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Dust in the Wind

A Guide to American Ghost Towns

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Today, California is the most populous state in the Union.  But, a mere 150 years ago it had very few non-indigenous folks. It was a sparsely populated agricultural province of Mexico (Spain), and few Americans ventured here. On the cold frosty morning of January 24, 1848 all that changed. In the tailrace of a sawmill on the American River, a tiny, pea-sized gold nugget was discovered.  John Marshall, foreman of the construction crew building the mill, was the one who found it. A few days later he took it to his boss, John Sutter, at his ranch headquarters called New Helvetia (today's Sacramento).

That gold nugget changed California's history, American history, and world history. The floodgates opened, and tens of thousands of wannabe gold seekers descended on the gold fields. In 1850, "The Golden State", California, was admitted to the Union, and it has never looked back.

From the western Sierra Nevada Mountains the miners spread out in search of more gold, silver, and other marketable minerals. Loggers, farmers, railroad builders and other exploiters arrived, and followed them, building towns and small communities all over the state. Thousands of these towns or would-be towns died, but many grew and thrived, some turning into teeming cities.

From crumbling desert ruins to the majestic ghost of Bodie, to the remains of hundreds of transient 49'er gold camps, California has much to offer the casual as well as serious ghosttowner. Here is where I began my ghost town chasing career back in 1968, and here is where my first love is. California has well over 9,000 locations to offer the ghosttowner, so obviously only a few will be listed here.

HELP!  (NEW FEATURE) Please check here to find a list of ghost towns that various contacts are looking for.  IF you have any information on these places please e-mail me and I can respond back to those looking for info on these ghosts.

PLEASE NOTE: 

Where photos are indicated thusly (PHOTO!), please use your browser’s “BACK” button to return to this page.  More photos will be added over time.

BEND CITY

Inyo Co.

Melted piles of adobe, some rusty cans and foundation depressions are all that mark this class B, 1860s era gold mining/milling town. Was on a bend of the now-dry Owens River, north of Mazourka Canyon Road, just west of the end of the pavement at the (now-gone) Carson & Colorado Railroad grade, 4.5 miles east of Independence.  Bend City is California Historic Landmark #209.            

Two nearby locations include...

• KEARSARGE STATION – (class B) was a Carson & Colorado Railroad station on the southeast corner of the junction of the Mazourka Canyon Road and the railroad. Some rubble remains.  It is located cater-corner from Bend City.
• SAN CARLOS – (class B) was a contemporary of Bend City, and was located two miles north, and just east of the power line access road. Foundation outlines, melted adobe and depressions remain.

BODIE

Mono Co.

This totally abandoned 1880s-1930s, class C, gold-mining city has over 150 buildings still standing.  It is located at east end of State Highway (SH) 270, 13 miles east of US 395, at a point 6.5 miles south of Bridgeport. The last three miles are graded dirt. Bodie is a State Historic Park, and a small entrance fee is charged. Hands down, this is THE best-preserved ghost town in the entire country, and is a MUST SEE!  Bodie is California Historic Landmark #209.

Click here and here and here for virtual visits to Bodie.

BODIE also has its own state park website.

See a couple of Ghost Town USA’s own photos.  Looking north on Main Street here and looking east on Green Street here.  Also a tribute to my late sister who was a Bodie lover.

Bodie was also our Ghost Town of the Month for October 2002.

BOMBAY BEACH

Imperial Co.

This is one of the several half-dead towns along the shores of the Salton Sea.  PHOTO!

CALICO

San Bernardino Co.

This class C/F (reconstructed) 1880s silver-mining camp is on the south flank of the Calico Mountains, three miles north of I-15 at a point 7.5 miles northeast of Barstow. It is easy to locate and is well-signed. Today’s Calico is a restored, gussied up, tourist attraction. It doesn't have much to offer true ghost town chasers, but it is a fun place to visit if you are in the area.  Calico is California Historic Landmark #782.  CALICO also has its own website.

CHINA CAMP

Marin Co.

