196310 Desert Magazine 1963 October

8/14/2019 196310 Desert Magazine 1963 October

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AGAZINE of the SOUTHWEST

G O L DS P R IN G S T R A M W A Y


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Another New Desert Magazine Feature ...

M O N T H L Y S O U T H W E S T P H O T O C O N T E S TThe Southwest is a land of changing moods . . . a land where con trast is the

keynote and where the blazing dese rt in the aftern oon turns in to pastel shades inthe evening . . . where rugged mountains change their shapes from dawn to duskand where wildlife just for a fleeting instant can be captured on f i lm.

In many of these instances Desert M azazine readers are there . . . at the rightplace at the right second. In order to bring Desert readers these captured moodsand moments we are resuming the Photo Contest started years ago by Randall Hend-erson, founder of Desert Magazine.FIRST PRIZE WILL BE $15; SECOND PRIZE, $8. For non-winning pictures ac-cepted for publ ication $3 each wil l be paid. Although not part of the contest, Desertis also interes ted in viewing 4x5 colo r transparencies fo r possible fr on t cov er use.W e pa y $25 per transp aren cy. Both black and white and color are for firs t pub li-cation rights only.

Jack PepperPUBLISHER

HERE A R E TH E RULES1Prints for mo nthly contests must be black an d white, 5x7 or larger, printed on g los sypaper .2Each photograph submitted should be fully labeled as to subject, time and place.Also technical data: camera, shutter, speed, hour of day, etc.3PRINTS WILL BE RETURNED ONLY WHEN RETURN POSTAGE IS ENCLOSED.4All entries must be in the Desert Magazine office by the 20th of the contest month.5Contests are open to both amateur and professional photographers. Desert Ma ga-zine requires first publication rights only of prize winning pictures.6Time an d pl ac e of pho tograph is imma terial, except that it must be from the desertSouthwest.7Judges will be selected from Desert's editorial staff, and awards wi l l be made im-me dia tely after the clo se of the contest ea ch month. If entries are not jud ged to be ofsufficient quality one month, the second prize of the preceding month will be first nextmonth.

ADDRESS ALL ENTRIES TO PHOTO EDITORTHE _ PALM DESERT, CALIF. 92260


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DlAVlLCONTENTS

Volume 26 Number 10

OCTOBER, 1963This Month's Cover

Stream fishing in the California Sierras byHULBERT BURROUGHS.6 New Ideas for Desert Living

By DAN LEE8 The Barbecue

By SIDNEY PHILLIPS. Humorous essay ona popular Western custom.10 The Truth About the Tortoise

By CHORAL PEPPER12 Treasures of the Badlands

By FRANK DU NN . Salton Sea concretionsadd to collector 's fun.14 A Utah Bank's Claim to Fame

By RAYE PRICE. Fantastic, but true.15 Canoeing on Lake Havasu

By GEORGE LEETCH18 Chia

By HARRISON DOYLE, wh o has discoveredthat Chia may be cult ivated.20 Two Wa ys to the Tramway

By JACK PEPPER24 Nellie Cashman's Lost Gold

By LOUISE CHENEY AUER. An adventurouswoman-prospector sought bonanza in Baja.27 Time to Gather Pinyon Nuts

By DR. EDMU ND C . JAEGER29 Desert Cookery

LUCILLE CARLESON tells her secrets for pre-par ing wi ld game.30 Hunter's Paradise

By MEL STENINGER32 Survival in the Desert34 Desert Camera

By FRANK JENSEN37 Patio Coolers for Fall38 Letters from our Readers39 ChinleThe Sleeping Rainbow

Poem by GRACE R. BALLARD

FAMOUS EXPLORER A ND MAN-OF-MANY-TALENTS MURL EMERY DISCOVERED THIS GIANT NATURALARCH IN A RUGGED AND ROCKY AREA NEAR HIS HOME IN N ELSON, NEVADA . AFTER A MILEHIKE FROM THE HIGHWA Y, YOU NG TRENT PEPPER NAMED THE MONU MENT "EMERY'S AR CH."THE SOUTHWEST IN OCTOBER By JACK PEPPERTWO WAYS TO THE TRAMWAY. Postponed from its original open-ing date in August, the $7,700,000 Palm Springs Tramway was sched-uled to open September 14, after the October issue of DESERT is onthe press. In line with its policy to report not only th e surface facts,but also the backgro und an d benea th the surface material on hap -penings in the Southwest, we have presented the views of the con-servationists who have done so much for the preservation of ourwilderness areas, along with the feelings of the Tramway officials.The spectacular color photograph on Page 20 is through the courtesyof Tramway Land and McFadden and Eddy Associates.WALK-IN CAMPGROUNDS. Along with the same controversial sub-ject of how to keep the "wilderness areas" in their natural state, aproposed new plan by Edward F. Dolder, chief of the California Di-vision of Beaches and Parks, may be the solution, at least for someareas. Under the proposed plan a family would drive to a designatedarea where their camping gear would be picked up by rangers whowould truck it over a service road to a remote area . The cam perswould then hike to the are a. Dolder explains that ma ny are as arefine for camping but would be ruined by roads and parking areas.The campers would have water, sanitation facilities, tables, etc., but,

DESERT is publish ed mo nthly b y Desert Magazine. Inc., Palm Desert. Calif. Second Class Postage paid at Palm Desert, C alif., and ataddit ional m ailing offices under Act of March 3, 1879. Title registered No. 358865 in U.S. Patent Office, and contents cop yrigh ted 1963by Desert Magazine, Inc. U nsol ici ted manuscripts and photographs cannot be returned or ackno wledged unless fu l l retur n postage isenclosed. Permission to repr oduce contents must be secured from the editor in wr itin g. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $4.50 per year (12 issues)in the U.S.; $5 elsewhere. Allo w five weeks for chanqe of ad dress, and be sure to send the old as wel l as new a ddress.To subscribe, or to give a DESERT gift subscription, use the coupon on page 4

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES:Arden E. Roney & Associates580 South San Vicente Blvd.,'Los Angeles 48, California. Phone: 651-3930NEW YORK21 0 E. 53rd St. PL 3-1780 SAN FR ANCISCO 31355 Market St . UN 1-7175CHICAGO 135 E. Wocke r Dr. ST 2-8196 DETROIT 2665 8 Book Bldg. WO 1-6063JACK PEPPERpublisher CHORAL PEPPEReditorAddress Correspondence To:Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. Ph one : FI 6-8144


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B O T T L E C O L L E C T O R S"CHIPS FROM THE PONTIL"by J. C. Tibbitts, first president of theAntique Botle Collectors Assn. and edit-or of "The Pontil." Just off the pressand available from the author. Manypertinent facts and interesting informa-tion about bottles and bottle collecting.Full color grou p photo on cover. 17black & white photos with full descrip-t ions. Autographed if requested.

Price $3.00 plus 25c handling$3.25postpa id . Calif, residents add 12c tax.THE LITTLE GLASS SHACK3161 56th Street Sacramento, Calif. 95820

NOW AVAILABLENew guide to over 100California Ghost townsCalifornia Ghost Town GuideUnique and authentic guide to over 100ghost towns in California's deserts and moun-tains with complete directions on how toreach them. Shows you the way to little-known and intrigue-filled towns that providehours of interest for those seeking buriedtreasures, old guns, western relics, purplebottles aged by the sun, and antique objects.Satisfaction guaranteed or money back.Only $2.00SPECIAL GIFT OFFER:3 copies for So.00A . L. ABBOTTDept. D.1513 West Romneya Drive Anaheim, Calif.

REMEMBER BIRTHDAYS witha DESERT su bsc riptio n . . . $4.50

C O M M O NEDIBLE

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of the WESTA New & Useful Book byMUR IEL SWEET, Botanist

More than 115 line-drawings . . .every plant illustrated . . .Factual Guide to Plants WhichGave the Western Indians Foodir Healing . . . From the Desertsto the Highest Mountains . . .

only $1post and tax paid

ORDER FROM:DEPT. D310NATUREGRAPH CO.HEALDSBURG, CALIF.

Dolder explains, elimination of the automobile will preserve the land-scape, provide more outdoor experience for campers . . . and savethe state money since the cost of roads is one of the prime expensesin camping areas.HOUSE HUNTING? This one probably won't suit you, as it is 4000ye ars old. UCLA archaeolo gist Christopher B. Donn an an nou nce dthe house was discovered on a site 70 miles south of Lima, Peru.Radiocarbon dating established the age . The early inhabitants d ateback as far as 6000 years ago and had a rather advanced civiliza-tion with cotton textiles, adobe architecture, domesticated plants andanimals and ceramics. The excavations are being conducted withthe University of La Molina in Lima where the house will be recon-structed.NEW NEWSPAPER. Charles Shelton, former owner, and Eugene Con-rotto, former editor and publisher of Desert Magazine until it was soldlast June, are now associated in the publishing of a new weeklynewspaper, the Palm Desert Post, for residents in the Coachella Valley.Shelton also continues to operate the Desert Southwest Art Galleryand Desert Printers, ail located in the same building in Palm Desert.ROCK HOUND BOOK. More than 2000 copies of "The Rock Hobby"hav e been distributed by the American Gem & Mineralogical Sup-pliers Association. "The big increase in dem and is a very healthysign for the lapidary industry, since it indicates greater interest in thehobby," according to W ebb Morrow, president. Non-members canobtain a sample copy by writing to Webb Morrow, MK DiamondProducts, 12600 Chadron, Hawthorne, Calif. Next month DESERT willstart a two piece article on the use of metal detectors and how theyprovide value and fun for the entire family.OCTOBER CALENDAR. Oct. 3-13Fresno District Fair, Fresno, Calif.5_6Miners' Show and Convention, Burton's Tropico Gold Mine, Rosa-mond, Calif. Apple Days, Julian, Calif. 5-7Santa Cruz County Fair,Sonoita, Ariz. 7Fall Flower Show, Sedo na, Ariz. 8-1375th Anni-versary Celebration, Escondido, Calif. (Special parade on the 13th inwhich each unit will represent a year in the history of Escondido.)12-13Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Hobby Show, Trona, Calif.13-14Butterfield Stag eco ach Fiesta, Gi la Bend, Ariz. 17-20PinalCounty Fair, Ca sa Gra nde, Ariz. 18-20Annual "He lldorado ," Tomb-stone, Ariz. 26Special Centen nial Op ening Celebration, Wicken-burg, Ariz. 26-27Annual Rex Allen Day s Celebration, R odeo, Will-cox, Ariz. Nov. 9-10Twentynine Palm Gem and Mineral Show,Hayes Auditorium, Twentynine Palms, Calif. Il l

r DESERT Subscription Service\ (Enter a Subscription %, \ Address Change Only

To Change Your AddressMagazines are no longer forwarded by the postoffice when you move. To insure uninterrupteddelivery please attach your magazine addresslabel here and print your new address below.

