Vanderbilt, California
Encyclopedia
Vanderbilt was a short-lived gold mining town
located in San Bernardino County, California
, United States
. It existed between 1893 and 1895. At its peak it may have had a population of about 400 people.
.
, about 40 miles north of Goffs, California
, on the Santa Fé Railway. A mining camp soon was established at nearby Vanderbilt Spring. The discovery of additional gold-rich veins in the fall of 1892 set off a rush to the area.
By January 1893, 150 people were living at Vanderbilt camp, which contained 50 tents, two stores, one saloon, three restaurants, a lodging house, a blacksmith shop, and a stable. A post office was established in February 1893. In May, W. A. Nash was appointed justice of the peace. Rail service
to Manvel, five-miles to the south, commenced that August.
Vanderbilt probably reached its peak in 1894 with a population of about four hundred. The business district contained three saloons; two barbers; a Chinese restaurant and two other eating houses; two meat markets; a stationery and fruit store; one lodging house; two blacksmiths; and three well-stocked general stores. William McFarlane, one of the pioneers of Ivanpah, owned an interest in one of them, in which he ran the post office, and owned a drugstore.
According to Earp Historians, Virgil Earp
, famed brother of Wyatt Earp
who was also involved in the Gunfight behind the OK Corral, owned the only two-story building in this town. It operated as a hotel and saloon, and according to Allie Earp, Church services and Dances were also held inside.
During 1894 two ten-stamp mills were constructed to serve the two principal mines in the district, the Gold Bronze and Boomerang. At nearly the same time the mills were completed, water was struck in the mines. After hitting water, the character of the ore changed, and being unable to recover the gold in the ore, the mills were shut down. By the end of 1895 most businesses were closed and most of the population had abandoned Vanderbilt.
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
located in San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It existed between 1893 and 1895. At its peak it may have had a population of about 400 people.
Location
Vanderbilt was located at 35° 19' 38.20" -115° 14' 59.14" (WGS84), which today is part of Mojave National PreserveMojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...
.
History
In January, 1891, an Indian named Robert Black struck gold ore on the north slope of the New York MountainsNew York Mountains
The New York Mountains are found in northeastern San Bernardino County in California, USA; the range's northeast lies in southeast Nevada. The range lies just south of the small community of Ivanpah, and north of the Lanfair Valley. The mountains are part of the mountain ranges, cones, mountains,...
, about 40 miles north of Goffs, California
Goffs, California
Goffs, an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, is a nearly empty one-time railroad town at the route's high point in the Mojave Desert. Goffs was a stop along famous U.S. Route 66 prior to 1931, when a more direct route between Needles and Amboy was built...
, on the Santa Fé Railway. A mining camp soon was established at nearby Vanderbilt Spring. The discovery of additional gold-rich veins in the fall of 1892 set off a rush to the area.
By January 1893, 150 people were living at Vanderbilt camp, which contained 50 tents, two stores, one saloon, three restaurants, a lodging house, a blacksmith shop, and a stable. A post office was established in February 1893. In May, W. A. Nash was appointed justice of the peace. Rail service
Barnwell and Searchlight Railway
The Barnwell and Searchlight Railway is a defunct 23-mile shortline that operated from 1906 - 1911. The railroad ran from Barnwell, California to Searchlight, Nevada. It was always operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway....
to Manvel, five-miles to the south, commenced that August.
Vanderbilt probably reached its peak in 1894 with a population of about four hundred. The business district contained three saloons; two barbers; a Chinese restaurant and two other eating houses; two meat markets; a stationery and fruit store; one lodging house; two blacksmiths; and three well-stocked general stores. William McFarlane, one of the pioneers of Ivanpah, owned an interest in one of them, in which he ran the post office, and owned a drugstore.
According to Earp Historians, Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
, famed brother of Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
who was also involved in the Gunfight behind the OK Corral, owned the only two-story building in this town. It operated as a hotel and saloon, and according to Allie Earp, Church services and Dances were also held inside.
During 1894 two ten-stamp mills were constructed to serve the two principal mines in the district, the Gold Bronze and Boomerang. At nearly the same time the mills were completed, water was struck in the mines. After hitting water, the character of the ore changed, and being unable to recover the gold in the ore, the mills were shut down. By the end of 1895 most businesses were closed and most of the population had abandoned Vanderbilt.