Geography and names [Wikipedia]:
Stovepipe Wells is located at
36°36′22″N 117°08′47″W and is US Geological Survey (USGS) feature ID 235564.[1] It is entirely inside Death Valley National Park and along State Route 190 (SR190) at less than 10 feet (3.0 m) above sea level. West on SR190 is Towne Pass at about 4,950 feet (1,510 m) above sea level. Eventually, the road meets State Route 178 (SR178) at Panamint Junction in the Panamint Valley. East on SR190 the road leads to Furnace Creek and Death Valley Junction.
Variant names listed for the Inyo County location by USGS include Stove Pipe Wells Hotel and Stovepipe Wells Hotel. The US Postal Service ZIP Code is 92328, and the locale name is spelled Stove Pipe Wells in some postal renditions. It is commonly referred to as Stovepipe Wells Village.
The first temporary settlement at Stovepipe Wells came into being when a road between Rhyolite and Skidoo was begun in 1906 to ameliorate the approach to the mine at Skidoo. A collection of tents was erected to serve travelers with food, drink and lodging.
In 1925, entrepreneur Bob Eichmann began construction of the hotel at Stovepipe Wells, along with a scenic toll road through Death Valley. This marked the beginning of the transition from mining community to tourist destination.
The settlement is now registered as California Historical Landmark #826.
Facilities:
Stovepipe Wells Village is home to the Stovepipe Wells Hotel, a full-service hotel with swimming pool. The General Store offers sundries and food, and is adjacent to a gas station. Stovepipe Wells Village also houses the world famous Badwater Saloon and Toll Road restaurant, The Nugget Gift Shop and a ranger station.
The default format for wired telephone numbers in the community is in the Death Valley exchange: (760) 786-xxxx. The community had manual telephone service until the late 1980s.
The community is contained within the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District.
Nearby features:
Close to town are some fairly large and accessible sand dunes on the Death Valley floor. The sand dunes are roughly 7 miles (11 km) long in the east-west axis. They are located in the space between Salt Creek and Emigrant Wash.
Stovepipe Well, for which the community is named, is shown to the northeast at 36°39′33″N 117°04′44″W.
Stovepipe Wells Airport is defined as being to the southwest at 36°36′14″N 117°09′33″W. The airport has an identifier of L09 and features a 3,250-foot (990 m) paved runway.
All photos above from Hackberry (on historical Route 66), far from Stovepipe Wells!
To the right impressive Borax Cariage from Death Valley.
Piranhas from refrigerator door at Kamrersgatan 17.
