Cerro Gordo Mines

{{Short description|Abandoned mines in the Inyo Mountains, California}}

{{Infobox mine

| name = Cerro Gordo

| image = CerroGordo CA.jpg

| width =

| caption = Cerro Gordo Mines and ghost town in 1980

| alt = view of ghost town around mine

| pushpin_map = California

| pushpin_mapsize =

| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_map_caption =

| pushpin_image =

| pushpin_label =

|coordinates = {{coord|36|32|16|N|117|47|42|W|display=inline,title}}

| place = near Keeler, California

| subdivision_type = State

| state/province = California

| country = United States

| products = silver, lead, and zinc

| amount =

| financial year =

| type = underground

| greatest depth = at least {{cvt|1100|ft|m}}

| discovery year = 1865

| opening year = {{Start date|1866}}

| active years =

| closing year = {{End date|1957}}

| owner = Brent Underwood

| official website =

| acquisition year =

}}

File:Looking west over Cerro Gordo down to Owens Valley below and the Sierra Nevadas beyond, Inyo County, CA, USA - panoramio.jpg and the Sierra Nevada mountains beyond]]

The Cerro Gordo Mines are a collection of abandoned mines located in Cerro Gordo in the Inyo Mountains, Inyo County, near Lone Pine, California. Mining operations spanned 1866 to 1957, producing high grade silver, lead, and zinc ore; and, more rarely, gold ore and copper ore.{{Cite web |title=Cerro Gordo (MRDS #10310600) |url=https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/show-mrds.php?dep_id=10310600 |url-status=live |website=USGS - Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716163751/https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/show-mrds.php?dep_id=10310600 |archive-date=2021-07-16}} Some ore was smelted on site, but larger capacity smelters were eventually constructed along the shore of nearby Owens Lake.

These smelting operations were the beginnings of the towns of Swansea and Keeler. Most of the metal ingots produced here were transported to Los Angeles, but transportation difficulties hindered the success of the mines. Mining of silver and lead peaked in the early 1880s, with a second mining boom producing zinc in the 1910s.{{cite news |last=Rasmussen |first=Cecilia |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-oct-08-me-then8-story.html |title=Old Ghost Town Is Getting a New Lease on Life: The mining site high above Owens Valley went bust in 1888. Now its owner is restoring it to a state of 'arrested decay' for visitors |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 8, 2006 |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=February 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214061334/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/oct/08/local/me-then8 |url-status=live }}

During its peak, Cerro Gordo was home to some 4,700 people and the site is known as a California ghost town today.{{cite book |last1=Varney |first1=Philip |title=Southern California's best ghost towns: a practical guide |date=1990 |publisher=Norman : University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=0-8061-2252-8 |pages=11–16 |edition=1st |url=https://archive.org/details/southerncaliforn00varn/page/11/mode/2up |access-date=8 November 2022}}

History

Discovery of the silver ore is credited to Pablo Flores,{{Cite web |title=Cerro Gordo |url=http://digital-desert.com/cerro-gordo/ |access-date=2020-09-25 |website=digital-desert.com |archive-date=2020-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413141002/http://digital-desert.com/cerro-gordo/ |url-status=live }} who began mining and smelting operations near the summit of Buena Vista Peak in 1865. Increasing migration to the area was met with resistance from the Native Americans, which limited early mining efforts. The establishment of Fort Independence allowed for the expulsion of native populations, facilitating the expansion of the mining town.

These early miners employed relatively primitive techniques of open pits and trenches and used adobe ovens to smelt the ore. Businessman Victor Beaudry{{Cite web |title=CERRO GORDO |url=http://explorehistoricalif.com/ehc_legacy/cerro_main.html |access-date=2020-09-25 |website=explorehistoricalif.com |archive-date=2021-05-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509062618/http://explorehistoricalif.com/ehc_legacy/cerro_main.html |url-status=live }} (younger brother of Los Angeles Mayor and developer Prudent Beaudry) of nearby Independence, California, became impressed by the quality of silver mined at Cerro Gordo and opened a store nearby. He soon acquired several mining claims to settle unpaid debts and proceeded to have two modern smelters built. Beaudry continued acquiring mining rights from debtors until he soon owned a majority of the richest and most productive mines in the area, including partial interest in the Union Mine.

