| Stovepipe Wells | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | California#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in California##Location within the United States |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | California |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Inyo County |
| Coordinates: | 36.6061°N -117.1464°W |
| Elevation M: | 3 |
| Elevation Ft: | 10 |
Stovepipe Wells is a way-station in the northern part of Death Valley, in unincorporated Inyo County, California.
Stovepipe Wells is located at 36.6061°N -117.1464°W and is US Geological Survey (USGS) feature ID 235564. It is entirely inside Death Valley National Park and along State Route 190 (SR 190) at less than 10feet above sea level. West on SR 190 is Towne Pass at about 4950feet above sea level. Eventually, the road meets Panamint Valley Road at Panamint Junction in the Panamint Valley. East on SR 190 the road leads to Furnace Creek and Death Valley Junction.
Variant names listed for the Inyo County location by USGS include Stove Pipe Wells Hotel and Stovepipe Wells Hotel. The US Postal Service ZIP Code is 92328, and the locale name is spelled Stove Pipe Wells in some postal renditions. It is commonly referred to as Stovepipe Wells Village.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Stovepipe Wells has a hot desert climate, abbreviated "BWh" on climate maps.[1] Its average high temperature is greater than 100F from June through September.
The first temporary settlement at Stovepipe Wells came into being when a road between Rhyolite and Skidoo was begun in 1906 to ameliorate the approach to the mine at Skidoo. A collection of tents was erected to serve travelers with food, drink and lodging. During the bonanza days of Rhyolite and Skidoo, it was the only known water source on the Cross-Valley road. When sand obscured the spot, a length of stovepipe was inserted as a marker; hence, its unique name.
In 1925, entrepreneur Bob Eichmann began construction of the hotel at Stovepipe Wells, along with a scenic toll road through Death Valley. This marked the beginning of the transition from mining community to tourist destination.
The settlement is now registered as California Historical Landmark #826.
Stovepipe Wells Village is home to the Stovepipe Wells Hotel,[2] a full-service hotel with swimming pool. A general store offers sundries and food and is adjacent to a gas station. Stovepipe Wells Village also houses the Badwater Saloon and Toll Road restaurant, The Nugget Gift Shop and a ranger station.
The default format for wired telephone numbers in the community is in the Death Valley exchange: (760) 786-xxxx. The community had manual telephone service until the late 1980s.
The community is contained within the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District.
There are three California Historical Landmarks in Stovepipe Wells.[4]
California Historical Landmark number 826, Old Stovepipe Wells, founded on August 7, 1968, reads:
NO. 826 OLD STOVEPIPE WELLS - This waterhole, the only one in the sand dune area of Death Valley, was at the junction of the two Indian trails. During the bonanza days of Rhyolite and Skidoo, it was the only known water source on the cross-valley road. When sand obscured the spot, a length of stovepipe was inserted as a marker.[5]
California Historical Landmark number 848, Eichbaum Toll Road, founded on May 19, 1971, reads:
NO. 848 EICHBAUM TOLL ROAD - In 1926, H. W. Eichbaum obtained a franchise for a toll road from Darwin Falls to Stovepipe Wells, the first maintained road into Death Valley from the west. It changed the area's economic base from mining to tourism and brought about the creation of Death Valley National Monument seven years later[6]
California Historical Landmark number 441, Burned Wagons Point, founded on October 24, 1949, reads:
NO. 441 BURNED WAGONS POINT - Near this monument, the Jayhawker group of Death Valley '49ers, gold seekers from the Middle West who entered Death Valley in 1849 seeking a short route to the mines of central California, burned their wagons, dried the meat of some oxen and, with surviving animals, struggled westward on foot.[7]
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