Death Valley and the Amargosa: A Land of Illusion

In the Preface to this definitive history of Death Valley, Richard Lingenfelter writes, "This is the history of Death Valley, where that bitter stream the Amargosa dies. It embraces the whole basin of the Amargosa from the Panamints to the Spring Mountains, from the Palmettos to the Avawatz.... This is the story of an illusory land, of the people it attracted and of the dreams and delusions they pursued.... But mostly it's the story of the illusions - of the shortcuts to the gold diggings, of the deadliness of the land, of the bonanzas and immense riches ...." The history spans a period of time from its earliest recollections to 1933, when Herbert Hoover designated it a National Monument. Apparently Death Valley got its name from a group of Argonauts passing through on their way to the California gold fields in 1850. The name first appeared on a map in 1861. Paiute and Shoshone Indians frequented the area, of course, long before whites showed up, and lived off crops they grew. The earliest whites were prospectors, looking for gold and silver. Ironically, the most valuable resource would turn out to be the white substance anyone could find just by looking: borax. Millions of dollars worth of borax was shipped out of the valley, first by the legendary 20-mule team wagons, and then by train. In the early 20th century gold was discovered in the valley and soon gold camps and boomtowns, places like Bullfrog, Beatty, and Rhyolite, were attracting miners and get-rich-quick schemers from all over the country. Copper and gas frenzies followed, but the next big change to the area was brought about by the automobile: tourists in their Model Ts were invited to "see Hell firsthand" and to experience the mysteries and uniqueness of this unforgiving area with Death in its name. And soon there was Scotty's Castle to ogle. Then in 1933, after years of wrangling, President Hoover declared Death Valley a National Monument. Lingenfelter's book is dense with fact and incident, but it's a fascinating read from beginning to end. Although a previous book published in 1940 had attempted to be a history of Death Valley, it was incomplete and selective, and mixed fact and fable without distinguishing the two. Lingenfelter's book is thus the first to cover the ground completely and factually. (100 pages of endnotes attest to his serious intentions.) The book is authoritative and, as I mentioned earlier, definitive. Highly recommended.

This book provides incredibly thorough coverage of the history of Death Valley. For my interests, I wish the emphasis had included more information about Panamint Valley, Searles Valley, and the Darwin area, but these, somewhat peripheral, areas do get some coverage. The details provided by the author are very helpful and it is obvious throughout the book that the history presented here was carefully researched and authoritative. On top of everything else the entire story of Death Valley is presented clearly and in a style which is enjoyable to read.

This is much more than just a social or human history of Death Valley. It's also a highly in-depth natural history. And, it must be. No human history of the hottest, driest, lowest, and certainly starkest place in North America could discuss human history without examing both the climate and geology behind it. And Lingenfelter does an excellent job of doing just that. Learn more about early treks across this land, the Native Americans, precious metal and borax/chemical mining and more.

What more could one want in a history book? Clean clear writing (and Lingenfelter is a professor of physics--go figure), plenty of interesting characters, loads of legends, and a starkly beautiful setting to back it all up. Lingenfelter has done a marvelous job. I've poured over his book twice and could easily read it a third time again without feeling bored. This book gives a wonderfully complete history of the Death Valley area. Read it first or take it along if you plan to visit. It will increase your appreciation of Death Valley immensely, and you'll be enthralled by the history as its told here.

This book contains an excelent, highly detailed account of the history of Death Valley, CA from the first appearances of man up to it's designation as a National Monument in 1933 by President Herbert Hoover. It is very well researched as evidenced by the bibliography at the end of the book. Mr. Lingenfelter allows the reader to experience the trials and tribulations of the many soles who entered into "The Valley of Death" to discover, the hard way, the many illusions promoted by the published accounts of those who ventured before them. A must read for anyone wishing to visit the National Park for a drive or hike through a very mysterious and beautiful land.