Now abandoned, Hermosa (Spanish for "beautiful") was founded by miners in 1883 after the area's first strike at the American Flag Mine. (Other area mines: the Palomas Chief, the Ocean Wave, the Antelope and the Pelican.) Hermosa, part of the Palomas Mining District, had a post office from 1884-1929. It grew large enough to have its own literary society, a hotel, a saloon, a blacksmith shop, a meat market and livery stables. A flash flood in 1889 wiped out much of the town. All that remains today are the ruins of an old hotel and a post office, along with a cemetery. The site is now privately owned. Courtesy Michael Cook.

The discovery of gold and silver in the middle of Apache Indian country didn't deter prospectors from establishing several mining camps in the Black Range of Sierra County. By the late 1889s, Hermosa was prospering with a hotel, blacksmith shop, livery stables, post office, merchandise stores, and a twice-weekly stage. In time, the town also had a literary society, a schoolhouse and several churches. Dances and various social events added to the town's refinement. Disaster struck in June of 1889 when a destructive flood carried away a number of businesses and residences. The town was never the same. The population declined and by 1905 only sixty residents remained. What is left of Hermosa today has been absorbed into a ranch including the old hotel and log cabin post office. Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.