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THINGS
TO DO IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
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Randsburg
Living Ghost Town
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By Matthew
Martz |
Randsburg
located just off Highway 395 in the part of eastern Kern
County known as the Rand Area. Travelers will be transported
back in time to the early gold mining days of California
when they visit the Living Ghost Town of Randsburg.
At an elevation of 3,500 feet, Randsburg was at one
time home to nearly 3,000 miners and their families.
When gold was first discovered in 1895, prospectors
flooded the area and quickly formed Rand Camp, aptly
named after the Witwatersrand mining area in South Africa.
With the dramatic increase in the price of gold area
mines now employ over 80 people and work around the
clock. While its unknown what the current production
is for the Rand Mining Company, rumor has is that it
turns out about 5,000 ounces of gold a month.
Although gold fever is no longer the main draw for
visitors, the town still has an invasion of tourists,
mainly from summer travelers passing through the area,
that stop to explore the town's historic past.
Scattered along Butte Avenue in between various dilapidated
structures and historical monuments, including a tiny
jail cell, and rusted out abandoned vehicles crouching
in empty lots like sleeping beasts, are a couple of
antique shops, real western saloon, opera house, a general
store with old fashioned soda fountain-famous for their
"Black Bart" floats-- two small inns, and
the infamous "Joint" where travelers can wet
their whistles at the ultimate hole-in-the-wall with
its Mason jar lamps lighting the outside facade.
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Randsburg Opera House |
All around
the town of Randsburg you see bumper stickers affixed to
various vehicles and business windows reading "Where
the hell is Randsburg?, and the surrounding outhouses are
bedecked with cheesy, hand-painted signs like "Her'n"
and "Hiz'n" or "We Got Our Bailout."
One privy has a TV antenna.
There is also a garage with a school bus
with a Volkswagen bus welded on top, decked out with a
sundeck and flower boxes hanging off the side.
Nearby Historical Marker No. 938, identifies
The Rand Desert Museum, one of the first museums in Kern
County built in 1942. It houses some amazing artifacts
and an outdoor area full of old rusty mining machinery
including a 5-Ton Steam Locomotive used in the Yellow
Aster Mine in the early 1900s.The museum is open weekends
and long weekend holidays, 10:00 AM to 5 PM and is free,
but donations are appreciated.
Besides attracting history buffs, geologist
and rock hounds from around the country, the town is also
a hot bed for off roaders, and attracts thousands every
year who come to explore this creepy little spot on the
map. It's not uncommon to hear the sounds of squeaking
gates with the haunting shriek of an off-road vehicle
far off in the hills.
The area is also teeming with wild life,
and some of the animals that live in Randsburg year-round
are kit foxes, jackrabbits, cottontails, hawks, eagles
and coyotes. The Costa's hummingbird visits during the
summer, while the desert tortoises inhabit the nearby
Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area.
Located about forty miles south of Randsburg
just off the unpaved Randsburg Mojave road. This preserve
is a pristine natural habitat that has been set aside
for the California desert tortoise, and includes an Interpretive
Center, with parking lot, information kiosk, restrooms,
and access to self-guided trails.
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Randsburg Whistle Stop |
Randsbugh Inn & Antiques |
The weather is typical
of the high desert, with summers being hot and dry, reaching
average highs of 110 degrees. However, winter temperatures
can drop as low as 10 degrees with the occasional dusting
of light snow. During the spring the desert wildflowers
are in full bloom with its Primroses, Prince's Plumes, Indigo
Bushes, Lupines and Asters.
Randsburg is located on the west side of U.S. Route 395
between Kramer Junction to the south and Ridgecrest to
the north.
Besides the two inns in town, there are motels in nearby
Ridgecrest, with something for every taste and price range
as well as a couple of campgrounds within a short driving
distance that includes Walker Pass Campground and Red
Rock Canyon Sate Park.
Because there are numerous ghost towns, OHV areas, and
wilderness lands, surrounding the region including Johannesburg
and Red Mountain, Randbsburg is the perfect outdoor recreation
paradise. Next time you take a trip to Mammoth Lakes take
time out to visit the living ghost town.
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Scotty's
Castle smack dab in the middle of Death
Valley National Park. Must see
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China
Ranch is a working date farm near Death
Valley National Park. |
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Cabot's
Museum One of
Southern California's most unusual buildings with
over sixty rooms. |
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Vasquez
Rocks If you are a film and television
buff, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a must
see. |
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