197509 Desert Magazine 1975 September

8/14/2019 197509 Desert Magazine 1975 September

1/48


2/48

Tainter oj p eMany art critics consider John Hilton the foremost painter of desert scenesof the West. His oils are hung in galleries througho ut the U nited States andare constantly in demand. Desert Magazine has a limited supply of prints ofhis painting entitled "Contrasts" showing sand dunes covered with desertwildflowers and the Santa Rosa M ountains in the background.This beautiful four-color print is 11x17 inches on high quality mat paperwith two-inch margins, ideal for framing. Available to Desert Magazinereaders, "mailed rolled, in a tube, for only $3.00, including tax and postage.Send check to DESERT, Contrasts, Box 1318, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260.


3/48

Publisher-Editor

Art DirectorField Trip Editor

A. BARNES, Utah Associate EditorLapidary Editor

L. BOYNTON, NaturalistCirculation Manager

DtitAtVolume 38, Number 9

MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 1975

CONTENTS

THE COVER:Saguaro atsunset, South-ern Arizona. Photo byJosef Muench, SantaBar-bara, Cal i fornia.

F E A T USIX BY THREE MOTHER LODE 10

THE LAST SUPPER CAVE 14ADVENTURE IS WHERE YOU FIND IT 16

A HAWKING WE DID GO! 20ARIZONA'S PIPE SPRING 24

NEVADA'S DRIEST DIGGINGS 28BIG OAK FLAT, CALIFORNIA 30

UTAH'S GOBLIN VALLEY 32MOUNTAIN OF GOLD 34

THE BARSTOW WAY STATION 38

R E SAl von Dering

Doris CerveriAl PearceMary Frances Strong

Michelle Methvin

Craig McDonald

Howard Neal

RonaldJ. NeldnerJohn W. RobinsonDesert Information Center

D E P A R T M E N T SA PEEK IN THE PUBLISHER'S POKE 4 William Knyvett

BOOKS FOR DESERT READERS 6 Book Reviews

DESERT PLANT LIFE 41 JimCornettRAMBLING ON ROCKS 42 Glenn and Martha Vargas

LETTERS TO THE ED ITOR 46 Readers' CommentsCALENDAR OF WESTERN EVENTS 46 Club Activities

CIRCULATION ANDADVERT ISING OFFICES: 74-425 Highway 111, Palm Desert, California 92260. Telephone Area Code 714346-8144.inStandard Rate andData. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States, Canada and Mexico; 1year, $6.00; 2 years, $11.00; 3 years, $16.00. Othersubscribers add $1.00 U. S.currency foreach year. See Subscription Order Form inthis issue. Allow five weeks for change of address andsendnew andoldaddresses with zipcodes. DESERT Magazine ispublished monthly. Second class postage paid at Palm Desert, California andataddi-iling offices under ActofMarch 3,1879. Contents copyrighted 1975 byDESERT Magazine and permission toreproduce anyor allcontents mustin writ ing. Manuscripts and photographs will not oe returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.1975


4/48

BACKS P E C I A L

1969 -11 issuesonly-Feb.-Dec.

Complete' 66 , ' 67 , ' 687 0 , ' 7 1 , '72, '73Volumes

Each

1974Volume

"Ra in B a r re l "Assorted Issues1959 to 1965

Package of 20

Mail all orders to: DEPT TDESERT Magaz ine

Palm Desert . Calif. 92260Personal check or money order must

accompany your orderBe sure to .nclude vour zip code

A P e e ki n t h eP u b l i s h e r sP o k e

I T IS a good feeling to see an oldfriend after a long absence. Usually,such an occasion brings to mind a num-ber of moments shared together in thepast. Josef Muench, this month's coverphotographer, is a true old fr iend ofDesert Magazine. Since August, 1939,when he first graced our cover, (seeinset) Josefhas cont r i -b u t e d h i slensmanshipto bring thegreat South-west to youreasy cha i r .But it hasbeen a longtime since helast appear-ed in Desert.I 'm sure thathis credit l ine wil l remind you of many,many memorable photos; MonumentValley, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell,Baja California, wildf lowers in majest icbloomyou name it in the West andJosef has shot it.

Not long ago I called his Santa Barbarahome to inquire if he had any materialavailable. Two weeks later, to my happysurprise, he popped into the office withhis portfolio. In no time at all the viewerwas i llumina ted and a colorful panoramaof scenic transparencies paraded beforemy eyes.

Then, I made my move. Crabbing the"Saguaro at Sunset" and dropping myvoice, I said: "Hold it Joe, I 've got youcovered! A g a i n . "

Birds?know

HummingbirdFowler DRIPLESS BEE PROOF A N T P R O O F NOTHING T O RUST

ONLY $350 PostpaidSend check or money order to:

MAGAZINEPalm Desert, California 92260Calif. Res. add6% sales tax

Desert /September 1975


5/48

T h e F i r s t a n d O n lyA l l C o lo r . B o o k o nT u r q u o i s eB y O SCAR T . B R ANS ON

This Book Is AMust For AnyonePossessingEven One PieceOf TurquoiseJewelry

The TruthAbout TreatedOr StabilizedTurquoiseWhat It IsHow It Is Done

BeautifulIllustrationsIn AccurateColor Can HelpYou Identify theTurquoise In YourJewelryPictures ofTurquoise from 43Localities fromU. S. And AroundThe W orld.Photography ByRay Man ley Studios68 Pages62 Full C olor Pages100 Color Plates9" x1 2" Perfect Bound

ManyDesignIdeas

Please Add 25c On EachOrder For Packing And Postage

TR EASUR E CHEST PUB LICATIONSP.O. Box2659-DSanta Fe, New Mex ico 87501N. M . Res. Please Add State Tax

Order From Your Dealeror DESERT MAGAZINEP.O. Box 1318Palm Desert, Calif. 92260Ca lif. Res. Please Ad d S tate Tax


6/48

A FIELD GUIDETo theCommon andInterestingPLANTS OFBAJA CALIFORNIAJeanette Coyleand Norman C.Roberts

The first botan ical field guide to thewoodyplan t s of peninsular Baja Ca. Over 250plants are described along with 189 colorphotos. Descriptions include past and pres-ent uses of the plan t s byaborigines andpeople in Baja today. Scientific, Spanish,and common names are given. Choice ofdurable coated paperback or clothboundhardcover. 224pages , 6 x 9 inches.To order: Natural History Publishing Co.,P.O. Box962 , La Jolla, Ca.92037. Hard-cover: $11 .00/Pap erback: $8.50. (Cali for-nia residents please add6% sales tax.)

Order FREE CatalogueDESERT MAGAZINE

B O O K S T O R EPalm Desert , California 92260

B o o k s forD e s e r tH e a d e r s

All books reviewed are available through theDesert Magazine Book Shop. Please add 25c perorder forhandling andCalifornia residents mustinclude 6% state sales tax.

BUTCH CASSIDY, My BrotherBy Lula Parker Betensonas told to Dora Flack

Since the h igh ly successfu l f i l m ,"Butch Cassidy and theSundance K id , "several books, other publications and

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF TRICKAND FANCY R IDINGFrank Dean

The author has had well over thirty years of trick and fancy ridingexperience and is still performing with his ropes, whips, knives,guns and horses 49 years after entering his first rodeo in 1926! Thisbook covers every phase of "how to do it," from the beginnerlearning the first simple stunts to the finished professional per-former and his repertoire. A complete set of stick figure drawingsshow just how to go into each trick and how to get out of it. Lavishlyillustrated with action photographs.8!/2 x 11, 259 pages, cloth, boxed $14.95

The CAXTON PR INTER S, Ltd.B ox 700

Caldwell, Idaho 83605

myriad efforts to cash in on the suddeninternational fame of two former ly re-gionally known cattle rustlers and hold-up artists have substituted expediencyand notoriety for histor ica l t ru th.

Mrs. Betenson has set the record asstraight as possible, considering theflood of nonsense that came before. Herbook does not attempt to gloss overbrother Robert Leroy Parker's esca-pades. She adm its hewa s anoutlaw whofel l from grace but also cites the goodqualit ies of his complex personality andrather ful l l i fe. Her book serves also asgood general history of the In termoun-tain West nearly acentury ago and offersmuch insight as to whymen like Parker-Cassidy and others turne d tocr ime in thehard scrabble, dir t-poor days beforeuran ium, oil and the other later-daywealth sources of Mormon Utah, Idaho,Colorado and New Mexico .

She contr ibutes a dditional informationto the most intere sting controversy aboutCassidy nee Parker. Did hereally die n aclassic shootout in remote Bolivia as themovie and the Pinkerton detectives tel lus? No, shesays. Butch returned to theUnited States, l iving out a long and gen-erally peaceful l i fe. Mrs.Betenson doesnot tell us where her brother is bur ied,for good reason. Theearly family homeon asmall ranch just south of Circlevi l le ,Utah has been badly vandalized in recentyears andsouvenir hunters surely wouldpick thegold out of his teeth as quicklyas they pulled nails from thebarn walls.

The book isprofessionally written andpersonally inspired, a worthwhi le addi-tion to anyone's shelf of western lore.

H a r d c o v e r , a m p l y i l l u s t r a t e d , 265pages, $7.95.

AmzoisA Cook B ook

Calif, res/dentsad d 6% sa/es tax

By AlandMildred FischerIncludes sourdoughand Indian fried breadrc i ipes. as we l l asother mouth-wateringfavorites. Unique col-lection of hard-to-f indWestern cooking. Pa-perback, 142 pages.13.00

Please include 25cfor postage & handl ing.

Magazine Book ShopP. O. Box1318, Palm Desert, Ca lif. 92260Desert/Seotember 197S


7/48

TREASURE UNDER YOUR FEETBy RoyVolker and Dick RichmondTreasure Under Your Feet tells both

beginners and experienced owners ofelectronic metal detectors how to bemore successful atdoing just thatdis-covering buried treasure almost every-where manhas rodden on this planet.

Wr i t ten byRoyVolker and Dick Rich-mond, twocolorful adventurerswhohave logged many years of successfulprospecting with detectors, the126-pagehandbook ofmetal detecting offers thereader ashort course oneverything oneshould know about searching out and re-covering many types ofburied or hiddenvaluables.

