| Goldtown[1] | |
| Other Name: | OarVille |
| Settlement Type: | Former settlement |
| Pushpin Map: | California |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in California |
| Coordinates: | 35.0017°N -118.1689°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name1: | California |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kern County |
| Elevation M: | 827 |
| Elevation Ft: | 2713 |
Gold Town (on topographic maps) or OarVille[1] is a former settlement in Kern County, California. It was located 9.5miles north of Rosamond, at an elevation of 2713feet. Today, Goldtown exists only as a grid of dirt roads and a few abandoned buildings and mines in the desert off the California State Route 14. Silver Queen Road is the main paved road that connects Goldtown to the California State Route 14.
Fleta, California is northeast of Goldtown. Mojave, California is to the north. Gold mines exist within to the north and south of Goldtown.[2] These mines include the Golden Queen Mine and Elephant Eagle mine on Soledad Mountain south of Goldtown,[3] and Whitmore Mine and Exposed Treasure mine[4] on Standard Hill north of Goldtown. KHXT-FM (Mojave) radio tower, at an elevation of 3028abbr=offNaNabbr=off above sea level, is southeast of Goldtown.[5] The California Aqueduct Road is located about to the west of Goldtown.
From the early 1900s to 1980s, the Golden Queen Mine [6] was active on and off, using open pit, underground works, and heap leaching. About of tailings were created over the years. Due to erosion since, some of these tailings reached the alluvial fan surface. The tailings contain elevated levels of arsenic. "Significant potential human health risks to the community and regional environmental impacts may have resulted from release of arsenic-bearing tailings into the waters of the state and airborne sources." according to the Bureau of Land Management.[7]
Construction has begun to re-open the Golden Queen Mine. Commissioning is planned for 2015. This is part of the Soledad Mountain Project. Open pit mining, cyanide heap leaching, and Merrill-Crowe processes will be used to recover gold and silver from crushed, agglomerated ore.[8] The heap leach pad for the mine will be located near Goldtown, according to Kern County Planning and Community Development Department.[9]
