California ghost town for sale

Bill Davies, 62, who lives near Lake Almanor, Calif., walks past a collapsed structure with his dog in Seneca, Calif. Davies loves this land. He grew up in this area. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Dec. 3, 2013 6:49 PM PT

The road to the abandoned gold mining town of Seneca, Calif. is six miles long, mostly dirt and gravel, snaking along a ridge hundreds of feet above the north fork of the Feather River.

The road ends in a clearing, where a plaque declares that “gold was found in 1851 and a wild mining town was born,” with a nearby post office, hotel, blacksmith and a steady supply of gold-hungry miners.

These days, it’s home to three dilapidated cabins, some sheds, a few old motor homes and a weathered bar called the Gin Mill, where for nearly six decades a tiny woman named Marie Sabin served up beer chilled in a gas-powered refrigerator.

The bar and the surrounding 10 acres are for sale, and what the place lacks in comfort and accessibility it makes up for with a colorful history stretching back to the Gold Rush of the 1850s and the desperate days of the Great Depression.

The allure is owning a remote slice of California that’s in no rush to shake off its rugged past.

The back road to Seneca, Calif., six miles of dirt and gravel above the Feather River. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

A bullet-riddled road sign. “Drunk hunters, probably,” Bill Davies says. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jessica Hurdt of Marysville, Calif., balances on a wet log over the Feather River as she tours the area. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

All that’s left on the property that’s for sale is the bar, dilapidated cabins and a few abandoned motor homes. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Locals, from left, Rich Stewart, 64, a dog named Jojo, Lisa Phillips, 43, Craig Phillips, 54, and Garn Pringle, 67, all of Chester, Calif., talk during an open house in Seneca. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Chris Cartwright, 49, and his wife, who own some nearby resort properties, visit the Gin Mill. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Garn Pringle, 67, left, of Chester, Calif., plays the out of tune piano, as Jan Goodman, right, takes photos inside the Gin Mill. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Tawnia Cartwright, 45, left, of Lake Almanor, Calif., stirs her drink with her finger as property owner Jerry Manpearl, 70, right, of Santa Monica watches from behind the bar in the Gin Mill. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The walls at the Gin Mill are blanketed with business cards attached by visitors from as far as Long Beach. Someone also left a hat, which is fastened to the ceiling. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The road to Seneca ends in a clearing, home to a weathered bar called the Gin Mill. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Jerry Manpearl, 70, of Santa Monica is co-owner the Gin Mill bar in Seneca. He held an open house in hopes of selling the property. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Emily Roberts of Colusa, Calif., holds her dog as she walks out the back door of the Gin Mill. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Leaves have fallen through the collapsed roof of one of the abandoned structures in Seneca. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Pine needles pile up on the windshield of an abandoned motor home in Seneca. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The ghost town of Seneca has captured the imagination of many, thanks to an ad on Craigslist. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The outside walls of the Gin Mill are covered with visitors’ business cards and crusted fire protection gel. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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California ghost town for sale

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