The distance from Death Valley to the bristlecone pines of the White Mountains is less than a hundred miles. But it is a hundred miles of arid, jagged mountains and valleys parched by the sun. All the water vapor from the Pacific Ocean has been squeezed out of the air by the time the winds blow clouds over the Sierra Mountain range. This desert area was stripped of its mineral wealth, leaving small mining towns to decay over time, many completely abandoned.
Death Valley had been a barrier to the westward surge after minerals. In the mountain ranges and creosote valleys between Death Valley and the Owens Valley are the former mining towns of Keeler and Darwin. At one time Darwin had been considered for the capital of the new State of California. Now it’s just known as the place where “dar win is always blowing”. Keeler was once the port town on the dry Owens Lake for the nearby silver mines. These are towns that briefly boomed and withered, now populated by refugees from civilization.
Death Valley had been a barrier to the westward surge after minerals. In the mountain ranges and creosote valleys between Death Valley and the Owens Valley are the former mining towns of Keeler and Darwin. At one time Darwin had been considered for the capital of the new State of California. Now it’s just known as the place where “dar win is always blowing”. Keeler was once the port town on the dry Owens Lake for the nearby silver mines. These are towns that briefly boomed and withered, now populated by refugees from civilization.