196905 Desert Magazine 1969 May

8/14/2019 196905 Desert Magazine 1969 May

1/44


2/44

D e s e r t M a g a z in e B o o100 ROADSIDE FLOWERSby Nalt N. Dodge. Acompanion book to his 100 DESERT WILDFLOW-ERS, this book lists 100 lowers g rowing in the4 , 5 0 0 to 7,000 foot levels. Like the companionbook, every flower is i l lustrated in 4-colorphotographs. Excellent to carry in car dur ingweekend trips for fami ly fun. Paperback, 64

pages , $1 .50 .

GHOSTS OF THE GLORY TRAILby Nell Murbar-ger is a fast moving chronicle of Western boom-camp and bonanza. Rich in human interest asw e l l as authentic history, this book covers ghost

towns of Nevada, western Utah and easternCalifornia. Hardcover, 291 pages. Price $6.75.

DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES by Lake Erie Schae-fer. The story of Frank Fish, controversial trea-sure hunter who met a mysterious death, as toldby his close friend and business associate. Lastpart of book is a rehash of alleged lost minesand bonanzas. Intimate glimpses into the lifeof

a professional treasure hunter. Paperback, illus-trated, 80 pages, $3.00.

IT H ED E S E R TL U K Ethe Story ofNEVADA'S

PYRAMID LAKI

THE DESERT LAKE

By SESSIONS S. WHEELER

The story of Nevada's intriguing Pyra-mid Lake, including its ancient history,archeological finds, geology, fish andbird life and what to do and see. Ex-cellent photographs plus two detailedmaps. Paperback, 131 pages.

1.95

GHOST TOWNS OF THE COLORADO ROCKIESby Robert L. Brown. Written by the author ofJeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns this bookdeals with ghost towns accessible by passen-ger car. Gives directions and maps for f ind ingtowns along with historical backgrounds. Hard-cover, 401 pages, $6.25.

BEACHES OF BAJA by Walt Wheelock. The au-thor has personally explored the beau t i fu lbeaches of Baja, which, unlike those of UpperCal i fo rn ia , are uncluttered and uncrowded . Hetells how to reach the beaches and what type oftransportation is needed. A companion book toGerhard and Gulick 's Lower California GuideBook. Paperbook, illustrated, 72 pages , $1 .95 .

PHILIPA. MUN?MM

t Of GAllfOKRM MI St

CALIFORNIA DESERTWILDFLOWERS

By PHILIP A. MUNZ

Recent rains and anticipated warmweather should produce a bumper cropof wild flowers. This is one of the bestbooks on identification of wildflowers inCalifornia. There are 96 color photo-graphs, 172 line drawings and twomaps. Published by the U niversity ofCalifornia Press. Paperback, 122 pages,index.

$2.95

SUN, SAND AND SOLITUDEby Randall Hender-son. For more than 50 years Randall Hendersonhas traveled across the deserts of the West untiltoday he is known as the voice and prophet ofthis region of mystery, solitude and beauty.Founder of Desert Magazine in 1 9 3 1 , he has de-voted his life to understanding the grea t out-doors. His second and atest book is a cu lmin-ation of his experiences, thoughts and philoso-phy. Hardcover, deluxe format, deckle-edgedpaper, 16 pages full color, excellent illustrations,$ 7 . 9 5 .

METAL DETECTOR HANDBOOKby Art Lassagne,2nd edition. Includes history, operating tech-niques, interpretation of signals, and Directoryof Manufacturers. One of the most completehandbooks of its kind. Paperback, 65 pages.$ 3 . 0 0 .

100 DESERT WILDFLOWERSby Natt Dodge. Allin full color. Handy to carry for identification.Paperback, $1.50.

WHEN ORDERING BOOKSPLEASE

Ad d 50 cents PER ORDER(Not Each Book)

for handling and mailing

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ALSOADD 5 PERCENT SALES TAX

Send check or money order to Desert Maga-zine Book Shop, Palm Desert, California92260. Sorry, but we cannot accept charges

or C.O.D. orders.

THE CALIFORNIA DESERTSby Edmund C. Jaeger.Revised 4th edition is standard guide to Mohaveand Colorado deserts with new chapters ondesert conservation and aborigines. Hardcover.$ 4 . 9 5 .

ANZA-BO RREGO DESERT GU IDEby Horace Par-ker. Second edition of this well-i l lustratedanddocumented book is enlarged considerably. Topsamong gu idebooks , it is equally recommendedfor research material in an area that was crossedby Anza , Kit Carson, the Mormon Battalion,'49ers, Railroad Survey parties, Pegleg Smith, theJackass M a i l , Butterfield Stage, and today ' sadventurous tourists . 139 pages, cardboardcover, $2.95.

ROUGH RIDINGby Dick Cepek & Walt Wheelock.Two veteran drivers have completed an excellentbook on how to drive and survive in the backcountry. Although based on dr iv ing in Baja Cali-fo rn ia , the nformation is app l icab le to all areasof the West. This dollar book could easily saveyou many dollars. Paperback, 36 pages , $1 .00 .

Pioneersof theWesternFrontierHAHTORTT FARNSWOHTV

.

PIONEERS OF THEWESTERN FRONTIER

By HARRIETT FARNSWORTH

The author traveled thousands of milesto interview the old-timers who give afirst person account of the wild days ofmining in California. Through their eyesshe brings to life the world as it wasway back when. Hardcover, 127 pages,illustrated.

$2.95

TRAILS AND TALES OF BAJAby Pel Carter. Howa 65-year-o ld g room and his middle -agedbride traveled the length of Baja California intheir 4-wheel drive camper is told in this warmand happy book . The author gives an insightinto the loveable people of Baja along withexcellent f ishing advice. Anyone who hasa fearof Baja or Mexico will f ind the true story inthis couple's experiences. Full color photographs,206 pages, paperback, $4.80.

CALIFORNIA, A Guide to the Golden State.Edited by Harry Hansen and newly revised, itcontains an encyclopedia of facts from earlydays up to the Space Age. Mile by mile de-scriptions to camping spots and commercialac-commodations. Maps. Hardcover, $8.95.

FOR COMPLETE BOOK CATALOG WRITE TO DESERT MAG AZINE, PALM DES ERT, CALIFORNIA 92 2 6 0


3/44

WILLIAM KNYVETT PUBLISHER

JACK PEPPER EDITOR

KENT MERIDETH CREATIVE DIRECTOR

THE COVER:Lower Sonoran Desert

Organ Pipe Cactusaresilhouetted against anArizona sunset in the

photograph by David

Muench, Santa Barbara,California. (See articleon Page6).

V O L U M E 32, N U M B E R 5 MAY, 1969

F E A T U R E S

I'LL TAKE THE LOW ROAD by Bernice Johnston

WYATT EARP MUSEUM by BUI Thornton

r IFTY YEARS ON THE PEGLEG TRAIL

BUZZARDS AT WORK

JEWEL OF THE SIERRA JUAREZ

SMOKE TREE SHADOWS

HEAVEN IN HELLS CANYON

IT'S CHERRY PICKING TIME

LAST CHANCE CANYON

TUNNEL THROUGH TIME

A TOWN WITH FOUR NAMES

D E P A R T M E N T S

BOOK REVIEWS by Jack Pepper

A PEEK IN THE PUBLISHER'S POKE

BACK COUNTRY TRAVEL

CALENDAR OF WESTERN EVENTS

WOMAN'S VIEW POINT

LETTERS

by Walter Ford

by K. L. Boynton

by John W. Robinson

by Dorothy Dial

by Annette Tussing

by Jack Delaney

by Pat Holmes

by Kay Ramsey

by Doris Cerveri

by Bill Knyvett

by Bill Bryan

Club Activities

Feminine Facts

Readers' Comments

ELTA SHIVELY, Secretary

LLOYD SHIVELY,Circulation MARVEL BARRETT,Business JACK DELANEY,Staff Writer BILL BRYAN, Back Country Editor

EDITORIAL OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea, Palm Desert, California 92260 . Area Code714 346-8144. Unsolicited manuscriptsand photographsnot accompaniedby self-addressed, stampedand zip coded envelopes willnot be returned. ADV ERTISING OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea PalmDesert, California 92260. Phone714 346-8144. Listedin Standard Rate & Data. CIRCUL ATION DEPA RTM ENT : 74-109 Larrea,' PalmDesert, California 92260. DESERT Magazineis published monthly. Subscription rates: United States,1 year, $5.00; 2 years, $9.50; 3years, $13-00. Foreign subscribersadd $1.00 U.S. currency for each year. See Subscription Order Formin back of this issue. Allow fiveweeks for change of address and be sure to send both new and old addresses withzip code. DESERTis published monthlyby Desert Maga-zine, Palm Desert, California. Second Class Postage paidat Palm Desert, Calif., and at additional mailing offices underAct of March J,1879. Titled registeredNo. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted1969 by Desert Magazine. Unsolicited manuscriptsand photographs cannotbe returned or acknowledged unless full return postageis enclosed. Permissionto reproduce contents mustbesecured from the editor in writing.


4/44

B o o kReviews

THE WEST COAST OF M EXICOGrace Loftin, PublisherTadeo R. T. Brenton de H., Editor

This is more than a travel guide. It isthe most complete and comprehensivebook for travelers on the west coast ofMexico ever published.

Grace Loftin, publisher of the month-ly Mexico West Coast Magazine,haslived and traveled throughout Mexicoall of her life. Senor Brenton also knowshis country and is an excellent writer.

The book covers the travel, history,customs, culture and fun of Baja Cali-fornia, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco,Guanajuato and even has material onMexico City and the Olympics.

Want to know something about Mexi-co's national drink, Tequila? What aboutthe "witches" of Mexico? Who are theTarahumara Indians? Where are the bestplaces to shop and stayand what arethe prices ? W ha t about hu nting and fish-ing? Who was "Waky Walker?"

These are only a few of the interesting

articles throughout the book which alsoprovides complete information on thecommunities of Mexico, including thehistory and what to see, where to stay,etc.

The paid advertisements in the bookare also informative as they provide thereader with a selection of hotels, motels,restaurants, shops and other services.

