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JULY, 1980 •$1.50

EXCLUSIVE!!

• OLD MYSTERY
SOLVED
HERE TO
SEETHE .A

DESERT <
SECRETS OF
THE PAPAGO
RAINMAKERS

07

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 CONTENTSVOLUME 43 NUMBER 6
July, 1980

Features
7THE1PAPAG0
/ RAINMAKERS by J.Caruso
To Pour, There Must Be Four
If
12LESSONS IN
SURVIVAL by Branley Allan Branson
Desert Fishes Hang Right In

14MONTEZUMA CASTLE by Eldon Barrett

Another Masterpiecefrom Sinaguan Architects

16NEW MEXICO'S
CHACO CANYON by C. 1. Burkhart
Halfway between Nowhere Is the Place-Of
The-Braced-Up-Cliff

20 SEVEN CANS
OF GOLD by George A. Thompson
Who FoundJ. D. Lee's Cache of Mormon Treasure?

24 THE CADIZ DUNES byJohn Frye

Remote, Spectacular, and Open to You
770URBL00MIN'
^ / DESERT by Doug Emerson
Wildflower Displays within a Day's Drive of LA.

31THE CACTUS CITY

CLARION Mary E. Twyman, Ed.
The Xosiest Newspaper in the West

42 BROKEN-HEARTED
BRAYERS by Don Miller
The Sad Saga of the Rocky Mountain Canary
THE McCAIN VALLEY
PICTOGRAPHS by Tom Evans
Art-Form of the Shaman''

44 IGIANT
FOUND THE SLEEPING
by Col. F. G. "Jem''Phillips
The True Story1 of the Blythe Intaglios
COVGT feffGnass captured Square Butte,
46 ABOUT COLLECTING
BASKETS AND STUFF by Mary E. Twyman
standing stark on Arizona's
Colorado Plateau and lit by a May
afternoon sun.
Introducing Norm Moldenhauer, a Collector's
Collector

Departments
C Letters Desert Rockhound The Living Desert
by Rick Mitchell by Karen Sausman

6 Editorial
bv Don MacDonald
2 "7 Desert
Calendar
C 1 Chuck Wagon Cookin'
J* by Stella Hughes

DESERT 3
 Editor
Donald. MacDonald

The CAXTOIU PRINTERS, Ltd.

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for the readers of Western American history — Jane Divel
Contributing Editors:
with particular emphasis on the history of the Karen Sausman, Natural Sciences
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Merle H. Graffam, Cartographer
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JULY, 1980
 WESTWIDE
MAJ*
HOW OLD IS CALIFORNIA MAN? to this effect has been published, I missed it,
I am the physical anthropologist who did and if it has not been published, I can 'IT COSTS TO GET LOST!'
the reconstruction of the Yuha Man hardly be expected to know of it. My
(Desert, April '80). I studied every fragment opinion is that it is pure speculation and in
of the skeleton and some of author any case, it has no bearing on my article
Don't use a road map.
Herman Ronnenberg's statements are not and therefore, I would not have included
entirely true. it anyway.
UseaTOPOmap.
We know that through an oversight at the "In regard to the depressed skull, my
Let us help you find
time of the excavation, one set of sentence that 'the skull was depressed in a
your heart's desire: Gold,
measurements was not recorded properly. way that indicated the individual died
violently..." should have gone on to say
» o Ghost Towns, Hiking Trails ........
As a result, the cairn could have extended
anywhere from four to six feet south of the that the initial indication proved false. The
;f Travel by-ways or Wildlife.
south wall of trench "A." If the cairn caption on page 41 for the close-up of the
extended only four feet, it would not be badly fractured skull is much clearer when 'Just $1.75 plus $1.30 shipping
long enough to completely cover an it says: "The Coroner who by law was
per order.
extended burial. The feet could have been called when Yuha Man was found
removed at the ankle or the knee (the suspected foul play but in fact, the skull (Calif, residents add 6 % sales tax)
bones are missing from both of these was squashed and fragmented by pressure We have 29,000 USGS Quads
areas), and placed alongside the body. from the earth and rock above it." I believe of all western states %,
A six-foot cairn would provide enough this is essentially what you say in
your letter. WESTWIDEMAPSCd.
room for a double burial. One individual Topographic Maps
could have been placed on top of another "Now, as to the age of the skeleton, 114 West 3rd Street
with the top one's feet up by the lower several carbon 14 dates of calichefrom the
Los Angeles, CA 90013
one's arms. Granted, not enough bone was site have yielded 21,000 to 22,000 B.P.
found to positively state this but most of dates. Rogers (cited above) stated the thorin
Call WalkerS. Clute
the second body could have been above date 'indicated a comparable antiquity.'
(213)624-2679
the caliche zone and without that You say in your letter that amino acid
protection, most of the top skeleton could samples indicate a similar date. I agree 'ON YOUR ©^SK
have eroded away. that amino acid racemization has had a TOMORROW MORNING"
One statement in the article is tough time being accepted, but I was not
completely false. There is no evidence that using any of its data for the Yuha site. The
"... the skull was depressed in a way that 21,500 B.P. date has appeared in
indicated the individual died violently." numerous articles and monographs. " MARKETBASKET
Pressure and moisture combined to erode
and crack the bones, not only of the skull
but of the rest of the skeleton. The skull,
WE'RE IN FOR LIFE PHOTO SERVICE
It is my pleasure to tell you that our
being hollow, was further warped and Executive Committee voted to make Desert Your Reliable
depressed by the weight of the soil. During
reconstruction and subsequent study of the
Magazine an honorary Life Member of the
Living Desert Reserve. The magazine's
Mail Photo-fittidher
skull, no evidence was found to indicate name will go up on our Life Member's Film returned by
the individual died from a blow to the Plaque in the Admissions Office so all will first class mail for
head. know of the tremendous support you have FAST service.
My third point is that the age of the Yuha given the Reserve through the articles in Send this ad
burial is far from "indisputably the past months oiDesert Magazine. for complete price list
established." A thorium date was taken on Karen Sausman
the caliche surrounding the bones. Amino Executive Director Kodacolor and Fujicolor
acid dates were made on samples of the
bones at two California laboratories, and Thanks, Karen, for the honor. Actually, SPECIAL OFFER!!!
all of these results indicated dates in the your informative and entertaining 12 Exposure Color Negative Film
range of 22,000 B.P. Amino acid monthly column (see page 50, this issue) Developed and Printed
racimezation is a fairly new form of dating. has contributed equally to the success of Jumbo Prints $1.69
Until the process has been proven to the our magazine which is why your name 24 Exposure Color Negative Film
satisfaction of the scientific community, the went up on our masthead some Developed and Printed
date of the Yuha Man will remain in time ago. Jumbo Prints $3.36
question. Mail this coupon with order
HARQUA HALA HISTORY Offer expires 60 days after publication
Karen M. McNitt
Enjoyed your article (Desert, Feb. 1980) on One Roll Per Coupon
El Centro, Calif.
the Harqua Hala mine. My father, John
Martin, was one of the owners from 1906
Ms. McNitt's letter was given by us to author until his death in 1920. The mine stayed in FIRST CLASS MAIL-ORDER
Ronnenberg who replied to her as follows: the Martin family until I960 when it was PHOTO DEVELOPING
"The idea of two people being buried in the quick-deeded to Fletcher Merrill. Our
cairn is intriguing but I've not heard it chimney, rock wall, and concrete steps are P.O. Box 2830,1544 Frazee Road
before. It is not mentioned by either Rogers still standing. San Diego, California92112
or Childers in their publications Gladys Krens Kodacolor and Fujicolor
concerning the Yuha Man. If your research Arcadia, Calif. Print Film Developing Specialists
 LIME POWELL
OFF-GEHSOII IS JUST US
ITORIAL
BEMITIFUL
It's the greatest for summer family fun.
Wahweap, Bullfrog and Hite resorts/marinas
are open year around, but you really should
try us in the spring, fall and winter... PROTECT US FOR WE
Not only for moderate temperatures,/ better
fishing and less crowded conditions, but for
KNOW NOT
Savings to assume that the 85 percent of you who own

A
COUPLE OF years ago I had
occasion to teach a semester of RVs ranging from mopeds to Blazers, and
10/ journalism at Saddleback College
in Mission Viejo and I struggled with the
who use them, know the basic etiquette of
how to use them.
temptation to "lecture" my captive So, all of this brings me to the biggest
audience. In fact, that year's edition of the offenders of all on the arid land lecture
college's catalog billed me as a "lecturer" circuit. These are the communicators
rather than any variation on professor, employed by the various land-holding
perhaps because my bachelor-level agencies of our federal government,
engineering degree was all but weightless followed in almost a photo finish by the
on the liberal arts side of the campus. academic types engaged in government-
It does, though, prove that one who funded research.
lectures rates rather low on the academic- These communicators will send in what
scale so why, then, are scholars and writers purports to be an informative magazine
involved with the desert so eager to hand article and it does, indeed, contain a lot of
out advice? For example, practically every facts presented in an entertaining manner.
unsolicited manuscript sent to us contains But tracing throughout is not too subtle
at least a paragraph, and usually more, justification for closing the area or
telling whoever will read it, should it be attraction, or keeping it closed if it is so
printed, what he or she cannot or should already, on the premise that you and I are
not do. Instant experts, all, even though the not to be trusted loose therein.
postmark may indicate the contribution Tom Evans who wrote "The McCain
was mailed in from Brooklyn, New York. Valley Pictographs" on page 42 of this issue
I understand and empathize for as I is a BLM man, a nice guy, and a dedicated
mentioned, it is easier to lecture than to public servant. But his article when
entertain and inform, separately or received was written around a message.
together. How much simpler it is to spread The message was that BLM should be
dark hints that your car might not make it authorized to purchase the caves
up the infamous Yellow Grade to Cerro containing the pictographs so that the
Gordo and certainly won't unless its public may be kept from discovering them
radiator is freshly flushed than to research which, in turn, would permit research as to
the actual inclination, report it, and let the the origin of the pictographs to continue
reader decide for himself whether or not undisturbed. Disturbed by what?
he and his equipment are in shape to try. Vandalism, stated Tom, quoting the fears of
Since I as editor must read these the researcher.
manuscripts first to decide whether they I edited these fears from the article
cry for sharing with you, the reader, I get which stands on its own as readable,
lectured at a lot. I'm told not to pick the informed speculation as to the origin of
wildflowers, to stay off of private property these pictographs. Tom, in turn, did not

Send color and rate brochures on

Wahweap, Bullfrog and Hile resorts/marinas
1 unless I have permission, to resist adding
my graffiti to that left by the ancients on the
walls of caves, to pack out my trash and
disclose the exact location of the caves,
now on private property, and I can't
because I do not know it.
I leave that left by the 49'ers alone, and so What an odd stalemate. Government
Address _
I on, ad nauseum. allied with academia in protecting ancient
I City-
I I know these things, you know them, and
those that don't know them are beyond our
graffiti from present-day cave artists. We,
the public, may not get to see either, even
I I help because it is highly unlikely that they though the caves will be bought in
Mail to:
I read Desert Magazine. And I also must our name.
I Lake Powell Resorts S Marinas DM
Box 29040, Phoenix, AZ 85038
I
I New central reservations system: I
West of Mississippi call toll-free 1-800-528-6154. I
In Arizona, call (602) 264-8466.
J
6 JULY, 1980
 Papago women prepare wine for the
nawai't by (clockwise from top left) hook-
ing down ripe saguarofruit, digging out the
red pulp from the shell, boiling the fruit
with water, and straining it through a mat
of grass to remove seeds and pulp.

10 IULY. 1980
 SECRETS OF THE
PAPAGO
RAINMAKERS

Article by J.CARUSO
Photographs by P.K. WEIS
THE LONG, HOT DAY so typical of late June in the
Sonoran Desert has given way to the coolness of
evening. The Papago Indian men stumble out of
their shelter to sing rain songs. At their summer
harvest camps, most of their clay is spent resting
under this shelter made of cactus ribs,
but now it's time for them to life under
the stars and sing to encourage the gods to
"bring down the clouds".
They stare up at the Cactus Hook, better known
to us as the Big Dipper, and remember the
importance of the implement that lent its name t<
this constellation. The cactus hook is a long ~
with a hook on the end of it, used by the Pa|
women to bring down cactus fruit from t
40-feet-high saguaros. While this fruit ha;
uses, the most important remains the ma
wine for the sacred rain ceremony.
T
HE ARID, BARREN land of the
Sonoran Desert in southern
Arizona and northern Mexico is
home to the Papago Indians. Harsh
conditions make survival arduous, and
only the most conditioned people could
have existed here without water, canned
goods or automobiles.
The conquistadores passed through this
region in their quest for gold, and the
missionaries that followed stayed just long
enough to Catholicize the Papagos.
Settlers, looking for land, found this area
wholly devoid of interest. Unlike many of
their Indian brothers, the Papagos never
fought with the whites so they were
allowed to stay on their homeland where
they remain to this day.
Religion did help Papago adjustment to
desert life. Thus, the majority of their
ancient ceremonies once had specific
meanings, but these are now lost beyond
all memory. Yet, despite many of the old
practices having disappeared, Papago
ceremonial life continues to emphasize
rain and health.
By early summer the waxy, white
blossoms that have been adorning the top
of every giant saguaro are gone, and the
bright red saguaro fruit forms a new
crown. It is this event that brings the
Papago families to camps in the foothills to
pick the cactus fruit and begin preparations

The saguaro fruit usually grows near the

top of the 20 to 40 fool-high saguaro after
theflowers have died.
for their most sacred ritual, the nawai't or
mix the wine, one taster, four men who
wine ceremony. watch the ollas during the fermentation,
This is the most important of all four medicine men who sing rain songs
ceremonies because it "brings down the and make speeches, and a number of other
clouds" so that the Papagos may grow their singers. There are usually sixteen of these
corn, squash, and beans so necessary to because that enables them to sit at and
their survival in times past. This event is so
between the four cardinal compass points
significant that the Papago year begins with
(north, south, east, and west) during the
the harvest of the saguaro fruit. distribution of the wine. A shallow hole is
The women at their harvest camps spend made at each of these cardinal points and
the early morning hours hooking down the the ollas are placed in them on a bed of
ripe fruit, digging out the red pulp from straw during the period of fermentation.
the shell, and placing it in their baskets. The wine is made by adding one-half
They take care to throw the skins down
with the red side facing up to encourage
pint of syrup to a gallon or gallon and a half
of cold water, and tradition calls for the
The wine
rain. When the late morning sun gets hot,
the women return to their camps and
men to mix this with their hands while
offering a prayer for rain. Women are not ceremony is
unload their full baskets of juicy pulp into
allowed to do the stirring because it's
the cooking pot. The fruit is boiled with
water and then strained through a mat of
believed that would make those who drank
to do nothing but cry.
the most
grass or a loosely woven basket to remove
the seeds and pulp.
Both are put to use. The oily seeds
This five or six gallons of mixture is
enough to fill four ollas. During its
preparation, the mixers occasionally will
important of
supply flour, grease, and chickenfeed, andgive a cup of the liquor to an expert taster
after the pulp has dried, it can be stored as
for evaluation. He tells them to add more
all because it
dried fruit. The remaining juice is boiledwater, or syrup, if he thinks the taste isn't
down to a syrup thick like blackstrap
molasses, poured in ollas, and finally
just right. Then, when the mixture meets
with his approval, it is poured into the ollas
"brings down
sealed with a piece of broken pottery
covered with mud, or, among the more
which have been placed at the four
cardinal points and covered tightly. Just the rain."
modern Papagos, sealed with tin. And about when the midday sun bakes the
again, in late afternoon, the women return desert, the door is closed and the mixture
to the cactus groves for a second gathering.
is allowed to sit for that night, the next day FTER THE MEDICINE men
When every family has ample syrup, jam, and night, and is considered ready to
consume about nine o'clock the following
and dried fruit, they return to their village
where each family will donate four quarts morning.
A announce that the wine is ready,
they and the singers make
speeches. To ensure an audience,
of syrup to be made into wine for the A small fire of mesquite and ironwood is messengers summon the other village men
sacred rain ceremony. kept burning inside the council structure to come sit in a circle and listen to
There are several legends as to the to provide the even warmth needed for the "mockingbird" admonition speeches, so
origin of the sacred rain ceremony. One of desired fermentation. Outside, another named because the mockingbird is the
the most acceptable tells of a little boy who
small fire burns in the middle of the most eloquent "speaker" of all the birds.
wanted to do something to make himself dancing area. A large fire, it is believed, The wine is then served ceremonially to
proud. He wandered off from his mother would frighten away the clouds. each adult in prescribed order, bringing
and became a saguaro cactus, promising he Four men have the duty of watching the happiness and song to erase the evil and
would always serve his people if they wine, two during the day and two at night. bad feeling of the past year.
would take the cactus fruit to a special They watch the. ollas carefully to make sure Before the baskets of liquor are passed
house, mash it, boil it to a syrup, strain it
they don't crack and to insure that the wine around, beautiful descriptions of rain and
through a matting of grass, put it in an rises up over the top four times. Due to the fruitfulness are recited. The better the -
ollas, and seal it up. The young boy said extreme heat in the lodge, these men description, the better will be the rain
that in return, the people must sing songs spend most of their time lying down and it brings.
in a ceremony to bring rain. At that singing songs. If songs are begun lying The leader then comes forward and
moment, he taught them the first of a down, the men must sing four songs makes a speech of admonition, and invites
hundred songs he was to give them. This before rising. the people to get beautifully drunk. Four
first song was called, "I Draw The Rain." The tiny pebbles inside the hollow cupbearers move around the circle
gourds or rattles of the four medicine men
While this origin is locally acceptable, it offering the thick, dark-red wine to the
should also be noted that anthropologists can be heard as the chief singer cries out villagers, saying: "Drink my friend. Grow
think the Papagos descended from-the the first of sixteen repetitions of a rain song beautifully drunk to bring the wind and the
mighty Aztec race of Mexico, and they too in which he is joined by the village men clouds here."
had a similar rain ceremony. dancing and singing around the fire. When And since the liquor maintains its
the women arrive dressed in their pink, intoxicating effect for only a few hours,
blue, or crimson mantillas, they have their every drop must be consumed. The

T
HE WINE IS made in the
ceremonial council structure choice of partners and need not choose ceremony continues with more singing
located next to the chiefs house. their husbands. A woman will part the and speeches until there is no wine left.
It is round and has only one opening, a hands of two men and take her place If all goes well and their gods look
door facing east. The ceremony must be between them, joining in the singing and kindly upon the Papagos, lightning will
performed in accordance with custom and dancing ritual that will last until morning. appear and the desert wind will carry
tradition with the number, four, playing a They sing of clouds, wind, rain, and their clouds from the east to the village. It is late
significant role because the Papagos crops and the medicine men wave their July and the rains have begun. The circle
believe it has magical powers. sacred eagle feathers, hoping they will around the council house breaks up and
The participants in the ceremony gather moisture and drip because that the people return happily to their homes.
include a leader who is called means the rain will come soon. If they The old year is behind, and planting can
"He-Who-Desires-Liquor," the men who remain dry, the rain is still many days away. now begin. 0
 Traveling in the desert tends to rejuvnate one's sense
of drama, to rekindle slumbering powers of
observation, and to make one again vulnerable to
surprise in a world surfeited with startling things. The
streams and lakes, springs and ponds of the America's
arid lands teem with living things. Frogs, snakes,
crayfish, clams, and insects abound, and, in
pre-European days, villages of Indians here and there.
But chiefly responsible for startling unwary visitors are
the desert fishes.

Lessons in Survival
Essay and Photographs by Branley Allan Branson

THE LOACH MINNOW.

