Forgotten Destinations: Ballarat: Death Valley Ghost Town

Article and photography by Natasha Petrosova

Ballarat is located at the western entrance of Death Valley at the base of Panamint Mountain Range. Ballarat started in 1897as a supply point for the mines in the canyons of the Panamint Mountain Range. The main mine supporting the town was the Radcliffe in Pleasant Canyon just east of town. Radcliffe produced 15, 000 tons of gold ore between years of 1898 and 1903.

Ballarat is named after Australian gold camp by Australian immigrant and one of the earliest residents, George Riggins. Ballarat in Australia was a town where the first gold was found in that country in 1851. Perhaps settlers of "new" Ballarat in United States, California thought the name will bring them luck and it really did. It was here, in Ballarat, CA where the world's largest gold nugget was found, weighing almost 143 pounds. California - The Golden State was truly living up to its nick name.

A year after the town was established it had almost 500 residents . Ballarat residents were forced to live in extreme weather conditions with a summer temperature reaching 120 degrees and bitter cold winters. At this remote location, everything that needed for survival had to be brought in from great distance including water, food, and timber. Pioneers then had to preserve the goods for as long as they could.

The settlement was built from adobe bricks and soon the town had seven saloons, three hotels, a Wells Fargo Station, post office, school, a jail and a morgue. But it was no a single church ever built in this town. It was not that kind of town. Wild and wooly, the settlement was where the miners went to blow off some steam and relax after a hard day in the mines. With a large population of men, the settlement catered to them, providing a number of "painted ladies” for their enjoyment.

The town was also home to several legendary desert figures including Frank ”Shorty” Harris, "Seldom Seen Slim,” and Wyoming gambler and gunman Michael J. "Jim” Sherlock.

In 1903 Radcliff Mine suspended its operations and the towns start fading into history. Soon afterward, other mines began to fold as the gold played out. The post office closed in 1917 and the only remaining residents were a few die-hard prospectors including Shorty Harris, who lived here on and off until his death in 1934.

In the summer of 1904, Harris partnered with a man named Ernest "Ed" Cross and on August 9th, they discovered the Bullfrog Mining District. The way the story is told as two partners were to head out for a day, Ed was cooking breakfast when one of Shorty's mules took off . Shorty run chasing after the mule , he stubbed his toe on a rock and fell down. As he was getting up, he looked around before letting out a yell: "There it is, the strike of the century! Forget the breakfast Eddie, let’s get to a Goldfield and get this assayed!" "Incredibly, the ore samples came back to be worth $3,000 per ton and Shorty wasted no time going to the saloon to celebrate. While Shorty is on a binge for almost a week, Ed was working on lining up a sale for the mining rights. Unfortunately, Shorty would come out on the "short-end" of this great find as while he was "celebrating," he gambled away his share for $1,000 and a mule to a man named J.W. McGaliard. His partner Cross, however, joined with McGaliard and formed the Original Bullfrog Mine. Later, Ed sold his share for $25,000 and he and his wife bought a big ranch in Escondido, California".

Shorty continued to prospect for the rest of his life, though he never had a mine he could call his own. After being ill for a while , Shorty died in 1934 at the age of 78 in his cabin at Big Pine, California.

Perhaps Ballarat's the most legendary prospector that touched a lot of Americans hearts was Seldom Seen Slim. Can you imagine living in a deserted ghost town in a Mojave desert without water and electricity? Can you imagine living in a place that once was referred as " suburbs of hell"? Who would want to live here ? Well, one man did . His name was Charles Ferge, aka Seldom Seen Slim. Slim was a prospector who lived and worked his claims in Ballarat for over 50 years.

Seldom Seen Slim was not an ordinary man. He found peace and joy in solitude in the desert. He was a prospector who was always seeking the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I don't know who came up with a name "rainbow chaser" but that what Slim was. Slim focused on his mining claims. The comfort afforded by society were no interest to him . He did not care about material wealth. Slim just needed enough money to maintain his life style as a desert prospector in order to buy food, tobacco , gas for his car, water, and some cloth.

