Saratoga Springs (Death Valley)
Encyclopedia
Saratoga Springs is a desert oasis
located in southern Death Valley National Park
in California
. The wetland lies at the southern tip of the Ibex Hills
, on the floor of Death Valley and just northeast of the Amargosa River
. Several springs overflow into pools totaling 6.6 acres (2.7 ha) in area, making the site the third largest marsh
in the park. The pools provide habitat for several endemic species, including the Saratoga Springs pupfish
. Other rare species present include the Amargosa tryonia snail, the Amargosa springsnail
, the Saratoga Springs belostoma bug, the Amargosa naucorid bug, and the Death Valley June beetle
. Plant life includes common reeds
, bulrush
and saltgrass.
The springs were probably named in 1871 by the Wheeler Survey
after the resort town of Saratoga Springs, New York
, and were an important water source for the twenty-mule teams of the 1880s. The area saw a failed nitrate
rush in 1902, and similarly unsuccessful attempts to mine gold
and silver
in the middle part of the decade. The Pacific Nitrate Company arrived in 1909 and built a small camp, but left within a few years. From the 1930s through the 1960s the springs provided water for the successful talc
mines in the nearby Ibex Hills.
Except for two partially collapsed stone structures, little evidence remains of human habitation at the spring. A dirt road provides access to an overlook of the area, but human entry into the wetland itself is prohibited in order to the protect the sensitive habitat.
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
located in southern Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The wetland lies at the southern tip of the Ibex Hills
Ibex Hills
The Ibex Hills are a mountain range in Inyo County, California....
, on the floor of Death Valley and just northeast of the Amargosa River
Amargosa River
The Amargosa River is an intermittent waterway, long, in southern Nevada and eastern California in the United States. It drains a high desert region, the Amargosa Valley in the Amargosa Desert northwest of Las Vegas, into the Mojave Desert, and finally into Death Valley where it disappears into...
. Several springs overflow into pools totaling 6.6 acres (2.7 ha) in area, making the site the third largest marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
in the park. The pools provide habitat for several endemic species, including the Saratoga Springs pupfish
Saratoga Springs pupfish
The Saratoga Springs pupfish is a subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish of the family Cyprinodontidae. The native population is endemic to Saratoga Springs, a small wetland in Death Valley National Park in the United States.-Taxonomy:The pupfish is a member of the genus Cyprinodon...
. Other rare species present include the Amargosa tryonia snail, the Amargosa springsnail
Amargosa springsnail
The Amargosa springsnail is a snail in the family Hydrobiidae. It is endemic to the Amargosa River drainage of the southwestern United States. The small snail is known to occur in several near-brackish springs, including the type locality of Saratoga Springs in Death Valley....
, the Saratoga Springs belostoma bug, the Amargosa naucorid bug, and the Death Valley June beetle
Death Valley June beetle
The Death Valley June beetle is a scarab beetle in the subfamily Melolonthinae. It is only known to occur in the drainage basin of the Amargosa River in the southwestern United States....
. Plant life includes common reeds
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
, bulrush
Scirpus
The plant genus Scirpus consists of a large number of aquatic, grass-like species in the family Cyperaceae , many with the common names club-rush or bulrush . Other common names are deergrass or grassweed.The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and grows in wetlands and moist soil...
and saltgrass.
The springs were probably named in 1871 by the Wheeler Survey
Wheeler Survey
The Wheeler Survey was a survey of a portion of the United States lying west of the 100th meridian. It comprised multiple expeditions, and was supervised by First Lieutenant George Montague Wheeler....
after the resort town of Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, and were an important water source for the twenty-mule teams of the 1880s. The area saw a failed nitrate
Nitrate
The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
rush in 1902, and similarly unsuccessful attempts to mine gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
in the middle part of the decade. The Pacific Nitrate Company arrived in 1909 and built a small camp, but left within a few years. From the 1930s through the 1960s the springs provided water for the successful talc
Talc
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula H2Mg34 or Mg3Si4O102. In loose form, it is the widely-used substance known as talcum powder. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, its crystals being so rare as to be almost unknown...
mines in the nearby Ibex Hills.
Except for two partially collapsed stone structures, little evidence remains of human habitation at the spring. A dirt road provides access to an overlook of the area, but human entry into the wetland itself is prohibited in order to the protect the sensitive habitat.