The California Gold Rush of 1849 drew hundreds of thousands west. Most took established routes - the California Trail through Nevada or the southern route through Arizona. But both were long and arduous. When rumors spread of a shorter path directly west across Utah Territory, some couldn't resist.

In October 1849, a group of about 100 wagons left the Salt Lake area heading for California. They were following a route promoted by a man named Jefferson Hunt, but when they heard of an even shorter cutoff, most of the group - over 100 families - decided to try it. Only seven families stayed with Hunt. The rest would soon regret their decision.

The 'shortcut' led into a maze of mountains and valleys. The wagons split into smaller groups as progress slowed. By late December, several parties found themselves in a long valley between steep mountain walls - the valley that would be called Death. They had descended nearly 300 feet below sea level without realizing it.

The valley offered no escape. Mountains blocked every direction. Water was scarce and brackish. There was no grass for the oxen. They had brought the tools of settlement into one of the harshest environments in North America. Now they were trapped.

For nearly a month, the emigrants struggled to survive and find a way out. They burned their wagons for fuel to dry ox meat. They drank water from springs so alkaline it made them sick. Captain Culverwell of one party died - the death that gave the valley its name (though only one other person is confirmed to have died).

Two young men, William Manly and John Rogers, volunteered to walk out and bring back help. They crossed 250 miles of desert on foot to a California rancho, obtained supplies and horses, and walked back. They found the Bennett and Arcane families barely alive, having survived on their oxen.

Manly and Rogers led the survivors out through a pass to the south, a journey of 200 more miles across harsh desert. Women and children walked because the horses were too weak to carry riders. They ate the horses when the horses could no longer walk. One child survived on sugar and coffee.

As they climbed out of the valley, Sarah Bennett reportedly turned back for a last look at the salt flats that had nearly killed them. 'Goodbye, Death Valley,' she said. The name, born from relief and bitterness, was recorded in Manly's memoirs and eventually became official.

Death Valley is now a national park, famous for being the lowest, driest, and hottest place in North America. The temperature has reached 134°F - possibly the highest ever reliably recorded on Earth. Summer visitors are warned to carry a gallon of water per person per hour.

The '49ers' wagon ruts are still visible in places, preserved by the dry climate. A monument marks where the Jayhawkers escaped over the Panamint Range. Furnace Creek, where some emigrants found water, is now a resort. The valley that was synonymous with death has become a destination - but the name remains, a permanent reminder of the pioneers who named it as they fled.