The Chassis Ghost ~3~

 

We slept until we were done and then readied slowly. It was not before 10am that we tumbled into the Sonata. Our first stop today was at a nearby IHOP, another of the (many) fast-food options that had been recommended to me again and again. I forget the exact breakfast I had, but it was large. The usual suspects were on the plate, eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato (?), but I don’t remember if it was one of each or two. I do remember that it came with a side of two pancakes. There was enough food to fill up and take a snack along with me. 

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After about an hour here, we drove through the Mojave Desert for an hour and a half. Zooming across this landscape, I was returned in my mind to the Kyzylkum Desert in Uzbekistan.

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Our goal today was a pair of towns that sprouted during California’s gold rush. I’d be heading to Tombstone in Arizona later, so my historical itch would be scratched there. However, I felt obligated to visit these two because they were named after two South African gold mining towns; Johannesburg and Randburg. This is from Google AI.

In the high desert of Kern County, the Californian "gold rush" at Johannesburg and Randsburg refers to a late-19^th-century boom—decades after the original 1849 rush—that became one of the state's most productive mining eras. [1]

The history of these towns is deeply intertwined with the Witwatersrand Gold Rush of South Africa: [1, 2]

Randsburg: The "Rand" Mining District [1]

• Discovery: In April 1895, prospectors John Singleton, Frederic Mooers, and Charles Burcham discovered a massive gold vein on what they named Rand Mountain.
• The Name: The area was dubbed the "Rand Mining District" because the mineral character resembled the famous Witwatersrand ("the Rand") region in South Africa.
• Major Production: Their claim became the Yellow Aster Mine (initially the Rand Mine), which eventually produced over $25 million in gold at period prices. By 1897, the town was a bustling camp with over 300 buildings and 2,000 residents. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Johannesburg: The "Sister Town"

• Establishment: Founded in 1896, Johannesburg was developed as a more organized, "civilized" support community for the nearby Randsburg mines.
• The Name: It was named by miners who had previously worked in the South African city of Johannesburg.
• Infrastructure Hub: Unlike the chaotic camp of Randsburg, Johannesburg was planned with a grid system and piped-in water. It served as the terminus for the Randsburg Railway, providing a vital transportation link for shipping ore and supplies. [1, 2, 3]

Legacy and Modern Status

• Economic Impact: Together, they fueled a massive production period; the district eventually produced approximately 1 million ounces of gold.
• Living Ghost Towns: Today, both towns are considered "living ghost towns." Randsburg is a popular tourist destination known for its preserved General Store and 1904 soda fountain, while Johannesburg remains a quiet desert community along Highway 395. [1, 2, 3, 4]

 

Johannesburg was really tiny. I was intrigued by the old structures and remnants of gold mining equipment. Erin didn’t seem too at ease. It seemed, perhaps, that the town was inhabited by down-and-outers or possibly people on the outside of society. As an aside, there is a phenomenon in art that is produced by people who lie outside of usual culture, people who didn’t attend renowned schools, people who live in off-the-grid places like Johannesburg. This phenomenon is called “outsider art” and the people are “outsider artists”.

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Down the road, Randsburg was more geared towards tourism. There were adventure tour companies – some quads, some motorcycles. There were restored structures, restaurants, and curio stores; old gold mining equipment peppered the area. As we entered, the valley behind the tin and wooden structures reminded me for some reason of the Blue Nile Canyon in Ethiopia. Randsburg is situated on Rand Mountains, and the valley to the north and west is the Fremont Valley. We stopped first at a candy & curio store, where the proprietor suggested I visit the Liberace Museum, the Haunted Museum, and a museum of cars in Las Vegas.

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Typing now, I had a quick look at the possible connection between these twin towns and the outsider art movement. Here’s what I found.

Outsider art refers to works created by self-taught individuals who have little to no contact with the mainstream art world, galleries, or formal training. Coined in 1972 as an English equivalent to the French term art brut ("raw art"), it typically involves high levels of personal obsession, the use of unconventional found materials, and a lack of concern for artistic trends. [1, 2, 3, 4]

While Johannesburg and Randsburg, California, are primarily known as historic mining "living ghost towns," they do participate in a broader desert culture of vernacular and folk art that overlaps with the outsider art phenomenon. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Outsider & Folk Art in the Rand District

• Yard Art and Assemblage: Randsburg is noted for its "creative and sometimes humorous yard art" created by local residents. Much like classic outsider art, these displays often use "junk" or found objects—old mining equipment, scrap metal, and desert relics—repurposed into personal statements.
• Free Spirits and Independent Galleries: The town serves as a bastion for "free spirits" who express themselves through folk art and independent spaces like the Randsburg Art Gallery.
• The Mojave Context: Both towns sit in the Mojave Desert, a region famous for major "visionary environments" (a key sub-category of outsider art). While not in Johannesburg or Randsburg directly, world-renowned sites like the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Museum in Joshua Tree and Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch in Oro Grande are part of the same desert-wide tradition of "junk dada" and raw creative expression. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

In these communities, the line between "antique collecting" and "artistic expression" is often blurred, as residents use the debris of the 1890s gold rush to decorate their homes and public spaces in highly individualistic ways. [1, 2]

Southern California is still an active mining area. Most of the operations take place in the desert, mountains, and inland counties. San Bernadino County sees the extraction of rare earth elements. Here, too, gold mining continues. Borates are gathered in Boron (within the Mojave Desert). Lithium is mined in the Salton Sea region. Raw materials for industry and construction are produced. Fine gemstones are collected in San Diego County.

After getting our fill of history and “reminiscence”, we headed back the way we’d come. Our route was dotted with majestic Joshua trees. We were now on our way to Los Angeles, but one more stop en route was on the cards. Okay, two more stops. While I’d wanted to pay for all the gas to offset what I owed Erin for the rental, the pump in Johannesburg would not take my card. She put some gas in there to ensure that we made it to the next stop. In Victorville, we tried again. American cards have a 5-digit ZIP code, while my Taiwanese cards do not employ this security function. You tap your card to activate the pump and then tap again when your tank is full. This time my card was acknowledged, but then the pump broke! Erin went in to report it, and the clerk came out with plastic jackets to cover the two pumps in the line we’d stopped at. Oh, lord!

Our attraction in this town was the California Route 66 Museum. If I remember, it was free to enter, though donations were welcomed, and I think I did make one. I liked the displays here, even though they were densely curated. There were a lot of intriguing historical items, not all related to road transportation, which seemed a little odd given the name, but nostalgic, interesting, and oh so American.

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All that remained today was to get dinner and supplies and find our Airbnb. Erin had a hankering for Thai food, and I’m always up for that, so we got on UberEats and placed a pickup order. Not far from the restaurant we chose, My Thai, was a strip mall anchored by Northgate Gonzáles Market. We got water, snacks, and items for breakfast, and then drove to My Thai to pickup dinner. Our Airbnb, in the Whittier neighborhood of LA, was a bit barebones, but it was clean, comfortable and safe. We arrived at 6:30pm and called it a day.

And that was the third day.