Garlock began as a desert water stop known by names including Cow Wells and El Paso City. Gold discoveries in the El Paso Mountains and Rand District changed its role. In the 1890s Eugene Garlock established a stamp mill that crushed ore from the Yellow Aster Mine near Randsburg, and the settlement took his name.
For a short period Garlock was an important service point in the mining network. Mills, a school and post office appeared around the ore-processing operation. Its prosperity depended on water and transport. When water could be piped to Randsburg and rail service improved, Garlock’s strategic role collapsed. The California Historical Landmark account dates the main decline to the late 1890s, though postal service continued intermittently.
Today only fragments remain. Some ghost-town references warn that portions are private property. “Ghost town” does not make every surviving structure legal to enter. Garlock is geographically tied to Burro Schmidt’s Tunnel but remains a distinct story about the infrastructure behind the Rand District gold rush.