Click here to find out why it's all falling apart on the new Abandoned America podcast!ABANDONED AMERICAHOMEPODCASTGALLERIESSHOPSOCIAL MEDIAMAILING LISTETCChemung MineView a slide show of this portfolio hereUpdated October 2017 | By Matthew ChristopherLocated near the ghost town of Masonic, CA, the Chemung Mine was founded in 1909. It was reputedly a good producer of gold (although the area was consistently overshadowed by the mining operations in Bodie), but legal issues were a constant problem. Torn down and rebuilt three times, the structures were eventually abandoned in 1938, and the 20 men remaining at work there lost their jobs. By the 1950s the nearby town of Masonic was abandoned also, leaving Chemung to fade quietly into the dust.Currently, Chemung is supposedly haunted by a poltergeist that makes trouble on Saturdays, although in this case I wouldn't be...rked and were making their way to greet us up at the mine when we decided it was time to go.To view more of this site click on an image in the gallery below; use arrow keys to navigate.Join us on Patreon for high quality photos, exclusive content, and book previewsRead the Abandoned America book series: Buy it on Amazon or get signed copies hereSubscribe to our mailing list for news and updatesAbandoned America: Dismantling The DreamBy Matthew Christopher (Hardcover)$27.99$39.95Rated 4.7 out of 5 by 182 reviewers on Amazon.comBuy NowFollow us:Return to: ABANDONED INDUSTRIAL SITES or Abandoned America Photography GalleriesTwitter Facebook InstagramRSS: BLOG© Copyright Matthew Christopher Photography LLC 2004-Present. All rights reserved. "Abandoned America" is a registered trademark.View our Privacy Policy hereLast updated: 25th July 2022Total views: 72971244Powered by Photium635Shares Share Tweet Pin Email ShareAN ELITE CAFEMEDIA TRAVEL PUBLISHER

Located off the Masonic Road between Bridgeport, CA and the Masonic town site, are the remains of the Chemung gold mine.  The Chemung gold mine operated from from 1909 to 1938 and produced over one million dollars in gold.  In the 1920s, the Chemung mine was producing low grade and high grade ore.  The ore was processed onsite, and then shipped to near by Bodie for smelting.

In around 1900, Stephen “Steve” Kavanaugh was hired to dig a gold vein that ran along what would later be named Kavanaugh ridge. He established the Chemung Mine, which he named after his hometown in Illinois, but did not receive a share in the mine’s profits.