198012 Desert Magazine 1980 December

8/14/2019 198012 Desert Magazine 1980 December

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E X C L U S I V E :C O L U M B U S W A S N ' T H E R E F I R S T !N E I T H E R W E R E T H E V I K I N G S !( S e e P a g e 2 1 )T H E M I S S I O N S" O N O R A

DECEMBER, 1980 $1.50

9 R U N N E R

T H E D E A D L YJ I M S O N W E E DF l o a t i n g t h eR I O G R A N D E

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BRINGTHEDESERTHOME W ITH YOURelax and browse among our books of the southwest (more titles at minimum pricesthan any wh ere else), and view our gallery of vivid dese rt oils by Kathi H ilton,LaM onk, Carl Bray, K. O. Harris and other well-known a rtists. See the famous Peglegnuggets on display. Look through back issues of Desert Magazine for that story youmissed. We have collector copies saved for you dating back 44 years to Volume 1,Nu mb er 1, and the com plete set is also available on microfilm. Remember, friend orstranger, you are always w elcome here!

DESERT MAGAZINE'S B O O K STORE AN D ART GALLERY74-425 Highway 11 1- Palm D ese rt, California 92260(near Deep Canyon)

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VOL UME 43 NUM BER 11 December, 1980CONTENTSho led them through the bottom of the sea? L ike roadrunners racingthrough the desert, they never stumbled . . . Adapted from Isaiah 63:13

ISSN 0194-3405

DepartmentsEDITORIAL 5LETTERS 6DESERT ROCKHOUND 34CHUCK WAGON CO OK IN' 37THE LIVING DESERT 39THE SECOND TIME AROUND 41

DESERT BOOK SHOP 42DESERT PRODUCT OF THE MONTH . . . . 45TRACES IN THE SAND 46DESERT PHOTO CONTEST 48THE TRADING POST 54ANN UAL INDEX VOLUM E 43 62Our Cover

The perky roadrunner on our co ver, painted traditionally intransparent water colors by Ken Goldman, may look familiarto those who have visited San Diego's Museum of NaturalHistory. Ken was a staff member there, responsible for theunbelievably natural taxidermy and dioramas of thewildlife displays.

Features8 A W E E D F R O M JAMESTOWNBeautiful but Deadlyby Wayne P. Armstrong

M How ABOUT A PE TTARANTULA?For the Man Who Has Everythingby Da niel Perez

14 EVELYN VIGILHer Touch Is Foreverby Lita Emanuel18 FLOA TING THE Rio GRANDEThe Backdoor to Backcountryby Michael Anderson

21 T E R R A CALALUS, U.S.A.(775-900 A.D.)Were the Romans Here BeforeColumbus?by Choral Pepper

25 CLOWN PRI N CE OF THEDESERTThe Feisty, Lovable Roadrunnerby Karen Sausman29 T H E CACTUS CITY CLARIONDancers Dance, Texans StompMary Eileen Twyman, Ed.

50 GHOST MANSION OF THEHUALAPAISA Family-Type Failureby Joe Blackstock52 SAGEBRUSH SCRIBESHow the Legend of the W est Was Toldby D on Miller

54 T H E MISSIONS OF SPANISHSONORAA Tour Through Our Heritageby John E. Robison60 PINNACLE PEA K PATIODon 't W ear a Tie Here!by Rick La nning

Desert Magazine (USPS 535230) is published monthly by Cactus Paperworks,Inc . , 74-425 Hig hwa y 111. P.O . Box 1318, Palm D ese rt, CA 92261. Telephone:(714) 568-2781. Officers: R. C. Packer, President; Chester M. Ross, Vice-President; Donald MacDonald, Vice-President; Marjorie Moline, Secretary.Controlled circulation pos tage paid at Spa rta, Illinois and at additional mailingoffices in the U.S.A. Copyright 1980 by Desert Magazine. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced in any-manner without writtenpermission from the publisher. Subscription Rates for U.S. and i ts possessions,Canada and Mexico: 1-year, $ 11.00; 2-years $2 0.00. Els ewh ere: A dd $4.00 peryear surface, $20.00 per year air mail (U.S. currency). To Subscribe, Renew orChange Address: Write Desert Magazine, P.O. Box 28816, San Diego, CA

92128. Please allow six weeks for processing and include where applicable theaddress label from your most recent copy of the Magazine. Exact zip codesare required by the Post Office. Donors of gift subscriptions should includetheir own name and address as well as those of the recipient(s). POSTMAS-TER: SEND C HANGE OF ADDRESS BY FORM 3579 TO DESERTMAGAZINE. P.O. BOX 28816. SAN DIEGO. CA 92128. Contributions: TheEditor welcomes unsolicited manuscripts and photographs but they can bereturned only if accom panied by S.A.S .E., or envelope with internationalexchange coupons. While we treat submissions with care, we cannot assumeresponsibility for loss or damage. Payment is upon acceptance. Writers Guidefree with S.A.S.E.; sample copy, $1.50.


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Write for aFree Catalog.Mail Order Advertising. Most mail order advertisers have worked longand hard to build their businesses and they have succeeded by giving promptservice with quality products, along with their assurance of your full satisfac-tion. Desert readers are invited to write and tell us about notably favorableexperiences with any of our advertisers, or if you have a problem we'd liketo hear about that, too. We'll try to help get it solved for you.Write Desert Advertising Service, Box 1318, Palm Desert, California 92261.

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H e W ho Lives in Glass HousesA N N E , AND THAT is not her real/ ^ L name, is the young divorced

A .m . mother of three of the fouryoun gsters, aged eight to eleven, whowere playing with m atches a little afternoon on August 26 in the lower reachesof Dry Falls Canyon near Palm Springs.The ch ildren started a brush fire tha t inthirteen days burned more than 28,000acres of mostly treeless wilderness in theSan Jacinto foot h ills.It also destroyed six hom es in AndreasCanyon and was indirectly responsiblefor the crash of one U .S. Forest Servicehelicopter. But despite the crash and the1,600 men involved in suppressing thefire, there were only minor injuries.None of the 53 engines, twelvebulldozers, three water trucks, fiveairco's (command aircraft), nineteen airtankers or the other nine helicopters w asdamaged.The num ber of men, machines andacres didn't set any record for this typeof fire, and since kindly winds confined itto within w hat is called the rim of thedesert, major recreation areas other thanboth terminals of the Palm SpringsTramw ay, and human habitat other thanAndreas Cany on, w ere never seriouslythreatened. N evertheless, they say itcost taxpayers $3,500,000 to suppr ess, towhich must be added the estimated$250,000 value of the six hom es. A nd,too, add paint damage to three car s indowntown Palm Springs which wereaccidentally hit by a load of prem aturelyreleased Phos-Chek.The four little boys had also beenthrowing bottles into the street andcomplaints about that had brought twopolicemen to the scene who , in turn,discovered and reported the fire and,thanks to these b ottles, maybe savedmany lives and much property .

The first Palm Springs engine arrivedin four minutes and the fire headed upthe canyon, much to the relief of thecity firemen.The four little boys told officials theywere sorry and who their mothers wereand w here they lived and s o, life forAnne since August 26 has been a previewof Hell. The fact that Anne's youngestboy was held blameless by the otherthree hasn't helped.I thought as I sat listening to her tellher story to a small group of friends that Ihad played with matches too. But I waslucky. I even remembered the time w henI was smoking in our garage. A grownupapproached and I tossed the lighted buttinto a bottle which I found out later

contained gasoline. It didn't explode.I don 't think I ever knew a kid when Iwas a kid who could honestly say that hehad never played with match es, andsome I knew had thrown bottles into thestreet and against trees to see themsplatter. I don't think many of theofficials who have b een persec utingAnne unm ercifully since August 26could say they have never played withmatches either.The persecu tion, in the form ofconstant questioning, a total invasion ofprivacy, is required by ou r law to seekredress from the responsible party, inthis case Anne and the other m other whorelaxed their normally careful watchover the children for a few minu tes.Has any mother reading this not everdone that?In theory, Anne now owes variousgovernments two-thirds of $3,500,000plus her share of six houses and paintjobs on three cars. In fact, the obligationis a maximum of $5,000 to governm entand wh atever private insurancecompanies can collect. It won't be muchbecause Anne is a civil servant in one ofthe lower grades. But that also makes hervulnerable and $5,000 could buy a lot ofsneakers and blue jeans and m ilk.Meanw hile, the same federal andCalifornia officials who will be trying tocollect this money are sm iling. It wa s, asfar as the w ilderness and w ildlife w ereconcerned, a benevolent fire, one of thekind which is needed every sixteen yearsto clear out dead brush and revitalize theland. It was good "vegetativemanagement." But of course, no officialcould have ordered it to be s et.The deer and the bobcat and thebighorn outran the fire and w ere sightedback in their burned-ov er habitat w ithintwo day s. The smaller animals justburrowed deeper and for the most partescaped. And those that didn 't willattract reptor birds which in turn attractcampers to the camp sites.Our law says the officials must bringthe mothers into civil court. The childrenface years of probation on criminalcharges. The children are sorry. Theyreally a re. Th ey'll nev er do it again. AndAnne says she's sorry to the crankcallers who have found her. And shereally is. I say to the officials, leavethem be. Rewrite the law. Th ey'vesuffered enough.