Even if you do not plan to visit Mexi-co, this book is excellent reading for itshistory and customs plus capturing thewarmth and fun-loving spirit of ourneighbors south of the border.

If you are going to tour the west coast,a combination ofMexico Auto, Camperand Trailer Guide by Cliff Cross (whichprovides detailed maps and travel infor-mation) and The West Coast of Mexicowill provide a complete travel package.The latter is heavy, slick paperback, 11 x9 format, profusely illustrated, 258 pages,$6.95. The Cliff Cross Guide is alsoheavy paperback, 11 x 9 format, illus-trated, 171 pages, $3.50.

HISTORY OF YUM A AN D THETERRITORIAL PRISONBy Robert Woznicki

Although Yuma is used as the pivot,this interesting history covers more thanthe town and the prison. As the authorstates "Yuma's development has beeninfluenced by all manner of peopleex-

READ THE BOOK FOLLOW THE TRAIL

For the Jeep E nthus ias t . . .JEEP TRAILS TO COLORADO GHOST TOWNSby Robert L. Brow n Illus $5.50A Family Outing ...GHOST TOWNS OF THE COLORADO ROCKIESby Robert L. Brow n Illus $6.25A Firs t Step for the Bottle Collector . . .A VERY AM ATEUR GUIDE TO ANTIQUEBOTTLE COLLECTINGby Bea Boynton21 pages paperbound, 30 l ine drawing s $1.00The Emigrant Trail and a Lost Gold M ine . . .TERRIBLE TRA IL: THE M EEK CUTOFF 1845by Ke ith Clark and Low ell Tiller244 pag es, 35 illus., 3 m aps $4.00

FOR DETAILS OF THESE AND OTHER TITLESWRITE FOR CATALOGThe CAXTON PRINTERS, Ltd .Caldwell, Ida ho 83605

plorers, Indian, Padres, trappers, whaers, miners, cattlemen and farmers."

This is also true of the State of Arzona, whose history is the story of earWestern America. Therefore, Woznickbook is actually a history of the West. is a history of extreme and paradoxes both geography and climate.

Dr. Woznicki, a professor at the Im

perial Valley Campus of San Diego StaCollege, is an author, lecturer and newcommentator. He has done a great deof research and presents his history inwell-written and interesting manner. Pperback, illustrated, 120 pages, $2.25.

DEATH VALLEY JEEP TRAILSBy Roger Mitchell

There is a system of paved roadthroughout Death Valley for passengecars leading to the many places of interest. There is an even larger networof back country roads and washes leadinto old mining camps, stamp mills, fantastic formations and other little-knowareas of interest.

Roger Mitchell has been travelinghiking and exploring the Death Vallearea since he was a youngster and is cosidered an authority on the subject. He a frequent contributor toDesert Maga-zine.

Although vehicular travel on off-etablished roads in the Monument strictly prohibited, all of the trails coveed in this book and shown on the excelent map are "established" and thereforopen. The author lists a set of rules tgovern travel in the Monument.

People traveling these roads shoultake sufficient water and food as many aisolated. But the very isolation is whmost back country explorers are seekinSince it is strictly forbidden to removanything from the area, the old campand mines are more intact than elsewher

The book is well written and is an excellent guide. Paperback, illustrated, 3pages, $1.00.

Books reviewed may be orderedfrom the DESERT Magazine BookOrder Department, Palm Desert,California 92 26 0. Please include50c for handling. Californiaresi-dents must add 5% sales tax.Enclose payment with order.


5/44

A P e eki nthe

P u b l i s h e r ' sP o k e

i N THESE trying times of national strifeabout armed conflict in various partsof the world, the student unrest at someof our larger places of learning andwith an apparent accent on violence inthe various news media, I have becomemore aware of the peace and tranquilitythat surrounds one who is fortunate tolive in the desert. Perhaps it is the softhues of brown against a clear blue sky;the intense green of palm leaves againstthe beige sand; or just its vastness butto each of us who love the desert it

brings us peace of mind. This mood was rudely shattered recently by the news fromthe nearby Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation that vandals had desecrated theirlittle cemetery containing over a 100 graves. Upon arriving at the cemetery for aceremonial burial, it was discovered that 24 headstones had been broken, toppledor stolen. A porcelain photograph of a 115-year-old tribal matriarch, had been blastedout of its headstone. A granite stone from a fallen Marine was broken in two. Whatmotivates people to these insane acts is more than we can understand. Our sympathyis extended to the surviving members.

DESERT Magazine takes pleasure inannouncing the addition of Mr. and Mrs.James Woodard as our field representa-tives. Jim and Penny will be coveringthe western United States doing articlesand chasing down interesting places tovisit. Their "home on wheels" is a 27-foot Winnebago and we know youwont miss that! Stop and chat a whilewith them because they are real desertlovers. Jim is a retired Navy man withyears of experience in survival and we

are looking forward to some interestingarticles.

We would like to thank the manysubscribers who gave subscriptions asgifts at Christmas time. You will bepleased to know that as the result ofyour response to the gift program ourcirculation is the highest it has beensince its inception. We truly appreciateyour continued support and feel thatwe must be on the right track. Help

keep us there by continuing to send inyour comments and criticisms, remembering to enclose a stamped, self-addressedenvelope if you wish a reply. The response that we are having with the Woman'sViewpoint column leads us to believe that more than a few of our readers wouldwelcome a subscription for Mother's Day, which is just around the corner, with theproviso of course that she let Dad have the magazine when she's through with it!We'll even sign the gift card, "With volumes of love." Ouch!!

Jim and Penny WoodardField representatives

A I N B O W 'E N D . . .

begins with a

T R E A S U R EL O C AT O R !

" C O M M A N D E R "7 20Th i s G o Id a k Tr ea su reLocator is unsurpassed forlocating bur ied treasure,coins. Civil War relics andfor beachcombing. Features"Tell-Tone" Signal. Locatesany metal object under dirt,s a nd , mud, rock, etc. Nocumbersome cords-corn-pletely transistorized, bat-tery powered.

When it comes to find-ing your pot of gold, gowith the leadergo withGoldak!

EFFECTIVE DEPTH RANGE(Under Normal Conditions)

Start out right-se nd $1.00 pre-paid for authentic gold-platedreplica of a Spanish doubloonfound off Cape Kennedy.

T H E GOLDAK COMPANY,INC.1101-A Air Way

Glendale, California 91201

Please send free lite ratu re on GOLDAK trea-sure locators.

G I enclose $1.00 prepaid for my gold-plateddoubloon replica with pouch.

Name-

Address -

City

State _Zip-


6/44

I l l T aT h e L o w

by Bernice Johnston


7/44

On our freeways you can speed at 75 miles an hour --and stare glassy-eyed at the bumper of the car in fron t of you .To really see the West take the secondary roads, such asthis "low road" from Yuma to Tucson.

A TRIP from Yuma to Tucsoncan be t he f a s t e s t r i dethrough the longest nothing or it canbe leisurely and interesting. If youare interested in unique scenery, un-usual people, and a different way oflife, travel the low road. AbandonU.S. Highway 80 at Gila Bend andturn south on State 85 to Ajo (Ah-hoe), a copper-mining town. The Pa-pago Indians called it au'auho for"paint," obtained from colored ores.Ajo is also a Mexican word for lilybulb with the look and taste of on-ion or garlic. It grows in many partsof the country and in profusion here.

Ajo has the oldest copper mininghistory in Arizona. Spaniards minedthere in the early 1700s, after whichit was forgotten until its reactivationin 1854. If you have never seen anopen pit mine, this is a good chance.Turn off the highway at La Mina Ave-nue, right again on Indian VillageRoad, left at Santa Ana, and you areat the observation center. The pitlies to the south.

State 86 out of Ajo runs throughthe largest of three Papago Indian

reservat ions covering 2,700,000acres. There are 7,500 Papagos liv-ing there. Papago is easily pro-nounced by remembering that whereMama go, Papa go.

About ten miles out of Ajo youwill practically run right over a littlesettlement called Why. Why, "Why?"It is located at a three-way intersec-tion that branches south to the Mexi-can border and which has long beenreferred to locally as the "Y." May-

be that 's "W hy." Cont inued

Prehistoric men and their families lived in the Ventana Cave (opposite pa11,000 years ago when giant ground sloths, camels and small horses roamthrough Arizona. Today, archeologists (above) are excavating the cave to so

the mysteries of the past.Photos courtesy of Arizona State Museum.


8/44

The Catholic church atSan Jose is probably

the most unconventionalin the world. Designs

are a mixture of Papago,Navajo and Mexican

cultures.

. . . . . . . . . . . . ; - ,

The right fork will take you toOrgan Pipe Cactus National Monu-ment where you may camp, picnic,sneak up on the wild life, and seesome of the most unusual cacti in

Arizona. If you are so inclined andprepared, cross the border and go toRocky Point on the Gulf of Califor-nia. Here you can deep sea fish, huntshells, swim, or loaf.

Traveling east again on State 86,there are signs indicating little In-dian villages which will be seen allthe way to Tucsonnames like KomVo, Vaya Chin, Hotason Vo, Hot-rontk, Komolik, and even Cowlic.Just beyond the San Simon Village,

saguaro cacti begin to appear. Theyare unique to this part of the world.While the organ pipe cactus is many-stemmed from the base, the saguarois one big body with many arms inquite grotesque arrangements. A ma-ture plant may weigh six to ten tons,reach 50 feet in height, have thatmany arms, and attain 200 years.They bloom in May and June with acrown of creamy flowers around thetip of each arm. The blossom is theArizona state flower.

Saguaro fruit ripens in July to acherry red. Papagos come long dis-tances to harvest it. Each family hasharvesting rights to certain areasand this is handed down throughfamilies. Fruit is picked by womenwith long poles made of the plantribs. Poles are obtained when thecacti dies. The plant is a circle ofribs that is covered with spongyflesh filled with tons of water. Whenit dies, the flesh withers away andthe skeleton falls. Fruit is eatenfresh, made into cakes and dried,boiled down to syrup on the spot, ormade into wine.

