This story originally appeared on our old Tripod site.
The
discovery of gold in Goler Canyon in 1893 brought large
groups of prospectors to the isolated desert area to try
their luck. Within two years the Yellow Aster mine was
producing at the mining camp of Randsburg nine miles to the
southeast, in the Rand Mountains. Water was in short
supply at the higher elevation, so the stamp mills were
located next to Goler, in the wash along the valley floor,
at Garlock. The ore had to be hauled from the mine down
the steep grade to the mill by mule team. The nearest
railroads were the A & P (the Santa Fe) which was 30 miles
to the south, and the Carson and Colorado narrow gauge which
terminated 75 miles to the north as the crows flies, at the
shores of Owens Lake.
As the
Rand Mining District expanded to include Johannesburg and
Red Mountain the need for a railroad became more important.
In May of 1897, J.M. Beckley of Rochester New York, Albert
Smith of New York City, and A. A. Daughter of Los Angeles
incorporated the Randsburg Railway Company. The engineers
recommended that the line start at the A& P junction known
as Kramer, south of the Randsburg mining district. There
would be 29 miles of route with an elevation gain of 1,150
feet. Construction contracts were awarded to Ramish and
Marsh of Los Angeles. The work would begin on October 2,
1897. A train full of laborers came from Los Angeles, and
ten carloads of steel rails were shipped to Kramer. In San
Bernardino, the Santa Fe workshops went to work
reconditioning an engine for hauling supplies.
Construction
The
railroad was set to be completed by December 5th
1897. Early November, 23 miles of line were graded and 16
miles of track were in operation. A delay in shipments of
supplies, and a shortage of ties postponed the opening
date. However by the end of November 1897, passengers were
riding the construction train over 22.5 miles to St. Elmo.
A six mile stage ride completed the journey to Johannesburg
from there.
|
This 1915 USGS map shows the most of the route of
the Randsburg Railroad (then part of the AT&SF) from
north of Kramer Junction to Johannesburg. By the end
of 1933, the railroad was out of business. The
tracks were taken up the following year. |
As the
railroad route began to actually go over the mining area,
surveys showed the track would be laid directly over a
prospect shaft belonging to partners Webb and Wrem.
Unfortunately no one had informed Webb and Wrem of the route
over their claim. Contractors, Ramesh and Marsh did not
let this stop their railroad, however. They waited until
the darkness of night to lay the track right over the
disputed property and directly across the entrance of the
shaft. Once Webb and Wrem became aware of the dilemma, they
organized a gang to tear up the track. The contractors
found out about the plan and met the miners with 12 armed
men. Guards were hired to protect the railroad property,
and trouble ceased. Christmas of 1897 all but track
surfacing and ballasting were done.
Rumors & Speculations
An oil
burning locomotive was brought in to replace the little
construction locomotive. Newspapers claimed the new
locomotive came from the Los Angeles Terminal Railway.
Rumors spread that Randsburg Railway would be linked with
the Los Angeles Terminal Railway through a route to Salt
Lake City. The general manager of Randsburg, Albert Smith,
contributed more to rumors by announcing that his railroad
was completely independent with only a 25 year traffic
agreement with the Santa Fe. Smith declared that the route
would ultimately extend 60 miles into Armagosa Valley and
tap into the Death Valley region. Others speculated that
the builders would continue north to the borax mines at
Searles Lake, and on to the Carson and Colorado at Keeler.
A
principal stockholder, Daughtery, found himself being sued
by a promoter named James Campbell. Campbell claimed he was
to receive shares in the stock for services he had rendered
in arranging financing and contracts for the Randsburg
Railway. Although history does not tell us how this
incident was resolved, the full 28 miles of railroad from
Kramer to Johannesburg was completed. Difficult grades and
other considerations prevented the line from reaching around
the hill to Randsburg. Regular trains did begin operating
to Johannesburg, however, by January 5, 1898. The round
trip of the Randsburg Railway did not properly connect with
the Santa Fe trains at Kramer the first two weeks. January
17, 1898, two daily round trips were provided, with a train
to service Barstow to Los Angeles.
Ore
Hauling
The
town of Barstow boomed when Beckley and associates built a
50 stamp mill on a hillside west of town under the name
Randsburg-Santa Fe Reduction Company. A two thousand foot
spur connected this property with the main Santa Fe line.
As the milling operations began in June of 1898, ore was to
be routed by the railroad directly to the ore bins of the
new mill. This lasted only until February of 1899 when the
130 stamp Yellow Aster Mill opened not far from the mine
at Randsburg.
Passenger Tales
Marcia
Rittenhouse Wynn tells stories of the early days of the
Randsburg Railroad in her book Desert Bonanza, which was
published in 1963 by the Arthur H. Clark Company of
Glendale. She writes of the pranksters who boarded the
passenger train in Johannesburg on Halloween night, without
tickets or particular destination in mind. Both conductor
and engineer played along, carrying the young crowd a mile
or more out on the desert before stopping the train. All
concerned had to walk back along the tracks of the railroad;
even the ladies with their high heels and holding their
skirts up. She also tells of the small pox epidemic of
the winter of 1901-02 which hit Randsburg at Christmas
time. Rather than face quarantine, some patients with light
cases tried to head for Los Angeles or elsewhere on the
train. A notice was posted by town Doctor MacDonald that
no one could leave town by railroad or stage without a
signed health certificate. Each evening the doctor had to
drive by horse to Johannesburg, board the train and walk
down the aisle of the single coach checking for any signs of
the small pox. Ladies tried to cover their faces with veils
to avoid detection, but this only caused the doctor to pay
even closer attention to anyone wearing any type of face
covering. Persons with even the slightest indication of
the smallpox were taken back to Randsburg by a light
delivery wagon known as the Black Maria, and placed under
quarantine after all.
On May
1, 1903, the Randsburg Railway was acquired by the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe as part of their Arizona Division. Ore,
supplies, and passengers continued over the rails until the
economic depression of December 30, 1933 finally halted the
train. By 1934 the tracks were removed. Randsburg Railways
investments in road and equipment during the Santa Fe take
over was close to $850,000. The little railroad didn't have
to worry about operating in the red, yet its net operating
profits under original company ownership were proved
inadequate income for the investment.
Bibliography
Desert Bonanza The Story of Early Randsburg Mojave
Desert Mining Camp
by Marcia Rittenhouse Wynn
The Arthur H. Clark Company (out of print)
Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Volume II:
The Southern Roads
by David F. Myrick
University of Nevada Press