Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1941-12-11

lows the Death Valley programs on
the radio each week. We too have
listened in many times - little
thinking that we should have the
opportunity to visit the scene of
these "tell tales"-see the original
twenty-mule team wagon-and be
a guest at Scotty's Castle i'll
Grapevine Canyon.
Before we started home from the
West last week, Mrs. Richard Wa
tiers loaned us her car for a trip
to Las Vegas, Boulder Dam, and
Death Valley-the car had just
taken her across the continent
without the slightest bit of trouble,
and it took us on our thousand mile
trek just as smoothly. By the
way, if Oliver Perry or Cullum
Barnsley will "stand treat" we will
tell you the make of this wonder
car next week!
Death Valley is in southeastern
California, adjoining the Nevada
border, and has been a National
Monument since 1888, now 2978
square miles in extent. There are
now many miles of graded and
hard-surfaced roads-ranger sta
tions-many sign posts-but the
care with which we were checked
IN and out, warned to keep on the
beaten path-not to wander from
our car in case of accident
glimpse of the shifting sand dunes
all made us realize that death
had not been taken from the valley
despite modern improvements.
The Valley rightfully boasts the
greatest contrasts to be found in
the country - precipitous noun
tains and majestic canyons over
looking fiat barren valleys-Tele-
scope Peak with an elevation of
11,O45 feet towers above Badwater,
which is 28O feet below sea level
the greatest abrupt rise.
Then there is the contrast of 80
miles of almost impossible salt
beds of the valley floor with the
beautiful wooded summit Of the
Panamint Range-the contrast in
scenery and coloring = and great
est of all - the contrast of the
high temperatures of Summer.
which often reach 120 degrees-to
the pleasant temperatures of Win
ter. In Summer motorists are ad-
vised to carry ice and water with
them-wear their hats, and not get
out of their car.
Nowhere in the West did we find
color so stunning in vividness and
vsriety-looking up at the Grape
vines, blue in the distance, below
them one sees the Tucki (Indian
for Sheep Mountains, cream
streaked with chocolate, and the
foot hills golden yellow and deep
brown. Rows of deeply folded mus
tard mountains run up to cleaning
black-then the reds, blues, greens,
lilacs and purple shades ali
splashed and streaked and shining
as if vanished.
Death Valleys history is as fas-
cinating as it's weird and colorful
scenery-one may study the rocks
of practically all the divisions of
geological time; see fossils and
footprints of prehistorical birds
and animals; trace the routes OF
the first white visitors-Spaniards
seeking precious gems-Mormons
seeking precious metals.
Long known to the Indians as
"Tomesha"-ground afire-the val
ley received it's present name from
a party who became lost there in
1S49 and met their death while
seeking a short cut to the gold
fields of California. The occupation
and settlement of the valley is
credited to the discovery of borax
about 1880. 1t was from Death
Valley that the famous 20 mule
teams hauled the borax to Mojave,
a distance of 165 miles.
Water stations were established
16 miles apart, the water for the
MORE ... MORE ....
most part being hauled in - for
another contrast is the very, very
good water and the equally very,
very bad water. The only river is
the Amargosa, Spanish for "bitter
one"-bitter with EPSON Salts.
The original borax wagon now
stands at Las Vegas, as a tourist
attraction-we got a picture of it.
These wagons are strongly con-
structed, and were of ten ton ca
pacity, and two of them were link
cd together as lead and trailer and
drawn by from IL to 20 mules-the
wheelers, however, were usually
horses. We were told that these