Ballarat, California

Sitting at the base of the Panamint Mountain Range, Ballarat began in 1897 as a supply point for the mines in the canyons of the Panamint Mountain Range. The main mine supporting the town was the Radcliffe in Pleasant Canyon just east of town. Between the years of 1898 and 1903, the Radcliff would produce 15,000 tons of gold ore. Ballarat was named after an Australian gold camp by one of its first residents, an Australian immigrant named George Riggins. It was in the original Australian town of Ballarat that the first gold was discovered in that country in 1851.  It was also there that the largest gold nugget in the world was found, weighing in at almost 143 pounds. Perhaps the first settlers of the "new” Ballarat thought the name would bring them luck. Just a year after the town was established, it boasted some 500 residents, even though they were forced to face extreme weather and the barren land offered little more than sage brush. Summer highs often reached 120 degrees and during the winter, it was bitter cold. Though virtually everything needed for survival, including water, timber and food, had to be brought in, sometimes from great distances, these hardy pioneers persevered. The settlement, built of adobe bricks, soon sported seven saloons, three hotels, a Wells Fargo Station, post office, school, a jail and a morgue, but not a single church. This wasn’t that kind of town. Wild and wooly, the settlement was where the miners went to blow off some steam and relax after a hard day in the mines. With a large population of men, the settlement catered to them, providing a number of "painted ladies” for their enjoyment. The town was also home to several legendary desert figures including Frank ”Shorty” Harris, "Seldom Seen Slim,” and Wyoming gambler and gunman Michael J. "Jim” Sherlock. The town began its demise when the Radcliff Mine suspended operations in 1903. Soon afterwards, other mines began to fold as the gold played out. In 1917, the post office closed and the only remaining residents were a few die hard prospectors, including Shorty Harris, who lived there off and on, until his death in 1934. In the 1960’s, a man named Neil Cummins bought the private land east of Ballarat, hoping to create another Palm Springs. He built a cinder-block store and set up a trailer park with electrical hookups. However; his attempt to turn Ballarat into a tourist spot failed and he finally gave up in 1988."Seldom Seen Slim" was the last old time prospector to live in Ballarat. Seldom called by his real name of Charles Ferge, he was often asked if the was lonely in the remote ghost town, to which he would reply: "Me lonely? Hell no! I'm half coyote and half wild burro." Slim died in 1968, and those words he spoke so often were inscribed on his tombstone, which stands in Ballarat’s cemetery. Today, this lonely ghost town still sports a couple of full-time residents and the little store is open most afternoons and weekends. Today, Ballarat has one full-time resident. As of June 2013 Rocky Novak and his dogs, Potlicker and Brownie, live in the town. Rocky runs the general store on afternoons and weekends to supply tourists, and is working on repairing the water pipes that supply the town, for which he is paid by the government. Every summer, a woman named June and her son move into the former jailhouse/morgue.Though the land is privately owned, visitors are welcome. Four-wheeling is the most popular activity, but for those who like to sightsee, the scenery is stunning and virtually unmarred by human signs. Most of the Ballarat’s adobe buildings have returned to the earth, but some crumbling walls and several foundations can still be seen, as well as a number of old miners’ cabins and other tumbling shacks.
Jim's Big Ego – The Ballad Of Barry Allen  – They're Everywhere!
Modest Mouse – King Rat Modest Mouse – No One's First, And You're Next EP
Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball, same
Bruce Springsteen – Shackled And Drawn – Wrecking Ball
Shannon and The Clams – Rat House
Dean Martin – I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - 2002 - Remastered The Rat Pack – Christmas With The Rat Pack
The Walkmen – The Rat  – Bows + Arrows
Burl Ives – The Ugly Bug Ball Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman – The Sherman Brothers Songbook
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Rat Race  – Songs Of Freedom
Janis Joplin – Ball And Chain - Live  – Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits
Patty Griffin – I Smell A Rat  – Downtown Church
P!nk – Crystal Ball  – Funhouse
Queen – Great King Rat  – Queen 40 Limited Edition Collector's Box Set
They Might Be Giants – Lucky Ball And Chain  – Flood
Naked Raygun – Rat Patrol  – Throb Throb
Rolling Stones- Claudine
Claudine Longet - Snow
Commander Cody - Hot Rod Lincoln
They Might Be Giants - You'll Miss Me -Lincoln
Statesboro Revue - Half Mile to Lincoln - Ramble on Privilege Creek
Roky Erikson - Song to Abe Lincoln - Gremlins Have Pictures
Asleep at the Wheel - Big Balls in Cow Town - Hot Rod Lincoln
Uncle Earl - Booth Shot Lincoln - She Waits for Night
Bob Newhart - Lincoln