Opening chapters of hebook discussin simple language how to select and usea metal detector, different types of in-struments curre ntly available, t ips on re-covery of bur ied co ins, " ru les of ther oad " concerning prospecting onprivateand public property anddetecting tech-niques that aremore productive of treas-ure finds. Other chapters aredevoted ocaring for coins and ip s onmarketingthem, most likely places to look forvalu-able antiques andhow todispose ofthemfo r agood price andsearching for treas-ure from sunken Spanish galleons.

By planning hunts and methodicallysearching areas, theauthors suggesttha t amateur t reasure seekers can"work" many productive areas neartheir homes. Valuable information isgiven onf ind ing treasure insuch famil-iar places asbeaches, church yards,oldhomes, parks, school yards, battlefieldsand even inyour ownback yard.

Paperback, well i l lustrated, $3.95.

If you don't th inkScouting's worthyour t im e ,youdon' t know enou ghabout Scout ing .

Southern California'sFour Wheel DriveHeadquartersNumber 1 in theU.S.A. for Seven YearsL A N D C R U IS E R S M OTOR H O M E S

ServiceandParts7a.m. to1 0 p . m .Monday thruFriday

SalesDepartmentOpenSevenDaysA Week

45 Service Stalls One oftheBiggest inAm e r i caComplete Body Shop andHuge Par ts Depar tmentFor theB est D eal, and Service You DeserveSee America's Largest Toyota DealerJust Two M inutes from theSan B ernardino FreewayLONGO TOYOTA

[213] 442-1011 10501 Valley B lvd., ElMonte, California [213] 686-1000

Lasting GfftsS#?

EACHIncluding taxand postage

Cold embossed on brown vinyl- Spacefor 12magazines easily inserted. Abeautiful andpractical addition toyourhome book-shelf.

WORTHSAVING!MO ST OF OURREADERS SAVETHEIR DESERT MAG AZINES FORFUTURE REFERENCE AND READINGPLEASURE THEBEST WAY TO K E E PYOUR BACK ISSUES IS IN OURATTRACTIVE SPECIAL L Y- MADEBINDERS

DESERTP. O.BOX1318, PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260

Desert/September 1975


8/48

Send orders toBox 1318,Palm Desert, California 92260Please add 25c lor postage & handling

COMMON EDIBLE & USEFUL PLANTS OFTHE WEST by Muriel Sweet. A description withartist drawings of edible (and those not to touch)plants along with how Indians and pioneers usedthem. Paperback, 64 pages, $1.95.GHOST TOWN ALB UM by Lambert Florin.Over 200 photos. Fascinating pictorial accountsof the gold mining towns of the Old Westandthe men who worked them. Large format. 184pages, profusely illustrated, originally publishedat $12.50, new edition $4.98.TREASUR E HUNTER 'S MANUAL #7 by K arlvon Mueller. Treasure, or treasure trove, manyconsist of anything having a cash or convertiblevalue; money in all forms, bullion, jewelry,guns, gems, heirlooms, genuine antiques, rareletters and documents, rare books and much,much more. This complete m anual covers everyfacet of treasure hunting. Paperback, 293 pages,illustrated, $6.95.NEW MEXICO, photographs by David Muench,text by Tony Hillerman , depicting New Mexico'smany and varied contrasts in a unique blend thatis her mysterious beautyand a grandeur that isour natural heritage. Hardcover, large format,188 pages, $25.00.LOST MINES OF THE GREAT SOUTHWESTby John D. Mitchell. The first of Mitchell's lostmine books is now available after having beenout of print or years. Reproduced from theoriginal copy and co ntaining 54 articles based onaccounts from people Mitchell interviewed. Hespent his entire adult life investigating reportsand legends of lost mines and treasures of theSouthwest. Hardcover, illustrated, 175 pages,$7.50.

CALIFORNIA-NEVADA GHOST TOWN ATLASandSOUTHWESTERN GHOST TOWN ATLASby Robert Neil Johnson. These atlases are excel-lent do-it-yourself guides to lead you back toscenes and places of the early West. Some pho-tos and many detailed maps with legends andbright, detailed descriptions of what you willsee; also mileage and highway designations.Heavy paperback, each contains 48 pages, each$2.00.FIELD GUIDE TO ROCKS AND MINERALS byFrederick H. Pough. Authoritative guide to iden-tification of rocks and minerals. Experts recom-mend this for all amateurs as one of the best.Many color illustrations. Hardcover, $7.95.CALIFOR NIA STATE PAR K S by the SunsetEditors. A comprehensive guide covering thenorthern coast and redwood country, the SierraNevada and northern mountains, the San Fran-cisco Bay area, central valley and foothills, thecentral coast region, the southern desert andmountains. Area maps and photos. 128 pages,paperback, large format, $2.95.8

HAPPY WANDER ER TR IPS by Slim Barnard.Well-known TV stars, Henrietta and Slim Bar-nard have put together a selection of their tripsthroughout the West from their Happy Wander-er travel shows. Books have excellent maps, his-tory, cost of lodging, meals, etc. Perfect for fam-ilies planning weekends. Both books are largeformat, heavy paperback, 150 pages each and$2.95 each. Volume One covers California andVolume Two Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.WHEN ORDERING STATE WHICH VOLUME.SOUTHWEST INDIAN CRAFT ARTS by ClaraLee Tanner. One of the best books on the sub-ject, covering all phases of the culture of the In-dians of the Southwest. Authentic in every way.Color and black and white illustrations, linedrawings. Hardcover, 205 pages, $15.00.TUR QUO IS by Joseph E. Pogue. [Memoirs of theNational Academy of Sciences]. First printed in1915, Turquois has in its third printing (1973)been updated in many ways. Among them arelisted currently-operated Turquois mines, morecolor plates. The book is full of incredible resultsof research and an in-depth study of this fascina-ting mineral of superficial orig in. Hardcover, 175pages, beautifully illustrated, $15.00.

GOLD R USH COUNTR Y by the Editors of SunsetBooks. A revised and up-dated practical guide toCalifornia's Mother Lode country. Divided intogeographical areas for easy weekend trips, the8x11 heavy paperback new edition is profusely il-lustrated with photos and maps. Special featuresand anecdotes of historical and present dayactivities. Four-color cover, 96 pages. $2.95.THE BAJA BOOK, A Complete Map-Guide toToday's Baja California by Tom Miller and El-mar Baxter. Waiting until the new transpenin-sular highway opened, the authors have pooledtheir knowledge to give every minute detail ongas stations, campgrounds, beaches, trailerparks, road conditions, boating, surfing, flying,fishing, beachcombing, in addition to a BajaRoadlog which has been broken into convenienttwo-mile segments. A tremendous package forevery kind of recreationist. Paperback, 178pages, illus., maps, $7.95.DESERT PLANTS AND PEOPLE by Sam Hicks.Tells how pimitive desert dwellers find susten-ance, shelter, beverages and healing medicinesin nature. Hardcover, $6.95.GHOST TOWN A LB UM by Lambert Florin.Over 200 photos. Fascinating pictorial accountsof the gold mining towns of the Old Westandthe men who worked them. Large format. 184pages, profusely illustrated , originally pu blishedat $12.50, new edition $4.98.

INSIDE DEATH VALLEY by Chuck Gebhardt. Aguide and reference text of forever mysteriousDeath Valley, containing over 80 photographs,many in color. Included, too, are Entry Guidesand Place Name Index for the convenience ofvisitors. Written with authority by an avid hiker,backpacker and rockclimber. 160 pages, paper-back, $4.95.THE STORY OF CRATER LAKE NATIONALPARK by Howard and Marian Place. On June12, 1853, John Wesley Hillman, searching forgold, accidentally discovered a deep blue bodyof water in the crater of an extinct volcano atopthe Cascade Mountains in Southern Oregon.This is the story of Crater Lake and the CraterLake country, richly illustrated with current andhistorical photographs. Paperback, 84 pages$3.95.ROCK DR AWINGS OF THE COSO R ANGE byCampbell Grant, James Baird and J. KennethPringle. A Maturango Museum publication, thisbooks tells of sites of rock art in the Coso Rangewhich, at 4000 feet, merges with the flatlands ofthe northern Mojave Desert. Paperback, illus-trated, detailed drawings, maps, 144 pages,$3.95.DESER T GEM TR AILS by Mary Frances StrongDESERT Magazine's Field Trip Editor's popularfield guide for rockhounds. The "bible" for bothamateur and veteran rockhounds and back coun-try explorers, and covers the gems and mineralsof the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Heavy pa-perback, 80 pages, $2.00.GOLD GAMBLE by Roberta Starry. Lavishly il-lustrated with old photos, the text recounts thevivid memories of the gold mining boom in Cali-fornia's Rand Mining District. Large format, ex-cellent index, 167 pages, $4.25.

SELDOM SEEN SLIM by Tom Murray. Profilesand vignettes of the colorful "single blanketjackass prospec tors" who lived and died as theylooked for gold and silver in Death Valley. Slickpaperback, exclusive photos of the old-timers,65 pages, $3.00.DESERT PLANTS FOR DESERT GAR DENS byPatricia Moorten and Rex Nevins. Compiled forbetter understanding and appreciation of plantsindigenous to the desert region, including pro-per design for desert gardens, container plants,pool areas and complete landscaping. Paper-back, illustrated, 113 pages, $3.00.NEW ME XICO , photographs by David Muench,text by Tony Hillerman, depicting New Mexico'smany and varied contrasts in a unique blend thatis her m ysterious beautyand a grandeur that isour natural heritage. Hardcover, large format,188 pages, $25.00.

Desert/ September 1975


9/48

California residentsplease add6% state sales taxPlease add 25c for postage & handling

B LUE GOLD, The Turquoise Story by M . G .Broman. Information on the identification, his-tory and mining of turquoise, as well as an intro-duction to the lapidary and silversmithing tech-niques used in making turquoise jewelry. Thisbook is intended for the general reader who isinterested in knowing more about the origin ofturquoise as well as the interesting facets of buy-ing, collecting and assembling of turquoisepieces. Paperback, color and b/w photos, $4.95.GHOST TOWNS OF THE COLORADO ROCK-IES by Robert L. Brown. Written by the authorof Jeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns, thisbook deals with ghost towns accessible by pas-senger car. Gives directions and maps for f ind-ing towns along with historical backgrounds.Hardcover, 401 pages, $7.95.HOPI SILVER , The History and Hallmarks ofHopi Silversmithing by Margaret Wright. Yearsof research have made this book a historicallydescriptive piece on the Hopi silversmiths. Illus-trated with many photographs of silverwork, andmore than a dozen pages devoted to the varioushallmarks beginning in 1890 and continuedthrough 19 71, naming the silvers mith , the clan,the village, dates worked and whether or not thesilverwork is still being made. Paperback, 100pages, $4.95.NEW M EXICO GEM TR AILS by Bessie W .Simpson. Gield guide for rockhounds with 40maps and 65 locations. 88 pages, profusely i l lu-strated, $3.50.