In 1868, Mortimer Belshaw{{Cite web |title=Mortimer Belshaw Biography |url=http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/cerro_gordo1/Mortimer%20Belshaw%20Biography.pdf |access-date=2020-09-25 |archive-date=2019-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321104726/http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/cerro_gordo1/Mortimer%20Belshaw%20Biography.pdf |url-status=live }} arrived in Cerro Gordo (lit. "Fat Hill" in Spanish), attracted by the rich deposits of galena ore. After establishing a partnership with another stakeholder in the Union Mine, he brought the first wagon load of silver from Cerro Gordo to Los Angeles.{{Cite news |last=Babcock |first=Elizabeth |date=June 19, 2020 |title=The 'rich' history of Cerro Gordo mine |language=en |website=The News Review |location=Ridgecrest CA |url=http://www.news-ridgecrest.com/news/story.pl?id=0000011526 |access-date=2020-10-12 |archive-date=2020-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815170243/http://news-ridgecrest.com/news/story.pl?id=0000011526 |url-status=live }} In Los Angeles he was able to secure financing to build his own smelter that was superior to all other smelters at Cerro Gordo, as well as to build the first wagon road up the mountain. This road became known as the Yellow Road from the color of the rock that it had been cut through. By operating the Yellow Road as a toll road, Belshaw was able to earn income and control the shipments of silver from the mountain.

Between 1879 and 1880 in Cerro Gordo district, {{convert|4223|ST|lb t}} of ore was raised and treated, $3,307 ($88,088 in 2021) gold bullion produced and $140,517 ($3,742,932 in 2021) worth of silver bullion produced.{{Cite web |author=Karen K. Swope |author2=Carrie J. Gregory |date=2017 |title=Mining in the Southern California Deserts - A Historic Context Statement and Research Design |url=http://npshistory.com/brochures/blm/ca/desert-mining-2017.pdf |url-status=live |website=U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716163741/http://npshistory.com/brochures/blm/ca/desert-mining-2017.pdf |archive-date=2021-07-16}} During its entire operating history from 1865 to 1949, mines produced over {{convert|35000|ST|lb t}} of lead, {{convert|4400000|ozt|lb kg||}} of silver and {{convert|11800|ST|lb t}} of zinc, with an estimated worth of over $17 million.

By 1907, high-grade zinc ore was found in Cerro Gordo and ore shipments begun, and by 1912, Cerro Gordo became the largest producer of zinc carbonates in the U.S.{{Cite web |author=Linda W. Greene |date=March 1981 |title=HISTORIC RESOURCE STUDY - A HISTORY OF MINING IN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL MONUMENT-VOLUME I OF 11-Part 1 of 2 |url=http://npshistory.com/publications/deva/hrs-mining-v1p1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716163742/http://npshistory.com/publications/deva/hrs-mining-v1p1.pdf |archive-date=2021-07-16}}

In 1916, the town became electrified, replacing the steam power that operated the machinery.{{Cite web |last=Vargo |first=Cecil Page |title=Louis D. Gordon & the Great Zinc Era |url=http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/stories2/The%20Great%20Zinc%20Era.pdf }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

File:Silver-mining ghost town of Cerro Gordo, Looking N, Inyo Co., CA - panoramio.jpg

In 1920, about ten miners still worked, mostly mining silver-lead ore. Mining had largely ceased by 1938.{{cite web |url=https://cerrogordomines.com/#history |title=History |website=Cerro Gordo Mine |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718180330/https://cerrogordomines.com/#history |url-status=live }}

{{As of|2019}}, a former high school teacher was the only miner; the then-70-year-old had been collecting small amounts of silver underground since 1997, selling the silver to tourists, while searching for a productive vein.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-49084230 |title='I've spent 22 years searching for silver in a ghost town' |last=Park |first=Victoria |work=BBC News |date=30 July 2019 |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718175230/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-49084230 |url-status=live }}

The Cerro Gordo mines were the most extensive with more than {{convert|30|mi|ft km}} of underground tunnels in the Cerro Gordo Mining District.

