194210 Desert Magazine 1942 October

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M A G A Z I N E

OCTOBER, 1942



LETTERS . . .Trips for Rock Collectors . . .

Los Angeles, CaliforniaDear Mr. Henderson :

My wife and I, l ike many of ourfriends, areardent rockhounds andfeel asthough we are apart of Desert Magazine.

W e allhave as a common interest the desertsof Southern California. However, we find onefault with "our" magazine. There are toomanyarticles onrock hunting toother states, especial-ly Arizona. There, I admit, will be wonderfultrips in the postwar period, but now due torubber shortage our trips will be l imited inlength and regularity.

W e sincerely hope that in the future therewil l bemore articles on trips to points of in-terest for rockhounds of Southern California, atleast a justifiable proportion, especially within150 to 200 miles.

I believe the largest number of subscribersfor "our"magazine are in the Los Angeles

area, andthey will probably feel thesame waywedo.

My personal best wishes for a continuationand enlargement of "Desert ."

E N O S J. S T R A W N

Dear EJS— Yo u areright. Los Angelesis tops onou r subscription list. But unfor-tunately Southern California isn't tops inthe number of accessible gem huntingareas. Toomany of themineral areas are onprivately owned properly, which forbidsour mapping them as field trips for thepublic. Arizona, Nevada, New Mexicoand Utah offer the best opportunities forrock collectors. And since none of us aremaking many field trips these days — / canonly suggest to collectors that they keep

their magazines on file for the day whenwe again have the rubber to go asfarafield as we like in the quest for speci-mens.—R.H.

• o •

Bouquets for theLiving . . .Taft, California

Dear Mr. Henderson:

I'm a verbose cuss when I get going, but thatpostscript was toobrief. I'vepored over nearlythree volumes of "Desert ," andevery once in awhile got fighting mad at some pernicketyreader whoobjected to some feature and bur-dened you with a protest. I believe in bouquetsfor thel iving, and you and your staff have abig bouquet coming.

There i sn ' t a feature I would want left out.Willie Boy andMouse were part andparcel of

desert history, their lives anddeaths embodiedin place names there.

"Here andThere on theDesert" is a digestof allworth while news of mining, archaeology,reclamation, and biography. "Desert PlaceN a m e s " is preserving history and traditionotherwise lost.

By limiting your poetry to desert subjects,some evanescent stuff gets into print, butmuchof it isworth while, and the early efforts of eventhe classical poets were not so hot. I have atyped anthology of fugitive newspaper andmagazine verse, copied over many years, and"I ' l l NotEnvy You" went into it.

Even to thereader not a rockhound, thefieldtrips and data onminerals and gems areinform-ative andinteresting. Tomany of us, the newdepartment by Quick will be invaluable. The

articles on desert flora will give the faithfulsubscriber a real handbook of western flowersand plants.

The special articles by menl ike Woodward,

Harrington, and yourself zre always interest-in g and beautifully il lustrated. Through thosestories dealing with personalities, I have vicari-ously metpeople I hope to some daymeet in

person,or renewed acquaintance with desert folkalready met. Andyour "Quiz" is a cumulativeencyclopedia of desert history and lore.

There isenough of beauty andinterest inanynumber, that theover fastidious canskip whatthey do notl ike. The whole magazine is a des-ert gem, typographically, pictorially, and fromevery other angle. Don't change it.

Long life andprosperity to you,your staff,

and "Desert ."W . H. IRELAND

• • •

The Nav y W ins Again . . .

U . S.Navy, San Diego, CaliforniaDear Sir.

Y o u can imagine my surprise this morningwhen I opened your letter and out came a

check for five dollars. You can rest assuredthat it will be put to good use. A little extraspending money in theNavy goes a long way.You have offered me a great deal of encour-agement, as this is thefirst contest that I haveever entered. I have always been interested inthe'Southwest, and you can bet your bottom dol-lar when this mess is allover, I'll head straightback. After all the work of proving that thisworld is round instead of flat, I ambeginningto doubt even that—I think that it is warped.

Thank youagain for awarding me the firstprize in this month's Landmark contest, I re-main,

FRANCIS HAPGOOD ELMORE

• • •

More Light onMyrickite . . .South Pasadena, California

Desert Magazine Editor:

In spite of hundreds of cut anduncut piecesof opalite with cinnabar having been sold as"myrickite," genuine myrickite is not opaliteas evidenced by the following:

"Myrickite is a local name applied tochalcedony having blood-red spots andpatches of cinnabar." From "Minerals ofCalifornia, Bulletin No. 113,State Divi-sion of Mines."

and also this quotation from "Descriptive Listof theNew Minerals" byGeo. L. English, pub-lished 1939:

"Myrickite— A local trade name for avariety of chalcedony, showing red spotson agrey ground, resembling 'St. Stephen's

stone' "Myrickite is a very rare mineral, and few

collectors or dealers have ever seen it. It maybe that what Mr.Mclntyre refers to in his let-ter in theSeptember Desert Magazine as "gold-en chalcedony" mayhave been "golden opal"since "Shady" Myrick found such a stone. Hisniece, Mrs.Anna Lightburn of Long Beach,California, came into possession of his collec-tion athis death, and she gave me a small speci-me n of golden opal from the collection. It isthe only one I have seen and it is probable that,l ike Myrickite, theoccurrence was very limited.Even in Myrick's own collection there wereonly a few pieces of myrickite and goldenopal. It is obvious that opalite, being less inhardness than myrickite, is not comparable toit as a semi-precious stone.

Trust ing that theabove will help toclear upthe misunderstanding regarding myrickite, Iam ,

ERNEST W. C H A P M A N

An Invitation toSummit . . .Honolulu, T. H.

Dear Sir:

W h e n I came over here three months ago,I brought four copies of Desert with me. Need-less to say they have become rather dogearedas I have read them from cover tocover severaltimes, and passed them around to my friendswho have enjoyed them immensely.

The last day I was in sunny Southern Cali-

fornia (it rained all the time I was in Friscowaiting toembark) , I made onelast sojourn toour desert retreat—the summit of Cajon pass.Few people know of this unique retreat, exceptthose whopass by on the trains, and then allthey see is a street-car tucked awav on thesideof a hill, 200yards from thetracks.

The street-car is the former Los Angelesrailway's funeral carDescanso. Agroup of rail-fans, known as Railroad Boosters, became in-terested when it wasknown the car was to bescrapped,and decided something should bedoneabout it. So far as wewere able totell theDes-canso was theonly funeral car in existence,andto delegate such anornate car to the junk heapwa s not a very fitting end. The L. A. railwaythen told us that if we could find a place to putit wecould have it as a sort of museum piece.

After several months of scouting around, wedecided onsummit. OnJuly 4, 1940, theDes-canso washauled up to summit by flatcar onthe Santa Fe.Eight of us spent a very strenu-ou s dayunloading thecar. It weighed 18 tons.

Three weekends were spent in getting thecar to its present position, by the tedious pro-cess of laying a section of track infront, pullingthe car upwith a truck bymeans of block andtackle, then picking up thesection in the rear,placing it up front again, etc.Then began theprocess of scraping off the oldpaint, removingthe seats, andtaking out a few of theunneces-sary controllers, etc.

In the twoyears that have passed since itsarrival at summit, theDescanso has graduallytransformed from a dirty looking old streetcar,to that of a newly painted, well furnished cabin.

From theexterior it still has the same generalappearance of a streetcar as it still is onwheelson a section of rail , the trolley is still up, andstill has thestained glass in theupper halves ofthe windows.

Qui te a change has taken place on the in-terior though. Only two of the original seatsare left inplace with a folding table inbetween.A pot bellied stove, and a wheesy oldphono-graph well stocked with records, dominate thecenter of thecar, while an icebox, a fewchairsand another table and a small but completekitchen take up therest of the available space.Eventually we may put some folding bunks inone end, but due to material shortage, wecon-tent ourselves with sleeping on thefloor in oursleeping bags.

We find it an ideal snot to go on a weekend,

either as a home camp for a small hunting expe-dition, or for hiking up anddown the railroad,the mountains, or just to lie around in the sunand watch the trains go by.

For anyone wishing to visit summit, just goup Cajon pass on U. S.66toCamp Cajon, andturn east (right if leaving from San Bernar-d i n o ) . This road is known as theback road toArrowhead. It's about five miles from 66 tosummit which can't bemissed as the road leavesthe twisting mountain road onto the levelSummit valley road. Off to the left about aquarter of a mile is therailroad station of Sum-mit with its scattering of section houses andthe post office. The Descanso isdirectly behindthe station.

In closing I wish toextend a cordial welcometo anyone visiting Summit, andwish I could be

there andmeet them personally. Until the warends I've got to be content to visit the desertvia Desert magazine.

ROBERT W. McGREW

THE DESERT MAGAZINE



D E S E R T

Gcdew&abS EP T. 27 -OCT. 4 NewMexico state fair,

Albuquerque.

SEPT. 29-30 San Geronimo fiesta , tra-ditional harvest festival of TaosIndians, and Taos county fair andlivestock show, Taos, New Mex-ico.

OCT. (f irs t week) Navajo Indian agencyfair, Shiprock, New Mexico.

O C T . 1-25 Indian Country as shown incolor photography of the lateHar ry G. Steele of Pasadena, atMuseum of Northern Arizona,Flagstaff.

4 Feast Day of St. Francis de Assis i ;procession on eve of St. FrancisDay. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

4 Annual f iesta , Nam be Indianpueblo , New Mexico.

4 Ann ual fiesta, Ranchos de Taos,New Mex ico .

10 Sierra club to weekend in PinyonFlats-Asbestos mountain area,guests of Mr. and Mrs. P. S.Shumway at their summer home.L. J. Arnold, leader .

16-17 Searles Lake gem and mineral so-ciety hobby show, Trona school,Trona, California .

• • •

H U N T I N G S E A S O N S

Arizona—Deer : Nor th of Gila river, exceptPinal mountains in Gila and Pinalcounties, Oct. 16-Nov. 15; southof Gila river and including thePinal mountains , Nov. 1-Nov. 30on white ta i l deer; Nov. 16-30 ondesert mule deer.

Turkey and Bear: Open north ofGila river only; corresponds todeer season.

Antelope: Sept. 19-Oct. 3 in 8special areas. Permits from licensedealers, game wardens, fish andgame commission.

Dove: Sept. 1-Oct. 12, sunrise to

sunset.California—

Dove: Sept. 15-Oct. 12 in Impe-rial county; other counties startSept. 1.

Nevada—Deer: Opens Oct. 4, closes Nov.

2, except Nye and Esmeralda clos-in g Oct. 30; Pershing, Oct. 31;Clark, Nov. 2; Lincoln north ofUnion Pacific tracks, Oct. 18, andsouth of tracks, Oct. 18-Nov. 2.

New Mex ico—Dove: Sept. 1-Oct. 12.Pigeon: Sept. 16-Oct. 15.

U t a h -Deer : Oct. 17-27. For specialpost-season hunting and antlerlessdeer permits, write fish and gamecommission, 329 State CapitolBldg., Salt Lake City.Duck : Oct. 15-Dec. 23. Alsowood duck, coot, geese.Elk: 820 permits to be issued;applications must be filed with

State Game Board by Oct. 3. Nov.8-17. Drawing Oct. 10.

Volume 5 OCTOBER, 1942 Number 12

COVER Nat ive American (Nava jo) , photograph by Hubert A.

Lowman, Kansas Ci ty , Missour i .

LETTERS C o m m e n t f r o m D e s e r t M a g a z i n e r e a d e r s . . . 2

CALENDAR C u r r e n t e v e n t s ont h e d e s e r t 3

P H O T O G R A P H Y P r i z e w i n n i n g p h o t o g r a p h s in A u g u s t . . . . 4

I N D I A N L O R E T r a i l to t h e H e a l i n g W a t e r s of T o s i d o

B y R I C H A R D V A N V A L K E N B U R G H . . . 5

QUIZ True or Fa lse—A tes t of your de s e r t knowl e dge . 9

POETRY " D o Y o u U n d e r s t a n d ? " a n d o t h e r p o e m s . . . 1 0

HISTORY The S a g a of John Sear le s

By ORA LEE OBERTEUFFER 11

PROSPECTING River Gold, by CHARLES KELLY 15

PALEONTOLOGY T h u m b m a r k in the Book of TimeBy JOHN HILTON 18

LANDMARK G r e a t S a n c t u a r y

B y F R A N C I S H A P G O O D E L M O R E . . . . 23

TRAVEL Signpos ts on Desert Trai ls 24

RITUAL Devi l Dance of the A p a c h e sBy MARGARET STONE 26

WEATHER A u g u s t t e m p e r a t u r e s on thed e s e r t 28

ART O F LIVING Deser t Ref uge , by M A R S H A L S O U T H . . . . 29

LOST MINES TheF r e n c h m e n ' s L os t G o l d M i n e

By JOHN D.MI TCHELL 31

NE WS He re and T h e r e on the Deser t 33

MINING Briefs from the desert region 36

HOBBY G e m s and Mi ne ra l s

—Edited by ARTHUR L.EATON 37

CRAFTS A m a t e u rGem

Cutter—By LELANDE QUICK. . 40

HUMOR Hard Rock Shor ty of D e a t h V a l le y

By LONGAR R IS ON 41

INDEX Comple te index to Vol. Five, De s e r t Ma ga z i ne . 42

COMMENT J u s t B e t w e e n Y o u a n d M e — B y t h e E d i t o r . . . 4 6

BOOKS "The C ha ng i ng Ind i a n , " and othe r rev iews . . 47The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Publishing Company, 636

State Street, El Centro, California. Ente red as second class matter October 11, 1937, atthe post office at El Centro, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Title registeredNo. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1942 by the Desert PublishingCompany. Permission to reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writing.

RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor. LUCILE HARRIS, Associate Editor.Manuscripts and photographs submitted must be accompanied by full return post-

age. The Desert Magazine assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of manuscriptsor photographs although due care will be exercised for their safety. Subscribers shouldsend notice of change of address to the circulation department by the fifth of the monthpreceding issue.

SUBSCRIPTION RATESOne year $2.50 Two years $4.00

Canadian subscriptions 25c extra, foreign 50c extra .Address correspondence toDesert Magazine, 636 State St., El Centro, California.

O C T O B E R , 1942



r •

By WILLARD LUCE

Blanding, Utah

Winner of first prize in Desert Magazine's August con-test is this sunset view taken with a Brownie Specialcamera. Panatomic X film, no filter.

WomanBy FRED H. RAGSDALELos Angeles, California

Second prize winner in the monthly photographic con-test was taken in Taos Indian Pueblo, New Mexico, witha Rollieflex camera on E. K. Plus-X film, G filter.

Special Men.itThe following photos were judged to have special

merit:

"Shadows of the Past," by Doris Priestley, Pomona,California.

"Gila Monster and Saguaro," by Glenn R. Knight,Tucson, Arizona.

"Baby Burro," by Fred H. Ragsdale, Los Angeles,California.

T H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E



• f e Ttail to therfeaLinq W a.tet5

Tosido, the healing spring of the Navajo— called by the tvhite men Pagosa Spring, Photo b y J. R. L ynn.

When Old Warrior, the aged Navajo, got a swelling in his knee andwas too crippled to take part in a Purification sing, he asked his friendRichard Van Valkenb urgh to take him to Tosido, the magic spring of heal-ing waters. And here is the story of the trip to the legendary spring of theIndians—a place y ou and I know a s Pago sa Springs, Colorado.

By RICHARD V AN V ALKENBURGH

- / • : HE STACATTO bark of Licha'ii,I the Camp Watcher, broke the hush

of the summer evening when I ar-rived at the camp of Hastin Hashke'e's. theNavajo, perched on the sandy hummocksabove Todilil, the Smoky Spring. South-ward the sacred mountain of El Huerfanowas a dusky lavender block rising abovethe sun-tanned plains of Gallego in north-ern New Mexico.

Welcoming me with the formal greet-ing reserved for old friends, Hastin Hash-ke'e, the Old Warrior, bade me enter.When I finished stringing out another ten-dril of the "grapevine news" from Win-dow Rock, he told me why he had sent forme:

"In the season of the last 'Crusted Snow'my knee began to swell," he said. "Peoplelaughed when my old woman had to sit

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2

me on Telli, the burro. We sent for HathliTsosojih, the Star Gazer. He looked into

the heavens through his crystal. There wasa bloody scalp across the moon trail. Fromthis omen he divined that the Chindih of aMexican I once killed was causing thissickness.

"The proper cure for this trouble wouldbe an Aaana'djih, or Enemy PurificationRite. This is what you call a Squaw Dance.But such a sing would be too rigorous forme—one w ho has lived 10 winters beyondone old man's life. I have thought of some-thing else.

"Far to the north under the blue peaksof the Sierra San Juan, there is a sacredspring called Tosido. When I was no

higher than a willow shoot I rode therewith my sick grandfather. He was cured. Iam too crippled to ride that far. I want

you to carry me to Tosido, the WarmWater."

I hid my jubilation. TOSIDO! One ofthe water-shrines I had been hunting for.Navajo story-tellers had often mentionedthis spring. During the "World Fire" setby mischievous Coyote, the water boiledup from the Underworlds. It was also herethat the Twin War Gods purified them-selves after purging the world of the 84

Ana!it, or Enemy Monster People!I gave no hasty answer—this wouldhave been irregular to Navajo routine. Justbefore stretching out to sleep on the goatpelts I said, "La! We leave for Tosido inthe early morning."

The screeching of Yanibah, the OldWarrior's wife, stirred us out into theearly dawn. While Elder Sister poured usk'oway under the ramada I watched theolder woman work. A calico-clad dynamo,she jawed and jostled the baaing sheepout of their corral. Following the tinklingbell of the lead-goat, they trailed upwardto range on the mesa top.

When Elder Sister finished brushingand tying the old man's thin white hairinto a neat queue we were ready to start.



On the way to Pagosa, Van Valkenbmgh and the old Navajo stopped to inspect theruins of one of the 18th century watchtoivers of the N avajo tribesmen.

The schoolboy Tuli. was to go with us asinterpreter. With a wave of his arm theOld Warrior directed us down the wagontrail to the north.

After passing through the gap wherethe white sands of the Canyon Blancogrind through the shelving scarps of the

Mesa Cibola and Quartado, we came tothe juncture of three box canyons. From

the east came the Canyon Campanero,th; south, the Canyon Largo, and from thewest, the Canyon Blanco. We were at thepoint where all join to drain off some 100square miles of northern New Mexico.From here comes the bulk of the silty redwater that eventually settles in Lake Mead

back of Boulder dam.Pursing his lips upward to where the

Mesa Cibola sheers off like a great spur,the Old Warrior grunted, "Ashiina'aa,"and went off into a jumble of Navajo. Tuliexplained, "He say Salt Point. Long timeago—before white traders came, old timeNavajo got salt up there."

Our trail led down the main Largo. SaltPoint was behind us—a buff colored

wedge jutting upward in the white fleckedsky. Innumerable barrancas biting into thecrumbly earth made travel hazardous.There was a gradual widening of the can-yon floor. We made an abrupt left turn—the road jumped off into the main arroyobottom!

The Old Warrior insisted on a "look-see." He had lost a fine burro "right thereunder the bank." To the east thunderheadswere rising above the Continental divide.Without warning an avalanche of mud-laden water could burst into our sunlitv/orld. They could as easily wrap us intheir vortex as they do the barrel-sizedmud balls they churn and cast out on theLargo delta.

Low gear growled as we broke the crustof the bank. We bounced across a quiver-ing bed of quicksand. Our tires spun andthrew a spray of mud. With a jerk wegained traction in the two tracks thatwound across the powdery sand. Wideopen we gunned across the quarter mile ofthe ill famed Largo crossing.

Following the east side of the canyonwe soon reached the cobbled upper terraceof the San Juan river. The wide delta of

the Largo was a vast triangle forcing itsdirty brown base into the sparkling blue

T O W O L F CR . PASS ' - ' : > .

<f MONTC V ISTA , 10 •-..

W S MD O %\PAGOSA SPRINGS) s, i

C O L O ,< R A D O

' • ' - .ViYsHIPROCK

THE SAN JUAN BASK

T HE D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E



= / . # £-' ^ l ! ' ? / . ? • » * a w l i a i f f l l m »i I a s

TULI'S INTERPRETATION OF HIS PICTOGRAPHOF THE TRIP TO THE GREAT PAGOSA

Note: These glyphs are not exact replicas of sand -pictures. They are simply Tuli's pictorialstory of our trip. Simpler series have been seen by me on the walls of the Ca nyon Largo withcharcoal and o chre as the medium. Technique is basically old Navajo with a veneer of In-dian school technique.— R.V.V.

The good- luck mounta in b luebi rd on the redbudsho ws that i t is summ er t ime (1). O ne cloud in the v aultof he av en ca rries ra in (2). O ne cripp led Nava jo, a y ou ngNava jo , and a Whi te Man leave Todi l i l , the CloudySprin g sho wn as a turtle (3). Turt le is Old Peop le 's s ignfor water. Looking down from Dzilna 'odzil i , the sacredmountain, are First Man and First Woman (4). Antelopeonce w ere com mon here (5). The Ute , our o ld enem ies( 6 ) . Salt Woman carrying bags of sal t a t Sal t Point (7).

At Oj ito Cabres to Hds id ih Yazzi (V an V a lkenburgh)broke Navajo taboo by ki l l ing a snake (8). Southward

was sacred Ch'ool ' i ' i , part t ime home of First Man andFirst Woman, and the birthplace of White Shell Woman( 9 ) . In the mountains east of Cabresto, Mexican Kil leronce ki l led a big buck and got a sacred buckskin (10).At Dulce we ta lked with our cousins, the Jicari l laA pa ch e (11). Beyond there we crossed the Old S panishmu le trail (12). Ye'ii dan cin g the first Night Ch an t in theBlan ca Basin (13). The sun w as in the sky wh en w e leftTodili l (14). The moo n w as u p wh en w e reac he d Tosido( 1 5 ) . Mexican Kil ler was cured for the Water People werestill in the spr ing (16). Ar oun d a ll is the long r ope of theRainbow People (17).

waters of the river. Far below the 'dobesof Blanco village were white cubes set inthe borders of deep green.

