Nature
Named after the famed Saratoga Springs in New York state, these springs create open-water ponds that contrast starkly with the hot, dry, desolate floor of Death Valley. The first visitors to its refreshing waters included resident and migratory wildlife, soon followed by the prehistoric people of the region. For almost 100 years, prospectors, mining interests, travelers, and even the 20-mule team borax wagons used the springs as an important watering hole. In the 1880s, the famed 20-mule teams hauled borax from the Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley and the Amargosa Borax Works in Tecopa to railheads at Dagget and Mojave. The round-trip took 20 days, including a stop at Saratoga Springs. The original inhabitants of the springs have reclaimed prominence and continue to thrive, with grebes, ducks, herons, and red-winged blackbirds sharing the life-giving water with snails, toads, frogs, desert pupfish, rodents, and the occasional kit fox.
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