100% of the proceeds will go directly to rebuilding the American Hotel which was tragically lost June 15, 2020. Cerro Gordo, Ill., March 25.-- Ten buildings were completely wrecked by a cyclone Saturday afternoon and twenty other were more or less damaged. Brent Underwood stands amid the ashes of the American Hotel on Wednesday, two days after a fire in the Inyo Mountains ghost town of Cerro Gordo … Golf star utters homophobic slur after missing putt, Veteran Capitol cop reportedly commits suicide days after riot, Pence says to 'hold your heads high' in emotional meeting with staffers, The Weeknd shows real face after 'plastic surgery' shocked fans, Here's what could happen if Trump is impeached again. yes the one that just sold for 1.4M The Cerro Gordo Mines are a collection of abandoned mines located in the Inyo Mountains, in Inyo County, near Lone Pine, California. In the weeks since he's been documenting his isolation experience in Instagram photos like the one above, Cerro Gordo sits 300 miles outside of Los Angeles and nearly 30 miles from the nearest town with a grocery store. At its peak in the 19th century, the community of 5,000 people was a haven for violent crime because the nearest law enforcement agencies couldn't be bothered to police it given the remote locationÂ, Adding to Underwood's extraordinary experience in the town are its local residents - rumored spirits of people who died there and a pair of crows Underwood has come to see as friends. “When I first got out here, I was in a T-shirt and enjoying myself,” Underwood tells The Post. We've received your submission. “As the world is trying to isolate themselves, there’s not much further isolation you can do than an abandoned ghost town,” he says. This story has been shared 138,068 times. But that will only get him to a 35-person town without grocery stores, and he’s found himself out of breath after snowshoeing for just several yards. Cerro Gordo was originally included in the Lone Pine Mining District established in 1866, but when federal mining laws were implemented in 1872, the area was reorganized into the separate Cerro Gordo Mining … When news of the discovery reached the Comstock Lode, the rush to Cerro Gordo was on. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. ... Yikes! Brent Underwood's quarantine location: a California ghost town. During the coronavirus pandemic, he has been living there alone for the past month in his own personal ghost town. Listed for $925,000 with Jake Rasmuson of Bishop Real Estate Rasmuson & Associates, the collection of abandoned properties includes a hotel, a bunkhouse, and several homes, … Ghost Adventures: Cerro Gordo Ghost Town Zak Bagans and the crew trek a treacherous cliffside trail to investigate a forgotten mining town in California, haunted by the lost souls of its former residents. 'Â, While there is a pair of snowshoes at his disposal, Underwood said they're not of much use in the deep snow lining the steep seven-mile road leading to the nearest community, noting that he gets tired after a few hundred yards.Â, And even if he did make it that far, it wouldn't be of much help as that community of 35 people doesn't have a single grocery store.Â, The closest town with a grocery story, Lone Pine, is another 20 miles away - essentially unreachable by Underwood in snowshoes.  Â, Underwood and his investor friend Jon Bier, owner of boutique public relations agency Jack Taylor PR, bought Cerro Gordo from family owners in July 2018 with plans to turn it into a tourist attraction. But that doesn’t mean spooky things aren’t happening in Cerro Gordo during the lockdown. “When I do look at the news and I see how chaotic and terrible things are, there’s a part of me that isn’t in a huge rush to reenter the world.”, He also takes strength from the town’s history, knowing it’s weathered similar storms. He bought Cerro Gordo, a former silver mining town with a murderous history, for $1.4 million in 2018. How lone Capitol cop averted disaster, luring rioters away from open Senate door. “I stay in the room with the child ghosts,” says Underwood, “but I have yet to see them.”. Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center 17262 Lark Ave Mason City, IA 50401 Phone: 641-421-3000. There’s a new sheriff in Cerro Gordo, the 19 th century mining town 200 miles north of L.A. that just sold for $1.4 million.. 'For the most part, I leave the ghosts alone and they leave me alone,' he said, Underwood hopes to return to Austin as soon as the snow clears, but recognizes that his current digs offer a more effective environment to shelter-in-place, While he knew the stories hidden inside the town - Underwood never imagined experiencing its supposed hauntings first-hand the way he has in the past few weeks. Â, 'Things are moving around, I'm seeing curtains move, I'm hearing things in the night,' he said. Underwood snapped this photo one night during his isolation, For most of the two years he's owned Cerro Gordo, Underwood has visited every month but left upkeep in the hands of its caretaker of 21 years, Robert Desmarais.