Going eastward on rough New MexicoState Highway 17 we climbed a series oftablelands that shelved upward towardsthe dim blue heights of the divide. Bare-foot Mexican children shyly waved at usas we passed the lonely ranchos of SanRafael. As we rattled across the cattle-

guards of Gobernador, white faced cattlehoisted their tails and stomped away.

After an hour we dropped down the

rocky grade that flattens in the wide bot-tom of the Canyon La Jara. The usuallydangerous sand-crossing was easy. Thebed had been moistened by a freshet. Onthe north bank the Old Warrior motionedme to stop by a grooved pine log catch-basin overflowing with moss fringedwater.

Refreshed by a drink of the cool springwater the Navajo rested under a shady

ledge while I scouted around. Just abovethe spring there was a crumbling 18th cen-tury Navajo watchtower. I started to pick

up pottery sherds. There was a whirr likethe wind blowing through dry milkweedpods!

Coiled at my foot was a small rattle-snake!

Just as I was picking up a rock to finishhim off, the Old Warrior and Tuli camearound the rock. Tuli placed his handsover his eyes and quickly turned back.

The old Navajo eyed me for a moment.Then he reproached me, "Doyachonda!Snake People get even. Bad luck for Tuli

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2



This first picture of Pagosa Spring was made by the a rtist who accompan ied theMcCo mh expedition from Santa Fe in 1859-

to see. His wife have hard time with newbaby. Good Navajo never kill snake!"

From the spring which the Navajocall the Ojito Cabresto the road clung tothe shady south wall of the Burn's canyon.Beyond V allecito we passed into the pineclad knolls and grassy parks of the JicarillaApache. A wide arc to the north brought

us to the crystal waters of the lagunagleaming in the canyon above the historicApache agency of Dulce, New Mexico.

Copper-hued Jicarilla, in their brightshirts and with braided hair danglingdown below their 10-gallon hats, eyed uscuriously as we drove up before the trad-ing post. While I bought lunch squatwomen in blowsy calico mother-hubbardshackled over prices. The Old Warrior andTuli got the news.

Both were bursting with information aswe wound northward over red adobe hills."Yes! Those Baxaih, or Always WinterPeople, have changed a lot since the

World Fire had separated them from themain Navajo tribe. They look funny, talktoo fast, and backwards!"

On the iow divide between the Dulceand the Rio Navajo, the Old Warriorstopped me. He pointed to a shallow,grass covered barrow that bisected ourroad. Sweeping his hand from east to west,he said, "Old Mexican's trail to the west-ern sea."

The old Spanish Trail! Partially brokenby Fathers Dominguez and Escalante in1776, it soon became the major traderoute between New Mexico and Califor-nia. Each fall great mule caravans packedwith Navajo and New Mexican blanketsleft Abiquiu in the canyon of the Rio Cha-ma .

Afttr skirting the southern flanks ofthe Rockies they came to the Green rivercrossing. Here they paid tribute of mulesto Walkra, the Ute chief. Between the RioV irgir and Las V egas the whitened bonesof many marked the trail across the dread"Jornada del Muerto." Beyond the west-ern sierra lay the flowered vale of San

Gabriel. Here they would rest and tradefor California wines and China silks.

Soon after teaching the foaming watersof the Rio Navajo, the Old Warrior calledfor another halt. Breaking through the wil-lows fringing the stream he hobbled to astalky shrub tasseled with yellow flowers.Plucking the waxy green leaves he placedthem in a flour sack. A species of nicoti-ana, they would be dried and smoked incornhusks at some future ceremonial asDzilnatoo, or mountain tobacco.

At Chromo, just across the Coloradoline, our river road faded into the well

graded Colorado State Highway 17. Tothe east the bald face of the 11,000 footbasaltic dome of Cerro Navajo toweredabove the uneven swell of the indigo for-est. It was in this majestic mountain coun-try of the ' 'Rio de Nabajoo" that the his-torian, Father Zarate-Salmeron found theNavajo in 1600.

Beyond the river the Old Warrior led usupward through tangled thickets of moun-tain mahogany and oak to the crest of arocky ridge. Pointing eastward to wherethe Rio Navajo cuts a white scoop in themountains, he told, "The Canyon deChelly in Navajoland took the nameTsegi, In the Rocks, from this place. Herealso our ancestors held their first NightChant, the masked dance of the Ye'/i!"

After the 100 miles of bumpy trail thepavement seemed feather cushioned. Webreasted a low divide. Below lay the val-ley of the upper San Juan. While Iwatched the play of the deep shadows ofthe mountains on the blue river, I thoughtof what Captain J. F. McComb the explor-er had written 90 years before:

" . . . there is scarcely a more beautifulplace on earth!"

Trout fishermen were poised on rocksas we followed the grassy banks of theriver towards the lower end of the sylvanvale. The stream took a southward sweepand faded into a gap in the low hills. Wepassed through pine-clad spurs. In theopening of the west the resort village ofPagosa Springs sloped upward from therock bound north bank of the San Juan.

We crossed to the south side of theriver. A grassy meadow swelled upwardto a gentle cone. In the center a great cloudof steam rose and faded into the sky.Drawing nearer we could see that it rosefrom a pool of deep blue water that bub-bled and seethed in a great crater of whiterock.

"La! Tis Tosido, the Warm Water! Toomany houses around. Name changed. Bad!Maybe good spirits in spring have runaway?" grunted the Old Warrior as wepulled to a stop to make camp under thecottonwoods.

By the time supper was finished theclouds were agate spars floating in theblue half-light of twilight. Dodging theclutch of the dusky peaks of the San Juans

they faded into the jet curtain rising in thenorth. After the Navajo rolled up in theirPendeltons I went over to the spring toseek information.

Ute tradition supported by white his-tory tells that they fought and won thespring from the Navajo over 100 yearsago. The Old Warrior's ancient name ofTosido is now only in the memory of a fewold Navajo. Today, it retains the namegiven by early explorers, Pagosa, the An-glicised compound of the Ute word "Pa-kosaa," the Healing Waters.

The Great Pagosa is now owned by J. F.

Lynn. Some 25 years ago he perpetuatedthe Indian tenure by purchasing it withOsage Indian Oil money. Anasazih ruinsin the vicinity as well as very ancient Na-vajo remains evidence that spa has beenused by man well over 1,000 years.

I told Lynn the occasion for my visit.Guiding me down to the river bank heshowed me two reed lined pools. In theseseepages of the main spring, Navajo, Ute,and Jicarilla Apache still come from greatdistances to bathe. Indian taboo is still fol-lowed in that the men bathe in one poolwhile the women bathe in another.

By certified laboratory analysis thebeneficial components of the Great Pagosaexceed that of the famed Sprudel springat Carlsbad, Germany. When the 165 de-

T H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E



gree water surges its 2500 gallons a min-ute into the white travertine bowl some 45feet in diameter, the sodium, calcium, andlithia elements have been perfectly blend-ed in the caverns of Mother Earth. The In-dians knew their medicinal waters!

Four days the Old Warrior soaked inthe pool. He was reluctant to return toNavajoland. Finally he compromised on

a five gallon can of spring water. His kneewas greatly improved—that would makehim "feel like a young goat." W e returnedto Navajoland over the easier route homeby paved U. S. Highway 160 and Duran-go, Colorado.

Four frosts whitened the peaks of thesacred mountains before I again saw theOld Warrior. News came of a NightChant near El Huerfano. I reached thedance-ground for the masked dance of theninth night. When I asked Tuli of my oldfriend, he laughed and answered,"Watch!"

Out of the powdery blue haze of the

winter night came the mating call of themountain grouse. The crowd fell silent.For it was the voice of Hasjelti, the Chiefof the Gods. Fourteen blue-masked Ye'iibroke into the red glow of the eight firescrackling before the medicine hogan. Theychanted:

"Haa, yaa Come up (all growingthings)

Nad, Yaa Come down (the rain)."

"Look at Toninilini," whispered Tuli.Identified by the water jug he carried, the"Water Pourer" stiffly pranced toward us.Keeping the tempo of the pounding

rhythm the weird figure halted before me.His falsetto voice squeaked:"All four directions

From above and belowToninilini, the Water PourerWalks in Beauty."

The quavering voice was familiar. Tulilaughed. "Yes! That's the Old Warriorjumping around out there. He dances inthis "big sing" to thank the Gods. Forthey cured him in the waters of Tosido!

• • •

CONTEST WINNERS TO BEANNOUNCED NEXT MONTH

Names of the contestants who wereawarded prizes in the "personal experi-ence" contest conducted by Desert Maga-zine ending September 1, will be an-nounced in the November issue.

The number of manuscripts received inthis contest far exceeded the expectationsof the editors, and many day's time willbe necessary for members of the editorialdepartment who are serving on the boardof judges, to give a careful reading to eachentry.

A first prize of $25 was offered for thewinning story, and $10 for each of theother manuscripts acceptable for publica-

tion in Desert Magazine. The winningmanuscripts will be published from monthto month beginning in November.

T R U E O R F A L S ESettle back in your chair and relax—for here'sDesert Magazine's monthly school of instruc-tion for those who w ish to learn how much or

how little they know about the Great American desert. The questions cover manysubjects, and do not be discouraged if you make a poor score—the fellow who madeup this list spent 30 years learning the answers. If you are a rank tenderfoot, yourscore will be less than 10. A seasoned desert rat will average 15 bullseyes. If youget more than 15 you are either lucky or one of those super-humans popularly

known on the desert as Sand Dune Sages. Answers are on page 47.1—A coyote is strictly a vegetarian . True False2—A mature Organ Pipe cactus is taller than a Saguaro. True False3—Cedar Brakes national monum ent is in Utah. True False4—Census figures show the Navajo to be the largest Indian tribe in United

States. True False5—North rim of the Grand Canyon is higher than the south rim.

True False6—In his historic trek to California in 1775-76 Juan Bautista de Anza led his

colonists to San Gabriel through San Gorgonio pass. True False7—Shipaulovi is the name of one of the Hopi towns in Arizona.

True False8—The sidewinder derives its name from the manner in which it strikes.

True False9— V isitors to the Saguaro national monum ent in Arizona occasionally see buf-

falo runnin g at large. True False10—Davis dam, now about to be constructed in Bullshead canyon, will be the

sixth dam in the lower Colorado river. True False11—San Udefonso Indians are especially noted for the making of fine pottery.

True False12—The famous battle between the Earps and the Clanton gang was at Tomb-

stone, Arizona. True False13—The original 29 palms are still to be seen in the oasis at Twentynine Palms,

California. Tru e False14—First American governor of New Mexico was General Stephen A. Kearny.

True False15—Mineral produced in the mines in Bingham canyon, Utah, is mainly gold.

True False16—Joshua trees grow as far north as Las V egas, Nevada. True False .-17—Papago children climb the Saguaro cactus to gather ripe fruit.

True False18— Gold is never found in quartz seams. True False19—M exican H at, Utah, derives its name from a strange rock formation.

True False20— Elephant Butte dam is on the Rio Grande river. True False

Each month the Desert Magazineoffers cash awards of $5.00 and$3.00 for first and second place win-

ners in an amateur photographiccontest. The staff also reserves theright to buy any non-winning pic-tures.

Pictures submitted in the con-test are limited to desert subjects,but there is no restriction as to theresidence of the photographer. Sub-jects may include Indian pictures,plant and animal life of the desert,rock formations—in fact everythingthat belongs essentially to the desertcountry.

Following are the rules govern-

ing the photographic contest:1—Pictures submitted in the Octo-

ber contest must be received at the Des-ert Magazine office by October 20.

2—Not more than four prints may besubmitted by one person in one month.

3—Winners will be required to fur-nish either good glossy enlargements orthe original negatives if requested.

4—Prints must be in black and white,3V 4X5V 2 o r larger, and must be on glossypaper.

Pictures will be returned only whenstamped envelopes or photo-mailers areenclosed.

For non-prize-winning pictures ac-cepted for publication $1.00 will be paidfor each print.

Winners of the October contestwill be announced and the picturespublished in the December numberof the magazine. Address all entriesto :

Contest Editor, Desert Maga-zine, El Centre California.

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2



THE DESERT SPEAKSBy W . E A R L I N G T ON W H I T N E Y

Anza, CaliforniaPerhaps you may not know my strange allure—Where stars are brighter and the air more pure;Where sunshine heals, and Promise beckons

wide,With thrill and satisfaction side by side.

Far lovelier than artist brush portrays;My scenes endure, yet, changing as the days,I bring anew to tired heart and soulEnchanting raptures of the azured bowl.

Within my portals lie intrinsic worth,Where Man may medita te on primal b ir th ;And in my long deep silence he may planThe right regard for all his Fellow-man.

Oh weary soul, if you should wish to seekSweet solitude and beauty unsurpassed,I bid you come where Nature is supremeAnd realize a blessing that shall last.

TRIBUTE TO TRONABy R U T H M C A N A L L Y

Trona, CaliforniaI love the Trona desert

Its every bush and rock,I even love the Potash dust

Within my curly locks.The salt spray on the window

That d ims the bright sunshine,Can never dim the happiness

Or health that here is mine.The lights and noise of the mill

Are my companions true,I love the friendly attitude

Of all the people too.

Within my heart t there 's no regretThat my home is right here,

For work and health and happinessMake heaven seem quite near.

2>aM A D G E M O R R I S

"Have you slept in a tent alone—a tentOut under the desert sky—

Where a thousand, thousand desert milesAll silent 'round you lie?The dust of the AEON of Ages deadAnd the PEOPLES that tramped by.Have you looked in the desert's painted cup,Have you smelled at dawn the wild sage

musk,Have you seen the lightning flashing upHave you heard the song in the desert rain,(Like the undertone of a wordless rhyme)Have you watched the glory of colors flameIn its marvel of blossom time?Have you lain with your face in your hands

afraidFace down—flat on your face—and prayed,While the terrible sandstorm whirled and

swirledIn its sandy fury, and hid the world,And quenched the sun in its yellow glare,Just you and your soul and nothing there?If you have then you know, for you've felt

its spellThe lure of the desert land.And if you have not, then I could not tell,For you could not understand."

CREED OF THE DESERTB y / U N E L E M E R T P A X T O N

Yucca Valley, California

Keep the wildness of the desert;

Keep its mysteries secure;Keep it from this hellish conflict

That its peace may long endure.

Photograph by Ed. Read, Glendale, California.

PRAIRIE BACKFIREB y SA N D Y K ELL Y

La Mesa, CaliforniaOh give me a home on the prairie,Where the coyotes yowl 'round my door.Where the lizards and beetles tarry,And the rattlers sneak up through the floor.

Where the hoot-owl hoots just at night-fall,And the dove does a note all forlorn,Where the scanty shade of the mesquite,Bids you sit down, on a thorn.

Where the wind blows and sand flows aboutyou,

And you pick out the burrs from your hair.While the pack rats come without warningTo steal what you've got put away.

Oh give me a home on the prairie,I love it the best of all places.'Neath a cactus I'd lie, when I die bye and

byeWay out in the wide open spaces.

THE STRONG ONEB y L E L A M . W I L L H I T E

Garvey, CaliforniaThe mountains have no hold on me

Ah, but what of a desert land!Spaces, golden silence, no tall tree

To cast a shadow on the sand.

The cities have no hold on me;But any land in purple shown

Where mountains, bare and jagged, fleeLike swallows in a headwind blown.

Across some unknown distance flungIn vast, majestic mould!

A voice that has no sound has sungOn a silver lute, of the desert's hold.

10 T HE D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E



Looking across through theshimmering heat waves that risefrom the barren salt-encrustedsurface of Searles lake on a sum-mer day, you would concludethat it was not a very imposinglandmark to bear the name of soworthy a pioneer as JohnSearles. But if you will go to the

great chemical plant that standslike a mirage on the floor of thelake bed, and listen to the engi-neers telling about the wealth ofchemicals extracted from thebrine that lies beneath the crustof salt, you will realize that it isno mean honor to have one'sname attached to such a store-house of wealth as lies beneaththe uninviting surface of this des-ert playa. John Searles passedaway 45 years ago, but the min-eral wealth he discovered isplaying a tremendous role in in-

dustry and war in this year of1942, as you will learn from OraLee Oberteuffer.

SeatlBy ORA LEE OBERTEUFFER

/ / IGH up in the mountains which'/ / overlook Searles lake, at the head

of a tortuous, rocky trail, lie the

ruins of the oldhomestead of John Wem-ple Searles. In the march of time over 75years have passed since that home wasbuilt, but in thestill of thedesert thedeepcanyon seems toecho the chant of Chinesecoolies as they picked and shoveled awayat the rocky hillside to build terraces andwalls and develop a water supply.

Time and cloudbursts have almost ob-literated the trail, and the buildings havecrumbled away, but themammoth fig treesand grape vines, still flourishing andbear-ing fruit, are living mem orials to thecour-age and faith of one of the most colorfulcharacters of early desert history.

John Searles was among those intrepidpioneers who endured hardship and pri-

]obn W.Searles—he came toCalifornia tohunt gold,andmade afortune out ofborax.

vation to reach the California gold fieldsby way of the wagon train in 1849. De-

scending from ancestors who won renown

with the American army in the Revolu-tionary war, the courage and fearlessnesswhich he had inherited were hisonly pos-

sessions when he joined his brother Den-

nis at Indian creek, Shasta county, Califor-nia. The twobrothers cast about for a few

years in farming andmining but eventual-ly disposed of their holdings, and in 1862

acquired and began operating miningclaims in the Slate range, just east of the

present Searles lake in central California.Their camp looked out on a vast dry lakeof what wasthought at that time to besaltand carbonate of soda.

One day Searles, confiding in no one,gathered samples of crystals from the bed

of thelake andtook them to SanFranciscofor analysis. At first he wastold they con-

tained borax. But after more trips to San

Francisco and more analyses had beenmade, he wastold that they contained not

a single trace of borax. Disappointed, he

returned to the desert where he devotedthe next few years to working his mineand developing his homestead in the

mountains.On e day in 1873 a mandrifted into the

Searles mining camp with some samplesfrom a new borax discovery in Nevada.Realizing that they were the same type of

crystals as the samples he had previouslytaken to SanFrancisco, Searles' interest in

his owndiscovery wasaroused once more.

With a pack outfit he went to the southend of the lake and located 640 acres.

O C T O B E R , 1942 11



Later this acreage was increased to over2,000.

Then he made another trip to San Fran-cisco with samples. When he was toldagain that his crystals contain no borax hebecame suspicious. When he left San Fran-cisco for Los Angeles he was followed, butwhile in Los Angeles he formed a part-nership with Charles Grassard, Eben M.Skillings and his brother Dennis. While

the other three gathered simple equipmentfor starting operations, Searles went in anopposite direction, camping and prospect-ing, still being followed. When he wasable finally to elude his followers hejoined his partners at the claims.

When word reached the outside worldthat there was borax in Searles lake, hordesof men came to stake out claims. Claimjumping and murder knew no law on thatfrontier but in time most of the claimantsstarved out and the claims were aban-doned. One or two small organizations at-tempted to produce the borax as a payingindustry but for one reason or another

faded out of the picture.With crude equipment Searles' little

band collected borax in cowhide baskets

The highly chemicalized brine from beneath the dry surfaceof Searles lake has created a town of 2500 people at Trona.

and carried it to a large boiling pan whereit was boiled for 36 hours. The solutionwas then run into vats so that the crystalscould form on the sides. After drying itwas put into 70-pound bags, loaded into20-mule-team wagons and hauled to SanPedro, California, where it was transport-

ed by water to San Francisco. Thus theborax industry on the now famous Searleslake was born. Those wagons, built andoperated for Searles by Oso V iejo, w ho, atthe time of this writing is still living inLos Angeles, were the first 20-mule-teamborax wagons ever put in operation. Itwas one of the Searles wagons that SaltyBill Parkinson, Searles' foreman, laterdrove across country for exhibition at theSt. Louis exposition in 1904.

On January 1, 1873, Searles marriedMary Covington in Los Angeles, Califor-nia. On February 27, 1874, a son, Dennis,was born to them. B ut those were difficult

years for the city-bred girl. Never inuredto the rigors of desert pioneering, hermind wandered in the maze of primitive

hardships and lost its way. Though de-prived of her help and companionship hecontinued, with the aid of a faithful oldChinese cook, to keep his small son withhim and carry on his enterprises.

In the operation of his borax worksSearles had accumulated considerable real

and personal property—land, buildings,wagons, mules, horses and other equip-ment. On one occasion he had gone withthe mule team shipment to San Pedro,leaving Dennis, then four years old, in thecare of the Chinese cook. A few days afterthe wagon train had left camp there sud-denly appeared in the distance, like aplague of locusts, a band of hostile Indi-ans. Sensing the danger the old Chinamanquickly gathered some food and fled withDennis into a nearby canyon in the moun-tains. The Indians closed in on the camp,burned everything that would burn, anddrove the stock over the Slate range into

the Panamint valley.Sand storms in all their deadly fury are

as nothing compared with the anger of




John Searles when he returned and beheldthe ruins of all that he possessed. As soonas the Chinaman and Dennis reappearedhe assembled the team, took the same driv-ers, and started back for San Pedro, stop-ping enroute to leave his two passengersin friendly hands in San Bernardino. AtSan Pedro they bought mules, old armysaddles and repeating rifles, hired a small

band of longshoremen from the docks,and returned to the desert to track downthe Indians.

Searles caught up with them in the foot-hills of the Panamint mountains where abloody battle ensued. The Indians werefighting with bows and arrows, and, as oneof the survivors told later, they did notfear the white men, thinking that the ar-rows would mow them down while rifleswere being reloaded. Many Indians werekilled and wounded and the remainderfled in panic, leaving the livestock behind.Searles and his men drove the stock back

into Searles lake basin where he began theheart-breaking task of rebuilding theborax works.

In later years the faithful Chinese serv-ant enjoyed an annuity which had been es-tablished by Searles. He died in San Fran-cisco's Chinatown 10 years after Searles

had passed on to his own reward. The sonDennis later attended Stanford universitywhere he graduated in its first class withHerbert Hoover. He died in San Fran-cisco November 25, 1916.