B ALLAR AT, Compiled by Paul Hubbard, DorisBray and George Pipkin. Ballarat, now a ghosttown in the Panamint Valley, was once a flour-ishing headquarters during the late 1880s and1900s for the prospectors who searched for silverand gold in that desolate area of California. Theauthors tell of the lives and relate anecdotes ofthe famous old-timers. First published in 1965,this reprinted edition is an asset to any library.Paperback, illustrated, 98 pages, $3.00.LOAFING ALONG DEAT H VALLEY TR AILS byWilliam caruthers. Author Caruthers was anewspaper man and a ghost writer for earlymovie stars, politicians and industrialists. He"slowed down" long enough to move to DeathValley and there wrote his on-the-spot story thatwill take you through the quest for gold on thedeserts of California and Nevada. Hardcover,old photos, 187 pages, $4.25.SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAIN TRAILS byJohn W. R obinson. Easy one-day and more rug-ged hiking trips into the historic mountains. The100 hiking trails are described in detail and illus-trated so you will not get lost. Heavy paperback,257 pages, $4.95.

BEACHES OF BAJA by Walt Wheelock. Beach-es on the Pacific side of Lower California are de-scribed by the veteran Baja explorer, UrtlikeCalifornia beaches, they are still relatively freeof crowds. Paperback, illus., 72 pages, $1.95.DESERT WILD FLOWERS by Edmund C. Jae-ger. One of the most complete works ever pub-lished on flora of the Southwestern deserts.Easily understood by amateur botanists andtravelers as it is informative to the professional.322 pages, well illustratged, $2.95.GOLD FEVER by Helen E. W ilson. Exciting andtrue story of a couple prospecting against for-midable odds during the Nevada Gold Strike inJarbridge. Fabulously illustrated with early-dayphotos. 140 pages, softbound, $5.00.WEATHER IN THE WEST by B ette Roda An-derson, is a layman's book covering the funda-mentls of weather. Contains incomparable colorand black and white photos. An unusual and val-uable library addition. Hardcover, large format,223 pages, copiously illustrated, $18.95.PHOTO ALBUM OF YESTER DAY'S SOUTH-WEST compiled by Charles Shelton. Early daysphoto collection dating from 1860s to 1910 showsprospectors, miners, cowboys, desperados andordinary people. 195 photos, hardcover, fine giftitem, $12.50.OW YHEE TR AILS by Mike Hanley and EllisLucia. The authors have teamed to present theboisterous past and intriguing present of this stillwild corner of the West sometimes called theI-O-N, where Idaho, Oregon and Nevada come to-gether. Hardcover, 225 pages, $7.95.

WILDLIFE OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS byJim Cornett. Written for the layman and seriousstudents alike, this is an excellent book on all ofthe common animals of the'Southwest deserts. Amust for desert explorers, it presents a brief lifehistory of everything from ants to b urros. Paper-back, 80 pages, $2.99.THE NOR TH AMER ICAN DESERTS by Ed-mund C. Jaeger. A long-time authority on allphases of desert areas and life, Dr. Jaeger'sbook on the North American Deserts should becarried where ever you travel. It not only de-scribes each of the individual desert areas, buthas illustrated sections on desert insects, rep-tiles, birds, mammals and plants. 315 pages,illustrated photographs, line drawings andmaps. Hardcover, $6.95NEW B AJA HANDB OOK for the Off-PavementMotorist in Lower California by James T. Crow.Discover the real Baja that lies beyond the edgeof the paved road, the unspoiled, out-of-the-wayplaces unknown to the credit-card tourist. Theauthor, drawing from his extensive travels inthese parts, tells where to go, what to takealong, the common sense of getting ready. Illus-trated, paperback, 95 pages, $3.95.Desert/September 1975

BACK ROADS OF CALIFOR NIA by Earl Thol-lander and the Editors of Sunset Books. Earlystagecoach routes, missions, remote canyons,old prospector cabins, mines, cemeteries, etc.,are visited as the author travels and sketches theCalifornia Backroads. Through maps and notes,the traveler is invited to get off the freeways andsee the rural and country lanes throughout thestate. Hardcover, large format, unusually beau-tiful illustrations, 207 pages, $10.95.BIG R ED: A WILD STALLION by R utherfordMontgomery. There was a time when there w eremany wild horse herds on our western ranges.These herds, jealously guarded by the stallionthat had won them, met with real trouble whenthe hunters found they could get good prices forthem from meat processors. Big Red tells howone stallion successfully defends his herd fromboth animal and human enemies. Illustrated,hardcover, 163 pages, $4.95.THE GOLD HEX by Ken Marquiss. A singleman's endeavors, Ken has compiled 20 of histreaure hunts in book form. His failure to hit the"jackpot" does not mean he is treasureless.From gold panning to hardrock, from dredgingto electronic metal detecting, he enjoyed a life-time of "doing his thing." Slick paperback, il-lustrated with photos and maps, 146 pages,$3.50.THE OREGON DESERT by E. R. Jackman andR. A. Long. Filled w ith both facts and anecdotes,this is the only book on the little but fascinatingdeserts of Oregon. Anyone who reads this bookwill want to visit the areasor wish they could.Hardcover, illustrated, 407 pages, $8.95.

FROM MAINE TO MECCA by Nevada C. Col-ley. The history of California's Coachella Valleyis told by the author who knew many of the old-'timers and listened to their stories, sometimeshumorous, but always telling of their struggleand fortitude in developing one of the most for-midable deserts in this country. Hardcover, 245pages, $5.95.WILY WOMEN OF THE WEST by Grace Er-nestine R ay. Such women of the West as BelleStarr, Cattle Kate and Lola Montez weren't allgood and weren't all bad, but were fascinatingand conflicting personalities, as researched bythe author. Their lives of adventure were a vitalpart of the life of the Old West. Hardcover, illus-trated, 155 pages, $7.95TEM ALPA K H by Lowell John Bean and K ather-ine Siva Saubel. Temalpakh means "from theearth," in Cahuilla, and covers the many-uses ofplants used for food, medicine, rituals and thoseused in the manufacturing of baskets, sandals,hunting tools; and plants used for dwellings.Makes for a better understanding of environ-mental and cultural relationships. Well illustrat-ed, 225 pages, hardcover, $10.00; paperback,$6.50.

9


10/48

by AL von D ER ING

THERE'S A six by three mile chunkof terrain high up in the ColoradoRockies that 's the world's r ichest

gold distr ict . True, there are other re-gions in the world that have producedmore gold, but these districts covermany, many square miles, not just a fewlike famous Cripple Creek.

Many mining distr icts are born over-night, so to speak, after their dis-covery. But not Cripple Creek. It took 12long years of serious prospecting byCowboy Bob Womack and then twoyears more before others became con-vinced that Womack had, indeed, madea big discovery.

This long hunt for gold on the backside of Pike's Peak began when BobWom ack, while r iding the range in 1878,happened to spot a piece of rock thatlooked different from the others in thevicinity. Being a prospector at heart anda cowboy by necessity, he picked up thisodd greyish-colored stone and found itheavy for its size. He was unable to findother pieces of the same rock, however.Sti l l , he could not forge t his piece of floatand on the next trip into ColoradoSpring s, he took it to an assayer. The re-port came back: Very, very r ich, for thiswas a piece of sylvanite ore that he hadfound.

Bob knew the vein that was the sourceof his piece of float just had to be some-place above where he had foun d it so hebegan his long search for its origin.Eventually, he located other pieces ofsylvanite and finally, he staked a claimcovering the area where he found theheaviest concentration of float. Obtain-10 Desert /September 1975


11/48

ing a grubstake on the basis of assay re-ports, he started working his claim. Theresults were discouraging. Eventually,he sold the claim and began lookingfarther af ield . The miner who bought theclaim worked it the rest of that seasonwith no better results, and abandoned itas worthless.

Not locating anything else, Womackdecided to return to the area of theoriginal claim once more. This t ime,however, he started his exploratory dig-ging in another section of the old claimand it was not long before he uncoveredthe vein for which he had been searchingso many years. Unde rstand, thoug h, thatat this elevation of just under 10,000feet, the prospecting season is quiteshort and winters are very long. Sti l l ,Wom ack had spent a sizable chunk of hisl ife following his wil l-o-the-wisp.

Even with a proven vein of rich ore,Womack still had problems in its devel-opment. It takes a lot of cold hard cashto finance and develop a hard rock mine.Those with that kind of money were justnot interested in Womack's El Pasomine. For one thing, sylvanite ore doesnot look like what it is, a rich gold ore.Most people were more familiar withquartz ores in which the gold content isgenerally quite visible. In sylvanite, thisis not so. Also add to this the fact thatthere had been a couple of false miningrushes in the vicinity, perpetrated byswindlers. One to the west of M t. Pig-sah, a prominent local landmark, and theother farther to the north near Floris-sant. At any rate, development moneywas slow in coming. Lit t le did theseDesert /September 1975

people realize that Womack had dis-covered the richest, most concentratedgold-producing distr ict of them all, atrue mother lode.

Bob Womack filed his discovery claimin the fall of 1890. As the word spreadt h roughou t o t he r Co lo rado m in ingcamps, professional prospectors starteddropping in to have a look-see. Some,like Old Man Stratton, prospected thearea thoroughly. He found a sectionsome five miles to the south of thePoverty Gulch discovery area that was tohis liking and staked a series of claims.Some he gave away and some heretained. All proved to be incrediblyr ich. Many produced as much gold in afew days as other mining areas in theWest produced in their l i fet ime.

Cripple Creek made millionaires bythe dozen and Old Man Stratton was oneof the richest. As the fates often de-cree, the locaters of mining camps diepenniless and such was the fate of BobWomack.

