My First Trip to Death Valley

Many of you have enjoyed Julie and my numerous trip reports on our adventures in Death Valley. I have been scanning some of our family photos and I came upon photos of my first trip to Death Valley. The date is December 1955. I thought  members here would enjoy offering ideas as to the locations where three photos were taken. The photos were taken by my great uncle with his stereoscopic View Master camera.

Number one is a camping site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second is a stop along a road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the third photo.

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think? Where are the locations? I'm so excited to find these family photos from 1955 taken in Death Valley National Monument.

 

no idea, but i would love to have that station wagon !!

Great memories are made by trips like this!  I’m guessing the first photo is around Furnace Creek, the second is touring the Artist’s Pallet.

 

Edit:  I’m thinking that third photo has some elevation.  Dante’s?

1st may be furnace creek as Steve said, or maybe stovepipe wells.

 

2nd seems down the badwater basin road, maybe just north of the devil's golf course road.

 

3rd may be further south yet, just north of the current badwater access to the salt flats. 

I’d love to have the Jaguar. Did many camping trips with a Triumph TR4; just have to load like a backpacker

Let’s add to the guessing, which one of them little varmints is Monte?

I'm going with Stovepipe Wells, Badwater, and no idea for #3.

 

I'm guessing Monte is the third child hanging out over #2's thigh.

 

And the heck with the wagon, I'll take the Jag!

I'm going with Stovepipe Wells, Badwater, and no idea for #3.

 

I'm guessing Monte is the third child hanging out over #2's thigh.

 

And the heck with the wagon, I'll take the Jag!

I think you’re right on Bad Water.

 

If my best guess calculator is correct, Monte would be about 3 in Dec ‘55, so I’ll go with your pick of varmints.  The wagon looks like a ‘52 vintage as well.

Good comments thus far. Number 3 is definitely Dantes View. The view is to the north and the trail that heads out to Mount Perry in visible. Number one, my guess is in the area of the real Stovepipe Wells, not the resort area on 190. It looks like the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon in the distance. Number two, my guess is somewhere along Badwater Road. I've not pinpointed the spot yet but it looks like just south of Badwater.

 

What varmint am I? Ted and Sage get a bingo. I'm also in photo one in the back of the 1954 Ford Stationwagon (the '54 had the chrome stripe down the side).

 

The big guy, Jed, with the Jaguar was a close family friend. His son Ron is along. Ron was a lifelong friend to my older brothers who stayed in the southern California area.

 

Take a good look at the camping photo again and the stationwagon. Mom & Dad had 6 children, all along on this trip. That's eight in the Ford plus my Mom's uncle, the photographer. That makes 9 in the wagon plus camping gear. Maybe this is how I learned to travel light?

Where did you live at the time? How far was the trip to get there?