Red Dog, ghost town in Nevada County, California
Red Dog is a former mining town in Nevada County that exists today as a ghost town. The site includes a cemetery located about a quarter mile away with old headstones and iron fencing, along with scattered building foundations that mark where the settlement once stood.
Red Dog began in the early 1850s as a gold rush settlement and took its name from a zinc mine named by a young 15-year-old prospector. The town suffered multiple destructive fires in 1859 and 1862, which the residents rebuilt after, but eventually heavy rains damaged the water systems that powered the mines, leading to the town's decline by the late 1860s.
Red Dog was originally a settlement built around the hopes and work of miners seeking fortune in the hills. The remaining cemetery reflects the diverse backgrounds of those who came from various places to build lives in this small community.
Visitors can walk through the remains of Red Dog and the nearby cemetery on foot, following paths once used by miners. Wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for uneven ground and old structures, as some areas are fragile and certain parts are off limits to protect the historical remains.
Mark Twain visited Red Dog in 1866 to give a lecture, and it was at this event that he was introduced publicly as Mark Twain for the first time. This visit shows that even small remote mining settlements attracted notable figures and had connections to larger cultural happenings.
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