<P> The valley received its English name in 1849 during the California Gold Rush . It was called Death Valley by prospectors and others who sought to cross the valley on their way to the gold fields , after 13 pioneers perished from one early expedition of wagon trains . During the 1850s , gold and silver were extracted in the valley . In the 1880s , borax was discovered and extracted by mule - drawn wagons . </P>
where did the name death valley come from
It was called Death Valley by prospectors and others who sought to cross the valley on their way to the gold fields , after 13 pioneers perished from one early expedition of wagon trains .