196807 Desert Magazine 1968 July

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maAc Oide*Desert Magazine Cl\ Shop

ESTEVANICO THEBLACK by John Upton Terrell.of Ar izona , New Mexico andCibola was actua l ly an Afr ican s lave who wasf ina l ly s la in by Indians because he l ived tooaccord ing to th is wel l documented andby theof Journey Into Darkness, Black Robes,of the West . Hardcover, 155

100 ROADSIDE FLOWERS by Natt N. Dodge. Ato his 100 DESERT WIIDFLOW-this book l ists 100 f l owe rs g rowing in theto 7,000 foot levels. Like the companionis i l lust ra ted in 4-co lorto carry in car du r ingfor f am i l y fun. Paperback, 64

by the editors of SunsetWrit ten exclusive ly for desert gardeners,is cl imate zoned wi th maps p inpoin t -ing f ive diverse desert zones. Calendar pre-sents plans for care of plant ings throughout8 x 1 1 heavy paperback,$ 1 . 9 5 .MAMMALS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS byGeorge Olin. Newly revised ed i t ion descr ibesof the deserts with art ist i l lustra-of the an ima ls and the ir footpr in ts foreasy ident i f ica t ion. Paperback, 1)2 pages,$ 1 . 0 0 .HAPPY WANDERER TRIPS bySlim Barnard. Wel lk n o w n TV stars Henrietta and Sl im Barnardhave put together a selection of 52 of the irt r ips through Cal i forn ia taken f rom the ir HappyWanderer t rave l shows. Has excel lent maps,history, costs of gasol ine consumpt ion, lodg ing,meals p lus what to w e a r and best t ime tomake t r ips. Can ' t be beat for f am i l ies p lann ingweekend excurs ions. Paperback, la rge format ,150 pages, $2.95.

by Marvin and Helen Davis.62 pages , $3 .00 .AND CAMPING IN THE DESERT byby Erie Stanley Gard-and special section on desert driving andby Jack Pepper. A book to read cover-for anyone who t rave ls back countryUp-to-date cooking ideas which br ing12-page section of exclusive desert camping photoswith lo ts of ideas for places to go. Beaut i fu l

SKY ISLAND by Weldon F. Heald. I n fo rma t i ve ,f i rs t -person narra t ive about the c l ima te , w i ldl i fe , unusual guests, terra in and vegetat ionfound on ly in the remote Chir icahua area wherethe author l ived. $ 5 . 9 5 .

W HEN O RDERING BO O KSPLEASE

Add 50 cents PERORDER(Not Each Book)

for handling and mailingCal i forn ia residents add 5 percentsales tax, regardless of whe the r youar e a Republican or Democrat.Send check or money order to Desert Maga-zine Book Shop, Palm Desert, California92260 . So r ry , but we cannot accept chargesor C.O.D. orders.

ROCK ART OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN byCampbell Grant. First re l iab le , wel l - i l lust ra tedbook wri t ten about American Ind ian pet ro-g lyphs andp ic tog raphs . $12 .95 .THE DESERT LAKE by Sessions S. Wheeler. Thestory of Nevada 's in t r igu ing Pyramid Lake, itsancient h istory, archeolog ica l f inds, geo logy,f ish and bird l i fe . Paperback. $1.95.

BOOK oftheM O N T HGOLD RUSHCOUNTRY

By the Editors of Sunset Booksand up-dated proj 's Mother Lode country. Divid-graphical areas for easy week-le 8x11 heavy paperback newofusely i l lustrated with photosmaps. Special features andanecdotes

96 pagesONLY

THE MOUTH BLOWN BOTTLE by Grace Kendrick.An author i ty on bott les, Grace Kendrick nowdelves into thehistory of bot t le making and i l lus-strates her book wi th exce l lent photographs shetook in Mexico where bot t les are st i l l be ing handb lown . Ha rdcove r , 200pages , $6 .95 .GHOST TOWNS OF THE COLORADO ROCKIESby Robert L. Brown. Wri t t en by the author ofJeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns th is bookdeals wi th ghost towns accessib le by passen-ge r car. Gives directions and maps for f i nd ingtowns a long wi th h istor ica l backgrounds. Hard-cover, 401 pages , $6 .25 .HISTORIC SPOTS IN CALIFORNIA Revised byWilliam N. Abeloe. Only complete gu ide to Cal i -forn ia landmarks wi th maps, photos and l ive lytext covering both historical and modern eras.639 pages , $10 .00 .HANDBOOK OF CRYSTAL AND MINERAL COL-LECTING by William Sanborn. Describes environ-ment typ ica l of collection sites and physica lpropert ies of minera ls and crystals. Paper, 81pages , $2 .00 .A GUIDE TO WESTERN GHOST TOWNS by Lam-bert Florin. Includes maps andmileages of ghosttowns in 15 western states. Large format, card-board cover, $2.25.FABULOUS MEXICO Where Everything CostsLess by Norman Ford. Covers invest ing, vaca-t ion ing and ret iring prospects in Mex ico . Pa-pe rback . $1 .50 .

EXPLORING CALIFORNIA BYWAYS from KingsCanyon to the Mexican Border by Russ Leada-brand. Maps for each t r ip wi th photographs,h istor ica l in format ion, recreat iona l fac i l i t ies,campsi tes, h ik ing t ra i ls , etc. Paper, 165 pages,$ 1 . 9 5 .

OLD ARIZONA TREASURES by Jesse Rascoe. Cota in ing many anecdotes not previously coverein Ar izona h istor ies, th is newbook covers hacendas, stage stops, stage routes, min ing campsabandoned forts, missions and other h istor icalandmarks. Paperback, 210 pages , $3 .00 .1200 BOTTLES PRICED by John C. Tibbltts. Updated ed i t ion of one of the best of the bot tbooks . $4 .50 .CALIFORNIA, A Guide to the Golden StatEdited by Harry Hansen and newly revised,contains an encyclopedia of facts from eardays up to the Space Age. Mi le by mile descript ions to camping spots and commercia l accommodat ions. Maps. Hardcover, $7.95.THE MYSTERIOUS WEST by Brad Williams anChoral Pepper. Rare book examines legends thacannot be proven t rue, nor untrue. New evdence presented in many cases which machange the history of the West . Hardcove$ 5 . 9 5 .ANZA-BORREGO DESERT GUIDE by Horace Paker. Second edit ion of t h i s we l l - i l l u s t ra ted andocumented book is enlarged considerab ly. Topamong gu idebooks , it is equal ly recommendefor research mater ia l in an area t ha t wascrosseby Anza , Kit Carson, the Mormon Ba t ta l io'49ers, Railroad Survey part ies, Pegleg Smith, thJackass M a i l , But terf ie ld Stage, and t odayadventurous tour is ts. 139 pages , ca rdboa rcover, $2.95.O N DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, f ounde r and publ isher of Desert Magazine for 2years. One of the f i rs t good wri ters to revethe beauty of the mysterious desert areas. Henderson 's exper iences, combined wi th his comments on the desert of yesterday and t odamake th is a MUST for those who rea l l y wanto understand thedesert. 375 pages, i l lust ra teHardcove r . $5 .00 .RARE MAPREPRODUCTIONS from theyear 1886Series I inc ludes three maps, Ar izona, Cal i forn iand Nevada. Ser ies II includes New Mex icUtah and Colorado. Reproduced on f ine papeThey show old towns, mines, spr ings and t ra inow extinct. Each set of t h ree , $3 .75 . Be sure tstate series number with order.RETIRE TO ADVENTURE by Harrison M. KarInstead of re t i r ing to an a rmcha i r the authoand his wi fe re t i red to a t rave l t ra i le r anvis i ted Canada, the United States and MexicPoetical approach to t ra i le r l iv ing prob lems ant ra i le r c lubs. Af ter read ing th is book youw a n t to ret ire to adventure even though toyoung to re t i re l Paperback, 121 pages , $1 .9

DEATH VALLEY BOOKSPublished by the Death Val ley '49ers thesefour volumes have been selected by '49ersas outstanding works on the history of DeathVa l ley . All are durab le paperback on slickstock.A NATURALIST'S DEATH VALLEY |Revised edi-t ion] by Edmund C. Jaeger, ScD $1.50MANLY ANDDEATH VALLEY. Symbols of Dest i ny , by Ard is Man ly Wa lke r $1.25GOODBYE, DEATH VALLEYI The story of theJayhawke r Pa r t y , by L. Burr Belden $1.50CAMELS ANDSURVEYORS IN DEATH VALLEYBy Ar thu r Woo dw ard $2 .00DEATH VALLEY TALES by 10 d i f f e ren t au-thors $1.25

2 / Desert Magazine / Ju ly , 1968


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Number 7JULY, 1968

WILLIAM KNYVETTPublisherJACK PEPPER

EditorELTA SHIVELY

Executive SecretaryM A RV EL BARRETT

BusinessLLO Y D S H I V ELY

CirculationE V A L Y N E S M I T H

SubscriptionsCHORAL PEPPER

Travel Feature EditorJ A C K D E L A N E Y

Staff WriterBILL BRYAN

Back Country EditorAL MERRYMAN

Staff Artist

n ia 922 60 . A rea Code 714 346 - 8144 .

900 17, HUbbard 3 -0561 115 N ew

.00 . Foreign subscribers add $1 .00 U. S.

C O N T E N T S4 Book Reviews6 We Hunt Sea ShellsBy MARIE VALORE7 Mini Owl

By LOUISE PRICE BELL8 Modoc Indian Wars

By ANDREW FLINK10 Abou t Dowsers and Doubters

By JACK DELANEY12 Lee's Ferry

By ARNOLD TILDEN15 Bottle Houses

By ROBERTA M. STARRY18 Carson Hil l

By ROBERT O. BUCK20 Patrick's Point State Park

By MILO A. BIRD22 Pegleg Nug gets or Peralta Gold?25 Fort Ch urc hil l , Nevada

By JOHN L. ROBIE26 Indians Made Their Own Dyes

By JERRY LAUDERMILK30 Monsters or ?

