| The name Death Valley was given by gold seekers
who in 1849 by mistake undertook to cross this desolate region on their
way to the gold fields. The valley itself yielded gold in the next
decade but later surrendered more wealth in the borax taken out from
the desert by mule-drawn wagons. The solitude is actually alive with
many small animals and the peculiar desert plant forms have attracted much
scientific attention.
The Valley was publicized by Walter Scott, called
Death Valley Scotty, whose ostentatious home, Scotty's Castle, is
a showplace there.
[Scotty's
Grave Site] [Mule
Days] e-mail |
