Cerro Gordo

Fans of ghost towns pay close attention. High in the Inyo Mountains lies a town known as Cerro Gordo a.k.a. "Fat Hill". First discovered by Mexican miners led by Pablo Flores in 1865 soon became the go to spot for silver. It produced 4.5 million ounces of silver in the 1870s and 1880s. As it was popular for mining silver, it also received a reputation from the multitude of deaths, approximately a murder a week. By the early 1900s, the price of silver dropped and soon converted into a ghost town.

The town once known for silver is now known for its ghosts. The stories range from ghostly cats to women. One of Cerro Gordo's most famous ghosts is that of Alphonse Benoit. He worked as a woodcutter at a nearby lumber camp during the late 1800s. Now as to what happened to him is a bit sketchy for me. I've read conflicting accounts (feel free to correct me). Some say he was murdered in the mine. Others say he murdered several people and escaped to the Inyo Mountains (there was a manhunt and everything) and was later found surrounded by the crushed skulls of his victims. Either way he now supposedly haunts The American Hotel or at least that is where he is seen more often than none.

You can visit Cerro Gordo if you like but for a fee you can actually spend the night. The American Hotel has been turned in to a bed and breakfast.

For more information: http://www.cerrogordo.us/

Comments

Brandon said…
Unfortunate update: the american hotel has burned down in the past month.

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