Sourdough Saloon Beatty 1905 Tapestry

The Sourdough Saloon was one of Beatty's more well known establishments, providing food and drink to miners and railroad workers, and later, to those passing through on the highway today. Sourdough Saloon was also an informal meeting point for engineers and test drivers for the world's automakers during the summer. Wait, what? Yep. As one of the hottest places on earth, Death Valley is utilized by all major car manufacturers to test their vehicles in the extreme Summer heat. Testing everything from engine cooling systems to climate control, prototype vehicles are put through their paces, and there is nothing better than a cold beer after driving through Death Valley all day, and there was also literally no other place to get a beer.