1-year subscription$4.50 One 2-year subscrip-tion, or, Two 1-year sub-scriptions . $8.00

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0$ TH tS HAHW O RDER FO RM - 17 tH ANNUAL R0VH9Q PWESTERN CHRISTMAS CARDSIN F U U C O L O RREETINGS .. .from our outfit to qofcSC . , 4 3 * *

Graftings from our outfit toyoursWithBest Wishes lot Chnslmas and all the NewYeartart Trai l i -May the warmth and friendsss of the Christmas Season be with youthrough the Coming Year

m m m^ 4 Marry Christmat-and Best Wishes for aI Happy Holiday Season

Friendship atChmtmai A friendly wishfor a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Whan winter chores art donaMay heSpirit of Christmas Abide W ith You Through-out the Coming Year

. . . from the two of ui! -W it h Best Wishesat Christmas and through all the New Year!

Waitin' out the Storm-Best Wishes for aMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Girl and Fri tndi-Merry Christmas andaHappy New Year1 Candelabra May (heSpirit ofChnslmas be with you and Happinessbeyours throughout the Coming Year

A friendly Christmas Creating- With BestWishes for the Season and aProsperousNew Yearhe Lord's Candlos May the wonderfulSpirit ofChristmas be with you through allthe Year

"They presented unto Him gilts- - M a ythe Peace and Happiness of Christmas abidewith you through all the Coming YearCowboy Santa-Greeting is a humorousverse describing this color photo of anoriginal wood carving.

Thinkin' ofyou atChristmas- With BeslWishes for a Happy Holiday Season Cathedral ofthe West M.u HIP Spin! ofChristmas Abide With You Throughout theComing year

tor ChoresAppropriate western versen front ofcard. Merry Christmas andppy New YearChristmas DawnTo wish you .i BlpsspdChristmas and aNew Year ofHappinessFrosted Steam Merry Christmas and aHappy New Year

Greetings, Neighbor!-With Best Wishes atChristmas and a Happy New Year from OurOutfit to Yours!All new and different for 1963. Beautiful full-color reproductions of original paintings by topwestern artistsfeaturing Lorenz and including Kleiber, Fogg, Hilton, Eggenhofer, Harman,etc. Finest quality, heavy-grade paper single folds to 43 /4" x 63/


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U N D E R G R O U N D E X P L O R A T I O N S B o x 1 9 3 M e n l o P a r k . C a l i f o r n i a

A H O B B Y T H A T P A Y SOPALS and SAPPHIRESDirect From Australia

This Month's Best BuyS P E C I A L O F F E RMINE RUN SAPPHIRESBlue, Green, Parti-Colours, Black Stars,Blue Cabochons M ixed Lot, U ngraded1 Whole Pound $10 .00 FREE SEAMAIL

Send personal cheque, international moneyorder, bank draft . Free 16 page list of allAustralian Gemstones.AUSTR AL IAN GEM TRAD ING CO.29 4 Little Collins StreetMELBOURNE, C.I. AUSTRALIA

DESERT BINDERSKeep your Desert Magazines foryears as a reference and guide tofuture trips. Special 12-issue bind-ers only $3.50 (inc. tax & postage)DESERT MAGAZINE

Palm Desert, Cali i . 92260. . . your headquarters for aSouthern Utah vacationSan JuanTRADING POST

ON PAVED HWY. 47MEXICAN HAT, UTAH22 Modern Motel Units . . . Guided ScenicTours to Monument Valley and Fabulous SanJuan County . . . Curio Shop, Navajo Rugs,Indian Jewelry . . . Cafe . . . Film, CampingSupplies . . . Service Station . . . LicensedHunting Guides . . . Accommodations ForHunters During Deer Season.

Phone: 42, Mexican Hat, Utah

LAND OPPORTUNITY4400 acres of level land locatedwithin one mile of a thriving, pro-gressive comm unity of 7 5 0 0people. U. S. Highway 91 and In-terstate 15 traverse property. 10second feet underground waterrights, power and telephone lineson property. For further informa-tion contact:D . W. CORRY REAL ESTATE CO.25 EAST LINCOLN AVENUEP. O. BOX 903 TEL. 586-6162CEDAR CITY, UTAH

NEW IDEAS for DESERT LIVINGB y DAN LEE

Portable CabanaNeed a back-yard pool cabana or gardentool storage room? Then inspect one ofthe new models from BACKYARD CA-BANAS. Made of Homasote board, sold inready-to-assemble sections, or in completepackages from lumber yards and buildingsupply dealers. A complete line of BACK-YARD CABANAS with many models tochoose from is available. For more data,write Desert Magazine.

Roof Top Car C amperThey call it KAR KAMPER, and itfastens to the roof of the family car. Inminutes, it can be raised to form a roomy,rooftop hideaway, suitable for sleeping andchanging clothes. Works on anything fromthe larger compact cars to station wagons,says the maker. Folded down dimensionsare 6Vi feet wide by 12 feet long by 1-foothigh. Top cover is of aluminum, withfabric side curtains. Easy to attach. Pricedfrom $495. For more data on KAR KAM-PER, write Desert Magazine.

Portable Fluorescent Light"PORTA-LITE" is a new small-size port-able fluorescent light for use by sportsmenand travelers, home and cabin owners. Thisnew unit provides a light equal to three50-watt bulbs, yet it uses only a 15-wattstandard fluorescent type tube. Operates on6-volt or 12-volt battery source. Plug itinto the lighter receptacle of your car,boat, or trailer for large amounts of brightlight. The PORTA-LITE weighs only threepounds, sells for just $17.95. For moreinformation, write Desert Magazine.

Portable Bucket Seat C u sh io n -Here's the way to get that "bucket seat"comfort, with regular sedan seats. The newWILSON SEAT is an upholstered cushionshaped and contoured like the most luxur-ious bucket seats. Just place it over thetop of your present car seat. Driving com-fort is increased on the two-inches of ure-thane foam at shoulders and under legs.The padded side rests have belts attached tomake the seat fit even more snugly. Theunit is attached to the car seat with a "WebFastner." THE WILSON SEAT is avail-able at $16.95 and $18.30, depending onmodels. For more data, write to New Pro-ducts, Desert Magazine, Palm Desert,Calif.


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P o o d l e S o f a -Even the dogs want comfort these days!The newPOODLE SOFA by Decor CustomFurniture is made of top-quality, expensivefabrics, stitched together by experienced up-holsterers and craftsmen who make thou-sand-dollar sofas in the same building. Bro-cade satin, nylon, and many other expen-sive fabrics are used over hardwood frames,with polyfoam cushions and quality sewingto make POODLE SOFA a truly outstand-ing and unusual piece of pet furniture.Handled by quality furniture stores, or bydirect mail, the POODLE SOFA now letsan owner give his dog the same luxury hehimself demands. Priced at $39.50 for thestandard and $44.50 for the deluxe tuftedsofas, from Dept. DM, Decor CustomFurniture, 9702 Alpaca, South El Monte,Calif.

New Outdoor StoveThis new gasoline-powered camp stovehas a rugged metal housing, with a gen-erator and fuel tank that need not be han-dled every time stove is used. All partsstay in place, in storage or in duty. Thestove folds neatly into its own carryingcase. Called the POLORAN OUTDOORGASOLINE STOVE, the new model ispriced at $26.95, for the two-burner unit.For more data, write Desert Magazine.

Custom Made Auto Sun Shades"Take the sizzle out of the Sun." Your car orwagon up to 15 cooler. Blocks the sun's raysand public 's gaze yet gives excellent visibil ityand vent i lat ion. Ideal for campers, travelers,and every day dr iv ing. Great ly improves airconditioning effic iency. Custom made for car*and wagons 1955 through 1963. Easy to installwith enclosed simple instructions. Write forFree catalogue and prices. Give make andmodel, 2 or 4 door. Prompt Shipmen t. SidlesMfg. Co., Box 3537D, Temple, Texas.

TWELVE MONTHSof Desert for a f r i e n d -only $4.50 for a thoughtful gift

Clever KeyLightThis amazing little light-maker for find-ing locks in the dark is a combinationflashlight and key holder built into oneunit. Yet the maker claims it isn't "justanother key-chain flashlight." KEY BEAM,

as they call it, has a tiny platinum lamp,with a silver energy cell that is supposedto recharge itself. The user simply squeezesthe KEY BEAM, and it produces light.This unusual item comes from MiKan's for$3.20 postpaid. Write Desert Magazine formore information.

Knife ForSkinning Buffaloes-There may not be any buffaloes left tohunt, but the new BUFFALO SKINNINGKNIFE by the Great Western Companylooks handy for camp duty. Just the thingfor chopping up salads, whittling firewood,or discouraging prowlers. This new knife isa quality Sheffield blade of stainless steel,with a rosewood handle and English leathersheath. Priced at $4.95 postpaid. For in-formation, contact Desert Magazine.

Camel Seat ForDesertThe newest and most novel casual seatI've ever seen, the new CAMEL SADDLEis just right for TV watching, kids at play,or as a conversation piece at parties. Madeof rugged hardwood and upholstered withgenuine leather cushion, the CAMEL SAD-D LE is available in red, beige, yellow, green,

black and tan. The hardwood frames comein blond, walnut, or ebony. The CAMELSADDLE is an import from the UnitedArab Republic. Priced at $22.85 postpaid,from Northen Distributors. For more in-formation, write Desert Magazine.

MA C D O N A LD ' SYO U CAN EASILY turn our kit into acomplete, profess ional look ing, wel l -bui l tcamper in just a few hours with simplehand tools. (Or complete line for the manwho wants one assembled).STRONG STEEL TUBING f r a m e w o r k andbeautiful heavy aluminum cover, scored forstrength. Extremely light.FEATURES LARGE WINDOWS and reardoor ; wide range of opt ional equipmentand accessories to further enhance yourcamper.

