Professional Documents
Culture Documents
OUTDOOR SOUTHWEST
FEBRUARY, 1962
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AGATHLA NEEDLE (top) 24x30 inches DESERT MAGAZINE
^SMOKE TREE (bottom) 24x30 inches $5 PALM DESERT, CALIF.
Please add 12c postage; California residents also add 4 % sales tax
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
YOU TO FURTHER THE
STUDY OF ARID LANDS
Magazine of the Outdoor Southwest
The University of California at
R i verside is embarking on an ex-
tensive research program on arid
lands, and DESERT readers can
contribute to this significant proj-
ect. Scientists at Riverside are in-
tensively studying the fauna, flora,
geology, climatology, geography,
CHARLES E. SHELTON EUGENE L, CONROTTO EVONNE RIDDELL
soils, agricultural and economic Publisher Editor Circulation Manager
lea lures of arid lands. These DESERT, now in its 25th year, is published monthly by Desert Magazine, Inc., Palm Desert,
Calif. Re-entered as second class matter July 17, 1948, at the postoffice at Palm Desert, Calif.,
studies also include man's adap- under the Act of March 3, 1879. Title registered No. 358865 in U.S.
tation to a desert environment by ^\i E ° * Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1962 by Desert Magazine, Inc.
SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS: unsolicited manuscripts and photographs
anthropologists and archeologists. cannot be returned or acknowledged unless full return postage is en-
closed. DESERT assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of
materials submitted, although due care will be exercised. REPRODUC-
The establishment of the Philip v
o LftA ING CONTENTS: permission must be secured from the editor in
L. Boyd Research Center in Deep writing. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $4 per year (12 issues) in the U.S.;
$4.50 elsewhere. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: subscriber should send notice of new address by the
Canyon near Palm Desert has pro- first of the month preceding issue month. DISPLAY ADVERTISING: address all correspondence
to Aaron D. Viller, 8217 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles 48, Calif. Phone: OL 1-2225. CLASSIFIED
vided "a living laboratory of des- ADVERTISING, EDITORIAL, CIRCULATION: address all correspondence to Desert Magazine,
ei i plants and animals." Research Palm Desert, California.
is now underway on the desert big
horn sheep; an old Indian trail;
the behavior of frogs and toads
Volume
25 Contents for February 1962 Number
2
when the desert streams dry up; COVER: A young explorer at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.
and numerous other studies of Western Ways Photo. For more on "caving" see page 14.
pi int and animal adaptations to
desert conditions. 8 TRAVEL: Sonora Trails to the Missions of Kino
CHARLES W . POLZER, S.J.
En addition, the world renown- 14 ADVENTURE: Southwest "Caving" Enters Its Golden Era
eil Citrus Research Center and JOHNS HARRINGTON
Agricultural Experiment Station
(formerly Citrus Experiment Sta- 18 FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE: To the Hohokam's Land of Painted Rocks
CLOYD SORENSEN, JR.
tion) is conducting research on
di sert soils, agricultural use of 20 NATURE: The Solitary Wasp: Desert "Cow-Killer"
a: id lands and plants and animals EDMUND JAEGER
suitable for agriculture in these 22 HISTORY: Plank Road Over the Sands of Algodones
ai eas. HELEN M. GILBERT
II these and other research pro- 26 FRONTIER JUSTICE: Gold, Greed and A Grave
CLYDE FORSYTHE
g: .uns are to be supported prop-
ei ly, a large expansion of library 30 MINING: How the Rich Lodes of Oatman Were Developed
resources is required. Items of in- MARGARET EDDY WARD
terest are diaries of persons who 31 PERSONALITY: "Desert Steve" Ragsdale of the Chuckawalla
hive spent some time on the des- RANDALL HENDERSON
ei t, reports of government and sci- 35 WILDFLOWERS: A Great Year—If We Get One More Storm
entific agencies, accounts of early LUCILE WEIGHT
travelers and voyages to arid and
oiher regions, archeological and DEPARTMENTS: Desert Detours 4 Trading Post Classifieds ... 38
N e w Products 5 Readers' Letters 4J
anthropological studies of the civi- Poem of the Month 36 Calendar 41
li,ations and peoples, and the ag- Editorial 42
ricultural and economical devel-
Desert Magazine
opment of arid lands. ART GALLERY
• BARSTOW
The University of California
Special Exhibits
Riverside Library has benefited
•
from many valuable gifts in the Jan. 18-Feb. 8
p ist. DESERT readers who have BILL BENDER
m.iterial which falls within the •
cl issifications of the preceding Feb. 8-28
BURT PROCTER
paragraph may further the research •
programs by contributing materi- in Palm Desert
als to the library. Readers should (see map at right)
contact: Edwin T. Coman, Jr.,
FREE ADMISSION
University Librarian, University of •
C tlifornia, Riverside, California. Gallery Hours: 9 to 5
every day of the week,
Prospective donors should give including Sundays, during
some indication of the material the winter season.
they wish to give. Coman requests New in Desert's Pueblo
Building: Harry Cubbage's
that gifts not be sent in without Gem and Gift Shop.
fiist communicating with him.