The ghost town of Cerro Gordo was purchased in June 2018 with the intent to turn it into a tourist attraction, accessed by special permission. At that time, it had several vintage buildings, including the general store{{cite news |title=Buyer of this authentic "ghost town" can own piece of the Wild West |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ghost-town-cerro-gordo-california-wild-west |work=CBS News |date=2018-06-14 |access-date=2018-06-13 |archive-date=2018-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613154450/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ghost-town-cerro-gordo-california-wild-west/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Park |first1=Madison |title=This California ghost town is for sale |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/14/us/ghost-town-for-sale-cerro-gordo-trnd/index.html |work=CNN |date=2018-06-14 |access-date=2018-06-14 |archive-date=2018-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614221225/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/14/us/ghost-town-for-sale-cerro-gordo-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/entire-california-ghost-town-for-sale-for-under-1-million |title=Entire California ghost town for sale for under $1 million |publisher=Fox News |date=June 28, 2018 |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628205828/http://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/2018/06/28/entire-california-ghost-town-for-sale-for-under-1-million.html |url-status=live }} and {{Convert|336|acre|ha}}.{{Cite web |date=2018-11-26 |title=We bought a ghost town |url=https://nathanbarry.com/cerro-gordo/ |access-date=2020-10-24 |website=Nathan Barryl |archive-date=2020-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027042542/https://nathanbarry.com/cerro-gordo/ |url-status=live }}{{Self-published source|date=September 2023|reason=blog}}{{cite news |first=Amy |last=Graff |url=https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Cerro-Gordo-California-ghost-town-real-estate-13079866.php |title=Historic California ghost town sells for $1.4 million on Friday the 13th |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=July 16, 2018 |access-date=July 17, 2018 |archive-date=July 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717100147/https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Cerro-Gordo-California-ghost-town-real-estate-13079866.php |url-status=live }} The buyers, Brent Underwood and Jon Bier, purchased the property with additional Los Angeles-based investors.{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hp-cerro-gordo-ghost-town-20180717-story.html |title=California ghost town sells for $1.4 million; buyers plan to develop it as a tourist attraction |access-date=21 July 2018 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=20 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720030735/http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hp-cerro-gordo-ghost-town-20180717-story.html |url-status=live }} The American Hotel, an icehouse, and a residence were destroyed in a fire on June 15, 2020.{{Cite news |last=Sahagún |first=Louis |date=2020-06-21 |title=California ghost town with a bloody past suffers a new calamity |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-21/a-california-ghost-town-with-a-murderous-past-suffers-new-tragedy-as-famed-hotel-goes-up-in-flames |access-date=2020-10-12 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=2020-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031233315/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-21/a-california-ghost-town-with-a-murderous-past-suffers-new-tragedy-as-famed-hotel-goes-up-in-flames |url-status=live }} Despite these challenges, Underwood says he is still committed to the project.{{Cite news |last=Chamings |first=Andrew |date=2021-02-23 |title=An influencer who bought a California ghost town is ready to die there |url=https://www.sfgate.com/travel/editorspicks/article/california-ghost-town-tiktok-underwood-cerro-gordo-15970036.php |access-date=2021-02-26 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |archive-date=2021-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226005208/https://www.sfgate.com/travel/editorspicks/article/california-ghost-town-tiktok-underwood-cerro-gordo-15970036.php |url-status=live }}