Write or visit one of our 12 western plants:Macdonald Camper Kit Co.

EL MO NTE SA N JOSE EL CAJON11015 E. Rush 1070 Elm 501WileVENTURA OGDEN, U TAH181 West Main 185West 12th

EAST MESA , AR IZ .9643 Apache TrailFRESNO1525 BlackstoneTUCSON4952 Casa Grand* Hwy.

HAYWARD82 W.JacksonSACRAMENTO4865 PasadenaPORTLAND, ORE.9215 SE82ndPUYALLUP,WASH.207 Jovita N.E.


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S I D N E Y P H I L L I P S

I AM painfully convinced that thisera will ruefully go down in his-tory as The Age of Barbecuing.From every eye-smarting recess of thenatio n, the smoke is billowing. InLos Angeles, it has been more thanhinted that the barbecuing of un-tutored but eager brides is causingthe smog. In Chicago, the soot hasbeen found to be fifty percent par-ticles from hot dogs that fell into thecoals. In New Orleans, the smudgefrom singed shrimp hangs in themagnolia-scented air.

From coast-to-coast it is impossibleto tell the barbecued steaks from thecharcoal without a chemical analysis.But the locale which has gone themost berserk in the matter of outdoorcooking is the Coachella Desert, thatcrescent of agreeable paradise should-ered between the Salton Sea and thecover charge of Palm Springs. Here

every home, ranch, homestead, cabin,shack, lean-to and cave has some de-vious device for barbecuing. Oneforeign visitor got the impressionthat Hibachi was the name for apopu lar breed of houseboys. The reare more tongs in the Valley thanthere were in all of China.It is impossible to escape from thisswirling ogre. Somehow this brandof cooking is considered integral andnative to the desert; and there isgrudging evidence to point this up.B.C. (before charcoal) the aborig ineshere cooked in open pits, and if theywanted to be elegant they wrappedthe game in a messy coating of wetclay.

Then some conscientious rascalnamed Gimac Stove invented one,and cooking shuffled inside and stayedthere for many centuries. The pio-neer women, clad in those horriblebonnets, baked bread that only a pio-neer dared masticate. Their boileddinners made many a frontiersmanboiling mad. Most of the gallants atthe Alamo joined to escape homecooking.There was some open pit cookingafter the stove was perfected, but itwasn't a daily rite and usually cele-brated something gaudy such as arevenuer drowning in a vat of sourmash or a stagecoach coming through.Entire sides of beef were barbecued.Over them was poured a saucebrought from the south and calledTh e Soption: it was heavy with redpepper juice and brandy and if ap-plied too liberally the beef had atendency to dissolve. In this case theintrepid pioneers quickly drank upthe sauce; they didn't care how theygot their protein.

Came then, to the illimitable tran-quillity of Coachella Desert, a rovernamed William Pitt. He idolized theoutdoors; he couldn't get enough ofit; he slept under the crackling stars;he cultivated cactus; and he came tothe conclusion that a true desertiteshould eat in the velvety air, his ap-petite ennobled by the circular con-frontment of inspiring mountains.He had a theory that four walls doa prison make and that in time anysensitive and decent stomach couldget claustrophobia.

Accordingly, he b uilt the first elabo-rate and fancy stone barbecue pit.(His name was mispelled by a Mis-sion historian who couldn't spell anybetter than our children today). Aspeople moved into the Valley, theyadmired his structure: it seemedbreezy and informal and congenialand savored of the spirit of the tra-ditional west. They copied the pit.Soon there was a barbecue pit forevery inhab itan t. W hat a stir this al-luring statistic caused in the East.Mill workers there, who worked kneedeep in smoke all week, yearned toget away from it all and to stand ina hunk of open space and breathe thepure smoke from a barbecue. Theycould feel as one with Kit Carson andDanny Boone and the Flintstones.

Well, to get down to the present,suppose that you live in this arid butarcadian valley. At least twice a weekyou will be invited, joyously, to abarbecue. "Come as you are," larksthe invitation, which is silly becauseno one would ever come as he was oras he would be in twenty years.You dress informally because youknow that before the melee is oversomeone will spill something eternal-ly staining on your clothes, and youwill be singed somewhere along thejamboree.When you get to the party, theback yard is in full sway and thereare smoke signals rising from the bar-becue. As an innocent greeting, oneof the countless children will acci-dentally stab you with one of theelongated forks used as part of theritual. First blood!


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The entrees, no matter how dis-guised, unfailingly consist of shish-kibob, chicken halved, or bony ribs.1 hese have been bathed and slitheredand soaked and marinated and satu-rated in a pinkish red sauce intowhich everything has gone or, atleast, everything that is anything.Then the meat is dangled or sus-pended over flames (few are patien t

enough to wait for the coals) andturned either manually or by a motorfiom a Cadillac. Occasionally ad )wse of barbecue sauce sends fortha new cloud.of smoke. Salt and pep-per is applied from shakers with mile-king handles.A guest approaches and prevari-cates, "Whatever you're cooking looksdivine. But, what . . . is it?"The host, a bit ridiculous in a chef'shat and an apron blazoned withWhatcha Havin', says proudly, "Oh,

I m cooking ribs Apache Style. Th erecipe was just unearthed from anancient crypt by a television cowboy.Iastead of cooking them as a whiteman would (what contempt in histone as he mentions the Caucasian),I cook them . . . "In turning one of the segments ofribs, it comes loose and bounces totlie groun d. An obiquitious dog

seizes it and disappears into the opendesert. First casualty!While awaiting the meat to cook,guests talk about outdoor cookery.One devotee cooks ribs in pineapplejuice and soy sauce. Another zealotcooks his seeped in catsup and chilipowder the way it's done in primitiveMexico. One fellow has a recipe fromthe South Seas and a stout woman

tells how its cooked by witch doctorsin Haiti. Finally an innovator spielsa recipe for cooking ribs in beer.(The beer drinkers wince.)The chef yells, "Ouch!" An un-guent is applied to the burn.But all good things must come to anend. The coals burn down and theribs, resembling petrified wood, arecut apart and placed on paper plates.Grapefruit juice in paper cups ac-companies the entree, some with vod-ka. Music twangs from a transistor-

western music.The hostess missed on the potatosalad and the melange has lumps,humps, bumps and thumps. But noone complains. Such things are ex-pected at barbecues.At last the hour grows late. Asstars twinkle and the night air cools,guests depart for hometo raid theicebox!

X HICKORY FARMS OF OHIO"BEEF STICK"

Approxin g a llpleaseT o:

"N o Pepper""N o Garlic""N o Vinegar""N o Pork" FOR SPORTSMEN A MUST fo r Fishing, Hunting,Camping, Picnics, Boating, Pack-in g Trips Because of its longlast ing freshnesswill keep wi t h -ou t re f r igera t ion .

Guarantee of Satisfactionand Safe D eliveryNo Charge for Mai l ing100% Pure BeefHickory Farms of OhioWestern DivisionP. O. Box 3306, Va n Nuys, Cal.4 Ib, beef sticks are $5.98 ea. includ-packing an d mai l ing. Send check ormoney order.

ship me Beef Sticks at $5.98 ea.Ne w Customer Old Customer

'DON'T FORGET A FRIEND THIS CHRISTMAS"

WHEN YOU WRITE. . . o r phone in response to an ad inDESERT, i t only takes a moment to men-t ion where you saw i t . The f i rm yo u aredo ing bus iness with wi l l apprec iate know-in g how you learned of them, an dDESERT wil l be grateful for your suppor tan d f r iendship thus expressed.

"Just w hat is it I'm supposed to come and get?"

FREE!Helpful brochurefor rock hobbyists!T h i s n e w b r o c h u r e ,fresh off the presses, isa v a i l a b l e w i t h o u tcharge to rock hobby-i s t s a n d r e a d e r s o fDesert Magazine. Spe-cial sections on sharp-en ing , reve rs ing andinstallation of diamondblades for better lapi-d a r y c u t t i n g . . . a ls oincludes useful tips onc o o l a n t s , l u b r i c a n t s ,speeds and feeds, andother suggest ions onhow to get longer and better wear fromyour cut t ing equipment . Compact andeasy- read ing , we l l - i l l us t ra t ed . Wr i t etoday for your copy.

Please mail me your f ree brochure, "Do's& Don' ts for Lapidary Cut t ing . "N a m e -AddressCity, StateDept. D-10 MK DIAMO ND PRODUCTS12600 Chadron,Hawthorne, Calif.M K DIAMOND SINCE '866


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t h e

TtutliA b o u t

I NT this day of speed and tumult, the desert tortoise is probably the leastne uro tic of all living creatures. If it 's water h e lacks, he falls asleepun til it rains. If his security is thre aten ed, he burro ws to safety. Lo udnoise has little effect upo n his insensitiv e ears. If the re's a sho rtage offood, he ceases all body fu nctions for m on ths at a time. An d he has asecret of longevity envied by man.Of earth's countless creatures, the amphibious turt le is the only oneto survive mo re than 250 million years in its orig inal form . T h e terrestria ltortoise is no recent offshoot, however. It sub stitute d fins for claws and

acquired horny water-t ight skin long before the dinosaur lumbered acrossthe earth.Unlike aquatic giant snappers capable of snapping off a man's arm,or a smaller variety good for at least a finger or two, desert tortoise makeharmless, splendid pets. They eat l i t t le , wil l l ive outside in moderateclimes, and it 's possible to leave them for respectable periods withouthiri ng turtle-sitters. Also, they do n't b ark, scratch or cackle.

What they do require is a fenced-in yard to keep them off the streetsand a few leafy shrubs or cacti to nibble.

T O R T O I S E b y c h o t a l p e p p e r


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Respect for the tortoise is not amodern characteristic. Even beforerecorded history, Indus children ofancient Asia cherished stone-sculp-tured toys in the image of tortoisemuch as today's children treasure rep-licas of Mickey Mouse. In ancientEgypt, where the tortoise was consid-ered sacred,wives of pharoahs studdedthe creature's backs with preciousjewels. Aesop wrote three tales aboutthem, King Solomon praised the"voice of the turtle" in verse, and theHindu diety of creation, Vishnu, isbelieved to have assumed the formof a tortoise.

