Cerro Gordo Ghost Town, California: The Silver Mine That Built Los Angeles California Gold & Silver Mining 4WD required · ~16 min read Quick facts Primary discovery1865 — Pablo Flores District organizedApril 1866 Peak population4,000–4,800 (mid-1870s) First abandonment~1880 (post-fire) Zinc era1905–1940s Final mining endLate 1940s Primary industrySilver, lead, zinc State / CountyCalifornia / Inyo County…
Garnet Ghost Town, Montana: Two Gold Rushes, a Depression Revival, and 30 Buildings That Refused to Fall Montana Gold & Silver Mining Entrance fee applies · ~12 min read Quick facts First gold discovery (Beartown)1865 Garnet townsite founded1895 (as Mitchell) Renamed Garnet1897 Peak population (1st boom)~1,000–1,200 (1898) Revival population (1930s)~250 Final abandonment1948 (after Frank Davey’s…
Bodie Ghost Town, California: The Most Lawless City in the American West California Gold & Silver Mining State Historic Park · ~18 min read Quick facts Gold discoveryJuly 1859 Major boom triggered1876 (Bunker Hill Mine) Peak population8,000–10,000 (c.1879) Decline began1879 Mining ended1942 Total gold & silver output$34–70 million (1860–1942) Buildings surviving110 (of ~2,000 original) Elevation8,375…