/ get bored with people who keep saying the United States
was founded on Plymouth Rock. Fact is, our Southwestern
desert region had white towns, schools, taxes, churches, ju-
venile delinquency, all the glories of civilization at least 80
years before the Pilgrims sailed.
The USA now has 185 million people—a new citizen every Unidentified tourists. Bearing, two seven zero.
11 seconds. Unless we have devastating war or equal, by the
year 2,062 America will be one solid city from coast to coast.
••, i ;\s: r f
N E W T R A I L BIKE FROM
JAPAN: You can't really call
the Honda Trail 50 a power
scooter in the strict sense of
the word. Wheels and tires at 17-
inch diameter are much bigger than
average lor a scooter. Yet, the ma-
chine is definitely aimed at the
buyer who wants an off-trail climber. HONDA TRAIL 50
It has several interesting features.
For example, the three-speed manual
transmission can be locked in any
gear. It has a complete electrical the overall size. It is quite a bit but my favorite is the R-55. This size
system, from turn-signal indicators to longer than other trail bikes—which holds a full gallon of kerosene —
a tiny light that glows when the may be a problem when packing the enough to put out a solid 3000 Btu's
ignition key is turned on. Starting bike in sedan or station wagon—or of heat lor 48 hours—about equal to
is by a kick-lever. Hydraulic shock- when packing in over unridable two or three butane burners in a
absorbers are mounted front and places on the trail. All in all, though, small trailer, all going at once. We
rear. the price tag of $275 is amazing when tested this heater at home in large
you consider the extra equipment rooms, outdoors in a big tent, and in
The 5 - horsepower engine starts that is standard on the Honda Trail the garage on a cold night.
easily; fuel tank capacity is one gal- 50. Literature can be obtained from
lon. The low-gear ratio is a fantastic American Honda, Dept. 62-1, 4077 The big reflector throws off a start-
82- to 1! Top-speed with this low- West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 19, or ling amount of heat, and even though
geared ratio is about 25 mph. You from Honda of Arizona, Dept 62-1, the mantle glows red-hot all the time,
I can literally stand this bike on its 1333 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. the reflector remains cool. Even the
tail, and it keeps right on climbing. screen-guard stays cool! All the heat
The Honda Trail 50 has both front- is thrown outward, and at a distance
wheel brake, operated off the handle of six or seven feet the rays are con-
bar, and a foot-pedal control for rear- centrated.
wheel brake.
The Tilley will heat a 16xl8-foot
I tested the Honda in some of the COMPACT, PORTABLE room in 20 minutes, with no outside
toughest desert country around. My help. It will warm a big 9x9-foot tent
first impression was that it rides
HEATER: Rustling up drift- in five minutes. And in anything
super-soft for a trail machine — yet wood for a fire gets harder smaller, like a camper or trailer, it'll
when you give it the gas, it zips right every year. And without a positively drive you out!
up steep grades and over small rocks
and bushes with ease. Low gear has fire, winter nights in the desert can This new heater burns clean with
all the power you'll ever need, be- be as cold as they are anywhere else. no smoke, no odor.
lieve me. Steering response is good. After looking over just about every-
My only complaint here is that I thing in the small portable-heater The Tilley sells for $29.95 in a
could not turn the Honda sharply. class, I ran across the Tilley. This 2000 Btu model; $39.95 (R-55) in
handy little unit burns kerosene, and the 3000 Btu model. While the Til-
Only serious drawback to the is actually a radiant-type heater. It ley is truly a remarkable heater, I
Honda as a trail machine is, of course, is available in many sizes, of course, disliked the clumsy starting proced-
Current Rate
Dividends
SEALED - BEAM 12 -VOLT Compounded
LIGHTS: For campers, trail- Semi-Annually
ers, or desert cabins without
You can be safe and
commercial electricity, the sure when mailing
12-volt light can be a boon. One of
the best 12-volt light sources I've ever your Account to First
found is the Sea-Lite. Only three Union where all Accounts are
inches across and a half-inch thick, Insured (up to $20,000.00) by
the Sea-Lite is actually a sealed-beam Security Financial Insurance
unit! Further, the light is guaranteed
Corp. Deposits postmarked
for up to 1700 hours before replace-
ment is necessary, due to the long by the 20th earn dividends
life of the sealed - beam element. from the 1st.
