Cerro Gordo was established in 1865 and went on the be the most prosperous silver mine in California’s history. At it’s peak, over 4,500 miners called Cerro Gordo home. Nearly $500 million worth of minerals were pulled from the hills. Law enforcement wouldn’t go to Cerro Gordo and miners were expected to solve their own problems. This led to over a murder per week in it’s heyday. Once the silver and water ran out, most packed up and headed out. The town has sat mostly abandoned for over 100 years.