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Cerro Gordo, California

Cerro Gordo is a former settlement in Inyo County, California, United States, and was primarily a silver mining town based around the Cerro Gordo Mines. At its height, hundreds of dwellings dotted the landscape, while miners sought their fortunes.

Cerro Gordo in 1980

History edit

Cerro Gordo ("Fat Hill" in Spanish) got its name from Mexicans, who regularly searched the area for silver. Mining officially began in 1865 after its discovery by Pablo Flores; by 1867 the word had spread, and scores of prospectors had arrived seeking fortune. In 1866, local businessman Victor Beaudry had opened a store, as well as acquiring several mining claims, including partial interest to the lucrative Union Mine. By 1869, Cerro Gordo was the largest producer of silver and lead in the nation; teams of mules would travel between Cerro Gordo and Los Angeles, California. In its peak, the town was home to several mines, hundreds of structures (most were of the ramshackle variety), bars, a general store, and hotel. The isolated nature of the town led to much lawlessness, as gunfights were recorded in its time.[1]

The prosperity of Cerro Gordo was short lived; by 1877 a fire raged throughout the mines, burning down much of the infrastructure.[2] Falling silver and lead prices were the final straw, and most of the inhabitants left as quickly as they came. The town briefly came back to life for a few decades, starting in 1905, as it was used for zinc processing.[1] The town was left mostly abandoned, save for a few caretakers who stayed behind. In 2018, the town was purchased for 1.4 million dollars by several marketers who intended to develop it into a tourist attraction, however some of the structures, including the American Hotel burned down in June 2020 in a suspected electrical fire.[3]

Accessibility edit

Cerro Gordo is accessible by an 8-mile dirt utility road; use of a 4WD vehicle is recommended, but the road can be navigated in a 2WD vehicle.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "The Rise and Fall of Cerro Gordo – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "History of Cerro Gordo". mojavedesert.net. from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Shagún, Louis (June 21, 2020). "California ghost town with a bloody past suffers a new calamity". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Cerro Gordo". Ghosttowns.com. from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.

External links edit

  • Cerro Gordo Mines

36°32′16″N 117°47′42″W / 36.53778°N 117.79500°W / 36.53778; -117.79500

cerro, gordo, california, cerro, gordo, former, settlement, inyo, county, california, united, states, primarily, silver, mining, town, based, around, cerro, gordo, mines, height, hundreds, dwellings, dotted, landscape, while, miners, sought, their, fortunes, c. Cerro Gordo is a former settlement in Inyo County California United States and was primarily a silver mining town based around the Cerro Gordo Mines At its height hundreds of dwellings dotted the landscape while miners sought their fortunes Cerro Gordo in 1980 Contents 1 History 2 Accessibility 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory editCerro Gordo Fat Hill in Spanish got its name from Mexicans who regularly searched the area for silver Mining officially began in 1865 after its discovery by Pablo Flores by 1867 the word had spread and scores of prospectors had arrived seeking fortune In 1866 local businessman Victor Beaudry had opened a store as well as acquiring several mining claims including partial interest to the lucrative Union Mine By 1869 Cerro Gordo was the largest producer of silver and lead in the nation teams of mules would travel between Cerro Gordo and Los Angeles California In its peak the town was home to several mines hundreds of structures most were of the ramshackle variety bars a general store and hotel The isolated nature of the town led to much lawlessness as gunfights were recorded in its time 1 The prosperity of Cerro Gordo was short lived by 1877 a fire raged throughout the mines burning down much of the infrastructure 2 Falling silver and lead prices were the final straw and most of the inhabitants left as quickly as they came The town briefly came back to life for a few decades starting in 1905 as it was used for zinc processing 1 The town was left mostly abandoned save for a few caretakers who stayed behind In 2018 the town was purchased for 1 4 million dollars by several marketers who intended to develop it into a tourist attraction however some of the structures including the American Hotel burned down in June 2020 in a suspected electrical fire 3 Accessibility editCerro Gordo is accessible by an 8 mile dirt utility road use of a 4WD vehicle is recommended but the road can be navigated in a 2WD vehicle 4 See also editCerro Gordo MinesReferences edit a b The Rise and Fall of Cerro Gordo Legends of America www legendsofamerica com Archived from the original on February 4 2022 Retrieved February 4 2022 History of Cerro Gordo mojavedesert net Archived from the original on February 4 2022 Retrieved February 4 2022 Shagun Louis June 21 2020 California ghost town with a bloody past suffers a new calamity Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 31 2020 Retrieved April 24 2022 Cerro Gordo Ghosttowns com Archived from the original on May 20 2022 Retrieved April 24 2022 External links editCerro Gordo Mines 36 32 16 N 117 47 42 W 36 53778 N 117 79500 W 36 53778 117 79500 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cerro Gordo California amp oldid 1166693944, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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