If there were a modern ghost town, it would probably be Placer Basin. Rich float ore had been mined in Placer Basin since the 1890s, but it was not until the early 1930s that the long sought-after ledge was discovered. Those who made the discovery quickly sold to new owners who built the mill the skeleton of which stands today. During the years 1935 and 1936, the mill produced over three million dollars in free milling gold. The road to Smith Mountain and Black Lake passes through Placer Basin.

Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.