Death Valley Junction was a watering stop on the Tonopah & Tidewater railroad, and later became a junction between the T&T and the Death Valley Railroad. The town was originally called Amargosa. In the early 1920’s the Pacific Coast Borax Company built structures at the town, including the hotel and office complex. The railroad ceased operation in 1928 and the town went downhill from there. Several buildings and railroad structures remain in various stages of decay.

In 1967 an eccentric dancer named Marta Beckett acquired the hotel and renamed it the Amargosa Opera House. She restored and redecorated the structure and has put on one-woman performances there ever since. Only a handful of people inhabit the town today -- the city limits sign lists a population of “4”.

Updated September 2014.

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