Ballarat (Ghost Town) — Local services in Ridgecrest

This place is a real trip. We drove in and nary a person in sight. The wife wanted a bathroom, and there was a sign directing her there. Given the location and the general decrepitude of the place, it was with some trepidation that she headed to the back of the general store. In the meantime I went up to the door of the store which was unlit and empty of people, and was shocked to find that it was unlocked. So I went in, and found a most interesting place. Lots of junk, memorabilia, and photos. On the store sat a jar with some money in it and a sign that requested donations. Suggested $2.00 per car. On a counter top was another jar to put money in for cold drinks. I opened the cooler and took not of the fact that it had sodas and beer in it. They were all sitting in warm water. I think there was a sign with prices for the drinks. Still no human presence. Moving into a little alcove off of the main room, there was a rack with tee shirts and sweat shirts with the Ballarat name on them. Also with a jar for payment. And, then there was a little cabinet with all manner of nostrums that a traveler might need. Aspirin, sun block, etc. The wife returned with a bathroom report and said it was pretty clean. And, like everywhere else, they requested a donation for its use, which seemed quite reasonable given the location----miles from anything. Eventually a fellow did appear who was quite friendly and claimed to be a part owner of the town. He answered our questions and told us some history. An interesting experience to...

Visited in April 2015. Ballarat was founded in 1897 and served as a vital supply point for nearby mines. During its peak from 1897 to 1905, it had 400 to 500 residents, saloons, hotels, and more. However, the town declined after mines closed. Ballarat was home to Seldom Seen Slim (Charles Ferge), who lived there from approximately 1918 until his death in 1968. Slim was known for his eccentric lifestyle, claiming not to have bathed in twenty years except for sloshing water on his naked body while standing outdoors. He resided in a Volkswagen and a house trailer after the town’s last adobe building became uninhabitable. Slim’s final resting place was Ballarat’s boot hill, where he famously said, “Just bury me where the...

This is a tourist trap. It's definitely not worth the 5-mile drive to it. All you see is a building ( not old) that a resident turned into a tourist gift shop, calling it a general store. Around it there are carcasses of rusting cats, and of ranching equipment. One restored cabin raised on pieces of concrete claims to be the old jail. That's another adobe wall nearby. That's it, unless you count the sign that had historic information and was defaced and now advertised free beer and had some silly text meant to be humorous. Your better off testing the info on two of the three plaques on the main road. These are legit and...