196512 Desert Magazine 1965 December

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1965 R *

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SONORA HOLIDAYwamawmumammimP E G L E G W R I T E S A G A I NMBHMHHHIMIS ANCIENT AZTLAN HERE?


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fate i 6y "VtaiiDesert Magazine I cc k ShcpHUNTING LOST MINES BY HELICOPTER by ErieStanley Gardner. As fasc inat ing as one of hisPerry Mason mysteries, the author takes youinto Arizona's Superstit ion Mountains lookingFor the Lost Dutchman mine and into the TrigoMountains in search of Nummel's lost bonanza.Hardcover, color photos. $7.50.ZODIAC PARTIES, MENUS AND RECIPES by ChoralPepper. The editor of DESERT Magazine comesout with a dif ferent k ind of cookbook. Accom-panying chapters devoted to characteristics ofpersons born under each of the zodiac signsare unusual menu and recipe suggestions withexcit ing party ideas. Hardcover, $4.95.ROCK PAINTINGS OF THE CHUMASH by Camp-bell Grant. The only def in i t ive work relat ive tondian pictographs in the Santa Barbara region.Beautifully i l lustrated in color and interesting,informat ive tex t . 163 pages, hardcover. $10.PIMAS, DEAD PADRES AND GOLD by Paul V.Lease. The author provides fodder to the ideathat the Black Robes hid amazing amounts oftreasure in Pimer ia, which is now Ar izona.Paperback. $3.GHOST TOWN TREASURES by Lambert Florin.Fifth in a series of ghost town books by thebest ghost town writer and photographer ofthem all. Large format. $12.95.HOSTEEN CROTCHETTY by Jimmy Swinnerton.A 2000-year-old Indian legend depic ted forchildren by one of the West's outstanding art-ists. Large format, lots of color . $7.50.WARRIORS OF THE COLORADO By Jack Forbes.Covers all Indian tr ibes of the Colorado Riverand is especially recommended to readers pur-suing the early history of Southern Californiaand Arizona. I l lustrated with historic photos.$ 5 . 9 5 .THE OLD ONES By Robert Silverberg. Goodbook to introduce the Anasaz iancestors to thePueblo Indiansto readers newly interested inc l i f f dwel l ings and ruins of Arizona and Utah.Recommened for young adults (14 or over) asw e l l . $ 4 . 9 5 .THE LAME CAPTAIN By Sardis W. Templeton.A book eager ly awaited by Pegleg "af ic io-nados " who seek documented information re-gard ing his l i fe and trails across the desert.Hardcover, 239 pages. $7.50.GOLD! By Gina Allen. How gold since cavemen(days has incited murder and war, inspired poetsand ar t isans and borne the commerce of thewor ld is to ld in such an exc it ing fashion that itreads like fiction. Recommended for everyone.$5 .95 .ON DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, foun-de r and publisher of Desert Magazine for 23years. One of the f irst good writers to revealhe beauty of the mysterious desert areas. Hen-derson's experiences, combined with his com-ments on the desert of yesterday and today ,makes this a MUST for those who real ly wantto understand the desert. 375 pages, i l lustrated.Hard cover . $5.00.JEEP TRAILS TO COLORADO GHOST TOWNS byRobert L. Brown. An i l lus trated, detai led, infor -mal history of l i fe in the mining camps deep inIhe almost inaccessible mountain fastness of theColorado Rockies. Fifty-eight towns are includedas examples of the vigorous struggle for exist-ence in the mining camps of the West. 239pages, i l lus trated, end sheet map. Hard cover.$ 5 . 5 0 .

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Include 25c for postage andhandling.California Residents add 4% sales tax.

STANDING UP COUNTRY by C. Gregory Cramp-ton. Best book ever written about Utah-Arizonacanyon country Superb color. $15.WILD BUNCH AT ROBBER'S ROOST by PearlBaker. Famous hideout country in southeasternUtah described by author who l ived there andwas steeped from childhood in f i rs thand know-ledge of Butch Cassidy and other renegadeact iv i t ies . $7.50.GEMS, MINERALS, CRYSTALS AND ORES byRichard Pearl. This collector's encyclopedia isthe best of its kind. Br i l l iant ly i l lus trated withfull-color photos. Arranged in alphabet ical orderf rom Agagte to Zircon, it tells where to f indt hem, how to identify, collect, cut and display .Hardcover, 320 pages, $6.95.GHOST TOWNS AND MINING CAMPS OF CALI-FORNIA by Remi Nadeau. Theonly good, hard-cover book on the California ghost towns. Werecommend it h igh ly . $5 .95 .REMNANTS OF THE OLD WEST by HarriettFarnsworth. The old West's last living characterswere interv iewed by this author and the bookis f i l led with never-before published tidbits thatdeserve recording. An attractive book that makesa surprisingly inexpensive and wor thwh i le g i f t .Hardcover . $2.95.DESERT ANIMALS IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONALMONUMENT by Miller and Stebbins. Excellentbook and first of its k ind with thorough tex tand good il lustrations. Color plates. $10.THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS, Othneil C. Marshand Edward D. Cope, by Robert Plate. A dua lbiography of the f irst dinosaur hunters whosebitter r ivalry split the scientif ic world for about25 years but whose exploits of the 1870s and1880s excited the publ ic imaginat ion and madedinosaurs a household world. Easy reading, thebook is packed with action result ing from theintense fued between Marsh and Cope, bothwea l thy men who exhausted their fortunes inth arduous hunt for the creatures of the past.281 pages. Hard cover. $4.95.THE VAQUERO by A. R. Rojas. Only authenticrecord of the t rue vaquero. Wel l- i l lus trated andenter tain ing, espec ial ly for horse lovers. $3.95.TREASURE HILL by W. Turrentine Jackson. Excit-ing saga of the boom and doom of easternNevada's r ich silver era in 1868. One of thebest portraits of a typical mining camp everwritten. Hardcover, $5.

MINES OF THE HIGH DESERT by Donald DeanMiller. Good account of the high desert's his-tory and lore. Paperback, 63 pages, photos,$1 .95 .WILLIE BOY, A Desert Manhunt by Harry Law-ton. Exciting, true, adventure that took place inthe Southern California desert. $5.95.LOST DESERT BONANZAS by Eugene Conrotto.Brief resumes of lost mine artic les printed inback issues of DESERT Magazine, by a formereditor. Hardcover, 278 pages. $6.75.ERNIE PYLE'S SOUTHWEST. A collection ofErnie's timeless word pictures describing hiswanders through the Southwest. Hardcover.$5 .00 .THE TRAILS OF PETE KITCHEN by Gil Proctor.The adventures of Arizona's most famous pio-neer, Pete Kitchen, make for exc it ing reading.Treasure seekers will f ind meat in his accountof the Treasure of Tumacacori and history buffswill relish this unusual book. Hardcover. $4.95.WESTERN GHOST TOWNS by Lamber Florin.First in his series of excellent ghost townbooks. More than 200 superb photos of boomcamps and gold towns as they appear today.Large format, hardcover. $12.50.GHOST TOWN ALBUM by Lamber Florin. Av iv id , lusty writer gives a good account of theOld West's boom camps with excellent photsof the way they look today. $12.50.FIELD NOTES OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM CLARK.Rough notes by Clark recently discovered ina St. Paul att ic reveal new highl ights abouthis explora tion w ith Lewis. Field notes are re-produced along with maps. Large book. Collec-tor 's i tem. $20.00.SHADY LADIES OF THE WEST by Ronald DeanMiller is a l ively account about lively women.Hardcover, 224 pages. $6.95.PLANTS IN HIS PACK by Janice Beaty. The ad-ventures of Edward Palmer, f irst botanist to ex-plore remote Guadalupe Island of Baja and todig into ancient ruins of Utah and Arizona. Longforgot ten, a quirk of fate f inal ly brought hisremarkable career to l ight. Recommended foryoung readers as wel l as adults. Hardcover,i l lus trated. $3.75.SILVER THEATER by Margaret Watson. Terrificbook for history buffs who appreciate the lustytheatr ical events that shook the early West.$9 .50 .PAINTERS OF THE DESERT by Ed Ainsworth. Abeaut i fu l ly i l lus trated and well-wr i t ten roundupof 13 of the deser t 's outs tanding ar t is tsDixon,Forsythe, Swinnerton, Fechin, Eytel, Lauritz, Buff,Klinker, Perceval, Hilton, Proctor McGrew, andBender. Folio size, gold-stamped hard cover.Full color reproductions. 125 pages. $11.00.PHOTO ALBUM OF YESTERDAY'S SOUTHWESTcompiled by Charles Shelton. Early days photocollection dating from the 1860s to 1910 showsprospectors, miners, cowboys, desperados andordinary people. High qual i ty of pr int ing, handset type, 195 photos. Embossed black and goldhard cover. Fine gift item. $15.00.HILTON PAINTS THE DESERT by John Hilton.Collection of 12, 16x19 inch Hilton prints ade-quate for f r aming , or bound in plastic covertied with leather thongs for viewing. Interestingtext explains Hilton's painting technique. Statewheether bound or unbound. $65.

