Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Nevada County, California

Red Dog

Former settlement in California, United States.

Record

About Red Dog

Red Dog was a California gold rush mining town located in the Gold Country in south-central Nevada County, California, United States, 6 mi (9.7 km) northeast of Chicago Park. Red Dog Hill, a mine and campsite, was founded by three men all under the age of 22, and was named by their youngest, a 15-year-old prospector.

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

USGS topographic map around Red Dog
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

14 historic USGS maps cover Red Dog

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 Red Dog

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

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Red Dog, California": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q7304043.
  3. USGS GNIS 265266.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).