In the decades since its discovery in 1849, Death Valley was prospected (like much of California) for gold or silver. These largely turned up empty. However after large deposits of Borate, important in cosmetics and detergents, were discovered in the area in 1882, William Coleman and Francis Smith established the Harmony Works, which processed Borax here by boiling the borate in water and then letting it precipitate in settling wells. The works were later purchased by Francis "Borax" Smith, who aggressively promoted "20-Mule-Team Borax" throughout the country and contributed to making Death Valley a household name. The Harmony Works here were abandoned in 1889 when the company moved mining operations towards Barstow.
Harmony Borax Works, Death Valley National Park, Furnace Creek, California

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Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D7000
Exposure:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture:	f/13.0
ISO Speed:	400
Focal Length:	22 mm
Lens:	18.0-70.0 mm f/3.5-4.5