Pull off the road along the wayand have a look around. You can't

see the desert until you leave thecar. Look for the cactus wren, Ari-zona's state bird. It is a modestwoody-brown and the largest of thewrens. It builds several nests in cactito outwit eggnappers. Discover theroadrunner, that long-necked, long-legged, long-tailed cuckoo, state birdof New Mexico.

Whip-like ocotillos wave red flagsin spring. Although not cacti, theyare at home on the desert. The palo

verde, state tree of Arizona, grows

along the way. It is green-barkedfrom trunk to branch tips. In Aprand May it blooms in a cascade ofgolden blossoms. Cacti and wildflowers carpet the way in spring.

From Ajo, it is 41 miles to thePisinemo Village cut-off. A small sigmarks a dirt road south to the rightThere are several dips but it is agood graded road. After twelve miles,it forks to the right and one is in thePapago Village. Pull up behind thechurch and park. Pisinemo (Pi-sin'-eh-mo) means buffalo head. No buf-falos ever existed in the area sowhere that name originated is a my-stery unless somebody once lost anickel there.

The church, San Jose, is one ofthe most unconventional Catholicchurches seen anywhere. Fr. Camil-lus Cavagnaro, OFM, the pastor, hasallowed the Papagos full expressionin decorating it. The effect is totallyIndian, typica lly Papago, and a tri -umph of integration. Visitors showing proper respect are welcomed.

The exterior of the church hasgeometric designs climbing up thefront. The vestibule is covered with

a Navajo rug with swastika designs.


9/44

On the back wall is a Mexican paint-ing on velvet of a suffering Christ.At Easter, beautiful swags of Papa-go-made paper flowers and plasticones, perhaps from Hong Kong,dance around the sides.

Pottery designs march up anddown the walls. All of these, insideand out, were painted by a youngPisinemo resident who left it un-finished when he joined the Army. Adecorated gourd mobile swings fromthe ceiling. The Easter candle wearseagle feathers. Benches are coveredwith angora goat skins traded fromthe Navajo as was the buffalo hideon which the tabernacle rests.

The altar front and tabernacle veilare an intricacy of Tlingit Indian de-sign (northwest coast). The bottomaltar cloth is a silk screen print byan artist from Massachusetts whowinters near Tucson. On the altar isa red yarn cross shape, the tsikuli ofthe Huichol Indians of Mexico. Onthe left wall is a Virgin of Guadalupepainted by an unknown artist. Be-hind the altar is a strange Last Sup-per mural by a Walapai Indian. Putall this together and you have a

Church that SingS. Continued

One of the manyPapago Indian homesseen along the "lowroad"from Yuma to Tucson.

Mrs. Kermit Lee, of the QuijotoaTrading Post, (above) holds a largePapago plaque with the familiar mazedesign. Papago baskets (below) can

be purchased at the trading post.


10/44

Laura Kerman, friendly Papago pottery m aker, (above) displays her unusualNativity pieces in her combination home and shop. Like other Indian crafts, herproducts may someday be a lost art. Margaret Manuel (right) shows her small

daughter the art of weaving fine Pap ago baskets at Topawa Village.

If you are lucky you may hear thePapago brass band made up ofyoung men who blow their hearts outon beat-up second-hand instruments.Or the girls' string ensemble may beperforming, if their much-usedstrings hold out. A craft store nearthe church handles lovely Papagobaskets made by the women of thevillage. It may even be possible tomeet the makers. The people are

friendly but very shy.Eight miles from the Pisinemo

Road is the Quijotoa Trading Post.Quijotoa is a Spanish corruption ofKia Hoa Toak, Papago for "carryingbasket mountain." The QuijotoaMountains were mined in 1774 andagain with more importance in the1880s. The many mining towns havebeen turned over to ghosts.

At the trading post, Mr. and Mrs.Kermit Lee have a wonderful selec-

tion of Papago baskets and pottery.Baskets range from thumb-nail min-iatures made of horsehair to wastebasket size of yucca, beargrass, andmartynia. Papagos buy groceries atthe store and it is usually filled withshoppers.

Almost directly across from theTrading Post is a road north to San-ta Rosa Village. Just west of it isVentana Cave; and here lies someof the most ancient history in NorthAmerica.

w


11/44

SO"

tf"M

A penny illustrates the size of small but exquisitely designed Papago horsehair and yucca baskets.

Coronado pressed so hard to ar-rive at his mythical seven cities ofgold that he tramped over and neverdiscovered the great hidden copperand silver deposits of Arizona. Soalso, early archaeologists searchingfor spectacular Indian ruins like thecliff houses to the north, missed oneof the oldest known shelters in theUnited States. In 1941 a team of an-thropologists from the University of

Arizona in Tucson discovered and ex-cavated this treasure-trove.

Had you traveled down a concretehighway when this cave was young,you would have had to wait for ele-phants to cross. You would haveguarded your children from direwolves and tapirs, and marveled atthe vegetarian ground sloth, camels,and little horses. Man, his food,tools, clothing, and crafts have beentraced in this cave from over 11,000years ago to the present day Papagoswho helped excavate it. It has beenalmost continuously occupied for allthose centuries. People brought theirsinuses to Arizona over 100 centur-ies ago and stayed at La Ventana.There is nothing there now but thecave itself. With a little imagination,however, one can look out over thelandscape and see into the past.

Twenty-one miles from Quijotoa is

Sells, the Papago Tribal Headquar-

ters. If the trip is made in October,one can take in an all-Indian Rodeoand Fair. There is a craft store herealso where baskets and pottery aresold, direct from the hands of thePapagos. Next door, at a two-tablerestaurant, one can get the besttamales, burros, or chili found any-where, made by a Papago lady chef.

Another side trip is seven miles

south of Sells to Topawa (Ta-paw1-

wa.) This is Papago for a type of redbean. Topawa's church, San Salano,is another interesting stop but thecommunity house offers the paradoxhere. Its inner walls are painted withvividly-colored Aztec murals done byan artist who faithfully captured theexciting ancient motifs. Evidently thePapagos didn't object and althoughthe artist has long since gone, theystill live with Aztec ghosts.

Here also lives Laura Kermen, aPapago potter like no other on thereservation. Although she can anddoes make traditional utilitarian ves-sels, her forte is her own inventionof little Papago scenes in clay, smallislands of activity. On saucer-sizebases, she puts people, animals, andways of Papago life that are passingfrom the scene: beehive ovens forbaking bread, corn grinding on me-tates, wells with buckskin buckets,

ramadas, saguaro fruit harvesting,

and others. Laura is most friendly,speaks good English, and welcomesvisitors. Another craftswoman is Mar-garet Manuel, an excellent basket-maker. She is one of several finebasketmakers in this village.

About 20 miles east of Sells isthe road south and up to 6875-footKitt Peak. This is a sacred mountainof the Papagos. They have leased itto the U.S. Government for a na-tional astronomical observatory. Ithouses the largest solar telescope inthe world besides a rapidly growingcluster of other large telescopes.There are tours of the complex anda picnic area. It opens at 10 A.M.and closes at 4 P.M. At this eleva-tion, one gets a view of th e su rround-ing countryside. The site was pickedafter a three-year survey of over 150mountain ranges because of thearea's clear weather, among other

factors.Fifty-three miles from Kitt Peak

one descends a gently sloping gradeto a view of Tucson spread out likea sparkling lake. At the Arizona StateMuseum in Tucson, the story of manin Arizona is pulled together in ex-hibits of Indians, their cultures, andtheir antiquity. The Ventana Cavestory unfolds. The history of the peo-ple through whose land you have justtraveled is all told herea history

of past, present and futu re. u


12/44

W y a tt E a rpO F ALL the legendary figures of theOld West none looms larger thanWyatt Earp. This western lawman andhis numerous highly colorful exploitshave been the subject of countless books,magazine articles, motion pictures andeven a television series. Unfortunately,much of this material has been historicallyinaccurate, some of it ludicrously so.

Wyatt Earp has been praised by some,vilified by others. He has been picturedas a fearless and uncompromising up-holder of freedom and justice on thefrontier; and alternately as a dastardlyvillain who used his badge and positionto increase his personal wealth andfurther his own ends. It can be quite con-fusing for the layman to arrive at thetruth concerning such a famous figurewhen so much of the material concerninghim has been highly colored with emotionand sensationalism.

For those who desire to obtain a his-torically accurate picture of the life ofthis celebrated figure, I would suggest apainless and fascinating history lesson inthe form of a visit to the Wyatt EarpMuseum in Tombstone, Arizonasceneof his most renowned adventures. Dr .John D. Gilchriese has assembled thelargest exhibit of Earp memorablia ondisplay anywhere. Hundreds of photo-graphs and documents, most of themoriginals, tell the story of Wyatt Earp'scareer from his birth in Monmouth, Illi-nois to his death in Los Angeles.

M U S E U Mby Bill Thornton

Wyatt's boyhood days in Pella, Iowaare recounted, as is the Earp family'swestward trek to San Bernardino, Cali-fornia in 1864. The citizens of Lamar,Missouri gave Wyatt his first job as apeace officer when they elected him townconstable in January 1870. By the timeWyatt arrived in Tombstone in the fallof 1879 he had already earned a notablereputation as an enforcer of law and orderin the wild Kansas cow towns of Wichitaand Dodge City, and gained the friend-ship of Doc Holliday, the infamous gam-bling, gun-toting dentist, who later joinedWyatt in Tombstone.

The story of W yatt's rather brief (lessthan three years) career as a U.S. Marshalin Tombstone is graphically recounted.One of his famous escapades is theO.K. Corral gunfight which, incidentally,did not take place in the O.K. Corral butin a vacant lot behind the corral and tothe west of Fly's Photograph Studio.

Wyatt himself referred to it merely asthe Street Fight of October 26, 1881.This exhibit features the actual pistolWyatt used in the fight and two pencildiagrams drawn by Wyatthimself, show-ing the location of the fight and thepositions of the participants. That famousafternoon in western history is also de-

picted by a historically accurate paintinof the fight scene of which prints aravailable.

The aftermath of the fight was tragifor the Earp brothers. Virgil, Wyatt'older brother, was seriously wounded ba shotgun blast and Morgan, a youngebrother, was killed when shot frombehind in a Tombstone pool hall. Morgan's death was avenged when Wyatshot it out with and killed Frank Stillwe

in the Tucson train yard. Stillwell was aoutlaw and member of the Clanton gangthree of whom died in the street fight iTombstone. This event is also recalledwith a pencil diagram by Wyatthimself.

