Shafter Ghost Town

 ghost town  Add category

 Upload a photo

The term "Ghost Town" implies the only residents are "Ghosts." Not so in Shafter. There are a few families, probably less than ten that still call Shafter home. Th town had its beginning about 1854 when a rancher named John Spencer, a part-time prospector, found ore rich in silver. The main difficulty at this time were the Apache Indians who were raiding the settlers, killing their occupants and burning their homes. Spencer knew he could not set up mining operations under these circumstances. He had told no one of his secret. He then shared his discovery with a Major Shafter who at the time was commanding officer of a cavalry troop. Major Shafter traveled to San Francisco where he raised enough money to start the Presidio Mining Company and operations began. At its best time, there were about 4000 residents in Shafter. In 1931, the price of silver dropped so low all mining operations came to a halt. Much remains to be seen by the visitor as Shafter once appeared during its glory days.