Death Valley Suite California state centennial (1850-1950). The original performance was conducted by Grofe with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony on December 3, 1949 in the Desolation Canyon area of Death Valley National Monument (Now Death Valley National Park). The music was used in the background as a procession of covered wagons entered the area. Actor James Stewart narrated the pageant celebration. The 1949 pageant was attended by 65,000 people. The movements are titled: Total length of composition is 17 minutes and 11 seconds. Background information of Ferde Grofe's commissioned with the State of California and the Death Valley 49ers history, historical background, pageant
Death Valley driest stretch on record with only of rain over a 40-month period. On June 30, 2013, during the 2013 extreme heat wave, the mercury reached 129 °F (54 °C) at Furnace Creek station, which is the all-time highest air temperature recorded for June. The mean annual temperature for Death Valley (Furnace Creek Weather Station) is with an average high of in December, in January, and in July. From 1934 to 1961, the weather station at Cow Creek recorded a mean annual temperature of . The longest number of consecutive days where temperatures reached or more was 205 from April to