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CERRO
GORDO UPDATE
7/23/12 |
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Cerro Gordo
officially
CLOSED to VISITORS
as of July 25, 2012
Please phone
Sean Patterson (661-303-3692) or Cerro Gordo (760-876-5030)
for additional information.
Caretakers are still on
site to prevent vandalism.
Contact us through email at:
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Now Available
Cerro Gordo
A
Ghost Town
Caught Between
Centuries |
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Cecile
Page Vargo's collection of Cerro Gordo stories, true, farce
and somewhere in between, is being published in a new book,
Cerro Gordo A Ghost Town Caught Between Centuries.
The book
gives glimpses of Cerro Gordo from the silver and lead
mining days through the early twentieth century zinc era to
its modern place as, according to author Phil Varney,
"Southern California's best, true, ghost town." There's even
a possible solution to the location of the fabled "Lost
Gunsight
Mine" that former Cerro Gordo owner Mike Patterson
once suggested.
We are
proud to team with the Historical Society of the Upper
Mojave Desert (HSUMD) in Ridgecrest, Calif., to bring Cerro Gordo
A Ghost Town Caught Between Centuries to print. This is
their first major publishing venture. The book is
available for sale directly from HSUMD or through selected
book sellers.
Contact
HSUMD directly to order:
P.O. Box 2001, Ridgecrest, CA. 93556-2001.
Phone: 760 375-8456
Email: hsumd@ridgenet.net
Announcing our Arcadia Publishing Book:
Cerro Gordo
by
Cecile
Page Vargo and Roger W. Vargo
ISBN: 9780738595207
Arcadia Publishing Images of
America series
Price: $21.99
128 pages/ softcover
Available
now!
(Click the cover image for ordering information)
Available
at area bookstores, independent retailers, and
online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at
(888)-313-2665 or
online.
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Mules can
taste the difference--so can you |
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Friends
of Last Chance Canyon is a new organization interested in
sustaining and protecting areas within the El Paso
Mountains, near Ridgecrest, California. The main focus is
preserving and protecting historic sites like Burro
Schmidt's tunnel and the Walt Bickel Camp.
Please click
on either logo to visit the FLCC site. |
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We
support |
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Bodie Foundation
"Protecting Bodie's Future by Preserving Its Past |
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Click on Room 8's
photo or phone
951-361-2205
for more information. |
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The Panamint Breeze is a newsletter for people who
love the rough and rugged deserts and mountains of
California and beyond.
Published by Ruth and Emmett Harder, it is for people who
are interested in the history of mining in the western
states; and the people who had the fortitude to withstand
the harsh elements.
It contains stories of the past and the present; stories of
mining towns and the colorful residents who lived in them;
and of present day adventurers.
Subscriptions are $20 per year (published quarterly –
March, June, September & December) Subscriptions outside the
USA are $25 per year. All previous issues are available.
Gift certificates are available also.
To subscribe mail check (made payable to Real Adventure
Publishing) along with name, address, phone number & e-mail
address to: Real Adventure Publishing, 18201 Muriel Avenue,
San Bernardino, CA 92407.
For more information about the
Panamint Breeze e-mail Ruth at: echco@msn.com |
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It's always FIRE
SEASON! Click the NIFC logo above to see what's burning. |
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Visit Michael
Piatt's site,
www.bodiehistory.com, for the truth behind some of
Bodie's myths. |
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Credo Quia Absurdum |
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Explore Historic California! |
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Not too many years ago, the family station wagon was the
magic carpet to adventure. Today, that family station wagon is likely to
be a four wheel drive sport utility vehicle or pick up truck. SUV's and
other 4x4's are one of the best selling classes of vehicles. Ironically,
industry statistics show that once purchased, few owners will dare to
drive their vehicles off the paved highway.
Click your mouse through
the
website and enjoy our armchair adventures and the histories behind them.
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Bodie Celebrates 50
Years
as a California
State Park
Photography by
Roger Vargo
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Gold was discovered in 1859
by W. S. Body and Blackie Taylor and the Bodie Mining
District was formed in 1860. Bodie's early years were
overshadowed by low production in Bodie and better
opportunities in nearby Aurora and Virginia City.
A cave in that exposed a
rich ledge of high grade gold ore in 1877 changed Bodie's
future from a historical footnote to the subject of numerous
books and articles. The town and mining district endured
into the twentieth century, even though the population
dwindled. Banker J. S. Cain believed in Bodie's
resurgence and acquired abandoned properties throughout the
old mining town.
Bodie started to become a
tourist destination in the 1930's. Ella Cain ( J. S. Cain's
daughter in law) wrote the first book about Bodie, The
Story of Bodie. The Cain family established a museum in
town and staged some of the old buildings with items left
behind from previous residents.
By the 1950's, it became
apparent that Bodie would not resurrect itself to become a
viable, modern town. The Cain family still had extensive
holdings and began looking for a way to preserve Bodie while
eliminating the financial drain the town had become.
Negotiations were completed
between the Cain family and the State of California in
September, 1962. Bodie was on the way to joining the
California State Park system.
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This Associated Press story about Bodie's
acquisition ran in the Oakland Tribune newspaper,
September 16, 1962. Bodie didn't officially join the
State Park system until some months later. |
Bodie's 50th anniversary is
also the 25th anniversary of the Friends of Bodie Day event.
California State Senator Ted Gaines and former State Senator
and Assembly member Paul Lunardi were on hand to present a
Senate resolution recognizing Bodie's half century as a
State Park.
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(L-R) Former State Assembly member and former
Senator Paul Lunardi, Brad Sturdivant, Bodie
Foundation President, Calif. State Senator Ted
Gaines, former Bodie ranger Carl Chavez and Marilyn
Linkem, district superintendent for State Parks'
Northern Butte District, pose with with a resolution
honoring Bodie for its 50 years as a California
State Park at the annual Friends of Bodie Day,
August 11, 2012. Bodie is California's official Gold
Rush ghost town. |
Read more about Sen.
Gaines and Bodie at his website
here.
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Volunteer
Marshall O'Grady donated this 50th Anniversary banner. |
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Retired senior
park aid Rod Duff, an ordained minister, returned to Bodie
to reaffirm the wedding vows of Jim and Diane Lockwood
(above) and marry Brad and Lucinda Traughber (below) in
Bodie's Methodist Church. |
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The Black
Irish Band (left) along with costumed visitors were served
arrest warrants for a Bodie jailhouse. Like the jail of old,
nobody stayed in for very long. |
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Horses and
wagons with costumed volunteers added authenticity and color
to the event. |
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Members of the
USMC color guard from nearby Pickle Meadows present the
colors. |
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Carl Chavez
(standing) talks about his experiences as a Park Ranger in
the early days of of Bodie State Park. Listening are
Bodie Foundation President Brad Sturdivant, also a former
Park Ranger and State Parks Sierra District
Superintendent Marilyn Linkem. |
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Afternoon
winds challenged some hat wearers. |
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Albert
supervises the cooking while visitors cover up during a
brief afternoon rain shower. |
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The after
hours members special event featured historic stories. Chris
Spiller portrays Edith Van Ciel, the last postmistress of
Bodie outside the Lottie Johl house, which also served as
Bodie's last Post Office (above). T. J. Peters portrays a
Bodie schoolmarm outside the schoolhouse. |
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