The city of Cripple Creek was plattedin the rolling hill area below PovertyGulch and on the ranch where BobWomack rode the range. Victor, thesecond major city of the district and onlyslightly smaller than Cripple Creek, wasestablished on the slopes below Old ManStratton's mines. The Woods brothers,who platted the town, discovered theirvery r ich "Gold Coin" mine when blast-ing for the cellar and foundations of theirnew hotel. The "Strong M in e, " one thatcontinues to produce today, is also wi th -in the city limits. The Gold Coin has longbeen shut down.

Far Left: Visitors at the mineheadof the Mollie Kathleen M ine Museum .Left: The El Paso M ineis working again. Above: Schoolis out in Independence.

In 1892, the district began to expandrapidly unt i l by the turn of the centurythere were over 500 mines in operation.Peak population, according to the mostoptimistic figures, reached the 100,000mark. These people lived in the twomajor cities and 10 or 12 smaller com-mun it ies. A more realist ic f igure perhapswould be half to two-thirds that f igure.More than 10,000 men were engaged inactual mining operat ions. Mil l ions uponmillions of dollars poured from these richmines.

The district was served by three raill ines, the first reaching the area in 1894.These were the Midland Terminal thatcame in from the north, the Short Linethat came in over the mountains from theeast and the Florence and Cripple Creekthat came in from the south. There weretwo street car lines. One, called the"Low Line" ran around the lowerreaches of the m inin g area on its way be-tween towns. The other, called "TheHigh Line," ran over the top of themining distr ict where the elevation ap-proaches 11,000 feet.

W ith the explorat ion period over, con-solidation set in as individu als sold out tomajor syndicates and other mines wereworked out. As miners burrowed deeper

11


12/48

and deeper, water became a seriousproblem. This was alleviated to somedegree by dr i l l ing in drainage tunnelsunder the distr ict, but water was, andst i l l is, a problem.

Wor ld War I brought a halt to miningand although it was resumed after theArmist ice, it never regained its formerprominence. The flu epidemics of thet imes decimated whole families. Othersleft the area, never to return. Manymines never reopened. But mining con-t inued andmany more millions came outof the ground.

When theGreat Depression hit, some125 mines were in operat ion. Thepopu-lation of the area had dwindled to per-haps no more than a tenth of its peakt imes Only the M i d l a n d T e r m i n a lRailroad still served the distr ict. Theother two and the street cars had longsince disappeared from the scene. Sti l l ,Cripple Creek and Victor were busy,prosperous cities and the distr ict felt lit-tle of the effects of the depression.

Wor ld War II had aneven more dras-tic effect onCripple Creek than the f i rs twar. Once again, the mines closed and

The Ajax Mine above Victor.even fewer reopened at the end of thewar. The costs of mining, measuredagainst the government's pegged priceof gold, made operations very marginalat best. The decision to tear out theMidland Terminal d idn ' t help a bit.

N O W T A K I N G R E S ER V A TIO N Sfor

Fall and Winter Tripsto Death V alleyD E G E R TE X P E D I T I O N S ,I N C .Write for our brochure describingour 7-day camping tours.

Box1404D,Palm Desert, California92260

In . theHeart of theMother Lode visitthe Most Picturesque of Them All

off Highway 88 nAmador CountyThe Jug& Rose

Mur ie l ThebautCalifornia Traveler

Book Publisher Fred S.CookThe Bandstand

Muriel Thebaut

Launs Genera l StoreLarry & Aloha Laun

A Stitch inTimeHandmad e Gifts Diana Mitchel lLittle Shamrock Lapidary

Hank Varley12

With it went the mill down in ColoradoSprings that had been treat ing CrippleCreek ores forover ahalf century. A newmil l wasbui l t in thedistr ict to service themines, but f inal ly , in 1961, t, too, wasforced to shut down andwith it thehand-fu l of mines still in operation also closed.

Only a few old-timers stayed, plus afew businessmen. Old buildings becamevacant and many fell victim to high al-t i tude winters. The camp was dead,coming to life only briefly each shortsummer as atourist attract ion. Thefameof the I m pe r ia l Ho t e l M e lod ram abrought in many. Others seeking a cooland restful summer climate bought oldminers' homes and made them intosummer residences.

Th e El Paso and Moll ie Kathleenmines began to take visitors below thesur face on escor ted tours of t he i rdiggings. The old Midland Terminal de-po t in Cripple Creek became a museumof d is t r ic t re l ics . The old " P a r l o rHouse , " the last of the "Red L igh t "street buildings also became a museum.

Old mining distr icts die hard. Thosefamiliar with Cripple Creek have alwaysknown that there was st i l l ore in payingquantit ies there. When the price of goldwent up astronomically and the federalgovernment raised the pegged price,things began to look up for CrippleCreek. The mil l is to be reopened. TheAjax Mine, high on top of the mountainabove, Victor, reopened and if you canbelieve local talk, put on crews to workthree shifts a day and was manning its

Deser t /S eptember 1975


13/48

great water pumps 24hours a day,sevendays aweek. The Strong mine reopenedas did the El Paso. The lat ter is not BobWomack's El Paso but the big mine be-low the highway not far out of Victor onth e way to Cripple Creek. While in thearea last summer we heard rumors ofo t he r open ings be ing con t em p la t ed .Only the Moll ie Kathleen, on the slopesof Tenderfoot Hil l above Cripple Creek,is nowopen to visitors.

In the end, t hough, it's tourists thathave kept Cripple Creek going. Today,those business buildings still standinghave been or arebeing restored and con-tain tourist-oriented businesses for themost part. A housing shortage has led tosome building and the importat ion of anumber of mobile homes.

Where miner's boots clomped up anddown thesidewalks, nowtourists throng.Last summer, on a stroll up BennettStreet, Cripple Creek's main street, weobserved vehicles from nearly everystate in the Union, plus a number fromCanadian provinces.

Small wonder, this inf lux, for here isan extremely interest ing old miningcamp with a great history. It is possibleto drive through andaround the miningarea, however much of the district awayfrom the highway is closed to visitors.This is due to the danger of cave-ins ofthe old mining stopes. From a distanceyo u canobserve those fewmines that areworking. A stroll down Bennett Streetpermits close examination of the remain-ing old buildings, most of which bear thedate of 1896. Cripple Creek was vir tual lydestroyed by f ire in the spring of thatyear and when she rebui l t , it was inbrick, to last.

Cripple Creek's wonderful mountainscenery by itself would constitute reasonenough for visit ing thearea. With Pike'sPeak rising up to the east and in viewfrom the top of the distr ict, the groundfalls off to the west and south intocanyons and va l l eys . The f an t as t i cSangre de Cr i s t o m oun t a in r angestretches across the southern horizonand extends to the north. The hi l l onwhich the mines are located is coveredlargely byaspens. In fall these areshim-mering delights of gold. A carpet ofwildflowers covers open slopes in sum-mer. At alt itudes running from 9,500 to11,000 feet, it is never hot in summeran d at the same t ime the climate andelevation are inv igorat ing, demandingDesert/September 1975

deep breathing and arelaxed att itude forful l enjoyment.

When you plan your next trip toColorado, allot a day or two, or more ifpossible, for avisit to Cripple Creek andVictor. Plan to take in the MelodramaTheater at the Imperial Hotel. Visit theMoll ie Kathleen mine and the museumin Cripple Creek and be sure to spendt ime explor ing the roads of the distcictand don't forget Victor. Such an i t ineraryassure amem orable Colorado vacation.

JiWUKY CKAFTS CATALOG

F R E E !GET

C R A M - S

Lapidary rockhounding"' 'ewelry making... add up toa fascinating creative art!

A FAMILY VACATIONtwistLake rowdl

as . . .Captain, First Mate andCrew of a twin-engine 43'Luxuriously equipped BoatelAqua Sports Paradise!A Change of Pace!

Unmatched B eauty with clean air,sunny days, andstarlit nights.FREE BROCHURES

Call collect or write:714 466-5316 Hite Marina Inc. P.O. Box 218La Mesa,California 92041Enjoy OurNew Modern MotelKitchenettesNew Camper ParkComplete UtilitiesRelax in OurHot Mineral BathsHydro Therapy Massagei-iyaro Inerapy MassageT e c o p a H o t S p r i n g s R e s o r tOld West HospitalityPhone 714-852-4373

Crisp Clean Air Warm Winter SunshineTecopa, California

T o u r s in o r n e a rC a n y o n l a n d s N a t io n a l P a rkISLAND IN THE SKY ' W A S H E R W O M A NWALK ING ROCKS 'MON UM ENT BASINARCHES NATIONAL PARKONION CREEK 'HU RR AH PASSGE MINI BRIDGES ROCKHOUNDING

RATES8 Hours $15.00 perperson4 Hours $10.00 perpersonSpecial Tours $20.00 perpersonUnfolded, Framable 16" x 22"Stereographic Mapsot Canyonlands &Arches National Parks,$1.25 each Postpaid.

L I N O T T IN G E R ' S T O U R SMoab R ock Shop. 137 N. M a i n , M o b , Ulah 84532Phone [S01 ] 259-7312 for Reservat ions

SLIDE SHOWNightly, 8 p.m

Walking Rocks in Canyonlands1 3


14/48

Excavating thecave, the area wascarefully measuredand patientlyscreened. Photocourtesy NevadaState Museum.

A n e x c i t in g a r c h e o l o f i i c a l s i t e . . .

T H E LASTby DORIS CERVERI!

T ISN'T OFTE N that a dry, dustycave will reveal its carefully guardedsecrets, but when it does something

startling is uncovered.This is what happened over a two-year

period when archeologists and studentswere excavating a cave in a remote areao f no r thweste rn Nevada where thescenery is spectacular.

The most significant discovery wasfound at the three-foot level. Two pinkstrata of volcanic ash were found; onewithin the occupational area of the cave;the other below it, extending to a depthof eight feet.

"Although Crater Lake is 250 milesfrom the cave area," declared JonathanDavis, a pleistocene geologist, "we be-lieve this volcanic ash was depositedduring its eruption. Similar deposits ofthis material, which have been authen-14

t icated, were laid down in many areas ofthe Pacific Northwest. It has been prov-en that cinders, rocks, etc. are pro-jected skyward with tremendous force.A s h , in particular, travels through theair for great distances. However, this isthe first time the ash has been found anyplace in Nevada. Gradually over a periodof years the material was covered overby layers of lava, rock and soil whichhardened. Later, water flowing in thearea seeped through the rocky layers,pockets of air within it cracked and largeholes were formed, one of them being acave entrance."

