Mystery Buyer Snags Iron Mine Ghost Town For $22.5M

JOSHUA TREE, CA — The abandoned Eagle Mountain iron mine and surrounding properties were sold in April for $22.5 million, but little is known about the company that paid so much for a ghost town bordering Joshua Tree National Park, according to documents obtained by SFGate.com.

The buyer, Ecology Mountain Holdings, LLC, is linked to trucking, asphalt, and mining through its registered buyer. The company has not responded to Patch inquiries for more information about what is planned for the old mine and surrounding properties.

Will the old mine be revived?

The Riverside County Surface Mining Operations Environmental Project Manager told Patch that no requests for permits have yet been filed for this property.

USGS satellite photos, show a clear picture of the former mine and the rows of empty homes, a bowling alley, stores, and schools that once made up the small town of Eagle Mountain.

Abandoned in the 1980s — still fresh in former resident's memories.

Approximately 3,800 people once lived and worked here, according to a website dedicated to the memory of living in Eagle Mountain.

"During its prime, the small community sported many amenities which included: green grassy yards, tree-lined paved streets (with sidewalks), three public schools, several churches, playgrounds, swimming pools, a recreation hall, U. S. Post Office (Zip Code 92241*), a gas station and a small shopping center," according to the site.

The ghost town is backed by strip-mined hills, old leech fields, and slag piles of rock stripped of their ore that once provided iron pellets for manufacturing purposes.

Eagle Mountain's a film star.

Since the mine's closure and exodus of residents, the site has been the site of dystopian movie sets, most recently "Tenet." Its abandoned train tracks can be seen in "Stand By Me," and the barren wasteland of the area is recognizable in the Keanu Reeves film "Constantine." A complete list of features is available on IMDB.com.

The President of the Greater Palm Springs Film Office told the LA Times they had contacted the new owners. The plan is to "continue to operate as normal," film office president Lee Vincent told reporters.

Curious ghost-town hunters who have shared their experiences in multiple Youtube videos.