2 / Desert Magazine / December, 1965


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WESTERN CHRISTMAS CARDS4 INBEAUTIFUL FULL COLOR16YEARSBYMAIL USE THIS HANDY ORDER FORM

iThinkin' olyouWith friendly Greetings(of the Season and Happiness throughoutJthe New Yearby Arthur FitzSimmonsSilent Night on hePrair ie-May theI Peace and Happiness ofChristmas beI with you through all the yearEcho Hawk

A Cowboy's Christmas Eve MaythePeace and Joy of Christmas be with youthrough all the Year -by Joe Stanley" . . into a desert place .. "May the Spiritof Christmas abide with you throughoutI the Coming Year- by Wayne Lowdermilk

emory ofChristmas6 line verselend ing. . .Have a Merry Christmas nJthe good old-fashioned wayby Stahley

Fresh Trees and Full SteamWith BestWishes atChristmas and through all theNew Yearby Howard Fogg

" . . fair and open face ofheave n.." Maythe Peace and Good Will ofChristmas al-ways be with yo u-b y Wayne Lowdermilk

One Christmas Eve out We st-insid e is a16 line warm , des criptive verse by S.OmarBarker plus greetinghy Joe Stahley

Happy Holidays-With Best Wishes orChristmas and allthe NewYear-byI Melvin C. WarrenGod's Candlesticks-May the Peace andGood Will ofChristmas always bewithI youby Thomas L.Lewis

Roadrunner Santa R.F.D.- Merry Christ-mas and Happy New Yearby WilliamTilton(" An d there were shepherds. ."May thejSpir it of Christmas be with you hroughoutJthe Coming Yearby Gerard C Delano

is Calm, All sBright"May theice and Joy of Christmas be with you| through all he Year-by John W. Hilton"Howdy, Neighbor"Christmas Greet-ings from our outfit to yours with all goodwishes for theNew Year-by Hampton

An Open Inv itatio n-W ith Best Wishesfor a Merry Christmas to Your Outfit fromOurs-by Charles ParisA Good Day forVisiting-May the Spiritof Christmas abide with you throughoutthe Coming Ye ar-b y Bernard P. Thomas

W WJHeadin' Home for Christmas BestI Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a HappyjNew Yearby Melvin C. Warren

stmas D awn -To wish you a BlessedI Christmas and aNew Year ofHappinessI -b yJohn W. Hilton" . . . the day the Lord hath made .. . " -May the S pirit of Christmas be with you| all the Coming Year -by Russell Moreton

I "Every good gif t.. . is from above . . . " -I May the Peace and Joy of Christmas beJwith you all the Yearby Joe StahleyYes, these are the western Christmas cards you've been looking for! Best quality art insuperbcolor for 1965. Bright, authentic scenes, by mail only. Heavy, white paper folds to arich4% x6 % card. Deluxe envelopesextras included . We can print your name in red tomatchgreetings. Cards sent safely in ourexclusive "Strong Box" carton. Our time-tested ways andexperienced staff offer 24 hr.shipping 'til Christmas. It's funtobuy rom the Leanin' Tree!H O W T OO R D E R : Write quantity ofeach card you want in box below illus-tration. Cards may beassorted at no extra cost. Order all of one kind or asmany ofeach asdesired. Circle total quantity and cost onprice list. Canada residents please remit in U.S.dollar value. Colorado residents add 1% sales tax. You may order by etter orfill out couponand mail this entire page with cash,check ormoney order toThe Leanin'Tree.Thank you kindly.

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During the annual Mid-Winter season, visitors entering SanDiego County from the north along U.S. Highway 101 view miles ofroll ing hil ls stretched out at roadside in a bri l l iant carpet of bloomingpoinsettias.Other events this month are: Barbershop Singers' Show, Yuma,Arizona, Dec. 4; Jaycee's Rodeo at Mesa, Arizona, Dec. 4-5; PhoenixDons Club Travelcade to Jerome, Prescott and Montezuma Castle Nat-

ional Monument, Dec. 5; Miracle of Roses Parade, Scottsdale, Ariz.,Dec. 12; Las Posadas, Mission San Luis Rey, San Diego (public invited),Dec. 19; Gymkhana at Monte Vista Ranch, Wickenburg, Ariz. Dec. 29.Most all communities have Christmas events, but they are toonumerous to list. Write to local Chambers of Commerce for dates andplaces.EVENTS DEADLINE. Information relative to forthcomingevents in the West must be received TWO MONTHSprior to the event. Address envelopes to Events Editor,Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, California 92260.

JACK PEPPER, Publisher CHORAL PEPPER, EditorElta Shively Al Merrym an Rose Holly Marvel Barrett Lois Dou ganExecutive Secretary Staff Artist Circulation Business SubscriptionsBruce KerrAdvertising Director

Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260 Telephone 346-8144DESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. Second Class Postage paid atPalm Deser t , Cal i f . , and at addit ional mai l ing of f ices under Act of March 3, 1879. T i t le regis teredNo. 35 88 65 in U. S. Patent Off ice, and contents copyr ighte d 1965 by Desert Maga z ine. Unsol ic i tedmanuscr ip ts and photog raphs cannot be returned or ackno wledg ed unless fu l l return postage isenc losed. Permission to rep roduce contents must be secured from the editor in w rit in g. SUBSCRIPTIONPRICE: $5 .00 per year in U.S., Canada and Mex ico. $5.7 5 elsew here. A l l ow f ive weeks for changeof address. Be sure to send both old and new address.

CONTENTSVolume 28 Number 12

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DECEMBER, 1965This Month's Photo

Christmas on the DesertBy CHUCK ABBOTT

6 New Books for Desert Readers8 New Lake Mead RoadBy JACK PEPPER

12 Two Missions Time ForgotBy ROBERT BENNETT

14 Decorating for ChristmasBy LOUISE PRICE BELL

16 For Weekend ProspectorsBy GEORGE THOMPSO N

18 Is This Aztlan?By RALPH CAINE

21 Letter from the Man Who FoundPegleg's Black Gold22 Desert Holly

By BETTY MAC KINTO SH24 The Cibola Ghost

By KENNETH MARQ UISS26 Sonora Holiday

By CHORAL PEPPER31 Life Was Gay at Monte Cristo

By JACK SOWELL34 Mokelumne, California

By LAMBERT FLORIN36 Desert Dispensary

By SAM HICKS38 DESERT Cookery

By LUCILLE CARLESON

42 Letters From Our Readers

4 / Deser t Ma gaz in e / December , 1965


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O ur 21stAnnual Round-up!WESTERN CHRISTMASby famous Western Artists...in full Color

Down from theH i l l s - B es t W i s hesfo r aMerry Chr is tmas and aHappyNew YearA Tree for theRanch M ay theWonder f u l S p i r i t of Chr is tmas bew i t h you allt h r ough the Year

Greetings...from our Outf i t toYours- W i t h B es t W i shes for heSeasonan d aProsperous NewYearT h i nk i n ' of Y o u - W i t h Bes t Wishesfo r aHappy Hol iday Season

S P E C I A L D E L I V E R YSpecial Delivery-Appropriateow Country Christmas - Western

verse by S.Omar BarkerSilent Night - May theS p i r i t ofChr is tmas abide w i th yout h r ough -ou t thecoming Year 23rd Psalm and g r ee t i ng

Lo st . . . and Found forC hr i s t m asMerry Chr is tmas , Happy New Yeartoo!Feeding Off the R i dges - B es t W i s hesfo r theSeason and orEvery Dayof the Coming Year

Mail Quarte t -Merry Chr is tmas andHappy NewYear inmus ic form Christmas Eve C a l l e r s - A p p r o p r i a t everse bya r t i s t

Holiday S t age - B es t W i s hes for aReal OldFashioned Chr is tmas anda NewYear f i l led w i th CheerPeace On E a r t h - M a y the Peace andJoy ofC hr i s t m as bew i t h you todayan d all t h r ough theYear

The Lord's C and l es - Wes t e r n v e r s eby S.Omar BarkerChristmas Handouts G r ee t i ngwarm and r iendly s ix - l ine desc r ipt ive wes tern verse

Appropr ia te verse -Merry C hr i s t m asand Bes t Wishes for a Happy NewYearWood for theChristmas F i r es - V e r s eac c om pan i ed by g r e e t i n g - M a y thePeace and Joy ofChr is tmas bew i t hyou through all the Year

Christmas Evein a Line CampMerry Chr is tmas Christmas Eve attheChurch Wi thBes t Wishes for a Happy Hol idaySeasonA r t i s t BobLorenz celebrates his 21styear in thCh W i O 1965 l t i f t f i e l d ofw es t e r n art n anew l o c a t i o n -r t i s t BobLorenz celebrates his 21styear inthe f i e l d ofw es t e r n arC hey enne , Wy om i ng . Our1965 selec t ion features Lorenz andothePhippen Lougheed Wieghors t K le iber etcF i nes t qua l i t y hea v y g r ade

