196703 Desert Magazine 1967 March

8/14/2019 196703 Desert Magazine 1967 March

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Ancient Hunters of the Far West

I I.. id_Reconstruction of headof La Jo I la Man fromevidence of burials.

. . . a mys te r i ous peop l ewho f l o u r i s hedthousands o f years agoand vanished .

Strange "sleeping circles" of prehistoric peoplefound in desert.Crude stone toolsindicate age of the earlySan Dieguito People.

AN AUTHORITATIVE AND READABLE BOOKI t br ings together most o f what is known o fEarly Men n t h e Far Western Uni ted Statesas wel l as i n a l l o f North Amer ica, and is t h ef i r s t comp le t e p resen ta t i on o f t h e p i onee r i ngarchaeological work o f Malcolm J. Rogers.From th e s t one t oo l s an d weapons foundmos t l y o n h e sur face o f t h e American Desert ,wh i ch at one t ime w a s a land o f grass an dwater, and t h e evidence o f s t range rock "w r i t -i n g " and en igmat ic " s l ee p i ng c i rc l e s " on rockyterrace s, Malco lm Rogers drew a p i c t u re of anabor iginal peop le , now known t o have ex is tedat least 10,000 years ago.The s imp l i fi ed and large f o rm at ,w i t h 50 u l lpages o f i l l us t ra t i ons , 16 pages in f u l l co l o r ,makes th is o n e o f t h e most unusual bookspub l i shed i n i t s f i e l d .

The Ancient Hunters W ho W ere They?Malcolm Rogers, ate d i rec tor o f the San DiegoMuseum o f Man, spent 40 years accumulat ingevidence o f t h e ex i s t ence o f three EarlyPeoples. T o h e i r s t , t h e Anc i en t Hun te rs , h egave t h e name San Diegui toans. To hose whoseemed t o have f o l l owed t hem, h e gave t h ename La Jollans and Amargosans.

Foreword A Journey into Man's Past.An i n t roduc t i on b y Richard F. Pourade, ed i toremer i t us o f The San Diego Union a nd a C a l i -fo rn ia h is tor ian, descr ibes t h e White Man'so r ig i na l i nd i f f e rence t oward t h e Indians an dthe be lated real i zat ion o f t he i r an t i qu i t y inAmerica.When Did Man Come to North A merica?Dr. H . M. W orm ing ton , cu ra to r o f Archaeologyat t h e Denver Museum o f Natural H is tory an done o f t h e wor l d ' s f o remos t au tho r i t i es ,p r e -sen t s a comprehens i ve sum mary o f a ll that isknown about Early Man in Nor t h Amer i ca.How Did They Live and How Long Ago?Dr. E. L. Davis o f t h e Un i ve rs i t y o f Cal i forn iaArchaeological Survey in Los Angeles desc r ibesthe latest methods o f establ i sh ing t h e pat ternof Man's arrival an d surv ival in t h e GreatBasin.How Stones Became Tools and Weapons.A p resen ta t i on o f ar t i fac t s , many w i t h f u l lco lor t reatment , hereto fore avai lab le on ly t oa f e w archaeologis ts. A unique d isp lay o f evi -dence that m ay help t o t h row l igh t o n Man'sear ly ex is tence in South as w e l l as Nor t hAmer ica. Prepared b y Clark W . Brot t , curatoro f co l l ec t i ons , S an Diego Museum o f Man .

Sponsored by James S . Copley, Chairman o f t h e Corporat ion, The Copley Press, I n c . Publ ished ncoo peration w ith the San Diego Museum o f Man by he Union-Tribune Pu blishing Co. Only $ 9.50. Pleaseaddress: Book Dept., Union-Tribune Publishing Co., 940 Third Avenue, San Diego, California 92112.


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C O N T E N T SVolume 30 N u m b e r 3

M A RCH , 1967

JACK PEPPER,Publisher

CHORAL PEPPER,Editor

ELTA SHIVELYExecutive Secretary

MARVEL BARRETTBusiness

ROSE HOLLYCirculation

A L M E R R Y M A NStaff Artist

E D I T O R I A L O F F I C E S : 7 4 - 1 0 9 L a r r e a , P a l m D e s e r t ,C a l i f o r n i a 9 2 2 6 0 . A r e a C o d e 7 1 4 3 4 6 - 8 1 4 4 .U n s o l i c it e d m a n u s c r i p ts . a n d p h o t o g r a p h s n o ta c c o m p a n i e d b y s e l f a d d r e s s e d , s t a m p e d a n d z i pc o d e d e n v e l o p e s w i l l N O T b e r e t u r n e d .A D V E R T I S I N G O F FI C E S : 7 4 - 1 0 9 L ar r e a , P a lmD e s e r t , C a l i f o r n i a 9 2 2 6 0 . A r e a C o d e 7 1 4 3 4 6 -8 1 4 4 . L i s t e d i n S t a n d a r d R a t e & D a t a .C I R C U L A T I O N D E P A R T M E N T : 7 4 - 1 0 9 L a r r e a , P a l mD e s e r t , C a l i f o r n i a 9 2 2 6 0 . A r e a C o d e 7 1 4 3 4 6 -8 1 4 4 . DE SER T M A G A Z I N E is p u b l is h e d m o n t h l y ;1 y e a r , $ 5 . 0 0 ; 2 y e a r s , $ 9 . 5 0 ; 3 y e a r s , $ 1 3 . 0 0 .F o r e i g n s u b s c r i b e r s a d d 7 5 c e n t s f o r p o s t a g e .S e e S u b s c r i p t io n O r d e r F o r m i n b a c k o f t h i s is s u e .

D ES ER T is p u b l i s h e d m o n t h l y b y D e s e r t M a ga z i n e ,P a l m D e s e r t , C a l i f . S e c o n d C l a s s P o s t a g e p a i d a tP a lm D e s e r t , C a l i f . , a n d a t a d d i t i o n a l m a i l i n go f f i c e s u n d e r A c t o f M a r c h 3 , 1 8 7 9 . T i t l e r e g i s -t e r e d N O . 3 5 8 8 6 5 i n U . S . P a t e n t O f f i c e , a n dc o n t e n t s c o p y r i g h t e d 1 9 6 7 b y D e s e r t M a g az i n e .U n s o l i c i t e d m a n u s c r i p t s a n d p h o t o g r a p h s c a n n o tb e r e t u r n e d o r a c k n o w l e d g e d u n l e s s f u l l r e t u r np o s t a g e i s e n c l o s e d . P e r m i s s i o n t o r e p r o d u c e c o n -t e n t s m u s t b e s e c u r e d f r o m t h e e d i t o r i n w r i t i n g .S U B S C R I P T IO N P R IC E : $ 5 . 0 0 p e r y e a r i n U . S .,C a n a d a an d M e x i c o . $ 5 . 7 5 e l s e w h e r e . A l l o w f i v ew e e k s f o r c h a n g e o f a d d r e s s . B e s u r e to s e n db o t h o l d a n d n e w a d d r e s s .

4 N e w B o o k s f o r D e s e r t R e a d e r s6 F ig T re e Joh n

By R E T T A E WE R S8 B l ac k G o l d

B y J O H N M I T C H E L L1 0 A N e w H o ld o n H e r i ta ge

B y N A N C Y B E R C O V IT Z1 2 P a lm s t o P i n e s A d v e n t u r e

By FR A N K T A YLO R1 4 I t C o u l d n ' t H a p p e n t o a N ic e r D e s e r t

By JA C K D E LA N E Y17 M r . Van Ta s s e l a n d t h e T i m e M a ch i n e

B y J U N E P E A R S O N1 9 T h e B r a in B e h i n d t h e Lin e

B y A R N O L D M A R Q U I S S2 0 D e s e r t C r o s s e s

By FR A N K T A YLO R2 2 G o r ge o u s G o r ge s

B y J A C K D E L A N E Y26 T ra v e l t h e Ba c k R oa d s

B y B I L L B A R N A R D2 8 A n y o n e f o r H o u n d i n g R o c k s?

By JA C K D E LA N E Y2 9 W h e n I t C o m e s t o D a te s

B y J A C K D E L A N E Y3 1 P r e h i s t o r ic P o p a t C o y o te H o le

By FR A N K T A YLO R32 G u i de Map t o C oache l la Val le y3 4 T w i n B u t t e s , A r i z o n a

By LA MBE R T FLO R IN3 6 D E S E R T C o o k e r y

By LU C ILLE C A R LE S O N3 7 H i n t s f o r D e s e r t T ra v e l e r s

B y B R U C E B A R R O N3 9 S u b s c r i p t i o n C o u p o n4 0 B a c k C o u n t ry T r a v e l

By JACK PEPPER4 2 L e tt e r s f r o m O u r R e a d e r s

T H E CO V E RJ u s t 1 2 0 m i l e s s o u t h o f Lo s A n g e le s a n d 1 0 0 m i le s f r o m S anD i e go , th e C o ac h e l la V alle y is s u r r o u n d e d b y f a s c i n a t in g m o u n -t ai n s . W h e r e t h e m o u n t a in s m e e t t h e d e s e r t t h e r e a r e d o z e n s o fp i c t u r e s q u e c o v e s w i t h w i n t e r w a l k i n g a n d p i c n i c k i n g a n i d e a lp a s t i m e .