By BEN TRAYWICK32 Spanish Treasure of the Uintah s

By GALE R. RHOADES35 Wom an's View Point36 lone, Nevada

By LAMBERT FLORIN

38 Back Cou ntry Travel42 New IdeasBy LEE OERTLE

43 Letters

. 35886 5 in U. S. Patent Off ic e, and

JULY COLOR PHOTOSRed sandstone cl i ffs rising above farmlands in the ColoradoRiver Canyon near Moab, Utah are in contrast to the meander-ing si l t-bearing river as shown on this month's cover by DavidMuench. Back cover, a lonely pine stands as a sentinel aboveUtah's Bryce Canyon. Photo by Lambert Florin.


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N e w f a c t u a le v i d e n c eo n t h el e g e n d so f t h e W e s t

By Brad Williams andChoral Pepper

This book examines many, little-known stories and legends thathave emerged from the westernregion of North America.Included are such phenomena asthe discovery of a Spanish galleonin the middle of the desert; thestrange curse that rules over SanMiguel Island; the discovery of oldRoman artifacts buried near Tuc-son, Arizona; the unexplained be-heading of at least 13 victims inthe Nahanni Valley; and manyother equally bewildering happen-ings. Elaborate confidence schemesand fantastically imagined hoaxesare documented, along with newfactual evidence that seems to cor-roborate what were formerly as-sumed to be tall tales.

Hardcover, illustrated, 192 pages.$5.95Send check or money order toDesert Magazine Book Shop,Palm Desert, Calif. 92260Add 50 cents for postage andhandling. California residentsadditional 30 cents tax.

BOOK. REVIEWSOUTHWEST INDIAN CRAFT ARTSBy Clara Lee Tann er

It has always amazed this reviewerwhy so few Americans appreciate thecrafts and arts of the American Indian.They will spend thousands of dollarspurchasing and shipping back to theirhomes the arts and crafts of the Euro-pean and Asiatic countries, and ignorethe lasting and beautiful works of ourown artists.

This is probably due largely to the so-called "trading posts" along the high-ways through the Southwest. These self-styled "trading posts" are filled withjunk, supposedly made by the variousIndian tribes, but actually mass-producedelsewhere. The unsuspecting traveler, es-pecially from the east, sees this junk, and,is either told by unscrupulous dealers,or assumes it is the product of our greatIndian culture.This, of course, is not true of all trad-ing posts, and, in many cases, a tradingpost will have both a combination ofjunk and authentic arts and crafts. Sohow are you to tell the difference?First, understand and appreciate the

great contributions the natives of Amer-ica have made to our imported culture(as contrasted to the phoney televisionwesterns image), and, second, learn toknow the different tribes of the Indiansof the Southwest, and in what arts andcrafts they most excel.There have been several good books,(and many more bad ones) publishedon this subject. Undoubtedly, one of thebest is Southwest Indian Craft Arts. Mrs.Tanner has been a member of the Uni-

versity of Arizona Anthropology Depart-ment faculty since 1928 and has studiedthe Indians of the Southwest for morethan 40 years.She describes in detail changes instyle, design, and function due to inter-tribal contacts, Spanish, Mexican andAnglo-American influences or commer-cialiazation. She also emphasizes the im-portant role the trader has played in pre-serving and/or modifying traditionalcrafts and arts.Textiles, pottery, jewelry, baskets, sil-

Books reviewed may be orderedfrom the DESERT Magazine BookOrder Department, Palm DesertCalifornia 92 26 0. Please include50c for handling. California residents must add 5% sales taxEnclose payment with order.

ver work, kachina dolls, skin craft, caring dolls, blanketsthese and many moare described and pictured in 27 fucolor plates with more than 140 blaand white illustrations and line draings in the large format (9" x 12205-page, high quality slick paper, harcover book. It is the first book I haseen that covers all phases of the cultuof the Indians of the Southwest. Tprice is $15.00. It may seem high forbook, but it is more than a book, it your introduction to the appreciation our Indian cultureand it's not junLOST MINES AND TREASURES OTHE PACIFIC NORTHWESTBy Ruby El Hult

Long-accepted stories about lost minand treasures of the Pacific Northware thoroughly investigated by the auor who spent years of research in onewspaper files, travel and interviewith pioneers.

She separates fact from fiction as swrites about the famous Blue BucMine (See Desert Sept. '67), the Mysties at Nehkahnie, the Lost Cabin MinLost Sheepherder Mine and dozens others. Although factually written, book makes fascinating reading for boactive treasure seekers and armchair eplorers. The author states, "I conceivmy job as one of reporting; of reportwhat treasures are lost, what has besaid about them, what clues to their cation exist and what luck and advtures others have had in their searcheAnd she does just that.

Although published in 1964, LMines and T reasures of The PacNorthwest has just been brought to oattention, and since it is of definite terest to Desert readers, we are printthis belated review. Hardcover, illustted with photographs and maps, 2pages, $4.50.

4 / Desert Maaazine / Julv. 1968


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Travis MarloweHundreds of people have lost their

Don Miguel Nemecio Silva de Peralta

Today there are no Apaches in the

One of the seekers is Travis Marlowe

His experiences while searching,Super-Although only 64the book is impossible to put

This is the fifth of the author's series

Like his other guidebooks, the authortakes you on trips through the areas andbrings to life along the way the folkloreand history, tall tales and true stories,personalities of the mountain men. Healso describes the facilities for travelerswho enjoy both scenery and history.Armed with Leadabrand's guidebooks,you will find a much greater apprecia-tion of the areas you visit, plus seeing agreat deal more than you would withonly a road map. Great for school child-ren who can write reports when schoolstarts again after the summer vacation.The author's other guidebooks are,

The M ohave D esert, The San GabrielMountains, The San Bernardino Moun-tains and The Sunset Ranges, the lattercovering the San Jacinto and Santa AnaMountains and the mountains of SanDiego County. He also has written Ex-ploring California Byways.

All of his books are approximately180 pages, illustrated with photographsand maps, good paperback and easy toput in your car dashboard compartment.They are available through the DesertMagazine Book Shop at $1.95 each.

LOS ANGELESA Sunset PictorialThe editors and photographers of Sun-

set Books have compiled a pictorial pre-sentation, which, like Los Angeles, isgrand in scale, beautiful in depth andmoving in space. The result of two yearsof planning and selecting photographs,the presentation is a tribute to Los An-geles . . . "a place on the move, a placeof the future, yet an area with a uniqueand rich heritage all its own."

In addition to the 304 pages of excel-lent color and black and white photo-graphs with text, there is a 16-page ap-pendix which is a complete guide includ-ing places of interest and a historicalchronology of past events. Hardcover,high quality coated paper, large 81/2 x 11format, it is the first complete pictorialcoverage of the "largest" city in theworld. Advance price through June 30,$9.95. Starting July 1, $11.75.

M A P O FB A J AC A L I F O R N I Aiu A.wir

Adventure Map of Baja CaliforniaAn unusual gift for that traveler explorer on yourgift list. The most accurate, detailed map of BajaCalifornia available. Compiled by Baja authorityMike McMahan from over twenty-f ive years traveland exploration. Shows all roads, RESORTS, AIRSTRIPS, etc. This handsome linen-f inished, four-color 34" x 58" wall map is easily framed forhome or off ice. Price $7.50 (unframed) postpaid,for plastic f inish add $2.00. In Calif , add 5 %sales tax. Order from Mike McMahan, 3131 S.Figueroa, Dept. " D ", Los Angeles, Calif . 90007.

Books MakeLasting Gifts

JJaUUandeanaererd

O F F E Rnew book of 52 of their favoritetrips in Southern California

Full color cover, 104 page.$2.95 plus sales taxHenrietta & Slim Barnard have chosen tripsthat they consider the most interesting. Thebook contains a map, a story of the trip withwhat to wear and expenses, which includegasoline, meais and motels and all necessaryexpenses.

Book can be bought by sending check ormoney order for $3.10 toSLIM BARNARD ENTERPRISES6000 SUNSET BOULEVARDHOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90028

or on sale atDesert Magazine Book ShopPALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260

July, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 5


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UR family sea shellhunting foray down theSouthern Cal i forniacoast to La Jolla turneda one day vacation intoa memorable exper-ience. La Jolla is a suburb of San Diego,between the pine-studded cliffs of TorreyPines and picturesque Mission Bay.As our station wagon came to a stop

overlooking the La Jolla tide pools, wescrambled out and ran across the whitesand, the salty breeze whipping againstour faces. The tide pools were lowerthan they had been in several years, ex-posing a rich variety of marine life notusually seen by the casual observer.With our four eager children, my hus-band and I moved cautiously on the slip-pery rocks, pausing often to explore thepools. The water on the rocks was sur-prisingly warm to our bare feet. Sections

U f o H u n t

nacles. There were horn and turbanshells, bubble shells and limpets.One of the high points of our hunt-ing was the discovery of an octopus. Thecreature, perhaps two feet long, wasslithering into a rocky crevice. Its eightsucker-bearing tentacles propelled italong. A young boy attempted to force itout of the crevice but the octopus heldfast. We watched until it disappeared.