Another unusual f ind for this desertlocale was fresh-water mussel shells in astratum. These were probably takenfrom the creek which runs below thecave through a picturesque canyon.

In addition, obsidian projectile pointsand stone scrapers of a type that pre-viously have been found only on ancientbeach terraces of dried up lakes within

the Great Basin were turned up. Also,pieces of coiled and twine basketry werefound. The best specimen was a fairlylarge fragment of closely-woven bas-ketry which unfortunately was the onlypart left after having been chewed andutilized to line a rat's nest.

Numerous pairs of sagebrush sandalswere dug up. One unique pair had thetoes and heels almost worn through butthe soles were still intact and anklethongs were attached to them. Bits ofnetting used in rabbit dr ives, cordageand for sandals were also uncovered.

This year's group spent considerablet ime co l lec t ing coper l i te and seedsamples. A soil flotation method wasused to process large soil samples (abouta cubic foot). Soil is dumped into amachine and water is added whichcauses seed to float to the surface whereit is collected with fine screens.

Students excavating the cave last sum-mer found numerous bones on the sur-Desert/September 1975


15/48

The Last SupperCave archaeological

excavation wasvisited last summerby members of the

Nevada StateMuseum board of

trustees and otherinterested parties.The dig, which

unearthed someunexpected

evidence of man'soccupation of thecave some 10,000years ago, w ill be

completed thissummer with the aid

of a grant from theMaxC.

FleischmannFoundation.

P P E R C A V Eface and wooden bloodstained pegswhich had been used to stake hides tothe floor of the cave to be drie d. This wasevidence that the bones, etc., had beenleft there the early part of this century,and were the remains of a feast. Duringthe early 1900s, when pioneers traveledacross Nevada and some food sourcespreviously utilized by Indians becamedepleted, the Indians rustled livestockfor food in retaliation. This they cartedoff to remote places, such as caves whe rethey could enjoy a "last supper."

Stan Smith of Reno discovered the"Last Supper Cave" in 1969 while hewas chukkar hunting in the area. Uponhis return to Reno, he reported it toarcheo log is ts a t the Nevada Sta teMuseum in Carson City, but no excava-t ion work was attempted, principally be-cause of a lack of funds. However, whenfinancial aid for the project was given bythe Max C. Fleischmann Foundation,work started in June 1973. Student feesDesert/September 1975

also augmented the grant.The reason the work was not com-

pleted the first season was because thecave proved to be far richer archeo-logically than was anticipated. All exca-vation work was co-sponsored by theMuseum and the University of Nevada.Dr. Thomas N. Layton, director of themuseum , was overall director. Assist inghim were Dr. J. Davis, geologist andRobert York, a museum archeologistwhose job was field supervisor andteacher. Other members of the staff in-cluded two cinematographers and acook.

Students who worked in the cave forpractical on-the-site field experiencewere juniors majoring in anthropologyand they received six credits.

Residents of the area and others work-ing in local opal "digs" often visited thecamp. They were treated to a tour of thecanyon and cave by whichever memberof the staff or student was available, and

also had an opportunity to watch twoyoung sparrow hawks found and raisedby the workers. They also had a chanceto oh! and ah! at the daring bravery ofs tudents who occas iona l ly rappe l leddown the sheer cliffs which rise severalhundred feet above the canyon floor.

In the months ahead, archeologistswill pour over and critically examinehundreds of artifacts, the seeds, thecoperlites, the volcanic ash, the shellsand every other bit and piece relating toman's occupation of the cave. Dating ofsome of the artifacts has already estab-lished that the cave was used not only inthis century, but as far back as 10,000years ago. Seeds will furnish data onwhat kinds of food were eaten. In fact, allt he knowledge ga ined w i l l enab learcheologists to put into place yetanother piece in the jigsaw puzzle ofearly man's life in the Great Basin.

The Last Supper Cave holds no furthersecrets! 15


16/48

AdventureW h e r eYou

Find I tDVENTURE is a state of mind. But29 beware; drink deep, or taste not, ad- Iv en tu re also is contagious.In i ts most simple form, adventuremight be something so seemingly mun-dane as simply tak ing a different route towork. It 's a change from the ordinary; amomentary escape from l i fe 's boringslump.

In recent years, psychiatrists blesstheir hearts, have provided mankind,and women, too,/With a new source ofcomedy. They have said that any devia-tion from routine constitutes an adven-ture. And this deviation they insist is what adds fuel to the soul and sparkleto the heart.

It also adds variation to conversation.How long has it been, for example, sinceyou've discussed your route to work w ithyour wife? Or, how long has it been ifyou're a woman since you have talkedabout making the bed.

What the heck! Leave it unmade oncein awhile.16

Adventure. That's what this article isal l about. Simple adventure which wil lbe easy to digest.

Adve nture do esn't have to be an Afr i -can safari this writer has been there.It doesn't have to be a hectic ride downrapid waters, I've done that, too. It's notnecessarily a hunt for bear in Alaska.I've tried that. Nor does it have to beanything connected with the gargantuanaccomplishments of television cameras.

It 's a state of mind. It 's anticipation.It's a stimulation of the pancreas glandsand the maddening flow of adrenalin.

This can be caused by a beautifulscene.

Let's talk about anticipation, one ofthe pr ime ingredients of a stimulatingadventure. But let's be practical. Let'scombine this discussion of anticipationwith the outl ine of a real adventure.

How about a tr ip down a r iver? Howabout the Owens River.

This r iver f lows gently through theOwens Valley. It 's tranquil, easy to ne-

gotiate and full of large trout. If it's sotranqui l , you must be asking, "W her e isthe ant ic ipat ion?"

W el l , there is a rough spot. It 's a reallu lu. Unless you're a pro at runningwhite water, you'l l have to get out andwalk . . . and, you don 't have much timeto make up your mind whether you'l lwalk or run it.Let's start this journey down theOwens River at Bishop, California. Thisis a fascinating l i tt le town located in-congruous ly be tween the con i fe rouscovered High Sierra Mountains to thewest and the barren, desert- l ike WhiteMountains to the east.

A simple surplus rubber raft is ade-qua te fo r the t r ip . They can bepurchased for a few dollars at just aboutany Arm y su rplus store. Throw in a bit ofcamping gear and toss the raft into theriver.

Highway 395 goes through the centerof Bishop. A t urn to the east at just aboutany of the major intersections will takeyou to the river. From here on, it's easy. . . except that rough spot. You have tokeep this "s po t" in mind as you let thecurrent carry you downstream.

That's r ight! Let the current do thework. You can f ish, go to sleep orwhatever. But don't get too involved.That rough spot is going to be somewhatdem anding. A nd it 's only a few milessouth of Bishop.

The first t ime I f loated down theOwens, I had been told about this roughspot. But I wasn't too concerned. I haverun just about every river in the west.However, i t 's the anticipation. And thisparticular spot has its way of creatinganticipation.

The river snakes back and forth acrossthe valley floor. It 's bordered by thick and unpassable vegetation. Over thetop of the cattai ls and tules, there is amagnificent view of both the White and

Desert /Septem ber 1975


17/48

m

* *

byA L P E A R C E

There's fishing, too.Jimon Covert, of

Fontana, California,shows off a string of

trout taken whilefloating down the

Owens River. Thefloat trip can be madein two days, if toomuch time is not

devoted to fishing.High Sierra Mountains, Sierra Nevada,if you prefer. The Sierras are crowned bysnow; and the deep-blue sky is partiallyblanketed by bil lowy clouds. I t 's reallyquite peaceful.

But after f loat ing downstream a mileor two, this sound disturbs the silence.You strain your ears to identify this pe-Desert/September 1975

culiar noise. What is it? It has a familiar,d is turbing qual i ty .

Ant ic ipat ion mounts. I t sounds l i k e -but can it be? It is! Or, at least, it soundsl ike a water fal l .

I t 's r ight around the next bend no?We l l , i t 's around the next one.

But no, it isn't. Nor is it around the

next, or the next, or the one after that.Talk about anticipation????Each bend generates a new pitch of

excitement. The shores on both sides arethickly bordered by vegetat ion. There'sno hope of beaching. You begin to thinkyou have already passed the point ofdecision. Continued

17


18/48

C ATALOGFU N I PR OFITW I T HMETAL DETECTORS

COMPASS, GOLDAK, MYTY-MYTEFrom $59.95 to $299.50For the Prospector & Treasure Hunters.We have Gold Pans, Books, Topo Maps,Dredges, and many other Reiated Supplies.Mortar & Pestle Vi Pt. size CastIron Postpaid $6.50.JACOBSEN SUPPLIERS9322 California Avt. , South Gate, Calif .Phone (213) 569-1041 90210

insulator ownersDisplay you r INSULATORS inmany dif ferent-attract ive-funct ional ways. Send ony $1.75for plan No. 1-TABLE TOP INSULATOR LAMP.Large complete easy tofol low plan andphoto . Plus alisting ofour many other uniqueINSULATOR DISPLAY PLANS -KITS and pricel ist ofour large INSULATOR COLLECTION.

( 5 0 1 refundable with second order)insulator king

P.O. B o x 1 7 4 1 6 S a n D i e g o , CA 9 2 1 1 7MEMBER ofNATIONAL INSULATOR ASSOCIATION

M O V I N G ?So you wil l not miss an issuenotify us as soon as poss ible.

Be sure to include o ld addressas well as the new

AND BOTH Z IP CODES!

Now and then, however, there is anopening in the tules. You stare anxiouslydownstream. The sound offal l ing watergrows louder. The opening on the bank'sedge looks more inviting, more secure.

You push on. Hoping, wonderingand anticipation mounts.

Then, another bend in the river andit's there. There is adrop ofabout fivefeet in 10feet. But it's fu l l of pro-truding rocks.

Actua lly, there is aot of t imea min-ute at leastto make a decision. There seven a convenient opening in the vegeta-tion-thickened banks.

You glance back and forth quickly.You paddle frantically for the"open-i n g . " But you hesitate. You glance onceagain towards the oaming water. Therocks are thick.

Then . . . you'l l throw caution toth ewind, take a deep breath and do whatI did . . .paddle like hell for that openingon the bank. You will have just aboutused upthat minute.

There is a feeling ofexhilaration whenyou reach out and grab ahand full ofvegetation and therubber raft swingseasily against the security of the bank.There is afeeling ofaccomplishment; afeeling of having done something.