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The best way that weknowof to preserve and protectthose issues you want tosave Deser t Magazine'shandsome, durable bindersin brown vinyl with goldDesert logo imprint. Keep syour back issues in orderfor easy reference whenyou want toplan your nexttrip or research clues tothat lost gold mine. An at-tractive addition to yourbookshelf, too.Each binder holds twelveissues. Available with orwithout year imprint.Order Yours Today!P lease send Desert Mag-azine Binder(s) @ $6 .00 + $1.00postage &h and l i ng . Date binder(s) w i th Year(s) 19 ,

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LETTERSGUILT BY ASSOCIATIONYour " 'Welcome' to the United States"editorial (Desert, October 1980) struck araw nerve with me. Those (deleted)onthe Tijuana gates maysend yellow carsand red-headed women atrandom tosecondary inspection but anolderVWvan issure to get hit,even if the driverhas nohair. I've had myseats taken out,my spare tire deflated, and carefullypatched rust holes in thebody panelsbroken open bythose guys, andwhenthey're through with you,they just walkoff. Noapologies; you put it together atyour expense!Name W ithheldEncinitas, Calif.Long hair whether onyour chin oryourscalp and old VWvans with or withoutsurfboards spell pot byassociation tothose who man ourvehicular ports ofentry. Butcheer up.That kind of thinkingassures that when three or four sweetlittle, white-haired oldladies getbusted ina single week, all such ladies thereafterwill getsent tosecondary andthey willwrite their congressmen andmaybe sanitywill berestored, ormore accurately,instituted.

MYSTERY BIBLE SHRINEWhat a surprise toread Mary K.Thorns'letter (Desert, October 1980) wherein shementioned anarticle on the Bible Shrinepublished in an old issue ofDesert.I wrote that article back inJune, 1958and I'menclosing a tearsheet plus aphotograph of the Shrine as itused to be.

I agree that it's notmagazine readerswho go out to a place like thisandvandalize it butinstead, it's theimpulsive mischief of morallyincompetent juvenile m entalities. As mypicture shows, theShrine wasprettymuch intact when I saw it.Dorothy RobertsonApache Junction, Ariz.

TARAHUMARAS REVISITEDMy wife and I enjoyed your articles onthe Tarahumara Indians (Desert, October1980) as we had visited them atCreel andTemaris on the Chihuahua alPacificoRailroad when wetraveled piggyback toLos Mochis from Chihuahua last year.We heartily recommend this trip toanyone with a suitable RV and a yen tosee something new. I also enjoy theviolin I purchased from the man whomade it in his owncave.Carl F. SorensonSan Bernardino, Calif.MOHAVES IN THE MOJAVEAs far as I know, "Mohave" and"Mojave" areboth accepted spellingsfor the Indian tribe andplaces namedafter it, but I don't understand why youuse both the "h" and the " j "interchangeably in the same article;specifically, "The Mohavesaccompanied the Spanish explorer-padre, Francisco Garces, west via theMojave Trail in 1776 . . . ," (Desert,Nov embe r 1980).Homer K.MuldoonOgden, UtahThe spellings are not interchangeable. TheIndians called themselves "Mohaves" butit was theSpaniards whowent aroundnaming places after them andthey spelledit "Mojave." Thus, for example, our useof the Mohave tribesmen revisiting the oldMojave Trail in thesame a rticle. This ruleapplies too to"Navaho" for those Indiansand "Navajo" forplaces named afterthem; e.g., you can buy aNavaho blanketfrom vendors along theNavajo Trail. Theonly exceptions areplaces named byAnglo settlers which could bespelledeither way as at thetime, they didn'tapply these fine d istinctions. Andyes, toanticipate your question, theIndians arereferred to asMojave andNavajo inSpanish writings but wewould italicizethese spellings if we hadoccasion touse them.DEATH VALLEYE N C A M P M E N TI've heard that sometime during thewinter great numbers of people gettogether inDeath Valley and re-enact thedays of the '49ers, or does ithave to dowith the later, borax years?Leo KittenSchenectady, N.Y.You'd best get on a jet if you want tomakeit because theencampment starts

6 DECEMBER, 1980


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Thursday, November 6 andgoes on24-hours a daythrough Sunday. You canstay at theFurnace Creek Ranch or Inn,at Stovepipe W ells, innearby Shoshone orcamp out asthousands do.There aresongfests, guided tours, pickin' music,chuck wagon meals, agreat artshow andphotography lessons. This is the 31stannual event andthere's noadmissioncharge. Thesponsors dohope, though,that you'll spend $5.00 on a membership.ONE WITH HIS MAKERI think a man needs a place he can getaway to and be on a one-to-one basiswith himself, his Maker and the eartharound him. And the desert is the bestplace I have ever found for that. I left thearea (Salton Sea) just about the time thefirst dune buggies began to tear up thesand dunes (Algadones) down nearYuma. I guess it was about time. Thethought even at this great distance makesme a little sad.Dave LarsonHarlingen, TexasZEBRAS ONTHE LOOSE?Several years ago in the bed of the BillWilliams River (runs westerly into theColorado near Parker, Arizona) myhusband and I saw several burros ormules running loose that were stripedlike zebras. I wonder if they actuallywere zebras that had escaped from atraveling circus? Although other peoplein the area had seen them, no oneseemed to know what they were orwhere they came from.Lura RitsonWest Covina, Calif.Mainly because of reports weperiodicallyreceive of camel sightings in thedesert, wewere a little suspicious ofMrs . Ritson'sletter. However, since theParker policehad nocomplaints of record (sober ones,anyway) onescaped zebras, it'spossiblethese were burros which hadwanderedaway from, or hadbeen abandoned by,their Mexican owners w ho often decoratetheir animals bypainting stripes onthem.Burros, mules or donke ys, striped orotherwise, are notseen much if at all inMexican circuses except possibly aspropsfor thephotographers w ho separatelysolicit thepatrons, anopportunity alsoafforded tourists onTijuana streetcorners. There is apeculiar Tijuanaordinance that requires photographers touse female animals but themarkings, ifany, areoptional.According toNational Park Servicenaturalists familiar with bur ros, a definite"pu re" strain harking back to thefirstasses imported by theSpaniards can beseen in anoccasional animal today but thestripes on these arelimited to one or twoon thehaunches or forelegs. Our guess isthat what you sawwere wandering bestiafrom Mexico.

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*mm g mm TheBeautiful But Deadly

W/eedfrom'amestoiunby WAYNE P. ARMSTRO NG Photographs by the Author


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A NY ON E W HO has lived ortraveled in the southwesternUnited States, particularlyduring the summer and fall, could notfail to notice a large, m alodorous andsprawling plant along roadsides and dryriverbeds with large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers. This plant goes by aT H E C O M M O N J IM S O N W E E D O F R O A D S ID E S A N D R IV E R B E D S T H R O U G H O U T T H E S O U T H W E S T I S O N E O F O U R L A R G E S T A N D M O S T S T R I K I N G W I L D F L O W E R S

T

/


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variety of unusual names, but one of themost common is jimsonw eed.Of all the w ild plan ts utilized in oneway or another by p eople, jimsonw eedcertainly has one of the most sinisterhistorical backg rounds. T hrough thecenturies this innocent-looking plant hasbeen involved in murders, in witchcraftand demonology, in military campaigns,in sly but cunning seductions and insexual orgies. It has also been animportant ceremonial plant in severalIndian cultures, and has provided somevaluable and important clinical drugs.Jimsonweed is a m ember of theNightshade or T omato Family, alongwith the deadly nightshade, thebeneficial tomato, potato, egg plant, bellpepper, controversial tobacco anddecorative petunia. M any members ofthe family, ho wever, are very p oisonous,including jimso nw eed. In fact, only acentury ago, the tomato w as thought tobe poisonous by m any people in the U. S.W If *During hot sunny weather the large,showy flowers often open in the eveningand usually close and w ither by noon thefollowing day, though there are exceptionsto this blooming sequen ce, particularly incloudy, overcast weather. Withinminutes on a warm summ er evening youcan actually watch the long, pleated budsunfold into magnificent white trumpets.Although the foliage sm ells ratherrank, especially when crushed orbruised, the flowers are very fragrantand are frequented by a variety ofinsects. N octurnal blossoms are visitedby moths in search of the sweet nectar.Each flower gives rise to a walnut-sized,oval, green , spiny fruit which later turnsbrown and splits open, releasing theseeds. T he plant is sometimes called"thorn apple" because of theprickly fruits.The re are at least fifty different speciesof jimsonweed throughout the world,including Europe, Africa, India,southeast Asia, South A merica, Mexicoand the American southw est. M ost of thespecies are low shrubby or sprawlingannuals or perennials, but there are sometree-like forms that may reac h 35 feet inheight. The latter are occasionallycultivated as orname ntals, andsometimes go by the scientific nam e ofBrugmansia. They generally have thesame characteristic trumpet-shapedflowers with color variations of white,red, pink or yellow.The common jimsonweed of thesouthwest, with its huge, w hite, trumpet-shaped flowers up to eight inches longand four inches a cross , is Datura inoxia.Some times the flowers a re tinged withpurple, and look like oversized petuniaor morning glory blo ssom s. It is aperennial with a very large taproot whichmay extend more than fifteen inches intothe ground.There is some disagreement amongauthorities regarding jimsonw eed's exact