One of Wyatt's final encounters withoutlaws in the Arizona territory tooplace at Iron Springs, in the Whetston

a s r ^ w -

Tombstone as it wasin 1881 when thecontroversial WyattEarpwas the lawman.


13/44

Mountains northwest of Tombstone. Ashead of a large posse which included hisbrother Warren, the youngest member ofthe Earp clan, and Doc Holliday, Wyattkilled Curly Bill Brocious with a doublebarreled shotgun blast that nearly blewhim in half. Curly Bill, a cattle rustlerwith an outlaw reputation second tonone had been bending over a pot ofstew when Wyatt and the posse rodeinto the outlaw camp. When Curly Billjumped to get his weapon he was firedon by Wyatt who had already leveledhis shotgun. Noise of the blast sofrightened the horses that the posse couldnot get into action rapidly enough. Sev-eral outlaws escaped in the ensuing con-fusion.

When Wyatt left Arizona in thesummer of 1882 he was pursued for adistance by a posse from Tombstoneheaded by Cochise County sheriff JohnBehan. A deep animosity had developedbetween Behan and the Earps duringWyatt's career as a Tombstone lawman.The posse turned back, apparently afterthinking twice about making a fightwith Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

After leaving Arizona, Wyatt's formal

career as a peace officer was ended. Heoccasionally rode as a guard with rail-road gold shipments but never againwore a badge. Of the remaining Earpbrothers only Virgil went on to a furthercareer as a lawman serving as townmarshal of Colton, California. Wyatt,however, engaged in a variety of activitiesthat included racing thoroughbred horseson California racetracks, and mining andprospecting in Alaska and California.

One of the most interesting episodesfrom this phase of Wyatt's career is thestory of how he refereed a boxing matchbetween Bob Fitzsimmons and TomSharkey in San Francisco on December2, 1896. Upon entering the ring Wyattremoved his overcoat. The crowd roaredwith laughter when they noticed a pistolprotruding from the pocket of his trousers.As he customarily made rather large betsat the racetracks Wyatt was used to carry-ing sizeable sums of money on his personand carried the pistol for protection. Thepistol was handed over to someone out-side the ring and the fight was on.Wyatt's decision, in favor of Sharkey,was an unpopular one. There were highlyvocal charges of unfairness and crooked

dealings but the decision was upheld incourt.

None of these varied enterprisesbrought wealth to Wyatt Earp. When hedied on January 13, 1929 he was livingin a small modest home in Los AngelesAt the time of his death Wyatt hadalready become a legend in his own timand with his passing another living linkwith the old west was erased.

A final chapter in the Wyatt Earpstory was written in April 1956 when DrGilchriese discovered the grave of Wyatand his third wife, Josephine, at ColmaCalifornia. The location of the grave habeen unknown for many years.

Wyatt Earp's career spanned the mosviolent and turbulent period of westernhistory. Although there will, no doubtcontinue to be controversy concerning hiexploits, many will agree that they werwithout parallel in the annals of WesternAmericana. The debate about his careewill probably never be resolved but avisit to the Wyatt Earp Museum will dmuch to dispell misconceptions andshould definitely be undertaken by anyonwho is interested in the old West as ireally was.

it's HYDRAULICt RAISES

The unique hydraulic mechanism which raisest h ecamper t op can be safely operated even by a smallchi ld . Locks prevent accidental lowering.The t op i slowered quicklyby t he s imple turn of a valve. Drivesafely a t any speed with minimum draga n d sway.Sit or recline o n comfortable couches while travel-ing with t o p down. Alaskan camper t o p raises in sec-

onds. Enjoyroomy walk-in living quarters, weather tight, high ceiling, "homeaway from hom e," com ple te with three-burner s tove ,sink, cabinets, i ce box,beds a n d many other luxuryfea tures .

6 FACTORIESTOSERVE YOUWrite today to the factory nearest you for tree folder describing the most advanced camper on the road.

R. D. HALLMFG., INC.,9847 Glenoaks Blvd., Sun Valley (San Fernando Valley) California 91352, Dept. D

ALASKAN CAMPERS NORTHWEST, INC.,6410 South 143rd Street, (Tukwila). Seattle, Wash. 98168, Dept. D

ALASKAN CAMPER SALES, IN C,(S.F. Sacramento area) Interse ction of Intersta te Highway 80 and State 21.Route 1, Box 332, Suisun City. California 94585. Dept. D

PENNECAMP,INC., 401 W. End Ave., Manheim. Penna.. 17545, Dept 4

G. R. Grubbs Manufacturing, Inc. d/ b/ aALASKAN CAMPER SALES,9042 Longpoint Rd., Houston, Texas 77055. Dept. D.

FORT LUPTON CAMPERS, INC.,1100 Denver Ave.. Fort Lupton, Colorado80621. Dept D

13


14/44

Fifty Years

N EAR TH E close of a warm fall dayin 1900, a footsore young English-man struggled across the rugged terrainof the Borrego Badlands. The sun wassinking and long shadows creeping acrossthe arroyos warned darkness was soon tofollow. The young traveler climbed asmall knoll to try to locate his compan-ion from whom he had become separatedearlier in the day. Fearful of a night

alone on the desert, he paid little atten-tion beyond a casual glance to the peculiarblack stones that were scattered on anearby hill. Suddenly, far in the distance,he saw his companion disappear arounda bend in a wash. He ran to join him.

The young Englishman, Henry E. W.Wilson, was making his first trip intothe desert to search for the Pegleg goldwith John Collins, for whom Collins Val-ley was named. Henry arrived in Califor-nia from London to work in the citrus

groves when he was 19 years old. A fewyears later he moved to Los Angeleswhere he worked in a hotel that washeadquarters for prospectors. There heheard a sketchy account of a legend whichstarted him on a quest that continued formore than half a century.

One of the prospectors Henry met wasFrank Hike, who said that he had a mineof his own in Borrego Valley which heldmore gold and would be easier to locatethan Pegleg Smith's lost bonanza. Hetold Henry he planned to visit his mine

14

Henry E. Wilson examinesa specimen he found inthe Borrego Badlands.

in two weeks and offered to take himalong. Henry told me the idea of pickingup all of the gold he could carry soundedlike a tale from the "Arabian Nights."

They arrived in Borrego Valley andset up camp near Coyote Creek, thenHike left for Julian to exchange hishorses for burros. He was a victim ofmisfortune. One of his horses was poison-oned and died. The Julian hotel in whichhe was staying burned to the ground andwith it went all of his personal belong-ings. Then, in a final blow to his plans,he received word that his sister was illin Descanso and that he would have torun her ranch until she recovered. WhenHike broke the news to Henry theyagreed to meet again on a future date,but Henry never saw him again.

While awaiting Hike's return fromJulian, Henry met John Collins whoowned a small ranch nearby. Collins hadnot heard the Pegleg legend, but afterhearing Henry's version he wanted tojoin him for a search at once. The col-lapse of the Hike venture left Henrywith no desire to try again, so he returnedto Los Angeles.

A few months later in Munsey's, apopular magazine of the time, Henryread a full account of the Pegleg legend,which filled him with dreams once more."There is enough gold," the author saidin part, "to satisfy the most avaricious

Continued


15/44

o n th e P e g le g T r a i lby Walter FordFOR FIFTY YEARS HENRY E. W. WILSON, AN ENGLISH IMMIGRANT, SEARCHED THE

BORREGO BADLANDS IN CALIFORNIA'S IMPERIAL COU NTY FOR PEGLEG'S GOLD AND OTHER

BONANZAS. HIS FU TILE HALF-CENTU RY QU EST WAS NOT BASED ON GREED BU T HIS

HILOSOPHY OF "SOMEDAY I'LL FIND IT. THE N THINK OF THE GOOD I CAN DO ."


16/44

man who ever loved the yellow god,ready for the hand of anyone who willDick it up. It lies there uncovered on theground, much of it pure enough to beexchanged for coin at the mint. No fiercesavages bar the way to it; no legal pro-hibitions make it inaccessible." Henrywrote to Collins and two weeks laterthey began their first trip along the Peg-leg trail.

When Henry rejoined Collins on thatfirst day, he did not mention the hillwith the black stones because Pegleg'slandmarks at that time were consideredto be three buttes. He and Collins con-tinued to Fish Springs, then workedsouthward along the base of the Valle-cito Mountains to Carrizo Springs on theold Butterfield Stage route. Henry be-lieved that Pegleg Smith's trail led fromYuma through the Carrizo Badlandsand that somewhere in that region hislandmarks would be found. He spent thenext 10 years searching an area as farwest as the Laguna Mountains and northto San Felipe Valley. During that timehe collected every printed item on thePegleg story that he could find. He heardmany lost mine stories and mentally re-corded those which would add to hisPegleg lore.

One of the stories concerned a squawwho staggered into a railroad construc-tion camp at Salton, delirious from thirstand clutching a handful of gold nuggets.After being revived she told her rescuersshe became lost in the Borrego Badlandsand was wandering around aimlesslywhen she saw smoke from their campand struggled toward it. Henry thoughtthe story was true, but at the time did notconnect it to the Pegleg legend. Then,during the summer of 1911 he heardabout an old trail which led westwardfrom the Yuma-San Bernardino road,across the then dry Salton lake bed andinto the Borrego Badlands. This changedhis whole concept of Pegleg's travels.

Henry told me he was reviewing thestory about the squaw when he realizedPegleg Smith must have been followingthe Yuma-San Bernardino trail when heveered westward from his course andbecame lost in the rugged Badlands ter-rain. "If my reasoning was correct, andI'm thoroughly convinced that it was,"Henry said, "then the source of Pegleg'sgold was the same as the squaw's." Hebelieved the squaw was traveling overthe old Clark Valley-Fish Springs trailand since the only water along the routewas at Seventeen Palms and Fish Springs,

she must have become lost somewherebetween those waterholes. A fact whichconfirmed his belief further was therewas only one section of the Badlandsfrom which smoke rising from Saltoncould be seen.