Flush - mount or hidden - mount
models are available in six - volt,
or 110-volt. I've used the Sea-
Lite both in my trailer and in
Bill Hoy photo my boat and found it excellent.
It gives more light than you would
Second 1962 InvWion expect from such a compact unit.
To boat Gentle Glen Canyon of the
Considering their long life expec-
Colorado River. tancy, the price of $2.30 each seems
125 miles in colorful Utah. reasonable. From: Sea-Lite, Swein-
Weekly boat runs of 3 days. hart Equipment Sales, Inc., 2900-D
MAY and JUNE 1962. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles 23. / / /
Drive or fly to HUE, Utah.
Hike to see RAINBOW BRIDGE.
Landing at KANE CREEK, Utah. Write today for your free
Visit more points of interest than pos-
sible on most full week trips; this due Booklet of
to 23 years experience; faster boat
travel, via TURBOCRAFT. VALUABLE FREE GIFTS
• Visit Spanish Inscription of 133 (?)
years ago. Will be submerged by rising
lake waters in Fall of 1962.
• Visited only by our guests.
• Boating fare: $85. No tax. SAVINGS & LOAN, INC.
• $25 check reserves a place. -I
• 100% refunded if cancelled.
Dept. 142
• $5 fare credit for identifying the above First Union Savings and Loan, Inc.
photo locale. 6901 Belair Road, Baltimore 6, Md.
• Come to a Land of No Worry. Please send me free savings incen-
tives Booklet.
LARABEE AND ALESON Name
WESTERN RIVER TOURS Address
Richfield, Utah
City Zone State
SEALED-BEAM LIGHTS
MORNING we left Phoenix was crisp had taught that the remote terrain of Sonora is no place
and sunny; beneath a light cloud cover we to tame childish temperaments. As it turned out, our
sped south to our Sonora destination. The selection paid off.
two trucks of our caravan were loaded Tumacacori National Monument was our first official
with a week's supply of food and water stop. We looked up Michael Becker, the personable
that would enable us to tour the missions superintendent, who gave the boys a few pointers on
of the Sonora River. Since 1961 commemorated the mission architecture and explained the workings of San
250th anniversary of Padre Kino's death in Magdalena, Cayetano. Without this visible introduction it would
Sonora, our group from the Jesuit high school in have been more difficult to spot antiquities through the
Phoenix felt a particular enthusiasm for what might ruins or restorations along the mission chain to the
seem a gruelling introduction to a vacation. What we south.
found was a world of fascination—simple security, un-
paralleled hospitality, and intriguing history. The normally unpredictable crossing into Mexican
territory is a familiar procedure to many Southwestern-
The quasi-expedition comprised three Jesuits: Rev. ers. Once equipped with our tourist permits we pulled
Edwin McDermott, S.J., principal of Brophy College up at the check station just out of Nogales and began
Prep and mission authority; Gustavo Fernandez, S.J., the puzzling procedure of registering our trucks with
acting interpreter; and myself, trail boss, cook, and the authorities. Our Travelall occasioned a dispute as
photographer. With us were four of our students chosen to whether it was a station wagon or a truck; the chro-
for their resourcefulness and maturity; previous trips mium series number B-100 on the hood decided the
RUINS OF CHURCH AT COCOSPERA. RESTORATION ATTEMPTS FAILED, A N D LOCAL PEOPLE ERECTED SMALL CHAPEL AT RIGHT.
