197002 DesertMagazine 1970 February

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> FEBRUARY, 1970 50c

MAGAZINE

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C O L O R f U L C O A C H E U A V A U t


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D e s e r t M a g a z i n e B o o k S h o pROAD MAP OF CALIFORNIA'S PIONEER-TOWNS,GHOST-TOWNS AND MINING-CAMPS compiledby B. V. Terry. More than 400 place names areprinted in red on this 38 x 25 blue and whiteroad map with northern California on one sideand Southern California on the other. $2.95.A GUIDE FOR INSULATOR COLLECTORS by JohnC. Tibbitfs. Long t ime collector and author ofseveral bott le books, the author has writ ten twovolumes on insulators, covering 90 percent ofth e f i e l d . Insulators in Vol. 1 (127 pages) aredif ferent than those in Vol. 2 |119 pages).Paperbacks, well i l lus trated. $3 .00 each. OR-DER BY VOLUME NUMBER.ANZA-BORREGO DESERT GUIDE by Horace Par-ker. Third edi t ion of th is wel l - i l lus t rated anddocumented book is enlarged considerably. Topsamong gu idebook s, i t is equ ally recomm endedfor research material in an area that was crossedby Anza, Kit Carson, the Mormon Battal ion,49ers, Railroad Survey part ies, Pegleg Smith, theJackass Ma i l , Butterf ield Stage, and today'sadventurous tourists. 139 pages, cardboardcover , $3.50.THE MYSTERIOUS WEST by Brad Williams andChoral Pepper. Rare book examines legends thatcannot be proven true, nor untrue. New evi-dence presented in many cases which maychange tho history of the West. Hardcover.$5 . 95 .THE WEEKEND GOLD MINER by A. H. Ryan. Anelectronic physicist "bit ten by the gold bug,"the author has writ ten a concise and informativebook for amateur prospectors tel l ing where andhow gold is found and how it is separated andtested, al l based on his own pract ical ex-perience. Paperback, 40 pages, $1.50.BEACHCOMBERS GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC COASTby the Editors of Sunset Books. Provides infor-mation about the public ly accessible beachesfrom San Diego to Cape Flattery, Washington.Complete data on what to do and what to seewith detai led maps. Large format, four-colorcover, heavy paperback, 112 pages, $1.95.G E M , MINERAL AND 4-WHEEL-DRIVE MAPS com-piled by Dale Hileman. Maps showing gemand mineral col lect ing areas, roads for passen-ger cars and 4WD roads only. Map No. 1 is onLast Chance Canyon, Mesquite Canyon andIron Canyon in Kern County. Ma p No. 2 coversthe Opal Mountain and Black Canyon areas inSan Bernardino County. Map No. 4 is on theRandsburg - El Paso Mountains area. All are on16x l7- inch parchment paper. $1.00 per map.

DEATH VALLEY BOOKSPublished by the Death Valley '49ers thesef ive volumes have been selected by 49ersas outstanding works on the history of DeathValley. All are durable paperback on sl ickstock.A NATURALIST'S DEATH VALLEY (Revised edi-Mon) by Edmund C. Jaeg er, ScD $1 .50MANLY AND DEATH VALLEY. Symbols of Des-t iny , by Ardis Man ly Walker $1.25GOODBYE, DEATH VALLEY! The story of theJayh awke r Party, by L. Burr Belden $1.5 0CAMELS AND SURVEYORS IN DEATH VALLEYBy Arthur Wo odwa rd $2.00DEATH VALLEY TALES by 10 dif ferent au-thors $1.25

k THECHHUIUAINDIUM

HHREY C. JAKES

THE CAHUILLA INDIANSBy HARRY C. JAMES

A comparatively small tribe, the Ca-huilla Indians played an important partin the settlement of Southern Californiaby working with white settlers insteadof waging wars to protect their lands.Today the Cahuillas are proud of theirheritage and are active members of thecommunities in Riverside County. Firstprinted in 1960, The Cahuil la Indianshas been out of print for many years.It was reprinted through the efforts ofthe Cahuilla's own Malki Museum. (SeeSouthern California Guide in this issue.)Hardcover, illustrated, 185 pages.

$7.50HISTORY OF THE SIERRA NEVADA by Francis P.Farquhar. History of the Spaniards, Argonauts,pioneers, mil i tary and rai lroad builders whofought and conquered the rugged Sierra NevadaMountains . Paperback, i l lus t rated, 262 pages,$2 . 65 .S U N , SAND AND SOLITUDE by Randall Hender-s o n . For more than 50 years Randall Hendersonhas traveled across the deserts of the West untiltoday he is known as the voice and prophet ofthis region of mystery, sol i tude and beautyFounder of Desert Magazine in 1 93 1, he has de-voted his l i fe to understanding the great out-doors. His second and latest book is a culmin-at ion of his experiences, thoughts and philoso-phy. Hardcover, deluxe format, deckle-edgedpaper, 16 pages ful l color, excellent i l lustrat ions,$7 . 95 .LOWER CALIFORNIA GUIDE BOOK by Gerhardand Gulick. The authors have revised the thirdedit ion to bring it up to date. Veteran travelersin Baja California would not venture south ofthe border wi thout th is author i tat ive volume. I tcombines the fascinat ing history of every loca-t i on , whether i t be a town, mission or aban-doned ranch, with detai led mileage maps andlocat ions of gasoline supplies, water and otherneeded information on Baja. 243 pages withthree-color folded map, 16 detai led route maps,4 city maps, 22 i l lustrat ions. Hardcover $6.50.NEW MEXICO PLACE NAMES edited by T. M.Pearce. Published by the University of NewMexico, this book lists and gives a concise his-tory of al l the places, towns, former sites,mountains, hi l ls, mesas, r ivers, lakes, arroyos,etc. , in New Mexico, including those sett led bythe early Spaniards. Paperback, 817 pages withmore than 5000 names, $2.45.MINES OF DEATH VALLEY by L. Burr Belden.About fabulous bonanzas, prospectors and lostmines. Paperback. $1.95.

TRAVEL GUIDE TO ARIZONA by the Editors ofSunset Books. Completely revised new edit ionincludes maps, photographs and descript ivematerial for the traveler throughout Arizona.Large format, four-color cover, heavy paper-back, 96 pages, $1.95.BOTTLES AND RELICS by Marvin and HelenDavis. This latest bottle book has more than 30pages of ful l-color i l lustrat ions with the bott lesshown in natural sett ings. In addit ion to thecolor there are also dozens of black and whitephotos of more than 500 bott les. I t also includessections of collection and display of relics suchas guns, horns, cooking utensils and other col-lectors' items. Slick paperback, 155 pages, four-color cover. $4.50.DEATH VALLEY U.S.A. by Kenneth Alexander.An excellent photographer, the author presentsthe moods and history of Death Valley throughhis pictures and descriptive text. One of thebest quali ty books published on Death Valley.Beau ti fu l g i f t . Large 9 x 1 1 f o rmat, qua l i t ypaper, profusely i l lustrated, hardcover, $8.50.1000 MILLION YEARS ON THE COLORADO PLA-TEAU by Al Look. For 40 years the author hashiked over and explored the Colorado Plateau.Cit ing the area as a typical example of theearth's overal l evolut ion, he gives a vivid ac-count of the geology, paleontology, archeologyand uranium discoveries start ing back 1000mil l ion years. Writ ten for the layman, the non-f ict ion account reads l ike a journey throught ime. Hardcover, i l lustrated, 300 pages, $3.75.METAL DETECTOR HANDBOOK by Art Lassagne,2nd edition. Includes history, operat ing tech-niques, interpretat ion of signals, and Directoryof Manufacturers. One of the most completehandbooks of its kind. Paperback, 65 pages.$3 . 00 .HOW TO COLLECT ANTIQUE BOTTLES by JohnC. Tibbitts. A fascinat ing insight of early Ameri-ca as seen through the eyes of the medicinecompanies and their advert is ing almanacs. Ex-cellent book for avid'bott le col lectors and thosejust starting. Also includes chapters on collect-i n g , locations and care of bottles. Heavy, slickpaperback, wel l i l lus t rated, 118 pages, $4.00.FANTASIES OF GOLD by E. B. Sayles. Duringhis search for archeological f inds for more than30 years, the author was exposed to the rumorsand legends of lost gold and treasures. Afterhis ret irement as curator of the Arizona StateMuseum, he classif ied and delved into thesest i l l unsolved mysteries. An interest ing and in-formative book on lost bonanzas and legends,many of which have never been published.Hardcover, well i l lustrated, 135 pages, $6.50.