The octopus lives mostly at the bottomof the sea, but during low tides they aresometimes washed onto the rocks.My husband found a Nut-BrownCowry shell lying in one of the pools.The oblong cowry, about three incheslong, appeared as though nature hadrolled it into a fat cigar stub and polish-ed it until it glistened. We were toldthat fine specimens are becoming diffi-cult to find along the Southern Califor-nia coast.

i

Sea Shellby Marie Vfth>i*e

were covered with velvet green moss,long grass, sharp barnacles and musselbeds. Giant kelp, the ocean's salad bowl,floated from depths of over 100 feet.Kurt, our five-year-old, was fascin-ated by his first discovery, a purple seaurchin. It lay in a shallow pool, sur-

rounded by open clam and mussel shells.He thrust his small hand into the waterand brought it out, examining it closely.When a tiny claw reached out of theshell, he squealed with delight.We found a great variety of marinelife on the rocks, part of the abundantharvest of the sea. There were scallops,abalone, sea snails, chitons, starfish, seaanemone and countless pearl-like shellsof odd sizes and shapes. Mingled amongthe black mussel beds were strange look-

ing goose barnacles and sharp acorn bar-

I held a tiny cone shell in the palmof my hand and watched with awe asa tiny sea urchin emerged. It scurriedacross my hand and dove back into thesafety of the pool.We moved further out, across slip-pery grass to a bed of loose pebbles,

then to another pool, where we saw abrown sea hare, performing nimbleswimming antics among the vegetationin the crystal clear water. The hare, aslug, looks very much like its namesake,the rabbit. A few yards away, waterspilled up over the rocks, spraying uslightly with foam. Two seastars werewashed up. One was feeding upon alarge black mussel.Goose barnacles, resembling the toesof some prehistoric animal, clung to the

sides of rocks and grew among the mus-

sels. Shells were embedded in rocThere were also small shells attached tlarger shells. Flower-like sea anemongathered nearly everywhere we steppedTiny shells crusted the outer perimeter othe anemone. When I accidently steppeon a giant green one, it spit a stream owater at me, then quickly withdrew intitself until it blended with the moss.One of the children picked up a viole

colored urchin. Its round shell was aspiked as a porcupine's back. Anothefound a sand dollar that had been caupon the beach. Its thin, flat surface wacovered with soft hair-like spines. Wcaught a glimpse of a tide pool sculpiThe tiny fish darted silently behind rock, where it remained until we sdown, motionless, beside the pool. Sooit swam from behind the rock and disappeared among pebbles.The La Jolla coastline is a virtu

marineland of the Pacific. White guldip low over the water, then soar skyward toward the beach. The contrabetween sheer cliffs and sandy stretcheis like a Winslow Homer painting of seascape, almost too beautiful to be reaLa Jolla is a favorite ground for skindivers who search the floor of the coaand frequent the musty caves. They divyear round, even in mid-winter, whethe water sometimes dips to a chillin57 degrees. 'The Scripps Institute of Oceanography of the University of California located in La Jolla. The institution dedicated to the study of sea life encompassing the Pacific Ocean. It is storehouse of marine knowledge and leader in the field of research.The Scripps oceanographic vessel, thSpencer F. Baird, is frequently seen ofthe coast. It cruises the Pacific on exploratory ventures, studying tides anall things concerning the ocean's depth

An undersea experimental lab, Sealab Ilies off-shore, some 200 feet deep. Vaious experiments are conducted, mandealing with porpoises.But to most of us the sea is a captivating mystery. Whatever the time of yeaor the reason for visiting, the sea inspirean overwhelming sense of humility. Adusk we reluctantly piled back into thstation wagon and headed up the coahighway, vowing to return for anothehunting foray among the rocky tide pool

of La Jolla. 6 / Desert Magazine / July , 1968


7/44

MiniOwl by Louise Price BellThe Elf Owl is about the size of a sparrowand its tannish feathers are streaked here and therewith white. Like all owls, its eyes look tremendously

large, particularly since this species is so small. Helikes warm weather and is found only in the Southwest;mostly in Arizona, New Mexico and California. And,even though those areas are warm, in the winter hemigrates to Mexico which is even warmer.His diet consists of insects such as mothsand beetles, but he also eats scorpions and occasionalcentipedes, both of which are poisonous. Bird-loverslong wondered how they could eat these poisonouscreatures, and even feed them to their young, with noil l effects. After long observations at night, near theowl nests, scientists have discovered somehow the elfowl is able to mangle or completely sever the scor-pion's stinger, thus rendering it harmless.In April the little owls pair off and selecttheir nesting sites, which are abandoned holes in theGiant Cactus, or Saguarro Cactus. Here they are safefrom rattlesnakes because the snakes can't crawl upthe spiny cactus to the elf owl nest.These little owls grow quite tame and are avery nice pet. .

it's HYDRA ULICThe un ique hydrau l i c mechanism which ra ises t h ecamper t op can be safely operated even by a smal lchi ld. Locks prevent accidental lowering. T he top i sl owered qu ick ly by the s imple turn o f a valve. Drivesafely at any speed wi th min imum drag a n d sway.Sit o r rec l ine o n comfor tab le couches whi le t rave l -ing w i th t o p down. A laskan camper t o p raises in sec-

onds . En joyroomy walk-in l i v ing quar ters , weather t ight , h igh ce i l i ng, "homeaway f ro m hom e, " complete w i th three-burner s tove,s ink, cabinets, i ce box, beds a n d many other luxuryfeatures . 6 FACTORIES TO SERVE YOUWrite today to the factory nearest you for tree folder describing the most advanced camper on the road.

R. 0. HALL MFG.. INC., 9847 Glenoaks Blvd., Sun Valley (San Fernando Valley) California 91352, Dept. D. PENNECAMP, INC., 401 W. End A w , M anheim, Penna., 17545, Dept. 4.ALASKAN CAMPERS NORTHWEST, INC., 6410 South 143rd Street. (Tukwila), Seattle Wash. 98168, Dept. D.ALASKAN CAMPER SALES, INC., (S.F. Sacramento area) Intersection of Intersta te Highway 80 and State 21.Route 1, Box 332, Suisun City, California 94585, Dept. D.

G. R. Grubbs Manufacturing, Inc. d/b/aALASKAN CAMPER SALES, 5761 Culler Blvd., Houston, Texas 77021, Dept. DFORT LUPTON CAMPERS, INC., 1100 Denver Ave., Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621, Dept. D.

Julv . 1968 / Desert AAaaazine / 7


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Today aquiet recreat ional area ,Ca l ifornia 's Lava Beds Na tiona l M onum entw as thesite of the. . .

M odoc I n d ia n W ars

Captain Jack, leader of the Modoc renegades (center), and two of his followersglare at the camera shortly after surrendering. Captain Jack washung for whathe felt was adefense of his territory.

by Andrew FlinkTATE Highway 139 btween Alturas, Califonia and the CaliforniOregon border haswemarked roads that wtake you directly inthe interesting and natural scenic attrations ofthe Lava Beds National Monument. Located south of the town of TuLake and accessible also by roads leadinfrom the town, the lava beds offer aancient world ofsight-seeing pleasucoupled with the historical significanof theModoc Indian War.

Located in the Modoc National Foresthe lava beds were set aside by the UGovernment as aNational Monumeon November 21, 1925 and the NationPark Service took itover in 1933.

The Monument receives its name frothe jagged, hardened lava rock you'll seas you drive through the area. Withthe 46,000 acres istangible evidence othe volcanic activity that occurred thouands of years ago. The lava flow camfrom the eruptions that centered arounthe vicinity ofMedicine Lake. The rmains of the volcanic activity are not aon top of the ground, however. Scatterethroughout the area are approximate300 caves brought about by the undeground flow. The lava cooled and harened on the surface but the under-lakept flowing. Gravity and gas pressucombined topush the lava downwasealing both ends ofthe tube or cavAccess isgained only when the rocollapses.

The visitor isable tosee what'sithese caves by using the stairways buby the Park Service. Lanterns areavailabR / flotort MnnnTno / luu 1OAR


9/44

Each cave has been named in accord-

In the 1880s, settlers used the area

Geology isn't the only attraction. A

ndians who inhabited them were prob-

1872 and 1873.Although the war against the white

The Modoc War, one of the last toItwas fought from a

orthern end of the Monument. Because

300 trained troops of the U.S. Army

while they themselves numbered lessthan 60.The Modocs were proud and indepen-dent. They wanted a reservation on LostRiver, north of Tulelake. In 1864, theywere persuaded against their wishes tomove to a reservation at Fort Klamath,Oregon to be with their home tribe, theKlamaths. The Modocs, though relatedto the Klamaths, found that they couldn'tget along with them and a group led by

Captain Jack (Kientpoos) left the reser-

vation for Lost River. There, they foundwhite settlers were occupying the groundJack felt belonged to the Modocs. Thesettlers made it plain they weren't goingto give it back. A fight broke out andthe Indians retreated to the lava bedsleaving in their wake some dead settlers.Indifference on the part of the Indianagents to the problems of the Indianscontributed to the unrest and by 1872,the Modoc Indian War moved into fullContinued on Page 35

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In these rugged lava beds, Captain Jack and his small band of M odoc Indiansdefied the much stronger United States Army for days before being blasted outby artillery. Lower p hoto, one of the many interesting caves for visitors to the

