On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
frosty
We made stops at several sites. Death Valley had a short history of gold mining, a longer history of borax mining, and then finally tourism and park status when borax could be mined elsewhere more easily. The president of one of the borax companies was the first person to encourage the tourism industry.
Rhyolite, just outside the park in Nevada, is one of the ghost towns. It started as a two-man camp in January 1905 and two weeks later 1,200 people had moved in. By 1906 it had indoor plumbing and electricity, paid for by the new mine owner, along with several substantial buildings, including 19 grocery stores, 50 saloons, 19 lodging houses, 35 gaming tables, and 3 railroads serving a peak population of 5,000 (more or less). By 1910 the mines began to fail and by 1911 they closed. The 1910 census counted 675 residents. Newspapers, post office, and train service ended, the electricity was cut off in 1916, and a year later the town was abandoned, just 12 years after it was founded.
The train station was converted to a casino in the 1920s and has been preserved. It’s all that’s left of the railroad.
Ruins of the bank building.
The Bottle House, built in 1906 from 50,000 empty beer and liquor bottles.
The Keane Wonder Mill and Mine was one of the gold mines in the park. The owners built an aerial tramway to haul ore down from the diggings at the top.
Keane Mine
Harmony Borax Works. While many tried to strike it rich, gold mining wasn’t a long-term success in Death Valley. Borax was nicknamed White Gold and mining it continued for years.
The 20 Mule Team was the symbol for the borax industry. The mules hauled these wagons 165 miles across the Mohave, along with a tank of water, a load that weighed up to 36 tons. The teams were operated for just 6 years, from 1883 to 1889, when they were replaced by a railroad.
Scuffletuffle
Such a bleak landscape…
Betty
Interesting history. Thank you, Frosty.
stinger
Wow — fascinating story of rags-to-riches-to-rags in such a stark setting. Love the Bottle House! Was going to “love” the regular, pointy hills in the top photo until it occurred to me they must be the results of mining.
arrieve
I love that ghost town. One more reminder of how much empty space there is in this country, that entire towns just die and nothing moves in to replace them.
Wonderful pictures.
frosty
@Scuffletuffle:
It’s the bleakest I’ve seen. Driest place in North America (2″ annual rainfall) and on top of that, in many places the soils are salty enough to limit the kind of vegetation that can grow there.
OTOH, when conditions are right, there can be a superbloom of wildflowers in parts of Death Valley. 2018 was one of those years, 2021 definitely wasn’t.
Sister Golden Bear
I lived somewhat nearby for a summer. It’s a land of stark beauty, majesty, and absolutely no mercy.
opiejeanne
@frosty: Thanks for posting your great photos.
We drove past Death Valley on 395 many summers, on the way to June Lake from Riverside. Always thought we’d visit it some winter, but never did.
Now I’m wondering if bottle houses are just a thing you build in mining towns because there are lots of bottles during the boom and people are bored. Trying to think where I’ve seen one besides Calico.
dmbeaster
@stinger: Those hill features are natural. They are relatively young (Miocene) volcanics with some sedimentary features, known as the Bullfrog Hills. There is a large mine tailing there, but not in the view of that picture.
hotshoe
@dmbeaster: Thanks for the explanation.
I was pretty sure those little peaks were natural — but I couldn’t figure out how to look up the info.
J R in WV
Thanks for the pix, Frosty! Love ghost towns, we have a small place just past one in SE AZ. All of southern AZ will be a ghost town once the fossil water has all been extracted… can’t live without water!
way2blue
I have a soft spot for ghost towns and abandonned mines. And sparse desert landscapes. Thanks for sharing these photos.
I seem to remember years & years ago that Ronald Reagsn did TV commercials for a borax product… Ah yes, Mr Google comes through—Reagan hosted ‘Death Valley Days’, sponsored by 20-Mule Team Borax laundry soap! 1964-65
Mike in Oly
I love ruins so much and these are wonderful!!