The original Stovepipe Road House was built in 1907 near a well that was marked by a piece of stovepipe. The road was completed in 1926 and it is cited as a factor in changing Death Valley’s economic base from mining to tourism. Although he originally indended to build the road beyond Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the shifting sand proved to be problematic, and he ended the road west of the dunes. Realizing this was insufficient, he built a toll road over two mountain passes from the west into Death Valley. ![]() ![]() Later, Eichbaum moved to Venice Beach, CA, where he built up a profitable sightseeing business on Catalina Island.Īs Eichbaum learned more about the tourist trade, he came to believe that Death Valley could become an attractive winter resort and he envisioned building a grand hotel at Hells Gate overlooking the valley to the east of Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.Įichbaum wanted to bring in visitors from Los Angeles, but at the time, the only way to get into the valley was on old horse or wagon trails. ![]() Herman William “Bob” Eichbaum was an electrical engineer who worked at Rhyolite, helping build an electrical plant.
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