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MOJAVE: THE UNFORGIVING LAND
Its plants and animals must adapt or perish. So, too, with the humans. The first Mojave dwellers shaped their lives to the land’s hidden resources. Today we adapt the Mojave to suit our own ways of life. We continue to improve our culture, and our society as a whole. The result is a community that is unique yet increasingly connected with the rest of the globe. Explore the story of life in this land of contrasts: The search for food—and gold. Drilling for water and for oil. Building brush huts and tin-roofed shacks and stucco condominiums. Escaping from civilization and creating communities. Native Americans, Europeans, African-Americans, Asians and Latinos—we have all contributed to the growth of the high desert. Whether you arrived yesterday, or generations ago; we can all now celebrate our part in the development of the desert’s history

Exhibits

Death Valley Alive was an exhibit created by the San Bernardino County Museum and sponsored by a grant from the California Arts Council. It is on long term loan to the Museum.

Explore the natural history and culture of the Death Valley Region, from its geologic beginnings 1.3 billion year ago through time to visit by pioneers and prospectors. And its eventual preservation as a natural park . The Exhibit is divided into thematic sections:
What are desert?
1.8 billion years of geological history in Death Valley
Humans in Death Valley, from Native American to Death Valley Scotty
Paleontology
Biotic communities
Preserving Death Valley and its natural and cultural resources.

Photo Murals with text panels are enriched by artifacts and touchable specimens. There is an interactive Display that challenges visitors to guess how plants can survive in the desert, and a large mechanical map that offers different perspectives of the valley, including satellite imagery.

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