Death Valley 2022/23

[DAW89446]

Here’s a bit of a mystery.  I’m fully stumped and would love any insight.  Since everything around there is Devil themed I dubbed it Devils Sack.  

This location is near McLean Spring/Salt Creek area.  I spotted it on satellite a couple of years ago and wanted to check it out.  It’s along an old road grade through and empty part of the desert west of 190.  

I found the old road and "Devil's Sack" on Google Maps. I traced the old road north to CA190, which then became the road that is now closed to access Original Stovepipe Well and south to a point where it disappeared shortly before reaching the Salt Creek road. I also found a branch road that ran northeast from a point south of CA190 and went north a ways before it disappeared shortly before it reached CA190 after it makes its curve southerly. I'm thinking these might be part of the early road network graded either by Eichbaum interests or the Park Service after Death Valley became a monument in 1933. I have a hunch that the road northeast might have been an early access to Beatty and built in the same time period. The portion in your photo looks to be pretty well preserved.