Cerro Gordo, The Ghost Town That Might Actually Be Haunted
David Lofink/FlickrSeveral structures remain in Cerro Gordo, though many were destroyed by a fire in 2020.
At its peak, Cerro Gordo was a lawless place populated by miners. Today, this California ghost town has only ghosts — and a single groundskeeper.
Like Goldsfield and Bodie, Cerro Gordo started as a mining town. After silver was discovered nearby in 1865, the town flourished as a silver and lead mine. But though Cerro Gordo once had nearly 5,000 residents, life was never easy. Some miners put sandbags in their bunks to protect themselves from stray bullets, and the town purportedly averaged a murder a week.
What’s more, Cerro Gordo also suffered a number of grisly tragedies. Thirty miners purportedly perished in one of Cerro Gordo’s mines after they became trapped and weren’t able to escape. And the town’s saloon long bore the marks of bullet holes and bloodstains from a forgotten shootout.
David Lofink/FlickrCerro Gordo was purchased by investors in 2018 who hope to turn it into a tourist destination.
Though Cerro Gordo scraped by as a zinc mine in the early 20th century, it became a ghost town by the 1950s. Then, in 2018, it got a new lease on life when it was purchased by Brent Underwood, Jon Bier, and several investors.
“I fell in love with the combination of hospitality and history,” Underwood explained. “I was looking for a challenge, and I certainly got that, and more.”
Underwood — who was once trapped alone in Cerro Gordo during a snowstorm — plans to turn the California ghost town into a tourist destination. Several of its old buildings still remain, making it a fascinating place to visit.
