Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Santa Clara County, California

New Almaden

Neighborhood of San Jose in Santa Clara, California, United States.

Record

About New Almaden

New Almaden, known in Spanish as Nuevo Almadén, is a historic community and former mercury mine in the Capitancillos Hills of San Jose, California, located at the southwestern point of Almaden Valley in South San Jose. New Almaden is divided into two parts: the mines and much of their immediate surroundings, including historic ghost town settlements in the Capintancillas, which together form the Almaden Quicksilver County Park; and the largely residential historic district surrounding the Casa Grande.

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

USGS topographic map around New Almaden
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 New Almaden

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 New Almaden

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "New Almaden": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "New Almaden": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q7005296.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).