(A B O V E ) T H I S C O L O R F U L T R E EJIMSONWEED (BRUG MANSIAS A N G U I N E A ) IS U S E D T O D A Y BY" C U R A N D E R O S " IN THE H I G H -L A N D S OF P E R U .( R I G H T ) THE J I M S O N W E E D -IS

A L S O C A L L E D T H O R N A P P L E BE-C A U S E OF ITS U N U S U A L S P I N YF R U I T .

scientific name, and it is often listed inwildflower boo ks as D. meteloides.Another fairly common desert annualwith smaller flowers is D. discolor. Thegeneric name Datura is derived from theHindu word dhatura which meanspoison. There are numerous commonnames for our local jimsonw eedincluding thorn apple, Indian apple,stinkweed, ang el's trumpet, sacreddatura, and the Indian and Mexican

names of toloache, belladonna andtorna-loco. Torna-loco literally means"becoming crazy."One of the m ost fascinating storiesabout this plant is how it was given theunusual common name of jimsonw eed.In 1676, British troops landed at thecolony of Jame stow n, Virginia to quell atobacco tax rebellion. Plagued by scurvyin the ranks , the British W ar Office atthat time mandated the inclusion of


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either citrus fruit or fresh ve geta ble inthe meals of all troops. There are severalstories about which part of the plant waseaten, but apparently the regimentalcooks prepared a salad of native plantleaves and innocently included a localweed, Datura stramonium.In his book, History and Present Stateof Virginia, Robert B everly describes theevent: "Some of them ate plentifully ofit, the effect of which w as a very pleasantcomedy, for they turned natural foolsupon it for several days: one would blowa feather in the air; another would d artstraws at it with much fury; and another,stark naked, was sitting up in a cornerlike a monkey, grinning and makingmows at them . . . A thousand suchsimple tricks they played, and aftereleven days returned to themselvesagain, not remembering anything thathad passe d." Hen ce, the origin ofJamestown weed which was latercorrupted into jimsonweed.The leaves, stem, root and fruits ofjimsonweed contain a battery ofchemicals called alkaloids, the mostpotent of which are atropine,hyoscyamine and scopolamine. Thesealkaloids affect the central nervoussystem of hum ans as well as animals,including the brain and spinal cordnerves which control many direct bodyfunctions an d, of course, behavior.Depending upon the do sages, the drugsmay cause loss of motor coordination,nausea, dizziness, extreme thirst,burning sensations in the skin,hallucinations, delerium, stupor andeven death. It has been said thatjimsonweed may make one ' 'hot as ahare, blind as a bat, red as a bee t, dry asa bone, and mad as a wet hen ."The m edical profession employsalkaloids, such as those found injimsonw eed, in many clinical drugs usedto induce sleep, as a mild an algesic, aneffective antidote for mo tion sickn ess, intreating severe hay fever and asthmavictims, in relaxing involuntary musclecontraction and treating spasms of thecolon and urinary tract, and dilatingpupils for eye ex aminations.

w w *Volumes have been written about the usesand properties of jimsonweed throughoutthe M iddle Ages and some of its repo rteduses in paganish ritua ls, witchcraft,sorcery and sexual perversion ar eabsolutely incredible. Most of the usesinvolved the consum ption of potions orconcoctions made from the leaves,stems, roots and even the fruit. Duringancient religious rituals in Ind ia, seedswere eaten by priests to inducehallucinogenic, prophetic and oracularstates.European p riests apparently drankjimsonweed for the same reason. Someauthorities believe the intoxicatingsmoke inhaled by G reek priests over2,000 years ago at the Oracle of Delphiwas jimsonweed . Thieves in India and

Europe uscdjiiiisonwccd for centuries as"knockout dro ps" and then robbed theirstupefied victims. Pros titutes in Indiaadded the seeds to their patron s' drinksto induce sexual excitement. In fact, theuse of jimsonweed as an aphrodisiacspread throughout India, the Far Eastand E urope, and it was an importantingredient in love potion s andwitches' brews.Some historians actually believe thattales of witches flying on broom s mayhave originated from hallucinogenicexperiences with jimsonw eed. In somerituals it was administered rectally, anarea where alkaloids are quicklyabsorbed, and during the Middle Ages,thousands of people were poisoned todeath by jimsonw eed, either accidentallyor by premeditated murder.One of the most interesting medicalcases of the 20th Cen tury involved aGerman physician, Dr. Carl Gauss, andthe Lu theran C hurch. In 1905, Dr. Gaussused extracts from jimsonweed andmorphine to induce twilight sleep forwomen experiencing difficult child b irth.The church fathers denounced Dr.Gau ss' practice because the OldTestament said that women were to bringforth in pain (Genesis 3:16). Th ecombination of scopolamine (one of theactive alkaloids found in jimsonw eed)plus morphine has been used for years asan effective pain reliever and sleepinducer; h ow ever, it is generallyconsidered unsatisfactory for women inlabor because of hallucinogenic sideeffects on the mo ther, and it may rep ressbreathing of the new born.

Jimsonweed or toloache had a numberof uses among Indian tribes of thesouthwestern United States, as well asMexico and South America. In fact, it isdifficult to find a tribe that didn't use aspecies of jimsonw eed from their regionin one way or ano ther. Crushed leaveswere sometimes applied to bruises andswellings, and also as a treatmen t forbites of venomous reptiles and spiders.According to Edw ard K. B alls, writing inEarly Uses of California Plants (1970),dried leaves were smoked as a cure forasthma. The hallucinogenic usesinvolved drinking an infusion made fromthe crushed roots or som etimes, crushedseeds fermented in water.Some aboriginal Indians in SouthAmerica gave a jimsonw eed-alcoholbeverage to wives and slaves of deadwarriors and chieftans. The powerfulbrew induced stupor before they wereburied alive to accompany their deadhusbands and m asters on the longjourney to heaven. The high priests ofsome tribes took jimsonweed in order tocomm unicate w ith spirits of the dead andwith their gods. Tree jimsonweed ,including a brilliant red-floweredspecies, is used today by herbal healerscalled curanderos in several countries ofSouth Am erica.Probably the best-known use of the

plant by several southwest Indian tribeswas the puberty ceremonial dancesinvolving the drinking of a jimsonw eedinfusion by young boys preparing to-enter manhood . Similar pubertyceremonies w ere practiced by Indians ofthe eastern U nited S tates, Mexico andSouth America. The ceremoniesgenerally involved wild erratic dancing,varied hallucinations and finally,unconsciousness.Another interesting use forjimsonweed involves the Mandinko tribeof Western Africa, m ade famous in AlexHaley's best selling book, Roots. Apoultice made from a local jimsonw eed(Datura metel) is applied to the bo dy forskin diseases and breast cancer. Medicalscientists have recently found tumor-resistant qualities in several plants, someof them closely related to our commonjimsonweed.

% % *The history of jimsonweed in Old Worldcivilizations has been an unholy one,although some of its medicinal uses wereprobably sou nd, at least for that period oftime. Jimsonweed is definitely not a plantto play around o r experiment with. Evenour common southw est species aredangerously poison ous. All parts of theplant are toxic if eaten, and may causedeath if not quickly treated by aphysician. The plant may even causederm atitis or allergic reactions insensitive people who tou ch it or inhale itspollen. Of course, the degree ofpoisoning depends upon the amounteaten, and the size, age and generalhealth of the victim.There are a number of documentedhuman fatalities cau sed by eating ordrinking jimsonw eed, either by accidentor foolish curio sity. One of the mostrecent cases involved a twenty-year-oldsouthern California man who drank apotion of jimsonweed root with o rangejuice or milk m ixed in a blender.According to a hospital spokesperson , he"died a horrendous death," involvingsevere hallucinations, convulsions andmassive hemorrhaging. Indian medicinemen understood and respected thispowerful plant, and carefully monitoredthe dosage during puberty rituals.Jimsonweed is a common S outhwestplant with a fascinating ethnob otanicalhistory. If people, particularly youngexperimenters in our drug cu lture, onlyknew of the horrible and agonizing deathit can cause, they would never touch it;how ever, it is certainly not the onlydangerously poisonous plant. There arenumerous o ther very deadly plants thatcommonly grow wild in urban and ruralareas, including castor b ean, poisonhemlock, water hemlock and deathcamas, as well as num erous cultivatedplants such as oleander and autumncrocu s. The recognition andunderstanding of potentially dangerou splants should be part of ever yon e'seducation. fi\


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F OR THE MAN W HO HA S EVERYTHINGH OW A BOUT A PETM B

by Daniel Perezphotographs by the authorw H EN A TARA NTULA OWN ER speaks of his pet to>l fcfriends, theirusual reaction is "W hy would you ever want one ofor '"Aren't they dan gerou s?" Although answers to the j ifirs t questioni those fo rape t?"vary from own er to owner, and theanswer to the second is " Notparticularly," these questions generalizesome of the more commonmisconceptions about these unusualspiders and their probably equallyunusual owners.Tarantulas have nearly always beenportrayed as evil, deadly creatures inbooks and m ovies. They are alwaysfound lurking in the "m ad scien tist's"laborato ry, or growing to great size andterrorizing the countryside. It is

unfortunate that they have received allthis bad pres s, for they have done little toearn it.Perhaps th e best way to get to knowtarantulas is to know a few ba sics aboutspiders in general. A s a member of thePhylum A rthropoda, and ClassArachnida, the spider is related to mites,scorpions and solpugids. The spideris not an insect, for an insect has threebody d ivisions, six legs and twocompound ey es. The spider has twobody divisions (cephalothorax and

abdom en), eight legs and usually, six toeight eyes. The large spiders commonlyreferred to as tarantulas belong to theFamily The raphosidae.Tarantulas are found in tropical,subtropical or desert environm ents.As a pet, the tarantula is quiet, clean,relatively easy to ca re for, and isguaranteed to stimulate a lot ofconversa tion when viewed by familyor friends.You can purchase one from a pet storeor capture it yourself. If you live near a