HOW TO ORDER: Wr i t e quan t i t y ofeach card you w an t inthebox be l ow i l l u s t r a t i on . C a r dsma y beas s o r t ed atnoex t ra cos t . Order allofone k i nd , orasmany of each asdes i r edC i r c l e t o t a l quan t i t y and cos t onpr ice l is t . You may order bypersonal le t ter or f i l l outc oupon and mai l th is en t i re page w i th cash, check ormoney order to:Box 3232Cheyenne, Wyo.8 2 0 0 1e lazy 81 Ranch

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C A X T O NA V E R Y A M A T E U R G U I D ET O A N T I Q U EB O T T L E C O L L E C T I N GBea BoyntonA SMALL STORY O N A LARGE SUBJECTWAGON TRAIN BOTTLES A N D BOTTLESBROUGHT ROUND THE HORN BY SHIPS A N DSETTLERS IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE WEST.THE AUTHOR OFFERS SUGGESTIONS FORTHOSE W H O , JUST NOW, ARE BEGINNINGTO DIG. Paperbound $1.00F I V E S T R A I G H T E R R O R SO N L A D I E S D A Y

Walter H. Nagle as told toBryson Reinhardt

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ANCIENT PERSIAN ARROWHEADSThese a n ci en t P e r s i a narrowheads date f rom ap-proximately 1000 B.C..Used by nomadic warriorsin combat and for the hunt-ing of wild an imals. Thesearrows were buried withhis other prized possessions.Recently excavated, thesearrows exhibit a rich greensurface color thatonly centuries of en-tombment could create.They stand approximate-ly 3 high, and aremounted on lucite bases. A parchment cert i-ficate of authenticity accompanies eacharrow $6.50 ppd.Money-Back GuaranteeFREE Gift Catalog!Superb display pieces, 200 to 'A billionyears old, from $ 1 . O i l , lamps, Buddhas,coins, glass. Weapons, Masks and More!Write for FREE catalog today.A L A D D I N H O U S E , L T D .Dept. D-12C, 520 Fifth Ave., N.Y..N.Y. 10036

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J. ROSS BROWNE: Confidential Agentin Old California.By Richard H. Dillon.The author has done a superb job ofassembling fast-moving passages fromletters and reports of J. Ross Browne. Thebook sweeps along with strong continuityand the humorous, sometimes satirical,observations and rare adventures of this19th century travel-writer, essayist andgovernment servant will hold your inter-est to the end. Browne's scathing apprai-sals of our often eulogized pioneer for-bears will come as a shock to manyreaders. As author Dillon observed, theyare not likely to win friends for Browneamong native-son societies whose defen-sive jokes about skeletal horse thieves inthe closet may now be proven true!Browne arrived in California aboutthe time of the gold rush and was one ofthe few public-minded citizens of thattime who was more interested in reformand honest government than in gold dust.Piracy in the Customs House, graft in thecollection revenue and dishonest disburse-ment of public moneys were grist for hismilland this mill was loaded with grist.Browne's travels on his assignments as

a special agent covered most of the West,from Texas to Oregon . However, hispainful honesty became too much for apublic servant to flaunt and periodicallyhe lost favor with those in power. Du ringsuch times he traveled in Europe andwrote of his adventures or, on one occa-sion, visited Nevada to look for silver.His writings about Washoe are among thebest on the Silver State.A number of reprints of J. RossBrowne's adventures have been publishedduring recent years, but this is the first to

cover a relatively unkown facet of hislifethat of confidential agent. Hard-cover, 218 pages, $5.95.

FIESTA TIME in Latin AmericaBy Jean MilneTravelers have mixed emotions aboutLatin Am erica fiestas. W hile they inter-fere with shopping and certain other acti-vities, they also present tourists with op-portunitites to participate with natives incountries where normal life goes on be-hind hig h walls. In this book, the authorgives a month by month calendar of reli-gious, civic and tribal fiestas that takeplace from the Mexican border to Tierra

del Fuego, and she misses none of theflavor in describing them.As old traditions are lost, they are re-placed by new ones. Th e author describesone amusing incident which occured afew years ago when some boys in Guate-mala accidentally broke off a largebranch of a mango tree. Revealed in thecut was a natural formation resembling aVirgin. Th e tree became a shrine andthe anniversary of this discovery is nowcelebrated every year.Fiesta Time is full of interesting stories

like the above. Hard back, 236 pages.$4.95.NATIONAL PARKS OF THE WESTBy the Editors of Sunset

A pictorial record of the national parksof the: West, this book encompasses ma-terial familiar to most Western families.Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon,Zion, and all parks west of the Rockies,including Alaska and Hawaii, are present-ted in photos of glowing color and withlots of information about the political andgovernmental complications in gettingbills passed to designate areas as nationalparks, etc. The most interesting informa-tion is contained in photo captions. Thebook doesn't offer much verve or vitalityin presentation, but it suggests basic toolsfor mountaineering, has a chart to desig-nate park life zones and other charts list-ing historical chronology, accommoda-tions, and so forth. Hardcover, 320 pagesit sells for $11.75. You will find this auseful and beautiful book if your traveladventures are directed toward nationalparks.

6 / Desert Mag azine / December, 1965


7/44

FORTS OF THE FAR WEST

Third in aseries about historical West-oneconcentrates

theSouthwest. Written with agustothesubject, Marine Major Hart

toCivil War times whenasset-

andarmies moved West and In-moved in. His research istruly re-

He has covered forts at littleatFort Piute inCalifornia, aboutis published.

anddirections about "how to getre" are included. Readers ofthis book

HowofLas Vegas, Nevada,for

onthe maps of bothandFederal armies a Fort

LasVegasIt was founded in1855by

a fort toprotect immigrants andU. S. mails from Indians and to

the Indians how to raise corn,

theof the Elks Lodge.

This is aworthwhile book forhistorywhether you areinterested in old

per se ornot. Treasure hunters willa lot of ammunition here, butlet's

to re-

thebook sells for

With theadvent of supermarketsanda Hawaiian luau

ace on the desertand is. Thisofentertaining ispopu-for beach sand just as

or foil replace ti leaves andoftaro. This cook-

forfoods distinctive toPolynesiansoyou canhave a luau inyourback yard. Beautifully illustrated

96pages, it's a paperbackfor$2.00.

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December, 1965 / Desert Magazine / 7


8/44

L a k eM e a d ' s

N e wS c e n i c

R o u t eBy Jack Pepper

HERE'S A NEW highway motoriststraveling between Salt Lake Cityand Las Vegas, Nevada, have been wait-ing for. It won 't save you any time, butit opens up some of the most spectacularcountry in Nevada.Instead of the dreary scenes along thispart of old Highway 91, you may nowswing through Overton and down toLas Vegas along a 46-mile route thatpasses through the Lake Mead NationalRecreation area. Th e country is wild andcolorfulsort of a prelude to the Valleyof Fire, which frames it on the west. Onits east side, you get occasional glimpsesof blue, blue Lake Mead.

The new road leaves Freeway U. S.15 at Glendale and winds through theMoapa Valley where Mormons havespent a great many years converting thebarren desert into productive farms. TheLatter Day Saints first settled here in1881 to grow cotton along the VirginRiver. They still farm, but Overton to-day is chiefly a supply center for fisher-men and boaters on the Overton Armof Lake Mead. The re are good motelsand one particularly good restaurant.Overton provides an ideal stopping placefor motorists not wishing to buck therazzle-dazzle of Las Vegas.Although the Mormons came to Over-ton in 1881, they were not the first homosapiens to live here. Pre-historic people

roamed the area 3,000 years ago, succeed-ed by the Basketmaker and Pueblo Indiancultures. Archeological artifacts and dis-plays of these ancient cultures are dis-played at the small, but interesting, LostCity Museum just south of Overton.Undoubtedly the place of worship forthe pre-historic peoples was the nearbyValley of Fire, which may be reached bya side road off the highway a few milessouth of Overton. Covering 30,000acres, these brilliant sandstone formationsrise from the valley floor like prehistoricmonsters. The area is best photographedin the early morning or just before sunset.Now a Nevada State Park, there are pic-nic facilities and trails leading up tointeresting formations, including somefine petroglyphs. (See DESERT, Feb.1965.)

Opposite the entrance to the Valley ofFire is the road to Overton Landingwhere boat launching facilities and fish-ing supplies are available, although pre-sently the water line is considerably lowerthan the facilities.The next point of interest along thenew North Shore Road, as you continuesouth, is Roger Spring, a small body ofwater where there are limited campingfacilities. The water is warm and wewere told the spring was once owned by aman named Rogers who raised tropical

fish in the pool, until it was taken by theLake Mead National Recreation Area. Avariety of small fish still dart throughthe clear water. Several families werecamped when we stopped, and both chil-dren and adults were swimming in thenaturally heated pool.

