Twenty Mule Team Borax Wagons, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA

Significance: The twenty mule team borax wagon's significance resides not only in their technology but also in their enduring image as an advertising and cultural symbol. Technologically, these wagons, designed to carry borax across the desert from the borax source to the Mojave station on the Southern Pacific Railroad, reveal adaptations to the harsh environment of Death Valley. They had large wagon wheels to traverse the rough terrain. The rear water wagons were another adaptation, essential since there was no water available for long stretches of the journey to the Mojave station. Culturally, the wagons represent the American west and the pioneering miners who became icons of both masculinity and the quest for material wealth. The dissemination of the image of the twenty mule team borax wagons as an advertising icon long after they had ceased to be used reveals the power of advertising symbols and the reliance on images to market brands.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N972

Survey number: HAER CA-301

Building/structure dates: 1883 Initial Construction

vehicles advertising transportation world fairs animal training mining fireplace california mule team borax wagons twenty mule team borax wagons death junction death valley junction inyo inyo county justine christianson todd croteau roland flores furnace creek museum brian grogan harmony borax works historic american engineering record dana lockett stephen t mather old dinah pacific coast borax company bill parkinson j w perry southern pacific railroad edward stiles aaron winters photo design library of congress architectural diagrams

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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