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Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 8:40 am
by sandshark
Ryan, Death Valley, California :cactus:
Here's an interesting historic site I'd like to visit sometime!
Ryan is what the Old West was all about. It was a mining town built on the side of a steep mountain on the eastern edge of Death Valley in a remote and rugged area. It was a company town that was built in 1914 to serve several borax mines. In 1928 the mines were shut down and part of the town was converted to a hotel in hopes of attracting tourists to Death Valley. The hotel and the town were closed in 1930.

LINK: http://desertfog.org/projects/ryan-camp-death-valley-ca/

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:35 am
by desertrat
The Death Valley Conservancy Announces an Historic Transfer of Ryan Mining Camp from Rio Tinto :smack:
Seems to me that it would have made more sense to transfer ownership to the park rather than some private group. Private groups like this usually fail to follow through over time. Even with the generous funding provided by Rio Tinto, the DVC is likely to no longer exist within twenty years.
The Death Valley Conservancy ("DVC") today announced the transfer of ownership of the historic Ryan Camp from the global mining company, Rio Tinto, to the DVC. In addition to the land and property, Rio Tinto will contribute $750,000 in financial support to the DVC in the first year, with further support scaling up over time to $18 million.

LINK: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-death-valley-conservancy-announces-an-historic-transfer-of-ryan-mining-camp-from-rio-tinto-206263091.html

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 11:59 am
by whiskeypete
desertrat wrote:The Death Valley Conservancy Announces an Historic Transfer of Ryan Mining Camp from Rio Tinto :smack:
Seems to me that it would have made more sense to transfer ownership to the park rather than some private group. Private groups like this usually fail to follow through over time. Even with the generous funding provided by Rio Tinto, the DVC is likely to no longer exist within twenty years.

Hell no! The park service wouldn't do a good job developing Ryan to be enjoyed by the public. They'd drag their heels and sit around twiddling their thumbs. If you want something to get done, don't give the job to a governmental agency!
:mad2:

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:24 am
by wildrose
whiskeypete wrote:
desertrat wrote:The Death Valley Conservancy Announces an Historic Transfer of Ryan Mining Camp from Rio Tinto :smack:
Seems to me that it would have made more sense to transfer ownership to the park rather than some private group. Private groups like this usually fail to follow through over time. Even with the generous funding provided by Rio Tinto, the DVC is likely to no longer exist within twenty years.

Hell no! The park service wouldn't do a good job developing Ryan to be enjoyed by the public. They'd drag their heels and sit around twiddling their thumbs. If you want something to get done, don't give the job to a governmental agency!
:mad2:

I disagree. I think the park would do a good job, but I also have confidence that the conservancy will do a good job also. Both entities would preserve the old mining camp and although the park would probably do a somewhat better job, I'm sure that the conservancy will do just fine! We're all on the same side on this one and so why worry about who does what?
:sun:

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:53 am
by mrfish
I believe in the KISS principle and the way I see it, it would be better for Ryan to be administered by the park service. You never know what you will get with private organizations. At least with the park service the place will be made accessible to the public in a consistent manner.

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 6:42 pm
by James Sel
mrfish wrote:I believe in the KISS principle and the way I see it, it would be better for Ryan to be administered by the park service. You never know what you will get with private organizations. At least with the park service the place will be made accessible to the public in a consistent manner.

Yes anything to make government larger. :bow:

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:32 am
by mrfish
Jame Sel: It's a matter of picking your poison. Private organizations fail far more often than does the park service. The park service isn't perfect, but it's good at certain things such as making historical sites of interest available to the public. I'm not a fan of the government, but there are some things that government is good for. Managing public lands is one of them. They may not be perfect, but they are preferable to corporations by a long shot.

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:21 am
by shadylady
What's the lesser of two evils? The government or some private entity. It could go either way, but I agree that the park service is one of the more successful and positive government agencies. I think for the sake of consistency it would be better if Ryan were managed by the park service.

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:18 am
by wildrose
I don't really trust the government, but I trust corporations even less. You never know what you'll get with private businesses. At least with the park service there's more accountability. That's not to say that there is enough accountability, but it's better than with a private entity.

Re: Ryan, Death Valley, California

PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 8:40 am
by pcslim
Death Valley: Ghost Town of Ryan, Zabriskie Point, etc :prof:
This might be of interest. Info about petroglyphs in Greenwater Canyon as well as other sites get mentioned in this old clip from the 1940s.