RAY TANNER DISCOVERS THE SANTOS IN THE SHADOWY CORNER OF THE HUEPAC CHOIR LOFT
issue as a truck! After we explained our itinerary and the city's Country Club! Our first night was not too
showed them some of our recently published articles on rough since we had barbecue pits, running water and
their locale, they displayed a new interest in our adven- a swimming pool—not to mention the huge kettle of
ture. Graciously they ordered our papers and we were homemade tamales added to our provisions.
off to greet the other Alto—Immigratio signs with a Refreshed by the cold mountain air, we departed
confident "Buenos dias, senor." early for the day's drive down the valley. We twisted
Turning northeast we left Sonora's Highway 15 near across the barrancas until we saw the little church of
Imuris and geared down for the dusty climb up the San Miguel de Bacoachi thrust its tower above the river
Sierra de Pinitos to the tiny Cocospera Valley. In the bluffs. While we Jesuits made the customary inquiries
afternoon sun the mounded ruins of Nuestra Senora about the church, the boys cautiously threaded their
del Pilar y Santiago de Cocospera emerged before the way into the belltower and found the bronze-cast ves-
anxious eyes of our "explorers." This once magnificent tiges of Jesuit mission history, dating back to 1689 and
structure is rapidly deteriorating into the soils of time. 1727. A wizened matrona explained that when the bells
To this very spot over 250 years before, bands of Indians were first hung on the mission facade each in a niche
from the Colorado and Gila rivers rode to join Padre above the other, the happy Indians tugged on the rope,
Kino in dedicating his new church. and the facade collapsed from the strain!
For years this mission-compound was an outpost on Having lost some 2000 feet elevation, our route now
the Apache frontier, and consequently was burned and lay along the river itself. The trucks crossed the foot-
razed numerous times. Today the mud-brick and plaster deep water so many countless times that the brakes were
facade sags precariously toward the litter-strewn ground. soaked beyond use. The unbroken pattern of cattle,
Inside the eroded walls two fired-brick arches still encase burros, horses, plots of corn, wheat, and beans continued
the sanctuary tinged with the bright pigment of Indian through the verdant valley until we reached Chinapa.
painters. Cocospera once withstood Apache marauders Although Senor San Jose de Chinapa boasted a 313
and empire builders, but now its ruins are only a year history, the church itself was quite small, obviously
monument to the unstudied destruction of the shovel not the original structure. By now the boys had volun-
wielded by men who believe in a myth of gold. tarily undertaken the precarious job of recording the
bell inscriptions. But Chinapa offered no access to the
Evening approached as we left the mission of "onion
high-hung bells. So using a mixture of English, Latin,
mountain." Our planned stop was Cananea where
perplexed looks, and pesos, they persuaded a gray-clad
Messrs. Donohue and Velasco of the Cananea Copper
peon to resurrect a log ladder, missing a few rungs
Company recommended we camp at the Ojo de Agua,
which he promptly replaced.
the crystal clear source of the Sonora River. Accepting
their kind offer, we discovered that the Ojo was also Erroneously we speculated that many of these bells
LOWER PORTION OF THE PAINTINGS IN THE GOSPEL CHAPEL OF ARISPE
had been transported from the mission chains to the Centered in a rich mining area, the church's high
north and west where many bells are missing or missions altar was once adorned with solid silver. Even today
are in ruin. We noticed that seldom did the bells traces of the cathedral's elegance are evidenced in large
register a saint's name corresponding to that of the gilded paintings of Our Lady's Assumption and of the
mission; in fact the patron of the bell had a mission saints of the Society. Midway in the nave rests a Span-
somewhere else along the frontier. But we now know ish-style crucifix reputed to be that of Padre Francisco
that no correlation need exist between the patron of Saeta, the first martyr of the Pimeria Alta, as Sonora
the bell and the patron of the church. Quixotically and Arizona were known in earlier days.
though, we inquired in Chinapa if the bells of Senor
San Jose had come from another church. The little Arispe showed signs of real civilization with electric
throng answered volubly that these were their bells. lines and ice cream merchants. As trail boss I thought
Then it dawned on us that they feared we would take the roads would improve as we drove down the sun-
their bells and leave the village destitute of a most drenched hill—otherwise how could this town have so
prized possession. much and remain so isolated? I still can't answer that
question because the roads got worse, not better, and
We crunched through more river bottom until the things seemed infinitely far away.
town of Arispe sprawled before us. By Sonoran stand-
ards this is a near metropolis. Since its historical birth Acting against the advice of my lawyer friend, Paul
in 1646 when Padre de la Canal opened a visita here, Roca, an experienced Sonora traveler, we jolted down
Arispe has played an important role in the development to the river and left the camino para monies to crawl
of northern Sonora. Its huge stone church was erected through narrow cuts and cling to rocky buttes. Just
by Padres, Roja and Mora of the Society of Jesus, and above Arispe the Rio Bacanuche joins the Sonora, so
only 14 years after the Society's expulsion in 1767 the our reentry into the river was wetter than before. Even
church became the cathedral of Antonio de los Reyes, when we overshot the actual roadbed we managed to
first Bishop of Sonora. find it later downstream.