M a r c h , 1 9 6 7 / D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / 3


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U n u s u a l B o o k so f I n t e r e s t

T he Colorful Bu tterfield O verlandStage r e p r o d u c e s 2 0 s t a g e c o a c hpa i n t i n g s b y M ar jo r i e R e e d C r e e s e ,w o r l d f a m o u s p a i n t e r o f h o r s e s a n ds t ag e c oa c h e s . T e x t b y R i c ha r d F.P o u r a d e , a u t h o r o f f i v e v o l u m e s o nt h e h i s t o r y o f S a n D i e g o C o u n t y .B o t h h a v e p e r s o n a l l y t r a v e l e d o v e rm u c h o f th e f am o u s r o u t e an d b r i n gv i v i d l y t o l i f e t h e s t o r y o f t h e B u t -t e r f i e l d S t a g e a n d i t s d r a m a t i c h i s -t o r y . 8 1 /2 * 1 1 A l b u m F o rm a t , H ea v yA r t P a p e r , 4 - c o l o r D u s t Ja c k e t , 4 8P a g e s . J u s t p u b l i s h e d . $6.75 ( p l u s27 c e n t s t ax f o r C a li fo r n i a r e s i d e n t s .)Photo A lbum of Yesterday's South-w est compiled by Charles Shelton.C o v e r i n g t h e p e r io d f r o m 1 8 62 t o1 9 1 0 t h i s s i m u l at e d e m b o s s e d b lac kle ath e r 9 x 1 2 1 8 8 p age v o l u m e c o n -t a i n s o n e o f t h e f i n e s t c o l l e c t i o no f h i s t o r i c a l p h o t og rap h s e v e r c o l -l e c t e d . A n e x c e l l e n t g i f t f o r a n y o n e .$15.00 ( p l u s 6 0 c e n t s t a x f o r Ca l i -f o r n i a a d d r e s s e s . )Lost Desert B onanzas by EugeneConrotto. A c o m p i l at io n o f a q u a rt e ro f a c e n t u r y o f lo s t m i n e f ac t s a n dm a p s f r o m t h e p a g e s o f D e s e r tMagaz ine . $6.50 ( p l u s 26 c e n t sf o r C a l i f o r n i a a d d r e s s e s . )T hree Paths Along a River by T omHudson. A h i s t o r y o f I n d i a n , S pa n i s ha n d A m e r i c a n c u l t u r e s a n d c o n f l i c t sa l ong t he San Lu i s Rey R i ve r o f SanD i e g o C o u n t y i n s o u t h w e s t e r n Ca l i -f o r n i a . A fo r m e r n e w s p a p e r p u b -l is h e r , T o m H u d s o n s p e n t y e a rs ga th -e r i n g t h e m a te r i a l a n d p r e s e n t s i t inv i v i d f o r m . $6.00 ( p l u s 24 c e n t s t a xf o r C a l i f o r n i a a d d r e s s e s . )

Send orders for the abovelisted books to:B e s t - W e s tP u b l i c a t i o n sP. 0. Box 757

Palm Desert, California 9 22 60

THE NEVADA ADVENTURE,a HistoryBy James W. Hulse

While tracing man's experiences andexperiments in Nevada's rugged moun-tains and desert regions from prehistoryto the atomic age, this book covers pre-historic Indians and their search for sub-sistence in the challenging land, theearliest explorers who blazed trails acrossthe Great Basin, the early Mormon pio-neers and the colorful miners who fol-lowed them and gave Nevada its greatestimpetus. Also included is an account ofthe state's achievements in the moderneraranching, tourism, and atomic test-ing.Maps and photos illustrate the book'sfifteen chapters and the material is welldeveloped and presented with a fairamount of sparkle. Nevada has beensomewhat neglected by historians andthis is a welcome volume for admirers ofthe Silver State. Hard cover, 306 pages,$7.50.

ARIZONA, a Guide to the GrandCanyon State

This revised edition of the famous workoriginally prepared by the WPA has beenupdated by Joseph Miller. Here are iden-tified and described locations and activi-ties of man from the time he built stonehouses in the shelter of cliffs to the pres-ent day. Followed are trails of Spanishexplorers, prospectors for gold whenTombstone and Bisbee were frontiertowns, and those of modern health seekersto the spas and cities of Arizona. Trans-portation facilities, accommodations,sports facilities, annual events, huntingand fishing and an excellent thumbnailhistory of each community is included,including spots of interest, historic build-ings, important mines, dams, and evencustoms of native Indians as they pertainto individual locations. Illustrations showthe rugged terrain of off-beat areas, theflora and fauna of the desert, industrialdevelopments and the changing facadesof growing cities. An excellent and highlyrecommended book. Hard cover, 532pages, $7.95.

B o o k s r e v i e w e d m a y b e o r d e r e df r o m t h e D E S E R T M a g a z i n e B o o kO r d e r D e p a r t m e n t , P a l m D e s e r t ,C a li fo r n i a 9 2 2 6 0 . P le as e in c l u d e25 c f o r ha n d l i n g . C a l i f o r n i a r e s i -d e n t s m u s t ad d 4 % s ale s ta x .E n c l o s e p a y m e n t w i t h order.

CALIFORNIA'S UTOPIAN COLONIESBy Robert V. Hine

Although California's history is ram-pant with utopian idealists, this is thefirst book to deal exclusively with theirstories. Some of them fell close to thelunatic fringe, but all had stalwart fol-lowers who tried to live the good life ac-cording to the edicts of their chosenleaders, and all enjoyed a short period ofapparent success. None lingered longenough, however, to make a lasting im-pression upon California society today.For the most part they were based uponsocialistic ideas for a communal economyor upon various interpretations of theo-sophy. California provided an ideal phy-sical climate for such endeavors becauseliving was less costly here than in colderclimes and many of the complexes weredeveloped with an eye open to agricul-tural possibilities in order to feed the"flock." This is paperback, a Yale West-ern Americana selection, 208 pages,$1.45.

BOBBED WIREBy Jack Glover

This sounds like a sort of unimportantthing to write a book about, but whenyou get into it, it is astonishing how in-interesting bobbed wire is. This is an illus-trated guide to the identification and clas-sification of bared wire with over 150illustrations. The first types of wire werecrude boards hung lengthwise in thefences with nails driven through. Othertypes were of flat ribbon wire with shortspikes on both sides. When the idea ofbarbed wire caught on, several inventorspatented products for displays in countryfairs. With its merit proven, millions ofmiles were strung. The unusual types

4 / Deser t Magaz ine / March, 1967


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ago and our presentitsdated illustrations is ahandy one

you are attempting toat a date for certain oldranches,and so forth. The book hasbeen

in a limited edition and isonly49

e WeightIn this small paperbook, containing

of Rood's time andhistoricalandpublished earlyto the life of this

It is a fascinating assemblage ofma-the LosYumas, believed to becon-

theruins of Rood's ranch.is often referred to as theCibola

is an oldsuperstitiona night in theruin,

thetreasure, is pursued in turntheghostly spectre of Rood charging

theland on a white steed.A number of rumors revolved around

of this popular pioneer, someitwas accidental.

is entertaining to read. $1.50.

Third in a series of his paperback his-of desert areas, this one covers the

the lower banks of thewhopecked their myster-

ontowering rocks, the authorup in time to thearrival of thetheMohave

of Indians, thesteam-era along the river when great

both honorable and dishonorable, tobut cross-country travel kept

ran-It is a fine contribution tocol-

of stories relating to theCali-

A FIELD GUIDE TOWESTERNREPTILES AND AMPHIBIANSBy R obert StebbinsA Peterson field guide series sponsoredby the National Audubon Society and theNational Wildlife Federation, this vol-ume answers a great need for a concise,illustrated pocket guide directed to fieldidentification inwestern North America.Included are all thespecies of reptilesand amphibians west of the eastern boun-daries of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyo-ming, Montana andSaskatchewan northof the Arctic Circle. Condensed descript-ions point up major characteristics oftur-tles, lizards, snakes, etc. for identifica-tion and give significant details of habi-tat andrange. Many illustrations are incolor and there is a fine series of rangemaps tographically illustrate what kindof a monster you mayexpect to findand where. Hardcover, 279 pages, $4.95.

A GALLERY OF CALIFORNIAMISSION PAINTINGSBy Edwin Deakin, edited by Ruth Mahood

These fine, full color reproductions ofmission paintings by Edwin Deakin, anative of England whosettled in SanFrancisco in 1870,depict California'stwenty-one missions asthey appearedbe-fore theturn of thecentury andbeforerestorations projects began. The originalsare now owned by the Los Angeles Coun-ty Museum ofNatural History. Miss Ma-hood, chief curator of history at the mu-seum, hasincluded with each reproduc-tion abrief but interesting summarizationof the history, individual problems, poli-tical intrigues, local disasters, seculariza-tion and restoration of each mission.There arealso chapters discussing EdwinDeakin's artistic stature and a text on thehistory of themission period. This is afine, beautiful book for collectors ofCali-foriana. Hard cover, 58pages, $7.50.

WHEN BUFFALO RANBy George Bird GrinnellFirst published in 1920 andlong outof print, this narrative recounts true in-cidents andexperiences in thelife of aPlains Indian boy. It describes his growthinto awarrior and hisrelationship to hisfamily and his tribe. It tells of lessonslearned onthe prairie and of the naturalbeauty of the land before the white mencame, when these Indians lived together,hunted buffalo and deer and developed aunique philosophy to fit their own simpleexistence. Hardcover, 114pages, $2.00.

