Red Mountain
Originally known as Osdick, named after P.J. Osdick, the owner of several local claims. Red Mountain is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County The towns of Osdick and Hampton were born in the summer of 1919. The post office came to Osdick in 1922. The town was renamed Red Mountain in early 1929.
Pop. 131 - Elev - 3401
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The Romantic Heritage of the Upper Mojave
History has left an indelible mark on this vast interior region of California, embracing the northwestern part of the Mojave Desert, including the Indian Wells Valley, Searles Valley, the Rand District and Boron area. ...Atolia after the Silver Boom
While the Atolia Mining Company produced 95 percent of the tungsten from this district, a Mr. P. J. Osdick owned 7 claims east of the AMC properties and ...Spangler Hills Off-Highway Vehicle Area
From the south, use US 395 to the town of Red Mountain and then take the Trona -Red Mountain Road 7 miles north to the boundary of the OHV area.The California Rand Silver Mine-Randsburg's Silver Boom
He told Nosser and Williams they were on the side of Red Mountain, and the two left to relocate the ground in their names. It was hoped the claims would ...Golden Valley Wilderness
ACCESS: Access this wilderness via U.S. Highway 395 and along the Red Mountain-Trona Road 1 mile north of Red Mountain to Steam Well Road ( RM1444) ...Kern County Mining History
Atolia / Red Mountain / Randsburg · California Rand · Atolia after the Silver Boom · Gold during the Tungsten and Silver Years · Mojave District; Standard Hill ...Historic Photos
Randsburg
Johannesburg
Atolia
Historical Timeline
1919: A prospector named Pete Osdick hit silver in the Mojave Desert, not far from the boomtowns of Randsburg and Johannesburg. In his honor, what started as a small mining camp was named Osdick — a few shacks and tents in a sea of sagebrush.1922: The Osdick post office opened, putting the place on the map. With the mail came more miners, investors, and hangers-on hoping to strike it rich in the silver fields.
1929: As the area grew and the hills took on a more permanent character, the name was changed to Red Mountain, inspired by the reddish tones of the surrounding desert rock.
1920s–1930s: Red Mountain boomed alongside the Kelly Silver Mine, one of the richest silver producers in California at the time. The town had a rough charm—miners by day and a rowdy nightlife after dark. Saloons like the Owl Café served whiskey, gossip, and dancing until morning.
1930s: The silver market took a nosedive, and with it went the town’s good fortune. Mine slowed, people drifted away, and Red Mountain settled into a quiet decline.
Present Day: Red Mountain is a quiet desert outpost with a few dozen residents and the weathered bones of a mining past. Old headframes and dusty relics can still be seen along the road. Though the rush is long gone, Red Mountain remains part of the story that gold and silver wrote across the Mojave.