This is a class C, 1870s-1880s era Chinese fishing camp on the south shore of San Pablo Bay (northern part of San Francisco Bay), northeast of San Rafael. Today it is a state historic park, and has a number of old buildings. A small fee is charged to visit the site. Well worth it.  China Camp is California Historic Landmark #924.

It was one of the communities featured in our Ghost Town of the Month for Jun 2000. CHINA CAMP also has its own website.

COLOMA

El Dorado Co.

This class D/F (partially restored) town is the locus of the California Gold Rush.  Here is where it started back in January 1848. The State Historic Park is located on SH 49, along the South Fork of the American River, seven miles northwest of Placerville. This is another place well worth a visit. A visitor center shares the history of this wonderful old mining town.  Coloma is California Historic Landmark #143 & 530.

Coloma was our Ghost Town of the Month for February 1999.

COLOMA also has its own website, and State Park website.

DALE MINING DISTRICT

Riverside &

San Bernardino Co.

This turn of the 20^th-Century gold mining district consists of dozens of mines, several mill sites and a handful of class B mining camps. It is located east of Twentynine Palms and north of Joshua Tree National Park, straddling the Riverside and San Bernardino County line.

·         OLD DALE – Concrete rubble remains alongside SH 62, 14.3 miles east of the Twentynine Palms junction of SH 62 with the road to the north entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.

·         NEW DALE – About 4.5 miles southeast of Virginia Dale, on a FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE ROAD. Nothing remains except scattered rusty cans and some foundation depressions.

·         VIRGINIA DALE – 3.7 miles southeast of Old Dale, on the Gold Crown Mine Road (graded dirt). Remains include rusty cyanide vats, tanks and mill equipment, concrete foundations, rock walls, and scattered rubble.

·         BROOKLYN MINE – Rubble remains but is only accessible via FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE vehicle roads. This early 1900s era gold-mining camp sits right on the county line east of the site of New Dale.

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for April 1999.

DARWIN

Inyo Co.

This wonderful little class D silver mining town is located on a spur road, 5.5 miles southeast of SH 190 at a point 12.8 miles east of the junction of SH 190/SH 136 on the eastern "shore" of Owens Lake, west of Death Valley, east of Lone Pine and north of the China Lake Naval Weapon Center. This old community still has a little kick, lots of old buildings, and a lot of atmosphere.

Click here for a related Darwin site.

DRAWBRIDGE

Alameda Co.

Now part of Fremont, this class C, former hunting retreat/town is located on a mud island along the Southern Pacific Railroad just north of the county line, along the Coyote River at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, north of Alviso/San Jose.  It is on PRIVATE PROPERTY, AND IS NOT ACCESSIBLE.  See 1972 photos of the town site, water tower and a cluster of cabins.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN

Riverside Co.

This class D (soon to be class C) company iron mining town is located at the massive Eagle Mountain iron mine, tucked into a pocket on the southeastern side of Joshua Tree National Park.  It is accessible by county road R2, a dozen miles north of Desert Center, which itself is a slumbering road town in the heart of the desert, along I-10 midway between Indio and the Colorado River about 200 miles east of Los Angeles, California.  

Eagle Mountain was Ghost Town of the Month for January 2004.

GARLOCK

Kern Co.

This class C, 1890s gold ore-milling town straddles Garlock Road, nine miles west of Randsburg (SEE below). Remains include several standing structures and ruins of many others. The 1992 Landers earthquake and subsequent aftershocks heavily damaged the squat rock-walled saloon.  Garlock is California Historic Landmark #671.

HARMONY BORAX WORKS

Inyo Co.

This 1890s borax processing facility is a class C ghost, located a quarter mile west of SH 190 two miles north of Furnace Creek Ranch, in Death Valley National Park. Remains include the semi-restored plant and a couple roofless buildings on the flat below.  Harmony Borax Works is California Historic Landmark #773.

HOLCOMB VALLEY

San Bernardino Co.

Several old class A and B Civil War era gold-mining camps dot this high country valley located north of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains above San Bernardino.  Holcomb Valley is California Historic Landmark #619.

