Though steeped in legend, the frenzied search for gold and other materials in Death Valley produced few fortunes, and borax, the "White Gold of the Desert," became the valley's most profitable mineral. Harmony Borax Works was one of Death Valley's first borax operations and operated from 1883-1888. A 20 mule team at the Harmony Borax Works about 1885 shows that some "20 mule" teams had varying numbers of animals.