North of here is a stand of palm treeswhich would also make a nice campsite,except for the trash dumped by peoplewho do not appreciate the outdoors andcare less for their fellow man. W e clean-ed up the area as best we could, but itwould have taken a ton truck to carryaway the garbage.Just north of this area a road leads tothe shores of Lake Mead and Stewart

Point. Approxim ately 50 small vacationhomes are located here, with fine viewsof the lake. At one time it was possibleto lease this land from the Federal gov-ernment, but the land is no longer avail-able.Ten miles south of the Stewart Pointturn off is the road to Echo Bay. Antici-pating increased traffic due to the newroad, a luxurious concession is in the pro-cess of developing campgrounds, mobilehome and trailer facilities and an en-larged boat launching area. Fishing sup-plies, boat gasoline and rental boats areavailable. A really sensational hotel isunder construction, but the opening date



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10/44

Lake Mead's new North Shore Road winds through colorful and'iveird geological for-mations (top photo). Swimm ers relax in the warm w ater at Rogers Spring (center).Echo Bay's boating and camp ing facilities have been enlarged and imp roved (bottom).

is not yet announced. The re is also aranger station located there.Although some children were swim-ming on a small beach near the boat dock,we were told swimming is not legallyallowed. This unfortunate restrictionis true in practically all of the public faci-lities surrounding this giant lake, withthe exception of the largest concession atBoulder Beach. Accessible swimmingareas are either too rocky, too marshy ortoo busy with boat traffic to be comfort-able. As one disgruntled family inform-ed us, "For a man who cannot affordwater transportation, Lake Mead is strictlyfor the birds and boats!" In the registra-tion book at Echo Bay a tourist hadregistered and then, evidently, lookedover the facilities and left, but not beforescratching over his name and addingunder comments "No Swimming Al-lowed!"From the turnoff at Echo Bay, the new

connecting link of the North Shore Roadwinds through country tinted every shadeof red imaginable. Once Indian countryand later explored by prospectors andadventurers, mountains and washes alongthis stretch are no doubt rich with In-dian artifacts, lost bonanzas, or whoknows what? A number of old mineworkings are evident.The road winds between the edges ofthe boundary of the Lake Mead Na-tional Recreational area and the MuddyMountains on the right and the Black

Mountains on the left. Although it leavesthe Lake Mead shoreline it goes throughthe "Bowl of Fire" and fascinating geo-logical formations. Lake Mead is visiblefrom several points.Callville Bay, now only accessible byboat, will be the site of another concessionscheduled to be completed sometime in1967. Callville in the early days was animportant port where boats coming upthe Colorado River with passengers andfreight for Salt Lake City discharged theircargo. A side road from the new high-way now leads to the area, but ends ona hill overlooking Callville Wash.At the end of the North Shore Roadmotorists can either turn left and go intoLas Vegas, or continue on to Hendersonor Boulder City, thus eliminating the LasVegas traffic. Or, you can once again joinU. S. Highway 15 to Los Angeles by tak-ing a short paved road between U. S.Highway 95 and 466 to Arizona.Regardless of whether you're goingnorth or south, the new North Shore

Road of the Lake Mead National Recrea-tian Area will be something to remember.Once you've passed that way, you willwant to return. 10 / Desert Ma gazin e / December, 1965


11/44

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T w o M i s s i o n s T i m e F o r g o t b y R o b e r t B e n n e t tF AMED THE world over are the 19ancient Franciscan missions whichline California's Mission Trail from SanDiego to the Bay of San Francisco. Butrare is the historian who even recallstwo little "pueblo missions" on the Cali-fornia bank of the Colorado River whichfor eight months, in 1780-81, sought tobring peace and Christianity to the Yumatribe of what is now California's ImperialValley and the delta of the River Color-a d o . Only attentive historians have evenheard of the Mission Purissima Concep-cion de Maria Santissima or of '-he Mis-sion San Pedro y San Pablo del Bicuner.

Today, amid a well-kept garden on thecrest of a knoll overlooking U.S. High-way 80, there stands a modern Spanish-type church and monument to a martyr.This land was once Fort Yuma, Califor-nia, facing out across the river to the cityof Yuma, Arizona, on land which is nowa Yum a Indian school. Th e site of thismemorial marks both the first and thelast of the Spanish "mission towns" inCalifornia. It was then known as theMission Concepcion Purissima, but of

the old mission itself, there is no trace.Nor is there trace, or even a marker, ofits sister mission, San Pedro y San Pablo.It, too, was located on the Californiabank of the Colorado, some three leagues(about eight miles) downstream fromConcepcion Purissima. Treasure huntershave never been successful in turning upevidence of it, although they search eventoday.

Though it was more than two centurieslater before these two lost missions ofthe Colorado were definitely established,the trend of events leading to their foun-ding started when the Spanish leader,Melchior Diaz, journeyed in 1541 northfrom the Gulf of California and battledboth the Yuma Indians and the horrors ofthe desert to reach what is now ImperialValley. He defeated the Indians, but fourdays of the "trembling desert sands likehot ashes" sent his party fleeing. He was,so far as is known, the first white manto set foot upon the Colorado desert andthe first to face the savage tribes in-habiting the lands along the river whichcut through it and gave it its name.

Fr. Serra's mission establishments werealready well in progress along the AltaCalifornia coast when, in 1771, Fr. Fran-cisco Garces came from San Xavier delB a c , near Tucson, crossed the Colorado,presumably near the Yuma ford, andbecame the first missionary to reach thedesert. No record exists of what arecalled "his confused wanderings in thewilds" at that time.

Fr. Garces returned to the desert, how-ever, in 1774, as a member of an expe-dition led by Captain Juan Bautista deAnza and guided by a Christian Indian,Sebastian, who had found his way fromFr. Serra's San Gabriel mission across theSan Gorgonio Pass, down through thedesert to the Yuma ford and then up tothe Tucson area. De A nza's goal was toexplore a land route to link with theCalifornia missions.

On reaching the Colorado, De Anzamade friends with a great Yuma Indianchief, Palma. Fr. Garces convertedPalma. The De Anza expedition, afterfirst becoming lost on the desert for sixdays, returned to the ford and was guid-ed by Palma's men from water hole towater hole until it reached the San Gor-gonia Pass. De Anza went on to Mon-terey, but Fr. Garces returned to theford.

A second similar, but much larger,expedition made the same trip under DeAnza's leadership in 1775, and for thenext five years the route was well estab-lished. Du ring these years, however,there had been developing friction be-tween Fr. Junipero Serra, "presidente"of the Franciscan missions in California,and the Spanish governing authorities.At issue was the relative command author-ity of the missionaries and the military.On the one side were Fr. Serra and hissubordinates and cohorts of the religiousestablishment. On the other were Com-mandante General Teodoro de Croix andthe governor of the Californias, Felipede Neve.

Monum ent of Father Garces shows oldYiima military garrison in the back-ground. The compound serves today asheadquarters for the Y uma (Quechan)Indians.

12 / Desert Ma gazin e / December, 1965


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Remains of one of these forgotten missions is often sought bytreasure hunters, but todate remains unfound. ARIZONA

In 1777, byorder of King CarlosIII,De Croix instructed DeNeva todraft anew set of rules for California govern-ment. This he did,without consultingthe missionaries and set up ascheme forfuture mission conduct utterly at vari-ance with Fr. Serra's Franciscan planwhich had,until then, worked sowell.Fr. Serra protested vigorously, but vainly.During this same period, Fr. Garceshad repeatedly urged the establishmentof missions along the Colorado. Hisrecommendations and thejournal of hisexplorations, together with a plea fromChief Palma for missionaries, finallyreached theSpanish king. DeCroix wasdirected to comply with the request,which wasalso supported by DeAnza,although DeAnza warned that such mis-sions would have to be supported bytroops because of hostile Indians in thearea.

De Croix dallied for as long aspos-sible and then sent about establishing theMissions in accordance with the newscheme inwhich the friars would have novoice of authority. Instead of two mis-sions, protected by sizable garrisons ofsoldiers, such as hadworked sowell onthe coast, De Croix decided to set uptwo mission towns, or pueblos.