Other New Booksrecommended by theDesert Magazine Bookshop

TERRIBLE T RAIL: theMeek Cutoff, 1845 byClarkand Tiller. N a r r a t e s the r a g i c t a l e of theM e e ke m i g r an t t r a i n and l a y s theg r o u n d w o r k for as o l u t i o n to theB l u e B u c k e t l o s t g o l d . $ 4 . 0 0 .CREAT IVE ENAMELL ING andJew elry-making /K a th a r in a Z e c h l i n . W o n d e r f u l h o b b y b o o k p a c k e dw i t h s m a r t i d e a s and i n s t r u c t i o n s . H a r d c o v e r ,$ 3 . 9 5 .TURQUOISE AND THE I N D I A N by Edna MaeB ennett. F o lk l o r e w i t h m a p s a b o u t t u r q u o i s em i n i n g , b o t h I n d i an andS p a n i s h , in theW e s t .$ 5 . 0 0 .H I D D E N V A L U E IN C O I N S by Burton Hobsont e l l s thes t o r i e s b e h i n d v a l u a b l e c o i n s a n d i d e n -t i f i e s m a n y f r o m all o v e r thew o r l d . H a r d c o v e r ,$ 3 . 9 5 .BOTTLE RUSH U.S.A. by Lynn B lumenstein. Ane x c e l l e n t b o o k for i d e n t i f y i n g old b o t t l e s w i t hp h o t o g r a p h s of o v e r 7 0 0 i t e m s a n d c u r r e n t p r i c el is t . B a c k g r o u n d b o t t l e i n f o r m a t i o n . 184 p a g e s ,p a p e r b a c k , $ 4 . 2 5 .T HEY ALL DISCOVERED AMERICA by CharlesMichael Boland. T e l l s of P h o e n i c i a n s , R o m a n s ,C h i n e s e , I r i s h , V i k i n g , S c o t c h andW e l c h pre-C o l u m b i a n d i s c o v e r e r s of A m e r i c a . I n t e r e s t i n ga n d c o n t r o v e r s i a l . H a r d c o v e r , i l lu s t r a t e d , 384p a g e s , $ 4 . 9 5 .A N C I E N T H U N T E R S OF THE FARWEST basedupon forty years of research by the late Mal -colm Rogers. B r i n gs to g e t h e r w h a t is k n o w n ofE a r l y Man n N o r t h A m e r i c a . I l lu s t r a t e d in f u l lc o l o r . L ar g e f o r m a t . $ 9 . 5 0 .SIX FACES OFMEXICO edi ted byRussel E w ing.In the t e x t b o o k t r a d i t i o n , c o v e r s the h i s t o r y ,p e o p l e , g e o g r a p h y , g o v e r n m e n t , e c o n o m y , l i te r a -t u r e a n d art of M e x i c o , e a c h a s p e c t c o v e r e d bya n a u t h o r i t y in t h a t f i e l d . L ar g e f o r m a t , i l lu s -t r a t e d w i t h p h o t o s andm a p s . Ve r y u p - t o - d a t e .$ 1 0 . 0 0 .

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M a r c h , 1967 / D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / 5


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Figtree John W a s a Blufferhe valley sun beat downwith its ultraviolet rayson the 136 year-old headof Fig Tree John and hisfat wife, probably histhird of fourth, as they

head of them lay the Indian villageprings.

John and his wife were dressed in theirest for it was fiesta time. John wore anld blue army uniform with large brownbuttons, a cast-off from some northernoldier during the Civil War. On hisead, at a precarious angle, perched atall, stove-pipe hat, his most highly prizedpossession. Leaning against the seat wasthe cane he affected as part of his "for-mal" costume and beside him sat hissquaw, fat, sweaty, reeking of garlic anddressed in bright calico with a red ban-dana about her head.

This is a picture of Fig Tree John andhis wife, both now gone to their HappyHunting Ground.One hundred and thirty-six years is along, long time for a man to live, butFig Tree John was that age when he diedin 1927. Most of his life was lived inthe vicinity of Palm Springs and he knewit when not a single white man lived there.He had acted as guide and scout for Gen-

eral Fremont; a fact which entitled himto more prestige than his fellow tribes-men.His real name, as far as one can learn,was Juanita Rayon. When ending withan "a," a word such as his first name de-notes the feminine gender, but John in-sisted it be spelled that way as that wasthe name bestowed upon him by hisparents and it would be disrespectful tochange it. His nickname, Fig Tree John,was bestowed upon him because he wasthe first man to plant fig trees in Coa-

chella Valley and there were many aboutthe rancheria near Salton Sea where helived.I recall seeing him once when the In-dians held their annual pow-wow at thehome of Mrs. Eliza Tibbetts, in River-side. He sat at the end of a long table inher shady yard. The table was heapedwith barbecued meat and delicacies en-joyed by the natives, but not even at thetable would he remove his "topper."This was his emblem of dignity. When

Mrs. Tibbetts said grace, he looked

straight ahead, never batting an eye. Hisfeatures, in repose resembled the un-bending texture of the granite rocks ofthe hills among which his life was spent.His thoughts? Who can know?Perhaps he thought of his past glories,when acting as scout and guide to thefamous explorer, General Fremont. Againhis mind may have reverted to the dayswhen the Indian was lord of all the landwest of the Rockies, long before thewhite man came. Mayhap he looked atthe palefaces and thought, "We beat oneoff and always two more came to takehis place."In his attitude to the white man, henever unbent. His domain was vast,limited only by the distant horizon ofmountains. Any infringment on what heconsidered Indian territory, he bitterlyresented. The spring at his ranch wasfenced. His friends were permitted theuse of his blue, clear waters, but no

strangers. His word was law for manyyears.But time passed. As members of histribe learned the white man's ways, hewithdrew even from tribal members. FigTree John's suspicions of the white mannever were completely allayed. His dis-like, however, did not prevent him fromsaving the life of a hereditary enemy.The man had made a trip into the desertin mid-summer and almost perished fromheat and lack of water. Staggering intoFig Tree John's ranch more dead thanalive, the Indian succored him and nursedhim back to life. Usually, though, heresorted to threats of violence to keep thewhite man from his place, enforcing hiscommands with a show of a 44-49 Win-chester. The gun was never loaded, buttrespassers didn't know that.

In the deluge of 1905-7, when theColorado River jumped its channel andformed the Salton Sea, Fig Tree John'soriginal ranch was covered by the rising

6 / Desert Magazine / March , 1967


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by Retta Ewerswaters. He then moved to Agua DukeSprings. He could bluff the white manoff his property but he couldn't stop thewaters!

All Indians love to trade and Johnwas no exception. He took keen delightin concluding a sharp horse trading dealand it was seldom anyone got the betterof him. He could tell the approximate ageof a horse by the way it walked or trot-ted. If he needed any further proof, hepropped its mouth open with a shortmesquite stick and examined its teeth.If its teeth were unworn and sound, itwas probably a two-year-old, but beyondthat, their molars began to show age bythe manner in which they were worndown. You couldn't fool Fig Tree John.

If food were scarce, Fig Tree Johntraveled to the different settlers' homesand told them he needed food. Usuallythey divided their own meager supplywith him. When he was flush with afew extra dollars, he went to a store andbought his produce, buying one articleat a time and paying for it before de-ciding on the next. That way he figuredhe wasn't spending so much.Fig Tree John spent much time in theIndian village which is now Palm Springs.He took part in the council of the Cahuil-la and offered his advice, but that was be-fore the white man had learned of thehealth-giving quality of desert waters and

desert sunshine.Tourists often asked to take Fig TreeJohn's picturerigged out in his oldarmy uniform, top hat and cane, but hedidn't grant the favor without extractinga price. By this he maintained his dignityand his sense of not giving anything ofhimself for nothing.He was not a "Bad Injun" as fictionistshave pictured him, but he most certainlydid hold resentment toward his whitebrothersand perhaps he had reason.Other members of the tribe accepted the

restraints imposed upon them with muchcomplaint, but Fig Tree John was of adifferent caliber. He would not acceptthe fate dealt to his tribe. He wanted nochange in his way of life. He feared onlyone thingthat the white man wouldrun him from his home. Instead, floodwaters did it.Fig Tree John is gone, but his memory,

like the fig trees he was the first to plantin the valley, lingers ona colorful partof Coachella Valley's history.

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By reader request DE SERT Magazine w ill reprint a series ofarticles w ritten by the dean of lost mine yarns, John Mitchell,

which appeared originally in 1940 and 1941.

T W E N T Y N I N E P A L M S

by John Mitchellomewhere in the Bul-lion mountain countryon the desert betweenBagdad and TwentyninePalms, California, inthecenter of one ofthe manydry lakes known to exist there, standsa small black mountain inwhich thereis said to belocated, in the form of achimney, another ofthe many lost mines.The outcrop of this chimney has beenbroken down by erosion over aperiod ofmany thousands ofyears, scattering greatquantities ofgold nuggets over the bar-ren ground around the foot ofthe moun-tain and among the rocks upon its sides.The nuggets, like the rocks and chunksof brown hematite of iron with whichthey arefound, areworn smooth. Theold nuggets are covered over with a thinfilm ofmanganese oxide and can be dis-tinguished from the hematite only by thedarker color and greater specific gravity.While many men, most ofwhom wereIndians, arereported tohave seen thisdeposit, few ofthem have returned fromthe desert to tell the tale. Among the few

said tohave reached themine and re-turned were two Indians and one whiteman. One of the Indians traded some ofthe black nuggets in Yuma. Peg-LegSmith was inYuma at the time and im-mediately started out to search for themine. Whether Smith ever found thedeposit isproblematical. He lost the In-dian's trail somewhere near Cottonwoodsprings, inSan Bernardino county. Sometime later Peg-Leg was found unconsciousfrom hunger and thirst. Hedied in acoast hospital several days later without

telling anyone where he found a largeblack gold nugget found in hisposses-sion. It ispossible Smith may have foundthe nugget by theskeleton of anotherprospector who had reached the mine anddied ofheat and thirst on the way out.For many years after the death ofPeg-Leg Smith, strange stories continued tocome out of thedesert telling of deadIndians and large quantities of blackgold scattered over the desert atthe footof a small black mountain inthe centerof a dry lake bed somewhere northwestof Cottonwood springs.Many years later awhite man arrivedin San Gorgonio pass and stated he wasgoing toseek the lost deposit of blackgold.Enlisting the aid of a partly civilizedIndian who was less superstitious thanother tribesmen he cached food, waterand grain foranimals at intervals acrossthe desert. After many months of prepara-tion the two men set out across the desertin abuckboard pulled by two small Mexi-can mules. They camped each night atthe stations where food and water had

been stored and after several days arrivedat rim rock where the mesa dropped offabruptly almost ahundred feet and thensloped tothe floor of a valley stretchedout into thedistance as far as the eyecould see.A narrow crevice was found in thsteep wall andthrough this themuleswere led down tothe valley below. Thebuckboard was then dismantled andlowered over the cliff by theuse of awindlass andlong rope that had beenbrought along for the purpose. After

