Man buys ghost town, gets stuck there after COVID-19 and Snowstorm hits

In a strange story, a man purchased a ghost town only to be stuck there after both the COVID-19 crisis and a severe snowstorm struck simultaneously. Insider first reported that that Austin resident Brett Underwood has been living in his own private abandoned mining town after becoming stuck there following the combination of statewide stay-at-home orders and a nasty snowstorm.

Cerro Gordo was once a thriving silver mining town from the late 1800’s. Like many mining towns it was eventually abandoned, laying dormant for years save one caretaker who lived in the town. Apparently Underwood had plans for an tourist attraction / Airbnb style establishment and has spent over $400k already on the property.

As the coronavirus outbreak began to get more serious, the caretaker left the town to look after his wife.

Underwood, on a whim, jumped in his truck and drove to the Northern California town to take over. Then the storm hit, dropping something like 4 feet of snow on the area and effectively trapping Underwood there.

Underwood has been living in a building with no running water and living on expired beans. He’s also been giving interviews (as noted by the Insider story) and appears to be in good spirits overall.

You can read the full (and fascinating!) story here on Insider.com.

Thanks and stay safe

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