DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK - Borax 20 mule team

Geni and I decided to visit Death Valley National Park last week. It was close enough, a little over 300 miles from us in Parker Az. Boy are we glad we did, what a incredible Nation Park! The Nation Park service started a passport club a few years ago. You purchase a passport booklet and at each park you get it stamped with there official emblem and stamp with date and time. Well of course Geni now wants to visit all the parks to get her book stamped (What a marking concept from the Park service!). We have been to most of the National Parks thru out our lives but now we must visit them again.
Death Valley’s outstanding natural beauty and scientific importance were first brought to the attention of the National Park Service in the late 20’s. With the support of Stephen T. Mather, Director of the National Park Service, Death Valley’s national significance was recognized, and it was proclaimed a national monument by President Hoover on February 11, 1933. With the passage of the Desert Protection Act of October 31, 1994, Death Valley grew by 1,200,000 acres and was designated a national park. Today Death Valley National Park is made up of 3,336,000 acres and contains more than 3,000,000 acres of wilderness. It is the HOTEST,DRIEST,LOWEST ELAVATION NATION PARK.
LINK: https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm
                                                                          
                                                                                

 

Train Depot

Rhyolite is one of a few old gold mining ghost towns still intact inside Death Valley. At one time this town had a population of 8000 people with 50 salons!
LINK: http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/death_valley/rhyolite-ghost-town.html

                                                                                

                                                                                       

Bottle House made of old beer bottles

School house

Borax or White Gold as it was called, mining started in the late 1880's in Death Valley. This is where the 20 mule team started, as it hauled the borax mined to the mill.
LINK: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-boraxmining/

original mill that was used in the 1880's

 

 

 Geni and I decided to hike a beautiful slot caynon called Mosaic. A 4 mile hike with a 1000 foot elevation gain! 

                                                                
LINK: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/mosaic-canyon.htm