Death Valley
National Park is the hottest, driest, lowest place in
the nation. The best time to visit is winter or spring
when the temperature is not too extreme. People
from all over the world come to see this desert valley.
Some tourist like to visit in the
summer just for bragging rights about experiencing the
100 degree plus heat.
Its possible to visit for a day but to explore all that
Death Valley Park has to offer an overnight trip is recommended.
During the spring the valley floor can be covered with
wild flowers. Winters are freezing cold and summers are
scorching hot.
Death Valley is home to the Timbisha tribe of Native Americans,
they have inhabited the valley for at least the past 1000
years. The Timbisha name for the valley, tümpisa,
means "rock paint" and refers to the red ochre
paint that can be made from a type of clay found in the
valley. Some families still live in the valley at Furnace
Creek.
Another village was located in Grapevine Canyon near the
present site of Scotty's Castle. The valley received its
English name in 1849 during the California Gold Rush.
It was called Death Valley by prospectors who crossed
the valley on their way to the gold fields, although only
one death in the area was recorded during the Rush.
During the 1850s, gold and silver were extracted in the
valley. In the 1880s, borax was discovered and extracted
by mule-drawn wagons. Death Valley National Monument was
proclaimed on February 11, 1933 by President Hoover, placing
the area under federal protection. In 1994, the monument
was re designated as Death Valley National Park. |