Lava Beds National Monument.July, 1968 /Desert Magazine / 9


10/44

About Dowsersand Doubtersby Jack Delaney

ERSONALLY, I couldn'tfind our swimmingpool with the best dow-sing instrument in theworld. However, I didlocate my bathroomonce, with a bent wire clothes hanger!Try it sometimebut not when you're ina hurry. Bent wire clothes hangers can betemperamental at times!The serious approach to locating under-ground water is practiced by two oppos-ing groups: the dowsers, who are con-vinced that their methods are productiveof results and have records to prove it;and the scientists, who doubt the abilityof the dowsers, even when water gushesup to their briefcases! It might be saidthat the rest of us fall into two groupsalso: those who have an interest in bothfactions and enjoy experimenting withhomemade "witch sticks;" and thosewho care not from where water is ob-

tainedjust so it arrives in time for thecocktail hour.According to scientists, the earth'soriginal supply of water is still in use.Through the years, the same water hasmoved, by natural action, from theoceans into the clouds, down to earth asrain or snow, and back to the oceans.This is known as the hydrologic cycle.Rainwater and melted snow seep intothe ground and continue seeping untilstopped by rock layers, then travels hori-zontally. Since this water cannot be seen,diviners feel that the situation calls forthe use of their talentsbut the scientistsdo not agree.They claim that 97 percent of theworld's fresh water supply is under-ground, and that a hole dug almost any-where will be productive if the hole isdeep enough. These dowser doubterspoint out that Nature has provided manysimple clues that indicate the presence

of water, and eliminate the need fmagic forks and rods. A number plants, such as mesquite, greasewoopalm trees, cottonwood, sycamore, awillow trees, are important indicators underground water. Also, the surfacontour of the land can provide cluesPerhaps this explains how the CahuiIndians, of Southern California, locatwater many years ago. They were the onIndians known to have dug wells, seleting spots where the water was not ov15 feet below the surface. Chief Fracisco Patencio, of the Agua Caliente tribin his book, Stories and Legends of t

Palm Springs Indians, said, "the Idians know that all hot springs everwhere, are joined together under tground by passage-ways."If this statement appears to be slighscientific, the following one, from tsame book, is definitely "dowsey!" "THead Man took his 'staff of pow

10 / Desert Magazine / July , 1968


11/44

The U.S. Geological Survey stated, in

Water Witching,

Mr. Shannon points out that a num-

After locating water, the dowser usu-

Verne Cameron, Elsinore, California,

Verne Cameron, recognized authority on water locating, holds his Aurameter,featuring coil spring which eliminates any influence by the dowser of wrist action.with the building of a railroad acrossthe Sonora Desert. Several small townsin Mexico are enjoying the benefits ofthis man's unique talent at the presenttime.

A few years ago, when Lake Elsinorewent dry and several proposed solutionsto its problem proved to be unsatisfact-ory, Mr. Cameron pinpointed three spotsat the east end of the lake bed as thecorrect places for locating water. As a re-sult of his recommendations, three ofthe largest wells ever tested were drilled.They are pumping continuously, eachproducing more than 5000 gallons ofwater per minute, and Lake Elsinore isagain a beautiful recreation spot.Whether or not you are a believer,you'll agree that the divining implementused by Mr. Cameron has definite pluspoints. It is called an Aurameter and fea-tures a coil spring that eliminates thepossibility of the dowser influencing therod through wrist action. The Aurameterconsists of an aluminum handle with apivotal mechanism carrying a long wirestem (containing the coil spring) ter-minated by a heavy pointer that actuallyfloats at the end of the stem. When thedowser's hands are motionless, and the

implement bends in the middle, it is dif-ficult for anyone to remain a disbeliever.For determination of depth of thewater, Mr. Cameron uses a method basedon the fact that the reflection of under-

ground water (or oil) comes up strongestin the vertical direction, but also to a 45degree angle on each side of center. Bymeasuring from the strong midpoint tothe area of diminishing impulse, a di-mension is established that, through thetechnique of triangulation, can indicatethe depth of the water supply. Thismethod has a definite scientific tingethat might eventually win over the op-posing faction.It should be noted that in all discus-

sions of the subject the gadgets used aresticks, limbs, rods, forks, and a numberof impressive mechanisms, but never myfavoritethe bent wire clothes hanger.After an initial success with this magicinstrument, I boasted to everyone whowould listen that I was a witch. In de-fense of this female term (wizard is themale counterpart), I pointed out thatdowsers are water witchesnot wickedwitches who frighten children; they havenever been seen riding around onbrooms! July , 1968 / Desert Maga zine / 11


12/44

J 1 T H SUFlin it*UJHlCH fflR DE. COLO RSflTlOri OF n

FROt>TlERSmfln,IRfl!L BLflZER,BUILDER. B fTTRH OF GREflTHlDOfTHTRBLE COURBGL

U T H O R f f y FOR E R E C T I Q F ! 0 f T H I SG f t A f l T E D y THE S I f l T E Of V

OR a distance of 500m i l e s , from Moab,Utah, to Hoover Dam,there is only one readilyaccessible water levelcrossing on the Colo-rado River. It was to this spot that thepioneer explorer John D. Lee fled to es-cape punishment for his part in theMountain Meadow Massacre in 1857 inwhich 137 immigrants were massacredby a party of Indians and whites underthe leadership of Lee.

Excommunicated by the M o rm o nChurch, hunted by the United StatesArmy, Lee, with one of his wives, even-tually sought sanctuary in an isolatedcanyon in the depths of the Indian coun-try. Here he was to perform his last sig-nificant service for his Church and forhis fellowmen prior to his capture, trialand execution for murder.It was in the year of the Declarationof Independence, however, that the firstparty of white men to visit this area

passed through on their return from anunsuccessful attempt to find a short routefrom Santa Fe to California. Unable toford the river because of high water, theSpanish Padres, Escalante and Domin-guez, climbed the formidable walls ofthe canyon and continued up the westbank of the river to the difficult but notimpossible "Crossing of the Fathers,"which is now at the bottom of LakePowell.Almost 100 years later, the Mormon

missionary to the Hopis, Jacob Hamblin,12 / Desert Magazine / J uly, 1968

EXCOMMUNICATED BY HIS CHURCH,HUNTED BY THE UNITED STATES ARMY AND DESTITUTE,JOHN DOYLE LEE WAS EVENTUALLY CAPTURED AND HUNG,BUT NOT BEFORE HE HELPED COLONIZEARIZONA BY BUILDING AND OPERATING . . .

L E E ' S F E R R Yb y A r n o l d T i l d e n

used the same crossing on his first sixexpeditions to the Indian country. In1869, on his seventh trip, he rediscover-ed the much more accessible route Es-calante had originally found but hadbeen unable to use. In that same year,John Wesley Powell, heading a U. S.Geological Survey team, made his firstvoyage through the canyons, stopping atthe wide flats at the mouth of the PariaRiver which later were to be the site ofLee's ranch and ferry.

Major Powell repeated his canyon tripin 1871, again utilizing the same wide

flats as a rest stop and supply depoHere he abandoned one of his boats, tNellie Powell, as unsafe. This boat, latsalvaged by Lee, became the first commercial ferry, replacing the log raft oriinally used by Hamblin on his trip to tHopis.Lee, accompanied by his wife Emmreached the area about Christmas tim

1871. Although excommunicated by tChurch, he was nevertheless under orders to build and operate a ferry this out-of-the-way spot, a ferry (that wessential to the direct route from Ut

The m uddy water of the Paria River, foreground, is contrasted with the b lwater of the Colorad o for several miles below the entrance before they merg


13/44

The original fort and trad ing post built in 1874 is an attraction for visitors to Lee's Ferry.to the newly established Mormon colon-ies in Arizona. Lee was an ideal choicefor this assignment. A man accustomedto the mountains and deserts of theWest, he was desirous of isolation whichmight safeguard him from arrest andprosecution. Upon reaching the mouth ofParia, he immediately laid out a ranch,installed a system of irrigation, salvagedMajor Powell's abandoned boat, and es-tablished the required ferry.

Emma Lee, upon seeing the area forthe first time, is reported to have ex-claimed, "Oh, what a lonely dell." And"Lonely Dell" it was for many years untilEmma, widowed by the capture, trialand execution of her husband on March23, 1877, transferred the property to theChurch of Jesus Christ of the Latter-DaySaints. Although "The Lonely Dell" hadbeen the name of the ranch and ferry,travelers referred to it as "Lee's Ferry,"a name that became official with the es-tablishment of a post office there in 1879.

For years the Church continued tooperate the ferry, but with the comingroute was long and indirect, the tortu-ous overland wagon trail was no longer

ferry as the only route between the larger

and the isolated northland, the so-calledArizona Strip. Ranching, prospecting,mining, and, after World War I, pros-pecting for oil kept the ferry busythrough most of the 1920s.The end came suddenly and most ap-propriately. As road usage increased, ascommunication by wheeled vehicles be-tween southern Arizona and the North

Rim of the Grand Canyon became morenecessary, and as State Highways beganto replace county roads, the NavajoBridge, spanning Marble Canyon on topof the plateau about six miles downstreamfrom Lee's Ferry, was authorized. It wasanticipated that the new bridge would becompleted in 1929. Perhaps the gods ofthe river were aware of the plans of man

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14/44

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While utility, rather than beauty, influenced the selection of the second ferry

and merely anticipated them by one yeaWhatever the reason, 1928 was one othe worst flood years in the history othe river, washing out the cable anchoings and both approaches to the ferrWith the completion of the NavaBridge only months away, it was decidenot to rebuild the ferry.And thus a new ghost, remote and rmoved from the eyes of man, might havbeen left to haunt the West had it n

been that almost at the same time tplanned development of the ColoradRiver began to take form. While HoovDam and Lake Mead had little effeupon the northeastern corner of Arizonthe more recent construction of GleCanyon Dam, and the subsequent deveopment of Glen Canyon RecreationArea, has breathed a new life into thghost.What only a year ago was a desertetrading post and an abandoned fort h

now awakened to its second century use by the people of the United StateTt might have retained some significanas the point of division between tupper and lower basin states as detemined by the Colorado River Compacbut its real significance for the futuwill be that of an historical monumenHere, in the shadows of the beautifred sandstone walls of the Echo and Vemillion Cliffs, the relics of the past abeing preserved, and facilities1 for tfuture are being built. A brand neblacktop road from the north end of tNavajo Bridge to the ferry site has jubeen completed, and the campground hramadas, barbecue pits, sanitary facilitiwith running water, and even an imachine. Launching ramps for smaboats are available, along with a stoand filling station for cars and boats

For those who are only interested in quick glimpse of sandstone cliffs, it another beautiful spot where desemountains and river all come togetheFor anyone with an interest in how tWest began, it is a hub from which rdiated missionaries, traders, gold seekerand the early transportation enterprisof freighters, steamboats, and projecterailroads. Today you can walk along tfaint traces of the old road to the wateedge and look across the river to troad on the other side. With but a littimagination, you, too, can be a pionee

site, nearly a mile upstream from the original, the utility is gone, beau ty remains, if but for a moment.14 / Desert Magazine / Ju ly, 1968


15/44

J^ E Rip ROARiivq SA I O O N S

USE(1O build . . .

