197011 Desert Magazine 1970 November

8/14/2019 197011 Desert Magazine 1970 November

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NOVEMBER, 1970


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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 pAN2A-BORREGO DESERT GUIDE by Horace Par-ker. Second edition of this well-illustrated anddocument ed book is enla rged conside rably. Topsamong guid eboo ks, it is equal ly r ecommendedfor research material in an area that was crossedby Anza, Kit Carson, the Mormon Battal ion,49ers, Railroad Survey parties, Pegteg Smith, the

Jackass Mail, Butterfield Stage, and today'sadventurous tourists. 139 pages, cardboardcover, $3.50.

THE MAN WHO WALKED THROUGH TIME byColin Fletcher. An odyssey of a man who livedsimply and in solitude fcr two months as hehiked through the Grand Canyon. Combininghis physical prowess with Thoreau-like observa-tions, the author has written a book of greatmagnitude. Hardcover, illustrated, 239 pages,$6.95.

AMATEUR GUIDE TO BOTTLE COLLECTING by BeaBoynton. Popular little boo< for beginners. High-ly recommended. Paper. $1.00.

O N D E S E R TT R A I L STODAY AMDYESTIRMY

RANDALL HENDERSON

O N DESERT TRAILSBy RANDALL HENDERSON

Founder and publisher of Desert Maga-zine for 23 years, Randall Henderson isone of the first good writers to reveal thebeauty of the mysterious desert areas.His experiences, combined with his torn--nents on the desert of yesterday andtoday, make this book a MUST for thosewho want to understand the southwest.

Hardcover, illustrated, 375 pages.$5.00

FANTASIES OF GOLD by E. B. Sayles. Duringhis search for archeological finds for more than30 years, the author was exposed to the rumorsand legends of lost gold and treasures. Afterhis retirement as curator of the Arizona StateMuseum, he classified and delved into thesestill unsolved mysteries. An interesting and in-formative book on lost bonanzas and legends,many of which have never been published.Hardcover, well illustrated, 135 pages, $6.50.

MAMMALS OF DEEP CANYON by R. Mark Ryan.A study of the habits of more than 40 anim alsliving in the Deep Canyon Research Area in theColorado Desert. The site was selected becauseits ecology is typical of deserts throughout theworld. Paperback, illustrated, 137 pages, $2.95.

EXPLORING DEATH VALLEYB y RUTH KIRK

A comprehensive guide to the wondersof Death Valley National Monument withcomplete details as to where to go bycar, 4-wheel-drive and on foot. Intro-ductory chapters summarize the Valley'shistory, geology, animals, plants andweather. Directory section tells where tofind lodging, meals, gas stations, camp-grounds and driving techniques. Paper-back, slick paper, photos and maps, 88

pages.

$ 1 . 9 5

GEMS, MINERALS, CRYSTALS AND ORES byRichard M. Pearl. A paperback edition of hisbest-selling hardcover book which has been outof print for a year. From agate to zircon, thebook tells where gems, minerals, crystals andores can be found, how they are identified, col-lected, cut and displayed. Paperback, clickpaper, 64 color photographs, 320 pages, $2.95.

1000 MILLION YEARS ON THE COLORADO PLA-TEAU by Al Look. For 40 years the author hashiked over and explored the Colorado Plateau.Citing the area as a typical example of theearth's overall evolution, he gives a vivid ac-count of the geology, paleontology, archeologyand uraniu m discoveries starting back 1 000million years. Written for the layman, the non-fiction account reads like a journey throughtime. Hardcover, illustrated, 300 page:., $3.75.

BIRDS OF SOUTHWESTERN DESERT by G. T.Smith. Informal, but informative with coloreddrawings and lively text. $2.95.

WHEN ORDERING BOOKSPLEASE

Add 50 cents PER ORDER(Not Each Book)

for handling and mailingCalifornia residents add 5 percent

sales tax, regardless of whether youare a Republican or Democrat.

Send check or money order to Desert Maga-zine Book Shop, Palm Desert, California92260. Sorry, but we cannot accept chargesor C.O.D. orders.

HUNTING LOST M!NE5 BY HELICOPTER by ErieStanley Gardner. As fascinating as one of hisPerry Mason mysteries, the author takes younto Arizona s Superstition Mounta ins looking

for the Lost Dutchman mine and into the TrigoMountains in search of Nummel's lost bonanza.Hardcover, color photos. $7.50.

DESERT GARDENING by the editors of SunsetBooks. Written exclusively for desert gardeners,this book is climate zoned with maps pin point -ing five diverse desert zones. Calendar pre-sents plans for care of plantings throughoutthe year. Illustrated, 8 x 1 1 heavy paperback,$1 .95.

COLORFUL DESERT WILDFLOWERS by Grace andOnas Ward. Segregated into categories of red,blue, white and yellow for easier identification,there are 190 four-color photos of flowers foundin the Mojave, Colorado and Western Arizonadeserts, all of which also have common andscientific names plus descriptions. Heavy, slickpaperback. $4.50.

MINES OF DEATH VALLEYBy BURR BELDEN

An authority of Death Valley, Burr Bel-den tells the story of fabulous miningbooms, of men who braved hot wastes tofind gold and silver bonanzas from 1 84 9to World War II. Accounts of the famousLost Gunsight and Lost Breyfogle minesand an explanation of the Lost MormonDiggings are based on factual research.

Paperback, illustrated, 72 pages.$ 1 . 9 5

G E M , MINERAL AND 4-WHEEL-DRIVE MAPS compiled by Dale Hileman. Maps showing gemand mineral collecting areas, roads for passenger cars and 4WD roads only. Map No. 1 is onLast Chance Canyon, Mesquite Canyon anIron Canyon in Kern Count y. Ma p No. 2 coverthe Opal Mountain and Black Canyon areas iSan Bernardino County. Both are black anred colors on 1 6x1 7-inch parchment paper$1 .00 per m ap .SOUTHWEST INDIAN COUNTRY by the Editorsof Sunset Books. A concise and comprehensiveguid e covering the 4 8 reservations and Pueblvillages in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico andColorado. Includes what to see, how to buyconduct, history, and ceremonials. Large formatcolored illustrations, heavy paperback, 80pages, $1.95.


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A Complete Miniature Lapidary Shop, themost versatile unit on tne market today. For$42.50 you get the basic unit.By adding the items yoj need, for the workyou intend to do; you can dr i l l , saw, grindan d polish. Cut all types of cabochons, bothcarved and pla in . Working star rubies andsapphires is a natural with this machine. Dovarious types of carving in gem stone, woodor glass. You can etch or inlay glass, stone,wood or metal. Do faceting or make buttons.The bead and marble attachment will soonbe available. There are buffing attachmentsfor the gold or silversm th. The splitt ing andwa fer ing saw is the answe r to the opa lcutter's dream.The P.D.Q. Gem Drill is ideal for the personwith limited space in the home, camper ortrailer. There is a battery inverter availablethat enables you to take your P.D.Q. familywith you on vacation. The P.D.Q. Lapidaryequipment is compact, sturdy and inexpen-sive. A booklet of instructions and a guaran-tee card comes with each machine.

AT WAMPUMl WIGWAM

Indian Jewelry is an item of beauty todayand a priceless treasure of tomorrow. It isgetti ng more scarce and highe r priced as eachyear goes by and as elder silversmiths passto the "Great Beyond. ' Wampum Wigwamoffers you authentic Indian-made items fromthe reservations and trading posts of ourSouthwest. May we send you a selection ofIndian jewelry? This enables you to see themerchandise before you buy it. Pay for theitems you keep and return the rest. Pricesrange from $2.00 tie tacks and up, depend-ing on amount of silver and turquoise in theitem. State what items you would like to seegiving ring sizes or other information. Feelfree to ask for a selection. We will do ourbest to help you.SHIPLEY'SMINERAL. HOUSEOn Hwy. 160 in southwest Colorado, 18 mileseast of Durango or i y 2 miles west of Bayfield.Mailing Address:SHIPLEY'S MINERAL HOUSE, Gem Village,Bayfield D, Colorado 81122Phone: 303-884-2632

LOTTIE M. SHIPLEYSEND FOR NEW CATALOG # 9

i n th eP u b l i s h e r ' sHE M O N T H S HAVE slipped rapidlyby and it is time again when that

famous part of California known asDeath Valley plays an integral part ofthis issue timed to correspond withth e annual Death Valley '49ers En-campment, which this year is beinghe ld from N ovem ber 12 through theI 5th. T h e directors expect a h u g e turnout for this, their 22nd celebrationwhich originated back in 1949. O ne ofthe feature attractions will be the placin g of a memorial plaque commemora

ting the Eichbaum Toll Road. A complete rundown of the Encampment scheduleappears on page 25. With th e increasing adventure-minded citizens and th e evershrivelling wilderness and recreation areas. Death Valley has been setting attendance-records never thought possible in years past. In talking to Ranger headquarters inDeath Valley N ational M onument I was informed that during the month of July21,233 visitors were recorded in th e M onume nt and August produced almost theidentical number (21,168) of hardy souls who braved the super-hot area envelopingthe lowest point in the United States. For the first time accommodations at Stove Pipe-Wells Village anil Furnace Creek Ranch were operated on a year-round basis. T herangers also assured me that all roads were in excellent condition anil the WildroseCanyon road and the highway in from Beatty, N evada had been repaved. Pleasremember that Death Valley is a N ational M onum ent and cill vehicles are requiredto remain on the established roads at all times. Hope you can make it to the Encampment and look forward to meeting many of our DESERT M a g a zi n e family.