Just below this miniature waterfal l ,the Owens River spreads itsinfluence.This is one of myfavorite spots. It'sb e a u t i f u l ; r e s t fu l andf a sc i n a t i n g l yinspir ing.

The Owens River, forabout 20 milessouth ofBishop, is largely inaccessible.No t toomany people have come thisway. Maybe this is he reason I like itsomuch. There are a whole flock ofpeoplea half-dozen-or-so miles away. But here,you're practically lonely.

GOKDONA >lin


19/48

The Owens River narrows to form rapidwater and w idens for moments of tran-quility. Here, Timon and the author floatpeacefully with the current while tryingto pull trout out of the weed-lined bank.then, but these are easily negotiated.Like the section of the river along thefal ls, it turns and twists, but now there isno need for concern.

Floating down the Owens River maynot be the type of adventure that wouldattract a Hollywood camera crew, but itis a break in routine which might staveoff the psychiatrist a bit longer.

It also is the type of diversion whichmight lead to an unquenchable thirst.Adventure does this to people. Whileseem ing ly jus t a d ivers ion o f themoment, it has a tendency to stimulatethe appetite.

From the Owens, there's the Des-chutes River in Oregon; the SalmonRiver in Idaho; or the angry ColoradoRiver through the Grand Canyon.

But once you've done a particularthin g no matter what the scale some of the anticipation fades.

It 's the new; it 's the different thatkeeps the soul young and hop eful.

about are always too close and too con-venient for a trout seeking an avenue ofescape. The fisherman needs enoughmuscle to keep the trout and the tulesseparated. Otherwise, i t 's "goodbye."

The last time I drifted down theOwens, I was with Timon Covert of Fon-tana, California. We made this f irst sec-t ion easily in a morning's t ime. Aftercamping the night below the falls, wemade the second part of the run.

This is what makes it so simple.Bishop is an easy drive from anywhe re inSouthern California. And the r iver canbe f loated easily du ring a weekend, w ithplenty of time left to drive home.

Our wives were with us and they metus below the falls and again just north ofLone Pine where we got out of the water.However, this is not really a requireme ntfor f loa t ing the Owens. Wi th aninflatable raft, it 's easy to get a ride fromthe end of the trip back to the startingpoint. Passersby stop anxiously to hearyour story.

As I said earlier, that second part ofthe r iver is charming. There are a fewobstacles, such as a fallen tree now andDesert/September 1975

TR EASUR E HUNTER S PROSPECTORS Metal-Mineral DetectorsDREDGESDRY WASHERS MAPSBOOKS TOOLS ASSAY KITSLUICE BOXES MINERAL LIGHTSLAPIDARY EQUIPMENTSend 25c for catalog to:A U R O R A6286 BEACH BLVD.

BUENA PARK, CALIF. 90620[714] 521-6321COE PROSPECTOR SUPPLY9264 KATELLAANA HEIM , CALIF. 92804[7141995-1703

F R E E 19751 5 6 P a g eC A T A L O G 0F

D E T E C T O R S B O O K S M A P SGeneral Electronic Detection Co.16238 Lakewood Blvd .Bellflower. California 90706

ANOTHER OUTSTANDINGFULL COLOR PRESENTATIONON THE CULTURE OFTHE SOUTHWEST

Jewelry Pottery Baskets Rugs Kachinas Indian Art Sandpaintings96 pages 9 " x 1 2" size225 Color Photographs

57.95Soft Cover

Order FromD e s e r t M a g a z i n e B o o k S h o pP.O. Box 1318, Palm Desert, California 92260Please add 25 cents for postage & han dling Ca lif, residents please add 6 - state sales tax

19


20/48

E XPEC TANC Y W AS in the air as J mAnderson walked into the field with aPeregrine Falcon on his glove. Thefalcon was cast off and rose into the air.After circl ing, i t waited on. Prey was re-leased and took to flight. In one brilliantdive the falcon struck, bound to andcame to the ground with i ts quarry. Thishappens uncountable times daily in theworld of Nature. Along the chain of l i fe,each weak link is removed and the chainkept strong.

What made this event unusual? It hap-pened at the Annual Field Meet of theCalifornia Hawking Club. A "captive-b r e d " Peregrine Falcon had demonstrat-ed its abil i ty to work in partnership withman. For those who had not before wit-nessed the beauty of the relationshipbetween a falconer and his bir d of prey ,the field tr ials were an awe-inspir ing andunforgettable experience.

Long interested in raptors after havingenjoyed many years of pleasure with ourred-tai led hawk "Roja," Jerry and I ac-cepted the invitation from the CaliforniaHawking Club to attend their FieldMe et. It is a yearly event which br ingstogether falconers and interested guestsfrom all over the State of California.Practicing the art of falconry, each manor woman, and their raptors, competeagainst each other. It is a showcase20

where the training and skills they haveworked hard to develop can be demon-strated for others to enjoy.

Perhaps, more importantly, the Meetaffords the opportunity for falconers todiscuss birds and falconry in generalwith others of like interest. Though thereare many good books on the subject,nothing is more informative than discus-sion between experienced and neophytefalconers.

Dur ing the years our hawk "Roja"traveled the desert with us, she alwaysattracted considerable attention and agreat deal of respect. People were fas-cinated as well as afraid of this calm,quiet, gentle but f ierce-looking bi rd .Few of the people we met had any know-ledge about birds of prey. "Is that aneag le?" was generally the first questionthey asked. This was fol lowed by, "Doe she eat meat?" uttered in hushed tones.Apparently, the average person has hadlittle opportunity to learn about birds ofprey, their important role in Nature orfalconry.

The art originated in the Far East over4,000 years ago when men employedhawks to provide food for the table. Itwas later taken up as a sport by emper-ors, kings and other noblemen who prac-ticed falconry on a large scale. They hadthe time and money for such activit ies.

A part of a bird'straining consists offeeding on the glove,demonstrated here byJohn Morales and hisSparrow Hawk.

Falconers were hired to seek out andtrain rare and endangered birds so thenoblemen could vie for the honor ofowning the finest hunters and largestnumber of birds.

Kubla Khan is said to have kept over200 gyrfalcons and 300 other hawks. Heemployed a force of 10,000 "bea te rs " toscare up game during his hawking ex-peditions.

Trade between the Far East and Eur-ope introduced falconry to the C ontinent.By the 6th Century A.D., English noble-men had become enthusiasts and duringthe next seven centuries, falconry wasmain ly the "spor t o f k ings." However ,wide interest in it began to developamong the common man. The 16th Cen-tury was an era when falconry rose to bethe most popular sport in Europe. Yet,200 years later, few men practiced theancient art.



21/48

H A W K I N GW ED IDG O !

Resurgence of interest in falconry waslargely due to the efforts of ColonelThornton of Thornevil le Royal, England.An enthusiast ic and accomplished fal-coner, he helped to form a Haw king Clubin 1775. Since then, the practice of fal-conry has continued in Europe. Subse-quently, it was taken up in the UnitedStates and today is a high ly skilled sport.At the present t im e, there are approx i-mately 700 licensed falconers in Califor-nia, though not all of them are active.Birds of prey are protected by Federaland State laws, yet many of them havebecome endangered species. The indis-criminate use of pesticides in theirbreeding areas has been an importantfactor in their decline. Hundreds of rap-tors are killed yearly by farmers and so-cal led "hunters. " Many young nest l ingsare taken illegally every year and they donot survive in the hands of the unskilled.

Left: Jorge andAllison Meyerprepare to huntwith theirHarris Hawks.It is a team effortemploying theirwell-trained dogto flushthe game.Below: Acaptive-bredPeregrine Falconspreads herwings to a wintersun while restingon her block atthe Annual FieldMeet of theCaliforniaHawking Club.

by MA R Y FR A N C ES STRON GPhotos by Jerry Strong

Desert/September 1975 21 - .


22/48

Steps are now being taken to prevent allof the afore-mentioned practices.

Due, in great part, to the efforts of theCali fornia Hawking Club, there are strictrequirements for obtaining a falconry l i -cense in California. Three classes areissued Appre ntice, General and Ma s-ter. A n appren tice must be sponsored fortwo years by a holder of a General orMaster l icense. A written test also mustbe taken before an applicant is allowedto possess a raptor. Ful l information onthe Laws and Regulations pertaining tofalconry may be obtained from: Cali for-nia Department of Fish and Game, 1416Ninth Street, Sacramento, Cal i fornia95814.

In 1970, Jack W . Hagan , long-time fal-coner, recognized the need for those ofl ike interest to organize. Consequently,the Cali fornia Hawking Club was bornwith Jack as i ts founding president. TheClub is dedicated to "keeping falconry alegal, l icensed sport and working withlocal, state and federal officials to insurethe future and betterment of the art offa l conry . "

Members receive a quarterly News-letter and yearly Journal. Through thesefine publ ications the standards and qual-ity of falconry in California have been

markedly improved. Director's meetingsare held periodical ly and the AnnualField Mee t is scheduled each December.Anyone interested in membership maywrite to: Cal i fornia Hawking Club, P. O.Box 786, Sacramento, California 95804. Iam indebted to Jack Hagan and OmarWhite for graciously providing some ofthe background material on the club andits activi t ies.

Preservationists seem inten t on ta kingaway a great many of our hobbies andpleasures. They are determined to forceus into accepting only their ways. Wecan be thankful we live in a democraticsociety and we must all work hard tokeep it so. Closing the California Desertsto all recreationists but hikers is one oft he p res e rv a t i on i s t ' s goa l s . A no the rthing they wish to bar is falconry.

The Cali fornia Hawking Club is keep-ing well informed on proposed bi l ls ad-verse to falconry. Its members are alert-ed and countermeasures are taken toinsure the hobby's continuation. Reason-able regulations are welcomed and manyof the club's proposals have been ac-cepted.

Though affluency is not necessary,falconry does require a special breed ofman or woman for training birds of prey.