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ritsert area you may be fortunate enoughto encoun ter tarantulas in the wild,though they are relatively rare andsecretiv e. But if you do see one , it can beprodded into a coffee can o r shoe boxwith little difficulty. Make sure,however, that the container is wellventilated.When purchasing a tarantula, try tolocate a reputable dealer and theninspect your prospective pet carefully.Avoid any spiders possessing hooklikeappend ages on the inner joints of theirfront legs as these are males which havepassed the m ating stage, and will onlylive a few m onth s. Imm ature males andfemale spiders may live several years.Once you've acquired a specimen,your n ext project is to provide it with ahome. A functional, attractive d esertterrarium can be made with simplematerials. A ten-gallon aquarium filledwith an inch or two of sand or pea gravelis a good start. A rrange a few stone s toprovide a hideaway for the spider. Add asmall dish of water, and p erhaps a pottedcactus or succulent, and your pet has ahome. Rememb er, though, thattarantulas are accomplished escapeartists, so make sure your terrarium hasa secure, well-ventilated lid.Caring for your spider consists of afew basic rituals which will keep yo ur petlooking its best. Tarantulas feedprimarily on insects, and sometimes onsmall lizards and mice. Common cricketsare perhaps the best food for your pet. Alarge spider may eat one to two crickets aweek in spring and summ er months butduring fall and on into winter, thespid er's a ppetite w ill dwindle as it beginsto enter a state of semi-hibernation.During this period of time, you shouldstill make food available occasionally.If a period of time go es by in whichyou are unable to obtain crickets orsimilar live foods, you may feed y ourspider small pieces of raw ground beef.To do this , simply mold a bit of the rawmeat into a ball and com press it aroundthe end of a length of threa d. D angle thisnear the spid er's front legs and jiggle it.The sp ider will assume it is alive andseize it. Always prov ide fresh water foryour p et, and p lace a small cube ofsponge in the water dish. This allows thespider to drink without putting its headinto the water. Keep your tarantulawarm , for it will not eat w hen it is cold.The terrarium should be kept atapproximately 70 to 75 degreesFahrenheit.

Whether you handle your spider or notwill depend largely on you r feelingstoward it. If you are afraid of it, handlingis not advised for you may be frightenedinto dropping the spider. This wouldprobably prove fatal to y our pet becausetarantulas are very fragile, and cannotsurvive falls from any heigh t. Whilehandling your spider is by no m eansnecessary and does not benefit the spiderin any way, it may benefit you to becom e

T a r a n tu l a s m u s t b e he ld fi rm ly ; a f a l l c an e a s i ly k i ll the m .more familiar with your pet.For those who do prefer to handletheir tarantulas, there are two metho ds.One is to simply place your hand in frontof the spider and gently prod it frombehind. It w ill then walk up onto y ourhand. Ano ther way is to slowly grasp thespider on either side of the body betwee nthe second and third pair of legs. Whenyou lift it, the spider will remainmotionless.Note that y our tarantula will have twotiny claws at the tip of each leg. Theseclaws are harm less, but you should notlet the spider come in contact w ith clothor any other material in which theseclaws could become entangled.Many people fear that the tarantulahas a deadly bite. W hile some sp iderssuch as the brown recluse are verypoisonous, the taran tula's bite is highlyover rated. They rarely bite and if theydo , the bite is about as seve re, no moreor less, as a bee sting. If you r spider doesbite you, don't panic; simply treat thewound like any other minor pu ncturewound. However, since some peoplemay experienc e an allergic reaction totarantula venom, a call to your physicianmay be w ise. Many people have ownedtarantulas for years and hav e neverbeen bitten.Your spider w ill probably moult atleast once a year, the younger ones morefrequently than adults. They often "playdea d" during the moulting process byspinning a carpet of silk to lie on, androlling onto their back. T hey 'll remain

motionless for quite a while, and theentire process will take about 24 hours.Finally, the spider will shed its old, dingyskin for a darker, more attractive o ne.Tarantulas are by n ature very inactive.It is not unusual for a tarantula to sitmotionless for days in the same spot.They are nocturnal, and therefore domost of their roaming around at night.Sometimes a female tarantu la will layeggs and co nstruct an egg sac for them.These eggs are not fertile and will nothatch , but the female will guard themloyally. H andling is inadvisable at thistime; she'll give up on the eggs in afew months.There are several sources forinformation on tarantulas and tarantulacare, one being your local zoo. Theyshould have answers for many of yourquestions, and they m ight even arrange ademonstration of proper handlingtechniques. You might also write to theAmerican Museum of Natural History.Finally, helpful boo ks on tarantula carecan be found in your locallibrary o r petshop. Use these sources, for they willgreatly enhance the enjoyment of your pet.A tarantula may not be as cuddly as apuppy or as cute as a kitten, but it doespossess a unique beauty and graceseldom found among so-called "exoticpe ts." H aving one around the house maynot be for every one, but the personwilling to put aside fears andmisconceptions, and accept the creatureon its own ter ms , will derive a great dealof enjoyment and satisfaction.^]


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7 F E E L L IK E I'M part of history ," said Evelyn Vigil, and wellshe might. Seated at her work table at Pecos NationalM onument's Visitor Cen ter, this modern-day po tter fromJem ez Pueblo was comparing her creation with an authentic piece ofpottery from the pre-historic Pecos Pueblo, home of her an cestors. Fo rher to have som ething, anything, to compare has taken a lot of work.E v e l y n V i g i lH E R T O U C HI S F O R E V E R

For the past six summ ers, she hashauled tools to the deepest arroy os,boiled pungent weeds for days, wrestledwith bulky wet clays and tested scores ofnative barks to recapture the clays andglazes of the past.It's not an easy task to revive anyportion of the culture of Pecos . Itshistory alone h as been a challengingpuzzle. Today Pecos is a magnificentruin, carefully pam pered as a nationalmon ume nt. B ut in the 1500s with apopulation of about 2,500, the area w as acenter of activity , a thriving multi-storiedpueblo. Archaeologists say it may havebeen the largest city in what is now theUnited State s. Located at the portalwhere the m ountains meet the plains,Pecos was a cultural crossroads andcenter of trade for at least a centurybefore Coronado's arrival in 1540.During the 18th Century th e townbegan to fade. By 1838 stillness hadenveloped the pueblo as the last PecosIndians, a pitiful remnant of seventeenmen, left the community and joined aclosely-related tribe of their kin atJemez , far to the w est beyond the RioGrand Valley.(The Jemez were the onlyother Pueblo Indians who spoke theTowa language.)Nobody knows for sure why thepueblo was d eserted. Did its gatewaylocation, the farthest west of thepueblos, leave it open to continual raidsby the cavalry of the Plains Indians? Is ittrue that diseases brought by the whiteman decimated the population? Or couldit be, as some say , that a "grea tsickness," a curse, overcame thepeople?Whatever the cause, what was leftwere the soaring walls of the great, entirepueb lo and its Francisca n mission.,hidden caches of food, tools and other

by LITA EM AN UE Lartifacts, all yielding clues of theself-sufficient existence.Since 1915 interesting archaeologicalinvestigations hav e been going on atPecos, some 25 miles east of Santa F e.Its restoration is now largely complete.In 1972, National Park Service officialsbegan a cultural aw areness program atthe monum ent. But their concernreached far beyond preserving thepueblo. They wanted to reconstruct thecultural heritage of the area as well.So began a search for reviving theways of the past the music, food,textiles, and pottery. A splendid idea.But a host of things made du plicating th ebeautiful pottery especially difficult.Using restored and dated pots as theirmodels, several volunteers tried butcould not come close to reproducing thethin-walled ves sels with their shining,delicately painted glazes.To this scene , add E velyn V igil ofJemez who can trace her ancestry to thePecos su rvivors. Already a fine potter,Evelyn had a word-of-mouth reputationfor her unusual willingness to experime ntto find the old wa ys. A self-taught potterfrom the time she was a young teenage r,she sa ys, " I will try to tell the others notto use the colors w e learn from the wh iteman. I don 't go for bright colo rs." Sheadds with a broad smile, "M y daughtersare making pottery now, and theirdaughters. They use the m atte just likefrom before."Arnold H errera, Supervisory Rangerat Pecos and an A merican Indian fromCochiti Pueblo says, "In the Indian w ay,a pot is a living thing. It has a spirit all itsown. Not many potters are willing toexperiment, to ch ance seeing their workshatter in the firing. Th at's why Evelynis unique.The problem at Pecos fascinated