In these times much publicity is heaped upon the seamy and unsavory typethat gather in groups and communes and create the illusion that the w h o l e countrhas turned into long-haired bands ol nomads going now here. Th is could not be farthefrom the truth as these young people represent only a small portion of the L5-25age gro up. T he fact is that the majority of the young pe ople do not create headlineby being upright citizens studying tor their future ami respecting the law. It is onof these majority youths that 1 wouldlike to touch briefly on. Here in our vbackyard m the C.oachella Valley oneot our subscribers, Charles Barros an dhis family including his 13-year-oldson, Carl Alexander, have developed akeen interest in the dese rt. Afterheavy spring winds had shifted thesands of the valley this young man )spent his time searching for, and find-ing potsherds, arrowpoints ami beads. .,T he accompanying photo representsth e finer specimens that were collectedin a space of three months. They will be on display in our office until February whethey will be shown at the Riverside County Fair and Date Festival in [ndio. T hente rprisin g young fellow w ith the help of his broth er, M ark, 14, have a ratheadm irable way of passing time. T hey gather stout limbs that are straight and sturdyT hese sticks are peeled and polished into excellent hiking staffs and anyone whhas had occasion to do any amount of cross country walking knows how useful good walk ing stick can be. T he boys have very kindly allowed us to merc hand istheir handiw ork in our gift shop . W ith boys like this on the way to man hoo d, 1 canhelp but feel that all is not lost. Don't you agree?


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WILLIAM KNYVETT, P U B L I S H E RJACK PEPPER, E D I T O R

WALTER ARENDALE, Advertising. ManagerMARY FRANCES STRONG, Field Trip EditorJACK DELANEY, Staff WriterJOLEEN ROBISON. Woman's Viewpoint EditorGLENN VARGAS, Lapidary EditorK. L. BOYNTON, Naturalist

DutnLMAGAZINE

Volume 33, Number 11 NOVEMBER, 1970

CONTENTS

THE COVER:Sun-dried mud cakes in theDeath Valley sand dunesappear as a pattern of foot-prints. Photo is by DavidMuench of Santa Barbara.

F E A T UGOLD OF MONTE CRISTO

GIANT WAGONS OF DEATH VALLEYDIRTY SOCK AND BEYOND

DESERT DUNE DANCERGOLD ATTHE SUMMITCLOISTEREDCHLORIDE

ENCAMPMENT PROGRAMT HE MOODS OF DEATH VALLEY

DEATH VALLEY MEMORIESGHOSTS OF GLEESONTRAIL TO MAZOURKA

R E Sby John W. Robinsonby Richard Bloomquistby Roberta Starryby K. L. Boytonby Mary Frances Strongby Betty TuckerAnnual Eventby David Muenchby Helen Walkerby Arnold Tildenby Betty Tucker

DEPARTMENTSA PEEK INTHE PUBLISHER'S POKE

BOOK REVIEWSRAMBLING ONROCKSWOMAN'SVIEWPOINT

LETTERSCALENDAR OF WESTERN EVENTS

DESERT LIFE

by William Knyvettby Jack Pepperby Glenn and Martha Vargasby Joleen A. RobisonReader's CommentsClub Activitiesby Hans Baerwald

ELTA SH1VELY, Executive Secretar MARVEL BARRETT. Circulation Manager

EDITORIAL, CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea St., Palm Desert, California 92260. Telephone Area Code714 346-8144. Listed in Standard Rate and Data. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States, Canada and Mexico; 1 year, $5.00; 2 years,$9.50; 3 years $13.00. Other foreign subscribers add SI.00 U.S. currency for each year. See Subscription Order Form in this issue. Allowfi\e weeks for change of address and send both new and old addres~.es with zip codes. DESERT Magazine is published monthly. Secondclass postage paid at Palm Desert, California and at additional mailing offices under Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1970by DESERT Magazine and permission to reproduce any or all contents must be secured in writing. Unsolicited manuscripts and photo-graphs WILL NO T BE RETURNED unless accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope.


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by John W. Robinson

NO T H I N G W I L L draw men into themountains faster and in greaternumbers than the age-old cry " T h a r ' sgold in them thar hil ls!"

A gentle mountain stream, a tree-shad-ed hillside, a flower-bedecked draw canalmost overnight be turned into a sceneof frenzied human activity - - d i g g i n g ,dri l l ing, blasting, hosing if hydraulicworks are involved and in the processN a t u r e 's h a n d i w o r k is literally obliterated.

T h en , j ust as suddenly, the frantic rushis over and the miners drift away, leavingdenuded hillsides, crumbling shafts, scat-tered implements, and tales of bygone ex-citement. Far more often than not, theboom turns out to be a bust, and all theexpanded energy, all the money pouredinto the venture, goes for n au g h t . Thelife of a gold prospector was invariably atale of false hopes and broken dreams, apattern of expectancy followed by excite-m e n t and t h en d i sap p o i n t men t r ep eat edover and over again.

Along these familiar lines went thesaga of the old M o n t e C r is to G o l d M i n e ,located on sun-bleached chaparral slopesabove M ill Creek in the San Gab r i elM o u n ta i n s in Los Angeles County.

T o d a y the traveler crossing the AngelesForest Highway between La C an ad a andPalmdale passes the M o nt e Cristo R an g erStation on County Road N3 and, twomiles beyond, the M onte Cristo PublicC a m p g r o u n d . If you visit the latter, paus-in g to rest alongside trickling M ill Creeku n d er a green canopy of oak and alder,you will see a locked gate at the northen d of the campground. Vehicles are notallowed beyond this gate, but it is an easyhike up the dirt road which meanderssome two miles up n ar r ow M o n t e C r i st oCreek. At its end, well up on the brushyslopes of R o u n d t o p M o u n t ai n, are thefaded remnants of the old M o n t e C r is t o

- its tunnels and shafts caved in, itsmachinery rusted and strewn about, itsbuildings long since torn down. Few-visiting the ruins today would imaginethis quiet spot was once the scene offrenzied activity. It lies forlorn and for-gotten, an er o d ed mo n u men t to man ' scentury-old quest for mineral wealth inth e San Gab r i el s .

B ut the M o nt e Cristo has a story to tell.N o o t h er mi n i n g ven t u r e in the SouthernCalifornia mountains was more involvedin legend, drama, controversy or broken

d r eams.Legend says this was actually the fabled

Lo st Pad res M i n e of M i ssi o n San Fernando , dating back to the 1790s. M issionrecords reveal that gold was taken from"L a Canada del M olino," which can btranslated as M ill Creek. However, scholars have never been able to nail down thwhereabouts of the Lost Padres and somdoubt that such a mine existed.

T h e b an d i t T i b u r ci o V asq u ez and hig an g of horsethieves supposedly recoveredgold ore from the vicinity of the M o ntCristo in the 1870s. According to mo u ntain historian Will T hrall , the b an d i d o 'arrastra (a primitive device used by M e x ican miners for milling gold ore) was discovered nearby in 1916.

It was d u r i n g the Big T u j u n g a g ol drush of the late '80s that the M o ntCristo we know today started operationsBut just who located the gold-bearingveins and began mining them is a mysteryO ne story says that M exican miners firsworked the M onte Cristo, carrying the orthey recovered down to a crusher drivenby a large water wheel. Another versionis that the mi n e was first worked byIndians.


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On the left:The MonteCristo stampmill, about 1915.Photo fromWill Thrallcollection,HuntingtonLibrary. Below:the stamp millas it appearstoday fromapproximatelythe same spot.A fading legacyto man's questfor wealth in theSan Gabriels.

contemporary accounts, under very mys-terious circumstances.

After several lean years of mining,during which Fuller operated a packtrain on the side to make ends meet, theold prospector f inally departed for partsu n k n o w n .

Arou nd 1915 the claim was taken overby one Fred W . Carlisle, who remainedin control of the M onte C risto until hisdeath in 1946. Before taking over theM onte Cristo he had been assayer in theRa nds bu r g M ining Dis tric t .

Und e r Ca r l is le , the M onte C r istoreached its zenith of activityduring theyears 1923 to 1928. G old-bea ring orewas recovered from two groups of quartzveins about a thousand feet apart. T o tapthe veins, six tunnels were bored, two ofthem reaching back 425 feet into them oun ta in. N e w m a c hine ry wa s la borious lyhauled in, including a Blake Crusher anda portable compressor. According to theCa lif ornia S ta te M ining Bur e a u, a tota lyield of 570,000 was recovered from th eM onte Cristo in the peak year of 1 927.

