Aurora

In its heyday, Aurora was truly a “wild west” town. In 1860, a trio of miners staked their claim—four years later it was a town of 18 mills, newspapers, schools and a hotel. Mark Twain’s book Roughing It, is a memoir of the time he spent living and mining in Aurora before he became a full-time professional writer. Unfortunately, Aurora is not as well-preserved as the nearby ghost town of Bodie, but it still offers some intriguing rubble amidst stunning scenery.