x
Breaking News
More () »

'We socially distance in our own way' | Austin man quarantining in California ghost town

In 2018, Austinite Brent Underwood and several others bought a Central California ghost town. Now, Underwood is quarantining there – alone.

CALIFORNIA, USA — During the COVID-19 pandemic, one Austin man is taking the idea of "social distancing" to a level that some might consider ... scary.

In 2018, Brent Underwood and several others bought Cerro Gordo, a mining-turned-ghost town in Central California, about three hours outside of Los Angeles and about 200 miles west of Las Vegas. 

Now, Underwood is quarantining there – alone.

Underwood is no stranger to unconventional living situations. He owns H.K. Austin, a hostel on Cesar Chavez Street in East Austin. But his isolation in Cerro Gordo hasn't gone completely as planned.

"I thought it was going to be smooth sailing. I was going to come out here and everything was going to be great. I was driving up my truck, got stuck about 500 yards before the town and I had to basically backpack in the rest of the way," he said.

But he's also been having a good time exploring the town.

"Cerro Gordo [is] this kind of sleepy, forgotten mountain town and me, like, just as a lover of history, an American West – the thought that some people could own such an interesting piece of American history is mind-blowing to me," Underwood said.

So, the big question: Has Underwood seen any ghosts in his ghost town?

"I was walking by the bunkhouse to go watch the sunset, and I noticed that the light was on in the living room, which isn't terribly unique. As I looked, somebody opened and closed the curtain," he said. "That just brought me along the scale of, let's say from like, nonbeliever to skeptic. Let's say I was like, well, '[I'll] entertain these ideas of something going on.'"

RELATED: 

The legend of the Littlefield House: Getting to the truth of those haunted rumors

A brief haunted history of The Paramount Theatre

In Other News: Trying to feel drawn somewhere

He said he and the other "souls" that may be staying in Cerro Gordo seem to have found a way to coexist.

Underwood also said he was interested in the town because it was a bigger project than the Austin hostel.

"The reason was I was looking for a hospitality location and that history involved, that was closer to a major city, that was a little bit bigger project than the hostel in Austin. And it's important to me. It's something that I really do believe in deeply. It's something that, obviously, I packed my life in a comfortable Austin apartment to live out here without water for two months at a time because I just loved the idea of having more people able to experience this," Underwood said.

Once the pandemic is over, Underwood plans to turn Cerro Gordo into a spot for tourists.

WATCH: Austin photographer documents history from a distance

PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING:

Austin neighborhood creates task force to deal with large groups cutting between houses to get to greenbelt

Commemorative Air Force Warbird formation flies over Austin on Memorial Day

Videos of packed patio bars cause concern, bar owners say they're doing their best

'It was because of his disability.' Lockhart community rallies for man fired from Walmart

Before You Leave, Check This Out