The Golden State
A Real-Estate Boomlet in the Mojave Desert
It’s a brisk day in Johannesburg, a tiny mining town tucked among the Rand Mountains in the Mojave Desert. The landscape is vast and rugged, a mish-mash of rock, dirt, and creosote bushes, swaths of gray and brown under a deep blue sky. The terrain appears completely untouched by man, but a closer look reveals dozens of cavities pocked across the rolling hills. They look like monster snake holes.
Abandoned Mines and the Modern Gold Rush
Those curious holes are abandoned mines, and they’re driving a real-estate boomlet in a place that hasn’t had one in more than a century. As the price of gold climbs, the demand for Randsburg’s craggy land has been reawakened.
The Market is Heating Up
"The market is heating up," said David Treadwell, a real estate agent based in Hemet. "I get 2-3 leads per month on buyers looking for patented mine claims. If you can get the gold out of the ground, there’s money to be made."
From Patented Mine Claims to Placer Mining
Treadwell has carved out a niche for himself in the desert, selling multiple gold mining properties over the last few years. He helped his uncle sell a 47-acre gold mining property in 2017, buying ad space in a local mining journal to spread the word.
The Discovery of Gold
The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 is one of the defining moments in California history, with roughly 300,000 forty-niners flocking here to make their fortune from the U.S. and abroad. California became a state by 1850 — the genesis of its evolution into the fifth-largest economy in the world.
The Modern Gold Rush
While most of the mining took place in Northern California and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Southern California experienced smaller, more disparate gold rushes in the following decades — in places like Big Bear, Azusa Canyon, Silverado Canyon in Orange County, the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego County, and the Picacho District in Imperial County. One of the largest was in the Rand District in Kern County, where gold was discovered in 1895.
The Golden State Today
California led the nation in new gold discoveries last year, and a total of 10,373 gold-bearing locations have been unearthed in the Golden State, according to an analysis of U.S. Geological Survey data by SD Bullion.
Real Estate Gold Mine
Many properties in the Randsburg area come with patented mining rights, which is key. If you lease mining rights from the BLM (which anyone can do if you pay the yearly fees), you can mine the property, but you’re prohibited from building anything on top of it. If you buy a normal property, such as a house, you typically don’t get the mineral rights, so you can’t dig too far down — typically the limit is 20 feet.
Conclusion
The modern gold rush is underway in California, with real estate agents making a killing selling patented mine claims. While many prospectors are finding gold, the real money is being made by those selling the land itself. The question remains: will the market stay hot, or will the gold rush fizzle out like its predecessors?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the current price of gold?
A: The current price of gold is $2,630 per ounce.
Q: How much gold is still buried in California?
A: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are 10,373 gold-bearing locations in California.
Q: What is the difference between patented mine claims and leased mining rights?
A: Patented mine claims give the owner the right to mine the property, while leased mining rights prohibit building on top of the property.
Q: Is it safe to mine for gold in California?
A: Mining for gold in California can be dangerous, with risks including cave-ins, bad air, and theft.