Archeological excavations in West-ern America revealed tortoise shellrattles set with Olivella beads at bothWillow Beach, Arizona, and SantaCatalina Islands off the Californiacoast, thereby providing scholars withtangible evidence of a prehistorictrade route. Nevada aboriginal tribesused the shells for implements inearly turquoise mines. Mexican trad-ers carried them alive along the OldSpanish Trail because only a tortoisecould store food and water withinits body to provide fresh meat overlong periods of time. Even today,primitive peoples on Mexico's Sonoradesert are said to consume the tortoiseand its eggs.

But of all functions attributed tothe tortoise, the most fascinating is therole it played in molding the destinyof man. During the Boxer Rebellionin China, a number of inscribed tor-toise shells appeared in the bazaarsof Peking where they were sold asnovelty souvenirs. Suspecting thatthe writings on them might be ar-chaic, several court officials collectedthem and after the war consultedWestern scholars. As translationscame forth, it became apparent thatthe writings were invocations to spir-its for predictions concerning person-al fortunes, crops, and hunting aswell as guidance in affairs of state.Before use as "oracle bones" theshells were treated by scraping andpolishing. Then heat was applied toinduce cracks which were endowedwith secret meanings and interpretedby priests. Thus, when perplexingconditions challenged a warringShang chief, he didn't consult withhis staff; he consulted with his tor-toise.

Responsibility for the tortoise his-toric and prehistoric importanceprobably lies in the mystery whichshrouds its very existence. This rep-tile, whose movable parts resemble alizard wearing turtle clothing, is un-like any other creature alive. Theplated shells which form its torso arefirmly attached to a bony bridge ateach side. Only its head and legs are

free to extend in motion. When thecreature is frightened or asleep orin hibernation, its head and legs-withdraw so completely within itsshell that from a distance it's impos-sible to detect fore from aft.Having a shell for a body compli-cates the normal breathing apparatus.With stationary rib structure, there isno way for lungs to expand and con-

tract. Thus, the tortoise devised aunique system entirely its own. Byprotruding and withdrawing its neckand legs, a pumping action is achiev-ed which creates a vacuum and drawsair into the lungs. This produces afaint wheeze, like air expelled from atoy accordian. When he is face toface with another tortoise and ap-pears to nod and talk, he's actuallystoring up wind for the fight.Social life is warlike when malesmeet, as custom demands that im-mediately a leader be established.Following much head-waving, theysquare-off and proceed to ram oneanother with their gular shields (ahorny projection from the front partof the lower shell) until all but oneare flipped to their backs. After pro-longed periods of clumsy gyrations,the defeated tortoise manage to re-turn themselves to the normal po-sitionuntil the King passes by andflips them over again!With male and female, however,the action takes on a different tone.When he rams his mate, smashinghis shell audibly against hers, he isn'tfighting. He's making love. Theyoung bride (she may be all of 80)plays it cool. With the grace of aSherman Tank, she hobbles indiffer-ently away, forcing him to pursue.Not until he traps her in a cornerwhere there's no escape does she suc-cumb to a honeymoon.Fertilization of the desert tortoiseis internal. Then a large parchmenttextured egg is buried in a sandyhole where in time it is hatched bythe warmth of the earth and sun.When the babe is born, it's a tinyreplica of its parents and able fromthe beginning to forage for itself.Considering the over-active libidoof the male, discerning sex is simplebetween a mated pair. With a singletortoise, however, Ogden Nash's jin-gle "The turtle lives 'twixt plateddecks Which practically conceal itssex" is quite apropos. The lowershell of a male, called the plastron,is slightly concave, while the female'sis flat. There is also a structural dif-ference in length of tail and thicknessof gular shields, but this may be de-ceiving when comparing an ancientfully-grown female of 13-inches witha younger male almost as large.

Three dangers threaten the contin-ued existence of the desert tortoise.Primary among these is the result ofsteadily increasing highway travel.The unobstructed surface of pavedroads attract the creatures, especiallyofter a rainfall when water remainsin puddles rather than being absorb-ed into thirsty desert ground. Thenis a time for motorists to be particu-larly on the alert for these unwaryslow-moving pedestrians.

The second danger arises from aconfusion of terms. Although inAmerica the land turtle is popularlyreferred to as a tortoise, Europeansrefer to all members of the turtlefamily as "turtles." The singleFrench word "la tortue" may betranslated as either turtle or tortoisein English. This confusion hascaused many a well-meaning newcom-er unacquainted with desert tortoiseto dunk one of the strange creaturesinto a pond or pool, unwittingly be-lieving that water is its natural en-vironment. The creature may swim[or a moment or two, but as soon aswater gets into its lungs it will dieof a kind of pneumonia.The third danger is also broughtabout by well-meaning humans. It isnatural that such mysterious and fas-cinating creatures should be desiredas pets. One of America's foremostwomen fashion designers, PaulineTrigere, lives in a century-old Con-necticut country house named "LaTortue" where she harbors a collec-tion of 985 replicas of turtles, alongwith a few live ones. At the oppositeend of the country, in San Mateo,California, a newsmagazine wrote ofa family who took their pet tortoiseto a veterinarian for a "turtlectomy"last summer when an accident rippedopen its shell and exposed a lung.Tortoise lovers from coast to coasthave adopted the reptilian creaturesfor pets and cared for them well, but,unfortunately, there are others whocapture the creatures and are not sowell-informed.

A tortoise must never be moved toa foreign climate. Unequipped witha natural thermostat, their cold-blooded bodies assume the tempera-ture of the air about them. Tenminutes of exposure to high-noondesert summer sun may prove fatal,as will a deep-freeze prison underwinter-frosted, snow covered ground.Desert dwellers are the only indi-viduals who should rightfully main-tain the Gopherus Agassizi, common-ly called desert tortoise, in captivity.There it is in its natural climatic en-vironment and, with a well-fencedyard where it can safely roam, pro-tected from becoming a highway cas-ualty. / / /


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T r e a s u r e s ofthe B a d l a n d sb y M i k e D u n n

No stranger to DESERT readers isFrank Dunn (Jan. '40, June '63) whoescaped New York during depressiondays and came west to "wait it out"on a ranch near Las Vegas. There heharvested fruit and vegetables whichhe traded for life's other necessitiesat Mr. Ward's dirt-floored store, inthose days the leading market placeof Las Vegas.It was on this desert that Dunnfirst discovered the excitement Na-ture bestowed upon stones and twigsand thus began his incomparable col-lection, later acclaimed by the Am eri-can Museum of Natural History, ofwhich D unn is now an associatemember.With his pretty wife, Celia, Dunn

continually adds to his collection,seeking nature's treasures near theirPalm Desert home as well as on fieldtrips afar.

A VERITABLE hoard of na-ture's rare sculptures and one-of-a-kind ceramics awaits theimaginative explorer in the BorregoBadlands. Imm ediately west of theSalton Sea on both sides of Highway9 9 , a phenomenal deposit of concre-tions, as these sandstone formationsare known, occurs practically all ofthe way to Borrego.Nowhere else in the country doesthis freakish stone occur. At least,we have never encountered it in ournumerous national forays.Hunting concretion specimens is arather different kind of "rockhound-ing." Whereas veteran rock collect-ors quest for precious and semi-prec-ious minerals with established intrin-sic values, the concretion hunter isinterested only in texture and shape,gratifying an esthetic desire.At one time or another most of ushave let our imaginations discoverforms in clouds or in outlines oftrees, mountains, shrubs, even shad-

o w s . Very often a common snapshotreveals a surprising form in additionto its intended subject matter. Hu nt-ing concretions is just such an ad-venturean exercise of the imagin-ation, as well as of the limb.Desirable for conducting these ex-peditions, but by no means a neces-sity, is the mechanical "camel" of thedesert, the 4-wheeler. How ever, we'vemanaged for lo these last twelve yearsin our half-ton pickup equipped withoversized, partially deflated tires, totraverse the terrain reasonably well.Several gunny sacks, a heavy screw-driver and a few 10-foot bamboopoles comprise the only equipmentnecessary to a concretion sortie. Inrecent years we've found a newsboy'sdouble pouch, slung over the shoul-ders to replace the cumbersome gun-ny sack, a solution for freeing handsand arms from the laborious totingtask. Th e bamboo poles serve tomark a temporarily stashed cache forlater pickup and a screwdriver is thetool perfect for scratching away sandwhich sometimes partially hides aworthy concretion.In most instances, our best pieceswere 90% concealed. Cau tion maynot be overemphasized in the opera-

tion of freeing them from their beds.It's impossible to guess where a vitalprojection occurs and to amputatethis member of the whole could beheartbreaking.In certain spots are scattered aprofusion of "weirdies," as we callthem. Strangely enough, they are allof similar texture, size and shape, asif members of one big happy family.This is more a rule than an excep-tion. In one 50-foot circle, for ex-ample, we found about a dozen per-fect replicas of oysterssame graycolor, average size and grainy sur-face and never have we found asimilar batch since. Though theyresembled petrified mollusks, we feel

reasonably certain they were not.Again, in a circumference of about50-feet, the terrain was dotted withround orbs of diamond-hard consis-tency, sizes ranging from one-half

inch to two inches. Never will weforget this sight, with late afternoonsun casting undulating patterns inbrown, accented by sharp black sha-dows on tan sand.November through March, prefer-ably after one of our rare down-pours, is the ideal time for the con-quest of these rare concretions. Auto-mobile traction is improved on therain-packed sand and the peltingforce of a storm helps to exposemany of the partially buried speci-mens and send them tumbling alonga channel. These particular func-tions of rain are secondary, however,to its primary function that ofsculptor.Composed of sandstone, the grainsof the formation vary in degree ofhardness. A pelting downpour eradi-cates the softest parts in its first stepof sculpturing, much as the artistfirst "blocks ou t" a model. Th enfast moving freshets come into play,chiseling, sanding and chipping offadditional soft sections as the pieceis nudged and pushed along the pathof the storm. As soft areas disappear,a hardcore is exposed, often in fan-tastic or eccentric forms. Thus de-mon erosion becomes artiste extra-ordinaire. Our first specimen look-ed so much like a Russian wolfhoundthat I fancied hearing a growl as weapproached his lair.I hope you'll forgive this fancifulcoma I lapse into, but that's theway these treasures effect us and I'msure that once you're victimized bythis fascinating pastime you, too, will

apply for membership in our exclu-sive dream world.Our most outstanding find of aten-year plunder is the sphinx-like


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PHOTO BY HAROLD WEIGHTCONCRETIONS NEAR SALTON SEAhead and shoulders of a little oldlady we named "Tortilla Tia" be-cause it looks like a lovable Mexi-can mujer we knew in Zamora, Mi-choacan, who was extraordinarilyadept at patti-caking tortillas. Dis-played in a shadow box, she holds achoice spot in our museum.

