Visit Historic Owl Mining Museum (Owl Cafe), Red Mountain, California

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In the late 1800s, a rich vein of gold ore was discovered up the hill where the old town of Randsburg is. It was one of the richest in Southern California. As a result, a booming town emerged as well as a second town called Johannesburg sprang up about a mile away. When the Yellow Aster Mine and others in the area were no longer as profitable to mine and the town began to die, Tungsten was discovered down the hill and the new little town of ‘Atolia’ popped up. Then, when Tungsten was no longer in demand (as a result of this mineral being imported for less from Asia for the war efforts), it also began to fade. Just as things were looking bleak for this area, a new mineral strike was discovered, and this time it was silver! For a time, it was the richest silver strike in the world! There were many silver mines in the area, but The Kelly Silvermine was the most famous. And so the little town of Red Mountain was formed – This is where the history of the old ‘Owl Cafe and Hotel’ come into play. In the 1920s, there wasn't Las Vegas or Palm Springs and many Hollywood elites, actors/Actresses, etc. came to Red Mountain and The Owl because they could get away with things here that they could do in the city because of the area's remoteness. Historic Highway 395 was made because of mining!

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