Original mining camp of Ryan, California

Abstract

Photograph showing the Pacific Coast Borax Company's original mining camp of Ryan, which was located at the foot of the Black Mountains in Death Valley. The Pacific Coast Borax Company was started by Frances "Borax" Smith in 1890. The Company moved operations to the Lila C. Mine in Death Valley in about 1907 and established a company camp named Ryan near the Mine. Smith formed the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad and built a rail line from Ludlow to Gold Center with a branch to Ryan to transport borax from the Lila C. The mining camp of Ryan never had a population of more than 150 people, and only the watchman remained in camp in June-August, the hottest months of the year. Most of Ryan's buildings and a big roaster or concentrator were moved to Ryan by train from the Company's abandoned operations in the Mojave Desert. The nearest town was Death Valley Junction, seven miles away.