Of particular delight to childrenis our "three bears" display. Papa,the big bear with jaw wide open andstentorian voice, growls, "Somebody'sbeen eating my porridge!" Slightlysmaller, Mom says, "So what?" andJunior, the smallest, retorts, "Don'tmind him, Mom, he's psycho."Some of our specimens could nottoo closely be identified with anycontemporary category, so we herdedthem into the realm of prehistorics.Outstanding is a crooked-necked

crawler, a formidable critter whichmight have escaped from a prop de-partment of a mystery chiller film.Also among the prehistorics is a clum-sy group of dinosaurs we've set intoa replica of the La Brea Tar Pits.Unique is a concretion molded

like a fox. The sculpturing wouldseem like the work of a Dali, or per-haps an ovalist instead of a cubist.Its entire structure is a series of ellip-tical sections starting at one end witha proportionate head and terminat-ing at the other with a well-formedbushy tail. We think he's cute, but"cunning" would be a foxier descrip-tion.What animal pops into mind atthe mention of the desert? Right, thecamel. And quite naturally we have

one replete with two lumpsbut nocream, please.Just make one trip to the area andspend a forenoon or afternoon tramp-ing around this desolate terrain. Evenif you don't find a worthwhile speci-men, you'll be well compensated by

the salubrity of this invigoratingdesert land.Like all rock-hunting expeditions,you'll occasionally draw a blank.We've found that with each foray,we've become more selectivethe dif-ference between a scavenger and acollector, perhaps. But even with ablank, we're never without amuse-ment and amazement as we climbback to Highway 99 and leave behindthe treasure-laden Badlands with apromise to return some tomorrow fora new day of fun. / / /

DINNY THE DINOSAUR BORREGO WOLF HOU ND


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T h e N ttie U t a h B a n kT h a t C h a n g e d the P o s t a l

R a t e s of a N A T I O Nb y

R a y e P r i c e

"Where d'you want 'em?" the truck driver asked."Want what?" countered a Salt Lake City postal clerk."Five-thousand bricks I've got in packages out there!"And that's the way they arrived5000 neatly wrap-ped packages of bricks, each awaiting delivery to an

addressee in Vernal, Utah.The mail clerk's most critical judgment failed tofind anything wrong. Each bundle weighed within therequired 50-pound limit and no more than 500-poundswere addressed to any one person.But what, he pondered, would a dozen or so peoplein a remote town like Vernal want with all those bricks?Eleven years earlier it wouldn't have seemed so incredu-lous, when the Uintah Reservation first opened forhomesteading. But this was 1916. T hing s had settleddown. The last time the postal clerk had heard of Vern-al was when some dinosaur skeletons were excavatedthere four years before. So why the sudden run on

bricks?Perplexed, he went to his map to pinpoint Vernalwithin the perimeter of the second postal zone, jottedthe rate at SI.05 per hundred pounds, then re-checked

the route map and gasped. The 150-odd miles to Ver-nal were well within the zone limit, but there were mud-dy wagon trails for roads and mail could only be sentby a circuitous route involving a train to Mack, Colo-rado, a narrow gauge railroad to Dragon, Utah, and ahaul by team and wagon from there. The distance total-ed over 400 miles.Meanwhile, Nicholas J. Meagher sat in the cramp-ed quarters of his Bank of Vernal and stared past thesteel counter through bullet-proof wire mesh at an emp-ty corner lot across the street. A pot-bellied stove warm-ed his feet and his Irish eyes twinkled with imaginedvisions of a beautiful new brick bank soon to occupythe vacant lot. In ten years the present bu ilding h adoutgrown its facilities and the board of directors agreedit was time to expand.But building in Vernal was no easy ma tter. Thenearest brick kilns were in Salt Lake City and theclosest railhead 120 miles away. Avo iding such exhorbi-tant freight charges challenged the ingenuity of evena bright young man like Meagher, who'd risen from abookkeeping job in Salt Lake City to manager of theVernal Bank within the span of a year.But accept the challenge, he did. Togethe r with themanager of the new property, W. H. Coltharp, a uniquesolution was devised. They'd cut shipp ing costs in halfby ordering the bricks sent by parcel postand letUncle Sam worry about the transportation!This settled, Meagher turned his mind to other mat-ters contingen t with bank ing in a primitive area. He 'dalready decided it wise to handle only silver and goldcurrency in order to thwart robbers who had to carrythe heavy loot by horseback over rough trails andbridgeless rivers. Now it occurred to him that suchcurrency held addition al merit. It would encourage de-positors to unload the heavy money from their pockets

into their accounts!As the bricks arrived and Meagher's dream becamea reality, the post office department grew increasinglyalarmed. Th e bank's novel method could be appliedto other transportation problems, reasoned local farmersand soon postal service between Salt Lake and Vernalwas jammed not only with bricks, but with parcel postshipments of tools, canned goods, and other equipment,leaving virtually no space for regular letters.It wasn't long before two inspectors arrived at thedepot in Dragon, Utah to investigate rocketing reportsin Washington D. C. concerning tons of undeliveredmail. Fortunately for the Bank of Vernal, its brickswere delivered before the Postmaster General decreeda change in U. S. Postal Regulations, setting a limit of200-pounds on packages sent from one consignor to oneconsignee in a given day.Now, as senior bank president of Utah, NicholasMeagher retains the Irish twinkle in his eye as he re-views the strategy which made postal history and builtthe only parcel post bank in the land. Standing todayas sturdily as the day it was built, the Bank of Vernalhas grown with its town, participating in the agricul-tural development of this once-arid valley which pioneersurveyors determined useful only for the function ofholding the earth together.

You can reach Vernal on U. S. Highway 40 from SaltLake City or Denver, but whether you're headed forDinosaur National Monument or the new FlamingGorge Dam, don't forget to stop in the center of townand pay a visit to the original "mail order" bank.


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C A N O E I N G O N L A K E H A V A S U

By George Leetch

T HE trip had been in the planning stages for weeks. When Jessieand Roy Kniffen of San Bernardino visited at our home in theBorrego desert, talk, as usual, revolved around past, present andfuture outings. Roy declared that we shouldn't consider our deserteducation complete until we'd traveled by canoe through the TopockGorge on the Colorado River. As Roy and Jessie had two canoes, andDorothy and I were willing, all that was left to do was get ready."G etting ready," however, took some planni ng. After a furiousexchange of letters and last minute "don't forgets," the day finallyarrived and we were standing with the Kniffens beside our loadedcanoes, ready to shove off for a voyage through one of the ColoradoRiver's most scenic stretches.In advance, Jessie and Roy had driven to Lake Havasu with their18-foot alum inum canoes lashed to the car top. Leaving the car at


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Havasu Landing, they proceeded up-stream to Topock, Arizona, usingsmall 1-HP outboard motors to pro-pel the canoes against the stiff rivercurre nt. Here they camped in antici-pation of our arrival the followingmorning.Our combined gear, which consist-ed of sleeping bags, food, water andcooking utensils, was divided intothe two canoes. Dorothy and Roy oc-cupied one, while Jessie and I crew-ed the other. I was instructed to sitat the stern and steer while Jessie

took the bow position. I acceptedthis responsibility with a show ofoutward calm, but secret misgivings.However, at no time did I disgracemyself, and with the exception of onenear mishap (I gracelessly attem ptedto stand up), the arrangement proveda sound one.The river surface was greensmoothness as we launched from thesandy Topock beach, and the liquidgurgling of the red-winged black-birds from the tree-lined shore wasa sound which we would hear oft re-

peated throughout the two-day trip.After a brief bit of serious paddling,the river current caught the canoesand we swept under the bridge whereRoute 66 crosses the river.Towering rock pinnacles dominat-ed the eastern shore and Jessie said

A HANDY DOCK IN A SLEEPY LAGOON

that my guess was a good one when Isuggested that these slender spiresmust be the namesake for the Cali-fornia town of Needles. I was sobusy gawking and making vain ef-forts to handle the canoe like anold "riverman" that we were deepwithin the Topock Gorge before Irealized it. Steady paddling was un-necessary now and we could sit backand enjoy the scenery.Roy led the way, catching an eddyhere and avoiding a sandbar there.We swept along in complete silence,

except for an occasional burble of ariffle or our own voices.Herons passed in stately flight andgrebes, egrets, cormorants and dart-ing swallows had us grabbing ourfield glasses to make identificationcertain. Occasionally a flock of ducksshattered the quiet, surprised by ourstealthy approach. A few beaverand muskrat still live along the riv-er's edge and several times we foundtheir lodges in areas where the reedsgrow thickest. At one time beaverwere plentiful along the Colorado,

but intensive trapping has decimatedthe population.The Devil's Elbow, where the riv-er winds a sinuous path among sheercliffs of lava, is the most spectacularpart of Topock Gorge. At otherplaces, where it meanders into ox-bows, we beached the canoes andscaled rocky summits to look downupon the button-hook turns.Although both canoes had built-inflotation tanks and carried inflatedinnertubes for life preservers, Doro-thy and I shifted our positions ginger-ly. The water was far too chilly toencourage a sporting dip.The last major turn in TopcockGorge is Blankenship Bend. Throughthis region sand bars protect shallow,quiet lagoons and provide limitlessopportunities for exploration. Densecovers of reeds conceal these bars andsmall channel openings may screenlarge lagoons.It was through one of these reedflanked openings that Roy led us toour first night's camp. Mesquite and

flowering palo verde trees lined theshore and behind them loomed therugged Chemeheuvi Mountains. Aswe pulled up to an old makeshift


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plank dock, three coots squawked inprotests at our invasion.We set up camp under the spreadof a mesquite with just a short riseof land between us and the river.After dinner Roy and I followed awild burro trail up a hill to seewhere we were going.From this elevation, Topock Gorgeappeared as a dark slot in the gather-ing dusk with the twists of The Dev-il's Elbow a jagged line. To thesouth the river widened into LakeHavasu and the twinkling lights ofHavasu Landing marked our desti-nation for the following day.In the morning, after breakingcamp and stowing our gear, we setoff for Lake Havasu. Now the rivergrew broader, with many quiet wat-er-ways to explore near the shore.Thick-bodied carp scurried away atour approach and Dorothy saw a tur-tle duck under the bow of her canoe.Under no pressure to hurry, we stop-ped frequently to explore. One smallrock promontory was especially note-worthy. We beached the canoes andhiked to a point known as PictureRock. There we saw prehistoric In-dian petroglyphs which remain un-deciphered even today.Shortly after reaching MohaveRock, which marks the edge of LakeHavasu, we attached our small mot-ors to the canoes and moved rapidlyacross the several miles of open waterbetween us and Havasu Landing the end of our trip.Although the river-run from To-pock to Lake Havasu is less than 18miles and a power boat may cover itquickly, we enjoyed our leisurely tripby canoe. Besides its refreshing si-lence, which permited a closer viewof wildlife, we were able to poke in-to shallow inlets where other boatswon't go.But above all, to me, the greatestpleasure in canoeing was the factthat our travel was accomplished un-der my own power and energy. Inde-

pendent of any mechanical gadget orfuel, I reveled in a feeling of self suf-ficiency. Nevertheless, I'd surely hateto have to paddle upstream, self-suf-ficiency to the contrary! / / /

AUTHOR CLIMBS CLIFF TO EXAMINE PETROGLYPHS.

