History

Death Valley National Monument was proclaimed on Feb. 11, 1933, by President Herbert Hoover.

Plan Around History

A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.

Add to trip View park guide

Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.

History Details

For centuries before the first prospectors entered the valley, Timbisha Shoshone native Americans called the region home, but Death Valley earned its distinctive moniker owing to a group of '49ers, who traversed the area on their way west in search of gold, following a supposed short cut. When the beleaguered party finally made their way west over the mountains after months of near starvation, legend has it that someone said "Goodbye, Death Valley," giving the valley its name. Silver and borax discoveries drew more prospectors to Death Valley in the late 1800's, as well as Chinese workers who built Panamint City in the 1870s. The successful mining operation at Harmony Borax Works made the area famous for the [20 mule teams](http://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyculture/twenty-mule-teams.htm), which pulled massive wagons filled with borax. A number of Basque prospectors also made names for themselves in the valley, including Dolph Nevares, who was employed by the Pacific Coast Borax Company in 1900 and Domingo Etcharren, who was known as the "Basque butcher from Ballarat." In December 1903, he and his partner Jack Keane found gold. Etcharren and [Pete Aguereberry](http://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyculture/pete-aguereberry.htm), another well-known Basque miner, were good friends. Aguereberry came to Death Valley in 1905 to prospect, and he struck gold while traveling with Shorty Harris. Aguereberry continued to work in his Eureka mine until his death 1945. In December of 1942, during World War II, a riot broke out at Manzanar War Relocation Camp. A group of 65 Japanese and Japanese American internees were brought into Death Valley for their safety, where they lived for three months and voluntarily worked with a skeleton crew of National Park Service staff. By mid February they left Death Valley for other parts of the country. Perhaps the most famous person associated with Death Valley is Walter Scott, aka "Death Valley Scotty." The youngest of six children, Scotty arrived in Death Valley at age 11, following his two older brothers to the area from his home in Kentucky. Because of his skills as a horseman, he eventually found work as one of the rough riders for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. When not touring with the show, he would return to Death Valley, and his connection with the area became prominent enough to earn him the aforementioned nickname. Scott left the Wild West Show in 1902 and began a new career as a gold prospector, convincing several wealthy investors to invest in a gold mine. Over the next few years, Scotty had little luck prospecting and his investors pulled out, save for Chicago insurance magnate [Albert Mussey Johnson](http://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyculture/albert-johnson.htm). Despite giving Scotty thousands of dollars, Johnson saw no return on his investment, and so finally decided to take a look at the gold mine himself on a personal tour of Death Valley. Although Scotty predicted the grueling trek would be too strenuous for Johnson, the opposite happened, with Johnson developing not only a love of the area, but also a life-long friendship with Scotty. Johnson bought property in Grapevine Canyon and eventually built what became known as Scotty's Castle, where Walter Scott died in January of 1954. As for the park itself, Death Valley National Monument was proclaimed on Feb. 11, 1933, by President Herbert Hoover, which placed the area under federal protection. In 1994, the monument was re-designated as Death Valley National Park, as well as undergoing a substantial expansion to include the Saline and Eureka Valleys.

Difficulty

Open

Distance

N/A

Estimated time

N/A

Region

Learn About The Park