In the rebuilding of the borax plant acorporation was formed under the nameof the San Bernardino Borax Miningcompany. About 60 men were employed.The borax was still hauled out by 20-mule-team wagons to Mojave, the then nearestrailway station, where it was shipped byrail to San Francisco. With each loadworth $4,000, and a load going out everyfour days, the business produced a tre-mendous revenue, but rival concerns paidSearles and his associates such a handsomesum of money to discontinue operationthat they closed down their plant in 1895.

At the time of the operation of Searles'plant geologists considered the surface de-posit to be the largest supply of naturalborax in the world. None of them, not

even John Searles himself, dreamed thatunder the hard white surface of the lakewas a subterranean brine and a vast stra-tum of crystals containing thousands oftimes more borax than was exposed onthe surface, as well as many other salts andchemicals which were later to take their

place in the world of science, industry, ag-riculture and national defense.

When it was discovered that the under-ground lake also carried a vast potash con-tent, the President of the United States, bya proclamation, withdrew Searles lake intoa potash reserve. Congress shortly there-after passed a leasing bill authorizing thedepartment of the interior to lease the de-

posits of potash and other minerals in thelake, preventing private parties thence-forth from procuring it outright. This bill,however, did not disturb those claimswhich already had been patented, includ-ing the holdings of the San BernardinoBorax Mining company as well as thoseof the California Trona company, a sub-sidiary of Goldfields, Ltd.

In 1908 the California Trona companyundertook to manufacture chemicals fromthe brine, but, for various reasons, foundthe going too tough and went into thehands of a receiver. T he company lay prac-

tically dormant until 1913, when it againmade the same attempt under the nameAmerican Trona corporation.

Between 1913 and 1916 various ex-perimental processes were developed,tests were made, plants were built at enor-mous expense and promptly abandoned.

Night pictures of the American Potash and C hemical plant at Tron a, California.

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 13



History does not record whether those try-ing years proved to be a death struggle forthe processes previously used or laborpains of the new Trona which was aboutto be born, but finally, in 1916, a plant toproduce potash and borax by what wasknown as the Grimwood process was com-pleted and placed in operation.

Ten wells, about 85 feet deep, were

drilled through the salt crust and into thebrine. A pumping plant was installed anda pipeline constructed to carry the liquidto the plant where the chemicals were ex-tracted by means of evaporation. Thisplant was the real beginning of the pres-ent Trona. Production of salts from thebrine by the American Trona company,and its successor, the American Potash andChemical corporation, has been continu-ous since that time.

The variety of the uses for Trona prod-ucts seems to be as unlimited as the uni-verse. The coarse grade of potash is used

chiefly in fertilizers. The finer grade isused in the manufacture of soaps, textiles,matches, medicines, dyes, glass, photo-graphic preparations, and many otherthings.

One grade of borax finds its way intoheat-resisting glasses, ordinary bottleglass, and vitreous or porcelain enamels,glazes for ceramic ware, leather, paper,adhesives and textiles. It is used as a sol-vent for casein, as a flux in the brazing andwelding of metals, to retard the decay ofcitrus fruits, and to prevent the growth ofcertain fungi which cause sap stain in num-erous types of lumber.

Boric acid (technical) is used in themanufacture of vitreous enamels, heat-resisting glass and glazes for ceramicware. It is also used in electro-plating andthe manufacture of electrolytic condensers.More highly refined boric acid goes intovarious pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Soda ash is probably the most versatileof all the products obtained from theSearles lake brine. It becomes baking soda,drugs, dye-stuffs, caustic soda, and othersalts containing sodium as the base. Itsoftens water, helps in the refining oflubricating oils, is an ingredient in woodpreservatives and is a useful element in themanufacture of paper.

Salt cake (sodium sulphate) is largelyused in the manufacture of kraft paper,plate and window glass, dyes, chemicals,tanning, cattle dopes and pharmaceuticalproducts.

The youngest brain-children of the re-search department are the recovery of lith-ium from the process foams and slimeswhich formerly were wasted and the re-covery of bromine and alkali bromidesfrom the potash. Heretofore lithium has

been obtained by mine production of min-erals. As prepared at Trona it constitutesthe highest grade lithium ore yet known.

In addition to a great many medicinal useslithium chloride is used in air-condition-ing units for de-humidifying, in metal-lurgy for copper refining, in the red fireof fireworks, and for many chemical ex-periments. Bromine and the bromides arelargely used in modern industrial arts. Itis a vital constituent of Ethyl gasoline aswell as a fumigant for preventing weevilsand damage to stored supplies of grain.The bromides are used also in the photo-graphic industry. In a national emergencythe photographer and his supplies as wellas the Ethyl gasoline used in aeroplanesbecome of utmost importance.

And the end is not yet! The axiom inthe old riddle "the more you take, themore you leave" must have been said ofthe brine in Searles lake, for, in spite ofthe enormous amount pumped out eachday, scientists claim that it constantly isbeing replaced and that there is no indica-tion that the supply will be diminished forat least 100 years. And so, judging the fu-

ture by the past, who can say what addi-tional wonders for the benefit of all man-kind are still lurking in that brine?

The village of Trona resembles, to someextent, an army post. Where once therewas a pitiful little handful of rude cabinson the edge of the salt beds there are nowhundreds of modern comfortable homeson well-laid-out streets. There is a fully-equipped grade and high school, a publiclibrary, a modern up-to-the-minute hospi-tal with two doctors, a corps of nurses anda dentist; a moving picture theater, an 18-hole golf course, and a completely-

equipped tfapshooting ground. It alsoboasts an airport with hangars for a num-ber of privately owned planes, as well asone of the finest open-air swimming poolsin the West.

A large and commodious retail storecarries food, dry goods and drugs. In theearly mining days of John Searles it wasnecessary for him to drive his mule teamover 100 miles to Tehachapi for his sup-plies and feed for his stock. Later he ran asmall store of his own for the benefit ofthe employes in his borax works. The ruinsof that little store building are still stand-

ing on the shore of the lake.In contrast to the 20-mule-team wagons

which groaned and creaked their wayacross the desert in the early days of JohnSearles, the American Potash and Chemi-cal corporation now owns and operatesits own railroad between Trona andSearles station, a distance of 31 miles,where it connects with the Southern Paci-fic railway. Two huge engines, piloting anaverage of 35 cars, now puff out of Tronaevery day starting about 1,300 tons ofproducts on their way to every corner ofthe globe.

There are now 19 wells operating onthe lake and an average of 2,700,000 gal-

lons of brine flow through pipelines intothe plant every 24 hours. From this brineapproximately 1,260 tons of chemicals areextracted. To carry on this herculeanchore, with loading and shipping, requiresabout 1,250 employes, who, with theirfamilies, constitute the entire populationof Trona, numbering about 2,500.

W ith Trona products taking such an im-

portant place in the scientific and indus-trial world, it is not surprising that theinteresting little city has gathered unto herbosom a most unusual class of people. Itboasts some of the finest chemical andengineering brains in the country.

Houses, administration buildings, storebuildings and dormitories for single menand women are all air-cooled—almost sin-fully comfortable in the hottest summerweather. It's a far cry back to those pio-neering days when there was no relieffrom the dancing, baking heat waves ofthe lake basin.

John Wemple Searles, son of Georgeand Helen Wemple Searles, was born atTribes Hill, Montgomery county, NewYork, on November 16, 1828. Thoughthe glittering, shimmering borax crystalsin the bed of the lake which now bears hisname were not the yellow gold which heexpected to find at the end of the coveredwagon trail, they made him a rich manand left a legacy of benefits and blessingsto be enjoyed by the whole world forgenerations to come.

History records that in his early pio-neering days, while on a deer-hunting ex-

pedition into the mountains of Kern coun-ty, Searles had a gruelling, breath-takingfight with a huge grizzly bear which lefthis shoulder and one side of his face per-manently mangled. Companions on thehunt managed to get him to Los Angeleswhere surgeons miraculously saved hislife. Grim reminders of the incident todayare a bottle containing 21 pieces of brokenbone and teeth and an old Spencer riflewith many bear-teeth dents in it. Perhapsonly the kind of pluck and courage whichsaw him through that encounter couldhave fought off claim jumpers and

marauding Indians in his early borax daysand establish for posterity one of the mostimportant industries in America today.

John Searles died on October 7, 1897,and his body lies in the purple shadows ofthe little cemetery at St. Helena, Califor-nia. But to watch the sun sink behind thehills at Trona and the short twilight fadeinto night, with the silhouette of the hugeindustrial giant outlined in black againstthe desert sky—then suddenly a millionelectric lights rivaling the long jaggedpoints of the stars—one feels that his spirithas come back that the desert may claim itsown; that here indeed death has beenswallowed up in victory.




The glitter o f gold still lures prospectors to Glen Canyon o\ the Colorado. {Thisphotograph is of the prospector ivhose life was saved by Kelly's party, as narrated

in the story "Gold Hunters Are Like That" in July, 1942, Desert M agazine.

By CHARLES KELLY

" . . . The two fellows with Capt.Dodds are miners and are seeking

gold in the canyons of the Coloradoand therefore want to see the Majorabout it. One of them showed us howto prospect by getting a few grains ofgold out of the sand. Claims thatsomewhere among the rapids he canscoop up gold by the hatful and isbound to try it."

The above entry from the unpublishedjournal of William Clement Powell, anephew of Major John Wesley Powell,was dated October 6, 1871. Young ClemPowell, assistant photographer for theMajor's second expedition through the

canyons of Colorado river, made the en-try at Crossing of the Fathers, 40 milesabove Lee's ferry, where the river expedi-

tion was met by an overland party underCaptain Dodds, bringing fresh supplies.

So far as I know, this is the first men-

tion of gold being found along the Colo-rado river.Clem Powell states that the two pros-

pectors were named Riley and Stevenson.They had accompanied Captain Doddsfor the purpose of questioning MajorPowell about the possibilities of findinggold along the river. Since Powell wasfirst to pass through the canyons of theColorado, they supposed he must havefound rich deposits of gold bearing sand.They had heard tales of Indians scoopingup gold by the hatful and hop ed the Majorcould direct them to the spot. But MajorPowell was a geologist and explorer, not

a prospector. If he knew there was goldalong the river he never mentioned it.

Riley and Stevenson d :d find flakes of

For more than 70 years pros-pec tors have been panning thebars a long the canyons of theColorado river for gold. Gold isthere—bil l ions in wealth—but i tis flour gold in such fine particlestha t few miners eve r have beenable to mine it profitably. In thisstory, Charles Kelly tells of some

of the failures—and of the twomen who have cont inued to cp-erate after a l l others abandonedtheir c la ims.

wet

fine gold in the sand at Crossing of theFathers, but not in paying quantities. Re-turning to Kanab with Captain Dodds,they were joined by another man namedStewart, and in January, 1872, ClemPowell found them busily placer miningat the mouth of Kanab creek, in GrandCanyon, where they were very hopeful ofmaking a rich strike.

That was 70 years ago. Almost everyyear since then prospectors have pannedthe sands of Colorado river searching forthe place where gold could be scooped upby the hatful. As a matter of fact gold canbe found anywhere along the river fromits two principal sources in Colorado andWyoming to its mouth in the Gulf ofLower California; but the original sourceof the metal is unknown and the particlesare so fine they will float on water whendry. No successful process for extractingthis flour gold yet has been devised.But the gold is there—billions of dollars'worth—and this demonstrated fact hascontinued to lure prospectors to the riverever since Powell's second expedition.

In April of 1942, Dr. Russell G.Frazier, Willis Johnson and the writermade an expedition through the sectionknown as Glen canyon of the Colorado, inthree rubber boats. Our purpose was tosearch for some reported Spanish inscrip-tions on the canyon w alls, said to have beenleft by Father Escalante and other earlySpanish expeditions. In our search westopped at every point along the riverwhere' such inscriptions m ight have beenleft. Unfortunately, we found no new in-

scriptions. But we did find, all the wayfrom the mouth of Fremont river to Lee'sferry, evidences of the enormous amount

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 15



money and labor had been spent in trans-porting and erecting the wheel, but op-erations apparently had been abandonedafter a short time. We cooked supper thatnight over a fire of old dry boards broughtin on the back of a mule.

Next day we dropped down to Califor-nia bar, which seems to have been the

I richest spot in the canyon. Near the lower

I end we saw a tent-covered float and

• » , . _

•Dr. Ru ssell G. Frazier and WillisJohnson inspect an attractive stonecabin built on Shock bar by a prospec-tor who evidently expects to return

some day.

of money and energy that had been spentin trying to recover the fine river gold.

Cass Hite, Colorado river hermit, seemsto have been principally responsible forthe gold rush in Glen canyon. In 1883 hebuilt the first permanent residence alongthat isolated section of river, near themouth of Trachyte creek. Once or twice a

year he would ride out to H anksville, near-est Mormon settlement, for supplies,bringing a few ounces of fine gold dust.

In 1889-90 Robert Brewster Stantonmade a survey of Colorado river canyonwith the fantastic idea of building a rail-road through it. He found gold and in1898 promoted a company to recover it. Ahuge dredge was built and transported insections, by team and wagon. Coming atthe time of the Klondike excitement, thisactivity precipitated a real gold rush andGlen canyon was soon lined with placerminers. A group of tents and shackssprung up around Hite's old cabin, andHite postoffice was opened.

There was no gold on bedrock in theriver channel, so the $300,000 dredge,which was never designed to recoverflour gold, was abandoned after a fewmonths' unprofitable operation. Other op-erators, who followed Stanton with everyimaginable kind of equipment, were alsocompelled to quit. One by one the menwith gold pans, sluice boxes and rockersgave up, the postoffice was closed for lackof business, and Cass Hite was left almostalone. Since then other men with various

schemes for saving flour gold have con-ducted costly experiments; but none weresuccessful, and the river banks in Glen

This is the wreck of the Stan ton dredge, resting on its ow n little island in the Colo-rado opposite the mo uth of Bullfrog creek. Built in 1898 /'/ operated only a short

lime and was abandoned.

canyon are lined with rusting machinery ofevery description.

On this voyage, our fifth through Glencanyon, we found the river high and thecurrent swift. Late in the afternoon of thefirst day we were caught in a rainstormaccompanied by a strong upstream wind,making it impossible to handle the lightrubber boats. Passing Olympia bar wewere swept toward the east bank and car-ried underneath the remains of an enor-mous old water wheel hanging suspendedfrom a high, sheer rock wall. Since mostof the paddles had been torn away by

floods we escaped being wrecked. Pullingin to shore just below, we found refugefrom the rain under some overhangingledges, where we sp;nt an uncomfortablenight.

The Bennett Wheel, as this piece ofengineering is known, was built about 40years ago. Its heavy timbers, cables andpumps were brought to the river bywagons and pack mules, over the roughestcountry outdoors, and suspended over acliff where it was supposed to providepower for pumping water to the top of ahigh gravel bar containing gold. On thebar above we found deep trenches and pits,

mine cars and rails, heavy iron conduitsand a miscellaneous collection of rustymachinery. An enormous amount of time,

stopped to investigate. Here we foundCharley Gearhart and his son Albert, theonly placer miners now operating on theriver. Gearhart is a mechanical genius.Starting with the wreck of an old car anda gasoline pump he has built, from therusty debris of earlier unsuccessful opera-tions, a drag line, a dump truck, sluiceboxes and other necessary equipment. It isprimitive, but strangely enough it works.His gold bearing sand, taken from an oldworking abandoned 40 years ago, ishauled to the river bank in a dump carand run through a long sluice box. His

concentrates consist of black sand andflour gold, which he carefully pans out inclear water. By working a pan of concen-trates Gearhart proved to us that "there'sgold in them thar sands," but it requiresan enormous amount of hard labor to re-cover it. The Gearharts are not gettingrich, but they have succeeded, by persistenthard work, in making a living where allothers have failed.

Below California bar, in the middle ofthe river, stands the wreck of Stanton's$300,000 dredge. A sandbar has formedaround it, creating an island in low water.The rusty old wreck is covered with drift-

wood collected in flood season. It is themost conspicuous monument in Glen can-yon to man's unfruitful search for gold.




Stanton apparently did not know that mostof the river gold lies in high gravel barsalong the banks, deposited in prehistorictimes.

Further downstream, at Shock bar, wefound, near the river bank, an attractivestone cabin and a large tent. The placehad been abandoned only a short time.The cabin, built against a sandstone cliffby some man with considerable architec-tural ingenuity, had the appearance of per-manency. A nearby spring, piped to thecabin, provided a stream of clear, cold wa-ter which irrigated several young fruittrees, a thrifty grape vine and some rosebushes. On the gravel bar above were evi-dences of considerable placer workings,most of them old, with the usual accumu-lation of rusty iron and rotten lumber. Theman who built this attractive cabin nodoubt intends to return to it some day andspend his declining years, like Cass Hite,on the river where a few ounces of finegold will provide all his actual necessi-ties.

All the way to Lee's ferry, a distance of185 miles, we saw, high on the river banks,little rock monuments marking old aban-doned mining claims. On every bar wefound old placer workings, sometimeswith rotten sluice boxes still in place. Mil-lions of dollars and an unbelievableamount of human energy must have beenspent trying to recover some of the mil-lions of ounces of flour gold in the oldgravel bars, but probably only a few hun-dred ounces ever were saved, and alwaysat a loss. Of the thousands who once linedthe river banks, only Charley Gearhartand his son remained to remind us of theGlen canyon gold rush of 1898. Theydon't expect to find gold by the hatful,but they do make a living, and they likeit. Somehow we envied them.

All that remains of the Bennett w heel on O lympia bar. This machinery was packedin piece by piece 40 years ago to wash gold bearing gravel. It never operated profit-

ably, and soon was abandoned .

Camp of Charles Gearhart and son, Albert, on C alifornia bar. With this outfit constructedmainly of junk, the G earharts make a living where thousands of o ther placer miners have

failed.

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 17



Irmatkmvmat

John Hilton wen t to Uta h's Mo nume ntval ley in ques t of semi-precious gemstones and colored photographs, and bychance fell in with a crew of bone-diggers— paleontologis ts is the correctname— from the University of California.And h ere is the story of wh at hap pen swhen a rockhound goes ga lavan t in 'around with the scientific men.

the Hook oj\ llLineBy JOHN HILTON

Photography by Floyd B. EvansSketches by Norton Allen

'/////TTJTTt.'f.-;V//SHINARUMP

EI-HOSKININi;

DE CHELLY

JIJ Y ACQUA INTAN CE with Dr. Charles Camp/y{_ began on the porch of Harry Goulding's trading

post in Monument valley, Utah.

I had walked out on the porch at sunset to watchthe changing lights and shadows on the colorfulcliffs and monoliths of one of the deserts most gor-geous landscapes. In another corner of the verandaHarry Goulding was in conversation with a stranger.

"Yes, I would say it is at least thirty million yearsolder than the earliest dinosaur . . ."

This remark caught my attention. I t was saidwith an earnestness and conviction thattold me the speaker was not just anothertourist on vacation.

I walked across to where the otherswere seated. Harry Goulding was turningover in his hands a small bone.

"Meet Dr. Camp," he said. "The dochas found something new in Monumentvalley. For years I have been told therewere no fossils in this area—but theywere wrong. I have always said there isjust about anything you want to f ind inthis corner of Utah, if you know what youare looking for and work hard enough atit."

Harry is that way. He constitutes the of-ficial guide and one-man chamber of com-merce for this part of the desert. As far ashe is concerned, Monument valley has

7-—.CEDAR MESA "Z^BE-zE^^fôvo RIVER BEDTHE NEW THUMB MARK

Artist's cross-section of the geological formations in the Monument valley area. TheCedar mesa stratum is estimated to be 300,000,000 years old. Other sandstone for-

mations have been laid down during the intervening years.

everything—and he' ll argue the pointwith you.

He handed me the small bone, and Dr.

Camp continued explaining why its dis-covery was so impo rtant.

"W e must search for more of thesebones ," he was saying. "I am sure theyrepresent one of the earliest reptiles onthe American continent—perhaps thefirst vertebrate life to leave the water anddwell on land."

The bone itself was not impressive. Itwas a vertebra and might have been partof a dead lamb if one failed to note that ithad turned to stone, with particles ofMonument valley red sandstone clingingto it.

"Note how primitive it is ." said thedoctor. "See where the nerves camethrough. It is just one step above theCotylosaur."

I could see the indentures he referredto , but for the life of me I could not tellwhy it was so primitive, or related to abeast with such an odd-sounding name.But paleontology is a fascinating study,and so I tried to look as intelligent as pos-sible. And that is the trouble with profes-sors. When they find I am really inter-ested, they take it for granted I under-stand everything they are saying—and Isoon get tangled in a hopeless jungle of

words that are utterly meaningless as faras I am concerned.

I asked how many bones he had foundso far. The doctor shook his head thought-fully. "Not nearly enough," he answered,"but we are going to keep looking. This isour third trip into this country, and eachtime we are able to piece together a littlemore of the story. I have a good crew ofstudents this year. They are no less inter-ested than I in getting a good picture ofthese creatures, and the kind of countrythis must have been at that early time."

I asked if there was any chance of find-

ing a complete skeleton. He shook hishead doubtfully. He explained that thefew bones the1: had found were along the

18 T H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E



ing easy. We were so interested we hadalmost forgotten about the lizard-hunterswhen we returned to the trading post.

It was evident something important hadhappened during the day. The camp wasbuzzing with activity. Dr. Camp met usat the bunkhouse door. He had a smilelike the cat that had eaten both canaries.

"We've found it," was his first remark."A completely articulated skeleton of aPelycosaur, embedded in a slab of sand-stone in probably the exact position inwhich it died."

He went on to explain how two of the

Dr. Charles Camp of the Universityoj California and the boulder inwhich the ancient reptile's skeleton is

embedded.

course of an ancient streambed which hehad traced through the base of one cliffafter another. Complete fossils, it seems,are hard to find where water action has

scattered the bones before they were cov-ered up.

"Of course there is always a longchance," he said. "But the law of averagesis all against a complete skeleton in thissort of terrain. When these Pelycosaursand Cotylosaurs were alive, this countrywas a desert of drifting sand, with hereand there a water course. If the anima!died along the streambed high waterwould scatter the bones. If it died in thesand dunes the wind would do the samething. We did find some excellent foot-prints, however. Want to see them?"

