Cerro Gordo

How One Entrepreneur Revived a Ghost Town into a Viral Sensation

March 9th, 2025

Founded By
Brent Underwood
Starting Costs
$1
Founders
1
Profitable
Yes
Year Started
1865
Customer
B2B & B2C

Who is Brent Underwood?

Brent Underwood, founder of Cerro Gordo, is an entrepreneur with a passion for history and storytelling, hailing from Tampa, Florida. He has educational credentials in finance and real estate development from Columbia University and previously worked in book marketing alongside notable authors such as Ryan Holiday.

What problem does Cerro Gordo solve?

Cerro Gordo offers adventurous souls an escape from modern monotony by immersing them in the historic allure of a preserved 19th-century ghost town, providing a thrilling and meaningful exploration of a forgotten world, where they can connect with the past in a uniquely dynamic way. ]

How did Brent come up with the idea for Cerro Gordo?

Brent Underwood, inspired by a suggestion from a friend, began exploring the idea of purchasing Cerro Gordo, an abandoned mining town in California. Motivated by a blend of nostalgia and a yearning for adventure, memories of watching old TV westerns with his grandfather sparked his interest in the historical potential of this town. Brent was looking for something that could shake him out of his routine life running a bed and breakfast in Austin.

Enchanted by the idea of bringing life back to a historic site, Brent saw an opportunity to merge his interests in storytelling, history, and hospitality. He dove deep into research about Cerro Gordo, fascinated by its rich past during the silver mining boom of the late 1800s. Faced with no...

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