Lifestyle

Man spent life savings on abandoned California ghost town that was once worth $500,000,000

  • The town of Cerro Gordo was bought by a YouTuber in 2018
  • The YouTuber and a friend want to revive the town’s fortunes
  • This is despite rumors that Cerro Gordo is haunted

Published on Mar 14, 2025 at 9:31 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall

Last updated on Mar 17, 2025 at 11:10 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

An American spent his whole life savings on the abandoned ghost town of Cerro Gordo in California that was worth up to $500,000,000 back in the day.

Brent Underwood, along with his friend Jon Bier, clubbed together to buy the old town, which means ‘Fat Hill’ in Spanish.

Underwood is showcasing the revival of the town on his YouTube channel, with videos featuring some of the changes made during his time as owner.

Underwood and Bier hope to breathe new life into the town, and help make it an overnight tourist destination.

DISCOVER OUR SUPERCAR AUCTION SITE – View live auctions on SBX Cars

Cerro Gordo was set up as a mining town

The original purpose of Cerro Gordo in California was that of a mining town, founded following the discovery of silver ore in the region in 1865.

The town grew and grew alongside its expanding mining operations.

In fact, by 1912, the town was the United States’ largest producer of zinc carbonates. At its height, the town was home to over 4,700 people.

However, as time went on and the industry dwindled, the town became quieter and quieter. By 2019, there was just one miner left.

The then-70-year-old was selling small amounts of silver he’d dug up to tourists.

The quietness of the town is what led Underwood and his friend to try and buy it and breathe new life into it.

This was despite rumors of the town being haunted.

And although Underwood was a non-believer in ghosts, he claims to have had some spooky encounters while there.

Underwood wants to revive the abandoned town

According to the LA Times, Underwood and Bier both bought the town for $1.4 million in 2018.

That, though, involved Underwood spending his whole life savings on the California town.

Following its purchase, he and Bier planned to turn Cerro Gordo into a tourism hotspot and revive its fortunes.

Over the years, some $17,000,000 worth of minerals was pulled out from below Cerro Gordo.

In 2025 money, that’s over $500 million. Therefore, it’s no surprise that so many got super rich while the town was at its peak.

Underwood and Bier fought off at least a dozen other offers for the abandoned town.

Their bid was chosen thanks to their promise to bring back visitors.

The two clearly want to preserve as much of the town’s history as possible and tell the story of what made it so important to the United States.

Will you be paying a visit?

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a leading heritage steam railway in England.