/ D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / M a r c h , 1 9 6 7

BLACK GOLD^


9/44

loading the buckboard with food andwater they again set outacross this lowerplain. After traveling two days theirprogress was halted by drifting sanddunes that blocked the progress of themules and thewagon.As thechimney-like mountain was nowlooming in thedistance, it wasdecided tounhitch themules andride them the bal-ance of theway. Asthey approached theirdestination they came upon a skeleton

near which was anempty water gourd anda small pile of black gold nuggets.Gathering thenuggets they continuedto the foot of theblack butte.The igneous intrusion which formedthe mountain was a jumbled mass ofblack heat-seared rocks interspersed hereand there with large andsmall chunks ofbrown hematite of iron. Scattered aroundthe foot of the mountain on the hardground were thousands of small nuggetsall worn smooth like the rocks andironwith which they were found. When the

film of manganese wasscraped off, beau-tiful yellow gold wasdisclosed.Near the base of the mountain werethick beds of a yellowish powder thatwas kept in a constant state of agitationby thewinds that swirled over thelittlevalley in which thepinnacle stood. Thesummit of thepeak wascone-shaped andfull of kaolin andsmooth pieces of hema-tite of iron. Thehotrays of the sun beatdown into thelittle valley and, reflectedby the varnished rocks made it almostlike an oven. As themysterious yellow

dust settled on their perspiring bodiesit burned like fire, andwhen breathedinto thelungs it almost choked them.Since it would be impossible for themto remain for any length of time insucha place, the two mengathered asmany ofthe gold nuggets as they could pack andafter several hours arrived at the buck-board with gold they estimated to beworth $65,000. Before reaching theouteredge of thedesert again their throats andlungs were parched from breathing thepoisonous yellow powder andtheskin oftheir hands andarms began to peel off.They finally reached civilization moredead than alive. It wasmany months be-fore they recovered.The proceeds of thetrip were dividedequally between the two partners. Thewhite manpurchased a small ranch inCalifornia. Neither of them ever madeanother trip to the valley of gold, butupon hisdeathbed a fewyears ago thewhite mantold twooldfriends the secretof theblack gold that issaid to beguard-ed by themysterious yellow powder andby thefierce heat of thedesert itself.

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March, 1967 / Desert Magazine / 9


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C o o k i n g andC a m p i n g on theD e s e r tby Choral Pepperw i th achapter onDriving and Survivingon th e D esert

by Jack Pepper

C O O KIN G an dCAMPINGon the DESERTCHORAL PEPPER

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BOOKSO rder FRE E CatalogueD E S E R T M A G A Z I N E

B O O K S T O R EPalm Deser t, Cal i forn ia 92 2 60

A NEWHOLD ONHERITAGEby Nancy Bercovitz

veryone talks about howrich they are, but howmany residents andvisi-tors to thePalm Desertarea know who they are?We're talking about theCahuilla Indiansa tribe that is nowpreserving their cultural heritage for youin the Malki Museum located on theFields Road tumoff, U. S. Highway60-70, between Banning andCabazon.

Aware of the rapid demise of theirculture, a small group of Cahuilla In-dians began in 1964 to establish thispublic museum on theMorongo Reser-vation. Aboard of directors composed ofthree Indians and sixwhite volunteers,representing avariety of occupations,be-

gan tocollect artifacts andenlist memberswith the express purpose of "preserving,protecting, andenhancing theIndian cul-

D ie gueno granary, three feet tall, waused tostore acorns.10 / D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / M a r c h ,1967


11/44

The museum now has a membership

One wall in the museum is devoted to

L. Krober stated: " . . . their baskets

t in the world . . . " The baskets

and large truncated cone shapesom nature, w ere conceived by the

The art of pottery making was intro-

Of cultural interest is an exhibit of

The new museum's first fund raising

under the title "Project California Herit-age." The proposal plans call for amodel village with running stream, aterraced well and a sampling of differentaboriginal structures. Once completed, thevillage will be landscaped with an ethno-botanical garden containing the nativeplants utilized by the early Cahuilla. Anextremely important phase of the program

involves employment for the youth in"vocational crafts" such as the manu-facture of adobe and artifacts, and in thecultural construction of the village.So, Twentieth Century man, on yourway between Los Angeles and Palm

Springs take a breakstep back into thespace of another century and view yourcultural herita ge!

March , 1967 / Deser t Magazine / 11


12/44

T H E S P L E N D O R O F P A L M S T O PINESBY FRANK TAYLOR

oint your car towardPalm Desert, the start ofa highway to the clouds,if you want a two-hourm o t o r i n g a d v e n t u r e .Your doorway to enchant-ment is Highway 74, the Palms to PinesHighway.The first landmark is Seven Level Hill.Movie fans will recognize this as the lo-cation for the opening scenes of It's AMad, Mad, World in which Jimmy Dur-ance literally "kicked the bucket." Thebuilders of the road, by intent or by acci-dent, provided motorists with a mountain-side of views. Each turn of the gradeoffers a better view of the lush countrybelow. The hill derives its name from thefact that it takes seven switchbacks to top

Hidden chapel

the summit. Because of the abrupt changein altitude, a wide variety of vegetationis apparent. Desert cacti are replaced atintervals by ocotillo, yucca, mountainmahogany, scrub oak and, eventually, thegiants of the forestponderosa pine.Picking its way along the rim, the high-way continues east through miles of scrub

oak and manzanita forests interspercedwith yucca, agave, Spanish bayonet,prickly pear cactus and related growth.Above the pavement, jabbing the veryheavens with her bulk, lies Mt. SantaRosa. A side trip down a trail across fromthe Standard Station at Spring Crest toView Point provides a startffng view offamed Palm Canyon. Twisting north for15 miles, Palm Canyon is the ancienthome of the Agua Caliente Band of Mis-

Overlooking Palm Desert

sion Indians, first citizens of the region.Locked in the heart of this strange can-yon is a forest of 3,500 palms, left behindsome believe when Lake Cahuilla recededhundreds of years ago. This area encom-passes one of six reservations which clingto the skirts of the San Jacinto range.The next reservation Highway 74 passes

is just beyond the turnoff for Mt. SantaRosa in Vand eventer Flat, m arked by alarge stand of oak trees. A mail box infront and an open gate with a cattle guardon the south side of the highway provideingress to a startling discoveryan adobechurch nestled under the spreading armsof an oak grove. The chapel is .3 of amile from the gate. This is reservationland, so ask the family who lives acrossthe road for permission to stop and wan-der about the grounds. The Church ofIdyllwild village

12 / Deser t Magazine / March , 1967


13/44

Saint Rose ofLima isadministered to bythe Catholic Fathers at Pala, 60 milesaway. With theexodus of families fromthe flat, it has fallen into disuse. Hardlymore than two remain where this bucolicregion once provided farm land and homesfor almost an entire tribe. Behind thechurch is the oldcemetery. The most in-teresting head stone reads: Captain Man-uel Tortes, 1798-1928. The title "C aptain"reveals the reverence this man earnedfrom his tribe when they gave him thehonorary name. Services are held the fifthSaturday of the month only. The old bellin thetower chimes the occasion. Inside,light filters through the stained glass win-dows, illuminating the interior with a softglow. Simple pews and aplank floor com-plete thefurnishings. During thewintermonths a wood burning stove providesheat.The Santa Rosa summit is reached fur-ther up the highway, marking the en-trance to Garner Valleyanother Palmsto Pines surprise. First settled byCharlieThomas, anearly homesteader, it ishead-

quarters todav for the Garner CattleRinch. Paradise Valley stands atone endof thevalley, Mountain Center guardsthe other. The tallest peak onthe left, asvou enter thevalley from thesouth, isMt. Thomas, named for thepioneer. Tothe north stands thebackside of Mt. San

Jacinto, highest of all the SanJacintorange. Framed in this setting aregreenmeadows, tall pines and roving bands ofcattle. Thegrass is splashed with colorfrom wild flowers which grow in brightpatches everywhere.Continuing along Route 74 to Moun-tain Center, take Riverside Route 1 totheright and start thesteady climb toIdyll-wild, avillage tucked under the shadow ofSan Jacinto. This is theback door to thecamping andrecreation area of San Ja-cinto State Park. From theother side, itis reached by thePalm Springs AerialTramway. At Idyllwild youwill findsmart shops and a very fine restaurant.In the summer it provides anactive cam-pus forthe University of California (seeDESERT, March '66) .

Beyond Idyllwild, thegrade drops inaltitude from 5,308 to2,349 "at B anning,a gentle descent accomplished inabout40minutes by auto.From thejunction of Riverside 1 andthe freeway, U. S.10-60 atBanning, youmay gosouth toPalm Springs and PalmDesert, your starting point, or north toLos Angeles and beyond. If you are visit-ing thePalm Springs area, this trip tothe clouds will reward you with two hoursof constant beauty and variety.

