White Mountain City, California facts for kids

White Mountain City (WMC) is a ghost town located in Deep Springs Valley in Inyo County, California. It sits at the entrance of Wyman Canyon, on a dirt road east of CA-168, close to the Nevada border. Today, White Mountain City is mostly just old ruins.

History of White Mountain City

Most of what we know about White Mountain City comes from just one letter. This letter was printed in a newspaper called The Sacramento Union on March 28, 1864. The letter talked about mining in the area. It said that Lieutenant W.A. Oliver planned the town, and L.F. Cooper surveyed it. When the letter was written, some buildings were already built, and more were being constructed.

The Mystery of the Letter

The person who wrote the letter, known only as "D.Q.C.", claimed they visited WMC. They said they wanted to see the "Deep Spring precinct" because of a big election issue from two and a half years before. An early historian, W.A. Chalfant, believed this letter. He thought WMC was where some election problems happened. He also believed the town existed as early as 1861, when these problems supposedly took place.

However, the letter might not be completely true. If you look closely at what people said during the election investigation, it seems the letter was misleading. The election problems were actually about a place called "Big Springs precinct," not "Deep Spring precinct." Also, "Big Springs precinct" was said to be a mining camp far away, not White Mountain City.

Was White Mountain City Real?

Many people, mostly prospectors (people looking for gold) and suppliers, gave information during the election investigation. Not one of them ever mentioned White Mountain City. Prospectors said the only building in the White Mountains was a small cabin. They also said the closest place to get supplies was a town called Aurora, not White Mountain City. This makes it seem like White Mountain City might not have been a real, active town at all.