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7 THE MAGAZINE OF THE WEST

XIGUST 1964

6 UNUSUAL TRIPS
SERPENT CAVE OF BAJA
DESERT SURVIVING AND DRIVING

'

'

'•y •

•. *
AUGUST

PHOTO

CONTEST

WINNERS

. • - • . &•*$*,* 1*

MAIN STREET
Tom Myers CACTUS WREN HOME
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA Henry D. Teft, Jr.
To capture the feeling of the California ghost DENVER, COLORADO
town of Bodie, Tom Myers used infrared film Caught at just the right time, the sun highlights
and a wide angle lens for this exceptional photo- this home of a Cactus Wren, giving it the
graph. Data: Leica 35mm, infrared film with appearance of an unruly coiffure. Data: Rollei-
deep red filter at noon, 21mm wide-angle lens, flex, 122 at l/30th, Panatomic X, £3.5 Xenar lens.
f8 at l/3Oth.

PHOTO CONTEST RULES


1—Prints ior monthly contests must be
black and white. 5x7 or larger, printed on
glossy paper.
2—Each photograph submitted should
be fully labeled as to subject, time and
place. Also technical data: camera, shut-
ter speed, hour oi day, etc.
3—PRINTS WILL BE RETURNED ONLY
WHEN RETURN POSTAGE IS ENCLOSED.
4—All entries bust be in the Desert
Magazine office by the 20th of the contest
month.
5—Contests are open to both amateur
and professional photographers.
6—FIRST PRIZE will be $15; SECOND
PRIZE, 8. For non-winning pictures accep-
ted for publication $3 each will be paid.
Although not part of the contest. Desert
is also interest in viewing 4x5 color trans-
parencies for possible front cover use. We
pay $25 per transparency.

Second Prize
Veppemm . . . . ty #ack
Back in the "good old days" a prospector lived alone 25 miles
from a small desert community and came into town only once a month
for supplies. One day two other prospectors made camp five miles
from the original old sourdough. The following day he appeared
CONTENTS in town with all of his belongings on the back of his mule. Asked
where he was going, he replied: "I'm gettin' away from all this crowded
land. Why the population out my way has increased 200 percent
Volume 27 Number 8 overnight!"
For better or worse, the fact remains that the population of the
August, 1964 western deserts is increasing, and will continue to increase along with
the "western population tilt." Gone are the days when the desert
This Month's Cover belonged to "just us desert rats and God." This trend cannot be stopped
Bristlecone Pine by John W. Kettl or ignored. The majority of the new people are learning to love and
respect the desert as do the pioneers. DESERT MAGAZINE plays an
4 Books for Desert Readers important role in showing newcomers how to appreciate the desert
and, most important, how to
8 Surviving and Driving in the respect our areas and pre-
Desert serve their natural state. We
By VINCENT ROTH
are constantly warning read-
ers not to desecrate and de-
11 Land of Wandering Waters stroy, but to marvel; not to
By DOROTHY ROBERTSON
mar, but to enjoy; to share
and not to spoil and, above
14 Me and the Santa Ana all, not to leave trash and
litter. Yet there are crimi-
By JOY CAPUTO
nals—and they are guilty of
15 Buried Treasure Man Can't Dig crimes since they are violat-
ing legal laws—who, with no
By RALPH PROUTY
regard for their fellow man,
spill trash and litter across
17 I'll Take the Long Way
the desert, who throw tin
By ARTHUR ROULEAU
cans into springs and who
evidently derive a sadistic pleasure in the destruction of plants and
19 Submarines in the Desert wild life. These people, along with the egotistical perverts who deface
By MARIE VALORE
pre-historic Indian writings and scratch their names and love markings
on rocks and cliffs, are not only criminals, but sub-standard humans
20 The Santa Rosas with perverted minds.
By ROYCE ROLLINS
Officers of the law and rangers cannot possibly cover all desert
22 Bewitched by Baja areas. We who love and respect the desert should help by reporting
By CHORAL PEPPEIR violators and disposing of trash when we find it left by these insane
desecraters. DESERT MAGAZINE will help in any way possible and
26 America's Cameleers welcomes suggestions as to how we can keep our desert areas safe
By JACK BRYSON and clean.
30 Alibates—the Prehistoric Treasure AUGUST CALENDAR. Nevada continues to celebrate its 100th Anni-
By SAM ED SPENCE versary with too many events to list. For times and places write to
Nevada Centennial Commission, State Building, Reno, Nevada. Smoki
33 Scorpions Indian Ceremonials and Snake Dance, Prescott, Ariz., August 1. Old
By JOHN GOODMAN Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, Calif., August 12-15. 43rd Annual
Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, "Today's Greatest Living Tribute to
34 Profile of Time the American Indian", Gallup, New Mexico, August 13-16. Hopi Snake
By LEON CALLAWAY Dance, on Hopi Reservation near Winslow, Arizona, last 10 days of
August. (Editor's Note: If you want events listed they must be in two
37 Ghost Town months in advance of date.)
By LAMBERT FLORIN
DESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. Second Class Postage paid at Palm Desert, Calif., and at additional mailing
offices under Act of March 3, 1879. Title registered No. 358865 in U. S. Potent Office, and contents copyrighted 1964 by Desert Magazine, Un-
38 Desert Dispensary solicited manuscripts and photographs cannot be returned or icknowfedged unless fuil return postage is enclosed Permission to reproduce contents
must be secured from the editor in writing. SUBSCRIPTION PRiCE: $4.50 per year (12 issues) in the U.S.; $5 elsewhere. Allow five weeks for change
of address, and be sure to send the old as well as new address.
By SAM HICKS

39 DESERT Cookery JACK PEPPER, Publisher CHORAL PEPPER, Editor


By LUCILLE I. CARI.ESON Elta Shively Al Merryman Rose Holly Marvel Barrett
Executive Secretary Staff Artist Circulation Manager Business Manager
412 Letters From Our Readers
Address Correspondence To:
43 The Desert's Endowment
By MEL YOUNG
Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260 Phone: FI 6-8144

August, 1964 / Desert Magazine / 3


BRAND NEW ! ! !
The Backyard of Nevada
BY C. LORIN RAY

Written from notes and reminiscences over THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS rectly retort that native horses had in-
many years of living and wandering in
Nevada. Relates experiences in Gerlach, Rhy- By Robert Plate deed existed in America long ago and
olite, Silver Peak, Jarbidge and other out-of- had become extinct only recently.
the-way Nevada places. A truly unique book A fascinating book, this dual bio- Most of the dinosaur bones that
with all hand-lettered text and 38 full page graphy recounts the lives of two sworn add importance to our museums to-
drawings by the author. Official Nevada
Centennial Year edition. Paper cover. Auto-
foes who probably had more in com- day were discovered, uncovered, and
graphed. $3.00. mon than any other two men of their reconstructed under the direction of
time. one of these two men. That they
Write for complete western book list.
Othneil C. Marsh, America's first hated each other while working to-
Postage prepaid if payment enclosed with professor of paleontology, was a pro- ward the same end is sometimes amus-
order. In Calif, add 4% sales tax. duct of poor parents with a rich rela- ing, sometimes pathetic. Nevertheless,
tive. His uncle, the celebrated bache- it spurred them to heights as well
PINON BOOK STORE lor who endowed Yale's Peabody Mu- as depths and, because of it, these
seum, believed only in helping those dinosaur hunters were as colorful and
206 North Main St. Bishop. California
In the Heart of the Eastern High Sierras
who proved themselves worthy. After human as they were coldly scientific.
a retarded start, O. C. Marsh set about Published by David McKay Com-
proving his worthiness by winning pany,
acclaim as a scholar. Because Yale book isInc., this hardcover 281-page
available for $4.95 and may
offered a professorship for a paleon- be ordered from the DESERT Maga-
tologist, Marsh focused his energies zine Book Department.
AUTHORS!
If you have completed a book-length manu-
in that direction.
Edward D. Cope, the violent Marsh
antagonist, was reared by a doting
script, you may be interested in our special THE OREGON DESERT
publishing plan, Under this program, many and rich father who encouraged in-
lawyers, executives, teachers, scholars and
even housewives have seen their work pub- tellectual activity. This young genius By E. R. Jackman and R. A. Long
lished, promoted and marketed on a digni- was recognized in a number of scien-
fied, professional basis. All subjects con- There is no other book about the
sidered — non-fiction, notion, poetry, etc.
Send for our free 40-page illustrated bro-
tific fields and had had papers pub- Oregon desert, even though desert.
chure today. Ask for Booklet, D. lished by the Academy of Natural comprises a good 25% of the state.
VANTAGE PRESS. INC. Sciences of Philadelphia by the time But this book is more than just a
120 W. 31st St., New York 1. N.Y. he was 18 years old. Unlike Marsh, good one about deserts (covering
In Calif.: 6253 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. his early struggle was not one of sub- Idaho, Utah and Nevada as well as
In Wash., D.C.: 1010 Vermont Ave., N.W. sistence, but rather, one of morality. Oregon). Its chief talking point is
Darwin's theory of evolution chal- it's ability to portray Western back-
lenged his intense religious beliefs country life—human and animal, wild
and precipitated a climatic inner frus- and restrained.
Order a tration he found hard to compromise.
FREE One of its authors, Reub Long, is
Author Plate brings to his readers a lifelong cowboy who thinks like
Desert-Southwest Book Catalog a lively account of these two scholars a scientist and the other, E. R. Jack-
More than 75 Southwestern titles. His- in a determined fight by each to win man of Oregon State University, is a
tory, lost mines, Indian lore, adventure, first place in a race for scientific scientist who thinks like a cowboy.
gunmen, nature subjects, art of the area, recognition. Much of their warfare They write of wild horses, cattle
guide books, travel, ghost towns, desert
legends. took place on Western plains where drives, desert animals, geological pro-
their fossil hunts were plagued not cesses, desert people and desert lore,
For your free Desert-Southwest Book only by each other, but by Indians, and both are dedicated conservation-
Catalog, send your name and address to:
stomping Buffalo, conniving guides, ists.
Desert-Southwest Book Store weather and fatigue. Jackman recounts an incident that
P.O. Box 757 Palm Desert, California
One incident that surprised Marsh took place at a Grange meeting held
was the stir his work created in! to solve a problem created by a poor
Salt Lake City. Whereas most religi- clover seed crop. One practical bach-
ous groups stormed in protest at this elor blamed the poor crop upon the
fossil hunter whose discoveries of pre- large number of old maids. "They
ATTENTION WRITERS! historic horses in North America bol- all keep cats," he said, "the cats keep
Book Manuscripts wanted. All subjects con- stered Huxley's theory of evolution, mice in the fields cleared out; the
sidered. Free report. Brigham Young embraced him. After skunks, unable to find enough mice
detailed questioning on the part of to eat, turn to bumblebees for food;
Your book can be published and promoted the Mormons, Marsh finally discover- the bees pollenize the clover, hence,
by a successful, reliable! company, noted for ed the answer. It seems the Book of if we bachelors want good clover seed
its prompt, personal service. Mormon had been challenged for crops, we've got to marry these old
alluding to horses in America during maids."
Submit your manuscript to: the prehistory era when everyone who Reub Long's humor is much like
GREENWICH BOOK PUBLISHERS, INC. knew anything, knew that horses were that of the late Will Rogers' and he
Dept. DM introduced by the Spanish. Now, has a knack for reducing a lofty
282 Seventh Avenue, New York 1, N.Y. thanks to Marsh, Mormons could cor- phrase to a practical application.
NEW BOOK ORDER DEPARTMENT
The books listed below and those which will be added in future issues of
y moral yepper DESERT MAGAZINE have been selected as outstanding volumes which we
feel will be of interest to our readers. In establishing the DESERT MAGA-
About statistics, he says: If you get ZINE BOOK ORDER DEPARTMENT we have selected books for quality
to be 80 years old, you needn't worry and interest rather than mass volume. All of the books offered have been
because statistics show that a very reviewed in "New Books For DESERT Readers" or read by the editors of
low percentage of men die after 80. DESERT MAGAZINE.
On thinking: Conversation is cheap;
ideas are dear. They are seldom found Since prices prohibit billing expense please include a check or money
in the same place. On self-pity: If you order with all orders which will be filled immediately. California resi-
must be sorry for yourself, make it dents must add 4 percent sales tax.
short. Regrets: Have no regrets if
you've done your best, even if you ON DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, foun- THE NORTH AMERICAN DESERTS by Edmund C.
der and publisher of Desert Magazine for 23 Jaeger. A long-time authority on all phases of
failed. years. One of the first good writers to reveal desert areas and life, Dr. Jaeger's book on the
the beauty of the mysterious desert areas. Hen- North American Deserts should be carried
Published by Caxton Printers, Ltd. wherever you travel. It not only describes each
derson's experiences, combined with his com-
this hardcover 406-page book is beau- ments on the desert of yesterday and today, of the individual desert areas, but has illus-
tifully illustrated with both color makes this a MUST for those who really want trated sections on desert insects, reptiles, birds,
photos and black and white. It com- to understand the desert. 375 pages, illustrated. mammals and plants. 315 pages, illustrated
pares in quality with much more ex- Hard Cover. $5.00. photographs, line drawings and maps. Hard
Cover. $5.95.
pensive books, but is priced at $4.95. CORTES, By Francisco Lopez de Gomara, secre-
May be ordered from DESERT Maga- tary to the famous conqueror of Mexico. A vivid JEEP TRAILS TO COLORADO GHOST TOWNS by
Robert L. Brown. An illus*rated, detailed, infor-
zine Book Order Department. narration of the exploits of Herman Cortes who
mal history of life in the mining camps deep in
combined diplomacy, cunning and military might
to overcome his adversaries. 480 pages, illus- the almost inaccessible mountain fastness of the
trated. Hard cover. $8.50. Colorado Rockies. Fifty-eight towns are included
as examples of the vigorous struggle for exist-
GHOSTS OF THE ADOBE WALLS by Nell Mur- ence in the mining camps of the West. 239
ALL ABOUT CALIFORNIA barger, the well known "roving reporter of the pages, illustrated, end sheet map. Hard Cover.
By Thomas B. Lesure desert." The author's just-published book is an $5.50.
intimate chronicle of Arizona's once-booming ALL ABOUT CALIFORNIA By Thomas B. Lesure.
Retiring to California has almost mining towns, stage stations, army posts, mar-
The author has compiled a factual report on
become a national habit, according auding Indians and fantastic human characters.
the attractions, cities and communities of Cali-
to author Lesure. More people in 380 pages, illustrated. Hard Cover. $7.50.
fornia designed for "an auto trip or a vacation
the retirement age bracket have set- LOWER CALIFORNIA GUIDE BOOK by Gerhard
and for assistance to find a home or low-cost
tled permanently in California than retirement in pleasant surroundings." It also
and Gulick. The authors have revised the third
includes a section on "Business Opportunities
in any other state. edition to bring it up to date. Veteran travelers
and Job Outlook." 104 pages, 8 ' / 4 x l l , durable
in Baja California would not venture south of
paperback. $2.00.
Some of the better known com- the border without this authoritative volume. It
munities Mr. Lesure recommends for combines the fascinating history of every loca- THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS, Othneil C. Marsh
tion, whether it be a town, mission or aban- and Edward D. Cope, By Robert Plate. A dual
retired living at a low cost with a doned ranch, with detailed mileage maps and biography of the first dinosaur hunters whose
favorable climate are Avalon, Car- locations of gasoline supplies, water and other bitter rivalry split the scientific world for about
mel, Laguna Beach, Monterey, Palo needed information on Baja. 243 pages with 25 years but whose exploits of the 1870s and
Alto, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica three-color folding map, 16 detailed route maps, 1880s excited the public imagination and made
4 city maps, 22 illustrations. Hard cover. $6.50.
and Santa Barbara. Among the lesser dinosaurs a household word. Easy reading, the
book is packed with action resulting from the
known places, he recommends Costa THE HIDDEN HEART OF BAJA by Erie Stanley intense feud between Marsh and Cope, both
Mesa, Dunsmuir, Escondido, Gilroy, Gardner. The noted creator of the best-selling wealthy men who exhausted their fortunes in
Hemet, Kern City, Los Gatos, Napa, mysteries of our time has written several books the arduous hunt for the creatures of the past.
on Baja California and the desert areas of the
Pismo Beach, Santa Cruz and Santa West. With his talent of combining adventure
281 pages. Hard Cover. $4.95.
Rosa. The authors favorite appears and mystery with facts, the author takes you PUEBLO GODS AND MYTHS by Hamilton A.
to be Avalon, a town on Catalina with him as he probes the mysteries of "The Tyler. In this book the author draws interesting
Island off the Southern California Hidden Heart of Baja" and tells how he dis- analogies between Greek and mythological gods,
covered an archeological find of major impor- not to show that one developed from the other,
coast. There no auto is needed and tance thus opening up a new concept regarding but to better explain the development and in-
the harbor is colorful with small cave paintings. 256 pages, illustrated with color tention of Pueblo mythology. Then, like con-
boats and yachts. photos of Indian paintings. Hard cover. $7.50. structing the House That Jack Built, he goes on
to illustrate associated ideas which gave birth
THE DESERT IS YOURS by Erie Stanley Gardner.
For inland coverage, the book lists In his latest book on the desert areas of the
to the gods. The fascinating final chapter re-
lates Pueblo cosmology to contemporary West-
Palm Springs, among many others, but West, the author again takes his reader with ern thought. 313 pages, Hard Cover. $5.95.
neglects Palm Desert, Morongo Valley, him as he uses every means of transportation to
Idyllwild, Temecula and some of the explore the wilderness areas and sift the facts
DEATH VALLEY BOOKS
and rumors about such famous legends as the
lesser known areas that retirees find Lost Arch, Lost Dutchman and Lost Dutch Oven Published by the Death Valley '49ers these
desirable. Nevertheless, the author's mines. 256 pages, illustrated. Hard cover. $7.50. four volumes have been selected by '49ers
compilation was an ambitious project THE OREGON DESERT by E. R. Jackman and
as outstanding works on the history of Death
Valley. All are durable paperback on slick
and well done. In addition to infor- R. A. Long. This book is a hard one to define. stock.
mation concerning job possibilities, A single paragraph may be a mixture of geo-
A NATURALIST'S DEATH VALLEY (Revised
housing, and recreational activities, logy, history, biography and rich desert lore.
The only complete book about the Oregon desert, Edition) By Edmund C. Jaeger, ScD. _.__$1.50
he suggests overnight accommoda- the material applies equally well to other des- MANLY AND DEATH VALLEY. Symbols of
tions, trailer parks, eating places and erts of the West. The humor and fascinating Destiny, by Ardis Manly Walker $1.25
fishing and hunting areas. The anecdotes coupled with factual background and GOODBYE, DEATH VALLEY! the Story of the
prime purpose of the large, 105-page unusual photos, including color, make it excel- Jayhawker Party, by L Burr Belden $1.25
lent reading material even for those who may
paperback is to ennumerate pleasant never visit Oregon. 407 pages, illustrated. Hard
CAMELS AND SURVEYORS IN DEATH VAL-
LEY by Arthur Woodward _ $2.00
retirement locations, but it also serves Cover. $4.95.
Lowest Photo Print Prices SPICE YDUR
Highest Quality SPANISH WITH
Dev. & print 8 Jumbo prints DICHDS
from Kodacolor film _ $1.78
By Ricardo Castillo
Dev. & print 12 Jumbo prints as an exceptional California guide-
from Kodacolor film - $2.42
book. Historical and current local in- "Dichos" are the pungent Spanish
Dev. & print 12 Jumbo prints and
new roll of Kodacolor film $3.30
formation appears accurate, but din- proverbs which add so much color
Reprints from Kodacolor negs $ .16
ing and lodging recommendations are and logic to the conversation and
questionable. In one instance he refers thinking of our Mexican neighbors.
to a notoriuosly over-priced night
Send for price sheets
club as a dining room with moderate "Quien todo lo quiere, todo lo
and envelopes
prices. Another time he suggests a
All other private club for overnight accommo- pierde."
Photo prices are dations which is open to the public He who wants all, loses all.
comparably low only upon recommendation of a "Ser mas holgazan que la mandi-
member. Even so, we highly recom- bulo de arriba"
MARKET BASKET PHOTO CO. mend this book for newcomers and
P. O. Box 370, Yuma, Arizona or travelers in California. Published by To be lazier than the upper jaw—
P. O. Box 2830, San Diego, California Harian Publications, $2.00. May be meaning that the lower jaw is the
ordered from DESERT Magazine one that does all the work.
Book Department. "Dime con quien andas y re dire
HANG YOUR LANTERN
quien eres."
FROM A
Tell me who you run around with
sky MARINE MOLLUSCAN GENERA and I'll tell you what you are.
OF WESTERN AMERICA
liook By A. Myra Keen "Bienvenidos los huespedes, ( por
Put light where el gustoque dan cuando se van."
Incorporating the author's pre-
you want it! viously published keys to the Gastro- Welcome your guests for the plea-
pod and Pelecypod genera, this book sure they give you when they go
Telescopes 4 to 7 feet
Assembles in seconds
also includes keys for three other away.
Light rustproof aluminum
classes of marine mollusks. Particu- "Cuando seas el yunque resiste,
Stainless steel mirror
larly appreciated will be the illustra- cuando seas el mazo golpea."
Stores easily in car or trunk
tions of the chitons, as there were When you are the anvil, endure.
none previously available to students. When you are the hammer, strike.
GREAT FOR AFTER-DARK PICNICS, Compiled with names, descriptive for-
CAMPING, BARBECUING, BOATING mulae and detailed illustrations, this
hardcover 125-page book is organized
in such a manner that it will serve
Dealer Inquiries
experienced malacologists as well as DESERT BINDERS
Order from amateur collectors in accurately iden-
THE CAMPCO COMPANY tifying specimen shells. Keep your Desert Magazines for
222 S. GILBERT, HEMET, CALIF. years as a reference and guide to
This is an adult book. Published future trips. Special 12-issue bind-
by Stanford University Press, the price ers only $3.50 (inc. tax & postage)
is $4.50 and it may be ordered from
the DESERT Magazine Book Order DESERT MAGAZINE
Department. Palm Desert, Calif. 92260

