Saloons & Stage Office
Saloons and Stage Office - Intersection of Broadway and Butte Avenues Randsburg 1897.
Richard Callaghan - Los Angeles Hotel: The Los Angeles Hotel was a thirty room establishment that appears in photographs to have set on the location of the present day White House Saloon before the 1898 fire. Hotel construction and sign painting is taking place and according to a sign on the front was newly furnished and had a large parlor.
Mansion House - The Mansion House which set on Butte Avenue between the Los Angeles Hotel and Anderson's General Merchandise Store both of which were victims of the May 1898 fire.
Col. R. F. Hafford - Hafford's Liquor Store: Col Hafford arrived in Randsburg sometimes in late 1896 and opened his liquor store that became one of the most popular saloons in the camp. When as a result of the killings and general lawless attitude of the "Dirty Dozen" and others, in late 1896, a Citizens Committee (Vigilante Committee) was formed Col. Hafford appears to have been one of the founders. In addition to his efforts in keeping the camp peaceful he also supported activities such as the Fourth of July Celebration in 1897. In August 1897 Hafford and his partner in mining a Mr. A. G. Bowman sold the Hafford Claim in the State Range to Captain J. A. Black of Salt Lake City for $18,000. They also bonded the Bowman claim to George Montgomery for one year for a sum of $40,000. He was also the owner of the Ruby Mine which had bonded to Charles Koehn in 1899. According to an article describing the May 1898 fire, the fire started in a house next to Hafford's Saloon on Butte Avenue. This would place the saloon between Rand and Broadway (Burma Road) on the south side of Butte Ave. He immediately rebuilt and conducted business until late 1899 or early 1900. It is known that when he returned to Randsburg in May of 1900 that he had been gone for some time for health reasons. Despite his efforts at improving his health Col. Roderick Ferdinand Hafford died on the 21st of December 1900 in Bakersfield. Col. Hafford was previously in the saloon business in Tombstone, Arizona, and it was at his saloon that Wyatt Earp and his friends gathered before going to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Walter B. Broadwell - The Big Stone Store: Broadwell & Company which had previously been in business in Lancaster and Garlock, California came to Randsburg in October of 1897. Mr. Broadwell purchased a lot next to Col. Hafford's saloon and constructed a 20x40 foot building. It is believed that their original store was wiped out in the January 1898 fire. They then erected a large stone building that although not completed, was occupied, when it was again burnt out in the May 1898 fire. Later, when it was rebuilt, iron doors and shutters were placed on the building and it was considered fireproof. This building and business are thought to be the ones acquired by C. A. Asher when he came to Randsburg sometime in early 1900.
P. J. Hartt - The Kramer Stage Company: A stage line from Kramer to Randsburg was first established in October of 1896. It was 26 miles from the connection with the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad. P. J. Hartt was the manager of the Kramer Stage Company. Mr. Hartt played a significant role in the founding of the town of Randsburg, as he was on the original Vigilante Committee that was accredited with stabilizing the camp so that it could attract the capital investment needed to grow.
The Club Saloon: No information available.
Vinton Mitchell - Commission House: A letter in the collection of the Rand Desert Museum shows that Vinton Mitchell who had been in business in Randsburg as a Wholesale Produce and Commission house had given up his business in Randsburg by March of 1898, probably due to being burnt out in the January 1898 fire.
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Retrieved 1/2/2019: Online Archive of California