CLOISTER OF SAN XAVIER DEL BAC, TUCSON
\ X 2Ym
A CAVE IN THE CATALINA MOUNTAINS NEAR TUCSON
Caving
Enters O
UR MEXICAN helper uttered
a horrified spine-chilling yell
from the depths of the cave
tunnel. My father and I stood pet-
rified, trying to decide in a few agon-
In many years of archeological ex-
peditions, during which I had often
invaded the world of mystery and
eternal darkness which lies beyond
the mouths of caves, nothing had
TIMPANOGO8 CAVE
NATL.MON.
LEHMAN CAVES
NATL. MON.
SHELL
BEACH ©GAU.UP
CAVERNS of siPAPU^CAVE •jrSUNSET CRATER ^ K I T CARSON
MYSTERY f ICE CAVES f* 1®GRANTS
PAINTED It i
WALNUT CANYON j
CAVES
TUCSON© j
^ COLOSSAL CAVE
THE DENDORA VALLEY OUTING PROVIDED SOME DUSTY A N D LIVELY EARLY SPANISH EXPLORERS FIRST DESCRIBED THE "PAINTED
JEEP A C T I O N . THIS AREA IS STILL THE HOME OF A ROCKS." LATER, AREA WAS A STAGE LINE REST STOP,
SMALL HERD OF MUSTANGS A N D SOME FERAL BURROS. A N D PASSENGERS WERE ALLOWED TO INSPECT THE "PICTURE GALLERY."
NE DAY of a long-ago autumn trudging along on ponies or in wag- dressed, laughing-eyed little girl who
O I found myself almost instinc-
tively journeying toward the
hill pastures to make my animals
ons toward the hill country where
there was to be a fiesta at San Ignacio.
These Indians, happy as jays, were
chewed corn on the cob and kept
smiling at me.
For making a journey interesting,
ready for travel. Next morning, dressed in bright colors of calicos and there is nothing like having a definite,
while the aroma of the greasewood woolens. worthwhile destination. Up to this
and sumac was heavy on the air, I time I had had none in mind,
was on my way, bound for the desert As they traveled, the old men sat
on the wagon seats and the women and I decided that I, too, would go
mountains of Southern California. to the fiesta.
and children on straw in the wagon
As I rode along I came upon little beds, while the bigger boys and As I neared the reservation at Ca-
parties of Indians. Some were camp- young men rode alongside on ponies. huilla, a splendid looking young In-
ed on the roadside, others were Never will I forget that brightly dian boy of about 16 rode up and
/ /
COMPLETION OF THE FIRST ROAD OVER THE DUNES WAS CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION
AS A SAFETY MARGIN WHILE CROSSING THE DUNES, CARS USUALLY TRAVELED IN CARAVANS
Gold, Greed and a Grave
By CLYDE FORSYTHE*
E HAD DRIVEN across the sage-grown pine tree of which he had spoken. He had led us to
BOARD BILL
and a sure-footed burro are the chief
The gold-bearing vein on the Hil-
tys' prospect was only a few inches
wide at the top of the shaft, but
showed signs of widening as it angled
into the earth.
As the miners continued their
work, the ore continued to improve.
In a very short time the stock went
from 10c to several dollars a share.
ingredients in the story of one of the My husband was president and
Southwest's greatest gold producers. We chipped several pieces of ore
from various places along the ex- general manager, and his plan from
The year was 1904, and my hus- posed vein, and ground the samples the start was to keep the mine clear
band, Fred J. Eddy, and I were in our mortar. Then, using a cow's of debt. But, some of the other
camped at a prospect near Cotton- horn split lengthwise, we panned it directors insisted on mortgaging the
wood Springs west of Kingman. Mr. out. mine to build a mill on the site.
Eddy, who had succumbed to "gold From the first panning to the last After some dissension, my husband
fever" in the Klondike Rush of '98, made on that beautiful spring day, resigned. The company was reorgan-
had come to northwest Arizona to every sampling showed free gold! ized, and in 1906 the mine renamed
determine if our Cottonwood Springs That night we made our beds on the the "Tom Reed."
property would be worth developing. ground, and tired but happy, drifted In less than four years after my
With us were our two children — off to sleep under the sparkling desert burro ride over the nearly-trackless
three-year-old May and six-month-old stars. Arizona desert, the Tom Reed and
Maud. the nearby United Eastern Mine drew
One of the men we hired to Upon our return to Cottonwood 12,000 residents to the area, and the
sharpen tools was a prospector named camp, we drew up an option which town of Oatman was created. During
Ely Hilty. He and his brother, who the Hiltys signed. The second thing this short period, $18,000,000 in gold
hauled water to our camp from the we did was pay their board bill. was taken from the ground upon
spring, told us about a claim they In 10 days' time we had a 10-man which we had slept that long-ago
had at a place five miles distant. The crew working the new prospect. The night.