When Henry returned to the Bad-lands to renew his search, he had littlerecollection of where he traveled that day

when he became separated from Collins.He knew they began their trip on ClarkValley-Fish Springs trail and vaguely re-membered the hill on which he believedhe saw Pegleg's black gold. But he couldrecall no landmarks to serve as guide-posts. Then he began the arduous job ofexamining closely practically every acreof ground along the old trail. Stormwaters had removed much of it over theyears, but toward the end of his longsearch, Henry had pieced together all ofthe old trail except a six mile sectionthrough the roughest part of the Bad-lands. In that section, Henry believed,was locked the secret to Pegleg's gold.

While Henry never abandoned hisdream of finding Pegleg's gold, his yearsof wandering provided him with leads toother lost bonanzas, which occasionallylured him away from the Pegleg trail.

Tributary to Palm W ash which Wilson often followed on the Pegleg trail. Palm on right has been destroyedsince photo was taken. Wilson traveled lightly on the trail (opposite page). A canteen, lunch and staff we re all he re


17/44

1 I

One day a friend, to whom I'll refer as" j o e " because of the events which follow-ed, and I were working along the SantaRosa foothills trying to help Henry joinfragments of the dim trail together. Sud-denly, Henry decided to move over toSeventeen Palms to search for BillSchnacka's gold. Schnacka, a long timefriend of Henry, had given him someclues to a cache of gold somewhere nearSeventeen Palms because Schnacka couldnot spare the time from his citrus ranchto make the searchhimself.

Around a campfire at Seventeen Palmsthat evening, Henry told us about meet-

ing a man and a woman in Arroyo Saladawho were searching for the Pegleg gold.The man told Henry a weird tale abouttheir starting to enter a narrow ravinewhen a woman in a flowing white robeappeared and ordered them to go backand never return. Henry's only commentto us about the incident was that thegold hunters must have been out in thesun too long, but in view of what fol-lowed later the story must have made astrong impression on Joe's subconsciousmind.

The Schnacka treasure proved to be aselusive as Pegleg's gold. We got trappedin a maze of ravines in the Santa Rosafoothills and spent most of our time try-ing to work our way through them. Atthe end of a weary day we had seennothing even remotely resembling any ofSchnacka's clues, so we broke camp andheaded homeward.

As Joe recounted his experiences later,he believed we should have been search-ing above the ravines, so he decided toreturn and make a search of his own. Hefound two of Schnacka's clues and wassearching for the third, a volcanic basin,when he plunged down a dry waterfall.He could not recall how long he laythere, bruised and stunned, but darknesswas approaching when he made his wayback to his camp. After a quick meal hewas soon sound asleep in his sleeping bag.As he calculated the time later he musthave been asleep about six hours whenhe dreamed that he was back searchingfor the cinder basin. On a knoll abovehe saw a woman in a white robe beckon-ing to him and when he reached her side

Continued on Page 39

F I S H E R M - S C O P E

T H E M O S T A D VA N C EP R O F E S S I O N A L I N S T R U MF O R

L O C AT IN G G O L D , S ILVM E TA L L I C O B J E C T SA N D

O RE B O D I E S . . .a n ds o a d v a n c e dw en a m e d

i t a f t e rt h eS p a c e P r o b e

S u p e r b p e n e t r a t i o n , s e n s i t i v i t y M i n i a t u r e a l l- s i li c o n t r a n s i s t o r

c i r c u i t s C o m p a c t , r u g g e d an d l i g h t w e B u i l t - i n s p e a k e r

W ritefor detai ledData Sheets and Speci f icat ions

F I S H E RR E S E A R C H L A B O R A

PA LO A LT O , C A L I F O R N I A 9P h o n e : ( 4 1 5 ) 3 2 2 - 4 6 4 6

The leading manufacturer ofScientific Detection Instruments since 1932

n


18/44

buzzards

EVERYBODY TO his taste, and the turkey vulture's being whatit is, he has to cover a lot of desert to satisfy it. This buz-zard is strictly a carrion hunter,the desert's numberone scav-enger. Animals departing this lifeare not given to doing soin handy places,and hence the need for a lot of shoppingaround on the part of the vulture in order to find his nextmeal. In fact, several daysmay intervene between same, whichis why, when the opportunity presentsitself, the bird stuffshimself to the point whereall he can do is sit around leaningback on his tail supportinghis stomach. He can't evenget offthe ground unless someof the cargo is jettisoned.

Garbage collectinghas been carried on by the vulturetribe for some 10 million years.The ancient Pleistocene ances-tor was a whopper condor type witha wingspread of some18 feet. Today's smaller descendantsuse the long-evolvedhighly efficient flight which enables themto utilize free ridessupplied by rising air to cover vast territories without expend-ing much energy themselves.The turkey vulture is a masterof air currents and cross winds.

Its graceful soaringand sailing over the wild and deso-late desert is a beautiful thingto see, and a source of wonder.It is also an exceptionally well enginee red flying mach ine.18

The turkey vultureis no pint-sized chicken.His averagewing spread measures aboutsix feet. The body is light, thebird weighing only about fouror five pounds,but structur-ally exceedingly strong, with wings marvelously designed.Long and wide, they allow slow flight,a buzzard's wing beatbeing aboutone stroke per second comparedto a swift's 55 to75. The big expanse of wing surface givesthe large areaneeded for the great lift. For these thermal soarersare borneupwards by huge bubblesof warm air rising from the earth.

Special anatomical features insure keepingthe wings out-stretched without tiring,so necessary for long-term sailing.There is an extra rigid shoulder girdlein the skeleton forsturdy support.The broad tip of the wing, held outstretchedby two big muscles running fromarm to handbones, is lockedinto positionby other nearby muscles. Very long finger bonesenable the wing tip to be tilted upward.

The long flight featherslie on the arm bone in front,but hang free towardsthe back. They are held in place andmoved by outsized muscles, which means that theycan play avery important partin the flight itself. For a fast ride up, theouter primary feathersare spread open to make slotsand thelongest quills uptiltedat the end to catch updrafts. Then,


19/44

at worky K. L. Boynton1969

closing the slots by bringing the long, wide feathers togetherand so reducing the wing surface and lowering the air drag,the bird goes into an easy slanting glide. Constant automaticadjustments are going on all the time, for vulture wings arethe most sensitive of all birds.

The least change in air current is transmitted down thefeathers to nerves in the skin and then to wing musclesalldesigned to keep the wings at just the right tilt and angle fortireless soaring. Subtle twists and turning are possible becausethe joints at the wrists and in the fingers rotate so freely.

A turkey vulture is a very awkward bird on the ground,stepping gingerly and half-hopping as though his bunionshurt him, his shoulders hunched up and wings half held outlike a great black cape. His take-off is a sight too , involvingheavy flopping, for his long broad wings can't be moved upand down with ease at ground levels. He has to have a run-ning start into the wind, clumsily hitching and stumblingalong until he is at last airborne, then up he goes with a slowsteady wingbeat. At about 100 feet, the long easy glides be-gin, the bird still climbing, wings held in a fixed positionmuch of the time, with fewer and fewer flappings until theair ride begins at last, the bird soaring upwards in a series ofsmall circles until it is just a dark silhouette in the sky.

Light as he is, the turkey buzzard must wait until themorning sun heats the surface of the desert and the big warmair lift gets underway. Then his food hunting can begin.

It was Audubon, the peaceful artist, who started a biginternational row in 1826 which is still going on among scien-tists. He stated that vultures find their food by sight only.Savents immediately aligned themselves into two camps:Sight Only vs. Smell Only.

Throughout the verbal pulling and hauling over the lastapproximately 140 years, both sides were right in a way, large-ly because they were talking about this vulture and that vul-ture, each belonging actually to two different groups: the oldworld Egyptine type, and the new world cathartine (condors,turkey vultures, black vultures). And while all these birdslook alike on the outside, they are very different on the inside.Subsequent anatomical study and research has shown, for in-stance, that the old world vultures are more nearly related tohawks, while those of the new world have different character-istics.

Stager's recent work on the whole tribe showed that theturkey vulture has big outside nostrils, many smell receptorsin his nose, and extra large olfactory bulbs in the brain, a part

which is devoted to handling smell news. The bird putthis equipment to use by flying much lower to the growhen foraging than other vultures.

Gazing on a turkey vulture, one is not carried awayits beauty, a naked head and wrinkled neck with startlingskin and bristles stuck out here and there, a hooked billfeet and hunched up funereal feathered garb not being ely entrancing by human standards. Nor are vulture tmanners: quarreling and fighting over choice bits, hisangrily at dining companions, wading into and gorging ocently dead or very ripely decomposed carcassesvery p

It seems, however, that vulture idea of beauty differsindeed, housekeeping is duly set up in the spring. Mrs. not much of a hand for nest making, usually depositincouple of eggs on a cliff edge, or in a cave or in a hollow although she might shred up rotten wood for a softer behandy.

Young vultures, surprisingly enough, are clad in cottony white down for several weeks, making them quite angelic. But a nest of young vultures is a very inhoable place, for the youngsters are tough and extremely

facing the intruder with spread wings, lowered heads hissing loudly. Their bills are very sharp, and they know to use them. If this doesn't discourage company, they gorge very smelly remains of their last meal with consideaccuracy. One does not linger about a vulture nest.

By the time the youngsters are about 10 weeks old, have their juvenile plumage and having exercised their wsince they were first able to stand up, and being vultureshow, they know how to begin to practice their famous froutine.

Like a lot of other animals, vultures have talents wmankind could put to use. For instance, a smart biologist

these birds working for a California natural gas companseems that somewhere along a 42-mile stretch through a hot and lonesome part of the desert gas was escaping outhe pipe lines, and nobody could locate the leaks. The bgist put ethyl mercaptan (which smells like rotting flesh) the gas, and the field men started their patrol. All they hdo was to watch to see where turkey vultures congregatedthere indeed were the leaks, the birds coming to point osmell.

Found in other parts of the country, the turkey buzis best at home in the desert where the sun and rugged forms deliver ideal thermal updrafts and warm currents fellow to ride for hours without flapping a wing.

