"Borax" Smith liked to have places named for his family and co-workers. An example of this is Rasor, whose Rasor Road Overpass on Highway 15 is common to DPSers, and second to last before reaching Baker from the west. It was Clarence Rasor who chose the T & T's alignment, being its Chief Engineer. The Baker name emanates from Lord H C Baker, Smith's associate-of Borax Consolidated, Ltd-the London-based British firm holding the American company's purse strings. 'Ryan flattered John Ryan, the T & T's General Manager. Other names attesting to Smith's choice include Sperry, Evelyn, Valjean, Riggs, Jenifer, Zabriskie, Gerstley, and Horton.
The Death Valley RR's western terminus in shown on old maps as being Denair. I have yet to find out its origin. Its demise occurred in the early 30s-that of the T & T's followed in 1940, when the rails were later taken up for World War II effort steel.
One of our retired DPSers, Ben Romero, as a young man worked for PCB at Furnace Creek, during T & T days.
When PCB and the T & T were operating, Death Valley Junction bore the pride of a Company town-with its swimming pool and recreation hall-properly Corkill Hall. Today termed the Amargosa Opera House, it houses Marta Becket's performances. The Amargosa Hotel, an adobe building, was spic and span and was highly advertised. It took in guests unaccustomed to PCB's Furnace Creek Inn rates. There was adequate bus, train and auto transportation, along with the necessary facilities required of a desert community. Shrubbery adorned the area and the depot was a favorite shelter. The town's major structures went to make up PCB's calcining plant.
Today, the Junction is no longer a Company town, and remains in a sorry shambles without benefit of even a gas station. The Amargosa Hotel still tries to operate. Harry Gower's old residence remains occupied, as do a few of the other officials' domiciles. Not much exists to tell the visitor of its past glory! Though the T & T RR was destined to not be a profit center, it did provide outlet for the ores that kept the Pacific Coast Borax Company in business during all those good Junction years.
-Robert 0. Greenawalt
March, 1991