A long-timeattraction to theregal characteristicsof birds of preyeventually ledAllison Meyer tothe sport offalconry. Pausingbriefly betweenflights with herHarris Hawk, shecontemplates theirnext move.22

Their love and enjoyment of these majes-tic birds must be deep enough to over-come the many obstacles which wil l beencountered. A falconer must also haveunfai l ing patience; wide knowledge con-cerning proper care, feeding and train-ing; plus a will ingness to spend severalhours dai ly with his " b i r d . "

This all adds up to accepting a differ-ent l i festyle than his fr iends. He wil l f indthat many of the latter wi l l shake theirheads and remark, " H e is certainly dif-ferent a l l r ight ! " In a fa lconer 's homethe bird comes f irst. Whether raising aneyass (nestling) or a passager (wild birdtaken in i ts f i rst year), a deep relation-ship wi l l eventual ly develop between thefalconer and his raptor. It is only after hehas won the respect and friendship of hisbird that they can work as partners. Theski l ls developed mu st be practiced regu-larly.

Today, "Game Hawking" is only onephase in the modern art of falconry.Many programs are underway to helpprotect endangered species, as well asall raptors. Great strides are being madein raptor medicine, captive breeding, de-velopment of sanctuaries and rehabi l i -tat ion.

The captive breeding programs by fal-coners are proving successful. Not onlyare Peregrine Falcons (an endangeredspecies) being bred for use in falconry,but there is the po tential for he althy, un-contaminated birds to replenish andstrengthen wild populations. Can anypreservationist group in our nation boastof a comparable feat?

During the last f ive years, many Cali-fornia falconers have been engaged inthe breeding program. It has taken ef-fort, money, tr ial and disappointmentbut Spring 1975 is a time of progress.While the main interest at present is inPeregrine and Prairie Falcons, the cap-tive breeding of Harris H awks (known asthe Desert Hawk) and Goshawks is alsobeing t r ied.

Emery Molchan is one of the f irst toattempt breeding Prairie Falcons in acompletely control led environment. Ar t i -f icial l ighting is used and the falconshave been left alone for over six months.Their quarters are arranged so they canbe cared for without being disturbed byman. Due to control led l ighting, thefalcon laid six eggs in Ma rch a m onthearly! Falconers await the hatching suc-cess with great hope. It looks like a first

Des ert/ September 1975


23/48

will happen in 1975.As this article was in its final prepara-

t ion, word from a dedicated and helpfulfalconer, Omar White, was received thatthe falcons had successfully hatched aneyass! Congratulations are in order forEmorythe f irst man in California to" h a t c h " a captive-bred Prairie Falcon.

Little is ever heard about the workbeing done by skilled falconers to reha-bil i tate sick and injured birds of prey. A lldedicated falconers readily give theirtime a nd money to save the life of a bird.Injury is generally the problem and,most likely, the bird has been shot andleft to endure a l ingering and painfuldeath.

Desert's fam ily of readers wil l probab-ly be shocked to learn, as I was, thatthousands o f g reat b i rds o f p rey ,i nc lud ing ou r endange red A m er i cansymbol the Bald Eagle meet this fateevery year. Such actions have played aprominent role in the decline of manyspecies of birds.

During the Field Meet last December,we were all thrilled by Jack Balonchee'slit t le Merlin. His speed of f l ight and ac-curacy was most remarkable. Even moreso is the background of their relation-ship. Jack received the Merlin from theSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals. He had a veterinarian set thebird's broken wing, but it was the verynecessary "tender, loving care," provid-ed by Jack, that returned an injured birdto his full capabilit ies as a fine flyer.

Ma nys uch birds are returned success-fully to the wild each year by falconerswho do not seek thanks or publicity fortheir efforts. It is enough that a bird fliesfree. Falconry as a sport has no parallelin that dedicat ion to wild birds and t ra in-ed birds has the same deep and personalcommitment on the part of the falconer.

At one of the evening programs d uringthe Field M eet, we sat alongside a young"H aw ke r. " He was very informat ive andwill ing to answer the questions of "new-comers." Like the young, he was posi-t ive in his statements and left litt le roomfor error. We enjoyed our talk with him.

One of his comments part icularly in-terested me. "The re are two kinds of fal-coners," he told us. "Those who trulypractice the art of falconry and the petkeepers." The latter words were saidwith a great deal of scorn. His point waswell taken. No one should keep a healthybird of prey just to "sho w it of f" to

Many California falconers are engaged in the captive-breeding of birds of prey.Here Emery Molchan's Prairie Falcon broods her eggs. She has since hatched aneyass a first in captive-breeding under a controlled environment. Photo by Oma rWhite via a one-way mirror.

friends. To do so brings on an earlydeath for the bird.

I disagree with the young man only inthat I feel there are three classes of fal-conersthe two he named and thosewho o f f e r " succ o r and san c t ua ry . "Many injured birds recover but cannotbe returned to the wi ld . Usually, this isdue to a win g b eing so severely da magedthey cannot perform sustained flight.The ir lives should not be destroyed if it ispossible for them to lead a fu ll and happyexistence though sustained flight is im-possible.

When we lost our beloved "Roja," weconsidered taking an eyass to replaceher. However, due to the arrival of threebaby barn owls (Desert, June 1975), ourplans were postponed. While rearing thebarn owls, we rehabil i tated two injuredraptors and came to the conclusion abetter project for us would be to care forinjured birds.

Early this year our fr iend, CameWarden Doug Baker, brought us a Pas-sager , Red- ta i led Hawk. She waspromptly named "Roja the Second."Several weeks later, a Tiercel-PassagerRed-tailed Hawk joined the family. Wecalled him "Rusty." Both hawks hadbeen shot and severely injured.

In May, a month-old, Great HornedOwl joined our rapidly expanding raptor

family. Unharmed, but lost from thenest, "Princess" needed foster parents.

Roja and Rusty are recovering butthey will be unable to care for them-selves in the wi ld . At the present t ime,they are "in training" and by fall shouldbe ready to travel the desert back-coun-try with us. They are beautiful, intell i-gent and readily adjusting to their newl i fe. We have special plans for them andfeel they can make an important contri-bution in the education of our young peo-ple concerning the importance of raptorsin Nature's chain of life.

Fa lconry 's or ig ina l purpose was"Came Hawking." Today, i t has t rulydeveloped into an art of many facets. Itsskills can only be acquired by study, ob-servation and experience. The falconer'sdedication and interest has expanded toinclude research, breeding and protec-t ion.

After 4,000 years, one basic fact re-mains the same. Success in falconry isentirely dependent upon the relationshipbetween "man and b i r d . " That partner-ship is won only through love andrespect. When the f ierce, proud bird onhis glove turns and looks at him withsoft, warm eyesthe thri l l is indescrib-able. It is a marriage of man with a wildcreature. The years ahead will be forboth of them to enjoy togethe r.

Desert /September 1975 23


24/48

A r i z o n a ' s Old wago n near one of the crystalclear ponds at Pipe S pringNational Monument. Photo byCloyd Sorensen, Jr.

by MICHELLE METHVINM l H I L E MA NY tour is ts have t rave led5W the road that leads from Bryce and| | Zion National Parks to the North

Rim of the Grand Canyon, the majorityof them have passed by perhaps one ofthe most interesting national monu-ments in the surrounding area.

Designated as a national monumentby President Harding in 1923, PipeSpring has not been truly "discovered"by the road-bound sightseer because it isnot on a direct route. Y et to reach P ipeSpring, you must travel only 15 milessouthwest of Fredonia, Arizona, on U.S.89 via Arizona 389.

There are no overnight accommoda-tions at Pipe Spring, the nearest beingFredonia and Kanab, Utah. However, i fyou are interested in even one small seg-ment of the settl ing of the Southwest,there is no excuse for not seeing andvisit ing this national monument.

Located between the Grand Canyonand St. George, Utah, it has been almostignored. Though it is surprising how fewpeople have visited Pipe Spring, it isamazing how many more do not know ofthe monument's existence.

Pipe Spring is a tiny oasis, situated ina semi-ar id land on the Moccasin Ter-race near the edge of the VermillionCl i f fs. Facing south, it is nestled on theedge of the Arizona Str ip. Wa ter, col lect-The parlor desk w here the business ofcattle raising was ledgered.

24 Desert/Se olembB r 1Q7K


25/48Desert/September 1975


26/48

ed by sandstone to the north, is gatheredand rushes along the Sevier Fault. It pro-vides roughly 65,000 gallons of purespring water which f lows from PipeSpring each day. But that is not all thatf lows from Pipe Spring. Abounding his-tory bubbles up and spreads, touchingand becoming part of many other eventsand happenings in the westward ex-pansion.

A few of the earliest Indian tribes whoknew of the spring's existence and madeuse of it, were the prehistoric Basket-maker and Pueblo Indians. Nearby ruinsindicate they l ived, worked and sett ledinto communit ies around the area. ThePaiute Indians used the spring in theirseasonal migration, as well as theKaibabit Indians who referred to thespr ing as the "Yel low Rock Water . "

The first Europeans who even cameclose to the spring were Spanish explor-ers in 1776. Francisco A. Dominguez andPadre Silvestre Veliz Escalante wereseeking a trail f rom Sante Fe, New M exi-co to Monterey, California, when theywandered into Central Utah. It was ontheir return to New Mexico, hungry, dis-couraged, tired and lost, that they camewithin f ive miles of the spring. Theirguides didn't see it. In a hot land, with

The original wood stovein the kitchen.

only red and variable shades of brownfor color, a green oasis in the distancewas to go unnoticed.

On October 30, 1858, Jacob Hamblin,a Mormon missionary and guide, and hisparty of fellow missionaries, found andused the spring while en route to theHopi Pueb los . They were probab lyamong the first white men in the area. Itwas then that the area became known asPipe Spring.Will iam Hamblin, Jacob's brother,

was a boastful man where his talent witha rifle was concerned. His companions,according to tradit ion, hung a silk hand-kerchief from a tree l imb and told Wil-l iam he could n't hit i t . Ha mblin f iredaway, but upon inspection of the hand-kerchief, not a hole was to be found . Thelightness in weight of the silk caused thehandkerchief to be pushed aside as thebullets hit, instead of passing through.Realizing the joke that had been playedon him, H amb lin made a bet. He borrow-ed a pipe from Dudley Leavitts, one ofhis companions, and measured off 50paces. The story goes that Hamblinwagered he could shoot out the bottom ofthe pipe bowl, without touching thesides. He won his bet.

