AllMovie

The mid-19th Century gold rush prompted eager prospectors from across the globe to descend upon the American west in search of a brighter future, but what would become of the countless settlements when the chaos died down and the only thing that remained was dirt and rocks? Some settlements were simply abandoned after all the gold had been dug up, others because there simply wasn't any gold there to begin with. In this documentary, the filmmakers from The History Channel team with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to visit the forgotten villages throughout Montana and northern California that flourished during the gold rush and railroad boom, and were subsequently left to gather dust. At once haunting and strangely beautiful, settlements such as the one in Bodie, California have weathered years of neglect despite being hastily assembled to cash in on a fleeting craze. Expert interviews combine with remarkable archive and location footage to offer an informative glimpse into one of the most remarkable chapters in American history.