1908 Map of Furnace Creek

About this map

Furnace Creek Ranch and the industrial outposts of the Death Valley region define this landscape during a period of intense mineral prospecting. The survey captures the early 20th-century mining boom centered around the Bullfrog Hills, showing the rapid emergence of settlements like Rhyolite, Bullfrog, and Gold Center. To the west, the arid basin descends to 200 feet below sea level, where the Eagle Borax Works and Borax Mill represent the difficult extraction of evaporite minerals. The map records a critical moment in regional transportation, tracing the Tonopah and Las Vegas RR as it skirts the Amargosa Desert, connecting remote desert camps. Life in this environment is dictated by scarce water sources, as seen in the scattered locations of Hicks Hot Springs, Lee's Well, and the famous Devils Hole in Ash Meadows.