After that, the M onte Cristo revertedto its familiar pattern of promise follow-ed by frustration. Several promising

189 3 the property passed intothe hands of a Colonel Baker. A companywas organized and some $85,000 spent inbuilding a rough wagon road from Actonup Aliso Canyon, over M ill Creek Sum-m it , a nd down to the M onte Cr is to. He avymining machinery was transported in andassembled, and buildings were erected.But the enterprise proved a disappoint-ment; very little of the initial expenditure-was recovered, and the mine was againa b a n d o n e d .

T hrou gh out the next 50 years of theM ont e Cristo's life as an operating goldmine, two colorfuland controversialprospectors held the controlling reins.T he f irst of these, arr iving sometim earound 1895, was Captain Elbridge Ful-ler. "E d" Fuller, with a succession ofc ha nging pa r tne r s , r ule d the M onte Cr is tofor some 20 years. Th ese were two dec-ades of stormy personal controversy andmarginal mining success. I t seems thatFuller allegedly could never get alongwith his partners, and one by one theyeither sold out, were driven away, or metwith f oul pla y. O ne unf or tuna te pa r tne r ,Hutchinson by name, was found dead"with his head blown off," according to

"pay streaks" were hit, only to f izzle outjust as they appeared to spell "bonanza."Carlisle, hard-pressed to make ends meet,was obliged to suspend operations forseveral years at a time. During the mid-'30s, he leased the east and west veinsto different outside operators, the f irsta nd only tim e the M onte C r isto wa s notworked as a single unit. From 1935 to1942 the mine was worked only inter-mittently, and in the latter year it ceasedoperations for good. T he f inal curtainrang down on more than a half centuryof excitement and broken dreamsthemine that never quite lived up to ex-pectations.

T oday, anyone can stroll the easy twomiles up the lonely road to the oldM onte Cristo and visit the crumbledtunnels and shafts, the broken stampmill, the scattered debris. All is silentsave for the mountain breeze that rustlethe trees and the occasional howl of thecoyote. For those with vivid imaginations, it is possible to stand among the remains and picture oneself a part of yesteryear 's pageant, when grizzled prospectors dug vainly for N ature 's hidd entreasures.


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COLD.'Ain't NecessarilyYellow Podner!

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First published in 1929, this is a fas-cinating account of attempts by theUnite d Sta te s G ove r nm e nt to importcamels from Asia to provide transporta-tion across the deserts of the Southwe s t .U n d e r the personal direction of Jeffer-s on Da vis who s ta r te d his c a m pa ign forcamels as a United States senator fromM i ss o u ri and br ought it to reality whenhe became Secretary of War in 1853 un-der President Franklin Piercethe ill-fated project might have succeeded and

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9/52

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10/52

G ian t W agonsVal leyD e a t h

Richard A. Bloomquist

THI; ROAD rolls over the flatlands ofDe a th Va lle y, la bor s up WindyG a p' s gr a de , and de s c ends T om e s ha ' swestern wall. I t winds on to L one Wil-low and Blackwater, then down to M o-jave past Castle Butte . Th is is the twenty-mule road, conveyor of Death Valleyborax.

Between 1883 and '88 it rumbled be-ne a th the ponde r ous , e a r th- gr inding bulkof some of the mightiest wagons everbuilt with hind wheels seven feet in di-a m e te r wa gons we ighing f our tons a ndhaulin g ten. T heir load was borax, dis-covered in the United S tates in I 8^6 andfound in Death Valley in 1873.

Isadore Daune t , in the early '80s, pro-duced the Valley's first borax at his EagleW ork s near Bad water . S oon afterward,W i l l i a m T, Coleman's G r e e nla nd Sa l tand Borax Company was in productionnorth of Furnace Creek at a refinerylater known as the Harmony Borax10

Wor ks . With the c los ur e of Da une t ' s e n-terprise in 1884, Coleman became DeathValley's lone producer of borax. But heneeded a new road to the rail line at M o-jave. 16s) miles distant, capable of trans-porting more borax more cheaply thanwas possible under existing conditions.

Coleman's road, built under the dir-ection of J. W . S. Perry, climbed theimmense bajada northeast of M ojave,reaching water at Blackwater W ell. N extwater was at" G ranite S pring (G rani teWe lls on m ode r n m a p s ) . T he n on toL one Willow Spr ing, up Windy G a p,a nd down L ong Va lle y. ( Windy G a p isnow known a s Winga te P a s s ; L ong Va l-le y ha s be c om e Winga te Wa s h. )

N ow w ithin the confines of DeathValley, the borax road bore north to M es-quite We lls , Be nne tt ' s We ll , a nd thejagged salt beds, through which Chineselaborers, wielding sledge hammers, hadbeaten a passage. Trail 's end was in

Will iam Belknap photos ight ; G r e e nla nd ( now F ur na c e Cr e e k)Ranch lay ahead, and a short distance be-yond stood the warehouses and greatta nks of the Ha r m ony Wor ks .

O ver this road the behemoths lum ber-ed. John R. Spears has left us an accountof the big wagons' origin, their gargan-tuan measurements, and their faultlessperformance in hi s Illustrated Sketchesof Death Valley ( 1 8 9 2 ) . H e r e l a t e s h o wPerry, working under Coleman, "ob-tained, by inspection or correspondencethe dimensions of all varieties of greawagons used by Pacific Coast freightersW ith these and the load carried by eachwagon spread out before him, he proceeded to design the wagon s. T he taskhe had set for himself was the buildingof ten wagons so large that any of themwould carry at least ten tons . . . a train oftwo wagons was to carry a load for a. . . well-built freight car, and carry theload not over a smooth iron tramway


11/52

but up and down the rocky defiles andcanyons of th e Panamint Ra nge .

"Because they were probably the largestwagons ever used, and because they werean d still are so completely successful,space may be given to their dimensionsin detail. T he hind wheel was seven feetin diameter, its tire eight inches wideand an inch thick. T he forward wheelwas five feet in diameter, the tire like thaton the rear. T he hu bs were 18 inches indiameter, 22 inches long. Wagon bedswere 16 feet long, four feet wide, sixde e p. T he t r e a d- the width of the wheels-was six feet. Each wagon weighed7 8 0 0 p o u n d s . T h e lot cost about $ 9 0 0 0 ,or $900 e a ch. T w o of these Death Valleywagons often carried 45,000 pounds an ds om e tim e s 46, 000 pounds of cargo, ex-clusive of water and feed for men andteam. All ten were in constant use forfive years without a s ingle br e a kdown. "

H a u l i n g t h e s e m a g n i f i c e n t d e s e r tfreighters was th e twenty-mule team,winning fame as never before alongDeath Valley's borax trail. In charge ofth e colorful hook-up of cumbrous wagonsand tenacious mules were the driver and

swamp er. Th e driver guided the team andwagons, the swamper did most of therest.

"O n the down grade , he climbs to aperch on the rear wagon and puts on th ebrake; on the upgrade he reasons withand throws rocks at the indolent and ob-streperous mules. As mealtime approach-e s , he kicks dead bra nches from a grease-bush along the route and pulls up sage-brush roots tor fuel. When the outfitstops, he cooks the food while the driverfeeds the animals, and when the meal isover, washes the dishes which, with thefood, are carried in a convenient box int h e w a g o n . . . " ( S p e a r s , I l l u s t r a t e dSketches nf Death Valley.)

Perry set up stations along th e boraxroad with spring or hauled water amifeed for the mules, and for nine monthsout of twelve from mid-S eptem ber tomid-Jun e big teams toiled with spec-tacular success.

But prosperity was short- lived. WilliamT . Coleman's business empire collapsedin 1888, and the last twenty-mule teampulled out of De.ith Valley over the M o-jave T rail. Francis Marion " B o r a x "

Sm ith bought the Cole m a n holdings , buthe Harmony Works remained closedSmith concentrated his energies on thmore easily exploited borax riches of thCa lic o M ounta ins , a s hor t haul from thSante Fe main line at Daggett. He usetwo of the great wagons and their teamin the Calicos until 1898 ; the otherwere scattered throughout the deserts oCa lif ornia a nd N e va da .

Strangely enough, the popular imagwhich links twenty-mule team borawith Death Valley was not born untiihe Death V alley-M ojave run lived onlin memory and the big teams had yieldedto the iron horse as transporter of boraxT he Pacif ic Coast Borax Company salvaged the twenty-mule from oblivion bmaking it the symbol of its product anby fixing this symbol in the public minthrough vigorous and imaginative advertising. In 1904 the company polisheup one of its old desert freighters, sending it East with twenty mules. Subsequenyears saw more tr ips by more big wagonand their teams. Borax, T wen ty-mulT e a m Bor a x, Bor a x f r om De a th Va lle yall had become as one.

A twenty-mule team carrying borax out of Death Valley,


12/52

E VER BEEN to Dirty Sock? If not, thereis a possibility you have missed an u mb er of other interesting spots aroundO w en s Lak e in Southern California's InyoCounty.

Fall, winter and spring are the idealtimes for exploring the O w e n s L ak e re-gion. Start ing at the southern end of thelake a hard surface road toward DeathValley leaves U.S. 395 at O l a nc h a . T h i sroute skirts the w i n d - sw ep t O l an ch a san ddunes where numerous desert movies havebeen made. At 4.9 miles, where the p o w erlines crosses, a left turn on a dirt roadfo r .3 of a mile ends at a spa, k n o w nthrough the years as Dirty Sock. On somemap s it is designated as Artesian Pool.