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WILLIAM KNYVETT, PU B L I S HE RJACK PEPPER, EDITOR

JACK DELANEY, Staff WriterJOLEEN ROBISON, Woman's Viewpoint Editor TkstfiLAGAZINE

Volume 34, Number 2 FEBRUARY, 1970

THE COVER:The warm sun highlightsCholla cactus on ihe Coa-chella Valley floor withtowering Mt. San Jacintoin the background. Photoby David Muench, SantaBarbara, California.

WHITE MAN'S PUEBLOWEEKEND TREASURE HUNTING

LAKECAHUILLATREASURE WITH WINGS

FOCUS ON FUNA DUDE RANCH FOR CAMPERSARTISTRY IN IRONWOOD

THROUGH BORREGO BADLANDSDATE FESTIVAL

OVER THE ROCKS (JOSHUA STYLE)IT 'S NEVER TOO LATE FOR ADATE

by Laura Raefby Nema AndersonNew Recreational Areby Elta ShivelyDesert Adventuresby Jack Pepperby Jack Pepperby Richard BloomquiA County Fairby Betty J. Tuckerby Jack Sbeppard

A PEEK IN THE PUBLISHER'S POKERAMBLING ONROCKS

BOOKREVIEWSDESERTGARDENING

CALENDAR OF WESTERN EVENTSWOMAN'SVIEWPOINT

LETTERS

by William Knyvettby Glennand

Martha Vargaby Jack Pepperby Eric JohnsonClub Activitiesby Joleen A. RobisonReader's Comments

ELTA SHIVELY, Executive Secretary MARVEL BARRETT, Circulation Mamiger

EDITORIAL AN D CIRCULATION OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea, Palm Desert, California 92260, AC 714 346-8144. NATIONAL ADVER-TISING OFFICES: 8380 Melrose Street, Los Angeles 90069, AC 213 653-5847. Listed in Standard Rate and Data. Subscription rates:United States, Canada & Mexico, 1 year, $5.00; 2 years, $9.50, 3 years, $13.00. Other foreign subscribers add $1.00 currency for each year.See Subscription Order Form in this issue. Allow five weeks for change of address and send both new and old addresses with zip codesDesert Magazine is published monthly. Second class postage paid at Palm Desert, California and at additional mailing offices under Act ofMarch 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1970 by Desert Magazine and permission to reproduce any or all contents must be secured in writing.Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs WILL NOT BE RETURNED unless accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope.


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A I N B 0 W SE N D . . .begins with a

T R E A S U R E L O C A T O R !

m" C O M M A N D E R " 7 2 0Th i s Go I da k T r ea su reLocator is unsurpassed forlocat ing buried t reasure,coins. Civil War relics andfor beachcombing. Features"Tell-Tone " Signal. Locatesany metal object under dirt,sand, mud, rock, etc. Nocumbersome c o rds -com -pletely transistorized, bat-tery powered.When it comes to find-ing your pot of gold, gowith the leadergo withGo/dak!

E F F E C T I V E D E P T H R A N G E( U n d e r N o r m a l C o n d i t i o n s

Start out r ightsend $1.00 pre-paid for authent ic gold-p latedrepl ica of a Spanish doubloonfound off Cape Kennedy.T H E G O L D A K C O M P A N Y , I N C .

1101-AAi rWayGlendale, Cal i forn ia 91201

Please send free l i ter atu re on GOLDAK trea-sure locators .I enclose $1.00 prepaid for my gold-plateddoubloon repl ica wi th pouch.

NameAddress -City

\ S ta te . - Z i p -

A P e e ki n t h eP u b l i s h e r ' s

F EBRUARY IN the Coachella Valleyof California is not just anothermonth. It is an experience. The warmdays with clear blue skies and thecool evenings with the sky full of glit-tering stars is a never to be forgottenmemory. It contains the glamor city ofPalm Springs, winter home of manyof the celebrities of stage, screen andtelevision; the playground of presi-dents and the home of the much-publi-cized Bob Hope Desert Golf Classic.But all these are pale beside the quiet

soul that IS the desertThe silence of a canyon, the wind rustling through the drypalm fronds, the shifty glances from a lizard as he warily watches your approach,the dunes of sand broken only by the ripples that the wind has created or the frag-mentary tracks of some of the desert's smaller residents. This then, is the magic thatbrings one back again and again to bask in the sun, camp in its silent places or justdrink in its immenseness with your eyes or your camera lens. In these hurried andharried days, the desert can be a most calming influencea natural tranquilizer youmight call it. Because the bulk of our readers are Californians and because they arelocated in the Greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas, we feel this issue willprovide them with a variety of things to see and places to go which can be accom-plished by a weekend trip. The nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday worker just doesnot have sufficient time, except on vacation, to make trips entailing hundreds andhundreds of miles of driving without arriving home more worn out than when heleft. With this in mind, this issue is dedicated to the Coachella Valley which canbe reached by the bulk of our readers in less than two hours.

With the sporadic rainfall this past fall the wildflower crop is still a nebulousthing although I personally feel it will be an excellent one for sand verbena which,in certain areas, literally create valleys of purple between softly rolling dunes and,interspersed with the greasewood bush, make a setting hard to believe. For the latestinformation on the wildflowers please call the office or drop by if that's possible.

Two notable recreation areas are making their initial appearance this month.California's first Ranch Kampground of America is having its Grand Opening inFebruary. This establishment is fully detailed in a feature article by Jack Pepperappearing on page 18. The second facility is a development of the Coachella ValleyCounty Water District which has built a reservoir for irrigation water and turned itover to the County of Riverside for development as a recreation center.Add to this the County Fair and National Date Festival and you will see whyFebruary in the Coachella Valley is an experience!

Here's a little tale about some DESERT Magazine subscribers that I feelshould be repeated: This couple has been rockhounding and collecting for many,many years and related the thrills they had in discovering this specimen and that.During the years they have accumulated a considerable collection of some very inter-esting stones and fossils and they told us that when they get too old to go collectingthey will take one last trip and put it all back in their beloved desert for some futurerockhounds to delight in finding. A beautiful thought from beautiful people.


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R a m b l i n gR o c k sby Glenn and Martha Vargas

A LTHOUGH THERE is very little of anytype of good gem material or min-eral specimens in the immediate area ofCoachella Valley, it has a high concentra-tion of rockhounds.Within its confines are three active or-ganizations devoted entirely to earthscience activities. In conjunction with theRiverside County Fair and National DateFestival, in Indio, February 13 through

2 3 , there is a sizable mineral and gem ex-hibit largely sponsored and carried outby two of these organizations. Each yearthis exhibit contains the finest lapidarywork and mineral specimens owned byresidents of Riverside County. There aresome open classes that attract excellentexhibits from other areas.At one time, two school districts in theCoachella Valley, through their adult de-partments, offered classes in lapidary andjewelry making. The classes at CoachellaValley Union High School were started24 years ago. Despite a number of movesnecessitated by school expansion, classeswere always available and popular. Class-es at the Palm Springs Unified SchoolDistrict started 17 years ago in a remodel-ed warehouse.

Seven years later they were moved toexcellent quarters in Cathedral City. Atthe opening of the College of the Desert,with campus at Palm Desert, the twolaboratories were combined at the Cathe-dral City location and became an off-campus branch of the college. T he lapi-dary laboratory is very complete. Any-thing from the softer recognized gem ma-terials up to the hard types (excludingdiamond) may be cut, polished, and setinto jewelry.Almost any conceivable shape of ca-bochon, various types of flat surfaces, and

simple to intricate carvings can be accom-plished and brought to the desired polishluster with comparative ease. Classes infaceting, the ultimate of gem cutting, arealso offered. There are few other regionsof like population that can boast of such acomplete set of lapidary laboratories.All of this rockhound activity must bebased on something else if there are no

minerals to collect within the valley. Partof the answer lies in the fact that excel-lent collecting areas are not too far away.The closest is about 75 miles, and manyothers ranging at distances up to 200miles. Within these radii are to be foundthe coveted fire agate at two locations,various other agates, geodes, and mineralcrystals.One of these locations, the Wiley Welldistrict, is probably the best known. Itcertainly is one of the most popular. The

well itself, a sort of "unofficial" head-quarters, lies on the northern edge of avast collecting field. This watering placefills an important place in the history ofthe region, with rockhounding only asmall part of the story.With the decline of mining activity inthe region, the well became one of the im-portant centers for the cattle and sheepmen who used the region for grazing, es-pecially during the years of good fodderresulting from better-than-average rain-

fall. It was only logical then, that themodern counterpart of the prospectors,the rockhound, saw the well as an impor-tant landmark and watering place.The collecting fields lie to the southaid southwest of the well. Immediatelyto the south is the popular Coon Hollow,the location of fire agate. This field wasdiscovered nearly 30 years ago, and isstill popular. Immediately to the south ofCoon Hollow, and lesser known, is thearea of Twin Buttes, or The Thumbs.

