Field Trip Travel Journal: Death Valley

For this field trip I chose Harmony Borax Works at Death Valley for the location I would like to dive into. It is known for a plant company in the late 1800's that produced borax despite the least of conditions and resources back then. Either way looking at this site a few question come to mind, such as why was this land rich in borax? I now know borax is formed from evaporated saline lakes. Makes me wonder was this vast valley underwater just as Colorado once was, was there a lake here where Harmony Borax Works is now? Is this the sediment left over?

In the photos above I can see see the rocky mountains in the background that can either be faults, leaving me to believe this remote desert surrounded by rocky mountains might be the next Colorado for all we know.