In 2021, it was revealed the previous owners had sold the mining claims of the nearby area to K2 Gold Corp.{{Cite web |title=K2 Gold (KTGDF) Shares Rise After Entering Option Agreement to Fully Acquire Cerro Gordo Project |url=https://www.investorsobserver.com/news/stock-update/k2-gold-ktgdf-shares-rise-after-entering-option-agreement-to-fully-acquire-cerro-gordo-project |access-date=2021-08-16 |website=www.investorsobserver.com |language=en |archive-date=2021-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816134445/https://www.investorsobserver.com/news/stock-update/k2-gold-ktgdf-shares-rise-after-entering-option-agreement-to-fully-acquire-cerro-gordo-project |url-status=live }} There are plans to start a cyanide opencast mine using cyanide in the adjacent Conglomerate Mesa Formation area.{{Cite news |last=Sahagun |first=Louis |date=2021-03-14 |title=A corporation wants to mine for gold near Death Valley. Native tribes are fighting it |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-03-14/a-corporation-wants-to-mine-for-gold-near-death-valley-native-tribes-are-fighting-it |access-date=2021-08-16 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=2021-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815205224/https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-03-14/a-corporation-wants-to-mine-for-gold-near-death-valley-native-tribes-are-fighting-it |url-status=live }} As of March 17, 2022, K2 Gold Corp announced it is suspending a proposal to expand gold mining exploration and road building on California's Conglomerate Mesa Formation after the U.S. Bureau of Land Management required an environmental impact statement for the project.{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Ileene |date=2022-03-17 |title=Mining Company Nixes California Gold Exploration That Threatened Rare Daisy |url=https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/mining-company-nixes-california-gold-exploration-that-threatened-rare-daisy-2022-03-17/ |access-date=2023-09-17 |website= www.biologicaldiversity.org |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427061111/https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/mining-company-nixes-california-gold-exploration-that-threatened-rare-daisy-2022-03-17/ |url-status=live }}

Buildings

File:Cerro Gordo ghost town, Keeler, California, US (5412117469).jpg

The American Hotel was built in 1871 by John Simpson,{{Cite web |title=SCVHistory.com LW2377j {{!}} Mojave Desert {{!}} American Hotel at Cerro Gordo |url=https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw2377j.htm |access-date=2020-09-25 |website=scvhistory.com |archive-date=2020-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618033750/https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw2377j.htm |url-status=live }} and was the oldest standing hotel in California on the east side of the Sierra.{{Cite web |title=SCVHistory.com LW2373a {{!}} Mojave Desert {{!}} Map: Cerro Gordo Mining Camp |url=https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw2373a.htm |access-date=2020-09-25 |website=scvhistory.com |archive-date=2021-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922174758/https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw2373a.htm |url-status=live }} On the morning of June 15, 2020, a fire destroyed the hotel and neighboring buildings. The owners plan to build a replica.{{Cite web |title=Cerro Gordo fire {{!}} The Inyo Register |url=https://www.inyoregister.com/content/cerro-gordo-fire |access-date=2020-07-01 |website=www.inyoregister.com |archive-date=2020-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704001943/https://www.inyoregister.com/content/cerro-gordo-fire |url-status=live }}[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ghost-town-cerro-gordo-and-its-caretaker/ A ghost town's caretaker] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824015036/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ghost-town-cerro-gordo-and-its-caretaker/ |date=2021-08-24 }},CBS News, Young Kim, August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.

The Belshaw House was built around 1868 by Mortimer Belshaw, developer of the Belshaw Blast Furnace.{{Cite book |last=Cecile Page Vargo, Roger W. Vargo |title=Cerro Gordo |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7385-9520-7 |page=25}}

The Gordon House was built in 1909 by Louis D. Gordon, who began the "zinc era" of Cerro Gordo.

