Recently Purchased Californian Ghost Town to get New Lease of Life as a Tourist Attraction | Westworld Anyone?

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Cerro Gordo, CA

An abandoned ghost town left for ruin in California’s Death Valley has been purchased for an undisclosed fee between $1-1.5-million by a group of investors, and will soon be getting a new lease on life.

The 19th-century mining town, Cerro Gordo originally went on the market for just under $1 million in June. After a bidding war that involved potential buyers looking to build a marijuana farm or pine nut farm a group of eight Los Angeles investors reportedly purchased the property. The purchase was headed by Brent Underwood, a marketing and real estate entrepreneur, and Jon Bier, who oversees his own public relations firm, and involved minority investors, including a Hulu executive.

ghost town, westworld, california
Main Street, Westworld. Credit: Westworld Wiki

The old mining town of Cerro Gordo looks like something straight out of Westworld. Sitting exactly in the middle of Los Angeles and Las Vegas (four hours each way), the old western town was once known for its mining resources.

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Cerro Gordo, CA

In 1865 Pablo Flores discovered silver in the area and soon wandering prospectors quickly began operations. The declining cost of silver is what inevitably caused the town’s downfall. When zinc became the new demand, people began to flee the town and by 1950 it was completely abandoned.

After sitting untouched in the middle of the west for years, the new owners Brent Underwood and his friend Jon Bier decided to buy the town and invest a further $1.7 million to restore and conserve it as a relic of the past, and eventually open it up to tourists.

Cerro Gordo
Buildings have been well preserved and hold the historic memories of a once bustling town. Credit: Bishop Real Estate

Around 22 buildings are still standing including the hotel, church, cinema, general store, and museum. Today, the saloon stands as an eerie reminder of its violent past with a piano covered in bullet holes and blood splattered on the walls.

Once the restoration is complete and Cerro Gordo is up and running, the town will host a series of diverse events including music gigs, dining experiences, theatre productions and writing retreats. However, there’s no word on whether the bullet-covered piano and bloodstained walls will stay.


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