Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-05-20
OPEN DEATH VALLEY
TO MOTOR TOURISTS
Winter Months in Sink Per
mitted to Sightseers.

Salt Lake City, Utah.-Death valley,
noted as the most desolate, the most
dangerous and one of the strangest
places on this earth, the lowest point
on the American continent, Is opened
up to tourist sightseeing traffic. Auto
mobile busses criss-cross the great
sunken desert and transcontInental
tourists may, In comfort, cross the
mysterious valley which used to mean
death to the emigrant who, beguled
by Its numerous mirages and its
stretches of salt, which looked like
cool water, attempted to cross Its
desert wastes.
May Is is to see the last tourist Of
the season out of the valley. Here
after, the season will open In the fall,
but always, by May Is the last tour
fst must be out of the place For
Death valley, so pleasant IN the win,
ter, becomes a perfect inferno with the
return Of the summer sun and tenn
peratures run up to as high as 140 de-
grees and more. A modern hotel has
been built at Furnace creek, and this
will be headquarters for the tourists.
Pullman cars are operated to Death
valley junction, and gasoline motor
cars on the Death Valley railroad 90
to within IL miles of the entrance to
the valley itself From this point the
automobile busses operate to and
through the valley of death The
Death Valley railroad, Tonopah and
Tidewater railroad and Union Pacific
railroad is the combination which has
opened up Death valley to tourist
traffic.
Many PerIshed In Valley.
Death valleys significant name was
given it by the very first party of emil
grants to look down upon 1t from the
surrounding mountains. There were
30 men, women and children in the
party. They thought they saw sill
very stream of water and attempted
to cross. When they reached the
stream 1t was just white salt and not
drop Of water. With the full fury Of
the summer sun heating the sandy fur
mace to 40 degrees, and no water. the
trek became a panic. Wagons, cattle,
everything was abandoned and groups
spread along the Panamint mountain
range at the western edge trying to
find water or egress from the inferno
About a dozen of the party got
through Emigrant Wash, found sweet
water and survived. That was In 1850
In 1860, ten years later, prospecting
party under DR.. Darwin French, found
wagons, guns, cooking utensils, chill
dren's toys, ETC., lying just where they
had been abandoned. They also found
human skeletons, some within 30t
yards of water hole. The skeletons
were buried by the party
There are many graves scattered
over the desert. Few names are on
the markings. "He ran out of water"
Is the usual lettering.
But when one Of that first party
of emigrants got to water he found In
his hand piece of pure silver ore
He remembered breaking the shiny
"rock" from ledge Of the same ma
terial.
That little piece Of silver was made
into sight for the finders rifle. And
since that time that lost silver mine
has been known as the "Gunsight'
mine. Hundreds Of prospectors have
searched for 1t. None have found It
Many have found death instead.
Hunt Lost Mines.
But still there are prospectors In
Death valley, and tourists there will
see some of them--in fact, will almost
certainly be asked to "grubstake'
some old desert personality. "Brey-
fogle's butte Of gold is just over the
mountains here somewhere" the tour
ist will be told. II saw 1t one day
a-shining In the sun, but / couldn't get
to 1t. But I'll find 1t some day. Worth
more than all the gold coin In the
world. too"
And the "Breyfogle" legend is but
one Of many. There are many lost
mines Of fabulous richness still await
ing rediscovery In Death valley.
Three hundred and ten feet below
the level Of the sea is the floor OF Its
deepest point and from this point up
11,045 feet above sea level rises Tele-
scope peak, and little farther on is
Mount Whitney, 14,501 feet In eleva-
tion, the highest point In the United
States. From the same point the
tourist will see the lowest and the
highest points In the country.