Montgomery City - California Ghost Town

MONTGOMERY CITY

NAME: Montgomery City
COUNTY: Mono
ROADS: 4WD
GRID #(see map): 3
CLIMATE: Warm summer, cold with occasional heavy snow.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime.

COMMENTS: Road is not too challenging, but very rocky (aluvium) and tedious.
REMAINS: About 1 dozen stone cabins w/o roofs, one stone cabin w/roof.

Montgomery City was a contemporary with mining camp of Benton during the 1860's (Benton is about six miles west of Montgomery City, now noted as Benton Hot Springs on many maps, locals refer to it as "Old Benton" to distinguish it from the community known as Benton or Benton Station on US6). The Montgomery Mining District came about in 1863 at the foot of the lofty White Mountains. Montgomery City never got very large, but it did supposedly support a newspaper, the Montgomery Pioneer. The famous attorney Pat Reddy, of Bodie fame, came to Montgomery City early in his professional life and readily won election to office as a Recorder of the Mining District. Early prospecting revealed goodly sums of gold bearing ore at the surface, but it proved elusive once mines began to go down. The town never acquired a post office. Periodically prospectors maintained a hovel or two in the former townsite over the years, but today it is totally abandoned. Submitted by David A. Wright View southwest from doorway of cabin. April 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright View southwest from stone cabin with roof intact. April 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright	View southwest of stone cabin. The snowy Sierra Nevada Range in background. Photo taken July 3, 1998. at the Ubehebe Mine. December 1996. Courtesy David A. Wright Stone cabin with remains of hearth. July 3, 1998. Courtesy David A. Wright View east over stone cabin to mining area on hillside. July 3, 1998. Courtesy David A. Wright

Montgomery City was a contemporary with mining camp of Benton during the 1860's (Benton is about six miles west of Montgomery City, now noted as Benton Hot Springs on many maps, locals refer to it as "Old Benton" to distinguish it from the community known as Benton or Benton Station on US6). The Montgomery Mining District came about in 1863 at the foot of the lofty White Mountains. Montgomery City never got very large, but it did supposedly support a newspaper, the Montgomery Pioneer. The famous attorney Pat Reddy, of Bodie fame, came to Montgomery City early in his professional life and readily won election to office as a Recorder of the Mining District. Early prospecting revealed goodly sums of gold bearing ore at the surface, but it proved elusive once mines began to go down. The town never acquired a post office. Periodically prospectors maintained a hovel or two in the former townsite over the years, but today it is totally abandoned. Submitted by David A. Wright

View southwest from doorway of cabin. April 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

View southwest from stone cabin with roof intact. April 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

View southwest of stone cabin. The snowy Sierra Nevada Range in background. Photo taken July 3, 1998.
at the Ubehebe Mine. December 1996.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Stone cabin with remains of hearth. July 3, 1998.
Courtesy David A. Wright

View east over stone cabin to mining area on hillside. July 3, 1998.
Courtesy David A. Wright

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