Near Boron in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Twenty Mule Team

Photographed By Craig Baker, September 24, 2022

1. Twenty Mule Team Marker

Inscription. This is one of the original twenty mule team wagon sets, used to carry borax out of Death Valley, through 165 miles of desolate mountains and blistering deserts, to the closest railroad spur in Mojave, California. It took 20 days for the 20 Mule Team to make the round trip, to deliver 20 tons of borax. The teams worked steadily from 1883 to 1888.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 35° 1.758′ N, 117° 41.252′ W. Marker is near Boron, California, in Kern County. Marker can be reached from Borax Road, 2½ miles north of California Route 58. Borax Road becomes Suckow Road inside the US Borax plant. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 14486 Borax Rd, Boron CA 93516, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Borax (approx. 2.4 miles away); Miner's Cabin (approx. 3 miles away); Rocket Site (approx. 7 miles away); F-8 Supercritical Wing Aircraft (approx. 12.6 miles away); NF-15B (approx. 12.6 miles away); F-8 DFBW (approx. 12.6 miles away); F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire Aircraft (approx. 12.6 miles away); HiMAT (approx. 12.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boron.

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Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. — 20 Mule Team routes.

Also see . . .
1. History of Borax Mining in California. (Submitted on December 13, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
2. 20-Mule Borax Teams. An article by Joe Zentner titled On The Move In Death Valley (Submitted on December 16, 2011.)

3. Visitor Center Website. A museum of all things borax, with Twenty Mule Team wagons outside, and a spectacular view into the mine from inside. (Submitted on March 15, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.)

4. Reproduction of Twenty-Mule Team Wagons. This is an incredible 15 part series on the construction of reproduction Twenty-Mule Team Wagons. This is a must watch! (Submitted on March 24, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)