Like most mineral water locations thereis a slight odor of chemicals which maybe the reason for the n ame. O l d - ti mer sare divided on the spring's name. Someclaim it used to smell like old sockswhile others believe it got its name fromprospectors and weary travelers soakingtheir tired feet and washing out theirsocks. From past descriptions it appearsthe odor rising from the water is nowfar less offensive and the t emp er at u r e ofthe water has changed from hot to w a r m .

Whatever Dirty Sock was, today it isa pleasant spa with a swimming pool,shaded picnic tables and scenery varyingfrom the snow-tipped, rugged Sierras ofsouthern Inyo County to the great whiteexpanse of the nearly dry O w en s Lak e.M an-made facil it ies add comforts and awindbreak hut the desert still edges inand leaves no doubt that 100 years agoth e old pool, reflecting the peaks of theSierras, was a welcome sight to anytraveler.

T h i s spa, open to the public, not onlyco mman d s a colorful view but overlooksan d is part of an exciting historical era.Geologists find evidence that 4000 yearsag o the shoreline of a huge lake was200 feet above the present valley floor.T h e mo u n t ai n s t o w ered far higher andhave worn down by slow moving ice andwater headed for lower levels. At onetime the lake overflowed into Death Val-ley. Later, evaporation left the presentsaline deposits on the valley floor andalong the foothills of the Sierras.

T he early explorers found friendly In-dians around the lake and Dirty Sockwa s the scene of squaws doing their earlymo r n i n g w ash . But when settlers movedin, taking the land the}' wanted without

In Keeler the lastof the oldrailroad

cars that ranon the CarsonColorado, rest

in total abandon-ment a short

distance fromthe depot that

still carriesthe name but

no longer servesa train. KDIKTY SO

by Roberta M. Starryregard tor the Indians' hunting area orliving pattern, trouble started. Battlesraged in the Dirty Sock area when thewhite man attempted to interfere in theIndian's ritual of eliminating ineffectualmedicine men.

N o battles disrupt the peace aroundDirty Sock today. Prospectors on footand burro have been replaced by men infour-wheel-drive vehicles using metal de-tectors in their prospecting for gold andtreasure.

Few settlers remain in the valley sincethe water is drained off for use in LosAngeles and the Indians come to DirtySock as any other tourist to enjoy thewarm mineral water, the view or to pic-nic in the sunshine.

T en miles to the east the main roadjoins State 190; turning to the left, theroute continues between the ancient shore-line and the present dry base of O w e n s


13/52

Here is an interesting back country trip over good gravelroads easily traversed by passenger car. There are un-crowded camping areas, including the Inyo County sitewhich even has a swimming pooland it's al l free!

:* *

Lake. Five miles from the junction withState 190 is Keeler, once a busy part ofthe 1870's silver boom and a soda opera-tion in the 1880s. T oda y it has relics ofthat exciting period and less romanticbut active talc mill. T he streets lack therumble of ore and freight wagons butthe false front buildings, the large oldbell at the firehouse, the ornate school-house and empty railroad depot are stand-ing reminders of life 100 years ago. T helarge old Carson and Colorado Railroaddepot dominates the town and a fewblocks north, along a now trackless railline, stand a few of the freight and pas-senger cars.

BEYOM)

Dirty Sock,once a spa forIndians and wearyprospectors nowhas modemfacilities andswimming pool.

At the othe r e nd of town, a long M a -lone S tre e t, a m ode r n s wim m ing po oand bath house give little hint of theearly occupants of that location. In theold days the area had been a thrivingChina town with the us ua l ga m bling a ndopium dens, secret tunnels and hovels.

O pposite the entrance to Keeler is adirt road climbing to a trail that leads tothe roc k ruins of the Da r win O xideworks. T he road goes on up into the silver country but a good turn-around canbe made at a block house just above thoxide company sign . T he view is spectacular. Below lies a nearly buried cemetery, trench to prevent a flash flood from burying the town of Keeler, the remains of soda plant and evaporative te d s out intthe great expanse of the dry lake.

Continuing north on 190, three milefrom Keeler is a historical marker. N eahere the town of Swansea once stoodBuried by debris from a cloud-burst i1874, there are only a couple of rockwalled cabins and part of the O wenLake Silver-Lead Furnace to indicatwhere tons of silver ore were worked intbars weighing 83 pounds each at the rat

of 1 50 bars every 24 hours.N ear here the steamship Bessie Brad

was launched in June of 1872. From 300-foot wharf she picked up bullioand steamed across the lake to deposit thload at Cartago, cutting days off the timtaken by freight wagon to circle the lakwith a load of silver. She carried 700 bulion bars at a time in a three-hour crossing that stockpiled the silver like corwood, too fast for freight wagons thaul it out to Los Angeles.

Approximately two miles north of thfurnace ruins are the remains of a number of wooden buildings scattered ovea wide area on the right side of throad. Here was the terminal of the Saine Valley electr ic tramway. T he operation, from 1913-1930, transported saout of Saline Valley in buckets over 14-mile route over the mountain to thsite along State 190.

Continued1


14/52

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Remains of Owens Lake Silver Leadfurnace is a few steps off the highwayjust north of Keeler. Built in 1869 itclosed down in 1874.

A few of the tram towers can be seenhigh on the mountain side indicating theroute traveled. T hough the salt on thefloor of Saline Valley was consideredpurer than any other known source theoperation was too costly to continue.From this point the road passes througha dolomite mining area evidenced by thedark, gaping mine holes above snowwhite dumps. Shortly after crossing thenow dry O wens River the road joins U.S.395 two miles south of Lone Pine.

To continue the trip around O wensLake turn south on 395 and follow theroute covered by Captain Joe Walker,first known white man to travel the val-ley. He passed this way in 1834,whenO wens Lake was a great body of water;wild game was plentiful and Indiansfreely moved to the warm valley in win-ter and up into the cool Sierras forrummer.

In approximately ten miles a roadsign indicates the route to the Cotton-wood charcoal kilns. During the silvermining days the mountain slopes to thewest were stripped of pinon pine to fur-nish fuel for steam engines, heat for iv-ing quarters and provide charcoal for thesmelters. Years of sun and wind havecarved the kiln walls leaving interesting

patterns, but sealing the fate of the his-toric structures.

T he highway passes Bartlett nearwhere the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Com-pany, until recent months, was activelyrefining chemicals from the brine ofO wens Lake. The plant is closed, anddiscarded tanks, floats and other lakeequipment clutter the shoreline addingto the sad story of the decline of activityon and around the lake.


15/52

M ore interesting than thesight of thechemical plant's discards is the smalltown of Cartago. Like many one-timebusy communities along the valley route,Cartago's population and income depend-ed ont h e mi n es. Wh en t h e C er r o Go r d omines shut down in1879 the entire areawas affected. O nce the unloadin g portforthe steamship Bessie Brady and later theM olly Stevens, Cartago today shows nosigns that silver bars were once stackedeverywhere.

Little remains totell ofthesilver, theminers or thesteamships and the littlesett lement ofabout 50persons can easilybe missed by thespeeding traveler. Outof sight of thehighway, toward thelake's edge, isthebarracks, a part-brickbuilding containing a vault andpiles ofwhite material , alldating back toW o r l dW a r I w h en a chemical company minedthe lake for soda derivatives.

T wo miles south isO l a nc h a , thestart-point forthe trip around O wens Lake.O l an ch a was anearly-day mill site and arest station for valley travelers, the freightdrivers andtheir long teams. When themining era passed the community becamea popular place foroutfitting pack trainsbefore going into theH i g h S i err as. O n cethe gateway tothesilver country, O lan-cha today isthe gateway toexploring thepast and present ofO w en s Lak e co u n t ry .

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16/52

L J T T U ; Uma, the fringed-toed lizard,dwells in a world of blowing andswirling sands so grim even the hardiestof desert shrubs are p o o r and s tunte d.A de s ola te hom e la nd, c ha nging and shift-ing with every whim of the w i n d , it is aharsh land with little to offer to sustainlife. Yet, so thor oughly at h o m e is thislittle lizard in the windblown s a nds ofthe great southwest deserts, he is neverfound elsewhere.W h a t to him that the loose sand shiftsa nd s l ide s unde r f oot? The fr inge of scaleso n his hind toes widen their supportingsurfaces, and carry him skimming lightlyover the top. R u n n i n g at full speed, forelimbs off the gr ound, ta i l he ld high, hecan make up to 25 mph. ; leaving onlypuffs of dust in his wa ke .

W h a t to him if there are no r ode ntbur r ows ha ndy to duck into when pur-s u e d ? Any old spot is okay for the quickdisappearance act of a sand digger suchas he: a quick dive-in, some expert kickswith his hind feet, a final tail wiggle,an d he's h i d d e n .