BOTTLEHOUSES

by RobeRTA M . STARRYHERE are countless bot-tle collectors today buttheir urge to possessthe glass containersdoes not equal the col-lectors of 1900 to 1906

The bottle craze started the winter of

The only surplus of anything in Tono-pah was the empty bottles dumped be-hind the tent saloons. An ingenious miner,believed to be J. E. Youngstran, built ahouse, using over 10,000 beer and whis-key bottles held together with adobe.The glass building material providedcolorful lighting during the day hoursand the twelve to eighteen-inch wallsproved to be good insulation against theextremes of hot and cold.

Tonopah's first bottle house, completedin 1902, stood until 1965, when it wastorn down to supply present day col-lectors demands for old bottles. Fromearly day news items and the memoriesof old timers, it seems there were otherbottle houses in Tonopah, but throughthe years rooms were added or removedand exteriors changed so that the originalbuildings are not recognizable.There are those who believe Tonopah

still has entire buildings or rooms builtof bottles, but so covered with cementor stucco that the present occupants arenot aware they live in a glass house. Onesuch building is alleged to stand justback of the Tonopah Club. A search forclues to existing bottle houses may drawa blank, but the narrow streets, the boomperiod houses clinging to steep grades orholding back the once fast growing minedump, are worth the search.

The back streets of Tonopah have thefull flavor of time standing still. Thelandmarks of the $150,000,000 bonanzaare still there, weathered and silent. Onlythe main street has bowed to neon lights,modern motels and gas stations. Alongthe multi-level street, long-skirted womenand heavy booted miners have been re-placed by girls in mini skirts and menin sandles.Twenty six miles south of Tonopah

July, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 15


16/44

Still in use today, Go ldfield's oldest and probab ly first bottle ho use can be seenfrom the highway. B ottom, bottle house in Silver Peak is opposite post office.Note bottle necks above door.another rich deposit was discovered aboutthe time Tonopah's first bottle housewas com pleted. Gold field sprang intobeing and housing was also a pressingproblem. The rush of miners and boomtown followers created a population ex-plosion. Building lots at first were freeif a fellow had anything to put on it.Lucky was the miner with a piece ofsheet iron for a stove, a strip of canvasfor a shelter and a few days supply ofbacon and beans. Tents were shared, anda dugout with a wagon-box roof wasluxury.

In a very short time building lots cost$25.00 then jumped to $350.00 and con-tinued to climb. The first bottle house inGoldfield was built on free land with

empty bottles from beer to champagne.This building survived a flood and thegreat fire of 1923 when 52 blocks ofthe town were destroyed. It still stands,near the famed Tex Rickard home, andthough it has undergone changes andmany coats of stucco and paint, the bot-tle bottoms are a visible reminder of manand his struggle in early mining camps.An abandoned adobe just below theChat and Chew restaurant, going northout of Goldfield, shows a number ofliquor bottles used near the roof andsprinkled throughout the walls. Thelimited use of bottles leaves an impres-sion that the builder may have liked thelighting effect but didn't want to live ina glass house.

A dirt road to the west, between Tonopah and Goldfield, goes around anover a portion of a colorful salt sink anpast blue evaporative lakes to SilvePeak, another mining community of thTonopah-Goldfield period. The roadusually in good condition for all vehiclesis a different story after a heavy rainSmall gullies cut back and forth acrosthe road and at some points the traveup and down is as great as forward progress. In the rain-swept condition oncan fully appreciate the story told ban early resident.In 1906 a miner died and his buddiefortified by a few drink s, tucked himdown in a load of salt for the ride tthe undertaker in Goldfield. The roawas rough with many ditches to crosand in the jolting motion of the wagothe body worked to the back of thwagon. About half way to Goldfielone of the friends looked back to sehow the dead was traveling. With a yehe jumped from the wagon and starteto run. The salt had shifted, the bodhad moved to the back of the wagoand had jolted upright, a sight thwould startle the sturdiest miner.

Silver Peak, a ghost town for manyears, is coming to life with the FooMineral Company and Silver Peak Coporation mining Lithum carbonate. Modern trailers are parked beside old ruinof the community that in three years hagrown from 50 to over 200 people. Sfar the post office and the bar-grocerstore are the only businesses in operation. Just across from the post officnear Lazy Way Street, is a bottle houbuilt in the usual manner except for thconstruction above the door where thopen end of the bottles reverse the bottuse.It was thought bottle bottoms placeto the outside of the wall gave mo

light and prevented water from runninin and freezing. Most of all the necks the outside would present a multiporgan for the moans and wails of thwind. Silver Peak's bottle house buildlicked the water and noise problem bfilling the necks with adobe, but dfeated the colorful lighting effect.South of Goldfield toward Beatty anwest on State 58, on the east edge oDeath Valley, is the ghost town of Rhy

lite. Tom Kelly, one of forty some salookeepers in the booming town, in 190

16 / Desert Magazine / Ju ly, 1968


17/44

the trouble of haulingto the dump bya good-sized house with a steep,jig saw lace.has

in good condition. The exteriorare not covered with paint orand show the clear beauty of

by the sun. Most of theis built of Anheuser Busch, RenoCo. beers, with Hostetter Stomachfor variety andGordon Ginused

Rhyolite became a city of 8000 soulstwo railroads competedit was allof the great buildingsas reminders of a glorious dream.and some re-

the ghosts fromFifty-seven miles north of Tonopahthe Great Smokey Valley just off

8A is Round Mountain.can be seentheyard of Lillian Berg. Bottles formof a cave from theground toof the roof, providing light to thatof the cave below ground level.had a gold

in 1906 the bottle cave was not

built until 1914. The town had a tworoom bottle house at one time but itwas torn down to be replaced by a moremodern building.Round Mountain, an interesting com-munity on the north edge of a sym-metrical hill of silicified rhyolite, de-veloped when Nevada's first extensiveplacer field was discovered. With allthe boom atmosphere of Tonopah and

Goldfield going on at the time, RoundMountain's gold didn't create a rushthough it did produce $7,850,000 ingold up to the time the governmentclosed the mines during World War II.Mines are now being reactivated, butlike most mining communities in thesouthwest, theoperators wait for a pricethat will make mining again possible.At an altitude of 6200 feet, the tem-

perature is comfortable year around.Gardens and fruit trees flourish. Un-like most other mining towns, the resi-dents have kept their homes painted, andflowers grow in front. Distant minedumps, a few ruins, a big old fire belland a cave topped with bottle walls re-mind the visitor Round Mountain waspart of the 1900-1906 newly discoveredmineral wealth of Nevada, when bottleswere collected for buildingbut onlyafter the builders had emptied them. R E N T

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T h e M o t h e r L o d e ' sC A R S O N H I L L

by Robert O. BuckERHAPS no single spothas contributed moreto the vaults at FortKnox than that preci-pitous, mine-scarredp romon to ry on theMother Lode in Calaveras County, Cali-fornia known as Carson Hill.

When James H. Carson (no relationto the famous trail blazer, Kit Carson)stood on top of this escarpment in thespring of 1849 he did not know he wasstanding on top of one of the richestgold deposits the world has ever known.Little did he dream that from minessuch as the Morgan, Melones, SouthCarolina, Union, Santa Clara, Iron Moun-tain, Finnegan and Irvine would come agolden hoard rivaling the fabled treas-ures of King Midas. He would neverknow the ground under his feet wouldproduce in excess of $26,000,000.

While Carson's sojourn in this areawas brief, it is fitting that it should bearhis name, for it was he who blazed thetrail to this area in August of 1848. Re-cently discharged from Colonel Jona-than Stevenson's famous 7th regimentof New York Volunteers, he was one ofthe first to hear of Marshall's discoveryof the yellow metal at Sutter's Mill, nearColoma, late in January of the previouswinter. He joined a small group whichventured farther up the American River.Carson and a few others drifted offa little to the south, where they campedby the side of a trickling mountainbrook. This was Weber's Creek, havingbeen discovered by Captain Weber, thefounder of Stockton, who had been therein March of that year.

James Carson was a restless sort andresults of his few days of mining thegravels of the creek were disappointing.He had averaged less than three ouncesa day. Carson and another miner, GeorgeAngel, formed a group to explore thelittle known Sierra Nevada foothill re-gion of California.

Among the group were John and DanMurphy. John Murphy had been, in ad-dition to mining, running a trading postin partnership with Captain Weber. Johnwas Weber's brother-in-law, Weber hav-ing married John's younger sister, Ellen.John had been a lieutenant under Cap-tain Weber in the Mexican War. Theyleft Weber's Creek on a summer day in1848 for a prospecting excursion of theregion since named the California Moth-er Lode.

The first day they reached the Con-sumnes River. Here they made camp andtried their luck in the gravels of thestream bed. The results were good, butthe region farther south still beckoned.So they moved on to Sutter Creek. Hereprospects were very good and a few dayswere spent before packing up and mov-ing on to the Mokelumne River, pros-pecting every stream they crossed.

