Entire Gold Mine Town in Australia Listed for Sale

Belden, a historic California Gold Rush settlement in the Sierra Nevada, is on the market for $4.75 million, with a buyer effectively taking over a working community. The listing includes a riverside lodge, restaurant and bar, forest cabins, a swimming area and a former schoolhouse, plus private access along the Feather River. The sale would also include 15 residents, the town’s history, and the possibility that more gold remains underground. After 56 years, the longtime owner, 87-year-old Ivan Coffman, is ready to hand over the property. Coffman found gold in 1970 while prospecting near Yellow Creek and the Feather River, later buying Belden in 1989 as the camp declined from its earlier peak of about 1,000 people.