Amargosa Opera House and Hotel facts for kids
The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel is a special historic building. It's located in Death Valley Junction, near Death Valley National Park in eastern Inyo County, California. A talented artist named Marta Becket performed dance and mime shows here for many years. She started in the late 1960s and gave her last show in 2012. This historic area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nonprofit group started by Marta Becket now owns it. They work to keep the property safe and preserved.
The theater was built between 1923 and 1925. It was part of a "company town" designed by Alexander Hamilton McCulloch. A "company town" is a place where a company builds homes and services for its workers. The Pacific Coast Borax Company built this complex. It was made of adobe buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style. The U-shaped complex had company offices and places for employees to live. It also had a 23-room hotel with a dining room, lobby, and store. At one end was a recreation hall. This hall was used for dances, church services, movies, and town meetings.
History of the Opera House
When the town of Amargosa was busy, about 350 people lived there. This was because of the borax mining business. The town was also at the end of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad. The hotel was a nice place for company leaders and visitors to stay. They were met at the train by valets. Besides hotel rooms, there was a cafe and restaurant. Other rooms were bunkhouses for workers. There was also an infirmary (a small hospital) and a general store. What is now the Opera House was mostly used for showing films. A large gas station and garage nearby fixed trucks and cars.
In 1942, the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad stopped running. Its tracks were sent to Egypt to help the Allies in World War II. After the railroad closed, the Opera House, Hotel, and land changed owners many times. Then, Marta Becket arrived.
Marta Becket rented the recreation hall in 1967. It was called Corkhill Hall back then. She started fixing it up. She also created stage sets and painted beautiful murals on the adobe walls. She renamed it the Amargosa, after the old mining town.
In 1970, journalists from National Geographic found Marta. She was performing at the Amargosa Opera House without an audience. Stories about her in National Geographic and Life made her famous. People from all over the world came to see her shows. Famous visitors included Ray Bradbury and Red Skelton.
In 1974, Marta Becket finished her murals. She then started the nonprofit Amargosa Opera House, Inc. This group helps keep the property safe. The nonprofit bought the town of Death Valley Junction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. In 1983, the Opera House bought 120 theater seats. These seats came from the Boulder City Theater in Boulder City, Nevada. They replaced the old garden chairs. The official marker for Death Valley Junction was also placed.
A dancer named Jenna McClintock saw Marta perform when she was six. This inspired Jenna to study ballet. After dancing with the Oakland Ballet, Jenna returned to thank Marta. She decided to stay and help keep the tradition alive. Jenna retired from the Amargosa Opera House in 2016.
The Amargosa Hotel is open all year for visitors. Beyond the hotel, Death Valley Junction is almost a ghost town. There are no gas stations. The Amargosa Cafe is part of the Opera House and Hotel. It has recently reopened. An Australian-American cook now makes unique meals, pastries, and coffees there. The cafe's inside looks like a time capsule. It has an old counter and circular chairs, just like much of the Amargosa Hotel.
Location
The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel is on California State Route 127. It is in Death Valley Junction. This is where National Scenic Byway, California State Route 190, California State Route 127, and the Furnace Creek Inn area meet. It is 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Death Valley National Park. To the south are the towns of Shoshone, California and Tecopa Hot Springs. The Nevada state line is five miles northeast.
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