In a few minutes we were in the bunk-house where his crew was quartered. Someof them were college boys out on this tripto gain a practical knowledge of paleon-tology. A few were from high school. Allof them figured this would be their lastfield trip as civilians. They would be inUncle Sam's uniform on their next fieldexpedition, somewhere around the globe.They were a cheerful lot and full of goodnatured banter. It was evident they felt adeep respect for Dr. Charles Camp andthe work he is doing in the department ofpaleontology at the University of Califor-nia.

They were searching for bones with theeagerness of gold prospectors. The slab of

Close-up of the Pelycosaur skeleton discovered by Dr. Camp 's boys. This reptilewas a grand-daddy of the dinosaur.

rock with five-toed lizard tracks was oneof their prizes. One could see where thisancient reptile had crawled across a mudbar on the stream bank.

I chided the boys for their failure tofind a complete skeleton of the lizard theywere seeking. But they were optimistic.

Dr. Camp had promised the crew a steakdinner if they found the skeleton, and theywere sure they would win the dinner.

They invited me to join them in thehunt. It sounded interesting—hunting forthe skeleton of the dinosaur's grand-daddyout there among the red buttes of Monu-ment valley.

Next day I spent with Floyd Evans andHarry Goulding photographing ?some ofHarry's Navajo friends. Harry woulddrive his car over a red sand dune anddown through a dark canyon, and by somesort of magic produce a Navajo hogan ina cove where you wouldn't believe a hu-

man could exist. They were all friends ofthe trader, and this made the picture tak-

high school boys, Bill Rush and Ed Cotthad been assigned to a sidehill to explore.They had come across the prize find intheir regular day's routine. The boys werepassing around the usual banter. "So thatwas a Pelycosaur! Well, if that was all theprofessor wanted, they would have

brought one in every day." But they wereproud of their discovery, nevertheless."It was one chance in thousands," said

Dr. Camp. "We might find several in thislocality, but the odds are that a lifetime'ssearch would yield nothin g.

Floyd Evans and I were invited to goalong the next day and examine the newfind. That night I had dreams of strangelooking reptiles crawling around in theooze of a prehistoric mud-flat.

The camp was out at dawn. We rode inGoulding's big-tired station wagon, as hewas as eager as the rest of us to see Monu-ment valley's big fossil-bone strike.

The morning light cast long shadowsacross the desert from the great buttes

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 19



M4DST0NE /

SHINARUMP CONGLOMERATE(CONT AINS PET RIF IED fYOOOj

HOSKININI" S A N D S T O N E

^^ *S

. CEDAR MESA'-(ABC, APPRJOX. 300,000,000

r

MfUlenHALGAITO

FtICO LIMESTONEARINE FOSSILS)

p -

around us as we traveled along the sandyroad, dodging brush and boulders. Wecame to a point where we left the roadand headed off toward a towering massof red rock crowned by great pinnacleslike the fingers of some giant. The coralred sand dunes seemed to hedge us in onall sides, broken here and there by patchesof the bluest sagebrush I have ever seen.Even the color camera failed to find anygreen in the leaves of this strange plant.A bright sprinkling of yellow and whiteflowers against the almost artificially redsand, the vivid dark green of juniper treesagainst the flaming red cliffs and the blaz-ing blue sky with fluffy white clouds madea fellow wish he had brought more colorfilm along. T he way Harry was running atthose sand dunes and plunging over them,we thought he would drive us right to thespot where the fossil was lying. But thedeep gullies became too numerous tododge and finally stopped us.

The boys in the party said it was just "ahop, skip and a jump" from this point tothe fossil skeleton. But by the time weolder members of the party had pulled our-selves over the last ledge of red sandstoneand climbed the last talus slope, we knewthe boys' estimate was an under-statement.

I'll admit I was a little disappointedwhen I first saw the curled conglomerateof bones embedded in a boulder. It wasn't

nearly as impressive as the skeletons ofdinosaurs I have seen in museums. But thedoctor had said it was worth a dozen d ino-saurs to science. And he knows m ore aboutit than I do.

As he began to explain, the 28-inchreptile skeleton began to take on addedimportance. The spinal column was in-tact, with the ribs in place on both sides.There were four tiny patches of whitespots which the doctor assured us werethe foot-bones. I wondered about the sizeof the tracks compared with the small feetof this specimen. He reminded me thatreptiles, even adults, vary greatly in size,since they grow as long as they live. Andanyway, even the skeleton of a human be-ing looks small compared with a livingperson.

I deplored the fact that the head wasburied in the sandstone and could not beseen. Dr. Camp replied that this was a for-tunate circumstance. The head, so impor-tant in identifying a new species, will bebetter preserved than the exposed portionsof the skeleton. It can be uncovered bydelicate tools and months of patient workat the museum.

Across from us on a sheer cliff couldbe seen a well-defined line between a fine-

grained sandstone and a coarser stratumbelow. The doctor pointed out a curiousmarking on the cliff and told us it was

the ancient riverbed his crew had beenfollowing thr ough the hills. Closer inspec-tion bore out his statement. We werelooking at a cross-section of an ancient ar-royo that traversed the area before the sedi-mentary rock was laid down on it.

The doctor gave us an interesting dis-course on geological history as disclosedin the strata of sandstone to be seen in theMonument valley pinnacles. I finally be-came lost somewhere between the UpperPermian and the Triassic ages, so heprom ised to make m e a cross-section sketchof the whole thing. His sketch is repro-duced in the clean lines of Norton Allen'sart with this text.

While the boys were loosening the 800-pound slab in which the skeleton occurred,the doctor got out his brush and can ofshellac and with the care of a true scien-tist painted a protective coating on thefossil.

Floyd and I uncased our cameras andwent to work on the professor, the terrain,the bones and the diggers. The boys keptbringing up the subject of that steak din-ner they were to get.

I had backed up over a rough mass ofsandstone talus to get a color shot of theproceedings when I happened to glance

around. You can imagine the thrill whenmy eyes rested on another jumble of bonesembedded in a rock. There were not as




Above— Monum ent valley, where scientists once thought n o fossil life existed.Below— Ancient streambed where the fossil bones were found is about the center of the picture, just below stratum line which ex-

tends entirely across the view.

many of them exposed as in the previousskeleton, and there was more evidence ofwater wear, but they undoubtedly werereptile bones similar to the ones now be-ing shellacked.

I called Dr. Camp, and the entire crewcame over to inspect the new find. Thedoctor examined the fossil for a minute,then turned to me with a happy expres-sion.

"It is a Cotylosaur," he said. "See thedifference in the vertebrae? This is an al-most complete skeleton of the other lizard

we have been seeking. He was moreprimitive than the Pelycosaur. In fact, hewas more like a big salamander, and prob-ably was amphybious. John, you've reallymade a perfect day of it for our expedi-tion."

I'll not deny that the incident gave me abig thrill. It was a lucky break for a rock-hound who knows almost nothing aboutpaleontology. A couple of the boys start-

ed good-natured beefing about the job ofgetting two rocks down the hill. One ofthem suggested that since I found the

darned thing it was my job to get it backto camp. I promptly quit-claimed all in-terest in my discovery in favor of science—and went on w ith my photography.

That night after the others had goneto bed, Dr. Camp and I sat in Mrs. Gould-ing's kitchen. The table was covered withdrawings and diagrams. It had been a bigday for both of us. He had acquired im-portant new specimens, and I was get-

ting the final details of a story for DesertMagazine.

"Here," he said, "is the juncture be-

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 21



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tween the Organ rock and the Cedar mesaformation where we found the bones. The

strata above at De Chelly sandstone, thenHoskinini , Moencopi , and the Shinarumpconglomerate in which petr if ied woodoften is found. That is the highest forma-tion in the valley."

"But doctor," I asked, "that isstill very

ancient rock isn't it?"

"Yes it is," he answered. "Inother partsof the plateau the Shinarump is overlaidwith Chinle clays, and above them are the

Winga te and Kayenta sandstones, and

finally the great thick mass of Navajosandstone in which Zion canyon has beencarved."

I knew something about Navajo sand-stone. The park ranger at Zion had spentsome time impressing on me the extremeag e of this formation, and the countlessyears required to deposit it as windblownsand. My head was in a whirl, trying to

grasp the tremendous spans of time in-

volved in the formation of theearth's crustas weknow it.

Finally I asked the doctor togive me an

estimate of the age of the Cedar mesa for-

mation.

"In round figures," he replied, "thosebones we found today were probably300,000,000 years old.They belong to the

Lower Permian period in the earth's his-

tory, and are just above the upper car-

boniferous where the first primitive fos-

sil reptiles occur."

It is very difficult indeed for mere hu-

mans to grasp the concept of time as it

applies to geographical history. It prob-ably required a longer period of time for

Natur e to lay down any one of the stratain the doctor's geological chart than the

entire span of years in which man has

been on earth.

I looked down at the table, and there in

on e of the doctor 's diagrams a patternseemed to take form. It reminded me of a

big dictionary, and the drawing with the

cross-section of ancient r iverbed with an

initial "R" in it looked like the thumb in-

denture which marks the letters of the al-

phabet . I called Doctor Camp's attentionto the simile. He smiled and pushed the

papers aside to go to bed.

"Tha t is just what it is, John," he said."A thumbtnark on the pages of time, the

one thing any good paleontologist spendsmost of his life trying to establish. Whenwe can f ind these thumbmarks, it makesthe book' of time more easily understoodfor those who follow."

• • •

Accommodations at Las Vegas . . .

Las V egas chamber of commerce has

urged that motorists planning to visitsouthern Nevada dur ing the weekendsfrom September 27 to October 25 should

make reservations well in advance as horseracing events planned for the five Sundayswill bring large crowds to that area.

22 T H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E



G R E A T S A N C T U A R YWinner of theDesert Magazine'sLandmark contest in August

Francis Hapgood Elmore,w a spharmacist's mate in theU.S.Navy, stationed at SanDiego. Heidentifiedthe fire vault or shrine shown in the accompanying picture as part ofthe Great Sanctuary in the courtyard of the Chetro Ketl ruins in ChacoCanyon national monument in NewMexico. Elmore spent twosummersat Chaco canyon and is intimately familiar with the prehistoric ruinsthere. Hiswinning manuscript is published on this page.

By FRANCIS HAPGOOD ELMORE

by theHyde expedition, andtheNationalGeographic society continued excavationsin 1922 to 1926. Pueblo Bonito is D-shaped with its long diameter 667 feetand the shorter axis 315 feet. Itsnorthernwall, part of which was destroyed by thefalling of Threatening Rock early lastyear, isover 800feet inlength andisstillstanding in places over 40 feet high.

Pueblo Bonito was at least four storiesin height and contained about 800 roomsand 32kivas, orceremonial chambers, andat theheight of itsdevelopment containeda population of from 800to1,200people.

Chettro Kettle, theorigin of thenameis unknown, is situated about one-fourthof amile east ofPueblo Bonito. It isaboutthe same size asBonito, andwas also anancient community house, which if setdown in a modern American city, wouldcover two average city blocks. The GreatSanctuary, inwhich occurs the "fire vault"pictured in your magazine, is located in

the east side of its plaza. No oneknowsits prehistoric use, although many theorieshave been offered.

Chettro Kettle wasfirst studied in 1921by theSchool ofAmerican Research. Sub-sequent seasons of excavation uncoveredthe circular structure approximately 48feet in diameter with four post holes, analtar, and two"fire vaults." One of thegreatest finds was theuncovering of 10crypts in thekiva wall. Crypt number 6may beseen tothe left ofthe "fire, vault"in thephotograph. Ineach ofthe 10cryptswere theremains of strings of beadsand

numerous pendants and buttons of tur-quoise. The strings ranged from one 7feet long, containing 983beads, toone 17feet long, containing 2,265 beads.

rHE prehistoric masonry pictured inyour August number, which yousuggest as being a "Religious

shrine, burial pit, fire vault orstorage bin"is found in the Great Sanctuary in thecourtyard ofChettro Kettle (Chetro Ketl)located inChaco canyon, NewMexico.

Chaco Canyon national monument is

reached from thesouth by leaving U. S.Highway 66at Thoreau andtraveling 64miles north. Thoreau is 30miles west ofGrants and 30miles east of Gallup, NewMexico. From the north, themonument isreached bytraveling south from thelittletown of Aztec andAztec Ruins nationalmonument, adistance of 40miles onStateHighway 55,then onState Highway 35,a distance of 24miles tomonument head-quarters. From theeast, one maytake StateHighways 44 and 55 from Bernalillo,New Mexico andtravel 140miles to theChaco canyon turnoff.

Chaco Canyon national monument wasso proclaimed onMarch 11, 1907,and isadministered by the department of the

interior through thenational park service.A permanent custodian is stationed atmonument headquarters for theguidanceand information ofvisitors, aswell as forthe protection ofthemonument. It isopento thepublic every day of theyear.Thenational park service maintains a picnicarea, and visitors maysecure food and

supplies at the Chaco Canyon TradingPost. Aguide feeof25 cents perperson ischarged, while children 17 years of ageand under areadmitted free.

Within themonument boundaries arefound 17 major ruins, dating between 800and 1200A. D. Theprehistoric popula-tion of thecanyon atonetime isvariouslyestimated from 5,000 to 10,000 persons.Together with itscultural material recov-ered from theexcavated rooms, these ruinsrepresent theheight of Pueblo culture inprehistoric times. Theruins arewithoutequal in theUnited States.

Pueblo Bonito (Beautiful V illage) isone ofthemost famous ruins intheUnitedStates. Itsexcavation was started in1896

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O C T O B E R , 1942 23



I t Was fun to E x p l o r ethe desert in the good olddays when there were plentyof tires and ourdesert trips were limited only byavail-able time and the family budget. Well those days aren'tgone forever. One of these days when we have disposedof Herr Schickelgruber and the Mikado , theopen roadwill becalling again and wewill befo llowing s trangeand mysterious trails that lead out in to the land of

scenic canyons andgorgeous sunsets. In themeantimeit is relaxing to recall .some of theexploring trips ofthe past.

Just tohelp jogyour memory, here aresome of thesigns youhave encountered on vacation or weekendtrips to thedesert country. How many of them doyo urecognize? Look them over carefully and identify allyou can—and then check upyour answers at thebot-to m of the next page. You'll find these two pages, andthe memories they recall, good tonic forwar nerves.

•

m

1—Trails to palm oases . .

3—At the top ofa desert pass . . .

CAllFORNi*. WS.TO«K>; :ANO vî i>

rCiiant Pictoglypli FLouiesk V ' . v v ' i . . ' > - . ' " - • . : • ''•:•'• •• •'•' •'•"• ••*••• •

v W D V w & • V." .' • - ' ' " •»«:'"•<">& ,!• •<--,•«••.

• J , " •£ i :> ". »" "*.n.v .*. f. * : "' t>**>Y»?

y.lw.UV-r: r. .V .S • » : . ' - • ; • • • : • • i ' ' - ' •

4— Handwriting ofthe Indians . .

2— Ancient home ofthe Cahuilla Indian

6—Prospectors com e her e kor.

ATLATLPETRIFiElCRYSTAL

OVER!GLEND7-1-Ina

5—To crumbling ruins on an old trail

24

8— Honoring an old desert rat

THE DESERT MAGAZINE



> BEAVEBCRfiUESTBCH

• SODA SPK GpEST BCH

) • MONTEZUHA HELL I7

0- RIMROCK G)JEST RCH

• CORMVlUE PO

• •

ON MAR C H 1 6 , 1 7 7 4 , JUAfl BAUTISTA re ANZA, INDIAN

FIG HTE R, EXPL OSER .AND COLONIZER,LEI) THROUGH THIS

PASS ( NAMED BY HIM SAN CARLOS) TBE FIRST WHITE

EXPLORERS TOCR OS S THE MOUNTAINS INTO CALIFORNIA,

THE PARTY TRAVELED FROM TUBAC.ARIZONA.TO HONTEiHM

CALIFORNIA. ONDECEHBER 27.1773.0N ASECONDEXPEDITION INTO CALIFORNIA, ANZA LM

9— Roads to adesert playground 11 — Plaque on a historical trail . . .

ROUTE 91

f colorful rock . . .

12— Signs to the waterholes

KS5?5ES?:iBKI2™

10— 5/ . Johns haseverything .

O C T O B E R , 1942

1 3 — V i c t i m of a s i x - s h o o t e r ... 1-

I d e n t i f i c a t i o n . . .1—At Thousand Palms oasis, Coa-

chella valley, California. SeeDesert Magazine, April 1941.

2—Sign in north end of Borregovalley, California. Caption onsign " H O B O Y A K R O A D .Named for the Cahuilla Indianfighter who with the aid of aBEAR drove the Dieguenosfrom the valley." Sign waserected by Harry Ol iver, old-t ime homesteader in Borrego,an d the reference is to an oldlegend of the Cahuilla country.

3—This sign is at the top of thepass on the gravel road fromLucerne to Barstow, not far from

Stoddard's well.4—This sign is near Palo V erde in-

take not far from the road fromBlythe to V idal, California. In-

-Mexican '49m followed this trail

scription reads: "Giant Picto-glyph Figures, discovered fromth e air. Location permanentlyestablished 1932, Lieut. Kaye ofMarch Field. Three human orgod figures 95 to 167 feet long,two animals, coiled serpent, in-teresting lines . . . Origin un-known. Probably ancient. Madeby scraping desert sandstonepebbles into windrows, leavingfigures of sunbaked earth."

5—This sign along the Yuma-Quartzsite road in Arizona, in-dicates the ruins of a stonecabin believed to have once beenan overnight shelter on the mili-tary road from Prescott to Ehren-berg. Desert Magazine. August,1938.

6—Wiley's wel l on the Blythe-Niland road, California. DesertMagazine, April, 1939.

(Continued on page-41.)

25



a nee

k th

and the ceaseless chant of the medicineman in charge.

"Tell me something of the significanceof this dance," I asked V iolet, and shelooked around cautiously before she be-gan to talk. You see she is not exactly afavorite with her tribe because she has achild crippled from birth and she wouldnot deliver it to the medicine men who

would allow it to perish. Instead she took

In the days when the ApacheIndian ran free and wild on theopen range every member of thetribe was trained for hardshipand endurance. Today stock-raising and agriculture havetaken the place of hunting andmarauding and as far as theyoung men of the tribe are con-cerned the training is less rigor-ous . But the Apache girls muststill prove their stamina and en-

durance by going through thetraditional Coming-Out dance.Here is the story of one of theseceremonials.

Sacred cornmeal is smeared on the faces ofthe Apa che girls at their Coming-O ut dance.

By MARGARET STONE

I / IOLET, the shy White Mountain\/ Apache girl who lived in my home

for many months asked me to gowith her to the Coming-Out dance of heryoung sister at Fort Apache. Since the gov-ernment allows only one gala day eachyear to the Apaches, they gather from farand wide on the Fourth of July and com-

bine their ritual for young girls with thecelebrated Devil dance. I had alwayswanted to see it, but on account of the atro-

cious stories told of happenings at thesedances I hesitated to go alone. With V io-let as my hostess it was quite a differentmatter.

The sun was making shadow pictures onthe grass through the tall yellow pineshigh in Arizona's White mountains whenV iolet and I parked our car near the greattent pitched in an open glade. This waswhere the four young girls who weremaking their debut would pass the tests

given them by the older women. Theywould dance back and forth all night longfor four nights to the dull beat of a drum

Apache D evil Dancers.

it away from the reservation and gave itevery chance to become normal, even re-sorting to orange juice and cod liver oil inthe hope of making the little back straightand strengthening the twisted limbs.

"When our girls reach a marriageableage they must go through this ceremony inorder to be good wives and mothers. Theymust keep awake during the entire cere-mony and must not scratch themselves noreat any salt. If a girl falls asleep during thefour days she will always be asleep whenher children are sick or need her. That is avery bad thing to happen and is a dis-grace to the entire family. An old grand-mother is appointed to watch over the girlswhen they are not dancing on the deerskin,and she pinches them when they nod."

"What do you mean 'dancing on thedeerskin'?"

She led me to where I could look intothe dance tent ready for the first night'sceremonial. Stretched tightly on theground was a whitened deerskin, peggeddown. In fact there were four of them.Each girl was to do her little dance routineon a deerskin and her moccasined feetmust not touch the earth anywhere around

it.Since it was still several hours until

darkness would permit the dance to begin,




Above— Apache mother of four. Putnam photo.Below— Old folks on the Apache reservation. Fraserphoto.

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 27



I w ent with my hostess to her native dwell-ing. It was a dome shaped hut made ofwillows set in a circle about 12 feet in di-ameter and brought together at the top,where a place was left for the escape ofsmoke. Over the willows was a coveringof Johnson grass and reeds woven in andout among the supporting frame until thewhole thing looked thatched. Then pieces

of canvas had been stretched tightlyaround the side that would receive themost driving of summer rains. There wereno chairs or beds and the floor was hardbeaten dirt.

I was glad w hen V iolet suggested we sitoutside while she finished a basket she wasmaking for me. It was an old time burdenbasket, woven of willows and grasses, andwould hold perhaps three gallons. Thepattern was worked around it with reddyed willows, and the whole thing waselaborately trimmed with buckskin fringeloaded with tinkling bits of copper andtin. A broad band was added which slipsacross the forehead and supports theweight of the basket on the shoulders.This type of basket was at one time quiteplentiful among the Apaches but the pre-cious art of basket making is dying out inthat tribe. The lovely smooth plaques andthe huge storage baskets holding a bushelor two of shelled corn, acorns or pinonnuts are not to be found in the wickiupsand trading posts as they were a few yearsago.

Beyond the wikiup extended one of themost beautiful and fertile of Indian Reser-vations, the White Mountain Apache

home.After many war torn years the Apacheswere divided into four groups and placedon good reservations. They have not madeas much of their opportunities as theymight, but thousands of fine cattle andsheep graze on their land, and the men,when they choose to work, are splendidroad builders, miners and woodsmen.They work in the sawmill set up in themidst of their forest. The whole tribe prof-its from the timber sold to the white man.Many thousand bushels of wheat and cornare raised each year and much good haysold from their meadows.

