196209 Desert Magazine 1962 September

8/14/2019 196209 Desert Magazine 1962 September

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of the SOUTHWESTEMBER, 196 2 40 c


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Toyota's Land Cruiser has got the power the othershaven't to take you where the prized game is andthe other hunters aren't! Goes up to 85 MPH on thehighway you don't have to tow a Toyota Land Cruiserto where it's needed. Goes up steep 64 grades-through sand, mud, swamp or snow. With 135 HPunder the hood, and 9 forward speeds, 3 reverse, theToyota Land Cruiser 4-wheel drive soft top, stationwagon or pick-up truck is game enough to go anywhere.Seats 7. Amazes all. Drive it yourself-at your ToyotaLand Cruiser dealer's. Don't pass the buck-do it today!T O Y O T / I L A N O C R U I S E R !

ARIZONAFLAGSTAFFMorr i s Motors322 W. Santa FePHOENIXWestern Truck Sa les , Inc.3530 E. Wa s h i n g to nPRESCOTTRol l i e Gerdes Motors , Inc.301 W. Gur ley S tree tTUCSONJoe ' s Auto Center2209 S . S i x th AvenueYUMASwift Ford Sales1491 Fourth AvenueCALIFORNIAALTURAS23 1 N.Ma i n St.AVENALSanders Motors120 E. Kings S tree tBAKERSFIELDS. A.Camp Motor Co.20th S tree t , G o HP.O. Box1556BLYTHEMunson Equ ipment Co.11390 H ighway 60, WestP.O. Box 128CARMICHAELCarmichae l Cars , nc.3842 Fair Oaks B l v d .CHICOVee Bee Engineering Co.46 9 S.Highway 99EEL CAJONMission Val ley Auto Sales72 7 El Cajon B l v d .EL CENTROImper ia l Honda Sa lesH i g h w a y 99(next door to Calif.Hwy Patro l )EUREKAK. B.Mc C a r th y4th and "A"StreetsGRASS VALLEYHartman Chev. O ldsmobi l e314 W. Main S tree tHEMETD a mo n F. Pauley25050 San Jac in to S tree tHOLLYWOODHol l ywood Toyota Motor, Inc .6032 Ho l l ywood B l v d .LARKSPURHi l P rober t Motors250 Magno l i a AvenueLONG BEACHK & LT ru c k s3595 E.Paci f i c Coast Hwy.MADERAH a r tw i g Mo to rs40 9 N. " E " S t re e tNAPARi tz Equ ipment Co.2032 Val lejo RoadPASADENATrans Ocean Motor Co., Inc.2124 E.Colorado B l v d .PLACERVILLEStanc i l ' s Garage7 Market S tree tPOMONAPomona Motors84 0 E.Holt Ave.REDDINGDo n D. Davis Motors1234 Yuba S tree tRESEDAAl len-Ne i l l Motors7601 Reseda B l v d .RIVERSIDECi trus Motor Company3100 Market S tree tSAN DIEGOMission Val ley Auto Sales5921 Fa i rmount Avenue Ext .SANTA ANACopeland Motors , Inc.32 1 E.Fi rs t S tree tSANTA MARIASpeed Mar ine Sports C enter1637 N.B ro a d w a ySUSANVILLEDeal &Davle . nc.1107 Main S tree tUKIAHRiva Motor Serv i ce Garage3 01 S.State S tree tWOODLANDW. S.Ma rk sRoute 2,Box 260YREKAFrank Se l l s t rom99 H ighway S outhYUBA CITYEar l R. H u f f m a s t e r226 Br idge S tree t

COLORADOBOULDERJef fe r i es Motor Co.2506 Spruce S tree tCOLORADO SPRINGSL a r r y D u mme r ' sAuto & Ma r i n e1329 Founta in CreekB l v d . (Motor C i ty )CRAIGCra ig Motor Company555 Yampa AvenueDENVERJ a me s Mo to r C o mp a n y1278 L inco ln S tree tSouth Federa l Motors88 9 S.Federa l B l v d .

GLENWOOD SPRINGSMo u n ta i n Mo to rs918 Grand AvenueTELLURIDETel l u r i de TransferTRINIDADSouthern Motor Co., Inc.115 Elm Street

IDAHOSALMONMeeks MotorsMONTANABILLINGSMi d l a n d Imp l e m e n t C o . , In c .P.O. Box 2533Surges Supp ly1916 Th i rd Avenue, NorthBOZEMAN

Nor ine MotorsBUTTEH & KMo to rs1921 Harr i son Ave.CONRADTorske Rambler Sales32 4 S. Front St.DEER LODGEMa rv i n C.Beck Used Cars311 Missour iENNISGREAT FALLSJohnson Farm Equ ipment, Inc .325 Second S tree t , SouthHAMILTONH a mi l t o n Mo to r Co.80 0 N.Fi rs tHARDINVal ley Implement Co.32 3 N. CheyenneHARLOWTONBrown 's Ranch Supp ly , Inc .KALISPELLGreg ' s Mob i l e Homes, Inc.City 7,H i g h w a y #2LEWISTOWNDan Morr i son & Sons207 W. JaneauxMISSOULAFolsom Co., Inc.92 0 S.3rd WestPLAINSCoffey Chev. Co.REDSTONENash Bro thersNEVADAHENDERSONDick S tewart Motor Co., Inc.120 Water St.NEW MEXICOALBUQUERQUERoadrunner Equ ipment Co.150 Woodward RoadLAS CRUCESS u n l a n d Mo to rs2220 So. Truck By-PassROSWELLRamm's Body Shop12 0 E. Wa l n u tOREGONEUGENEEconomy Motors164 W. 11th StreetHOOD RIVERC. M. &W. O. S h e p p a rdMEDFORODean & Taylor Pontiac Co.6t h &Grape S tree tONTARIOOre-Ida Motors . Inc.OSWEGOLake Oswego Rambler109 "A" Street

WASHINGTONABERDEENEl l ison Pontiac41 6 N.Park StreetSEATTLETenney ' s Automot i ve3300 N.E. 55th StreetSPOKANEBarton O ldsmobi l e Co.1002 W. Second AvenueVANCOUVERGaub 's Auto &Truck Service4209 S t. Johns RoadYAKIMABuck ley ' s Jeep &Truck Repa i r11 3 S.4 th S t re e tWYOMINGBUFFALOHank ' s Car MarketE . H ighway 16CASPERThe Motor Mart13 0 N.Walcot tCODYCustom Auto Sa les1737 17th StreetDOUGLASYel low Dot Service10 0 S.FourthLANDERC h o p p i n g , nc.Highway 287, S .W. o f LanderRAWLINSUptown Motors319 4th S tree tRIVERTONChopp ing Chevro le t , nc.1500 N.Highway 26WORLANDFausset Imp lement Co.1218 Big Horn AvenueFACTORY HEADQUARTERS,U.S.A.Toyota Motor D is t . , Inc .6032 Ho l l ywood B ou levardLos Ange les 28, Ca l i fo rn ia


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THE DESERT IN SEPTEMBER:The NewWest; In 1876Brigham Young dis-patched a man named Lot Smith to Arizonato push the frontier of Mormonism south-ward. Lot settled in the Mormon Lake coun-try below Flagstaff, where he raised cattleand horses. In 1892 Lot was gunnedndownby Navajos. A few months later his son, Jim,was born.

"Between us," Jim says, "my father and Ispan 133 years of frontier history."By the time he was 18, Jim was busy

MAGAZINE OF THE SOUTHWESTVolume 25

25TH YEARNumber 9

CONTENTS FOR SEPTEMBER, 1962This Month's Cover

The Navajo gir l is a beauty contest winner at the Northern NavajoFair at Shiprock, New Mexico. The Fair is an annual September event(dates for this year's show were not announced at press time), atwhich the Yeibichai Dance and All-Indian Rodeo are the main events.For more on Navajo rodeos, see page 22. This month's cover photo-graph was taken by Andre Dienes, who has acquired fame and for-tune photographing Hollywood beauty queens.

Places to See9 The Alabama Hills WARREN and BARBARA TRANSUE

16 Three Sketches of Eastern Nevada CHORAL PEPPER22 The Rodeo at Coal Mine Canyon FRANK A. TINKER

Nature's Wonders7 Garden Hints for September12 WaterGiver of Life13 "Shel l f ish" f rom the Desert

Discovering the Desert20 A Little Girl Finds Some Big "Treasure"30 Initials Carved in 1849

On The Adventure Trail14 A Fractured Field Trip

Other Features3 The Desert in September4 Desert Detours8 Letters from our Readers37 Poem of the Month38 New and Interesting Southwest Books

EDMUND C. JAEGERGEORGE W. LEETCH

CHARLES KELLY

VIVIENNE DOSSE

OREN ARNOLDMAUDE RUBIN

CHARLES E. SHELTON

Road grader at work at Golden Horseshoe Ranches

Jim Smith

building his empire. Evenas he acquired ranchingproperty, he took a likingto politics. He served Ari-zona as state represen-tative, state senator, coun-ty assessor, deputy sher-iff, and member of thestate hospital board andstate highway commis- ,sion. Jim Smith also ranfor governor. At present,the 68-year-old Smith is making another bidfor the state senate. "Maybe," he says, "I'llretire one of these days when my horsesteps into a badger hole."

