Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Yolo County, California

Cottonwood

Former settlement in California, United States.

Record

About Cottonwood

Cottonwood is a former settlement in Yolo County, California, United States. It was located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Madison, at an elevation of 164 feet.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Cottonwood, 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 Cottonwood is

USGS topographic map around Cottonwood
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

11 historic USGS maps cover Cottonwood

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.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

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 Cottonwood

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our California index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Cottonwood": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Cottonwood, Yolo County, California": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q5175785.
  4. USGS GNIS 1662264.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).