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Send today for catalog showing western framing a financially SUCCESSFUL GOLD-DIVER.
prints, stationery, notes,, and desert Christmas
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THE LAZY RL RANCH THE GOLD-DIVER'S HANDBOOK


P. O. Box 1266, San Luis Obispo
DRAWER 1500-D "Oh good! Now we'll get to see California 93402
BOULDER, COLORADO his nest!"
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r
Surviving and Driving
.,.- ,t.s-*\.
& * ; •«*

URVIVAL ON THE desert is de- produces enough heat to bring regions. It can make the hot days
S pendent solely upon water. Hun-
ger plays an insignificant part by
a quart of ice water to boil in
an hour.
more livable and keep up your effi-
ciency when you are not surrounded
comparison. It is possible to die of This heat must be lost or body by refrigeration.
thirst before one even becomes hun- temperature will rise to dangerous
gry. In only a few hours of 110°-115° Desert Driving Is Easy.
weather, a person without a canteen levels. If You Don't Get Stuck
can expire. People have left their High temperatures or heavy exer- An experienced driver can drive
broken down vehicles to hike 15 miles tions will cause the flow of more per- almost anywhere on the desert with
or more for help not knowing that spiration and a more rapid flow of only a few modifications to his ve-
5.10 miles is the most one can cover blood. If this perspiration is stopped hicle.
on a hot day without extra water. the body temperature will rise abrupt-
Some have reached help, others have ly, and death will follow. Before starting desert travel, inform
died. With a little knowledge of des- a responsible person of your destina-
As man dehydrates, his blood be- tion, route, and the time you will
ert survival they might have lived The comes more viscous or thickened and
following notes are written with the return, then adhere to the schedule,
the heart is placed under a strain to so if you become lost or stranded,
hope that they can help some "deser- circulate blood to the cooling surfaces.
teers" in trouble. searchers will look in the right area.
This strain can only be stopped by Make certain the radiator is full of
It is first necessary to understand water, plenty of it All people remain water, preferably changed just prior
the need for water before we can dis- more or less dehydrated while on to the trip so that, in case of emer-
cuss saving it. When the body heats the desert even though they drink gency, it can be used as drinking
up due to an outside temperature or when thirsty. However, they usually water. A "bug" screen in front of the
exertion some means must be made to make up their deficiency at meal radiator is almost a necessity to keep
cool it. The only natural means is times. For the best efficiency on the leaves, flower-heads and brush from
through evaporation of water (per- desert it is best to drink often, even clogging the radiators if off-highway
spiration) . When our body tempera- when not thirsty—you need it. driving is anticipated.
ture rises above 98.6T. the heart Water is saved only by preventing Fill the gas tank with high octane
pumps more blood to the skin surface the accumulation of heat. This is gasoline, or be prepared to retard the
for cooling. At the same time, mois- accomplished by: spark on your engine. Once the en-
ture (perspiration) is excreted gine is overloaded and begins to over-
through thousands of pores on our Wearing loose, light colored clothes
and a broad-brimmed hat. This can heat, it will also begin to knock and
body. This moisture cools the skin lose power. High octane gasoline can
and blood just like a water bag cools effect a 20% saving in water over
wearing shorts. prevent this knocking and subsequent
water. loss of power. Regular gasoline is
Remaining out of direct or reflect- usually adequate for most cars, but
On the desert the body accumulates ed sunlight from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00
heat in four ways: performs poorest at high tempera-
p.m. during the warmer h o u r s . tures, low humidities or at low alti-
Conduction—Contact with hot ob- This can effect a 40% saving of tude, all of which are found on the
jects, such as leaning against water. desert.
hot rocks. Eating little or nothing requiring Check your tires for tread. While
Convection—The flow of hot air additional moisture for digestion. "bald" tires are considered best for
over the body. This does cool driving on sand because they do not
Soaking the clothes or body with "dig," they are more susceptible to
but it takes moisture for cool- water. In extreme emergencies un-
ing. damage. Nylon 4-ply tubed or tube-
palatable or contaminated water less tires are considered best where
Radiation—By direct or reflected from salt lakes or automobile radi- one is driving for long periods with
sunlight. ators can be used. soft tires. The tubeless tires do not
Metabolism—Through normal body Some of this information can be lose air when driven with low pres-
functions. The body at rest used for everyday living in desert sures. The tubeless tires on the
in the Desert •

by Vincent D. Roth -.<*.,

author's convertible and pick-up have rocking the truck when in sand. Ex- apply power slowly. The addition of
been driven for many miles, includ- perience with any of the three is abso- a path of brush in the tire tracks will
ing one trip of over 100 miles, with lutely necessary and undoubtedly aid in giving the wheels traction. If
12 pounds of air pressure in them, more depends upon the driver than the rear wheels bounce excessively,
without trouble. on the type of transmission. Which- have someone stand on the rear bum-
The amount of water necessary to ever is used, the power should be per or place some weight over the
take on a desert trip varies with the applied to the wheels slowly and rear wheels.
season, but it is advisable to have evenly to prevent spinning. Some- If a car is bogged down to the dif-
more than enough in several con- times it is necessary to allow the ferential, jack up the wheels and fill
tainers as a single container may de- clutch to slip where a combination of in under the tire, using sand and
velop a leak, break or turn over. A power and slow speed is required. brush, until the underparts of the
map is valuable, but use it with cau- Make all turns gradual and with vehicle are clear of the ground. An
tion because maps of the desert are as much speed as practical. In soft under-axle type of jack may be ap-
often inaccurate. It is good practice sand a sharp turn of the wheels will plied directly to the rim of the wheel
to take along a notebook to include cause them to push into the sand when it is impossible to place it un-
mileage, turn-offs, and interesting fea- rather than turn, while the rear der the axle. After the wheels have
tures regarding the roads you travel. wheels will begin to slip and dig as been jacked out of the sand, add
In case you find it necessary to the car loses momentum. brush, rocks, grass or debris in front
walk out of an area, you can locate of the wheels for as far as necessary
your positions by referring to your Once the vehicle has lost momen- to pick up speed. After leaving the
maps and notes. However, if you tum or the rear wheels begin to jump sandy area, pump up the tires to the
have trouble, it's best to remain where excessively, STOP! When first stuck recommended pressure.
you are until help arrives. most inexperienced drivers become
frantic, step on the gas and rapidly For the serious desert driver, a sand
Extra food, blankets and matches dig the rear wheels down until the buggy or a 4-wheel-drive vehicle is
are insurance for those who intend to differential rests on the sand and the the best kind of transportation. How-
take a one-day trip, but get bogged car cannot be moved except by tow- ever, for those without this specialized
down and remain for two or more. ing, winching, or jacking it out of the equipment, there are a number of re-
An ax, shovel and gloves are standard sand. Relax and spend a little time latively inexpensive modifications pos-
items for handling brush and digging determining why your car stopped. It sible to make a standard car or a pick-
in sand. might be that the front wheel dropped up "desert worthy." The first change
Before entering a sandy stretch of into a gopher hole, or the front is to larger tires. The largest size
road, reduce the tire air pressure to wheels are in excessively soft sand. It commonly used is a 8:20x15, which is
10 to 15 pounds, enough to allow the might be best to back up, in this case. quite satisfactory for desert driving,
side walls to bow outwards slightly. If you are determined to go ahead, but the large size makes steering more
Then drive through the sand with straighten the front wheels, remove difficult on paved roads. As a com-
adequate speed, retaining momentum the sand from in front of all wheels promise, 7:60x15 tires for the front
through excessively sandy areas, espe- and let air out of the tires till they and larger tires on the rear have
cially those with high centers. In the bulge outward, but not so they are proven satisfactory.
sandiest areas drive as fast as you flat. Usually by this time it is possible A method used to widen the tires,
safely can, keeping alert for any rocks to drive out of the hole you are in,
applying power slowly to keep the usually used in conjunction with the
or obstructions. There is much dis- large tires, is to have the rims split
agreement over the best type of trans- rear wheels from slipping. If you
cannot drive out, try rocking the car. and widened with the addition of a
mission for driving through sand. band of steel. In this manner, the
Actually all have their advantages, the Let the clutch out in low gear until
the car starts to move ahead and rims which are normally about five
automatic transmission is best for inches wide can be increased up to
pulling in sand without slipping the then allow it to roll back, repeating
this action till the car is rocking back 11 inches. An eight or nine inch
rear wheels and the 4-speed trans- width appears to be the most satisfac-
mission is good for the same reason. and forth. When at the back end of
The 3-speed transmission is best for a roll, shove the gears in low and tory, since some drivers have had tire
trouble with the larger widths. The
the sand is soft. Watch for ground
squirrel or gopher activity. Their
holes and tunnels will cave in easily,
dropping your wheels 8 to 12 inches
in the sand. This is especially bad if
this occurs when one is almost stop-
ped. Learn beforehand what size
rocks your car can clear and pass over
them slowly. Once a rock is hit, it
often will tip on end and cause dam-
age. In the event your oil pan is
punctured, it is possible to plug the
hole by applying a "compress" con-
sisting of a folded handkerchief ap-
plied to the hole and tied with a rope
to provide pressure. Don't drive over
woody plants, as your tires may be
punctured by bits of dry wood. Creo-
sote is especially bad in this respect.
Dead batteries caused by leaving the
radio, lights or ignition on can and do
occur, and are a serious matter where
one cannot get a push because of
addition of these wider rims on the rope is' light, but must be handled rough or sandy country. The en-
front wheels will cause additional carefully since it is easily frayed or gine can be started (except in cars
spindle wear, so some drivers use cut. with automatic transmissions) by
standard tires and wheels in town, jacking up one wheel and wrapping
With "sand panels" it is possible to a rope two turns about the periphery
switching to their wider wheels only build your own road across the softest of the wheel. Block the front wheels
when driving on desert roads. sand. A set consists of six panels about so they cannot move forward or
A non-slip differential, optional onsix feet long and 12" to 15" wide. back, shift to high gear, turn on igni-
some cars and trucks, is quite useful Lay them on the road and as you tion and pull the rope. It takes a
for desert driving. It is simply a set drive forward, move the exposed ones powerful pull on the rope for one
of gears which transfer the power to at the rear to the front. Three people person, but two can easily spin the
the wheel still having traction. On can move a car across sand quite engine over. Do not wrap the rope
most cars, if one wheel spins, the rapidly by this method. The panels around your hand in case the rope
other stops, or at least loses power. are most easily made from chain catches on the wheel once the engine
link fencing. starts.
A heavy-duty radiator is valuable
for desert driving and should be or- Never follow tire tracks blindly. Desert courtesy should be practiced
dered when purchasing a new car or Often a car can travel over a sandy by everyone, if only with the hope
pick-up. Overload springs are almost area when it is damp, but will bog that you might benefit from someone
a necessity if any equipment is being down seriously when the same area else some time. Refill holes after you
carried to raise and support the rear is dry. Salt flats should also be avoid- have dug out your car, stop for any-
end of your vehicle so that it doesn't ed until one is certain the flats are one who has car trouble and drive
hang up when crossing washes. Safety solid. Often the surface is dry and slowly when passing parked or camp-
belts provide safety and comfort when hard, but below this layer is soft, ed groups. And last, to preserve our
driving on rough roads and enable the almost bottomless mud. deserts for future enjoyment, travel
driver to keep control of his vehicle. Never stop in a depression where on roads whenever possible to prevent
A block and tackle with 100 feet of an uphill run has to be made to unnecessary damage to desert flora.
nylon rope is useful. Nylon towing get out. It is extremely difficult if ///

The unique hydraulic mechanism which raises The Alaskan Camper is quickly transformed ience of a weathertight, high ceiling, home away
the camper top can be safely operated even by from its compact low silhouette on the road to from home complete with three burner stove,
a small child. Locks prevent accidental lower- roomy walk-in living quarters. Drive safely at sink, cabinets, ice box, beds, and many other
ing. The top is lowered quickly by the simple any speed with minimum drag and sway. l u x u r y f e a t u r e s . EVERY N E W A L A S K A N
turn of a valve. Moments later, enjoy the comfort and conven- CAMPER CARRIES A WARRANTY.
Write today to the factory nearest you for free folder describing the most advanced camper on the road.
R. D. HALL MFG., INC., 9847 Glenoaks Blvd., SUn Valley (San Fernando Valley), MOBILE LIVING PRODUCTS (B.C.) LTD., P.O. Box 548, Red Deer, Alberta, Dept. D
Calif., Dept. D MOBILE LIVING PRODUCTS (B.C.) LTD., 500—20th St., New Westminster, B.C., Dept. D
R. D. HALL MFG., INC., Texas Division 5761 Cullen Blvd., Houston, Texas, Dept. D
CAMPERS, INC., 6410 South 143rd Street, (TukwOa), Seattle, Washington, Dept. D FORT LUPTON CAMPERS, 420 Denver Ave., Fort Lupton, Colorado, Dept. D
PENNACAMP, INC., 401 West End Ave., Manheim, Penna., Dept. D
CANADIAN CAMPERS, 77 Pel ham Ave., Toronto 9, Ontario, Canada, Dept. D U. S. PATENT NO. 2B791O3