At one time Jim and his immediately fam-ily controlled more than a million acres inArizona, and it may well be that he wasthe largest ranch operator in the UnitedStates. One of these ranches550,000 acresin sizeis in the northwest corner of thestate (in fact, it is the northwest corner ofthe state). That's 860 square-miles of land,more than two-thirds the size of Rhode Islandand nearly half as big as Delaware. Theimmense tract, which is still being surveyedby airplane, lies under the bow of the Colo-rado River where Davis and Hoover damsimpound the waters of lakes Mohave andMead, respectively. The ranch begins 30miles north of Kingman and stretches onboth sides of Highway 93 until it strikes theColorado's shorelines on north and west.Elevation ranges from 800 feet on the LakeMohave shores to nearly 5000 feet in thehills.

Prehistoric man lived here; the areaabounds in petroglyp hs. Sixty species ofmammals have been described on theranch, including the rare bighorn sheep.There are 250 different kinds of birds, fromthe tiniest of the humming birds to the ma-continued on page 5DESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine, Inc., Palm Desert, Ca lif. Second Class Postage pa id at Palm Desert, Calif., and atadditional mailing offices under Act of March 3, 1879. Title registered No. 358865 in U.S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1962by Desert Magazine, Inc. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs cannot be returned or acknowledged unless full return postage isenclosed. Permission to reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writing. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $4.50 per year (12 issues)in the U.S.; $5 elsewhere. Allow five weeks for change of address, and be sure to send the old as wel l as new address.CHARLES E. SHELTON

PublisherEUGENE L. CONROTTO

EditorAddress all correspondence to: Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif.

To subscribe, or to give a DESERT gift subscription, please use the coupon on page 32


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"Come ye yourselves apart into a desertplace, and rest a while." Mark 6:31

September is gratitude mon th. Gratitude for what? Ifyou have to ask that, you don't have it. Gratitude to whom?If you have to ask that, you may never have it. Gratitude,sir, because the sun is moving back southward, and the desertheat is waning. I could name a hundred more reasons, butone's enoug h. Now tonight you lay back somewhere, gaze upat the stars, and figure out the "whom" part for yourself.*September also is relief month in most homes. With schoolstarting, Mom gets relief from the kids; and even moreblessedthe kids get relief from Mom .kSomewhat of necessity I have joined the government'sphilosophy of "Spend, spend, spend in order to be prosperous."Wherefore, I now propose that we change Death Valley intoa swamp. The cost will be nineteen billion dollars, but sowhat? A billion dollars is merely a stack of $1000 bills ashigh as the Washington mo num ent. Spending nineteen timesthat would guarantee m ore prosperity. Envision ita swampwhere Scotty used to live! Patriotic planning, hey?In the good old desert days, we could look up atf leecy clouds and imagine we saw sheep and shipsins t ead of mushrooms.

Movies taken on our desert vacation this year are no moredistinguished than last year's. I still panoram too fast, cut offheads, and get too many telephone poles and/or beer cansin the foreground.

"Trouble with desert prospectin', some fellers gitto imag in in ' things!"

"You'd better come back to New York to have your baby,"an anxious mother wrote her daughter in what she envisionedas frontier false-front Phoenix in 1962. "Conditions are soprimitive out there." *Then there was the New Yorker who spotted a fineearthenware jar made by one of our desert Indians, askedhow much, and was given a price of $50. "That's nonsense,"exclaimed to tourist. "I'll give you $24 .""Listen, wise guy," poor Lo the potter shot back, "bargainslike Manhattan Island you are not going to get any more!"As I unders t and i t , t he s logan for Amer ica ' s mostd i s t ingui shed dese r t -dwe l l ing s t a t e sman, Sena tor Bar ryGoldwate r , i s " I ' d ra th e r be fa r r igh t than pres iden t . "Having learned to do the twist on the golf course, I haveno trouble sashaying through a thicket of cholla when I godesert hiking. But cholla segments will leap up to six feetand attack youwhich explains why my left arm is bandagedthis week. Eastern dud es don't dig these scientific desertphenomena; they think the only dangers we face are stage-coach robbers and scalping redskins.Whenev er 1 visit swanky desert tow ns like Palm City, SunCity and Youngtown, I figure it's almost a privilege to growold so 1 can live out there. No matter what M oscow says,Americans keep their high standard of living right on throughthe golden years. Love of children and old folks m ay be ourgreatest mark of distinction./ also like a certain store 1 found in the hills of southernArizona. The merchand ise is realistically priced. A saddle,for example, has a tag that says: "Asking $100. Rock bot-tom, $100." Another saddle says: "Asking $75. Will take$74.75." Now that's real citified price slashin'.

Perhaps you are aware of the experimental techniqueHelp get rid of desert billboards.that has had the advertising world in a furor. I referDon't throw beer cans on our roadsides.to the new (and sneaky!) approach called "sublimin-Help get rid of desert billboards.al " or "phan tom " selling. On TV or theater screen,Never dump trash in desert scenery.a line such as "Eat popcorn" is flashed many timesHelp get rid of desert billboards.during a show, so fast it is not seen but is "registeredDon't throw beer cans on our roadsides.on the subconscious min d." On radio , the message isNever dump trash in desert scenery.far below normal broadcast intensity, such as whisper-Help get rid of desert billboards.ing. Some advertising folk claim it works wonders.Don't throw billboards on our roadsides.Well, we good desert people like to live modern, so inNever dump trash in desert scenery.due time we'll check results and report to you onHelp get rid of desert billboards.any success. "College," says Alkali Ike, "is a place where a studentlearns to live by his pen. He uses it to write hom e for m oney ."

Dates are getting ripe in Phoenix and ln dio areas. Dateshave the highest food value per pound of any agriculturalproduct known to man. They are sweet, tasty, wonderful.But they can be expensive1 had a few with a college girlonce, and I've had to support her all the rest of our lives."Your mind fills only with what you put into it," the pastorof a little church at Gila Bend told me. He's right. So thismonth, friends, let's not fill ours with political or spiritualgarbage. Let's listen less to the "statesmen" orating, andmore to the quiet, enriching Voice. Tun e into it via prayer.And don't ask for much except instructions. Then obey. / / /


5/40

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6/40

BEFORE: BEDROCK . . . . AND WARNINGS . . .

. . . BUT NOW: PAVEMENT TO THE FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT.September Calendar: Four Corners, where Arizona, New Mexico,Colorado and Utah meet at a common point, will be the scene onSeptember 16 of dedication ceremonies for the newly paved NavajoTrail Highway. The contractor reports that he will have the "roadbedand base course work" on the final 42 miles of road completed beforethe ceremony, but is not sure the oil surface can be poured in time.In any event, the final link of the road will be usable by the 16th.

The Navajo Trail Highway cuts diagonally from the southwest corn-er of the Navajo reservation near Flagstaff to the northeast corner nearCortez, Colorado. The hard-surface will link with the outside worldhitherto isolated posts such as Dinnehotso, Mexican Water and TeecNos Pos. The Four Corners itself, marked by a crude monument sched-uled to be replaced by a more elaborate marker, is a few feet from thenew pavement.Inez Goss remembers the road "when." Mrs. Goss and her husbandwere Indian traders for a dozen years before moving to Cortez. Shesent us the "before and after" photos above."Regardless of the weather," she writes, "the road presented itsshare of hazards. When it was dry, the danger was from deep shift-ing sand. In wet weather, there were miles of slick clay which wouldbecome hub-deep on occasion. With no culverts to carry off the water,it would sometimes take weeks for the road to dry-up. And then therewere always the sections of bedrock to worry the motorist. Theserough outcroppings, denuded of their poor soil by wind and rain, area familiar part of every unimproved road on the Reservation. Brokensprings, axles and oil lines or even blownout tires are serious mis-haps when suffered many miles from the nearest garage."Other September dates:In California: thru the 3rdAntelope Valley Fair, Lancaster. 1-3Tri-County Fair and Rodeo, Bishop. 3-9San Bernardino County Fair,Victorville. 15-16Annual Cactus Days and Flower Show, Palm Wells(near Yucca Valley).In Arizona: 1-3Rodeo, Williams. 2"Night in Belgrade," Bisbee.6-9Navajo Tribal Fair, Window Rock. 8-9Boat Races, Parker. 14-16Navajo County Fair, Holbrook. 14-16Yavapai County Fair, Pres-cott. 15Mexican Fiesta, Glendale. 21-23Quarter Horse Show, Pres-cott.In Nevada: 1-3Stampede and '49er Show, Fallon. 1-3AnnualRodeo, Winnemucca. 5-19Community Fair-Circus, Las Vegas. 8-9National Ski Races, Lake Mead. / / /

