Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Riverside County, California

Terra Cotta

Unincorporated area in California, United States.

Record

About Terra Cotta

Terra Cotta is a former mining town in Riverside County. It was established in 1887, in the Warm Springs Valley northwest of the town of Lake Elsinore, and later incorporated into the City of Lake Elsinore.

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

USGS topographic map around Terra Cotta
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

18 historic USGS maps cover Terra Cotta

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.

Showing the first 16.

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 Terra Cotta

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Terra Cotta": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Terra Cotta, California": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q7703072.
  4. USGS GNIS 1661558.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).