Hiltys were about to lose this prop- deeper they sank the shaft, the better The Hiltys never again had to
erty because they had offered it as the ore. When it became ojrvious sharpen tools and haul water. My
security on a board bill owed in beyond a doubt that this mine had husband and I turned our efforts
Kingman. It was a good prospect, real potential, we returned to Cali- toward developing a 560-acre ranch
the Hilty boys insisted, and it would fornia to raise the capital necessary in the Imperial Valley of California,
be a shame to see it lost because of for development work. then being reclaimed with water from
a piddling bill. the Colorado — but that is another
The Pasadena Consolidated Com-
Next morning, we put the side- pany was formed, and the Hiltys were story.-MARGARET EDDY WARD,
saddle on one of the burros, I took given a block of stock and some cash of Palm Desert, Calif.
He Helps KeepChuckawallaDry
ES MA'AM! We used to have people ever got out of the desert alive
lots of rattlesnakes here. The in those days. But they are all gone
country was alive with them. now. Haven't seen one for years.
By They crawled around in armies and What became of them? Well, H Henry
RANDALL HENDERSON ate everything in their path. Few Ford is responsible. When he got to
making all those little cars a few
yi*id HIDDEN TREASURES years ago this road across the Chuck- JEEP TOURS
GOLD, SILVER, PRECIOUS METALS with Iht Follow Mod.t awalla Valley became so crooked that
27 Metal D.l.tlor. Lightweight, ulho-niuitlve, low
toil. Norn finer. Alw GEIGER COUNTERS far uranium - a cow pony couldn't follow it. Noth- or
and the VIOLITE for tungsten. INFORMATION FREE . ing but Fords ever tried to cross this
way. They zig-zagged along through
Horseback Trips
Plan to spend your vacation in one of
INSTRUMENTS.
America's most rugged and fantastic
Ofttn Copied — Never Excelled the sand and when the rattlers would scenic areas. See San Juan County in
start chasing them the blankety southeastern Utah with its ancient cliff
METAL DETECTORS dwellings, Hovenweep Ruins, Monument
More accurate, it's the first metal detector snakes would break their backs mak- Valley, Salt Creek and Needles area, Nat-
designed specifically for detecting placer ural Bridges and Grand Gulch.
gold, nuggets, and other small metal ob- ing the turns. They're all gone now." Bayles Jeep Tours and Pack Trips
jects. Depth range 7 feet—comes complete, Scheduled ana chartered trips
ready to use. This is Steve Ragsdale's yarn — Write for information and free brochure
MODEL 27—instructions included $119.95 "Desert Steve" of Desert Center.
MODEL 711—with 21 f t . depth range $149.00
Nearly every one who has traveled SCOTT L. BAYLES
Highway 60 across the Chuckawalla Blending, Utah P.O. Box 584 OR 8-2377
Desert in Southern California has
heard of Desert Steve.
He has a story for every occasion.
This is the one he told in the early
days when timid folks from Eastern
centers of tenderfoot culture would
stop at the Ragsdale service station
YOU-..?
Here's a top business location with an excel-
to inquire about the danger of In- lent future. The North Edwards Shopping
dians, outlaws and rattlesnakes. Center! It serves the largest payrolls in the
LAKEWOOD CHEMICAL KIT desert. Within 10 minutes: 12,000 employees
The Lakewood Chemical Kit can be used in The California link in Highway and payrolls three times those of Bakersfield!
connection with all the principal texts on 60 is paved now and thousands of Needed: a dress shop, children's store, hard-
minerals such as Dana, Pough, O. C. Smith, ware, TV, appliance, shoe store, variety,
Pennfield, Duke's Course, and many others. motorists roll along its smooth sur- laundromat, furniture store, barbershop, etc.
The Lakewood Chemical Kit, because of face every week without thought of
the acids it contains, is not recommended A modern supermarket and bowling alley
for persons under 18 years old. Priced the hazards which once beset the are already in operation. WRITE (or call)
$36.00 Express only. TODAY for a free brochure. (Please indicate
desert traveler.