NEW TREASURE BOOKSRESEARCHED FROM THE ARCHIVES

(ALL IN PICTORIAL WRAPPERS)THE GOLDEN CRESCENT, The SouthwesternTreasure Belt, by Jesse Rascoe. Detailed ac-counts of dozens of hidden treasures andlost mines, all located in that golden cres-cent, the Great Southwest, which stretchesfrom East Texas to the Pacific. Heretoforepractically unknown accounts, from old ar-chives, old papers; locations in Texas, thePanhandle, New Mexico, Arizona, SouthernCalifornia and Old Mex ico ! A sequel to"Western Treasures," with latest news, butno duplications . . . . about 160 pp.$3.001000 OLD ARIZONA MINES, by RichardHinton. Original ly publ ished in 1878, nowrepr inted, with a bunch of old photos added!Informat ion about hundreds of old mines,Spanish diggings, some known, but in thismodern age, most ly unknown. Here are act-ual locations, types of ores, value, names offormer owners , etc 128 pp.$2.00WESTERN TREASURES, Lost & Found, by JesseRascoe. Authentic archivial reporting of treas-ure plants and caches, both lost and f o u n d ,in many Western states. This book has receiv-ed spectacular acceptance from those wholaud its authent ic repor t ing, g iv ing hereto-fore unknown clues and in format ion. Nodupl icat ion of account in "The Golden Cres-cent," published later . . . . 124 pp.$2.00CALIFORNIA GOLDEN TREASURES by Chas.Peters. Detailed accounts of f ind ing hugegold nuggets and boulders, Mother Lodecountry, California, a hundred years ago.Informat ion old mining camps, lucky finds,hidden r iches, etc 150 pp.$3.004000 CIVIL WAR BATTLES, compiled in 1899by J. W. Carnahan and now offered in f u l l ;lists thousands of battles and engagements,with some details; locations, dates command-ers, losses etc. Numerous incidents west ofMississippi not heretofore made known. . .. . . . 128 pp.$2.00TREASURE HUNTER'S MANUAL, by Karl vonMueller. The fact-technical book lauded byall interested in Treasure Trove. How, where ,what, when and how; he answers your ques-tions, state by state treasure analysis. Soldwh i le the remainder lasts! . . 371 pp.$7.50DEEK GLADSON'S GHOST TOWN MAP OFNEVADA. Four color, 24x36 " size, wi th infor-mation and location of 115 genuine ghosts,researched in the f ield $2.00THE TREASURE ALBUM OF PANCHO VILLA,by Jesse Ed Rascoe. The story of the Villarevolut ion in Mexico and his border jumpingis t o ld , as found in old newspapers, archives.Authentic "treasure" accounts are t o ld , asis found in government off ic ial records. Withnearly 100 actual photos. . . . 128 pp.$2.00

All postpaid. Free Western book catalog.Frontier Book Company

Mail Order BooksDept. DMTOYAHVALE, TEXAS

CHANGING ADDRESS?New postal regulations make it impor tantthat you send your change-of-addressnotice to us prompt ly . And please re-member to list your old address as wel las your new.

Circulation Dept., Desert MagazinePalm Desert, Calif.


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THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER

September is a good month for plantingnew lawns. Be sure to keep ground moistuntil seed is well sprouted. Establishedlawns should be fertilized with a slow-re-lease nitrogen fertilizer.Seed can be added to a thin lawn, or torepair damaged areas. Use a steel rake toremove dead grass and loosen soil, thenscatter about one-fourth the usual amountof seed necessary for a new lawn, and

water immediately.

CALIFORNIA DESERTS: If plantscan be protected from the sun, or the wea-ther begins to cool, quick maturing annualscan be planted now for winter bloomorfor vegetable garden. Many annuals maybe planted late in September for early sum-mer bloom. Larkspur, pansy, snapdragonand calendula seeds should be refrigeratedfor a week or two before planting.Tulip bulbs should be refrigerated untilDecember before planting. For winterbloom indoors, September is the month toplant Narcissi (paper-white) in bowls ofpebbles and water.Dahlias should be dug when the topshave died down, and the clumps stored ina dry cool place.NEVADA, UTAH AND NORTHERNARIZONA: Spring-flowering bulbs maybe planted in late September. Depth of

planting is 2'/2 times the width of the bulb.Tuiips should be the last bulbs to be plant-ed. Add bonemeal to poor soil. Dig and storegladiolus. Bulbs that are normally dormantin winter may not have died down natural-ly [his month, but they can be encouragedto do so if water is withheld.

\(pevennialsThe tops of most perennials should notbe cut off in the fall because the exposedhollow stems may lead to rotting of theroots. September is a good month to plant

roses in all areas of the Southwest exceptthe colder northern portions. Coffee-grounds can be spread on ground aroundacid-loving plants.NEVADA, UTAH AND NORTHERNARIZONA: Perennials should be divid-ed and replanted in September. For housebloom, plants should be brought in at leasttwo weeks before heat is needed indoors.LOW DESERT: Prepare the groundfor perennials. Rose beds should be goneover in preparation for the fall season ofbloom; prune and remove dead and dis-eased wood, fertilize lightly, water as need-ed. Mums will need light feeding until budsshow color, and be sure to keep the soilmoist.HIGH DESERT: Peonies and springflowering perennials may be planted, ordivided and replanted this month. Do notplant peonies deeply; about two inches be-low soil level is proper. They will notbloom if set too deeply.

Evergreen and decidious trees may beplanted any time if they are container-grown and watered carefully when planted.LOW DESERT: Citrus will need water-ing, however, you must be careful not tooverwater subtropical shrubs.HIGH DESERT: Continue wateringAzaleas and Rhododendrons. Hibiscus willdo better with less water and fertilizer now.NEVADA, UTAH AND NORTHERNARIZONA: Continue watering hardytrees and shrubs until rains begin.

Seed of Century Plants can be gatheredwhen they ripen in late summer (and later).Plant is sandy loam. Allow them plenty ofroom to grow. / / /

APACHE LANDBEAUTIFULSCENERYFISHING

HUNTINGFREE

CAMP GROUNDS

a Vacation Landto RememberF O R T A P A C H Etmmm

The White Mountain Apache Indians welcome you.Come and enjoy the wonderful mountain c l imate,the beaut iful pr imitiv e scenery, clear, cold streamsand the best trout fishing in the Southwest.

FOR INFORMATION AND MAPS, WRITEW H I T E M O U N T A I N

RECREATION ENTERPRISEP.O. BOX 218WHITERIVER, ARIZONA

IF THE SOUTHWESTis your hobby, read all about it! Sendfo r our free Southwest Book Catalog.Desert MagazinePalm Desert, Calif.

A FREE SERVICETO VACATION-PLANNINGSUBSCRIBERS. . .DESERT will be happy to sendyou appropr ia te brochures andfolders on your Southwest vaca-tion target. Merely indicate whatsection of the Desertland you planto visit, and when . There is nocharge for this service.

S o u t h w e s t T r a u e lDesert Magazine

Palm Desert. Calif.Southwest tourism entrepreneurs (motelmen,guides, camp operators, etc.), not alreadycontacted by DESERT, who would l ike theirliterature distr ibuted to readers and visitorsto DESERT'S pueblo, are inv i ted to sendsamples of their brochures to the aboveaddress.


8/40

L E T T E R SFROM OUR READERSHenderson's Retirement . . .To the Editor: My best thanks for yourtribute to Randall Henderson in the Juneissue. I am sure it will be approved by thevast majority of readers.

PAUL LINSLEYSan Andreas, Calif.Sand Control . . .To the Editor: The furor still continuesas to how to combat the sand storm men-ace on Highway 99 in California's Coach-ella Valley. State engineers are trying thesame old methods fences, mounds, tam-arisks which have been tried and failedin the dune belt for decades.

These measures always fail in areas ofsoft, light silt because they deform theland by producing gullies, gigantic mounds,and long drifts which are worse than theoriginal condition.As an individual who has had manyyears of personal experience with the localdunes, I would like to report my experi-ences, and make some original suggestions.We have found that the red gum eucalyp-tus is the best tree to plant. It grows likea weed in the sand, takes little care, andsince it has no low branches, it stops the

wind without causing gullies and dunes.This tree should be distributed at cost allover the sand dune area, and also plantedby the state along the roads in the Fontanaarea.Finally, decomposed granite granulesshould be dropped from helicopters or bo-rate bombers for miles over the dunes.Everyone has noted that these granuleslay the sand, but in the past there has beenno feasible method for distribution of thesegranules on a vast, uniform scale.

W. H. KUPPERHollywood

S A L M O N R I V E R T R I P !I D A HO PRI MI T I VE A REA

FOR MORE INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS:Call or Write:Western River Expeditions1699 East 3350 SouthSalt Lake City 6, UtahHUnter 4-4006

Per PersonThis 6 day trip on the Prim-itive Salmon River includes:food, transportation fromStanley, and all necessaryequipment for a river ex-pedition.The Salmon River offers:good fishing, exciting whitewater, excellent picture tak-ing, and a leisurely vacationI you'll never forget. The twoOctober runs will be fors=*"*ss- steelhead fishing.

AVAILABLE TRIP DATES:* Aug. 25-30 Sept. 14-19* Sept. 4-9 Oct. 6-11* Sept. 11-16 * Oct. 15-20

Jesui t Treasure . . .To the Editor: Please compliment FatherC. W. Polzer for his excellent article onJesuit Treasure (Desert, August '62) . Howthat old fable keeps alive is beyond me, yetit does, and with surprising strength.

1 spend much time in Tubac, Arizona.Hardly a month goes by without somewoolyheaded treasure hunter coming down.They look longingly at Tumacacori (for-tunately safe as a national monument).One man actually hired Mexicans to digabout one half mile from Tumacacori Mis-sion for several days. He "understood" theJesuits had a "secret" tunnel of escape"under the river"!He selected his digging location next toa small chapel nearby. When it was pointedout that this "chapel" was actually the cov-ering for a modern pump, and built onlya few years ago by the local dude ranch,he replied that they must have had some-thing earlier to go on or they wouldn't haveerected the out-house in the form of achapel. And he went on digging. This isextreme, but typical.Father Polzer mentions two of the mostoutrageously vandalized missions in ourareaCocospora and Guavavi. At Cocos-pora they are now chipping the few remain-ing bits of painted plaster. At Guavavi theWingfields, who own the land, have triedvaliantly to defend the melting adobe walls.But when I visited it with them just a fewweeks ago, they were aghast to see twofine new holes dug deep into the founda-tion. The dirt had been thrown into the dig-gings of earlier holes.Articles like Father Polzer's are muchneeded. Unfortunately I am afraid mis-sion treasure seekers are basically illiterateand contemptuous of history.