The name stems from a peculiar-shapeddouble mountain easily seen from a longdistance. Here is found agate nodulesand agate geodes of wide variety.To the south and west of the well liesone of the West's largest geode deposits.These are in the Black Hills of ImperialCounty. The best known of these is theHauser Geode Beds, but there are otherswith romantic-sounding names: TheStrawberry Patch, The Giant Geode Beds,The Straw Beds, The Potato Patch, TheCinnamon Roll Beds, and others. Some

of these were named from the shape ofthe geode, or the color of its contents.To reach the Wiley Well area and thebeds we described take Interstate 10 eastfrom Indio. Fifteen miles before Blythea good gravel road, marked with a "Wi-ley Well" sign, goes to the right for sixmiles to a crossroad. This is Wiley Well.The greatest reason for the seemingCoachella Valley paradox lies in the val-ley itself. First, the agricultural areas ofthe valley are growing, with new resi-dents arriving constantly. Second, thePalm Springs area is well known as a re-sort and retirement attraction to whichhas flocked a large number of retired andsemi-retired people. Those new to Coa-chella Valley, whether retired or not,look for something to occupy their sparetime. Many of them are delighted to findrockhoundiqg a "going concern," and

the distances to the activities are withinreason and fairly free from traffic prob-lems. Many individuals are "wish-to-be"rockhounds that will jump at the oppor-tunity to get into the activity they havelooked at from afar.

S o u t h e r n S u m m e r .Everybody knows aboutSouthern Arizona's fabulousf a l l , win te r and spr ingweather . Bu t how aboutsummer? That's the timeof year you can enjoy theAr izona tha t Ar izonansknow - like swimming atmidn igh t under ba lmy,c lear deser t sk ies . L ikeliving in ultimate luxury atworld famous resorts andhotels, dining like royalty at low, off-season rate s!Summer is also the timefor water sports on South-ern Arizona's many lakes.And don't miss making ita "Twin Nation Vacation,"w i t h f r i e n d l y , c o l o r f u lMexico just a step to thesouth. This year, enjoyArizona as Arizonans enjoyit . Visit Southern Arizonain the summer!

For information aboutAmazing Arizona and theTwin Nation Vacation, write:Travel Information SectionState of ArizonaDept. G-63003 North Central AvenuePhoenix, Arizona 85012


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WORLD FAMOUS

Steak Ranch and Hotel67-501 Highway 111, Palm Springs, California

44 NEWLY FURNISHED and CARPETED ROOMSAcross the street from Palm Springs Municipal Golf Course

Preferred Golf Rates and Starting TimesENTERTAINMENT and DANCING

R e w a r d f o r E a r l y d i n e r sOur regular $4.25 Top Sirloin Steak or Prime RibO n l y $ 2 . 9 5

To get the Earlydiner Reward, you must arrivebefore 6:00 p.m. Sunday through Friday5:30 p.m. Saturday

(714) 328-1101

I I J IH I I I I IU I I I I I I I I i l l l i

H A P P Y S I G N O F P R O G R E S SW hen C V C W D pipeline crews arc seen atwork as in the above photo, you can be surenew facilities are being readied somore families may establish their homes and begin

enjoying the happy, contented existenceof our great desert empire.C V C W D now serves pure, urban water tonearly 7,000 homes and businesses.

Domestic Water DivisionC O A C H E L L A V A L L E Y C O U N T Y W A T E R D I S T R I C T

Your Local Governmental Agency ActiveIn Six Related Fields of Water Service

P.O. Box 1058, Coachella, Calif. 92236Office: Southern Edge of Coachella - 39 8-2 65 1

R e v i e w sby Jack Pepper

DESERT LANDSCAPING IN THECOACHELLA VALLEYPublished by N eel's Nursery

Although this book was compiled forresidents of Riverside County's CoachellaValley, it is applicable to all desert areasin the sea-level geographical range.It was compiled under the directionof Eric Johnson, who, starting with this

issue, will have a monthly Desert Gar-dening column in Desert MagazinePlanting and maintaining gardens, wheth-er they be the native desert plant varietyor the cultivated, calls for Sa entirely different operation than gardens in thecoastal or higher elevation areas.The book is a concise guide as to whento plant, what to plant and how to carefor gardens. Sections include care ofshrubs, conifers, trees, roses, citrus, vines,palms, ground covers, lawns and many

others. Regardless of the size of yourdesert garden, this book will save youmoney and time. Large format, paper-back, color and black and white illus-trations, $1.50.DUTCH OVEN COOKBOOKBy Don Holm

Paul Revere not only warned the Brit-ish were coming, he also designed theoriginal Dutch Oven. Later, traders fromHolland bought large quantities for bar-ter with the Indians and the frontier set-tlers. This is how the utensil came to beknown as the "Dutch" oven.

If you have never used a Dutch oven,after reading Don Holm's book you aregoing to turn off the kitchen stove andhead for the backyard for a cookout. Ofcourse, you'll have to get a Dutch ovenfirst, and even this information is sup-plied.First of its kind in print, The Old

Fashioned Dutch Oven Cookbook is pri-marily an outdoor cookbook specializing


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in old-fashioned Dutch oven cookery andsourdough recipes. The book goes intothe subject thoroughly, first explaininghow to build the right kind of fire forthe oven, how to season the oven andhow to take care of it.While explaining these and othercamping shortcuts, the author brings ininteresting historical incidents which are

illustrated with clever cartoons.There are numerous tempting recipesincluding pot roasts, mulligan stews, anddishes made from fish of various kinds,bear meat, buffalo, venison, uplandbirds, rabbit, woodchuck and many more.There is material on sourdough cook-ing, with recipes for starters, flapjacksand biscuits of various kinds. Otherrecipes include those of a few outdoorwriters of the Pacific Northwest and alsohow to make jerky.Don Holm is wildlife editor of thePortland Oregonian and has spent hislife exploring and writing about the out-doors. Veteran outdoor chefs, amateurbackyard cooks and those who have neverhad the thrill of eating food preparedunder the open sky will find this bookleading toward new culinary adventures.Heavy paperback, 106 pages, $3.95.

.10 YEARS IN DEATH VALLEYBy H arry P. Gowe r

The history of Death Valley is pri-marily the history of borax and the menwho madeand lostfortunes develo-ping and shipping the product through-out the world. Although known princi-pally as a cleansing agent, borax hasmany other uses such as in medicine andglass manufacturing.One of the men who was actively en-gaged in this battle against the elementsof Death Valley is the late Harry PGower who spent 50 years as a produc-tion engineer in the mining camps.Among the many prospectors, adven-turers and financial tycoons brought tolife once again in this book are FrancisMarion (Borax) Smith and William T.Coleman, both of whom played a majorrole in the development of California.Published by the Death Valley '49ersthis is an exciting first-hand account olthe battle for borax and the history ol

Death Valley. Paperback-, illustrated, 145page, $2.95.

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W h i t eM a n ' sP u e b l oby Laura Raef

T H E UNIQUE pueblo "castle-turned-museum" jutting out of the side ofa mountain in Desert Hot Springs, Cali-fornia, is best described as an extremelyremarkable featas extremely remark-able as its builder, Cabot Yerxa.From a distance, this Hopi-designedcliff dwelling practically camouflages it-self with its own muted, gray-like hueswhich blend with those of the surround-ing desert. Then, like a genie poppingout of a bottle, the rambling puebloemerges from out of the mountainside in-to a spectacular view.Cabot Yerxa, famous in the desert forhis paintings of Indians, designed hisPueblo from ancient cliff dwellings ofthe New Mexico Indians who lived over

a thousand years ago.He started his building before the

birth of the citynow known for its heal-thy mineral watersand continued tobuild, adding room after room, for atotal of 24 years.Yerxa deviated only slightly from theHopi Indian style of construction. Onechange he made was building stairwaysinside rather than the Indian-style lad-ders on the outside. Ancient dwellingshad only one window and one door ineach room, but Yerxa included two andsometimes three in most of hiswith ex-ception of the cave rooms which havenone at all.The east wall on the ground floor is24 inches thick at the bottom and 10 or

more inches at the top. It has no doorsnor windows. The sun rises but does notshine into the downstairs rooms untilsunset.All 35 rooms of the four-story ramb-ling cliff dwelling have a different rooflevel. Altogether there are 150 windows wand 65 doors and 17 of these doors leadto the outside.Yerxa included four small apartmentsinside his pueblo. These were often oc-cupied by artist friends. His fourth floor

studio towers above the canyon walls,bringing into view nearly all of Coachella

Valley. However, the canyon opens outtoward Mt. San Jacinto which gives everyroom a view of Riverside County's high-est mountain.The castle is built over a hot waterwell. The pump, located in Yerxa's work-shop, lifts the 128 degree water to a tankbehind the pueblo. The building is 300feet above the desert floor but only 140feet to water.When he started construction, he hadno money for tools. Using a second-handpick and shovel, he started digging. Fora solid year, he dug a deep cavern in themountainside. With the dirt, he filled upthe canyon in the front of the mountain,

which later became his front yard.In his Model T Ford, he hauled sand,rocks and cementalong with barrels ofwaterup to the mountain peak. Unable,financially, to buy materials, he scouredthe desert collecting old railroad ties,used nails and anything else which mightbe of possible value.Excepting for a very short time whenhe had the help of one man, he did thework aloneeven hand-mixed his ce-ment. As soon as the construction de-

veloped to crude livability, Yerxa and hiswife, Portia, moved in.