Scientists have long been interested inthis little guy who lives with ease in sucha tough e nvir onm e nt, and who is so ha r dto catch since he practically always seesor hears enemies coming in plenty oftime to dash over a dune e dge or, withwhat looks like a m ighty im pude nt wa veof the tail, disappear into the sand beforetheir very eyes. And they know all thisc a nnot be without some extra good bodye quipm e nt , and a long- t im e know how.

Indeed this is so, for Uma be longs toan ancient tribe of sand lizards whosemembers lived in beds of inte r m it te ntstreams about 10 million years ago,Lima's particular kind gradually becominghighly specialized for life on loose sands.

N u m b e r one r e quir e m e nt for such ex-istence is quick digging skill. ZoologistStebbins found that not only does thislizard have a shovel-shaped snout forthe ope ning s pa de wor k, but its especiallystreamlined body is covered with smallgranular scales which make it s m oothand resistance free. The hind toe scalesthat serve as shoes on the surface sandnow can be raised to provide greater pusharea for that kick driving him forwardin burying himself.

O the r be low s ur fa c e pr oble m s arc-solved by f ur the r ne a t a r r a nge m e nts : ac ounte r s unk jaw, for instance, keeps sand16

from being forced into the lizard'smouth. Large scales, properly placed,serve as f laps closing down and pr ote c t inghis e a rs . T h e r e are shut-off valves in hisnostr ils which can be closed entirely orjust enough to keep the particular size-sand particles from getting up the m .Fringes of scales on both eyelids protecthis eyes. Any sand that does get in ispushed out the inner corner by a mem-brane that slides across the eyeball.

Interestingly enough, the lizard holdsits front legs close to its body when dig-ging itself in with alternate kicks of thehind legs. T his stunt, it took Herpetolo-gist Pough to show anatomically, providesa sand-free pocket of air under each armand forward under the chest for the lizardto breathe while down below.

Pough's latest study of the little fringe-toes just reported in scientific literaturewa s done in an area east of P a lm Spr ings ,

California, where strong northwesterlywinds pick up s a nd f r om White wa te rW a s h to the nor th and deposit it furthersouth and east. Involving both f ield andlaboratory work, the study throws a lotof new light on Lima's desert survivaltechniques.

He found that these lizards must con-stantly make adjustments in t im e s pe ntabove surface, and time buried under thesand in or de r to cope with the blastingheat of the ir s ur r oundings . Wha t m a ke sit very hard is that there aren't holesa r ound de e p e nough for the m to use toescape the sun's heat. In m uc h of Uma'srange ground squirrels, kangaroo ratsan d the like who normally provide f ineunderground retreats for free-loadinglizards, are not there because the sand isso loose they can't keep their burrowsfrom collapsing. Further, the lizardsthemselves are small and subject to

D e s e r tD u n eD a n c e rby K. L Boynton1 9 7 0


17/52

heavy pressure from the sand if theybury to o deeply, and so normally godown only some 1.2s) to L.5 inches.

Uma's day begins shortly before orjust af ter sunrise, with a warmup, eachlizard orienting himself towards therising sun and soaking up the earlywa r m th. Whe n his body te m pe r a tur ehas come up to his activity level, for-aging begins, the lizard running for-ward two or three inches and diggingfor insects or picking them off lo w vege-tation. Even youngsters of the same-species, not quick enough to dodge theirelders, go down the hatch.

As the morning wears on, there is adecline in activity until by ten o'clocknot a lizard is in sight. At this timetheir body temperature has reached anuncom fortable 100 and they have buriedthemselves, thereby gaining temporaryrelief. T hey may even move along hori-

zontally through the sand trying to f indcooler spots, but do not dig deeper. Atlast when the hot sand about them raisestheir temperature dangerously near the113 degree mark, they must come outonto the surface. Tail held hig h, theyrush over the sand to the shade of asmall dune or stunted creosote or Daleas hr ub.

As the day ends, they must bury them-selves to survive the night chill. Fussyabout their selection of night retreats,they seemingly are influenced by thesize of the sand grains, avoiding boththe coarse spots and those with the veryfinest sand. M ost lizards prefer depthsfrom three-cjuarters to one and a halfinches down under Dalea shrubs, in-vestigation of which showed that theyknow what they are about for there thetemperature is comfortable, the parts ofthe shrub above ground fending off the

worst of the night's cold, while the rooand branches and leaves, half coverewith blow sand, provide lots of apock ets. T her e is also greate r safefrom predators, too, it being hard, finstance, for a coyote to locate a lizatucked under the sand in all that tangl

Is there a f ine brotherly sharing oc hoic e Da le a s hr ub night s pots ? N op{'via, it seems, is highly adverse crowding, and since nearly all the liards bury for the night in a twenty miute interval some half hour before suset, there is considerable scurryiaround to get located before the othfellow. Any attempt of a late-to-beddto muscle in is repelled with vigor.

Herpetologist Carpenter , long inteested in lizard behavior, collected batch of fringe-toes and installed thein an enclosure where he could watwhat went on. T he lizards prom ptmade themselves at home, putting in normal day, which, when they weabove grou nd, consisted of four majoccupations: feeding, sitting in the sor shade, annoying each other, and in tcase of the males, chasing the gir ls.

I n a ddit ion to he a d- nodding c us tomary when greeting a lady, gentlemIJma also wave their front legs, and feas they advance: f irst one leg and foand then the other at the rate of somten times a second. T his cheery greetinsynchronized with head-nodding, tithe lizard from side to side as he movforward in a kind of dancing approac ha spectacle of considerable fascination the lady apparently.

T he n orm al clutch size is only threggs, which shows that under usual ccumstances a good percentage of ind ivuals must make it to adulthood to kethe species going. It is also good prothat Uma and his kind have indeed f ined the old basic adaptations of the cient sand lizards to the point where thcan successfully exploit exceedingly barrareas. N ot the least of their valuable justments to their sandy life is their baground-matching ability, for crouchmotionless on the sand they are almimpossible to see. Loss by predation thus cut to a m inim um a nd wha t withlittle bit of luck in good winter rainfthese f leet-footed, independent little ards are bound to be around and f louriing for many and many a day.


18/52

C l T JY n e eonnnmnmnil

by Mary Frances Strong

As announced last month, MaryFrances Strong, well - knownback country travel explorerand author of Desert Gem Trailshas joined the staff of DesertMagazine as Field Trip Editor.This is the first of her articleswhich will appear every month.

18

THE LURE of gold has challenged mansince he raised up on his haunchesand began to use his brain for thinkingand scheming. As civilization progressed,gold became the most coveted of all pos-sessions. It was the incentive for the greatvoyages across the unknown seas. Thesubsequent discoveries of new continentsled to the development of vast frontiersas the result of the search for the g o l d entreasure.

Gold fever is latent in the hearts ofmen today, but the news of a new goldstrike will start their pulses racing. Goldis symbolic of the wealth and power mostmen desire.

In recent years, a new breed of goldseekers has evolved the weekend orhobby prospector. T ied to his work-dayworld in the teeming ant hills of metro-politan areas, he heads for the mountainsor desert on weekends in search of freshair, quiet solace and the possibility offinding gold. The fever is still therethough the hardships are g o n e.


19/52

Left: Water from this old well atGoler teas piped six miles in anattempt to net-wash the gravel. Theproject jailed. Right: Although notexactly a modern apartment, thistype of living quarters did have theadvantage of being warm in winterand cool in summerand it wasrent-free. Below. A tin shack marksthe location of one of the largestplacer claims in the Summit. Thisarea is honey-combed with adits inthe gravel.

Photos by Jerry Strong

T he weekend prospector loads his moern covered wagon with grub; stoaboard metal detector, dry-washer, shoels, pick and a vial to hold his coloHis family climbs aboard and they are oto one of the old diggings where mineonce "struck it r ich." If he is lucky, anoften he is, he will bring home a fefines and occasionally a small nuggetshow for his we e ke nd a dve ntur e . T hise nough to feed the fever. Plans for tnext trip are usually made as he heatowa r d hom e .

California's Great M oja ve De s e rt hmany placer grounds where the hobbyma y try his luck. One of these is the Summ it Dry D i g g i n g s , six miles northeastRa nds bur g. The old placers are not eceptionally rich but a weekend of drwashing should produce some resulT h e r e is still a num be r of private claimin the area--generally postedbut theris also plenty of ope n gr ound to work

T h e d i g gi n g s are located on the soutContinu


20/52

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City .State D-3

ern edges of theS u mmi t R an g e. Th i s isa lowseries of east-west trending hillswhose highest peaks rise only 700 to1000 feet above the valley floor. Therange is dissected by several large, can-yon-like dry gulches and a myriad ofsmall ones. The drainage channels of theregion appear tohave changed very littlesince T ert iary T ime with thegold beingfound in the widespread Quaternarygravels.

Tr emen d o u s b ed s ofgravel have beenredistributed and average two toeighteenfeet in thickness. T hey contain assortedmaterial with many large boulders andshow bedding and cross-bedding. Thegravels arecompact though very lightlycemented. The gold will be found mostab u n d an t at or near the base of thegravels, fairly close to bedrock. Whenlooking for a likely spot to dry-wash,keep inmind the best concentrations willoccur where there hasbeen thegreatesterosion.

