Death Valley that can be made from a type of clay found in the valley. Some families still live in the valley at Furnace Creek. Another village was in Grapevine Canyon near the present site of Scotty's Castle. It was called in the Timbisha language "maahunu", whose meaning is uncertain, although it is known that "hunu" means "canyon". The valley received its English name in 1849 during the California Gold Rush. It was called Death Valley by prospectors and others who sought to cross the valley on their way to the gold fields, after 13 pioneers perished from one early expedition of
Death Valley October 1992. On average, 192 days per year in Death Valley have temperatures that reach 90 °F or more. Before being moved to Furnace Creek, the weather station at Greenland Ranch averaged 194.4 days annually where temperatures reached 90 °F or more. The lowest temperature recorded at Greenland Ranch was in January 1913. The period from July 17–19, 1959, was the longest string of consecutive days where nighttime low temperatures did not drop below . The highest overnight or low temperature recorded in Death Valley is , recorded on July 5, 1918, and the current world record for highest overnight