Harmony Borax Works
William T. Coleman completed the Harmony Borax Works in 1883 near a site where borax 'cottonballs' had been discovered by Aaron Winters two years prior. The cottonball was largely collected by Chinese workers, who were housed at a new camp called Coleman less than ¼ mile away; non-Chinese workers were housed at the nearby Greenland Ranch (Furnace Creek). During the summer months from June thru October when temperatures exceeded 115°, it was too hot for borax production as the water used was too warm for crystallization, thus the Amargosa Borax Works was operated during this time to ensure that production continued without interruption year-round. 20-mule teams were used to transport the borax from Harmony to the railroad at Mojave, a three week round trip.
By 1888, new borax discoveries closer to the railroad forced the closure of both Harmony and Amargosa. In 1890, Harmony was acquired by Francis Marion "Borax" Smith and his Pacific Coast Borax Company, after which it was seen as merely a reserve and saw no further work. Now a popular stop in Death Valley National Park, what remains of the Harmony Borax Works was stabilized around 1975.