The fathers of theCollege of SantaCruz atQueretaro were directed toestab-lish themissions and the soldiers andcolonists were ordered toproceed to theColorado. There were 20 colonists, 12laborers, 21 soldiers, allwith their wivesand children, and four missionaries inthe expedition. Despite hismisgivings,Fr. Garces wasamong them.At thesame time, DeCroix orderedCapt. DonFernando Rivera to organizeanother expedition of colonists and sol-diers to proceed overland to theSantaBarbara area, there toestablish two mis-sions solong sought by Fr.Serra. Thesemissions, too, were to be set upalong thelines of the De Neve and Colorado Riverconcept, rather than as recommended bythe missionaries.In thefall of 1780 theColorado Rivercolonists reached themission sites.Thesettlers took possession of thefields inthe fertile lowlands without regard to

Indian rights. Themissionaries had nopossibility of protecting those rights, norhad they gifts of food or clothing to

bestow. Converts were few, and thosedifficult to keep since they were notcompelled toobey.By June, 1781, when provisionsbrought by the colonists from Sonorawere exhausted, a party set out on thetrail to SanGabriel and returned withfresh supplies. Late that same mo nth,Rivera arrived with 40 colonists andfamilies and armed escorts bound forSanta Barbara. He , likewise, had a largenumber of cattle and horses. Riverasent back thegreater part of hisSonoraescort and dispatched the main body witha nine-man escort on to San Gabrielunder theleadership of Ensign Alferez

Cayetano Limon. He himself then re-crossed theColorado with 11 or 12menand almost all of the livestock. He plan-ned to restore his horses andcattle tobetter physical condition before con-tinuing the trip across thedesert. Hemade camp opposite Mission PurissimaConcepcion.The sight of their grains andgrassesbeing further devoured, provided thelast straw for theYuma tribes. OnJuly

1 8 , 1871, both missions and theRiveraencampment were setupon by infuriatedsavages. Some prisoners were taken, butmost were massacred. One lone colonistfled southward with the news to DeCroix atArizpe.

De Croix promptly ordered Lt. Col.Pedro Fages and DonPedro Fueros tolead a punitive force, which was to res-cue anycaptives, and to capture thoseresponsible for themassacres. Fagesdidfree thecaptives and didfind thebodiesof the four missionaries, including Fr.Garces, but despite several engagementswith the Indians did not find theirleaders. The missionaries were takenback to Sonora for burial. Theotherbodies, including that of Capt. Rivera,were buried where they were found.Several other punitive expeditionswere led to thescene, butthey failed tocapture thewarring chiefs.When first word of the massacres hadreached DeNeve he promptly delayedthe foundation of anyfurther missions,fearing attack by the hostile Indians.Troops andcolonists destined for Santa

Barbara and the missions there wereheld atSan Gabriel and ordered toremainContinued on page 33

D E S E R T L A K E S A L O N G T H E C O L O R A D OCatch trout and bass the same day in the samelake? Yes nLake Mohave, Arizona! Wherechill water enters from thedeep water behindHoover Dam, the trou t are big and hungry. Down-stream the bass are biting year 'round! There'sno end tothe relaxation and excitement you canf i n d in thelakes along theColorado andArizona's 2,000 miles of lake andriver shore-line. AtGlen Canyon isAmerica's newest wateradventure land, Lake Powell; below Yuma, deepsea fishing inthe Gulf. Explore the won derful, un-spoiled adventureland of the desert lakes alongthe Colorado n

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14 / Desert Magazine / December, 1965 .


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filff^ a d e se r t h o lid ayv nrr. / Deserf Magazine / December, 1965


17/44

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18/44

IS THIS AZTLAN?

IN THE YEAR one, according to thegreat stone calendar of Mexico, thehighly civilized Aztecs (Crane People)of that country began the wanderingsfrom a valley of tremendous caves andextensive marshland far to the northof their present habitat. This place,called Aztlan, has been searched forfor centuries, but its exact whereaboutsstill remains a mystery.

The fabled Vale of Aztlan (place ofreeds and herons), from whence theAztecs came, is described in an ancientcodex as a valley surrounded bymountains in which a large lake andmuch swampy land existed. There,"their people first lived on a lake islandwhere they found a tremendous cave."A drawing of the place is still preservedin an early pre-Columbian manuscript,the Codex Boturini. The picture showsa lake, with an island near its westernshore, on which a boatman is crossingthe waters ro the southwest. One of theinset sketches depicts an inverted bowl-like formation that was their cave home;another shows eight tribes starting offon their early migrations. Ideograms,drawn somewhat like our modern car-toons, explains the scene while the cal-endar symbol for the Aztec year oneappears in the center of two glyphs.

According to different authorities, thisfirst year begins in 648, 1064, or 1168A.D., all dates differing by the mul-tiple Aztec cycle of 52 years.The Aztec Indians belong to the larg-

est and most important family of Indianson the North American continent, theNahuatl peoples. This linguistic groupextends from British Columbia, in Can-ada, to as far south as Panama. It in-cludes the Shoshone Indians of the GreatNorthwest, the Paiute, Mono, Panamint,Serrano, Gabrieleno, Luiseno, Capenoesand Cahuilla tribes of California and theHopi and Comanche Indians to the east.In pre-Columbian days successive wavesof these Nahua speaking peoples driftedsouth from Aztlan and on into Mexico,beginning with the Toltecs, the greatstone builders, and ending with theAztecs.

The latter arrived in Mexico at a latedate. At the time they were considereda small tribe of barbarians, but by theyear 1324, because of their fierce andpredatory nature, they were able to con-quer all the peoples around the presentsite of Mexico City. Aggressive and in-telligent, the Aztecs rapidly assimilatedthe advanced learning of the subjugatedtribes and by the time of Cortes hadreached the highest degree of cultureexisting in the New World.

Zealous church officials, following inwake of Cortes, destroyed the archivesand temples of the Aztecs. To recon-struct the events of this cultured race to-day's historians have access to but a feworiginals, along with some pre-Colum-bian codices. Accord ing to these autho ri-ties, the Crane People set forth from anisland with seven caves in search of asimilar place that was foretold in pro-phecy, where they would find an eagleperched on a cactus with a serpent in itsmou th. Today, this sign is recognizedas the national emblem of Mexico and isdisplayed on the coin and flag of thatrepublic. It is an interesting coincidencethat the place where they encounteredthis divine omen and finally settled wasagain on a swampy island in a lake.There the Aztecs built their temples andlaid the foundations for Mexico City.They called themselves Mexica, presum-ably from the name of their great wargod Mexitl.

But, where is this place called Aztlan,the original island with its Seven Cavesand the Laguna de Oro, whose scenesare described by the early Aztec his-torians? Th e places acclaimed are almostas numerous as the number of investi-gations made. They extend from Texasin the east to California in the west andfrom Utah in the north to Panama inthe south. Edgar L. Hewitt believes that

IS / Desert Magazine / December, 1965

By Ralph Caine


19/44


20/44

ground dwelling, a cave reaching farinto the ground, that is supposed to befilled with hoards of gold and silver.The place is said to be situated in a"hollow desert mountain far to the westtowards the setting sun." There is an-other legend that relates to that part ofthe Aztec Emperor's priceless hoard ofgold that eluded Cortes' plunder ofMexico City which suggests that it isburied in their ancient cave home.According to this myth, the king heededthe dictates of an earlier prognosticationby the Aztec priests. A captured Mayanking was to have been sent in commandof a legion of warriors and bearerslaves to take the treasure far to thenorth, to be hidden at a place that isdescribed to be "a huge cave in thedesert." The bearers were to be disposedof and their corpses left behind as patronguards, or spirits, to keep an eternalvigil over the treasures of the Aztecgods. The Yuma Indians have a tale ofmany warriors and slaves coming north,over the Camino Diablo, centuries agoand the Martinez Indians have a legendthat tells of hundreds of Indians goinginto a hollow mountain, never to return.Surely, the historically recorded placeand all these similar tales and legends ofthe Aztec and Pueblo Indians must havesome element of truth and some origin incommon. The question is, could therebe or was' there ever such a place as theone described? If an imaginary line isrun far to the west from the present siteof the Pubelo dwellings in Arizona andNew Mexico and another far to the northfrom the west coast of Mexico, theywould intersect somewhere in westernArizona or Southern California. The an-cient trail south, from the present Sho-shone country, must also merge in thesame general area. This place wouldhave to be at the site of a large lake orinland sea. This body would have to havehad an island near its western shore.There would have to be a cave of tre-mendous proportions and unique charac-ter within a mountain, on this island, inthis sea. Surely such a set of circum-stances could not be duplicated in naturewithin a radius of many thousands ofmiles.

It is a well established fact that oneof the great inland seas of the worldonce filled the below sea level basin ofImperial valley in Southern California.The Salton Sea as it appears today wasnonexistent prior to the spring of 1905when unusual floods threatened to refillthe valley with water from the ColoradoRiver. Th e level of the existing lake lies300 feet below the surface waters of the

ancient Lake Cahuilla and covers but asmall fraction of the area of the earlysea. It is estimated that an unevapor-ated part of the former body of waterexisted up to 500 years ago, which coin-cides with the legends of the Indians. To-day, the general area is sometimes calledCoachella (little shells) Valley becauseof the profusion of fresh water shellsthat are scattered over the floor of thedesert. The relic beach and shore lineof this ancient lake encircles the valleyat about 40 feet above ocean level. Tra-vertine, a white calcium carbonate,marks the old lake level where the watersonce lapped against the sheer mountainsides. Protuding above the surface ofthese ancient waters and near the westernshore would have been an island massconsisting of Superstition Mountain andsome low lying nearby hills. On thisrelic island a cave mountain does exist,generally unknown to the white man andshunned by all of the Indians of theSouthwest, that exactly fits every detailof all the legends and myths of boththe Aztec and Pueblo Indians. One daythis site might well become a great shrineof the Indian world.