Evelyn. B esides, she was impressed withthe quality of those p recious e arlypieces. She decided to go to theMonument. "Why not? It must bedone," she said.And so for six summ ers theaward-winning great-grandmother hasspent each day searching for andanalyzing clays, giving demonstrationsand making sample pots."The first two years," Evelyn recalls,"I got nothing to come out. It wasterrible. We lost every pot in the firing. Iknew we didn't have the right clays ."The methodical search continued."Evely n touc hed, sm elled, licked andtasted the clays," Arnold remembers.And each day she wrote down what claysshe used, w here she found them , quite animpressive and detailed account. Shethen baked the clays to test their color,texture and strength.One day, in the scorching heat of thesummer of 1978, Evelyn once againwandered through the p inyon-dottedslopes of the Pecos determined to unlockthe secrets of times past. "So meth ing, Idon't know what, maybe the color, drewme to an arroyo I had n't been to before.In a flash," she says, " I had the wholething. I couldn't get my breath. Andwhen I did, I yelled to everyo ne, 'hey,over he re. I found it!' I jus t kept laughingand crying ." And with that, all the stepsstarted falling into plac e.Once the clay of her cho ice, asandstone , has been dug and hauled backto the work ar ea, it is laboriously groundfine. The pulverized clay is moistenedand kneaded to the proper consistency."You have to learn how to mix it. Youdon't look, you feel." Satisfied, shestarts to mold it.First, the base is molded. N ext, inage-old Pueblo fashion, ropes of clay are


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Evelyn V igil strives toperfect in painstaking

detail the traditional artof the Pecos potter. Some

say she's succeeded butshe's a perfectionist, and

insists there's still morework to be done.

rolled between her hands. Then, whileturning the vessel slow ly, she lays coil oncoil, pressing them fast together,dampening the surface just enough to letthem ad here. W hen the walls have beenbuilt to size, they are shape d, thinned andmodeled. The shapes are as varied as theearly pottery: two-handled pieces, tallgraceful jars, cylindrical vessels, bowls,plates and delicate miniature pots.Ne xt, slip, a thin wash of fine clay isapplied. "If the slip isn't right, these thinpots will crumb le," explains Evelyn. Shegestures, " Th e red slip is from ahalf-mile aw ay. And the white comes

from an arroyo over there on themesa top ."While the slip is still dam p, the p ot ispolished with small well-worn pebb les.It's time for the glaze. "Th e main thingwith the glaze," Evelyn goes on, "isgua co." G uaco is the substance thatholds the color to the pots. "Y ou startwith a huge pot and you fill it withmustard weed . The weed is boiled andstirred, boiled and stirred. In the end,maybe thr ee d ays , you get just a littlepiece." The guaco is removed and placedon a corn husk to dry in the sun. A fewhours, m aybe a day or two.

Finally, to prepare th e glaze, thebrittle piece of guaco is soaked in wa ter.Using a brush of yucca leaf she chews atthe end to make bristles, Evelyn paintsthe stylized, abstract designs freehand.That's the old Pecos style.In the old style too, Evelyn does herfiring. That is, on the ground , ou tdoors.Unlike other Pueblo potters w ho usemanure to increase the fire's heat,Evelyn chooses to use heaping moundsof fir bark in this critical stage ofpottery-making.The ve ssels are placed in a circleupside-down u pon hunks of adobe bricks


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around the fire, then covered with a layerof pot sherds (fragments). The sherdskeep the pottery from smudging.Now E velyn w atches the wind as wellas the fire. "Too m uch is a bad sign," sheobserves.' 'It breaks your heart when thewind comes up and breaks a piece. Thenyou must know if it was the w ind, or wasit perhaps the wrong clay ?''An obvious question is how do youknow when the pieces are done? "W enever look at the time. We don 't havesuch a thing. We just kno w." And thebeautiful red-hot pottery she removesfrom the fire is neither under- no rover-fired.

Though she has an agile sense ofhumor and an easy manner, Eve lyn's aperfectionist when creating her pottery.Others are certain she has found th eexact clays to reproduce the "P ecospo ts" of long ago. But Evelyn insiststhere is still more work to be done. Herpottery isn 't as thin as she would like.Why does she persist? She says simply,"I t just must be done. A nd if I didn't doit, it wouldn 't be m e."Suddenly, a wide smile illuminates herface. "Look, over there!" She pointstowards a nearby mesa.' Thearchaeologists have uncovered a newsite. So many new pots. And such hugepots, mostly black-on-white. I wond erwhat they used," she muses. "I must getbusy looking for it. Why n ot? " K]

Evelyn Vigil's studio (top photograph) is in the V isitor's Center at PecosNational Monument, 25 miles east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her researchstarted with ancient Pecos pottery found and restored (photograph above) byNational Park Service archaeologists.

1Q8O


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A SHORT HISTORY OF NATIVE INDIANJEWELRY-A VANISHING DESERT ARTSomewhere West of Denver, and South of the Great Sal t Lake, an old man si ts in the morning desert^sun, pat ient ly grinding bi ts of coral and turquoise into t iny hescke beads. Although he 's old, andas wrinkled as the cany oned hi lls that su rroun d his pole hogan , his craft is older.When the Spaniards, relat ive late-comers to the Indian country, brought the coral from theirsea voyages, si lver had long been mined in the hi l ls , or t raded out of old Mexico. And precious'turquoise and bi ts of shel l had been tribal currency for centuries.Later this day, or perhaps another, the old manwill build a hot fire of pinon and mountain oak, andwith crude leather bellows and a primitive forgesmelt down lumps of silver or old coins and thenhammer them into thin silver sheets.Cold nights of the desert winter will find himbefore his fire, patiently fashioning the silver;filing, shaping and solderinguntil he has formed tiny intri-cate fixtures and ornaments tocomplement the summer'shescke beads. When he's finished,

astute collectors will count theproduct of his patient ancient toilworth more than its weight in gold.He will die soon, and a bit more of thisancient art will die with him. The priceswill rise a bit more for the hand-madepieces, and the unsuspecting will be sold a few more "fac-tory" pieces in place of the old man's ancient art.Of such sad events are values made. And the wise person today buysvalue with beauty when possible.Desert Magazine is one of today 's values, w ith beauty. E ach full-colorpage is an enchanting exercise in bringing you the desert as it is today, or asit was in past glory. W hile Desert can't bring you into direct contact with

the ancient crafts, it can and does bring you the real desert with each andevery monthly issue. For lasting value we suggest you enter your subscrip-tion today the d esert's beauty is truly timeless. T his special offer is not!SAVE AT LEA ST $8.00!One yearOnly $10 (12 Issues)

Mail to: Desert Magazine, P.O. Box 28816, San Diego, CA 92128Please enter my subscription to DESERT. I have read and I understand yourguarantee below, which applies to every future issue I am to receive as part of mysubscription. Please enter my new subscription Please enter my renew al.For 1 year at $10 (12 issues) 2 years at $19 (24 issue s).M Y N A M E .MY ADDRESSCITY STATE ZIP

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LOA TING THT h e U n c o n v e n t io n a l

D o o r w a y t o t h e B a c k c o u n t r yo f B i g B e n d N a t i o n a l P a r k

b yMICHAEL ANDERSON

^T*yt ound and m ovement build in the^ L * distance like the melancholy wail of a^ ^ faraway freight. The wind approachesj l W with a roar and bursts upon cam p,billowing the tent into a heaving nylonlung. Dissipating to a whisper, the haunting callbegins again. Ebb and flow from dusk till aftermidnight leaves a film of sand over bodiesand gear.Any desert camp is prey to the breath ofsand-bearing gusts, but the funneling action of arivercourse imparts a sense of nature an gered.On the Rio G rande edging Big Bend N ationalPark, where the meandering ribbon of water isflanked by endless miles of scorched earth, hotair is sucked into the cooler path of the riverand rages in either direction. We were toweather three nights on the river, thankful forthe riparian setting in the daytime bu t dreadingthe onslaught sure to come down the slot bynightfall.

For all of i t s tumultuous history, the Rio Grand e is a placidriver in Big Bend country.18 DEC EMB ER, 1980


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IO G RA NDEDAVID MUE

\


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Big Bend k a mat five chunk ofChihuahuan D esert, parted from Mexicoby the unde cided wandering of 100 milesof Rio Gran de. A variety of desertenvironments are found here, rangingfrom the blistering backcountry at riverlevel to the coo l pine country of theChisos M ountains, but it was the riverand its passage into otherwiseunattainable terrain tha t brought u s. Wefound our gateway at the border ghost ofCastolon.The ranger station rests among therecon structe d buildings of this villagethat recalls the turn of the century andPancho Villa. Glancing across the riverto Santa Elena, it's not hard to imaginemounted revolutionaries splashingthrough the border to "requisition"supplies from the gringos. A permit tofloat the river is easily obtained from theranger, who is more concerned that wehave a good time tha n w ith loading usdown with regulations. Rules are few,the foremost being "use your head."The parking lot next to the rangerresidence is but 100 yards from shore andis as secu re a trailhead as I haveever found.Once launched into the mainstream,we quickly learn that the Rio Grand e,uncertain about its destination, could goeither way. At best we waft downstreamat the pace of a snail, the currentdisplaying an energy equal to theferryman we saw whose po sture knees pressed against head and c hest is the siesta stereotype (why he loungedon the Am erican side while his ferryrested on the Mexican shore will alwayspuzzle m e). More than once we laid backto soak up some sun abreast a sand baror half-sunken snag only to look up a fewminutes later to stare at the samelandmark. T he Rio Grande is nota mover.My enjoyment of the dese rt is oftenachieved through a land's con trasts andironies. A thread of water throughtopography like this is both ironic andcontrasting in the same glance. Saltcedarand grassy ca nes, larger members ofwhich can respire 100 gallons of moisture