7 ~1 INY STREAMS THAT gurgle to the surface from ash-dry

hillsides to flow but a few miles before vanishing
again into the sand, which are obviously completely
isolated from contact with any other permanent bodies of water,
desert fish fauna includes the famous pupfish like that at Devil's
Hole in Death Valley, and topminnows and livebearers, the
members of the minnow (Cyprinidae) and sucker
(Catostomidae) families are the most widespread and
when investigated are often found to possess fish species quite abundant, almost as if the struggle of minnow against sucker
unlike those found elsewhere. Isolated desert pools, rimmed served to facilitate spread.
with rushes and keeping council with no other waters, muddy
rivers flowing into enclosed basins where dessication removes A S WE LOOKED DOWN from a small bluff at
water nearly as fast as it arrives, and hot, algal-choaked marshes ZA Montezuma's Castle National Monument into the
full of alkali, these are absolutely inhospitable desert conditions ^» -1. nearly dry streambed of a tiny creek, we saw a single
that seem to militate mightily against the survival of all living pool protected thinly by a misshapen cottonwood tree. The
things. So, too, do tiny springs no more than six feet across, arks water was only inches deep, clear as gin, and tepid as urine. In
of life floating in a sea of desolation. All of those have their own it, a foot-long and dark bluish-grey, patroling the only part of the
peculiar fauna of fishes. universe by definition of any real importance, was a solitary
But where on earth did they come from, these dwellers of the flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), its wide, pimply
desert? Obviously they have been here for a very long time for and flabby lips going over every inch of the bottom in search of
their distribution and population sizes, much as the old a morsel of food. The tiny scales, streamlined body, and
Puebloan Indian communities might have concentrated spindlelike posterior section hinted of its real habitat, flowing
themselves in areas where survival was possible, are such that waters with strong currents, not the torpid confines of a desert
you have to take for granted that their ancestors were once pool.
more widespread, that they have been overwhelmed by You ask how desert fishes survive such vicissitudes long
enormous environmental changes. These fishes, it seems, ought enough to maintain the obviously viable populations? During
not to have survived in this area of the world, but they did. the frequent droughts when streams and ponds often nearly
As succinctly put by Joseph Wood Krutch, "wondering about vanish, scattered individuals hole up in what water there is left
such things quickly makes ignorance cease to be pleasant." An while most of the population perishes. Obviously the survivors,
agile mind demands explanation and fortunately, I was able to males and females, draw closer together when the life-renewing
find surcease in the authoritative research of Hubbs and Miller rains re-expand their aquatic habitat long enough to permit
on the evolution of southwestern waters. It was easy enough to reproduction. The flannelmouth, and there are other suckers
understand how the Southwest at one time was a profoundly that trace the desert waterways, is only one example of this kind
moister place, with interconnected waterways and enormous of tenacious hold on life.
lakes filled by melting glaciers and increased rainfall. And I had There is, then, no trouble in finding examples. A few years
no trouble understanding how long-term dessication gradually back, the Little Colorado spinedance ilepidomeda vittata),
transformed the Southwest into a land of isolated waters, originally found only in the north-flowing tributaries of, and
gradually eliminating connections between fish populations, upper main stream of, the Little Colorado River of Arizona, was
exposing each population to the inroads of change at rates and thought to be nearly extinct. Its habitat waters had been
modes that differed between populations, and resulting in the reduced to a few scattered pools in the river because of
gradual creation of species scattered in widely separated places. ground-water pumping and irrigation diversions. We spent days
Desert fishes are survival experts, or they were until humans searching for individuals, sometimes inching our way down
got into the business of changing the desert to suit their own into deep canyons, and succeeded in locating scattered males
fancies. Now, many of the species are facing extinction because and females, too few, it seemed, to allow recovery of a healthy
of it. Some of them are minnows and suckers. Although the population. Yet, when the rains came and the streams resumed
flow, the few survivors were able to produce enough eggs to
re-create the ancient populations, and could probably continue
to do so indefinitely in the absence of human interference.
The Little Colorado spinedace is a handsome silvery minnow
with sharp spines in its dorsal fin. The spines do not make it
absolutely unique, for there are other spinedaces in the arid
Southwest. Taken collectively, however, the spinedaces are
unique, for no other American minnows have spines in their
fins. All of them are considered to be threatened or endangered
because of human modification of the desert habitat. The
beautiful woundfin (Plagopterus argentissimus), with its
reduced scales and mirror-bright coloration with red at the
bases of the fins in breeding males, at one time was abundant
throughout the lower Colorado River basin; now it is restricted
to a few riffles in the Virgin River. Medafulgida, the handsome
Gila River spinedace, has nearly lost its scales, too, but it has
retained its brilliant silver overwashed with gold. This little
minnow, now restricted to some headwater riffles, was once
widespread in the Gila River.
Other desert minnows are even worse off. The Moapa dace
{Moapa coriacea), a two- to three-inch, scaleless species of
deep olive coloration on the back, a white belly, and a
golden-brown band along each side, is confined to a few
tributaries of the liquid ribbon of mud Nevadans call the Moapa
River. In that same habitat, unthinking persons have released
aquarium fishes which compete for the minute quantities of
food and space available, so much, in fact, that the dace is barely
hanging on.
The relative though perhaps temporary comfort of the
minute desert dace {Eremichthys acros) is food enough for
contemplation. Barely two inches long, its jaws sheathed by
cartilage enabling it to scrape algae from rocks for survival, this
small minnow lives in a single spring at Soldier Creek, Nevada.
The steam flows down a short hill and soon vanishes into the
desert sands. The whole stream is owned by one man who is
benevolent enough to allow the stream to continue its flow
rather than diverting it for agricultural purposes.
It is not, however, only the minnows of minute springs which
are adversely effected by human interference in the desert. The
chiselmouth, Acrocbeilusalutaceus, so-called because of tough,
horny sheaths on their jaws, is a foot-long minnow trying to live
in the Columbia River drainage in the hot parts of Wishington,
Oregon, Nevada, and British Columbia. Dams, silt derived from
irrigation projects, water diversions, and the introduction of
exotic fishes are all cooperating to steadily reduce the
populations of this hotlands fish. The same thing is happening
to many populations of the tui chub (Gila bicolor) in the same
drainage as well as in the Sacramento River of California. The
most severely damaged populations of the latter species are
struggling for survival in parts of the Lahontan Basin of Nevada.
The dusky dace (Rhinichthys osculus), at one time very
widespread in hotlands streams west of the Continental Divide,
has seen its range steadily dwindle to the point where some
races of the fish in Nevada are listed as critical. The largest
minnow in North America, the Colorado squafish
(Ptychocheitus lucious), victim of dams, and the longfin dace
(Agosia chrysogaster) have also had their populations
decimated in many desert streams.

" N MANY PLACES where fishes used to greet visitors

there is nothing left but dry sand or mud-laden
/ passages unfit for any fish or, perhaps, even men.
These fishes are eloquent spokesmen for the desert where all
forms of life must make do within the boundaries of their
adversity. Nothing that lives here has more right to the desert
than the fish, not the kangaroo rats, the yuccas, not even the
Indians. They remind us all that nature is the grand designer,
that she holds all the patents. It is fitting that the tiny fishes of the
American deserts should instruct us in these matters for there is
probably nothing in those hotlands more dependent upon
water for continued existence.
Unless it is man himself. fA
 A Second Sinaguan Masterpiece

MONTEZUMA CASTLE Article and Photographs by ELDON BARRETT

Last month in DESERT, Betty Tucker-Bryan pictured and described the "TallHouse," built by
Sinagua Indians late in the 10th Century in the shadow of Sunset Crater, north of what is now
Flagstaff, Arizona. South of Flagstaff at about the same time, another band ofSinaguas (meaning
in Spanish "without water") built a much more complex pueblo known as Montezuma Castle.

• ANGING UNDER the lip of a arid hills north and east of the Verde rooms, one of them quite roomy, and
limestone escarpment in the River Valley. In contrast, the a parapet with a high wall. The cave,
. heart of Arizona is a pueblo bottomlands were occupied by an 33 feet deep, is 100 feet off the valley
ruin called Montezuma Castle, a equally enigmatic people known in floor. The parapet extends over the
five-story, 20-room cliffside the Pima Indian tradition as the three rooms of the fourth floor. The
condominium that is certainly one of Hohokam, or "Those Who Have third story consists of seven rooms
North America's oldest apartment Gone." And the Hohokam were adept spread along the face of the cliff plus
houses. at the practice of irrigation, having one that juts out over one of the three
Considered by archaeologists to be laid down a network of canals in what rooms of the second floor, which also
the best preserved of numerous cliff is now the Phoenix area before has two connecting caves counted as
dwellings in the American Southwest, migrating to the Verde basin. rooms. The lower floor consists of
this ruin also is the most accessible, When the Hohokam saw water two small chambers.
being only a mile down a surfaced flowing from an underground outlet Long ladders, which could be
road that leaves the Black Canyon from Montezuma Well into Wet drawn up for defense, provided
Highway (1-17) just 85 miles north of Beaver Creek, they diverted it onto access. Keyhole-shaped doorways
Phoenix and 57 miles south flatlands which they had cleared for helped keep out the cold as well as
of Flagstaff. the cultivation of maize, beans, intruders. The ceilings were
Perhaps half a million visitors stop squash, and cotton. It wasn't pure constructed by laying crosspieces
each year to inspect the Castle and a water; mineral sediments have over 12-inch-thick sycamore logs and
limestone sink hole seven miles north "fossiled" the Hohokam ditches to then spreading a layer of brush and
which are the principal features of a this day. grass, topped by adobe mud — the
national monument, one often in Around 1070 the Hohokam wattle-and-daub technique used the
northern Arizona — including the migrated again, this time to the area world over.
Grand Canyon — under the around Flagstaff where the volcanic The walls were chunks of limestone
jurisdiction of the National Park eruption of what is now called Sunset and river boulders laid in adobe
Service. The sink, 470 feet in diameter Crater had laid down a thick coating mortar and 90 per cent of what the
and 125 feet deep with its water level of water-conserving ash in 1065. In visitor sees today is original, the
at 70 feet below the rim, is called this land where every drop of remainder being reinforcements
Montezuma Well. moisture is precious, the grass on the provided by the park service.
Using Montezuma's name for these other side of the Mogollon Rim
places is absurd. Early white settlers looked greener than that in the S MANY AS 300 Indians may-
or, perhaps, U.S. horse soldiers Verde Valley. have occupied Montezuma
stationed at nearby Fort Verde during And to the Sinagua almost any place L Castle and a companion
the Apache wars, mistakenly came up was better than where they were, so pueblo 100 yards to the west. The
with the theory that Aztecs fleeing they moved in when the Hohokam latter, known as "Castle A," was built
from Spanish conquistadores built the moved out. against the base of the cliff. It had 45
structures. Actually, the Castle was The Sinagua took over the rooms or more but was weakened by
under construction when members of irrigation system and croplands and as fire in the 1300s and collapsed into
the snake-eating band that eventually a defensive action, they began the pile of rubble over which tourists
became the mighty Aztec nation were building pueblos on hilltops and in now walk to explore a few shallow
still hiding out from their neighbors cliff caves, using a craft they had caves and a burial chamber.
on islands in a lake called "Place of picked up from their trading By 1450, Montezuma Castle
Mud." And even before Montezuma's neighbors to the north. Until then, the apparently was abandoned. Most
forebears built those swampy islands Sinaguas, like the Hohokams, lived in anthropologists believe the Sinagua
into what is now Mexico City, the clusters of one-room, pole-and- moved north, perhaps assimilating
impressive edifice clinging to that brush hogans. with the Hopi whose current
Pliocene precipice overlooking Wet traditions suggest ancestral origins in
Beaver Creek was abandoned to a " i HE CASTLE WAS built on a the Verde Valley. The Hohokam left
colony of long-eared bats. prime site. The bottomland no trace, they truly are "Those Who
had been terraced for easy Have Gone."
A ,RCHAEOLOGISTS GAVE the
name Sinagua to the
mysterious people who
farming, the creek flowed bountifully,
and the vale was easy to defend.
Access to the upper reaches of the
Castle was closed to the public in
Furthermore, huge salt deposits close 1951 to insure preservation of the
erected Montezuma Castle seven or by were available for trade as well as Monument, but the view from below
eight centuries ago. Those "without home consumption. has lost none of its wonderment.
water" were hunters and dry-land Built from the top down, the Builders of today's fragile cliff houses
farmers whose scant crops depended Castle's upper story is a natural cave could learn much from this ancient
on what little rainfall sprinkled the divided into a large plaza and two masterpiece of native architecture. @
 with the theory that Aztecs fleeing from
Spanish Conquistadores built the structures.

*HA*«

-\ V -

m L

-
\
WILLIAMSyJ " ' ' " "*\ 40 X

«< 40 i ^ ^ ^ J
::
•.-"• V 7 WIMSLOwTf^l

JB7]

MONTEZUMA'S^

/PRESCOTT

7/bt' Sinagua Indians moved from the valley floor to pueblos in

the cliffsfor protection against marauding tribes. Five-story,
20-roo/n Montezuma Castle was built about
1100 and in use for 300 years.
 Chaco
Canyon
Between
Nowhere
Traditional Kachina dolls (right)
are carved from dead cottonwood
root. Costumes are painted and
pegs attach eyes, ears, nose, and
horns. Huge kiva (far right) has
been excavated and partially re-
stored.

Seed jewelry (right) was used by \

Pueblo Indians as barter material
for necessities such as salt.

Story and Photographs

by CJ. Burkhart

H IGH IN A HOT August sky a

soaring eagle wheels and dives.
Blazing sunlight beats upon a
parched land causing the horizon to dance
lower arroyos into inviting and
green oases.

A
T THE MONUMENT'S Visitor
and waver. Atop a craggy spire a brooding Center you will learn, among
vulture stoically surveys his domain. other interesting facts, that a
Swirling dust that builds into a long, thin group of Indians known as Basketmakers
line etches your path through the desert. preceded by maybe 400 years the
You pass the lonely Blanco Trading Post, Chacoans (Pueblos) who in turn inhabited
the only sign of civilization you've this land centuries before Columbus
discovered since beginning your trek. the same distance on Route 57. Either "discovered" it.
Halfway Between Nowhere is hidden scenic drive leads onto a high, flat mesa Today, four primary branches of these
deep within New Mexico's remote, dotted with gaunt juniper trees. ancient people (Ute, Pueblo, Apache,
northwestern plateau country. It's a Many miles later a rocky, serpentine Navajo) occupy this area, and evidence of
relatively small canyon named Chaco. road leads you down to the Canyon floor. this civilization's differing origins is
To reach Chaco you travel 50 miles south Here, saltbrush and greasewood flourish. apparent in the varied types of dwellings
from Farmington, New Mexico on State Willows, cottonwoods and tamarisk (also that have been unearthed. Innumerable
Routes 44 and 57 or north from Thoreau known as salt-cedar) thrive, turning the pithouses, large crumbling ruins, and
ITTTV i non
myriad small communal houses, remnants game, either caught by snares or hunted by circular pits, most being three feet deep
of their once thriving civilization, have the use of the then newly discovered bow but varying in other dimensions and
been discovered, while unknown numbers and arrow. usually built atop mesas. Walls lined with
of structures still lie buried beneath the The art of fashioning quality baskets of flat stones extended another two or three
rubble of time. complex designs became quite advanced feet above ground level. Supported by
Chaco Canyon offers superb examples of during the latter part of Chacoan era. It also upright poles, log beams covered with
its original settlers' accomplishments. was during this period that the art of cloth brush and mud formed the roofs.
Certainly their achievements reached an weaving was developed. Most pithouses contained a firepit and a
apex during the 11th and 12th centuries. The introduction of pottery occurring ventilation system consisting of a
Known as Basketmakers because of their around 500 A.D., profoundly affected their floor-level opening and a hole in the roof.
skill in fashioning both utilitarian and society. Prior to the discovery of pottery, A crude ladder poked into this hole
decorative baskets from yucca fibers, these Basketmakers used baskets exclusively to provided a means of entering and exiting
early inhabitants were primarily farmers. transport and store foodstuffs. Later they for the occupants.
They grew corn and squash, usually in the learned to fire crude pottery, making it Chaco Canyon's Basketmakers were an
Canyon, where they could more readily waterproof and thereby elevating their enterprising group and as time passed,
control and utilize the rainfall. culture one more step. they eliminated old ways and ideas'and
Their meager fare was supplemented Basketmakers lived in pithouses. These replaced them with new and better
with wild plants, berries, nuts, and small structures consisted of rectangular or concepts. About the middle of the 8th
DESERT 17
 1
{
1
1

1
1

Old Pima basket (right) of 1 • -j

willow and devil's daw fiber 1

-1

was used in Peyote ceremo-

nial dance. The crumbling 1
1

walls and fallen roofs (far

right) are all that remain of
the ' 'Beautiful Village."

century, this advancement brought an end would possess the dancer and bring rain. XSP' " '' " • - '
to the area's Basketmaker period and Thus came the beginning of the Kachina
introduced the Pueblo culture. dancers and later, dolls.
During late spring, summer, and early

M ORE THAN A dozen large pueblo fall, dances are held to persuade these
ruins are sprinkled along an
eight-mile stretch of Chaco
spirits to visit villages where they may
dance, sing, and bear gifts, but the hope is
Canyon. Within the Monument's 32 square that they'll bring rain and a bountiful
miles, hundreds of small villages are harvest.
tucked into a maze of secluded glens The Pueblos have a wide variety of
and arroyos. dances, passed down through many
During its heyday, about the 11th and generations, that for various reasons are
12th centuries, Chaco Canyon and the held throughout the year. One most
surrounding region was certainly the frequently seen is the Tablita, or Corn
largest single concentration of Indians in Dance. Since corn was the Pueblos' prime
the prehistoric American Southwest. More food, it has occupied a conspicuous place
than 6,000 Pueblos occupied the Canyon. in their lives. This dramatic dance,
Kivas (KEY-vas), a word of Hopi sometimes lasting five days, is executed in
derivation, are sacred, ceremonial, kivas. At the conclusion of this purification -IJ-1_r,ll-liI-u,_- n n_-, n_r^T -XJ- n_r-i_ri - - u w v
assembly and lounging chambers that ceremony a public performance is held.
evolved from pithouses. Archaeologists Corn Dances relate to germination, Dances are a few of the more
have unearthed many kivas of similar maturation, and harvesting so they are held commonplace.
design, indicating the tradition has been during summer months.
carried throughout endless ages with little
change.
Chaco Canyon's Pueblo Indians
belonged to the Kachina cult which has
Known by various names such as Deer,
Buffalo, and Antelope, the Animal Dances
portray the relationship between large
game animals and man. Held during winter
A S YOU CONTINUE your
exploration of Chaco Canyon's
lesser ruins, you will discover
much more. Standing in crumbling
been and still remains an integral part of months, the dances, again brought down majesty, Pueblo Bonito (Spanish for
Pueblo society. Kachina, pronounced and through the centuries, portray the Beautiful Village and called "Place-of-the-
spelled in various ways in different significance of animals as a food supply. Braced-Up-Cliff' by the Navajo), is the
pueblos, is a name of Keresan origin. Also of great importance are the Canyon's showpiece.
Evidence indicates that the Keresan symbolic Eagle Dances. Usually performed As you walk beneath superbly fashioned
people, undoubtedly related to ancient in the spring, they characterize the walls, proportionately tapered from
Asians and forerunners of the Pueblos, affiliation between man and the eagle who bottom to top, you'll wonder at the endless
inhabited southwestern North America for supposedly has direct contact with the hours once spent meticulously shaping
unknown ages. heavenly omnipotence. and placing countless blocks of stone.
Legend dictates that Kachinas were spirit Of all dances the Basket Dance is one of These seemingly indestructible and
rainmakers who brought gifts to the the most meaningful and attractive. Food beautiful walls are an example of
Pueblos, taught them how to hunt and baskets used in the performance are remarkable engineering skill.
develop their skills in arts and crafts and representative of what they contain, which The Chacoans' selection of this
when rain was required, danced in- is seeds to be planted, thereby ensuring an particular building site will make you
their fields. abundant food supply for life's question whether they were supremely
For reasons lost to antiquity a fierce perpetuation. confident or a bit foolhardy. Scrawny sticks
conflict erupted and the Kachinas vowed Numerous other dances occur were used in an attempt to prop up a
never to return. Before leaving, however, throughout the year. On Easter, Christmas, tremendous slab of rock poised
they did grant the people permission to and New Year's Day, and for three days menacingly above their village.
wear sacred masks and appropriate thereafter, many distinctive dances are From 1921 to 1927, seven National
costumes and to represent them. If the performed. Turtle, Bull, Snake, Sundown, Geographic expeditions under the
representation was acceptable, the spirits Hoop, Dog, Crow, Pine, and War and Peace direction of Neiljudd, curator of American
18 JULY, 1980
 Chaco Canyon was
the largest single
concentration
of Indians in
the prehistoric
American
Southwest.

