Tumco, California, Imperial County, is a fascinating ghost town with a rich history tied to the late 19th-century gold mining rush. Located in the arid landscapes of Imperial County, Tumco once thrived as a bustling mining settlement but is now a silent reminder of California’s gold rush era. Below is detailed information about the town.
County: Imperial County
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 32.8036° N, 114.8397° W
Elevation: Approximately 299 feet (91 meters)
Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Established: The town was established in the late 1890s when gold was discovered there.
Disestablished: Tumco was largely abandoned by 1905, with minor resurgences in the following decades before being completely deserted.
Comments: Tumco, originally known as Hedges, was one of California’s earliest gold mining areas. The town’s name is derived from “The United Mines Company,” a nod to the mining company that played a significant role in its development.
At its peak, Tumco supported a population of about 500 people and included amenities such as a post office, saloons, and a school.
Remains: Today, visitors can explore the remnants of Tumco, which include old foundations, mining equipment, and tailings piles. The site is part of the Tumco Historic Townsite and offers interpretive signs that provide insights into its past.
The desert landscape has preserved these remains, giving a glimpse into the life of a mining town.
Current Status: Tumco is a ghost town with no permanent residents. It is accessible to the public and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management as a historical site. Hedges began as the Gold Rock mining camp, which grew up around the Gold Rock Mine discovered by Peter Walters in 1884.
He soon thereafter sold out to developers who renamed the mine the Golden Cross in 1892. In 1893, Golden Cross Mining and Milling Company began a development program,m bringing in a stamp mill to work the ore in the local mines. The camp grew into a town amidst the mines, named Hedges, in honor of the firm’s vice president C. L. Hedges.
The town was renamed Tumco in 1910, for The United Mines Company, the company that bought the Gold Cross mining company from its previous owners. The Tumco Mine operated from 1892 until 1917, and again from 1937 until 1942.
The town in the late 1800s had a population of several thousand by 1942 it only had 30.
Remarks: Tumco poignantly reminds us of the boom-and-bust cycles typical of mining towns. Its history emblematic of the challenges and opportunities of the gold rush era.
Today, it attracts history enthusiasts, curious travelers, and those yearning to experience the freedom of exploring California’s desert ghost towns. Gold mining had been going on in the western Cargo Muchacho Mountains by the Spanish in the early 1780s. The Yuma Revolt ended mining there until the Mexicans returned to the area after 1823.
Mexican miners prospected and mined there before 1848, the name of the mountains date from this period. Mining was conducted mostly by Sonoran miners familiar with dry washing techniques and using arrastras to extract gold from the ore taken from small mines scattered across the mountains.
Lt. Williamson’s Pacific Railroad exploration party, passing the mountains in 1853 reported seeing several quartz veins from three inches to a foot or two in thickness. Despite this report, no American miners began large-scale development of the mines until the Southern Pacific Railroad passed by the location to Yuma in 1877.
Ogilby a railroad stop was founded nearby in 1877 and became the rail-head and supply point for the mines and camps in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains.
