Ryan, California
| Ryan | |
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| Unincorporated community | |
View of Ryan, California from Death Valley National Park, at the junction of Furnace Creek Road and Ryan Road
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 Ryan
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| Coordinates: 36°19′23″N 116°40′17″W / 36.32306°N 116.67139°WCoordinates: 36°19′23″N 116°40′17″W / 36.32306°N 116.67139°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Inyo County |
| Elevation | 3,045 ft (928 m) |
Ryan (later known as Devar and Devair) is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. A former mining community and company town, Ryan is situated at an elevation of 3,045 feet (928 m) in the Amargosa Range, 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Dante's View and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Furnace Creek.
The mining community of Lila C was constructed in 1907 near the Lila C mine, which produced colemanite for the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The town was named by its owner William Tell Coleman, after his daughter, Lila C. Coleman. Soon after its completion, the community of Lila C became known as "Ryan", in honor of John Ryan (1849–1918), who was General Manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company and a trusted employee of "Borax" Smith until his death in 1918. The Ryan post office was opened at Lila C in 1907.
When a new mining camp was first constructed 11 miles (18 km) to the northeast in 1914, the new settlement was named Devar (miss-spelled as Devair on an early topographic map) an acronym for DEath VAlley Railroad. The name was later changed to Ryan in honor of John Ryan and the old camp at the Lila C. The camp is currently know as Ryan, CA or Ryan Camp.
Ryan was the western terminus for the Death Valley Railroad, the eastern terminus of which was located at Death Valley Junction near the borax works of the Pacific Coast Borax Company in the early 20th century.
According to the Death Valley Conservancy, "Ryan was a luxurious mining camp by any standards of the day – with electricity, steam heat and refrigeration it also boasted a school, a hospital, post office, recreation hall/church (shipped down in sections from Rhyolite) and a general store."
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