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' V 1 . , . ' , , .

The late Cabot Yerxaand his famous Indian pueblointo which he built partof his soul.

Somewhere along the way, one roombecame an art gallery where hung paint-ings of his as well as his artist friends.He also turned one room into a t radingpost where he displayed handwork ofIndians as well as Mexican artisans,hooks and many desert souvenirs.

Tn Alaska during the gold rush days,Yerxa had collected many things usedby Eskimos living near the Arctic Circle.These included animal skins, metatestones, pack saddles, animal traps andmany pictures taken during the gold rushto Cape Nome in the 1900s.

A museum of early day relics, Indianartifacts and beautiful bead work ofNorthern Indians, was established insidethe castle also. Here, he displayed a tom-ahawk and buffalo leather shield takenfrom a dead Indian on the Custer Battle-field. A pair of red moccasins, decoratedwith porcupine quills, worn by RedCloud, leader of a band of Sioux who

fought against General Custer, are in themuseum.

As the fantastic cliff dwelling grewlarger and larger, the public clamored tose e the inside. Reluctantly, Yerxa openeda part of the castle to sightseers, con-ducting tours.

Yerxa first came to the desert as earlyas 1913, with only a paper bag of foodan d a quart of water and minus a blanket.Keeping warm at night by campfire heslept during the day on the sand whileth e sun warmed his body.

His first desert home was a hole dugin a bank with no roof, no door , no fur-ni tureonly the hole in the earth. Nexthe built a one-room cabin to be followedshortly by what he named as the "Eagle 'sNest ." This was half underground andhad one door and one window, also atopMirac le Hi l l . There was a fireplace andthis is where he brought his bride hometo live before he started his castle.

Having sunk his roots deep in the des-ert, Yerxa spent much time with Indians,sometimes living with them and going toplaces never before seen by white man.Consequently, he became a prolific "teller

(.ontinued on Page XI

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10/44

W e e k e n dT r e a s u r eH u n t i n gby Nema Anderson

TO BAM B

W E ONCE yearned to discover LostDutchman mines and galleonswith ingots of Spanish gold, but hardrockmining and sunken ships were both abit beyond our depth. However, we liveonly a weekend away from a desert, sothe Mojave is our Saturday safari, and itis there we discovered the adventure oftreasure hunting.Southern California deserts hosted anumber of World War II training camps.Our present "workings" are near Essex.Mitchell Caverns State Park with a camp-ground is nearby, but a camp rig can beparked alongside the weekend screeningsite.Equipment needs are two sawhorses, ascreen to place across them and a shovel.Locating "paydirt" is equally simple. Anarea bare of its 7 5-year-old growth ofcreosote bushes is likely the 2 5-year-oldsite of tents. Here, when G.I. Joe shuck-ed his fatigues to go to bed, is where his10

pocket change was spilled.Now his lost coins have a premiumvalue T he current issue of Coin Priceslists two 1934S Peace Dollars we foundat $37.50 apiece. Of 28 Liberty StandingHalf Dollars found, the same sourcequotes a 1921D for $200.00, a 1919S, a1918S, a 1923S and a 1927S for amountsof $90.00, $31.00, $75.00 and $22.50, re-

spectively. Twenty-three others vary invalue from $1.00 to $115.00, accordingto condition.Screening has produced several BarberHead Q uarter Dollars and a number ofStanding Liberties. All have a premiumvalue in almost any readable condition.Six 1934S Washington quarters are worth$9.00 each, one 1937S is $17.50. Num-bers of the then newly minted 1942-45shave less rare-coin value but a highersilver content.The G.I. often failed to retrieve drop-ped dimes and pennies that sifted into

L D


11/44

Rick And erson (oppositepage) sorts out the coins he

found during a weekendhunting trip. "Andy"

Anderson (right) usesbinoculars to discover foxholes

used by General Patton'stroops. World War II

maneuvers were he ld in areason map below.

his sandy floor. We have screened morethan 200 dimes and upward of 700 pen-nies. It amazes us to find very old andvery obvious coins such as Liberty Head-V and Buffalo nickels, Indian Head and1909 Lincoln pennies. Perhaps the heatand war training took precedence in asoldier's mind over such mundane mat-ters as "keepers" among his pocket coins.We have found more than 300 Buffalonickels. These seldom-seen nickels pre-sently in circulation are so badly wornthey are of no premium value. But it isfound that one out of two lost in theforties are clear and readable. They are,therefore, high in premium value.We screen an average of $2.50 incoins a dayface value. But collector's

value can be many thousands times thecoin's denominationone instance is thehumble little Lincoln Cent. Coin Pricescurrently lists it at $145.00!The old camps left a variety of articlesto discover: helmets, bayonets, eye glas-ses, field glasses, watches and compasses.

MITCHELL'SCWERNSSTATE PARK

There are many "dog tags" and identi-fication bracelets, sterling silver rifle-man medals, St. Christopher medals,crosses and rosaries. We find dozens ofwedding rings and empty-socket ringmountings; changing temperatures caus-ing contraction and expansion haveloosened gem stones.Exploring the desert is to discovermuch to draw a family close in contem-plation. Our youngsters, who screen sandand classify coins as eagerly as any coin

buff, speculate just as keenly on mysti-fying finds. Why was the partly-strippedJeep left behind? The cache of gallon-size cans of spinach or a buried box ofK rationstill fresh-smelling when open-en did the G.I. ditch chow whichwasn't up to his taste?Or we hike into the surrounding hillsand find the old workings of a pros-pector with an ingenious asphaltedcatch basin to funnel precious rainfall

into his cistern, an old shaft which didn'tpan out. We stand together in wonder-ment of a desert and of those who con-quered it before us.With cooling temperatures we shallagain go treasure hunting. At this writ-ing the melting of coins for silver islegal. It is expected that a numberes-pecially wartime nickels, large 35-per-cent-silver coinswill disappear into amelting pot. How valuable then as col-lector's coins will the many we have

found, plus those we find this season,ultimately become ?


12/44

M m I

A BRAND NEW lake with aquatic andcamping facilities is being formedon the desert floor of California's Coa-chella Valley in Riverside County. Namedafter ancient Lake Cahuilla, which oncespread over all of Coachella and Imperialvalleys, the new lake will eventualy coverL35 acres and is expected to open earlyin 1970.The lake is nestled against the scenicSanta Rosa Mountains along which canbe seen the travertine marks of the an-cient lake which was originally namedLake Cahuilla after the Indians who livedin the area.The lake is a recreational gift to out-door enthusiasts from the Coachella Val-ley County Water District which is de-veloping the body of water for the pri-mary use as a terminal reservoir for its

irrigation system which distributes Colo-rado River water to approximately 65,000acres of farmlands in the valley.12

The Coachella Valley Canal, whichbrings water into the valley from theColorado River 123 miles away, ends atthe western side of the lake and willkeep it filled the year around. Kidneyshaped, Lake Cahuilla is three-fourths ofa mile long and about half that size inwidth. It will hold 1500 acre feet ofwater with an average depth of 12 feet.It is being constructed at a cost of$1,500,000.

Under an agreement between the Coa-chella Valley County Water District andthe Riverside County Parks Department,the latter will operate and maintain thearea as a county regional recreationalcenter with an expenditure of more than$500,000 in county, state and Federalfunds for development during the nextthree years.Extensive pians are now being drawnfor development of the lake for fishing,boating, picnicking, swimming and camp-

ing. California State Fish and Game offi-cials will stock the lake with trout duringthe winter months and warmer monthfish during the rest of the year. Therewill be a fishing pier and eventuallymarina and boat rental facilities.A swimming beach is located at thesouthwest section of the lake with bathhouses and other facilities. The lake is

too small for water skiing. Large areas,including the 100-foot retaining dikes,will be planted with shade trees andpicnic facilities, according to CountyParks Director Peter Dangermond.Several acres of newly-filled groundnear the southeastern corner of the lakewill eventually be used as a site fortravel trailers and campers. Final planscall for the development of hiking trailsinto the scenic canyons of the Santa RosaMountains.The lake can be reached by takingJefferson Boulevard south from State 111between Palm Desert and Indio.