HORNITOS

Mariposa Co.

This class D, pioneering mining camp was established in 1848 by Mexican miners, and was quickly over-run by “less desirable elements” evicted from the booming mining town of Quartzburg about two miles away. Hornitos quickly developed a reputation as a rough town.  However, it eventually settled down and became a respectable community, eclipsing Quartzburg. Hornitos is California Historic Landmark #333.

Hornitos is located on CR-J16, 11 miles west of Bear Valley, and about 15 AIR miles west-northwest of Mariposa. 

…SEE HORNITOS page for more details and a list of Photos.

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for March 2009

KEANE WONDER MINE

Inyo Co.

Located in the heart of Death Valley National Park, this class C gold-mining camp is located on a three mile long, passenger car accessible dirt road, that heads east from the Daylight Pass Cutoff Road, at a point 5.7 miles north of that road's junction with SH 190 (Beatty Junction). Beatty Junction is 11 miles north of Furnace Creek Ranch. Ruins include the mill building and a handful of tram towers marching up the steep slope behind the old camp.

LLANO DEL RIO

Los Angeles Co.

This class B, early 1900s utopian commune straddles SH 138, 20 miles east of Palmdale, along the south edge of the Mojave Desert. Roofless rock ruins and a tall concrete block silo remain scattered over the site. Nearby are the ruins of two limekilns that supplied cement for use in construction of the buildings.

Llano del Rio was the August 2002 Ghost Town of the Month, along with nearby Randsburg.

LUDLOW

San Bernardino Co.

This badly faded, class D, road town has moved two times. The 1^st

site was along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. When Route (US Highway) 66 came through, the town moved a short distance north to the highway. When Interstate 40 was built in the early 1970s, the town again marched north to lock into the Interstate trade.  Ludlow is on I-40, about 50 miles east of Barstow.

MAMMOTH CITY

Mono Co.

This quiet, class B, 1880s gold-mining town is located just below the Mammoth Lakes Basin, which is located south of the Town of Mammoth Lakes.  It stretches along Old Mammoth Road, beginning a half-mile east of the junction of the road with the Lake Mary Road above Twin Lakes. Remains include a mine, a couple crumbling log buildings and a long line of overgrown foundation outlines and depressions.

MAMMOTH CONSOLIDATED MINE

Mono Co.

This class C, early 1900s mining camp is located in the pine forest just east of the Coldwater Creek Campground, south of Lake Mary, in the Mammoth Lakes Basin, about five miles south of the Town of Mammoth Lakes. Remains include a number of restored cabins and other buildings, as well as mines and mill ruins.

MANZANAR RELOCATION CENTER

Inyo Co.

This class B, Japanese relocation center was active between 1942 and 1945. It is located in Owens Valley, five miles south of Independence, on the west side of US 395. It was one of ten relocation centers in the Western United States established to house over 120,000 American citizens of Japanese ancestry. Remains here include the two rock guardhouses, a large gymnasium, cemetery, and ruins of scores of other buildings. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and is State Historic Landmark #850.  In early 2004, the restored gymnasium opened as a site museum.  I hope to visit the museum in June.

It was our September 1998 and September 2008 Ghost Town of the Month in celebration of a decade of monthly postings.

MONO MILLS

Mono Co.

The ruins of this 1880s, class B, sawmill are located on the north side of SH 120 at a point 9.2 miles east of US 395. The junction is 0.4 miles south of the north end of the June Lake Loop, on the south side of Mono Lake. All that remains is some scattered rubble of the sawmill, railroad ties lining the railroad grade, and tree stumps, all scattered about the second growth pine forest. 

RANDSBURG

Kern Co.

Randsburg is a fantastic, still living, class D mining town located on the northeast end of the Rand Mountains, a mile west of US 395. Hands down, it is the best semi-ghost town in Southern California. Several hundred folks still live in this well-worn, desert gold mining town located about 50 air miles northwest of Barstow.  Lots of buildings remain:  some lived-in, others unoccupied.  The entire Rand Mining District is California Historic Landmark #938.