But let it be known that a gathering isto be held some moonlight night and themen and women forget that Uncle Sam hasforbidden it, and leave everything to joinin the carnival. Corn is dampened andsprouted in sacks on a sunny hillside orunder deerskins in the wikiups. Then it ispounded into mush on the metates and putinto containers with tree barks, the leavesand roots of several herbs including theirwild tobacco weed. After it has fermentedsufficiently loco weed is added so thatvisions will come quickly, and then thewhole mess is heated and left to settle. Theliquid is drained off and more herbs added

and the most deadly and potent drinkknown among Indians is ready to do itsduty. Tulip/ or tul-le-pie it is called. The

men, women and children sit around it,drinking with gourd dippers until theyhave consumed all this "white-water" theycan manage. The effect is just what mightbe expected.

V iolet assured me that this Coming-Out ceremonial and the accompanyingDevil dance would not be accelerated bythis beverage as all the reservation police-

men would be on hand to suppress it, andto do what they could about bootlegging.

The dance began with dusk. Fires werebuilt around a circle with a huge one inthe middle. Here the unmarried girls ofthe tribe circled around and around withthe men visitors. Married women couldonly sit on the side lines and make theyoung couples blush with their sophisti-cated banter. I was much more interestedin the scene presented by the four debu-tantes inside the big wikiup.

They knelt like small East Indian devo-tees before some temple god, their eyesdowncast and their slender hands linkedloosely in front of them while the god-mother talked to them in Apache. Thenthere was silence until one of the medicinemen, seated tailor-wise on the ground tookup a home made drum and began to strikeit gently. The singers began the chant andone small figure glided to the end of herdeerskin in front of them and began a sortof tap dance that never faltered. Backwardshe went to the extreme end of the skinand while I held my breath thinking shewould step off of its sacred precincts, shepoised like a butterfly and started forwardagain. All at once she sank down on theskin and the third girl in the group tookup the dancing. This went on and on. Iwould drift out to watch the dancers out-side then back into the tent. The temponever changed; the singers never falteredand the dancers never lost step.

Outside, wild shouting announced thatthe Devil dancers had arrived. Sevenhideously painted Apache men with gro-tesque masks were dashing around likedervishes from another world. These werethe protectors of the innocent maidenswithin the wikiup . By their frightfullooks and actions they were driving awayall evil spirits and bad influences lying in

wait for the girls. And while they per-formed this chivalrous service they werehaving the time of their lives scaring thewhite visitors and poking fun at the fatmammas on the side lines.

Around two o'clock there was a breakin the outside dancing while coffee wasboiled and from a neighboring stand erect-ed for the duration of the dance hotdogs inbuns dripping with mustard were provid-ed. The tired hungry little girls inside thetent must have suffered as the aroma offood reached their quarters. But they kepton dancing until dawn. Then they wereled by their protecting godmother into a

small wikiup for a little rest before theybegan the morning race with their brothersand cousins. Their faces were smeared

with cornmeal and pollen from cattailrushes and they drooped with weariness.Only one fourth of their ordeal was over.But I had seen enough of the dancing, andwandered away among the wikiups tolearn more about basket making.

Since the Apaches have never been pot-ters they depend upon basketry for storagevessels, for waterjars and for dishes and

mats. Their work is artistic and beautiful,and they utilize willow, yucca fibers andthe black outside covering of the devil-claw to develop their designs. I found oneold lady making her woven water jar tightby smearing it liberally with melted pinonpitch. The jar had a narrow neck and ahandle woven on one side through whichshe tied a string of deerskin by which tohang it. She told me she would paint thevessel four or five times with the pitch be-fore it would be entirely water tight.

There is something pathetic about theApaches, tamed and dispirited, earningtheir bread by hard work here in the beau-tiful mountains where they hunted andplayed and lived in complete freedom be-fore the coming of white men involvedthem in one of the longest and most bitterof all Indian wars. They are tamed but notreconciled to the mode of American life.The women still dress in long full skirtsand their short blouses. Their gleaminghair is worn unbraided and tied at theneck with a bit of deerskin string. They areshy and modest and fine friends when theyhave learned to trust.

• • •

F R O M P H O E N I X B U R E A U

Temperatures— Degrees

Mean for Augu st 88.8No rma l for Augus t 88.5Hig h on August 3 108.0Low on August 30 66.0

Rainfall— InchesTotal for August 0.68Norm al for August 0.95

W e a t h e r -Days clear 19Days partly cloudy 6Days cloudy 6Percentage of possible sunshine 79

E. L. FELTON, Meteorologis t

F R O M Y U M A B U R E A U

Temperatures— Degrees

Mean for Augu st 91.0No rma l for August 90.4High on August 2-3 112.0Low on August 30 63.0

Rainfall— InchesTot al for mo nth 1.0873-year-average for Aug ust 0.50

W e a t h e r -Days clear 26Days partly cloudy 4Days cloudy 1

Sunshine 94 percent (388 hours of sunshineout of a possible 4 l4 hours) .

Release from Lake Mead averaged around14,000 second feet. Storage during themonth decreased about 330,000 acre feet.

JAMES H. GORDON, Meteo ro log is t




The Marshal Souths spent 10 years building theirlittle adobe home among the junipers and boulderson the top of Ghost mountain. And now they haveput a padlock on the door and are following the trail"that leads toward the desert horizon—in quest of anew homesite. The reason is water—or rather, short-age of water. The meager cisterns, filled only fromthe storm water that drained from the roof, provedinadequate for a family of five with two goats andtwo burros. And so they loaded the goats and thehousehold necessities in a trailer, and took the trailthat leads deeper into the Great American desert.Their quest is for a flowing spring where there willbe ample water for their needs—and a garden. Forthe Souths, it is a great Adventure into a new andstrange land. Marshal will tell of their progress infuture issues of Desert Magazine. The Souths have said goodbye toYaquitepec,

BY MARSHAL SOUTH

j I THIN wisp of desert road, leading on into the dimI / mystery of vast distance. What is at its end? We do not

yet know; but soon we shall. For our feet are upon it;our eyes are towards far horizons.

For this month's chronicle is achronicle of search—of searchfor a newlocation in the great friendly silences of the desert.Already the little house upon the summit of Ghost mountainis far behind us. Itsdoor is shut and thestillness that hasclosedabout it is unbroken save for thehushed footfalls of thewind,wandering lonely around the corners of the white walls andamong the scatter of old, abandoned toys beneath the shade of

the ramada.But it iswell not towrite much of these things or to awaken

memories; theache of them is as yet tooclose. For it is noteasyto wrench oneself from things beloved and from things whichlong years have tangled soclosely with the fibres of one's verysoul. Man, it is true, has graduated to a stage in the scale ofevolution which enables him, unlike the plant, to move fromplace toplace. But he isstill acreature of theearth, andattachedto it. Theroots which hestrikes deep into theearth are notphys-ical roots, but they arenone the less very real roots. And theirupwrenching canoften cause more than physical pain. Adeep-er pain. Heartstrings go deep into the soil of HOME. On thisand on this alone isPatriotism founded. Thelove of home—ofthe bit of earth where one's roots are. It is hard to break suchties.

Nevertheless wehave turned our faces to the open road andto thewide mystery of thefurther desert. Already we aredeepin its distance-hazed reaches. New plains surround us, newbuttes, newmesquite-grown arroyos and newsilences beneaththe night stars. The sun this morning rose from behind thefagged, purple peaks of weird, unfamiliar mountains, climbinginto a cloud flecked skythat was aglory of gold and pink andpurple. "Here suncoming !" cried little V ictoria, eagerly, clap-ping herhands. "Weturn to newhome today, mu wer ?"

"Maybe not today, baby," said Rider, gravely, taking it uponhimself to answer. "Maybe not today—but very soon. Won'twe daddy?"

"Of course," I reassured him, "It's there, waiting for us;with everything weneed. All wehave to do is tokeep right on

and w e'll find it.""I wan' lots, an' lots an' LOTS of water!" declared Rudyard

emphatically. "I wan' even as much as—as much as— Hestruggled for some expression of volume truly colossal. "—Iwan' even asmuch asTWELV E G ALLONS."

"And you shall have it, precious," Tanya promised him."You shall have 12gallons, for your very own."

And we all laughed. Forwhile thedesert sunshines and thecreosote bushes glitter and thehills on thehorizon areclothedin their witchery of indigo and purple one cannot lose faith.The Great Spirit watches over thewilderness; all the dwellerstherein arebeneath the protecting shadow of Hiswing.

But our four-year-old's remark about water puts the wholereason for our move in a nutshell. Water! It hasbecome vital.It is the lure which day by daybeckons us deeper into the des-ert.

Perhaps in normal times our ears would have been moredeaf to the call which finally wrenched us from Yaquitepec.W e hadbuilt our dreams there; wetried hard toconvince our-selves that someday we could, by adequate cistern capacity,overcome thewater handicap. We did not want tomove.

But these are not normal times. Today our beloved nation is

engaged in a grim battle for the freedom of theworld. It is abattle that will be won largely by theconservation of foodstuffsand natural resources. Every bushel of grain and pound of foodthat each one of us canproduce for ourselves, releases just thatmuch more of national supplies to aid in the winning of thestruggle. Andeven on our mountaintop we felt very definitelythat weought to beproducing more. It is true that not agreatdeal of outside supplies were needed for Yaquitepec. But wedid need some—particularly as the demands of our growingfamily increased. Weshould, wefelt, beable toproduce more.Corn, food, larger gardens.

And this was theurge that finally tipped thescale of thelongdebated water problem. We could not afford to wait years forthe development of thenecessary water. Wemust set forth andfind it in some newlocation.

With thedecision once made weshut oureyes andears to allelse and fell to packing and preparing. Rider set about dis-mantling his glass cases of treasured specimens and bugs—packing them carefully for transit. Rudyard—who has a weirdcollection of oldkeys, nails, pottery scraps andchunks of stone—rushed andpacked all the treasured trash in paper bags andcans. V ictoria, having nothing topack, occupied herself indash-ing frantically back and forth between her brothers, snatchingtreasures from each one's hoard and carrying them to Tanya,shrieking gleefully "Pack this fo' me" . . . incurring therebyexplosions of wrath from the respective rightful owners of theloot.

Yes packing was a bigjob. Had wepaused to think wemighthave been staggered at the problem. But we did not pause tothink. That is usually thebetter way,anyhow, when tackling a

job of this kind. While Tanya packed I carried, back-load afterback-load down the long winding trail of Ghost mountain. The

O C T O B E R , 1942 29



burros were out at pasture, far away. But I did not regret nothaving them. For packing up the mountain they did nobly. Butit was always hard for them to transport loads down. The trailwas too steep. A man can do b etter, as a burden carrier, than ananimal, on precipitous trails—as the carriers of mountainousChina and of other sections have demonstrated. I used my ownshoulders and made sometimes six round trips each day. Therewas a lot of stuff to move. And an amazing amount of books.The books were the heaviest. For some of the articles that were

too large to be carried by back-pack we made a sort of litter,with two long poles. Tanya took one end and I the other, whileRider stayed atop the mountain to look after R udyard and V ic-toria. A iong, hard job, the carrying. But eventually it was allfinished.

Came then the equally staggering job of transportation. Howwas this carefully selected mass of essential property to bemoved? The o ld car could no t begin to hold it. We cast eyes onan old two-wheel trailer which we had discarded years ago. Yes,perhaps it could be fixed. Its tires had been left on the wheels.For over six years they had been standing flat and bleaching inthe desert sun. Dubiously we brought the pump and pumpedthem up. Astoundingly they seemed to hold. We went over theold trailer with a monkey wrench and tightened up bolts indesert-shrunken timbers. Then we began to load.

There was far too much—even by the most dangerous over-loading of car and trailer—to be transported in one trip. Wesaw that we would have to make two. But to where? Our des-tination was unknown—still is. What should we do?

We solved the problem by hauling a first load away to a dis-tant desert point where we stored it; solving also another prob-lem, that of our two pet goats. We could not leave them behindat Yacjuitepec, unattended. And we did not want to divide ourfamily by having someone stay behind to look after them—

Send for "Sands of Time"Address Suite H, The Desert Inn.

P A L M S P R I N G S , C A L I F O R N I A

fire hazards this summer having been much worse than usualin our desert mountain region. So we took Conchita and Juan-ita along, building them a tiny pen on an overhanging extensionof the trailer. And, after many days, having stored our load, webrought them back with us. For there was no one at the otherend to look after them either.

And when we had come to the foot of Ghost mountain againwe had cause for thankfulness that we had not left any of ourlittle family at home. For around our land the desert was an in-

ferno of smoke and flame. Roaring over desert ridges, seeming-ly barren, an ocean of flame was tossing to the sky. Smoke hungover everything in a terrifying pall. A huge mountain not farfrom Yaquitepec was a seeming volcano of rolling smoke andsoaring flame. For a week it burned. Perhaps the first time with-in centuries that fire had ravaged it. And when the last coalswere dead it was a blackened, lifeless mass. But the flame-furies spared Yaquitepec. By a miracle our goods were safe.

So we loaded the last load—an even more staggering onethan the first had been. And we put Conchita and Juanita backinto their tiny pen on the trailer. And we climbed into the oldcar, with Rudyard sandwiched into a little niche all his own,among the books and boxes, and set out. Slowly, down therough stretch of home trail, between the creosotes and mescalsand yuccas we lurched our laboring outfit and with bated breathturned down the treacherous sandy wash for the last time. Onits further edge we paused and looked back. Ghost mountainshimmered in the sunlight. Lonely. And somewhere behind itsrim rocks we knew the little house stood. Silent. Lonely too.

Our eyes were misted a little. There was a tight clutch at ourhearts and a little sob in our throats as we waved a last fare-well. Then we went on, heading down the road, our heavilyloaded trailer creaking behind us.

To where? Not yet do we know. But we know as surely aswe knew that evening, when the sun sank in a glory of crimsonand gold behind the hills and the grey, silent night hawks be-gan to flit above the desert creosotes, that it is to a greater, bet-ter location. For Life moves onward. And though the old is be-

hind there is always the new ahead . . . new vistas, new experi-ences, new promise and new hope. Perhaps Rider is right—per-haps it will be very soon that we shall come upon the place thatis to be our new desert home. When we come to it we shallknow it. But for now we go on through desert dawns and star-light—seeking. Perhaps by next month we may be able to tellyou of something found.

• • •

NEW DAW NS

Lure of the desert's farther reaches,Vaster horizons for my goal,

Where glinting sunlight burns and bleachesAnd neiver vistas lift my soul.

The old axe falls, unused,unwanted,

The hoe leans on— the gateway yawns:My heart, still h ungry, still undaunted,

Has turned again to n ewer dawns.—Tanya South

• • •YUCCA HARVEST IS AUTHORIZED . . .

Harvesting of yucca from public lands under his jurisdictionhas been authorized by Secretary Ickes of the interior depart-ment. The fiber of the plant is to be used during the emergencyfor hemp and rope. The secretary stipulated in his order thatthe gathering of yucca should not be extended to areas whereit would destroy the scenic or recreational value of lands, andthat methods of harvesting not cause soil erosion or fire hazards.

The secretary's order does not extend to national forests

as they are under the jurisdiction of the department of agricul-ture.




' 'There ivas considerable excitement in thelittle frontier toivn of Yum a . . . when twoFrenchmen halted their little pack outfit. . . and from one of their pack mules un-loaded a large amount of rough gold. . . ."

"The Ttenchmen 5

Jlo*t (fold Mine

Here's the story of a mystery mine some-where in southwestern Arizona that onceproduced ore of fabulous value. The menwho discovered it died a tragic death—leaving no information that would indicatelocation of their property. In this story, JohnMitchell has pieced together all the evi-dence bearing on the Frenchmen's lostmine—but there are still too many missinglinks in the tale to offer much of a clue as tothe actual whereabouts of the gold.

By JOHN D. MITCHELL

Illustra t ion by JOHN HANSEN

rHERE was considerable excitementin the little frontier town of Yumain the spring of 1867 when two

Frenchmen halted their pack outfit infront of W. B. Hooper and company storeand from one of their pack mules unload-ed a large amount of rough gold that hadbeen hammered from rusty looking quartz,bits of which still clung to some of thelarger pieces of gold.

After purchasing additional mules andsupplies the two men still had $8,000 ondeposit to their credit in the Hooper store.After spending several days in town themen headed their pack train out into the

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2

desert in the direction of the Eagle Tail

mountains. Many of the male inhabitantsof Yuma set out to follow the prospectorsinto the hills, but lost track of them thefirst night out.

The two men were never seen aliveagain and no thing was ever heard of them.The $8,000 was still on deposit at theHooper store 20 years later. Some yearslater two skeletons were discovered in themountains to the east, but there was noway of identifying them. Many oldtimersbelieve that those piles of bleaching boneswere all that was left of the two French-men.

In 1873, King Woolsey and his merrymen were out chasing Apache Indians fortheir scalps and one day when riding a

well marked trail through the Tenhachape

pass came upon a large pile of rich goldore. Some years later an expedition wassent out to locate and remove the ore. Theore was taken to Yuma, but the mine fromwhich it had been taken could not befound.

Lincoln Fowler and a brother prospect-ing in the Harqua Hala country in 1889discovered an old working on a gold ledgeand the remains of a camp nearby. Therewas nothing to indicate when or by whomit had been worked. Closer examinationproved the outcrop to have been a richpocket but only a few small pieces of theore were found scattered about.

A. H. Peeples of La Paz and Rich Hillfame once stated that in ] 868 w hile pass-

31



ing through the Harqua Hala country hecame upon three Frenchmen who wereworking aprospect nearby their camp andseemed to bedoing well. However, on thereturn trip to Yuma Peeples found thecamp burned and the skeleton of whatseemed to be awhite m an. Some MaricopaIndians were then in the vicinity andwere believed tohave been responsible for

the killing.Experienced miners of that time point-

ed out that it wasvery unlikely that thetwo Frenchmen would have packed theirore all the way from the Harqua Halacountry to the Tenhachape pass when itwould have been much easier for them tohave taken it to theHassayampa river andground it in arrastras.

Many of the old time prospectors anddesert rats around Yuma have looked forthe rich outcropping from which the twoFrenchmen took their ore. Most of thesearching hasbeen done in the Tenhach-

ape pass country where thepile of rich ore-was found byWoolsey and his men.

The firm of W. B. Hooper and com-pany was later changed toHooper, Barneyand company, but is now out of business.

The late George Sears of Ajo and Gun-sight fame vowed there was plenty of goldin the Eagle Tail mountains and Georgehad about 25 pounds of rusty looking goldquartz toprove it. It seems that Searswason his wayfrom Phoenix to Ajo onetimeand decided to pass through the EagleTails. He carried with him on his packanimals a small roll of bedding andgrub.

He spent the night after a hard rainnear a small depression on the side of awash in the Eagle Tails and the nextmorning while getting breakfast noticedhis hobbled jacks drinking water fromwhat looked like a shallow prospect holeand that there were some loose rocks onthe small dump below the hole. Afterbreakfast he packed up andwhen passingby the hole filled his canteen and threwsome of the rusty looking pieces of rockinto the pack box with his grip to moreevenly balance the load.

As his food supply diminished hefound itnecessary tobalance his load sev-

eral times by picking up rocks along theway. When George finally reached theGunsight mine 16miles east of Ajo therewas notmuch left in thegrub box, but inunloading the pack box he discoveredthat the rocks he had put in first in theEagle Tail mountains were chock full offree gold. Sears was never quite surewhether hecould find theplace wherehe-picked up thegolden rocks that morning,bu t he had therocks toprove to anydoubt-ing Thomas that thars gold in the EagleTails.

Whether the shallow hole from whichold George Sears took therusty chunks of

rich gold quartz has anyconnection withthe Lost Frenchman mine would be dif-ficult to say. However, the ore found by

Sears seemed to be the same kind fromwhich the Frenchmen pounded their$8,000 worth of gold and issaid to be thesame kind of ore that wasfound byKingWoolsey and his men in the Tenhachapepass country while out to lift Apachescalps for thebounty money.

• • •

FLAGG OFARIZONA IS

PRESIDENT OF FEDERATIONSecond annual meeting of the Rocky

Mountain Federation of Mineral societiesheld in Salt Lake City August 29-30 wasattended by nearly 100 federation mem-bers.

The session opened with an informalmeeting Friday evening at which motionpictures and natural color views of Utahcollecting fields were shown.

Following registration Saturday morn-ing Prof. R. E. Marsell of theUniversityof Utah gave an illustrated lecture "TheGeology of OurBack Yard." After an in-

termission of anhour which wasspent in

the exhibit room Alfred Buranek, geolo-gist forUtah state department of publicityand development, gave a lecture on"Utah's Famous Mineral Localities."

At thebusiness meeting which conclud-ed the morning program, the followingofficers were elected: A. L.Flagg, Phoenix,Arizona, president; Dr.Olivia McHugh,Salt Lake City, vice-president; M. Barrie

Berryman, Salt Lake City, secretary-treasurer.

Luncheon at the historic Lion Housewas followed by a trip to theUtah Cop-per company open pit mine at Bingham.The annual dinner, held in the ArtBarn,was attended by 85 members, delegatesand guests. Alecture and demonstration onthe subject: of fluorescence by Dr. H. T.Plumb, special lecturer for the GeneralElectric company concluded the Saturdayprogram.

Sunday was devoted to a field trip toPelican Point on the west side of Utah

lake.

The Desert Trading PostClassified advertising in this section costs jive cents a word, $1.00minimum per issue—

Actually about l'/2 cents per thousand readers.

OPPORTUNITY

FOR SALE—Famous and profitable oasis andacres in thedesert onHighway 80. If you likeindependence, dignity, serenity, security, andfreedom from the crowded world 's worries,

plus a home and business in the desert, hereit is. Built and operated by present owner,who hasmade enough to ret i re. V ery unique,artistic, spacious and comfortable. Easy fortwo people to operate. Profit is 50%. Nowpaying better than ever and will continue sothroughout war period. This outstandingproperty has never before been offered forsale. A real chance for a couple to acquiresomething solid and to enjoy desert lifewhile amassing a l i t t le fortune. Price,Sl0,000; $5,000 down. Wri te Box 1377,Yuma, Arizona, for full details.

HELP

W A N T E D : Man for profitable RawleighRoute. Must be satisfied with good living atstart . Write Rawleigh's, Dept. J-101-DSR,Oakland, Calif.

