Reefer City

California wrote the book on ghost towns, from Gold Rush tent cities to Owens Valley farm towns the aqueduct dried up.

Reefer City is a ghost town in Kern County, California. It was located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) south-southwest of Mojave, at an elevation of 2762 feet (842 m). Reefer City still appeared on maps as late as 1947. Reefer City was established in June 1936 by Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa, formerly Gold Fields of South Africa Limited, a company founded and based in London, after a gold lode was discovered on Soledad Mountain near Mojave. The company purchased refrigerator cars, known colloquially as "reefers", from the Southern Pacific Railroad to house the miners.

Calling it Reefer City was either optimism or a very good joke — boomtowns were never modest about their ambitions.

The on-the-ground condition of Reefer City is unverified — it's listed here with unknown status. That could mean standing buildings, or an empty field. Go prepared for either, and consider sharing what you find so the record improves.

Nobody has confirmed the access situation, so treat any visit as reconnaissance: verify land ownership first, and be ready to admire from the road.

Here's the honest truth: access to Reefer City is unverified. We couldn't confirm whether the site sits on public land, private property, or something in between — so verify land ownership and local rules before visiting, and respect private property at all times.

Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.