After spending a few days panning onthe Calaveras River, they reached a clearrunning, small, as yet unnamed creek inAugust of 1848. Gold was plentiful,with the group panning as much as tenounces per man in a single day. Here, atwhat was later named Angels Camp, onAngels Creek, the party broke up. GeorgeAngel, and the few members of theparty who elected to stay with him,mined the rich placers in the creek.

When word got out of the rich placein Angel's Creek, miners flocked to tarea. By early spring of the followinyear (1849) the population of the camwas 300, exclusive of Indians.With the influx of miners, Georthought it more profitable to run a traing post, so he set up a store, freightinin supplies from Sacramento and Stocktoby pack animals and later by wagon. JiCarson moved on about four miles froAngel's Camp to a stream later nameCarson's Creek. Here the richness of thdeposits of gold nuggets was more Jim's liking. His group mined for tedays, with each man averaging 18ounces of gold.With the coming of spring of 184Jim Carson returned to his diggings oCarson Creek where he resumed miing. Early in 1850 he abandoned his digings in the creek, exploring the lengof the great San Joaquin Valley. At sompoint in his wanderings, he took time write his small book, "Recollections othe Early Mines." This was publishein Stockton in 1852.

With the coming of statehood, JamCarson was elected to the State Legilature from Calaveras County in 185He fell ill shortly after, and died neEmory's Ferry in January, 1853.

In October of 1850, William Hanwas looking for a stray mule. On thhill above Carson's abandoned diggingin the creek he saw an outcropping owhite quartz. Knocking off a chunk, hfound it contained 14 ounces of golHe had found the Mother Lode.

Hance sold the claim to the Carso18 / Desert Magazine / July, 1968


19/44

Creek Consolidated Mining Co., whichconsisted of Hance, J. Anstill, J. B.Smith, William Rowe, D. Murphy, JamesNott and A. Morgan. It was commonlycalled the Morgan Company.From this claim (the Morgan Mine)$2,000,000 was taken out in less thantwo years. One single blast brought downore worth $110,000 in gold. It is saidthe quartz was so rich that much of the

gold was taken from the rock by hand,pounding it in mortars. In many casesthe gold was in bands and stringers sothick it was necessary to cut it out withhammers and chisels.On this same hill, a man by the nameof Comstock, shot and wounded a rabbit.While crawling under the thick brushin search of the rabbit, he found a quartzvein laced with stringers of gold. He be-came a millionaire overnight. From thisclaim came the largest single mass ofgold ever discovered in California.Known as the Calaveras nugget, it con-tained 2,340 troy ounces, valued at843,534.There were many other similar richconcentrations and pockets of gold dis-covered on Carson's Hill until 1941 whenall gold mining was brought to a halt.Much underground wealth still awaitsthe miner's pick in the depths of thishill on which James Carson stood thatspring day in 1849.Traveling south from Angels Campon the Mother Lode Highway (StarRoute 49) you can see the giant gloryhole in Carson's Hill. The area is richin history and is perfect for either aweekend or summer vacation.

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July, 1968 / Desert Magazine /


20/44

Patrick's Point State ParkbyMilofl. Bird

N Trinity Sunday, June9, 1775, two Spanishexplorers, Bodega andHeceta, entered a smallcove now known asTrinidad Bay some 18miles north of the present city of Eureka,California and erected a roughly hewncross bearing the inscription, "CarolusIII Dei G Hyspaniarum Rex."

It is possible that Rodriguez Cermanomay have sighted the Trinity headlandon November 4, 1595 but there isn't anyrecord showing that he landed. Neitherare there any records of other white ex-plorers going ashore there between He-ceta's landing and that of Captain GeorgeVancouver who landed in April 1793and found the hewn cross left by the twoSpanish explorers.

At that time the Yurok Indiansclaimed all the shore line from KlamathRiver in the north to Little River in thesouth and extending about thirty milesinland. Although these Indians werefriendly, whites did not try to settle untilabout 1851 when gold was discovered inblack sand on the beach at Gold Bluffs,15 miles south of the mouth of the Kla-math River. When gold played out andattempts at homesteading and farmingwere unsuccessful, all but a few hardywhites deserted the area.

Patrick's Point State Park, lying a fewmiles north of Trinidad and a few milessouth of Gold Bluffs, is a small portionof the Yurok territory. Conservationminded citizens, the Save-the-RedwoodsLeague and the United States Govern-ment began to negotiate for its acqui-

sition in 1930. The park was named fPatrick Beegan whose preemptive claiis recorded in the Trinidad Record Booof 1851 and whose tract six miles norof Trinidad was known as PatrickRanch.Although there are times when P

trick's Point is fog-bound and winwhipped, the park is always beautifuIn its 425 acres there are 122 campinspots, 42 picnic units, a group campinarea with communal kitchens, a museumhiking trails and a rain forest. The Jaanese current warms it in winter and cooit in summer. The entire area is a pardise for nature lovers, hikers, driftwoobuffs, rockhounds and shutterbugs.Trails have been cut through much the wildest portions of the park to a

commodate hikers and nature love20 / Desert Magazine / July, 1968


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An d tokeep it wild andbeautiful theway nature developed it nolimb, twig,flower or piece of dead wood may bedisturbed. Only the occasional roar of atruck engine orthe soft purr of aspeed-ing car on Highway 101breaks the illu-sion that one is inthe deepest primevalforest.Along the trails ceanothus, manzanita,azalea, rhododendrons and numeroustypes ofberries grow in a tangle of lux-uriant profusion. Tiger lilies, paint brush,wild iris, lupine, poppy, oxalis, fireweedand many other wild flowers bloom.Near evening if a person sits quietlyon the edge of aclearing, hemay see adoe and her fawn gingerly stepping froma tangle ofbrush aiming forthe lusciousgrass just ahead. And even though hedoes notsee deer hecannot bedeaf tothe musical chirping ofdozens of chick-adees andwren tits asthey bounce jaunt-ily from twig totwig insearch of food.

Neither can heignore the saucy screamsof blue jays, themelodious songs ofwarblers, or thesoft whistle of hawksrtalking prey. Although bear and elkhave been seen their appearances are fewand far between.Chinquapin, cascara and willow formalmost impenetrable barriers between talltrees including Douglas fir, hemlockand coast redwoods. Bishop pine, beechand redalder grow close to theshoreline while Port Orford cedars areinter-

rpersed throughout thepark.The meadow, which contains thecamping andpicnic spots, is 165feetabove sea level. It contains severalrocky outcroppings which the Yuroksconsidered were hallowed ground, thelast resting place of immortals onearth.Ceremonial Rock, thehighest of theseoutcroppings is110feet high, thereby af-fording anyone at its top an excellentview ofthe coast from Klamath toCapeMendocino.Six well defined trails lead from themeadow to the shore line. Themostsoutherly leads toPalmer's Point whileothers lead to Abalone Point, RockyPoint, Patrick's Point, Mussel Rock andto Agate Beach. To aperson standing atthe top of thetrail toAgate Beachthesandy shore atits bottom seems tobe 500feet below, but if helooks upfrom be-low he'll swear it's a thousand feet tothetop.Running north from thebottom of the

Driftwood onAgate Beach, looking toward Patrick's P oint.trail the beach leads to BigLagoonroughly two miles away. Driftwood ofevery imaginable shape hasbeen piledback against the cliff fornearly half ofthat distance. Once, when I visited AgateBeach, driftwood inone area was fullyone hundred feet wide, several feet thickand aquarter of amile long.

Between thedriftwood and thesurf,campers, picnickers and rockhoundssearch for agates, forwhich thebeachwas named, and for chloromelanite, afirst cousin of jadeite. In fact, it wouldbe jadeite if itdid not contain iron. Be-sides chloromelanite anoccasional pieceof nephrite jade shows up.Geologists theorize that many yearsago a river flowed through themoun-tains east ofPatrick's Point and emptied

into the ocean near the present Big Lagoon. Somewhere along its course theriver picked upchloromelanite and nphrite and deposited them in what arnow huge sandy cliffs bordering thesurf. No matter howmany of thesestones are picked up byrockhoundsthenext tide uncovers more.

There are flowers everywhere. Once Ilocated a veritable wild flow er' gardengrowing in thesand above the farthestreaches of thewaves. Sand peas, wildstrawberries, lupines and a flower re-sembling morning glories all grew to-gether in a beautiful carpet of color.Whether it's photographing flowerscollecting driftwood, rockhounding orjust relaxing, Patrick's Point State Parkoffers afull fare for the entire family.