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it's HYDRA ULICT h e u n i q u e h y d r a u l i c m e c h a n i s m w h i c h r a i s e s thec a m p e r t o p c a n besa f e l y o p e ra t e d e v e n by a s m a l lc h i l d . Lo c k s p r e v e n t a c c i d e n t al l o w e r i n g . T h e t o p islo w e r e d q u i c k ly by h e s i m p l e t u r n of ava l ve . D r i v esa fe l y at an y s p e e d w i t h m i n i m u m d r a g a n d s w ay .S it or r e c l i n e onc o m f o r ta b le c o u c h e s w h i le t r av e l -i n g w i th t o p d o w n . A l as k a n c a m p e r t o p r ais e s insec -

o n d s . E n j o yr o o m y w a l k -in l i v i n g q u a r te r s , w e a th e r t i g h t , h i gh c e i l i n g , " h o m eaw ay fr o m h o m e , " c o m p l e te w i t h th r e e - b u r n e r s t o v e ,s i n k , c ab i n e t s , ic e b o x , b e d s an d m an y o t h e r l u x u r yf e a t u r e s .6 F A C T OR I E S TOS E R V E Y OU

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M a r c h , 1967 / D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / 13


14/44

It C o u ldn 't Hap p en t o a N ice r D e s e r t

by Jack Delaneyf it were possible to rollup a section of our fas-cinating desert, insert itinto a time capsule, andlabel it: Do not openuntil Christmas 2067; orto wrap a generous portion of it in foiland place it in a deep freeze for a hun-dred years, what a pleasant surprise wouldgreet the moon commuters of that time!Since this isn't possible, the PalmSprings Desert Museum decided severalyears ago to hold a part of our ColoradoDesert "as is" for present and futuregenerations to enjoy. The project, origin-

ally consisting of 235 acres of desert ter-rain, complete with many species of nativeplants and animals, has been known asthe Native Desert Reserve. Recently, theUnited States Bureau of Land Manage-ment approved a cost-free lease of 50 ad-ditional acres adjacent to the propertyalready leased by the Desert Museum. Thetotal area, 285 acres of virgin land, run-ning from Palm Desert toward La Quinta,California, will be developed into aunique desert exhibit.To clarify a point of confusion, this is

not the Deep Canyon Desert ResearchArea, which consists of 10,000 acres offederal government and University ofCalifornia land. The Deep Canyon regionis fenced, with a locked gate at the en-trance. Signs reading: No Trespassing,Closed To The Public, and Do Not En-ter, lead one to feel that he is not wantedherethe locked gate at the entrancefurther reinforces this feeling. Obviously,this research area is not for the week-endouting crowd to explore.On the other hand, the Native DesertReserve, which is being renamed the



15/44

Living Desert Center of the Desert Mu-seum, is being held and developed especi-ally for the benefit of residents and visi-tors to Southern California's CoachellaValley. At the present time, the site ofthe Living Desert Center is only a nucleusof the grand setting that will prevail inthe not too distant future. However, itrates high with art classes, scout groups,and many individuals as an enjoyable spotfor one-day or part-day outings. It is lo-cated in Palm Desert and is easily acces-sible by a short drive up Portola Avenueabout a mile and a half from Highway111, to the entrance sign on the left sideof the street. At the entrance is a gardenwith various plants of the desert, identi-fied by marker stakes.

Identified plant life includes the Brit-tle Bush, which was burned as incense bythe early padres and chewed by the In-dians, the Creosote Bush, a widespreadand successful desert plant, the SandpiperPlant with short rigid spines on the stemsand leaves of a sandpaper texture, DesertWillow from which medicinal tea hasbeen made, Arrowweed, used by Indians

for arrow shafts, baskets, and other need-ed items, and Emory Dahlia whose flowerheads, when crushed, yield a saffron-yel-low dye used by Indians in art work.Also growing here, and identified, area number of plants that might be calledNature's supermarket. The seed pods ofHoneypod Mesquite served as a staplefood for the Indians years ago, as did theseeds of the Border Palo Verde. Catsclawand Desert Lavender are delicious bee

food, and therefore are good sources ofpeople foodhoney; Sweetbush flowersare relished by Chuckawalla; Burrobushis a preferred food among donkeys andsheep; and the seeds of Desert Mistletoesimply send the birds. Evidently, Natureis a. good provider there are at least 20other varieties of native plant life in theReserve.The three main trails, forming a tri-angle, total about a mile and a half inlength. Guzzler Trail leads to Quail Guz-zler where rainwater is stored for use byquail, other birds, and small animals.Occasional Lake Trail leads to LeveeTrail. A short hike along this path brings

one back to the starting point. Adjacentto Levee Trail is a blind with an artificialpond where photographers may shootanimals which come along for a drink ofwaterwith cameras, naturally.This is a typical Coachella Valley en-vironment. To the biologist, it is knownas the Lower Sonoran Life Zone, and ispart of an average elevation of 500 feetto 4000 feet above sea level. The animaland bird populations are composed of

typical desert creatures, such as road-runners , Gam bel quail, cactus wrens,kangaroo rats, the pocket mouse, greyfoxes, coyotes, jackrabbits, diamondbackrattlesnakes, sidewinders, and many othernon-household pets.In the late spring, summer, and earlyautumn, when desert atmosphere is a bittoasty, the native creatures burrow under-ground in the heat of the day where onlya foot below the surface the temperaturemay be 50 degrees cooler. At night, how-ever, they freely cavort, or whatever ani-mals do at night. The mountain slopesabove the Center extend almost to thesummit of the Santa Rosa mountains.The living Desert Center will be constructed on the Desert M useum's 230-acre tract near Palm Desert, California


16/44

This area has been designated by theState of California as a refuge for desertbighorn sheep.In order to fully appreciate the poten-tial of this unique project and the am-bitious plans for its future, one must con-sider the man who is dedicated to its de-velopment. In this world there are manydreamers, and many doers. Each serves apurpose, but the ideal situation is wherean individual possesses both attributes.

Such a person is Frederick W. Sleight,director of the Palm Springs Desert Mu-seum and its leader in the developmentof the Living Desert Center.The Museum was started in 1938 on asmall scale by a group of interested, civic-minded citizens. About five years ago itwas expanded into a two-story buildingwith an art gallery on the second floor,and the Marcuse Memorial Auditoriumfor the presentation of films, lectures,etc. It is now a $650,000 contemporarycultural-resource center devoted to the

Arts and Sciences, affording a stimulatingvariety of exhibitions, film series, lectures,field trips and school services. The PalmSprings Desert Museum's field of interestcovers practically the full range of aca-demic subjects, offering the participantrefreshing experiences in beauty anddepth.The temples of the Egyptian priestsaround 3000 B.C. were museums andtreasure houses. Whatever there was ofvalue in the life of the community wassheltered there. A museum can be a dark,dull, musty resting place for mummies;

or a light, interesting, living institutionthat serves as an exhibition place for ob-jects of lasting interest. Mr. Sleight is inaccord with the latter definition. He feelsthat visual education adds enjoyment andinterest to the satisfaction of learning andthat the recent trend in this direction isa break-through in the problem of impart-ing knowledge.Thus far, all that has been discussedactually exists and may be enjoyed byCoachella Valley residents and visitors.However, plans for the future are so im-

pressive and exciting that they warrantmention here. They are concerned withconservation of natural resources, whichis defined as the prevention of waste ofman's physical environment, includingwildlife. One of the outstanding leadersin conservation of natural resources wasTheodore Roosevelt. Even though one-fifth of the world's land is desert, ourown region is in a class by itself andshould be preserved.About a dozen years ago, a well-knowndesert-minded individual recognized this

fact and did something about it. Philip L.Boyd, a member of the Board of Trusteesof the Desert Museum and a regent of theUniversity of California, was concernedwith the changing face of the desert anddecided that it was high time that a por-tion of it be labeled, "do not disturb."He was responsible for the Native DesertReserve, with its nature trails and nativeplant display. At present, Philip Boydheads a special committee within theboard of directors of the museum in dir-ecting the development of the new con-cept of desert conservation.

The Living Desert Center of the Des-ert Museum will be an integrated, totaldisplay of the Colorado Desert's livingsituation as it is today. Its purpose will beto preserve and interpret a typical portion

in a small auditorium within the build-ing. An adequate parking area for auto-mobiles will be provided at the entrance.Visitors to the Living Desert Center ofthe Desert Museum will view live mam-mals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, andplants in natural outdoo r settings. Bighornsheep, coyote, deer, foxes, mountain lion,and other animals common to this region,and the adjacent mountains will be shownin their native environment, with the illu-sion that they just happened to strolldown to the water hole. Retaining barri-cades will be camouflaged in such a waythat the visitors will feel that the animalsare free to roam the area, or even departto the mountain top at will.

A paved road will lead to the entranceof the Living Desert Center. From here,

T O P A L M S P R I N G S

of the native environment. Dramaticstories of sand dunes and giant alluvialfans will form a portion of the geologicinterpretation, while at the same time therole of ancient man in this arid regionwill be displayed. Also, dynamic exhibitsand programs in the interpretation build-ing will explain the origin of the desert,the "how" of our mountain creation, andthe strange role of weather in controllingthe desert scene.