WILL ROGERS, JR.Beverly Hills, Calif.

Sm all G am e Tormentors . . .To the Editor: On a recent trip to thedesert, we met some people who had cap-tured 15 chuckawallas, a red racer snake,and two collared lizards. They were plan-ning to take these harmless creatures backto Los Angeles to sell them. I have notedan increase in this despicable activity inrecent months, and it makes my blood boil!

LORAN E. PERRYPasadena, Calif.

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. .... .

T H E H I L L S O F A L A B A M AC a l i f o r n i a

ALABAMA HILLS ROCK MASSES. CAR IS ON TUTTLE CREEK ROAD.

TWO-HUNDRED mi les no r th o fLos Angeles, on the arid desertbetween the High Sierra andthe Inyo Mountain range, is a uniquebehemothic rock formation with anincongruously out-of-state nametheAlabama Hills.They are the jumping off place tothe Whitney Portal , where the climbto Mt. Whitney commences. They

a r c , also, a fall-winter-spring meccafoi countless people who wanderamong their labyrinthine granitepaths, camp in their grottoes, climbtheir granitic heights, and marvel at'their fantastic forms and their sim-ilar-dissimilarities. From a distance

they appear as one homogeneousmass; close-up, they run the gamut olcontorted shapes and natural colossi.But always, sooner or later comes thequestion: "The Alabama Hills? Howcome that name in California?"The answer has its roots in CivilWar history, originating with a groupof Owens Valley pioneers whose sym-pathies were with the South. In 1862a vessel was built in the shipyards ofGreat Britain, a declared neutral inthe War of the States; and despiteobjections of the United Statesgovernment, which designated theship a man-o-war, it was allowed to

reach the Azores, was outfitted withB y W A R R E N an d B A R B A R A T R A N S U E

armament shipped f rom England,sailed to American shores with Cap-ta in Raphael Semmes commandingunder a commission from the Con-federate government, andas theAlabamacarried on a career of hea-vy destruction against the Un ion.This havoc on the seas continueduntil June 19, 1864, when a crackwarship of the Union, the Kearsarge,caught up with the Alabama off theCherbourg coast of France.The imminent batt le of the twoships created a day of great excite-ment for the French, many of whosesympathies were with the South. Aspecial "train of pleasure" made upof some fifteen-hundred peop le wasrun over the Paris-Cherbourg rail-way to the battle site, where the ocean


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ALABAMA HILLS (continued)

cliffs afforded a natural grandstand.Amid cheers from the French audi-ence, the battle was on.The Alabama's days of triumphwere over. The Southern man-o-warwas sunk, and the defiant Captain

Semmes threw his sword into the seaas a last gesture. The French, in spiteof their Southern sympathies, thengraciously allowed the victoriousKearsarge to refit in their supposedlyneutral port.It was at this time that the groupof Owens Valley pioneers, in admira-tion of the havoc wrought by theAlabama against the Union, namedthe grotesque and weird rock forma-tion "The Alabama Hills."This was too much for another

group of miners, cattlemen and wood-sawers a few miles to the north ofthe newly named hills. They werelocated at Todds, known today asGrays Meadows. Staunch Union sym-pathizers, these men commemoratedthe Kearsarge's victory by naminga mountain pass to the west, "Kear-sarge Pass." They went a step furtherand called the mountains beyond thepass "Kearsarge Pinnacles," then gavethe name "Kearsarge" to a little townfive miles east of Independence.Later, with the advent of a substan-tial gold strike, they named the dis-trict from the Alabama Hills northto Big Pine Creek and from the Sier-ra on the west to the Owens Valleyon the east, "The Kearsarge MiningDistrict."

LIST ING ROCKS THAT BEAR THE NA ME

International repercussions thatlasted a number of years followedthe Alabama incident, and in 1871the United States brought suit againstGreat Britain for the depredationswrought by the Alabama and her sis-ter ships, the Florida, the Shenan-doah, and others.

The meetings of the arbitrationboard were infrequent and longdrawn-out. However, in September,1872, the tribunal awarded damagesof $15,000,000 for the depredationscommitted by the British-built men-o-war.This action became known as "TheAlabama Arbitration" and was oneof the first international claims fordamages by one nation in behalf ofits citizens against another nation.So, historically, the Alabama Hillscommemorate a little-known but im-portant action of the Civil War. Butin their own right they are a virtuallabyrinth for wonderment and amaze-ment. And though, as yet, they have.not attained any official governmentrecognition, they have become a pop-

ular Western entity full of uniqueattractions.The Alabama Hills lie severalmiles west of the little Sierra town of


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. . . OF A SHIP SUNK OFF FRANCE

Lone Pine, along the approach to Mt.Whitney, and without doubt theyconstitute one of the most fantasticjumbles of upthrust rocks on earth.Word-of-mouth authority states theformation to be the oldest rock massof its kind in the world. This mis-conception had its roots in the dec-laiation of an English geologistmany years ago that they were"earth's oldest formation." Subse-quent geological studies tend to re-fme the Englishman's theory and toplace the rocks' origin somewhere inthe middle of the geologic scale:namely, in the Triassic Age, or ageof reptiles, with traces of the firstor Archaean Age showing here andthere as a result of the cataclysmicrepetition of volcanic action whichhas periodically changed the face ofthe Sierra and desert landscapes, in-cluding Death Valley.

The Hills have long been a para-dise for geologists, nature-lovers andcampers and hikers who scramble indelight and awe among its giantformations. Motion picture compan-ies, use the area regularly as a locationfor horse, operas, desert sequencesand North African "atmosphere."

From a distance, the Alabama Hillsappear as huge upthrust mounds onwhich thousands of round balls,spheroids, and angular pieces are im-beded. Viewed close-up, each is mam-moth; many become ponderous cari-catures of the human and animalworld. There are granite caves, wind-ing defiles, pyramids, sculptures almost anything one has seen some-where in the world, only here on animmense scale. The spring flora isan astounding contradiction to itssummer aridity, and a spectacularlygigantic species of bush lupine flour-ishes on the scene with a grandeurto match the granite giants.

One peculiar feature of thesemounds is that they are composed of

numerous strata which differ inwidth but are usually up-ended atright angles to the earth.With the exception of an earth-quake in 1790 chronicled by the

Paiute Indians and the major dis-turbance of March 26, 1872, whichbrought disaster to the Lone Pinearea, the unique Alabama Hillshave slumbered silently for years.Today, the Alabama Hills extenda quiet but awe-inspiring welcometo travelers into the High Sierra des-ert region. And the breathtakinglock formations will in all probabilitycontinue to fascinate many genera-tions to come with their imaginative"forms in fantasy." / / /

THE EVENING VIEW OF THE HIGH SIERRAS IN THE DISTANCE


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WATER. . . giver of life


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I N LONG AGO days when desertjourneys were made, for the mostpart, with horse and wagon or onfoot with a burro to carry one's bed-roll and provisions, wegenerally triedto camp at nightfall near some well,waterhole or streamside.These oasis-site camps gave usmany unusual opportunities to ob-seive the wildlife associated in oneway or other with them. Today,many of these water sources havebeen tapped for the irrigation offields and for domestic use, but stillsome remain and are well worth visit-ing.

In the early spring of 1920 I spentsome days camping in the willow,mesquite and cotton wood thicketsalong theColorado River, that uniqueand-land stream isolated so definite-ly by its broad desert boundaries bothon the east and west. It was a mostinteresting and revealing fortnightbringing me into close view of manyof nature's small, animal children.Each morning I wasgreeted with richsongs and varied call notes of river-bank-inhabiting birds, and the strid-ul itions and wee sounds of cicadas,grasshoppers and flies. In the sunlitwillow tops I saw and heard Red-winged blackbirds, Lucy Warblers,charming small Lazuli Buntings,Lark Buntings and occasional Ari-zona Least Vireos. The Lucy Warb-ler (named after Miss Lucy Baird,sister of Spencer F. Baird of theSmithsonian Institution) is exclus-ively a desert bird seldom, except asa stray, being found elsewhere. It issometimes called the Mesquite Warb-ler from its close association with thistree.

At this charming "willow camp",as I chose to call it, I had a visitfrom a Roadrunner the very firstmorning. Once out in an open sand-patch, he took to preening himself abit then lying down leisurely on hisside, relaxing his feathers and warm-ing himself in the sun's genial rays.Alter a few minutes of this he got up,thoroughly shook the sand from hisfeathers and ran, tail drooping, intothe willows.