A portable dry-washer will be neededan d a man handy with tools caneasilybuild his own at moderate cost. Plans

are available from several sources. Somesmall, very good dry-washers arealso onthe market.

Early day, portable dry-washers were asimple, rather primitive, home-made ma-chine which substituted air for water inthe recovery ofgold. The size varied butthey all consisted of hopper, riffle boxand bellows.

T h e h o p p e r or feed box, at theheadof the riffle boxusually had a heavyscreen or pierced metal bottom. The bot-tom ofthe riffle box was generally madefrom heavy muslin which allowed theair from thebellows topenetrate easilyand keep thegravels agitated. The bellows were made from heavy canvas andactivated bymean s of abelt-driven crank-shaft powered by a hand-operated wheelon the side of thedry-washer.

M i n i n g met h o d s h av e r emai n ed thesame, though dry-washers have been so-phisticated and areusually driven by asmall gasoline engine. Gravel is firstshoveled through a heavy screen toelim-inate the larger pebbles or rocks. The

20 Near the center ofthe Summit Diggins, this old fireplace is all that remains.


21/52

screened material is then allowed to layou t in the sun for at least a day. Evenfreshly dug desert gravels will alwayscontain slight amounts of moisture whichwill interfere with proper dry-washing.T he gravel must be thorough ly dry !

T he S um m it Diggings is a n inte r e s tingdesert locale to visit. T hey lie in an ex-tremely arid region which can be blister-ing hot in summer; while, in the mid-winter months, icy winds may roar acrossthe land with gale-like force.

In rare years, when several winter andspring storms manage to drop adequatemoisturethere will be gardens of wildflowers in bloom. T he main f lora is asparse covering of creosote bushes whichare small and stunted from lack of ade-quate moisture.

Doz e ns of prospect holes dot theslopes and a few head frames gallantlyrise skyward, having withstood time andthe elements. A number of old dugoutsremain in good conditiona fine testi-monial to the aridity of the region.

T he S um m it P la ce r Diggings we r e dis -covered in the winter of 1892-93 whenhundreds of prospectors from the north-

SUMMIT DRY DIGGINGSMileage PointsPlacer GroundCla ims

DOYLE WILLIAMSTWICE WORLD CHAMPION

T R E A SUR E HUN T E R S A T T E N T IONt h ei CA R R E T T HUN T E RI HA S B R O KE N A L L RECORDS T O B E C O MET H E N E W W O R L D C H A M P IO N

Our New Hunter won more contests than all other brands combined.1st Place, Men's Division, W orld Championship Me et, Holdenv iile1st Place, International Prospectors Club Meet, Midland, Texas2nd Place, Men's Division, W orld Championship Me et. Holdenv iile2nd Place, Ladies Division, W orl d Championship Me et, Holden viile2nd Place, Junior Division, Wo rld Championship Me et, Holdenv iileO u r c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s go to D o y le W i ll ia m s , R t . 1 , B o x 6 7 , O k e m a h , O k l a . , w h o w a s l a s t y e a r ' s c h a m p i o n at the P r o s p e c t o r s C l u b M e e t . T h i sy e a r , he E A R N E D F I R S T P L A C E A T B O T H T H E W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P M E E T A N D T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L P R O S P E C T O R S C L U B M E E T . T o s e e D o y l ew o r k w i t h h i s d e t e c t o r is a j o y . P r e v i o u s l y , D o y l e h a d u s e d o t h e r b r a n d s of d e t e c t o r s . H i s c h o i c e of i n s t r u m e n t s t h i s y e a r w a s o n e of o u r N E WB R E ED O F H U N T E R D E T E C T O R S . O u r c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s a l s o go to S a m B o y c e of H o l d e n v i il e . S am e a r n e ds e c o n d p l a c e h o n o r s in t h e M e n ' s D i v i s i o n . S a m ' s c h o i c e of i n s t r u m e n t st h i s y e a r w a s a l s o a H u n t e r D e t e c t o r .

T r u l y , ourN E W B R E E D is no w the P r o fe s s i o n a l s C h o i c e . W r it e fo r o u rf re e b r o c h u r e a n d t r e a s u r e h u n t in g g u i d e . W e b e l ie v e y o u w i l l be g l a dy o u d i d .M a i l i n g A d d r e s s : D e p a r t m e n t o w P . O . B o x 2 8 4 3 4 D a l la s , T e x a s 7 5 2 2 8W e i n v i t e y o u t o c o m e s e e u s a t o u r D a l la s l o c a t i o n : 1 1 2 3 1 A l v i n S t . P h o n e ( 2 1 4 ) 3 2 8 - 5 3 1 3

W HO KNOWS MORE ABOUT BEAT FREQUENCY METAL DETECTORS THA N THE PEOPLE W HO PERFECTED THEM?

A R R E T 7L E C T R O N K S


22/52

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ern gold fields of California and N evad abegan moving south to search the desertarea east of the T ehachapi M ountains .During the '60s, placer gold had beenfound at Red Rock Canyon in the ElPaso M ountains . Surely, the prospectorsreasoned, there was more gold in "themthar h i l l s" an d t h er e w as!

Coarse Gold Gulch in Goler Canyonwas the first strike followed by others inBonanza and Last Chance Gulches. T heplacers were rich with many fine nug-gets being found. Hopes for these newcamps were high. However, once againit was the old storythe diggings didn'thold up and the camps were crowdedwith prospectors unable to locate claims.M any of them left the camps and fannedout over the eastern hills in search ofnew deposits. T he next camp to takeshape was the Summit Diggings.

T he S umm it differed from its sistercamps of Goler, Bonanza and Last Chancein that its placers were only moderatelyrich. I t was a "poor man's camp" wherea fellow down on his luck could eke outbacon and beans; or, with back-breakinglabor obtain enough gold to get a grub

W A T E K H O L E n r W A T E R L O Oa K I N G W I N C H c a n m a k e t h e d i f f e r e n c e !W h en th e w a t e r 's u p . . . o r w h e n your veh i c l eis down i n the mud o r snow . . . a K ing Winchcan pu l l you th roug h . Go to mos t remote o f f - roadareas, knowing you have 8,000 lbs. of fu l l - t imepu l l i ng power to ge t ove r obs tac les , th roughmarshy a reas , up s teepes t g rades . . . and homeagain. King Winches, famous for near ly 40 years,depend on power take-of f , not bat tery power.The only power take-of f dr iven winch approved byFord Mo to r Co . fo r Bronco . A l so spec i f i c mode l s a remade for Jeep, Scout, tand-Rover and other 4 WDveh i c l es and t rucks . Add con f i dence to you r t r i psby adding a King Winch . For fact s , wr i t e Koenigtoday. Speci fy vehic le make and model .

King Winch for Bronco and other4 WD vehicles have 8,000 lbs.pul l ing power.

stake and move on to the next strike. Itwas never a large camp with the popula-tion less than one hundred at any onetime.

Conditions were hard at t h e S u mmi t .It was a haphazard camp of tents andprimitive dugouts. T he enterprising shop-keepers of the time didn't feel it waseven worthy of one store. Supplies had tobe hauled in on wagons from the othercamps result ing in sky-high prices on allitems.

T hey were a disgruntled and u nhappylot of prospectors. After long days ofhard work there wasn't even that essen-t ial - - a salo o n - - w h er e a man co u lddrown his troubles and be consoled by a"gay lady." Understandably, they movedou t at the first opportunity.

T h e r ep o rt s on the values in the Sum-mit gravels vary considerablyfrom 35cto 35 dollars per cubic yard. A conserva-tive average would be between $1.20 andS I.40 per cubic yard.

Probably the richest placer claim wasth e O ro Fino, which was worked inter-mittently for 30 years. Reportedly, thisdeposit yielded an average value in excessof $2.00 per cubic yard. In addition, thegravel contained a small amount of flakeplatinum and si lver (cerargyrite) amount-ing to 6()ii per cubic yard. T he go ld waschiefly coarse, with individual pieces hav-ing a value of y^if. u p .


23/52

In the fall of 1 9 2 3 , t h e O r o Fi n o M i n -ing Company installed a Stebbens DryConcentrator. T he gravel was mined by atractor, sub-soiler and scraper, then dump-ed on agrizzly. T he undersize was brokenand passed through a t r o mmel . T h e un-dersized from this, after having thedustremoved in an airblast, waspassed overshaking tables. T ail ings were placed toone side by astacker. T he entire plant wasportable, being mounted onrails, weighedII tons and had a capacity of 150 yardsof gravel pershift. T his plant operatedd u r i n g the fall of 1923 andapproximate-ly 800 cubic yards ofmaterial were treat-ed . It is stated that recovery wasfrom9 4 % to96/c based onfire assays. M uchof thegold wascoarse with nuggets upto S4.25 invalue being obtained. O pera-tions had ceased byJanuary 1924 and norecord of the total values uncovered isavailable.

O ther mining com panies also had plansto use large machines at the Summit Dig-gings . However, there seems tohave beena failure in the air separation processwhen applied to anything larger thanhandscale. Thelarge machines couldn'tproperly process thegeneral run of des-ert material.