19


20/44

jEWElO f ThE SiERRA JUAREZby John W. Robinson

Pino SoloCALIFORNIA

NESTLED DEEPin a pine forest, high

in Baja California's Sierra Juarez,is a placid, shallow lakelet. Most Ameri-can visitors know it as Laguna Hanson.Glimmering brightly under the sun'sglare, the laguna has been appropriatelycalled "The Jewel of the Sierra Juarez."The Mexicans, developing it as a centerfor their recently established Parque Na-cional Constitucion de 1857, call it La-guna de Juarez.

This was our destination, this lonelylaguna situated in the heart of Baja Cali-

fornia's northernmost mountain range,just 40 airline miles south of the border.After crossing the border at the smalltown of Tecate, famous for its fine beer,we headed east over Mexican Route 2,a paved highway connecting Mexicaliwith Tijuana. Just beyond Tecate, theroad climbs onto the gradual westernslope of the Sierra Juarez. Chaparral-covered hills extend in broad, gracefulcurves as far as the eye can see, nature'smonotony broken only by a few lonelyclusters of oak and an occasional shallow


21/44

wash. This broad western flank of therange is in complete contrast to the east-ern side, where an abrupt rampart dropsa dizzy 5000 feet from the rocky summitridge to the arid desert floor.

Just west of the small town of La Ru-morosa, before the highway plunges offthe eastern escarpment in a series of hair-pin turns, we turned south onto a vastpinyon-covered tableland. This flatishsummit plateau of the Sierra Juarez ex-tends for miles in every direction. Hereand there huge piles of weather-beatenboulders, fairyland castles complete withtowers and parapets, poke their stonycrowns above the surrounding forest.

Our dirt road passed scores of erodeddiggings and abandoned campsites scat-tered among the pinyons. In the 1870sgold was discovered in the decomposedgranite soil of the region. The goldfields, covering some 30 square miles of

the summit plateau, were named theJuarez Placers, in honor of Mexico's latepresident. Later the name was extendedto the entire range. At first the placerswere worked by primitive pick and shov-el methods. In the 1890s three UnitedStates companies set up the latest hy-draulic apparatus at La Milla, near thecenter of the placer fields, and extractedhigh grade ore for several years. Waterwas piped in from the nearby El TopeValley. By the early years of the twentiethcentury the fields were largely worked

The road to Laguna Hanson can

easily be driven in back country

vehicles and pick-up campers.

The author states he has seen

passenger cars in the area, but

cautions only veteran drivers with

high clearance passenger cars to

make the trip.

out, and mining activities gradually cameto a halt. Today, an occasional lonesomeprospector can be found trying his luckin the diggings, hoping for a bonanzathat will renew the excitement of thepast. But in all likelihood, the JuarezPlacers will remain a quiet, sun-bleachedtestimony to a bygone era.

Continuing south, our road beganclimbing onto the higher central portionof the range. W e entered a region of ex-tensive Yellow Pine flats, punctuatedhere and there by small grassy meadows.A small wooden sign informed us thatwe were entering "Parque Nacional Con-stitucion de 1857." This high tablelandof the Sierra Juarez is Mexico's newestnational park, only the second one in BajaCalifornia. (The first is Parque NacionalSierra de San Pedro Martir, establishedin 1951.)

Then we could see it sparkling in the

distance, playing hide-and-seek behindthe pines. Laguna Hanson seemed as ahidden jewel, set deep in a dark, ever-green forest. Driving up to the lake, wefound primitive but comfortable campingfacilities and a recently-constructed fireguard station. The laguna is currentlybeing developed as a recreation center,and increasing numbers of Mexican citi-zens from Mexicali and Tijuana frequentthe region on weekends. The lake itselfis shallow, and its size varies considerablyaccording to the amount of rainfall.

Boulders, large and small, surround laguna and form small rocky islandsthe middle. Tall pines reach right to water's edge. Under the pines the cotry is flat and brush-free, making for perb campsites.

The story of Laguna Hanson is loand colorful, with a touch of sadnesswas known to the Cocupa and Pai tribes long before the Spaniards arrivThe Indians often used it as a rendvous during their annual summer pgrimages into the sierra to gather pinynuts. The Spanish padres from neaMission Santa Caterina visited it oftcalling it simply "La Laguna." By tname it was known for almost a centu

The tragic climax of the laguna's strevolves around a young American raner named Hanson. In 1872, 24-year Hanson visited the sierra, liked the gion, and decided to stay. He built ranch near the lakelet and soon thereabuilt up quite a cattle business suplying beef to the hungry miners of nearby Juarez Placers. In 1880, whwalking through the forest not far frthe lake, Hanson was shot and killed his business partner. The murdered maremains were buried beneath a steaboiler in C ampo, \^ small mining towjust across the international border. Lathe assassin was accused of the crime aafter incriminating evidence was uncov

ed, jailed in Ensenada. Two months lahe bought his freedom and left Baja Cafornia. Since this episode, the lakelet hborne the name of the murdered pione

Instead of returning north to La Rmorosa, we drove southwest, past Hason's old ranch at El Rayo, and descendthe gradual western foothills of the sieinto historic San Rafael Valley. NortheBaja California's first major gold strioccurred here in 1872, near the smtown of Real del Castillo. Beyond,

continued through the low coastal fohills and down to Ensenada, our weekeventure into Baja's northern interior copleted.

Laguna Hanson is a pleasant weekenretreat, untouched by the commercialisthat infects so many of our lakeside sorts north of the border. Good dirt roadreach it from the north, via La Rumoroand from the west, via Ensenada. It isplace to savor the pleasures of wilderneeasily accessible to southern Californi

wande rlust campers. 21


22/44


23/44

P ICTURESQUEIN its desert habitat theSmoke Tree (Rhus Cotinus)is a de-light to the artist and photographer alike.They appear as puffs of smoke in thedesert landscape.

An adult tree grows to a height of 12to 15 feet and has a tap root of about 100feet long. The blossoms are tiny, indigo-blue flowers. It is a distant relative of the

blossoms are scarce and so much smallthat the blooming period can actually boverlooked unless one is especially obserant. And yet, at other times, after an uusually wet period, extra rain and stormweather, the Smoke Tree bursts into fubloom and the blossoms are larger anmore radiant. They seem to have a kinship with cloudbursts and floods not on

by Dorothy Dial

Photographer Clyde Sorensen, Vista, California,captured the fantasy of the Smoke Tree in the Anza Borrego desert area.

Sweet Pea. The blossoms resemble theflower of the Sweet Pea.

They are small in comparison to anordinary tree but are ornamental withlong, feathery fruit stalks or branches andappear as if covered with a cloud ofsmoke especially when in full bloom.

Nature provides for its own and sends

cloudbursts as a means for the SmokeTree's survival by washing away the deadtrees and causing seeds to sprout. Torren-tial rains remove the heavy wax coatingof the seeds. The tiny seedlings come uponly when the sand holds enough mois-ture to tide them over until the tap rootgrows 2 or 3 feet long and the plant isabout 4 inches high.

This unusual tree can be found in dryriver-beds and sandy washes throughoutboth the low and high desert areas. They

grow profusely in Twentynine Palms andin the surrounding higher slopes to thenortheast, also in Palm Springs and vicin-ity. Here, they are cultivated to a greatadvantage lending an artistic touch andyet a natural atmosphere to the city. Thisis true in Twentynine Palms, Palm Desertand other desert cities.

They bloom from mid-spring to mid-summer in various localities; the time isgoverned by climatic conditions whichis true with most wild flowers and other

desert plants. During the dry season the

for their survival and preservation but foan abundant blooming period as well. ASmoke Trees do not bloom every yeathey seem to take time for rest, so tspeak, and only bloom every 2 or 3 year

They change color too, according to thtime of day and under different condtions. At times they seem to be whitplume-like against lavender mountains, perfect backdrop for an artist. And other times, especially in the afternoothey are more bluish in color. The lighfoliage and sand, the long afternooshadows and golden spring-time blenin special effects. And when clouds driacross the sky in late evening the treresemble dark puffs of smoke.

The Smoke Tree loses its leaves duing a dry season to conserve its moisturThey then have a dead gray color onlslightly tinged with blue.

When Juan Bautista De Anza crosseImperial Valley he remarked about thtrees that looked like smoke against thsky, growing in the dry river-beds. It believed that he was the first person mention the resemblance which, perhapled to the name Smoke Tree. Howevethe name is quite appropriate.

This ornamental tree is fascinating behold, but it is difficult to capture thtrue color and grandeur on either canvor filmtruly one of the many wonde

of nature. 23

SMOKETREESHADOWS


24/44

byAnne t teTussing HEAVENIN HELLS

SQUATTING ON the stiff horsehidecupped into a rough boat the ema-ciated men battled the coiling current ofthe Snake River. Their rude craft slippedseveral lariat lengths downstream beforeit crossed to the Idaho shore and theother starving members of their expedi-tion.

One hunger-crazed man, hearing offoodthe remains of a horseback onthe Oregon side, leaped into the pea-green water and was swept from sight

forever. It was that early winter of 1811when Donald McKenzie called it a"cursed mad river" and invoked on itschasm the name of Hells Canyon, thedeepest gorge in North America.

Where the men of the ill-fated AstorFur Company brigade suffered, died orturned back 158 years ago, you cantoday travel in the safety and comfort ofa powerful jet boat, the only craft ableto penetrate the rock-spiked river trench,1600 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon

of the Colorado.24

Hells Canyon Excursions of Lewis-ton, Idaho, has three 24-foot, steel-hulled jet boats which need only eightinches of water to slip over the jungleof boulders lining the canyon floor.

The minimum trip to run the white-water Middle Snake River is two days,with overnight at Willow Creek Camp,93 miles into the virtually roadless can-yon country. However, arrangements canbe made to stay upriver as long as you

wishto fish, explore the trails, hikeinto Oregon's Wallowa Mountains, Ida-ho's Seven Devils wilderness range, orjust plain relax.

Though modern boats now give yousafe passage up the 110 miles of naturalriver, the topography of the trip re-mains essentially the same as when itdefeated the starving fur traders.