Make Your Outings More Fun


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23/44

Of the hundreds of lost bonanza stories of the West, one of the best known and most con-troversial is that of Pegleg Sm ith's Black G old. Thom as Sm ith, a trapp er who lost his leg inan Indian fight, found black gold nuggets arou nd 1 82 9 when lost in a sands torm en ro utefrom Yum a to Los Angeles. He did not know the "bla ck peb bles " were gold u ntil later. D e-spite repea ted attem pts , he failed to relocate his lost bona nza. For more th an 10 0 yea rs thesearch for the nuggets has continued. In March, 1965 an anonymous writer sent an article toDESERT stating he had, during the past 10 yea rs, col lected $ 3 1 4 ,6 5 0 in black gold nuggetsin an are a "w ithin 3 0 miles of th e Salton Se a. " Since then he has written seven letters , eachone accom panied by a nugget, all of which are on display at D ESERT Ma gazine in Palm Des ert.His latest letter, received just before our deadline, answers many questions by readers in recentissues. Below photo was sent by him to show how the black nuggets appea r as he foun d one.

t is time I broughtyou up to date: Asalways, I am enclos-i ng ano t he r b l acknugget. I have tried,in the past, to send at

This one was found on the sur-

Going back to the November '67

several matter-of-fact statements whichhe obviously takes for granted. WhileI appreciate his sincere interest, let memake these observations: One, thereare many water-worn rocks in the des-ert and, unless Mr. Bean actuallyfound black nuggets, he is only as-

suming that the water-worn rocks hefound is "a little over a mile fromwhere you found the black nuggets."Tw o, frankly I can't remember wheth-er the rock rings were completelyclosed or had small openings. My bestrecollection is that they were closed,in the sense that rocks had been laidnext to each other to form the rings,and while there may have been a fewinches between rocks, I don't remem-ber seeing any kind of opening wideenough for, say, a man to walk intothe ring without stepping over therocks. As to the distance from therings to the discovery site, I never at-tempted to connect the two and madeno effort to measure the distance, par-ticularly since the rings were somedistance from the nuggets. Three, ifMr. Bean really knows where I parkedmy jeep and what direct ion I took,then he obviously has found the cor-July, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 23


24/44

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rect area (somebody hasmore aboutthis later) but as to his knowing wherePegleg was fou nd dying I wasn'taware that Pegleg was found dying atthe location of the black nuggets. Also,maybe it was Mr. Bean's tracks andcamp signs I found, but he can onlyassume this. At this point in his letter,Mr. Bean sort ofgoes astray. I said Ifound anold corroded buckle similarto illustrations I later saw of earlySpanish buckles. However, what Ifound was not abelt buckle, but look-ed more like something used on saddleequipment, and ofcourse has no con-nection with Thomas Smith. Also, whyanyone would want to leave a beltbuckle as a claim marker is ratherobscure.

This answer toMr. Bean's letter isnot intended to belittle him in any wayas he isobviously and sincerely inter-ested in the location ofthe black nug-gets. Hehas, I believe, located thegeneral area, and hisletter is verycleverly written with the aim of get-ting more detailed clues. I've alreadygiven another good clue. I wonder ifhe can figure itout. Inanswer tohisletter in the May 1968 issue, I havebeen checking recently. (More later.)

There is little I can add or say aboutMr. Walls ' and Mr. Harris ' authenti-cation of thesword-sheath "throat"in theJanuary andFebruary 1968issues. The letters speak for them-selves. It isclear that the artifact wascontemporary with the Peralta caravan.To Choral Pepper, February issue:Your letter isone more good piece ofinformation that ties the black Peglegnuggets to the Peralta caravan.To Will iam Deane, February issue:You are right , I never at any timemade mention of"water-worn rocks alittle over amile" from where I found

the black nuggets. See my answer toMr. Bean above.To Mary Dunn: With your abil i tyyou shouldn't worry about things l ikeblack nuggets and sword hilts whenyou could make millions getting thetrue history ofmankind since the be-ginning of t ime. Why, you could geta fingernail paring of General De-Gaulle and dream over itand find outthat he isthe reincarnation ofJoan of

Arc. I'm sure hewould reward youhandsomely!

N o w , up to date: Somebody hafound the exact location of the dicovery site, whether they know it not. I found tracks there and twplaces where somebody had dug holebut didn't fill them up. Everytimefound ablack nugget with ametal dtector and dug itup , I was extremecareful tofill the hole up and leavthe surface looking asundisturbed apossible. Whether theparty founblack nuggets or not I do not knowit certainly iseasy toget false indictions onany detector as any expeienced operator will confirm. AlsI've said many times that I went ovthe discovery area many times inch binch with the best detector availaband even laid out grids with string tmake sure I covered thearea completely. Nevertheless, somebody hadug two holes there andcertacould have found nuggets I misseIf they did I suspect you will hefrom them. Anyway, if they will shotheir evidence inthe form of the ditinctive black nuggets, this will cofirm it.

I will make this final observatioIf the black nuggets are native tothareawhich is the original theoryadvanced an d it is still perfectvalid, then I think other deposits wturn up asI've described previouslIf the Peralta caravan theory is corect, then, of course, the nuggewould be confined tothe area whethey were lost or whatever itwas thcaused them to beleft there and, iwhich event, I've recovered the whoshipment, or at least all but the nugets that are too small or too deep tbe detected. Well, the two holes hagot me wondering if I missed a few

Sincerely,T H E M A N W H O F O U N DPEGLEG-PERALTA BLACK GOLDP.S. To Mr . J.A. Lentz: You are aextremely logical fellow!

Nine back issues containing the oriinal article, subsequent letters another stories pertaining tothe Peglmystery are available. The issues aMarch '65, Apri l '65, May '65 , July '6Aug. '65, Dec. '65, June 66 , Aug. '6Dec. '67. For allnine issues send$4.00 check or money order toDeseMagazine, Palm Desert, Calif. 9226Individual copies are 50cents each

24 / Desert Magazine / July, 1968


25/44

Fort Churchill,Nevadaby John L.. Robie

The early morning sunstill shines onFort Churchill. From left toright, hospital,laundry, quartermaster's store and U.S.Army headquarters.The crumbling adobe walls of oldus of thehecticandviolence which caused theof this army post on theof Nevada's Carson River onofJuly, I860.Troubles between the white settlers

was burnedin re-forstealing andmisusing IndianOne hundred andfive settlers

and Vir-toPyramid Lake tostop

andJ. Ormsby was

Named inhonor ofthe Inspector Gen-of the United States Army, General

the fort wasbuilt

to be a permanent post. The buildingswere constructed of adobe set on rockfoundations. Barracks were erected alongthe west side of aquadrangle: post head-quarters, quartermaster's store, and laun-dry were on theeast; two-story officersquarters formed thenorth side; andalongthe south were theguardhouse, bakery,stables andcorrals.During theCivil War it was an im-portant outpost andmain supply depotfor theNevada Military District. Themail andstage routes were patroled bymen from theFort, and thePony Ex-press used it as a way station. It wasclosed in1870.

Today Fort Churchill is a NevadaState Park. Adelightful campground andpicnic area has been built alongside theCarson River. It is a peaceful recreationsite that is enjoyed bymany visitors.

Let me show youC a n y o n l a n d sN a t i o n a l P a r h

at Moab, Utah M Min comfortable, air condit ioned, 4-wheel-drivestation wagons and n river float boats. One-day tours and camping t r ips, too.LET'S GO TO BAJAJoin myBaja Safari for that adventure of al i fe t ime. I make just one big25-day trip eachyear inmyair-condit ioned stat ion wagons fromSan Diego to La Paz. Trips start aboutFeb.1 somake your plans now for a grand t ime.Write for details to: MITCH WILLIAMS,TAG-A-LONG TOURS, Dept. B, Moab Utah 84532.

Phone AC 801, 253-4346.

The Fabulous Landfor hun ting, f ishing and reti rementis just being discovered. Proper-ties ofall kinds areavailable fromone acre to1000 and the pricesare low.Write forcomplete l istingsheets. Noobl igation.D. W.CORRY REAL ESTATE CO.Box 90 3 Cedar City, Utah 84 72 0

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26/44

Cana igre or wild rhubarb, a kind of Kram eria or "ratany," a treacherous Elderberry p lant, comm on in mandock is native to Arizona. The roo ts and thorny b ush whose roots made a places was used by Indians o f southmake an orange-yellow dye for cotton yellow dye for the Papago s. Wild in em California to m ake a fast blac

and wool, red on leather. many parts of southern Arizona. for basket splints.

I n d i a n sM a d eT h e i rO w n

D y e sT o y J e r r y L a u d e r m i l kIllustrated by HELEN LAUDERMILK

Although Indians still maketheir own blankets they now use

prepared dyes. The older tribesmencolored their wool with dyes

which they brewed themselves fromthe shrubs they found on the

desert, and from rock pigments.Today, this is a lost art, just

as the hand painting and weaving ofIndian rugs may be in a few years.

Since we have received quite afew inquiries recently about

how to m ake natural dyes (maybethe white man is returning to nature

and will continue what may be alost art) we are reprinting this

article by Jerry Laudermilkfrom the now out-of-print March 1945

issue of Desert Magazine.

26 / Desert Magazine / July , 1968


27/44

Ho-ho-it-si. A cousin to the coreopsis.The flowers make an orange-red bas-

ket dye used by the Hopi.

HE "big room" of theranch house at the LKBar, near Wickenburg,A r i z o n a , h a d t h r e edoors. There was theold north door, sinisterand forbidding for no obvious reason andnever used. Some doors are like that.Then there was the south door just aboutthe right means of egress if you had togo to Phoenix to see a lawyer. Then therewas the door. This was simply the en-trance to the big room from the kitchen,a door to invite loitering and conversa-tion. Its entire personality was friendlyand unsophisticated. It was several daysbefore I realized that this feeling ofgood will radiated from a well-worn Na-vajo blanket that served as a rug in thedoorway.This blanket was obviously a veteran.Certain frayed creases told of service as asaddle blanket. Three burnt holes spoke

of campfires, and two darned places re-flected credit upon unknown owners. Ithad been five years in its present place. Alittle threadbare and trampled prettysmooth, the colors were still there, creamywhite, grey, brown, black and a strangelyinteresting reddish cinnamon that fittedthe scheme as perfectly as the orangespots fit the pattern on a Gila monster.But how did the Indian weaver get suchpleasing colors that defied time and heed-less boots?From my aunt I learned that some of

The wild cochineal insect furnishedshades of red. A young bug is shownat upper left; two mature females areshown at lower right. Tufts of cottonon the cactus pad are tents of the insect.these colors were the natural coloredwool of the Navajo sheep. But the blackand red were artificial. Black was said tobe made from the leaves of a certain bushand a mineral the Navajo found in theirown territory, and the red came fromboiling two different kinds of bark. Myaunt ran short of information at thispoint but could contribute a few items ofher own about natural dyes. One plantshe showed me was a kind of dock, ca-naigre (Rumex hymenosepalus), sourceof a reddish dye for leather and anorange-yellow on wool or cotton. Theother plant was rabbit brush, Chryso-thamnns nauseosus), whose blossoms fur-nished a brilliant yellow on yarn or cloth.