An attempt was made to wet wash thegravels bypumping water over a six-mileroute from a well at G o l er. T h i s , too,failed. Nodoubt, due in great part , to

Along theSummit Road twomiles eastof U.S. 39 5 is alarge deposit of gravel.Although considerable dry-washing hasbeen done, there isstill ground to work.Respect private claims.the high cost of obtaining thewater. Inspite of all themany sophisticated plansto exploit theplacers, themost gold wasrecovered by a small dry-washer.S u mmi t D i g g i n g s are a made-to-orderlocale for theweekend prospector. Th ereare numerous gravels towork and plentyof open desert forcamping. Better bringalong wood if you enjoy an eveningcampfire. Wood is asscarce aswater.

T h e d i gg i n g s aredivided into two sec-tions bythe Kern-San Bernardino Countyline and the M ojave-Lone Pine Branch ofthe Southern Pacific Railroad. Th ere ap-pears to be only oneroad crossing thetracks. It isshown on theaccompanyingm a p . Good dirt roads lead into thearea.T h e y areokay for all cars, campers andvacation-size trailers. T he best time of theyear tovisit this region oft h e G r e a t M o -jave Desert is from late September toM a y.

O ur most enjoyable trip was in Aprilwhen we spent several days exploring the

area. Wemade base camp at thefoot ofa huge deposit ofgravel. T here had beenconsiderable mining here, but still tons omaterial remained untouched. After parking the trailer, we fired up our trail bikeloaded cameras aboard, then coveredgood many miles onthe network ofroadt h r o u g h o u t t h e S u mmi t R an g e. T h er e w aconsiderable evidence of the early dayprospectors - primitive dugouts whermen had lived with thebarest of essentials, aswell assome which were quitelaborate with metal doors, screens, cupboards andstoves. A fewshacks remainbut they appear to be of a later vintageN ear o u r camp w as a fine stone fireplac

all that remains of what was possibla proper house.

T here were pieces of oldglassmanof them a d eep p u r p l e al o n g w i t h thnecks of blob-top whiskeys and beerEvidently it wasn't a d ry camp ! O l d p oand pans, dishes andother miscellaneouitems from an era of long ago were scatered about near thedugouts.

W e crossed therailroad andexplorethe many prospects and oldd u m p s t hlatter in h o p e of finding an old bott

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24/52

by Betty J. Tucker

THE MAIN r oa ds a nd c a m pgr ounds ofDeath Valley were f illed with sunseekers and desert lovers, so we decidedto take to the higher roads for a bit ofsolitude and a chance to listen to thedesert.

T wo miles south of Daylight Pass onthe Ca lif or nia -N e va da bor de r we tur ne don a well maintained gravel road. I trolled across the desert in a series of dipsand dives, all the while climbing upwardinto the F une r a l M ounta ins . T he a ir wasclean and warm. Little brown shoulderedlizards would zip across the road andpause, showing the reddish underside oftheir looks as they looked to see who theintrude r s we r e . W e s a w N e va da r ed-winged blackbirds and several f inches

:*:--

V *& -

: . -

and sparrows f litting about the sage-brush.

W e turned a fair ly sharp curve anddown in a small valley we saw the re-mains of Chloride City. I t had boomedtwice. First from 1878 to 1883 and oncedurin g Rhyolite 's heyday from 1905 to1910. T his was an active place but thecost of pumping water up 3500 feet fromthe Ke a ne Spr ing wa s pr ohibi t ive a ndthey finally had to give it up as a lostcause.

T his little town is a great place to visit.T he persona lity *f the long -gone minersstill lingers. T here are three fairly largeramshackle buildings still showing signsof their ways of life. O ne build ing hasreached the stage of almost total collapse.


25/52

The end wall has fallen out and the sidewall gave way without the support. How-ever, one of its rooms and what appearsto have been a summer kitchen or pantry,still stands.

I crawled through the downed timbersand found a white enameled, long legged"Perfection No. 2" kerosene stove on itsside. The walls still remaining had beeninsulated with cardboard cartons that hadonce contained Bordens milk and WilsonsCondensed Vegetable Soup. The otherold buildings, in fairly good shape andobviously recently inhabited by a desertwanderer, had a stove made out of an oldrusty oil can. The lower front was cut outas a door and a chimney had been insertedat the top. Behind this bui lding was theworn out old body of a car.

Up the hill a short way there is a one-room house dug out of the side of thehill. From the outside only the woodendoor and the stovepipe sticking aboveground announce the presence of a home.The entry way is about two and a hallfeet wide and covered with dirt and rock.

The ceiling has been braced securelywith timbers and the entire back wall isof quartz. There are a couple more housesmade this way. They were called "CousinJacks," after the Welsh miners whobrought this method of house buildingfrom the old country. They most certainlyhad many advantages. They would bemuch cooler during the hot summermonths and warmer in the winter as thedriving wind couldn't penetrate the dirtand rock walls.

The ground around Chloride City iscovered with pieces of mica which glitterlike ice in the sun. Looking out throughthe divide we had a spectacular view ofthe desert far below. The plants were allof yellow, grey and bronze hues. The skywas a sharp crystal blue. The wind blewever so gently and the birds flew past,their wings making soft fluttering sounds.We sat quietly, trying not to breathe sowe could hear the silence.

Before leaving we drove on anothermile and hiked up the steep thousand feetto Chloride Cliff. This overlooks theKeane Wonder Mine and gives a pano-ramic view of Death Valley. Maybe Chlor-ide City will boom again. I hope not asits ghosts are still making themselves feltand it would be a shame to push themout.

D e a t hV a l l e y' 4 9 e r s * - - * : 2 S : * . ' ' . ' ' ' . - " -:"- ''" '*" . * " " ' ' T - - " *

m,- s

E n c a m p m e n tP r o g r aDesolation Canyon in Death Valley, the scene ofthe first Annual '49er Encampment back in 1949-m

I ! R S D A Y . N O V E M B E R \17 : 30 p . m . C A M P F I R E , S t o v e P i p e W e l l sV i l l a g e . C o m m u n i t y s i n g i n g an d t a l k sa b o u t o l d - t i m e r s , f o l l o w e d by d a n c i n g .8 :3 0 p . m . N A T U R A L I S T T A L K , Mu-s e u m and V i s i t o r s ' C e n t e r , F u r n a c eC r e e k R a n c h .

FRIDAY. NOVEMBER Ii6:00 a.m. S A N D D U N E S P H O T OS H O O T . S a n d D u n e s C a m p g r o u nd .Photography with props and models.Bring camera and plenty of film.8:00 a.m. H I S T O R I C A L

S t o v e P i p e W e l l s V i l lA l b r i g h t is p r i n c i p a l$1.75.

B R E A K F A S T .a g e . H orace M.speaker Pri

8:00 a .m . H O O T E N A N N Y B R E A K -FA ST , Furnace Creek G ol f Course.Hootenany Hoc-down. Price, S I. 7V10:30 a.m. HISTORICAL MONU-M E N T D E D I C A T I O N , H ig hw ay 190Iust west of St ovepi pe Wel l s V i l l age.T he old Eichbaum T oll Road to bededicated with an appropriate monu-ment. Mrs Willard Lewis, principalspeaker.

1 0: 30 a . m . C O N D U C T E D T O U R , s t ar t-in g at Visitors' Center, to U behebeCrater, Scotty's Castle and N o r th Endpoints. Use your vehicle.1:30 p . m . D E A T H VA L LE Y T R A I LRID ERS arri ve at Furnace Creek Ranchafter 125-mile horseback ride.7: 30 p.m .CA M PFIRE, T exas S pri ngs.Community Si ng led by Dick Hilleary.Historical talks.8 :3 0 p .m . N A T U R A L I S T TALK, Mu-seum and Visitors' Center, FurnaceCreek Ranch.9 :0 0 p . m . D A N C I N G F O R EV ERY -O N E , w e st er n and modern, Stove PipeWells Village. Also dancing at Fur-

nace Creek Ranch.L

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER II8 :0 0 a . m . P H O T O G R A P H E R S ' B R EA K -FA ST . St ove Pi pe Wel l s Village.Ralph We lles, Ranger-N aturalist inDeath Valley for I i years will be fea-

tured speaker. Price, $1.75.8:0 0 a . m . A U T H O R S ' B RE AK FA S T ,Furnace Creek Golf Course. Presentwill be outstanding writers of theWest. Featured speaker isdesert writer.E . I. E d w a r d s . P r i c e . $ 1 . 7 5 .1 0:0 0 a . m . C O N D U C T E D T O U R s ta rt -in g at Visitors' Center through centerof Valley and endi ng at Stove PipeW e l l s in t ime for chuck wagon.12:00 N oon C H U C K W A G O N L U N C H ,St ove Pi pe Wel l s V i l l age, West ernstyle chuck wagon chow. Price, $1.75.

2 :0 0 p .m . B U R R O F L A P J A C K S W E E P -ST A K ES, St ove Pi pe Wel l s V i l l age. Ahilarious race of old prospect ors andtheir burrows who must walk aroundthe arena, cook a flapjack and thenfeed it to the burro. Action is rightin front of spectators.

