Ryan, California

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File:Ryan public.jpg
Ryan Camp Photo taken from public land location 36°19'19.0"N -116°39'54.7"W

Ryan (also known as Ryan Camp)[1][2] is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California[3] that is now privately owned and stewarded by the Death Valley Conservancy.[2] A former mining community, company town, and seasonal hotel, it is now under careful restoration and preservation.[2] Ryan is situated at an elevation of Script error: No such module "convert". in the Amargosa Range, and is Script error: No such module "convert". northeast of Dante's View and Script error: No such module "convert". southeast of Furnace Creek. The Ryan Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.[4][5]

Name

File:1910-rp1947-ca furnace-creek 30-crop.jpg
Detail from a 1930 USGS map of the Death Valley Railroad running from Death Valley Junction to the Lila C mine and New Ryan (depicted as Devair on this map

The mining community of Lila C was constructed in 1907 near the Lila C mine, which produced colemanite for the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The town was named by its owner William Tell Coleman, after his daughter, Lila C. Coleman. Soon after its completion, the community of Lila C became known as "Ryan", in honor of John Ryan (1849Template:Ndash1918), who was General Manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company and a trusted employee of "Borax" Smith until his death in 1918.[6][7] The Ryan post office was opened at Lila C in 1907.

When a new mining camp was first constructed Script error: No such module "convert". to the northwest of Lila C in 1914, the new settlement was named Devar (misspelled as Devair on a 1930 topographic map) an acronym for DEath VAlley Railroad.[8] The name was later changed to Ryan in honor of John Ryan and the old camp at the Lila C. The new camp is currently known as Ryan, CA or Ryan Camp.[1][2]

History

Ryan was the western terminus for the Death Valley Railroad, the eastern terminus of which was located at Death Valley Junction near the borax works of the Pacific Coast Borax Company 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."[9][10]

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 narrow gauge rail line into the mine.[7] The Death Valley View Hotel operated full-time from 1927 until 1930, the year the Death Valley Railroad ceased to function. After 1930 the hotel was used as overflow accommodations for the Furnace Creek Ranch and Inn through the 1950s.[11][2]

The Death Valley Conservancy is the current caretaker of Ryan Camp.[12] The donation of Ryan Camp to the Death Valley Conservancy was completed by Rio Tinto Borax Corporation on May 6, 2013. The Death Valley Conservancy is a nonprofit charity led by the former Rio Tinto Chief Executive of Energy & Minerals, Preston Chiaro, as the DVC's president.[13]

Historic District

The Ryan Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.[5] The historic district includes Ryan, remnants of the Death Valley Railroad and the Baby Gauge Railroad, the Upper and Lower Biddy mine complexes, road, and trails.

The district was recognized as significant under National Register Criterion A due to its connections to the early 20th-century borax mining industry in Death Valley, the rise of Death Valley tourism, 1950s film, and Cold War-era civil defense programs. Additionally, it qualified under Criterion C for its distinctive yet unified representation of early 20th-century Pacific Coast Borax corporate vernacular-style architecture and innovative engineering. Lastly, it met Criterion D for archaeology.[4]

Tours

While Ryan is closed to the general public for safety and historic preservation reasons, the Death Valley Conservancy offers occasional public tours. Tour participants can be selected by signing up on the Death Valley Conservancy's Ryan Tours webpage.[14]

Climate

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ryan has a desert climate, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.[15]

References

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  1. ↑ a b Scott Smith - Superintendent Ryan Operations for Death Valley Conservancy
  2. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  4. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Hildebrand, GH. (1982) Borax Pioneer: Francis Marion Smith. San Diego: Howell-North Books. Template:ISBN
  7. ↑ a b "The Great Desert Railroad Race" Documentary written and produced by Ted Faye
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Scott Smith, Superintendent Ryan Operations Death Valley Conservancy (records on site)
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Rio Tinto Announces Donation of Historic Ryan Camp to DVC Press Release
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Climate Summary for Ryan, California

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