A Lively Ghost Town

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Randsburg, a small town on the western edge of the Mojave Desert, hangs on the side of a mountain and is sometimes described as a living ghost town. Like Jerome, Arizona, it retains most of its old west, mining town character while holding on to life. There are shops open on weekends and the General Store, along with a bar called The Joint, stay open on weekdays.

Randsburg is one of a trio of towns that were part of the mining district in the Rand Mountains of Kern County. Gold was first discovered in the area in 1896 and, just as the gold was becoming more scarce, miners discovered silver and tungsten. The mining continues to this day with several mines still producing.

A small amount of tourism contributes to the economy of Randsburg. (I have yet to visit on a weekend when the antique stores and the museum are open.) Many residents still prospect; others work in mining operations nearby. The Rand Mining Company, as well as the Twenty Mule Team Borax Mine in Boron, employ their share of Randsburg residents, while some folks commute to the nearby salt flats, for example.

There is enough to see in town to motivate several trips. However, it is not looking good for my return until after summer is done. June is another surgery month for me, then by July and August no one in their right mind will want to be that close to the Mojave Desert. At least not in my humble opinion.

Don't Stand Near The Shaft

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The photo is another from Randsburg. As you can tell from the sign on the left, this is an open mine shaft. And, it is right smack dab in the middle of town. There really was silver in them thar hills.

Friday was a good news day. The Husband left the house to "just go check a horse's feet" and assured me that he would be home in less than half an hour. An hour and a half later, I called him to see if he was all right and to rib him about that half-hour thing. With a strange note in his voice, he informed me that he had ended up trimming the horse's feet. I was shocked and he seemed a rather surprised himself. The best part is that he said he felt great. No, the best part is that the next day, he still felt great. 

Escaping Late Winter Blahs

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Yesterday, we were both feeling much better after a bout with a bug and decided to get down off our mountain for something other than a medical appointment. We headed northeast before noon. Our destination was Randsburg—one of those innumerable ghost towns in the west that boomed late in the 19th Century when the mines were yielding big money. The current population of the town is eighty and the shops there are open only on weekends. Even though we got inside only one building, there was plenty to see and nothing but sunshine outside. Randsburg deserves another visit.