13/44

I FOUND TREASURE in our back yarda glorious array of tiny irridescentbirds hovering in mid-air only a fewinches from my face, staring me in theeye as if sizing me up. It came aboutwhen one of my grandsons gave me ahummingbird feeder for Christmas oneyear. Living in Coachella Valley, wewould see one or two hummingbirds at atime and I often wondered if a feederwould really "attract them by the doz-ens" as various advertisements on birdfeeders stated.

We placed the feeder near a windowso we could watch the birds from ourdining area. Within minutes a humming-bird discovered the feeder, claimed it as

his own private property and chasedother birds away when they came near.Since that particular type of feeder couldaccommodate only one bird at a time,we simply had to get more feeders.

We soon discovered the disadvantagesof a feeder with only one downward tubefor the bird to get the nectar. The slight-est breeze swings the feeder enough tolose the nectar. The dripping makes amess on shrubs, window panes andground. It also attracts ants and beeswhich discouraged the hummingbirds aswell as ourselves. Orioles, Western tana-tjers, finches and sparrows will perch onthe tube and try to drink from the tiny

opening even though we provide waterelsewhere for them to drink. This causesthe liquid to drip out rapidly.Tn our local pet shop, we found thefeeder shown in the photo. This has feed-ing holes for four birdsand does notdrip. This was so successful that we pur-chased several. At first, some of the birdswere rather timid and only one birdwould be feeding while others awaitedtheir turn. Eventually they overcametheir timidity. Now we make a game ofseeing which feeder has the most birdsat one time.The fascinating little hummingbirds

have no fear of people. They let us knowwhen the feeder is empty and hover13


14/44

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around us when we replace the sugarwater. We entertain guests in the patiowith the hummingbirds as the main at-tractionperching wherever they please.How thrilled nine-year-old Warren waswhen one finally settled on his outstretch-ed finger! Sometimes we can almost petthe birds when they are feeding. Ruby-throated and Costa's are the tamest.Each dive-bomber seems to have itsown personality. One always uses thesame perch; one is rather timid; anotherretreats between feedings to a particulartwig on a certain oleander. "Piggy"spends such a long time drinking that onecan almost see him expanding like a bal-loon. He uses a perch at the feeder, re-laxing and preening his feathers betweendrinks, staying for several minutes. Itseems that some prefer perches while

Hummingbirds like to preentheir feathers between sips andwill constantly return to

feeder. Two photos byLloyd Shively.

others always hover when feeding. Theyzero-in on their favorite spot with notrouble whatsoever.Although we placed our feeders insheltered spots, the hummingbirds are

undaunted by rain. They ta*ke a bathwhile perched on a branch near the feed-er, fly to the feeder, then back to the

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branch for more bathing.With the first rosy rosy flush of dawnand again at the last lingering light ofduskthese remarkable little birds areat the feeders. From early Decemberthrough March, they are numerousthroughout the entire day. During sum-mer months the birds are rather scarce.They are attracted to bright colors, es-

pecially red. However, in the desertwhere colors are often only browns andgreys, they will go to green plants.Seeing the little "helicopters" at suchclose range, we were anxious to identifythem. Research convinced me that issomething for the experts. Costa's hum-

14

mingbird is probably the easiest to iden-tify because the throat feathers projectgreatly at the sides. In silhouette, theylook like misplaced horns. Irridescencevaries greatly depending upon the age ofthe birds, sex, angle of light, etc., thusmaking it difficult for amateurs to iden-tify the various species of which thereare more than 300. The Ruby-throatedis common throughout the United States,and it is the only one found east of theRocky Mountains. The Southwest has 15different hummingbirds.

The courtship of a pair of humming-birds is something to see. His campaign-promises made during the vertical andhorizontal flight, facing the female, meannothing. She builds the tiny nest il/ 2inches in diameter, lines it with soft ma-terial; lays the two pea-sized eggs; spendstwo weeks incubating the eggsand thenfeeds her babies all by herself. The maledeserts her entirely after courtship.The babies look like worms or insects.They are not much larger than a bee and


15/44

are ready to fly in two or three weeks.I accidentally discovered their nest in anItalian cypress. Hummingbirds do notexist on nectar entirely. They also eatinsects and can be seen darting afterthem in mid-air.Colliers Encyclopedia (1962, Volume

1 2 , page 354) states "The young obtainsustenance by thrusting their bill downthe parent's throat." However, NationalGeographic Society photos, in their bookStalking Birds With Color Camera(1962), show the mother bird thrustingher bill deep into the baby's gullet. Couldit be they don't want to waste preciousfood?

It seems strange that hummingbirdscan neither walk or runyet their aerialmaneuvers are unequalled by any otherbird. Arizona's Blue-throated humming-bird has been known to chase hawks indefense of its own. Two male hummersmay fight an actual "duel" by ramminginto each other until one falls to theground" where the fight will still con-tinue until one gives up and flies off.This establishes the male's territory.There is no evidence to support the state-ment that hummingbirds will peck out aperson's eyes.

The Broad-tailed will usually be heardbefore it is seen. One hears the whirr ofthe wings75 or more beats per secondin flight and many more when dive-bombing. The primary wing feathers nar-row to "slots" at the tip and air passingthrough the slots produces that specialwhirr. Practically fearless, hummingbirdsbecome air-borne and accelerate to aspeed of 30 miles an hour in 2/10 of asecond.

The tongue, which distinguishes hum-mingbirds from other bird groups, isnearly as long as the bill. It is a sort ofdouble-barreled tube, split and fringedat the tip.Rufous is found farther north than anyother hummingbird and it winters inMexico. Anna's hummingbird stays inCalifornia all year, but cannot nest in

some parts of the state because Argentineants, which have been introduced intothe state, kill and eat the baby birds.Some species of hummingbirds havepleasant little "songs" and one is for-tunate to be close enough to hear it.This is not the zzzzzz's frequently heard.It is thought there may be some relationbetween the size of the vocal cords inthe tiny bird and the pitch produced.Research may some day prove they sing

A hummingbird zeros inon a feeder. A uthor says eachbird has its own personality.Some fly and others sitwhile feeding.

at a pitch too high for human ears tohear. It is rather strange to see the throatmovement which resembles that of asinging bird and yet no sound is heard.Although we can't hear the humming-

birds sing, the feeders have given usmany hours of pleasure and relaxation.I wouldn 't be without a feeder.

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17/44

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PALM SPRINGS TRAMWAYFrom the Valley Station, 2000 feet above sealevel and Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Aeria!Tramway cable cars carry passengers in just 18minutes to the 8000-foot station in the scenicSan Jacinto Mountains where a panoramic viewof Coachella Valley is matched only by the sightof the San Bernardino Mountains more than 50miles away.During the ride from the valley to the moun-tain station, four complete geological life zonesthe equivalent to life changes observable on amotor trip from Sonora, Mexico to the ArcticCircle in Alaska, can be seen. The Mountain Sta-tion has an Alpine Restaurant, cocktail loungeand gift and apparel shops. Hiking trails lead toLong Valley and 11 campgrounds.The Tramway is open seven days a week from10 A.M. until 6 P.M., November 1 through June 1.During the summer season it is open the samehours, but closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Faresare $3.25 per adult, $2.25 for ages 13 through17 and $1.00 for youngsters from 4 to 12 yearsold.Adjoining the Valley Station is a completeAnimal Park with tigers, elephants, zebras, deer,monkeys, baboons and many other animals. Manyof the animals have appeared on television andthere are acts daily. Admission is $1.50 adultsand $1.00 for children. Open from 10:00 A.M.until dusk.

MALKI MUSEUMLocated on the Fields Road turnoff, Interstate10, between Banning and Cabazon, the MalkiMuseum was established by the Cahuilla Indians

to preserve their heritage and to acquaint otherswith their culture and history. The Cahuillaslived in Riverside County long before the Spanishfirst came through the area in the 1770s. Thereare more than 3000 artifacts, majority of whichwere donated by the Indian families. The basketcollection is especially fine, as is an exhibit ofnative plant foods. Indian dances and otherfestivities are held in the area throughout theyear. They have also published several books(see Page 2) on their history and culture.BERGMAN MUSEUM

The late Harry Bergman spent more than 50years of his life collecting artifacts and historicalobjects from Alaska to Mexico and Central Ameri-ca. Many of the relics are from the immediatevicinity and include Indian artifacts and objectsContinued mi Page 36


18/44

D U D ER A N C H

There's a new concept in week-end camping in which thefamily-on-wheels is offered allrecreational facilit ies of a duderanchplus spacious individ-ual areas for campers or traveltrailers. This is the first suchranch-style campgrounds t oopen in California spreadingover the Coachella Valley inRiverside County.