Some birds and mammals seem tohave some sort of a time-clock builtinto them, and that evidently wasvery much the case with this bird.Subsequently, every morning withina minute or two of 8:10, he arrivedfor his preening and sunbath and

always he took about the sameamount of time for it; the samemight be said about his departureinto the brush.I noticed somewhat the same punc-

tuality of movements of a big Colo-rado River Toad (Bufo alvarius),that enormous Bufo that inhabitsthe damp tree-filled bottoms along

the lower Colorado River. Each even-ing he came out onto the sandy-sur-faced opening in front of the camp,ambling across it at near 7:15 whileon his early evening hunting journey.He maneuvered rather slowly or satvery still at times so that with aid ofmy lantern, which he never seemedmuch to mind, I was able to get aContinued on page 25

A f t e r t h e R a i n s - D e s e r t " S h e l l f i s h "O F ALL THE strange and unusualthings which the desert yields,shrimp and clam are at the top ofthe list. To find these "shellfish" in anormally dry desert wash taxes the im-agination yet, it is usually in suchplaces that these creatures appear fromtime to time when nature provides theproper ingredients.

I first observed these odd denizenswhile on a routine patrol in the Anza-Borrego country. Less than a week hadpassed since a summer thunderstormhad poured a torrent of water down theFish Creek Wash, and I was on the look-out for possible storm damage.At the head of one of the tributarywashes I left the patrol jeep to checksome tinajas (potholes) which usuallycontain water after heavy rainfall. Sureenough, they were full of waterandstrange tiny creatures freely swimming

about! There were two kinds of ani-mals in the pools; one looked like atadpole, the other a clam.Thin shells cover the backs of the tad-pole shrimp, which are larger than theclam shrimp. Pink undersides and flut-tering legs are exposed as the tadpoleshrimp float, sometimes bottom-side-up,or dive into the depths of the rainwaterpools.The clam shrimp is covered withhinged bivalved shells, but here the re-semblance to a true clam ends. Carefulinspection reveals legs and antennae,and this creature's mode of locomotionis most un-clamlike. When not restingon the bottom of the pond, the clamshrimp dart through the water in speedystarts and stops.Both the tadpole shrimp (Notostra-cans) and the clam shrimp (Concho-stracans) are of the subclass of crusta-cea known as branchiopoda. The nameliterally means "gill-feet", and is des-criptive of the numerous jointed legswhich contain gills. These legs are usedfor breathing as well as swimming.The branchiopoda are the most prim-itive of the crustaceans. Fossil finds in-dicate that they date back in time formillions of years. That they can per-petuate themselves under what appearsto be the most adverse of environments

seems nothing short of miraculous.As was the case in Fish Creek, theseanimals are found in temporary pools

and ponds that dry up completely formost of the year. The life-cycle is com-pleted in a surprisingly short time, andthe eggs remain in the dried mud untilthe next period of rainfall. Tadpoleshrimp have hatched from eggs in driedmud kept on a laboratory shelf for aslong as 15 years, 'c

Just what chain of circumstancescauses the eggs to hatch and mature isnot fully known. Certainly temperatureplays an important role; and only thesummer rains have thus far broughtforth the shrimp of Fish Creek.ByGEORGE W. LEETCH, ranger, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. / / /

An Anza-Borrego Ranger inspects a potholenatural habitat for desert shrimp (center pho-to ) and clam (lower photogreatly enlarged).


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Misadventures andGay Times when180 Mineral Collectorsinvade OldMexico.byVlVIENNEM.DOSSETHE STUDY and collecting ofminerals is an absorbing hobbyand there is no doubt that myhusband and I are completely andirrevocably absorbed. Thus it wasthat when the recent call went outlor pilgrims to lour the rich miningareas ol San Luis Potosi in Mexico,we hastened to join the "Operat ionRockhound" expedi t ion.

The tour was arranged by WarrenJones, a miner living in San Luis Po-losi; Bob and Sara Dowell, mineraldealers of Edinburg, Texas; Rober toCuadros, President of the Miners As-sociation; and Alphonso Torre , Sec-retary of Planifications and Promo-tions (!) lor the Stale of San LuisPoiosi. It had the blessings of theGovernor , Prof. Don Manuel Davila.

One hundred and eighty personssigned up for the tr ip. It was impor-tant that this invading army makea good impression, so we were urgedto conduct ourselves with dignity andcourtesy. Ladies were asked to notwear slacks, pedal-pushers or shortson the street, though these get-upswould be permissible on the field-

trips. We were informed that peoplein the city dressed more formally thanin our Southwestern states, and wewere reminded that we were to beguests of the Governor at a reception.The city ol San Luis Potosi lies ina shallow valley between high moun-tain ranges. We arrived at dusk, amidthe gaiety and confusion of a carnivalwhich filled the streets with bands,floats and maskers.The next morning began a seriesof trips to the mines. A particularlyinteresting t ime was spent at Tepe-tate, high in the mountains . Here themen of the village recover tin orefrom a dry streambecl by a methodresembling gold-panning. The sandglitters with bright little topaz crys-tals, but the tin ore looks like bits ofdull smooth rock, seldom larger thana fingernail. The pans used areshallow wooden bowls into which isscooped sand and water, which the

miner agitates with his hands. Allwater must be carried a half-milefrom the village reservoir. If a minerfinds one or two nuggets in each pan,

he is lucky. This is definitely not aget-rich-quick business.That evening we enjoyed theGovernor 's Recept ion. The magnifi-cent white and gold Reception Roomwas rich with oil por t ra i t s and crim-son velvet drapes. The "JuarezRoom," adjoining it, contained aglass case with life-size figures. Onewas the First President of the Repub-lic of Mexico, Benito Juarez, as he re-fused clemency for the deposed em-peror , Maximil ian . The other figure,that of a beautiful young woman, thePrincess de Salm Salm, knelt at hisfeet in posture of entreaty and des-pair .

Flash-bulbs popped in the Recep-tion Room as news photographersranged back and forth, snappinggroups in conversation or being pre-sented to the Governor. Refresh-ments of a potent pink l iquid anddelicious little hot enchiladas wereserved. As we left the palace each ofus was presented with a gift, with thecompl iments of His Excellency. Everylady received a f iber handbag con-ta in ing a miniature sombrero , a half-pint of fiery mescal, and a package of"Tuna Cheese," which is neither fishnor cheese, but candy made fromcactus fruit. The men were givenbril l iantly str iped bags with identicalcontents.The nex t day was the big day (wehad no idea just how big it wouldturn out to be) when we would visita location impossible to reach by car,but well-known by reputat ion to min-eral collectors throughout the world.The little village of Charcas is in-

habi ted by miners, many of them em-ployed at a big lead-zinc mine oper-ated by the American Smelting andRef ining Company. That mine is notopen to visitors now, but many min-eral collections feature the magnifi-cent calcite and danburite specimensfound there. We would visit a smallprivately operated mine about ninemiles from Charcas, to h u n t for redcinnabar crystals in white calcite.T h e r e is no road to Charcas or toth e big mine. Access is by rail , thougha road runs from a siding on themain rail line to Charcas a distanceof five or six miles.

T h e r e is no publ ic parking at therailway station in San Luis Potosi,


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so we were told to leave our cars inthe hotel parking lots and walk ortake taxis to the station. In order toarrive on time we awakened at 5:30a.m. To our dismay no cafes wereopen, so we went without breakfast.Some hotels had prepared box lun-ches for their guests, but ours hadnot. All of us were dressed in roughclothes and burdened with bott les ofdrinking water, cameras, coats, col-lecting bags and rock hammers.

Warren Jones and Mr. and Mrs.Dowell had bought tickets for thegroup on the previous day, and ar-ranged for two special coaches at-tached to the regular train on theMexico City-Monterrey run, to ac-commodate us.Though depar ture was scheduledfor 7 a.m., the train did not leave un-til nearly eight o'clock. News photog-raphers and feature writers for thepapers were busy. Everyone was inhigh spirits. I walked to the front-end of the train where the Mexicanfarm-families were making a picnicof their train trip. A blind man play-

ed the violin for a group of laughingsingers; young women sold tiny eggsand other food from baskets. Smallchildren staggered solemnly up anddown the aisles. Everyone was havinga gay time as the train clattered on-ward.After about two hours, we reachedthe siding near Charcas. Here ourcoaches were left on a side-track, tobe picked up by the evening trainfor our return.The Miners Union had four small

buses waiting for us, and we climbedaboard for our tr ip to the cinnabarmine.The road from the siding to Char-cas is an uphill pull and narrow,though paved. One bus developedmechanical trouble, so we waited inCharcas unti l another could bebrought. No more pavement now,just rocky dusty trails. The buses wal-lowed along, sometimes descendingbarrancas with sides so steep the pas-sengers had to climb out on foot.Our bus had i ts tai lpipe smashed

shut on a boulder; after that wasgiven emergency repairs with rockhammers, the engine boiled dry. Theradiator was replenished from our

supplies of drinking water . Far aheadwe could see the other buses waitingwhile a stone fence was pulled downto make a way for them. A long wind-ing track climbed slowly to wherethe buses could go no farther. Thelast half-mile we must do on foot.

"Everything will be perfectly safein the buses," we were told, so, leav-ing coats, water-bottles, lunches, evenpurses, on the seats, the crowd piledout and climbed toward the mine.Blasts were set off for the benefitof the camera-fans. Even before the

smoke had cleared away the rock-hounds were scrambling up the steephillside. The mine is a small one; ahole about thirty feet across andtwenty deep, with short horizontaltunnels following the veins of cinna-bar along seams in the limestone.The blasts had thrown out muchfragmented material . Those whocouldn't get down into the mine hadan opportunity to gather attractivepieces, though it is doubtful if manyeven knew what to look for, as criesof "Is this it?" echoed back and forth.The sun was hot; most of the hunt-ers soon tired and began to shout,

"We want agate." Warren Jones toldthese agate-hunters to take three ofthe lour buses, detailing one of hisminers to lead the group . Th eywould go back to Charcas and outin another direction to the agate-fields. Soon th ere w ere only 18 of usleft.

