Bakersfield in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Assay Office

Photographed by Syd Whittle, November 27, 2009

1. Assay Office Marker

Inscription.
Kern County experienced a mining boom just like other parts of California. Prospectors arriving from near and far found gold, silver and other valuable ore in Kern County’s mountains beginning in the 1850s.

An assayer tests the purity of gold and other precious metals in a sample of rock and minerals.

This exhibit resembles the assay office at the Yellow Aster Mine in Randsburg, a mining town in eastern Kern County, around 1900. The Yellow Aster Mine is one of the most famous gold mines in southern California producing millions of dollars worth of gold.

This typical board and batten style building, donated by C. Arthur and Lillian Harbaugh, was relocated from Rosedale to the Kern County Museum in 1980.

Erected by Kern County Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Natural Resources • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 35° 23.589′ N, 119° 1.25′ W. Marker is in Bakersfield, California, in Kern County. It can be reached from Chester Avenue. Marker is located at the northwest corner of the Bandstand Green Section of Pioneer Village at the Kern County Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3801 Chester Ave, Bakersfield CA 93301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley,

specifically in the Central Valley,

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hotel Fellows (here, next to this marker); Court House and Jail (a few steps from this marker); Kern Valley Bank (a few steps from this marker); Fraternal Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Dentist's Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Metcalf House (within shouting distance of this marker); Kern County Begins (within shouting distance of this marker); General Store (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bakersfield.

Assay Office and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Syd Whittle, November 27, 2009

2. Assay Office and Marker

Photos Displayed on Marker image. Click for full size.

3. Photos Displayed on Marker

Upper Photo:
Assay Office at the Yellow Aster Mining and Milling Company near Randsburg, circa 1901

Lower Photo:
Ransburg, circa 1897

4. Photos Displayed on Marker

Upper Photo:
Miners at the Rand tunnel entrance, circa 1903

Lower Photo:
John Singleton, Charles Burcham and Fred Mooers mining for gold in Randsburg in 1895

Assay Office image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kern County Museum

5. Assay Office

Vintage postcard image of an earlier Assay Office museum presentation.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 31, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,505 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 31, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.