CANOE PARTY PICNICS UNDER SPREADING MESQUITE.


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HARRISON DOYLE

(The ancient Indian staple, Chia, believed bymany toincrease physical vigor and endura nce, has been virtuallyunobtainable due to difficulties of gathering in its wildstate. Harrison Doyle, remembered byDESERT readersfor his three-part feature which won themedallion awardat the1960 California State Fair, believes it could becult-vated inquantity great enough forpopular consumption.Here, exclusively forDESERT, ishis report on a five-yearexperiment.)

I F O U N D C h i a soeasy todomesti-cate that I was not a bitsurprisedto find, when researching it, tha tthe plant hadbeen cult ivated andused for a staple food for hundredsof years by theaboriginees of An-cient Mexico.In addi t ion, I raised and harvestedit soeasi ly, obtaining such amountsof the tiny seeds, that I believe itcanbecome a boon to agriculturists to-day, especially those who dry farmin the winter rain areas of SouthernCalifornia, or even irrigate in thedesert valleys. I believe the day willcome when all health food stores and

even community markets wil l carryit.I have been interested inChia formany years, and inwhat certainoldlimers had claimed for it. As a bo yin Needles around the turn of thecentury (See DE SE RT N ov. '59, fan.'60, and Nov. '60) . I played with 'Mo-have Indians of myown age ranlong distances, rode colorful Ind ianponies bareback, and whacked a tinran around the yellow Silt Flats back

of the old Santa Fe Roundhouse witha gnarled cottonwood orwillow club,in the ancient game of "Shinny."O ne ofthe Indian boys with whom

I played was named Pete Homer. I 'vebeen told hestill lives at Parker . Iremember Pete tel l ing mewhen wewere youngsters that Indian runnerssometimes went allthe way in toth eCoast ont rading expedi t ions . "Th eyrun most of thet ime," hesaid, "eatseeds and carry water gourd shells tokeep themselves going."I haven't seen Pete since that dayin Needles sixty years ago, buttha t"eat seeds . . . to keep themselvesgoing," hasalways stuck with me.T h e r e are fewscrewbean mesquitesou t on the open desert . I havethought many t imes that possibly itwas Chia that Pete spoke of.

CHIA


19/40

Anyway, I had seen the Chia planton many prospecting trips with myDad out of Needles. These plantswere especially profuse up nearGranite Well, in the Mid-Hills areabetween the Providence and NewYork mountains.When I read the article on AdolphBulla and Chia in the April, 1958DESERT, and resulting publicity in

the Los Angeles Times, I went outto Randsburg and interviewed Bulla.As stated in Eugene Conrotto'sDESERT article, it was indeed as-tonishing to find a hard rock minerin his 70s drilling, blasting, mucking,hauling and putting in a full day'swork six days a week. Besides that,Bulla looked and acted a good 20years younger.Crediting his remarkable physicalstamina to Chia, which grows up anddown the sandy hills of his desert

home, he generously presented mewith some of his seeds and explainedhow he mixes a teaspoonful into

Mary Elizabeth Parsons, in WILDFLOWERS OF CALIFORNIA,(Payot, Upham Co., San Francisco,1900, wrote of Chia: "Its smallbright blue-white flowers are bornein an interrupted spike, consisting offrom one to four button-like heads. . . After the blossoms have passedaway, the dried stems and heads re-main standing all over the hills,shaking out little grey seed in abun-dance. These seeds have been forcenturies an article of economic im-portance to the aboriginees and theirdescendents."Dr. Rothrock writes that amongthe Nahua races of ancient Mexicothe plant was cultivated as regularlyas corn, and was one of their mostimportant cereals. Quantities of theseeds have been found buried be-neath graves which must be at leastseveral hundred years old. It wasin use among the Indians of Californ-

ia before the occupation of the coun-try by the Whites, being known tothem as "Chia."

quently commands six or eight dol-lars a pound."When added to water, the seedsmake a cooling drink, which has theeffect of assuaging burning thirsta very valuable quality on thedesert."Dr. Edmund C. Jaeger, in DES-ERT WILD FLOWERS, (StanfordUniversity Press, 1940), says: "Theseeds once formed a staple dietamong the Indians." He too, identi-fies the Chia as Salvia Columbariae.In A MANUAL OF FLOWER-ING PLANTS OF CALIFORNIA,(U. of C. Press, 1951), Willis LinnJepson says about Chia: "An infusionof the seeds was valued by the Mis-sion Fathers as a remedy for fevers;the seeds also furnished 'the finestpoultice for gunshot wounds . . .'The Pomos roasted the seeds andground them into meal for food . . .There was a lesser variety called Ber-nardino,."All of which brings us to myhum ble experiments. Last year I

hot cake batter, sometimes a littlemore for an especially hard day, andthis fortifies him all clay withoutanother meal.Impressed, but not entirely con-vinced, I determined to conduct someexperim ents of my own. Back homein Vista, I planted his seeds in a plotof our garden. Th e plants grew andthrived and that June I harvested anice little batch of seeds, puttingthem away for the next year's plant-ing.Meanwhile, I began researchingthe plant. I found it to be SalviaColumbariae, with its distinctivestems carrying from one to threeequally spaced seed "buttons."

Dr. Bard writes of these seeds: "Theyare roasted, ground, and used forfood by being mixed with water.Thus prepared, it soon develops intoa mucilaginous mass, larger than itsoriginal bulk. Its taste is somewhatlike that of linseed meal. It is ex-ceedingly nutritious, and was readilyborne by the stomach when that or-gan refused to tolerate other aliment.An atole, or gruel, of this was one ofthe peace offerings to the first visit-ing sailors. One tablespoonful ofthese seeds was sufficient to sustainfor twenty-four hours an Indian ona forced m arch. Chia was no lessprized by the Native Californian, andat this late date (the 1890s?) it fre-

again put in a planting of the Bullastock. Again, I got good results, andnow had enough on hand to make afood test with them.I put a teaspoonful of the Bullastock seeds into each of three un-marked envelopes, with slips insideidentifying them. Using three otherenvelopes, I then did the same withsome seeds I had purchased whichclosely resemble Chia and are, in-deed, a distant relation, but still adifferent plant. Then I shuffled thesix envelopes so I couldn't tell themapart.Each night I took one of the en-velopes at random, soaked the seeds

(continued on page 33 )


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T W OW A Y S

T O T H ET R A M W A Y

B YJ A C K

P E P P E R

AST week a young man, wearingdungarees and boots and carry-ing a water canteen and knap-sack, met another young man dressedin sport shirt, slacks and wearingloafers.

The meeting place was on an elab-orate platform overlooking PalmSprings and the Coachella Valley des-ert floor more than 8500 feet below.It had taken one of the youths sixhours to climb Mt. San Jacintointo the "high country." The otherreached the same point in 15 min-utes.One had started his nine mile hikeup the rugged slope of Mt. SanJacinto from Idyllwild, California, onthe west side of the range. The other

made his ascent from the valley sta-tion of the just opened Palm SpringsAerial Tramway, an amazing engin-eering project which started as a"wild dream" 25 years ago.Regardless of how they came, theyouths shared one of the most spec-tacular scenic panoramas in the west.A view which, previous to the open-ing of the Palm Springs Aerial Tram-way, was seen only by hikers or horse-back riders from the winding trailsof upper Mt. San Jacintoa rugged"wilderness area" rising above thesmog congested and high density traf-fic areas of the urban cities of South-ern California.One of the few true "wildernessareas" of the Southwest, the Mt. SanJacinto Wild Area is jointly administ-

ered by the U. S. Forestry Service ofthe Department of Agriculture andthe State Park System. Its 33,000acres lie within the 248,000 acres ofthe San Jacinto District of the SanBernardino National Forest.