An hour or so later, Mr. Jonessaid it was time for us to start backto Charcas. Collectors and minersgathered up their tools and collect-ing bags and we picked our waydown the steep trail to the bus.But there was no bus! We werestrandednine miles from the road;15 from the siding where our rail-way coaches waited. The train wasdue to pick up the coaches about sixo'clock, ft was already after three.The situation held serious aspects.Seven of our group were women.None of us was young; none accus-tomed to high alt i tude. One wo-man was recently out of a hospital,and her feet were already blistered.But when there is only one th ingto do . . . you do i t!We started walking, relying on thecontinued on page 28

TIN MINERS AT TEPETATE


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T H R E ENEVADASKETCHESBy Choral Pepper

!

ON A WARM summer's day last year, straw-hattedwomen clung to the arms of their shirt-sleevedmen and climbed a steep embankment to theparapet of newly constructed Shroeder Dam in BeaverDam State Park. It was the day of dedication for a great-ly desired recreational attraction in Lincoln County, thefirst project of its kind in the state of Nevada.From a podium atop the Dam, Nevada State ParkCommissioner Dr. Leslie H. Gould alerted his listenersto a necessity for developing such areas now during thestate's early growth. "At its present rate," he said,"we could find ourselves faced with the same dilemmaas Southern California which suddenly discovered thatthe only desirable beach areas available to the publiccost $10,000 an acre."A return visit to Beaver Dam State Park on a recentweekend proved one thing: Those crowded Californians

ought to see this!Rollicking streams leaped with trout, hordes of excit-ing rocks lay undetected, and wild growth all but oblit-erated the winding single-way road. The park, which


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PRIMEVAL PARKGIM WAHMISPLACED SEQUOIAS

when completely developed will contain 2199 acres, hadonly 20 car-loads of visitorsand this, according to fish-erman Phil Hulse of Pioche, was the most "crowded" hehad ever seen the area, and he visits it often. 'Here in this untamed, secluded country, is justabout everything an outdoorsman would want, except-ing a good road (but, if the road was good, the camp-siies would be crowded!). Campgrounds nestle intoevery bend of the crooked stream. You could lie in asleeping-bag and pluck trout to fry on one of the grillsfurnished by the Fish and Game Department for theuse of campers. Restrooms, too, are available, but every-thing else goes strictly with nature. Possibly when theroad is widened, trailers will be permitted into the park,but now nothing more than an occasional tent or pick-up-camper indicates man has invaded this lonely forest.

One of Nevada's largest deer herds thrives amonggorges and spires erodeil from the park's sedimentaryrock formations. In the dark, mountain lion stalk theirsupper near waterholes, while coyote serenade the night.During daylight hours, the flying manes of mustang

color the scene. This is a wild game preserve and fire-arms are not allowed, but deer hunters do make campnear the park boundaries.The road to Beaver Dam State Park leads east fromHighway 93 at Caliente. From the highway to the park,the visitors must drive an hour and 15 minutes of poor-ly graded road. Once inside the park it is necessary toford a few shallow streams. Although rough, it is pos-sible for any make of auto to tour the park, but thereare a number of places which can be reached only byfour-wheel drive.After a seemingly endless expanse of rocky soil, occa-sionally broken by stretches of sand and sage, the roadfrom Caliente enters a pigmy juniper forest. Gradually,as the altitude increases, the scraggly trees grow taller,exposing twisted naked limbs begging the skies for rain.It is quite impossible to believe that ahead into infin-ity lies an abundant forest lush with growth, but after20 miles, the tall, straight pines appear, and- squawber-ries bear fruit in patches along the ground. HigherStill, undergrowth temporarily ceases. Isolated junipersspring from barren wind-sifted soil like giant Ming treesstuck into beds of sand.Here arroyos cut deeply into the earth, and moun-

tainous slabs of rock jut above the terrain. Oak treesjoin the junipers and pinyons. Pine cones lie scatteredamong ferns. Frogs pipe from stones in the racing brook,and higher still, Shroeder Dam imprisons water to pro-duce a lake, spewing forth calculated amounts to joinother waters from a fountainhead of mountain springs.There is much to do here besides fish and dream by astream. Because of the area's benign clime, early geo-logical formations and signs are well preserved. Petro-glyphs so ancient that experts are unable to classifythem occur in this vicinity. Indian artifacts, datingfrom the time when Beaver Dam marked a favoritehunting ground, have been found, and beautiful fossilsare everywhere.Rockhounds find this virgin territory. Our son filleda marb le bag with Apache tears (obsidian) scoopedfrom the bed of a stream. Jasper, agate and wonderstonehave also been gathered beside the park's springs.Best of all, for those whose nature's demand a peri-odic one-ness with the wilderness, Beaver Dam StatePark is secluded and serene. This may change whenLincoln County acquires funds to improve the accessroad, but in the meantime, visitors will find rare ex-perience in this lonely area.

THE YEAR was 1916. A shy petite child from SanFrancisco's Chinatown, Gim was chosen by herfather's To ng to. become the bride of T om W ah, aman more than four times her age, and newly pro-moted from cook to boarding-house manager of the richNevada Prince Mine near Pioche. When she came, she


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spoke not a word of English. At the mine she attendedschool with othe r children her age. It was difficult tointerpret her lessons, but she did the best she could bytranslating from story illustrations. It was two years be-fore she understood any English at all.During her early years in the rough, tough campsodifferent from the gentle atmosphere she'd known inSan FranciscoGim suffered every humiliation and fearknown to a bewildered child. But through it, and be-cause of it, she gradually came to the most importantunderstanding of her life.She learned that others couldn't make her adjust-ments for her; that to find any kind of happiness inher strangely fated life, she'd have to acquire thestrength to stand alone. With increasing maturity, shedetermined to adapt herself to her strange desert en-vironment.Today, managing her cafe located off U.S. Highway93 between Pioche and Caliente, Gim Wah is morethan a local tradition. She has touched the hearts ofpersonages from all over the world who participatedin the important operation of the Combined MetalsReduction Company and Caselton Mill during WorldWar II and were entertained in her dining room, in apart of the village built to accommodate this largest lead-silver mill in the United States.The mill ceased operation eight years ago, but Mrs.Wah's friends continue to visit when they pass throughNevada . . . friends such as author Clarence BuddingtonKelland (who once set a story there) , Union PacificPresident George Stoddard, Uranium King CharlesSteen, New York City Chase National Bank PresidentJerimiah Millbank, and the late Duke D'Atri, Prince ofAragon, to name a few.Former President Herbert Hoover, who is an officialof the mine, and his family celebrated many of Mr.Hoover's birthdays in Mrs. Wah's dining room.What is there about Mrs. Wah that inspired the Cal-iente Lion's Club, which meets in her cafe, to award hertheir first and only feminine honorary membership?Surely it was more than her pixie grin and strawberrypie.And what is it that inspired the Professional and

Business Women's Club of neighboring Pioche to inviteher into its organization? Certainly not her popularityin Caliente, since Mrs. Wah stands alone as a harmon-ious link between the fiercely competitive towns.T o those away from Nevada , she is a cherished friend.To those of her community, she is more. Her relation-ship with neighbors and friends is built upon respectfor Gim Wah's personal dignity, admiration for her in-dividuality, and trust in her proved integrity.In a charming sing-song voice reminiscent of an Ori-ental lullaby, Gim Wah converts English into a unique-ly understandable language of her own and tells of herlife at the mine.Before the big boarding house burned down and TomWah died, she helped him cook and serve 400 men infour shifts. They raised their own vegetables and fruitthen as she continues to do to this day. To provide

"GIM IS KNOWN BY ALL LOCAL SMALL-FRY AS A SOFT TOUCH . . ."

BEAVER D AM PARK - VIR GIN TERRITORY FOR ROCK HOUNDS


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variety in the menus under austere conditions of thattime demanded the utmost in ingenuity and self-suf-ficiency.Lessons Gim learned in Tom Wah's kitchen have

related themselves to living as she finds it today.When the present mill went silent and the mine'sstable population dropped to zero, she might have sob-bed that a dining room in a mine without work forcehad no place to go but broke. She could have becomea ward of the state. Instead, she enlarged her home-grown garden, and set out establishing the best publicdining room between Ely and Las Vegas.Other forced adjustments have marked Gim's life.One day, long ago, Tom Wah announced he wouldtake her to visit members of her family who lived inChina. While there, Gim gave birth to their only child,a son. Under the quota system, it was impossible to re-turn with him to the United States. In fact, it took

Senatorial influence on the part of mine officials to getGim and Tom back home. Confident that later theycould send for their baby, they left him with relatives.Gim Wah never again saw her baby.Possibly to compensate for this emptiness in her life,Gim is known by all local small-fry as the soft touchfor free bubble gum and popsicles in the area. Childrenfor miles around pay her frequent visitsoften afoot,knowing Missy Wah is also good for a free ride backhome.Her American citizenship is her proudest possessionand voting is her proudest accomplishment. Once whenasked for a political opinion regarding Nevada Demo-

cratic Senator Pat McCarran, she said, "Him velly niceman, yes, velly good friend. Still, I Republican."To Mrs. Wah, it isn't important whether or not it'sexped ient for her to admit her political affiliation.When she feel an issue is consequential, she studies itthoroughly, makes a decision, and then takes a stand.That is why her community respects her. Some may notagree with her, but Mrs. Wah is not a nonentity. Sheis a woman of conviction.Mrs. Wah runs her business with an abacus, whichshe maneuvers with the speed of an IBM machine.Her friends eagerly await the day she tangles with aninnocent tax examinerlMrs. Wah's cafe is as unpretentious as its prices, buther piping hot superbly cooked cuisine makes the shortdetour from Highway 93 worthwhile. Because every-thing is cooked to order, she prefers that southboundmotorists announce their arrival by telephone fromPioche and those northbound call from Caliente.Her famous Chinese feast, which she prepares onlyfor parties of four or more and serves on elegant ances-tral china, requires a full day's notice to prepare. Thosewho have enjoyed it say that as a gourmet experienceit may only be compared to her incomparable straw-berry piesmade with berries cultivated in her patch.But whether or not one ever dines at Mrs. Wah's,there's much to learn from this woman who has thedignity and courage to live by principle; this womanwho knows that others stand by only if first you'velearned to stand alone. She doesn't proselyte these find-ings. What she does is prove them by example.