James M. Whitmore left Salt LakeCity for St. George in 1861 on a missionfor the Mormon Church. Whitmore wasa man with an appetite for land and a

vision of what land could do. After leaving St. George, he arrived at Pipe Sprinin 1863, its first owner. A dugout wabuilt near the spring and Whitmore'" r a n c h " became the beginning of a settlement. The settlement was to see hardships and setbacks, but in 1870, thvision of one man became the reality oanother.Because the Civil War had created asignif icant withdrawal of mil i tary forcein the far reaches of the West, uncontrolled and bit ter f ight ing broke out between the Navajo Indians and the settlers. The situation became so intensethat Union forces were finally ordered tot he Nor t he rn A r i zona t e r r i t o r y . B yMarch of 1864, the army led by ColoneChr is topher " K i t " Carson had gatheredmany Navajos, and the infamous LongWalk began. It ended in April of 1864 aFort Sumner, New Mexico. The Indianswere confined to the Bosque RedondoReservation, but the army had takenonly about half of the known hostile In-dians in the area. The remaining halfwere on the move and they were hungry.The m ost easily accessible source of foodwere the stock belonging to the settlersthat were grazing to the west and northof the Colorado River. Pipe Spring, Moc-casin Spring and Short Creek were allnear or bordering the Arizona Strip, amassive area of land, 12,000 squaremiles in size. It was here that the Nava-jos and the Morm on settlers began the irterr itorial struggle.

It was January 8, 1866, that the sheepon James Whitmore's ranch had beendriven off , and Whitmore and his herd-er, Robert Mclntyre, rode out to look forthem. It was not until January 20, 1866,that their bodies were found, pierced byarrows. As murders of other settlers con-t inued, all the communities east of PipeSpring were abandoned.

With the continuing raids on sheepand cattle, a milit ia from St. George wassent to Pipe Spring. Headed by ColonelJ. D. L. Pearce, headquarters were setup in a rock house, built for the milit ia,just a short distance from Whitmore'sdugout. The year was 1868.

It was also in that year that the Feder-al Government arranged an agreementwith the Navajos. The Indians werepromised annuities of food and livestockand were allowed to return to their land.

26 Desert/ September 1975


27/48

amed explorer of the C olo-

In 1870, Anson Perry Winsor and his

Brigham Young decided that "Pipe

he bo untiful f low of such good, pure

by indiscr iminate herding prac-

W ith the securing of the ti t les to the

Once the init ial cut in the moun-haul-

the for t where it was shaped to theThe fort, or Winsor 's Castle as it be-

last build ing, to provide l iving accommo-dations for those men who were to laborat the fort.

The Winsor Castle Stock CrowingCompany was organized on January 3,1873, not long after the completion of thefort. Winsor began to collect the loosestock on the range and stock from theolder, more established surroundingcommunities. This latter was done bypurchasing or t i thing. Tithing is usuallyone-tenth of an annual produce of one'sland or its equivalen t and is paid as a taxto support the church or the clergy.

Just six months before the companywas founded, there were anywhere from300 to 400 head of cattle (predominatelymilch cows) on the range. With the nutr i-tious grass and the spring always at ahigh level, the herds increased substan-t ia l ly.

A cheese factory was installed in thesouth wing on the bottom floor of Wins orCastle, and betw een 60 and 70 pounds ofcheese were produced each day. Thespring water was uti l ized by channelingit into the south wing and then on to thecattle troughs outside. The butter churn,cheese press and many other memora-bilia are on display in the south wing foryou to inspect and in some cases,handle.

Each of the rooms is furnished, mostlythrough contr ibution, with the utensils,

A view ofWinsor Castletaken from the corral.furniture and arti facts of the day, and aguide wil l direct you through the rooms,answering any questions you may have.

On December 15, 1871, the firs t tele-graph station in the Arizona terr i torywas set up in the castle. The DeseretTe le g r a p h , o wn e d b y th e M o r m o nChurch, ran south from Salt Lake City.

A branch of the telegraph connectedRockville, Utah (in Zion Canyon) to PipeSpring and then on to Kanab. The tele-graph is on display as well as a portion ofthe original line, which can be seen onthe nature t ra i l .

In 1879, the Canaan C ooperative StockCompany absorbed the Winsor CastleStock Growing Company, and in 1888, itsold Pipe Spring and its buildings to B.F. Saunders. From then until 1906, theownership of Pipe Spring was to changethree more times. The last owner,Charles Heaton and his associate, Ste-phen Mather, had the desire to see PipeSpring become a national monument,which it did in 1923.

By fol lowing a pathway from the visi-tor's center, you enter a peaceful, serenecorner of the world which is not just astone fort, but an important segment ofthe history of the W est.

27


28/48

Nevada'sDriest

byC R A I G

MCDONALD

28

A TALE OF A TOWN THAT IN ITSFIR ST YEAR PR ODUCED $4 MILLIONIN SILVER BUT NOT A SINGLEB AR R EL OF WATER !

I SHAGGY PROSPECTOR, namedvh Jim Butler, stumbled on what would become one of Nevada's greatest

silver discoveries, 207 miles northwest ofLas Vegas. It was May 19, 1900, whenJim made his find in the area which helater named Tonopah, the Shoshoneword for " l i t t le spr ing." Why J im chosethis name is hard to f igure, since therewas no water for miles around, preciselyone ofthe reasons earlier miners had notprospected in this region.

Word of the silver strike leaked outand before long adventurers arrived inTonopah by the flock. Many miners weresuccessful in gett ing r ich quick, but aserious problem had to beovercome to

This odd-lookingcontraption providedsome relief for dustydenizens of early-dayTonopah.



29/48

Water wasfreighted intoTonopah byhorse-drawnwagons where itsold for $2 andupper barrel.

insure the camp's longevity. Water wasstill not found despite numerous effortsto locate this valuable source.Even if water was not absolutely es-sential for the prospectors, it was of ex-treme importance for the stock. Soon,the newly-formed mining enterprisesand stage companies were forced to pur-chase their own tank wagons to haulwater f rom Rals ton Va l ley . Nevadanewspapers saw humor in Tonopah's"water shortage crisis" and several de-clared editorially that the situat ion wasnot as bad as it was made out to be."A f ter a l l , " wrote one sagebrush edi tor ,"Tonopahans neither drink water noruse it to take baths i n . "

But Tonopah citizenry did not thinkthe matter was so funny, especially con-sidering that many prospectors broughttheir wives and children with them. Be-fore long alert businessmen took advan-tage of the dire situat ion, brought waterwagons to the isolated diggings and soldwater to eager purchasers at $2 and upper barrel.

The miners, and part icularly theirwives, carefully used and reused each

drop of water. Using one bucket ofwate r, a lady washed her hands, cleanedfruit, laundered her clothes, scrubbedthe f loors and i r r iga ted her smal lgarden.

A b arber, wh o had not been successfulin his mining adventures, struck it richby creating an ingenious gadget that be-came the only bathing facility in earlyTonopah. Using the water crisis to hisadvantage, the barber dug a hole behindhis shop and lowered a barrel of waterinto the ground. A pump was placed inthe barrel and a piece of grating, con-nected to the pump, was put on top ofthe barrel in a teeter-totter fashion.

When a man (or woman) stood on thisodd contraption and shif ted weight fromone foot to the other, he would becomeshowered with water, which in turn f i l-tered back down into the barrel to beused again. Four bits bought permissionto take a shower, plus a bar of soap and atowel.

M eanwh i l e , Tonopah 's popu la t i onblossomed out over the countryside andbefore long, word of the great silvers t r ike (and water shor tage) spread

around the world. In its first year of exis-tence, Tonopah produced over $4 millionof silver, yet not a single barrel of water.The 3,000 citizens patronized a halfdozen water companies but there simplywas not enough water to go around.Eventually, some of the water becamebadly contaminated. This, coupled withTonopah 's poo r san i t a t i on f ac i l i t i es ,caused a widespread epidemic in thewinter of 1904.

Only after 56 deaths were recorded d idthe city form a committee w hich watchedover the fresh water now being piped inand which met sanitat ion standards.With new regulat ions the silver com-munity continued to prosper and soonthe great water crisis of infant Ton pahwas forgotten amidst the city's success.

Today, few old-t imers remain ( in thetown at the junction of U.S. Highways 6and 95) who can recall the great excite-ment surrounding the water wagon dayswhen water was regarded in importancesecond only to silver. But the pages ofhistory will always show that, althoughTonopah boasted 50 saloons, it was the"dr ies t d iggings in Nevad a."

Desert /September 1975 29


30/48

G H O S T S by HOWAR D NEALB i g O a k F l a t , C a l i f o r n i aLOCATION: Big Oak Flat is located ap-proximately five miles east of California Highway 49on Highway 120, an entrance route to YosemiteNational Park.BRIEF HISTORY: Shortly before JamesSavage had arrived in California, in 1846, tragedyhad struck his life. During his family's tortuousoverland crossing from Illinois, both his wife and hischild had died.In spite of this trag edy, or perhaps becauseof it, Savage played a major role in the historic

following his arrival. Without the responsibilit iesthat a family would have pressed upon him, he be-came famous as a soldier-explorer and w ealthy as anIndian trader and miner.James Savage seemed to do it all. Heworked at Sutter's Fort. He helped James Marshallerect the famous sawmill where a gold discoverywould change the destiny of the West. He was asoldier in John C. Fremont's California Battalion. Hewas in charge of the Mariposa Battalion and led thatgroup into the mountains to become the first whiteexplorers of Yosemite Valley. During these sameyears he made a major gold discovery, successfullytraded with the Indians, and still had time to takefive new Indian wives. James Savage was a busym a n ! The gold discovery was made late in 1849.On a small p lain, dominated by a mam moth oak tree,Savage discovered a shady piece of land that wasfabulously rich with gold. The news traveled fast.One of the richest placer mining areas along the en-tire length and breadth of the M other Lode had beenAbove: Big Oak Flat's Odd Fellows Hallhas been in continuous use since gold rush da ys.There are a number of stone and adobe buildings and ruinsin Big Oak Flat that date from the boom timeswhen some $25 million was taken from nearby diggings .Left: Because of the constant threat of fire,many Moth er Lode Country buildings were made of stone and brickand had iron doors and shutters.The door shown, on Big Oak Flat's abandoned m erchandise store,was shipped around Cape Ho rn.Opposite Page: Mount C armel Catholic Church, in Big Oak Flat,shows the influence of New E ngland style architecture onCalifornia Mother Lode Country buildings, particularly churches. Manygraves in the church cemetery date from the last century.

Photographs by Howard Neal

Des ert/ September 1975

Documents

197509 Desert Magazine 1975 September