Rio Tinto Mine
Boron, CA.

 

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This is the Borax mine in the upper desert in Boron California. Over half the worlds borax is mined here. Borax was first mined in Death Valley. The trip out of death Valley to Mojave CA where they shipped it took 10 days so when they discovered borax here it was the end of mining it in Death Valley.

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You can't actually go down in the mine. Instead they have built a visitors center high up on a hill where you have a great view of the operations. They charge a nominal fee to visit per car ($3) and all proceeds are donated to charities. It was very windy and cold when we were there about 45 degrees.

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The mine is 1 mile wide by 1-1/2 miles long. It made for a very informative stop. There are also 2 very good museums in Boron but we saved them for another trip. This is a picture of the Twenty Mule Team replica they have outside the visitors center. When Borax was first discovered in Death Valley they used to use these to get the ore out of the valley and take it to Mojave to be shipped by rail. If you are in the area it makes for an interesting stop.

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