SEND FOR FREE LITERATURE the business you are interested in). North
Steve Ragsdale is one of the pion- Edwards Shopping Center, 600 N. Sepulveda
Gomhion <J\oc\z eers along this highway. He was do- Blvd. (LA. Office), Los Angeles 49, Calif.
GR 6-1973.
1405 S. Lang Beach Blvd., Compton, Calif. ing very well as a cotton rancher in
NEwmark 2-9096 the Palo Verde Valley until the post-
South of Compton Blvd.
war slump hit the cotton market. He
couldn't feed his wife and four chil-
dren with six cent cotton, and so he
turned the ranch over to the tax
collector and announced that he was
SILVER LACE
AMERICA'S MOST
UNIQUE EVENT
going to open up a service station at
Gruendyke's Well, midway between
and
Blythe and Mecca on the old Chuck-
HONEY TRAVERTINE
i n n Dfllf fESTIVflL INDIO
awalla road.
Folks laughed at Steve, and felt
sorry for his family. T h e road across
ONYX DEPOSITS
Until now these deposits have been
CALIFORNIA the Chuckawalla in those days con- almost inaccessible, since they are lo-
FEBRUARY sisted of two rather uncertain ruts cated on top of a rugged mountain. In
16 THRU 2 5 across 90 miles of blow sand and order to make this beautiful material
cross-washes. It required nine hours available to all, we have bulldozed a
road over really rough terrain up to the
WORLD of hard driving to cover the 90 miles. Onyx deposit. We furnish transportation
Only the hardiest of motorists would by four-wheel-drive vehicle from Calico
FAMOUS attempt the trip. There were many Ghost Town to the Onyx Mine and re-
days when not a single car was to be turn. The Onyx itself, has been made
ARABIAN met along this route. Six automobiles more easily obtainable by using the bull-
dozer.
NIGHTS in 24 hours was heavy traffic. These tours leave Calico Ghost Town at
PAGEANT Rut Mrs. Ragsdale was willing, and 9 & 11 a.m., 1, 3 and 5 p.m.; returning
every hour.
FREE NIGHTLY the four children were too young to
Open Saturday, Sunday and Holidays
UNDER THE vote on the question—so they loaded or when a party of 6 or more desires
DESERT STARS up the furniture and went out to re- this trip. Closed on Friday.
build the little cabin which Old Man FEE: $4 per person per day
CAMEL AND OSTRICH RACES Gruendyke had left when he proved Fee includes 30 pounds of onyx
DATE AND CITRUS DISPLAYS up on his homestead. (Additional onyx 25c per pound)
This was in 1921. During the next Tickets available at Assay Office
four years they stuck to the job in Calico Ghost Town
OF GEMS & MINERALS
through summer heat and sandstorms. For additional information write to:
A little work had been done on the
road, and travel was increasing. The Calico Silver Onyx Co.
Ragsdales had begun to feel that per- P.O. BOX 685 - YERMO, CALIFORNIA
haps their pioneering would be re-
warded.
*AH Decent Folks
Enjoy 1 Destroy
We bmjght this mountain for you and 1
Thaneinnime other HUe it uml
Tfeta virgin f m « , tit* dtar, th# WWta •
F«r Ha<K«nfc tapiitjr there to n© w«rd»
RAGSDALE TURNED TO POETRY TO PROTECT WILDLIFE OF SANTA ROSA MOUNTAIN, WHERE HE BUILT A SUMMER RETREAT
Then the state took over the high- holes—all of them dry. Then he At one time he thought of sub-
way and engineers decided that the brought in a well drilling outfit and dividing his 700-acre homestead and
Chuckawalla road should be rerouted found water at 423 feet. It cost $12,- selling part of it. But he wanted the
to avoid the heavy sand. Gruendyke's 000 to develop the new well. His deeds to carry restrictions against
Well was to be a mile and a quarter difficulties in raising the twelve thou- liquor, gambling and wild women.
from the new highway. sand make a story more thrilling than He wanted them drawn so that a
This was heart-breaking news to fiction. man could not even take a drink of
the Ragsdales. Instead of crying his own beer on a lot bought from
A new location called for a new
about the injustice of the government Steve Ragsdale. The lawyers said
name—and so Desert Center was born. that was going too far. It couldn't
and clamoring for damages, Steve
Today an average of 500 cars a day be done. So the elegant plans which
went out and helped the engineers
pass through the little settlement on the engineers and architects had pre-
locate the new road.
