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Chemung Mine

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Updated October 2017 | By Matthew Christopher

Located near the ghost town of Masonic, CA, the Chemung Mine was founded in 1909 to produce gold and silver ore. 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 10 or so 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 shocked if by "a poltergeist" they mean "teenagers". The only thing haunting the area during my visit was a herd of free range cattle who slowly surrounded the area where we had parked and were making their way to greet us up at the mine when we decided it was time to go.

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