18


19/44

K I H C A M P E R Sy Jack PepperW ITH ITS wide open spaces andthousands of acres of public landwhere you can wander without invadingprivate property, the deserts of SouthernCalifornia for many years have beenfavorite areas for weekend campers andexplorers.

Within these deserts in San Bernar-dino, Riverside, Imperial and San Diegocounties you can make a "dry" primitivecamp on unrestricted Federal land, ortake advantage of the designated publiccampgrounds such as those along theSalton Sea or in the Anza/Borrego StatePark. In both cases family recreationalfacilities are limited.

Today there is a new concept in week-end camping in which the family-on-wheels is offered every type of recrea-tional opportunity, including horsebackriding, rodeos, square dancing, swim-ming, rock hounding, buckboard riding,and overnight cookouts with firesidesinging and tall tales spun by cowboywranglers.The first such ranch campground to be

opened in California is the 44-acre TripleR & L spread which lies on the CoachellaValley floor in Riverside County betweenthe Santa Rosa and Little San Bernar-dino Mountains. The boundary of theJoshua Tree National Monument is onlya few miles from the ranch.Until recently the Triple R & L was aworking ranch with no accommodationsand serving only a limited number ofriders and rodeo fans. Today, it is a"dude ranch," but not the type usually

associated with easternersit only catersto owners of campers and travel trailers.19


20/44

Thousands of new campers and traveltrailers are being sold every month inSouthern California and addition al thou-sands in other parts of the West. Asthese new families-on-wheels head forthe "wide open spaces" state and nation-al campgrounds are becoming as crowdedas the metropolitan areas from whichthe outdoor enthusiasts are fleeing.Although new campgrounds are beingbuilt by local and Federal agencies, thedemand far exceeds the new facilitiesand has created a major recreationalvacuum. Recognizing this vacuum andthe potential market, private industry hasrecently started building private camp-grounds and offering facilities not avail-able in public areas.One of the most aggressive of the newprivate enterprises is Kampgrounds ofAmerica. Organized in 1963, it is the

largest privately owned public camp-ground franchise system in America.The RKOA Triple R & L Ranchat acost of $1,000,000has constructed newrecreational facilities and is now a mem-ber of Kampgrounds of America. The"R" before the KOA means it is aranch-style campgrounds with all thetrimmings of a western guest ranchandthat's exactly what the Triple R & Lprovides for camper and travel trailerfamilies.There are complete stables with horsesfor both outsiders and campers. Over-night riding trips are conducted to Pio-neertown in the High Desert area alongwith one-day trips and campfire steakfries for both rides. Riding lessons areprovided by experienced wranglers onexcellent horses.

Commun ity building (right)of the RKOA Triple R&L

is in the center of the200 camp sites. Drawing

(below) shows layout of thespread which once was a

working horse ranch.

The newly developed camping ranchhas 200 sites for campers and trailers.Each site is 60 by 40 feet and is com-plete with water, cement and grill barbe-cut pit and a large picnic table. Ratesare $4.00 a night for a camper or trailerwith $1.00 extra for each person overfour people. Showers and other facilitiesare nearby.A large swimming pool with threeseparate sections for adults and children,a recreational area, a square dancingpavilion and the community hall are pro-vided without charge. There is also ageneral store and laundromat. Pro-grammed entertainment is schedulednightly. Future plans call for the con-struction of a ghost town with franchisedstores and other entertainment.Located on Indian Avenue, the RKOATriple R & L campgrounds is two mileseast on the North Palm Springs turnofffrom Interstate 10, approximately 120miles from Los Angeles.Manager of the new campgrounds isa 43-year-old rancher whose only absencefrom horse trading and exploring theSouthern California deserts was the timehe spent as a Marine in World War IIand the Korean conflict.Fred Warehime and his wife, Lois,

Y -H-and their partners, the ABC Cigar Com-pany of San Francisco, purchased the 44-acre ranch six years ago from Les Moore,a former Riverside County Deputy sheriffwho homesteaded the acreage in 1912.Today the Warehimes live in the sameadobe and brick house that Moore andhis wife, Lynn, built 57 years ago. Nextyear it will be converted into a restaurantand cocktail loungecomplete with theIndian paintings, western artifacts andgiant fireplace which equals the televisionversion of a western ranch in the 1800s.It is called "Stone Jug."

A colorful character in his own right,Fred Warehime described Les Moore as

tl "\ J - ! \'-i ii i ' !


21/44

;v.;^v_, j ^"one of the last of the two-fisted sheriffsand fighters of the old west." Moore methis wife, a daughter of the English am-bassador to Mexico during the UnitedStates-Mexican War. She was broughtup in European society and was an ac-complished musician and pianist. Mooretransported her to his Coachella Valleyhomestead which she loved from the dayshe arrived.

A year later, as she and her husbandwere building their adobe home in themiddle of the then barren desert, theyoung bride's father arrived. In contrastto his English attire, Lynne's appearancewas less than immaculate. As she placedstones on the planned fireplace she askedher father how he liked her new home."It looks like a stone jug," he replied.Lynne and Les Moore promptly named

their homewhich brought them loveand freedom for 50 yearsThe StoneJug. The phrase "stone jug" in Englandmeans prison.If there is anything farther from aprison, it is the Triple R & L Ranch andRKOA campgrounds. It's strictly a"Howdy Pardner' 'atmosphere with thewranglers and ranch employees dressedin Levis and the guests allowed theircomplete freedom either to be alone orjoin others in exploring the wide open

spaces of Southern California's land ofadventure.

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23/44

odF O R HUNDREDS of years the desertironwood tree has been a source ofsurvival for Indians, prospectors andexplorers. Today it is becoming a sourceof beauty for Western homes andgardens .

A talented woman with an unlimitedimagination uses slips of the ironwoodto make relief-mosaics of native desertbirds and animals. Another ironwoodadmirer, a retired business executive,photographs the trees in their naturalsettings and then creates modern designscomparable to the f inest sculpture inart galleries.

Others who are also fascinated by thebeauty and design of the wood, which isapparent even in its rough form, nowdisplay their favorite pieces in gardensand patios. The cardinal rules of iron-wood collectors are: Never cut or breaka live tree; use only the slips on theground or the roots and branches whichhave died, and only take home that whichyou will use.

21


24/44

Ranch in Rancho Mirage where her worksof art can be viewed.

True carried a canvas sack in whichshe places the ironwood slips. She spendshours looking for the r ight forms whicheventually become the wing , eye, body orhead of one of her creations.

Back in her Rancho Mirage workshop,True spreads the pieces out before herframe, which she makes out of masoniteand colored burlap. She uses desert sandand small plants for the landscape.Spending days on one creation, she triesone piece and then another until satisf iedwith the form. Th e slips are then ce-mented together and the final creationanchored to the frame.

As True exclaimed delight in slipssh e was f inding, David and I wanderedoff in another direction looking for thegnarled and twisted roots and branches

David Ball, right, a retired business executive whose hobby is photographingand sculpturing ironwood, and the author admire one of the giants of the desert.Notice how this "dead" piece is twisted and gnarled. Ironwood tree (right)

being strangled by mistletoe.

The "dead" pieces of the ironwood treeare more interesting than the live tree.For these pieces have actually beenstrangled to death and in the process oftrying to "breathe" they twist and turn,creating the unusual and beautiful designsof the wood.

And wha t is this deadly strangler thatkills parts of the mighty i ronwoodatree that may live to be hundreds of yearsol d and is one of the hardiest in theworld ? It's the mistletoe, one of the des-ert's most destructive parasitic plants,which f inds lodging in the mighty giantand eventually kills the branch to whichit is attached.

I saw several examples of this recentlywhen I accompanied Mrs. True Slocum,the imaginative artist, and David Ball,her ironwood associate, during a collect-ing tr ip near Desert Center in RiversideCounty. Mrs. Slocum, who prefers to becalled by her given name, and her hus-band , Si, manage the W h i t e Sun Guest

One of True Slocum's creations is thisquail. She uses desert sand and tinyplants for foreground. Background iscolored burlap. She also makes her ownframes.24


25/44

which he takes home. He also spendsdays patiently sanding and polishinguntil he has brought out the golden grainwhich is set off by brown and blackstreaks. He never cuts the wood, prefer-ing to work with the natural shape.While David was looking for samples,I sat under one of the mighty ironwoodsand read a fitting tribute to these works

of Nature written by Cap Smith in theDecember, 1955 issue of Desert Maga-zine:"The indomitable ironwood needs fewfavors. The searing sun, the broilingheat reflected from sky and soil, are in-dispensable. Moisture it must have, butthe deep beds of sand in the washes holda little moisture for a long time and thetree's root are far reaching. If rain doesnot come for a year or two or even five,it will turn the edges of its leaves to the

After collecting slips of ironw ood from a desert trip, True Slocum sp reads thembefore her and then starts matching and fitting the pieces in the form of b irds.

