At the base of the Panamint Mountains, well hidden from the main road, lies the remains of a once-thriving hamlet. Ballarat, named after the famous mining town in Victoria, Australia, is now a ghost town. It was prosperous for a few years, from about 1897 to 1905, serving the mining camps of the area which produced a million in gold.
Three miles along a dirt road, we crossed the dry salt lake bed and entered Ballarat. We parked the car by the trading post (which is still in operation and run by the only permanent resident Rock Novak.)
I found this amusing short documentary by The Atlantic, where Rock describes living in Ballarat and his views on the world.
HISTORY OF BALLARAT ghost town
When the Ratcliff Mine opened in Pleasant Canyon, Ballarat was built as a supply post. By 1899 the town had 400-500 residents, a Wells Fargo Station, post office, school, jail, hotels and several saloons. But no church.
The mine closed in 1905, and the residents of Ballarat started moving away. Even the saloons and hotels shut their doors. And when the post office closed in 1917, the town ceased to exist officially.
LAST REMAINING INHABITANTS
A few residents remained. A gold prospector who went by the name Seldom Seen Slim, born Charles Ferge, lived in this desolate town some 50 plus years. Dying at age 80 in 1968, he boasted that he hadn’t taken a bath in more than twenty years because water was so scarce and only showered when it rained, which was once or twice a year. It’s just as well he lived alone – I couldn’t begin to imagine how “Seldom Seen” smelt!
Frank “Shorty Harris“, one of the most famous prospectors of Death Valley, who struck gold in Rhyolite some 86 miles away by road today, was another on and off resident of Ballarat ghost town. “Shorty” died in 1934 in his home at Big Pine, and is buried next to his friend, James Dayton, in Death Valley.
BALLARAT TODAY
Only a few derelict structures remain of the hamlet. The old post office is in ruins, a few other adobes and the wooden building which once served as the morgue as well as a jail. There’s an old graveyard somewhere.
slide show of the jail/morgue
We mooched around for about thirty minutes, even venturing into the trading post which had a small museum of sorts. Desert and mining artefacts are on display, and lots of black and white photos of the town and its former inhabitants, including Seldom Seen Slim.
Slide show of Ballarat ghost town Trading Post
On the wall is the skin of an enormous snake. I wouldn’t have been happy seeing that slithering past me!
Old cars and mining equipment are strewn around, which make for great photo opportunities.
Once owned by convicted murderer Tex Watson, one of the infamous Charlie Manson family members, a 1942 Dodge power wagon sits weathered by the scorching desert sun.
FUN FACT
The key scene from the 1969 film “Easy Rider” of Wyatt tossing his Rolex to the ground was staged in Ballarat.
our TAKE ON BALLARAT
All in all, we both enjoyed our visit to Ballarat Ghost Town and would have liked to have spent more time milling around. It was getting late in the day, and the sun was beginning to disappear behind the mountains. We needed to get to our final destination of the day, Wildrose Campground. Although I guess we could have camped here for the night!
SHORT VIDEO ON BALLARAT GHOST TOWN
BALLARAT GHOST TOWN IN A NUTSHELL
- A 3.5-mile drive from Trona Wildrose Road, along a dirt road
- Free
- Camping is available at $3.00 per night
- Tiny trading post selling a minimal amount of items
- No facilities (that we could see – but no-one was around to ask)
- No cell service
- Wear suitable clothing/footwear
- Temperatures exceed 120 degrees in the summer months
- Take plenty of water with you
- Watch for snakes, scorpions and other bities (we didn’t see any)
- Leave no trace – pack it in, pack it out
- The ghost town is included in the list of Death Valley ghost towns but is a few miles outside of the park.
LOCATION MAP
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