When a new mining camp was first constructed 11 miles (18 km) to the northwest of Lila C in 1914, the new settlement was named Devar (misspelled as Devair on a 1930 topographic map) an acronym for DEath VAlley Railroad.

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.

The Death Valley Conservancy is a nonprofit charity led by the former Rio Tinto Chief Executive of Energy & Minerals, Preston Chiaro, as the DVC's president.

Additionally, it qualified under Criterion C for its distinctive yet unified representation of early 20th-century Pacific Coast Borax corporate vernacular-style architecture and innovative engineering.

[14] This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure.