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 Greenland Ranch station averaged . The wettest month on record is January 1995, when fell on Death Valley. The wettest period on record was mid-2004 to mid-2005, in which nearly of rain fell in total, leading to ephemeral lakes in the valley and the region and tremendous wildflower blooms. Snow with accumulation has only been recorded in January 1922, while scattered flakes have been recorded on other occasions. In 2005, Death Valley received four times its average annual rainfall of . As it has done before for hundreds of years, the lowest spot in the valley filled with a wide,