History Facts of Randsburg 

There are Indian petroglyphs that can be appreciated located in the Lava Mountains in the Randsburg area. To get to these simply take the Trona Road half way between Red Mountain and Johannesburg to get to the Steam Wells Road. From the Stream Wells Road you will need to go three miles until you see a road on the left. Here you will need to take the fork left to get to the petroglyphs. For people that have never seen petroglyphs, these ones are particularly interesting and the amount of work that went into them is particularly noteworthy. This district was named for the Rand district in South Africa which was one of the wealthiest in the world and the Yellow Aster Mine was first called the Rand Mine when it was discovered. 

Tales of treasures in Randsburg
Almost all of the known of treasure tells come from the north and east of this area. However it is important that people who are attempting or thinking to go into the Death Valley area be aware of the desert conditions and are well prepared and have experience. There is a story that talks about two men that were loading borax at Searles Lake, when they saw a man stumbling past the flat. They went to see what was wrong with the man and he fell down and collapsed in front of them. The two men’s names were John Searles and Shorty Harris. The lake was named after John Searles and Shorty Harris was known to be one of the most outstanding desert prospectors of the time. This staggering man was given a huge lump of almost pure gold that weighed close to fifteen pounds. The man carrying it died later on because of exposure. This man was said to have been a Chinese man who had been working in a borax mine in Death Valley. Supposedly, this man had had a discussion and fight with his employer and decided to cross the desert without a sufficient amount of food or water. He said to have found the rich ore in a canyon close to the Panamint Mountains.