Brent Underwood turned a late-night joke from a friend into a $1.4M gamble on Cerro Gordo, an abandoned California mining town he bought in 2018.
The purchase put his life savings and a high-interest loan on the line, but what began as an impulsive idea has evolved into a years-long restoration project. Underwood has lived at the remote settlement full-time since March 2020 and is working to turn the historic site into a destination where visitors can stay overnight.
