Abandoned Ghost Town's Owner Stuck There For More Than a Year

One man has been living the post-apocalyptic lifestyle in his own wasteland since early last year.

Brent Underwood, a young entrepreneur, bought the abandoned California ghost town of Cerro Gordo in 2018 for $1.4 million. Cerro Gordo was once known for mining silver and lead, and between 1865 and 1938 was the largest producer of the two before its resources dried up. Like most other mining towns around the world, it turned into yet another dead swathe of Western land.

In March 2020, when the coronavirus was still in its early stages, Underwood visited Cerro Gordo from his hometown of Austin, Texas, thinking of it as one week vacation and also to relieve the town's on-site caretaker, who wanted to visit his wife as the coronavirus hit the U.S., according to The Daily Mirror.

"It was fun. I've never taken a long road trip," Underwood said. "I figured I would roll a nice road trip into a little break, and that little break has become a longer break. I'm OK with that."

He first got stuck there due to COVID travel restrictions before his stay was extended by three more weeks after a snowstorm hit. Now, 13 months later, he is still living his faux-pioneer life in the ghost town.

This 360-acre spread of land, complete with 22 structures, attracted him because of "the combination of hospitality and history," he said. He also owns a hostel in Texas, HK Austin, that was built in 1892, feeding his love for historic buildings.

Underwood finds solace among the remnants of the past, given these current uncertain times.

"People have been going through issues since people existed," Underwood told Insider. "This town was around when Spanish influenza hit, and it's still standing, so there's some kind of strength in that."

According to Underwood, the town has a long and bloody history. Its 5,000 residents were left to their own devices by law enforcement due to its distance from Los Angeles.

At one point, the town averaged around a murder a week, and miners used to put sandbags in their bunks to stop stray bullets during the night, he told Insider. There are bullet holes in the walls, bloodstains on the floor of the saloon, and a cemetery filled with the graves of hundreds of miners.

The town is said to be haunted. Underwood himself says he has experienced unusual activities like books falling off shelves and lights turning on in empty, locked buildings.

The crew of the TV show Ghost Adventures once investigated Cerro Gordo for paranormal activity, reported Insider. They believe the ghosts of two children are trapped in the closet of the Belshaw House, built in 1871, where Underwood has been staying.

Underwood said rumor also has it that 30 miners got trapped in one of the mines underneath Belshaw House and their remains are still there to this day.

He keeps himself occupied with building decks, renovating old structures, exploring the town's history, following animal footprints, and identifying wildlife. He found a bible from 1875, a psalm booklet dedicated to a student in 1841, and a briefcase in an old general store.

"The briefcase just had everything about these miners' lives — their highs, their lows, their bank statements, their divorce settlements, lawsuits, mining claims, love letters, hate letters," Underwood told Insider. "It's crazy to find something like that, and it just takes you back into an era. It just puts what you're going through into perspective."

Since March last year, he has had many visitors, including celebrities like Jeff Goldblum, Cole Sprouse and G-Eazy due to his internet fame.

Underwood, recently, shared a video of him completing his 13-month stay at Cerro Gordo.

"It's almost impossible for me to believe. I remember the craziest idea ever would be one year alone up here," he captioned it. "Now, I'm a month past that and it's made me think more about my future up here and the projects I want to focus on. It's made these past 13 months the best 13 months of my life."

Underwood plans to develop the town into an artist destination for tourists and group events while maintaining the historic nature of the property. He had originally planned to open the town in May 2020 for an overnight experience but the pandemic has changed those plans.