Borax-era hauntings in the desert
Death Valley Junction, Amargosa, CA
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Check venue website for current rates
Access
Limited Access
Paved
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1923 · Borax Industry Legacy · Company Town Architecture · Spanish Colonial Revival · Cultural Transformation
The Amargosa Opera House and Hotel stands as a remarkable artifact of early 20th-century industrial development in eastern California. Constructed between 1923 and 1925 by the Pacific Coast Borax Company, the complex was designed by architect Alexander Hamilton McCulloch in Spanish Colonial Revival style. The U-shaped adobe buildings formed the heart of a company town, housing administrative offices, employee dormitories, a 23-room hotel, dining facilities, and a retail store.
The complex originally served as lodging and administrative center for the borax mining operation in the remote Death Valley Junction area. The theater component was built to provide entertainment and cultural programming for isolated mining workers and company officials.
In 1967, the property transitioned from company use to independent ownership. Marta Becket, a dancer and artist, acquired the property in the late 1960s and transformed it into a cultural venue. Becket established herself as a resident artist, staging dance and mime performances in the theater until her final show in February 2012. Under her stewardship, the Amargosa became known throughout the region as an arts venue and hotel destination.
The property underwent paranormal investigation in 2010 (Ghost Adventures) and 2013 (The Dead Files), bringing significant attention to its haunted reputation.
Sources
Room 24 is associated with auditory phenomena: guests consistently report hearing a child crying at night, even when no children are registered at the hotel. Some accounts link these reports to a tragic drowning incident in 1967, though specific details of this event remain locally documented rather than verified in official records.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stay overnight in one of the 23 historic rooms of this 1920s-era borax company hotel. Guests report paranormal activity across the property, particularly in Room 9 (doorknob turning, child's laughter) and Room 24 (crying child sounds).
Tour the historic Spanish Colonial Revival theater and hotel built in 1923-25 by the Pacific Coast Borax Company. Learn about the property's transformation from company town to cultural venue, and hear accounts of reported paranormal activity.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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