The question of Indian dye makinghas intrigued students of Americanethnology for a long time and much hasbeen published in official reports, but insome cases the information is unsatis-factory.The origin of black dye is unknownbut some of the Cliff-dwellers and Bas-ket-makers were acquainted with a fastblack, perhaps this same dye preparedby a formula now lost. They also had afast red. After hundreds of years cottontextiles from the debris of long-aban-doned cliff houses near Kayenta in north-eastern Arizona still show strong color.These ancient dyers were no mere dab-blers in their art since they understoodthe importance of certain chemical assist-ants to good dyeing called mordants

Mountain mahogany. The bark, richin a peculiar dyestuff makes interest-ing shades of red on wool and cotton.

which serve to fix the color fast to thefiber. The theory as to how mordantswork is highly technical but briefly itcan be described as a kind of "go-be-tween" action where some chemicalwhich "likes" both the dye and the fibercarries along the coloring material whenit fastens itself upon the yarn. Othermordants work by putting the fibers ina chemically friendly mood toward thedye so that the latter will stay fa$t afterit once colors the yarn. So much for.theblack in my aunt's blanket. The red wasa different subject entirely.In old times the Indians found it dif-ficult to obtain a good red. With the ex-ception of the Pimas who had the meansfor making true reds and pinks whichI will describe later, the best they couldproduce were low-toned shades of red-dish brown, pinkish tans and dusky or-ange. These are the reds found in theoldest textiles. Of course, before Span-

ish times there was no wool except alittle from mountain sheep killed in thehunt. The only yarns of animal originwere made from the hair of rabbits,dogs, badgers, etc., and from feathers.These were twisted into string withyucca fiber and cotton. With the arrivalof sheep and plenty of wool there stillwas the difficulty about a true and bril-liant red of scarlet or crimson shade.Later they met this need by unravelingyarns from a type of Mexican red flan-nel called bayeta and re-weaving it inJuly, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 2 7


28/44

their fabrics along with yarns of nativedye.The best early reds were made by ex-tracting the bark of alder (Alnus obongi-

folia) and mountain mahogany (Cerco-carp us montanus and C. breviflorus}with boiling water until a dark red de-coction resulted. The liquid then wasstrained and the yarns boiled in the solu-tion until the dye "took." The mordantused for this color was fine juniperashes. According to one source the se-cret of a fine permanent red of the hen-na order was to add a certain rather rarelichen (Parmelia mollinuscule*) to thedye bath. In my experiments I tried sev-eral different lichens since the one pre-scribed was not available. My best resultswere with a common species {Parmeliaconspera). The resulting color was, ap-propriately enough, found to be calledApache Brown in the color dictionary.Mountain mahogany bark alone makesa reddish shade called Castilian or OldCedar. The smooth slate colored quillsof dry bark are hardly what you'd ex-pect to use for a red dye, but once inboiling water a subtle chemical beginsand the bath grows redder and redderuntil finally it becomes almost black.This gives a full, rich color on woolbut paler and pinker on cotton. To avoiddisappointment with this dye it is essen-tial to use clean water and dye-pots andfreshly washed yarn. The dyeing opera-tion can be carried out properly only inpots free from iron. The merest traceof iron dulls the color by making itsmoky.

The red dye of the Pimas was carminefrom the wild cochineal insect of south-ern Arizona and California. Apparentlythis dye was used only for decoratingwoodwork, especially war arrows. Col-onies of the cochineal bug make theirhomes in tufts of white, cottony downon the pads of prickly-pear cactus. Ifyou pinch a wad of the white fluff youwill find the tips of your fingers staineda brilliant carmine from the insect. Untilthe discovery of aniline dyes, cochinealwas an important source of fast reds andviolets. Perhaps the complicated mani-pulations necessary for success with thisdye were beyond the grasp of the moreprimitive tribes of the Southwest.But in Mexico at the time of the Con-

quest, cochineal was extensively usedboth for dyes and pigments. The pre-

pared insect "nochiztli" formed part ofthe tribute levied by Mexico upon someof her neighbors. My own experimentswith the wild cochineal were only mod-erately successful since the best colorsI could make were shades of pink andold rose. The dye is worth experimentingwith if you live where the insect isabundant.Orange color is rare in woven Indian

textiles but not unusual in some Hopibaskets. To make this color the Hopiused the dry flowers of a plant called"Ho-ho-it-si" (Thelesperma gracile),first cousin to the coreopsis. The flow-ers are boiled to make a strongly coloreddye and the splints boiled to the rightshade without the use of any mordant.

Alder. The ba rk boiled with that ofmountain mahogany made the fastreddish browns found on old Navajo

blankets.On cotton the color has to be set withalum. The hue is a red-orange, fast tolight and fairly fast to water. In thecases of this dye and the yellow dyeswhich I will take up next, the coloringprinciple itself belongs to an interestingseries of pigments called the anthoxan-thins. Some of thesequercitrin fromblack-oak bark is oneare importantdyestuffs which long have been articlesof commerce.

In their pure condition the anthoxan-thins are only slightly soluble in waterbut dissolve easily in dilute acid. Allplants contain some vegetable acid, sowhen a decoction of ho-ho-it-si is boiledthere is enough acid naturally present todissolve the dyestuff. They also dissolve

in alkaline solutions to make shades oyellow-orange and easily form insoluablcompounds with mordants such as alumThe Hopi have another dye callec'vapsi. This is made from the dry flowers of the rabbitbrush {Chrysothamnunauseosus). The flowers, carefully separated from any green foliage, dye beautiful lemon yellow. For dyeing woola large quantity of dry blossoms are boiled slowly for about four hours. When thcolor is deep enough the yarns are puin and boiled for fifteen minutes. Theare now ready for the mordant, nativalum, a common mineral in many partof the desert. This is a white dry crustlike salt with a sour, puckery taste. Indian dyers carefully heat the alum unti

Rabbitbrush. A common plant in manyparts of Arizona and California. Theyellow flowers made the lemon-coloreddyes used by the Navajo weavers.

it becomes pasty and then add it to thedye bath while the yarn boils. Soda deepens the color.Another beautiful yellow from palescanary to deep brass and old gold is fur-

nished by the leaves of the cottonwood(populus fremontii) and other speciesApparently this was not used as a textile dye by the Indian weavers but it ione of the best yellows and some of thewestern tribes used a strong decoctionof the young leaves for a yellow and orange dye for arrow feathers. This dye isfast both to light and washing.Green is a difficult color to make inabsence of a good blue which top-dyedwith yellow can make any shade. To ob

tain green the Indians used leaf-green28 / Desert Magaz ine / July, 1968


29/44

or chlorophyll, generally from the greenparts of the same rabbitbrush that fur-nished lemon yellow. Chlorophyll is tre-mendously light-sensitive and usuallyfades with the slightest excuse. But insome cases leaf-green has lasted for hun-dreds of years. In one of the many cavesexplored by Kidder and Guernsey innortheastern Arizona, the inhabitantshad built partitions across the cave withleafy oak boughs and after all the cen-turies between the day they were gatheredto the hour of their disovery, the dryoak leaves still clung to the branchesgreen and un faded. Leaf-green formspermanent, light-resistant compoundswith copper salts and it possible thatwhere leaf-green from some particular

as will fill a half gallon measure. Bruisein a mortar or run through a food-chop-per until well pulped. Cover with halfgallon of water and boil for two hours,renewing water as lost by evaporationand strain. To make the second ingred-ient take equal volumes of powderedpinon gum or ordinary drugstore rosinand natural yellow ocherthe paint storekind will not do. Natural ocher is knownin the mineral world as limonite or com-mon rust. Grind the rosin and ocher to afine flour and mix thoroughly by sifting.Transfer this mixture to an ordinary ironskillet and while stirring continually withan iron rod, heat over a charcoal fire.Avoid flames since burning will spoil theproduct. At first the mixture will melt,

Suma c, also called "squawbu sh" is ex-ceptionally rich in tannin and formsan essential ingredient in the black

dye of the Navajo.plant is recommended as a dye, copperfairs are unusually abundant in the plantjuice.

Blue, before the Spanish introducedindigo, was little used as a textile dyeexcept for the navy blue shades of theNavajo black dye. However, there wasanother blue not commonly known. Thiswas from the Hopi blue bean, raisedboth for a food and for making a lightblue to almost black on textile fibers.

The following formula based on theIndian dyes are ones from which I haveremoved most of the "bugs" and are in-cluded for the benefit of readers of Des-ert Magazine who may want to try theirhands at this ancient art.

BLACK. Take as many sumac leaves

Pinon pine. The gum heated withyellow ocher makes the other essential

ingredient of the Navajo black.

bubble and give off puffs of yellowishsmoke as it grows darker and darker.After about an hour, the now black mix-ture will begin to roll up in wads underthe stirring rod. As soon as these wadsbegin to show a rubbery consistency it istime to take it from the fire. The com-pound will look like black, vesicular lava.Grind this material to a fine powder andadd it to the leaf decoction and let itboil. At first the liquid is simply a mud-dy, brown fluid but as boiling continuesa rich, blue-black color develops. To dyewool in this bath immerse the wet yarnsand boil until they show a deep blackwhich does not strip in the rinse water.The yarn should remain black after theloose dye is washed off. To dye cottonyou need three baths, one of the pre-

pared leaf solution alone, one of clearlimewater and the blue-black bath. Boilthe cotton yarns in the sumac bath for anhour. Lift and pass directly into the limebath and let soak for half an hour. Theyarns now will be a deep br

Documents

196807 Desert Magazine 1968 July