Like other officially designated"wilderness areas" of the UnitedStates and California, mechanizedvehicles, including four-wheelers andtwo-wheelers, are strictly forbidden inthe areas. This was true even of theeastern escarpment of Mt. San Jacin-to until a "wild dream" of 25 yearsago became an awakening reality tosome, a nightmare to others.To one group it was a $7,700,000project, the largest and longest single-lilt passenger-carrying aerial tramway


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H E N E W P A L M S P R I N G S A E R I A L T R A M W A Y IS A N I N E - M IL E T R A I L W I N D I N GI D Y L L W I L D 3 2 0 0 F EE T U P T H E S I DE O F M T . S A N J A C I N T O T H R O U G H S O M E O F T H E

C T A C U L A R S C E N E R Y I N TH E SO U T H W E S T . O N L Y H I K ER S A N D H O R S E B A C K R I D E R SE D I N T H E " H I G H C O U N T R Y . " I D Y L L W I L D I S 5 4 0 0 F EE T A B O V E S E A L E VE L .

in the world and what they hopewill become "the eighth wonder ofthe world and third major touristattraction of Southern California."Regardless of adjective and dis-criptive phrases, the officials of Mt.San Jacinto Winter Park Authority,administering organization of theTramway, expect more than one-halfmillion visitors yearly to take the

spectacular ride up the mountain inthe two 80-passenger tramway cars.For the ride and a first hand lookat true "wilderness areas," and to payoff the 7,700,000 in bonds which fi-nanced the construction of the Tram-way, adults will pay round trip faresof $3.50 on week days and S4.00 onSaturdays, Sundays and holidays, andchildren $2.25 and $2.75 (no chargefor children under four accompaniedby par en ts). A one dollar parkingfee is also charged.But to another group these sametourists, an anticipated bonanza tothe Tramway officials, are the peoplewho might make the "wild dream" anightmare. The opposing force is theconservationists, the rugged individ-ualists who maintain that to reallyenjoy wilderness areas one shouldhike or horseback ride into the for-ests and spend at least one night in;i sleeping bag under the Milky Way.Conservationists often quote thefamous naturalist John Muir, a pio-neer in the movement to form na-

tional parks and other reserves. Ofhis many observations, one states"Everybody needs beauty as well asbread . . . places to play in and prayin, where Nature may heel and cheerand give strength to body and soulalike."Randall Henderson, militant con-servationist and former opponent ofthe Tramway, in El Paisano, officialpublication of the Desert ProtectiveCouncil Educational Foundation,says, "While humans push and crowdand burn themselves out in a crazy

stampede for bigger profits and high-er wages and the satisfaction of per-sonal vanities, Nature goes along inher own serene way, undisturbed bythe petty bickerings of the passingparade of the species homo sapiens."As human problems multiply, itbecomes increasingly important thatlarge areas of the natural wildernessbe reserved and protected as sanc-turaries where men and women canfind a quiet place of retreatwherethe true values in life can be redis-covered and faith and courage re-stored."The conervationists are not arm-chair philosophers, but are outdoors-men who have roamed the desert


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areas and the mountains of theSouthwest. Ironically, it is their dis-coveries of the spectacular scenicareas which have resulted in an everincreasing number of tourists com-ing to these areas.They maintain that one shouldwalk into the wilderness areas to real-ly enjoy Nature; that opening thedoor to such projects as the Tram-

way will open other wilderness areasto an influx of mechanized vehicleswhich will destroy our wildernesssanctuaries.They are definitely not against ex-isting Federal recreational areas andstate parks where mechanized vehiclesare allowed for family outings andcamping. But they are against anyfurther encroachment on designated"wilderness areas" by private develop-ment and exploitation. They site theproposed San Gorgonio ski lift as anexample.On the other hand, Tramway of-ficials point out that people who paytaxes to support Federal and statesections of Mt. San Jacinto and whocannot physically or time-wise hikeinto the area should have the privi-lege of visiting the areas, and theTramway gives them this privilege.Not only for the San Jacinto area,but for the nation the newly formedFederal Bureau of Outdoor Recrea-tion has been assigned the monumen-tal task of devising a system of classi-fying outdoor recreation lands anddeveloping a National RecreationPlan.Since the tramway is not built onU. S. Forestry land, but rather on asmall parcel of the Mt. San facintoState Park, it will be Supervisor KeithCaldwell's task to determine just howmany Tramway visitors will want tohike into the wilderness area alonghis well-maintained trails.A ranger station has been builtnear the mountain station where

those who want to spend the dayorweek, lor that matterin the area willbe provided with a map showingwhere water is available and wherecamp fires may be built.One of the closest and most com-plete tamping areas in the vicinityof the Tramway mountain station isRound Valley, a beautiful area ofpine trees, white fir, Bracken fern andcorn lilies where one feels completelyremoved from the strife of civiliza-tion.This Shangri-la of Mt. San Jacintois reached along a mile-and-a-halltrail from the Tramway. There arewater and camping facilities, and aheadquarters station lor rangers in

: . . ' ; - .

LONG VALLEYELEV. 8,350' MOU NTAIN STATIONELBV. 8 5/6' MT . SAN JACINTO PEAKELBV. /O,83I'

VALLEY STATIONELEV. 2,643'

the "high area." Campers must bringtheir own food and gear, however,as there is no corner grocery store.Here is the center of many otherscenic: points of interest, all withinvarious hiking distances. San JacintoPeak, towering 10,831 feet i's 1731feet higher and approximately threemiles. Round Valley stretches sixmiles one way and nine miles anoth-er down the side of Mt. San Jacinto,through some of the most beautifulmountain scenery in the west, toIdyllwild, a bustling tourist com-munity which attracts people bothin summer and winter.Horses may be rented here forthose wishing to approach the uppertramway station the "adventurousway" and what many consider themost interesting.For detailed information on camp-ing bolh in (he lower areas which canbe icached by automobile and for"high areas" restricted to hikers andhorseback riders, write to cither theMt. San Jacinto Slate Park or theSan Jacinto District, San BernardinoNational Forest, Idyllwild, Californ-ia.Those going into the "high count-try" from Idyllwild, either by hikingor horseback, should check witheither of the above mentioned State

or Federal headquarters for mapsand oilier information on the area.It is easy to get lost along these trailswhere you might not see another per-son during an entire day, or longer.

The new Palm Springs Tramwayofficially opened September 14 whenCalifornia's Governor Edmund Brownand other dignitaries took the firstpublic ride from the valley stationat Chino Canyon, 2613 feet abovePalm Springs, to the mountain sta-tion. 8516 feet above. During themore-than-a-mfle-high ricle, a distanceof 13,300 feet is traveled in aboutII minutes up the slopes of Californ-ia's second highest mountain.Two tramway cars carry 80 passen-gers each, one ascending as the otherdescends, arriving at the mountainand valley stations simultaneously.Both terminals have restaurants,coffee shops, gift shops, observationareas and lobby facilities. The Tram-way will be in operation every dayfrom 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. A parkingarea, just below the valley station,is reached by a 4-lane paved highwaywhich branches off Highway 111 in

Palm Springs. Visitors park their carsin one of the 13 parking areas andride in open air busses to the valleystation where they start the mile highspectacular ricle to the top. / / /


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SANTA ROSAL IA MISSION NEAR MULEGE, BUILT IN 1705

And Her Lost GoldBy Louise Cheney Auer

Nellie C ashman


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ON a day in 1884 when the Mo-doc stage swayed to a halt inTombstone, the entire popu-lation rushed forward to bid a favor-ite citizen Godspeedsaid citizen be-ing Nellie Cashman known up anddown the western map as the "Angelof Tombstone."Among the small group of menmaking the trip with her was M. E.

Joyce, one time supervisor of CochiseCounty, and Mark A. Smith, later tobecome senator from Arizona. Butit was Nellie who intrigued the crowdNellie in jeans,, flannel shirt andwide Stetson with a miner's pick overher shoulder. No pleasure trip forNellie was this venture. With themen, she was heading for rugged BajaCalifornia country to prospect forgold!As the stage rocked, settled andtook-off in a flurry of hoofs, Nellie's

mind roved over her kaleidoscopiclife. Born in Queenstown, Ireland,she came to America with her parents,sister, and two brothers in 1868 tosettle in Boston. But Nellie, in whoseblood adventure flowed like quick-silver, found New England dull. Oneyear later she and her sister, Kate,boarded a train on one of its firsttranscontinental trips from coast tocoast and traveled to San Francisco.Shortly after their arrival, Kate ac-

cepted the advances of one PhilipCunningham and settled down toraising a family. Nellie, however,whose Irish beauty even surpassedthat of Kate's, turned a deaf ear toromance and gambled for adventurein the harsh frontier world.She tried her hand in the diggin'sand came to know the game, but eventhough she made many strikes, shenever grew rich. Her hea rt held sucha deep desire to help unfortunatesthat every fortune she gained woundup in the hands of the needy.In 1877 gold was discovered in theCassiar district. Nellie joined themigratory flood that surged upon thenorthern wasteland and again provedto be an A-l musher and prospector,but here she suffered for the minerssuccumbing to scurvey from lack ofvegetables and dedicated her wealthand the force of her personality to

effecting delivery of commoditiesnecessary to the health of the citizenry.In 1880, tragedy struck. Kate andher husband died, leaving five child-ren. Nellie hurried to San Franciscoto claim the orphans and moved hernew family to Tombstone, a boomingsilver town that offered great promise.There she opened a restaurant, theDelmonico, and soon became a min-istering angel to every down-and-out-

ter who entered her door. Because ofher generosity she earned a namewhich followed her the rest of herlifethe "Angel of Tombstone."After four years in Arizona, wordof a new gold field reached Nellie.A Mexican walked into the PalaceSaloon one day and clumped a heapof nuggets on the bar. Instantly acrowd gathered. "W here did they

come from?" Nellie asked, examiningthem and determining that they werepure gold."Baja California, Sefiorita. There'splenty there, near Mulege," he whisp-ered. The n he cashed in his nuggetsand disappeared, never to be seen inTombstone again.Most of the mining men believedthe Mexican a con man and his storya hoax, but Nellie held faith. "Heasked for no money," she pointed out,"and he had no map to sell. And his

nuggets were real. If anyone is inter-ested in going to Baja California,count me in!"Joyce, Smith and a few other mentook up her challenge. "But where,"they asked, "in that long strip of low-er California are such nuggets likelyto be found?" Even a route to Mulegewas questionable and the desertaround it was vast.By this time an authority on gold,

MULEGE, ON SHORE OF BAJA'S GULF OF CALIFOR NIA, AS IT IS TODAY.