Type of creation evolves as the pieces fit together.

sun and grimly hang on."Its iron heart is practically impene-trable to termites. Even after death itsindestructible roots will hold it upright,a silver black ghost against the pastelcolors of the deserta monument to it-self as durable as marble."A man who has lived much of hislife on the open desert never stands un-der one of these ancient trees withoutthinking, 'Just the place to camp. Bed

roll there. Fire there. Grub box in thatcrotch, canteens on this limb. Water cansin the shady spot.'"He thinks too of what the ironwoodtree has meant to him and to other menwho have traveled the desert before him:shade in almost shadeless land; browsefor burros, fuel for campfires and evennutritious beans when other food sourcesfailed."A source of survival while living, indeath the venerable ironwood tree is a

source of beauty and as such lives for-ever.

Mrs. Henry Reans, of San Bernardino,uses natural ironwood pieces to decor-ate her patio. They can be either usedin their natural state or sanded andpolished.

25


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_ T h r o u g hB o r r e g oB a d l a n d sby Richard A. Bloomquist

IN THE Colorado Desert of southeasternCalifornia lies a tract of land some20 miles wide by 15 miles long known asthe Borrego Badlands. The region oncelay beneath the sea; then it was pushedup and eroded by wind and rain. Todayit is a maze of sunshot hills and arroyoswhich embody much of the mystery andcontradiction of the American desert.

From the highway, these Badlands ap-pear devoid of color or interest, yet seenclose-up in a jeep or on foot they revealmuch beauty and hidden treasure: grace-ful smoke trees and palo verdes; oases ofnative palms; remote springs; and petri-fied wood, fossils, calcite crystals, andconcretions.

Man has created a portion of the legacyof the Badlands, too. The Indian hasleft trails and potsherds. Anza paused atBorrego Spring ("San Gregorio") twiceduring the 1770s while opening an over-land route to California. Pegleg Smithmay have found, and lost, his three hillsof black gold somewhere in the Badlands,and in the late nineteenth and earlytwentieth centuries burro prospectors add-ed the lore of their wanderings to theland.Even today this country is littlechanged. It still lies under the spell ofsilence and enchanted distance.I had long been intrigued by the Bor-rego Badlands. I had driven the Truck-haven Trail and many of the sandy wash-es, and had camped in the shade ofsmoke trees and desert willows. Wanting

to get still closer to the land, I decidedupon a long, one-day circle hike through


27/44

Large concretions inAnza/Borrego State Park's

Pumpkin Patch (right)and surrounding formations

gives one the feeling he ison the moon.

An aerial view of theBorrego Badlands (opposite)page) graphically shows how

the land has eroded fromflash floods and winds.

the heart of the Badlands. Base campwould be at Barrel Spring, three milesnortheast of Ocotillo Wells.T drove to Barrel Spring on a pleasantday in late March. Once a barrel on topof a spring-formed sand dune protectedwater for travelers, but I could find notrace of the covering or the water. Todaythe place called "Barrel Spring" consistsof many low, mesquite-covered dunes,and is an attractive campsite when theair is calm and not overly warm. Duringtimes of wind and heat, however, itsopenness and lack of shade make it un-comfortable. From the spot there is afine panorama of the Badlands and theSanta Rosa range to the north.

A fraction of a mile to the west isSiuaw Peak, a volcanic crag amid thesurrounding sedimentary rock, small insize yet rich in desert legend. Prospectorshave seen a mysterious light at SquawPeak (and at other locations, too), alicht Fometimes described as a luminousrphere (the famed "Borrego fireball"),and sometimes as a lantern held by anenormous skeleton. Some have said theskeleton is the ghost of Pegleg Smith,still searching for his lost hills of gold.

From Barrel Spring I planned to hikein a northeasterly direction toward TuleWash. Upon striking it I would returnto camp in more or less a straight line.Borrego's Badlands are a relatively easycorner of the desert in which to navigateon foot. They are neatly bounded on allfour sides: Santa Rosas to the north, Bor-re^o Valley to the west, Highway 78 tothe south, and Highway 86 and the Sal-ton Sea to the east. There are prominent

landmarks to guide the traveler who isfamiliar with them: the Santa Rosa rangeitself, indicating north like a compass;Font's Point and Clay Point; Squaw Peakand Borrego Mountain; and the outlinesof hill and mesa. Also, every wash in theheart of the Badlands, if followed down-stream, leads eventually to a paved road.With this route in mind, a canteenover my shoulder, and a lunch sack fold-ed under my belt, I began my explorationof the Badlands. About one mile fromBarrel Spring I came to abandoned WolfeWell, with its rusted casing protrudingfrom the ground. Just beyond rose ShellReef, thick with fossils from the dayswhen this sector of the desert lay beneaththe sea.

I skirted the eastern flank of the Reef,then entered a region of grey hills andhummocks cut by numerous shallowwashes. They marked the beginning ofthe concretion country, thousands of acreslittered with countless sandstone forma-

tions of varying shapes and sizes. In onespot the forms were all rounded and ofthe size of marbles, while in another theywere comparable to baseballs.Other locales had their own peculiarconfigurations, and sausages, donuts, anddumbbells dotted the landscape. Stillother areas cast up shapes which chal-lenged the imagination: some might belikened to whale bones, some to ducks or

geese, and some to pieces of pipe. Manywere abstract forms, resisting classifica-tion. Adding to the wonder of the con-cretions was the land's complete separa-tion from the world of man. No jeeptreads, trail bike tracks, or footprintsmarked the desert here.Passing through still more concretions,I reached Tide Wash and the PumpkinPatch. There were man-made tracks here,for the wash is a main route of travel forfour-wheelers exploring the Badlands.

At the Pumpkin Patch the concretions aremostly round, and reach or surpass the27


28/44

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Seventeen Palms oasis wasa welcome site for Spanish

explorers and prospectors forits shady palms and water.

Today the water is gone,but it is a favorite meetingplace for desert explorers.

size of pumpkins. Less than three milesdown Tule Wash from this point is agiant sand dune, as well as the shoreline of vanished Lake Cahuilla. Lake Ca-huilk was far larger than the Salton Sea,and probably did not disappear com-pletely until around A.D. 1500. Shellsof organisms which lived in its freshwaters ftill abound on the desert floor.Indians camped along the receding shoreline, leaving fish bones from ancientfeasts which can be seen today.My trail lay upstream, toward Seven-teen Palms. After another mile I crossedinto the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.Up to this point the route had runthrough public domain land, neither apart of any park or other government re-servation, nor owned by private citizens.Yet the boundary sign meant little in thiscountry; beyond, the land was still fas-cinating and free.Farther up Tule Wash I was surprisedto find a tall and brilliantly painted

clump of desert asters along the edge ofthe arroyo. Other flowers had long sincefaded, but the aster plant was in its fullglory.I angled north, past Five Palms andinto the Arroyo Salado, the Badlands'"salt wash." Turning into a little tribu-tary of themain wash, I reached thecele-brated oasis of Seventeen Palms, with itsspring of brackish water. Indians once

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used the waterhole, leaving trails stillvisible nearby. Later, the spring was afavored rendezvous of the burro pros-pector and a focal point in the search forPegleg's black gold. The late Henry E.W. Wilson passed this way many timesduring his intermittent fifty-year questfor the lost bonanza. The little grovehas always seemed the classic palm oasisof the California desertrich in lore, re-mote, hidden from view until the lastmoment, and then providing with itspalms and water such a sharp contrast toits surroundings. I ate lunch and restedin the shade of this peaceful and storiedoasis.

From Seventeen Palms I returned tocamp at Barrel Spring by the most directroute, crossing the extensive low mudhills immediately south of the waterhole.From the tops of the first hills I climbedI could see the mescjuite dunes at BarrelSpring, six miles distant as the crow flies.