Twenty years later it also stopped aceexplorer, Army Captain Benjamin Bon-

neville. In his memoirs he described the

rugged region as it looks today: "nothing we have ever gazed upon in any otheregions could for a moment compare inwild majesty and impressive sternesswith the series of scenes which here aevery turn astonished our senses andfilled us with awe!"

This is some of the most spectacularcanyon country in our hemisphere cradleof a river which drops 12l/2 feet permile, spawning currents up to 17 milesper hour. In the cruise, your boat climbs800 feet and smashes through 130 rapidswith 100 of them in the last 40 miles ofthe deepening canyon.

The trip up the wild Snake River is ajourney back into time, actually some200 million years. This deepest rivercleft in the rocky hide of earth slicesdown through lava flows of 10 to 20million years ago and exposes the prima"greenstone" rock.

The Snake slashes the states of Idaho

on the east and Oregon and Washing-


25/44

CANYON

Powerful jet boats conquer the rapids of the Snake River as it winds through picturesque cliffs in Hells Canyon. Th7600 bends (opposite page) w ith 130 rapids during the 110 mile trip. For those who want to stretch their legs durinriver excursion, horses are available along the way for rides into the colorful canyons.

ton on the west. Its middle segment,from Lewiston, Idaho, to Hells Canyon,is one of the few rem aining free-flowingstretches of the once-great rivers of theWest.

Yet the future of this river gorge isseriously threatened. Two governmentalagencies and a combine of four powercompanies have been vying for a decadeto dam the river and drown forever itsageless canyon. Three bills now standbefore Congressand the fate of the

Middle Snake river hangs in the balance.The Hells Canyon Preservation Council,Box 691, Idaho Falls, Idaho, coordinatesthe efforts to preserve this holdout ofAmerica's wild heritage. They maintainnuclear power makes dams obsolete.

For a year or two at least, you can stillboard one of the jet boats at Lewiston,managed and piloted by businessmanFloyd Harvey. Even small children canmake the river trip safelyand thrill toan adventure they may never be able to

repeat as adults.

From the boatdock you travel up-stream and within the first mile you seeSwallow Rock, the largest monolith inthe inland river drainagea giant lavarock jutting from the west shore. On its400-foot sheer face are hundreds of mud-glued birds' nests. Nine hundred feetwide here, the river flows strongly atthree to five miles per hour. For the first30 miles, it introduces you gently to itsfury upstream.

Your first stop, 18 miles upriver, is athistoric Buffalo Eddy, a mecca for geolo-gists, artifact hunters, fishermen, sun-bathers and anthropologists. At thiswidening of the river, generations of In-dians wintered, relishing the mild cli-mate, easy fishing and wealth of wildgame. They cut into the ancient rocks arecord of their activities. The petro-glyphs are easily seen and photographed.

Protruding from the Eddy's sandyshores are outcroppings of eons-old

greenstone. They are polished with the

sheen of desert varnish, a patina produced by water-whipped sand and buildup of chemicals. It is easy to toe througthe sand around the Eddy and come uwith a perfect arrowhead.

A thin thread to civilization curvealong the starboard shore for 30 mileupstream from Lewiston. This road endat the mouth of Oregon's unspoilelittle Grande Ronde River, the onlhighway into Hells Canyon.

Heading upstream the river picks uin pace. A mountain of almost purlimestone rears up on your right. Itmidmorning so you put in on a sandstrip, one of hundreds of natural beachewhich scallop between the craggy basawalls. You bite into pastries fresh fromthe bakery that morning, and gaze ouover the river unchanged since the fiercband of Shoshones gave it their nam"People of the Serpent" they were calleby Canadian tribes who first told Frenc

Continued on Page 3625


26/44

Television star Dick Sinclair and his family are among the many wh o take advan-tage of the cherry picking season in the orchards around Beaum ont, California.After picking cherries you can pick your steed from a stable of horses and ride

through the Cherry Valley countryside.

W ATCHING THE farmers of South-ern California's Imperial Valleyperform their cotton picking duties, or observing the date harvesters in the Coachella Valley indulge in tree-top gymnastics, may be fun but there's more satisfaction in actually doing things. It is nosuggested that you find some cotton tpick, or that you climb a date palm an

pluck a tasty morsel. There is a picturesque area in Riverside County that provides a do-it-yourself picking opportunitfor residents and visitorsand the product is delicious cherries.

This audience participation region iknown as Cherry Valley and is located acouple of miles north of the city ofBeaumont. From Interstate Highway 10take the Beaumont Avenue offramp, orthe Cherry Valley turn-off (bo th lead tothe center of Cherry Valley). You'll findpick-your-own orchards from the northboundary of Beaumont to the Mile HighRanch, which has been here since 1942The Mile High is the largest cherry or

I T 'S C H E R R Y P I C K I N

T I M Echard in Southern California with 20acres of delicious Lambert cherries readfor picking from mid-June through July4th.

During your cherry safari you maysample the product if you wish, and therwill be no attempt to weigh you at thcheck-stand! An amusing sidelight onthis liberal policy was reported to me bone of the orchard owners. Even thoughvisitors are told that they may sample thfruit during their "pick-yourself" tour othe orchard, it has been noted that onoccasion a person will hide behind a trewhile eating a couple of the lusciouvarieties. Perhaps he feels that forbidde

fruit is sweeter!


27/44


28/44

I N SOUTHERN California there is arange of mountains called El Paso andnestled within these mountains is acanyon called Last Chance.

A spider-web of trails winds throughthe red, green, brown and white forma-tions of the area. Rockhounds find jas-per, agate, petrified wood and palm, andphotographers capture the color of thebrilliant red Paint-Brush or the BeaverTail Cactus blooms. There are old andnew mines, some with NoTrespassingsigns. It's great for a weekend of ex-ploring.

Located approximately 20 miles north-east of Mojave in Kern County, the areacan be entered in several ways. (See mapon page 32.) We entered on the roadacross from Hart's Place on State High-way 14. If in doubt, follow the signspointing to "Burro" Schmidt's Tunnel.(See following article.)Towing our dune buggy behind our

camper, we found a flat area betweenthe colorful hills and set up camp.Loading our dune buggy, we were soonexploring the many trails. Our roadnudged pink bluffs and then veered offthrough odd-shaped rocks and past sev-eral mines.

A sandy trail climbs a hill, disappearsaround a curve, and reappears beyondonly to drop from view again. As this was

the trail we wanted, we made a quickswoop to the right, clawed our way up-hill, rounded a curve, and climbed somemore. A stretch of soft sand was churnedup from other vehicles going through ortrying to, but our buggy skimmed over it.

A clump of Joshua Trees is nearby andin the spring, the ground is a carpet ofwildflowers. Over a rise, across anothersoft spot, the road splits. Taking theleft fork and still climbing, we roundeda sharp curve and after a couple of stops,my husband found the place where hewanted to hunt for agate and jasper. Thetrail dipped down and up again, con-tinued over to a viewpoint and vanishedover a hill. Later however, we headedback to the main road.

In the distance, the old mine wasvisible. High on thebluff, the metalbuildings glittered in the sun. There areseveral trails to it.

A few years ago the scaffolding of amine was all along the cliff and the carts

28

L A S

Author's dune buggy on top of one ofthe many rockhound hills. The area isdotted (below) with odd-shaped mud-

stone cliffs.


29/44

C H A N C EC A N Y O NbyPat

Holmes

The main road through Last ChanceCanyon winds through sage and hills.Trails crisscross the entire area w hichis a favorite ground for rockhounds.All that is left of the Cuda hy or OldDutch Cleanser Cam p (below) is ce-ment slabs and rubble, reminders of

its lively past.

and hopper were in fair shape. Nowmuch of the wood is washed down thbluff, nor is there much left of the cartand hopper. W ith binoculars, we scannethe bluff. The buildings are collapsingand there is evidence of slides. In a fewyears, perhaps, all trace of the mine wibe gone.

No t far away in a bluff is a cave. Thpath to it is lined with rocks where lizardbask in the sun. Nearby are mudstoncliffs with castle spires rising into thsky. Trails criss-cross the areaone leover a notch in the hills to the mainroad.

Pink and white formations marchalongside of the road and a lonelyJoshua stands guard. A side road veeroff to the right and then another. We followed the second road to do some exploing, but didn't go far. Scattered throughout the flats were many campers andtents. This is a favorite campsite forockhounds.

Back to the main road, across the wasand up on the left is what used to bthe Cudahy or Old Dutch Cleanser campCemet slabs keep company with rubblto mark the place where buildings oncstood. After poking around and climbina hill, we drove down the road, ridinthe edge of it past a washed-out spotThe mountains have colorful bands o

pink and white across them. In the sidof a low bluff are some dugouts. Wefollowed a dry wash into the hills foa ways and stopped to view the scenerbefore heading back.

There are odd-shaped rocks of pinkand white. Some stand straight up, otherfold in on each other. A mine is tuckedaway in a hill. As the road snakes itway through the hills, it crosses and recrosses the wash. Sometimes it is hard tknow what is wash and what is road

We followed some tracks into the washand nearly went into a huge hole thasomeone had dug.

These are typical desert roads. Therecan be loose sand or washouts, heavyrain or wind storms. Cars are morelimited in their exploring than motorcycles, four-wheelers, and dune buggies

Sooner or later though, whether it'sspring, fall, or winter, the rockhoundthe photographer and the curious wilvisit Last Chance Canyon.

29


30/44


31/44

THROUGH TIMEby Kay Ram sey Photosby Bob Ramsey

Now is the time to pause on a wind-swept ledge and contemplate. You havejust passed through32 years of a man'slife. One man, "Burro" Schmidt by name,working with a four pound single jack-hammer, pick, shoveland crowbar,andwhatever drill steelhe could get, carvedthis lasting monumentto himself almostl/7 mile straight through the heart of4.384 foot high Copper Mountain.Nocompressed air of gasoline motors wereused, only the simple methodsof frontiermining were employed in his years oflabor.