Â, As the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the US last month, Underwood agreed to look after the town for a week while Desmarais went to Arizona to check on his wife.Â, His stay was unexpectedly extended when the snowstorm hit.Â, 'When I first got out here, I was in a T-shirt and enjoying myself,' Underwood told the New York Post.Â, 'And then it snowed for four days straight and now there's no way to get out. I was met by the resident caretaker who unlocked the buildings and led me on the tour. “In the absolute worst-case scenario, there’s snowshoes here, and the road is 7 miles long down a steep hill,” he says. A snowman Underwood built for company, and the stars. 12, 13, 23 & 24, T16S, R38E, MDM, at the site of the former town of Cerro Gordo (mining ghost town), 9.5 … “Anytime you’re in a town and expect to see nothing and hear nothing, when you do, your mind is on heightened alert,” he adds. Cerro Gordo Cerro Gordo, Inyo County. The 32-year-old marketer took sheltering in place to the next level when he became trapped in a California ghost town he recently purchased. ‘General Hospital’ vet John Reilly dead at 84, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle to reportedly reunite with royals for first time since ‘Megxit’, Yolanda Hadid and boyfriend Joseph Jingoli celebrate 2-year anniversary, © 2021 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Ghost hunters reportedly find spirit of 'Tiger King' star's late husband, Singapore has a 'cursed' town -- and this man is hunting the dead, Alexandra Holzer on growing up in a famous ghost hunting family, Best haunted houses from New Orleans to NYC, Hula hooper hits record with her hypnotic hiney, Teach yourself American Sign Language with this master class, The 21 best jigsaw puzzles for adults in 2021—and where to buy them, 11 small home gym ideas for 2021: The best equipment for small spaces, 10 best dry hair treatments of 2021 for winter-wrecked manes, 11 best joggers for women who want to get comfy in style for 2021, Prince Harry, Markle to reportedly reunite with royals since 'Megxit'. 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). Cerro Gordo in its heydays. 'Things are moving around, I'm seeing curtains move, I'm hearing things in the night,' he said. Whitney, on the eastern outskirts of Lone Pine. “It’s been through many pandemics,” including Spanish influenza, he says, “and it’s still standing.”. He said Cerro Gordo had been largely uninhabited for around 100 years, after mining operations there ceased in the early 1900s. Search law firms at FindLaw. Unlike other mining towns in the Southwest though, Darwin held on to life for a long time. Except that Brent Underwood, the … Cerro Gordo provides the rare opportunity to own your own Ghost Town and Mining Operation. Center: All that remains of the saw mill from which came Cerro Gordo's lumber and charcoal. DETAILS 100% Cott Between its discovery and 1938, mining in Cerro Gordo generated $17 million. A Texas entrepreneur has been forced to quarantine in an abandoned California mining town with a sinister past after getting trapped there by a snowstorm. Ghost Adventures: Cerro Gordo Ghost Town. image copyright Brent Underwood Exploring the 200 level of Cerro Gordo’s Union Mine The 200 level at Cerro Gordo is a part of the mine full of mystery and sorrow. Cerro Gordo’s deadliest mine disaster struck in the early 1870s when a cave-in killed at least eight and as many as 35 Chinese miners. ', He said he also takes comfort in the fact that the town has survived several similar crises over the years, including the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. Â, 'It's been through many pandemics and it's still standing,' he said.Â, Underwood is spending his alone time hiking and doing maintenance in the town while taking inventory on artifacts he finds, He's also enjoyed exploring Cerro Gordo's abandoned silver mines, which he frequently features on his Instagram, Underwood is spending his alone time hiking and doing maintenance in the town while taking inventory on the various artifacts he finds in the process.  Â, He also manages five employees at his marketing firm, Brass Check, in Austin, Texas, remotely via satellite internet.Â, Occasionally he's found himself consulting with two new employees - a pair of crows Desmarais named Heckle and Jeckyll.  Â, 'If I'm working through something at work, I'll tell Jekyll about it,' he says. Some ore was smelted on site, but larger capacity smelters were eventually constructed along the shore of nearby Owens Lake. Latest Reports. “I think I talk to myself through talking to the animals.”. Cerro Gordo is an abandoned mining town outside California. The buyers want to renovate the buildings and host events. He already ran out of bread and vegetables but hopes he has enough rice and canned tuna to sustain him until the snow thaws - though it is unclear when that will happen. Â, Adding to his incredible experience are the town's locals - the rumored spirits of people who died there and a pair of crows Underwood has come to see as friends. Â, Underwood was fascinated by Cerro Gordo's seclusion and its murderous history when he purchased it for $1.4million in 2018, Underwood went to visit Cerro Gordo last month in the early days of America's coronavirus lockdowns, with plans to stay for a week while its usual caretaker traveled to check on family. 