Death Valley Suite pictures, pageant advertising can be seen on the following links: Ferde Grofe's Desert Water Hole composition for orchestra, his biography and background of the pageant can be viewed at this link (pdf form): The 1949 Pageant Guide and its conception can be seen at this link: Death Valley Suite The Death Valley Suite is a short symphonic suite written by Ferde Grofé in 1949, depicting the westward travels of pioneers through the 'harsh lands' of Death Valley in California. Grofe was commissioned by the Death Valley 49ers, a non profit organization devoted to preserving pioneering and mining history of the
Death Valley Railroad bought the equipment, track and rolling stock to construct their own line located near Loving, New Mexico, which became the United States Potash Railroad. All the rails from the Death Valley Railroad were used on the new line until about 1941 when they were replaced by heavier-pound rails from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. The line was used until 1967 when better potash deposits were discovered in Saskatchewan and Pacific Coast Borax Company merged with U.S. Potash and became U.S. Borax & Chemical Cooperation. All three engines that were on the Death Valley Railroad are preserved. After the