archaeology at the U.S. National Museum, outside windows and doorways until their Various factors led to the Chacoan's
removed 100,000 tons of rubble that pueblos assumed the character exodus. Raiding Indian tribes and
covered Bonito Pueblo. offortresses. worn-out soil were partially responsible,
The excavation revealed the highest Pueblo Bonito's complexity is evident in but the principal reason was the disastrous
example of architecture ever attained the maze of dark rooms and dank Great Drought.
during the Pueblo era. And this superior passageways. This remarkable apartment For 23 consecutive years, from 1276 to
work is believed to have been house (actually the largest in the U.S. until 1299, a choking drought clutched this once
accomplished by the village women in 1882) contained 800 rooms, housed more fertile land. Its unyielding force brought
between all their other chores. than 1,200 people, and sprawled over a the once proud Chaco Pueblo to the brink
The village was constructed in the shape three-acre tract. of oblivion and caused many Chacoans to
of a gigantic capital "D." Portions of the Lack of privacy due to the addition of migrate southward and settle in the Rio
round side nearest the cliff contained five many rooms created problems. Grande and Zuni areas. Here the water
different levels and rose to a height of Clamboring through one, two or three problem was much less acute.
40 feet. neighboring living quarters to reach one's Nature compelled this band of resolute
Marauding tribes of hostile Indians own isolated accommodations did not Indians to surrender their Pueblo and
created conditions that dictated strong produce friendly relations. Whether the banished them to distant lands. And once
defensive positions. Archaeological dilemma was solved through mutual they had left, she quickly reclaimed
evidence reveals that during the 16th arbitration or by other, more forceful her own.
century, Navajos of Athabascan ancestry means has never been established but it But fortunately the village was not
moved southward. When they reached the was certainly instrumental in the forever lost. Sleeping peacefully, Pueblo
land of the Pueblos, the Dineh as they abandonment of numerous rooms. Bonito remained undisturbed for more
called themselves, ravaged the villages. North of the ruins a steep trail climbs a than six centuries until it was awakened by
Undoubtedly this was a principal reason rocky cliff to reveal a panoramic view of the white man's picks and shovels. His
why many Pueblos retreated from the the entire pueblo. Far below within the excavation exposed Pueblo Bonito's past
productive lowlands to high mesas which crumbling walls, two plazas that contain 32 elegance and present splendor. The walls
were more easily defended. kivas are outlined. Decay has destroyed the have crumbled and the roofs have fallen
Apparently the Chacoans were roofs but from high upon on the cliff, the but nothing can destroy this ancient city's
determined to stay in their canyon, but kivas' circular openings seem to stare classic dignity. It remains a "Beautiful
eventually it became necessary to block all skyward with dark, unblinking eyes. Village."^]
A DESERT
MYSTERY
•Y

crv©
ee
V.
—
my George Thompson
hidden somewhere in the canyon. homeless boy who Lee befriended and
FTER MORE than a century of Desert prospectors have searched for took into his home at Lonely Dell. In later
mystery, pieces of the puzzle are Lee's lost treasure for a long time now, and years, after Lee had been executed,
falling into place and some of the in recent months tales told by Hilderbrand told a few of those who
questions about Lee's lost mines and knowledgeable desert denizens hint that searched for Lee's mines that he
treasure are finally being answered. But his silver mine has been found. Some say occasionally had accompanied Lee down
the answers only raise more questions, for river for some 12 or 15 miles to near Soap
that rich ore is quietly being spirited out of
the desert still guards its secrets well. what is now a national monument, where Creek, at a place where there was grass for
To understand recently uncovered mining is forbidden, and secretly soldto the horses and where he would make
information about this century-old Utah ore buyers. camp while Lee went on alone. It would be
mystery, it is necessary to go back to 1857 two or three days before Lee returned but
But treasure hunters still search for the
when 121 innocent desert travelers were when he did, he would be carrying a heavy
seven cans of gold Lee hid in the canyon.
ambushed and murdered at Mountain pack of gold nuggets packed in empty cans.
They have probed the canyon depths ever
Meadows, near the edge of southern Utah's
since Lee was executed in 1877, but I think There are several important points to
Escalante Desert.
it's safe to say that they can quit looking for
remember about Hilderbrand's story: they
There is no need to repeat those grisly
I'm sure his cache is gone! It was found went downstream, to near Soap Creek;
details here; it is enough to say that John D.
more than 70 years ago, and this is how it they returned with gold, not silver; and Lee
Lee alone of all the fanatics who planned
happened. packed it in cans. The word "cans" is in
and perpetrated that terrible crime was
itself a puzzle, for there were few cans in

J
indicted, sentenced, and executed for the
OHN D. LEE never spent an easy those days.
murders committed at Mountain Meadows
minute after that terrible day at Also important is Hilderbrand's
in 1857, but not until twenty years after
Mountain Meadows in description of Lee's gold. Hilderbrand said
they occurred.
September, 1857. He had 18 wifes and it was rough, appearing to have been
After the massacre, Lee, like the others
families to take care of at Harmony, broken from lava rock, and was not placer
involved, went into hiding to avoid lawmen
Panguitch, and other small isolated hamlets or river gold. Also note that Lee would be
who constantly dogged his trail. He found a
in southern Utah but as a hunted man, he gone for only a few days, certainly not long
safe haven in the heart of the desert at what
had little time to spend with them. Instead, enough to dig the gold from a rock
he called Lonely Dell, the place desert
Lee lived most of the 20 years he spent in formation. Of course he could have dug it
travelers now know as Lee's Ferry. Located
hiding with his wife Emma at Lonely Dell, a out earlier and cached it, but why would it
where Paria Canyon meets the Colorado
god-forsaken acre of sand and red rock at have taken several days to recover a cache?
River in the depths of Marble Canyon,
the only place where the wild Colorado Wherever he got his gold, apparently it was
where visitors were almost non-existent,
could be ferried between Utah and easily obtained.
and hundreds of miles from the nearest
Arizona. Another who sometimes saw Lee in the
U.S. Marshal's office, it was a perfect
hideout, although as Lee said, a lonely one. Except for an occasional desert canyons, and perhaps spied on him, was
Lee's only responsibility was ferrying prospector or some outlaw or wanted man John Hance, a prospector who was in the
infrequent travelers across the otherwise like himself, few travellers used his ferry. canyons even before Lee and who
impassible Colorado and supplying his Lee had lots of time to explore and prospected there on and off for all of his
large family with food from his prospect the great canyon — twenty years life. Hance later said that he met or saw Lee
canyon-bottom gardens. He had lots of of time. That he found both gold and silver on several occasions, but that each time it
time to explore the unknown canyon and in the canyon depths is certain, for many was far downstream from the ferry,
to prospect its thousands of dead-end saw the silver ore and gold nuggets he perhaps 60 or 70 miles, near the canyon of
draws and countless gulchs. And during brought back to Lonely Dell. And a few met the Little Colorado, and that Lee was
those lonely years he discovered at least him in the canyons, leading a pack mule, carrying silver ore, not gold. So it seems
two rich mines, one of silver and another often heavily laden with rich ore. that Lee's treasure came from at least two
of gold. But most intriguing to treasure Lee was a secretive man and took few different places, the gold from near Soap
hunters has been the cache of seven cans into his confidence. But one he did confide Creek, not far below the ferry, and his
of gold nuggets he is known to have in was Robert Hilderbrand, a 15-year-old silver from much further downstream,

20 TULY. 1980
 from somewhere in the Little Colorado
country.
Along canyon trails several pieces of
nearly pure gold ore have been found, in
places where there is no sign of
mineralization and with no indication of
their origin. Finders believe they are
pieces of ore Lee lost from his packs. In
1885 two prospectors found a skeleton of
an unidentified man and a horse, the pair
apparently having fallen from a ledge high
above. In rotting saddle bags they found
$10,000 in gold nuggets!
John D. Lee was arrested at Panguitch,
Utah on November 7th, 1874 while visiting
one of his wives. He was held at old Fort
Cameron near Beaver until he was taken to
the state penitentiary at Salt Lake City in
August, 1875. He was returned to Fort
Cameron for trial in September, 1876 and
found guilty of the Mountain Meadow
murders on September 20,1876.

O
VER THE YEARS many searched
for Lee's gold. In the records of

Seven
Warren Johnson, Lee's successor
at the ferry, is the following: "Also using
the ferry are many unknown miners,
sometimes one alone with only a burro,
and sometimes two or three together with
a pack animal between them. That they
remain anonymous may only mean that

Cans
they are not brethren, though it might also
mean that they have good reason not to
want to have their names known."
One of the anonymous ones who
searched for Lee's lost treasure, and one
who had every reason to know that it
existed, was Ike Brown. Brown made at
least two searches, one while Lee was in

Gold
prison and another after he was executed,
and it is important to remember that
Brown said he was looking specifically for
seven cans of gold, not for a mine, and that
he searched downstream in the Badger
Creek-Soap Creek area. It is even more
important to know that Brown was really

DESERT 21
 The trail to Lee's lost gold begins h
Issac C. Haight, a close confidant of Lee and years mining has been completely banned About a week later Rider rode to Lee's
one of the men who actually planned the in the canyons. Still, desert-wise Ferry and learned that the prospector
Mountain Meadows massacre! prospectors around Kanab and St. George hadn't arrived there. A few days later Rider
Haight knew that Lee had drawn a map tell tales of secret shipments of rich ore came on the prospector's tracks, going
for Emma, showing where seven cans of being moved across the state line from along the rimrock southwards towards
gold were buried, but Emma refused to Arizona to custom smelters in Utah. Soap Creek. Rider followed the
give the map to him. With Haight were two However, though nothing more can be prospector's trail and finally found his
brothers, Sam and Bill Bass, and years later, said about that at this time, the story of how mule, apparently well cared for with both
in 1883, after she had dispaired of ever Lee's gold cache was found can at last be feed and water. He found no trace of the
finding the gold, Emma gave a told — at least almost all of it, for we will prospector, except for his tracks going
rough-drawn copy of the map to Bill Bass. probably never know for sure who found over the canyon rim and down into Soap
Sometime after that Bass apparently made it. The story begins more than 70 years ago: Creek Canyon. The tracks indicated that the
a half-hearted search, but maybe he didn't prospector had carried water from the
know the canyon lands well enough or ! ACK AT THE turn of the century, canyon up to his mule and although such a
perhaps he was too old by then, for he Rowland Rider was a young procedure seemed strange to Rider, he felt
came back empty handed. ' cowboy working for the Bar Z the prospector must be alright and never
The map copy given to Bass, as well as outfit in the House Rock Valley south of investigated further. Besides, he had a herd
another copy given to a prospector named Kanab, Utah. For nearly 20 years he rode of cattle to take care of.
McCormick were no doubt copies of maps the lonely trails from the coral pink sand Several days afterwards while Rider was
Lee referred to in his journal when he dunes, through the Kaibab Forest to the camped at House Rock Valley he met the
wrote: "Just finished two exploring and Grand Canyon, and down to Lee's Ferry. mysterious prospector again. Once more
prospecting trips, keeping a careful record, He often spent months alone, but one he walked into Rider's camp and stayed
and making maps and waybills." The word lonely night in 1909 as Rider was sitting by overnight, only this time he wasn't lost. He
"waybill" usually refers to a treasure map! his little campfire at Jacob's Lake, he heard appeared to have found his bearings and
Only a year after Lee was executed someone approaching him from the knew exactly where he had been, as
Emma married again, to Franklin French, a darkness. though remembering landmarks from a
miner from Grass Valley, California. French Rider told me how a lone prospector, long time before. After 70 years, Rider
and Emma left the ferry and moved to the first real one he ever saw, led a pack recalled that their conversation went
Winslow, Arizona. And not long before Lee mule into the firelight. Anxious for something like this.
was arrested, he and Hilderbrand went on company, Rider welcomed his unexpected "I thought you were going to Lee's
a prospecting trip and on their return to guest and rustled him some supper. The Ferry?" The prospector replied, "I guess I
Lonely Dell, Lee cached a sack of ore and following morning he pointed out the way got side-tracked," and as he talked he
several cans of gold nuggets under Emma's to Lee's Ferry, the prospector's stated opened his saddlebags and emptied out
bed. After French and Emma were married, destination. seven tightly-packed Bull Durham bags.
French took the ore and nuggets with him That day Rider worked his cattle and "Hold out your hands" he told Rider, and
and according to Hilderbrand, French sold made camp again at the same place. And Rider, sitting by the campfire cupped his
the nuggets for $7,000! that night he again heard someone hands toghter as the prospector dropped
From the time Lee was executed, approaching his camp. To his great one of the bags into them. Rider said the
refusing to the end to implicate any of his surprise it was the same prospector, sack was so heavy that it forced his hands to
brethren in the massacre at Mountain walking into his camp again from the same the ground. "I thought he had lead in it!",
Meadows or to reveal even the slightest direction he had come the night before. he recalled.
clue to the source of his gold or silver, And the prospector was amazed to see "Would you like to see something pretty
treasure hunters have searched in vain. No Rider again, asking Rider how he had been classy?" the prospector then asked, and
doubt Lee believed that the map he gave to able to get ahead of him and make camp untied the bags, revealing glittering gold in
Emma would lead her to his gold, but without being seen. every one. "Where did it come from?"
neither she nor any of the close friends to It took Rider some time to convince the Rider asked, and the prospector answered:
whom she gave copies found a single prospector that he was at the same camp. "Down there, near where Soap Creek goes
nugget by using them. The following morning Rider showed the into the Colorado."
For a century and more Lee's lost prospector how he had travelled in a great Remember, that's where Hilderbrand
treasure has been a mystery. In 1919 the circle without realizing it. Only then did said he went with Lee, when they brought
canyonlands of Grand Canyon became a the prospector admit that he was lost. That back gold in cans and hid it under Emma's
national monument and from then on, day, Rider rode far enough with him bed. And don't forget, that's also where
mining was closely controlled. In recent to point out the trail to Lee's Ferry. Haight, alias Brown, searched specifically
22 JULY, 1980
 real bonanza there now, for the ledge
has been pummeled by the elements for
country once he saw it, even if he was more than 100 years since Lee was there
confused for awhile. Is it possible he had a last!
map and if so, where did he get it? An important point for today's treasure
for seven cans of gold! Remember, Emma Lee gave copies of Lee's hunter to remember is that wherever Lee
Rider said he never saw the prospector map to French, Bill Bass, to McCormick, got his gold and silver, those places are
again after that night back in 1909 but he and possibly to others. Could the now part of the Glen Canyon-Grand
knows the latter left the country by way of prospector have been a son or family Canyon National Monument, where mining
Pipe Springs, which seemed to indicate he member of one of them? Or could he have claims cannot be located. Any gold
knew which way water could be found. been Hilderbrand himself? Remember, removed from the canyon would have to
Later Rider talked to a rancher named Hilderbrand was only about 15 years old be done covertly, like the silver ore that is
Eaton who was at Pipe Springs and Eaton when he went to Soap Creek with Lee, so now being secretly packed out across the
said the prospector stopped there for he would have been about age 50 in 1909. river into Utah. I'm not suggesting that
water, but he didn't stop to talk to anyone. Of course we'll never know, but the anyone break the law but if you should be
It's pretty obvious that Rider's odds are about a million to one against hiking down in Soap Creek Canyon, and
prospector friend found Lee's seven cans anyone ever finding the seven cans of gold just by accident come across a ledge of
of gold. No doubt the cans had rusted by chance. The prospector, whoever he rotten lava rock where kernel-size nuggets
away, but the prospector had put the was, had to know what he was looking for, of gold glisten in the sun, why I don't
nuggets from them into seven Bull and where to look. Could he have mined believe anyone would blame you for taking
Durham sacks. There's no doubt that it was or panned the gold he showed to Rider? a few pockets-full!
Lee's gold, because Rider described it the No way. He was only in Soap Creek Canyon The Lee's Ferry country hasn't changed
same as had Hilderbrand. Rider said the for a few days, a week at the most. It's much in 100 years. Only a mile or so either
gold was about the size of grains of wheat pretty big country, a regular maze of side side of the few roads which penetrate it,
or kernals of corn, in all sizes and shapes, canyons, gulchs, cliffs, and ledges. Even if the same harsh desert and near-bottomless
and that the nuggets were rough and sharp someone knew exactly where to look, it canyons still present the same mysteries
edged. Rider added that he was sure it would take several days just coming and and dangers. Hardly a year passes that the
wasn't placer gold, for none of the nuggets going and to climb down in the canyon and body of some hiker or prospector isn't
were smooth or waterworn. back out again. The prospector certainly found in some nameless gulch. And some
But the most convincing thing about had no time to work a mine, but he did are never found. Locate Lee's Ferry on our
Rider's story' as he told it to me in 1980 was have time to find and dig up a cache, at map, just northeast of the Marble Canyon
that he had never even heard of John D. least if he knew just about where to look. Bridge, and you'll see Soap Creek coming
Lee's lost mines or of his gold cache. Rider in from the south, about 12 miles
left Kanab and moved to Cedar City to | HE BIG QUESTION for today's downstream. For serious prospecting
attend school in 1910 and later moved to
northern Utah. He knew nothing whatever T treasure hunter isn't so much that
Lee's cache has been found, but
about Lee's mines or caches. When he told where did he get the gold he cached? And
you'll want the Marble Canyon topo map,
available where topos are sold for only $2.
Soap Creek Canyon is a big place, so
the story about the prospector and the is there more where it came from? don't expect to find Lee's lost ledge on a
seven bags of gold, he was only telling one We know that Lee sold gold in small weekend trip. Search near the canyon
of many experiences he had as a young amounts over a long period of time, and bottom for that's where Hilderbrand was
cowboy around Lee's Ferry, but his story that he sometimes brought out more than left to watch the horses, and that's where
fills in the missing pieces in the puzzle of he actually needed. Remember, the $7,000 the prospector told Rider he found the
why no one ever found Lee's cache. Mr. worth of nuggets he hid under Emma's gold, "Down there, near where Soap Creek
Rider has just published a book about his bed, and remember also that Hilderbrand goes in the Colorado!"
cowboy experiences in which you can read said that Lee would be gone for only a day No one knows where Lee got his gold,
about the seven bags of gold. It is called or two, certainly not long enough to do any for that secret died at Mountain Meadows
"Sixshooters and Sagebrush," and is extensive mining. The kernal-size nuggets on March 23,1877. At 11 o'clock in the
available from the B.Y.U. Press, Provo, Utah. were not placer gold for both Hilderbrand morning John D. Lee was executed by a
It also seems pretty obvious that either and Rider said they were sharp edged and firing squad on the exact spot where 20
the prospector wasn't very experienced, or rough, and looked as though they came years earlier he helped kill 121 innocent
else he hadn't seen the canyon country for from lava rock. Could Lee have picked people. When the echoes of the rifles faded
a long time, since he got lost in fairly open them up from where they had weathered away, Lee was dead, but the mystery of his
country. Also, he seemed to know the out of some rotten ledge? If so, there could lost treasure had only begun.
 hsbyJOELMCR

Fhe formation of dunes like those of Cadiz starts with

the trapping of eroded granite particLes against the
stones and vegetation of a dry lakebed.

•A JULY. 1980
 s 'ome
people don't appreciate
sand. Consider Lewis
Carroll's famed philosophers:
The SX'-iilrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at band;
They wept like an ytbing to see
Such quantities of sand:
If this were only cleared away,' Kilbeck Hills
They said, 'It uoi((d be grand!' off the east shore
If seven maids with seven mops of the lake. Typically,
Swept it for half a year, sand piles up gradually,
Do you suppose.' The Walrus said, sloping windward with
'That they could get it clear?' steeper dropoffs to the lee. Additional
7 doubt it,' said the Carpenter, sand moves up the long slope and
And shed a hi tier tear. tumbles over the crest onto the slip face. When
the angle exceeds what the rounded grains can
But all decent desert afficionados would vote down any support, an avalanche enlarges and advances the dunes.
cleanup campaign. They want their sand piled high, wide Cadiz exhibits the major types of dunes. You'll find
and handsome in dunes. Mention desert and some people transverse, high, long, straight-line dunes at right angles
think of cactus, camels, sheiks or belly dancers. More to the wind and with little or no vegetation; parabolic,
people, however, think of sand dunes. U-shaped dunes with a rounded nose pointing downwind
Most noted of Southern California dunes is the Imperial and points anchored by vegetation; barchan,
or Algodones system in the Lower Colorado Desert. crescent-shaped dunes with a high center anchored and
Spacious and grand, they are easily accessible. And the horns pointing downwind; and finally, climbing, irregular
Dumont and Kelso Dunes farther north in the Mojave dunes formed by sand blown past other dunes and slowed
receive their fair share of fame. Among those, stretched by land forms.
between, are the 400-square-miles of the Cadiz Dunes, Through the centuries very few tourists have ogled the
dumped on a BLM-managed plateau between the Cadiz Dunes. The ancient Chemehauvi visited
mountains in the out-of-the-way center of the desert. To occasionally. Prospectors looked over the area late in the
reach them vultures must converge 95 miles southeast of 1800s. Then the railway shortcut through Rice and Parker
Barstow, 80 northwest of Blythe, 65 southwest of Needles was built early in this century and a few men came to
or 35 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms. settle when mining for chemicals grew and prospered.
Eons ago when earth movements and lava flows pushed And, certainly, veterans of Gen. Patton's tank armies from
the Mojave River north, away from its southeasterly flow Iron Mountain passed the dunes often during their World
to the Colorado, a string of dry lakes was left, including War II training.
Cadiz. The Sheep Hole and Calumet Mountains east of the A geologist has said the Cadiz dune area "lacks the
lake were raked by strong southwesterly winds that blew scenic qualities and high sand peaks of other dune fields."
eroded granitic p>articles skipping and bouncing across And perhaps they do not "sing" as do the shifting sands of
the floor of Cadiz Valley and the surface of the dry lake. Kelso but where else, thanks to the splendid isolation, can
The grains of sand were trapped and piled up when one set foot on sand with some certainty that another's
stopped by stones, vegetation or the low-lying front of the foot has not gone before him?
DESERT 25
Our
Bloomin' During that memorable month of March millions
of desert gold blooms waved in the breeze from

Desert
above Stovepipe Wells, down through the floor of the
Valley, and on to Jubilee Pass.
Other species such as sand verbena, phacelia, false
mallow or five-spot, purple mat, and desert
goldpoppy, add their hues to the spectacle.
Throughout the Monument, over 100 species may be
A Photo Essay seen. In the Jubilee Pass, Daylight Pass, and Ubehebe
Crater areas we have marvelled at the displays, even
by DOUG EMERSON as late as mid-May!
In the high country, the rare Panamint daisy with its
Everyone has heard unkind, even caustic remarks huge four to five-inch blossoms demands immediate
about the desolate, seemingly barren, desert areas of attention. The directive that no plant shall be picked
our southwestern states. True, the desert is a region of within the Monument should be custom in other
scant and uncertain rainfall. However, it isfar from areas as well so that more persons can enjoy the
being a lifeless wasteland as envisioned by so many fragile beauty, take their photographs, and leave the
unknowing persons. spectacle unspoiled for others.
Seefor yourself. This is a record, in words and Anza-Borrego Desert, California's largest state park,
pictures of what I found within a weekend's drive and Tuha Desert to the south, provide breathtaking
from Los Angeles, or it could have been from Las views of thousands of acres of sand verbena, sand
Vagas, Phoenix, San Francisco or San Diego. The lilies, primroses, marigolds, and many other smaller
year was 1973, an exceptional one when almost the varieties ... amidst their taller neighbors. Giants in
entire Southwest blossomed into a carpet of riotous the vicinity are the agave and ocotillo, both which
color. Some years are not as good, but none can be may reach a height of 15 feet or more.
called barren. In contrast to the large golden flowers at the tips of
the agave, the much smaller scarlet clusters on the

T * HE LOVELY WILDFLOWERS that I saw,

called drought escapists, must have a
certain amount of rainfall at the proper
time, coupled with desirable temperatures, to burst
into life. If these conditions are not met — exactly —
ocotillo wand provide an excellent backdrop for
pictures. We were fortunate indeed to discover one
plant that sported yellow blossoms rather than the
traditional red.
Lucerne Valley between Victorville and Yucca
their seeds will remain dormant, for years if Valley, California is a riot of color when conditions
necessary. Rarely do they err in their judgement. are conducive to the particular flowers that are native
Enzymes within the seeds, growth inhibitors and to the area. We have often seen waves of gold that
growth stimulators, determine when the time is right seemed endless as the breezes played hide and seek
for a seed to begin life above ground so its cycle may among the coreopsis, desert dandelions, and
continue to a successful conclusion. scalebuds. Lining the many roads, mallows,
Oddly enough, one year may produce a super brittlebush, princes plume, desert fivespot, wild
amount of white blooms, the next year an abundance canterbury bells, chia, primroses, suncups, cream
of yellows, while some years may yield tremendous cups, scarlet mimulus, and wild buckwheat never
numbers of red to purple blooms. Other years we cease to amaze the first-timer.
have seen all colors of the rainbow on display. It is A little farther away, the Carrizo Plains and along
quite exciting to view as many as 20 different species highway-58 near Santa Margarita offer
from a single spot.
In 1973 we were fortunate to view one of the finest Thefiery-red blooms of the ocotillo (opposite)
wildflower displays in 25 years in Death Valley. It stand in bold contrast to the somber sands near
could be another 25 years before a showing of such
magnitude occurs again. One never knows for sure Borrego Springs headquarters of Anza-Borrego
until the wondrous event takes place. Desert State Park.