7 :3 0 p. m . E V E N I N G A S S E M B LY , Fur-nace Creek Ranch.by Ral ph Wel l es. Color slide show

8 :4 5 p .m . O L D - F A S H I O N E D FID-D L E R S ' C O N T E S T , s am e l oc a ti o n asabove. Best fiddlers in the W e s t com-pete.8 :3 0 p . m . N A T U R A L I S T T A L K , V is i-tors' Center, Furnace Creek Ranch.9 :0 0 p .m . D A N C I N G FOR E V E R Y -O N E, St ove Pi pe Wel l s V i l lage ami

Furnace Creek Ranch.S U N D A Y . N O V EM B ER 15

7:00 a.m . PR O T E S T A N T S U N R I S ESERV ICE, D esol at i on Canyon.7:30 a.m. CATHOLIC M A S S , V is it o rs1Center, Furnace Creek Ranch.8 : 3 0 a . m . A R T I S T S ' B R E A K F A S T , Fur-nace Creek G ol f Course. T op-fl i ghtWestern artists work on a new wes-tern scene plus display of their works.Sal e of paintings. Price, $1.75.

1 0: 30 a . m . C O N D U C T E D T O U R , s ta rt -in g at Visitors' Center and goi ng tosouth section of the Valley.7 :3 0 p . m . N A T U R A L I S T T A L K , V i si -

tors' Center Furnac e Creek Ranch


26/52

Sunrise, Golden Canyon from Zabriskte Point,

aVlcf 1V(yjen.c\During the past two years many of the covers ofDesert Magazine have been photographs by DavidMuench of Santa Barbara, California. His dynamicphotos have also appeared in national magazinesand books about the West. David is not only anexpert technician but has the rare ability to capturethe moods of the area he is coveringsuch as thistrilogy on Death Valley.


27/52

f


28/52

D e a t hV a l l e yM e m o r i e sby Helen WalkerDEATH VALLEY is two-faced and de-ceptive. At first glance you see thesoft hues of her blue and purple moun-tains. Blends of burnt oranges and yel-lows compounded with the gray of theextruding fans dissolve into the gentle-floor of the valley.

A closer inspection reveals a sharp con-trast in her character. Bare mountains,wrinkled from abrasion and exposure,are bent from cataclysmic upheavals.Crevices are filled with deposits from an-cient seasthe scars of time are clearlyvisible. White man's story was writtenin this backstage setting a mere 120 yearsa g o .

After the trials of the ill-fated emi-grant wagon trains, only the foolhardywould risk entry into the desolate sink.They trudged along beside their burros,twisting through the prickly brush, stum-bling over rock, as they wandered thedry sandy washes. T heir eyes sought th eslightest sign of tell-tale colorgold andsilver. A few of the more fortunatehit pay dirtthey returned with wagonsladen with tools for mining and ma-John Walker photo


29/52

terials for shelters. T rails widened intorutted tracks. M erchants followed theminers. Cit ies flourished o vernight. T hen,when color ran out, efforts crumbled todust and splinters in the hot, dry sun.T oday, ghostly memories l inked togetherby hand-me-down tales, keep the '49ersspirit alive.A silver strike on the west side of theAbove: Charcoal kilns

in Wildrose Canyon.Used in 1870s, they

still stand. Oppositepage: Panamint City

the stamp millchimney and a few

old foundationsare all that remain.Right: Tie Canyon.showing tiespurchased by Death

Valley Scotty to heathis castle. Enough

for manycold winters!

Pan ami n t R an g e in 1873 was the begin-ning of the mi n i n g era. Coined from ap h r ase, "Pan a mi n t of it," Panamint Citybecame the first of the boom towns. Itsreputation for hell-raising and lawless-ness was never equaled. It lured morethan a thousand fortune seekers, whoraised a town of wood, stone and brickstructures. Assays were high as men dug

Joseph Muench phat the greenish-blue veins of copper-ve r ore. Smoke belched from thebrick chimney as the t h u m p of the st amill beat a rhythm into the echoing hi

T he solitary approach to Pan amCity was up a narrow rock-carved rothrough Surprise Canyon. Each bendthe road was a potential ambush pofor outlaws who infiltrated the ar

John Walker ph


30/52

T H EH I G HC O U N T H YSouthernCalifornia's

OwnHistoricalQuarterly

P.O. Box 178Temecula, California 92390

A delightful digest ofthe earthy actions offrontier people who

settled and developedTHE WEST

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Wells Fargo refused to carry the or e the risk was too gr e a t . M ine owne r ssolved the pr oble m by m e lt ing the oreand casting it into balls weighing 500p o u n d s or m or e . With the balls loadedin the open wagons, they shipped theore out in broad daylight.

Panamint City did not last long.M ine r s we r e re luc ta nt to face the t r uth,but the limestone encasing the ore wasmore than time and cost could afford.Silence descended upon the city as itscitizens departed, carrying only whatthey could handle in one wa gon. A sud-den f lash f lood washed through the nar-row canyon, leaving only scattered rockand timber.

Ballarat, providing supplies and diver-sion to dusty-throated miners, opened itsdoors to welcome the new towns pe ople .M any stayed and buil t hom e s . T he y putin their time chipping away at the rockin Ha ppy and P le as a nt Ca nyons . T h e irtake kept them in beans and bacon, butno major strike resulted.

T he discovery of borax brought moreprospectors to the valley in 1880. Aa r onW i n t e r , and his wife, Rosie, are creditedwith the f ind. While listening to a trav-eler tell of the material, Rosie remember-ed the sticky substance that got on theirbe longings . She led Aa r on to the m a r s hnear Furnace Creek where they collectedsome of the cotton balls for a test. Aaronused alcohol and acid, then touched it

I n t h e h e a r t o fD E A T H V A L L E YHistoricS T O Y E P I P E W E L L S Y I L L A G E

Centrally located as a base from which to visit Death Valley's numerouspoints of interest. Stay with us and enjoy comfort and friendly serviceas you tour the area. Home of the famous Burro-Flapjack races.

Luxurious new units Beautiful new dining room, cocktail loungeGift Shop Heated Pool General Store Service Station

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Death Valley, California 92328 Area Code 714 Stove Pipe Wells # 1 Toll Station

with a f lame. "She bur ns gr e e n, " heshouted, "Rosie, we're r ich."

M i n in g was not the pr oble m withborax. Production of crystals was a rela-tively simple operation. Wooly materialsc onta ining the borates were mixed to-ge the r with wa te r and carbonate of s oda ,then heated in huge va ts . Dur ing thecooling process, the crystals formed.However, transportation to the railroad at

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M o ja v e was a r eal p r o b l em. Wag o n s ofrugged construction and large haulingcapacity were needed. J. S. Perry, of Mo-jave, designed and built 10 such wagonsat a cost of $900 each. (Seeother article-in this issue.)

Engines such as Old D i n a h , now infront of the Furnace Creek Ranch, werean experiment to find a cheaper and mo r eefficient means of h au l i n g . H o w ev er , the

Puffy white clouds add emphasis to thebarreness of Death Valley with its heat-scorched volcanic soil in foreground.

idea wasconceived ahead of its t ime, andthere was not sufficient knowledge avail-able to perfect it. U n f o r t u n at el y it had tobe aborted, before it could be given afair chance to operate.G o l d had its heyday near the turn ofthe century. It was gold that originallyb r o u g h t the emigrants stumbling into thedesolate sink, impatient to find a short-cu t to thegold fields in N o r t h er n C al i fo r -nia. A shroud of mystery blanketed thevalley in the wake of the '49ers, and theIndians had the area to themselves forthe next two decades. Now and then aninquisi t ive prospector wandered in anda few returned with ore-bearing samples.T heir stories nourished tales of nug-gets the size of a fist, and giant ledgesof ore-bearing rock. Butnone seemed ableto do more than produce the samplesthe sites were seldom found.

G u n s i g h t was the first of the famouslost gold mines. It was told that one ofthe emigrants passing through the valleyin 1849 pocketed a h u n k of ore. He tookth e ore to a g u n smi t h in hopes of havingit melted down for a new sight on hisg u n . The gunsmith declared the ore to bethe purest silver he had ever worked. Theprospector returned to stake a claim to themi n e, and appropriately planned to call it"Gu n si g h t . " Y ear s of wandering neverlocated the site.

Another long sought-after lost minewa s the Breyfogle. Jacob Breyfogle'shorses ran off while on a prospecting tripin 1864. In his search for the animals, heleft markers to assure his notgetting lost.In placing one mar k er , he discovered arich vein. Before he could return, his sup-plies had run out and he became ill. Hislife was saved by Indians who carriedhim back to their village. He later at-tempted to retrace his p at h , but wind andweather had destroyed his mar k er s .

In spite of the adverse condit ions, orewas eventually discovered at n u mer o u slocations. Sett lements sprang up close to

The D evil's C orn Field stretches fortrackless miles, in thebackground canbe seen the sand dunes nearStovepipe Wells.

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197011 Desert Magazine 1970 November

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Transcript of 197011 Desert Magazine 1970 November