It’s been 7 months since our Zoom Date with the guy who bought a ghost town and 8 months since he started living there alone as the pandemic took hold of the United States. A lot has happened in the abandoned mining town of Cerro Gordo since. We’ll start with the bad heartbreaking news. The American Hotel, the building where we sat with Brent Underwood in his saloon over Zoom and talked about ghost stories and asked him to show us his favourite artefacts, is gone. On the night of June 16th, Cerro Gordo’s crown jewel burned down when flames engulfed the hotel, taking with it the cabin next door and the old icehouse. The cause of the fire is believed to be the building’s old wiring and a whole lot of bad luck. Brent was left devastated and if you can bear to watch his reaction video in the aftermath of the fire, it’s something that will stay with you for a very long time. But if you thought that would spell the end of his story with Cerro Gordo, you’re entirely underestimating the incredibly brave man who decided to live alone in a ghost town in the middle of nowhere…
So now, onto some good news in the latest update from the Wild West outpost. The old American Hotel is well on its way to being rebuilt, Brent has recovered from the traumatic event with the help of some adorable goats and is now sharing the making of an uplifting new side project – his very own Cerro Gordo time capsule. I can honestly say, this episode just about made my entire week:
Brent’s ability to overcome such a setback is nothing short of heroic. The tireless work, passion and dedication he’s put into preserving and reviving Cerro Gordo’s history is truly humbling, but the fact that he’s able to document it all and share it with us so openly, is also a real privilege, and frankly, something that’s never been done before. I recommend binge-watching his Youtube channel above anything else you’ll find on Netflix these days. Not only is he an inspiring preservationist and explorer, he’s also a talented film maker and editor. Learning with him as he tackles everything ghost-town related is absolutely fascinating, from fighting his fears when it comes to the town’s spookiest spots to making sense of the artefacts discovered on his hikes to terrifying descents into unexplored silver mines.
This jaw-dropping episode has some serious “Blair Witch Project” qualities to it:
The world needs more people like Brent Underwood and we can’t wait to see the progress of his ghost town revival. If you’re moved by his story to give him a pat on the back, I’d fully recommend joining his Patreon program.