a day, are the foreground to mountainsso parched and to intervening basins sosun-beaten they squirm naked throughnoontime therm als. Texas bluebonnetsamong other w ildflowers luxuriate withinthirty yards of water-starved sage andblackbush. Silted mud is caked besidefine granules of sand that taste of theriver only at flood stage. C ollared andwhiptail lizards share space with turtles,otters and waterfowl. A golden eaglesurveys this va ried domain from alifeless tree trunk w hile o pportunisticturkey vultures move in lazy circles,coincidentally drifting with the raft. Theincongruities are as extensive a s the riverthat inspires them.The c hannel is often fifteen to twentyfeet below the su rrounding land , limitingvision to the waterflow and a few yardseither way. This inspires thoughts ofdrifting b y lost civilizations jus t ove r theridge and frequent landings to determineour location. A scramble up a nearby hillmay reveal a flood-gutted arroy o, a rangeof hills, or a flatland still and forbidding.More often than no t the thought of a hikeis quickly vetoe d, but when map anddead reckoning occasionally agree on theposition of a homesteader's cabin,exploration is immediate.These structures are simple extensionsof the landscape stack ed stone wallsemerging from a scattered stone desertfloor with roofs of wood, grass and m ud.All cling to the life-giving rive r like ironparticles to a magnet. At their creationthey allowed m inimum shelter amid afew head of cattle and dismal gard ens; intheir ruin they are monuments to peoplewho valued a penetrating solitude overcapital gain.The re is little W hitewater on the RioGrande, but each of the three cany onswithin the P ark display interestingrapids. Our put-in just below Santa ElenaCanyon and take-out just aboveBoquillas leaves only Mariscal Canyonfor us to run. Mariscal isn't reached untilthe third day of the float. The previou stwo days on a veritable waterbed havelulled us and rusted our judgm ent ofrapids, enough so that we tumble

through the two major c hutes ou t ofcontrol. The falls are more exhilaratingthan dangerous, howev er. Their passageis entry to the intimate b eauty ofconfining cliffs that tow er abov e the nowplacid water. The price of the scenery isthe effort to row through it; nearly theentire lower canyon is a lake, movingimperceptively.Nights in this country as previouslydescribed are poor reward for wearydays in water-reflected heat, but theevenings are a bonus. Camped amongstone ruins on a sandy bluff, we blendwith the pulse of the w atercourse. Amourning dove pipes in its soothingsong. Cliff swallows swoop in and out ofadobe nests beneath riverside ledgeswhile a scarlet crested and breastedvermilion flycatcher splashes colo r on adrab tamarisk. A pair of herons gazemotionless at the sun disappearing amidwestern hills. Heavy with the dust that ison its way to plague us, a darkening skysamples the spectral range from fierypink through the gray of night.Somewhere along the fourth day out,human activity began to presage ourarrival at Rio Grande Village. Severalcouples basked in peace at the gravel pitfive miles upstream. Two miles furtherdown, the ghost site of Hot Springs,Texas entertained bathers in thecrumbling tubs near shore. Noise levelsincreased as people pierced thevegetation to w et a line, stalk theshoreline or stare at the ripples. Near thevillage we encoun tered four young folksstrolling naked on the sand.With all these signs and the sighting ofcottonwoods inland from the north bank,it's hard to pass up the takeout point. Ifone were to miss it, the unmistakableentrance to B oquillas Canyon anothermile downstream would surely warn allbut the blind that it's time to pull out.At Rio Grande Village, with all theamenities to provide a comfortable restafter a tiring adve nture , I had to firstreconcile our position with that of ourvan sixty miles away . In Big Bendcountry, begging a ride proved noproblem at all.

T H I N G ST H E F L O A T E RS H O U L D K N O W :Raft rentals are available at Lajitas,43 miles west of the park on Highway1 7 0 , (915) 371-2234, and at Villa de laMina, 33 miles west on the samehighw ay, (915) 371-2446.Temperatures are warm Octoberthrough March, unbearable in othermonths. Call ahead to the park forriver conditions.Park topographical maps areavailable at Panther Junction, and

may be available at the ranger stationat Castolon.The primitive river road depictedon the park maps can be used to reachshortened put-in and take-out points(Talley and Solis are commonly use d).The road is rough; not recommendedfor passenger ca rs.There are no dependablefreshwater sources along the RioGrande. Carry four days supply,minimum.All services are available at RioGrande Village. A few supplies andgas are found at C astolon but for w hatit's worth, the single gas pump wasbroken when we passed through. 0

Open cam psites like this invite wind-borne problems on the Rio Grande

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Crude scribings in Latin on this artifact show nam e, "Terra Calalus," and date.

T E R R A C A I A L U S , U S A( 7 7 5 - 9 0 0 A . D . )W OULD YOU BE-LIE VE THAT ARIZO-NA HAD A ROMANKIN G IN 900 A.D., 592YEARS BEFORE COLUM-bus sighted the New World?If you w ould, you could be ingood company. A prominent

Tucson attorney, a renownedBY CHOR AL PEPPE R


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swNo :

1 9 1

Kknow he enjoyed beer. He always drankout of a coffee c up. N aturally, Dorothykept his secret.Richard Boone of "Have Gun, WillTravel" came in one night in ahelicopter. Pepsi-Cola was sponsoring aparty for its many distributors across thecountry. Seven bands of musiciansplayed for the hundred s of guests andwhen Pepsi's long-time spokesperson ,actress Joan Crawford, made herentrance, she was wearing a westernoutfit of pure gold.Waitresses approached Dorothy oneday with a problem. They had learned alocal charity that helped unwanted boysneeded a dining room, but didn't havethe money. The Peak sponsored acowboy benefit barbecue, with a rancher


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h msupplying the beef. Result: SunshineAcres Children's Home got a new diningroom . It was only the first of manycharitable efforts at the restaurant.When Dorothy and her husband got adivorce, he moved to Tucson to set upanother restaurant. Dorothy decided tosell. The new owner was HarveyMcElhanon, a native of Milwaukee who,since, has established Milwaukee's firstcowboy steak hou se. Naturally it'spatterned after the Peak.Although Dorothy is no longer a partof the Peak, her spirit lives on. A signalong Pinnacle Peak Road reads, "Youare now en tering Pinnacle Peak V illagelimits. Unincorporated. Population47-plus hum ans, 12 ho rses, 3 cattle, 11dogs, 5 cats, 10 burro s, 1 coyo te, 1

E N T R A N C E

W r mm}*>

Pinnacle Peak Patio bills itself as the "World's LargestWestern Steak H ouse," seats 2,000 inside, 600 on patio.rattlesnake. Elevation2800feet."

Over the years hundreds of guestshave left their com ments in the guestbook s, which M cElhanon has kept. Asampling of the opinions show why thePeak is still tops in the hea rts ofmany people.A visitor from Colorado wrote in 1957,"Th is is the p innacle of fun and the peakof congeniality," and a New Yorkerscrawled, "N ow I feel my visit toArizona is co mp lete. This is reallywestern living."In 1960, the comm ent was simp ly,"H ow about 'Dis place?," and a guestfrom San Francisco wrote, "I'venever exp erienced such food this sideof Paris."The man who greets you at the Peak

may be Arizona's shortest "c ow boy " five-foot-three Dan Kno dl, who wasborn in Turkey . The personable Knodlmoved to Arizon a three y ears ago andMcElhanon, impressed with hissalesma nship, put him in charge ofcatering and booking conventions.There is inside seating for 2,000, apatio that seats 600, and a desert cookoutthat can accommodate 1,500. The food isgood and filling cowboy and cowgirlsteaks, pinto beans and salad plus hotapple pie, good steaming coffee and awell-stocked b ar if that's your leaning.But one warning: Don 't order yoursteak well-don e. A young lady did andwas surprised when the waitress droppedan old boot in front of her. On a plate ,naturally.@