Native materials will be used in theconstruction of the Center's main build-ing. These will blend into the surround-ings. An effort will be made to keep thestructure from appearing that it was"placed" on the site. It will actually be apart of the desert. This building, to belocated at the Center's entrance, will fea-ture exhibits, dioramas, and displayskeyed to the area. Also, films and slidepresentations of the desert will be offered

hiking trails and equestrian paths willprovide the visitor with an opportunityto tour the Center on foot, on horseback,by bicycle or tricycle, or even by surrey,The most important restriction will bethat the desert animals must not be dis-turbed, frightened, nor distracted fromregular living habits. After all, this istheir land, and we will be their guests.Mr. Sleight says, "We must move nowto preserve a portion of Nature's gifts,together with man's achievements in art,music, and science in order to realize atotal result of the good things in life.Through this aggregate of cultural in-fluences we may look forward to a betterlife ahead." When the Living DesertCenter of the Desert Museum is com-pleted it will be truly a living institution.The question won't be "have you seenit" but rather, "do you see it fre-quently?"

16 / Deser t Magaz ine / March, 1967


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Flying saucers land here.

b y June Pe arson

| Th i s i s a t rue s tory aboutM r. V an T asse l w h o lives in a rock

and h a s ahis is a rock to make abad little boy stop andthink a bit. It is locatedon the high desert,about sixteen miles northof Twentynine PalmsHighway or Highway 62, between YuccaValley and Joshua Tree. It weighs morethan the Los Angeles City Hall. It is farenough from Hollywood to keep it frombeing colossal, but it is a giant and it isproperly named Giant Rock.

George Van Tassel, who has been itscompanion for the past 18 years, said,with a kind of quiet pride, "It is sevenstories high." The events which havetranspired since it was thrust throughto the surface of the earth make a personwonder what it withstood in the past. Itis like a glacier; a lot of it is underground.

Our knowledge begins in 1929 whenFrank Critzer, an American of Germandescent, left the fishing fleet in SantaMonica and went to the high desert forhis health. In his search for a site onwhich to settle, the jutting rock caughthis attention.Most persons coming upon such anoversized boulder would have granted ita right to sole occupancy of the land, but

Frank thought differently. His plan wasnot to live within its shadow, but to pene-trate it, and for him it became a havenand a grave.He opened up a mining claim thereand tackled the solid stone with chiseland dynamite. He hollowed a home outof its very heart, down underground. Hehad to haul water from a neighboringwell, but he made concrete steps downinto his primitive shelter. In the hot des-ert summer cement cracks and buckles,but Frank managed to mix an especiallyfine, hard, cement and his work still

Inside the rock.stands. Many have tried to learn hissecret, but he worked and lived alone,almost as uncommunicative as the rock,offering nothing, asking nothing, andtelling nothing. With his undergrounddwelling completed, he was cool in thesummer, warm in the winter and withtons of granite overhead, he didn't haveto worry about the roof leaking when itrained.

Freed of the upkeep that goes with anordinary home, he turned to his outer sur-roundings. By building some remarkablystraight roads and creating an airport onthe naturally smooth, dry lake nearby, heprovided himself with an income. Seeinghis windsock flying, pilots began to landthere for one reason and another. Soonhe was servicing and repairing planes.So large a rock is interesting, but arock with a human tenant is a definiteattraction. People around the high desertbegan to padc picnic lunches and driveout to visit Frank and marvel at his ideasand accomplishments.This phase in the existence of the rocklasted for 13 years. It ended abruptly andtragically on July 25, 1942. Three deputysheriffs from Riverside County arrived toinvestigate the allegations that the 59-yearold man had either stolen gasoline, toolsand dynamite from Garnet, Banning andPalm Springs, was a German spy, or hadfailed to register for the draft. The depu-ties said they followed Frank into hisunderground home and questioned himfor 30 minutes. They further stated that

T i m e M a c h i n e

The Time Machine.when they told him they were taking himinto Banning, he touched off 200 poundsof dynamite and blew himself to bits. Theblast set off some ammunition whichstarted a fire that burned for hours.

According to newspaper accounts atthe time, the law enforcement officerssustained cuts and bruises and some tem-porary deafening caused by being in theconfines of the stone cavern when theexplosion occurred. There was no evidencefound to indicate the "mystery man" ofthe desert was guilty or innocent of thecharges that might have been leviedagainst him. What was once a cozy shel-ter became an empty cavity and the rockstood, ignored, for five years.In 1947 George Van Tassel left thebusy Los Angeles area and went, withhis wife and three daughters, to the des-ert. He had been employed for 27 yearswith Howard Hughes and Lockheed asa flight test engineer. He leased 2600acres, including the rock, from the gov-ernment. The three rooms down-under



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M O N E Y - M A K I N G M A P SA fter 11 Years of Research O ur Map M akers H ave Located

1 . F o rg o tt e n G h o s t T o w n s 4 . G o l d a n d S i lv e r M in e s2 . O l d I n d i a n V il la ge s 5 . G em A r ea s3 . Lo s t G o l d C a c h e s 6 . I n d i an -M i l i ta r y B a t tl e g r o u n d s

ONE OLD COIN OR RELIC W ill More Than Pay for Your T rip!T e ll u s w h e r e y o u a r e p l an n i n g y o u r t r i p in C a li fo r n i a an d w e w i ll s e n dy o u m a p s o f t h a t s p e c i f i c a r ea . E a c h o f t h e 6 ca t eg o r i e s i s a s e pa ra t em ap s o d e s i gn a te w h i c h c a te g o r ie s y o u w a n t .

ANY THREE MAPS $4.00 ALL SIX MAPS $6.00P os tage and Tax Included

Maps Div is ion of Border Limi ted CompanyP. O . BOX 398 7, T O R R A N C E , CAL IF . 90510

Crazy -M i xed Updotted,

A R R C O I n d u s t r i e s , Inc.

T h i s P o l ar is s n o w m o b i l e s p o r t s a s e t o fw h e e l s u p f r o n t w h e r e t h e r u n n e r s s h o u l d b ea n d s u d d e n l y h a s b e c o m e t h e m o s t v e r s a t il ef u n v e h i c l e e v e r c r e a t e d . W e ' v e t e s t e d t h e s eo n t h e S a l t F l a t s a t s p e e d s o v e r 4 5 M P H ;w e ' v e o u t - c l i m b e d m o u n t a in s c o o t e rs , ru nt h e m t h r o u g h w a t e r a n d o v e r s a n d , a n d w et h i n k t h e y ' r e g r e a t . R e m e m b e r . . . c o m e ss n o w y o u c a n p u t th e s k i s b ac k o n a n d h a v eA m e r i c a 's gr e a t e s t s n o w m o b i l e . G e t th e f u l ls t o r y .D I S T R I B U T E D B Y1859 S . 8 t h W es t , S a l t Lake C i t y , U tah 841 0410 762 Massachus e t t s A ve . , Los A n ge l e s , C a l i f ., 9 00 24

the distinctive desert resort.. .&LML del

B O R R E G O S P R I N G S , C A L I F O R N I A * Superb food Fine accommodations Diverse recreational activities, including the useof the De Anza Country Club's lush 18-holegolf course. Complete facilities for seminars andbusiness meetings. Area Code 714. Telephone 767-532 3.m t a C a s a d e l Zo r r o i s lo ca t e d i n Sa n D i e g o C o u n t y ' s b e a u t i f uld e s e r t p la y g r o u n d . A r r i v i ng b y p r i v a t e o r cha r t e r e dp l a n e ? T h e Bo r r e g o A i r p o r t i s e q u ip p e d w i t h a p a v e d3 ,500-foo t runway , l e f t -hand pa t t e rn , un ico rn .

B rochu r e s ava i l ab l e on r eques t .

with their piped air ducts were no longerdeserted. The rock rang with the soundsof children.There was no electricity there then,but Van Tassel built a cafe and installeda light plant. The girls attended schoolin Twentynine Palms and by the timeSandra, the youngest, had graduated fromhigh school, she had traveled a distanceequal to three times around the world onthe school bus.Mr. Van Tassel built a cafe and nowever increasing numbers of people comeby plane and car. They are from all sta-tions in life, both military and civilian,and they come for varied reasons. Somelove the quiet of the open desert. Thesecome in cars and campers to stay a fewdays or weeks. They pay nothing for thespace they take, but usually give somethingfor the water they use and the facilitiesthat are provided. There are others whoare rock hunting and here they find gar-nets, copper sulphate, agate and jasper.These can be picked up from the surface,

but for those who are willing to dig,there are ruby, amethyst and striatedquartz specimens. It is a great place to gowith just a tent and a passenger car be-cause the way in from the highway is agood, bladed road. There is, however, astiff penalty for any over zealous rock-hounder trying to haul off the GiantRock.Within the area of the Van Tassel do-main are startling contrasts. Close to thebig rock are mountains of smaller rockspiled one on top of the other which ap-

pear to have been dropped from the skyby a lordly spaceship. Nearby are thehardened deposits of volcanic action.Here, on one occasion, astronauts came topractice for a manned landing on themoon. Struggling over the black, jaggedterrain, they could easily believe that theyhad been suddenly transported to oursatellite. Their maneuvers completed, theyate at the Van Tassel cafe and visitedwhile the residents of the high desertthought they were on the carefully guard-ed Twentynine Palms Marine Base.In addition to tourists viewing therock and rock-hounds looking for gemstones, there are those who come becauseof their interest in unidentified flyingobjects. Giant Rock and George Van Tas-sel have been hosts for years to the worldrenowned Flying Saucer Convention.George's knowledge of aircraft led to anatural interest in the phenomenon and adesire to solve the mystery of their sourceand motive power. The clear atmosphereand open space make observation easy,so every fall, usually in October, between6,000 and 15,000 people from all over



