Cerro Gordo Mine, California

Cerro Gordo is a classic mining ghost town, in the mountains east of Owens Lake. Starting in the 1860's, this remote site became a major source for silver, lead, zinc, and other minerals. An aerial tramway operated for a few decades, bringing ore from the mines, as high up as 9,000 feet, down to the shores of Owens Lake, where it was transported across the lake by steamships to the landing at Cartago. Later, the railway was brought around the lake to Keeler and Swansea, which had smelters and processing facilities for the mine. Now Cerro Gordo is a privately owned, partially restored historic site, reachable via a treacherous dirt road.