 Cerro Gordo Mines and ghost town in 1980 | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Cerro Gordo | |
| Location | near Keeler, California |
| State | California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 36°32′16″N 117°47′42″W / 36.53778°N 117.79500°W |
| Production | |
| Products | silver, lead, and zinc |
| Type | underground |
| Greatest depth | at least 1,100 ft (340 m) |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1865 |
| Opened | 1866 |
| Closed | 1957 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Brent Underwood |
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.[1] 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.[2]
During its peak, Cerro Gordo was home to some 4,700 people and the site is known as a California ghost town today.[3]
- ^ "Cerro Gordo (MRDS #10310600)". USGS - Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS). Archived from the original on July 16, 2021.
- ^ Rasmussen, Cecilia (October 8, 2006). "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". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ Varney, Philip (1990). Southern California's best ghost towns: a practical guide (1st ed.). Norman : University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 11–16. ISBN 0-8061-2252-8. Retrieved November 8, 2022.