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Since the 1849 discovery of gold
in California, Death Valley has experienced over
130 years of boom and bust mining. From the 1880s
to early 1900s mining was limited and sporadic in
the Death Valley region. Many of these early mining
districts met with a notable lack of success. Primitive
and inefficient technology, scarcity of water and
fuel, and the difficulties of transportation made
it economically impossible to mine any but the highest
grade ores. |
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One of the earliest successful
mining operations was the Harmony Borax Works,
which was active from 1883-1888. This mine was
famous not for its ore deposits, but for the Twenty
Mule Team wagons used to transport the partially
refined borax. A very memorable advertising campaign
used the wagon's image to promote the company's
Boraxo soap and the Death Valley Days radio and
television programs.
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With renewed interest in gold
and silver mining, the early 1900s witnessed mines
at Skidoo, Rhyolite, and Keane Wonder become large-scale
operations. The boom towns which sprang up around
these mines flourished during the first decade of
the 20th century but soon slowed down after the
panic of 1907. Besides gold and silver, prospectors
scoured the mountains for antimony, copper, lead,
zinc, and tungsten. Prosperous large scale metal
mining in Death Valley ended around 1915. |
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In February of 1933 President
Herbert Hoover signed the proclamation creating
Death Valley National Monument, which resulted
in a temporary closing of the lands to prospecting
and mining. However, by prior agreement, Death
Valley was quickly reopened to mining by Congressional
action in June of the same year.
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As improvements in mining technology
allowed lower grades of ore to be processed and
new heavy equipment allowed greater amounts of rock
to be moved, mining in Death Valley changed. Gone
were the days of the "single-blanket, jackass
prospector" long associated with the romantic
west. Open pit and strip mines scarred the landscape
as internationally-owned mining corporations bought
claims in highly visible locations of the national
monument. The public outcry that ensued led to greater
protection for all national park areas. |
Congress passed the Mining in the Parks Act in 1976
which closed Death Valley National Monument to the filing
of new mining claims, banned open-pit mining and required
the National Park Service to examine the validity of
tens of thousands of pre-1976 mining claims. Mining
was allowed to resume on a limited basis in 1980 with
stricter environmental standards.
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Death Valley National Park was
established in 1994, adding 1.3 million acres
to the old monument lands and jurisdiction over
additional valid mining claims. The park's Resources
Management Division monitors mining within park
boundaries and continues to review the status
of 125 unpatented mining claims and 19 patented
claim groups, while insuring that federal guidelines
are followed and the park's resources are being
protected.
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Currently, the only active mining operation in Death
Valley National Park is the Billie Mine, an underground
borax mine located along the road to Dante's View.
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