Ryan, California
| Ryan | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  Ryan | |
| Coordinates: 36°19′23″N 116°40′17″W / 36.32306°N 116.67139°WCoordinates: 36°19′23″N 116°40′17″W / 36.32306°N 116.67139°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Inyo County |
| Elevation[1] | 3,045 ft (928 m) |
Ryan (formerly Colemanite and Devar) is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California.[1] A former company town, it is situated at an elevation of 3,045 feet (928 m) south of the Amargosa Desert in the Mojave Desert.[1]
When the mining camp was first built in 1914 it was named Devar (short for Death Valley Railroad).[2] In 1915 the name was changed to New Ryan—after John Ryan (1849–1918), who was General Manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company until his death in 1918—and was later shortened to Ryan.[3]
Ryan was the western terminus for the Death Valley Railroad, the eastern terminus of which was located near the borax works of the Pacific Coast Borax Company at Death Valley Junction, California in the early 20th century.
According to the Death Valley Conservancy, "Ryan was a luxurious mining camp by any standards of the day – with electricity, steam heat and refrigeration it also boasted a school, a hospital, post office, recreation hall/church (shipped down in sections from Rhyolite) and a general store."[4]
After borax production had stopped in 1928, in an effort to increase revenues on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad which had carried the borax ore, Pacific Coast Borax converted the miners' lodgings into tourist accommodations and gave tourists visiting Death Valley trips on the baby gauge rail line into the mine.[5] The Death Valley View Hotel operated from 1927 until 1930, the year the Death Valley Railroad ceased to function.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ryan, California
- ↑ "Timeline". Desert Fog. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "The Baby Gauge Railroad, California". Ghost Town Explorers. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "RYAN MINING CAMP, DEATH VALLEY". Death Valley Conservancy. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "The Great Desert Railroad Race" Documentary written and produced by Ted Faye
