Teakettle Junction, Death Valley, 2005. - Jim Shoemaker Photography

All Photos © Jim Shoemaker. All Rights Reserved. Any use without written permission of the photographer is prohibited. Click on photo for larger view.

Gallery pages: 1 2 3 >

< Prev 2 of 37 Next >

jlsphotography > In 1904, con man Walter Scott convinced Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson to invest in his gold mine. Scott didn't have a mine, however, and squandered the money. Johnson came to California to see the mine he invested in, and toured Death Valley with Scott. During his stay, Johnson's failing health imrpoved, and he forgave Scott lying to him. They became friends, and Johnson bought up large plots of land to build on. He eventually moved into this castle with his wife, and allowed Scott to live there when they were away. Because Scott was a master of tall tales and was somewhat of a celebrity for it, the home came to be known as Scotty's Castle.

jlsphotography > Teakettle Junction, Death Valley, 2005.

jlsphotography > Racetrack playa, Death Valley. The racetrack is a dry lakebed three miles long and two miles wide. The mud layer is 1,000 feet deep. The lakebed gets it's name because the rocks appear to "race", leaving trails in the mud that can exceed 1,500 feet in length. Rain and high winds in the winter months are the explanation of the rocks' movement. The the lakebed is covered in water and the winds blow up to 70 mph, the rocks are pushed along the slick mud.

jlsphotography > Racetrack playa and full moon, Death Valley.

jlsphotography > Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park.

jlsphotography > In 1907 Bert Shively's burro got lost. Bert caught up with him in a remote canyon and picked up a rock to get his attention. Before he threw it he noticed it was laced with gold. The mine was worked off and on through the decades up into the 1970's. The 1.2 mile road to this mine was quite an adventure. High clearance four wheel drive is a must if you want to drive here.

jlsphotography > Lost Burro Mine, Death Valley.

jlsphotography > Leadfield Ghost Town, Titus Canyon, Death Valley. It was established in 1926 on fraudulent and distorted advertising. A man name Charles Julian formed a company called Western Lead to supposedly mine rich deposits of lead in the hills around Leadfield. He seeded the surrounding hills with high-grade lead ore to fool investors. Three hundred people invested and moved to the site. They soon realized they had been bilked, and by late 1927 the town had been completely abandoned.

jlsphotography > Over 6,000 feet up in the Panamint mountains are the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns. Used between 1877 and 1880, they are the west's best preserved. Each kiln is 25 feet high and about 30 feet in width. It took about two weeks for wood to be burned and cooled to become charcoal. The charcoal was then transported 30 miles west to the Modoc Mine for use in it's smelters.

jlsphotography > Wildrose Kilns with snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains in background.

jlsphotography > Keane Wonder Mine, Death Valley. Ore was discovered in 1903 but the mine was not developed until 1907. It produced over one million dollars and was operated until 1916.

jlsphotography > Cable Tram of the Keane Wonder Mine. The system carried ore from the mine to the mill, over a distance of a mile with a drop of 1,300 vertical feet. The processed gold, silver and lead were hauled to Rhyolite.

jlsphotography > Harmony Borax Works, built by William Coleman near Furnace Creek in 1882. Over one million dollars of Borax was shipped from here. By 1888 Borax prices collapsed and Coleman closed the Harmony Borax Works and declared bankruptcy.

jlsphotography > Harmony Borax Works and Telescope Peak, Death Valley.

jlsphotography > Detail, 20 mule team wagon. Built in Mojave for $900 each, the wagons were designed to carry the heavy load of borax ore. Iron tires, eight inches wide and one inch thick, covered the seven-foot-high rear wheels and five-foot front wheels. The wagon beds were 16 feet long, four feet wide and six feet deep. Empty, each wagon weighed 7,800 pounds. Two loaded wagons plus the water tank made a total load of 73,200 pounds or 36 1/2 tons. This wagon is on display at the ruins of the Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley

Teakettle Junction, Death Valley, 2005.

jlsphotography > Teakettle Junction, Death Valley, 2005.

Teakettle Junction, Death Valley, 2005.

Other sizes: S • Medium • L |

Keywords: junction teakettle

Gallery pages: 1 2 3 >

< Prev 2 of 37 Next >

Best viewed at a monitor resolution of 1280 x 854 or higher.
All Photography © Jim Shoemaker. All Rights Reserved.

Available Feeds | What are feeds?

Gallery Photos:

Atom |

RSS