California is a state rich in history and culture, but also in ghost towns. Many of these abandoned settlements were once thriving communities during the Gold Rush era, but were deserted as the mines ran dry or the population moved on. However, not all of California’s ghost towns are relics of the 19th century. Some of them are surprisingly modern, and yet eerily forgotten.
Eagle Mountain: A Modern Ghost Town
One such example is Eagle Mountain, a town that was founded in 1948 by industrialist Henry Kaiser at the entrance of an iron mine. The town was located about 12 miles north of Desert Center, in the heat of the Southern California desert. The mine was the largest iron mine in Southern California, and supplied ore to Kaiser’s steel mill in Fontana, about 112 miles away.
The town grew to a population of about 4,000 people, who enjoyed a variety of amenities and facilities, such as a shopping center, a medical care system, a park, a pool, a bowling alley, a post office, and several churches and schools. The town was connected to the Southern Pacific Railroad by a branch line that ran for 60 miles to the Salton Sea.
The Decline and Abandonment of Eagle Mountain
However, the town’s prosperity was short-lived, as the demand for iron ore declined in the 1970s and 1980s. The mine and the mill closed in 1983, and the town was gradually deserted by its residents. The post office, the grocery store, the schools, and the other businesses shut down, leaving behind empty buildings and streets. The railroad also stopped operating, and the tracks were removed.
The town briefly came back to life in the late 1980s, when a private prison for low-risk inmates was established in the former shopping center. The prison operated until 2003, when it also closed, and the town once again became silent and vacant.
The Future of Eagle Mountain
Today, Eagle Mountain is a modern ghost town, fenced off and inaccessible to the public. The town and the mine are owned by Kaiser Ventures, a company that has proposed various plans for the site, such as a landfill, a solar farm, or a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant. However, none of these projects have been approved or implemented, due to environmental and legal challenges.
Eagle Mountain remains a fascinating and eerie example of a town that was once vibrant and prosperous, but is now forgotten and decayed. It is a testament to the rise and fall of the iron industry in Southern California, and the impact of human activity on the desert landscape.
Conclusion
Eagle Mountain is a modern ghost town in Southern California’s desert, that was founded in 1948 by Henry Kaiser at the entrance of an iron mine. The town grew to a population of about 4,000 people, who enjoyed a variety of amenities and facilities. However, the town’s prosperity was short-lived, as the demand for iron ore declined in the 1970s and 1980s.
The town was gradually deserted by its residents, and the mine and the mill closed in 1983. The town briefly came back to life in the late 1980s, when a private prison was established in the former shopping center. The prison operated until 2003, when it also closed, and the town once again became silent and vacant.
Today, Eagle Mountain is fenced off and inaccessible to the public, and its future is uncertain. Eagle Mountain is a fascinating and eerie example of a town that was once vibrant and prosperous, but is now forgotten and decayed. It is a testament to the rise and fall of the iron industry in Southern California, and the impact of human activity on the desert landscape.