Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad Music Video ft Nevada Northern Railway

From 1906-1940 the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad served the Death Valley country. The railroad ran from Ludlow, California to Beatty, Nevada built by Francis Marion Smith the Borax King. Not only did he want to move his borax from his mines on the edge of Death Valley but he wanted to capitalize on the Nevada Gold Rush happening in Tonopah, Goldfield and the Bullfrog Mining District with the new boomtown of Rhyolite!

To be precise Francis Marion Smith decided to build the railroad in 1905. Once he found a partner in the Santa Fe Railroad he began building from Ludlow, California north. As the line advanced north toward his borax mine called the Lila C., the mine was ready to ship before the line arrived. In 1907 for a period of 6 months Smith brought back the 20 Mule Teams to haul borax to the railroad as it approached. By October, 1907 the line reached Gold Center just south of Beatty, Nevada. Though intended to run from the Tidewater at San Diego to the boomtown of Tonopah, Nevada it never made it to either. But it was one of the most beloved railroads in the West bringing civilization to the remote regions around Death Valley.

Ken Graydon was a talented musician who loved Death Valley. He was one of the few to write its stories into his music. In this song Ken sings about how the rails were laid down and that the goal was to reach Bullfrog. The black and white film footage is the only known footage of the Tonopah & Tidewater as it pulled into Beatty, Nevada. The color footage is a reenactment we produced with the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nevada.

Gold Creek Films and Ted Faye are proud to continue to bring the stories of the Death Valley country to viewers and anyone who wants to know more about this fascinating region.