The California town of Bridgeville was sold on eBay for $1,777,877 in 2002 and is now back on the market again. Since its initial sale, the property has changed hands four times, with the current owner seeking a buyer who will continue the vision of developing the town as a self-sufficient community. The town's population is estimated to be around 25 people and features several structures including houses, cabins, and a post office. The asking price for Bridgeville is not specified in the article.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Bridgeville, a small town in Northern California, made history in 2002 when it was put up for sale on eBay.
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it → make → eBay
The 80-acre property attracted 250 bids during a month-long auction, with the highest bid reaching $1,777,877.
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bid → attract → 1,777,877
Now, 24 years later, Bridgeville is preparing to return to the property market.
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Bridgeville → prepare → market
Located along the Van Duzen River, Bridgeville is about 45 miles southeast of Eureka and 26 miles east of Fortuna, according to Realtor.com.
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Bridgeville → locate → Realtor.com
The rural community has an estimated population of only 25 people and is surrounded by redwood trees.
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community → have → trees
The property has gone through several owners since it first gained attention on eBay.
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it → go → eBay
The town was initially listed by its former owner, Elizabeth Lapple, with a minimum bid of $775,000.
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town → list → 775,000
Although the auction attracted strong interest, the winning bidder later backed out after learning about the amount of work the town needed.
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town → attract → work
According to the report, several other potential deals also failed.
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deals → accord → report
Two years later, in 2004, financial adviser Bruce Krall from Orange County, California, bought Bridgeville for $700,000.
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Krall → buy → 700,000
The deal included 10 houses, four cabins, a post office, a cemetery and several other structures.
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deal → include → houses
Krall reportedly wanted to turn the town into a health spa, but later realised he could not afford the restoration work and put it back on eBay in 2006.
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he → want → 2006
New owner had different vision
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owner → have → vision
In 2006, Bridgeville was bought for $1.25 million by Daniel LaPaille, a 25-year-old entertainment manager from Los Angeles.
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Bridgeville → buy → Angeles
LaPaille wanted to give the small town a new direction by developing it as a self-sufficient, off-grid destination.
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LaPaille → want → destination
However, LaPaille died by suicide months after purchasing the property.
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LaPaille → die → property
His family later became the owners of Bridgeville and has continued to look for someone who could take forward at least part of the vision he had for the town.
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he → become → town
“It was all about community for him,” Cindy LaPaille, Daniel’s mother and the current owner of Bridgeville, told Realtor.
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LaPaille → tell → Realtor
She said she hopes the next owner will be interested in building up the local community.
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owner → say → community
“I would like to see somebody who is really wanting to see the community flourish,” she said.
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she → like → somebody
Cindy added that an ideal buyer would be able to live in Bridgeville, something she cannot do because she lives in Southern California.
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she → add → California
The family has received various suggestions over the years about how the property could be developed.
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property → receive → years
The rural Northern California town is surrounded by redwood trees and lies between major highways.
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town → surround → highways
Small community surrounded by nature
Despite its small population, Bridgeville continues to have an active community.
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Bridgeville → surround → community
Residents use the town’s school as a meeting space.
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Residents → use → space
This allows them to stay involved, although the limited space also restricts the types of meetings that can be held.
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that → allow → meetings
They all love community, they all love nature.
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they → love → nature
They probably wouldn’t live out here if they didn’t,” Cindy said.
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Cindy → live → ?
The town also has several fruit trees, including pear, plum and apple trees.
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town → have → trees
Blackberry bushes can also be found across the property.
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bushes → find → property
“We have two resident bears, lots of deer, wild turkey ... if you’re sitting out here, you can always just look across and see something. ...
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you → have → something
We have it all,” Cindy said.
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Cindy → have → it
“I’m told we have a bobcat.
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we → tell → bobcat
But that I haven’t seen.
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I → see → that
The family has also been encouraged to turn Bridgeville into an Airbnb destination to attract people interested in nature.
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family → encourage → nature
Cindy said the family had considered different options but had also tried to keep LaPaille’s original dream alive.
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family → say → dream
“We kind of held out a few times trying to fulfill his dream.
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We → hold → dream
It’s an interesting process here,” she said.
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she → ’ → ?
Going back on the market
Bridgeville has been on and off the market since 2014.
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Bridgeville → go → 2014
Its asking price has never again crossed the nearly $1.8 million mark reached by the winning eBay bid in 2002.
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price → cross → 2002
…and 14 more, not listed.
