20 Mule Team Museum, Boron, CA
N 34° 59.958 W 117° 39.040
11S E 440624 N 3873158
The 20 Mule Team Museum opened August 4, 1984 after being created by and with the hard work of the citizens and businesses of the town of Boron, CA.
Waymark Code: WMAK4N
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/23/2011
Views: 10
The volunteers of the 20 Mule Team Museum are tasked with the mission to acquire, document and display artifacts pertaining to the local history and especially the history of borax mining in Death Vally and Boron.
An interesting note about the museum is that the land was literally purchased one-square foot at a time, after the mile-long strip of land between Boron Ave and the railroad spur the the Boron mine was offered to the Chamber for $8,000. Various fundraisers were held and the land was slowly purchased.
The Chamber/Museum building was origanally owned by Pacific Coast Borax (now known as U.S. Borax), after they moved their main mining operations and sold many of the old staff houses and cabins; one old staff house was purchased by Paul Sigman who moved it to Aerial Acres, about 20 miles from Boron, and then later sold it to the Chamber for $1,000. The building was moved to its present location in 1978 by 10 local businessmen who each donated $100 to purchase and move the structure. U.S. Borax donated $10,000 to the Chamber to convert the old building into a museum. Many hours of volunteer labor and donated materials were provided by the citizens and businesses of Boron to bring the building and grounds into shape.
Chamber of Commerce, Museum. The museum was dedicated on August 4, 1984. The exhibits include a 1930s kitchen, 1930s beauty shop, an exhibit of the old equipment from the Boron Volunteer Fire Departement, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial, granite rock and drill, an ore bucket, a borax scrapper, sack printer.
Theme:
History of Kern County and the Boron industry.
Street Address:
26922 20 Mule Team Road Boron, CA 93516
Food Court: no
Gift Shop: yes
Hours of Operation:
Seven days a week from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Special museum hours can be arranged for groups of 10 or more. The museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Museum Size: Small
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
In order to log this waymark in this category, you must be able to provide proof of your visit. Please post a picture of yourself or your GPSr in front some identifiable feature or point of interest either in the museum, or on the museum grounds.