Leadfield

The Roaring '20s, like the 1990s and early 2000s, fueled an age of excess and speculation that set the stage for Leadfield, a town built on dreams of wealth. Lead deposits attracted prospectors to Titus Canyon as early as 1905, but transportation costs for hauling ore to smelters eventually ended mining efforts there. In 1926, promoter Charles Julian constructed a 22-mile-long road in Titus Canyon to Leadfield and his "Jazz Baby" mine. Investors, newspapers, and politicians got caught up in the enthusiasm, driving company stock prices from a dime to $3.30 a share. Leadfield grew to include a café, general store, and post office before it all collapsed in 1927, when allegations of fraud turned it into a ghost town. Left behind as a legacy was a thrilling road.

California · United States