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Nellie had a ready answer. "Since thenuggets were round and flat, I'd saythey came from a river bed that hasbeen dry for years, or else from underthe surface of a lava bed."So a party was formed and Nellieset out for Baja California. At Sonorathey crossed to Mulege by boat andmade camp in the small village whichhad made little, if any, progress since

its foundation two hundred years be-fore. Over the surrounding countrystretched wind fingered dunes andforbidding desert broken only nowand then by scant green valleys."Let's stay a few days," suggestedNellie, "and if there's gold near herethe natives will surely know itssource."For a week they camped while Nel-lie made friends with the peons andvisited them in their homes, but whengold was mentioned, they professed

ignorance. And yet, Nellie was con-vinced that it was there. How elsewould the natives appear so prosper-ous? They were well fed, lived incomfortable homes and she found nosickness among them. "I'm going toask point blank where they obtaintheir means," she advised her dis-couraged companions. And she did."Ah, Seiiorita," one peon told her,"we have no worries. The good Padre

Pierre sees to that.""And where might the Padre be?"Nellie persisted. "I see no missionhere.""Our mission is in the Golo Valleytwenty-seven miles from here . It wasstarted by the French when Maxi-milian was in Mexico. After theyshot him, Father Pierre stayed to runthe mission."With this, Nellie became convincedthat the natives really did know noth-ing about the gold. Nevertheless, shefelt sure it was there. "We m ight aswell start looking for a placer in thedunes," she told her men and theyset forth under the scorching sun, dig-ging in every likely spot. Still nocolor rewarded them. Days passed.One evening they discovered theirwater almost gone."We'll never make it home alive,"the men droned, close to panic.Nellie controlled an urge to panicwith them. "Tom orrow," she de-clared, "I'm going, and I'll bringback water. We have enough to lastone more day."At dawn she started across thedunes, but it wasn't until late after-noon that she finally came upon afertile valley spiked with casas. Inits center sat a squat adobe mission

"After hiding o ut for forty years, I find out theyweren't looking for me."

where Father Pierre welcomed herand promised aid."But tonight, child, you must stayhere," he told her, offering to senda guide with her at dawn.After a brief rest, Nellie set outin the cool of the evening to explorethe valley. Soon she discovered her-self on the desert again, walking alonga dry river bed. As she stooped totest for gold, a voice startled her."I know you came looking forgold," Father Pierre said, coming tomeet her. Then he pointed towardthe tranquil valley. "Th ere my child-ren know peace and happ iness. Butthink what would happen if you wereto find gold! Prospectors wouldswarm into Mulege and not stop un-til the grou nd was stripped. Andwhen they were gone, they'd be noth-ing left but misery."This gold is the staff of life formy children," he continued. "With-out it there would be no food, com-forts nor medicine. Surely it is thewill of God that it is here to helpthem. Anyone who takes it for hisown use will defy God! Stark ru inwill be our lot, should prospectorscome here. Surely you wouldn'twant to be responsible for that."Nellie stared thoughtfully at thedry river bed. Her toe moved hesi-tantly to shift the rocky soil, and thenpatted it smooth."Father," she promised, "I foundno gold here, and I will search nofurther. As long as I can guard yoursecret, there will be no gold rush toMulege."Back with her party on the follow-ing morn, she distributed goat skincontainers filled with water and ad-mitted defeat, suggesting they returnto Tombstone.Weary of heat and failure, the menagreed, and the dismal party returnedhome em pty-handed, much to the raz-zing of those who had known betterthan to be taken in by the hoax ofan itinerant Mexican con man.The others of her party sufferedhumiliation, but Nellie's private woewas frustration. For her the chanceof a lifetime bowed under the yoke ofcompassion and even though sheswore she had not found gold inMulege, she never quite brought her-self to denying it still might existthere.Unfortunately, it could have beenher last big strike. When a new bo-nanza beckoned from Alaska, shetreked to the frozen north and there,in 1920, she di ed -th e Angel of To mbstone.


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By EDMUND C. JAEGER, D.Sc.of DESERT WII. IH-LOWERS, THE

VALLEY

E VERY year I take a holiday jour-ney and harvest my own Christ-mas pine nuts. The nuts I usedlast year and those I will use thisyear were not purchased at grocerymarkets, but were gathered from Na-ture's wild orchards in the desertmountains.The low, spreading much-branch-

ed trees that yielded them were single-leaved nut pines or pinyons (Pinusmonophylla) widely found growingon rough, arid mountain slopes fromthe base of the Wasatch Mountainsof Utah, over most of Nevada andthe eastern slopes of the southernSierra Nevada, thence southward toSouthern California and northernLower California.Already in the summer of 1961 Icould see that there was to be a goodyield of nut-bearing cones in 1962in the pinyon orchards of Nevada,

for many trees then bore the tinyprickly, marble-sized young cones ofthe first year's growth. Early in thenext year's summer tree-growth thesesmall immature cones began torapidly increase in size and by July'send they were not only large, butdripped clear crystalline resin, oneof the obvious signs of soon-comingmaturity.As I traveled mile after milethrough the forests of western andcentral Nevada and saw the enorm-

ous and impressive cone crop, I be-came eager for late September's sunnydays to arrive when I could take theholiday journey. Then the coneswould begin to open up and shedtheir big brown seeds.Among my incomparably goodyoung companions of recent desertand mountain journeys has beengenial, sunny dispositioned StanStenner of Hollywood. He alwayspossesses that insatiable curiosity forexploring and doing unusual things,so again I chose him to go pine-nut

hunting in wild places far from thehaunts of man."We will take the least used desertroads," he said, "and not be satisfieduntil we find the choicest spots."Leaving Riverside (California) be-fore dawn, we witnessed sun-up farout on the mid-Mohave Desert. Wereached Independence at the base ofthe noble Sierra Nevada in OwensValley long before noon. Here wecontacted Dorothy Cragen, Directorof the Eastern California Museum,and presented to her a century-oldrock sled to augment her collectionof old mining day relics. This heavysled, crudely made with hand-axe

and auger from a pinyon pine crotch,had been used at a nearby wood-gath-ering camp for supplying pinyonwood for the charcoal-maker's oven.I had found it more than 30 yearsago in the Inyo Mountain' forest andI carried it on my back several milesto my camp.If you have not already visited the

Eastern California Museum in thebasement of the Courthouse of InyoCounty, I urge you to do so. It isone of the best of the small museumsof the Western United States. It con-tains rich treasures of pioneer-dayobjects brought across the desertsand mountains into Owens Valley bythe first settlers. Th ere is also an un -usually splendid collection of Indianbaskets.When we left Riverside we hadplanned to visit first the pinyon for-ests of the White Mountains in Cali-

fornia, famous now as the home ofthe Bristle-cone pines, but when wearrived we found few good nuttingareas so we turned eastward into anaustere canyon of splintered, slate-like rocks, then over a steep grade toOasis near the south end of FishLake Valley. A big storm had de-posited but the day before a blanketof new snow on the highest parts ofthe range, making them particularlyinviting to view.On the lower shoulders of these

lofty mountains we could see thedark-green pinyon forests where wehoped to gather our nuts. Therewere several steep, rocky roads lead-ing back into thickly-set trees. Wechose not the first of these, but athird to the northward, where wecould find not only good nuttinggrounds, but also camp where wecould view the slopes of nobleBoundary Peak and drink water fromone of the birch and aspen-borderedstreams that rushes down from themountain's great springs.We were told by a local minerthat in the next canyon north ofus, there were several parties of PiuteIndians gathering their year's supplyof pinyon nuts. They were, we learn-ed, beating the ripening cones fromthe trees with long poles and thenbuilding light fires over the cones tocause them to open their scales andrelease the nuts.Stan and I didn't use the Indians'method, but using clubs we beat thecone-laden branches, catching the

nuts in a box which we held upbeneath the clusters of gaping cones.At the end of six hours we had 45pounds, filling several small boxes.It was rather strenuous labor, but


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rewarding. Many of the nuts in ourboxes were empty of meat. Thesewere light in weight as well as color-not the deep red-brown of healthynuts.Since some of the nuts (pinoles,the Mexicans call them) fell on theground and had to be picked up byhand, we learned to distinguish thegood from the bad by their differencein weight. I daresay this also is theway the pack rats (Neotoma) andother rodents judge which nuts areworth gathering and storing. I havenever found any but well-filled nutsamong their stores.To separate our good from ourbad nuts, we used the flotation meth-od; that is, we placed the nuts inwater-filled vessels, letting the unfill-ed light-weight ones float to the top.Luckily there was a fine stream ofmountain water nearby and it was

easy to fill our testing vessels. Notonly did our empty-shelled seedsfloat to the surface, but with theman amazing number of small, interest-ing creatures which had been livingin the pinyon treesseveral kinds ofsmall beetles, bugs, spiders of variedform, and loop-worm caterpillars; alsothere were found many of the shortgreen pine needles. To our dismay,a full one-third of our nuts had tobe skimmed off, but we still had 28pounds to take home.Although the somewhat immature

pinoles tasted strongly of turpentine,fully matured ones were remarkablysweet, either raw or roasted. To roast,I sprinkle a little water over them ina skillet, hold the skillet over a flame,and turn them frequently until theyare done.Unroasted pinyon nuts remainfresh for at least two years, so it iseasy to have them in good shape topackage for Christmas gifts for two

seasons in succession.If you wish a nut pine for yourgarden, sprout it from some of yourseeds by placing them in soil in ahalf-gallon cardboard milk containerwith holes punched in the bottomfor drainage. Then, when the plantsare about six months old, transplantthem, being exceedingly careful notto break the roots. There will be a

long tap root reaching to the verybottom of the container. I usuallybury the whole container after cut-ting out the bottom and the cornersa bit, and let it finally decay. Thisdisturbs the young tree very little.When the young plant first appearsabove ground it will show a clusterof 5 or more primitive leaves, silverygreen in color. For several years theambitious little pinyon tree will haveonly silver green juvenile foliagethat appears quite different from thesingle dark green, thick, needle-likeleaves of the mature tree.

Some of the nuts we gathered camefrom quite young trees, probably notover 20 years of age, bearing theirfirst crop of only 3 or 4 cones. Oldertrees 80 to several hundred years oldoften bear hundreds of cones.In 1962 there were few bearing treesin Southern California and Baja Cali-fornia, but on the western slopes ofthe Sierra Nevada, in California andin Nevada, the nut crop was almostunprecedented for quantity and

quality. This year, I am told, thenut crop is generally poor. It variesfrom years of plenty to years of scarci-ty, so my advice is: gather plentywhen pinoles are in good supply.Most of the hundreds to thousandsof tons of the nut crop are never har-vested by man. Left to the woodrats, wild mice, chipmunks, rocksquirrels and birds, however, almostall are eaten or stored. In late sum-

mer and autumn the Pinyon Jayshelp mightily. As we gathered ournuts, great flocks flew from place toplace, feeding and shrieking fromearliest dawn until dark. The birdswere wary and never allowed us toclosely approach them.The second night's camp we madeon the brush-covered, almost levelfloor of Deep Springs Valley, that

unique, down-sunken block of earthbound on its s

Documents

196310 Desert Magazine 1963 October