Silver run (annual)

Brent Underwood and a host of volunteers have put together the Cerro Gordo Silver Run since 2023, its inaugural year.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}{

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In popular culture

Remi Nadeau, a descendant of the family involved with the transport of ingots from Cerro Gordo across Owens Lake and by mule train to Los Angeles, has written books and articles on the period.{{cite web |title=Finding Aid for the Remi A. Nadeau Papers, 1948-1993 |url=http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt4779n8nm&doc.view=entire_text&brand=oac |website=Online Archive of California |publisher=University of California |access-date=2018-06-14 |archive-date=2023-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717103653/http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt4779n8nm/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=Nadeau |first=Remi A. |title=The Water Seekers |date=1997 |orig-date=1950 |publisher=Crest Publishers |isbn=0-9627104-5-8 |edition=4th |location=Santa Barbara, CA |oclc=36595807}}{{cite book |title=Ghost Towns & Mining Camps of California: A History & Guide |first=Remi A. |last=Nadeau |publisher=Crest Publishers |date=1999 |edition=5th, rev. |isbn=978-0-9627104-8-3 |oclc=40818465 |orig-date=1965}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XcguAAAAIAAJ |title=Los Angeles: From Mission to Modern City |first=Remi A. |last=Nadeau |publisher=Longmans, Green |year=1960 |asin=B0007E0OI2 |access-date=2023-03-21 |archive-date=2023-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717103612/https://books.google.com/books?id=XcguAAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |title=The Silver Seekers: They Tamed California's Last Frontier |first=Remi A. |last=Nadeau |publisher=Crest Publishers |location=Santa Barbara, CA |date=1999 |isbn=978-0-9627104-7-6 |oclc=40592556}}

{{cite book |title=Story of Inyo |publisher=Forgotten Books |date=2015 |first=W. A. |last=Chalfant |isbn=978-1-330-07443-5 |oclc=978454284}}

In 2013, an episode in the series Artbound entitled "Agh20: Silver and Water" featured Cerro Gordo's role as a source of silver for the nascent film industry in California.

Cerro Gordo, the Belshaw House, and the Inyo Mine are featured in the season 19 episode of Ghost Adventures titled "Cerro Gordo Ghost Town", which aired in 2019 on the Travel Channel.{{Cite web |title=Cerro Gordo Ghost Town |url=https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/cerro-gordo-ghost-town |access-date=2020-07-01 |website=Travel Channel |language=en |archive-date=2020-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704175831/https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/cerro-gordo-ghost-town |url-status=live }}

In 2020, one of the town's owners, Brent Underwood, started a YouTube channel chronicling his intended development of the town into a functioning tourist destination and his exploration of mine tunnels.{{Cite magazine |last1=Underwood |first1=Brent |last2=Carter |first2=Clint |date=2020-12-13 |title=I Bought a Ghost Town |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a34632324/bought-ghost-town/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225071848/https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a34632324/bought-ghost-town/ |archive-date=2020-12-25 |access-date=2020-12-28 |magazine=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}} In 2024, he released his book "Ghost Town Living," about the challenges and isolation of residing in the ghost town for four years.{{Cite web |last1=Underwood |first1=Brent |date=2024-03-19 |title=Ghost Town Living |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709605/ghost-town-living-by-brent-underwood/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320221641/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709605/ghost-town-living-by-brent-underwood/ |archive-date=2024-03-20 |access-date=2024-03-20 |language=en-US}}

In 2025, an episode in the series Game Changer entitled "One Year Later" featured Underwood and Jacob Wysocki placing a life sized standee of the show's host, Sam Reich, into an abandoned mineshaft.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

References

External links

[https://www.ghosttowngallery.com/htme/cerro.htm Cerro Gordo pictures on Ghost Town Gallery]
[https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/cerrogordo.html Cerro Gordo - California Ghost Town]
{{YouTube|channel=UCEjBDKfrqQI4TgzT9YLNT8g|title=Ghost Town Living}}
[https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/show-mrds.php?dep_id=10310600 Cerro Gordo in USGS Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)]
[https://www.reddit.com/r/CerroGordo/ Cerro Gordo Community Subreddit]

Category:Ghost towns in Inyo County, California

Category:Mining in California

Category:Inyo Mountains

Category:History of Inyo County, California

Category:History of the Mojave Desert region

Category:History of Los Angeles

Category:Geography of Inyo County, California

Category:American frontier

Category:1866 establishments in California