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. http://www.avflorist.com 661.948.6006 Gary and I finally drove the 8 vertical miles in his 4WD truck. It consists of a number of wooden buildings, the most imposing of which is the two-story American Hotel, once the center of town. A semi driven by 61-year-old Dean Jones of Owatonna Minnesota was southbound on R-44 and failed to stop for a stop sign at the intersection, colliding with a vehicle traveling eastbound on B-16 driven by 56-year-old Debra Kamp of Britt. Cerro Gordo was founded in 1865 and was once the largest mining town in California. Published: 16:45 GMT, 19 April 2020 | Updated: 07:08 GMT, 20 April 2020,  Texas entrepreneur Brent Underwood (pictured) has been living in abandoned California mining town Cerro Gordo for the past month after a snowstorm dumped five feet of snow on the 300-acre property, making it impossible to leave, A Texas entrepreneur has been forced to quarantine in an abandoned California mining town with a sinister past after getting trapped there by a snowstorm.  Â, Brent Underwood purchased Cerro Gordo for $1.4million in 2018, fascinated by its seclusion and harrowing history, which once saw one murder every week. Â, The 32-year-old went to visit the 300-acre property last month in the early days of America's coronavirus lockdowns, with plans to stay for a week while its usual caretaker traveled to check on family.  Â, But soon after Underwood arrived, a snowstorm struck, dumping five feet of powder which has made it impossible for him to leave.   Â, He is now entering his second month stranded in the dilapidated town located about 300 miles outside Los Angeles and nearly 30 miles from the nearest supermarket. Â, In the absence of running water, Underwood is relying on melted snow to stay hydrated. The old mining of Cerro Gordo looks down on Owens Valley on the east side of the Sierra mountains from its site in the Inyo Range some 9,000 feet high. Underwood and Bier are pictured with actor Jeff Goldblum on the property last year, When he first visited Underwood was instantly struck by the town's deep history as well as the stunning landscapes that surround it, which have been featured in major motion pictures such as Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr (above in the film), At one point, Cerro Gordo averaged a murder a week as miners put sandbags in their bunks to block stray bullets at nightÂ, One of the 22 19th century buildings inside Cerro Gordo is seen above in an Instagram photo, The photo above shows the inside of a refurbished saloon in Cerro GordoÂ, Underwood and his investor friend Jon Bier, owner of boutique public relations agency Jack Taylor PR, bought Cerro Gordo from family owners in July 2018 with plans to turn it into a tourist attraction.   Â, When he first visited Underwood was instantly struck by the town's deep history as well as the stunning landscapes that surround it, which have been featured in major motion pictures such as Iron Man.Â, He was also drawn to Cerro Gordo's long and bloody history. They were mining in … Cerro Gordo, which means "fat hill," has 22 structures remaining, including an abandoned hotel, church and bunkhouse. Brent Underwood learned a tough lesson: Don’t spend millions on a ghost town in which you wouldn’t want to self-isolate. But that was about a month ago. 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. 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). Departments & … Cerro Gordo, California, on the western slope of the Inyo Mountains about seven miles east of Keeler and thirty miles south of Independence, was the … This story has been shared 111,674 times. In the late 1870s, somewhere around 30 miners lost their lives in a collapse there. "Unfortunately fires are part of Western mining town’s history. We're happy to share a unique limited-edition collaboration between Roots of Fight and Cerro Gordo, one of the most successful mining towns in the pioneering days of the great American West. Sitemap Cerro Gordo, meaning “fat hill,” is an Old West settlement in the shadow of Mt. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Sure the other buildings will be 600 years old, but it will all be part of Cerro Gordo’s history. It was a major producer of silver, lead, and zinc, but over the last century, it has become a ghost town with only one resident — its groundskeeper. Many of the businesses came over from Cerro Gordo, which by now was beginning to fade. Jan 29 2019 Cerro Grande Mining Corporation Announced its Consolidated Profit and Loss for the Fourth Quarter and Year Ended September 30, 2018 with Comparatives for the Same Periods in 2017. 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