RHH's photos with the keyword: borax

This is one of the wagons used to haul borax from Death Valley to the railroad at Mojave. The wagons were hauled by teams of mules but not necessarily by twenty-mule teams. The idea caught on, however, and became a trade name under which borax was sold by the Pacific Coast Borax Company. Interestingly, there is still a product with that name being sold by the Dial Corporation with a mule team and wagon logo. The photo was taken at the old Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley National Park.

These are the remains of the Harmony Borax Works near Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. The works were opened in 1881 and produced three tons of borax daily. The works closed in 1888 and were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. When still in operation the borax was hauled to Mojave in large mule-drawn wagons.

After exploring the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, we drove on to the area of Mustard Canyon and the old Harmony Borax works where this photo was taken. The most amazing thing about Death Valley was the incredible color variation in the rocks, very striking with no vegetation to hide it.