There were some abrupt pitches at thebeginning, but the footing wasgood andby scrambling with hands and feet I wasable to get up and over. Then I pickedup the first slender drainage channelsrunning toward the south. These embry-onic washes were at first only incheswide, but wide enough to allow one foot


29/44

*

to be putahead of theother. The mudhills rose sharply oneither side, and overlarge tracts not asingle living thing grew.Slowly the channels broadened, becominga foot wide, then two, until finally theywere full-fledged arroyos. Vegetation be-gan toappear more frequently, too. Soonthe hills opened up and thenearly levelfloor of thedesert was just ahead.The journey through the mudhillshad been a memorable one,memorablefor the terrain itself and forthe absolutenaturalness of thelandscape. Not a trackor a signpost or a piece of litter brokethe spell. It was good to feel this purity,for thedesert is fragile andmuch of itsappeal lies in total wildness.It was well into theafternoon when Treached Barrel Spring, ending a hike ofsome 17 miles. Soon twilight came tosoften thecolors anddeepen thepeaceof the desert. There was much toremem-ber: rocks shaped like baseballs andpumpkins, fossils formed in the sea,oases of wild palms, themud hills, thelore of Indians andburro men.The Badlands still are a land ofmy-stery and silence andenchanted distance,a land forwhich, at twilight, thehaunt-

ing and elusive melody of the oboe wouldbe fitting accompaniment. D

T H E D A T EF E S T I V A LYou don't have to travel thousands ofmiles to visit Arabia and to seehand-some shieks andpretty damsels of the

Sultan's Court andQ ueen Scheherazadeand herCourt of Beauty.All of these spectacular pageants willbe presented in Indio, California duringRiverside County's 1970 National DateFestival, February 13 through 23. Dur-ing these 11 days the community cele-brates the Arabian Nights theme with theresidents dressing incolorful costumesofthe Near East.Since its inception in 1947 as a smallcounty fair, theNational Date Festival

has increased in size each year until to-day it attracts thousands of visitors fromthroughout the United States. And be-cause of its spectacular displays and pa-geants, it isone of the most photograph-ed expositions inthe nation.In addition to thepageants, the fairpresents exhibits of therecreational, in-dustrial and agricultural aspects of River-side County. Theannual rock show isconsidered one of thebest in theWest.Dates and citrus areshown in colorful

displays along with a varied collectionof desert dryarrangements in the flori-culture area. A fine arts departmentfeatures desert paintings. There is alsoa daily Junior Fair andLivestock Show.On the outdoor entertainment sidethere are daily rodeos, camel races, ostrichraces and aNational Horse Show and onFebruary 22 a giant parade is staged.Indio is located inCoachella Valley, thenation's major date producing area anda winter resort. It is approximately 125

miles from Los Angeles via Interstate10 and State 111.Daytime temperatures in thearea arein the 80sduring theday, butdrop tothe middle 4()s during the night, so warmclothing is advised while watching theoutdoor pageants.During the festival, accommodationsare at a premium so reservations shouldbe made in advance. Listings of hotels,motels andtrailer parks can beobtainedby writing tothe Indio Chamber of Com-

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30

D e s e r tG a r d e n i n gby Eric Johnson

T N THE Coachella Valley you will noticethe strong climatic differences whenyou see the kinds of gardens that growside by side and the wide variety of plantsthat grow so well. In all areas fromPalm Springs to Indio you find the rock,gravel, cactus, palm and native plantcombination adjacent to the green lawn,colorful flower border, fruitful citrus,and lush looking vines.The Coachella Valley gardner who pre-fers the more simple life joins the desert.The more dedicated and plant orientedhome gardner develops a luxuriant set-ting, holds the desert back with walls orhedges and creates a green and colorfuloasis. Often you see a blending of thetwo kinds of garden.Gardening seasons are different. Inthe Coachella Valley the important gar-dening season accelerates in the fall in

distinct difference to the usual springplanting activity found in other climes.You take advantage of the favorable fallweather by feverishly planting annuals,perennials, shrubs, trees, vines and ryegrass lawns from October first to themidle of November. It is a well knowndesert gardener's experience that plantsestablished during the fall and winterseason move into the warming trend oflate February with the brightest andshowiest array of color seen anywhere.The pioneer and rancher of the pastplanted poplars, eucalyptus, elms andtamarix for wind protection and shade.He planted figs, dates, grapes and citrusfor food. With new surges of home de-velopment the desert gardner and nur-seryman have tested many kinds of plantsand found new friends that thrive in thewind, heat, short winter cold and sandysoils. Skyline palms, tall spreading shadetrees, flowering trees, shrubs, vines, an-nuals, and acres of lawns in home gar-

dens and golf courses are vigorous indi-cators of the current growth.


31/44

Palms are versatile, adaptive, captureintrest with distinctive features and arethe sign of both oasis garden as well asdeesrt garden. Because palms are gen-erally clean, use them around patio andswimming pool areas. Their trunks andfronds create strong accents during theday and at night their spectacular fansor feathers can be silouetted with lights.The great value of vines such asbougainvillea and many others is in themasses of color and green cover theyproduce as a foil for blank walls andfences. The seasonal color range coversthe entire year. Some vines even provideground cover for steep slopes, othershave tendrils that cling to most anysupport.Roses are high on the list for space inCoachella Valley gardens, for they pro-vide long season bloom for both garden

show as well as for flower arrangement.Many old favorites continue to be plant-ed, however the work of rose hybridizersincreases the number of forms, colorsand types available each year.Trees create more than just favorable-garden environments, they also give agarden more personality. In addition,their value increases the potential ofmany kinds of flowering shrubs and an-nuals that could not survive under the

severity of summer heat conditions. Usethem to buffer wind as well as to reducetemperatures. Accent their stem structureand foliage with night lighting. Orchidtrees, red flowering bottle brush, jaca-randa and crepe myrtle are just a few offavorites.Junipers, pines, arbovitaes, and cypressplants have earned a real place in ourgardens for they are widely adaptable,easily maintained, and add stability tomost any planting. The role they play in

both oasis and desert gardens increasesas more varieties are developed and usedin gardens.Citrus trees offer the desert gardnerevergreen foliage, fragrant flowers inseason and both decorative and ediblefruit. The high heat requirements arereadily met in Palm Springs and the Coa-chella Valley. Under these conditions fullflavor and juiciness develop better herethan in any other area.The best advice for the developmentof any kind of garden in the CoachellaValley is to use the experience that neigh-

bors have developed as well as that ofprofessional landscape architects and longestablished nurserymen. Fewer errors andless experimentation will be achievedwhen you relate with those who havegardened in the area for long periods of

time. A number of horticultural booksare available to the new as well as ex-perienced desert gardener that provideexcellent material for study and use inlearning more of the requirement ofgardening in the Coachella Valley.

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Rocks are stackedlike giant playingblocks at Cap Rockin the Joshua TreeNational Monument.They are favoriteclimbing areas foryoungsters.

I LOOKED ACROSS Q ueen Valley wherethe Joshua Trees stuck up like twistedand gnarled fingers of a pre-historic eraand T was glad. I was glad that the Mor-mons had named those overgrown mem-bers of the lily family for the biblicalJorhua. Every time I look at the out-stretched arms supplicating the heavens Ithink what a fine reason it was for nam-ing them.When I first announced my plans to

go to Joshua Tree National Monumenteveryone said, "You're going alone?You'll be scared to death . . . You won'tstay." I wasn't really alone. I had Brandy,my red long-haired Dachshund and hetook over as the head of the tent. He eventried to confiscate my sleeping bag butwe had a little talk about it and he de-cided T could use it.T camped at Jumbo Rocks cam pgroundin a cozy little nook under a HollyleafBuckthorn that provided shade and rustl-ing sounds. I hung a couple of little brasstemple bells in the tree and the desertwinds made them chime with a happysound.That evening in front of my campfire,civilization's problems slipped from myshoulders like a worn coat and the deserthad me in its grasp. Two friendly littledesert mice, big-eared and white-footed,ftopped by and looked me over. Then,with old lady fastidiousness, they went

about picking up succulent dainties from52

under the bushes. Desert cottontailshopped in and out of the shadows as anoff-key coyote howled in the background.Tt must have been a young one as hehadn't mastered the fine art of bloodchilling howls and was still trying to findt'ic right notes.Rising with the sun the next morning,Brandy and I headed toward Cholla(choh-yah) Gardens west of JumboRocks on the road leading to Interstate10. The road starts dropping down intothe basin of the Colorado Desert. It'salmost like sliding down the side of agiant saucer. On the right in the Hexiemountain range buildings belonging tothe Golden Bee mine can be seen. At onetime there were plenty of prospectors inthis area so if you go hiking watch outfor old mine shafts and prospecting holes.A little farther on there is a large gar-den of Cholla cactus. It is sometimescalled the "jumping" or "teddy bear"cactus. The Cholla is pale green and theroft looking white thorns that coat itgives it a cuddly, friendly appearance. Onyour first encounter you may be temptedto feel it. Please don't. The joints break offeasily and the hooked thorns have beenknown to even penetrate shoe leather.Cactus Wrens build their nests in thearms of these spiny plants and the packrats use the fallen joints for front doorsto their burrows as added protection

against their enemy, the Kit fox.

After following the nature trail atCholla Gardens I took a few pictures ofPinto Basin. This was once the home ofa primitive man called the Pinto Manwho lived along the ancient lake shore.Then I headed up out of the Coloradodesert toward the h igher Mojave.

As I neared the White Tank camp-groun

Documents

197002 DesertMagazine 1970 February