Now Reading: Entrepreneur rebuilds California ghost town after $1.4 million purchase
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Entrepreneur rebuilds California ghost town after $1.4 million purchase
Entrepreneur rebuilds California ghost town after $1.4 million purchase
Entrepreneur Brent Underwood and business partner Jon Bier bought California’s abandoned Cerro Gordo mining town for $1.4 million in July 2018. The deal covered more than 300 acres and 22 surviving structures,…
The Story in Brief
Entrepreneur Brent Underwood and business partner Jon Bier bought California’s abandoned Cerro Gordo mining town for $1.4 million in July 2018. The deal covered more than 300 acres and 22 surviving structures, including a 19th-century hotel. The property attracted about a dozen offers, but the sellers chose the pair because they planned to preserve its history and keep it accessible to the public.
Cerro Gordo once housed about 4,000 people after silver and lead were discovered in 1865. Underwood moved there full time in March 2020, but a fire that June destroyed the American Hotel, an icehouse and a nearby residence. Rebuilding has been slowed by the remote location and lack of reliable water. The hotel was reportedly reconstructed by 2025, while restoration continues.
The Indian Opinion
The romantic version of this story presents one entrepreneur rescuing history with determination. The opposite claim, that it is simply a rich person’s unusual property project, also misses the risks: Underwood used his savings, faced a major fire and still lacks dependable water. The real test is whether Cerro Gordo can become a safe, financially sustainable public destination without reducing its surviving history to scenery. Visitor access, operating costs and the condition of the remaining 21 structures will show whether the venture has truly worked.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