26 JULY, 1980
A|Mfl
Desert gold lines
Jubilee Pass in
Death Valley
National
Monument, a
sight never
mentioned in
the logs of the
49'ers.

DESERT 29
displays to stagger the imagination. Beauties such as yellow tidy Nearby, phacelia, mallows, suncups, desert marigolds, and even
tips, owlclover, lupine, baby blue eyes, poppies, coreopsis, desert the lovely beavertail cactus with its magenta flowers quicken the
dandelions, goldfields, thistle sage, and a dozen others vie for heartbeat of all who view them.
your attention. Closer to the Los Angeles area, vast fields of California poppies,
desert dandelions, pincushions, phacelia, owlclover, fiddleneck,
TRIP TO NEVADA can add spectacular red rock and goldfields, to name a few, await discovery. Antelope Valley,

A formations in addition to many new flowers for your

enjoyment. One of our favorite areas is Valley of Fire
state park, about 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The rare desert
north of teeming Los Angeles and reached by C-138 between
Gorman on Interstate 5 and Palmdale on C-14, is noted for
displays that are second to none. The Arvin/Edison/Caliente/Mt.
bear poppy with its crepe paper-like yellow blooms and unique Breckenridge areas are also close enough for a one-day outing.
basal leaves is the most unusual. The giant sun ray is quite a Even if you forget your lunch, don't forget to take plenty of
contrast to the tiny white desert stars. Many other "belly flowers" film, at least twice as much as you think you may need. Only then,
so-called because you must get down that low to view them, with dozens of beautiful pictures to prove it, can you convince
abound in this normally barren land of little water. city-bred doubters that our "barren" desert can produce a show
Once in the Valley of Fire, huge desert primroses growing out unmatched by any Tournament of the Roses. fj\
of the pink sand dominate the vicinity. Their gorgeous white
blooms and yellow centers grow in such profusion that it is (Above) Desert primrose heralds most springtimes at
impossible to walk in many areas for fear of stepping on them. Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park.

30 JULY, 1980
THE NOSIEST NEWSPAPER IN THE WEST -fr EDITED BY MARY E. TWYMAN

SHOSHONES WAR ON MISSILE

Washington, D.C. — The
proposed MX missile system,
The government says the
Ruby Valley treaty was nul-
stayed on the Ruby Valley
land that had been their
Coulter, an attorney for the
Indian Law Resource Center
already having some troubles lified by an 1872 decision to home for centuries, and some in Washington.
in Congress, is under attack I establish the Duck Valley res- 4,000 still live there. The Shoshone land claim is
by Shoshone Indians who say ervation for the western The Shoshone say they're a snarl of legal disputes that
it would violate their nearly Shoshone, and the Indian convinced the Ruby Valley has twice gone to the Su-
117-year-old treaty with the Claims Commission has treaty is still valid. They say preme Court. In the most re-
United States. approved a $26.1 million they want Congress to keep cent Supreme Court action,
Lawyers for the western payment to compensate the the compensation money and the court refused to review a
bands of the Shoshone ar- Indians for the 1872 seizure. let them keep their land. U. S. Court of Claims deci-
gued in congressional staff But the Indians' lawyers The government has sion that the Shoshone
briefings recently that gov- say the Shoshone never actu- refused. waited too long to challenge
ernment plans to put the ally took the Duck Valley land, "The government is very de- the Indian Claims Commis-
$33.8 billion MX system in that only a handful of people liberately stealing the West sion decision.
eastern Nevada would violate ever moved there. The rest Shoshone land," said Tim — Desert News Service
the Treaty of Ruby Valley.
That treaty was signed Oc-
tober 1, 1863 by two govern-
ment agents and 12 "chiefs
L.A. - HAVASU CANAL PROPOSED
and principal men and war- Yermo, Calif. — Robert J. pleted in the year 2025. would be covered to eliminate
r i o r s " of the Shoshone "Sarge" Hall, a mine operator Barges would be powered evaporation and on the cover
Nation. at White Ranch Mines who along the Los Angeles Basin there could be solar collectors
The agreement was nego- retired from the U.S. Air and a series of locks would which would produce suffi-
tiated on order of President Force in 1971, seeks nomina- elevate them onto the high cient power; in fact, more
Abraham Lincoln to guaran- tion for the position of desert and then to the three than needed to operate the
tee the safety of white settlers County Supervisor, First Dis- lakes mentioned. system and the excess could
passing over land held by the trict, at the June 3rd elec- The canals, he said, would be sold.
western bands of the tion. He lives near Yermo at be lined with plastic materi- Hall talked about the tech-
Shoshone. Paradise Valley. He is married als to prevent seepage. They
But in contrast to most In- and he and his wife have two
dian treaties of the time, sons.
which established reser- Hall has a dream. He envi-
vations and extinguished In- sions the inner desert area
dian land claims, the U.S. gaining access to the Port of
government recognized for- Los Angeles by a series of
mal boundaries of Shoshone canals and locks connected
land holdings in the Ruby with Lake Meade, Lake Mo-
Valley pact. have, and Lake Havasu. This
Within those boundaries man-made waterway would
are millions of acres of Ne- develop the desert into basins
vada desert that the United containing large populations
States now considers to be centers, he said.
the best site for its new mis- He calls his dream the
sile system, comprising 200 "Colorado-Pacific Canal Sys-
mobile missiles that would be tem" and part of it would be
shuttled among some 4,600 filling of a dry hole known as
reinforced shelters. Soda Lake, east of Baker.
The United States claims He feels such a gigantic Rockhounds chip on green-colored blowout
the area now is "public land." undertaking could be com- at Hedges. Story on page 34.
DESERT 31
 (Elaritm

OLD RECORDS PROVE INFAMOUS NEW

PASS "INDIAN WAR"
New Pass, Nev. — It was before retiring, b u t Wood- to t h e i r d e a t h s on a full furnishing them whiskey
Christmas night, Dec. 25, worth soon sounded reveil- stomach. from his private stock.
1863 when a frenzied mes- le w i t h t h e b u g l e he h a d After m u c h t h r e a t e n i n g Following roll call on the
senger panted Into Austin brought along. Cold, hung- and coaxing, the operator of "battlefield" in the horse cor-
bringing the report that the over, and bleary-eyed, they the station served up a meal ral, the men set off for their
stage station at New Pass was saddled up again and were of greasy eggs, fat back, and homes, trying as best they
being attacked by Indians soon moving out into the black coffee. Woodworth then could to forget the whole far-
and would be wiped out if inky blackness towards New got up a reconnaissance cical foray into the wilds of
help did not come. Two men Pass. party to search the nearby central Nevada.
outside the station had al- Fully expecting to be am- hills. They saw only one In- J. R. Jacobs, the Indian
ready been killed, it was re- b u s h e d by m a r a u d i n g In- dian some distance away but agent for the area, later made
ported, and the rest were dians, they split up and took lost him in the forest of scrub a thorough investigation of
barricaded inside. to the ridges rather than tak- and juniper and pine. the Indian scare and found
As word spread from house ing the easier route through As the search party was re- that two Indian bands had
to house, men began to get the canyons. But they saw turning, Woodworth ordered met up near New Pass and
down their h u n t i n g rifles, nary a savage the whole way. the infantrymen from their had shared a few drinks to
load their revolvers, and sad- Arriving at New Pass an hour meat wagon and arranged for make the white man's holi-
dle up their horses. Farewells before dawn, they awoke the a formal ceremony in the day. While enjoying their
were said to wives and chil- sleeping operator of the sta- horse corral to disband the short repose, a couple of
dren and about 20 men as- tion, informed him of their entire army. The foot soldiers them had apparently noticed
sembled on the main street mission, and set about form- formed ranks, snapped to at- a pair of white men of whom
about 8 p.m. where they were ing a defensive perimeter. tention as best they could, they were not fond and had
joined with an equal number Hung over from the holiday and presented arms as the fired a few shots their way to
from Jacobsville. festivities of the night before riders came in. frighten them.
A number of miners who and somewhat confused as to Woodworth then spoke The whites lit out, told a
did n o t own h o r s e s also what was going on, the oper- briefly, complimenting his third man of the incident,
turned out and were desig- ator told Woodworth that he men on their soldierly and somehow the story
nated as infantrymen, but had not seen any Indians, appearance and informing spread that the station was
they were disinclined to walk had heard nothing of anyone them that their services were threatened and several men
the 20 or so miles out to New being killed, and was not in no longer needed. Some of had been killed. The Indian
Pass, so a local butcher was t h e least' a l a r m e d . Wood- the men were disappointed in bands had separated and
prevailed upon to contribute worth insisted that the sta- not having had a brush with gone their own ways, know-
his delivery wagon, a vehicle tion needed protection, how- the Indians, but among those Ing nothing of the stir they
which h a d formerly been ever, and his commissary of- who were delighted to see the had created. Such was the
used as a hearse by a local ficers ordered that his men "war" come to an end was the story of the New Pass Indian
undertaker. Although crowd- be fed so they could at least station operator who was War of 1863.
ed, the vehicle served the have the satisfaction of going tired of feeding the men and Nevada Historical Society
purpose and the makeshift
army set off for the scene of
the trouble, t h e "cavalry"
under the command of J. D-
Woodworth taking the lead.
WATER SHORTAGE PREDICTED FOR
Some three hours later, the
men reached the stage sta-
BOOMING NYE COUNTY MINE TOWN
tion near Mt. Airy, woke the Round Mountain, Nev. - 20 or so families. side of Smoky valley in the
proprietor, and informed him The lure of gold once again, "Presently there are around shadow of Mt. Jefferson,
of their mission. Although as it has in the past, is at- 300 persons in Round Moun- highest peak in the Toquima
that worthy had heard noth- tracting people to this Nye tain with the population range? Rising prices for gold
ing of the supposed siege at County community and the growing by a fifth in the last and silver and new innova-
New Pass, he rustled up some growing population is put- six months," said Dr. John tions in the technology of re-
supper for the men and al- ting the pressure on some of Knechel, "and before 1980 is covering gold from ores have
lowed them to bivuoac on the the town services like water. over there could be 500 or quickened the pulse of
floor with their saddles and For nearly 80 years the more." Dr. Knechel is a re- Round Mountain.
blankets for an hour or so. sage-scented breezes that source development spe- The Shoshone Water Com-
Most of t h e m e n h a d waft across the quiet stretch- cialist at the University of pany has supplied water from
brought along a bottle or two es of Big Smoky valley in cen- Nevada in Reno. During the Shoshone springs to the
of "Christmas cheer" to ward tral Nevada have been kick- past few months he has people of Round Mountain
off the cold and a few of them ing up wisps of dust in worked with Round Moun- since 1906. But, the system
were warmed up to the point Round Mountain. At times tain officials on expansion of is just not in shape to take
that they could hardly un- there have been as many as the town's water supply to care of the increasing de-
saddle their mounts by the 400 persons working here for meet the new growth. mands. Moreover, the pre-
time they arrived at Mt. Airy. the mining b u s i n e s s e s . What is bringing people to sent owner realizes from the
Following their meal, they Mostly, though, there have the isolated little Nye county company "a net income too
passed the bottle once again been fewer, sometimes only settlement located on the east cont. on page 38
32 JULY, 1980
 nnsm
Hall estimates the channels
NUMBER FOR NAME FILLS
'COOt; • -~ '• •• ••• • •••• "' •

nical aspects of the system, should be 25-ft. deep, and

using such terms as butterfly salt water from the ocean
valves which would change
water levels and equalize
could also be utilized to fill
the lower canals once the. MAN'S LIFE WITH
inner pressures. He said
many ships today are nuclear
powered and that he saw no
project leaves Cajon Pass.
Water movement along the
system also could be har-
VEXES AND MIXUPS
Cedar City, Utah - 'That is my name!" replied
danger in using nuclear en- nessed to produce hydro "What's in a name?" Well, it Orton.
ergy to power barges. power and any excess could can be a good conversation There have also been some
The candidate said financ- be sold, he added. piece and cause some prob- difficulties in cashing
ing of such a large project On a rough map, Hall's sys- lems, if it happens to be checks. People think he's
could be raised by taxation. tem shows long extenders Twenty. made a mistake and put the
The feasibility study, he said, reaching into the three lakes Twenty Taylor Orton will amount where the signature
would require a county tax of with a connection made at have been Twenty for 86- hould be.
one-fourth of one percent. He Soda Lake. He said water years as of May 21, 1980. Never losing his sense of
talked about flood water would not be changed, once His father, Samuel Orton, humor, he often replies when
run-offs being used to fill the the system filled. married two Johnson sisters. asked how much he wants to
canal system. - Needles DESERT STAR The first sister died after hav- eat, "You know I have to feed
ing borne 12 children, and Twenty, so give me plenty."
SMOKEY BEAR BANS ALL Mr. Orton then married her
younger sister, Esther, who
— Iron County RECORD

LADIES OF THE NIGHT also bore him 12 children.

Before the eighth child of this
RARE BLUE
AND SLOTS IN FORESTS
second marriage was born, it
was decided that it would be
AGATE GRACES
Zephyr Cove. Nev. — Several business at Zephyr Cove, named Twenty (whether it
was a boy or girl), and so on
CROWN OF
years ago the U.S. Forest Nevada.
Service took exception to an The Chuckling Green May 21, 1894, Twenty Taylor NEEDLES
Orton came into being.
Arizona mining claimant Giant earlier bought a 410-
operating what they de- acre resort at Zephyr Cove, During the last 86 years, FESTIVAL
scribed as a "house of pros- complete with a number of Mr. Orton has related the Needles, Calif. - Gems
titution" on a claim in a slot machines operated by a story many times. While with the intense blue of de-
National Forest. Now it turns concessionaire. Now the fed- serving in the Army, the sert sky and the Colorado
out that Smokey Bear has eral agency has decided the commanding officer was River adorn the Miss Needles
been operating a gambling slots are "not appropriate to disgusted when he heard a Crown that since 1961 has
den in Nevada. the National Forest Service's resounding "Twenty" in an- been worn by the reigning
Hoping to clean up its im- | family-type recreation." swer to roll call. "I asked you queens of this city's annual
age, the Forest Service is get- - WESTERN PROSPECTOR your name, not your num- beauty pageant.
ting out of the gambling & MINER ber" was his surly response. The crown was created in
that year by local lapidary
artist and master jewelry
CLIMBING FAMILY REACHES MOON craftsman William B. Givens,
who dedicated it as a perpet-
Needles, Calif. — Maw 'an peak. One leg on the Wyomin miles away. Then he stud up ual crown to be worn by each
paw Hipokets was onst side. Tother on the Nevada on said peak and stepd onto succeeding queen in her
knowd as the most famus side. Then maw gave him a the midle mountain. Then turn.
mountin climers in the hole sucklin, at then headed down anuther step onto the suth- The official Needles crown
world. Thear legs was so long to the valley. ern mountin peak. is handmade of fine sterling
that thear hip pokets came Gosh. Al hemlock. Thare Looking this young silver, with some parts cast,
up gist under the sholder- we three was visitin amonxt fenomanin over, I discovered others soldered, and is set
blades, thear had klim every the bull 'an kow muses grazin that his legs was so long that with large stones of Needles
mountin wat was worth kli- on the botom of a lake. Wilst a his hip pokets was plum up Blue Agate, cut cabochon
min. huge bull was so grazin. Gist to his sholdertops. He was style, and polished until they
I met em one dy atop mldel his antlers stikin out the wa- later knowd as the world glisten.
Grand Teton Mountin in ter. I ups 'an kliped off them most famus mountim walker The center stone is 30 x 40
Wyomin, whilst I was hipin antlers for a survenear to over kaws he simply gist mm in size. The four on each
out sum garnet's outa the take along wen I was fixin to steped over any mountain side and one above the cen-
garnet. It was wils.t this visit go bak home. peak that he ever kame ak- tral stone are 18 x 25 mm.
that Junear was born. He Next day the three of us. rost. I haint seen the These are unusually large
was so shrimpish that maw Maw, paw, 'an me. Bisy as Hipokets folks for long time. I stones, as anyone who has
Hipokets kuldent fetch him useel. Wen paw less out a spose that they mita made a done the "hard rock" mining
up by the heals whilst spank- loud ouch. mistake. An steped offen the to obtain the "blue" can
ing him a lick sos he'd get his Lookin around. I saw a long earth and are no walkin and verify.
furst breth. leg with a rock tied to it 'an limin from one satelite to In 1968, the late Mayor
Korse they was most dis- realized wat it was. Soon as tother. But tother nite. Herbert Martin proclaimed
gustid. Them beiri mountain we kuld. We all hikes up to Lookin at the moon. Thare Needles Blue Agate as the of-
klimbers like they was. But top mountin ware the kid thay was. Danglin over said ficial gemstone of the city of
old paw wasnt to dum. He sat was sitin. Maw nipeled him nitelighter,-- grinin like Needles.
the infent atop the mountain again. The kid raised up 'an puppies. The stone is quite rare, its
peak. Fasend a hevy wate on spred his long legs apart then Ed Lang exact type and color being
each the kids legs an set him got up and stepd back to — Needles DESERT STAR found in only one location in
stradling said mountain north Teton Peak sum thirty ctmt. on page 3 8
DESERT 3*
 __
Clanmt

' In its lifetime Hedges gave up $ 11 million in

low-grade, $8-$10 per ton ore.

HEDGES.b.l880-d.l909
by Wayne Winters
Hedges, Calif. — If ghosts could crumbling city situated at the base of million was recovered, according to
talk, there'd be a lot of chatter going rugged and barren mountains in Im- mint reports. The main mines, all of
on these moonlit nights up in the perial County. them owned by one concern, were the
Cargo Muchacho Mountains of According to Walker, the ore bodies Golden Cross, the Golden Queen, and
southeastern California. Some would were discovered in 1880 and the town the Golden Crown.
spin yarns of ever-present hopes of that soon sprang up was named While there is no actual record of
the prospector, while others would Hedges. Later the name was changed violence, the two cemeteries contain
whisper about battle, murder, and to Tumco (The United Mining Com- many graves. No life was ever lost in
sudden death at the end of a pany). Strictly a gold camp. Hedges the camp due to a mining accident,
hangman's rope, six-gun or knife. But flourished until 1909, at which time but legend has it that many of the
talk about everyday events In a gold the mines shut down. graves are filled with the remains of
mining camp would dominate most of Boasting 3,000 inhabitants at Its men who died with their boots on.
the ghostly conversations. height, there were two cemeteries, Instead of the wild, rootin'-tootin'
Trouble is, neither ghosts or ghost stores, cantinas, and all the other life of the usual mining camp,
towns can give voice to the past, so a commercial establishments so vital to Hedges-Tumco reputedly contained
quarter of a century ago a writer community life. considerable culture. Saturday night
interviewed C. S. Walker, father to The ore, strictly gold, was of low dances were fancy affairs, with the
Robert W. Walker, then owner of the grade, running about eight to ten dol- women In formals and even the
long-dead gold camp of Hedges- lars to the ton. However, there was a roughest mucker from the mines all
Tumco, for background on the then huge amount of it. In its lifetime * 11 dolled up in a tux.
34 JULY. 1980
 (Uhe Clcirtnn

Pachuca tanks are all that remain of 100-stamp milling operations

that ceased at Hedges around 1909.

