#307 Queen Anne Cottage

The Queen Anne Cottage is the crown jewel of the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. The Cottage was built in 1885 using the Queen Anne Victorian Architectural Style by Elias Jackson 'Lucky' Baldwin. Lucky was a very fortunate California pioneer, investor and real estate tycoon. He moved to San Francisco in 1853 during the Gold Rush and decided the real money was not in gold itself but in food, supplies and lodging for gold diggers.

Lucky used his fortune to purchase a tract of land outside of Los Angeles he divided into lots in the 1880's for the towns of Arcadia and Monrovia. He was considered one of the first equal employers hiring African-American, Native American, Mexican and Chinese workers when most were jobless: though, he paid them considerably less. Lucky built this cottage for entertaining purposes only and can be enjoyed today with a visit to the Arboretum.

 

#301 Scotty's Castle

Scotty's Castle is a Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival architectural wonder in Death Valley National Park. It was created with the vision of Walter E. Scott, famous gold mine con man. Walter convinced Chicago investor Albert Mussey Johnson to invest in his fake mine. The investment turned out to be a fraud but Albert enjoyed Scott's enthusiasm and constructed the property anyway. The National Park Service purchased the property in 1970 and has led tours of the interior ever since which contains all original furnishings.

*Due to a 2015 flood, the castle is currently closed and estimated to reopen in 2019

 

#233 Eureka Mine

Eureka Mine & Harrisburg are the ghostly remains of Peter Aguereberry's famous Death Valley mining camp. He first discovered gold here with his partner Shorty Harris in 1905. Pete would remain here for forty years until 1945. His camp and mining ruins patiently stand against the test of time. A famous 1612 gram Golden Nugget from the mine is displayed at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institute.

 

#202 Julian

Julian is an historic mining town high in the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego. A.E. 'Fred' Coleman was a former slave prior to the Civil War and discovered gold here while passing through in 1869. News of the discovery traveled fast and 100's of prospectors arrived creating a tent city known as the Coleman Mining District. James Madison had other plans for the area when he brought apple trees which thrived in the alpine climate. Julian famously became the apple capital of the world and a slice of Julian Apple Pie can still be enjoyed today.  

 

#183 Randsburg

Gold was discovered in 1895 at the Rand Mine and a camp was soon formed in this remote Mojave Desert enclave. Located near the other boom town of Johannesburg, the two names merged to spell Randsburg. With a population today of about 70, it is a true western ghost town. The famous General Store as well as its charming abandoned sites and sounds make it a must stop along the beautiful Highway 395. 

 

#182 Fort Tejon State Historic Park

Fort Tejon State Historic Park was a United States Army military post established in 1854 to control and protect Native Americans in the area as well as control livestock. The Gold Rush brought about great conflict between miners and Natives. Land disputes began and Native Americans were forced to live on reservations. Efforts for the Civil War was needed out East so the army left after only 10 years. Restored exterior and interior buildings recreate the way of life here 150 years ago. Valley Oak Trees up to 400 years old are also part of the park property.

 

#170 Keeler Ghost Town

Keeler is a ghost town outside of Death Valley National Park in the Eastern Sierra Nevada known as the 'End of the Line'. The Carson and Colorado Railway extended their railroad all the way here during the Gold Rush in 1883. When nearby mining towns went bust, plans to extend the railway further to Mojave fell through and Keeler became the last stop of the line. The once-thriving adjacent Owens Lake was purchased by the city of Los Angeles who stole the entire water supply leaving Keeler high and dry.

 

#98 Calico Ghost Town

Founded in 1881 as silver mining town, Calico Ghost Town is now an attraction in the Mojave Desert. In the 1890's when the silver boom declined and borax was discovered, the population soared to 3,500 and became a thriving desert community. This would end by the turn of the century and by 1907 became a true ghost town. Walter Knott, Knott's Berry Farm Mogul, purchased Calico in the 1950's and restored the town into an attraction with authentic and faux restorations.

 

#83 Oak of the Golden Dream

The Oak of the Golden Dream is the first original discovery of Gold in today's Placerita Canyon State Park. Six years before the California Gold Rush, a man named Francisco Lopez, brother of nearby Mission San Fernando Rey de España, had a dream of Gold while napping under an oak tree. After the dream, he picked wild onions and discovered gold in its roots. It became the first documented gold site in California. Marking the famous March 9th 1842 discovery is the surviving tree and the California Historical Landmark No. 168 Plaque.

 

#78 Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Lake is a four season destination high up in the San Bernardino Mountains. With a population around 5,000 and an elevation of 6,752 feet, Big Bear is the perfect escape where fresh alpine air and recreation await. High up, yet surrounded by deep valleys below, Big Bear is also referred to as an 'Island in the Sky'.

Serrano Native Americans inhabited these mountains for thousands of years and called it 'Yuhaviat' which means 'Pine Place'. They lived alongside wild Grizzly Bears which covered California. The Gold Rush eventually caught up to the region and mining occurred here from 1860 to 1875. In the 1950's, Ski Resorts became the main draw leading Big Bear into the resort destination it is today.