Submerged Ghost Town of Monticello Lies Beneath Lake Berryessa After 1950s Dam Project

In one outlet century, Monticello grew along Putah Creek in Napa County, supporting farms, schools, a rodeo and about 300 residents. When the state advanced the Monticello Dam project in the late 1940s, the government purchased the valley, evicted families and burned structures to avoid hazards before flooding began. Completed in February 1957 at a cost of $47 million, the dam created Lake Berryessa, submerging the town and its historic stone bridge.

During droughts, exposed foundations give divers a glimpse of the lost settlement, while the photographers Dorothea Lange and Pirkle Jones captured its final days; their work, known as “Death of a Valley,” has been archived online by UC Santa Cruz. The original cemetery was moved to Spanish Flat, where former residents gather each Memorial Day, keeping the memory of Monticello alive despite its disappearance beneath the lake.