LIVESTOCK

KARAKULS producers of Persian Lamb furare easy to raise and adapted to the desertwhich is their native home. For further in-formation write Addis Kelley. 4637 E. 32Place, Maywood, California.

KARAKUL SHEEP—James Yoakum nat ion-ally recognized as authority and leadingbreeder of Registered Karakuls. Largest

wholesale and retail dealer in the UnitedStates. California Karakul Sheep Company,1128 North Hill avenue, Pasadena, Cali-fornia.

MISCELLANEOUS

12 BEAUTIFUL perfect prehistoric IndianArrowheads, postpaid for a dollar bill. Cata-log listing thousands of other relics free.Caddo Trading Post , Glenwood, Arkansas.

Spanish on a Bookmark! Graphic outline ofSpanish grammar, including the irregularverbs. 10c. Hy. W. Jones, Twentynine Palms,California.

Bust of Uncle Sam—handpainted on V i-ind1

plywood—6 inches high—$2.50 postpaid.The Arrow and theSong Studio, J. R. O'Con-nor, Jr., 12 Sayward Street, Dorchester,Mass.

TIRE PRESERVATIVE

RUBBER FLEXO LENE is an especially formu-lated product for the preservation of auto-mobile tires, inner tubes, industrial andhousehold rubber articles. Helps to conservetires by putting life and flexibility into therubber surface. Checks sun cracking, retards

oxidation, corrosion cracking, weather check-ing, heat wear cracking, reduces wear ontire andtube, fights against bruising, scraping,as it impregnates the entire surface. RubberFlexolene is not a paint, lacquer or waxdressing which covers up cracks and surfacefaults. It is a rubber lotion, it softens therubber below the surface cracks and keeps itflexible under all weather conditions. Easyto apply. Excellent side income to gas sta-t ions, tire repair shops. One pint sufficientfor five tires costs 85 cents. F. O. B. NewYork. Rudolf Fritsche, 37-15 72nd Street,Jackson Heights, NewYork, N. Y.

REAL ESTATE

For Imperial Valley Farms —

W . E. HANCOCK"The Farm Land Man"Since 1914

E L C E N T R O — — CAL IFORNIA




0*1 tkeARIZONA

Progress of New Dam • . .KINGMAN—Utah Construction company

has set up headquarters in Kingman for con-struction of Davis dam and established arailhead at Louise, two miles east of here.The company has purchased Kit Carson Innwest of Kingman and has taken over a build-ing at Third and E. Beale streets in town.At the railhead several tracks will be laid toprovide switching and unloading facilities.First of several buildings to be constructedwill be a warehouse 50x150 feet. Improve-ment of roads to the dam site has also start-ed in cooperation with the Arizona highwaydepartment.

Too Little an d Too Late . . .TUCSON—Dry weather has taken heavy

toll of rangeland in southern and central Ari-zona. Late summer rains appeared to be too

late and too little. Feed for cattle this falland the spring calf crop will be vitally af-fected, according to Pima Cattlemen's asso-ciation.

Tewa Potter Dies . . .HOLBROOK — Lesse Nampeyo (Desert

Magazine, August, 1939) world-renownedTewa pottery maker, and 100 years old, diedat her home below Walpi mesa July 20. Sheleft three generations to carry on her craft,after having revived the art among Hopi In-dians. Samples of work have been displayedat the New York world fair and the Chicagoworld fair of 1910.

School Responsibility Refused . . .PHOENIX—Education of Japanese chil-

dren at Poston "seems to me to be a federal re-sponsibility which the state of Arizona shouldnot assume," E. D. Ring, state superintendentof public instruction, said refusing a requestto provide the state per capita school allot-ment for Japanese children. Willard W.Beatty, director of education for the project,sought the funds.

Yucca Fiber Plant . . .KINGMAN—C. L. Wells, president of

General Fiber Products corporation in King-man, recently exhibited plans for a proposedyucca fiber processing plant to be establishedat McConnico, a short distance west of King-man at $150,000 initial cost. Thousands ofacres of Mohave county land are thickly cov-ered with yucca growth valuable for fiber.First of a series of three mills will have a15-ton capacity, Mr. Wells said. The projecthas a high priority rating.

Arizona Milk Sho rtage . . .TUCSON—Because of a state-wide short-

age of milk, specialists at the University ofArizona have urged the war relocation au-thority to obtain milk for the two Japaneseresettlement camps in this state either fromnear-by states or by importation of herdsfrom the Mid-west.

Death Delays Dance . . .HOTEV ILLA—Traditional snake dances

of the Hopi Indians met trouble this yearwhen the Hotevilla priest died, delaying thelast of the three dances held each year untilSeptember 4. Ordinarily all three ceremonialsare held in August. First two dances of thisaboriginal supplication to tribal gods forrain to nourish corn crops were held at Shun-

gopovi, August 26, and Shipaulovi, August2 7 . Neither of the first two rites attractedthe usual crowd of tourists because of tireshortage.

• • •Dr. G. C. Daniels, former manager ofWalla Walla, Washington, veterans hospital,is now manager of the veteran's hospital atWhipple Barracks.

• • •John W. Tippieconnie, Comanche Indian,

when he graduates from Flagstaff state col-lege will be the first of his tribe and possiblythe first Indian in the nation to receive amaster of arts degree.

• • •Alfred C. Sieboth, 77, first man to en-

vision Coolidge dam when he surveyed itssite, died at his home in Pinal county.

• • •Arizona's cotton crop will be 52,000 bales

greater this year than last, half of the increase

being Arizona American Egyptian cotton.• • •Dr. Clyde Kluckhohn, ethnologist of Har-

vard university, is engaged in study at Nava-jo mountain, where tribesmen live remotefrom civilization.

CALIFORNIABagging Dates Under W ay . . .

COACHELLA—Date growers in Coa-chella valley opened date bagging work earlyin August, but were handicapped by lack ofcompetent workmen, and lack of housingfor employes. Current farm labor wages forthis job are 40 to 45 cents an hour.

1 0 0 % V I R G I N W O O L

H A N D W O V E N T W E E D SA limited yard age of these bea u-tiful fabrics is still available fromour stocks. Hand-woven withpainstaking care by our skilledSpanish-American weavers from

original designs by Preston Mc-Crossen; distinctive, long-wear-ing, easy-draping; in weightsand patterns for suitings andtopcoatings for men and women.

SPECIAL: 13-oz., 56-in widthtwill weave suiting in mix-tures of natural gray withlight blue, navy, tan, brown,teal green, natural white orgray. $6.50 pe r yard. In writ-ing for swatches pleasespecify color preferred.

M CROSSENHAND - WO VEN TEXTItES

fAHTAFE ÎSsi NEW MEXICO

Now is the time to buy Defense Bonds!

VVestcraftand

UUestwooaTRAILER COACHES

The Mobile Homes of Tomorrow

GEORGE I HALLS o . Calif. Westcraft Distributor

5614 W. W ashingtonLos Angeles, California

T he t a l u s H o t e lUnusually large and airy rooms, furnishedwith a typ e, size, and grad e of furniture seldomfound in modern hotels. Your choice of doubleor twin beds, all with deluxe inner springmattresses and box springs, thus guarantee-ing the acme of comfort and luxury.

RATES: Room with private bath—$2.00-$2.50-$3.00, one or two persons. Without private

bath, $l.S0-$2.00. one or two persons

— Special Weekly Rates —

Fourth and Spring Streets

LOS ANGELESA. C. Berghoff, Proprietor—Harry J. Wall, Manager

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 •33



Two Inch Rain Recorded . . .INDIO—This c i ty suffered minor damage

early in August when a freak 2-inch rain fellflooding streets and ground floors and base-ments of many Indio homes and stores.Streams four feet wide flowed down Fargoand Miles avenues two hours after the stormsubsided. No direct damage was caused Coa-chella valley's heavy date crop, although ac-companying humid weather may have had aharmful effect.

Storm Hits Death Va lley . . .DEATH VALLEY—Damage to F u rnace

Creek inn and roads in Death V alley totals

A WESTERN THRILL

"Courage," a remarkable o il painting20x60 feet, the Covered Wagon Train cross-ing the desert in '68. Over a year in painting.On display (free) at Knott's Berry Placewhere the Boysenberry was introduced tothe world and famous for fried chicken din-ners with luscious Boysenberry pie.

You'll want (1) A 4-color picture of thishuge painting suitable for framing. ( 2) \

36-page handsomely illustrated souvenir,pictures and original drawings, of GhostTow n V illage and story of. this roadsidestand which grew to a $600,000 annualbusiness. (3 ) Tw o years subscription (12numbers) to our illustrated bi-monthly mag-azine of the West. True tales of the daysof gold, achievements of westerners todayand courageous thoughts for days to come.Mention this paper and enclose one dollarfor all three and get authentic western facts.P os tp aid . G H O S T T O W N N E W S ,BUENA P ARK, CALIF .

$75,000 as a result of severe rain storm thatswept the area early in August. A six-footwall of water hit Furnace Creek inn andstripped 7.6 miles of road near the inn downto underlying rocks. Road to Scotty's Castlewas practically demolished.

Cork Oak Plantings . . .

BRAWLEY—Several cork oak treesplanted early in 1942 in Imperial V alley

show excellent growth, reports Frank Bey-schlag, farm adviser. Next December 50,000nursery trees will be available for distribu-tion to qualified cooperators throughout thestate. There will be no charge for trees withexception of shipping cost, the farm advisersaid.

Desert TraU So ld . . .

T W E N T Y N I N E P A L M S — B i l l U n d e r b i l lhas purchased the Desert Trail , TwentyninePalms newspaper, from his brother, Clint,along with the Rollerink and theater. ClintUnderhill and his wife will publish theGrizzly at Big Bear lake, which was startedby Mrs. Underhill before her marriage. Thisis the first print shop established at the re-sort.

OPA Reclassi i ies Dates . . .

MECCA—California dates , both naturaland hydrated, are fresh fruit, not driedfruit according to a new decision made bythe OPA. Reversing an earlier ruling, theOPA has removed dates from price ceilings.Unite d Date Growe rs and Coachella ValleyDate Growers sought this action to assuregrowers of a successful season. Date by-products will be classified in a later an-nouncement.

Drainage Relief . . .BLYTHE—United States bureau of recla-

mation officials have agreed to maintainColorado river flow at Blythe at 15,000 sec-ond feet until December 1, thereafter in-creasing it to 22,000 second feet by April tohelp Palo V erde valley's drainage conditions.A flow of 12,000 second feet in past weekshas tended to lower the river to a point en-dangering diversion at the intake.

Early Desert Sea son . . .PALM SPRINGS—The Desert inn, famed

desert hotel, will open early in October, amonth sooner than last year, reports GeorgeB . Roberson. Other businesses to open earlyare V illage inn and V illage Coffee shop,both operated by Desert Inn company.

Army Ch apel Plann ed . '. .PALM SPRINGS—Construction will s tar t

soon on a $42,000 army chapel to be erectedon Torney General hospital grounds at PalmSprings. This was formerly El Mirador ho-t e l . The building will be completed by De-cember 15. The Griffith company, Los Ange-l e s , has started construction of new buildings,for the hospital.

• • •Prices for honey from Blythe district

double that of last year, according to thesemi-monthly report by the federal-state mar-ket service.

• • •

Flax threshing in Imperial V alley nearingcompletion shows an average yield of more-than 21 bushels per acre.

• • •

E. E. Gready, pioneer Palo V erde valleyrancher, produced the first bale of cottonthis year, the bale weighing 475 pounds.

M I L L I O N D O L L A R C R O P . . .Down in the rich land of the Imperial V alley,

farmers are producing a new crop—one that hasalready reached the million dollar stage—thatwill be of vital importance to America in years tocome.

All this has been brought about because far-sighted men visioned an agricultural empire torise out of was te lan ds of the Colorado desert. Theirvision drove them forward against ridicule, againstphysical obstacles spawned by nature, andagainst even the elements which apparently con-trived in a concerted effort to prevent realization ofa magnificent dream.

When the Colorado river poured into the SaltonSea during the disastrous flood of 1906, these pio-

neers faced their darkest days, but they held faithand because they held faith a million dollar ricecrop is being produced in the valley as a 1942 de-fense con tribution. But this is only o ne of the m anycrops that now sprout from Imp erial V alley loams .

This vision has contributed to the defense ofAmerica in the erection of Boulder dam, Parkerdam, Imperial dam, in the construction of the All-American canal, and the formation of the Imperial

Irrigation District, which now waters and providespower for the great inland empire populated bymore than 60,000 people.

Upon this solid foundation rests the future of avalley that already ranks among the nation's topagricultural regions.

Im p e r ia l I r r i g a t i o n D i s t r ic t

U s e Y o u r O w n P o w e r - M a k e i t P a y f o r th e A l l A m e r i c a n

34 THE DESERT MAGAZINE,



NEW MEXICOCove Pool Dam aged . . .

GALLUP—A landsl ide loosed from acliff by lightning, obliterated two-thirds ofhistoric Cove pool in El Morro nationalmonument. Spanish conquistadores campedat the edge of this pool, a natural rock basin40 feet in circumference, which has alwaysheld water.

Gallup Paper Sold . . .GALLUP—The Gal lup Weekly Gaze t t e

has been purchased by A. W . Barnes, pub-lisher of the Gallup Independent, daily aft-ernoon paper. Publication will be continuedon a weekly basis. Evonn V ogt, former own-er, will supervise 500 Navajo Indians livingoutside of the reservation in McKinleycounty.

Archa eological Find . . .SANTA FE—An ancient food jar and a

water jar have been unearthed in El Morronat ional monument by A. W. W ebber, anamateur archoeologist. Webber saw a faintmetal ring showing through sand a short dis-tance south of Cove pool. Investigation re-vealed a black and white design food jar, 12inches in diameter. Leaning against i t was a

duck-shaped water jar, pierced on two sidesfor thong strings.

Eng lish for Warriors . . .FORT WINGA TE— Navajo men e li g ib l e

for service in United States armed forceswill be taught English to familiarize themwith military terms at a series of two-monthpreparatory courses, i t has been announcedby George Boyce, educational director of theNavajo agency.

W ar Affects Cerem onial . . .GALLUP—Because of a 25 percent de-

crease in the number of Indians attendingthe 21st annual Inter-Tribal Ceremonial,white men for the first t ime in history tookpart. A rule against pale-face participationwas relaxed to provide additional pieces forthe All-Indian band, previously cut by thedraft.

N o Silver for Jewelry . . .ALBUQUERQUE — Government rest ric-

tions on use of foreign silver will force NewMexico silversmiths to abandon their tradewithin a short t ime, according to Jack Michel-sen, of the Bell Indian Trading post. All sil-ver used in jewelry in this country includingthat used by Indians is imported because thecost is lower than on domestic metals.

NEVADAHorse Population Dec lines . . .

CARSON CITY—Need of good horses forwar by the federal government is rapidly de-plet ing Nevada's horse populat ion and iseven cutting into the prospector's burro,state officials have revealed.

Cam el Fossi ls Rev ealed . . .WINNEMUCCA—Dr. Char l es H . Fa lk-

enbach has obtained some rare specimens ofcamel bones from the North Antelope valleyfossil field north of Battle Mountain. Thebones, taken out in blocks of limestone, wereforwarded to New York. Dr. Falkenbach isa paleontologist at American Museum ofNatural History, New York Ci ty.

Ne vills Plans N ew Trip . . .BOULDER C I T Y — Norman D. Nevi l l s ,

veteran Colorado riverman, ending his fourthtrip through the Grand Canyon from LeesFerry to Boulder City, announced that he is

already planning a new trip through Cataractcanyon from Moab, Utah to Lees Ferry. Onhis last expedition, Nevills was accompaniedby six men and two boys.

River Expedition Ended . . .LAS V EGA S—H arry L. Aleson has ended

a 227-mile trip up the Colorado river, dur-ing which his party took 1400 feet of con-tinuous film. He left Lees Ferry in July,passed the mouth of Escalante river, trav-eled about a mile up the San Juan and re-turned to the entrance of Forbidden canyon.

• • •

California accounts for about one-third ofBoulder dam's total visitors, reports the na-

tional park service for July.• • •

UTAH

Sh eep Brings $1,000 . . .SALT LAKE CITY—Cunningham Sheep

company of Pendleton, Oregon, paid $1,000for a Rambo uillet, "Super Ram," on theopening day of the twenty-seventh annual na-tional ram sale at Salt Lake Union stock-yards. J. K. Madsen Rambouillet farm atMt. Pleasant, Utah, sold the sheep.

W ool Fifth in Na tion . . .OG DE N— Uta h will be fifth highest state

in the nation in wool production for 1942with 20,295,000 pounds, reports the United

States department of agriculture bureau ofstatistics. Utah is exceeded in production byTexas, Montana, California and Wyoming.

D e w e y D a m W a i t s O K . . .MOAB—Prel iminary surveys for Dewey

dam on the Colorado river 40 miles aboveMoab have been completed and the projectawaits only the okay of the war productionboard to be placed in actual construction, re-ports John C. Page, commissioner of recla-mation. Building of Dewey dam is a "likelyprospect," he said.

Monum ent Unv eiling . . .SPANISH FORK—Two Spanish Fork and

Springville pioneers killed in the battle ofDiamond Fork fought June 26, 1866, werehonored with the dedication of a granite andcobblestone monument on highway 189 inSpanish Fork canyon. Ceremonies were heldAugus t 21 .

Teacher Shortage . . .SALT LAKE CITY—Many schools in

rural Utah may be closed this year unless re-lief is found for a shortage of 200 teach-e r s , according to Charles H. Skidmoire, statesuperintendent of public instruction. Ifenough teachers cannot be procured for allschools," Mr. Skidmore said, "pupils in re-mote areas may have to be sent to large cen-ters to board and room, or lose their school-ing for the year."

Camp Nam ed Topaz . . .DELTA—The Japanese relocation center

at Abraham has been named Topaz by theU. S. postoffice department. The name wasselected by Postma ster Jun e W . Black ofDelta, the camp being the closest town en-route to Topaz mountain.

C e n t e r d f t h e S c e n i c

M O I A V E E M P I R E

B A R S T 0 W, . . C a l i f o r n i a . . •

if you're traveling—PLEASE TRAVEL LIGHT

With most full length lounge cars discontinued and loungingspace on trains consequently reduced you will be m ore comfort-able while traveling if you don't have a lot of baggage piledaround you.

Therefore, it's more important than ever that you check allbaggage not needed on your train journey. Wise travelers put thethings needed on the train in one bag and check the rest. Check-ing privileges are liberal, so in most cases there is no added cost.

It's a good idea to mark your bags in some distinctive man-ner so you can identify them quickly at your destination.

SP THE FRIENDLY SOUTHERN PACIFIC

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 35



Mito&i G4id . .

Carson City, Nevada . . .

Nevada's product ion of vital war materialscould be increased by one-third if 2,000skilled miners needed by the more than 600mines operat ing throughout the state could befound, according to Matt Murphy, state mineinspector. One of the larger operations hasfound the shortage so acute that it has start-ed a school for miners.

• • •

Phoenix, Arizona . . •

Special emphasis on war-time problems toaid Arizona miners, will be given by officialsat the new office of Mineral Product ion Se-curity divisions, U. S. bureau of mines, re-cently opened in Phoenix. Three mining en-gineers are included on the staff, Albert Kon-selman, D. W. Jaquays and John Harmon.

• • •

Las V egas, Nevada . . .

The first car of l iquid chlorine, a by-product of Basic Magnesium, has beenshipped from the company's plant to an east-ern point. The company soon to be world 'slargest manufacturer of magnesium, willproduce as a by-product the second largestvolume of chlorine in the western hemi-sphere.

N o w A v a i l a b l e . . .COMPLETE VOLUMESOF DESERT MAGAZINES

We have a limited supply of COMPLETEVOLUMES of Desert Magazine now-available. These are not new m aga-zines but are mostly newsstand returnsand are in good condition. Volumes and

prices are listed below.

Without WithBinder Binder

Vol. 1 (Nov.'37-Oct.'38) $ 6.50 $ /.00Vol . 2 6.50 7.00

Vol . 3 4.00 4.50Vols . 1, 2 & 3 15.00 16.50Vols . 1. 2. 3, &4 16.50 18.50Vols . 1-5, Inc _ 18.50 22.00

MAGAZINES WANTED

N o v e m b e r '37 $3.00

rnoGflzmE

636 State Street — El Cent r e California

Lovelock, Nevada . . .Rich ore is stil l being encountered on the

300-foot level at the 70-foot point of newdevelopment work in the east drift of the

Buck and Charley mine at Lower Rochester,according to Kent Maher, superintendent .T he ore vein is 12 feet wide, Mr. Mahersaid.

Washington, D. C. . . .

To give relief to financially hard-pressedmine owners and to encourage mining ofstrategic nonferrous metals, the senate silvercommittee has recommended special tax legis-lation. It suggested that in tax returns filedby mine owners there should be adequate al-lowance for return on capital, and that thereshould be no curtailment of such allowanceas proposed by the treasury. It also urgedthat there should be no federal tax upon the

proceeds of strategic mineral or metal miningoperations until the capital investment is re-covered.

Boulder City, Nevada . . .

Basic Magnesium, Inc., destined to be theworld's greatest magnesium producer is al-ready employing 13,618 workers although itha s not yet reached peak production. This is8,368 more than were carried on the Boulderdam payroll at peak product ion. At full ca-pacity the plant will produce 30 t imes moremagnesium than world production six yearsa g o .

Indio, California . . .The Southern Pacific has launched survey

work to locate the 60-mile proposed ore rail-road to open Eagle Mountain iron depositsnortheast of Indio. Iron from the property,declared to be of almost inconceivable mag-

nitude, will be shipped to Henry J. Kaiser'ssteel mill , Fontana, California. Following an

investigation of iron deposits throughout theSouthwest, the federal government author-ized an expendi ture of $50,000,000 forKaiser's plant and now is considering an ap-

propriation of $75,000,000 for expansion.The Eagle Mountain-Fontana project, firststeel mining development west of the Rockymountains, will accelerate full developmentof western mining. Upon completion of the

Azusa, California, mill to be erected by thePacific Coast Iron corporation, ore fromEagle Mountain will also be shipped there.Proposed railroad construction entails sev-

eral major engineering problems, most dif-

ficult of which is the grade up 1800 feet to

Eagle Mountain from sea-level Coachella val-

ley. Preliminary survey work is under direc-tion of J. A. Gibbons, chief location engineerfor the Southern Pacific. The company now

is building a railroad yard at Fontana for

the Kaiser plant. Development of EagleMountain property and other desert ironmines results directly from national defenseneeds, but federal officials point out thatno w and after the war manufacturing wi l l de-

velop west. Ship yards on the Pacific coastwill be in a position to compete with eastern

concerns, having access to steel supplies un-hampered by long cross-country or waterhauls .

