Death Valley National Park Boundary Survey 1983

(Western Archaeological & Conservation Center, National Park Service)

As a graduate student, I worked for the National Park Service, Western Archaeological and Conservation Center (WACC) for several years. Besides a lot of paper shuffling, I had the opportunity to survey in most National Parks and National Monuments of the NPS Western Region. One of these surveys followed 40 miles of the boundary of Death Valley National Park. It was a harsh, but beautiful landscape.

Image Captions and Locations

Image# Caption Coordinates Location
01 Death Valley, 88m below sea level (Badwater Basin) 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
02 the hottest region of the country 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
03 a land of naked rock and spectacular geology 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
04 Death Valley 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
05 Death Valley National Park extends into the highlands above the valley 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
06 Great Basin high desert far above the valley floor 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
07 In late spring, this land is carpeted in flowers 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
08 Death Valley National Park 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
09 Death Valley National Park 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
10 Dave Groenfeldt and I surveyed 40mi of the monument boundary 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
11 Dave Groenfeldt 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
12 Stone artifacts left from prehistoric hunter/gatherer camps blend into the desert pavement 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
13 sometimes we found stone rings from ancient campfires 36.386299˚ N, 117.1553˚ W Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo, California, United States
14 rumors of gold brought prospectors and speculators in the 19th century 36.903889˚ N, 116.82917˚ W Rhyolite, Rhyolite, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
15 their towns boomed, but most are now abandoned (Rhyolite) 36.903889˚ N, 116.82917˚ W Rhyolite, Rhyolite, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
16 a few quirky individualists hang on 36.903889˚ N, 116.82917˚ W Rhyolite, Rhyolite, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
17 the one remaining “thriving metropolis” of Beatty, NV 36.908557˚ N, 116.75923˚ W Beatty, Beatty, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
18 we helicoptered to the crest of the Grapevine Mountains 36.965216˚ N, 117.14923˚ W Grapevine Mountains, Grapevine Mountains, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
19 and hiked out over two days 36.965216˚ N, 117.14923˚ W Grapevine Mountains, Grapevine Mountains, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
20 near the crest of the Grapevine Mountains 36.965216˚ N, 117.14923˚ W Grapevine Mountains, Grapevine Mountains, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
21 in the mountains we recorded rock shelters with textile fragements mixed with lithic debris36.965216˚ N, 117.14923˚ W   Grapevine Mountains, Grapevine Mountains, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
22 a low-elevation rock shelter with grinding slabs36.965216˚ N, 117.14923˚ W   Grapevine Mountains, Grapevine Mountains, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States
23 an empty landscape with roads that lead to ???/title>    
24 dreams of riches fade as the desert reclaims its own36.903889˚ N, 116.82917˚ W   Rhyolite, Rhyolite, Amargosa Valley, Nye, Nevada, United States