B OTANISTS FROM a number of Western universi-ties have puzzled over a grove of seven tall treesnestled in a mountain valley 19 miles west of thepicturesque mining town of Pioche. Normally, a groveof trees in a mountain valley wouldn't present an enig-ma, but when the trees happen to be Sequoia Giganteasnative to an area 300 miles away, experts furrow theirbrows.These trees (referred to as "The Big Trees" by localcitizens who frequently picnic under them) are morecommonly found in Yosemite and Sequoia nationalparks, and adjacent areas in California. There the BigTrees grow in well-defined groves of from four to asmany as 3500 trees.How did seven of these giants happen to establishthemselves so far from "home"? The experts can onlymake some educated guesses.While the Bristlecone Pine is now considered the"oldest living thing on earth," the Sequoia (formerholder of this title) does reach ages of 3000 years andmore. Most mature Big Trees vary in age from 400 to2000 years.Whereas most plant life is subject to decay and dis-integration, the Sequoia is strongly resistant to the at-tack of insects, fungal parasites , and to fire becauseof the presence of tannin and the absence of resin pitchin its structure. But, age and resistance are not the ans-wers. These trees are not "survivors" of a prehistoricera. Three thousand years is a relatively short time inthe history of the earth and its inhabitants.And, we can discount the possibility of the seeds blow-ing over from the California groves to the Nevada site.Mountains rising to 13,000 feet lie between.Pioche and Yosemite are both at a 38-degree latitude;both are at 500 feet elevation (the Big Trees occurfrom 5000 to 8000 feet elevation). Also, both areas nur-ture a healthy ground cover of scrub oak and other coni-ferous trees such as pinyon pine. But, here the similarityin areas ends.Whereas both Sequoia National Park and Yosemitehave vast areas of wooded growth with many fountain-heads to feed the soil, the Nevada Sequoia grove liesin a minute canyon surrounded by desert lands studdedwith juniper, sage and cacti. The Nevada area's wintersare mild, but do bring enough snow to maintain thetrees. There are thousands of locales in the West, closerin both distance and physical characteristics to Yosemiteand Sequoia National Park, where the Sequoias are un-known.The most logical explanation, it would seem, is thatan earthquake or other upheaval at the Nevada site re-leased dormant seeds and permitted them to growin an area w here thousands or even millions ofyears before, a Sequoia forest had flourished. Un tilscientists deliver the final answer to this riddle, the"earthquake theory" is the one most people hereaboutssubscribe to.But, why bother the head about theories? The im-portant thing to do is pack a picnic lunch and head foran afternoon under the Sequoiasin eastern Nevada./ / /


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21/40

Dijjifrisiiriijiirisisiiriirur^^

51TlSlfnSTSlSlinSlSI!Jl!JlSlI^

. . . this happy combination is sure to please any girl, and Kaye Ellen Oertle was no ex-ception. Kaye Ellen had accompanied her dad, writer-inventor Lee Oertle, to the desertnear La Quinta, Calif., where Lee wanted to take some action photos of the new "go-anywhere" machine he had developed.The "work part" of the trip over, Kaye Ellen and some of her fellow "models" turnedto the more exciting business of gathering-up a few pieces of the pottery shards which lieabout the dunes in heavy concentrations. The local Cahuilla Indians apparently spenta great deal of time aroundthe clay playas manufactur-ing pots and jars.Running and squealing, stoop-ing and exclaiming, KayeEllen and her little friendshad a grand time seeing whocould find the largest pieceof pottery; or who came upwith a shard containing abi t of design. It was grandadventure.The color photo of KayeEllen was made by DennisHolmes of Riverside, Calif.,who is shown at work in theblack-and-white picture atthe right. Lee Oertle's dunebuggy and the boy treasurehunters (who are busy chew-ing chunks of ice) were nothalf so appealing to color-photographer Holmes as wereKaye Ellen's eye-dazzling cos-tume and triumphant smile.


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W E L C O M ET O C O A L M I N E C A N Y O NR O D E O

Coal Mine Canyon is in dieheart of Navajoland, east ofTuba City near the foot ofthe Hopi mesas. The roads arenow good asphalt, and therodeo grounds are within viewof the pavement.One main rodeo is held eachyearusually in Julybutother smaller get-togethers oc-cur from time to time duringthe summer. Dates for suchevents are seldom announcedfar in advanceas is the casefor the many other round-upsheld throughout the vast reser-vation. Persons wishing to benotified of specific rodeo datesshould send their queries tothe Navajo Tribal Council,Window Rock, Arizona.The rodeo is an "open socialevent" for the Navajos, andthe white visitor is welcome.

However, a camera should beused cautiously andcourteously.PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANK A. TINKER

Navajos are excellentriders, and amongtheir possessions thehorse is apt to rankfirst. A boy may begiven a colt when heis old enough to rideat seven or eightand the horse will be-come more of a petto him than a dogmight be to aMichigan schoolboy.


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Grasping the steer by both horns , Ben Yazzie Begay tries to rassle it down.The timer (left) stands by with flag upraised. T he incongruity of theNavajos crowding along the rails in their pick-up trucks, mode l 19 62, andtheir long sateen dresse s, model 1887, is apparent only to strangers.

Spectators may come from fifty toCalifornia plates; its owner homefor the rodeo.


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C O A L M I N E C A N Y O N R O D E O ( c o n t i n u e d )

A young family groupwatches the actionallbut one.

Beauty is not absent from this event.

There is nothing fancy about the re-freshment stands at the rodeo.


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WATER (continued from page 13)good look at him. This is thelargetoad, which when handled roughlyby inquisitive dogs, issaid tofatallypoison them with itsskin secretions.

Close tosome ponded waters near-by I saw with considerable even-ing regularityspecimens of a smal-ler Woodhouse Toad (Bufo wood-housei)while it was outhunting atdusk among the arrowweed stalks.This amphibian with wheezy trillingnote, was named inhonor ofthe sur-geon-naturalist, Samuel Woodhouse,who served in 1851 under CaptainL. Sitgreaves, commissioned toinves-tigate theZuni and Colorado rivers.

To the south of mybase-campwere some fallen willow trees ofcon-siderable size. They were partly inthe water and had rotted ratherquickly because of dampness. I rip-ped offthe loose bark ofone ofthem,and found living there agreat num-ber ofmedium-sized beetles with yel-lowish-red head and bluish-gray wingcoversa host of those strange-actingbeetles called Bombardiers, remark-able when excited for dischargingfrom their anal glands a pungentfluid, which when uniting with theoxygen of the air, causes avery defi-nite explosion ("pip") accompaniedby awhitish cloud; it isaudible upto several feet away. When severalof theinsects aredetonating at thesame time it is indeed a rather ridi-culous and fascinating "battle-scene"phenomenon. Probably this action isof use as aprotection against certainenemies. Each fast-running bombar-dier isable todischarge his little nat-ural gun several times before becom-ing exhausted; then after a shortperiod he is ready again to utilizehis midget artillery.

Always asthe sun sank low in thewest, Gamble Quail and doves cameto thewater's edge to drink. Everwary and alert, thequail wisely ap-proached slowly in small groups oftwo to five, then having quenchedtheir thirst, ranback into thebrushand others of theflock came forth.All the time the vigilant and wise oldmale, perched near on the tip of abranch of a high bush asguardian,gave his call notes of "all's well, butbe careful." Back in themesquitesI could hear thecontented notes ofhis trustful flock. It wasalways avery satisfying observation. Asdark-ness came on I could hear the vi-brant song ofKill-deers or the strangecall notes ofother water-frequentingbirds.

