Ballarat: A California ghost town

Ballarat: A visit to a ghost town

Sunday I wrapped up my weekly zoom satsang and we were back on the road for some excitement. This time three of us. Our son joined my husband and me for an overnight trip. We stopped for brunch in Tehachapi picking up some sandwiches for our dinner because we were heading out to a place where we possibly would not find anything.

We traced the familiar road through the Mojave desert through Spangler hills passing the Searles Valley salt plains on the Trona road. From the plains of Trona this road steeply descends into the Panamint Valley becoming the Trona Wildrose Road. Last time we passed through this area we had seen a sign for a Ghost town named Ballarat but didn’t have time to take the off road. This time our destination was closer to this place so we decided we will stop here and take a look.   

It has an unpaved road called Ballarat Road off the Trona Wildrose Road. There is a historical marker at the turnoff.  About 3.5 miles inside is this Ghost town located at the foothills of the Panamint mountains. The town flourished during the times of Gold Rush in California. Established in 1896 as a supply center for nearby mines it had about 500 residents from 1896 till 1907. An Australian immigrant named it after a gold mining town in his home country. Miners came here for recreation and relaxation after days of rough conditions in the mines. There were 3 hotels, 7 saloons, a school,a post office, a jail and a morgue here at one time. Fortunes of this fun town dwindled away when the neighboring mines closed down operations. The post office closed down in 1917. 

A few people lingered in the town. These are called Desert rats because of their love for the life in the deserts. A notable name amongst such is Frank “ Shorty” Harris who was a prospector( one who went in search of gold deposits). He remained in and out of this town until his death in 1934. A rather notorious link to this town is of Charles Manson and his killer family who stayed at Barker Ranch south of Ballarat. Their old Dodge wagon stands today in front of the General Store and bears their signature stars on it.

The General Store remains open for a few hours each day manned by the 1-2 permanent residents in the area . It bears memorabilia of the golden times. When we went in there was a woman managing the place for that weekend. She said they visit frequently in their trailer because they love the area and help out their friends. I found the place very interesting and well maintained. A clean bathroom was another pleasant surprise. 

Several bikers and ATV riders made their stops at the store and chatted with the lady. There were half a dozen trailers parked nearby. Families coming to spend their time there. 

Ruins of some mud houses, jail and morgue still stand around . We lingered for some time trying to bite on this forgotten part of history before moving on further on that rough road. 

Saree was a most comfortable, handloom red and black cotton Sachipar from Odisha. It has fine checks on the body and ikat work in borders and pallu.

Scroll down for photos taken in the town and inside the general store.