The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-07-21
STORY OF DEATH VALLEY.


The borax deposits of Death Valley
have taken second place in the list of
attractions that lure men to the utter
most parts of the earth, for it has long
been known by the old-timers, and a
few of the venturesome ones among
the present day prospectors, that the
mountains skirting the valley on every
side were rich in the precious metals,
hut the scarcity of water in the higher
lills and the forbidding wilderness
around has kept prospectors away, says
E. G. Dart in the Bullfrog Miner. 1t
was only the bravest and most reckless
spirits who in former years cared to
brave the dangers of that region to
look for mineral.
In many cases they were rewarded
by the finding of rich pockets of both
geld and silver ores, from which in a
| short time they might take a few hun
| dred or a few thousands of dollars
| worth of the stuff and get down and
] tNdy W CHJOJ JIG BhottOoo IL ShNA
own peculiar way.
Others, not 30 fortunate, found only
hardship, the torture of thirst and heat,
| md in many cases the most miserable
death known to man-overtaking them
| II the sweltering plain, or in a lonely
canyon where the heat danced from the
-.4.1a,, uaaI- r.,oI1c Ilyo uiIra+iano from
SOC inferno.
Now, however, all is changed in the
immediate environment of Death Val
'ey, on it's northern border, for the 81
lcnce of the vast desert has been brok
IN by the o~nrushing army of Argo.
nauts, who like a conquering host are
sweeping toward the Pacific shores.
They have found the yellow Wil-O
The Wisp in generous quantities here
and there over many miles Of the Bull
fog country, in lodges and stringers
that in many instances trend away to-
ward the fatal valley, and thither
| these modern conquerers follow on re
| TorulcSS Oh Consequences
They know that the precious seams
ans stringers strike through these a
rem, desolate mountains of the Funeral
range, and on through the Panamints
toward the Pacific; perhaps down in
the heart of those unknown hills that
| slope into the forbidden country, the
| upheaval and erosion of former times
has uncovered some vast ledge of the
| yellow stuff, whose shining fragments
would lift tho mortgage from q thou.
sand homes back east, and spell Easy
| street for the fortunate finder.
That is enough-the modern Argo
naut takes his life in his hands, as it
were, and goes down into the valley,
hoping that he will be the one to find
one of natures banks, cash the check,
and get away alive.
During the past spring and early
part of the present summer some very
important strikes have been made IN
the Funeral range of mountains.
Gold and copper have been 1ouno IN
true fssure veins, in quantities suffi-
Gent to attract the active attention OF
La few of the most successful mining
men of this country and Montana
These lodges hold out the golden
hope of their discoveries, and to gener-
atoms yet to come.
They point with radiant fingers to a
time when the desert shall be redeemed
nv the ~wondrons skill of man, in his
conquest of the forces of earth and air.
The transformation is at hand.
A patient giant is at work in the tor
rid valleys south of Death valley, hgur-
ing out the problem of transportation,
that magic thing that makes modern
civilization possiy lie, and slowly upward
from the barren southland of Nevada,
a line of steel rails is creeping on TO-
ward the golden hills whose treasure
will continue to pour out to the world
as it has in the past, and make the
very nam of Nevada a magic word In
the history of the world.
All this will materially alter the con
ditions in Death Valley as regards ITS
accessibility.