Looking Back At Cerro Gordo

High in the Inyo Mountains, between Owens Valley and Death Valley National Park, lies the ghost town of Cerro Gordo. Discovered in 1865, this silver town boomed to a population of 3,000 people in the hands of savvy entrepreneurs during the 1870s. As the silver played out and the town faded, a few hung on to the dream. By the early 1900s, Louis D. Gordon wandered up the Yellow Grade Road where freight wagons once traversed with silver and supplies and took a closer look at the zinc ore that had been tossed aside by early miners. The Fat Hill lived again, primarily as a small company town. By the last quarter of the 20th century, Jody Stewart and Mike Patterson found themselves owners of the rough and tumble camp that helped Los Angeles turn into a thriving metropolis because of silver and commercial trade. Cerro Gordo found new life, second to Bodie, as California's best-preserved ghost town.

“Focuses on the lives of several prostitutes who worked in Death Valley area boomtowns between the 1870s and the early 1900s . . . Colorful and intriguing” (Pahrump Valley Times). From the 1870s to the turn of the century, while countless men gambled their fortunes in Death Valley’s mines, many bold women capitalized on the boom-and-bust lifestyle and established saloons and brothels. These lively ladies were clever entrepreneurs and fearless adventurers but also mothers, wives, and respected members of their communities. Madam Lola Travis was one of the wealthiest single women in Inyo County in the 1870s. Known as “Diamond Tooth Lil,” Evelyn Hildegard was a poor immigrant girl who became a western legend. Local author and historian Robin Flinchum chronicles the lives of these women and many others who were unafraid to live outside the bounds of polite society and risk everything for a better future in the forbidding Death Valley desert. Includes photos! “Flinchum’s lively prose and detailed descriptions bring these women into focus, and provide a historically accurate and interesting overview of Death Valley’s pioneering mining era.” —Sierra Wave Media “A thoroughly entertaining and highly enlightening account of the wild Death Valley boom camps’ daring red light ladies . . . A very enjoyable and engaging book. A great read!” —Richard Lingenfelter, author of Death Valley & the Amargosa: A Land of Illusion

Jackson brings to life this important route which the Spanish extended north into present-day New Mexico in 1598.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A long-abandoned silver mine for sale sounded like an adventure too great to pass up, but it turned into much more—a calling, a community of millions, and hard-earned lessons about chasing impractical dreams. “Inspiring and meditative—the story of man vs nature and man vs himself.”—Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way The siren song of Cerro Gordo, a desolate ghost town perched high above Death Valley, has seduced thousands since the 1800s, but few fell harder for it than Brent Underwood, who moved there in March of 2020, only to be immediately snowed in and trapped for weeks. It had once been the largest silver mine in California. Over $500 million worth of ore was pulled from the miles of tunnels below the town. Butch Cassidy, Mark Twain, and other infamous characters of the American West were rumored to have stayed there. Newspapers reported a murder a week. But that was over 150 years ago. Underwood bet his life savings—and his life—on this majestic, hardscrabble town that had broken its fair share of ambitious men and women. What followed were fires, floods, earthquakes, and perhaps strangest, fame. Ghost Town Living tells the story of a man against the elements, a forgotten historic place against the modern world, and a dream against all odds—one that has captured millions of followers around the world. He came looking for a challenge different from the traditional 9-5 job but discovered something much more fulfilling—an undertaking that would call on all of himself and push him beyond what he knew he was capable of. In fact, to bring this abandoned town back to life, Brent had to learn a wealth of new self-sufficiency and problem-solving skills from many generous mentors. Ghost Town Living is a thrilling read, but it’s also a call to action—to question our too-practical lives and instead seek adventure, build something original, redefine work, and embrace the unknown. It shows what it means to dedicate your life to something, to take a mighty swing at a crazy idea and, like the cardsharps who once haunted Cerro Gordo, go all in.

"My books spent 5 years on the New York Times Best Seller List. They got there through endless hours of hard work. If only Brent had been my marketer, I could have done it in 5 minutes with a simple picture. I'M SO STUPID!"- Tucker Max, 3x #1 NY Times Best Selling Author "Like all good art, this book--and it is definitely a book--exposes a little bit about how society works."- Ryan Holiday, author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator "Brent Underwood's book shows the inner workings of the publishing industry and its desire to be the "best". Brent helps create a path toward ending the madness."- Matthew Kepnes, author of the New York Times bestseller How To Travel The World on $50 a Day "Unputdownable! Hop don't walk, to your nearest Kindle and download it now! The footnotes alone are worth the cover price!"- Brooke Unger, Americas Editor, The Economist "Putting My Foot Down will keep you on your toes at all time."- Young & Sick, musician/artist "Brent Underwood's foot, a more accomplished author than you or I."- The Paris Review "...status is meaningless, and can be bought for just a few dollars."- BoingBoing "Amen, Brent. Amen."- The Daily Dot "A man put a photo of his foot on Amazon."- Gothamist "The game's definitely afoot!"- Neil Gaiman "Amazing how much perception creates reality today."- Nick Bilton, Columnist, New York Times "...had me from the moment this guy takes a photo of his foot."- Laura Bennett, Senior Editor, Slate "Brilliant."- Martin Robbins, Columnist, VICE "...nails the 'biggest lie in publishing'."- Richard Lea, Books Reporter, The Guardian