Slim was about 32 years old when he came to Ballarat in 1914 before the town became deserted. Ballarat became Slims home . He had a whole town to himself. At one point or another , Slim lived in every abandoned building in Ballarat. One time there was a fire and it burned some buildings including the one Slim was living in . Slim decided to roughed it for a while and eventually got himself a trailer to live in. In reply to the common question of whether he got lonely living in the desert, his response was “Me, lonely? Hell no! I‘m half coyote and half wild burro.”

There used to be a water in Ballarat , but the water table had dropped and the water had dried up. So Slim had to go 30 miles to Trona to bring water back to his camp. Seldom Seen Slim was living without water or electricity for years. He would tell his visitors that he bathed twice a year in Trona and that the rain water keeps his skin soft. Even though Slim enjoyed his solitude he also loved his visitors. He acted as unofficial curator of Ballarat telling visitors the stories and showing them around the town.

One question that everyone would like to know is how Slim made money? No one knows for sure if Slim had money when he arrived to Ballarat. Slim says that he was an orphan and had no people. His early years are undocumented . Slim made some money from what he produced from his mining claims. Mines in the area had produced money for some of the larger operations. What Slim produced from his own claims is unknown. In later years, he made some money selling rock samples to tourists and rock hounds. He even sold photos of himself, as he had become quite the celebrity over the years.

"As the sole resident of a ghost town and a true character of the wild west, Slim became the subject of many articles. Harry Oliver, also a “desert rat,” published a pocket newspaper called Desert Rat Scrap Book. It was published four times a year and it became so popular that he gained international subscribers. Readers enjoyed Oliver‘s colorful descriptions of desert living. Slim was a regular celebrity in the Desert Rat Scrap Book. His infamous sayings and singular lifestyle fascinated readers. Slim was one of the poster boys for all desert rats and old-time prospectors. He represented both freedom and adventure to those who read about him. When tourists and rock hounds met Slim they wanted their photo taken with him. They wrote stories about him and they told stories about him. He captured the attention of everyone who crossed paths with him".

Slim was a simple man who led a very simple life. he never aimed to be rich and never tried to do anything specific to be famous. He just lived the life the way he wanted to. It was this very act that brought him popularity and fame. The U.S. Department of the Interior even named a peak in the Panamint Mountains in honor of Slim, calling it Slim‘s Peak. Slim loved to share his stories and experiences with visitors . He died from cancer in 1968 at the age of 86. Seldom Seen Slim was what one may call a living window to the past .

Seldom Seen Slim, photo courtesy http://www.desertusa.com/desert-people/seldom-seen-slim.html

In the 1960’s, Neil Cummins bought the private land east of Ballarat. He was hoping to create another Palm Springs , a tourist spot . He built a cinder-block store and set up a trailer park with electrical hookups. His attempt to turn Ballarat into a tourist spot failed and in 1988, he finally gave up.

Today most Ballarat's building returned to earth, but some are still standing including Ballarat's jail and morgue. As of July 2009 Ballarat's sole full-time resident is Rocky Novak. Rocky lives on a site in his generator-powered home and runs a general store to supply the tourists and he is working on repairing water pipes that supply the town for which he is paid by the government. We met Rocky while visiting Ballarat. He is very friendly , he loves to show around the town and tell the stories. Rocky told us that every summer a woman named Jun and her son stay in former jail/morgue. It is rented to visitors for $5 a night. Rocky told us that some couples spend a night in a jail/morgue on Halloween night and later tell a funny story to their friends about spending a night in a mourge. Are you a couple looking for adventure? This could be a very spot for you too.

Ballarat is used today as a meeting point for four-wheel drive expeditions into the area and in winter up to 300 people camp in the grounds of the town. This is a place to see and visit if you are up for an adventure.

References:

Seldom Seen Slim aka Charles Ferge: The Unofficial Curator of Ballarat Ghost Town by Lynn Bremner:http://www.desertusa.com/desert-people/seldom-seen-slim.html

CALIFORNIA LEGENDS Ballarat - Death Valley Ghost Town

: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-ballarat.html

Nevada Legends: Frank "Shorty" Harris Single blanket jackass prospector: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/nv-shortyharris.html