DESERT


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INDEX DESERT VOLUME 4 2 Number nthrough VO LUME 43 Number 11EDITORIALST h e r e a r e T w o D e s e r t s ; H e n d e r s o n ( r e p r i n t ) ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , |N o w T h e r e a r e T h re e ; M a c D o n a l d ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 5D E S E R T T o d a y , A P r o g r e s s R e p o r t; M a c D o n a l d ; M a r . 1A W e i g h ty D e c i s io n ; M a c D o n a l d ( B L M ' s C a l if o r n ia D e s e r t P l a n ); J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 6P r o t e ct U s fo r W e K n o w N o t ; M a c D o n a l d ( B L M ) ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 6B e a u t y Is n t h e E y e o f h e B e h o l d e r ; M a c D o n a l d ( B a ja C a l if o r n ia ) ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 6W a s t e N o t , W a n t N o t ; M a c D o n a l d ( b u r e a u c r a t ic p a p e r w o r k ) ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5" W e l c o m e " to h e U n i te d S t a te s ; M a c D o n a l d ( T i ju a n a b o r d e r c r o s s i n g ) ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5H o m o S a p ie n s A n E n d a n g e r e d S p e c i e s ? ; M a c D o n a l d ( fr i n g e - to e d l iz a r d ) ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5A n n e a n d t h e D r y F a l l s C a n y o n F i r e ; M a c D o n a l d ( a tr o u b l e d m o t h e r ) ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5CALIFORNIA DESERT PLANW h e r e W e S t a n d ; B r o w n ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 6W h e r e W e S t a n d ; B u r g e n e r ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 8C a l i f o r n i a D e s e r t P l a n ; R u c h ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 3 0BAJA CALIFORNIAT h e H o u s e t h a t J a c k B u i l t ; S m i t h ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 10S a n F e l ip e , S h r i m p C a p i t o l of B a j a ; M a c D o n a l d ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , pT h e C a v e P a i n t in g s o f B a j a ; P o r t e r -K l i n k ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 10H a p p i n e s s is a W a r m C l a m ; T w y m a n ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , pa g e 1 4 ARTS & CRAFTSA M a n in H i s W o r k ; S q u i e r ( w o o d c r a f t) ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 14N o r m M o l d e n h a u e r, a C o l l e c t o r 's C o l l e c to r ; T w y m a n ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 46T h e L a n d o f W h i t e S h a d o w s ; P i e rc e (d e s e r t p a i n t i n g ) ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 9G a i l G a r d n e r , A r i z o n a ' s " P o e t L a r i a t " ; T r i m b l e ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 2V a n D y k e ' s D e s e r t ; S e r i n g ( t h e c l a s s i c b o o k ) ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 8E v e l y n V i g i l ; E m a n u e l ( p o t t e r ) ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 6IN THE NEWSR o c k y I II ; M a c D o n a l d ( s m u g g l i n g of a l i e n s ) ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 1 8S h o s h o n e s W a r o n M i s s i le ; D E S E R T N e w s s e r v i c e ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p ag e 31R i v e r P r o p e r t y O w n e r R e b e l s ; P e r r y ( B l y t h e m a n d e f i e s B u R e c ) ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 1B i l l S m i t h G r e e ts S w a l l o w s L a s l T im e ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 1C a c t i T h r e a t e n e d b y C o l l e c t i n g B o o m ; C a m p b e l l a n d T a r r ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 1N e v a d a C a t t l e m e n P r o t e s t A i r F o r c e M X P o l i c i e s ; D E S E R T N e w s S e r v i c e ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 1A f t er M o u n t S t H e l e n s ; P r o v e n z a ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 2R e n o ' s B r i d g e of S i g h s P a y s O f f ; E m e r s o n ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 1I m p a c t of M - X M i s s i l e ; O e r t le ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 6R i v e r of o u r L a d y o f S o r r o w s ; M a r t in ( D o l o r e s R i v e r ); N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 1P o a c h e r s T h r e a t e n B i g h o r n s ; A l e s h i r e ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 1F u t u r e o f D e a t h V a l l e y J u n c t i o n A s s u r e d ; D E S E R T N e w s S e r v i c e ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 8F A U N AS p i n y L i z a r d s ; S a u s m a n ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 2 2T h e W i n g e d T i g e r; S a u s m a n ( g re a t h o r n e d o w l ) ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 0T h e D e s e r t T o r t o i s e ; S a u s m a n ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 29C o y d o g s ; C a n T h e y B e T a m e d ?; S a u s m a n ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 3T h e L i f e a n d T i m e s of h e C i c a d a ; S a u s m a n ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 7L e s s o n s i n S u r v i v a l ; B r a n s o n ( d e s e r t f i s h e s ) ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 12W i n g s fo r M o r e T h a n F l y i n g ; N i x ( b a t s) ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 8A B i t of D e s e r t H o n e y ; C r a w ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 15T h e R a p a c i o u s R e d H a r v e s t e r ; N i x ( r e d a n t s ) ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 5T h e E n d a n g e r e d B i g h o r n ; S a u s m a n ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 8D a m n ! W e ' v e G o t G o p h e r s ; N i x ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 2

T h e W e b of L i f e ; N i x ( i n t e r d e p e n d e n c y o f f l o r a a n d f a u n a ) ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 7H o w A b o u t a P e t T a r a n t u la ? ; P e r e z ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 12C l o w n P r i n c e of h e D e s e rt ; S a u s m a n ( r o a d r u n n e r ) ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 5B a n d e d R o y a l t y ; N i x ( k i n g s n a k e ) ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 9FLORAA G o u r m e t ' s G u i d e to U n i c o r n s ; A r m s t r o n g ( e d i b l e p l a n ts ) ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 7 #B a r b e d , B r i s t l y a n d B e a u t i f u l ; H a r r i s o n ( c a c t u s ) ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 6R e ap t h e W i l d F r u i t; A r m s t r o n g ( e d i b le p l a n t s ); A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 6D e s e rt W i ld f l o w e r s ; S a u s m a n ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 5L a n d o f t h e B r i s t l e c o n e P i n e ; P o c a n ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 2 O u r B l o o m i n ' D e s e r t ; E m e r s o n ( p i c t o r i a l ) ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 6 H a n g i n g in o r 1 0 , 0 0 0 Y e a r s ; S a u s m a n ( c r e o s o te ) ; J u ly 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 0T h e V e r s a t il e A l o e ; S e d d o n a n d P a r c e l ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 0S a n d F o o d ; A r m s t r o n g ( e d i b le p l a n t s ) ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 2 T h e W e b of L i f e ; N i x ( i n t e r d e p e n d e n c y of l o r a a n d f a u n a ) ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 7T h e C u r i o u s N a m e s of o u r W i ld f l o w e r s ; A r m s t r o n g ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p ag e 10G H OS T TOW NSG h o s t T o w n s I R e m e m b e r ; L e a d a b r an d ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 2 4 OC e r r o G o r d o , N e v a d a ; C u p p e t t ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 6 F a i r vi e w , N e v a d a ; M i l l s a n d T u c k ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 0 R a i l r o a d in h e S k y ; N o o n a n ( B o d i e , N e v a d a) ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 3 C o r n u c o p i a , O r e g o n ; D u r fe e ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 2 0G o o d s p r i n g s , N e v a d a ; M a c D o n a l d ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 9 B o u l d e r F l a t, C a l i fo r n i a ; N o o n a n ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 5 D _S a l t S p r i n g , C a li fo r n i a ; L i n d m a n ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 0 wM a s o n i c , C a l i fo r n i a ; N o o n a n ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 0 T e r li n g u a , T e x as ; S h e p p a r d ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 6 M a d r i d , N e w M e x i c o ; M c C a r t h y ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 4 R i c h m o n d , O r e g o n ; H o r s w i l l ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 4 0G o l d f i e l d , N e v a d a ; B e r m a n ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 0 NOSTALGIAB a c k D o w n t h e T r a c k ; L o w e ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 2 8T h e P r i c e of F r e e d o m ; L o w e ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 41THEOLOGY AND THE DESERTT h e D e s e r t in h e B i b l e ; F i s h e r ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 7DE ATH VALLEYD e a th V a l le y T o d a y ; M a c D o n a l d ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 T h e y W h o H e a r t h e D e s e rt ; T w y m a n ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 11H i g h R o a d to D e a th V a l l e y; H o u k ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 2 DMEXICAN MAINLANDT h e H i g h R o a d to T a r a h u m a r a - L a n d ; H a m m o n d ; O c t. 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 4 THE MISSION TRAILM i s s i o n S a n X a v i e r D e l B a c ; C h r i s t ie ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 7 T h e M i s s io n s of C e n t r a l B a j a ; E p p i n g a ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 7 OT h e L o s t T r e a s u r e of T u m a c a c o r i ; P e p p e r ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 2 T h e M i s s i o n s o f S p a n i s h S o n o r a ; R o b i s o n ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 4 Q

A c c e s s i b le ( i m p r o v e d r o a d s )D A c c e s s i b l e (4 W D o n l y )if A c c e s s i b l e ( f o o t o n l y ) i L o c k e d G a te

