mining claims, love letters, hate letters.”

“It's crazy to find something like that, and it just takes you back into an era,” he explained. “It just puts what you're going through into perspective.”

As for how long he plans to continue working on restoring and exploring the ghost town? “I don’t see it ever stopping really,” he told Vice . “Cerro Gordo was here before I was around, and it’s going to be here long after I am here.”

Stream full episodes of Ghost Adventures now on discovery+.

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