c.1950s Fred Harvey Furnace Creek Inn Ranch Death Valley National Monument

Date: c.1959
Artist: Unknown           
Size (in): 24” x 18” 
Size (cm): 61 x 46
Condition: A
Linen backed: No

This vintage original and rare travel poster advertises the Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch operated by the Fred Harvey Company at Death Valley National Monument in California. This poster features a pleasing Mid-Century design featuring hotel guests relaxing around the oasis like Furnace Creek Inn swimming pool set against the harsh and unforgiving but beautiful desert landscape of Death Valley.   This poster isn’t dated but the same artwork was used for the cover of brochures advertising the Furnace Creek Inn in the late 1950s so we’d date this poster to around that same time period.  

The Furnace Creek Inn was built by the Pacific Coast Borax Company and opened in 1927 with only 12 rooms as an early initiative to boost tourism in the region.   The hotel was operated by The Fred Harvey Company for a few decades beginning in the 1930s and continues in operation today as the luxury Oasis at Death Valley Resort.  The resort is near the Furnace Creek Ranch which is the site of the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth at 134.1°F or 56.7°C on July 10, 1913.  Death Valley National Monument was established in 1933 and substantially expanded and elevated to the status of a National Park in 1994.  

We find no auction history for this rare poster which looks pretty well unused with no tape or pinholes.  Overall condition is excellent for this vintage original.