Record
About Burrell
Burrell, California was an early settlement in Santa Cruz County near the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-southeast of Wrights. It was named for Lyman Jabez Burrell, who settled there in the early 1850s.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Burrell, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Burrell is

Historic maps
12 historic USGS maps cover Burrell
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1916 New Almaden sheet, 1:48,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1919 Los Gatos sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1919 New Almaden sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1940 Los Gatos sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1943 Los Gatos sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1947 San Jose sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1955 Laurel sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1956 San Jose sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1962 San Jose sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1966 San Jose sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1978 San Jose sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1996 Laurel sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Burrell
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our California index.
- Wrights1.5 mi NW · Santa Clara
- Laurel2.0 mi W · Santa Cruz
- Patchen3.1 mi NW · Santa Clara
- Glenwood3.2 mi W · Santa Cruz
- Holy City3.6 mi NW · Santa Clara
- Clems4.0 mi SW · Santa Cruz
- Lexington and Alma6.1 mi NW · Santa Clara
- New Almaden7.1 mi NE · Santa Clara
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Burrell, California": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q5000396.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).