The first 100-stamp mill in the quarter of a century ago. Even the Tumco have appeared over the last
world crushed Hedges-Tumco ore. It graves of the dead have not been half century. Most of them are liber-
started with 20 stamps, increased to honored, with a number of them ally tainted with hogwash. A Califor-
40, then another 60 were added. The being opened and the bones of their nia daily paper once published an ar-
mill was designed and built on the occupants scattered about. One ticle to the effect that 140 Chinamen
west coast, then disassembled and group of ghouls victimizing graves were trapped in one of the mines by a
moved to its site in the center of the was apprehended and punished. cave-in and that their bodies were
mining property. Eventually it was Numerous articles about Hedges- never recovered. This is pure fiction
sold as scrap to a Chinese firm and for but one Chinaman ever lived in
was shipped to China to drop on ores the camp, and he later removed to
in that country. Yuma. There are no dead occupants
The death knell of the camp was in the shafts, drifts, and stopes of
sounded when Eastern capitalists Hedges-Tumco.
began using it as a plaything. They The area now abounds with camp-
would arrive in chartered Pullman ers in trailers and pickups, as well as
cars, which sdtting on the siding at a liberal sprinkling of tents, for the
Ogilby would serve as fancy camping winter weather is about the most mild
quarters for weeks at a time while the of any place in the United States. The
company big-shots soaked up the possibility remains that the mines
desert's winter sun — and the firm's will once again come to life now that
profits. The mines were literally OPEN MINE the price brought by the precious yel-
played out, not from lack of ore but by low metal is staying over *500 per
playboys and their "soiled-dove" com- jfc SHAFTS ounce. The old workings, however,
panions, eating up the profits until are in a serious state of disrepair and
there was no longer sufficient work- mining operations are not likely to be
ing capital. 4 » NOTICE W resumed until a great deal of addi-
The property eventually came into tional exploration h a s been com-
the hands of R. W. Walker and re- pleted.
mains a potential producer. C. S. But Hedges-Tumco is a great place
Walker successfully cyanided dump for the prospector, miner or rock-
material and mill tailings over a pe- hound to visit and enjoy. It's an his-
riod of seven years, recovering con- toric old camp. And who knows, one
siderable gold. might even come face-to-face with a
Today almost all of the remnants of genuine ghost-town spook. But he
the camp are gone, due somewhat to won't be wearing a queue, 'cause
the ravages of weather but more so to there aren't any dead Chinese any-
wanton destruction by vandals. The BLM sign says Hedges is where around. '
last remaining frame building, the old "fragile and irreplaceable." - WESTERN PROSPECTOR &
union hall, was torched by visitors a MINER
DESERT 35
 by James R. Mitchell

Collecting Sites Update: The Big of the old settlement. Stanton was cavities have been removed. There's a
Mack Mine, located In the northern originally called Antelope Station but good suggestion for helping to remove
part of San Diego County, has pro- due to the aggressive nature of one of pits and small fractures in the Oil Belt
duced nice gem stones in past years. its early residents, Charles P. Stan- Rockhounds' publication, The
Collecting is allowed on the claim at ton, the town's name was changed in Pipeline. It recommends that the
the rate of $2.00 per person, per day, his "honor." Gold was the primary rough-formed cabochon be sprayed
and the rockhound can work either of reason for founding the town, and with bright red enamel paint before
the two exposed veins. Blue, pink, there are still many active claims in final grinding. The paint permeates
and green tourmaline can be found in the vicinity. In fact, a few years ago, I the pits and causes them to easily be
addition to beryl, topaz, and small was able to dry-wash some colors from seen, whether wet or dry. I tried the
garnets. The beryl is pink, opaque one of the area's creek beds. To get to technique on some jasper that con-
blue, and clear. The collector, of Stanton, take the dirt road heading tained small cavities and found it
course, has to be very lucky to find east from A-89 about two miles north worked very well;
gem-quality specimens of any size, of Congress. The big wash is found An article in the Wlckenburg Gem &
but many small pieces can be found after traveling about four and one-half Mineral Society Newsletter suggests
with a day's work. A large number of miles, and Stanton is another one using empty 30-06 cartridges as dop
Indian artifacts have also been located and one-half miles down the road. sticks. Regular dop wax is used on the
on the property and Mrs. Hall, the New Equipment: Mohave Indus- closed end of the shell and, because it
owner, has an amazing collection of tries, Inc., 2365 Northern Avenue, is brass, it won't rust and less wax is
subtropical plants, cactus, and succu- Klngman, AZ, 86401, has recently de- needed. In addition the stones sel-
lents. I recommend a visit to the Big veloped a new dop stick alignment jig dom come loose, since they are air-
Mack Mine. For more information, to be used with material being dopped cooled from the inside. I haven't had
contact Mrs. L. Hall, Star Route, Box with wax. It employs optics to exactly an opportunity to try it, but those
190, Valley Center, CA 92082. center the stones and thus reduces who have used this method report
Outstanding ilmenite specimens grinding time and wasted material good results.
can be obtained just west of Quartz- on Mohave's automatic cabbing ma- Fee Collecting Sites Booklet: A
site, Arizona. To get to this collecting chines. This new dop stick has a ca- very useful publication is available
location, take the old paved road, just pacity of two stones at a time. which lists hundreds of fee collecting
south of Interstate 10, for what on my Faceter's Guild: Jack Williams of sites all over the United States. The
odometer was four and six-tenths the Arlington Gem and Mineral Club booklet describes what can be found
miles west. Turn on the dirt road and has recently formed the Texas Face- and gives addresses to write for more
continue south behind the hills for ter's Guild to build national recogni- detailed information. The locations
seven-tenths of a mile. Here you will tion for independent cutters are listed by state. If interested, send
see a number of mine dumps on the throughout the country who would $3.95 to Carol E. Kindler, P.O. Box
mountainsides. These dumps, and like to share information on 12328, Philadelphia, PA 19119.
the valley below, are where the ilme- techniques and equipment. If you are Gem Identification: Interested in
nite is found. Be sure to check the interested, contact Mr. Williams at learning how to identify various
ownership status of any mine you 6510 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, rocks, crystals and gemstones found
choose to explore, or restrict your col- TX 76116. on your trips? If so, I suggest consid-
lecting to the ravines and valleys be- Special Programs: The Arizona- ering the colored stone and gem iden-
low. The metallic ilmenite occurs in Sonora Desert Museum offers a con- tification courses offered by the
white quartz and contrasts beautiful- tinuing series of programs, including Gemological Institute of America. I
ly. Much of it displays well-formed many of interest to rockhpunds. One have just completed both and found
crystals and would be a proud addi- of the best is given every Tuesday at them to be among the most interest-
tion to any mineral collection. And 10:30 a.m. on the Museum grounds. ing I have ever taken. They do require
while in the vicinity, be sure to also It is entitled "Oddities of the Mineral some time and work, but the school's
keep your eyes open for small pieces World" and I highly recommend at- correspondence course instructors
of jasper, chert, and other cutting tending. In addition, their Earth Sci- are very helpful and the material is
materials. ences Center offers tours to interested well presented. Should you choose to
Collecting of beautiful wulfenite groups if arrangements are made take the gem identification course,
specimens is no longer allowed at the ahead of time. For more information you must have access to certain
world-famous Red Cloud Mine north on programs and activities, write the pieces of equipment. However, if you
of Yuma, Arizona. It has been re- Museum at Route 9, Box 900, Tuc- are like me and would want to pur-
opened and the owners, understand- son, AZ 85704. chase this needed basic equipment,
ably, do not want people interfering Helpful Hints: One of the biggest suppliers can be located by examining
with their operation. problems many lapidary enthusiasts advertisments in Desert Magazine
Nice cutting materials can be found encounter when making cabochons is and rockhound journals, or the Insti-
in the washes near the ghost town of removing all the- pits and small tute can supply it through their sub-
Stanton, Arizona. It is possible to pick cracks. After each application to the sidiary, Gem Instruments Corpora-
up specimens of agate, jasper, and wheel, it is necessary to completely tion. For a catalog of courses, write
even black tourmaline, especially in dry the stone and carefully inspect it the Institute at 1660 Stewart Street,
the large wash a short distance west under strong light to determine if the Santa Monica, CA 90404.

36 JULY, 1980
 Monthly Photo Contest Rules
Lf ach month when entries warrant, Desert Magazine will award $25
•*-' for the best black and white photograph submitted. Subject must be
desert-related. In the opinion of our judges, none of the entries received
Listing for Calendar must be received by the deadline for our June contest qualified for an award so no prize
at least three months prior to the event. will be awarded this month. Prize money will be added to next month's
There is no charge for this service.
winnings, a total of $75for the lucky winner.
May 22-Sept. 7: Exhibition. Hopi Here Are The Rules 3 Each photograph must be labeled (time,
Kachina: Spirit of Life. California Prints must be B&W, 8x10, glossy. place, shutter speed, film, and camera).
Academy of Sciences. San Francisco, Contest is open to amateur and 4. Judges are from Deserfs staff.
Calif. May 22 through September 7, professional. Desert requires first 5. Prints will be returned if self-addressed
1980. publication rights. stamped envelope is enclosed.
July 4-6: Deming, New Mexico. An- Address all entries to Photo Editor, DESERT Magazine,
nual Butterfield Trail Days. Parade, P.O. Box 1318, Palm Desert, CA 92261.
fiddlers' contest, dances, trading
post, and barbecue, hosted by cos-
tumed villagers.
Through July 27: Museum of Man,
1350 El Prado, Balboa Park, San
Diego. Open daily 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
GORDON'S .
Wednesdays free. For more informa-
tion, call 239-2001. Teton-Sioux In-
IPOIII & Mineral
5555 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. California 90805
dians, from birth to old age, will be Phone (213) 428-6496
the subject of a Museum of Man ex- Open Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
hibit through July 27. Sunday 10 to 4:30 Closed Monday

July 10-13: Santa Fe, New Mexico. HEADQUARTERS FOR:

31st Annual Rodeo de Santa Fe. Lapidary Supplies • Jewelry Making • Rockhound Supplies
July 17-20: Santa Fe & Taos: D. H. Silver & Gold Casting Machines • Cut Stones • Rough Rock
Lawrence Festival, marking the 50th Write tor FREE ALL NEW GEM SHOPPER
anniversary of the death of the En-
glish author/poet who lived in Taos in
1922-25. Conference with authors
Robert D u n c a n , J a m e s Herlihy,
Richard Hoggart, Henry Miller. N.
READ ABOUT
STUDY
Scott Momaday, John Nichols, Philip
Roth, and others; $150.00, Lawrence TODAY'S GOLDRUSH
DESERT ECOLOGY
recital with actors/actresses (July Articles and news items about
On Lake Powell in Southern Utah
prospecting, mines and mining, both Four sessions during July and August.
17-19, S a n t a Fe) Dame Peggy
large and small operations. Pic- Includes: Geology, Archaeology, History, and
Ashcroft, Alan Bates, Anne Baxter, tures, hints, tips, advertisements for the flora and fauna of the region. In 12 days
Clair Bloom, Greer Garson, Julie Har- machinery, mines and claims. travel over 400 miles by houseboat. Take daily
ris, Dustin Hoffman, Trevor Howard, Published monthly. $5.00 per year. hikes through the surrounding canyons and
J a c k Lemmon, Diana Rigg and Send for sample copy. desert mesas. Visit Indian ruins, natural
bridges and arches. Identify plants and ani-
others. Western PROSPECTOR & MINER mals. 4 units of university credit optional.
Contact: Professor Andrew Karoly
July 21-25: A photography workshop Box UK, Tombstone, AZS5fi:t8 Humbolt State University
in the San Gorgonlo Wilderness area. Arcata, CA 95521
Backpacking into primitive area. For (707)826-3754
nature lovers, flower & wilderness
photographers. Discussions, demon-
strations, and working field sessions. LIFETIME OF MEMORIES
Backpacking experience and good PACK THE GRAND CANYON
physical condition helpful. Partici- SOUTH RIM • NORTH RIM
pants must furnish own equipment,
food, camera, film, and transporta-
Mountain &Desert,Inc SUPAI WATER FALLS
WE TELL YOU HOW TO MAKE THE
tion to workshop location. (Fee
$85.00) For further information and ARRANGEMENTS TO SEE IT ALL.
details, contact Floy L. Jarzabek,
3630 Geary Place, Riverside, CA
JUST FOB YOU! WE SEND MAPS, PHOTOS, TIPS.
WHAT TO, AND WHAT NOT TO TAKE.
PLUS INFO ON BEST TIMES TO GO.
92501. (714)683-4366. Expeditions from Sierras to Nevada, FOR8X 11 BOOKLET SEND...
Death Valley to M t . Whitney
August 1-9: Eighth Annual Festival of
the American West, Utah State Uni-
$2.95
• Bonded Guides • Fishing
versity, Logan, Utah. The Festival is a • 4WDs. • Photography
recreation of frontier life as it ap- • Camping • Geology
peared in the 19th century. For fur- • Hiking • Wildflowers
ther information, write or call: Utah You name it, We'll do the rest. B.EXUM
DEPT. D P H O T O ' © ARTS
State University, UMC 14 R-107, Lo-
P.O. BOX 2005 Ridgecrest, Calif. 93555 P.O. BOX6527
gan, UT 84322. (801) 750-1144 or
[7141375-1004 ORANGE, CALIF. 92667
1145.

DESERT 37
 arum
cant, from page 92 the town, and the town board slione water Company cus- cont. from page 33
low to justify additional capi- passed a resolution to con- tomers have enjoyed water the world. The location is
tal investment in physical sider forming a water dis- rates as low as any in the near Needles. The claim is the
improvements." So, Round trict. The county agreed to state, mostly because the property of the Needles Gem
Mountain, still something of apply for a federal grant and spring water was pure and and Mineral Club and is
a frontier mining settlement, help with the necessary legal needed no treatment, no en- opened to the public only on
Is facing problems like many and political arrangements. ergy is used for pumping, the occasion of the annual
towns and cities large and Further, the Smoky Valley and because of the owner's gem show.
small all across the country. Mining Division of the Cop- neighborliness. - Needles Desert Star
The town board of Round per Range Company has in- He concluded that if the
Mountain and the owner of dicated its willingness to grants applied for come
the water company contacted help. through, customers there
Dr. Knechel to help explore "The water situation could will still have relatively low
potential alternatives for re- become a major impediment rates compared to other small
solving the problem. Subse-
quently, the owner-operator
to growth in Round Moun-
tain," Dr. Knechel said, "with
towns in Nevada. And Round
Mountain can grow one more
PEOPLE'S POLL
of the water company an-
nounced he might consider
the difficulty largely being fi-
nancial, although the alter-
time, keeping the "ghost"
away that has descended on
AGAINST MX IN
selling the water system to native of the town taking over
the system now seems more
its neighbors like Belmont
and Ophir Canyon.
SILVER STATE
viable, especially if help can Tonopah TIMES -BONANZA Austin, Nev. — A recent
EXPERTS SUGGEST be derived via grants." Sho- and Goldfield NEWS poll of Austin citizens regard-
ing the MX "racetrack" mis-
GERMAN SILVER sile system came up with
some adverse opinions. Not
FOR HOBBY WORK all persons wished to have
Sacramento, Calif - With their names printed but they
the high price of silver going
higher, the silversmith or
M0T0RH0MES STILL BEST will recognize themselves.
Laurence Saralegui: "Now
hobbiest might consider try- if they would build the MX
ing German silver. The cost is
much less and it solders and
FOR LOW-COST VACATIONS around the White House,
Congress and all their homes
handles about the same as Detroit, Mich. - No matter spent between $1,979 and and everything, we could
real silver. It even looks like how you figure it, even up to $2,239. conquer two birds with one
silver. So why is it so much $2.50 a gallon for gasoline, A second family, hauling a stone. They'd have to start
cheaper? There is no silver in vacationing by motorhome pop-up travel trailer behind a using their heads and we
it. It contains 65% copper, still beats anything except 318-cubic-inch V8-powered wouldn't need the draft."
17-1/2% zinc, and 17-1/2% hitchhiking. Dodge Aspen, staying each John Nagy: "Tell the politi-
nickel. Sterling silver con- That's the conclusion of an night in a state park and eat- cians there won't be any
tains 92-1/2% silver and analysis by Chrysler engi- ing half their meals out, kickback and there won't be
7-1/4% other metals. Fine neers of various types of va- spent between * 1,810 and any MX."
silver is 99-l/2%pure silver. cations — all based on a fam- $2,240. "It's the best thing that
Mexican silver is 95% silver ily of four traveling 3,000 A family of four vacationing ever happened to our area.
and 5% copper. U.S. coin miles over a two-week period. in a rented class C motor- Look at all the jobs and
silver is 90% silver and the Meals and motel/hotel home, staying each night in a money it will bring in."
balance copper. The melting prices were held constant in state park and eating all their "I'm leaving!"
point of fine silver is 1,760 calculating the cost, while meals in the motorhome, — Reese River Reveille
degrees and for sterling silver the price of gasoline was var- spent between $1,600 and
it is 1,640 degrees. Silver sol-
ders are used for silver work
and are alloyed in four differ-
ied between * 1 and $3.
One family, traveling in a
six-cylinder Plymouth Volare
$2,350.
The study according to
Chrysler engineers, proves CHEAP
ent grades or melting points.
Usually the harder solder is
used for the first assembly
and softer solders later.
that averaged 23 miles per
gallon of gasoline, staying
each night in a hotel and eat-
ing all their meals at
that the economics of RV
travel are still favorable in the
face of any foreseeable rise in
gasoline prices.
GOLD
Buena Park, Calif. — Even
- THE ROCK LEDGER modestly-priced restaurants. - Desert News Service Knott's Berry Farm, the pop-
ular tourist attraction in this

