The ghost town of Cerro Gordo is officially under new management. 
 
 After being on the market, the sale of the abandoned mining town south of the Sierra Nevada fittingly closed on Friday the 13th. The 24,000-square-feet of buildings and more than 300 acres of patented mining claims once averaged a "murder a week" in its hey day, and was once the largest producer of silver and lead in California. 
 
 The new owners, Brent Underwood and Jon Bier, have assembled a team of Los Angeles-based investors for the town with hopes "to continue this piece of American history." 
 
 The new owners said prior to the finalization of the sale they met with the previous owners of Cerro Gordo and found they had a common vision for what they hoped the town could be. 
 
 "There were offers that were quite higher than our offer," Bier said. "But to the credit of the family that sold it, they went with our offer because we were going to keep the integrity and tell the story of what makes it culturally significant." 
 
 "Our goal is to maintain the historical nature of the property and respect the piece of history," Underwood said. 
 
 But that's not to say some changes won't be taking place. 
 
 Cerro Gordo doesn't have running water so in order to make the town an extended-stay destination, that problem is No. 1 on the list. Both Bier and Underwood spoke of necessary refurbishments to be done to buildings so they are structurally sound as well as adding a restaurant and bar one day. 
 
 Underwood said there aren't immediate plans to build new structures and that the current plans primarily revolve around refurbishing the 22 original buildings left standing in the ghost town. 
 
 The group of investors have dreams of holding group retreats, stargazing, hiking tours and hatch throwing workshops. 
 
 However one thing that won't be changing with the new sale is longtime caretaker, Robert Desmarais. 
 
 Desmarais has lived in Cerro Gordo for the past 21 years as a caretaker, living alone in the desolate town even after his wife left the town because of the extreme altitude and weather conditions. 
 
 He first came to Cerro Gordo in 1997 after seeing an ad in a trade magazine about mining in the town. Ever since his first visit, he has become one of the keepers of the ghost town. 
 
 "I've fallen in love with the history of the town," Desmarais said. "I like the adventure and I love the fact that I am preserving history." 
 
 Desmarais said he "doesn't want to ever leave" the wild wild west town and continues to hope that more people come and experience it. 
 
 "I just really hope that the town can stay historically correct," Desmarais added. "And that more people can come and visit the town." ||||| In Cerro Gordo, a town nestled in the Inyo Mountains of California, near Death Valley, there’s a single saloon with swinging doors, two out-of-tune pianos and a mysterious bloodstain on the wall beneath three bullet holes. 
 
 It’s one of Brent Underwood’s favorite places in the ghost town, and now that he owns it, he plans on sharing it with the world. (He’s still trying to learn the story behind the bloodstain.) 
 
 On Friday, Mr. Underwood and his friend Jon Bier became the latest owners of Cerro Gordo, which translates to “fat hill,” after buying it for $1.4 million. They plan to restore the town while preserving its past, Mr. Underwood said, adding that they hope to attract a variety of visitors. He said they expected to spend about $1 million to get things started. 
 
 Jake Rasmuson of Bishop Real Estate said that he received hundreds of inquiries after the sale was announced in early June. Twelve of the offers were serious, he said, noting that the original asking price was $925,000. ||||| (CNN) — It is possible to buy entire towns these days. 
 
 A little over a month after a 19th century ghost town in California called Cerro Gordo went on sale, Brent Underwood bought it for $1.4 million, real estate agent Jake Rasmuson said. The asking price for Cerro Gordo is $925,000, according to a property listing 
 
 The sale closed on Friday the 13th -- "in true ghost town fashion," Rasmuson quipped. 
 
 "We really didn't expect the activity we had," he said, saying that he underestimated the amount of offers the town would receive. 
 
 "We received about a dozen offers, Mr. Underwood's offer was appreciated by the sellers," Rasmuson said. "There were other offers, but Mr. Underwood's plan was beneficial to the preservation and public use of the property." 
 
 Cerro Gordo has been protected from digger, looters and effects from nature, according to the real estate company. Nolan Nitschke 
 
 Cerro Gordo, which means "fat hill," has 22 structures remaining, including an abandoned hotel, church and bunkhouse. The abandoned mining town, which occupies over 300 acres of land, had been in family hands for decades, but they felt it was the right time to sell it, Rasmuson said. 
 
 Cerro Gordo came into existence as a small mining town after the discovery of silver in 1865. At one point, it became the largest producer of silver and lead in California, according to its website 
 
 "In its heyday, it averaged a murder a week," Rasmuson said. "It's really part of the Wild West." 
 
 After the fall of lead and silver prices, and other setbacks, including a fire, Cerro Gordo's silver operations slowed and eventually became deserted. 
 
 Buildings on Cerro Gordo include a historic hotel, a bunkhouse and superintendents house. Nolan Nitschke 
 
 So what will become of this ghost town? Ideas ranged from turning Cerro Gordo into a theme park to a marijuana town. 
 
 But Underwood, who owns a backpacker hostel in Austin, Texas, called HK Austin , says history is the reason he was interested in the town. 
 
 "It isn't often you're entrusted to maintain such an interesting part of American history," he said in an email to CNN. "The town is so rich in history and has impacted so many lives." 
 
 Underwood said he and business partner Jon Bier had been looking at hospitality locations around the United States that were large enough to create a unique destination. He said a friend sent him the CNN article discussing the initial sale. 
 
 "I knew it was the one," Underwood said. 
 
 The asking price for Cerro Gordo is $925,000. It was sold for $1.4 million. Nolan Nitschke 
 
 Now that he's bought Cerro Gordo, he says he plans to "renovate a select number of the existing buildings to a point we'd be comfortable hosting people for long periods of time." 
 
