Winters, A
Winters, Aaron
ACHIEVEMENT(S): Discovered Death Valley borax deposits (1881)
DATE/PLACE OF BIRTH: Unknown
DATE/PLACE/AGE AT DEATH:
DISCIPLINE: Prospecting
FIELD: NA
LANGUAGE: English
PARENTS: Unknown
SIBLINGS: Unknown
SPOUSE: Rosie
CHILDREN: None
EDUCATION: Unknown
MAJOR WORK: None
LIFE AND TIMES:
Winters was a gold rush prospector and in 1880 was living with his wife Rosie in Death Valley, CA. He learned about white crystalline ulexite (a form of borax*) from another prospector, and in 1882 found large deposits of the mineral. The borax was confirmed when he poured on sulphuric acid and alcohol, lit the mixture, and saw that it burned with a green flame. He quickly staked his claim on the area and then later sold the land to William T. Coleman for $20,000 (a fortune for the time). Coleman and his successors began the first large scale production of borax with the Pacific Coast Borax Company which used 20-mule teams to haul the mineral out. Borax was now readily available and cheap enough for general use by such as hairdresser Nestle
ASSESSMENT: Kicked off large-scale use of borax
EXTRA CONNECTIONS: The Pacific Coast Borax Company sponsored Death Valley Days, a radio and television anthology dramatizing true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. The radio program was created in 1930 and broadcast until 1945. From 1952 to 1975, Death Valley Days was produced as a syndicated television series. One of Ronald Reagan's final television roles was host of Death Valley Days in 1964-65. Reagan also acted in some episodes.
ONELINER: Discoverer of Death Valley, CA borax deposits
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Wikipedia