William Henry Schmidt was24 yearsold when he came to Kern Countyin the1890s from his home state of RhodeIsland. An invalid, with a long familyhistory of tuberculosis, he sought healthin the dry, invigorating climateof thedesert. After a short period of wander-ing, the young man settledin the MojaveDesert in 1900, and although Schmidtknew nothing of mines or minerals,hejoined the band of early-day prospectorsthat roamed the land. He staked severalclaims in the district and soon leased onepromising sitein the El Pasosto a Bakers-field syndicate. They drovea short ex-ploratory drift into the mountain, thengave up, allowing the claim to remain

idle for a number of years. But Schmidthad faith in this particular location.In1906, he began work in earnest. Follow-ing the earlier exploratory shaft, afterjust 50 feet of digging, he struck the onlyore in Copper Mountain thathad com-mercial possibilities.

Most miners would have stoppedtodevelop these potential riches. Schmidtdidn't; instead he penetrated deeperanddeeper into the earth, pushing the rockand muck out behind him by hand.Hisproblem was simple. The claim lay farin the interior of an isolated rangeof

mountains. To ship ore of any quantityfrom the mine, he would first havetobuild many milesof road over difficultterrain. The only alternative wasto ex-tend a tunnel straight through the moun-tain coming out at a point overlookingthe Mojave Desert closeto the existingroutes.

Once started, the man's stubbornpa-tience and determination kept him going.For over 20 summers he labored as aranch hand in the Kern River Countryto earn a few dollars. Each winterhe re-turned to the tunneling operation,buthis meager wages were never enough.Heoften workedby the flickering lightof acandle. Blasting in the tunnel was done

Schmidt lived in a little cabin he builtnear the mouth of the tunnel. Throughthe lean years,his two meals a day usual-ly consisted of nothing fancier than flap-jacks and beans. His only companionswere a pair of burros, "Jack" and "Jen-ny," which he used to pull the buck-board that hauled in all of his food,water and supplies. The long associationwith these faithful animals earnedhimthe nickname "Burro."

As time passed and he went deeperinto the mountain, he found it necessaryto bring in a steel ore car and rails.He

laid the rails as he advanced, loadedthecar and pushedit out by hand to the evergrowing dump. Narrow escapesandminer injuries were common. Once, covered with blood,he came to a neighbor'scabin, moaning, "She nearlygot me thistime." After he recovered, he continuedhis struggle against the mountain.Oneof his other claims was soldand he fin-ally had enough money to work year-round in the tunnel. There were six morewith 40% dynamite andhe followedthedangerous practice of cutting the fusesshort so the supply would last longer.Crowbar and pick were used to the full-est extent to pry down the loosened rock

Continued

Ore car in entrance to 1872-foot tunnel Museum hasa collection of everything

31


32/44

years of slow progress. Schmidt esti-mated that his tunnel cost $2.00 a foot,excluding labor, to develop; and that hehad put about $44,000 worth of workinto it.

One clear September day in 1938, anaged "Burro" Schmidt broke throughinto daylight on a canyon slope, acrossthe divide of Copper Mountain, 1872

feet from the point where he had startedsome 32 years before. With this camehis brief day of fame. Newspapers,magazines and mining journals carriedthe story of one man's super-human ac-complishment. Photographs of the tun-nel, of the burros, and of "Burro"Schmidt, appeared in national publica-tions. He was dubbed "The HumanMole." Robert Ripley, of Ripley's "Be-lieve It Or Not," wrote of him andonce offered to pay his expenses to NewYork for a radio program. Schmidt de-clined with a comment that if peopleheard him say he had spent almost halfhis life digging a hole through a moun-tain, they'd just think he was a darnfool.

Wtih the completion of the tunnel,Schmidt, 68 years old, turned back to

the serious business of mining. In thefirst months of operation he took out 20tons of ore, averaging $50 a ton in gold,silver, copper, iron and tungsten fromhis claim in Copper Mountain. The yearsalone had made him shy of people. Thelast part of his life was spent quietlyworking the mine and living as a reclusein his cabin deep in the El Pasos.

Four years before "Burro" Schmidt'sdeath in February, 1954, a few daysshort of his 83rd birthday, he took on apartner, Mike E. Lee who sought to de-velop the tunnel as a tourist attraction.Picnic grounds and a camping areawere set up. This became known far andwide as "Lee's Copper Basin Camp andBurro Schmidt's Famous Tunnel." Thecabin was converted into a museum,housing, along with assorted hand-toolsand curios, one of Schmidt's prized pos-sessions; a wood burning cook-stove that

he had bought second-hand somewherefor $4.00 and carted in by buckboard.During the time he was working on thetunnel he figured he'd cooked close to25,000 meals on that stove.

The mine property fell vacant afterLee's death a few years ago, and revertedto the State to be auctioned off to the

highest bidder. At this time, Mr. andMrs. M. A. Seger were searching for aplace to locate in the healthful climate ofthe Mojave Desert. "Burro" Schmidt'sTunnel was an answer to their dreamsThey submitted the high bid, thus gaining control of the tunnel and the campwhich they hoped to further develop, buMilo Seger passed away in 1964 soonafter the couple had acquired the landHis widow, Tonie Seger, alone nowserves as caretaker of the grounds. Shis the friendly woman who hands oulanterns in the little cabin museum, andshe is glad to pause for a few minutes totell you stories of Schmidt and his tunnel. There is no admission charge, bushe always appreciates donations.

You'll be pleased that you venturedso far off the beaten path to explore"Lee's Copper Basin Camp and BurroSchmidt's Famous Tunnel." Memoriesof a fantastic hole through a mountainand of a spectacular view of the MojavDesert will be yours. Most importantyou'll carry home a little more respecfor what man could accomplish if heonly had the same patience and deter-mination as an old prospector named"Burro " Schmidt.

It took "B urro" Schmidt 32 years and$44,000 to dig through the mountainand reach the exitan d daylight.

32


33/44

Town With Four Namesby Doris Cerveri

O UNGHOUSE NESTLES quietly in anarrow canyon where peach blos-soms bloom beautifully in the spring andthe air is pungent with the odor of sageand juniper berries. At one time import-ant people trod its main street and hob-nobbed with owners of rich claims. Nowjust three families share the town's mem-ories of what was, what might have been,and what may still be.

Most communities are content withonly one name, but over a period of yearsthis gold-silver camp located nine mileswest of Wadsworth and 40 miles east ofReno in western Nevada was taggedWhite Horse, McClanesville, Ora, andfinally Olinghouse.

Although prospected as early as I860with some locations made in 1864, FrankFree, a railroad man from Wadsworth,made actual pay dirt discoveries in 1874.Mining activity progressed at a slow pacefor several more years. In June 1897,J. L. Davies, mayor of Oakland, stirredup considerable excitement by visitingthe area following the discovery of placergold on Green Hill by Brooks McClane

and F. Plane. Their discoveries causeddozens of people to flock to the area. One

claim after another was recorded and thesettlement on the left fork of the canyonbecame known as McClanesburg. In themeantime a mining district was organizedand called White Horse, but later a postoffice was established under the nameof Ora, possibly honoring GovernorSparks who owned a claim by the samename.

To further complicate matters the townwas again renamed after Elias Oling-house who settled in the canyon to raise

sheep. Previously he had been a teamsterbetween Denver and Salt Lake. Whenthe Union Pacific Railroad disrupted hisbusiness he established another team linefrom Wadsworth southeast to Belmont,Eventually he gave this up to settle inOlinghouse. Mining activity looked bet-ter to him than sheep; consequently whenMcClane wanted to sell some claimsOlinghouse bought them, and persuadedhis nephew to help him dig for riches.

Greatest production was from 1901-

1903 with Cabin # 2 , Forlorn Hope, athe Emma L mines as well as approx

mately 10 others being "in the moneyRich ore was compared to that of thComstock Lode when one 25 pound royielded $800 in gold. Some individuabelieved the area would develop into oof the leading mining camps in NevadAlthough the district produced fro1902-1921 52,381 tons of ore containiabout $509,530 in gold and 12,95ounces of silver, valued in all at $519,45the town never measured up to the fablous wealth poured out of Virginia Cimines. Even at its peak residents onnumbered about 3000.

Olinghouse, in its heydey, sported two-story hotel, a couple of restauranand lodging houses, and several saloonamong them the Gouge Eye which had aassay office as an added attraction. Aone time the Wadsworth Electric Lighand Power Company made plans to brinelectricity to Olinghouse and to build tramway from the mines to the TruckeRiver where a mill would be erected

Continued

33


34/44

JlWtlRY CRAFTS CATALOG

F R E E !Lapidaryro ck h o u n d in g

^jewelry making... add up toa fascinating creative art!

BCATALOG

SEND FOR FREE CATALOGWorld's largest selection-over 10.000offered...imports from all parts ofthe iSTONES JEWEIHYM AT E t l A L S - M O U N T

BOOKS- CKAFT TOOLS - MACHINEYSUPPUES-

G RIEG ER'S , IN C.I 52 -1633 E. Walnol P aiadtno,Calif.

ICATALOGFUN & PROFIT

WITHMETAL DETECTORS

GOLDAK, WHITE'S, DETECTRON, RAYSCOPEProspecting and Hiking Equipment

Books Topo MapsFREEIndexes for Topo Maps, stock Westernstates, each state has index.

J A C O B S E N S U P P L I E R S9322 California Ave. , South Gate, Calif.Phone 569-80 41 902 80

M O V I N G ?SO YOU WILL NOT MISS AN ISSUENOTIFY US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Be sure to include old addressas well as the new

AND BOTH ZIP CODES!

DlAtflL

AuthorizedJEEP

Sales and ServiceLARGEST SUPPLY OF

NEW AND USED JEEP PARTSIN THE WEST.

Looking for a JeepTry us!BRIAN CHU CHUA'S

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE CENTERDept. DM 1625 S. Harbor Blvd.

Fulltrton, California

FOR ONLY $4.95 POSTPAIDYOU GET: HSAVY DUTY10" S i m GO tDP A N ! ILLUSTRATED IN-STRUCTION BOOKLET! QUARTER-POUNDOF GOLD-BEARINGCONCENTRATES WITHOVER 5 0 PCS. OF GOLD! TOTAL VALUE:GUARANTEED WORTHOVER $ 2 , 0 0 0 / r O N !

SEND TO: PA

Date post:	31-May-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	dm1937
View:	220 times
Download:	0 times

196905 Desert Magazine 1969 May

Documents