Reno, Nevada . . .

Hardrock miners are needed for duty inHawaii, federal civil service officials haveannounced here. Those employed will havefull civil service rating with civil servicebenefits. Pay is $1.25 per hour with timean d a half for overtime. Pay starts at timeth e men embark from this country and alltransportation expenses are paid from wher-ever the miner may be.

• • •Bishop, C alifornia . . .

Ten and one-half miles of road to the H. A.V an Loon and J. E. Morhardt scheelite claimsis being built by the federal government at acost of $50,000. About one mile of the roadleading from McGee Creek resort, 40 milesnorthwest of Bishop, has already been com-pleted.

• • •

Winnemucca, Neva da . . .Nevada's top-ranking gold mine—The

Getchell—has gone into production of tung-sten now that its new 250-ton mill has beenplaced in operation. TheGetchell is also pro-ducing arsenic, a poison used for gas and alsofor use against cotton boll weevils in the

south. Thus Getchell is now aiding in pro-duction of gun cotton and cellulose as wellas in the production of tungsten.

• • •

New York, N. Y. . . .

Five factors determining whether mininglessees are to be considered employes orbona fide independent operators include: les-sees must not work under a supervision oflessor as would indicate an employe-employerrelat ion; the relationship is subject to specialscrutiny where lessor furnishes all or most ofthe equipment; lessee must select, hire andfire his own employes; lessee must be free todispose of his ore without undue disadvan-tage, and the lease must be for a definiteperiod of not less than six months and not bearbitrarily cancellable by lessor in case of alucky "strike," according to L. MetcalfeWal l ing, administ rator of the wage-hour di-vision of U. S. labor department.

• • •

Salt Lake City, Utah . . .By next April, first units of the $150,000,-

000 steel plant being erected by ColumbiaSteel corporation at Geneva, Utah, will be inproduction, predicts E. M. Barber, vice-president of the company. Mr. Barber has es-tablished executive offices in Salt Lake City-Construction schedule, he said, calls for com-pletion of first blast furnace abou t Apr il,with others to be brought in at 30-day in-tervals.

• • •

Reno, Nevada . . .In an effort to increase production of cop-

pe r at the Rio Tinto mines, representatives ofth e war production board recently met herewith operators and labor representatives toform labor-management committees. It is theintent of the federal men that owners andworkers will share equitably in any increasedproduction due to increased zeal on the partof the organization.

• • •

Kingman, A rizona . . .Mines Development company, headed by

M . B.Dudley, president, and J. H. Hoffman,secretary, plans to reopen the old Coppervillemine near here, it was announced late inAugust . The mine was located in 1907, butwas later abandoned due to the low price

of copper and the difficulty in mining andtreating the ore. The vein varies from six to25 feet inwidth and there are said to be 150,-000 tons of ore in sight.

36 THE DESERT MAGAZINE



CjetnA,This department of the Desert Magazine is reserved as a clearing house for gem and

mineral collectors and their societies. Members of the "rock-hound" fraternity are invitedto send in news of their field trips, exhibits, rare finds, or other information which willbe of interest to collectors.

——ARTHUR L. EATON, Editor—

WIDE VARIETY OF GEMSIN NEW MEXICO AREA

A state-wide survey of areas yielding semi-precious stones or gems shows that New Mex-ico has one of the most prolific and widely di-vergent assortments in the western hemisphere.

M. L. Hurley, secretary of the Hot Springschamber and managing director of the statechamber, states that local collectors of nationalrepute vie with each other in displaying whatare probably the most unique collections ofsemi-precious gems ever collected in this coun-try.

The survey shows the following areas as con-

taining commercial quantities of the gems list-ed :Engle—sard, carnelian agate, jasper; Dem-

ing—moss agate; Upper Percha Creek—com-mon opal ; Upper Elephant But te lake—flow-ered chalcedony, opalized petrified wood; Rin-con—thunder eggs or nodules; Magdalena—smi thsoni t e (g reen) ; Hachi t a—moonstone ;Ket t le Top—p eridot (green ) ; Fort Baird—fire opal ; Tyrone—turquoise.

Mr. Hurley states that gem hunting rivalsgold panning in popularity.

• • •

FBI ON HUNT FORSMUGGLED DIAMONDS

Shortly after the opening of war, it developedthat FBI agents were quite familiar with a plot

of the German high command to flood theAmerican gem market with great numbers ofdiamonds stolen during the invasion of Hol-land and Belgium. U. S. treasury agents con-fiscated at a single time more than $400,000worth of il legally imported diamonds.

Werner von Clemm, cousin of the wife ofNazi foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop,was arrested along with other members of Pio-neer Import corporation, of which von Clemmwas president, and convicted of conspiracy forsmuggling. The sentence carried a $10,000 fineand two years in prison.

"Persons constituting the high command ofthe German army, members of the Interna-tional Mortgage corporation, and persons con-stituting the diamond control office of the Ger-man army in Antwerp" were named as co-conspirators.

• • •

UTAH EDITOR VISITS FIELDOF SNOWFLAKE OBSIDIAN

Frank Beckwith, editor of the Chronicle atDelta, Utah, describes a recent field trip to aspot where he found "snowflake obsidian."

"It is mottled material," he explains, "look-ing exactly as if snow had fallen on the surface,leaving permanent white crystallized specks."

The material is found only in an area 200yards square, in a valley 70 miles long and 50miles wide, 50 miles south of Delta.

Along the way, at Coyote spring, theystopped at a point where 20 years ago Beck-with discovered the workshop of prehistoric In-dians. Said Beckwith:

"The ancient Indian had gathered obsidianchunks at the deposits, two or three milesaway, and there by water, had his li t t le work-shop ; generations of them had so work ed there,

and rejected pieces were strewn about in greatprofusion. Little piles (in places) testified thathe had squatted on his haunches, and chipped,and chipped, letting the flakes he had removedfall in a pile, some as big as a dinner plate. TheIndians had made so many arrowheads there, bywater, that these piles were all around . (T hewater of the tiny reservoir now covers thespot.) It was a workshop, forge, foundry, orfinishing plant, in ancient times, close to thesource of supply."

• • •Members of Sequoia mineral society met

July 11 at the home of Oscar P. Noren, on Reedavenue, Reedley, to enjoy his wonderful collec-

tion of Indian artifacts, and old relics of earlydays in California, which he has housed in anattractive adobe building. The timbers of theadobe were part of an old stage depot broughtby Noren from Leighton, California. He has alarge collection of mortars, metates, manos, In-dian beads and arrowheads. His brief talk onincidents connected with the collection of therelics in the neighborhood of his ranch wasboth amusing and interesting.

• • •M r s . Peggy Case, secretary of the Mineralogi-

cal society of Southern Nevada, writes that thesociety has suspended its meetings for the sum-mer months, but will resume with the coolerweather in the fall . As most of the membershave been working long hours in the defenseplants at Las V egas , the society cancelled allfield trips as well as meetings for the summer.

• • •Imperial V alley gem and mineral society is

to resume its meetings early in September, aftera vacation of two or three months during thesummer.

• • •Golden empire mineral society held its July

meeting in Bidwell park, Chico, California,where a chow mein supper was served. Mrs. Lu-cille Fulcher, assistant librarian at Chico statecollege, and Miss Tennie Ross entertained thegroup with short addresses.

ORPIMENT-REALGAR

Most persons think of arsenic as a dead-ly poison, used by horticulturists andtaxidermists in their fight against damag-ing insects. It is left for the mineral col-lector to discover that the two well knownsulphides of arsenic, orpiment and realgar,are among the most colorful and strikingof minerals. Realgar, AsS, the simple sul-phide is gorgeous orange red in color. Itis usually found massive, but Manhattan,Nevada, furnishes fine, monoclinic crys-tals. Nearly always associated with realgaris the other sulphide of the same element,orpiment, As2S3. Its monoclinic crystalsmuch resemble realgar in brittleness andcleavage, but its color is quite distinct, lem-on yellow. These two minerals are com-monly found mixed together, the massesof orange red realgar and lemon yelloworpiment making a very pleasing and strik-ing contrast. Care should be used inhandling any arsenic ores, also these twoshould not be left exposed to sunshine or

other blight light, as they have a tendencyto fade rapidly and crumble to powder.

M I N E R A L I G H T

MINERS - PROSPECTORS

ATTENTION!

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O v e r $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 w o r t h o fScheel i te located by Mineral ightusers — much of it in gold, lead, silverand copper m in ing p roper t i es?Accurate check for Mercury, too.Models in all sizes shown in newcatalo g — also ore specimens in f ullcolor. Money-back guarantee and 20free ore specimens with each lamp.

TEMPLATE OF SHAPES FOR CUTTING GEMS — 19 PAGE S ON JEWELRYMETALS AND RINGS — 30 PAGES OF ILLUSTRATED MINERALS — 15 PAGESOF LAPIDARY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES — 8 PAGES ON MAGAZINES & BOOKS

These are some of the outsta ndin g features of our new . . .

J U B I L E E C A T A L O Gnow ready for d i s t r ibu t ion . I t contain s 100 pages of in form at ion you wi ll find of valueto you . In order to d i s t r ibu te th i s cata log to those persons mos t in teres ted in receiv ing i t ,w e a r e a s k in g y ou t o s e nd u s . . .

10c in stamps plus 5c for postage

This is only a portion of the cost of printing. If you do not feel this is worth 15c to you,return it and we will send you 20c. The Template for cutting gems is not available else-where. There are many articles of interest that have not appeared in print anywhere else.

OR send $1 for 2 large polished Agates and include postage for 2 lbs. and a copy of thiscatalog will be sent to you free. The Agates are worth $2 anywhere else.

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W A R N E R & G R I E G E R405 NINITA PARKWAY PASAD ENA, CALIFORNIANinita Parkway is one block east of the intersection of So. Hill Ave. and San Pasqual Sts.

Our phone number i s SYcamore 6 -6423 .

O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 2 37



AMONG THE

ROCK HUnTERS

W. G. Clark, 1203 North Harrison street,Stockton, California, has recently been appoint-ed secretary of the Stockton gem and mineralclub, to succeed Marvin W. Brain, resigned.

• © •

Los Angeles mineralogical society held itsJuly meeting in the picnic grounds of Clilao,James C. Arnold, president, presiding. Themeeting was turned over to Leo Moir, field tripchairman, who talked on his new idea of col-lecting and studying Los Angeles county min-erals. He showed a map covering the exact lo-cation of all the 47 minerals reported in LosAngeles county. This was passed around andit was decided to have prints made for eachmember of the society. To make it more inter-esting, a contest was proposed, with a prize forthe best collection of these minerals.

• • •

Santa Monica gemological society hasaroused much local interest and favorable com-ment with its exhibits in the main hall of the

Santa Monica library. These exhibits have beenappearing during thte months of June, Julyand Aueust. Informal meetings at the homesof members, and short trips in the immediatevicinity have been substituted for regular ex-cursions. Guest speaker at the August meetingwas Victor M. Arcienege, who gave a lively lec-ture on outstanding features of the geology ofSouthern California.

GE M MARTAdv. rate, 5c a word—Minimum $1.00

$2.50 brings you prepaid, six rare and beautifulcrystallized Arizona minerals. Yanadinite,

Dioptase, Wulfenite, Willemite, Linarite,Azurite. Specimens lVix2 or larger. WienerMineral Co., Box 509, Tucson, Arizona.

ZIRCONS—OPALS—CAMEOS — 3 Genuinediamond cut Zircons (total 2i/2 carat) $2.75.Twelve Genuine Opals $1.50. Twelve Genu-ine Cameos $2.50. B. Lowe, Box 311, St.Louis, Mo.

10 Tiny perfect Indian bird arrows of translu-cent chalcedony for a dollar bill. 100 ancientarrows $3.00. List Free. Lear Howell, Glen-ivood, Arkansas.

Palm woods, jaspers, chalcedonys, agate nodulesand geodes, also polished and unpolishedslabs, a few cabochons and other gem rocks.Valley Art Shoppe, 21108 Devonshire Blvd.,Chatsworth, Calif.

AGATES, Jaspers, Opalized and Agatizedwoods, Thunder eggs, polka dot and otherspecimens. Three pound assortment $1.50postpaid. Glass floats, price list on request.Jay Ransom, Aberdeen, Wash.

100 GOOD GRADE Prehistoric Indian Ar-rowheads $3.00. Mixed shapes and material.Ages old. List free. Lear Howell, Glenwood,Arkansas.

INDIAN RELICS, Beadwork, Coins, Min-erals, Books, Old Buttons, Old Glass, OldWest Photos, Weapons. Catalog 5c. VernonLemley, Osborne, Kansas.

200 JEWELRY STONES removed from rings,etc., assorted $2.00. B. Lowe, Box 311, St.Louis, Mo.

38

Prize specimen in the gem collection of Al-bert L. Hubert of St. George, Utah, is a mala-chite crystal which he describes as IV2 incheslong and three-fourths inch thick. It is so wellprotected in the vug in which it occurred as tohave a perfect natural polish. Hubert has pickedup many fine petrified wood specimens in Utah.

• • •

It would be interesting to hear from variousrock clubs about any games or other entertain-ment developed to take the place of field trips.

Here is one used by Imperial Valley gem andmineral society. It might be called "Arm Chairfield trip." Each member brings a specimenwith which he is willing to part. Sevens, acesand kings are removed from each deck of cardsto be used. Other cards are placed face up. Onesuit to a player. Shake two dice and turn downcard indicated. (Double sixes for queen, doubleones for deuces.) When a throw cannot be usednext player takes dice. First to turn all cardswins. Players progress as in other games. Win-ner (others in order of lowest points left) haschoice of specimens on his table, each move.Play stops and players progress as soon as anyone succeeds in turning down all of his cards.When play is terminated each contestant keepsthe specimen then in his possession.

Southwest Mineralogists of Los Angeles is tohold its annual mineral show at Harvard play-ground October 17-18. In deference to dimoutregulations the hours will be one to five p. m.Saturday and ten to five Sunday. The club mem-bers were scheduled to be guests of Mr. andMrs. Marion Speers at Western Trails museumin Huntington Beach September 6.

• • •

John Weldon, vice-president of Santa Mariarocks and minerals club, has found a new ma-terial near the mouth of Tepesquet canyon, 15miles east of Santa Maria, which he has named"Tepesquite," from its location. Ernest Edwards,secretary of the club, writes that tepesquite isfound in only one location as far as can be dis-covered. It lies in veins between shale, much of

it being botryoidal on the top surface where theshale does not cover it. It is a rich brown mate-rial, about four to five in hardness. It fluor-esces and phosphoresces under both black lampand cold quartz light and shows a silver greenfluorescence. It polishes readily and adapts it-self to jewelry fashioning. The polished mate-rial is a very rich dark red-brown.

• • •

Major Wilfred Dressor of Fresno, California,member of Sequoia mineral society, also for-merly a charter member of Imperial Valley gemand mineral society, has moved to 341 NorthStoneman avenue, Alhambra. He is now con-nected with the U. S. Army recruiting stationin Los Angeles.

Searles Lake gem and mineral society, dur-ing the month of October, is to sponsor a two-day hobby show. Outstanding exhibits by mem-bers of the organization and other hobbyistsand a guest speaker from outside are to beevents.

Northern California mineral society held alaboratory night, July 10 for its lapidaries, jew-elry makers, micro-mount enthusiasts, blowpipe artists, etc. A feature of the meeting wasa discussion on crystals, illustrated by numer-ous crystals of unusual interest, by presidentSoper. The monthly field trip went to the SanJose area for cutting material, crystals, pyrite.and fluorescent hydrocarbons.

• • •

W. Scott Lewis gave an educational lecture

on Death Valley, illustrated by kodachromeslides, to San Fernando Valley mineral society,July 9. Fifty-eight persons attended.

Oi a Rockhound

By LOUISE EATON

• Some things is importanter thanothers. When war grips a country, trivi-alities is recognized as such, or com-

pletely forgot. Rockhouns is humblythankful that they lives in a land wherelittle things still counts; where it seemsimportant an' wunderful that a thunder-egg don't turn out a dud, or that it don'train on a field-trip day; where birdsongs an' desert flowerz means a lot, an'where rockhouns can discuss grits an'laps, not powder an' guns, 'n where theirhearts 'n souls ain't froze into cold knotsuv fear inside uv 'em. God bless andkeep America.

• Queer, ain't it, how peace uv mind isnecessary for accomplishing eny wurkproperly, whether th wurk is did byhand or by head. There's no place to find

peace like out on the desert under low-hangin' stars, or hikin' over rocky hillstill bodily exhaustion crowds out mentalunrest. Then important things stands out,an' what-makes-no-matter is recognizedan' put into its place; worry fades away.After huntin' speciments for a day or 2rockhouns can return to their tasks withclear heads an' calm hearts.

San Fernando Valley mineral society metAugust 8 at the home of junior past: president,William D. Taylor, for an outdoors garden din-ner for all members and their guests. The regu-lar business meeting was held afterwards, fol-lowed by an auction of gem and mineral speci-mens, to raise money for the club treasury.

Dr. and Mrs. D. H. Clark, of Cypress circle,Redlands, California, acted as hosts to the Or-ange Belt mineralogical society on July 19.Forty-five members and friends partook of acovered dish supper. Howard Fletcher spokeon his recent trip to Colorado, and Dr. Clark onthe petrification of wood. A feature of the eve-ning was Dr. Clark's display of his magnificentcollection of polished woods and mineral speci-

The war department has announced that dur-ing the years 1942 and 1943 a net saving ofmore than 62,000,000 pounds of critical metalswill be effected by the substitution of steel,silver and plastics for aluminum and tin in the

manufacture of various ordinance items. Thedepartment said that 35,000,000 pounds ofaluminum by the end of next year, the largestsingle saving, would be effected by using plas-tics for trench mortar fuses. All of these sav-ings are to be effected, according to the gov-ernment announcement, without allowing theuse of substitutes to reduce the efficiency ofthe manufactured articles.

• 00

Almost 38,000,000 gross tons of iron ore,highest for the date since the association begankeeping records, is reported by the Lake Su-perior iron ore association at iron furnaces andLake Erie docks on August 1. At the currentrate of consumption, these supplies are suffi-cient for more than five months' operation ofthe steel industry. During the year which end-

ed August 1, the record total of almost 50,000,-000 tons have been melted, compared with 43,-000,000 tons for the like period last year.

THE DESERT MAGAZINE



The Orange Belt mineralogical society heldits August meeting at Fairmont park, Riverside,the 16th. Forty-three members and friends metfor a potluck supper. Members from Riversideacted as hosts and furnished material for a grabbag. V erne L. McM inn talked on lost and legen-dary gold mines, and his experiences in search-ing for some of them.

• • •

Genev ra B. Do w, of Claremo nt, California,

reports finding a fine piece of lapis lazuli in awash near Claremont. The piece is brilliantblue, not large but of a quality which will cutinto cabochons. It is probable the lapiswashed down from the mine in t the San An-tonio canyon area, one of the few mines inNorth America that produce true lapis. She re-ports that it is difficult to get a permit to en-ter the mine. It is said that much of the goodlapis has been removed to Pomona college forpurposes of study and trade.

• • •

Long Beach mineralogical society met atthe recreation park clubhouse on August 14.The program consisted of one speaker, a raf-f l e , door prize and refreshments.

ROCKHOUN'S ON THE DESERT(With compliments to the unknown home-

steader from another homesteader)B y H A R L A N D . E L L M A K E R

Sacramento, California

Rockhoun's on the desert, an' the air is flowingfree,

And there's miles of rocks around us, so let'sload up, you an' me

Away from huffy cities where you have to grindand grieve.

W e like the open spaces where a human soulcan breathe.

Rockhoun's on the desert, here's agates red aswine,

An' it looks like all creation was set up for

yours and mine.No house to hamper vision, save a rancher's far

away,An' we'll camp wherever day ends, be it near

or far I say.

Are we lost or lonesome? Well, see the jasperhe re !

'Twas put here just to please us, with colorsmade to cheer.

It 's been waiting here for ages, through stormand summer sun,

An' it's ours just for the pickin' up, an' o!iboy, ain't that fun!

Rockhoun's on the desert, bacon smell in sage-brush smoke,

You can't burn that wood Opal, put it in your

gunny poke.It's a shame that some dumb looter used a stickof powder there

And plundered all that Nature set in onestone forest rare.

Some say rocks ain't pretty, but all don't see thelight

On fields of flaked obsidian when sun ormoon beams bright.

There's rocks of every kind and hue, but do notget them mixt,

Or some of your'n will turn up when yourneighbor 's garden 's f ix t .

Are we lonesome? Not a minute, 'cept whenwe're back in town,

And hanker for another prowl on desertswide and brown.

Are we going back? Why, yes son, where therocks are flowing free;

So crank up that ol' Lizzie, let's get going,you an ' me!

COLLECTOR TELLS THESTORY OF TECKTITES

One of the most interesting subjects pre-sented to the Klamath Mineral society at Kla-math Falls, Oregon, during the past season wasM r s . Edith McLeod's discussion of Tecktites,often mistaken for ordinary obsidian nodules.

"Tecktites were first noted in 1787 in theriver Moldau in Bohemia," Mrs. McLeod said,"and were locally called 'bottle stone' due tobeing glassy and green in color. In the scien-tific field these pebbles are known as Molda-vites. Later they were found on the island ofBilliton and called billitonites, then they werediscovered in Tasmania and called Darwinglass. In 1851 great numbers were picked up inAustralia and were called Australites.

"In 1900, Dr. Suess, a German scientist,coined the word 'tecktite' to take the place ofthe growing number of local names and todistinguish the group from volcanic glasses.

