Aaron and Rosie Winters were very poor, living in the eastern part of Death Valley when Aaron discovered a deposit of borax in 1881. Aaron sold his claim to the borax for $20,000 (over $500,000 in 2020), and his water rights for $2,500. They bought a ranch near Pahrump, NV (about 60 miles from Las Vegas) for $20,000. In 1887, they lost most of the ranch to back taxes. The discovery of borax was the plot of Season 1, Episode 2, She Burns Green (1952).