Cerro Gordo Mines

Cerro Gordo Mines and ghost town

The Cerro Gordo Mines are a collection of abandoned mines located in the Inyo Mountains, in Inyo County, California. Mining operations were undertaken from 1866 until 1957, producing high grade silver, lead, and zinc ore. 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.^[1]

History

Discovery of the silver ore is credited to Pablo Flores, who began mining and smelting operations near the summit of Buena Vista Peak in 1865^[1]. Due to hostile Indian activity early mining efforts were rather limited. When hostile Indian activity subsided following the establishment of Fort Independence, mining efforts increased. These early miners employed relatively primitive techniques of open pits and trenches, and used adobe ovens to smelt the ore. Businessman Victor Beaudry of nearby Independence, California, became impressed by the quality of silver being taken out of Cerro Gordo and opened a store near the mine. He soon acquired several mining claims to settle unpaid debts and proceeded to have two modern smelters built. Beaudry continued acquiring mining rights from debtors until he soon owned a majority of the richest and most productive mines in the area, including partial interest in the Union Mine.

In 1868 Mortimer Belshaw arrived in Cerro Gordo, attracted by the rich deposits of galena ore. After establishing a partnership with another stakeholder in the Union Mine, he brought the first wagon load of silver from Cerro Gordo to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles he was able to secure financing to build his own smelter that was superior to all other smelters at Cerro Gordo, as well as to build the first wagon road up the mountain. This road became known as the Yellow Road from the color of the rock that it had been cut through. By operating the Yellow Road as a toll road, Belshaw was able to earn income and control the shipments of silver from the mountain.

Present day

Cerro Gordo is currently a ghost town. It still has several buildings including the general store and the American Hotel. It is on private land and permission to visit must be obtained.

Books

The author Remi Nadeau, is a descendent of the family involved with the transport of ingots from Cerro Gordo across Owens Lake and by mule train to Los Angeles. He has written books and articles on the period.^[2]

"The Water Seekers" (1950)
"Los Angeles: from mission to modern city" (1960)
"Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of California" (1965)

References

External links

Cerro Gordo - California Ghost Town

Municipalities and communities of Inyo County, California, United States

County seat: Independence

City	Bishop

CDPs	Big Pine Cartago Darwin Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek Furnace Creek Homewood Canyon Independence Keeler Lone Pine Mesa Olancha Pearsonville Round Valley Shoshone Tecopa Trona Valley Wells West Bishop Wilkerson

Unincorporated communities	Aberdeen Alabama Hills Alico Alta Vista Ashford Junction Aspendell Badwater Ballarat Bartlett Beatty Junction Beveridge Blackrock Brockmans Corner Calvada Springs Coso Coso Junction Crater Death Valley Junction Deep Springs Dolomite Dunmovin Evelyn Fish Springs Grant Haiwee Harrisburg Homewood Canyon-Valley Wells Indian Village Junction Ranch Kearsarge Keough Hot Springs Laws Linnie Little Lake Millspaugh Mock Monola Oteys Sierra Village Owenyo Panamint Springs Park Village Peterson Mill Poleta Reward Rocking K Rovana Ryan Scranton Seven Pines Stovepipe Wells Sykes Talus Teakettle Junction Whitney Portal Zurich

Indian reservations	Big Pine Reservation Lone Pine Reservation

Ghost towns	Ashford Mill Avena Bend City Bradford Siding Burnt Wagons Carthage Cerro Gordo Landing Cerro Gordo Chloride City Chrysopolis Clark Copperfield Coso Dunmovin Echo Elna Furnace Furnace Creek Inn Greenwater Gerstley Horton Intake Jay Kasson Kearsarge Lane Mill Leadfield Lee Lila C Lone Pine Station Lookout City Manzanar Narka Newburyport 9 Mile Station Noonday Camp Owensville Panamint City Reilly Roachville San Carlos Scheelite Schwaub Skidoo Skyes Sodan Stewarts Sunland Swansea Tule Station White Mountain City

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