"The early scientists noted that the localitiesthen known appeared to fall along the line ofa great circle on the globe. This coincidence ledmany scientists to adopt the theory that thetecktites came to the earth in a swarm as ashower of meteorites and as a consequence they

were strewn across the face of the earth in anarrow band from Australia to Bohemia.

"Unfortunately for this assumption it hasbeen proven that the ages of these glassy pebblesrange over a period of many thousands of years,no two locations being of the same age. In ad-dition to this it was discovered that ho two lo-cations had the same chemical composition.Finally other locations have come to light thatwere outside the limits that would be definedby a meteoric fall. Tecktites have been foundon the Gold coast of Africa and only recentlythey have been recognized on this continent inTexas.

"There are a number of theories that havenever received much attention and these dealwith the fusion of natural materials of the soilby such agencies as lightning, forest fires, burn-ing coal seams, burning petroleum and gasseeps. These theories contain their objectionsin that tecktites do not contain recognizablegrains of rock or sand. Then there is the im-pact theory which suggests that they wereformed by the impact of meteorites striking theearth, fusing the surface rock, and splashingit outward in droplets which solidify into thequeer shapes in which tecktites are found. Insupport of this theory is the fact that glass isactually found about large meteoric craters.

"The tecktite is recognized chiefly from itsflow structure which is usually visible fromthe exterior surface, this varies from straight(as in obsidian) through curved to highly

contorted. Selective etching along these fineflow lines makes them visible and in this onefact the tecktite differs from obsidian whichlacks this etching along the flow lines. On thesurface of a piece there are often small conicalpits . In a few the shape is similar to ones whichwould be produced by sticking a lead pencilpoint into a plastic mass.

"It has now been shown that tecktites arevery apt to occur in most any part of the coun-

try." • • •After holding informal sessions each month

during the summer the Mineralogical Societyof Arizona at Phoenix will resume regularmeetings October 6. V isiting hobbyists are al-ways welcome.

HILTON'Sand Qem

JOHN W. HILTON, Owner

On U. S. Highwa y 99. TenMiles South of Indio

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This page olDesert Magazineis for those whohave, or aspireto have, their own gemcutting

and polishing equipment. Lelande Quick, whoconducts this department, isformer presi-dent ofthe LosAngeles Lapidary society. Hewill beglad toanswer questions inconnec-tions with your lapidary work. Queries should beaddressed toDesert Magazine, ElCentro, California.

By LELANDE QUICK

C^nûPyu LAPIDARY ENGINEERINGCO.12 CAJON ST. • REDLANDS, CAL.

There hasbeen a lot of discussion lately

among amateur lapidaries about jade and thereis probably nogem material about which so

much misinformation exists. The re are two min-erals, distinct inhardness, specific gravity, etc.,known as jade. Thevarieties are correctlycalled Nephrite (silicate of magnesia) and

Jadeite (silicate of a lumina) , and they shouldbe sonamed incollections and notunder tinegeneral term of Jade.

The word originally came from the Spanish"piedra de hijada" meaning "stone of the

flank," as itwasworn over the kidneys by theSouth American Indians for certain ailments.Nephri te is from theLatin word for kidney,just as the medical term nephritis denotes in-flammation ofthekidney. Therefore, touse theterm "Nephri te Jade" is as superfluous as re-

ferring to a restaurant as a "coffee cafe." Jade

always has awaxy feel and it isthe only gemmaterial that will produce musical soundswhen struck.

The term Imperial Jade is forthe emerald-green Jadeite, which is thefinest. Jadeite is

finer than Nephrite and both the Imperial andapple-green varieties are found only inBurma,never inChina, where they are the favorites ofgem artisans fortheir carvings. Jadeite's colorvaries from white todark green and sometimesit is brown, red or mauve. It is harder thanNephrite (possibly a thousand times harder, or

the estimated difference between 7 and 6 for

th e two types respectively) which is found in

New Zealand, Turkestan and Russia. NeitherNephr i t e nor Jadei te has been found insitu inthe Americas but now and then limited amountsof Nephri te arefound as float, especially in

Alaska. Kunz said that ifNephri te isever foundin place in theAmericas it will probably be

found in ornear the Mexican state of Oaxacawhere many prehistoric Nephri te ornamentshave been found.

I amnow cutting some Nephrite found as

float inWyoming that compares very favor-ably with some fine-quality Burma Jadeite thatI have. It isrich apple green and isoffered at

a very reasonable price inLos Angeles. Iwasrecently offered some supposedly "white Jade"at toohigh aprice for myimpatient andclumsybutchering. Itwasbeautiful material but Iwassuspicious about its "being found in a secretlocation in theMojave desert."

There is a lovely Idocrase, or V esuvianite,found at several localities inCalifornia, prin-

cipally at Happy Camp, called Californite andsold asJade . It ispale green and isonly 5 in

hardness. Thegreen color iscopper staining andis usually patchy. I know that Chang, the greatChinese collector, bought many hundreds of

pounds of it inLosAngeles at adollar apoundand said hewould get at least $5 apound for

it at the carving shops inChina. Afriend of

mine has found several pieces of pale Jade on

California beaches which hehas preserved in

the rough.

Then there is theso-called "Indian Jade,"which is Aventurine, or a pale-green quartz.This material cutincabochon makes afine ringstone ingood taste for men. It ishard (7) andwill take alot ofpunishment but it isnot Jade .There are many other misnomers, such as

"Swiss Jade" (chrysoprase ), "Korea Jade"

(Serpent ine), "Amazon Jade" (Microcl ineFeldspar), "Transvaal Jade" (Massive Gros-su l a r Garne t ) , etc.

LAPIDARY HELPS ANDHINTS . . .

Since the Chinese really "know how"whenit comes to polishing Jade, why not follow theirmethods? They always use a lead lap and a

leather buff. "Ruby dust," probably a fine gar-net grit , is their favorite polishing agent andtripoli isalso widely used. Ifyouwant to carve,ri g up a bow with a fine wire andkeep it

charged with grit , acquire some ideas, anartis-tic sense, a million times more patience thanyo u nowpossess, with a unique disregard fortime and then inseveral months you can turnou t amouse or agoat, such as I purchased for$5 each.

• • •

A quick and safe waytodetermine hardnessof astone is tomark itwith analuminum pen-cil. The fainter the mark the harder the stone,an d you will notharm thetested piece. No

aluminum mark canbe made onagemharderthan 7.

» • •

Keep your felt and leather buffs away fromgrit anddirt . I cover mine with a rubber bath-in g cap(used to, rather) andthen a papersack. Afriend ofmine, whose polishing alwayswins prizes, "cleans" hiswheels with sandingcloth! I don't recommend it.

• • •

Another friend of mine allows his grindingwheels tostand idle inwater. "Don't youknowthey'll fly apart because they get heavy on

one side? You'll getkilled," I said one day."Never heard of it," hesaid, "I think you'rewrong." I hope Iam.

• • •

The sealing waxdeveloped for the American

Railway Express Company's own use is thebest dopping waxthere is—if you can get some.• • •

Use Oxalic acid as anaidinpolishing softermaterials, such asonyx. Pour the powder intowater until no more will dissolve. This is

termed "saturated" solution. Then add two

more parts ofwater, pour on the surface to be

polished andhand-rub vigorously with aheavycloth or apiece ofcarpet. Follow with regulartin oxide technique and you'll have thehighcommercial polish you seeonthose pen standsin the stationery stores. Oxalic acid is poison;wash your hands ifyou eatwith your fingers.

• • •

Tin oxide and acetone arepractically unpro-curable without a priority number. Grits andgrinding wheels also require apriority numberexcept that grits andwheels instock, not used

in war industries, may be sold without a num-be r but no more may be made for the duration.Most lapidary grits and wheels can still be se-cured but only aslong aspresent stocks last. Itwould bewise tostock beyond your require-ments while these things arestill obtainable.This would not beunpatriotic hoarding as thesethings, with the exception of the acetone andt in oxide, are not needed inthe war program.

• • •

Questions received too late forthe AmateurGem Collector's department this month will beanswered onthis page next month. Lapidariesdesiring information should address their let-ters toLelande Quick, c/o Desert Magazine,ElCentro, California.

• • •

DID YOUKNOW . . .

• There is agreater variety ofgreen gems thanany other color? Yellow isnext, closely fol-lowed by red and blue about equally.

40 THE DESERT MAGAZINE



N E W T O W N OFRIVERSBORN IN ARIZONA

Newest postoffice in Arizona is Rivers, thename given thenewly constructed Japanese re-location center in the Gila r iver valley nearSacaton. Barracks are being erected to house15,000 Japanese evacuees from the Pacificcoast. They will farm 16,000 acres leased fromthe Gila River Indian reservation.

D A V I S DAMW OR KER S TORESIDE INNEVADA

Campsite for workers on the newDavis damproject between Needles andBoulder dam,wil lbe located on theNevada s ide of the Colorado,the contractors have announced. Railhead forthe project is Kingman, Arizona, and trestlebridges will be built across theriver for work-m en and materia ls .

• • •

IDENTIFICATION . . .(Continued jrom page 25.)

7—In the Va l ley of Fire , Nevada. Desert

Magazine, 1940.

8—Monumen t to Hadji Ali, famous cameldriver of Lieut. Beale's camel train. Thismonument marks the grave in the ceme-tery at Ehrenberg, Arizona.

9—Along Arizona State Route 79 betweenCottonwood and Flagstaff—on the roadto OakCreek canyon.

10—Erected by thechamber of commerce at St.Johns, Arizona.

11—This p laque is on a huge boulder at thehead of Coyote canyon, California, andmarks thespot where theJuan Bautista deAnza caravan emerged from thedesert in1776. Desert Magazine, September, 1941.

12—On the old Bradshaw stage road nearChuckawalla wells, California. DesertMagazine, December, 1937.

13—Mark ing the grave of thevictim of a des-

ert tragedy atCarrizo stage station, Butter-field route, inCalifornia. Desert Magazine,June, 1940.

14—At Tinajas Altas on theCamino delDiabloin southern Arizona. Desert Magazine,April, 1940.

S O M E W H E R E IN U T A HWho can identify this picture?

. •

P R I Z E C O N T E S T

A N N O U N C E M E N T . . .Somewhere inUtah, Nature carved out

of solid rock thestrange formation shownin theabove photograph. It is in one ofthe most interesting scenic areas in theWest—a place every Desert Magazinereader will want tovisit sooner or later.

So that our readers maybecome morefamiliar with this odd-appearing labyrinth

of rock, Desert Magazine will award aprize of$5.00 totheperson sending in theidentification, accompanied by the best500-word descriptive article. Themanu-script should give exact location, accessi-bility byhighway, and anyhistoricalandgeological data available.

Entries in thecontest will remain openuntil October 20, and thedecision of thejudges together with the winning storywill appear in theDecember issue of Des-ert Magazine.

Sez HardRock Shorty

of

DeathVal leyBy LONGARRISON

"Dude ranches is mighty inter-estin' business," commented HardRock Shorty after reading some ofthe ads in the travel section of amagazine. "Ride — see GloriousCalizonexico—fish—hunt—swim—hike! Yes sir—dude ranches suresound interestin' in the advertise-ments. They don't never mention

the blisters on yer feet—the mealsyuh hafta eat standin' up fromspankin' a saddle an' gettin' the

worst of it—the dust yuh eatalongthe trails, an' the grasshoppers inyer beans."

Hard Rock paused in hiscastiga-tion of the great out-of-doors tothink up more mean things to say.It didn't take himlong.

"Yes sir—an' them guides! Theiridea of a joke is to get some dudeset down in a cactus an' then laughtheir heads off. I visited oneo' themplaces oncet—a feller there owedme some money. That mornin' theywas allgettin' saddled up for a trailride an' a fancy lookin' lady comeout all dressed up like a Sears an'Sawbucks cowboy. She waspurty asa little redwagon! One o' theguidesled 'er over to a wormy lookin',hammer headed horse that waseatin' post hay an' gettin' sort o'tired of it the wayheacted.

"The dude wrangler held the

horse down while thelady climbedup on a rock an' crawled aboard.Then he gathered up the reins,

handed em to the lady an' run fercover. Well—there really wasn'tmuch to it—the horse give abouttwo good hops, one stiff leggedbuck, an' the lady landed in thehorse trough hollerin' like a pigcaught in thefence. Thehorse bust-ed through thegate an' lit outdownthe pasture.

"The foreman come runnin' overan ' he wasmadder'n a bear with acactus inhispaw. Hefished theladyout o' thetank, wrung 'er out a bitan' sent 'er back up to the house.Then he landed on theguidewhowas laughin' 'til hissides ached.

"'You jug-head —you contem-plated idiot—you hoorawed farmhand! What's thematter with yuh?You knowed that lady'd never beenon ahorse before!'

" 'Sure,' gasps theguide. 'Sure—I knowed it.That's whyI give 'er a

horse that'd never been rode beforeeither. I figgered they'd just aswellstart out an' learn together.' "

O C T O B E R , 1 9 42 41



DESERT MAGAZINEEL CENTRO, CALIF. FIFTH VOLUME INDEX

NOV EMBER, 1941TO OCTOBER, 1942

Acoma, New Mexico Apr 42 p5Adams, Dr. Thomas C Feb 42 p20Agassiz, Jean Louis Mar 42 p5

Aguereberry, Pete Nov 41 pl 7Alamo, Arizona Nov 41 pi 3Alamo river Nov 41 p36, Sep 42 pl 9Algae Mar 42 p l lAlpine, Utah Apr 42 p27Amer. Potash & Chemical Corp Oct 42 p l l

Anderson, Helen Ashley. Gold for theVaults of America May 42 p5

Anderson, Helen Ashley. Writers ofthe Desert May 42 p30

Andrews, W . E. (An dy) Jun 42 p5Ansh ute canyon, California Dec 41 p2Antelope springs, New Mexico Nov 41 p36Anton Chico, Ne w Mexico - Mar 42 p45Anza Deser t State Park Mar 42 p40Apache devil dance Oct 42 p26Arizona, colored supplem ent Mar 42 p47

Arizona, territorial capitol Sep 42 p28Arizona, territorial prison Jan 42 p34"Arm chair field trip " game Oct 42 p38Arrow heads , construction Dec 41 plO

Art ists—

Hal Empie Jan 42 pi 5Clyde Forsythe Apr 42 pl 4George Frederick Mar 42 pl 8Mart in Hennings Jun 42 p l lEvylena Nu nn Miller May 42 p23Ethel Ulman Aug 42 p20

Astaelakwa mesa, New Mexico Apr 42 pl 8Audu bon society Feb 42 p42Audubon, John Woo dhouse Mar 42 p22Aurora, Nevada Apr 42 p27

B

Bacchus, Utah Dec 42 pl 8

Badgley, Sara E. Old ArizonaPrison Jan 42 p34

Badwater, Death V al ley Nov 41 pl 7Bagdad, California Jan 42 p29, Feb 42 p56

Bales, LeRoy and Margaret. He Belongsto the Panamints Nov 41 p l7

Bandel ier Nat ional Monum ent Nov 41 p4Barnes, "Barney" Apr 42 p l lBarnes, W il l C Jun 42 p5Battle Mo untain, Neva da Feb 42 p55

Beal, Mary . Auth or of—

Bladder Bush Feb 42 p39

Golden Plumes for the Desert

Flower Parade Mar 42 plOFeathery Dusters for Desert

Fairies Apr 42 p29

Marigolds in Desert Sands . . . . . . . . . . May 42 pl7

These Roses Grow in

High Places Aug 42 p l 5Beatty, Nevada Jun 42 pl 7Beckwith, Frank Aug 42 p25

Oct 42 p37Bellamy, Ralph Jul 42 p20Bicknell , Utah Dec 41 pl 8Bidwell-Bartleson party Feb 42 p20Bigelow, John. Copper Mine May 42 p20Bill Willia ms river No v 41 pT3

Wh ite-throate d swift Jun 42 p5Jul 42 p37

Birdseye, Utah Feb 42 p5 5

Black mesa, Ne w Mexico Jan 42 p29Blumenschein, E. L. ..r. Jun 42 p l l

Bonanza road, Nevada Dec 41 p38Jun 42 p i3

Book Reviews—

Alford, Deserts, Feb 42 p46; Arnold, A Sonof the First People, Nov 41 p34; Barnes,Apaches and Longhorns, Jan 42 p40; Baxter,Jewelry, Gem Cutting and Metalcraft, Dec

41 p35; Cavanah, Pedro of Santa Fe, Mar 42p 3 6 ; Cleaveland, No Life for a Lady, Nov 41p 3 4 ; Coke, Calico, Jan 42 p40; Connel l ,Missions of California, Nov 41 p35; Crane,The Turquoise Shop, Mar 42 p3<$; Cruse,Apache Days and After, Feb 42 p46; Dane,Ghost Town, Dec 41 p34; Diamant , Th eDays of Ofelia, Sep 42 p39; Driggs, West-ward America, May 42 p39; Foster, In the

Night Did 1 Sing, Apr 42 p45; Gi lpin, Th ePueblos, Mar 42 p36; Haycox, Alder Gulch,Aug 42 p39; Henderson, Handbook of Amer-ican Mountaineering, Jul 42 p30; Hewit t ,Along Western Trails, Jun 42 p47; Jackson,Alybody's Gold, Jan 42 p40; Jaeger, DesertWild Flowers, Dec 41 p34; Kegley, Rodeo,Apr 42 p45; Kent , The Tenderfoot, Sep 42p 3 9 ; Kneiss, Bonanza Railroads, Feb 42 p46;Leigh, Forgotten Waters, Apr 42 p45; Lien-hard, A Pioneer at Sutler's Fort, Aug 42 p39;Long, The Shadow of the Arrow, Dec 41p 3 4 ; MacGregor, Twentieth Century Indians,Nov 41 p35; Manning , What Kinda CactusIzzal? Feb 42 p46; Marshal l , Cactaceae, Ju n

42 p47; McGregor, Southwestern Archae-ology, Jun 42 p47; McKee and Summers,

Dusty Desert Trails, Sep 42 p39; Melbo, Ou rCountry's National Parks, Jan 42 p40; Mil -ligan, Death Valley and Scotty, Jul 42 p30;Morris, Digging in the Southwest, Feb 42p 4 7 ; Nye, Pistols for Hire, Dec 41 p34; Par-ker, Peace Unto You, Feb 42 p46; Peattie,The Road o f a Naturalist, Nov 41 p34; Peck,Don Coyote, Aug 42 p39; Phoenix Indianschool, The New Trail, Sep 42 p39; Roedi-ger, Ceremonial Costumes of the Pueblo In-dians, Mar 42, p36; Simmons, Su n Chief,

Jul 42 p30; Sonnichsen, Billy King's Tomb-stone, May 42 p39; Van Coevering, A-Hik-ing We Will Go, Aug 42 p39; Van Valken-burg, Dine Bikeyah, May 42 p39; Waters,Man Who Killed the Deer, Aug 42 p39;Wel lman , Angel With Spurs, Ju l 42 p30;

Wheel er , We Follow the Western Trail, M ar42 p36; Whi t e , Stampede, Sep 42 p39;Woodbury , Colorado Conquest, Dec 41 p35;Young, Art of Gem Cutting, Ju l 42 p34;La Farge, The Changing Indian, Oct 42 p47;Kearney and Peebles, Flowering Plants andFerns, Oct 42 p47; Smith, Birds of the Des-ert, Oct 42 p47.

Bosque, Arizona Nov 41 p36

Botany—

Apache Plume Aug 42 pi 5

Bladder Bush Feb 42 p39Cliff Rose Aug 42 pl 5

Bradt, George McClellan. Author of—

Bird with the Barbed Tongue . . . . Apr 42 pl7

Hawk of the Wastelands Sep 42 p l l

Bridger, James Feb 42 p20Brier, Mrs. Julia W ells Dec 41 p46

Brown, Bertha G. Fairy Crystals Froman Old Mine Dump Sep 42 p25

Brown, Mora M. Author of—

Midnight at Bandelier Nov 41 p4

We Went to Mono Craters

for Obsidian Dec 41 p l4Digging for Petrified Roots Mar 42 pi 5

Bryant, Dr . Haro ld C Jun 42 p5Buford moun tain, Arizona Nov 41 p36Bullshead, Arizona Nov 41 p31

Jun 42 p43; Jul 42 p27Bumble Bee, Arizona Nov 41 p36Burros Nov 41 p32, Aug 42 p23

Burroughs, Hulbert. Author of—

Adventure on Fortification H/7/....Dec 41 p24

Adventure on Nuvat-i-kyan-bi......Mar 42 p5Burrough, Hulbert . Writers oj

the Desert May 42 p30Bush, Irvin Jun 42 p32Butterfield stage route Mar 42 p22

Cactus—

Coryphantha alversonii (Foxtai l ) . .Feb 42 p2Coryphantha deserti (Foxtail) ... . Aug 42 p9Opuntia bigelovi (Chol la) Apr 42 p28

Calico, California Feb 42 p40Callao, Utah Apr 42 p27Camp, Dr. Charles Oct 42 pl 8Camp V erde, Arizona Feb 42 p33

Campan ile, The Mar 42 p30, Apr 42 p30Candle-dipping Mar 42 p20

Capitol Reef National Monument....Aug 42 p25

Capps, Ethel S. When Hollywood Comes

to the Desert Jul 42 p20Capps, Ethel. Writers of

the Desert Jul 42 p26Girling, James L. On the Trail of

Willie-boy Nov 41 p6Carson, Kit Feb 42 p20Carson City, Nevad a Jun 42 p22Casa del Adobe Feb 42 p l4

Chaco CanyonNationa l Monu ment Dec 41 p22

Oct 42 p23Chalfant, W . A. Bowers

Mansion Aug 42 pl6

Chalfant, W . A Feb 42 p44Chand ler, Arizona Jan 42 p29Chetro Ketl, Indian ruins Oct 42 p23Cibola, Seven Cities of ... Apr 42 p5Clarkdale, Arizona Feb 42 p34Clary, George Mar 42 p5Climate, desert Aug 42 p5Clyman, James Feb 42 p20Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico Jan 42 p ll •Coe, George W Jan 42 p39Colorado, desert area May 42 p28

Colorado river—

Dams Sep 42 pl4Descript ion Jul 42 pl 3Exploration Jan 42 p5, Sep 42 pl 9

Documents

194210 Desert Magazine 1942 October