Windows to the Past Series
Seldom Seen Slim aka Charles Ferge
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While Slim enjoyed his time alone, he also enjoyed visitors. He always welcomed company and had entertaining stories to tell and information to share with all who stopped by. He acted as the unofficial curator of Ballarat Ghost Town. He would often walk around the town with visitors explaining what each building was and telling them a little about the history of the mines and town history.
One of the questions that comes up a lot is how did Slim make money? No one knows for sure if he had money when he arrived in Ballarat. He was between 32 and 35 years of age when he first moved there. He claimed he was born into an orphanage and had no people. His early years are undocumented. Slim made some money from what he produced from his mining claims. Mines in the area had produced money for some of the larger operations. What Slim produced from his own claims is undocumented. In later years, he made some money selling rock samples to tourists and rock hounds. He even sold photos of himself, as he had become quite the celebrity over the years.
As the sole resident of a ghost town and a true character of the wild west, Slim became the subject of many articles. Harry Oliver, also a “desert rat,” published a pocket newspaper called Desert Rat Scrap Book. It was published four times a year and it became so popular that he gained international subscribers. Readers enjoyed Oliver‘s colorful descriptions of desert living. Slim was a regular celebrity in the Desert Rat Scrap Book. His infamous sayings and unique lifestyle fascinated readers. Slim was one of the poster boys for all desert rats and old-time prospectors. He represented both freedom and adventure to those who read about him. When tourists and rock hounds met Slim they wanted their photo taken with him. They wrote stories about him and they told stories about him. He captured the attention of everyone who crossed paths with him.
Slim was a simple man who lived a simple life. He never struck it rich or did anything specific to make himself famous. He just lived his life the way he wanted to. It was this act that brought him minor fame and notoriety. The U.S. Department of the Interior even named a peak in the Panamint Mountains in honor of Slim, calling it Slim‘s Peak. Slim shared his memories and experiences with those visitors who cared to listen. He was what we call a window to the past.
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Watch a video about Ballarat, Seldom Seen Slim and Shorty Harris
More about Ballarat and Rainbow Chasers
- Watch a video about Ballarat, Seldom Seen Slim and Shorty Harris
- Exploring Ballarat - A photo story by Lara Hartley
- Death Valley's Ballarat Ghost Town
- Listen
to a song about Seldom Seen Slim by James Westborn Blair
