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.
On The Road – frosty – Death Valley National Park – Historic SitesPost + Comments (12)