Ryan, California

Image:1910-rp1947-ca furnace-creek 30-crop.jpg map of the Death Valley Railroad running from Death Valley Junction to the Lila C mine and New Ryan (depicted as Devair on this map]]

The mining community of Lila C was constructed in 1907 near the Lila C mine, which produced colemanite for the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The town was named by its owner William Tell Coleman, after his daughter, Lila C. Coleman. Soon after its completion, the community of Lila C became known as "Ryan", in honor of John Ryan (1849{{ndash}}1918), who was General Manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company and a trusted employee of "Borax" Smith until his death in 1918.Hildebrand, GH. (1982) Borax Pioneer: Francis Marion Smith. San Diego: Howell-North Books. {{ISBN|0-8310-7148-6}}[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZUQZv6TK24 "The Great Desert Railroad Race" Documentary written and produced by Ted Faye] The Ryan post office was opened at Lila C in 1907.

When a new mining camp was first constructed {{convert|11|mi|km}} to the northwest of Lila C in 1914, the new settlement was named Devar (misspelled as Devair on a 1930 topographic map) an acronym for DEath VAlley Railroad.{{cite book |last1=Bryan |first1=TS |title=The explorer's guide to Death Valley National Park |last2=Tucker-Bryan |first2=B |publisher=University Press of Colorado |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-87081-962-9 |edition=2nd |location=Boulder, Colorado |chapter=Tourism and the national park |quote=After the mines closed in October 1927, the visitors had a second option of staying in the Death Valley View Hotel in remodeled rooms at Ryan, which was renamed Devar (later, Devair). |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RqG1h5vcQb4C&q=%22Devar+%28later%2C+Devair%22&pg=PT67}} The name was later changed to Ryan in honor of John Ryan and the old camp at the Lila C. The new camp is currently known as Ryan, CA or Ryan Camp.Scott Smith - Superintendent Ryan Operations for Death Valley Conservancy

Ryan was the western terminus for the Death Valley Railroad, the eastern terminus of which was located at Death Valley Junction near the borax works of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the early 20th century.

According to the Death Valley Conservancy, "Ryan was a luxurious mining camp by any standards of the day – with electricity, steam heat and refrigeration it also boasted a school, a hospital, post office, recreation hall/church (shipped down in sections from Rhyolite) and a general store."{{Cite web |title=Ryan California |url=https://www.dvconservancy.org/ryan-california/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=Death Valley Conservancy |language=en-US}}{{cite web|title=RYAN MINING CAMP, DEATH VALLEY|url=http://ryancamp.org/|publisher=Death Valley Conservancy|access-date=May 31, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 5, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130705003615/http://ryancamp.org/}}

After borax production had stopped in 1928, in an effort to increase revenues on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad which had carried the borax ore, Pacific Coast Borax converted the miners' lodgings into tourist accommodations and gave tourists visiting Death Valley trips on the narrow gauge rail line into the mine. The Death Valley View Hotel operated full-time from 1927 until 1930, the year the Death Valley Railroad ceased to function. After 1930 the hotel was used as overflow accommodations for the Furnace Creek Ranch and Inn through the 1950s.Scott Smith, Superintendent Ryan Operations Death Valley Conservancy (records on site)

The [https://www.dvconservancy.org/ Death Valley Conservancy] is the current caretaker of Ryan Camp.{{Cite web |access-date=June 4, 2022 |title=Ryan Camp |url=https://www.dvconservancy.org/ryan-camp/ }} The donation of Ryan Camp to the Death Valley Conservancy was completed by Rio Tinto Borax Corporation on May 6, 2013. The Death Valley Conservancy is a nonprofit charity led by the former Rio Tinto Chief Executive of Energy & Minerals, Preston Chiaro, as the DVC's president.[http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-death-valley-conservancy-announces-an-historic-transfer-of-ryan-mining-camp-from-rio-tinto-206263091.html Rio Tinto Announces Donation of Historic Ryan Camp to DVC Press Release]

The Ryan Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-2025-01-31.htm|title=WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 1/24/2025 THROUGH 1/30/2025|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2025-02-04}} The historic district includes Ryan, remnants of the Death Valley Railroad and the Baby Gauge Railroad, the Upper and Lower Biddy mine complexes, road, and trails.

The district was recognized as significant under National Register Criterion A due to its connections to the early 20th-century borax mining industry in Death Valley, the rise of Death Valley tourism, 1950s film, and Cold War-era civil defense programs. Additionally, it qualified under Criterion C for its distinctive yet unified representation of early 20th-century Pacific Coast Borax corporate vernacular-style architecture and innovative engineering. Lastly, it met Criterion D for archaeology.

While Ryan is closed to the general public for safety and historic preservation reasons, the Death Valley Conservancy offers occasional public tours. Tour participants can be selected by signing up on the [https://www.dvconservancy.org/ryan-camp/ryan-tours/ Death Valley Conservancy's Ryan Tours webpage].{{Cite web |title=Ryan Tours |url=https://www.dvconservancy.org/ryan-tours/ |access-date=January 8, 2023 |website=Death Valley Conservancy |language=en-US}}

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ryan has a desert climate, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=913240&cityname=Ryan%2C+California%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Ryan, California]

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{{Inyo County, California}}

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Category:Ghost towns in Inyo County, California

Category:Mining communities in California

Category:Populated places in the Mojave Desert

Category:Unincorporated communities in Inyo County, California

Category:History of the Mojave Desert region

Category:History of Inyo County, California

Category:Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad

Category:Unincorporated communities in California

Category:Company towns in California

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Inyo County, California