Ballarat Cemetery Photo Gallery
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The Ballarat Cemetery is a small, historic graveyard located in the ghost town of Ballarat, California, in the Panamint Valley just outside Death Valley National Park. It dates back to the late 1800s when Ballarat was a supply town for nearby mining camps.
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The cemetery contains several simple graves marked with wooden crosses, rock outlines, and iron fences. Most of those buried here were miners and pioneers who lived and died during the region's mining boom. The most well-known person buried here is Charles “Seldom Seen Slim” Ferge, a colorful prospector who lived alone in Ballarat for decades and became a local legend. He died in 1968 and was the last person buried in the cemetery.
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Set against the dry desert backdrop, the Ballarat Cemetery is quiet and remote. Visitors today can walk among the graves, but there are no formal paths, signs, or facilities. The site is unmaintained, so respect and care are advised when visiting.
The cemetery is a reminder of how rough and isolated life was in the Mojave Desert during the mining era, and it helps preserve the memory of the people who lived and died out there.