Randsburg was the August 2002 Ghost Town of the Month, along with nearby Randsburg.

The Rand District also includes the following towns...

·         GARLOCK...mentioned above

·         ATOLIA...A class C, World War-1 era tungsten-mining camp straddling US 395 a couple miles south of Red Mountain.

·         JOHANNESBURG...A class D former railroad shipping center for Randsburg ore, and a mining town of it's own right, this sprawling roadside service town is badly faded, and sits on US 395 just west of the county line. Shown on most

·         RED MOUNTAIN...Class D, silver mining town on US 395, two miles south of Johannesburg. The town is dominated by the towering headframe from the Kelly Silver Mine, and the hulking Red Mountain to the east.  

SHASTA

Shasta Co.

The red brick ruins of this former 1850s gold mining city still line the sides of SH 299, 10 miles west of Redding in the northwest part of the state.  Shasta is California Historic Landmark #77.

It also has a State Park Web Page.

SILVER LAKE

San Bernardino Co.

A few ruins and some rubble are all that remain of this class B, former Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad station alongside SH 127, 8.5 miles north of Baker, and just northeast of the dry bed of Silver Lake.  For more detailed information about the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad, see John McCulloch’s interesting and  informative website.

SOMERSVILLE

Contra Costa Co.

The rubbled site of Somersville is all that remains of one of a handful of coal-mining camps that sprouted up on the northeast slope of Mount Diablo in the second half of the 1800s. Some of the other locations included JUDSONVILLE, NORTONVILLE, STAR MINE, STEWARTSVILLE and WEST HARTLEY. The entire complex of mines and town sites is now part of the Black Diamond Regional Park. Hiking trails connect the former towns. Located south of Pittsburg and east of Oakland, they are part of the Mount Diablo Coal Field, which is California Historic Landmark #932.

SWANSEA

Inyo Co.

This former class C, steamboat landing and smelter town is located on the north shore of Owens Lake. It sits along SH 136, 3.3 miles northwest of Keeler, and 9.7 miles southeast of the junction of SH 136/US 395 at the south end of Lone Pine. Several stone buildings and the ruins of the smelter remain.  Swansea is California Historic Landmark #752.

TUMCO

Imperial Co.

Deep in the southeastern corner of the state, Tumco is a class B ghost, located northwest of Yuma, Arizona, and about ten miles north of I-8. This 1880s era gold mining camp was first called Hedges. After 1910 the mines were acquired and renamed Tumco, by The United Mines CO. Today, the ruins of fieldstone buildings, roofless building shells and adobe ruins of other structures remain, along with the cyanide vats and a cemetery.  But, a high clearance vehicle is required to reach the camp.  The Tumco Mines are California Historic Landmark #182.  PHOTOS!

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for Sept. 2006.

VOLCANO

Amador Co.

The California Gold Rush aura still exudes throughout this wonderfully quiet and expressive class D, gold rush era mining town located three miles northeast of Pine Grove.  Pine Grove is on SH 88, eight miles northeast of Jackson. Volcano is a sleepy small town today, and has many rock buildings and ruins dating back to the 1849 period.  Volcano is California Historic Landmark #29.

Historians estimate that there may be as many as 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. Gary B. Speck Publications is in process of publishing unique state, regional, and county guides called

The Ghost Town Guru's Guide to the Ghost Towns of “STATE”™

These original guides are designed for anybody interested in ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind them, they will be a welcome addition to any ghost towner's library.

Thank you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail!

For more information on the ghost towns of CALIFORNIA, contact us at

Ghost Town USA.

E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE:

Due to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer open or respond to e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc.  If you do send E-mail asking for information, or sharing information, PLEASE indicate the appropriate location AND state name, or other topic on the “subject” line.

THANK YOU!  :o)

IMPORTANT

These listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in CALIFORNIA above are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites.

If the reader of this guide is a metal detector user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting, it is the READER'S responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners. Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same.

When you are exploring the ghost towns of CALIFORNIA, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.