Ghost Towns
Yankee Jim Robinson: The Outlaw Behind a Gold Rush Town and an Enduring Legend
Long before Yankee Jims became the name of a Gold Rush town in Placer County, it was tied to a “lawless character” known as James “Yankee Jim” Robinson. While Robinson’s small chapter in Gold Rush history begins with the discovery of gold in the Yankee Jims area by 1850, his final pages paint a darker …...
Timbuctoo, CA: a once prominent town of Yuba County’s distant past
Timbuctoo, California was once a booming Gold Rush town in Yuba County—home to thousands of miners chasing fortune. Today, it’s a quiet, nearly forgotten California ghost town. Here’s what remains, its fascinating history, and how you can visit. Timbuctoo, California Quick Facts Location: Yuba County, CA Founded: 1855 Known for:...
Kingston: Robbed of Their Existence and Money!
Kingston was a river town that grew out of necessity only to disappear just as quickly as it rose to prominence. Nowadays, all that’s left of this ghost town are a few trees, cement remnants of an infrastructure, a historic marker, a seasonal park and the whispers of its heyday. However, where many California ghost towns quietly...
Underwater Towns of California: A look at towns buried in watery graves
Many of California’s lakes and reservoirs provide endless fun for visitors along with other vital resources like irrigation, hydroelectricity, and drinking water. Yet, beneath the waters of some of these lakes and reservoirs lie remnants of towns dating back to the Gold Rush era. In fact, in a handful of lakes and reservoirs, scuba...
Forest City: Sierra County’s authentic Gold Rush ghost town
Forest City, appropriately named because of its location in the Tahoe National Forest, was settled in the summer of 1852 when miners discovered gold at the forks of the Oregon Creek in Sierra County. Within a few short years, the town grew to over 1,000 residents and at least 30 commercial businesses. However, like other …...
Nevada County’s lost and forgotten town of Cherokee
One of the many Gold Rush towns to have graced and disappeared from Nevada County was the once prosperous town of Cherokee. At its peak (1856-1865), Cherokee was a bustling town with many amenities and some of the richest diggings on the San Juan Ridge. Sadly, all that remains of this Gold Rush town is …...
The Butte Store: a historical reminder of the forgotten Butte City
Along Highway 49 in Amador County, stands a historic structure too proud to fade into the past like the town it was once a part of. The Butte Store, which was constructed in the 1850’s, is nothing more than four walls seemingly out of place with today’s landscape. But, if you look close enough, this …...
Randsburg: the friendliest ghost town in California
California is littered with old mining towns barely hanging on to their existence, dangerously flirting with ghost town status. One location that comes to mind is Iowa Hill. This Placer County gold rush town is sadly fading away into the history books. But, unlike Iowa Hill and other towns on life support, Kern County’s Randsburg...
Silver City: a ghost town with cardiac arrested decay
Silver City is one of the most unique ghost towns in all of California. Like Bodie State Park and Calico, Silver City is in a state of “arrested decay”. This means that the structures are preserved and protected in a state of natural decay to prevent further deterioration, without building anything new. However, unlike the...
North Bloomfield: a charmingly preserved ghost town
History According to local lore, in 1851, after three miners discovered gold nuggets on the San Juan Ridge, one of the miners bragged about the findings at a local saloon and was unknowingly followed by other prospectors to the discovery site. Unfortunately for the followers, they didn’t find any gold and in disgust, named...
