Several years into exploring we surprisingly enough had never heard of New Idria. After binge watching Wonder Hussy’s YouTube Channel we realized the site was no secret and…
Poker Flat history begins with the gold rush when extreme quantities of gold were pulled from the district as much as $700,00 per month (period values). Major hydraulic…
Masonic is a true ghost town just a few miles north of Bodie. Originally founded as three towns by the Free Masons “Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower…
Where is the Death Valley Mine you ask? Well, its not in Death Valley, it is smack dab in Mojave National Preserve. Mining the rich lead/silver/gold ore began…
Why another silver mine on this Gold site? Well, honestly I could not help myself. I stumbled upon Cerro Gordo on a California travel website that had mistakenly…
Aurora Nevada is a fascinating ex-ghost town with almost nothing too see. How can there be an ex-ghost town? Well, that is the interesting part of Aurora. Once…
Silver-lead mining began in 1882 at the Ibex Mine but was never very profitable and shut down by 1892. For the next 15 years the mines only resident…
Established in 1859 the town was named after the Alleghany Tunnel mine which was named after the Alleghany River. The town was home to the miners of the…
The Plumas-Eureka State Park consist of the Plumas-Eureka (Mohawk) Stamp Mill, the museum was built in the old miners barracks, the Eureka Tunnel, nearby Jamisin City and mine, and the…
A mining settlement established in 1850. In 1852 a snow avalanche destroyed the camp and it was not resettled for several years. Today a few period buildings remain…
Clair Camp is a popular 4×4 destination located 5 miles east of Ballarat. The road up Pleasant Canyon is flanked by dense vegetation and a tight squeeze for…
A popular hiking destination located within Plumas-Eureka State Park. The Jamison was a top producer that once yielded a 52lb nugget. The mine site is also known as…
First settled in 1849 as “Nevada” but not incorporated until 1856 and the word “city” added in 1864. Today the town features many period buildings including hotels and…
The Mexican Mine has been on our to do list for a while. It wasn’t until our third trip to the area we were able to find it.…
Surrounded by Joshua Tree National Park on three sides, Eagle Mountain is more of a ghost city than a ghost town. Probably the largest and best preserved ghost…
Located just east of Ballarat up Pleasant Canyon around the corner from Clair Camp only yards outside Death Valley National Park the World Beater Mine and Cabin are…
One of my all time favorites. The Lost Burro almost has it all. A well preserved cabin with bed, table and artifacts, many open underground shafts to explore,…
In the foothills above the affluent San Jose suburb of Almaden Valley lies dozens of mercury mines and the ruins from nearly 140 years of mining operations. The…
William “Burro” H. Schmidt began gold mining in the area in 1906. Rather than haul his ore over the steep hill to the smelter in Mojave he decided…
Bonnie Claire began it’s life as a mining camp named Thorpe’s Well in the 1880’s. It became a town in 1904. Later the Bonnie Clare and Bullfrog Mining Company purchased…
We visited Harrisburg in 2014. Moderately preserved with moderate vandalism, sadly. Harrisburg is located in Death Valley National Park only a short distance west of the Eureka Mine.…
We have driven by and through Chinese Camp several times over the years on our travels up and down Highway 49 but never stopped. But now with Lake…
Murphys was originally known as Murphys Camp, named after brothers John and Daniel who began placer mining in the area in 1848. Claims were limited to 8 sq/ft…
Between Carson City and Las Vegas lies Goldfield, a boomtown that began in 1903 with the discovery of gold. Much of the town was destroyed by a fire…
Noonday Camp consist of upper and lower camp as shown in the USGS topo map in the photo gallery below. No structures remain only foundations with the exception…
I stumbled upon some photos of the Yellow Jacket Mine, New York Mine, Caledonia Mine, and the Kentucky Mine. All seemed haunted, abandoned and isolated in the middle of…
Everyone knows the Barker Ranch as the Manson Family hideout and probable location for several Manson Family murder clandestine graves. Located in Death Valley’s Goler Canyon. The ranch…
Several miles up the rugged and remote Jail Canyon exist the remarkably unaltered Corona Mine. The road up Jail Canyon has been washed away by flash flood many…
Founded in 1852 by French miners who struct gold in the nearby Tuolomne River La Grange was a mostly lawless town after mining all but ceased by 1880.…
On a trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon we stumbled upon Chloride after a stop for gas in Uranus. Gold and other minerals were first discovered…
Sutter’s Mill is a replica Sawmill located in Coloma at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. Though it is not a gold mill it has a strong tie to…
The “May Lundy Mine” is located at 11,000 ft on the east side of Mt. Scowden near the Tioga Crest. I doubt anyone has been up there for…
Skidoo, located in Death Valley National Park was famous in the early 1900′s. Producing over 75,000 ounces of gold. But by 1917 the town was abandoned. The only…
The old town of Coloma has some residents but is generally considered a ghost town. The only residents are museum/park workers and a few miners. Several original buildings…
Here is where the great California Gold Rush began in Jan 1848. James Marshall found gold after trying to clear a larger channel for the water from his…
Old Sacramento features scores of original period buildings from the Gold Rush, almost all of which have been transformed into restaurants and tourist shops.Train rides, steam boats and…
Mariposa is a true California Gold Rush town without a doubt. It started as a mining camp 6 miles away near a small creek called Aqua Fria in…
Sutter’s Fort is certainly no mining town but it holds a strong tie to the great California Gold Rush. The fort was built in 1839 as a trade…
This small California mining town was occupied by thousands of miners only shortly after the discovery of gold in the area. Dozens of banks, saloons, stores and hotels…
Sometimes the temptation to go ghost towning and exploring abandoned mine shafts is overwhelming. On a family road trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon I couldn’t help…