19/44

the world converge on the plains aroundthe rock.For two days the wind-swept desertis aswarm with chuck wagons sellingfood and drink to believers and curiosity-seekers alike. Portable rest rooms are stra-tegically located and the company whoprovides them is somehow able to stateexactly how large a crowd has graced aparticular gathering.Mounting the high podium, authoritieson U.F.O. lecture on the subject andthose who have written books on the sub-ject discuss their publications. The effortto find a true answer to what thousandsof reliable people have reported seeinghas occupied many serious students. Asevidence of this is the continuing interestof the huge audiences Mr. Van Tasselhas lectured before during the past nineyears, in the United States and Canada.He has also appeared on more than 300radio and TV shows and uncounted ar-ticles have been written about the con-

ventions.Upstaging the rock as a landmark isthe "Dome" at the entrance to the con-vention grounds. In front of it is a signwhich reads:THE INTEGRATRONA TIME MACHINEFOR BASIC RESEARCH ORREJUVENATIONANTI-GRAVITYTIME TRAVELA science fiction fan must feel thathere fantastic stories have been turned

into scientific fact. Prejudging and hastycondemnation has put the general publicin the humiliating position of hat-eatingtoo often in the past century of techno-logical advancement. Now, wise-noddingand patient waiting is in style. Investiga-tion brought out the facts that the "Dome"is a four story building put together withno nails, screws or metal of any kind. Atthe time it was built, there were only threecompanies in California capable of thiskind of construction.The reason for the building being with-out metal is because Integratron generatesan electrical field that encompasses theentire structure. The Integratron is not ahealing device, but it is said to retardaging. Its purpose is to re-energize livingmatter by recharging cells. The "Dome"is the College of Universal Wisdom, abranch of the Ministry of UniversalWisdom. Religion and Science merged,G. W. Van Tassel, presiding minister.This is a non-sectarian and non-profitorganization for religious and scientificresearch. They print a bi-monthly bookletcalled the Proceedings.While the "Dome"

The Brain BehindtheLineby Arnold Marquiss

hose idea it is, is a littlelike who's on first, butout here in California wethink the person whooriginated the idea thattoday virtually circles theearth was a womana young woman whobrought her ailing husband to the Im-perial Valley just after the turn of thecentury.She was Dr. June McCarroll and shegave up a promising practice to live inthe desert of Coachella Valley. To benear her husband, she became a govern-ment doctor for five Indian reservations.When she arrived from the East, friendlyIndians warned her about mingling withthe Indians and about the opposition ofthe medicine men. She strapped on a six-shooter big enough to blow a man tokingdom come, carried it in a holster inplain sight and conveyed the idea that shewould not hesitate to use it.Doc June became known all over the

valley, chugging over the desert roads ina Model T Ford. One day, between Indioand Palm Springs, a truck-driver bulliedher little Model T right off the narrowconcrete pavement.Stuck there alone, she had some ideas

about wider roads but a little later, onthe road to Kane Springs, she noticedsomething. Here the road was constructedof two sections, separated in the middleby a joint. Doc June noticed that at thispoint the passing cars had no troublestaying on their own side. That joint inthe middle was the line of demarcation.If there was a definite line down thecenter of all roads, she reasoned, it wouldbe easier for motorists to stay on theirown side, and it would promote safety.She took the idea to the County Boardof Supervisors. They tabled it. She tookit to every civic body that would listen toher. They gave her lip service, but nothingmore. She presented the idea to her ownwomen's club, and she was invited to ad-dress other women's clubs in the area. Thewomen got up a petition and sent it toSacramento.The state highway department jumpedat the idea. Without waiting for legislat-ion, they painted a white line down the

center of the road five miles long onHighway 99 in front of Doc June's house.That was the first white highway linein California. Today the white line, andlines of many other kinds, are used onhighways all over the world .

is reported to be six times stronger thanan ordinary building, it would still bepitting a puny strength against the solidstability of the rock.In the Giant's largest room, with itsrough-hewn walls, there are blackened

spots which testify to the explosion thatrocked the rock. In the family of rocks,from pebbles to boulders, this giant isunique. Without sound or movement, ithas attracted thousands of interested andinteresting peop le. March , 1967 / Deser t Magazine / 1 9


20/44

Sunset at Thousand Palms is punctuated by the roughhewn cross on the low hill above the o asis. The oasis,ivith its hidden lake and home of desert philosopherPaul Wilhelm is one of the desert's most photogenicspots. The cross was built by Wilhelm's sons beforethey left hom e. "W e're leaving paradise," they toldtheir father. "We want this cross to remind u s ofwhat we left."

Borrego Springs boasts this cross. Situ-ated high above the tiny community onthe b are hills, it marks the end of a roughtrail pursued by rock hounds. Coyote Can-yon may be seen to the north, the SaltonSea to the east, and the vast Borrego des-

ert to the south.

D E S E R T C R O S S E Sb y F r a n k T a y l o r

Dead Indian Wash at the foot of Seven Level Hill,less than four miles from Palm Desert is the locationof this rough cross. Using a chunk of Pa lm frond witha burning iron, the builder inscribed a protest to"Bombs and civilized man." A tiny shrine is locatednext to the cross. The wash may be found on theright hand side of the road by turning off Highway74 just before the first sm all bridge. The cross is onthe right about one block up the wash.



21/44

A natural stone cross lies high on the slopes of ChinoCanyon, next to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramwayroute. It w as caused by what geologists term a "dyke."It is the highest of all desert crossesover 7000 feetabove sea level.

Cor^/ Point, directly behide TravertineRock at the Imperial, Riverside Countylines is the site of Easter sunrise serviceseach year. It commands a view of theCoachella Valley and Salton Sea. T hepoint is doubly interesting becau se of thetufa d eposits encrusted on the rock, whichwere m istaken for travertine by an earlyexplorer. Prehistoric petroglyphs, andsome unfortunate historic ones, may be

seen on these rocks.

Erected by horseback riding clubs, thiscross presides over Highway 111 at thesouthern city limits of Palm Springs. Agraded road approaches it, but becomesimpassible half way up the incline. It is agood hike, as the view in three directions

is dramatic and exciting.

A lonely cross high o n the hills aboveRansburg, California stretches its armsin the sun. Natures offering of hot sandand desert wild flowers graces its foot. Be-hind the cross is the empty cabin of aminer who never returned. Who built the

cross? Nobody knows.



22/44

Photo opposite page: Andreas Canyon isone of nature's many beauty spots nearPalm Springs. GORGEOUS GORGES

b y j a c k D e l a n e y

any moons ago, whenthe moon was an inspira-tion rather than a destina-tion, small bands ofCahuilla Indians struckout in various directionsfrom the mountain top, seeking the end ofthe rainbow. The group that is nowknown as the Agua Caliente tribe of Mis-sion Indians found it in the canyonsadjacent to Palm Springs. Incidentally,they also discovered that the "pot ofgold" story is true!Tahquitz Canyon, Andreas Canyon,Murray Canyon, and Palm Canyon weredesignated as permanent tribal reservesby the Congress of the United States in

1 9 5 9 . The Agua Caliente Indian Reser-

vation is located at the south end of PalmSprings, in the Coachella Valley of South-ern California. Many visitors to this des-ert land of sunshine and fun are unawareof the rugged attributes and artistic charmhidden away in the recesses of the SanJacinto mountains. They should take ad-vantage of these unusual opportunitiesfor recreation. The reservation is open tothe public from mid-October to mid-Mayeach year.Remarkable Tahquit2 Canyon is onlyabout a mile and a quarter south ofRamon Road, along the base of the SanJacinto mountains. It is on Indian landbut not within the reservation, so theseason schedule and admission fee do

not apply to this bit of heaven. Anyonewho can walk a short distance over aneasy hiking trail may experience thethrill of Tahquitz, winter or summer,without even a token charge for the de-lightful treat. He should park his car on



23/44


24/44

Ramon Road, west of Palm Canyon Drive(toward the mountain) and plan on ahike of about one hour each direction.Starting on what might be called arough road, he will reach a path in a fewminutes that leads toward the canyon.Upon arriving at a fork in the path, thesouth side of the stream should be taken.Suddenly, an "out of this world" sceneappears a short distance ahead. TahquitzCanyon represents one of the area's most

spectacular sightsthe phenomenon of aroaring 60-foot waterfall on the desert!It is an unbelievably beautiful and inspir-ing lost world of privacy and serenity.Because of its natural beauty this can-yon was selected as the Shangra-La loca-tion for the motion picture, Lost Horizon.In one scene, the heroine rode a whitehorse into the pool below the waterfalland then appeared, still on the horse, atthe top of the falls. With no intention ofspoiling a motion picture illusion, it mustbe stated that the horse received majorassistance in his ascent to the top of thefalls. In fact, hikers are warned thatclimbing above the falls is dangerousthe rocks are slick and stretches aretreacherously loose underfoot.The name Tahquitz is a magic wordto the Indiansmany legends aboundaround it. The most popular is that Tah-quitz was a powerful but bad leader wholived in the canyon. He feasted on littlechildren! The tribe caught him and dis-posed of him, but he returned in spiritto cause the people troublehe is stillup the canyon. He is responsible for

train wrecks, automobile accidents, andall sorts of disasters. To this day, whenhe is irritated, he sends a "TahquitzTwister" roaring down the canyon, awind that whips the palm trees and stirsup the sand, to notify the people in thevillage that he is upset!Majestic Andreas Canyon, named forold Chief Andreas of the Cahuilla In-dian tribe, is within the Agua CalienteIndian reservation and can be reached bya paved road all the way. After the visi-tor passes through the reservation toll gate

at the end of South Palm Canyon Driveand pays a small entrance fee, he shoulddrive a short distance ahead to the An-dreas Canyon directional sign, then turnright. A drive of about a mile on thisroad will bring him to the mouth of thecanyon. If he feels like hiking along awinding trail he will find a picturesquewaterfall about a mile up the canyon.Should he not be disposed to hikingthe trails, he can still enjoy the entrance

area by relaxing on a picnic bench besidethe vigorous stream that courses throughthe canyon. In addition to picnic facilitiesand a wading pool, there are numeroushiking and riding trails and a tremendousdisplay of cottonwood, sycamore, and na-tive Washingtonia palm trees. At sometime in the past, great granite stratifica-tions were upthrust from the yieldingsands to produce some of the most drama-tic rock effects in any of the canyons.One of the famous rock ledges was usedby the Indian women over 100 years agoto grind mesquite beans and seeds forthe family supper. Mo rtar holes can stillbe seen in the rock ledge and remnantsof old Indian pictographs are presentnear the foot of the cliff. Upstream ashort distance are modified rock shelterswhich housed the Indians long ago.A legend that could be related to thiscanyon concerns a very fine young woman,the Moon Maiden. She taught the people,especially the girls, to dance and playgames. She taught the girls and womento rise early and bathe in the pool beforethe men arose. She was good and every-

one loved her. One night she went upin the sky where the people couldn't findher. They were very sad. Then a fewevenings later they saw her in the poolsmiling up at them. They thought shewas in the water until they looked up tothe sky. According to the legend, thiswas the "first time of the new moon."Primitive Murray Canyon is just southof Andreas Canyon, but is less accessibleby road. However, the visitor may leavehis car at the Andreas parking area andhile over a good trail to this canyon.