 That includes bringing WiFi to the 19th century property as well, he said. 
 
 "We're looking to create a new destination. It isn't often you're able to have such a canvas to work with. We have over 300 acres and dozens of buildings," Underwood said. "We want to maintain the historic nature of the property while introducing amenities that will allow more people to enjoy the location." 
 
 The long-term goals for Cerro Gordo are to bring "high level programming in forms of writing retreats, music events, dining experiences, photo shoots, theater, special events, and more." 
 
 Underwood said he wants to create an experience that's available nowhere else. ||||| A 12-acre slice of the American dream -- a gold mining ghost town in northern California, complete with bar and liquor license -- can be yours for less than a quarter million. 
 
 That’s the pitch on Craigslist for the privately-owned parcel in Seneca with no known environmental hazards, several small buildings, scenic grounds along the Feather River and even an island -- all for just $225,000. 
 
 “Seneca is the real McCoy. Historic. Very close to, or containing a historic Chinese-built gold mine." - Craigslist 
 
 “Seneca is the real McCoy,” the Craigslist posting reads. “Historic. Very close to, or containing a historic Chinese-built gold mine. (Active gold mining today in the vicinity.) This deal includes several small buildings in various states of (dis)repair. It was home to the ‘Woodstock of the West’ in the 1970s -- thousands attended (we have a clipping somewhere).” 
 
 The deal includes all rights to minerals and timber from the land and boasts waterfront footage on both sides of the Feather River, the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, which saw a major influx of prospectors and settlers to the region during the 1849 California Gold Rush. It’s also the purported former stomping ground of Ishi, the last known member of the Yahi people of California, who was known as the “last wild Indian” before he died in 1916. 
 
 “Possibly THE last private acreage within a National Forest,” the ad continues. “(Not many liquor licenses in the region, either.) A big tree is growing up through the porch of the bar. The public access dirt road from both north and south is one of the most scenic in the USA.” 
 
 The northern access road, according to the pitch, is “darn scary” and features 1,000-foot drops into a gorge. The southern access road, meanwhile, is easier trekking in winter or poor weather conditions. 
 
 Potential buyers should be familiar with rural living and expect to wait a few days to see the property, as the owner lives a long way from the town. 
 
 Formerly North Fork, Seneca is an unincorporated community in Plumas County at an elevation of 3,625 feet. Gold was reportedly found in the region in 1851, prompting the boom of a wild mining town that once boasted a dance hall, livery, blacksmith and a hotel with solar-heated showers. The largest gold nugget found in Seneca was reportedly 42 ounces, worth $28,000 in 1942 -- or roughly $394,000 in today’s economy. Its post office originally opened in 1902 before closing in 1918, then re-opening five years later. It finally moved in 1941 before closing for good in 1943. ||||| Need to expand your property portfolio? Ever dreamed of owning your very own ghost town? Get excited, because the old mining town of Seneca, California just went up for sale, complete with a gold mine, three cabins, and a working distillery. You really can buy anything on Craigslist. 
 
 Once home to a thriving community of gold miners, Seneca, formerly known as North Fork, is a 12 acre plot of land in Plumas County, California that has been slowly drying up since the post office closed in 1943. Sure, it once hosted the "Woodstock of the West" for thousands of people in the 70's, but gone are the hotels, casinos, and feed stores that once made up the booming town. 
 
 Still standing, however, are a number of cabins, a working gin distillery (with liquor license!), one of the oldest restaurants in the area, and even a defunct opium den still exists within the mine built by Chinese workers. Sound enticing? It can all be yours for just a quarter of a million dollars. 
 
 If you think the asking price of $225,000 is a little steep, consider this: the largest gold nugget discovered in Seneca was 43 ounces in weight. With today's gold prices, that's worth $414,763.10 - almost enough to buy yourself a second ghost town. Or a fully stocked opium den. 
 
 For more information about purchasing the ghost town of Seneca for yourself, check out the Craigslist ad. 
 
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– On Friday, two friends became the proud new owners of a California ghost town. Cerro Gordo, a 300-acre town nestled in the Inyo Mountains not far from Death Valley, has a "Wild West" history thanks to the discovery of silver there in 1865; within four years, mining operations made it the largest producer of silver and lead in the state, and it later became the largest producer of zinc carbonates in the entire country. But that era ended, and by 1950, Cerro Gordo was basically abandoned. The previous owners, brothers who inherited the town from their family—the property listing says the town had been owned by the same family for decades—decided to sell it while attempting to keep its history intact, and received a dozen serious offers after announcing the sale in June. The original asking price was $925,000, but Brent Underwood and Jon Bier ended up purchasing it for $1.4 million, the New York Times reports. The entrepreneurs' plan is to revive the town, developing it into a destination while preserving its history. There are nearly two dozen buildings on the property, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, including a church and theater, a general store, a museum, a two-story hotel, an eight-bed bunkhouse, and of course a saloon; in addition to its iconic swinging doors and two pianos, the saloon features a bloodstain underneath three bullet holes on one wall. (The real estate agent tells CNN the town "averaged a murder a week" at the peak of the mining era.) Its caretaker—he's been there 21 years, NBC LA reports, and is currently the only person living in the town—will stay there as buildings are restored. Underwood and Bier plan to move there in August, the Sacramento Bee reports. Among other things, they plan to build an observation deck; Mount Whitney and Death Valley National Park can be seen from parts of the town. "You very much feel like you’re back in time," Underwood says.