Columbus Marsh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Columbus Marsh
Columbus Marsh Location in Nevada
Floor elevation	4,511 ft (1,375 m)
Geography

Columbus Marsh is a special kind of dry lakebed called a playa located in Nevada, United States. It's famous for being a place where an important mineral called borax was discovered a long time ago. This discovery helped start a big industry in the American West.

What is Columbus Marsh?

Columbus Marsh is a large, flat area of land that looks like a dry lake. It's known as a "playa," which is a Spanish word for beach. Playas are usually found in very dry places, like deserts.

A Dry Lakebed

A playa forms when a lake dries up completely, leaving behind a flat basin. The ground is often made of fine clay, silt, and salts. When it rains, these areas can fill with a shallow layer of water, but it quickly evaporates, leaving the ground dry and sometimes cracked. Columbus Marsh is a good example of this kind of landform.

The Story of Borax Discovery

The history of Columbus Marsh is closely linked to the discovery of borax. Borax is a white mineral that was very valuable in the past, and still is today, for many uses.

Early Discoveries

In 1870 or 1871, a man named William Troup (or Troop) found a type of borax called "cottonball borax" at Columbus Marsh. This was an exciting discovery because borax was in high demand. It was used for cleaning, preserving food, and in many industrial processes.

Francis Marion Smith's Role

After Troup's discovery, several companies started to set up plants to process borax at a nearby town called Columbus. Two of these plant operators, Joseph Mosheimer and Emile K. Stevenot, hired a young man named Francis Marion Smith to help them. Smith's job was to cut wood from Miller Mountain in the Candelaria Hills to fuel their borax plants.

While working, Smith became very interested in borax. He later found even more borax at another place called Teel's Marsh. His discoveries there were very successful, and he earned enough money to buy the borax businesses at Columbus Marsh in 1880. Francis Marion Smith became known as "Borax King" because he controlled most of the world's borax supply for a time.

What is Borax Used For?

Borax is a natural mineral that has many uses. It's a compound of boron, sodium, and oxygen.

Everyday Uses of Borax

Historically, borax was used in laundry detergents, as a cleaning agent, and even as an antiseptic. Today, it's still used in some cleaning products. It's also an important ingredient in making glass, ceramics, and some types of insulation. Borax can even be found in some slime recipes for kids!

Where is Columbus Marsh?

Columbus Marsh is located in Esmeralda County, in the state of Nevada, United States. It's part of the vast, dry landscape of the Great Basin desert. The area is known for its unique geology and mining history.