CROSS-COUUJTRT town near Disneyland, has

been affected by the soaring
price of gold. Visitors must

S U I T WALK
Blythe, Calif. — Joe Bowen, ing 20 miles per day. paying Bowen's expenses
now pay $1 instead of 85$ to
pan for gold. Knott's obtains
bags of gold-bearing sand
from miners in the Yukon
who is walking across the His goal is to r a i s e plus those of a friend who is River Valley of Alaska and
country on two-foot high $100,000 through donations driving a motor home Bowen from each pan, the panner
stilts, was in Blythe recently for the Muscular Dystrophy s l e e p s in after a day of should average about 12
to help raise funds to fight Foundation. walking. flakes of gold. One flake is
muscular dystrophy. Bowen's walk is sponsored During his stay in Blythe, currently worth about 10<t so
Bowen began his trip Feb. nationally by the Jaycees, ac- Bowen plans to have work even at the new prices, pan-
23 in Los Angeles and will cording to Bob Zimmerman, done on the motorhome at a ning at Knott's is still a
walk on stilts to his home- a spokesman for the Blythe local shop. bargain.
town of Bowen, Ky., averag- Jaycees. The organization is - Palo Verde Valley TIMES — Desert News Service
38 JULY, 1980
Sign Giit Card'.
 Broken-Hearted
1
BRA by Don Miller
M ANY OF THE NAMES THEY Have been called are
unprintable. Others include Rocky Mountain
Canaries, Pike's Peak Canaries, Southwestern Night-
ingales, Colorado Mockingbirds, Colorado Nightingales, asses,
jackasses, jacks (males), jennies and/or jennettes (females),
Equus asinus, donkeys, or burros.
Some authorities claim they were the first animal to be domes-
ticated and that those still to be found in the American West were
derived from a stock of African wild asses about 6,000 years ago.
Their raucus "hee-haw" bray is unmistakable. Phosphor Mallam
wrote in The Donkey/ Book: "When that long-drawn rocketing peal,
in swelling volume of nasal treble and gutteral bass, rings and
echoes through the city streets, and the tragic-comic clangour is
traced to the distorted throat and bared gums of an incongruous
moke, risibility is tickled, and man gives way to irresistible
laughter.'.'
Some claim the donkey's serenade is a broken-hearted cry
against the pain of existence, while others call it "a voice of poetry."
One observer wrote: "His nostrils curl till his teeth show, and from
this tautly opened mouth comes a long-drawn-out cry, a wild Yah!' like
a wail of the banshee, followed by three loud raspings and expiring in a
series of wheezy throatings."
Not only do their voices ring throughout the West, so do legends about
them flourish. Burros are frequently credited with unearthing rich gold
and silver discoveries. One observer claimed the burro unassisted has
developed more mines than all the railroads in the world.
Nevada folklore has it that Jim Butler picked up a rock to hurl at his
burros to hurry them up and noticed it was mineralized quartz he held in
his hand. This led to the discovery of several area mines and the founding
of Tonopah, Nevada.
Another tale has it that "Bill," the "Jackass of the Coeur d'Alenes,"
discovered the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mine at Kellogg in northern
Idaho — the world's largest silver producer. Some claim Bill was
placed on a farm at Cottage Grove, Oregon, to live out his last years in
relative luxury, which he did until he died of natural causes. A
conflicting report is that the burro was brought to Murray, Idaho,
where local miners tied a bundle of dynamite sticks to him, lit the
fuse, and blew him up.
Still another version also claims the animal was at Murray in the
late 1880s. A tambourine-playing Salvation Army lass was visiting
saloons and she saw miners giving Bill booze and chewing
tobacco. The young lady is said to have taken Bill away from all
that to walk the straight and narrow path. But Bill escaped and
wandered around in the surrounding mountains and found an
unattended operating still. He reportedly chomped his teeth onto
the spigot and soon died of alcohol-caused delirium tremens.
Then there's the story which claims Bill was retired to a farm near
Cle Elum, Washington where he later was shot and killed.
40 JULY, 1980
 Tales of the uncanny abilities of burros
to find water, of their superior intelligence,
of their surefootedness, and of their
excellent sense of direction are legion. A
miner near Ouray, Colorado broke his leg.
Prunes finally died in 1930 at age 63 and
his grave was marked by a monument
featuring an inscription made from coal
from the mines in which he had toiled so
long and faithfully. His master, R. M.
T 1 HE FUTURE OF the animals is
uncertain. Los Alamos Lake,
Arizona is a center of troubles in
burro country. Burros in the area are
rounded up and shipped to foster homes
The story avers that his burro quickly Sherwood, died in 1931 at 82 years of age. throughout the country through the
trotted 15 miles to the nearest camp for He had previously asked that his remains "Adopt a Horse" program. West of Los
help, which was promptly sent. Another be buried next to Prune's monument near Alamos Lake, burros are bothersome to the
burro was once used to pack a the Hand Hotel on the main street of U.S. Navy at its China Lake Naval Weapons
badly-injured mountain climber off Mt. Fairplay. Center. Northward, in the Grand Canyon
Stuart in the Cascade Mountains. National Park there are plans to kill several
In another tall story it's claimed a HEN THE "PROGRESS of hundred of them to protect the remote and
greenhorn to the West saw a burro with an ization" drastically reduced fragile channels that run to the Colorado
upside-down wheelbarrow on its back. The the need for burros, many were River. To the south they compete with
newcomer asked the animal's owner why turned loose in the western wilds to fend bighorn sheep for scarce food. The prolific
this was done. The owner replied that the for themselves. These are called feral breeders eat almost anything: dropseed,
burro frequently got tired toiling up burros, perhaps because they proliferate Indian rice grass, mesquite, black brush,
mountainsides, so when animal and owner aggressively like a weed. Some were shot brittle bush, and lichen. They even chomp
came to the peak, the burro was turned by "sportsmen," but most are now- up the tender bark of the palos verdes trees.
over onto the wheelbarrow and wheeled protected by law and still roam wild (in One observer commented about what
down the other side while he rested. descending order of numbers) in lies ahead. He claimed that the great day of
Genuine affection between man and California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, the burro is past, that he has no place to
animal was not uncommon. Perhaps the Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, call home, and that he no longer appeals to
best-known and warmest relationship and Texas. More recently, some of these people. Of the wild burro the observer
involved old-time miner R. M. Sherwood feral burros are being adopted under the wrote: "Ownerless and homeless, he lives
and a burro. Some people say the animal "Adopt a Horse" program of the Bureau of like the alley cat around small towns and
came to Fairplay, Colorado looking so old Land Management. mining camps, sometimes even getting
and wrinkled that the miners dubbed him Some burros are neither domesticated ordinances passed against him for being a
Old Prunes." Others maintain he was nor wild but rather, somewhere in public nuisance. No wonder his heart is
wrinkled because he ate prunes from a between. These are the moochers who broken."
wooden box that had broken open after it approach the public for a food handout So, as you ramble through the West and
fell from his mother's pack. and spend the balance of their time in the have the chance, you might want to
When Prunes was retired from a long life hills or deserts. They range the West from befriend a broken-hearted burro — or at
of working underground in area mines, he Custer State Park in South Dakota's Black least give one or more of them a beep of
turned to mooching flapjacks and bread Hills to such places as the streets of the horn and a friendly wave. Sometimes
and other goodies from Fairplay residents. Oatman, Arizona. they even answer back! fj]

Photo taken at Dole Meadows, Mono County, in 1943 by H.M. Hall was captioned "3partners"
with a notation that the prospector was 78-years old.

DESERT 41
 The
McCain Valley
Pictographs

Article and Photographs

by Tom Evans

O
NE OF THE rarest kinds of art when a pictograph is ruined, but there are assumptions and the little that is really
I created by native Americans, fragments of information from many known. The conclusions that are finally
pictographs, also may be the sources that indicate who made the rock made rest on the loose sand of not
most vulnerable to loss, as they are paintings and why they were made. If these knowing absolutely.
comparatively scarce and easy to destroy. indications are correct, the rock art was of One of the most notable detectives in
Petroglyphs (rock carvings) and intaglios extreme importance in prehistoric- the field of pictograph research is Ken
(images made by scraping the desert floor) cultures. Hedges, Curator of Archaeology and
have suffered heavily from vandalism, but Ethnology at the Museum of Man in San
special circumstances work in their favor.
The vast number of petroglyphs assures
that some will survive, while the typical
large size of an intaglio requires a major
physical effort for its total destruction.
7 -f HERE IS continuing effort to find
out more about the meaning of
pictographs, but "hard evidence"
is almost nonexistent. There are a few
accounts from Indians themselves, but
Diego. He recently completed an inventory
of 27 rock art sites for the Bureau of Land
Management in the McCain Valley Study-
Area in eastern San Diego County. Hedges
has researched rock painting in the area
Not so with pictographs (rock paintings). these usually are scraps of information, for 10 years and has authored numerous
One warped mind and one can of spray often given with reluctance. papers on his findings.
paint can cause irreparable loss on a wide The detective work deals with bits and The rock art inventory is in a portion of
scale. No one knows for certain what is lost pieces of information, mixed with the area once dominated by the Kumeyaav
42 JULY, 1980
(pronounced Koom-yi), or Southern are scatterings of small sites in dismemberment tn die supernatural!
Diegueno Indians. They occupied most of out-of-the-way places. These may have world," Hedges said. "This theme has not
what is now San Diego and Imperial been "power spots" where the shaman been specifically identified for the
Counties and a portion of Northern Baja, went alone to contact the supernatural and Kumeyaay, and the presence of the skeletal
California. There is evidence they lived in restore his power. motif must remain as a tantalizing
the area at least 1,200 years. Among the most commonly recurring indication of all that we do not know."
The known rock painting sites occur in features in the rock paintings are abstract
an area of desert mountains about 80 miles designs which Hedges believes might be A MONG OTHER design elements
long and up to 20 miles wide — only a pictures of phosphenes which are the light / I in rock art of the McCain Valley
fragment of the area occupied by the images that many people can "see" when JL A. study area which have
Kumeyaay. The sites extend into Baja for they close their eyes. The images can be shamanistic implications are those with a
about 30 miles. All of the paintings within caused and heightened by rubbing the sun motif. These occur at numerous sites
this area have similar design features and closed eyes. Phosphenes also can appear and reflect the belief that the sun was the
are known as the La Rumorosa style. The with severe headaches or if something hits source of life and power.
name is derived from the most elaborate your head hard enough to cause you to Hedges has identified rock art sites
site of the style which is located in Baja. "see stars." which are associated with the winter
All of the sites are associated with late "What you are dealing with," Hedges solstice. He also located what appears to be
prehistoric or historic Kumeyaay said, "are stimuli received by the brain Kumeyaay "observatories" used to
habitation. The latter is indicated by which the brain interprets as visual stimuli determine when the sun would halt its
representations of men on horseback, and in the absence of true visual stimulation. chilly movement on the southern horizon
one site appears to depict Christian The brain has a way of dealing with things and rt turn northward to restore life.
symbols. Hedges said the typical sites are it can't understand or cope with, so it "If you observed the points at which the
in shallow rock shelters and are clearly interprets the phosphenes as light or a sun rose from the time of the summer
visible to anyone standing a considerable visual pattern. solstice (June 21st or June 22nd), it would
distance from the paintings. The La Hedges said there are a number of basic appear to move toward the south each day.
Rumorosa style of paintings is patterns and elements that occur It would reach the southernmost point at
characterized by human figures with frequently in phosphenes. He has asked winter solstice, on December 22nd,"
fingers and/or toes (digitate several of his friends to record the images Hedges said.
anthropomorphs), lizard forms, sunbursts, they see so he can compare them to the "As the winter solstice approached, it
circles, and grids. They are painted in red,abstract designs in pictographs. was a bad time for the Kumeyaay, as well as
black, white, and yellow. "We know that the shaman used the many other people. The weather was cold
The red paint is red ocher (iron oxide). hallucinogen, jimson weed, in trances," he and there was no new growth. If something
The black is manganese dioxide and some said, "and this would intensify the was not done to "stop" the southern
charcoal. The source of white pigment is phosphenes. There are other ways of movement of the sun, there would be
unknown but may be chalk or gypsum. The achieving this result, such as fasting. To the no new life and the world would come
yellow is yellow ocher. Hedges believes north, in the Tehachapi area, the Indians to an end.
the difficulties of obtaining raw materials ingested red ants and let them bite "Even though the sun stopped its
and mixing the paints would preclude internally. Apparently, this also caused southern movement every year at the same
making the paintings for frivolous reasons.hallucinations." time, you could never besure it would
Other designs which occur at some rock happen. It was necessary to do the
JT T E IS CONVINCED that most of the painting sites appear to be related to the ceremonies. It was a time of real crisis and
§•—•§ rock art of the La Rumorosa style Kumeyaay story of creation. These include it was believed that the shaman was able,
M J. was done by shamans, the the presence of two human-like figures, a through his contacts with supernatural
individuals who supposedly had the ability centipede-type representation and powers, to have some measure of control
to contact and interact with the a whirlpool. over the cosmos."
supernatural world. In their story of creation, there were two For the last four or five days centered on
"The shaman was much more than a brothers who lived under the earth. They the winter solstice, the Kumeyaay could
medicine man or a witch doctor," Hedges came to the surface through the sea. One not tell by naked-eye observation that the
said. "His contacts with the supernatural of them opened his eyes in the saltwater sun was coming up in a different place on
were for many purposes — to increase and was blinded. His movements are the the horizon. Would it go north again and
game, to bring about the abundance of cause of earthquakes. bring springtime and new life, or would it
plant foods, control weather, foster human The other brother was the creator of go south again? Finally, northern
fertility, and cure illness. everything. When he died, no one knew movement could be seen. There are
"His contact with the supernatural could the ceremony for the dead, so one of the ethnographic accounts that this event
occur through visions, dreams, and trances people was sent as a bubble or whirlpool brought forth enthusiastic song and dance.
which could be natural or which could be in the river to the sea to search for the Hedges has made winter solstice
produced by fasting or by the use of monster, Maihiyowita, a centipede-like observations from some of the places used
hallucinogenic substances. creature. by the Kumeyaay for the same purpose.
"Such activities may result, as they have The monster came and taught everyone The observatories have rock alignments in
in many cultures, in art which illustrates the ceremony, then curled himself inside a which one axis points toward a distance
mythological themes, the shaman's house. Fire was set to the house and the horizon marker such as a prominent rock
experiences, beings, and forces he monster was burned. He broke into pieces, or mountain peak. In one case, the horizon
encounters in the supernatural realm, which scattered throughout the world. The marker, where the sun rises, is 14 miles
animals from which he derives legend says that is how we got different away and allows a great deal of precision in
supernatural power, or the shaman himself cultures and languages. determining the time of winter solstice,
as he performs his magical duties." Another recurring design is the skeletal Hedges said. But unfortunately, the rock
Shamanistic performances and painting figure, which Hedges said bears out a alignments at one of the observatories have
may have been connected with a wide theme that is common to shamanism in since been ruined by vandals.
variety of ceremonies, both public and North America and Siberia. The bones are
private, Hedges said. He noted that the viewed as the essential source of the life T" T" EDGES IS confident that a lot of
easily visible sites may have been the force, rather than the flesh and vital organs. r—J the general assumptions made
location of ceremonies conducted in the "In shamanism, it is from the bones that JL JL about Kumeyaay rock art are
presence of numbers of people. There also shaman is regenerated after his death and correct because they are based on a
 general knowledge of shamanism T" T"EDGESSAIDthatallbutafewof
throughout the West. r—J the known rock art sites in the
"As far as getting specific explanations," JL J. study area are either on public
he said, "I think that literally is impossible. land administered by BLM or in
What we know about shamanistic Anza-Borrego State Park. There is one
experiences in general indicates that any outstanding exception — a site called
individual shaman's experience is going to "Wikwip," or "talking rock." It is said that,
be unique, so only the person who made if you stand in front of a particular rock at
the painting would know what it is really the site and talk to it, the rock will repeat
about. your words.
Are there shamans among the Kumeyaay Wikwip is considered one of the largest
today? and most significant of all known sites and
"I don't know," Hedges said. "There are it is the only Kumeyaay site on the
people who have shamanistic knowledge. California side of the U.S.-Mexico border
.:. m6st rock art was Whether they are actually shamans or not is
hard to say. I think there probably are
about which there is ethnographic data.
In the late 1920's, Malcolm Rogers of the
done by shamans \ ^ some. You can't just contact one and talk to Museum of Man obtained an account of the
him. I know of no one who claims to be a site from Wass Hilmawa, a Kumeyaay, who
shaman or who says he can interpret the said that the paintings in the cave were
rock art." made by shamans as they prepared for

four questions hit me at the same time, but

I Found The Sleeping Giant the answers were not to be revealed until
many years later.
This fascinating episode of mv early
by flying career occurred in November, 1923-
I was flying from Santa Monica to
Col. F. G. "Jerry" Phillips Albuquerque in an open-cockpit, World
War I biplane. I was slightly off course to
the north of Blythe when, as I approached
the Colorado River, the first recorded
Observation of these giant effigies was made.
This unusual work of man had lain
undiscovered by the passing pioneers, the
settlers and even modern man for
hundreds of years.
My observation went unheralded
because I did not realize the importance of
my findings. Discussion on the subject was
limited to friends and family and the matter
was soon forgotten.

LMOST TEN years later, in 1932,

A another pilot, George Palmer of

Blythe, rediscovered the figures
and some publicity was given to his
findings. This led to further inquiry by Dr.
Arthur Woodward and Dr. Charles Van
Bergan, both of the Los Angeles County
Museum. These gentlemen requested aid
from then Lt Col. H. H. Arnold of the Army
Air Corps at March Field.
That same year at the request of Col.
Arnold, Lt. Minton Kay and Sgt. Stephen
McAlko reconnoitered the area and took
numerous aerial photos of what Lt. Kay
termed "Indian Petroglyphs' Later a short
ground trip was made into the area on foot
by Lt. Kay, Drs. Woodward and Van Bergan,
The figures were located and data were
exaggerated knee caps and the odd gathered.

L
OOKING DOWN from an altitude
of 5,000 feet to the barren desert looking toes made a fascinating caricature. Struck by the enormous size of the
floor beneath me, I could hardly But this creature was not alone! figures and curious about the unanswered
believe what I saw. My curiosity motivated Just a short distance west of the prone questions surrounding their origin, Lt. Kay
a change in course. Flying north and man figure was that of a deer or possibly a did some research, came up with some
dropping to a lower altitutde, I could make horse. I estimated the size of the animal interesting facts and theories, and wrote an
out a distinct outline or figure of a man figure to be about 100 feet long and nearly article entitled "Was There an Advance
carved out of the dark gravel rock surface the same height. Culture in the Southwest?" This excellent
of the ground below. This unusual work of man out here in story was published in the Air Corps News
It was of enormous size, at least 200 feet the middle of nowhere with no sign of Letter (October, 1932). . .
long, with detailed extended fingers on the civilization for miles in any direction — I It appears that nothing fui ther occurred
end of each outstretched arm. The wondered what, who, why and when? All until 1943 when Gen. Henry "Hap"
rituai limcc. [t ia r.ot known il she wafi earned out to prevent adverse impacts on
present when paintings were made, or if archaeological resources by some
the story had been passed down to her. proposed project on the land. The ;.thfe:3ifj&eultiesof'
The site, about 100 yards from
BLM-administered land, is a large
inventory conducted by Hedges, for
example, will be part of a grazing
obtaining raw
rock-shelter cave on a hillside overlooking environmental statement. otatertate wctinlrf
a permanent spring and what formerly was
a large Indian village.
If Kaldenberg could achieve a research
project "for its own sake," say for
preclude
Paintings are located on the ceiling and Kumeyaay rock art, it could be extremely tirigsitor
back wall of the shelter. They include valuable. There are many Kumeyaay still us, reasons.
rectangular grids, an oval grid, sunburst, living in the area, on reservations and off.
ladder, herringbone design, what appears Some of them might be able to shed light
to be a serpent, full-bodied in an area of considerable darkness.
anthropomorphs, lizards, an arrow, The subject matter is certainly intriguing.
two-armed crosses, and other designs. Hedges says in the summary of his study
for BLM: "Rock art is a very signficant part

7
~i HE BLM archaeologist noted that of the archeological record in that it
almost all cultural resource provides one of our rare glimpses into the
investigations on public lands sacred, non-material world of the North
administered by the Bureau are now American inhabitants. fj\

Arnold, then head of the Army Air Corps, The attendant at a local gas station brown gravel, revealing the contrasting
was flying Gen. George C. Marshall of the replied, "Oh. yeah, I've heard about em. lighter-colored tan and grey soil of
Army on an inspection trip through the Never seen em myself but I hear it's quite the mesa.
Southwest. a sight. Go north on 95 about 20 miles." As to the time of construction, we have
Remembering Lt. Kay's report and Although it was late afternoon, my two assists. One, the lack of patina or
photos of the unusual Indian "Petroglyphs" enthusiasm was at such a high pitch I "desert varnish" on the overturned rocks
in this area, Gen. Arnold deviated from his decided not to wait any longer. Driving and exposed gravel at the bottom of the
course to show Gen. Marshall the great north I finally came to a roadside marker scraped-out furrows forming the figures.
Indian effigies nearBlythe, California. labeled "GIANT DESERT FIGURES." 1 Geologists tell us the patina or incrustation
Gen. Marshall was so impressed that parked my car and proceeded on foot. takes many hundreds of years to form, so
later, recalling the incident in the National Climbing a slight rise, I came upon a flat we have to assume that our artists did their
Geographic, he stated, "We were scanning mesa. To my surprise and sorrow 1 found work in rather recent times, possibly much
the ridges sloping back from the lower that the ravages of time, the devastation by less than 1,000 years ago.
Colorado River above Blythe. Then we saw the elements, and the careless acts of man Then there is the figure of the
them — gravel sculptures such as few men had all but obliterated these ancient four-legged animal which at first we
had ever laid eyes on, simple in outline, Indian intaglios that I had considered my presumed to be a deer, but with the long
childish in form, and yet so grandiose in personal discover.'. tail, the shape of the head, and the absence
scale as to take one's breath away." Motorcycle and 4WD tracks had of antlers, it would have to be an image
It was Gen. Marshall who later criss-crossed the surface of the prone of a horse.
convinced the National Geographic ' figures and the yearly flash floods had The Southwest Indians had no
Society's board of trustees that these eroded away portions of the main figure. knowledge of horses until that animal was
massive carvings on the earth's surface But as I stood in the fading twilight 1 was introduced into that section of the country
warranted a detailed investigation by a rewarded by the slow revelation of the by the Spaniards in 1540. This would then
scientific expedition. outline of the man figure, and as I turned give our subject an age of 430 years or less.
His suggestion resulted in the formation to my left, the horse was plainly visible, My guess would be just over 400 years.
of the National Geographic-Smithsonian and even a small serpentine figure came
into view. WALKED BACK down the slope to

I
Expedition of 1951 which made a detailed
study of these and other sculptures in the In the quietness and solitude of the area the historical marker on the side
Blythe and Ripley areas. I sat on a rock and began to meditate on of the highway. The California
An account of the expedition's work, tlie what, who, why and when of these Land Marks Advisory Commission had
"'Seeking the Secret of the Giant," by Frank figures here at my feet. Prior to coming for erected this monument to inform the
M. Setzler, then head curator, Department my first close-up look I had done extensive public. But here also the elements,
of Anthropology, U. S. National Museum, research, talked to knowledgeable people, corrosion, and defacing by man made the
was published in the National Geographic and formed my own opinion as to inscription difficult to decipher. Also, the
Magazine in September, 1952. their origin. Commission chose to state that it was not
1 believe this is one of a group of shrines known when, by whom or why these
ECENTLY 1 had the urge to revisit fashioned to commemorate the "Giant Desert Figures" were made. Such