10 / Desert Magazine / August, 1964


Juand

Waiefis

OME HIKERS park their cars at My pack, weighing 35 pounds, felt


S one of the short roads leaving
U.S. 395-6 and hike up trails to
the high Sierra's mountain lakes. But
heavy at first, but an exhilaration
which grew boundless with flower-
starred meadows and fragrant pines
not us. We're the kind who go all soon had it floating along with my
the way. When my husband read in spirits. Up here the country is rug-
DESERT about a hiking trip in Utah, ged. Wind-tossed pines are widely
he took off his glasses, leaned back spaced, ridges bare. But the meadows
into his chair and said, "Every able- sparkle with glacial streams meander-
bodied American ought to backpack ing through wild iris, yellow, blue
ftwefikon into the wilderness at least once in
his life."
and white, and bushes laden with
ruby currants. This is the heart of
the summer deer country. It is also
"Okay," I said, "Let's go!" well-stocked with Owens Valley ranch
We went about it sensibly. The cattle out to pasture.
Sierras are closest to our Southern The High Sierra Trail led us down
California home, so we plotted a 10- through Ramshaw Meadows where,
day, 80-mile excursion into them for surrounded by gaunt, wind-scoured
this able-bodied adventure. Each eve- granite hills speckled with wind-bent
ning we astonished neighbors by set- pines, we decided to try our luck fish-
ting forth on a two-mile hike, always ing, then make camp for the night.
breaking into a run on the last quar- This was Golden Trout country. Here
ter. By summer we were ready. evolved the four famed species from
the ancient family of Salmonadie,
Because our loop trip included native to this particular region: the
some decidedly rugged country to the Kern or Gilberti Rainbow, South
Western Divide and back, we decided Fork Golden, White's Golden and the
to fly to Temple Meadows over the Roosevelt Golden.
Sierra Crest. A pilot named Bob
White, who maintains an Aero Service Our first supper was dried potatoes
in Lone Pine, accommodated the two mixed with water, cooked over the
of us in his plane for $35 and within campfire and mashed, with golden
20 minutes we had landed and were trout 10 inches long and a fresh-
waving him a hearty farewell. On gathered salad of watercress. Dessert
the cleared airstrip were two other was fresh-picked ruby currants. Camp
planes flown in by parties who come chores over, we searched for arrow-
here regularly to fish. heads on the hillside slope. The area
At lower Funston Meadows, the turbulent Kern is wide and deep. nel to divert the Golden Trout waters
into the South Fork waters. In true
Western style, this venture was op-
posed, successfully, by the Kern
County Land and Water Company.
A shooting war was barely averted.
At the Tunnel Meadows Fork we
turned west down Golden Trout
Trail, crossing and re-crossing this
creek at least five times. We passed
Groundhog Meadows with its perfect
little arcadian campground, then
Little Whitney Meadows and the
Tourist Pastures, where we glimpsed
the only other people on this down-
trail.
Throughout this scenic country, in
mountain laps and dimples, emerald
meadows crossed with innumerable
little streams were the rule. We had
been told that bears and other wild-
life in this wilderness were harmless.
Nevertheless, when I glimpsed a half-
grown brown bear and his mother
was strewn with patches of obsidian When the silver stars began to dining on blackberries a few bushes
chippings. For hundreds of years the glitter through the pine needles, we away, I did not wait to see how harm-
Piutes from Owens Valley on the east zipped ourselves into our mummy- less they were.
side of the Sierra had toiled over the bags. Oh, this was the life! Sometime This Golden Trout descent was
steep passes to summer in this string in the night I awoke, uneasy. Imme- really an experience. The 1000-foot
of mountain meadows, hunting, fish- diately above me, a hunk of cow drop was a scree-chute of switchbacks.
ing and pine-nutting. Our camp was breathed into my face. I froze. My Running springs had completely
upon one of their old campgrounds. husband said very softly: "Lie still washed out the trail in several spots.
Main east-west trails from the desert and don't move!" Centuries later the We scrambled over the crumbling,
side follow the old Indian trails. cow moved away and I began to slippery-wet slope balancing ourselves
breathe again. "Just curious!" Al said against the steep bush-held mountain-
smugly, and turned over on his side. side. As our good deed for the day,
At dawn the shrill, hysterical voices we removed our packs and repaired
of hunting coyotes awakened us. We the trail.
lay listening to the blend of sound: From a natural arch of brown lava,
keening coyotes, twittering birds, we saw the rainbow of Golden Trout's
swift-flowing water and morning rushing waters cascading over the
breeze. Our only worries were: shall granite slope of Volcano Falls. West-
we fish first or eat oatmeal cooked ward, the blue-misted cliffs of Kern
with mixed-dried-fruit-and-brown su- River Gorge shimmered behind a veil
gar? We were not bothered with of sunlight. I have never seen any-
weighty packages. We had pre-packed thing so beautiful. Arizona has its
every bit of food, putting up each Grand Canyon, but California has the
meal's allotment in individual plastic Kern River Gorge!
bags sealed with rubber bands. We
brought some fresh fruit for the first After breaking camp the next morn-
day and we did carry two cans of ing we closed the stock gates behind
bacon. You need some fat in the cold, us at Lower Funston Meadow, and
high country. startled four grazing deer. Both river
and feeder streams were swollen from
The trail to Tunnel M e a d o w s melting snows. Some of these high
wound steeply up heavily bouldered streams were bridged with logs; over
volcanic country spotted with gnarled others it was necessary to find boul-
pines. Waterfalls cascaded down dull ders above water to take us across.
rocky escarpments. Soon we came to These west-side streams were deep
a stream above the falls where dam- and fast-flowing.
happy beavers had built their lodges.
The water was so clear we could see Beyond Upper Funston Meadows
every darting fish, each grain of sand the gorge narrowed. Golden cliffs
in the bottom. towered above knife-like passes in the
great canyon. Then the trail crossed
Immediately above Tunnel Ranger the Kern, now traversing the gorge on
Station, the headwaters of the South the east side. We came to 1,600-foot
Fork of the Kern and Golden Trout high Chagoopa Falls, a tumbling sil-
Creek are but a few hundred feet ver thread spinning off pine-clothed
Naked crags of Mt. Muir and Mt. apart. Here, in the late '80s, a group Chagoopa Plateau — named in 1881
Whitney puncture the sky. of South Fork cowmen began a tun- after an old Piute chief. These falls—
there were actually three of them— ed above. Forest fire! I knew panic.
were really impressive. Then a sign A trail crew hurried by on horses.
read: "Kern Hot Springs" and there They reassured us. The fire was a
a concrete tub beckoned with irresist- long way off; over in the Middle
ible luxury! Fork country, safely across the great
Around 9000 feet the cool, whisper- gorge.
ing forest opened into sunlit glades. Between-meal hunger we conquer-
Manzanita clumps skirted the tall, ed with snacks of Hi-Proteen choco-
straight pines, and the forest floor was late-flavored tablets, non-melt choco-
soft and sandy and clean. Here we late bars, raisins and salted sunflower
made camp. seeds—all nutritious and light-weight.
At the Kaweah-Kern River junction Above lavishly flowered Wallace
we yielded right of way to two pack Meadows the alpine winds blew cold.
trains, then crossed an ascending Now we could see the northwestward
slope. The Kaweah River shoots sweep of the Great Western Divide
down the massive, precipitous granite with its magnificent panorama of
walls of 12,000-feet high Colby Pass. peaks, each over 13,000 feet.
South of Bighorn Plateau, the John The trail to Sandy Meadow, a
Muir Trail meets with the High sparsely grassed plateau, p a s s e d
Sierra Trail. We switched trails, as- through twisted, wind-torn timber
cending Muir Trail eastward along clinging stubbornly to the slopes.
rugged Wallace Creek Canyon. From Crabtree Meadow, with its dancing,
this top-country above the formidable blue Whitney Creek, was a welcome
gorge, the Kaweah pinnacles unfolded sight after the grueling climb. That
into the misty blue western skyline. night we camped with a view of Mt.
In every direction the panorama glit- Whitney's naked, pinnacled flanks.
tered with patches of snowfields,
small, sparkling, incredibly blue tarns With no firewood above timber-
and frowning jagged peaks. line, we cooked a potful of chili beans
and saved some to carry with us.
That night we camped at 11,000
feet but were snug in our mummy- Early next morning we began the
bags. The western skyline grew in- climb to Trail Crest, 1500 feet above
creasingly red. Smoky clouds billow- (Continued on Page 36)

The Inyo Crest unfolds into the distant Panamints and Death Valley's
threatening peaks.

\m v

£
PAGE, ARIZONA
HOME AND HEADQUARTERS
FOR THE NEWEST AND MOST
SPECTACULAR VACATION
AREA IN THE WEST.

GLEN CANYON DAM


by JOY CAPUTO
LAKE POWELL
COLORADO RIVER A SK A DOZEN people, "What is
a Santa Ana Wind?" and you'll
hear a dozen answers. As a
n a t i v e Southern Californian, I
sible for the unique quality of the
foehn; for the wind, as it descends the
sides of the mountains, compresses the
air and the temperature rises. Aside
thought I knew all about these hot, from damage caused by the velocity of
dry winds that plague our locale. the wind, there is also created a
Established as the construction headquar- Glibly I tossed out pieces of misinfor- serious fire hazard, and there seems to
ters for the massive Glen Canyon Dam, mation about how the proper spell- be a direct bearing on the tempera-
Page, Arizona is now the tourist and visi- ing was "Santana," how it was hot ment of the unfortunate recipients of
tors center for the Glen Canyon National because it came from the desert, how the hearty blow. In 1959 six fire
Recreation Area. The residents of this other desert areas also suffered from fighters were burned to death and 20
thriving and beautiful community over- "Santana" winds. And so it was with others injured when a Santa Ana
looking Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Pow- chagrin that I found myself in error, wind trapped them southwest of El-
ell, offer complete visitors facilities, includ- not only regarding these three facets sinore.
ing modern motels, restaurants, cocktail of the wind, but several others as
lounges, fishing, boating and camping
The Santa Ana is a foehn wind
well. I was, in the well-known ver- which sweeps through San Bernar-
supplies, plus the friendly feeling of your nacular, full of hot air.
o w n h o m e town. FOR A DIFFERENT
dino Valley by way of Cajon Pass. Be-
VACATION WRITE TO THE PAGE. ARI- When I first decided to check into sides being hot and dry, it is also
ZONA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR this gusty question, I opened my large laden with dust.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. OR JUST Webster's dictionary and found: In California Deserts by Edmund C.
COME AS YOU ARE! Santa Ana—a strong, hot dry foehn Jaeger, it is noted that Santa Anas
wind from the north, north east, or often come abruptly following rain-
east in Southern California. storms. Being very dry, they imme-
I was astounded! Was it possible diately dissipate the moisture bearing
APACHE LAND that I, of all people, could possibly be clouds. Because air currents are de-
in error? And what was a foehn wind? scending, turbulence or vertical con-
BEAUTIFUL vection, so essential to cloud forma-
SCENERY In a book called World of the
FISHING tion, ceases.
HUNTING
Wind by Slater Brown, I learned that
FREE the foehn wind derived its name from As a final blow to my erroneous
CAMP GROUNDS a Latin word meaning South Wind. thinking, the Encyclopedia Americana
MODERN CABINS It was named many years ago in lists the following: Santa Ana (Sou-
Switzerland where they thought it thern California) —a foehn type wind,
a Vacation Land was peculiar only to certain valleys of a hot dry northerly or north westerly
the Swiss Alps, and the meteorologists wind, blowing from the Mojave Des-
to Remember of the day tried to explain its hot, dry ert into the Los Angeles Basin; a win-
characteristic by dreaming up a con- ter phenomenon responsible for very
nection of currents sweeping across warm winters in Southern California.
from the Sahara desert. Later, how- I surrender. I capitulate. I apolo-
ever, they discovered that this type gize to the mighty Santa Ana! But
of wind is found in almost every part even as I proved myself wrong right
of the world, always near a mountain- down the line I couldn't help but feel
ous region, not always coming from a wry amusement at a statement from
the south, and in some instances, World of the Wind. This book was
passing over ice fields rather than
published in 1961 and in describing
deserts. After scientists solved the
mystery of why the wind is hot and the effect of the Santa Ana upon the
dry, the term foehn wind became a residents of the area, Mr. Brown
The White Mountain Apache Indians welcome you.
basic category for all wind, regardless quotes a contributor to the Weather
Come and enjoy the wonderful mountain climate,
of its local name, which derives its heat Bureau who states that when the
the beautiful primitive scenery, clear, cold streams
in this most unusual way. For it is Santa Ana blows, the natives are com-
and the best trout fishing in the Southwest.
not the sun nor the desert sands which pletely prostrated by the heat and
FOR INFORMATION AND MAPS, WRITE give the foehn its warmth. The foehn "lie on the floor like wilted cabbages."
wind generates its own heat. In a thoroughly chastened mood, I
WHITE MOUNTAIN say to you, "Fellow wilted cabbages,

J
RECREATION ENTERPRISE When air expands, it cools, and arise! Cast off the shackles of the
P.O. BOX218 when it compresses, it heats. This Santa Ana. It's time we got a little
WHITERIVER, ARIZONA simple law of nature is alone respon- foehn out of life!" ///

14 / Desert Magazine / August, 1964


THE
BURIED TREASURE NOBODY CAN DIG

BY RALPH PROUTV
ORTY-ODD MILES east of Flag- be heard in front, as it traveled ten will not go near it, nor will they
F staff there is an enormous cavity to twenty miles per second, much handle a piece of iron they know to
in the Arizona desert. This stu- faster than sound."
pendous scar in the earth's skin is
be from it.
Since the natives would not have While the Indians had known
located in Coconino County. It is been able to hear the sound of the about the crater for hundreds of
roughly a mile in diameter and 600 meteor, would they have tried to years, its existence was first revealed
feet in depth. flee? Dr. Nininger answers thus: to the white man in 1871, when some
This vast pit marks the spot where "These inhabitants undoubtedly were army scouts visited it. Mexican
between 25 to 50 thousand years ago seeing their last sight. When the sheep herders in the vicinity gave iron
a meteor collided with the earth. Its giant meteor struck, the resultant fragments from it to the first rail-
meteoric metal would yield $50.00 a concussion extinguished all life with- road contractors to come through.
ton—a fortune beyond belief. And in at least fifty miles. A wall of in- Some of these fragments were sent
yet, science has not yet figured out a tenseley heated air rolled out in all East in 1886 and were for the first
way to get it. directions, scorching the earth's sur- time identified as meteoric material.
face and burning everything com-
What happened when the meteor bustible." Once the white man knew what
struck? Dr. Harvey H. Nininger, cur- had caused the great holes in the
ator of the Denver Museum and a Indians of the region still relate desert, he was not slow to think about
noted authority on meteorites, says: legends of a wicked god who was turning it into money. Scientists
"The human inhabitants of the re- thrown out of heaven. Falling to estimated that the meteor weighed
gion, if any such existed, probably the earth in flames, he landed so hard somewhere between one million and
noticed a brilliant light in the north- that he bored a hole deep into the ten million tons. That quantity of
ern sky, if the meteor appeared at earth. Meteor Crater, the legend goes high-grade ore would be worth several
night. If the fall was in the daytime, on, marks the place where he fell. fortunes. The mystery is that no one
such a large meteor would be visible. The Indians have many superstitions has ever made so much as a nickel
The sound of its passage would not about the crater. To this day they from mining the meteor. Why?
The first interest in mining the
crater was displayed by an engineer,
Donald M. Barrington, who filed a
claim shortly after 1900. Actual
efforts to locate the meteor itself be-
gan in 1905. The first test holes, sent
down from the crater's center, showed
absolutely nothing. This develop-
ment puzzled everyone until a scien-
tist figured that the meteor had
struck at an angle and therefore
would most likely be found at one
side of the depression.

Another observer, noting that the


south rim was higher than the north
rim, theorized that the comet had
traveled from north to south. Assum-
ing that it had struck at an angle of
approximately 45 degrees, it should
GWE have come to rest somewhere beyond
the south rim. When drilling was

RED shifted from the center of the crater


to the south edge, a hard metallic
mass was struck at 1,376 feet. It was
the meteor at last!
Assays showed that the metal con-
sisted of 93.3% iron and 6.4% nickel.
This is nature's equivalent of armor
plate. It is almost the identical for-
mula of the hardest steel alloy man
has been able to develop. It is so hard
that it cannot be blasted, chipped or
drilled into fragments in the approv-
ed techniques of mining. It has to be
cut with an acetylene torch.

FREE! Helpful brochure


One research company in New
York secured a six-pound lump of
the meteor and sawed it in half on
their cutting machine. The cut was
for rock hobbyists! as smooth as marble and resembled
This new brochure, a highly polished surface of nickel or
steel. It was so hard, however, that
"DO'S fresh off the presses, is
available without they could not get a drill through it.
& DQN'TS' charge to rock hobby- They gave up, reluctantly, since the
ists and readers of meteoric metal would have yielded
Desert Magazine. Spe- about $50 a ton.
cial sections on sharp-
ening, reversing and Since 1905 a score of unsuccessful
installation of diamond shafts have been sunk. Over half a
blades for better lapi-
dary cutting... also million dollars has been spent on
includes useful tips on test boring and drillings. However,
coolants, lubricants, not only was the metal too hard, but
speeds and feeds, and the drillers ran into quicksand and
other suggestions on water, which rendered further drill-
how to get longer and better wear from THE SILVER STREAK ing well-nigh impossible. The diffi-
your cutting equipment. Compact and culty of breaking off pieces of the
easy-reading, well-illustrated. Write A low priced, featherweight, highly sen- meteor was demonstrated by the num-
today for your copy. ber of drill bits that were broken in
sitive, all metal locator for ghost towns and
beachcombing. To locate small gold, copper, the process.
Please mail me your free brochure, "Do's
& Don'ts for Lapidary Cutting." silver coins, rings, etc. Price only: $79.50.
So there the meteor still rests, a
Name Terms available: $29.50 down and $5.00 fortune buried in desert sand. Yet,
Address per month. 5% discount for cash. For free if there is no feasible way to get at
City, State.. folder write to: it, no means to break it up, what is
Dept. D-8
to be done? Unless someone comes
MK DIAMOND PRODUCTS along with a revolutionary and eco-
12600 Chadron, WHITE'S ELECTRONICS
Hawthorne, Calif. nomical means of mining the meteor,
SWEET HOME, OREGON it is likely to remain there for an-
M K DIAMOND • SINCE 1866
other 25,000 years. .///
16 / Desert Maanwno / Annual 1PRA
W ERE IT NOT for a physical
factor rendering it impossible,
callous motorists might de-
scribe Julian as a "one-blinker" —
ley it it didn't teel good to stand
close to on a cold, snowy day.
"Yes," she replied, "but do you re-
member the scent of hot wet wool? I'm
one blink and you're through it. How- treated to it each time my children
ever, if approached from the north drape their wet coats and mittens
from Highway 79, a blink at at the near the stove to dry."
trip of the wrong moment and the motorist
But don't feel sorry for them. The
would miss the sharp right turn on
month Main Street and wind up in a grassy kids love it and so does she, and she
has no problems with absenteeism or
meadow.
failing students. We left this dedi-
Midway between Mt. Palomar and cated teacher and her charges with
Mt. Laguna in eastern San Diego the feeling that the popularly accept-
County, Julian is surrounded by In- ed educational equation ( b l a n k
dian reservations and historic gold square feet, plus blank text books,
mines, some still in operation. The plus blank athletic equipment, plus
town boasts a population of 500,000, blank cultural extras, plus blank de-
a figure, however, that includes its grees, plus one child equals an edu-

We'll Take suburb, San Diego, 60 miles southwest


via California Highways 79 and 80.
Within its actual town limits, reside
cation) ain't necessarily so.
As we entered the town on Main
Street, the library building caught
something under 500 persons, al-
our eye. Along the edge of its tile
the though the residents of lofty perches
and valley hideaways, to a radius of
three miles or so, swell the figure to
roof a sparrow population had settled
en mass and from each open end tile
peeked a nesting mother. It seemed
a neat 1,500. But don't scoff at its impossible to maintain a decorous
size. Julian just missed becoming the
Long Way San Diego county seat by a mere three
votes when that contest was held
years ago.
household, however, as each apart-
ment looked alike and the male spar-
rows couldn't seem to remember
which one was which. This caused
My wife, Barbara, and I left our quite a commotion on Julian's Main
home early on a Friday morning to Street, but thanks to the birds we met
To Kane Spring! explore the Julian country. Traffic Mrs. Myrtle Botts, the librarian.
4 U.S. H»y. 99
was light and we rolled along, enjoy- From her and from material she
ing every minute of the drive. At Te- made available to us, we learned
mecula we turned onto 76 and specu- something of Julian's history. At the
lated on scenes of the past. The But- close of the Civil War, five Confed-
terfield stages passed this way. erate Army veterans, Drury, Frank,
A few miles north of Julian, at and James Bailey, and their cousins,
Wyanola, a one-room country school Michael and Webb Julian, left their
attracted us and we stopped for pic- Georgia homes in the desecrated
tures. The Spencer Valley School, south to seek new homes and for-
one of the few such schools remaining tunes in the West, if they could find
in southern California, still conducts them.
classes as it has since 1870. In Julian country they found both.
Mrs. Evelyn Stanley, who teaches "This is the most beautiful place
its 12 students in six grades, invited I've seen since I left home. Let's each
us in to observe the school in action. of us locate a home here." Drury Bai-
. SOD Diego
Noticing a large heating stove in the ley said, when they reached the valley
front of the room, I asked Mrs. Stan- in 1868.