C O W B O Y B O O T Sf i f a n c y W e s t e r n j f < w / w e a t i

Located in "Th e C en ter " (across f rom the De ser t Inn) , The Moccas in Shop o f fers one o f the la rges tse l ec ti ons fo r f oo t com fo r t t h i s s ide o f anywh e re . Moccas ins w i t h b eau t i f u l be ad wo r k , ve l ve t y -s o ft im po r t e d d e e r s k i n , r ugg ed r a wh i d e , d u r a b le f u l l - gr a in c owh i d e som e f o r r i d i ng , s om e fo rf l y i ng , a l l f o r j us t p la i n wa l k i ng com fo r t . Look f o r us on you r nex t dese r t t r i p .W R I T E F O R F RE E C A T A L O GImcum

Upon reaching the mouth of Murray, hewill discover that it is far more imposingthan the entrance to Andreas. Its rockysides are far apart and the space betweenis a wilderness of cacti, flowering shrubs,and rocky boulders. A placid mountainstream and many glorious palms add tothis attractive setting. It is wild and mys-terious and one of the largest of the In-dian canyons.This rugged, interesting spot was named

for Dr. Welwood Murray who was arugged, interesting pioneer. He started atrend by building the first hotel in PalmSprings, in 1 886. It has been rumoredthat a band of wild ponies has been seen,on occasion, in Murray Canyon. Perhapsthey are descendants of some of the In-dian ponies that traversed this land inthe early days. The canyon offers manypicnicking spots, but no comfort or otherconvenience facilities are provided. It isan ideal area for hiking, exploring, andbird watching, with perhaps some wildpony watching for those who like towatch wild ponies.Fascinating Palm Canyon is one of theoutstanding attractions in the PalmSprings area. In fact, it is the best knownof the Indian canyons and the most popu-lar palm oasis of the entire ColoradoDese rt. It is a 15-mile-long desert gorgethrough which courses a stream of icysnow water running off the mountains,with small pools of natural hot mineralwater bubbling up through the sand. Thefact that hot and cold running water wasavailable probably appealed to the Indianswhen they discovered Palm Canyon yearsa g o .To reach this ancient and delightfulplace, just drive along the main road ofthe reservation to its end. Am ple park-ing space is available and a little tradingpost is operated for the benefit of sou-venir hunters. From this point, the visi-tor may hike down a short trail to thecanyon floor and into a forest of 3000wild Washingtonia Palms, some of whichare 50 to 60 feet in height. These rangein age from seedlings to 300 years,with a few as old as 2500 years. Thisis a beautiful canyon. The palms aremagnificent, the geology is impressive,and birdlife is abundant.

The visitor will also see trees whichare typical of California's lower eleva-tion: willows, sycamores, alders, andtamarisk. Looking higher on the canyonslopes he will see mesquite and catsclaw,which often have desert mistletoe en-twined in their branches. Also, there arecreosote bushes and various types ofcactus. Many of the palms are clothedin ground-sweeping "skirts."24 / Deser t Magaz ine / March , 1967


25/44

Palm Canyon was a special source offood supply for early Indians. Therewere at least 60 varieties of edible wildplants and seeds. The Cahuilla women,in searching for food, carried basketssuspended from the top of their headsby a net made of yucca fiber. Theygathered acorns, mesquite beans, andpalm seeds which were later ground intoflour. Thou gh no longer a source offood, Palm Canyon provides the camerafan with unlimited photographic materialand the visitor with a sight that is noteasily forgotten.A recent promising project involvingportions of Indian land is the proposedhighway from Palm Springs throughPalm Canyon and other virgin terrain toHighway 74, intersecting around thePinyon Flats area. The road, about 15miles in length, will feature an absenceof sharp curves and turns, and will cutdriving time to Idyllwild and the coastabout 20 minutes. Two approachesfrom Palm Springs are being considered

Palm Canyon Drive and Sunrise Way.The Agua Caliente Indians, who havean interest in the project, are not offeringopposition to it, but appear to favor theSunrise Way approach.Francis Crocker, popularly known asthe "Father of the Tramway," has beenthe sparkplug for this idea from its incep-tion. His contagious enthusiasm rubbedoff on so many other civic leaders andbusinessmen that success of the projectis practically assured. Senator Cologneproposed it as a state highway some time

a g o , but after a preliminary survey oftraffic, etc., the state decided against it.Riverside County is now sponsoring anew detailed survey which should becompleted soon. Th e next stop will beto obtain the necessary rights-of-way.When completed, it will be part of ourcounty road system.This thoroughfare will open up sixtownships for recreational activity,mountain cabins, and permanent homes.Several mesas along the route would lendthemselves ideally to residential develop-

ment. The weather is perfect. There isno windy situation such as exists in someof the pass regions and, since the wholearea is part of the Desert Water Agency,water is available throughout for futuredevelopment. The road will go from400 feet up to 4000 feet elevation, pass-ing through many life zones, permittingfuture residents to choose the level theyprefer or the elevation that is best fortheir health. It will expand the desertarea in livability, beauty, and accessibility.In the beginning Um Naw, the good

spirit of the Indians, created the canyonsespecially for their enjoyment. At inter-vals since, various earth movements havechanged the canyons, but these changeshave been in the direction of grandeur andcharm. The red man has generouslyshared his blessings with the white man

(both are tan men on the desert). If theproposed projects, mentioned above, andother ideas which might develop, openthis beautiful region to a greater numberof appreciative people, it is likely thatUm Naw will rejoice in his teepee in thehappy hunting grounds up above.

A N E Q U A L O P PO R T U N I T Y E M PL O YE R

Servicein theCommunity'sInterestC A L I F O R N I AW A T E R & T E L E P H O N EC O M P A N Y ( | g ?A member of the General SystemPalm Springs 324-145 1 Indio 347-2711Tw entynlne Palms 367-28 81

C O A C H E LLA V A LLE Y C O U N T Y W A T E R D I S T R I C TLeon Kennedy, President; Raymond R. Rummonds, Vice President;

Directors: A. Harold Bromley, Jack Frost and George Leach.P . 0 . B o x 1 0 5 8 , C o a c h e l la , C a l if o r n i a

March, 196 7 / Desert Maga zine / 25


26/44

If you really want to see the desertTravel theBack Roads

V I R G I N I A D A L E

by Bill Barnardortions of Joshua TreeMonument are accessibleby paved roads, but muchof the park remains rela-tively untraveled. Unac-customed to driving des-ert trails, most motorists hesitate to leavethe pavement for the unknown. This is

regrettable, for the real beauty and soli-tude of this area is best appreciated from"back roads."The Monument is open year round andthe roads are clear. Summer temperaturesare warm, but not unbearable. Winternights may be freezing with day tem-peratures pleasant. The advantages of theoff-season visit is the probability of com-pletely unoccupied camp grounds.Though no firewood nor supplies areavailable in the Monument, water may beobtained at Cottonwood Spring and near

26 / Desert Maga zine / March, 1967

Ryan Mountain on the paved road be-tween Jumbo Rocks and Hidden ValleyCamp Grounds. The towns of Twenty-nine Palms and Joshua Tree are not faraway.Our method for exploring the Monu-ment and its environs is to park thetrailer at one of the camp grounds andgo forth from there with trail bikes orour four-wheel drive truck. For safety'ssake, when riding bikes we never ridealone. Regardless of mode of travel ortime of year, we take water and, when

possible, extra gas and oil. The locationsdescribed in this article are sites which Ienjoy seeing time and again; they arerepresentative, but by no means the onlyplaces to see. To locate these, and otherpoints likely to be interesting, we useU.S. Geodetic Survey Maps, which aredetailed and complete. Places within theMonument boundaries must be reachedvia marked trails and roads. To attempt across-country route in a conventionaldrive vehicle is impossible and in anycase, would virtually guarantee the driver

Top photo: Camping areas are well-planned in the Joshua Tree Monum ent.Bottom photo: Bill Keys engraved thisstone for grave of early miner.

a free trip to the United States Commis-sioner who may give a choice of a fine orjail.Lost Horse Mine is a well preservedmine site three miles east of the pavedSalton View Highway. The road is primi-tive, but easily traversed on trail bikes,four-wheel drive vehicles, or pick uptrucks. There are several versions aboutthe discovery of this mine. The mostcredulous goes back to the 1890s whenhorse thieves used the area for re-brand-ing stolen animal

196703 Desert Magazine 1967 March

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Transcript of 196703 Desert Magazine 1967 March