When I walked with kerosene lan-

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tern in hand at night along ani-mal trails near the river's edge, I oc-casionally surprised mud turtles, andonce, alter 1 heard a big rustlingsound and then a great splash, I real-ized I had startled a wary beaver thathad been feeding on willow twigs.Now he was diving desperately forescape from supposed danger. Howcould he realize that he had in meone of his very best friends!The big, pale-colored ColoradoRiver Beaver, once so plentiful thatnot more than a century ago trapperstook them by thousands for theirpelts, is now a scarce rodent: neitherhe nor his big conical mud-and-sticklodges nor his dams are often seen.On a recent visit to a sand-bankisland, 1 was surprised to see a"beaver house" made from twigs ofthe cresote-bush. ft seems so incon-gruous that with willows and cotton-wood trees so 'near at hand this

particular family should have goneto nearby dry desert, here closelybordering the river, to get buildingmaterials for their abode. But thewild creatures, like humans, havetheir individual ways.In the warm waters of quiet pond-lets I watched the strange-appearingfat nymphs of big dragon flies. Theyare at times most active creatures, al-ways with enormous eyes on bigheads and an unusual appearing face,its lower part covered with a largesmooth tan mask concealing a bat-

tery of cruel jaws which can bebrought into action suddenly whensome unwary water insect comeswithin striking distance.One day I was fortunate in beingpresent when the mature dragon flynymph crawled up on a stalk of wiregrass and before my eyes transformedinto an adult. Of a sudden the backyawned wide open and from the largerent slowly emerged the mature in-sect, its flabby soft wings at first re-maining motionless. But as the fluidswithin left the wing veins the deli-

cate organs of flight began to expand,harden and dry and take on beauti-lul metallic colors of brown: andsoon my dragon fly, now a full adul t,rose to fly and experience life in hisnew world of life and sunshine. Hewas now one of the "masters of rapidflight" I might afterward see milesaway over the dry desert, skimmingalong while hawking his insect prey.Dragon flies of several kinds arerather common desert insects. Some-times, as I recently saw near LucerneValley on the Mojave Desert, theymay occur in great numbers and veryfar away from water.They were flying north as though

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in mass migration, but the flightwas not very direct since many weredashing about capturing and feed-ing on flying insects along the way.Many of these dragons of the airdoubtlessly later perished, but somefound water in the nearby MojaveRiver where they could lay their eggsin idle-water pools.Every desert waterhole, large or

small (even temporary rain pools inthe hollow of rocks) , becomes thebreeding place of mosquitoes. Ofthese insects there are many kinds;most are nocturnal. By peering intothe quiet water and watching patient-ly, it is possible to see the larvae goingthrough their interesting bendingcontortions as they actively movedeeper and out of danger whenalarmed.If I am near springs and desertcanyon streamlets in March andApril, I am almost certain to see the

wise bright-eyed little Tree Frogs cal-led Hylas, and when nighttime comes,hear their big choruses of attractiveringing call notes. As they sit on thesand at water's edge or upon stream-side rocks, they so perfectly simulatethe granite or sand on which theyrest that it is usually quite diffi-cult to spot them. One wonders howthey get to such places and how theymaintain life in their frail, soft, mois-ture-dependent bodies during timeswhen summer heat dries up thestreams and pools. Doubtless manythen perish, but somehow enoughfind deep cool crevices or damp spac-es under rocks where they can contin-ue to live until rains again come, andegg-laying, the growing tadpoles, andgrowth into adults can again takeplace.

Seeps and springs are always placesof peril for frogs and birds and thesmaller mammals which frequentthese places for water. Here, fromtime to time, lie waiting snakes andother predators. The larger rattle-snakes seek out such places as doother reptiles which at least partiallylive on small rodents and birds. Thisis why we see the birds approachdrinking places with such cautionand evident uneasiness. They gener-ally take a good look-about betweenevery beakful of water. Even suchlarge birds as ravens and dovesdrink only after thoroughly lookingabout. Doves face a double peril asthey come in the cool of the morningand again in late evening to drink;for now they meet not only their oc-casional natural enemies, but all toooften unsportsmanlike human hun-ters who take advantage of the birdswhen they gather out of necessity toquench their thirst. / / /


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N T A N A

THE TRAIL BOSS by C. M. RussellL i k e Y o u r W e s t e r n H i s t o r yC r i s p , C o l o r f u l A n d A u t h e n t i c ?Then we think you'll join our remuda of readers inall 50 states and many foreign countries who, fourtimes a year, feast on fully documented, lavishlyillustrated articles covering every phase, facet,mountain, valley and coulee of western history.

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MEXICAN FIELD TRIP (continued from page 15)

THE AUTHOR AND HER HUSBAND IN THE TRAIN ON THE WAY TO CHARCAS

miners to pick the shortest way. Wewalked . . . and we walked . . . andwalked. We climbed stone walls, themen gallantly boosting the ladies upand catching us as we jumped downthe other side. Rest periods were shortbecause the sun was dropping fast.Most of us had no breath to spare forconversation, but one man encourag-ed himself by loudly rehearsing justwhat he would say to whoever wasresponsible for our plight. At lasthis canvas shoe brushed a cholla cac-tus. This gave him a change of topic,though not of temper. We got a littletired of him!We had been walking almost two

hours, and the women were faltering.The men had estimated we had comeabout five miles.Was that smoke or dust rising fromthe barranca ahead? "Keep moving,it's probably just cattle." But itwasn't. Two small cars appeared. TheChief of Police of Charcas had cometo look for us! Somehow we allsqueezed into the two carstools andbags of minerals were tossed inandnobody quibbled about "together-ness." We were just very, very gladto be "picked-up by the police."The buses waited in the plaza atCharcas, surrounded by most of thelocal populace who were doing abrisk business selling mineral speci-

mens, handiwork and novelties tothe visitors, some of whom seem-ed to have patronized the cantinasalso, and were quite noisy. All ourbelongings were still in the buses,though coats had fallen to the floorand been trampled and smaller itemskicked under the seats. At last westarted, with just time to make thesiding before the train was due. Howgood those coaches looked, and howgratefully we settled into our seats!The train was late. "As usual," saidthe knowledgeable ones. My hus-band, fearing I was about to collapsefrom exhaustion, secured a half-literof tequila; someone produced a lime

and salt; and I was initiated into themanner of combining these ingre-dients. Though the taste was horribleand the liquid ate its way throughthe bottom of paper cups, it did re-lax cramped muscles and calmed afluttering pulse.It was after nine o'clock when thetrain finally arrived and we were onour way. Twenty minutes before mid-night it pulled into the station at SanLuis Potosi. Wearily we detrained.We were loaded down with sacks ofrocks, coats, cameras, water-bottles

(long since empty), prospector-ham-mers and other tools. We were tired,hungry, thirsty, dirty, disheveled anddisgruntled.


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Threading our way down thecrowded platform, we were met bya string orchestra, playing enthusias-tically. Hands reached out and liftedthe bags of specimens from ourshoulders and out of our hands. Wecouldn't understand what was hap-pening until we saw the bags tossedinto a pick-up truck guarded by po-lice, and were told, "O.K., O.K." Wewere guided into a group and ser-enaded, then the orchestra leaderurged us to shout "Arribe, Mr. Silva."We complied, waveringly.

A couple of loaded cars and thepick-up truck went by; the orchestra,still playing, marched smartly off (Inever did find out how the bass-fid-dler managed to march and play atthe same time) and without quiteknowing how it happened, we foundourselves stumbling along behind,blistered heels, trembling knees andall, through the dark streets.It seemed like miles, but was prob-ably about 10 blocks, to our destina-tion. We had arrived at a plazaablaze with lights and festooned withpaper streamers. Thousands of well-dressed, laughing, cheering Potosinoscrowded it. We were guided to a re-ceiving line and as we reached it, amilitary band burst into the strainsof "The Stars and Stripes Forever."It was an emotional moment.His Excellency, the Governor,greeted each of us and presented his

beautiful and charming wife. Next,the Mayor and his lovely wife shookour hands. On down the receivingline of officials and their families wewent. Their graciousness almost madeus forget our embarrassment at ourrough attire. At the end of the line ofofficials, the citizens crowded for-ward, shaking our hands, patting ourshoulders, throwing serpentine andconfetti on us. They even rubbedconfetti in our hair. Everywherewere smiles and cries of "Bienvenida!Welcome! Welcome!"What a wonderful, gay, spontan-eous greeting from the thousandswho had waited there for hours tomake "La Fiesta" for us!We were guided through thislaughing cheering throng to longtables, and seated. Young girls in gaycostumes passed around the tables,handing the ladies of our party fra-grant long-stemmed flowers, untilsoon each of us appeared to be carry-ing a bride's arm-bouquet, along withour rock hammers. In front of thetables a temporary stage had beenerected and a master of ceremoniesintroduced Mayor Silva, who spokea few words of welcome. Now, at last,we understood the cheer at the depot.

This was the Mayor's party for us.The master of ceremonies spokeEnglish quite well, and gave a fewwords of explanation as the first ofthe entertainers appeared. This wasa troupe of dancers from the StateTheatre. They specialized in theancient Aztec Ritual Dances, to theauthentic music. Never had we seensuch gorgeous costumes, filling the

stage with swirls of color. Featherheaddresses fully five feet tall, feath-er cloaks, and kilts helped tell thelegends of a vanished culture intheir solemn ballet, "The EagleDance."While we watched the dancers,plates of food appeared before us.Ah, FOOD! Little hot enchiladas,bean-curd, corn chips, sweet tamalesfilled with fruit. Bottles of beercame dripping from the cooling tubsfor the men. The ladies were offereda fruit-drink in odd-shaped potterycups. How good it all tasted!I lost count of the musical groupswho performed for us. Singers, indresses glittering with sequins, madethe crowd laugh and shout, or charm-ed it with sentimental airs. The M. C.was a talented comedian and dancerand kept the program moving at alively pace. There was a breath-tak-ing display of fireworks; then moremusic and dancing.The master of ceremonies beggedour attention for an important an-

Documents

196209 Desert Magazine 1962 September