by Arthur Rouleau
Bickers, in a newspaper interview, ering firewood tor camp, noticed a
was quoted as follows, "On Sunday, pile of white rocks containing yellow
the 20th (February, 1870), wishing to specks. He took a chunk of the rock
New Improved be alone, I started for a walk. About to his father and asked if it was gold.
200 yards from the camp I saw a Eureka! It was.
METAL track which I took to be that of a
Another story is that the first quartz
bear. After following some distance,
claim in what became the Julian
DETECTOR I turned back toward camp and dis-
district was filed by Drury D. Bailey
covered a bunch of quartz rocks about
six inches in diameter and lying near in February, 1870. It turned out to
Finger tip knob control . . . low cost this, a rock weighing some four be a pocket claim and was abandoned.
operation . . . greater sensitivity . . .
pounds. I picked it up and found free Five days later H. C. Bickers recorded
battery checker . . . easy to operate
gold on it." the discovery of the George Washing-
. . . depth: 6 ft. . . .
ton Mine, the first real producer.
Model 27 (DeLuxe) photo above $119.95
MODEL 711 $149.00
They had prospected first in sou-
RAYTRON'S MODEL 990 $165.00 thern Utah, then following the pro-
Completely transistorized, with long mise of richer areas elsewhere, worked
durable life . . easy to operate . . maxi-
mum sensitivity and performance up across the mountains and deserts en
to 28 ft. depth. route to San Diego. A shortage of
supplies, while in the Temecula area,
prompted them to send James to Old
Triple Beam
Town (Old San Diego) for the need-
Balance ed provisions. Returning, he camped
by Ahaus for a night with a man named Harrall
Complete with
specific gravity
who suggested that they prospect in
attachment, and the mountains in which he lived. This
cover $41.25 they did and thereby hangs our tale.
A prospector named Fred Coleman
Also Lapidary Equipment, Gems and found placer gold near the confluence
Minerals, Books, Jewelry, Tools.
For Information Write of the Julian and Wyanola creeks in
1869, but it was the discovery of gold
Comfiton <Sh.oh. in hard rock that started the Julian
gold rush.
1405 S. Long Beach Blvd., Compton, Calif.
Telephone: 632-9096 The most frequently repeated story
is that 13-year-old Billy Gorman, gath-

He filed a claim and the rush was


on. Drew Bailey filed a homestead
to lay out a town in the north end
of the valley. At a miner's meeting
the town was named Julian, with
Mike Julian as recorder for the min-
ing district. By 1894, twenty major
mines were operating in the district.
A few still operate, but the owners
of the others await that long-hoped-
for higher price of gold.
Apple Days, usually held the last
weekend in September or first of
October, to celebrate the fruit har-
vest and Julian's mining hey-dayj
draws thousands of visitors each year.
There is also a museum with exhibits
THE ALL NEW S T A R L I N E TELESCOPIC CAMPER of old mining equipment and photos
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that attract visitors. From Inspiration
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Borrego Desert where the Banner
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through lush canyons and across the
desert floor to Indio and the Salton
MACDONALD OPEN SEVEN
DAYS A WEEK
Sea. Here the Fort Knox Gold Mine
still operates and receives visitors.
The Greatest Variety of Campers in the West

KITS MODELS S
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All campers made with steel tubing framework and heavy aluminum, yet lighter than wood. and unlimited horizons, offers a
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traffic and crowds. ///
Carefree
COOLING
SUMMER AFTER SUMMER
BY MARIE VALORE
T WAS MID-SUMMER in 1923 rooms as much as 15 to 20 degrees
I when my father came to Coachella
Valley. The fronds of the giant
Washingtonia Palms along the mud
cooler. As the water evaporates, it
absorbs the heat inside."
"Impossible," my father retorted,
foothills of Chocolate Mountain hung but in his misery he was willing to
brittle and dry. Clumps of devil try anything. Paying the man 50c in
grass popped from the sun-baked advance, he moved in while the owner
sand. proceeded to wet down the outer bur-
The inhabitants of this lower des- lap walls with a hose. Soon the room
ert region of Southern California suf- was, indeed, cooler.
fered miserably. Temperatures often Grateful for the marvelous ingenu-
rose to 120 degrees in the shade, and ity of man, my father continued his
there wasn't much of that. journey, but before leaving Indio re-
My father pulled his creaking solved that someday he'd return and
jalopy into Indio and, almost in make it his home.
panic, requested escape from the sear- The first submarines were built by YOURS WITH AN
ing heat. He was directed to a hotel Pop Boomer in 1921 to house the
near the railroad tracks. Or, at least, Southern Pacific Railroad workers.
it was called a hotel. In reality it Air-cooled rooms then rented for $25
consisted of only a small group of per month. Pop Boomer probably
one-room, oddly-shaped houses. These, conceived this revolutionary idea
with their rounded roofs, resembled from studying the food coolers of
small New England barns. Their early settlers, which in turn, were pat-
walls were made of tin and a hard terned after the wet, clay ollas used
liber and their roofs were covered by desert Indians. The coolers con-
with burlap or palm fronds overhung sisted of burlap covered boxes with a
by a sort of trellis. can poked full of holes resting on top.
When asked why the houses were Water, poured into the can, slowly SERIES AIR COOLER
so constructed, the proprietor ex- dripped down its sides to keep the
plained that they were called "sub- burlap moist. Perhaps Bob Boomer You can relax in cool comfort,
marines" and were the only arti- had dreamed of curling up in a cooler even on the hottest days, when
ficially cooled houses in America. when he was struck with his brilliant your home is cooled by an Arctic
idea.
"How do they work?" my father Circle V-Series Air Cooler—And
Today one has only to flip a switch you can be sure of carefree cool-
asked, "and why submarines?" to cool his home, but this might ing, summer after summer, be-
"We call them submarines because never have happened had it not been cause of the advanced design and
they're usually under water," the for ingenious desert pioneers like) rugged construction of these cool-
owner answered. "When the tops are Pop Boomer, who introduced sub-
ers. Ask your Arctic Circle dealer
wet down, it makes the inside of the marines to the desert. ///
for a demonstration! He is listed
in the Yellow Pages.

"SINCE 1931"

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TRAVELEZE TRAILER CO., INC. o.P,. D McGraw-Edison Company
11473 Penrose Street Sun Valley, California TRiangle 7-5587 Dept. 64D, 5OO So. 15th St.,
Phoenix, Arizona
Sunday in
T WAS HOT. The pool deck carry us, but knew this wasn't the
I scorched our feet. Air-condition-
ing provided comfort inside, but
we'd spent all week inside. We want-
end.
Randall Henderson had written
about Steve Ragsdale's cabin atop
ed out for a change, in the light of Santa Rosa Peak and about the ad-
day. jacent taboo-ed Toro Peak, which the
"What did people on the desert do Cahuilla Indians feared to climb.
before air-conditioning?" my husband Toro was his own favorite summer
sighed. spot, in those hot summer days with
"Randall Henderson used to hike no artificial relief. He would camp
in the Santa Rosas," I recalled, hav- there overlooking a panorama that
ing recently reread one of his early stretches as far south as the penin-
articles in a 1939 DESERT. sular range of Baja California. It
has been reported elsewhere that on
Without another word, we hopped a clear day one can see Catalina from
across the searing patio to the house, Toro Peak, but there are few, if any,
packed a lunch and put on jeans. high spots in Southern California
A Santa Rosa Mountain sign indi- that don't make that claim and most
cated the turn-off from the Palms to of them have never known a day so
Pines Highway. Opposite it and clear!
about a mile toward Palm Desert is Our wonderful cedar crevice gave
the public Pinyon Flat Campground. way to desert again as we climbed the
A number of campers and travel serpentine road. Then we came back
trailers were parked there, but the into pine. Two young couples strolled
dirt road to the Santa Rosas, almost along the road. We though they'd had
hidden by ribbonwood bushes, was a breakdown and were walking back
free of traffic. As our road climbed for help, but from a sheer dip they
higher, the thick ribbonwood growth pointed below to a lovely camping
changed to a picturesque terrain spot beside a spring where they'd left
strewn with giant-sized boulders. We their automobile. This is reached by
passed an abandoned mine, which an off-shoot from the main road that
didn't amount to much, and then juts to the left slightly beyond where
wound upward into an area of live another off-shoot makes a complete
oak. Already the air grew cool enough reverse on a higher level and leads to
to turn off the air-conditioner. the Ragsdale cabin. We followed the
one to the right. It is 9.3 miles from
Stopping at a cedar-studded crevice the highway.
between two barren peaks, we indulg-
ed in a veritable orgy of sniffing. We'd In a treehouse on the tip-top of
smelled nothing but heat waves for Santa Rosa Peak that Steve Ragsdale,
so long. It was great to stretch our perhaps, built to raise the altitude of
limbs, unsnarl muscles cramped from his peak to that of Toro, we met a
days of inactivity and feel cool earth resting hiker. Paul Ricci, a physics
and stone beneath our feet. Rocks instructor from Fullerton College,
worn smooth by a cascading waterfall still had enough steam after a hike
cut a slash through the thick cedar, to Toro Peak to ascend the steep tread
but at this time of year the springs of this lookout. Sturdy enough to
that fed it were dry. We had no withstand an earthquake, Ragsdale's
idea how much farther the road would treehouse, which could be called a
cutct

TZoUuti.
"cloudhouse," must be the envy of Here on top of the Santa Rosas, pine which, according to legend, produced
every boy who sees it—and it makes trees appear to grow from the top precious jewels to fill the coffers of
every man who visits it feel like a down, their heavy limbs clutching central Mexico during ancient times.
boy. the earth in a determined effort to It was marked by a great rock in the
Paul had left his car at the Stump prevent their enemy, the wind, from shape of a wolf's head atop a cliff.
Spring Campground and followed the uprooting them. The late Marshall South wrote that
trail among pine and underbrush to Surrounded on three sides by des- he had found the head of the wolf
the tip of Toro by crossing along ert, but more than 7000 feet above its (DESERT, Dec. '48) but an earth-
the spine between it and Santa Rosa floor, the air is always dry and cool. quake had toppled it to the bottom
Peak. We were shivering and wished Part of the area belongs to the Santa of a gully and he was unable to lo-
we'd brought sweaters, but after his Rosa Indian reservation, but it is un- cate the legendary mine. He did find
long hike, Paul welcomed the cool likely that it will ever be developed a small emerald, however.
breeze that rustled the pines. further because its few springs do not More recent "legends" tell of gold
The log cabin, as sturdily con- provide enough water to serve a pockets in the Santa Rosas which pro-
structed as the tree house, was built population.' In his article written 26 duced several rich findings, but were
by Ragsdale some 30 years ago. It years ago, Randall Henderson stated lost when their discoverers were forced
was he, Desert Steve they call him, that it was possible to reach the sum- to leave the "holes" for various rea-
who painted poems in all the burned mit in an easy hour-and-a-half hike sons and unable to find them again.
out stumps along the road to his from the end of the road of the Toro
hideaway. An outspoken protector of ridge. Today this road, maintained Indian trails are liable to be a clue
wildlife, his ENJOY BUT DON'T by the U. S. Forestry Service, is bar- to the emerald treasure, as trails
DESTROY signs are posted every- racaded with chains a few miles above usually lead to something. After lunch
where. Doors hung agape from his the Ragsdale cabin cut-off, so it is we hiked along some that still criss-
abandoned cabin, but its walls and better for hikers to follow the ridge cross the mountain. Deer are plen-
roof remained tight and the wall- between the two peaks, along Paul tiful here and among the pinon,
sized stone fireplace spoke of many Ricci's trail. It is an ambitious hike, oak, agave and cacti at decreasing
a cozy evening when wind howled but rewarding—in spite of the Indian levels early Indians, as well as wild-
through trees and snow piled on the taboo. life, found a prolific source for food.
ground. Outside in the sunlight I This taboo has never been put into Indian ruins have been found on the
sat on a rock upholstered with pine words, so its curse remains as great slope of the Santa Rosas, but the
needles and listened to a pair of blue a mystery as the location of the fam- mountains provided a summer refuge
jays squawk from two stunted trees. ous emerald mine in the Santa Rosas for those desert Indians, rather than
a year-round home. Today's visitors
should not intrude upon the part of
the forest that belongs to the reserva-
tion, but there is still plenty of room
in the cool Santa Rosas to provide a
wondrous retreat for desert dwellers.
And, surprisingly, the area is little
changed since the Indians first found
it.

We hope that Civilization will


take no toll on its charm so that those
who follow may breathe deeply of
its pine-scented air, listen to its chat-
tering blue jays, and relax in its
romantic treehouse just as we did on
a lazy summer afternoon. ///
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-
T/ie Serpent Cave of Baja

S AN IGNACIO IS one of the most charming of all


Baja villages. This fact offset our disappointment
at finding the man who could lead us to the caves,
Frank Fischer, away for the day, and learning that the
WITCHED
cave we wanted to explore might require a six-day round
trip into back country by mule rather than a six-hour
circuit—the difference between our having time to make
the trip or not.
B y Choral Pepper

"Three times you can't trust a Mexican," fumed


Uncle Erie, "are when he says 'La salsa no es pica, el ancestry. Apparently the early artisans who created
caballo es manso, and la distancia no es lejos.' " (The them accepted the belief that they were children of the
sauce is not hot, the horse is gentle, and the distance is white man's God. Or, perhaps, they visualized the novel
not far). conception of heaven as a place populated with angels
Actually, Francisco Munoz, Erie Stanley Gardner's cast in their own images. Quien sabe?
trusted pilot, had alerted us to this latter possibility be- The population of Baja is no longer Indian. Other
fore we departed Conception Bay, but we were too than a few scattered and small tribes existing in remote
excited over the prospect of seeing the painted cave with valleys, the original inhabitants of Baja were extermin-
the prehistoric map in it to listen. We'd passed most of ated by disease after the arrival of the Spanish. The
the day exploring Scammon's Lagoon, but now with a peninsula's current population is one that immigrated
few hours of daylight remaining before our caravan from Mexico's mainland. There is almost no hereditary
traveling by land would arrive at San Ignacio, we launch- connection between the people found in Baja by early
ed upon a tour of the town. missionaries and those living there today.
The main point of interest is the mission established A river that rises from mountain springs above San
by the Jesuits in 1728 and finished by the Dominicans Ignacio meanders through the village, but soon fades
in 1786. It is still in use today and its bellkeeper proudly underground. During its brief run, it fosters date groves,
led us into the belfry for a lofty view of the town. The wild palms, and other lush vegetation that separates
carved stone and wood angels that fill niches and peer this verdant patch from an infinity of surrounding
from corners of the vaulted ceiling betray their Indian desert. Ambling along sleepy lanes, we came upon a
22 I Desert Magazine / August, 1964
photo by Klaus Sulzmann

perched on the side of a hill near the fringe of town.


Seated at a makeshift table in the center of the room, we
were joined from the sidelines by curious, but friendly,
Mexicans who sat on benches placed along the walls.
Fourth in a series featuring the adventures Erie ordered beer for the house and everyone had a
of DESERT's Editor and Publisher on a fiesta, in spite of the cuisine which didn't quite measure
recent expedition to Baja California with up to any we'd previously enjoyed in Baja. But, as
author-adventurer Erie Stanley Gardner. mentioned before, San Ignacio is not yet tourist savvy,
although it's highly recommended as a place to camp.
woman feeding a pig. She appeared very proud of this One of the local gentlemen present offered us an
pig and it was the biggest, blackest one I've ever seen. empty house next to his farm. Its owner's spirit had
Furthermore, it was the only pig in San Ignacio. When departed and a black crepe cross was posted above the
she saw how impressed we were with her pet's magnifi- door to signify the mourning period. A wooden cross
cence, she moved its pan filled with dates to a better was also planted on the hill above the house to assure
angle so I could get a camera view of its snout rather protection for the family, although the house was un-
than its rear. occupied and sealed up tight. To avoid disturbing any
spirits yet in the process of departing, we chose to spread
Swine exist at a minimum in Baja because there is our sleeping bags outside under the veranda's palmleaf
so little to feed them. It is also reported, as related in roof rather than inside on the casa's dirt floors. Then,
Fierro Blanco's Journey of the Flame, that an old Indian with camp established, we called again at the house of
superstition contributed to their unpopularity. When Senor Frank Fischer to see what could be learned about
the Padres imported a herd to institute a pig farm, the the cave.
beasts became so hungry they devoured Indian babies.
This may not be true, but the fact remains that there are By this time Mr. Fischer had returned and we saw
few swine in Baja. the photos that had so excited Sam Hicks on his previous
trip through San Ignacio. A long, serpentine figure was
It was growing dark when we turned a corner and painted in red and black along the craggy surface of a
met the Gardner Expedition's two trucks and the Land rock shelter. Above and below it were teddy-bear-men
Rover coming toward us. After an excited reunion we painted half-red and half-black, arms outstretched.
went to a restaurant we'd found—a sort of grass shack Above and below the serpentine figures were occasional
to have kept us from making the trip if it had been
possible within our limited time. However, Frank
Fischer was adamant. Six days would be minimum-
three there and three back, without allowing so much as
a day to poke around.
Frank Fischer reported that those who had seen the
cave all agreed that the serpent represented the canyon
in which the cave shelter was located. This, at least, we
could ascertain one way or the other by comparing a
sketch of the serpent with a topographical sketch of the
canyon as seen from the air.
Early the next morning, after being awakened by
the crowing of cocks and the visitations of children
curious to see what those crazy gringos were doing sleep-
ing in a farmyard, we picked up Frank Fischer at his
home and all drove to the airstrip. One member of our
party made a copy of the shape of the serpent from
Jean Bethel treats children to candy. Fischer's photograph while Sam, Munoz and Fischer
flew over the canyon to sketch it and take pictures. When
life-sized figures of animals, possibly deer, also striped. they landed, we compared the two. Entirely different.
To the left of the "head" of the serpent were a tall and If the figure painted in the cave represented a map,
a short pair of giant figures painted entirely red, with we're convinced that it wasn't a map of that particular
three similar figures to the left painted totally black, and canyon.
others of the striped variety below and to the right. Over
the heads of the black ones floated a red figure somewhat Since we hadn't time to explore further, our party
in the manner of a modern Chagall. again split forces and headed back to Mulege. Jack and
The striped figures are found in a number of Baja I, anxious to arrive early and spend the day on horse-
caves; it was the serpentine figure that intrigued us. This, back there, flew with Erie. I welcomed the flight for the
to our knowledge, was entirely unique as a motif in "thinking" time it provided as I had a lot of loose-end
Baja's prehistoric art. Although its body was crossed thoughts about cave paintings bouncing through my
with black lines, giving it a snaky look, its curvature head.
did not follow the orderly rounded curves of most
primitive renditions of snakes. Furthermore, it appear-
ed to have large wedge-shaped ears, although its head was
indistinct due to erosion. Its tail was forked. Mr. Fischer
described other caves in the same region, but no other
held the figure of a serpent nor did those formerly ex-
plored by Erie. We imagined that this might have been
a sort of "temple" for prehistoric people and, perhaps,
the strongly contrived serpentine motif held the key to
their ancient migration.
The photos Frank Fischer showed us were taken by
a physicist from San Diego named Klaus Sulzmann. Two
other Americans had also visited the site, we learned
from Mr. Fischer. They were Michael Shard of Oregon
and Mr. William Stockdale of Putnam, Connecticut. The
fact that others had already investigated the site may
have dampened our enthusiasm a bit, but not enough

A lady and pet pig beside a lazy San Ignacio street. We slept under a farmyard veranda.

Although the subject has never been fully explored,


these paintings are not newly discovered. One of the
first articles to be published about them appeared in
DESERT Magazine 15 years ago (Feb. 1949). This
article described a cave found by Edward H. Davis, a
collector for the Heye Museum of the American Indian
in New York. On an expedition to Baja in 1928, Davis
learned of a legend that hinted of a vast painting hidden
in a cave. His guide had never seen it, but by following
landmarks established in the legend, he and Davis pack-
ed into the San Baltazar mountains west of Mulege and
found it. Further research on the part of Mr. Davis re-
vealed no more about its artists than is known today.
However, there had been material published in
France that Mr. Davis missed. This was brought to our
attention by Campbell Grant, whose exhaustive studies
of California's painted caves near Santa Barbara appear-
ed in this year's May issue of DESERT. Mr. Grant loaned
us a Zerox copy he had obtained of a report written by
the French archeologist, Leon Diguet, who explored and
made his report about La Pictographie de las Basse-
Californie around 1873. This is the most extensive pro-
fessional report on Baja caves that has so far been
published—and it is written in French.
Loosely translated, Diguet reported that the figures
of Baja's cave paintings display an art highly developed,
with motifs suggestive of a spiritual idea or belief. The
caves he illustrated and explored were all between the
27th and 28th parallels. Elsewhere petroglyphs were
found, but no pictographs. He described the figures as
distinctive, life-sized or more, with arms elevated at right
angles above the head and bodies divided vertically and
painted red and black. He mentioned one cave with
a figure painted entirely white. Some figures are prone,
he wrote, and many are pierced with arrows. On their Gardner, Fischer, Sine, Hicks and Costello plan flight
heads the figures wore masks or heads of animals bearing over serpent cave, as seen below. Below: The Peppers
horns, and sometimes deer and puma (mountain lion) and Erie Stanley Gardner bid Frank Fischer farewell.
mingled with the figures of people, often painted one
over the other. Diguet was familiar with the picto-
graphs of New Mexico, Arizona and Upper California,
but denied any association of those with these.
The Baja caves he identified were more in the order
of cave shelters than caves. Diguet noted that most were
located near extinct water sources and the cave shelters
were formed in washes where storms had excavated the
faces of cliffs. Because they were too high for any man
to reach, he believed the murals were executed from
platforms constructed of boulders, later removed.
This brings us up to the present and the most recent
expedition to explore Baja's caves—that of Erie Stanley
Gardner's in 1961. Accompanying the Gardner party
was Dr. Clement Meighan, an archeologist from U.C.L.A.
Incorporating the use of helicopters, Gardner was able
to explore areas heretofore unvisited by modern man.
The caves he discovered were decorated by the same
school of artists as those found by Diguet and Davis, but
were not the same caves. Gardner and Meighan believe there was no Museum of Ethnology located there today.
there are still many caves yet to be discovered. The new However, there is the wonderful Museum of Man in the
one with the serpent seems to bear this out. adjacent Palace of Chaillot and it occured to me that
artifacts may have been transferred to it from the old
As for artifacts, they are almost non-existent at the Trocadero when the new Palis de Chaillot was con-
sites of the caves. This might indicate that the caves structed in 1937. Through our American Embassy, I
were used for ceremonial purposes only and camping was put in touch with its director, Henri Lehmann.
done elsewhere. Dr. Meighan dug up one object with Considering my relaxed hold upon the French language,
a Carbon-14 dating of about 600 years ago, but it might we've had a successful correspondence and Monseiur
have belonged to Indians who occupied the cave shelter Lehmann assures us that the word "serpentine" referred
at a later date. At DESERT's request, Dr. Meighan has to a "silicate de magnesium et de fer," rather than the
promised a forthcoming article with more information figure of a snake. He did, however, enclose a rough
on this subject. sketch of an engraving on one of the articles which he
Diguet reported that the artifacts he found (over 90 referred to as a "stylized serpent motif." It is too styl-
years ago) could be identified as belonging to the Co- (Continued on Page 32)
chimis, Guaycuras and Pericues who later sought refuge
from the cold in these caves. However, he was able to
obtain a small collection of relics found in a mission
after the padres had departed which was labeled as
having originated in the painted caves of Loreto. These
consisted of an axe of polished flint, similiar to ones
found in Upper California, two balls perforated at their
centers, a rowel carved from rock, and a serpentine
figure. These artifacts were presented to the Musee
Enthnographicque du Trocadero.
The one that intrigued me was the serpentine figure.
I wanted to determine whether his reference was to a
mineral rock of that name, or to the shape of the figure
and, if the latter, whether or not the serpentine figure
had wedge-shaped ears like the serpent figure in the
painted cave. I have walked through the Trocadero Gar-
dens in Paris on a number of occasions and I knew that
AMERICAS CAMELEERS
by Joch Bryson
H P HE YEAR WAS 1853. Secretary The Supply, a wooden vessel only it was called—a superstructure 60-
of War Jefferson Davis stood 29-feet wide and less than half the feet long 12-feet wide and tall enough
before an unimpressed Congress. length of a football field, served as to accommodate the tallest camel
"For military purposes," he pleaded, a supply ship in Commodore Perry's (they thought). There were 20 port-
"for expresses and for reconnaissances expedition to Japan in 1853. This holes on each side and centered on
it is believed the dromedary would three-master was well equipped to the top was an opening about the
supply a want now seriously felt in carry its 40 officers and men plus ex- size of a ping-pong table. The ship's
our service." peditionary supplies, but not a herd boom was rigged to hoist, swing and
of camels besides. Lieutenant Porter then place a "camel cage" in the open-
The august body refused to grant had his first of many problems.
the funds. However, journalists pick- ing—like the center brick of a cobble-
ed up the cry. "Camels for America" Major Henry Constantine Wayne, stone walk—to transfer camels from a
became their slogan. All America rose son of a Supreme Court Associate dock to their "house".
to the demand. Soon Congress was Justice, was placed in charge of the On June 3, 1866, the Supply set
pressured into reversing its decision. business end of the operation. Wayne sail for the Levant with Tunis, North
In 1855 the sum of f30,000 was ap- was an impressive man both in ap- Africa first port of call. There they
propriated to finance a procurement pearance and manner. As was the were joined by Gwynne Harris Heap,
expedition to the Levantine countries custom of the day, he wore a small a brother-in-law of Porter. Among
bordering on the eastern Mediterran- triangular patch of beard just beneath Heap's credits were a knowledge of
ean Sea. his lower lip and above the crease the Far East and the camel, plus artis-
of his chin. The handsome, 41-year- tic ability which proved invaluable in
Lieutenant David Dixon Porter, a old West Pointer arrived within a illustrating this unusual venture for
42-year-old naval veteran who at age week. history.
12 had sailed in a campaign against
West Indian pirates, was placed in Boarding the Supply, he stared in- Tied up near a dockside market-
command of the Navy storeship credulously at the strangest structure place they saw their first camel. This
Supply with orders to bring back ever to grace the deck of an American huge, ugly puzzle of a beast must
camels. naval vessel. "Porter's camel house" have intimidated the three men.

Landing of camels at Indianola, Texas in 1856. Painting by Frank Vohsing.


28 t Desert Magazine / August, 1964
- &ametcme& ttayic - account
focutye camel \
told 6&ie fat t&e fawt time

The embarkation of America's camels in Egypt in 1856.


Through new and humble eyes they Through Hi Jolly they learned the gade had charged only two years be-
began to see the enormity of their camel's hump was an indication of fore. There they could learn first-
task. The unkempt dromedary, with its state of well-being. A healthy hand the value of camels in military
its single hump, surveyed them. Its camel has a firm, tall hump — the service.
jaw, moving with a characteristic storehouse of nourishment from which Encouraged by glowing reports in
hammock-like swing, heightened its it sustains itself. Conversely, a hump the Crimea, they pressed on with their
air of defiance. Then, turning its which sags like a stocking cap indi- camel-search to Egypt and finally back
head, its split-lip probed for the most cates a run-down camel—one either to Smyrna, from where they sailed
tender portions of a basket on dis- overtaxed or sick. for America on February 15, 1856
play in the market—a basket soon des- with a cargo of 34 camels—including
tined to become nothing more than Aided by Hi Jolly's coaching and
an inscrutable camel smile. their native Yankee ingenuity, they saddles. Cost: $8,000.
gained experience as they toured the The only unforseen item was a
Undaunted, the men turned to their Mediterranean lands. Like used car mammoth gray camel, a favorite of
task. buyers peering for body blemishes, Hi Jolly's which was 10-feet long,
News of their quest had preceded they learned to scrutinize camels for 7Vi-feet tall with a "waist measure-
them. The ruling Bey of Tunis pre- brand marks, having learned that the ment" of 9-feet 9-inches. They had to
sented them with a pair of "prize" universal treatment for camel ail- cut a hole in the roof of the camel
camels, which later turned out to be ments was cautery. Thus, a camel house!
so ridden with disease they dispensed tatooed with many brand marks indi-
them at Smyrna, Turkey. cated a camel ailing an equal number According to Porter's log the re-
of time. turn trip was the roughest he had
There they met Hadji Ali, a like- experienced in over 25 years at sea.
able camel driver whose amiable dis- While in Turkey they encountered The camels owed their survival to
position soon caused the Americans difficulty in obtaining camels because Porter's ingenuity. Knowing camels
to contract his name to "Hi Jolly". the Crimean War was claiming all grow leathery pads over their knees
This swarthy little Arab with the available animals so they moved on and can comfortably kneel for long
sharp, dark eyes proved so helpful in to Greece. There it occurred to them periods, he strapped their legs to the
teaching them about camels they to sail northwest to Constantinople deck just behind the knees. To coun-
made him one of seven other natives and on across the Black Sea to Bala- teract the rolling of the vessel, bur-
to return with them to America. klava, where the famous Light Bri- lap stuffed with straw was packed
Major Wayne was a man of great
"Come with me CALIFORNIA affection and kindness. It was he who
and see..." GHOST TOWN GUIDE gave the children rides when the
camels were going through town. A
N e w guide to over 100 California ghost towns
Unique and authentic guide to over 100
10-year-old girl, writing in her diary,
Southeastern Utah ghost towns in California's deserts and moun- told how he let her ride a camel to
Northern Arizona tains with complete directions on how to the outskirts of town on the day the
reach them. Shows you the way lo little-
known and intrigue-filled towns that provide camels left for their new quarters at
HE WEST'S MOST SPECTACULAR hours of interest for those seeking buried
treasures, old guns, western relics, purple Camp Verde, and how he cautioned
LAND OF COLOR AND CONTRAST bottles aged by the sun, and antique objects.
Satisfaction guaranteed or money back. her not to get camel saliva on her
GRAY LINE ESCORTED TOUR skin for it would make awful sores.
Round Trip from Salt Lake City Order Now! Only $1.95 To conclude, she wrote, "I love Major
All Expense—Six Days—Five Nights A. L. ABBOTT
Includes Two Boat Trips—Two Jeep Trips Dept. D-18
Wayne."
Fide in Air-Conditioned Buses and stay in Air- 1513 West Romneya Drive — Anaheim, Calif. At Camp Verde, 60-miles north-
Conditioned Motels as you thrill to MONUMENT west of San Antonio, Wayne repro-
VALLEY . . . ARCHES NATIONAL M O N U M E N T
. . . CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL M O N U M E N T
made to land the camels at Indianola, duced a gigantic khan (camel pen)
. . . I N D I A N RESERVATIONS . . . GLEN C A N - the same point where LaSalle landed from detailed sketches he had made in
Y O N D A M . . . LAKE POWELL . . . BRYCE on January 17, 1685. Today it is a the Far East. Such dedication was
NATIONAL PARK and dozens of other spec- stretch of sandy beach with only an
tacular attractions.
characteristic of Wayne. He always
occasional unearthed rusty horseshoe did a little more than was absolutely
We take care of everything. You're never tired to show it was once a thriving fron-
from driving . . . your only worry is if you
necessary.
brought enough color film to photograph the tier town.
most colorful and brilliantly contrasted area in Yet Wayne was a man of fun, too.
the world. For details and brochures on this Once on solid ground, the contrary On an excursion to San Antonio
new exciting tour, write: camels went berserk—running, jump where townsmen jeered the camels,
GRAY LINE MOTOR TOURS ing, kicking. Four were pehlevans he led the big gray, now named Seid,
DEPARTMENT D100
29 WEST SOUTH TEMPLE
(wrestling camels) who promptly to a conspicuous position by the quar-
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH entered into a life and death struggle termaster's forage house. There he
84101 in front of the livery stable. Others made the camel kneel and then asked
broke away on the main street of the supply sergeant to sling a 300-
between the animals, like giant pil- town, bullying the citizenry by spat- pound bale of hay on each side. Al-
lows. Thus, Uncle Sam's camels rode ting on those less agile. A few of the ready bearing a load that would;
the bounding main. more emotional camels exercised crumple the average mule, the camel
To complicate their problem at their most obnoxious trait—that of was loaded with another bale and
sea, many of the females gave birth blowing their huge bloody bladders then another. The crowd watched in
to young. Unhappily, none of these from their mouths. It was an excit- suspense until Seid, crabbing vocifer-
survived to maturiy, and one bactrian ing time in Indianola, until Major ously in his typical whistling groan
(two humps) died in camel-birth, Wayne regained control. arose with 1256 pounds of hay and
giving rise to the bizarre scene of a followed the grinning Major Wayne,
Here Wayne and Porter split forces who nonchalantly led him away.
camel burial at sea. as the latter was detached to the
After three long months, the Supply Levant, probably resignedly, for an- From Camp Verde, Wayne wrote
arrived in Texas. Arrangements were other load of camels. Jefferson Davis a proposed plan for
a breeding farm and program of five
years propagation so that the camel
would be thoroughly acclimated and
in sufficient numbers to provide a
proper nucleus for a camel corps. His
suggestion was disregarded.
To make matters worse, the per-
sonal pique of the regimental officers
at Camp Verde directed at staff offi-
cer Wayne made working conditions
increasingly difficult. Anxious that
the cause not fail, Wayne requested
reassignment. In March, 1857, he was
detached from the camel project and
reassigned to other duties. It took an
objective outsider to recognize his
great achievement. The country of
France awarded him the gold medal
of the Societe Imperiale Zoologique
d'Acclimation de Paris for introduc-
ing camels to the United States.
Relieving Major Wayne, a former
Superintendent of Indian Affairs in
California, Lieutenant Edward Fitz-
gerald Beale, was ordered to Camp
Verde to take charge of the camels.
His first assignment was to survey a
"Should you take off your hat, dear?" wagon road from Fort Defiance, on
Seid, making an uninvited visit to a
German picnic in Los Angeles. The
holiday crowd deserted in panic, leav-
ing a wake of broken bottles, strewn
baskets and trampled weinerwurst.
Nuisances such as this caused the
Army to auction off the camels after
the Civil War. Their new owners at-
tempted freight lines, circuses and
even camel races, but none were suc-
cessful and by 1870, most of the
camels were turned loose to become
a menace to crops and livestock. Ne-
vada passed an act prohibiting them
within its boundaries, and elsewhere
they were shot on sight and eaten by
Indians—betrayed by a fickle public
who had once clamored for them.
As a little known chapter of our
Manifest Destiny; the great camel ex-
periment will always be remembered;
but why did it fail? Three reasons are
attributed. The loss of leadership of
men like Porter, Wayne and Beale
hurt the cause, for it should be re-
membered the camels did well while
these men were in charge. Next, the
Camel Secured for Gale. Sketch by G. H. Heap Civil War claimed the entire atten-
tion of official Washington and inci-
the Arizona-New Mexico boundary to two hours they covered nearly 20 dental projects, like the Camel Corps,
Fort Tejon, California, where the miles. It was then Beale saw a band were overlooked. Finally, after the
animals were to be quartered. of Apaches in the surrounding hills. Civil War came the expansive build-
The need for animal feed on this History does not r e c o r d the ing of the American railroads which
trek fell far below expectations be- thoughts that crossed the minds of eliminated a need for the "ship of
cause of the camels' surprising ability these warriors, but the sight of Beale the desert."
to live off the la ad. They thrived on atop the monstrous Seid must have
mesquite beans, cactus leaves and The camel drivers, too, were aban-
made them stop and wonder if per- doned by the government they had
prickly pears. After the expedition haps this was an emissary from the
passed El Paso, a crusty old resident served so faithfully—even Hi Jolly.
happy hunting ground. A lone horse- As an Indian scout and prospector,
drawled, ", . . and they seemed to man would not have survived, but
have a hankerin' for well ropes and he roamed the Southwest until his
faced with the galloping Seid and in- death at Quartzite, Arizona at age 75.
wheelbarrow handles, too!" Some trepid Beale, the Apaches decided not
claimed that camels grew fat where Almost like a 20th Century apology,
to challenge. the Arizona Highway Commission has
jackasses starved to death.
In a report to the Secretary of War now erected a large stone pyramid
To the north was the dreaded Jor- written at the Colorado River, Beale north of U. S. Highway 60-70 where
nada del Muerto, 90 miles of parched told how he had never spared the Hi Jolly is buried. The plaque reads,
land without water. Without camels, camels, ". . . and subjected them to The last camp of Hi Jolly . . . over
this would have been a major logistic so many lateral explorations that by 30 years a faithful aid to the U.S. Gov-
problem for the large party of men the end of the trip they had traveled ernment.
and animals. Ironically, the camels nearly twice the distance of the mules
supplied water for the thirsty, braying carrying heavy packs . . . driving the Of Hi Jolly's death, a prospector
mules. overburdened camels through volcanic tells a tale he swears is true. The
rock beds, up and down precipitous prospector claims he walked into a
The persevering camels carried the passes the mules could not manage Quartzite barroom and mentioned a
party north for four days with no even when unladen and permitted to huge gray camel he had just seen out
water for themselves, their special pick their way. There is not a man in the desert. One of the customers,
stomachs honey-combed with cells among us," he concluded, "who would a swarthy man with darting eyes, ex-
providing their daily need. Arriving not prefer the most indifferent camel citedly asked where the camel was
at the Rio Grande on the fourth day, to four of our best mules." and immediately he left. Two days
the mules bolted into the water, while later Hi Jolly and the big gray camel
the c a m e l s waited, contentedly Following the final assignment of were found dead, Hi Jolly's arms still
munching their cud. Lt. Beale, Hi Jolly and Seid roamed around the camel's neck.
"In this country," Beale wrote, the Southwest with wagon trains and But of this, we can be sure. In the
"there are only two questions—water explorations for three years. Then twilight zone of the untrod West, Hi
and Indians." The latter Beale en- such assignments became infrequent. Jolly and Seid surely must roam.
countered on a side trip he made west By the start of the Civil War there Occasionally, even today, Arizona po-
of Albuquerque while riding Seid. were 66 camels still at Camp Verde, lice receive reports that a camel with
Once saddled, Lieutenant Beale gave Texas and 40 or more at Fort Tejon, a skeleton astride is galloping across
the big, spirited dromedary his head mostly inactive. the sand. And if some say they have
and they bounded into the desert, One yarn tells of seen them, who can say they did not?
01 friendly Hi Jolly
camel and rider swaying as one. In m a : yam lens meno
Who can say? ///
large yellow
yellow cart
cart drawn by
1 nc A I T-\_
MODERN
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OMETIME BETWEEN 12 and Unlike most flint, which is found
Technical Publication Dept.
Denver Equipment Co.
1400 • 17th St.. Denver, Colorado 80217 S 15 thousand years ago, a band
of hunters—perhaps on the trail
in nodules, the Alibates is an actual
vein of high-quality stone that runs
about a mile long and from 50 to
NIMROD CAMPERS of a giant mammoth—happened across
a series of rocky bluffs overlooking 400 feet wide. Technically, the flint
what is now the Canadian River in is agatized dolomite occuring in reds,
the Texas Panhandle. The outcrop- blues, whites, purples, yellows, tans,
pings of stone on the hillsides imme- grays and blacks. Much of it is band-
tight. Easy to
diately attracted the hunters' atten- ed, striped, splotched, streaked or
tow. Saves up
tion. It was a flint, yet quite differ- dotted. The outcroppings of the
to $30 day on
ent from the flint which they used beautiful flint give the Canadian
trips. Sets up
to fashion the spear points they were River hillsides the illusion of jeweled
in three
carrying. fingers of a giant hand. To those who
minutes.
Taking samples of the rainbow- used the flint, the red stone was pre-
NIMROD OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
colored stone back to their camp, the ferred for its striking color and
1110 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana
mammoth pursuers found the new superior durability. Although tons
Ph. 531-7534 of flint lay exposed to the surface,
flint to be workable and, when chip-
ped into a weapon, far more durable prehistoric man and early Indians
A Perfect Gift than the stone they had been using. quarried the flint to obtain the qua-
lity stone—hence the centuries-long
Such was the beginning of the old- mining operation.
est, most continuous mining opera- Down through the centuries Clovis
Magazine tion on the North American conti-
nent — the Alibates Flint Quarries, Man and the various Ice Age and
ONLY $4.50 A YEAR Stone Age cultures came and went
located about 35 miles north east of
You'll be Remembered Amarillo, Texas. along the valley of the Canadian
12 Times a Year. River. Primitive peoples made trips
The quarries were first recognized into the Texas Panhandle to hunt the
Send In Coupon as a large mining operation by Floyd plentiful bison and to take the Ali-
On Page 41 V. Studer in 1925. Studer, a nation- bates flint in "blanks," or ready-to-
ally known archaeologist from Amar- use work pieces, back with them to
illo, had been working in the area areas of New Mexico, Oklahoma,
since 1907, when as a 15-year-old Colorado, Wyoming and southern
Stop That Thief schoolboy he had stumbled on some Kansas.
WITH A Panhandle Indian ruins which he Paleo-man and the early Indian
Lock Strap! named "The Buried City." mined the Alibates flint by the use
Fits all G.I. cans, holders or carriers, steel
As nearly as experts are able to re- of a percussion tool, the hammer-
constructed. Electric welded and bright zinc construct the facts, the first to utilize stone. About the size of a human
plated. the Alibates flint was Clovis Man, head, these durable stones—composed
$4.00 who lived 10,000 years before the of a highly resistant material quite
Add 4% sales tax for California. No. C.O.D.s
birth of Christ. Yet, so suitable was different in texture from the flint-
the Alibates flint that the Indians were thrown by hand or lifted to a
LOCK STRAP were still using it when Coronado tall beam and dropped into the
329 W. Lomita Ave., Glendale 4, Calif.
marched across the Texas Panhandle quarry. When the chunks of flint
in 1541. were pried loose, smaller hand-size

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the flint into the blanks for easier stones, the inner - space filled with
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flaked into fine points and tools by placed horizontal layers of rock with
utilizing dry bones and antler tips as adobe binding the insulation feature. ALL NEW!
chipping devices.
Evidence of air-conditioning was Dawson Camper Lift
The Alibates quarries p a s s e d crude, but quite effective. A ventila- 10 Minutes . . .
through the hands of many prehistoric tion corridor about 12 feet long ex-
cultures and then, about 900 A.D., an Is all it takes for one person to load or un-
tended into the main room of each load your camper from your pickup. At-
Indian tribe of Puebloan origin apartment. At the opening of each tached to your camper it is always ready
moved into the Texas Panhandle. tunnel was a rock slab which served for use. Fits all campers, easy to install.
The abundance of the fine quality as a deflector, operating on the same
flint was surely the controlling factor Shipping weight 150 lbs.
principle as a chimney flue.
in the growth of thse unusual people- Write for free Brochure
unusual because their dwellings rep- Besides their activities in the flint DAWSON ENTERPRISES
resented a unique features in plains quarries, these early Indians develop- 2874 Unaweep, Grand Junction, Colorado
archaeology. ed agriculture and grew corn. Then
somewhere between 1200 and 1400
Designated the Texas Panhandle A.D., they disappeared. What would
Pueblo Culture, these Indians devel- cause these ingenious people to va-
oped limestone-slab apartment houses cate their precious flint quarries, Give an interesting gift
with air-conditioning and insulation. farms and homes can only be specu-
These ruins have been referred to as lation. The most likely theory is that
the highest development of ancient a prolonged drouth spoiled the corn
civilization confined solely to thecrops and they migrated west, where
state of Texas. they built the still more remarkable
It was a portion of this Indian pueblos which Coronado found in only $4.50 a year
civilization that young Floyd Studer New Mexico and Arizona. But, with
discovered as "The Buried City." In these people went the secret of the
the 1930's a WPA crew excavated a Alibates enterprise. Later tribes
60-room ruin of the Pueblo culture used the flint, but never again were
(a 100-room ruin is being worked on the fruitful quarries mined. Thus
at present), that yielded 16,000 iden- was broken the chain of one of man's LAND ROVERS
tifiable artifacts, 11,000 of them not longest operations—a mining business Priced with the Lowest
native to this region. It was evident that had been a going concern for
that the Indians had exploited their over 11,000 years. 4-Wheel Drives
valuable flint treasure to the hilt; NEW — USED
they had traded the stone far and Plans are now under way for put- Sales — Parts — Service
wide for materials not available in ting the Alibates Flint Quarries back
their own locale. into operation, this time in the form
of a National Monument. It is hoped
Hall Motors
Cypress and Van Buren
The Indian's apartment houses— that Congress will pass a bill to pre- Riverside — Arlington
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Auanst. 19R4 / Doaort MnrrrT^o / 91


missionaries, to imitate an earlier magic that still mysti-
BEWITCHED BY BAJA fied the natives. Ricardo Castillo of Tijuana has since
(Continued from Page 25) sent us a superb collection of Baja petroglyph photo-
graphs which again seem more advanced than those at
Conception Bay, but are not related to the cave paintings.
ized to shed any light upon our snake in the cave, how-
ever, and from Diguet's description of the various caves The more familiar we became with the subject of
he explored, the Painted Cave of Loreto appears to be Baja cave paintings, the more convinced we were that
of a different vintage and culture than those of the the cave with the serpent indicated something special.
striped figures. One of our first acts upon returning home was to con-
tact the Klaus Sulzmann's in San Diego, whose photos
Who painted these caves with the striped men and were shown to us by Frank Fischer. Sharing our enthusi-
animals? According to the earliest missionaries, they asm, they invited us over to see their movies. This proved
were executed by a culture far more advanced than the almost as enlightening as personally making the trip, as
population present when missionaries arrived. The In-
Klaus Sulzmann is an expert cameraman and has pre-
dians of that time told the Spaniards that the paintings
were made by a nation of giants who came from the pared a thoroughly professional travelogue with a sound
North. The belief in a race of giants was common among track. He also possesses a fine collection of photos of the
all native Mexicans, according to Diguet, and those snake cave, as well as others in the region, some of
native to Lower California probably reached this con- which we have reproduced here.
clusion because of the immense size of the persons de- Traveling in two 4-wheel-drive vehicles and accom-
picted in the cave murals, in addition to the heights at panied by Dr. Alex Thomson and Larry Acton, also
which they were executed. There is other evidence of physicists, Sulzmann and his companions visited the
this belief. In his Journey of the Flame, Blanco wrote painted caves quite by accident. One of their vehicles
of a 10-foot skeleton dug up by a priest; and the name devoloped an ailment as they approached San Ignacio
California, given to the peninsula by early Spaniards and, since Frank Fischer is a blacksmith, they were
who believed it to be an island, was derived from a popu- referred to him. With their original German homeland
lar novel about an Amazon Queen bearing that name. in common, Fischer and Sulzmann developed a passing
friendship which led to Fischer's offer to arrange for
One point I should like to make is that these cave mules and a guide to the caves while awaiting a necessary
paintings in no way compare to the Conception Bay pet- part to repair the vehicle.
roglyphs noted in a preceding article of this series. Those
were varied and interesting, but did not suggest any Sulzmann recommends the trip only for people who
particular spiritual development. Where you'd expect to can stand hours and hours of discomfort, as the saddles
find fish, the subjects pecked, or engraved, into the are miserable and not designed for adjustments. With
rocks were of fish. A few figures with elevated arms two mules and three donkeys, they camped in washed
mingled with the assortment of wild life and abstractions, out caves and rocky dry beds, relying completely upon
but it is my feeling these were the weak attempts of a their guide, Jose Maria Espinoza, who took care of
medicine man, whose power was threatened by incoming details such as finding firewood where nothing appeared
to grow, locating water holes with drinkable water and
stimulating the disinterested beasts, as Sulzmann ex-
pressed it.
All together, they explored four caves with paintings,
but their guide told them there were many more further
up into the mountains. Only one cave contained the
serpent motif and, from what the Sulzmann party could
gather from their guide (he didn't speak English, nor
they Spanish), none of the others duplicated it. The
three additional ones visited were in various states of
preservation, but the one with the serpent was the best.
There are present indications that serious archeologi-
cal work might be undertaken in Baja in the near
future. If so, it will be interesting to follow particularly
any results emerging from the snaky cave.
And so ends my part of an experience which could
never be duplicated, but I hope will be deepened with
Copy of engraved artifacts from Painted Cave of Loreto future excursions into Baja. One of the advantages of
now in the Museum of Man in Paris. These articles our splitting forces on this trip is that now Jack can
were probably used as talismans by Indian medicine relate an entirely different set of adventures from those
men of a later era than those who produced the above I shared with Erie Stanley Gardner. ///
cave paintings. Continued next month . . .

32 / Desert Magazine / August, 1964


SCORPIONS

by John Goodman
W HATEVER THE o c c a s i o n ,
your first encounter with a
scorpion is usually a sobering
experience. The hiker and camper in
tenderness at the puncture site for
many weeks.
These two instances are in sharp
Left to right: Hadrurus hirsutus, not
deadly; Vejovis spinigeris, not deadly;
Centrurides sculpturatus, deadly.

the Southwest is a potential victim, if contrast to what may happen if a would not spray properly. Fortunate-
the wrong kind of scorpion crawls small child is stung. Although most ly, on none of these occasions was
across his bedroll or climbs into his stings are received by older children the situation serious enough to cause
gear. Scorpion stings lead the list and adults, who generally recover, a concern.
child under five who is stung is in
as a cause of death from lethal stings Identity of the highly dangerous
serious condition. Immediate symp-
or bites from animals in the state of toms, though varied, include increased Centruroides is fairly easy, even for
Arizona and in Mexico. Other South- salivation, tightness of throat and the non-specialist. Centruroides is the
west states and Baja California are tongue muscles, restless behavior to only deadly scorpion encountered in
apparently spared the venomous Cen- extreme agitation, sometimes convul- the Southwest and Mexico, so only
truroides, although they have plenty sions—all reactions produced by the its peculiar features need be remem-
of the harmless scorpions which, like toxic action of the venom on the cen- bered. It is small compared to the
the Hadrurus, could almost frighten tral nervous system. What is needed others. It is light tan or yellow in
you to death on sight. is an antitoxin to neutralize the color, often called the straw-colored
venom. This is available but is sel- scorpion. Characteristic is its tail,
The one consolation is that your which is long and slender and almost
chances for being sturig by a veno- dom on hand when needed.
round in cross-section. Its claws are
mous scorpion are remote, even in long, slender and delicately curved,
areas where they abound. During the Dr. H. L. Stahnke of Arizona State
University, has strongly recommend- with a rather small bulbous portion
past 15 years, we've camped often and there is a barely perceptible notch
where they occur and even, on occa- ed the use of a technique now widely
publicized and probably familiar to at the base of the curved spine at the
sion, found one pressed under our tail tip. This latter feature may be
sleeping bag between the tarp and most readers of DESERT. This in-
cludes tying off, then immersion of shared by other non-venomous scor-
the ground. We have never been pions, but is not present in the other
stung. the area of the sting in ice water, or
surrounding it with ice packs as soon two commonly encountered on the
Yet, it is often the chance encounter as possible and keeping it cold until desert— Vejovis and Hadrurus, both
that proves dangerous. A person we a physician may be reached. This re- larger and with bulkier tails and
know reached into a Kleenex box and tards the absorption of the venom thicker, shorter claws. Hadrurus is
received a sting on her finger. She felt from the immediate area into the light in color like Centruroides, but,
a numbness and tingling sensation for general circulation. Care must be except for its young, is many times
months afterward in the affected exercised not to freeze or frost-bite the the size of the venomous Centruroides
hand. This was in addition, of course, local area immersed in the ice water and has a liberal sprinkling of visible
to the immediate symptoms, which or other trouble will result. Just hairs here and there over the body.
will be mentioned. Another friend where one gets ice when camped for Vejovis can be identified at a glance
received a sting on the finger when weeks in the desert has never been because it is of a darker shade of tan,
he picked up a board in his yard. fully explained to me. In the past I or reddish-brown. It occurs in dam-
Immediately feeling faint, he went used to carry small ethyl chloride per areas and higher in the moun-
into the house and drank a cup of atomizers in the car and in the field, tains. Vejovis and Hadrurus are
coffee. Whether this did him any good but on the few occasion when they harmless. Their stings approximate
isn't known, but he recovered suffi- were needed, they proved useless. that of a bee sting, causing only a
ciently in a few hours to get back to Either the fluid had leaked out or transitory local pain and irritation,
work. However, he too felt pain and the pressure had gone so that they unless allergies exist. ///
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L IFE AND TIME are capricious
companions, and in no greater
way is this exemplified than in
the chaotic shapes and tenacious na-
0NLY
FILL • CAVE
A Y B
tural history of the ageless Bristlecone
Pine. The dwelling place of this life-
«N n «BUY ALL $4.50 A strange story form that time forgot is amongst the
CODE u BUY ALL
THREE! steep, desolate canyons piercing the
LETTERS • of the strange tree
summits of the White Mountains of
Send to: on this month's cover. California. Pinus aristata, as the sci-
T R A I L E R - M O T I V E TESTING entist calls it, is the oldest living
DEPT.DMSOX 68, LA VERNE, CALIF. thing on earth.
Name:
The initial discovery of these trees
Address: and their tremendous age was made
City: State: DM by the late Dr. Edmund Schulman,
n™~» \A~ 1
MT. BARCROFT ••"!?' i
MtBANCROFT,, all
, LABORATORY '"' 't
' '. 12470: "v, .,-..>"

Vk-; •.__c?"<"7«.
•= \}\Pft<uiTIVE '"?/ V "" ^^-3=
'—J .-
°CROOKEDCREEK"
LABORATORY •
dendrochronologist for the Univer- wood, which composes the largest part fC
JVIONO C0_
sity of Arizona, in 1953. Their dis- of the trees, has been sandblasted to "TNYO C"6.
covery was made more by chance than a beautiful whitish color by sand and
by design when Dr. Schulman took gravel during the violent windstorms \foajh:' «Vm<>>!~,
a side trip into the White Mountains common to the area.
to check out a report about another Laws
species of pine. The extraordinary longevity of } ''•'•"
these trees is attributed to their abil-
The oldest Bristlecones are found ity to stop growing during protracted ^Bishop":
on the steep slopes of canyons in periods of drought. During the fre-
desolate regions of the White Moun- quent droughts that plague this area, o H
tains at an average elevation of 10,- young branches wither and die first,
000 feet. The tallest, stoutest, and then the older ones. If the dry spell •7-
healthiest trees are not the oldest, persitsts 25 years or more the main
but rather, the short, grotesquely trunks may wither and die until only
twisted derelicts growing on the high one lone branch remains with enough
arid slopes attain the greatest age. greenery to sustain photosynthesis and
Seventeen of them are at least 4,000 life. Its slow rate of growth is illus- \ i. o
years old, and one has passed the trated in the exhibit case at Schul-
4,600-year mark. These trees were man Grove. Whereas most trees ex-
)Big Pine
saplings when the Babylonian Empire hibit neat series of growth rings, the
was at its zenith, and already ancient Bristlecone shows none to the naked
when Odysseus and his Homeric host eye. TO LO^E PINE E.RANOSBURG ( I. W
besieged the citadel of Troy in 1200
B.C. When rains finally do come, these Bristlecones germinate and grow just
patient patriarchs begin to grow the same as seed from young, vigorous
Most of the "Ancients" are now in again, adding minute new rings and trees. If only science could isolate
a state of prolonged mortification. new growth. It is as if these long- the cause!
Their life is sustained by a narrow suffering things experience a biolo- The route to the Bristlecone Pine
strip of live bark, a life-line, as it gical Renaissance, for with the new Forest, situated within the confines
were, that is slowly but steadily de- growth come life-producing cones and of the Inyo National Forest, begins
creasing in size. In a few 100 years, pollen pods. Thus, through the with a turn east onto Westgard Road
these trees will be nothing more than cycles of suspended animation and off of U. S. 395 at the north end of
twisted and dried remnants that en- growth these trees fulfill their primary Big Pine, California. Westgard Road
dured more than four milleniums of function here on earth—the propaga- is narrow and winding, but still a
great droughts, devastating fires, land- tion of their species. Surprisingly, good asphalt-topped thoroughfare. It
slides, and earthquakes. The dead- seed from the cones of the oldest climbs steeply through a narrow can-
yon for about two miles, then levels
Campground near site of Bristlecones. off at the canyon's upper reaches.
From here it passes through pictur-
esque Pinon Pine country. Approxi-
mately 10 miles from Big Pine there
is a large National Parks Service sign
directing the park visitor to turn
left onto a dirt road. This can be
traversed in a standard passenger
automobile, but until it has been fully
improved, I do not recommend pull-
ing a trailer unless it is attached to a
rather stout-hearted pick-up.
A camera is recommended. Pano-
ramas east to Nevada, west to the
Owen's Valley below and the majestic
Sierra Nevadas towering above the
valley are breathtaking.
The automobile trip ends at Schul-
man Grove, then the tour begins
afoot and follows Methuseleh Walk.
Wandering along this trail among
aged Bristlecone, a visitor with imagi-
nation feels himself entering into the
Eye of Time. ///
SIERRA HIKE
(Continued from Page 13)
our heads. The last lap of the loop,
Whitney's jagged pinnacle dared us
to think we could assault it with im-
punity. Timberline Lake was the OUTDOOR WEAR
last wood-camp. After the jewel-like FOR LEISURE LIVING
setting of Guitar Lake, the country's Top values in Western inspired apparel
PIPCO SPRINKLER SYSTEM
physical aspect changed. Patches of and accessories. Comfortable yet rugged
Insert heads in plastic hose, connect to gar-
den faucet. Low pressure penetration, mini-
snow hugged the north and east sides . . . and always good looking. Buy by
mum run-off. Proven by 12 years of agricul- of the glaciated peaks. Bushy-tailed mail and save. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Write for your free catalog today.
tural usage, ideal for slopes, problem areas, golden marmots lumbered sluggishly
in mobile home gardens. 4 Head Kit for use toward rocky dens. From Mt. Whit- The WRANGLER • Dept. CE-120
with your 25-foot hose $4.95, includes all 4 P.O. Box 930, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
half heads, stakes, tool and hose cap. Order ney's bare talus slopes, we counted
ppd. PIPCO SPRINKLERS, Box 609, Dept. D, ten rock-bound blue tarns shimmering
MONROVIA, CALIF., brochures or the dealers in the sunlight. The silence enfold-
name in your area. (Add 4 % tax in Calif.) ing these heights was unbeliveable.
UTAH
Below us, we saw fellow hikers,
Custom Made Auto Sun Shades dwarfed by the immensity of the sur- Mountain Land
roundings, clinging like human flies Wonderful for summer homes, up
to the precipitous switchback ascent. higher in the pines and aspens.
Yet the Sierra Crest above us ap-
peared to retreat as we climbed, a sky- Available in sizes from Vz acre
borne eyrie. At several points we felt to 2000 acres. Write for complete
"Take the sizzle out of the Sun." Your car up we were hanging in mid-air. A horse information.
to 15 degrees cooler. Blocks the sun's rays and rider hove into view. The ani-
yet gives excellent visibility and ventilation. D. W. CORRY REAL ESTATE CO.
Ideal for campers, travelers, and every day
mal's rump hung over nothingness as Box 903 Cedar City. Utah
driving. Greatly improves air conditioning
it negotiated a sharp turn. I pressed
efficiency. Custom made for cars 1955 against the mountain and shut my
through 1964. Easy to install with enclosed eyes. A Perfect Gift
simple instructions. Write for Free catalog
and prices. Give make of station wagon,
At last, atop Trail Crest, we stop-
sedan or hardtop, 2 or 4 door. Prompt ship- ped to view the full-circle panorama.
ment. SIDLES MFG. CO., Box 3537D, Temple, On Mt. Whitney's mighty spine, 14,- ~J)tAtAjL Magazine
Texas. OOO-feet high, we were treading on ONLY $4.50 A YEAR
clouds. East of us the Inyo and Pana-
mint Ranges glowed in pink and You'll be Remembered
gold afternoon splendor. Owens Val- 12 Times a Year.
METAL & MINERAL ley fell into a blue haze. Directly be-
low us on the east side of the Sierra,
Send In Coupon
On Page 41
LOCATORS by . icy blue-black lakes nestled amid beds
of snow-ice. Oh, how worthwhile this
trip had been!
Descending the 108 steep switch- Metal Detectors
EO backs was easier, but we were still 11.5 BOUGHT - SOLD - TRADED
HINDER miles from pine-dotted Whitney Por-
tal. Now the pot of pre-cooked chili
Dealer For
ALWAYS BETTER ALL WAYS beans came in handy. We were starv- Detectron, Fisher, Goldak,
ing, and still above the timberline. Raytron, GeoFinder, Metrotech
'LITERATURE Camping in a sheltered place among Repair Service
BOX 6035, LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA
the rocks, we called it a day. Tomor- WRITE FOR F R E E 24-PAGE BOOKLET
ON DETECTORS, BOOKS AND MAPS.
row we would be down in Lone Pine.
This 80-mile loop trip over the BILL'S SERVICE CENTER
top of the Sierra through an enchant- 15502 So. Paramount Blvd.
A New Way to See S.E. Utah! Paramount California
ing wilderness had opened up an en-
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bodied American should experience
Offers you two ways to see spectacular at least one backpack trip in his San Juan
Southeastern Utah. Drive your own 4- lifetime—although ours is going to
wheeler or ride with us in comfortable Jeep
station wagons. You'll love our chuck include more. Next year we will re- TRADING POST
wagon chow cooked over an open camp- turn again to this land of wandering . . . your headquarters for a
fire. Let us show our our beautiful wild waters. /// Southern Utah vacation
land of Moki ruins, Indian writings, arches, ON PAVED HWY. 47
deep canyons, spires and rock in every MEXICAN HAT, UTAH
form imaginable. For a NEW experience CHANGING ADDRESS?
write today to: New postal regulations make it important
22 Modern Motel Units . . . Guided Scenic
Tours to Monument Valley and Fabulous San
MITCH WILLIAMS that you send your change-of-address notice Juan County . . . Curio Shop, Navajo Rugs,
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TAG-A-LONG TOURS your old address as well as your new and Hunting Guides . . . Accommodations For
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Moab, Utah 84532 Phone 253-4346 DESERT Magazine-Palm Desert, Calif. 92260 Phone: 42, Mexican Hat, Utah

3R / Floe i ,,„,,„+ i OCA


A monthly feature by the authoi of Ghost Town Album, Ghost Town Trails,
and Western Ghost Towns.

SILVER CITY
IDAHO

BY LAMBERT FLORIN

W AR EAGLE MOUNTAIN in
1863 was the scene of a bitter
rivalry that could end only in
the death of one of the combatants.
away from the street at Ruby. The
new site had to match, or the struc-
ture wouldn't fit.
buildings strung along the stream and
on several cross streets in the burgeon-
ing city. Near the Masonic Hall was
a structure housing the O w y h e e
The peak, situated among Idaho's Mines in the area around War Eagle Avalanche, a newspaper that swayed
Owyhee Mountains, spawned a creek Mountain were more than ordinarily the political and social life of Silver
called Jordan, and all along its steep spectacular. Gold and silver ores City for 67 years. There was an under-
canyon walls were spectacular veins from the Poorman Mine assayed taker's establishment which up until
of rich silver. Two frontier mining $4,000 to $5,000 to the ton. At depths a few years ago still held a number of
towns, Idaho City and Ruby City, of 100 feet or so, one mass of solid coffins. There were two drug stores,
had sprung up along the stream only ruby-silver crystals was found. It and the emporiums specializing in
a few miles apart. They were too weighed a quarter of a ton. snake-bite medicine numbered in the
close together to live as friendly It became a regular thing to see dozens. There were large schools and
neighbors. Every inhabitant of each three-foot stacks of silver bars piled even a library to fill cultural needs.
town understood from the beginning outside the Wells Fargo building, On a hilltop in rather a lonely situa-
that one would destroy the other. awaiting shipment to Umatilla by tion stood an attractive church. It
stage. Each bar was strapped in lea- was built in 1896 by the Episcopal-
As mines were developed and addi- ther containers and the stage had to ians and sold in 1933 to the Catholics.
tional lodes discovered, it became be reinforced to withstand the heavy Congregations and parishioners found
clear that most of the richest silver load. The road down the mountain no set path up the hill as the rocky
deposits were nearer Silver City. Not was steep and composed mostly of soil offered access in all directions as
only that, some of the force of brutal hair-pin curves. Stages didn't last long as the scant brush covering was
storm winds which raked both was long, reinforced or not. From Uma- avoided.
shunted by encircling sage clad peaks. tilla the bullion went down the Col-
Stores closed their doors in Ruby City, umbia to Portland and thence to San In one six-year period Silver City
reopening in the triumphant camp Francisco. produced $2,756,128 from just one
higher on Jordan Creek. Indeed, mine, the Oro Fine, and there were
some business buildings were moved The Masonic Hall was one of the 30 others like it on War Eagle Moun-
bodily or in sections hauled by teams first in Idaho. It straddled the creek tain. But this sort of production
of oxen. Most important of these am- and a standing, if corny, joke among couldn't continue for ever. In 1942
bulatory structures was the immense the miners who entered by the front the last mine closed and the once
Idaho Hotel. Selection of a proper door and emerged at the rear was that bustling city breathed its last. Today
new location wasn't easy. The hotel they had "crossed over the Jordan." it stands as one of the best preserved
had stood on a slope dropping steeply There were plenty of other impressive ghost towns in the country. ///
In this month's column Sam Hicks
tells how the Mexicans make candy
from the purple hedgehog cactus.

DtSBRT
DISPENSARY
by Sam Hicks
H m
5c ^^pfK%j2*$L

V IZNAGA, or purple hedgehog


cactus, can be eaten but it is
more a novelty or a survival
food than it is a gourmet's delight.
Standard measurements of the in-
gredients for a batch of cactus candy
are ten pounds of soaked viznaga
slabs, twenty pounds of panocha
utes, but care must now be taken
to prevent over-cooking. Prolonged
boiling will cause the syrup to harden
after it cools, thus changing the taste
It is filling and rather tasty if it is (brown sugar) and five gallons of and spoiling the conserva for all prac-
first roasted in a bed of coals for •wjater. The water and sugar are> tical purposes. It should be cooked
an hour or so until the fiber of its brought to a boil in a large pot over just long enough that, after cooling,
white meat is broken down. It is an outside fire, then the slabs are the syrup is still liquid with the
peeled, sliced in quarter-inch thick cooked until they become candied, candied viznaga bits remaining in a
slabs cut across the grain, then bread- which takes about twenty-five to state of suspension. While it is still
ed and fried the same at eggplant. thirty minutes. They are then lifted warm it is poured into five gallon
Its nutritional value is debatable. from the boiling pot with a wire honey cans for storage, where it will
Cubiertos de viznaga, Spanish for mesh scoop and spread out on a keep for years.
cactus candy, is made by first soak- table to cool.
ing large, rectangular wafers of the Conserva is customarily served at
viznaga cactus in a strong lime water Conserva always follows in the room temperature in a bowl or cup
solution for approximately one half wake of a bath of cubiertos, and it has and eaten with a spoon. It is sold
hour. The wafers are then slowly long been a popular Mexican dessert. daily in the stores of small villages
drained on board or palm fronds Here again viznaga is used, but for and cities throughout Mexico and can
placed outside in the night air during conserva it is cut into cubes or chunks be purchased in any quantity from
the time of year when heavy dew is of one-half inch and smaller. This a small helping in a bowl held in the
a certainty. If the wafers are drained chopped viznaga meat is also soaked grimy hands of a child to a five gal-
under almost any other condition, in lime water and drained in the lon can full which weighs about sixty
they harden slightly on the outside, identical fashion as cubiertos. After pounds.
trapping lime water inside the slabs the cubiertos are dipped out of the
and rendering them useless for hu- boiling sugar syrup, about ten pounds Certain regions of the southwestern
man consumption. of the cubed viznaga is poured into United States have suffered so long
the same pot. This batch is cooked from acute shortages of rain that
for another twenty-five or thirty min- many of our most picturesque and

JCINGMAN ROCK POLISHER


gruffly interesting species of cacti no
longer grow abundantly. The color-
ful viznaga is one of these species
ARIZONA
which, as of the present, is definitely
not on the increase. Let's save them
Large Level Lots for photographic pleasure and emer-
gency rations only. ///
WATER AND POWER
TO EACH LOT Great fun for everyone.
A wonderful gift for someone. seed (salvia columbariae),

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low price: I V i lbs., $4:00. Mailed postpaid.
ELMER L BUTLER Cash, Check or Money Order only
BOX 486, KINGMAN, ARIZONA THUMLER'S TUMBLER POLLEN-CHIA COMMERCE
P. O. Box 609
Also Highway 66 Business Frontage Monrovia, California
854 9th St., Santa Monica, California
COOKERY

CHICKEN a la PARIS ORANGE CASHEW CHICKEN


4 large or 6 small chicken breasts 2 oranges
1 can mushroom soup 1 tablespoon sugar
1 3-oz. can broiled mushrooms 4 chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream Salt and pepper
Vz cup cooking Sherry 1/3 cup flour
Place breasts in shallow baking pan. Vi cup salad oil
ONO-ONO HAWAIIAN CHICKEN Combine remaining ingredients and 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
Vi cup butter pour over chicken. Sprinkle with salt 1 cup fresh orange juice
4 green onions, chopped, tops and and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees 1/3 cup water
all for 1 to 1 Vi hours. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 clove garlic Va teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons flour Vi teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon monosodium gluta- 1 teaspoon sugar
mate OVEN BARBECUED CHICKEN 2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt Barbecue sauce: 1 cup dairy sour cream
1 cup Sauterne or white table wine Cook in skillet until yellow, 1 medium 2 tablespoons sliced cashew nuts
1 can water chestnuts, drained onion and 1 clove garlic in 2 table- Cut the oranges in cart wheels and
and sliced spoons shortening sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained Add and simmer for 1 hour: Season chicken breasts with salt and
1 can bamboo shoots, drained 2 tablespoons chopped parsley pepper and coat with flour. In skillet,
(optional) 1 teaspoon salt, pepper brown chicken in hot oil. Place in
1 can pineapple chunks, drained 1 tablespoon sugar shallow baking dish. In saucepan,
3 cups cooked white meat of 1 tablespoon sugar combine orange juice, water, corn-
chicken 1 teaspoon dry mustard starch, nutmeg, salt, 1 teaspoon
Macadamia nuts, chopped 1 teaspoon paprika sugar and butter. Bring to boil, stir-
Melt butter. Add onions and garlic- Vz cup chili sauce ring constantly, reduce heat and
cook until onions are soft. Blend in Vi cup vinegar simmer for a half minute. Pour over
flour, salt and monosodium gluta- % cup water chicken breasts and bake at 350
mate. Add wine, cook until mixture 1V2 tablespoons Worcestershire degrees for an hour. Drain orange
comes to a boil and thickens. Add sauce cart wheels and stir half of them into
chestnuts, mushrooms and bamboo To barbecue the chicken: the sour cream, then spoon over
shoots. Simmer 5 minutes. Add pine- Cut up for frying one 3 lb. chicken. chicken. Return to oven for 8 or 10
apple chunks and chicken. Cook, Sprinkle pieces with salt and place minutes. To serve, sprinkle chicken
stirring as little as possible until in shallow roasting pan, skin side with cashew nuts and garnish with
thoroughly heated. Serve, sprinkled up. Pour % cup sauce over chicken remaining orange pieces.
with macadamia nuts. 4 to 6 por- and bake at 325 degrees for IV2
tions. hours. Turn oven control to 375 de-
grees, pour rest of sauce over and
bake 30 minutes. If not brown enough
ORANGE SAUCE chicken may be placed under broiler GOURMET CHICKEN
FOR ROTISSERIE CHICKEN the last 4 or 5 minutes.
Soak 6 frozen chicken breasts in
Truss chickens and place on spit milk for 4 hours, or until thawed. Roll
close together. Brush and baste every in flour with salt, pepper and pap-
5 minutes with the following sauce: rika. Brown delicately in butter.
2 cans condensed beef broth TROPICAL CHICKEN Place in baking pan and cover with
2 tablespoons cornstarch Cut up frying chicken, salt, pepper, V2 can consomme, 1 crushed garlic
Vi cup cut-up orange sections flour and place in shallow pan. Melt clove and Vz cup white wine. Cook
Vz cup orange juice Vi cup butter and drip over chicken. slowly, about 350 degrees for 1 hour.
1/3 cup honey Mix 1Vz cups crushed pineapple, 2 Take out of oven and cover with
1 tablespoon lemon juice tablespoons lemon juice and 2 table- Vz can warm consomme mixed with
1 teaspoon grated orange rind spoons soy sauce. Pour over chicken Vz pint sour cream and 1 can sauteed
In saucepan, gradually stir corn- and bake slowly about 300 degrees button mushrooms. On top of each
starch into broth, add remaining in- for 1 hour or until chicken is tender. piece of chicken, place 1 dessert
gredients. Cook until thickened, stir- You may add a little Sherry to sauce spoon of finely grated lemon peel.
ring constantly. for added flavor. Bake 20 to 30 minutes longer.
HOW TO PLACE YOUR AD
• Mail your copy and first-insertion remit-
tance to: Trading Post, Desert Magazine,
Palm Desert, Calif.
• Classified rates are 20c per word, $4
CLASSIFIEDS minimum per insertion.

• AUTO-TRUCK-CAMPER • BOOKS-MAGAZINES • GEMS, DEALERS


BOOKS: "PANNING Gold for Beginners," 50c. RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA. We have everything
VOLKSVAIR—CORVAIR power for all Volks-
"Gold in Lode," $3. Frank J. Harnagy, Box for the rock hound, pebble pups, interesting
wagons, Porsches and Ghias. Simple with my
105, Prather, California. gifts for those who are not rock hounds.
instructions and kit. Send $1 to Crown
Minerals, slabs, rough materials, lapidary sup-
Manufacturing Co., Dept. E, Costa Mesa, Cali-
FOR SALE: Desert back issues, send stamped plies, mountings, equipment, black lights. Why
fornia. Telephone 548-0221. Information and
envelope for listing. John C. Matazel, 4906 not stop and browse? Shamrock Rock Shop,
catalog airmailed immediately.
West 24th Street, Cicero, Illinois 60650. 593 West La Cadena Drive, Riverside, Calif.
BACK COUNTRY traveler? Investigate National OVerland 6-3956.
FIRST TEN years of Desert Magazine, less May
Four Wheel Drive Association. Find out what '48 issue. Best offer takes. Includes first
it can do for you. National Four Wheel Drive
Association. Box 413-D, Pacific Palisades,
issue. B. W. Staffer, 5003 N. McClintock, • GEMS, MINERALS-FOSSILS
Temple City, California.
California. POCKET GOLD, rare, crystalized, $2. Placer gold
GHOST TOWN Guide: Complete guide to over $2. Gold dust $1. Goldbearing black sand $1.
100 ghost towns in California, only $1.95. A. Attractively displayed. Postpaid, guaranteed.
• BOOKS-MAGAZINES Abbott, Dept. 28, 1513 West Romneya Drive, Lester Lea, Box 1125-D, Mount Shasta, Calif.
Anaheim, California.
"BACKYARD OF Nevada" Centennial Edition, FOSSILS: New 1964 catalog now ready, 8 plates,
hand lettered text, illustrations by author. "GEMS & Minerals Magazine," largest rock hobby 3000 species, $1. Largest stock anywhere. We
Represents miles of travel, extensive research. monthly. Field trips, " h o w " articles, pictures, supply schools, museums, collectors, rock
Limited printing, $3.25 postpaid. C. Lorin Ray, ads. $4 year. Sample 25c. Box 687J, Mentone, shops, retail, wholesale. Buying, exchanging
215 Hanby, Bishop, California. California. fossils, too! Malick's Fossils, 5514 Plymouth
NEW PUBLICATION-"Old Time Bottles," 74- Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21214.
"THE PAST In Glass" by Pat and Bob Ferraro.
This new bottle book discusses antique bot- page guide book for collectors, pictures and
tles including whiskeys, foods, cosmetics, etc. values of over 300 ghost town bottles, $2. • GEMS, ROUGH MATERIAL
Also included is information on Oriental pot- Old Time Publishing Company, 3915 River-
tery and trade cards of the era. $3.25 pre- crest, Salem, Oregon. FOR SALE: 59-year rock collection of agate,
paid from authors at 465 15th Street, Love- wood, bone, turquoise, crystal specimens of
lock, Nevada. ARIZONA TREASURE Hunters Ghost Town Guide, different kinds. Will sell all. G. H. Lobato,
large folded map 1881, small early map, 1200 Route 1, Box 413, Durango, Colorado.
GHOST TOWN Bottle Price Guide, now in second place name glossary, mines, camps, Indian
printing. Designed to help the collector reservations, etc. $1.50. Theron Fox, 1296-E
evaluate his bottles. Research compiled from Yosemite, San Jose, California. • HOME STUDY
dealers in Western states. An interesting
guide, nicely illustrated. $2 prepaid. Wes LEARN OIL painting by correspondence. Ama-
Bressie, Rt. 1, Box 582-A, Eagle Point, Oregon. • CLOTHING teur or advanced. Easy, fascinating, natural-
istic. No time limit. Easy payments. Free de-
"SUN-COLORED Glass, Its Lure and Lore." Care- DOWN-FILLED clothing for the winter sports- tails. Sample lesson $1. Walker School or Art,
fully researched facts on the hobby of Old man designed by the leading manufacturer of Box 486, Montrose 1, Colorado.
Purple Glass, 50 pages, illustrated, $2.75 lightweight, cold weather clothing. Free bro-
postpaid from author, Mary J. Zimmerman, chure, Gerry, Dept. 90, Box 910, Boulder,
Dept. D., Box 2641, Amarillo, Texas. Colorado. • INDIAN GOODS
SELLING 20,000 Indian relics. 100 nice ancient
OUT-OF-print books at lowest prices! You name
it—we find it! Western Americana, desert and
• DESERT STATIONERY arrowheads $25. Indian skull $25. List free.
Lear's, Glenwood, Arkansas.
Indian books a specialty. Send us your wants. DESERT, Cactus flowers, roadrunners notecards
No obligation. International Bookfinders, Box AUTHENTIC INDIAN jewelry, Navajo rugs, Chi-
on vellum. Dozen assorted: $1.50. Free bro-
3003-D, Beverly Hills, California. mayo blankets, squaw boots. Collector's items.
chure. 100 Desert Christmas: $10.75. Choose
Closed Tuesdays. Pow-Wow Indian Trading
from 67 originals by artist Henry Mockel, Box
LEARN ABOUT gems from Handbook of Gems Post, 19967 Ventura Blvd., East Woodland
726, Twentynine Palms, California.
and Gemology. Written especially for ama- Hills, Calif. Open Sundays.
teur, cutter, collector. Tells how to identify
gems. $3 plus tax. Giemac Corporation, Box • EQUIPMENT-SUPPLIES FINE RESERVATION-MADE Navajo, A m i , Hopi
808J, Mentone, California. jewelry. Old pawn. Many fine old baskets,
DESERT HIKING, lightweight camping and moun- moderately priced, in excellent condition
READ "BURIED Treasure and Lost Mines" by taineering equipment: An excellent selection Navajo rugs, Yei blankets, Chimayo blankets,
Frank Fish, 93 bonafide locations, photos and of quality equipment and food at reasonable pottery. A collector's paradise! Open daily
illustrations. Research done by Fish, treasure prices. Efficient, personalized service. Write 10 to 5:30, closed Mondays. Buffalo Trading
hunter who made it pay. Large 19x24" color- for free catalog. Sport Chalet, 951 Foothill Post, Highway 18, Apple Valley, California.
ed map, pinpointing book locations. Book Blvd., P. O. Box 186, La Canada, Calif.
$1.50, map $1.50. Special: both $2.50 post-
paid. Publisher: Erie Schaefer, 14728 Peyton QUALITY CAMPING and mountaineering equip- • JEWELRY
Drive, Chino, California. ment. Down sleeping bags, lightweight tents,
boots. Free catalog. Highland Outfitters, P.O. GENUINE TURQUOISE bolo ties $1.50, 11 stone
Box 121, Riverside, Calif. turquoise bracelet $2. Gem quality golden
BOOKS: "Old Bottles and Ghost Towns," many
tiger-eye $1.75 pound, beautiful mixed agate
sketches. See Desert, February '63 issue. $2.15
baroques $3 pound. Postage and tax extra.
prepaid. Mrs. Adele Reed, 272 Shepard Lane,
Bishop, California.
• FOR WOMEN Tubby's Rock Shop, 2420Vi Honolulu Ave.,
Montrose, California.
LADY GODIVA "The World's Finest Beautifier."
NEVADA TREASURE Hunters Ghost Town Guide.
Your whole beauty treatment in one jar.
Large folded map. 800 place name glossary. • MAPS
Write: Lola Barnes, 963 North Oakland, Pasa-
Railroads, towns, camps, camel trail. $1.50.
dena 6, California.
Theron Fox, 1296-C Yosemite, San Jose 26, SECTIONIZED COUNTY maps - San Bernardino
California. $3; Riverside $1; Imperial, small $1, large $2;

SEE THE best of desert four-wheeling. Order


• GEMS, DEALERS San Diego $1.25; Inyo $2.50; Kern $1.25;
other California counties $1.25 each. Nevada
your copy of the 10th Annual Sidewinder CHOICE MINERAL specimens, gems, cutting ma- counties $1 each. Include 4 percent sales tax.
4/WD Cruise pictorial souvenir booklet, 32 terial, machinery, lapidary and jeweler's sup- Topographic maps of all mapped western
pages, over 100 pictures. Send $2 to Trail- plies, mountings, fluorescent lamps, books. areas. Westwide Maps Co., 114 West Third
wise, 2707 De La Vina, Santa Barbara, Calif. Sumner's, 21108 Devonshire, Chatsworth, Cal. Street, Los Angeles 13, California.

40 / Desert Macrazine / Auaust. 19B4


<» MEXICAN AUTO INSURANCE • PLANTS. SEEDS • TREASURE FINDERS
DRIVE TO Mexico! It's f u n , safe, inexpensive! CHIA AVAILABLE again, clean seed, $5.50 per DISCOVER BURIED loot, gold, silver, coins, battle-
You'll need special Mexican auto insurance pound. Bruce Gregory, Box 147, French Camp, field and ghost town relics, with most power-
coverage. Insure with Sanborn's, service offices California. ful, sensitive transistorized metal detectors
at all gateways. Write for low daily rates, and available. Two year warranty. Free litera-
ask for free Mexico Travel-Aid packet, very ture. Goldak, Dept. D-8, 1544 W. Glenoaks,
helpful in planning your Mexico motor trip.
• REAL ESTATE Glendale, Calif. 91201.
Sanborn's, McAllen, Texas. 300 ACRES, 9 miles from Victorville towards
FIND LOST or hidden treasures with new tran-
Barstow, level and rolling hills, unimproved,
DRIVING TO Mexico? You must have approved sistor metal detector, underwater metal de-
Vegas freeway through middle, good location
Mexican Auto Insurance, Mex-I-Plan, Com- tectors, scintillation counters, etc. Free litera-
for houses, service station, etc. Silver ore,
plete Protection, 8344 Melrose Avenue, Los ture. Gardiner Electroncis, Dept. 5 1 , 4729
one-half mineral rights. Bargain by owner.
Angeles 69. OL 3-6380. North 7th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona.
16055 Washburn Road, Apple Valley, Calif.

FOR INFORMATION on desert acreage and par- FINEST TRANSISTOR metal locators, $34.95 to
<» M I N I N G $275. Find coins, souvenirs, treasure. Informa-
cels for sale in or near Twentynine Palms,
PROSPECTING EQUIPMENT. New 44-page cata- please write to or visit: Silas S. Stanley, Realtor, tive folder, "Metal Locating Kinks," 25c.
log of UV lamps, scintillators, berylometers, 73644 Twentynine Palms Highway, Twenty- IGWTD, Williamsburg, New Mexico.
metal locators, mineral identification supplies, nine Palms, California.
heavy liquid sets, pumps, pans, picks, mor- POWERFUL METROTECH locators detect gold, sil-
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Supply, 1345E Firestone, Goleta, California. Cal-Ore Ranches, 1054-DX South Riverside,
FIND BURIED gold, silver, coins, nuggets with
Medford, Oregon.
improved "Dynatector." Guaranteed. $3. Free
ASSAYS. COMPLETE, accurate, guaranteed. High- "Treasure Hunter's Guide" included. Dee, Box
est quality spectrographic. Only $4.50 per • TREASURE FINDERS 7263-N21, Houston 8, Texas.
sample. Reed Engineering, 620-R So. Ingle-
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» MISCELLANEOUS and other minerals. Cigarette pack size, day- 10563, Houston 18, Texas.
light operation, requires no batteries. Price
FROM YOUR favorite color slide or print, let
$12.50. Free brochure. Essington Products &
me do a beautiful oil painting for your home. • WESTERN MERCHANDISE
Engineering, Box 4174, Coronado Station, Santa
Desert, mountains, canyons, or lakes. Any
Fe, New Mexico.
size. Guaranteed to please. Reasonable. Write: DESERT SUN-COLORED: 10 bottles, all different,
Box 325, Clearfield, Utah. FIND GOLD, precious gemstones, minerals in $5. Purple pressed glass dishes. List. The
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l» OLD COINS^STAMPS Sluice Box $14.95. Free brochure and valuable
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UNCIRCULATED SILVER dollars, 1878-79-80-81-82 California. to royal purple; ghost railroads materials,
S mint or 1883-84-85 O mint $2.50 each. 1878 tickets; limited odd items from camps of the
CC mint VF $7.50. New 100-page catalog 50c. GEO-FINDER METAL and mineral detectors, super- '60s. Write your interest—Box 64-D, Smith,
Shultz, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. sensitive with power to spare. Detects gold, Nevada.
silver, coins, relics. Free literature. The Geo-
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l> PHOTO SUPPLIES facts and purple glass and bottles. Max Cardo,
EXCITING ADVENTURE locating hidden loot, 1141 Cedar Street, Gridley, California.
RAPID, CONVENIENT mail service for quality treasures, relics, etc., with powerful, electron-
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our free bargain brochure. The complete pho- very easy terms. Send for free booklet, inter- Stops Drinking Extra, Rodeo, names printed:
tographic store since 1932: Morgan Camera esting customer reports. Fisher Research, 4 for $2. Wanted Posters, Box 726, Twenty-
Shop, 6262 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. Dept. JY, Palo Alto, Calif. nine Palms, California.

«» PLANTS, SEEiDS DESERT Subscription Service


FIVE DESERT wonders can be yours. Smoke r
Tree, Desert Holly, Red Ocotillo, Barrel Cac- To Change Your Address
tus, Giant Saguaro—easy from seed, $1.50 per ( Enter a Subscription •
packet. All five large1 packets for $6. My 50c Magazines ars no longer forwarded by the post
catalog containing over 700 varieties of seeds office when you move. To insure uninterrupted
free with each order of $3 or more. Clyde
(Address Change Only • delivery please attach your magazine address
Robin, Collector of Wildflower and Wild Tree label here and print your new address below.
seeds, P.O. Box 2091, Castro Valley, California.
• 1-year subscription
PLANT SPECIMENS in smoke tree, desert holly, $4.50
yucca, etc., rooted 18-inch cuttings in other • One 2-year subscrip- Name
desert flora, for economy. Rancho Environ- tion, or,
mental Nursery. 71554 Samarkand Drive, • Two 1-year sub-
Twentynine Palms, Calif. Phone 367-6124 for scriptions 0
directions to Nursery. o Address
WANTED TO buy: Pollen dust, agua miel, epos
Foreign subscribers add 75c
root (perideridia), truffles; and recipes for per subscription. • New • Renewal
candy without sugar or boiling. Please give
prices. Also wanted: Chia seed, any amount, To Give a Desert Subscription
V2 pound or 1/2 ton. Send price and small
sample. Pollen-Chia Commerce, 854 9th St., Print your name and address above, and name and address of recipient below.
Santa Monica, Calif.

CHIA SEED. Free information, recipes, and prices.


Write Organic Herb and Seed Company, 3645
Main Street, Chula Vista, California 92011.

GROW YOUR own chia (Salvia Columbariae).


I • New G Renewal
Send $1 plus 4 % tax for seed packet with Sign Gift Card: "From_
planting instruction. Rte. 4, Box 439A, Escon-
dido, California. • Payment Enclosed D BUI Me Later 103
Letters requiring answers must en-
LETTERS close stamped, addressed envelopes

FROM OUR READERS

Lost Mine Experts Query for Cookery German Indians?


To the Editor: I am an old man and never To the Editor: Don't ever drop DESERT To the Editor: The Indian Legend and Bit
recall having written to any magazine about Cookery! Do you have a recipe for Pueblo of German History in June '64 DESERT
an article, but in your June issue you have Bread—the kind that is sold in Cochiti created quite a bit of wonder and specu-
Jim Dollar's Lost Mine by Kenneth Mar- Pueblo? I would like to have it. lation here. Is it possible these Germans
quiss. I have not come across this chap We noticed that Jack Pepper's color were the engineers that built the great
before. He has something. He has style. photo of Rainbow Bridge in the April Utah irrigation system used by the Hohokam
It's new and original. It rings true. It shines issue of DESERT was honored in the Indians? Wormington's book Prehistoric In-
up the whole issue. That fellow in 30 13th Annual Edition of "Western Printer dians of the Southwest referred to one
years has hit more than one dry hole! Let's and Lithographer." irrigation ditch 10-feet deep, 30-feet wide
hear more from him in DESERT. Con- and 150 miles long. Engineering and super-
gratulations for turning up a new one. MRS. ROBERT CLARK, vising such a project would require direc-
San Jose, California tion by a people of more advancement than
PETE REASONER, we credit to the Hohokam Indians.
Morro Bay, California Editor's Comment: Perhaps a reader can
send us the Pueblo Bread recipe. We share JESSE M. MANN,
Editor's Comment: You are right. Ken credit for the photo honor with DESERT's Monte Vista, Colorado
Marquiss has struck more than one dry printer, Los Angeles Lithograph Co.
hole. Watch for more from him in the Editor's comment: The article was read on
near future. David Starling's radio program over KFl,
Los Angeles, and caused quite a stir there,
too. Perhaps additional ideas will be con-
New Angle on the Mangle tributed by readers, but without any spe-
cific archeological findings, we can only
To the Editor: In last month's Letters, you speculate. C.P.
suggested that botanists take another look
To the Editor: After the Lost Dutch Oven at the Mangrove in view of the superstitious
Mine story was published a few years ago, belief of a Baja native that it grows in
there was quite a stampede for the Clipper fresh water. Would you consider an un-
Mts., and most of us camped at the spring. educated opinion such as this comparable
I even chartered a plane to look over the to that of one of the most informed botanists
area, but couldn't seen anything from the in the country? Who's Afraid? . . .
air, except a lot of jeep trails made by MORGAN MILLER, To the Editor: I recently subscribed to
modern prospectors. Seven miles south of San Francisco, California your magazine and really enjoy it. The
the spring was the whistle stop of Danby! Abominable Sandman (July '64) is on our
There was a small grocery and gas station Editor's Comment: If the very existence of list and we'll head for Borrego on our next
there run by an old geezer who sold most the most informed botanist in the country vacation. We're prepared to meet this
of the supplies to the prospectors. He did were dependent upon his knowledge of mysterious creature—we're also prepared
quite a lucrative business for a few months, mangrove habits I would consider his to run!
until the prospectors started to figure things opinion comparable to that of an uneducated
out. When they challenged the old geezer, native similarly dependent. LUCY RODGERS,
he finally admitted he'd concocted the lost The gentleman in the photograph below Ridgecrest, California
mine story in order to do a little business is Don Jose Gorosave, a well-educated Mexi-
because the cars on that high speed road can who has lived in Mulege for 77 years.
never stopped. The old geezer died three Mr. Gorosave is able to vouch that the
years ago. mangrove beside him, on the banks of the
I don't wish to discredit Kenneth Mar- freshwater river, has never tasted of salt
quiss' story about Jim Dollars Jimdandy water. C.P.
Insect A s i d e . . .
(DESERT June, '64) but as his story has
the starting point at Danby, I want to To the Editor: I am a college student and
challenge him with one question. Who would like to get a summer job picking
owns the trading post at Danby NOW??? ladybugs for the Ladybug Lady as de-
scribed in the June issue of DESERT.
JACK YEAGER, Where may she be reached by mail?
Minneaopolis, Minnesota
BEN JERREMY,
Palo Alto, California
Editor's Comment: Name and address of
the Ladybug Queen is: Miss Marcella Nel-
son, LADYBUG SALES INC., P.O. Box
Bugs About DESERT . . . 771, Marysville, Calif. However, her base
of operations is located at Gridley, a small
To the Editor: I am a naturalist and a town a few miles north of Marysville.
scientist (Entomology) and I take all avail-
able Nature Science publications including
National Geographic, National Parks, Pa-
cific Discovery, etc. Each is valuable to
me and is read carefully, but DESERT takes
first place in unique and rewarding articles.
There is a flavor of the undiscovered wil- Re Lost Mines
derness that even the Wilderness Magazine
doesn't have. Please keep the transparent To the Editor:
reality of DESERT untarnished. Your In the wake of Captain Anza
efforts so far are perfect and it is a red
letter day when DESERT arrives. Rode too many a man
Who hastily hollered, "Bonanza,"
MARGARET McCLARY, When he had but a Flash in the Pan.
Research Fellow in Entomology of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of VICTOR STOYANOW,
Philadelphia La Jolla, California
42 / Desert
Zke Desert's Endowment
There was a poem I wanted to write;
It faded out on a desert night.
There was a song I wanted to sing;
But the melody was off on a thrush's wing.
There was a dream I wanted to share;
It was wafted away on the desert air.
My poem, my dream, my unsung song
Are running free where they belong;
In their natural habitat
From whence they sprang
And that is that.
Unscathed, uncaptured, my elusive friends
Waltzed away'with the desert winds.

By Mel Young
photo by Ruth Brown
¥

COOL, COOL WATERS

During the hot summer months man's fancy turns to the cool, cool waters of the West. Even
if you are not a boating enthusiast the lakes, rivers and streams and the surrounding scenic
areas offer ideal places to just relax and forget the cares of the world. The below back
issues of DESERT MAGAZINE, which also contain many other exciting articles, tell about
some of the cool, cool waters of the West.

LAGUNA SALADA, BAJA, June '58 LAKE POWELL, July '63


RECREATION ON COLORADO RIVER, August '59 LAKE MOHAVE, ARIZONA, August '63
BOATING AREA AND REQUIREMENTS, May '60 PYRAMID LAKE, NEVADA, September '63
PENA BLANCA LAKE, ARIZONA, November '61 LAKE HAVASU, ARIZONA, October '63
MARINALAND ON THE COLORADO, January '62
COLORADO RIVER BOATING, February '64
SALTON SEA BOATING, FISHING GUIDE,
March '63 LAKE POWELL, April '64

Order by Year and Month

ALL 12 ISSUES: $3.00 ANY 6 ISSUES: $1.75 ANY 3 ISSUES: $1.00

These issues are complete and in good condition. Orders promptly filled, and mailed postage paid to
any U.S. address, but supplies are limited and we reserve the right to make appropriate substitutions.

Mail all orders to: Dept. BI7


DESERT MAGAZINE, Palm Desert, California 92260

Personal check or postal order must accompany all orders. Be sure to include your complete mailing address.

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