This archeological dreamland is trulya geological wonderland. A solid gran-ite "stone cover, like an inverted bowl"over 50 feet thick, rests upon lower sedi-ments due to the fault rift character ofthe district. This freak of nature onceformed the largest and most unusualunderg round cavity in the world. It isnot a leached-out cave, like the limestonecaverns, but is a solid rock shelf overfour miles long with an overhang ofalmost a mile wide, all under a graniteroof. Nowhere else on earth has therotational sheer force of nature so com-bined with crustal rift movements tocreate such a stupendous horizontal faultbreak. The flat sliced-off roots of thisonce decapitated mountain now lie 25miles to the northwest.A four-mile strip of low land between

the cave and the mountains to the westwas a few feet above the level of the an-cient sea, but the inflowing of CarizzoCreek and a resultant higher water tablewould have made it appear as an island.This swampy extension of the lake wouldaccount for the expansive marshlands ofthe historical scene and gives new signi-ficance to the words Aztec and Aztlan,or Crane People and place of reeds.When the lake waters finally broke outoft heir above-ocean level basin, after agreat earth disturbance, it would haveexposed a wide strip of soft damp eartharound the island, representing a drop of40 feet, down to the slowly evaporating

sea-lake level. Th e clay mud w ould havequickly hardened in the hot desert sunto "preserve tracks," which settles an-other point in the legend. Further, anactive fault runs directly under the over-hang that sometimes vents the acrid odorof sulfur. Also, it is a "country of brightcolors," as the hues in the different direc-tions appear to fit the legendary descrip-tion. Finally, the great river crossed inmigrating eastward would have been theColorado, to complete a legendary picturethat is factual in nature. SuperstitionHills, just to the east of the cave moun-tain, were also a part of the island landmass. This area must have been an im-portant ancient ceremonial ground be-cause a tremendous accumulation of shellscan still be seen heaped in the center ofa saucer-like arena.

Today, Superstition Mountain, a singlerise approximately 6 miles long, loomsup out of the surface of the desert manymiles apart from other mountains. Byday, it is a drab looking mass of shat-tered rocks. Great piles of sand lie overits surface, covering cave entrances. Afterthe sun has set and cool air embraces thedesert, strange sounds and weird noisesissue out of the mou ntain. Prison con-victs, once stationed at the old rockcrusher, and many others tell strangestories of moans and rumblings at nightand the author has sensed that eerie feel-ing as the mountain "breathes" andtrembles when the subterranean cavitychanges pressure daily.So, a preponderance of evidence pointsto Imperial County as the site of theancient sea, the Laguna de Oro, and Su-perstition Mountain with its fantasticgranite "overhang" as the site of Chico-moztoc and the Seven Caves, with thegeneral area being Aztlan. Even thoughthe treasure of Montezuma is still a myth,the recesses of this unusual cave worldmight contain artifacts that would pushback the frontiers of Ancient America.Today, this dried up lake bed and sur-

rounding mountains has a strange andpeculiar fascination. Nowh ere else areseen and felt the extremes of fertility andbarrenness, light and shadow, height,depth and heat and cold. Strange piles ofalluvial sediments abound with layers ofgypsum. Fantastic sandstone and lavaconcretions are strewn over the surface,like toys left by the Aztec gods. The reare also mollusk beds, sea shells, spoutingmud pots, painted sands, terraced mar-ine deposits and stretches of the ancientshore line. These formations and relicsof the past deserve serious exploration.20 / Desert Magazine / December, 1965


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L e t t e r f r o m T h e M a n W h o F o u n d P e g l e g ' s G o ldIn the March, 1965 issue of DESERT Magazine, this anonymous writer claimed to have foundthe legendary Pegleg black gold within a 30- m ile radius of the Salton Sea. He also claimedto have recovered some $300,000 dollars from this gold by removing the black coveringand selling it to collectors and jewelers in Alaska. Moreover, he backed up his claims byproducing the evidence. The gold nuggets he has sent to DESERT Magazine are on display inthe bookshop of our new location where you may com e to see them for yourself. The ManWho Found Pegleg's Black Gold volunteered to answer questions published on the Letter'spage in each month's issue. Here is his most recent letter, which was accompan ied by twomore of the distinctive nuggets which he always sends to identify himself.

Dear Choral Pepper:For the past three months I've beenon my annual summer trip to Alaskaand Canada. This is why you haven'theard from me. During my gold sellingtrips I developed a great fondness forthe north country, especially in the sum-mer months, I haven't taken any gold

up there for several years, but still makethe trip as a vacation to enjoy the hunt-ing, fishing and the country in general.Harry J. Phillips' letter in the August/September issue vindicates my theory ofthe origin of the Pegleg black nuggetsin precise, scientific lang uage. W hatmore need be said to those who woulddoubt the Pegleg story?My thanks to both the Willenbacherfamily and to Jack Derfus for the kindwords in their letters which were printedin the October issue.I'm enclosing two more nuggets withthis letter. One has had the black oxida-tion tumbled off of it and the other isone of the underground nuggets with a

rather thin, reddish-black oxidation on itjust as I found it.Since most of the questions now arerepetitious or of the nit-picking variety,there really isn't any reason to write inevery month, so you probably won't behearing from me in the future unlesssomething unusual comes up. I've already

explained three times the matter thatThelma Dunlap brings up in that I hadquantitites of nuggets smelted and re-fined into bullion while in Canada andthen sold it there when I found out itwould be illegal to possess bullion inthe U.S.As a matter of possible interest, Imade a visit to my Pegleg site just afterreturning from the north country.Frankly, I was curious to see if anybodyhad found it. There were vehicle tracksin the sandy wash described in my ori-ginal story, showing that someone hadbeen that way fairly recently. It lookedlike they had camped overnight nearthe spot where I had parked my jeep

on that long ago day. Looking around Ifound traces of footprints (although theywere mostly obliterated by the wind)that led into the country on the oppositeside of the wash that I had taken onthe day I found the black nuggets. Ithen walked to the hill and mound bya roundabout way and could see notraces of anyone having been there. Imentioned previously that I always tookcare to fill up all the holes I dug torecover nuggets and left the surface asundisturbed as possible, and alwayswithin a few days the wind had removedall traces of my visit.Anyway, at least one person has beenwithin two miles of the discovery site,and maybe one of these days somebodyis going to stumble on it, although Ithink the odds are great that they wouldpass on over it without realizing where

they were. Sincerely yours,The Man Who FoundPegleg's Black GoldThis old time prospector was lovking for the Peg leg black gold in the Superstition Mountains near Southern California's Salton

Sea. Photo is dated 190'4 and was found in the DESE RT Magazine files.

December, 1965 / Desert Mag azine / 21


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Desert HollyBy Betty MackintoshA CLOSE-UP VIEW of this smalldesert bush, Atriplex hymenelytra,reveals thereason for itscommon name.Its tiny leaves have thesame shape asthose of English holly. Inaddition, thesoft silvery whiteness of desert hollyfoliage, its graceful gnarled branchesand keeping qualities give it a tradi-tional place in Christmas holiday deco-ration.Its charm, in fact, hasalmost lead toits undoing. Man in his enthusiasmbreaks off a whole bush tocarry home,when a few twigs or a really dead limb(if there arean y leaves, it'sstill alive)would have done just aswell. On publiclands it should not bepicked, as it is

protected bylaw. Onprivate property,of course, it's up tothe owner.Plants are now available indesert nur-series and do very well inthe garden, notonly in desert areas, butalso near thecoast. In moist air,however, theleaveslose their whiteness andbecome green-ish- grey. Plants may also be grown fromseed "gathered late insummer and plant-ed insand" (Desert 1 2 / 6 1 ) ; or,"trans-planted when quite small if placed in

a mixture of !/> topsoil and 1/2sand andkept moist until established" (CaliforniaGarden 12/64 - 1/65).In itsnatural habitat, alkali washesofdesert foothills from Utah to Sonora,the Desert Holly may be 16 to20 incheshigh and spread 3feet along the ground.Normally flowering January to April,

a fall rain will trigger theblossomingas early asNovem ber. Male and femaleflowers are borne on separate plants, likethe pepper tree. It is notspiny, as aremany desert plants. Acovering ofmodi-fied hair protects the leaves from theheat. Insome locations, during the hot-test summer months, the leaves turn apinkish orlavendar grey.If you have Desert Holly inyour yard,or know someone who has and will give

you a sprig, hang it upside down todrybefore you put it in an arrangement.This "sets" the leaves in their normalposition. If treated gently, they will holdindefinitely. Stripped of leaves, thegnarled branches or the twiggy onesmake graceful arrangements ontheir ownor with small ornaments attached.



