The True Road to Perdition
Built at a cost of $60,000 in the early 1900s, the Titus Canyon Road was intended to bring people to the boom town of Leadfield, where gold had been discovered and mined in 1904.
In 1926, a young man named Charles Julian sold 300,000 shares of stock in the lead mines that were supposed to make investors easy money. However, within six months of establishing Leadfield, the town evaporated when inhabitants quickly figured out there was no lead, and the region (now within Death Valley National Park) was all but uninhabitable. The Post Office dissolved in March 1927 and what remains are a few corrugated steel buildings hut foundations and defunct mine entrances.
Today, Titus Canyon Road is a backcountry drive west into Death Valley National Park from Nevada Highway 374. Dangerous when the forecast includes rain, the road can be navigated rather easily during the dry season.
Red Pass, just beyond the peak in this image is where the road becomes narrower and begins its descent from an elevation of approximately 5,000' down to sea level on the western end of the Titus Canyon. It is also where the desert takes on a much more colorful palette than the Amargosa Valley region to the east, and the Dunes
4-wheel drive vehicles are recommended.
The True Road to Perdition
Built at a cost of $60,000 in the early 1900s, the Titus Canyon Road was intended to bring people to the boom town of Leadfield, where gold had been discovered and mined in 1904.
In 1926, a young man named Charles Julian sold 300,000 shares of stock in the lead mines that were supposed to make investors easy money. However, within six months of establishing Leadfield, the town evaporated when inhabitants quickly figured out there was no lead, and the region (now within Death Valley National Park) was all but uninhabitable. The Post Office dissolved in March 1927 and what remains are a few corrugated steel buildings hut foundations and defunct mine entrances.
Today, Titus Canyon Road is a backcountry drive west into Death Valley National Park from Nevada Highway 374. Dangerous when the forecast includes rain, the road can be navigated rather easily during the dry season.
Red Pass, just beyond the peak in this image is where the road becomes narrower and begins its descent from an elevation of approximately 5,000' down to sea level on the western end of the Titus Canyon. It is also where the desert takes on a much more colorful palette than the Amargosa Valley region to the east, and the Dunes
4-wheel drive vehicles are recommended.