R my sleeping giant. Over 50 years

had passed since that day I first
looked clown upon my prone friend,
destruction of Ha-ak, a monster, who
according to Indian mythology had claws
instead of fingers and toes, and who with
lack of imagination and initiative!
If a neophyte like myself could come up
with some plausible answers, then surely
spread-eagled on the desert floor. In that long sharp teeth devoured little children. they could have ventured a guess, or
interval many other people had visited the When the monster was finally destroyed politely stated "It is believed that these
place but now I was about to take a by a brave member of the tribe known as figures were... " and then go on to give
close-up look for myself. Elder Brother there was great rejoicing, you, the visiting public, something to think
Leaving Los Angeles I drove out through and the first shrine was fashioned on the about while viewing my giant.
Beaumont and Banning to Indio. Then the spot. Other shrines were made at various But don't wait 50 years like I did,
long desolate ride to Desert Center and on locations as the legend travelled with because in another 50 years, at the present
to Blythe. In Blythe I made at least a half moving and intermingling tribes. rate of eradication, there will be little left tc
dozen inquiries as to the location of what Evidence points to the Yuma Indians as look at and think about. My sleeping giant
should be called intaglios before I found a the artists who created the Blythe figures will have returned to legend from whence
man who had even heard of them! by scraping and digging out the dark he originally came. 0
 NORM MOLDENHAUER
a
Collectors Collector

about
Collecting Baskets and Stuff
by

MARY E. TWYMAN

Photographs by GuyMotil

N
ORMAN Moldenhauer, sharpened them to points to aid
deaing "Since 1956 in them in achieving fineness of design.
Western Art, Indian & He referred to Dat-so-la-le of
Cowboy Collectables — Nevada's Washo Indian tribe as being
Appraisals" according to his the most famous weaver, saying her
business card, has an easy, work has never been surpassed. She
never-in-a-hurry way of leaning was 60 years old in 1909 and at that
back in his chair as he talks. He time, when most Indian baskets
doesn't readily discuss himself, were selling for $1.50 or $2.00, her's
but his personal life slowly were bringing $150 to $250. They
evolved from glimpses as our are presently valued at as much as
initially somewhat formal $50,000! Norm has never owned
interview melded into warm one, explaining that "there are not
conversation. Revealed was not that many and they are almost never
only razor-sharp sensitivity, but for sale."
shrewd business instinct and When I asked about "natural
astounding in-depth knowledge materials," Norm's wife, Jeanine,
of the contents of his shop, loaned me an excellent book,
Southwestern Antiques & Indian Baskets of North America, by
Gallery, on Camino Capistrano in Dr. Frank W. Lamb.
San Juan Capistrano, California. Dr. Lamb writes of the Aleutian
Western paintings line the women of Alaska employing beach
walls. Ancient Indian baskets, grasses and a wild rye because these
some large enough to hold a were the only materials available to
four-year-old child, others the them, and splitting these grasses to
size of a catsup bottle lid, and near thread size and weaving them
some with a price tag of $4,000 " . . . to approach an appearance of
are everywhere. Pottery, Indian fine cloth." Because they " . . . were
beadwork, arrowheads, the limited for decorative materials, they
Manzo Charro saddlery learned quickly the beauty of varied
collection brought out of techniques of twining to produce a
Guadalajara last year — all of this pattern."
is pretty impressive evidence that Of the northwestern basket
Norman Moldenhauer is a makers, the Salish Indians used the
collector's collector, one who serves the connoisseur. coiling technique in two forms: coiling over a cedar splint with
"The past eight to ten years has seen a revival of basket red cedar root, and coiling over a bundle of fine roots or grasses.
weaving, but fine weaves and detail of design are non-existent, The baskets made with the splint technique were rigid and used
just never seen anymore." As Norm pursued this line of thought, as a pack or burden basket. The fibers used in the baskets made
he told how the hard times of the early 1930s, the urgency for with the bundle technique would swell with moisture and
young Indians to seek different careers, and World War II, caused
the old weavers to die without having passed the art on to their (Opposite) Thefamous Don Manuel Pereguinia fashioned the
children. They had used only natural materials gathered from the silver, an unknown artist the maguey, for this magnificent,
desert or mountains and they grew their fingernails long and 100-year-old Charro saddle.
46 JULY. 1980
 Norm andjeanine
Moldenhauer stand in their
basket-hung gallery. Behind
them is the Inaugural Saddle,
once owned by Mexican
Presidents Obregon and
Cardenas.

Coast Highway in South Laguna in 1967. It

was out of this store that he was able to buy
his first major collection of 360 baskets,
that of John Steven McGrority, for $11,000.
This collection contained representative
pieces from all the tribes of the Southwest,
and was one of the largest major
collections to come on the market. His
timing was excellent for it was then, in
1968 and 1969, that new collectors started
developing. The first 100 baskets brought a
retail price of $17,000, and he sold the
remainder for $2,500. The same collection
today would sell for over $300,000!
become water-tight. Heated stones were book with an erudition matching that of He sold that Trading Post in 1970 and
placed in this type basket to cook food. Dr. Lamb, but he is one of the few serious went on the road as a trader for four years,
Northern California's Porno Indians ". . . dealers in Indian artifacts who doesn't dealing primarily in Indian baskets and
made the use of feathers come alive in a claim some Indian heritage; his ancestry is rugs. Then, he opened Southwestern
symphony of blended colors. The plumes entire!}' German. His interest became Antiques & Gallery in Laguna Beach in
of quail, the redtops of woodpeckers, the aroused by his friendship with the Lee 1974. He moved to San Juan Capistrano in
yellow of the flicker and the iridescent brothers who owned Lee's Trading Post on 1976 and was able to buy the Eugenia
plumage of others were woven into fine Beach Blvd. in Stanton, California. The Foster collection of 1,800 baskets, which is
gift and ceremonial baskets." friendship began about 25 years ago when the largest private collection, including 400
The Southern California Mission Indians Norm was twenty-two. He never knew the miniatures, to have ever been sold. It has
",.. made use of the juncus almost entirely first names of either one of them; he would one or more pieces representative of each
as a sewing material and the coil is usually just walk into their trading post and say, tribe of weavers in the United States,
a bundle of grasses." Naturally the juncus "Hi Mr. Lee," and both brothers would with over 300 of them being from the
stem is straw color, with the lower part of answer 'Hi'. They were both bachelors and Apache tribe.
the stem being dark brown. To dye it black had collected for years. They would talk to Norm andjeanine, the business end of
they buried it in mud. Devil's claw Norm about arrowheads and Indian rugs the business, have been married 27 years,
(martynia) was also used for black. until his "head hurt," and now he only and while Norm was talking on the phone
The Death Valley Indians or Panamints, wishes he could have absorbed ii all. with an out-of-state caller, Jeanine
of the Great Basin weavers, used "... Norm remembers carving a totem pole explained that the beaded squaw dresses
sumac or willow stems for the foundation out of a telephone pole, which he sold to and moccasins were from the Leo Carrillo
of the coils" For black they used devil's the Lee brothers for $60. They always collection and filled me in on the gallery's
claw and for red they used yucca tree root. argued, and he remembers them bickering outstanding Charro collection, originally
Of the southwestern weavers, the over where, in front of their trading post, gathered together by Don Manuel Manzo
Papago Indians used a bear grass bundle in they were going to put it. One of the Pineda who established the Charro
their coiled baskets and split yucca and brothers died in 1961, and the other Association in the 1920s.
devil's claw for the sewing weft. The followed in 1965 at the age of 79, Norm Included in this selection of saddles,
Chitimacha Indians in the southeastern having taken care of him the last few spurs, hats, and swords is one saddle
region are famous for their use of cane, months of his life. originally made for Yldefonso Asunza of
and sweetgrass, which retains its aroma for In 1966 Norm and two others opened San Luis Potosi around 1870. As a young
years, was used by the Algonquians of the the Treasure Trails Indian Shop in the man, Asunza was issued, in 1820, the 36th
Northeast. Disneyland Hotel. He sold his interest and license to own and ride a horse by the last
Norm, perhaps, could have written this started Norm's Trading Post on the Pacific Spanish King to rule Mexico. The saddle
was later given by his family to President
Obregon as an inauguration gift. President
Every basket Obregon subsequently presented it to
weaving tribe is President Cardenas for his inauguration.
represented in the Another one of these saddles was given as a
Gallery's collection, gift to Pancho Villa who, in turn, presented
u 'hich was acquired it toI came one of his Generals."
away from meeting Norm
from Eugenia Foster believing that he deals not just in
in 1976. collectables, but in tangible phases of
history. If one could trace the lifetimes just
one Indian basket has touched, from the
hands that wove it, the people and
purposes it served, to its present place of
honor and value in Norm's gallery, pages
would be covered.
48 riRV losn
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 HANGING IN FOR 10,000 YEARS
by Karen Sausman

A
S IF A COMPULSIVELY tidy mind wiry gray stems. A large bush may have cooling winds. In colder deserts, the
had planted them with a compass dozens of such branches, none much more bushes are stubby because the air near the
and a ruler, evenly spaced than an inch in diameter. From a distance, ground is warmer and better for
creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata) steady the tiny foliage looks dense; up close, it is photosynthesis.
35 million acres of North American desert. light and lacy. The spring bloom which ordinarly
Uniformly tall and uniformly green, the As this central parent matured, two covers creosote with oodles of small
unbroken monotony of the creosote bush simultaneous things happened: some of lemon-yellow flowers may be greatly
flat conceals an astounding secret: Many of the older branches in the middle of the reduced or even entirely absent during
these unpretentious plants are thousands "bouquet" died and the younger, outer periods of extended dryness. Given even a
— possibly 10,000 — years old. branches growing parallel to the soil were little water, flowering and leaf production
You can't tell their age by any of the covered and took root. These new will resume. The greater the annual
usual signs: They aren't gnarled, their branches spread out and away from the old rainfall, the longer the flowering season,
trunks do not gain girth with the system while in time, all of the oldest and creosote may even bloom all year
accummulation of growth rings, and branches in the middle of the stem long. Leafing, on the other hand, doesn't
neither do they grow enormously tall. crown died. fluctuate with the water supply. A
Unless you know what to look for, one Over tens of hundreds of years, the minimum amount of rain triggers a
creosote is just like another and another clone continued to spread outward as maximum number of leaves, somewhat
and another. branches and roots on the inside of the similar to the ocotillo.
The secret is in the pattern of bushes, ring died and decayed. The neat circle The only thing a creosote bush isn't
not in the individual's growth. Aged grew at an average rate of two inches every adapted to handle is severe cold. Six
creosote ring bare ground, in the center of 100 years. An open area of exposed soil at consecutive days of below freezing
which long ago grew a single parent plant. the center of the clone ultimately resulted. temperatures will kill the same plant that
Gathered together at the soil line into a An ancient creosote is signalled today by a can endure up to five years of severe
tight stem crown and topped by sprays of bare circle (or ellipse) two to 20 yards drought. Consequently, creosote is absent
bright green foliage, the young creosote wide and surrounded by "individual" from our coldest deserts and higher
bush looks very much like a bouquet of bushes that are the unbroken growth of altitudes.
one plant many thousands of years old. Because it is a dominant plant
Frank C. Vasek, a botanist at the throughout most of the Southwest,
University of California, Riverside, creosote plays an important role in desert
discovered the exceptional longetivy and ecology. It stabilizes the landscape and
cloning capacity of creosote bushes. His provides protection, shelter, and
MUSEUM findings, verified by radio-carbon analysis, nourishment to a variety of animal and
OF THE radically altered scholarly guestimates plant life. As might be expected, numerous
HORSE, INC. which limited bushes to lifetimes of 100 to animals are creosote specialists, including
200 years. It seems certain that some living bees and the tiny creosote gall midge
clones have been growing since the first whose larvae produce the green or brown
seedlings colonized the Mojave Desert at pompom structures that often decorate the
the close of the Wisconsin glaciation, about bush. Scores of insects and spiders use the
10,000 years ago. bush as a water and food source, a place to
Creosote, often mistakenly called hide, a hunting site, and as a location for ••
greasewood, has always been well known reproductive activities. Every pan of the
as the most adaptable of our desert plants. plant is exploited — its flowers, petals,
It thrives where very little else can even leaves, stems, flower buds, seeds, and seed
gain a root-hold, because its long tap root husks — by birds, reptiles, and mammals
extends to the water table and its wide- as well. Even the root structure is useful,
spread surface roots take advantage of for it anchors the nests of burrowing
seasonal rains. Furthermore, it protects animals. Its breezy structure provides little
itself against competition for available solid shade but in the desert, even filmy
Six exhibit halls dedicated to the water from its own kind by exuding a shade is better than none. Annual plants
horse. From early Greek to modern somewhat mysterious chemical inhibitor often clump around creosote as do other
times. that prevents seedlings from rooting too tender seedlings and animals seeking
near the established plant. This standoffish protection from the sun.
ORIGINAL REMINGTONS • RUS- trait also accounts for the uniform spacing Because creosote dominates the
SELL BRONZE • ONE OF FOUR of bushes within stands of creosote. vegetation of the Coachella Valley, it is well
KACHINA CHESS SETS IN THE Creosote lives in the hottest climates represented at the Living Desert Reserve.
WORLD • WESTERN TREASURES because its very small waxy leaves neither Native plants are used exclusively in the
VALUED AT $1,000,000 overheat easily nor lose water when the Reserve's landscaping and botanical
Fine Indian crafts for sale in gift stomata are closed and photosynthesis is garden. Visit the Living Desert at 47-900
shop. halted. In the warmest deserts, the bushes South Portola Avenue, Palm Desert, seven
Just 60 miles south of Tucson on S-83 in tend to be taller so that the leaves are days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
historic Patagonia, Arizona farther away from blistering ground until the end of May. The Reserve will
temperatures and can take advantage of reopen on the first day of September.
Open daily 9 to 5. Your host: Anne Stradling
50 JULY, 1980
 Trail Foods
by Stella Hughes

B ACKPACKERS, OR ANYONE else

traveling light, who plan on
camping out overnight often
purchase a slew of pre-mixed dried foods
Pancakes aren't at all difficult to make
when backpacking. Take along hot cake or
waffle mix, pre-measured, in plastic bags.
Carry fresh eggs (powdered eggs can be
Hot Chocolate
Combine one 25 oz. package of instant
nonfat dry milk to one jar (6 oz.)
powdered non-dairy creamer, 2 cups
called trail-foods or trail-mixes. The variety pretty bad) by breaking them into a tall, powdered sugar, and one can (16 oz.)
is endless, and there's everything from narrow olive jar. The eggs will pour out instant chocolate, or you can combine
crunchy cookies, munchy cereals, chewy- one at a time when you're ready to use cocoa in any desired amounts. This batch
candy bars, punchy powders (needing only them. A three-ounce jar will hold three will make about 18 cups of hot chocolate
addition of water to make a zingy, eggs. Alka-Seltzer bottles will hold two drink. Pack in waterproof bags in case of
nutritious drink) to whole meals weighing beaten eggs but not, hoWever, very large rain. To make a hot chocolate drink just
mere ounces but containing enough eggs, so use small to medium size. And add 2 heaping tablespoons of ready-mix to
energy food to sustain a hiker for several there are other suitable containers to carry one cup hot water. Stir to dissolve.
days. Most of these prepared, light-weight
foods are delicious (any food is apt to taste Granola Mix
good when you're wolf-hungry) and it's big This recipe will make a batch large
business. Dozens of companies vie for the enough to last several days for a family of
millions of dollars spent each year for four.
trail-foods. 10 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Is this a brand-new industry springing 1 cup wheat germ
up in the last decade to accommodate the 2 cups raw sunflower seeds
needs of backpackers, the jillions of 1 cup sesame seeds
bicyclers, motor-bikers, horseback riders, 3 cups chopped nuts (combination of
(yeah, even hitch-hikers) demanding light almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.)
and nutritious meals for the road? Well, 1-1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
hardly. I suspect the original trail-pack was 1-1/2 cups water
when Adam and Eve sun-dried some 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
apples, added some snake jerky, wrapped fresh eggs, whole or beaten, such as glass 1/2 cup honey
it in some left-over fig leaves, and took it to or plastic spice bottles with sturdy 1/2 cup molasses
munch on during their journey out of screw-on lids. Never throw away an empty 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
Eden. Then, if you won't buy that, how spice bottle as campers can find a dozen 2 teaspoons cinammon
about Folsom man gathering berries and different uses for them. Just remember to 3 teaspoons vanilla
grass seeds in his hairy hands to sustain remove the original labels and paste on Raisins or other dried fruit, chopped, if
him while tracking the 16-toed sloth? new ones. desired.
The American Indians had a corner on Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large
the market for trail-foods when Columbus Ready-Mix bowl combine oats, wheat germ,
landed, somewhat off base, back in 1492. Before your trip, make up a ready-mix sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and nuts.
Dried meat (the Spaniards called it that can be used for biscuits, pancakes, Blend well. In a large saucepan, combine
Charqui), dried berries, seeds, roots, nuts, doughnuts, upside-down cake, dumplings, brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses,
smoked fish and game (everything from fry-bread, and coffee cake: salt, cinammon, and vanilla. Heat until
rats to lizards to fowl), and wild vegetables. 8 cups all-purpose flour sugar is dissolved, but do not boil. Pour
The noble redman's dried berries, parched 1 tablespoon baking powder syrup over dry ingredients and stir until
corn, suet, and jerky, pounded and packed 1 tablespoon salt well coated. Spread into cookie sheets
into gut casings was known as pemmican. 2 teaspoons cream of tarter with sides and bake 25 minutes or until
Pemmican was pretty hard to beat as a 1 teaspoon baking soda golden, stirring frequently. Cool. Add
nourishing and tasty snack for the 1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk raisins, dates, or any other dried fruit,
long trail. 2-1/4 cups shortening chopped. Makes 20 cups.
Always the chief interest of anyone In a large bowl, sift together all dry
preparing for a trek into country where ingredients. Blend well. With pastry Variations can be obtained by using
stores or trading posts are absent is to save blender, cut in shortening until evenly shredded coconut, or mixing some with
weight any way they can. They want food distributed. This makes about 12 cups of chunky peanut butter to be eaten as a snack
that will be mouth-watering good, ready-mix. between meals.
nourishing, and easy to pack. Serious Practice at home, using your biscuit Preparing a few basic ready-mixes makes
backpackers should check out freeze-dried mix, on proper amounts of sugar and good sense as they prove to be time and
foods available in sporting goods stores. spices to make delicious doughnuts, money savers, and using them makes less
These include hearty main dishes and cookies and even cakes, all of which can cooking more enjoyable for the cook. This
desserts that are generally prepared by be baked in packable Dutch or reflector often proves to be the biggest sales point
adding cold or boiling water. ovens. of all!

