As borax mining in Death Valley slowed by the 1920s, the Pacific Coast Borax Company turned to tourism, opening the Furnace Creek Inn in 1927 and helping protect the desert to preserve its frontier character and attract more visitors. Death Valley became a national monument in 1933 and a national park in 1994. This shift from mining to tourism helped save both the company and Death Valley, and Christian B. Zabriskie, vice president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company, oversaw operations there during that transition.