Echo - California Ghost Town

ECHO

NAME: Echo
COUNTY: Inyo
ROADS: 4WD
GRID #(see map): 3
CLIMATE: Hot summer, pleasant winter w/occasional raw and cold days..
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Late autumn through spring.

COMMENTS: Access from the east at Lee ghost town side the best way in. Located 4 miles southwest of Lee. Road fairly easy for 4x4 except a few, short stretches for about a half mile that require lifted, short wheelbase rigs, preferably with a winch. If you have stock 4x4 truck or SUV, I would recommend the easy drive to within about two miles of the camp, then to walk the remainder (which I did). A good place to park and begin walking is at the mouth of a narrow slit of a canyon the road enters, and thus the worst section is just ahead. For those with the above vehicular requirements and driving skills, only a few, short sections of sharp bedrock steps and a sharp incline of a few feet to clear a wash, will be encountered in the next quarter mile. Beyond, and especially as the road begins to climb to the head of the canyon, the road returns to one of a good nature and ease of driving. The route up the west side of the Funeral Range from Schwab townsite is not recommended. I would recommend Echo only for the adventurous, for a good walk, or those who possess an insatiable appetite to stand on any piece of historic ground, no matter the cost (like me!).
REMAINS: A couple of leveled tent sites, a couple of can dumps and broken glass. One standing structure is found nearby, unsure of origin but doubt if constructed during Echo boom.

With the rush to nearby Lee, prospectors soon began to climb into the Funeral Range to look for promising outcrops. Primarily most of the focus centered in the lower reaches of Echo Canyon on the new camps of Schwab and that of the Inyo Gold Mining Company nearby. But a few decided to plat a townsite at the head of Echo Canyon on a saddle overlooking the Amargosa Valley and the Bullfrog region, which they named Echo. Echo never amounted to anything. Only a few tents were put down, a few prospects opened up. Other than an easier climate afforded to the fairly high altitude of Echo (approximately 4,800 feet), there was nothing to recommend Echo. There was no water, no wood, no electricity, no paydirt. The telephone line between Lee and Schwab did pass through here, but that was not enough to sustain a camp. After the curiosity of its founders were satisfied and no good ore was found, Echo died a quick and painless death. It's a good thing Echo's founders set up tents to establish the town, as these were easy to disassemble when it came time to exit. Today it takes a very sharp eye, a determination to stand on historical ground and luck to find Echo. Submitted by David A. Wright - Great Basin Research.	Echo townsite, viewing north toward the Bullfrog region. April 10, 1999. Courtesy David A. Wright About the only remains that one will readily see at Echo is a couple of can dumps. April 10, 1999. Courtesy David A. Wright This standing structure was probably not associated with the Echo townsite. Only tents are known to have made up the town, which afforded ease of disassembly when it came time to leave. April 10, 1999. Courtesy David A. Wright

With the rush to nearby Lee, prospectors soon began to climb into the Funeral Range to look for promising outcrops. Primarily most of the focus centered in the lower reaches of Echo Canyon on the new camps of Schwab and that of the Inyo Gold Mining Company nearby. But a few decided to plat a townsite at the head of Echo Canyon on a saddle overlooking the Amargosa Valley and the Bullfrog region, which they named Echo. Echo never amounted to anything. Only a few tents were put down, a few prospects opened up. Other than an easier climate afforded to the fairly high altitude of Echo (approximately 4,800 feet), there was nothing to recommend Echo. There was no water, no wood, no electricity, no paydirt. The telephone line between Lee and Schwab did pass through here, but that was not enough to sustain a camp. After the curiosity of its founders were satisfied and no good ore was found, Echo died a quick and painless death. It's a good thing Echo's founders set up tents to establish the town, as these were easy to disassemble when it came time to exit. Today it takes a very sharp eye, a determination to stand on historical ground and luck to find Echo. Submitted by David A. Wright - Great Basin Research.

Echo townsite, viewing north toward the Bullfrog region. April 10, 1999.
Courtesy David A. Wright

About the only remains that one will readily see at Echo is a couple of can dumps. April 10, 1999.
Courtesy David A. Wright

This standing structure was probably not associated with the Echo townsite. Only tents are known to have made up the town, which afforded ease of disassembly when it came time to leave. April 10, 1999.
Courtesy David A. Wright

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