DESERT 51
 DESERT BOOK SHOP
SUCCESSFUL COIN HUNTING by Charles L THE PEOPLE'S GUIDE TO MEXICO by Carl
Gold Gatrett. A complete guide on where to search,
metal detector selection and use, digging tools
Franz. The LA Times says: "For valuable help as
well as entertainment ... lets you know what a
WHERE TO FIND GOLD IN THE MOTHER and accessories, how to dig, and the care and visit to Mexico is really like." Tips on personal
LODE by James Klein. The author is a partner in handling of coins. Newly revised, Pb., 231 preparation, your car, driving in Mexico, public
K & M Mining Explorations Company, which is pgs., $5.95. transportation, hitching, hotels, rentals, camp-
now developing three gold mining claims. In- ing, economizing, restaurants, foods, markets,
cludes a history of the gold rush, geology of the stores, cooking, alcohol, services, health, tourists
Mother Lode, where to find gold, count)' by
county, and how to find gold, including informa-
tion on equipment, panning, dredging, and how
Baja California and the law, speaking Spanish, customs,
machismo, buying things, red tape, maps, in-
formation, and personal anecdotes! Pb., 6" x 9",
to stake a claim. Pb., 121 pgs., $4.95. A FIELD GUIDE TO THE COMMON AND IN- 579 pgs., $9.00.
TERESTING PLANTS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
WHERE TO FIND GOLD IN THE DESERT by by Jeanette Coyle and Norman Roberts. Over
James Klein. Where to find gold in the
Rosamond-Mohave area, the El Paso Mountains,
250 plants are described with 189 color photos.
Includes past and present uses of the plants by
Cookery
Randsburg, and Barstow areas, and many more. aborigines and people in Baja today. Scientific, CHUCK WAGON COOKIN' by Stella Hughes.
Pb., 112 pgs., $4.95. Spanish, and common names are given. Excel- (Desert Magazine Bookstore's No. 1 best-seller.)
lent reference and highly recommended. 224 Recipes collected straight from the source —
pgs., Pb., $8.50. cowboy cooks. Contains Mexican recipes, in-
HIGH MOUNTAINS AND DEEP VALLEYS by structions for deep-pit barbecue, the art of using
Lew and Ginny Clark, with photographs by Dutch ovens for cooking, and everything from
Edwin C. Rockwell. A history and general guide THE CAVE PAINTINGS OF BAJA CALIFOR- sourdough biscuits to Son-of-Gun stew. Ph., 170
book to the vast lands east of the High Sierra, NIA, The Great Murals of an Unknown People pgs., $8.50
south of the Comstock Lode, north of the Mojave by Harry Crosby. A sequel to his THE KING'S
Desert, and west of Death Valley, by oldtimers HIGHWAY IN BAJA CALIFORNIA, the author pre- SOURDOUGH COOKBOOK by Don and Myr-
who know the area. Pb., 192 pgs., 250 photo- sents a tantalizing disclosure of a sweeping tle Holm. How to make sourdough starter and
graphs, and many maps. $6.95. panorama of great murals executed by an un- many dozens of sourdough recipes, plus amus-
known people in a land which has barely been ing anecdotes by the authors of the popular OLD
THE GOLD HEX by Ken Marquiss. Strange gold penetrated by man. Beautifully illustrated with FASHIONED DUTCH OVEN COOKBOOK. A
tales such as "Jim Dollar's Jimdandy," "Tybo color reproductions of cave paintings and new experience in culinary adventures, Pb., 136
Three Shot," "Buzztail Loot" and "The Lost sketches of figures which appear on cave walls slick pgs., illus., $4.95.
'Droopy Angel' Lode." Pb., illus. with photos and in four different mountain ranges. Hb., large
maps, 146 pgs., $3.50. format, 174 pgs., $18.50. CITRUS COOK BOOK by Glenda McGillis. An
unusual and outstanding treasury of citrus cook-
LET'S GO PROSPECTING by Edward Arthur. THE KING'S HIGHWAY IN BAJA CALIFOR- , ery. Includes tips on freezing, juicing and ship-
Learn about minerals and their characteristics, NIA by Harry Crosby. A fascinating recounting ping. Pb., spiral-bound, $2.00.
prospecting, descriptions of industrial minerals of a trip by muleback over the rugged spine of
of California, metallic ores, as well as mineral the Baja California peninsula, along an historic DE GRAZIA AND MEXICAN COOKERY. Illus.
maps of California. Pb., 80 pgs., $6.50. path created by the first Spanish padres. It tells by De Grazia, written by Rita Davenport. In her
of the life and death of the old Jesuit missions. It preface, Rita Davenport says, "Mexican foods —
GOLD RUSH COUNTRY/?)' the Editors of Sun- describes how the first European settlers were like Mexico itself — can be a fiesta of colors. So,
set Books. A revised and updated practical guide lured into the mountains along the same road. enjoy our rainbow of recipes and the delightful
to California's Mother Lode country. Divided Magnificent photographs, many in color, high- De Grazia artwork that follows." Aptly stated, as
light the book. Hb., 182 pgs., large format, this is a charming cookbook. Pb., spiral-bound,
into geographical areas for easy weekend trips, $14.50.
the 8" x 11" heavy paperback new edition is 63 pgs., $4.95.
illustrated with photos and maps. Special fea-
tures and anecdotes of historical and present- OFFBEAT BAJA by Jim Hunter. A guide to hid- CALIFORNIA FAVORITES COOKBOOK com-
day activities. Ph., % pgs., $3.95. den bays and beaches, islands, and missions, piled by Al Fischer and Mildred Fischer. This
with dirt road classifications rated " 1 " (easy) to delicious collection of over 400 California rec-
ipes includes things like Gold Camp Rabbit, Old
GOLD RUSHES AND MINING CAMPS OF "10" (practically impossible), what to expect in West Beef Stew, Indio Date-Nut Bread, Borrego
THE EARLY AMERICAN WEST by Vardis Fisher terms of gas, water, shelter, etc. Photographs, Springs Buttermilk Bread, and Sea World Ciop-
and Opal laurel Holmes. 300 pictures and 466 maps, bibliography. Ph., 156 pgs., $5-95. pino. Book is divided into five chapters; early
pages, divided into "The Gold Rushes," "Life in California, California fruits, California products,
the Camps," "Crime and Justice," and "Special THE BAJA BOOK II by Tom Miller and Elmar sea foods, and wine cooking. Well indexed. Pb.,
Characters and Situations." Based "as far as pos- Baxter. Highly recommended by Jack Smith, au- spiral-bound, 142 pgs., $3.00.
sible, on primary sources," to give the general thor of GOD AND MR. GOMEZ; Jerry Hulse,
reader a broad picture of the American West. Travel Editor of the LA Times; Frank Riley of Los TRACKING DOWN OREGON by Ralph Fried-
Hb., $22.95. Angeles Magazine; Stan Delaplane, syndicated man. An excellent general history of California's
travel writer; and Don Sherman, Car and Driver northern neighbor, which has as much desert of
GOLD LOCATIONS OF THE U.S. by Jack Magazine, among others. Includes 50 detailed a different description plus a lot of sea coast and
Black. Includes Alaska with streams, lodes and mile-by-mile road maps and NASA Baja exciting history. Many photographs of famous
placers, production figures, type of gold, lo- Spacemaps, with more than 100 illus. Pb., 180 people and places and good directions how to
cations "for the serious amateur who hopes to pgs., $8.95. get there. Pb., 307 pgs., more than 100 photo-
find enough gold to make a living." Pb., 174 pgs., graphs, $6.95.
$6.95.
THE OREGON DESERT by E. R. Jackman and
HOW AND WHERE TO PAN GOLD by Wayne Mexico R. A. Long. Filled with both facts and anecdotes,
Winters. Gold placers, how to pan, the "wet" MEXICO'S WEST COAST BEACHES by Al and this is the only book on the little but fascinating
processes, amalgamation, the "hows" of claim Mildred Fischer is an up-to-date guide covering deserts of Oregon. Anyone who reads it will
staking, metal detectors, camping tips for pros- the El Golfo de Santa Clara to the end of the want to visit the areas — or wish they could. Hb.,
pectors and miners, and location maps. Pb., 72 highway at Manzanillo. Excellent reference for illus., 407 pgs., $9.95.
pgs., $3.00. the out-of-the-way beaches, in addition to the THE BLACK ROCK DESERT by Sessions S.
popular resorts such as Mazatlan and Puerto Wheeler. One of Nevada's least-known and most
GOLD FEVER by Helen E. Wikon. History of the Vallarta. Although traveling by motorhome, the scenic historical desert areas is described by the
gold mining days in Jarbidge, Nevada, through Fischers also give suggestions for air, auto, fern-, state's leading professional historian and author.
the lives of persons then living. Illustrated with and train travel as well. Pb., well illustrated, 138 Black Rock is part of the huge Great Desert
many old photographs. Pb., 129 pgs., $5.00. pgs., $3.00. Basin and was the setting for Indian battles and

52 JULY, 1980
several tragic incidents during ihe 184;? Culifor INDIAN BA5KET WEAVING, HOW (0 WtUVt MINES OF JULIAN fly ffpfm WWiprg Pans 3t\rt
nla Goto Rusn. Kb., 186 pgs., many black and Porno, Yurok, Pima and Navajo Baskets, by lore of the bygone mining days when Julian, in
white photographs, sketches, and maps, $5.95. Sandra Corrie Newman. Besides explicit infor- Southern California, is reported to have pro-
mation on gathering and preparation of natural duced some seven million dollars of bullion.
BACK ROADS Of CALIFORNIA by Earl Thol- materials and weaving techniques, the author Pb., well illus., $2.50.
lander and the Editors of Sunset Books. Early brings out the meaning of the craft to the par-
stagecoach routes, missions, remote canyons, takers of these traditions. Ph., lavishly illus., 91
old prospector cabins, mines, cemeteries, etc., pgs., $4.95. Hiking
are visited as the author travels and sketches
California's back roads. Through maps and BACKPACKING GUIDE TO SAN DIEGO
notes, the traveler is invited to get off the free- COUNTY by Skip Ruland. An informative, no-
ways and see the rural and country lanes
throughout the state. Ph., large format, unusually
Mining nonsense primer to day hiking and extended
several-day trips into the Southern California
beautiful illustrations, 207 pgs., $6.95. FROM THIS MOUNTAIN, CERRO GORDO by mountain and desert back country, covering
Robert C. Likes and Glenn R. Day. The height of more territory than the title suggests. Also this
THE NEVADA DESERT by Sessions S. Wheeler. the boom, the decline, the entire history of this little book contains e m e r g e n t information use-
Provides information on Nevada's state parks, mining outpost of Cerro Gordo, is told in detail. ful wherever you hike or travel in the back
historical monuments," recreational areas and Pb., illus., $395. country. Pb., 80 pgs., several maps and sketches,
suggestions for safe, comfortable travel in the $2.95. '
remote sections of western America. Pb., illus.,
TELLURIDE "FROM PICK TO POWDER" by BACK COUNTRY ROADS AND TRAILS, SAN
168 pgs., $2.95.
Richard L and Suzanne Fetter. The Fetters have DIEGO COUNTY by Jerry Schad. Concentrating
THE COMPLEAT NEVADA TRAVELER by written about one of the wildest mining towns of on the mountains and desert of So. California's
David W. Toll. Not the usual guidebook, the Colorado, one that had its own law and was the San Diego Count)', there are trips to the Palomar
prototype for hundreds of Hollywood movies. Mountains, the Julian area, the Cuyamaca Moun-
author has divided the state into four regions: The people that made up Telluride's day in-
mining country, Big Bonanza country, cattle cluded Butch Cassidy and his Hole in the Wall tains, the Laguna Mountains, and the Anza-
country, and Mormon country, with special in- gang who found the bank in Telluride too rich to Borrego Desert. Trips reachable by car, bicycle
formation on big game hunting, rock-hounding, pass up. Big Billy, the kindhearted madam, and or on foot. Pb., 96 pgs., illus. with maps and
the Nevada state park system, maps, etc. Toll L. L. Nunn, the eccentric genius who used alter- photographs, $4.95.
includes the humorous sidelights of Nevada's nating current for the generation of power for
history and its scandalous events, all in a light, the first time anywhere. With black and white DESERT HIKING GUIDE by John A. Fleming. A
readable style. Pb., 278 pgs., $3.50. clearly-presented guide, describing 25 day hikes
photographs, maps, reprints from Telluride's in the Coachella Valley of Southern California,
newspaper, and their last chapter, "A Walking from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea. There is a
DESERT VACATIONS ARE FUN by Robert Tour of Telluride,' the Fetters have written an
Needham. A complete, factual and interesting informative and highly readable history. Pb., 194 map for location of each hike, total mileage per
handbook for the desert camper. Valuable in- pgs., 9" x 6", $4.95. hike given, round trip time, and elevation gain.
formation on weather conditions, desert vehi- Pb., 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", 28 pgs., $2.50.
cles, campsites, food and water requirements, in
addition to desert wildlife, mines, ghost towns,
and desert hobbies. Ph., illus., 10 maps, 134
pgs., $3.95. Desert Magazine Book Shop
HOT SPRINGS AND POOLS OF THE Order Form
SOUTHWEST by Jayson Loam. A delightful di-
rectory compiled by the Aqua Thermal Associa- Name
tion, with detailed descriptions, photographs
maps, history of hot springs and mineral waters Address
in California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. City -State-
Complete, well-indexed and researched. Pb., I enclose $_ _(check, money order or charge)
9-1/8" x 7-3/8", 192 pgs., $7.95.

MY CHARGE: VISA'
•
Indian Lore
Credit Card No.
SPEAKING OF INDIANS by Bemice Johnston.
An authority on the Indians of the Southwest, the
author has presented a concise, well-written Expiration Date MasterCharge
book on the customs, history', crafts, ceremonies
and what the American Indian has contributed Month /Year Interbank No.
to the white man's civilization. A MUST for both
students and travelers touring the Indian coun-
try. Heavy Pb., illus., $2.95. Signature
(charge not valid unless signed)
AMERICAN INDL\N FOOD AND LORE by
Carolyn Neithammer. The original Indian plants
used for foods, medicinal purposes, shelter,
clothing, etc., are described in detail in this fas-
cinating book. Common and scientific names,
plus descriptions of each plant and unusual
recipes. Large format, profusely illus., 191 pgs.,
$5.95.
INDIAN JEWELRY MAKING, Vol. I, by Oscar
T. Branson. This book is intended as a step-by-
step how-to-do-it method of making jewelry. An
intriguing all-color publication that is an asset to California residents add 6% sales tax
the consumer as well as to the producer of Postage/handling
Indian jewelry today because it provides the
basic knowledge of how jewelry is made so one TOTAL
can judge if it is well made and basically good
design. Large format, Pb., $7.95. Ordering Information $1.50 postage per order, NOT each item.
Use the convenient order form. Print all information Normally, we ship within 48 hours of receiving your order.
POTTERY TREASURES, The Splendor of
Southwest Indian Art, Photography by Jerry clearly. In the event of a delay exceeding two weeks, you will be
Jacka; Text by Spencer Gill. A beautiful all four- On orders exceeding $20.00 United Parcel Service is used notified as to its cause.
color publication showing the intriguing de- requiring a deliver)' address and NOT a box number. California residents please add 6% sales tax. Prices are
signs of the masters of the Indian pottery makers All orders shipped in padded containers or cartons. Add subject to change and supplies limitd to available stock.
of the American Southwest. You will learn of
clays and colors and the traditional methods of Mail today to:
handforming, finishing, and firing. Large format
$9.95. Desert Magazine Book Shop P.O. Box 1318, Palm Desert, California 92261
 THE TRADING POST
Gold from California's Mother Lode. Nice selec- Need 1-2 couples as permanent residents. Lovely
tion of mounted gold pieces. All genuine. $5.00 desert land, equidistant between St. George, UT,
each. 49'er, Box 1112-D, Sunland, CA 91040.' Mesquite, NV. We provide trailer site, water,
HOW TO PLACE YOUR sewer. Phone, propane available. No electricity;
TRADING POST AD. MAPS generator needed. We ask permanent residency,
OLD STATE, Railroad, County Maps. 70-110 years 3-5 yrs. minimum. Our purpose: to have resi-
old. All States. Stamp for catalog. Northern Map, dent on land. Information write: Smith, Box 667,
Mail your copy and first-insertion remittance Dept. DM, Dunnelion, FL 32630 Layton, UT 84041.
to: Trading Post, Desert Magazine, P.O. Box
1318, Palm Desert, Calif. 92261. Classified "Two Grey Hills"
rates are 75* per word, $7.50 minimum per PROSPECTING
insertion. DRYWASHERS! GOLD CONCENTRATORS! Guar-
Deadline for Classified Ads is 10th of second anteed to recover minerals, gold. A hobby that
month preceding cover date. pays for itself! Write to Nick's Nugget, P.O. Box
1081, Fontana, CA 92335. (714) 822-2846.
Ads requesting response to a P.O. Box num-
ber will not be considered for publication GOLD ... Prospect for profit! Panning, Sluicing, CROCHETED INDIAN RUG DESIGN
unless accompanied by the full street ad- Drywasher Plans. Send for complete Prospectors New and simple technique in basic double crochet creates
dress and phone number of the advertiser. Guide. $3.00 Ole Svenson, 595 West Line St. Box this beautiful 12" x 24" reversible fringed throw.
This information, for the publisher's records 1598D, Bishop, CA 93514. Kit includes step-by-step instructions, pattern diagram
only, is required by law. and yarn. (Hook not included) Prompt shipment direct or
PROSPECTING SUPPLIES. Books and informa- as gift from you.
tion on Twentynine Palms gold area available at Kit No. 118-7C-3 $12.95
Mac Mahon's Rock Studio, 6451 Adobe Rd., 29 Size "H" crochet hook 1.49
Palms, Calif. 92277. Visit our gift shop. Doolie Pattern Only 3.50
BOOKS AND MAGAZINES Dowsing Rod - $8.00. Other brochures .50
SUBSCRIBE TO the magazine that tells how to WOVEN STITCH CROCHET 5
live in a desert, rural area. Also contains fiction, SEEDS AND PLANTS
recipes, home furnishing tips — all sorts of P.O. BOX 212
goodies. Published quarterly, $4.00 per year. JOJOBA —25 clean seeds, instructions. $1.50 ALAM0G0RD0, NEW MEXICO 88310
DESERT LIVING, Star Rte. Box 6772. Pahrump, prepaid. Indian Trail Nursery, Star Rt. 2, Box 75,
NV 89041 Twentynine Palms, CA 92277.

"Rattlers and Rattler Hunters" The story of

rattlesnakes and the men that hunt and capture
them alive. A well-illustrated book describing
the habits of rattlesnakes, hunting methods, first
TREASURE FINDERS
INSTANT RICHES! Explore ghost towns. Find
buried treasure, coins, relics, antiques and
more. Goldak the finest "Metal and Treasure
n Jeep
aid for snakebite, and much more. $4.95 Post- "our only business"
paid. Hess Books, Dept. D., RD # 1 , Saxton, PA Locators since 1933." Send for free catalog.
16678. Goldak, Dept. D, 626 Sonora Av, Glendale,
CA 91201. SALES-LEASING
TREASURE—Locate quarter mile away with ul- PARTS-SERVICE
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
trasensitive locator, brochure free. Research We Service What We Sell
You can WRITE, PUBLISH, DISTRIBUTE and Products, Box 13441-BUC, Tampa, Florida 33611
keep the profits on your how-to-do-it book as I
am doing now. Details $3.00. CBC, P.O. Box DOWSING FOR old mines, bottles, relics, min-
2591, Chula Vista, CA 92012 erals, oil, water, lost objects, etc., learned easily, JOHNSON'S 4WD CENTER
inexpensively. No costly locators, seminars. De- 7590 Cypress Ave. at Van Buren
STAND UP TO INFLATION AND TAXES! Earn tails: Onaway, A55, 25 Lucky Dr., San Rafael, CA Riverside, Calif. 92503 (714) 785-1330
handsome profits (Two to three times your cost) 94904
on home wholesale business. Send $2.00 (Re-
fundable) for details and color catalog of over MISCELLANEOUS
2000 quality products including hunting, knives,
lanterns, lamps, toys, tools, dolls, hundreds SOURDOUGH FOR THE SOUL. Make yours. Rec- The original of this painting not for sale. Now
more. T. Charles Brown Co. Dept. DE-1, 812 ipes too. Only $2.00 to P.B. Inc., Box G, Cima, CA in the collection of Dr. & Mrs. R. S. BaMour,
Miller Ave., Cupertino, Ca. 95014. 92323. Palm Springs, California.
AGATE CLOCKS OR WINDCHIMES. $22.50 post-
EQUIPMENT paid. Satisfaction guaranteed. Gemclox, Box 35-
695, Houston, TX 77035.
PRECISION LAPIDARY Abrasive Compounds for
tumbling, polishing and grinding. Send for free FREE LITERATURE AND SAMPLE of Aloe Vera
catalog and price list. MDC Industries, 400 West Product, Suntan Lotion, Cosmetics, First Aid
Glenwood Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19140. Dealer Burn Gel, Face-Lift Kit. Write: Aloe, P.O. Box
Inquiries invited. 8418, Corpus Christi, TX 78412.
AUTOMATIC GOLDPANNER. Pan for gold the Personal Tours arranged to your interests: Pho-
easy way. From $395.00. Goldhound, 4078 Lin- tography, geology, fishing, camping, hiking,
coln Blvd., Marina Del Rey, CA 90291 (213) climbing . . . Mt. Whitney, Death Valley,
822-2252 Bristlecones ... Brochure: Mountain & Desert,
Inc., P.O. Box 2005, Ridgecrest, CA 93555
Make your own Sluice Box and Drywasher, send
$5.00 for plans to: D. Eisenbrey, P.O. Box 1193,
Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352. REAL ESTATE
240 ACRE RANCH For Sale: Essex, CA, Ranch
GEMS House, Barn, Water Well, Completely fenced.
SHAMROCK ROCK SHOP, 593 West La Cadena Contact Robert Gaskin, P.O. Box 7326, Riverside,
Dr., Riverside, CA 92501 (714) 686-3956. Parallel CA 92513.
to Riverside Freeway. Come in and browse; jew- HOW TO FIND And Purchase Good Country
elry mountings, chains, supplies, minerals, slabs, Land. Invest $5.00 for valuable, researched in- 74-425 HIGHWAY 111
rough material, equipment, black lights, metal formation. Box 1551D, Hawaiian Gardens PALM DESERT, CALIF.
detectors, maps, rock and bottle books. CA 90716.

54 JULY, 1980
Capture the spirit of Eagl
The101 proof Bourbon aged 10 years.
Like the majestic bird it was named for,
Eagle Rare is incomparable.
The very finest Kentucky Bourbon ever
created.
Our 10 long years of aging and careful
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One taste and you'll know

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EAGpRAR*
W -..•*

y, fewer than 1100 breeding pairs survive soi

J, write Fagle Rare, Box 123, New York, NY. II)
 A new gun that carries on theRuger tradition — an engineering
philosophy which has produced over the years a line of fine sporting
firearms, unique in their high quality and handsome design.

This first Ruger Over and Under Shotgun is a perfect- Every feature of the new gun reflects traditional
ly balanced, plain grade gun of elegant simplicity. By Ruger attention to detail and the high quality which the
the Ruger definition, "plain grade" means precision American shooter has come to expect of all Ruger fire-
workmanship and superior finish, with geometrically arms. Initial production of the 20 gauge model will be
accurate curved shapes, plane surfaces which are finely
polished and mechanical joints that are fitted to mini-
mum hairline clearances.

The unique new mechanism with rebounding ham-

mers and single selective trigger provides positive safety
advantages. The gun opens easily and closes solidly.
The distinctive styling and unusually low profile are ac-
centuated by the fact that there are no visible pins or
screws whatsoever. Barrels are hammer-forged, with 3"
chambers and appropriate choke combinations, auto-
matic ejectors and removable barrel side spacers. The limited, with increasing numbers of guns becoming
barrels and dovetail hollow rib are permanently assem- available in the months to come. Production of premium-
bled with strong silver solder joints. The stock and grade 20 gauge models and the introduction of 12 gauge
forearm are fully seasoned straight grain American models is anticipated for the future. See your Ruger
walnut, hand checkered and satin finished. Dealer or write for complete details and specifications.

96 Lacey Place
Southport, Connecticut 06490 U.S.A.
ALL RUGER FIREARMS ARE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN RUGER FACTORIES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA