Masonic, California (ruins)

USA / Nevada / Hawthorne /
 ruins, ghost town
www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/masonic.html

The Masonic District was first founded by miners in 1860, but because of the excitement over in Aurora and Bodie, operations were sporadic and on a small scale until about 1902 when the Pittsburg-Liberty Mine opened. By 1907 a 10-stamp mill and cyanide plant were in operation. The town once had a population of about a thousand souls during its productive years. Activity in Masonic started to slacken off around 1911.

The town of Masonic consisted of three settlements in Masonic Gulch; Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower Town, each about half a mile apart. Because the mine was located some distance from town, which housed the mill, ore was transported via an extensive tram system. It is fortunate for the ghost town visitor that most of the ruins are still here including the tram system.

On Nov. 8, 1905, the first issue of the short lived "Masonic Pioneer" newspaper was printed, quite a crowd gathered to tap a keg of beer, and the cry went out; "KEG'ER PARTY IN MASONIC!"
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic,_California
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°21'42"N   119°7'18"W

Comments

  • Just added the picture of the memorial marker that is located at the site of Masonic. The text on the marker reads: Masonic ------- Although gold was discovered here in 1860, it was not until about 1900 that Joseph Green staked the rich Jump Up Joe Mine. On the forth of July, 1902, J.S. Phillips of Pittsburg, with partners J.M. Bryan and Caleb Dorsey made an exciting find and called it the Pittsburg-Liberty to honor a birthplace and a date. Fraternal background determined the name to be attached to this camp which eventually evolved into three sections known as Lower, Middle, and Upper Town. By 1908, Masonic promised to be one of the major mining camps of the West, but the yellow metal followed no pattern. Rich pockets were found and exhausted; then Phillips' broken body was found at the bottom of a shaft. Was it a slip, or was treachery afoot that night? The ghosts of Masonic have many secrets. Plaque dedicated September 12, 1970 Bodie Chapter of E Clampus Vitus Mono County Board of Supervisors
This article was last modified 9 years ago