On August 13, 2014, exactly one hundred years and 30 days after the anniversary of the incorporation of Cerro Gordo Mines under the direction of Louis D. Gordon, the Friends of Cerro Gordo joined hands with current town owner, Sean Patterson, in efforts to assist in the preservation, interpretation and public enjoyment of the town. Immediate goals are to raise funds to pay for enhanced insurance and an assistant caretaker/historic interpreter to assist town manager Robert Desmarais so Cerro Gordo Ghost Town can again welcome visitors next season. The remnants of the little mining town that made Los Angeles grow sits precariously high in the Inyo Mountains, a testament to Pablo Flores and other Mexican miners who discovered silver in 1865. Since then the Fat Hill, better known as Cerro Gordo, has gone through several booms and bust cycles under the reign of mining visionaries the likes of Victor Beaudry, Mortimer Belshaw, Thomas Boland, and Louis D. Gordon. A few large companies tried their hands at keeping mining efforts going through the mid 1900’s, until (then) caretaker Wally Wilson became owner in lieu of unpaid back wages. A woman named Barbara Lee wandered up the back side of the rugged mountain from her more recent life as an actress in Hollywood and fell in love with Wally. Together they tried to keep struggled architectures and faded histories alive for the adventurous who traversed the unkempt dirt roads on back country adventures. Barbara outlived Wally and wound up facing the dream alone. She went down the mountain and found herself another husband to help, but he died, and she was single again. Eventually Barbara became Mrs. Jack Smith, but the financial burdens of keeping the old place going still took its toll. Jack called upon his niece, Jody Stewart, an Owens Valley girl like Barbara, who had wound up in Hollywood as well. Dressed like a city girl, Jody got in her sports car and traversed much of the old bullion trail now turned highway until she got to the Yellow Grade Road. From there she slowly climbed up the dirt road until she reached Cerro Gordo. The town called to her and she helped finance Jack and Barbara’s dreams. Jody wound up with all of Cerro Gordo in 1984. Jody Stewart and her partner (and later husband), Mike Patterson, lead Cerro Gordo into the new millennium, shoring up and restoring old buildings for a state of restorative re-use. The former mining town began to boom as “the only bed and cook your own breakfast” ghost town in the world. The popularity of modern four wheel drive vehicles and backcountry exploration brought day and night visitors from far and wide. But their dreams began to slip away as Jodys health began to fail. She died in 2001. Mike tried to hang on, but died of a broken heart in 2009. Since Mike Patterson’s death, Cerro Gordo has been in a state of vacillation with a permanent caretaker on the grounds to share the history and to protect the town from the elements of time and vandals. Through memberships and generous donations to the Friends of Cerro Gordo, the little silver mining town can boom once again. Please help us in our endeavors and stay tuned for fundraising and current events on the mountain. The Friends of Cerro Gordo, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) public benefit corporation. Donations may be tax deductable (consult your tax advisor). explorehistoricalif/friendsofcerrogordo.org.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 17:29:07 +0000
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