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 low. As recently as July 12, 2012, the low temperature at Death Valley dropped to just after a high of on the previous day. The only other location which matches Death Valley's overnight low temperature of 107 °F in recent years is Khasab Airport in Oman, which also recorded a low of on June 27, 2012, and later one of on June 21, 2017. Also on July 12, 2012, the mean 24-hour temperature recorded at Death Valley was , which makes it the world's warmest 24-hour temperature on record. The average annual precipitation in Death Valley is , while the