OTHER PLACES TO VISITM o r t e m P a l m s ; B l o o m q u i s t ; N o v . 1 9 7 9 , p a g e 4 2 P a t a g o n ia , A r i z o n a : T h e T o w n th a t T i m e F o r g o t ; M a c D o n a l d ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 3 *S a m ' s T o w n ; M a c D o n a l d ( N e v a d a ); M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 6 O l d V e g a s ; M a c D o n a l d ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p ag e 8 P o p ' s O a s is ; M a c D o n a l d ( N e v a d a ) ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 0 M o n t e z u m a C a s t l e ; B a r r e t t ( A r i z o n a ) ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 4 P i n n a c l e P e a k P a t i o ; L a n n i n g ( a u n i q u e A r i z o n a r e s t a u r a n t ) ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 6 0 SURVIVA L IN THE DESERTT h i r s t in h e C h i s o s M o u n t a i n s ; T e s s m a n ; S e p t. 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 6 XP H OTOG R AP H YT h e E y e of H a r ry V r o m a n ; S q u i e r , F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 20RIVERRUNNINGF l o a t i n g t h e R i o G r a n d e ; A n d e r s o n ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 8 MWIVCH a r q u a H a l a , W i l l it R i s e A g a i n ; W i n t e r s ( A r i z o n a ) ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 0 H i l l t o p , A r i z o n a , A D i s a p p e a r in g G h o s t ; B u f k i n ; A p r 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 0 M i n i n g B o o m C o m e s to C e n t r a l N e v a d a ; R e e se R i v e r R E V E I L L E ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 3T o m b s t o n e R i s e s A g a i n ; W i n t e r s ( A r iz o n a ) ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 2 H e d g e s : b. 1 8 8 0 d . 1 9 0 9 ; W i n t e r s (C a l i fo r n i a ) ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 4 F a m o u s H o m e s t ak e M i n e ; W E S T E R N P R O S P E C T O R 8 , M I N E R ( S o u t h D a k o t a ) ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 8 T h e G o l d R u s h of h e 8 0 ' s is O n ; W i n t e r s ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 4EQUIPMENTA D E S E R T B u y e r 's G u i d e S i x M e t a l D e t e ct o rs C o m p a r e d ; C o w a n ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 50B u y e r ' s G u i d e t o M e t a l D e t e c t o r s , P a r t I I ; C o w a n ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 0LOST TREASUREP e g l e g S m i t h ' s L o s t G o l d ; P e p p e r ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 16S e v e n C a n s of G o l d , A D e se rt M y s te r y; T h o m p s o n ; J u ly 1 9 8 0 , p a ge 2 0 ^A T a l e o f T w o M i s s i o n s ; P e p p e r; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 12ifA L e t t e r f r o m P e g l e g ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 8PERSONALITIESW i l l R o g e r s , C e n t e n n i a l ; M u r r a y ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 5S e l d o m S e e n S l i m ; R o m m e l ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 8 DESERT ENTERPRISED a t e l in e : I n d i o , C a l i f . ; K i r k ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 7 H o t A i r T a x i ; S q u i e r ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 2 DESERT PHENOMENAB e w a re t h e D e v i l 's W i n d ; H a r r i s o n ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 17C a d iz D u n e s ; F r y e; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 4 *T h e H o u s e o f t h e S u n , H a w a i i ' s T r o p i c a l D e s e r t ; O t t ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e TkA u t u m n C o l o r i n t h e O w e n s V a l le y ; H a y n e s ; O c t. 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 6 T h e L a v a C a v e s of C e n t r a l O r e g o n ; Y u s k a v i t c h ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 4 DESERT HAZA RDSD a n g e r ! H i g h E x p l o s i v e s ; C o s l e y ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 18F l a sh F l o o d ! ; R u s s e l l, M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 0O u r V e n e m o u s N e i g h b o r s ; M c F a r l a n d ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 5S o r t i n g R a t t l e s n a k e F a c t f r o m R a t t l e s n a k e F i c t i o n ; S a u s m a n ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 16E a r t h q u a k e ! ; F i s c h b e c k ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 2A W e e d f ro m J a m e s t o w n ; A r m s t r o n g ( j i m s o n w e e d ) ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 8DESERT LIFESTYLESA r c o s a n t i : T h e S h a p e of T h i n g s t o C o m e ; S q u i e r; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 0 O p e ra H o u s e B u y s T o w n ; C l a r io n ; M a r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 7 A r c o s a n t i : T h e P e o p l e ; S q u i e r ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 8 S t . J u d e ' s : H a ve n f o r C h i l d r e n ; T w y m a n ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 2 B o u l d e r C i t y ; S q u i e r ( H o o v e r D a m a n d t o w n ) ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 3 T a l l H o u s e ; T u c k e r - B r y a n ( I n d i a n p u e b l o of W u p a t k i ); J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 7 A B a s q u e D e l i g h t in h e D e s e r t ; E m e r s o n ( f e s t i v a l ) ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 2 T h e M a n o n C h i r ia c o S u m m i t; F r y e ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 4 T h e D i s a p p e a r in g D u d e R a n c h ; F e l d m a n ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 2 G o l d ! I t ' s N o t A l w a y s W h e r e Y o u T h i n k II S h o u l d B E ; W i n t e r s ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 4" D a y of h e M o o n " ; C a r d o n ( M e x i c o ' s T a r a h u m a ra I n d i a n s ) ; O c t. 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 8 D a n c e r s D a n c e , T e x a n s S t o m p ; S t o u t ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 9SCIENCE IN THE DESERTS c i e n t i s t s P r o b e Q u a s a r s ; B l a z e k ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 7 H o w O l d is C a l i fo r n i a M a n ? ; R o n n e n b u r g ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 0 K i t t ' s P e a k : O u r L i n k w i t h S p a c e ; G r a y ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 0 E g y p t ' s D e s e r t L i k e M a r s ; D E S E R T N e w s S e r v i c e ; J u n e 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 7E n e rg y f r o m t h e S u n , a S t a tu s R e p o r t o n S o l a r O n e ; M c N a r y ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 6 OUR DESERT HERITAGEQ u i t o B a q u i t o , P a s t a n d P r e s e n t ; B r a d t ; F e b . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 2 P y r a m i d of M e t a t e s ; F i t c h ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 53L u c i e n B o n a p a r t e M a x w e l l, L a n d O w n e r E x t r a o rd i n a r y; M a x w e l l ; A p r . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 54O r e g o n ' s H a r n e y C o u n t y ; D u r f e e ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 5 F o r t B en t G u a r d s A g a i n ; I r o n C o u n t y R E C O R D ; M a y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 9 S e c r e t s o f h e P a p a g o R a i n m a k e r s ; C a r u s o ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 7C h a c o C a n y o n , H a l fw a y B e tw e e n N o w h e r e ; B u r k h a r t; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 16 N e w P a s s " In d i a n W a r " N e v e r F o u g h t ; N e v a d a H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 2B r o k e n - H e a r t e d B r a y e r s ; M i l l e r ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 0T h e M c C a i n V a l le y P i c to g r a p h s ; E v a n s ; J u ly 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 2 I F o u n d t h e S l e e p i n g G i a n t; P h i l li p s ; J u l y 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 4 *W i ll ia m H e n r y J a c k s o n , t h e A r t is t a n d t h e M a n ; C l o v e r ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 0T h e F l i g h t of W i l li e B o y ; W e ir ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 2T h e T r u e S t o r y of R a m o n a ; M a x w e l l ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 19H o m e o n t h e N e v a d a D e s e r t ; M i l l e r ; S e p t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 7E c h o e s of F o r t D a v i s ; C h r i s t i e ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 5 H o m e is h e H o g a n ; T u c k e r - B r ya n ( N a v a j o ) ; O c t. 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 18S h i p s t h a t P a s s in D e s e r t S a n d s ; P e p p e r ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 2 - f cC a m p R u c k e r, t h e A r m y ' s F o r g o t t e n O u t p o s t ; N o o n a n ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 8 DE a r l y B o a t i n g o n t h e C o l o r a d o ; L a n n e r ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 6G h o s t M a n s i o n o f h e H u a l a p a i s ; B l a c k s t o c k ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 4 DT e r ra C a l a l u s , U.S.A.; P e p p e r ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 1 S t e v e R a g s d a l e ' s P a i n t e d T r e e s ; M a x w e l l ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 2 9 H o w P e t t i c o a t s T a m e d t h e W e s t ; E a r l ( p i o n e e r w o m e n ) ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 3 0S a g e b r u s h S c r i b e s ; M i l l e r ( j o u r n a l i s ts o f h e e a r l y W e s t )1 D e c 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 5 0NEW PRODUCTST h e F i sc h e r S u n C o o k e r ; A u g . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 1 5P l a n t s o f t h e S o u t h w e s t ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 1T h e B a s i c H o u s e ; D e c . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 5THE SECOND TIME AROUNDR e c y c l e d R e f r i g e r a t o r t u r n e d F o o d D r y e r ; N y e r g e s ; O c t . 1 9 8 0 , p a g e 4 0C o m p o s t e r f ro m R e c y c l e d W a te r H e a t e r; N y e r g e s ; N o v . 1 9 8 0 , p a


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Capture the spirit of Eagle RareThelOlproof Bourbon aged lOyears.Like the majestic bird it was named {Eagle Rare is incomp arable.The Very finest Kentucky B ourbon evercreated.O ur 10 long years of aging and carefultesting produ ce a uniquely smoothand mellow flavor no on e else can e [| EagW lRare.We challenge anyo ne toi match our spirit.One taste and you'll knowrhyit's*

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A new g un that carries on the Ru ger tradition an engineeringphiloso phy w hich has prod uced over the years a line of fine sporting

firearms, uniq ue intheir high quality and han dsom e design.This first Ruger Over and Under Shotgun is a perfect-ly balanced, plain grade gun of elegant simplicity. Bythe Ruger definition, "plain grade" means precisionworkmanship and superior finish, with geometricallyaccurate curved shapes, plane surfaces which are finelypolished and mechanical joints that are fitted to mini-mum hairline clearances.The e new mechanism with rebounding ham-mers and single selective trigger provides positive safetyadvantages. The gun opens easily and closes solidly.The distinctive styling and unusually lowprofile are ac-

centuated by the fact that there are no visible pins orscrews whatsoever. Barrels are hammer-forged, with 3"chambers and appropriate choke combinations, auto-matic ejectors and removable barrel side spacers. Thebarrels and dovetail hollow rib are permanently assem-

Every feature of the new gun reflects traditionRuger attention todetail and the high quality which thAmerican shooter has come to expect of all Ruger firarms. Initial production of the 20 gauge model will b

limited, with increasing numbers of guns becominavailable in themonths tocome. Production of premium

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