White Mountain City - California Ghost Town

WHITE MOUNTAIN CITY

NAME: White Mountain City
COUNTY: Inyo
ROADS: 2WD
GRID #(see map): 3
CLIMATE: Warm summers, winter days can be pleasant or raw. Elevation 5,000' so snow is a possibility..
BEST TIME TO VISIT: All year.

COMMENTS: Many ghost towns in the area.
REMAINS: Many stone ruins, two fine arrastras, two smelter remains.

White Mountain City was founded in the early 1860's and a district formed in a deep bowl far from any form of civilization. The area was notorious for a scandal that occured in which a successfull candidate in the gubernatorial runoff of the state of California "padded" the elections by grossly exagerating the number of those who voted for him from White Mountain City. He figured that since White Mountain City was so remote that no one would check on it. It was later found that he utilized a list of passengers from a steamship for the basis of White Mountain City voters. Meanwhile, only a handfull of settlers to the Deep Springs Valley were found to be living there, and these were primarily occupied in defending themselves from Indian attacks besides eeking out a meager living along the banks of Wyman Creek. A notible visitor to White Mountain City was none other than Mark Twain, who at the time was living in Aurora, Nevada. Mining on a small scale continued throughout the 1870's, then continued occassionally thereafter by individuals. In 1911, a unique college was built nearby, which today continues the tradition of its founder in that only the most gifted academic students can attend. It's philosophy is that hard ranch work, along with deep study, will help temper and train California's brightest minds. Submitted by David A. Wright Remains of a smelter stack. April 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright Evidence that Indians found the banks of Wyman Creek to be a good home. They later resented the white settlers of White Mountain City and conducted periodic attacks on them until they were reigned in and sent off to Camp Independence, then later Fort Tejon near today's Bakersfield. January 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright Remains of a smelter oven. Slag and fire clay can still be found within the stonework. April 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright My friend, Jim Sauter, stands in front of the furnace stack at White Mountain City. Winter, 1983. Courtesy David A. Wright White Mountain City. Winter, 1983. Courtesy David A. Wright White Mountain City. D.A. Wright photo. White Mountain City. D.A. Wright photo.	One of many of the stone walls that are found all over White Mountain City. Many of these walls run for hundreds of feet and often in a zig-zag pattern through the sagebrush. The view is west toward the lofty Sierra Nevada Range, about 35 miles away over the somber Inyo Range in the foreground Courtesy David A. Wright Stone cabins of White Mountain City. Below are the green fields of the Deep Springs College, a most unusual learning institution. April 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright Stone ruins. Power lines are historic in the fact that their ancestors fed electricity to the great cities of Tonopah, Goldfield and Rhyolite, Nevada from power plants along Bishop Creek in the Sierra Nevada. Today power is still fed to these localities (with exception of abandoned Rhyolite), along with much of central Nevada. April 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright Arrastra at White Mountain City. April 1997. Courtesy David A. Wright White Mountain Courtesy Dolores Steele White Mountain Courtesy Dolores Steele White Mountain City. View toward the Sierra Nevada, experiencing a late spring snowstorm. May 1991. Courtesy David A. Wright Purple glass found within White Mountain City townsite. D.A. Wright photo. Powerline insulator found at White Mountain City townsite. Power poles, barely visible in the center right background, were set in place during 1905-7 to feed electricity from hydroelectric plants on Bishop Creek, in the Sierra Nevada, to then booming cities of Tonopah, Goldfield, Rhyolite and the rest of central Nevada. D.A. Wright photo.

White Mountain City was founded in the early 1860's and a district formed in a deep bowl far from any form of civilization. The area was notorious for a scandal that occured in which a successfull candidate in the gubernatorial runoff of the state of California "padded" the elections by grossly exagerating the number of those who voted for him from White Mountain City. He figured that since White Mountain City was so remote that no one would check on it. It was later found that he utilized a list of passengers from a steamship for the basis of White Mountain City voters. Meanwhile, only a handfull of settlers to the Deep Springs Valley were found to be living there, and these were primarily occupied in defending themselves from Indian attacks besides eeking out a meager living along the banks of Wyman Creek. A notible visitor to White Mountain City was none other than Mark Twain, who at the time was living in Aurora, Nevada. Mining on a small scale continued throughout the 1870's, then continued occassionally thereafter by individuals. In 1911, a unique college was built nearby, which today continues the tradition of its founder in that only the most gifted academic students can attend. It's philosophy is that hard ranch work, along with deep study, will help temper and train California's brightest minds.
Submitted by David A. Wright

Remains of a smelter stack. April 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Evidence that Indians found the banks of Wyman Creek to be a good home. They later resented the white settlers of White Mountain City and conducted periodic attacks on them until they were reigned in and sent off to Camp Independence, then later Fort Tejon near today's Bakersfield. January 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Remains of a smelter oven. Slag and fire clay can still be found within the stonework. April 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

My friend, Jim Sauter, stands in front of the furnace stack at White Mountain City. Winter, 1983.
Courtesy David A. Wright

White Mountain City. Winter, 1983.
Courtesy David A. Wright

White Mountain City. D.A. Wright photo.

One of many of the stone walls that are found all over White Mountain City. Many of these walls run for hundreds of feet and often in a zig-zag pattern through the sagebrush. The view is west toward the lofty Sierra Nevada Range, about 35 miles away over the somber Inyo Range in the foreground
Courtesy David A. Wright

Stone cabins of White Mountain City. Below are the green fields of the Deep Springs College, a most unusual learning institution. April 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Stone ruins. Power lines are historic in the fact that their ancestors fed electricity to the great cities of Tonopah, Goldfield and Rhyolite, Nevada from power plants along Bishop Creek in the Sierra Nevada. Today power is still fed to these localities (with exception of abandoned Rhyolite), along with much of central Nevada. April 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Arrastra at White Mountain City. April 1997.
Courtesy David A. Wright

White Mountain
Courtesy Dolores Steele

White Mountain City. View toward the Sierra Nevada, experiencing a late spring snowstorm. May 1991.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Purple glass found within White Mountain City townsite. D.A.
Wright photo.

Powerline insulator found at White Mountain City townsite.
Power poles, barely visible in the center right background, were set in
place during 1905-7 to feed electricity from hydroelectric plants on
Bishop Creek, in the Sierra Nevada, to then booming cities of Tonopah,
Goldfield, Rhyolite and the rest of central Nevada. D.A. Wright photo.

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