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The last "living ghost town" in southern California is the name given our eastern Kern County city. This 120-year-old boom town once had a thriving population of 4,000, in 1919, and was known as the biggest gold mine in California at that time. The quarter mile  main street is lined with many of the original buildings, many which now sell antiques and artifacts along with a general store, saloons and cafes. Randsburg is about 40 miles northwest of Mojave, nestled within the red tinted hills of the Rand Mountain range.

Once each year, on Sept. 20, the little community really rocks as the local residents combined with hundreds of out-of-town vendors and visitors re-create the gold rush boom town days along their main street with the "Old West & Bluegrass Jamboree."

Randsburg is one of California's best known mining towns. With the $700 to $1,000 per ounce value on gold these days, many mines in the area are still being worked, mostly by independent groups or clubs which proves a lot of gold still remains hidden in those red colored mountains. In their active years of mining, these mountains produced more than $25 million of the yellow metal plus an equal amount of silver and tungsten. Scores of  "gold hunter groups" come to Randsburg with their metal detectors, dry washing machines and old fashioned gold pans for a sometimes profitable weekend of outdoor recreation.

Randsburg's history can be reviewed in the many pictures and documents displayed in their great free museum which is loaded with artifacts including a rare narrow gauge steam engine which was used in the famous "Yellow Aster Mine." Also on display is an enormous stamp mill, old mining equipment, tools, wagons and enough relics to keep you interested for hours.

Admission is free so why not bring along the whole family and attend the "Randsburg Old West & Bluegrass Jamboree" for a day of fun? Here's directions for a picturesque drive to Randsburg: Take State Highway 14 north out of Mojave. As you approach Red Rock Canyon, a sign on your right will direct you to Randsburg.