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BLYTHE

V s 4 r'/?. n-(ft; ^

THE CIBOLA GHOSTBy Kenneth MarquissA COUPLE OF fascinating factsabout lost money treasures are: in-formation about their locations can popup anywhere, and someone is sure toring in a ghost to guard the loot.

In his younger days my father serveda hitch as a missionary, and I spent mostof my youth in India. Over there I raninto all kinds of superstition and sawmany of the hoaxes of so-called "super-natural phenomena."Later, in California, after I'd finishedsome college psychology and sciencecourses, I became a confirmed skeptic andprided myself on a "scientific approach."You can imagine, therefore, the jolt I gotwhen I ran into my one and only honest-to-pete ghost guarding a treasure siteon the Colorado River.It came about in this fashion.Just before the last honestly namedWar, not counting police actions and ad-visory missions, I had swapped off my

old ox-yoke metal detector for a shinynew bug that the brochure said was "high-ly advanced, and with remarkable newcapabilities." Compared to my presentone, it was strictly model-T, but in thosedays it was the joy of my heart.Pearl Harbor, followed by the freezeof gas rationing, prevented me from try-ing out those "remarkable capabilities."Younger readers won't remember therationing handicap, but there will beplenty who do!There was much construction needed,so I put my new bug and my camp gearin storage for the duration.

In the summer of 1943, I was workingon a big desert hospital job. The super-visor was a ramrod and an organizer andthe job was going good, but not for me.I indiscreetly laughed when I chanced oneevening to overhear his little spitfire wifebullying him!Being the mouthy type, one day atlunch I was telling my woes to a quietman named Wulf and his son, who weregood listeners. What I said couldn't beput in printeven in Berkeleybut thegist of it was that I had a new detector,knew a good treasure location in Nevada,and I was going to quit the wretched joband go treasure hunting if I had to proda mule the whole way!

Mr. Wulf corked my tirade with asingle sentence. It was, "If you couldjust get the gas, I know where you couldgo look for a big treasure buried lotscloser to homedown by the ColoradoRiverand it's a good bet too!"Th e big mouth turned to all-ears, andby a couple of lunch hours later, I hadall the pertinent information tucked inmy note book. Mr. Wulf said that alongin the '20s he had a ranch near a placecalled Cibola, on the Arizona side of theColorado, north of Yuma. He said thatsouth of the ranch, on a small bluff over-looking the water, were the ruins of anold adobe.One day two middle-aged women fromMexico showed up and asked permissionto dig around those ruins. His permission

was conditional on a full explanation;and a mutually satisfactory split, ofcourse. This is the story they told him.

When their mother was very small,their grandfather had run a wood sta-tion there was a dock there in thosedaysto refuel the big river boats fight-ing the tricky currents of the Colorado.It was a moderately profitable business,he hired a number of wood cutters, andwas well liked and respected in the area.The women said that their grandmothertold them their grandfather had a fascina-ting hobby. He robbed stage coaches!He was successful in this because hehad a simple system and a good blind inthe wood business. He was light-complex -ioned and spoke flawless English, socould pass as either an American or aMexican. Spies tipped him to the move-ment of money; and he had a husky va-quero accomplice with a fast horse, along loop, and no compunctions.This helper would stake out a string ofgood horses for him. Our hero wouldthen hijack the stage, posing as either a

Denver dude or a Mexican bandido. Assoon as the moneyless stage turned thebend, he would switch costumes and, bya series of fast changes of horses anddirections, evade pursuit.While this imaginative bandit wasnever snagged by the law, he hadn't reck-oned on the ironic twists Fate sometimesholds in store for smarties. He'd been toYuma on business, was returning on oneof the big stern-wheelers, and made themistake of watching a high-stakes pokergame in the salon. A gambler goofed and

the wrong card showed, followed in sec-onds by gunfire. In the resulting confu-sion, the goofing gambler made a safe24 / Desert Magazine / December, 1965


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Looking out the door of the tent wherethe ghost af.exit over the side, but the innocent by-stander (our bandit-wood dealer) wasplugged dead center and became part ofthe freight unloaded on his own dock.His asserted grave, some distance away,was still faintly visible when I first wasthere.

The women said that their grandmothertold them he kept his loot in a big Mexi-can candy kettle and that "it was overtwo-thirds full." She knew this becauseabout five weeks before his death she hadhelped him move his cache and it tooktwo trips to complete the switch. He alsokept in this kettle a small (about halfpint size) milk-glass cosmetic jar with ahinged pot metal lid, in which he storedthe stones pried out of jewelry, a coupleof tiny gold watches, and other knick-knacks. A goat skin, tied with a rawhidewhang, kept the dirt out of his bank.After the bandit was buried, his wifewent looking for the kettle, but it wasn'twhere she thought they had hidden it.

Extended searching proved fruitless, soshe took what little money remained andreturned with her child to relatives inMexico. Mr. Wulf told me that the sisterscame back three or four winters in a row,but always left with empty hands.It was a month or two after I heardall this before the job buttoned up and Iwas free to try. But there still remainedthat big fly in the honey jar IF I onlyhad the gas!I bucked like a bronc around a snub-bing post, but the hard-faced ration boardwasn't impressed one bit. "It couldn'thelp the war effort," they said. "Don'tcome back!"

So a few days later I was singing thedeep blues as I bought two "B" stampsworth of gas at the service station ownedby a man we had best call "Arkie." Hewas one of those cherubic faced Jekyl-and-Hyde characters with a mind thatworked like the inquisitive paws of araccoon. And he had more connectionsthan a Hollywood millionaire has in-laws. He suggested a talk over a cup ofcoffee in a nearby cafe. The upshot wasthat for a cut, I could get all the fuel Ireasonably needed. The deal was no tblack market and perfectly moral, as thefuel was not actually gasoline; but it washighly irregular, slightly illegal, and bestcalled "a loophole." Better yet, it mademy old La Salle "rar up an prance" like ayearling trotter. So it wasn't long beforeI'd crossed the river and was trying toget to the adobe.The first trip was a flop because thewashes between the ranch and the adobe

were so deep and rough I broke two tubesin the bug before I even took it out ofits case. On the way out, the rancher atWulf's old place sympathized, and saidit was probably the work of the wellknown ghost that guarded the treasure.He seemed to know all about the treasure

story too. I just laughed at his ghosttheory.I went home, repaired the detector,built a rack, borrowed a canoe, and re-turned to the west side of the river wherethe going was easier. After I'd madecamp, I paddled across each day to searcharound the old adobe.Others had been there before me. Therewere holes all over the place. I foundhorseshoes, old stove lids, a small piece ofboiler plate and other trash, but nomoney.On the second night in the west bankcamp, the ghost appeared. It was a lovelystill desert night. After a hearty supper Iwent to bed early. The gentle fragranceof the apples and cantaloup in the boxunder the cot lent a Roman opulence tomy contented couch. I remember thinkingabout the ghost superstition as I driftedoff to sleep.About 2:00 A.M. I was awakened by afeeling of danger. There was a part of amoon. When I opened my eyes I couldsee, in the dim light filtering through thetent roof, a white thing about two feetlong slowly bobbing up and downthrough th e tent door above me. In the

Continued on page 37

This ivas a hot rig in 194 3. Enroute to the adobe (below) I pulled off to fix a flat.

r - r

December, 1965 / Desert Mag azine / 25


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C h r is tm a s D a yin Alamos

Sonora Holiday

SUCH HAPPY dead people, I'venever seen! It was Christmas weekwhen we crossed the border at Mexicaliand the cemeteries along the highwayexploded with artistry. W e were headedfor Alamos in Sonora, some 600 mileseast and south, with a stopover en routeat the bay of Guaymas.

Before leaving home we'd celebratedour American Christmas so Jack and ourson, Trent, could give me the presentthey'd been concealing a boat. A veryspecial boat, in fact. It was designed tolit on top of our VW camper, wasguaranteed unsinkable and had a mountfor an old 2-hp motor we had aroundthe house. For testing, we launched theboat in the swimming pool and, likeWinkum, Blinkum and Nod, packedourselves into the Fiberglas vessel. W ithour knees tucked under our chins, it wasimpossible to start the outboard motorwithout knocking one of us out and

there was no room whatsoever to wieldan oar. On the third go-round the un-sinkable boat dumped all three of us, but,like the man said, it stayed afloat. W efinally concluded it would accommodateone comfortably, two sort of, and threenot at all. I envisioned myself shovingoff at Guaymas, waving farewell to thefond gift-givers ashore.

After leaving the festive burial groundson the outskirts of Mexicali, we con-tinued our journey to the pueblo of SanLuis and then on to the Camino del Dia-blo, the Devil's Highway, famous forbandits, thirst and suffering explorers.We can understand how it came by itsdramatic name. Gray wrinkled moun-tains, like elephant hide, frame the nor-thern perimeter of the Gran Desierto,while to the east rise the pronged con-tours of Pinacate's dead volcano. To thesouth there's nothing, just sand, sand,sand. Midway between San Luis and

Sonoyta, grateful Mexicans have built ashrine on top of a rocky knoll. It's apretty thing, with purple and turquoisepainted rocks outlining a path up to thewhite shelter. The re, behind a protectiveiron gate, is a dark-skinned St. Christo-pher flanked by candles. We tossed afew coins in among the pesos because we,too, were grateful for the paved roadover this waterless stretch of unadulter-ated sand.

