| Brent Underwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1987 (age 36–37) |
| Occupation | Marketer, Entrepreneur |
| Alma mater | Florida State University Columbia University |
| Notable works | "Putting My Foot Down", "Ghost Town Living" |
Brent Underwood is an American entrepreneur and owner of Cerro Gordo Mines. [1] [2]
After graduating from Columbia University, Underwood worked briefly for an investment bank in New York City. [3] [4] [5] After one month, he quit and backpacked across Central and South America. [6] Upon returning to New York, he founded a hostel in Brooklyn. [7] [8] In December 2014 Underwood founded HK Austin, a hostel in Austin, Texas, with investors including Matthew Kepnes, after staying in 150 hostels across 30 countries. [3] [9] [10] [11] For 2015, HK Austin was the highest rated hostel in the United States. [3] [6] [12] Underwood later became a partner in the marketing firm Brass Check. [4] [13] [14]
In February 2016, Underwood published a photo of his foot on Amazon as a book titled Putting My Foot Down. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] The resulting article in the New York Observer received attention from a variety of media outlets and from authors including Neil Gaiman and Nick Bilton. [13] [20] [21] Underwood was then offered a publishing contract from Thought Catalog to turn Putting My Foot Down into an expanded paperback version. [18] The paperback version received attention from a variety of news outlets. [16] [17] [18] [22] [23] [24] [25]
In July 2018, Underwood purchased the former mining town of Cerro Gordo alongside the Cerro Gordo Mines for $1.4 million with a group of investors. [26] [27] The purchase included over 360 acres and 22 structures. [28] Underwood stated plans to develop the town into an artist destination for tourists and group events, while maintaining the historic nature of the property. [29] [30]
Since March 2020, Underwood has been living at Cerro Gordo full-time [31] and has regular visitors. [32] Visitors have included Jeff Goldblum, Cole Sprouse, G-Eazy, and others. [33] The town's hotel burned down on June 20, 2020, in a fire of undetermined origin but possibly electrical wiring failure, during a heat wave. Underwood has plans to rebuild it. [34] He was isolated there for ten weeks in 2020, unable to leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a heavy snowstorm. [35] As of February 2024, Underwood still resided in Cerro Gordo. [36] His book "Ghost Town Living" was published in March 2024 [37]
In 2024, Penguin Random House published Underwood’s book, Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley, about his time living at Cerro Gordo. [38] The audiobook version of the book was recorded 900 feet underground in Cerro Gordo’s Union Mine. [39]
The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. [40]
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The Cerro Gordo Mines are a collection of abandoned mines located in Cerro Gordo in the Inyo Mountains, Inyo County, near Lone Pine, California. Mining operations spanned 1866 to 1957, producing high grade silver, lead, zinc ore, and more rarely gold ore and copper ore. Some ore was smelted on site, but larger capacity smelters were eventually constructed along the shore of nearby Owens Lake.
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