and return to Death Valley: one of the harshest and most extreme environments on earth.
At a glance, the Mojave Desert seems devoid of life. The inhospitable environment is filled with lurking dangers and has a legendary reputation of claiming countless lives. In spite of its morbid name, Death Valley is secretly bustling with life. In the mornings, a herd of wild horses came to eat behind the hotel. The inky black nights were illuminated by a sea of stars, as well as glow-in-the-dark scorpions that littered the desert floor. Endangered subterranean tortoises occasionally emerged from underneath the sandy surface. Rich described vast fields of wildflowers which only blossomed temporarily following rare rainstorms, and how the majestic mountain peaks are frosted with snow during winter. It was easy to see how this ever-changing landscape can inspire art by being a living example of it. Then he told tales of a more peculiar type of life inhabiting the property…the undead variety which vastly outnumbered the living population.
The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel is well known as one of the top 10 U.S. haunted hotels. Built in 1923 by the Pacific-Borax company, it was originally a stop along the Death Valley Railroad known as 'Corkhill Hall.' Initially it was a social epicenter, consistently drawing people in for dances, church services, movies, funerals, and town meetings. It was also home to miners who worked across the street at the Pacific-Borax mine. Because of the hazardous nature of mining, there was a hospital, morgue and cemetery on premises as well. The town's population peaked at about 300, but quickly dwindled when the Pacific-Borax company moved its headquarters in 1927. By 1940, the town was deserted. Everything on the property remained untouched until 1967, when Marta Becket and her husband moved in, renamed the property the 'Amargosa Opera House and Hotel,' and began renovations.