Now here's something that willmake you absolutely paranoiac if youdon't know about itand you'll neverlearn about it from a Mexican. W henyou cross the border, wherever you crossit, you should obtain a tourist permit ifyou intend to spend more than 24 hoursin Mexico. But do they tell you thatyou need also a car permit if you're pass-ing further south than Sonoyta? No,they don't. And they do n't even tell youso at Sonoyta where you have to pass

J6 / Desert Mag azin e / December, 196 5

by Choral Pepper


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camping spot at Estero Solado.

A gentleman named Senor Torres usedto own a general store in a mining campnear Suaqui on the banks of the RioMontezuma. In this store he installeda candy counter with a hole in it. Minerswould come in and drop gold in the holeto pay for a piece of candy. Digg inggold out of this hole made Torres oneof the richest men in Sonora and you'llnotice that many large business buildingsbetween here and Obregon bear hisname. Althoug h the mines here are nolonger operating, natives are still obtain-ing rich nuggets from a place betweenSauqui and Soyapa, according to ourfriend Don Jose, but you'd have to berugged and determined in order to findit. The ho t spot sounds like "La Color-ada," he said, but the Indians who drop-ped the name were conversing among

through customs, regardless of whereyou entered the country. They let youshow your tourist permit, they inspectyour car and your belongings, and thenthey let you travel south until you cometo the first checking station. There anofficer, who speaks no English, waveshis arms, refuses to let you pass, andsays, "No permito!" You finally get thepoint. Then you drive back to Sonoyta,go to an office across the street fromthe customs office and get yourself a carpermit.From then on, it couldn't be any worse

behind the iron curtain, as far as redtape is concerned. As far as scenery isconcerned, it couldn't be much betterin Paradise. Between stops every fewmiles to show your car permit, you passthrough a desert as lush with extraordin-ary desert flora as any we've seen any-where. The re are also a num ber of in-teresting pueblos, but an article coveringthem is scheduled for a forthcomingissue, so we won't give them space here.We spent the night in an attractive,clean motel in Caborca and had a won-

derful dinner in the restaurant nextdoor. The following morning we moseyedon to Hermosillo. W e'd been told thatHermosillo was ruined with moderniza-tion. This may be true in part, but wefound the city charming, especially whilerelaxing at the outdoor cafe of the SanAlberto Hotel where Mariachis serena-ded us while Mexican life passed by.We'd heard an interesting story abouta town some 60 miles east of h ere. Itwas told us by a great, bearded Danenamed Don Jose Hensen who lives

among the Yaqui Indians in Sonora, butwho occasionally comes to the states totake a hot bath and drop into our office.

its silence was the splash oi a pelicandiving for fish.Resembling a Monument Valley withwater, stark formations cut surrealisticpatterns against the evening sky and acluster of wind-blown trees cast reflectedfantasies in the water. W e unpacked ourgear and unloaded the boat, shudderingwhen its motor sputtered in the quiet.Fortunately there was no one to disturbbut ourselves. Th e lagoon was largewith a pass between two overlappingcliffs which, during high tide, let inthe ocean. Tren t sailed off on an ex-ploratory mission while we wanderedbarefoot in the sand.The next morning, after Trent andJack finished cruising in my boat, wedrove along the bay road to La Posadade San Carlos, a new resort on the sea

Broken glass, noiv purple with age, was set into the mortar of high wallsSpanish villas to keep out bandits and wild Indians.themselves and clammed up when hepursued the subject. However, on amap prepared by the Jesuits in the 1700s,we found a place a little north of Soyapaidentified as Elana Colorada. W e thinkthat's the spot. And if that glorious boathadn't been sitting up on top of ourcar, we'd probably have taken a jauntinto Hermosillo's back country to lookit over.

The scene changed as we continuedalong Highway 15 toward Guaymas andmore and more cars and campers towingboats appeared. Soon we could smell thesalty sea air. W e'd never been to Guay-mas, but when we saw the big hotelsspread along the bay, we could see itwasn't the place to set up our campingcabana and christen the boat. So we back-tracked a few m iles to a turn-off toBahia San Carlos and, believe me, thiswas the place. We took the first dirtroad to the left (this may be changednow) and followed it until we came tothe sandy beach of a lagoon so privateand serene that the only thing to ruffle

which beats anything we've seen in Mex-ico. Desert country with bearded cactusand jagged outcroppings creeps rightdown to the bougainvillea covered cot-tages of the resort. The hotel is luxurious,the dining room superb, the beach cleanand both pool and sea water warm. Therewas only one thing wrong. W e couldn'tget a reservation. So we returned to ourprivate campground at Estero Soldadoand the merry yachtsmen had anotherday afloat while I paced the beach.

The next morning we set off early,continuing south into Yaqui country. Welearned that the uniformed, gun-totingY a q u i guardsmen patrolling villagestreets are merely an excuse for the Mexi-can government subsidy promised thisrebellious tribe when they were unableto be subdued by any other means. Butthere's still a menacing gleam in theireyes and you won't be inclined to gowhistling up their streets.These are the people Don Jose livesamong in an isolated canyon far from thehighway. According to Do n Jose, who 's

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either the greatest liar in the world or thereatest adventurer, he's the only whiteman they've ever accepted into theirinner sanctum and he's on a back-slappingbasis with the chief, Pluma Blanca. Donose has lived among these people for anumber of years and is known as their"Great White Medicine Man." Onvarious sojourns to the states, he obtainspenicillin and disinfectants to treat theirills and is currently concerned about apopulation explosion in Yaquiland, sogreat is his success! On a recent visithe brought some 18th century Spanishsilver pieces and Yaqui Indian relicswhich are now on loan for display in theDESERT Maga2ine bookshop. In returnfor this exhibit, he requested that we askif a reader might have an old microscopeto contribute to his work. He has isola-ted some parasites he believes deservecloser inspection than is possible with thenaked eye. We couldn't swear to it, butwe think Don Jose is sincere in his dedi-cation to helping these primitives, so ifyou have an old microscope you don'twant, please let us know.

On the afternoon of Christmas eve,we approached Alamos. The 35-mileroad between Navajoa, on Highway 15,and Alamos is now paved and passesthrough the country where the Spanishfirst discovered gold and silver in the1600s. Ruins of the old ghost townof Aduana climb up the side of a moun-tain, half-buried among fig trees, datepalms and semi-tropical grow th. Butwhat impressed us most were the "ghosttrees." A ghost tree is not like any othertree you've ever seen. Its bark is tough

and white, like a hippopotamus hide, andduring winter months its leafless limbs,like giant stems, bear fluffy white flowerssimilar to morning glory blossoms. Insunlight they sparkle like cotton bollson their naked branches and at nightthey shine with ghoulish brilliance againstthe dark sky. Scientifically, its name isIpomoea murucoides, and popularly it'scalled the Palo del Muerto, or Tree ofthe Dead. It's also called the Palo Bobo,or Fool's Tree, in parts of Mexico andthere are those who believe one drink ofthe water contained in its blooms willmake you mentally deranged. Whetherghost or fool, it's a stunning treeand if I were going to be a tree, this isthe one I'd choose to be. They grow upto 30 feet high and the first time yousee one, you won't believe your eyes.

We arrived in Alamos and startedworking our way through a maze ofnarrow streets, helped here and there bypedestrians warning us that some are toonarrow to accommodate a car. Thisbeautiful and romantic city was estab-lished in 1683 by Spanish silver baronsand their immense wealth is evident inthe stately mansions and courtyardsvisible through splendid wrought irongates. Although at one time over 30,000families made this the first educationalcenter in northwestern Mexico, restora-tion today has been accomplished by theefforts of less than 5000 Mexicans, witha handful of Americans financing theproject. It's the most rewarding restora-tion we've seen, since the Americans whoare instituting it are able to own and liveon the estates they're restoring and at

the same time it has brought work andcommunity pride to the Mexican familieswho would have had little or no othermeans of supp ort. Much has been writ-ten of the Moorish villas with theirgracefully arched portales, sweepingvistas, high ceilings and opulent gardens,and it's all true. Here, a contrast withtoday's world, so lacking in repose, isexemplified in its most tangible concept.Many travel publications list a MotelAlamos, but as of this writing it isclosed. When we found we couldn'tstay there, we wound up at Palo Acosta'svery nice trailer park where we wereable to shower and freshen up before de-scending upon our friend Darley Gordon,manager of the Casa de los TesorosHotel, who had invited us to join herguests in a Christmas celebration.Casa de los Tesoros and Los Portalesare the two splendid Alamos hotels,

Documents

196512 Desert Magazine 1965 December