History

History of the U.S. Borax 20 Mule Team

The history of U.S. Borax is the history of not one but multiple companies drawing on a combination of experience and knowledge, foresight and luck, hard work and perseverance to become a globally respected provider of one of the most versatile and useful materials on earth—borates.

Today, our company proudly calls Boron, California, home. But, our roots stretch from Nevada through Death Valley where the first 20 mule team hauled borax a sweeping 165 miles through the Mojave Desert. Fully loaded with two ore wagons and a 1,200-gallon water wagon, the rig weighed 36.5 tons. Though the expansion of railways led to the 20 mule team’s retirement, the mules have lived on as a symbol for U.S. Borax for more than a century and a half.

Timeline

Pioneering Spirit

U.S. Borax was founded on a pioneering spirit. We are responsible for new discoveries, breaching unexplored frontiers, and uncovering new technologies.

1872
Company founder F.M. “Borax” Smith discovers borates in Nevada
1881
Borates discovered in Death Valley
1890s
Work begins to establish a true mining camp named "Borate," serving as a model for future camps
1925
Miners discover a new borate ore deposit at current Boron site.
1970
Teams conduct detailed geophysical studies to gain a deeper understanding of the Boron deposit
2004
Lithium-borate deposit discovered in Serbia
2017
Scientists start testing a new proprietary process for extracting battery-grade lithium from ore waste

Logistics

Over the years, the journey borate ore takes from mine to market has experienced incredible transformation. Let’s look at the key achievements that made logistics safer and more efficient.

1883
Twenty mule teams begin to haul borates
1894
Railroad transportation begins with “Old Dinah,” a steam traction engine to carry borate ore coming online. Later, we helped develop and expand the Borate & Dagget, Death Valley, and Tonopah & Tidewater Railroads
1902-1922
European operations expand with the creation of Borax Français in 1902, and the construction of the Borax España refinery in Barcelona
1923
Wilmington, California refinery built
1927
Underground mine opens at current mine location in Boron, California
1957
Engineers Bob Kendall and Howard Steinberg lead the conversion of Boron Operations into a surface mine, complete with extensive refining facilities
1960
Wilmington port receives new bulk shipping terminal, improving shipping capacity to Europe
1961
The world’s largest borate ore conveyor starts running, simplifying transportation to the surface
1980
The world’s largest boric acid plant comes online, enabling increased production of boric acid
2013
The safety award-winning Modified Direct Dissolving of Kernite (MDDK) process facility opened at Boron operations, maximizing the utilization of the ore body in order to meet marketing demands, increasing mine yield by approximately 6-8%
2019
National Mining Association awards U.S. Borax the 2019 Sentinels of Safety Award for outstanding safety performance (Large Open Pit category)
2023
The first open pit mine in the world to transfer our heavy machinery from fossil diesel to renewable diesel

U.S. Borax in the Community

We take pride instrengthening, protecting,and advocatingfor thecommunities we operate in.

1916
Helped write the language adopted by the U.S. Congress to establish the National Park Service (NPS). One of our early directors, Stephen Mather (pictured here) became the first director of NPS
1926
Efforts to establish a tourism industry for Death Valley begin with building the first hotel at Ryan camp
1930
Death Valley Days radio show launched, marking a new advertising method and bringing the unique culture of the Wild West to audiences across the country
1933
Company donates land to the U.S. government to create Death Valley National Monument
1952
Death Valley Days adopts a visual format as it is revived for television. Ronald Regan’s host role in the mid-1960s was the last job he had as an actor before becoming governor of California.
1961
Employees help supply repurposed war planes (“Borate Bombers”) with borate compound to fight enormous wildfires near Los Angeles
1977
Star Wars films scenes for the movie trilogy at important company sites such as 20 Mule Team Canyon
1994
Death Valley becomes a national park after U.S. Borax donates land and lobbies the U.S. government
1997
Our new visitors center officially opens; voluntary admissions donations benefit local community organizations through the Borax Visitor Center Foundation
2010
Company donates more land to expand Death Valley National Park

Building a Legacy

No company endures 150 years of operation without establishing a strong culture. Hereare someof our mostnotable company memories.

1917
The 20 Mule Team rides in first Rose Parade
1963
U.S. Borax consolidates business offices into a bigger building on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles
1967
Rio Tinto acquires U.S. Borax
1985
Boron operations achieves 1 million human hours without a lost-time accident
1993
Company moves headquarters in Valencia
1999
Twenty Mule Team completes last ride with its original wagons in Pasadena Rose Parade
2017
The 20 Mule Team rides again in the Rose Parade with brand new replica wagons, 100 years after their first appearance, remaining an icon of history and perseverance in California, and across the U.S.
2019
National Mining Association awards U.S. Borax the 2019 Sentinels of Safety Award for outstanding safety performance (Large Open Pit category)
2021
Nules, Spain site celebrates 25 years without a lost time incident

Innovation, Research and Development

Discover our rich history of research and developmentleadingto new products, uses, and applications of borax.

1930s
Researchers explore uses for borax in agriculture
1934
A new anhydrous form of borax is released from Baker Mine—now the site of our current Boron operations
1972
Firebrake^® ZB developed, a fire retardant that is used in a variety of products, including polymers
1987
Granubor^® introduced, helping farmers boost plants’ uptake of boron, an essential micronutrient
1993
Solubor^® invented, a formulation that enables quick dispersion in liquids
1995
Firebrake^® 500 developed, an anhydrous zinc borate product that is stable up to 600°C. Kelvin Shen (pictured here) was instrumental in U.S. Borax's development of fire retardant products.
1998
Polybor^® Flow liquid borate invented, a product that’s especially effective in cleaning and flame retardancy applications
2006
Granubor^® 2 released for agriculture, a pure, 100% water soluble micronutrient designed to generate a higher ROI for farmers
2021
Two new fertilizer products—Anhybor^® and Zincubor^®—launched to help farmers fix zinc and boron deficiency in plants