the Chuckawalla desert. It is a one- pared were shoved into a pigeonhole
Then he began preparations to man town. Desert Steve not only —and are still there.
move his service station. The main owns all the real estate, but he is
problem was water. It is a scarce also the law. For many years he has Steve isn't a pink tea reformer.
commodity in the Chuckawalla Val- been a deputy sheriff not only in There are notches on his gun, put
ley. With a hand windlass and the Riverside County, but also in San there under justifiable circumstances.
help of his family Ragsdale dug nine Bernardino and Imperial counties. But he regards liquor, gambling and
San Juan
TRADING POST
. . . your headquarters for a
Southern Utah vacation The Alaskan Camper is quickly transformed from its compact low silhouette on the road to
roomy walk-in living quarters. Drive safely at any speed with minimum drag and sway.
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Tours to Monument Valley and Fabulous San
from home complete with three burner stove, sink, cabinets, ice box, beds, and many other
luxury features.
Juan County . . . Curio Shop, Navajo Rugs, The unique hydraulic mechanism which raises the Write today tor more liilorma-
camper top can be safely operated even by a small ' ' " " "" t l l c m o s t advanced
Indian Jewelry . . . Cafe . . . Film, Camping child. Locks prevent accidental lowering. The top camper on the road.
Supplies . . . Service Station. is lowered quickly by the simple turn of a valve. Patent No. 2879103
"IN NORTHWEST" "IN CANADA"
SAN JUAN TRADING POST R. D. Hall Mfg. Inc.
9847 Glenoaks Blvd. Campers Inc. Canadian Campers
Mexican Hat, Utah 8819 Renton Ave. 77 Pelham
Sun Valley, Calif. Seattle, Wash. Toronto, Ontario
prostitution as unnecessary vices, and home and told his parents that he
they will never be tolerated on his had enough. He wanted to go to
MOTORIZED domain. When thousands of men work and "do something useful."
came out to work on the Colorado Steve and the boy's mother urged
FUN River aqueduct which is routed near
Desert Center, Ragsdale was offered
and pleaded — but that was that.
Finally the elder Ragsdale called his
In the Great Outdoors $5,000 for a beer garden concession. oldest son, Therman, into the con-
"I turned it down," he explained, spiracy to help put Stanley back in
Hunting, Fishing, Exploring, "because no person could afford to school.
Gem Hunting pay so high a price for the privilege "Dad, why don't you go to college?"
of selling beer at Desert Center. I
knew how they intended to get their This was Therman's suggestion.
money back if they obtained the lease. Dad did not know whether to laugh
I will not have any honkytonks at or get mad. It is not pleasant to be
Desert Center—not at any price." ridiculed by one's own children.
Ragsdale's antipathy toward com- "I mean it," insisted Therman.
mercialized vice is natural. It is a And he finally convinced his father
carryover from the days when he was that he did mean it, and that the
a parson. He was born in Coffeyville, suggestion offered a possible solution
The ruggedly-built Pak-Jak Kansas, but spent most of his early to the problem which was confront-
life in Missouri where he went to ing the Ragsdale family.
Power to spare with a large rear wheel theological seminary and became an The outcome of it all was that
geared at a 40-to-l ratio; tractor-type ordained minister of the Methodist
tires. Speed to 20 m.p.h. when the next semester opened at
church. the Riverside college, Mr. and Mrs.
Pak-Jak is the practical trail vehicle
That was in the old fire and brim- Ragsdale and their youngest son were
—many in use by ranchers, mineralo- all enrolled for classes. Father Rags-
gists, peace officers, foresters, as stone days—and Steven Ragsdale was
well as sportsmen. a young volcano in the pulpit. In dale, 53 years of age, reported for
his inner heart, however, he never astronomy, psychology, English and
For more information phone or write— could quite accept the idea that the philosophy. Mother Ragsdale took
mountains and rivers and forests art and astronomy.
PAKJAK SALES & SERVICE were made literally in six 24-hour
days. And since, in his time and
Unfortunately, the younger mem-
ber of the family was taken ill and
P.O. BOX 1015 place it was heresy to believe other- could not carry on through the
PARADISE. CALIFORNIA wise, he finally resigned his pastorate course. But Pa and Ma lugged their
and went into the lead mines to make textbooks to school every day until
his livelihood. the last examination was given.
In 1908 he moved with his wife to "It was the greatest experience in
California and in 1909 filed on a my life," declared Ragsdale after-
America's homestead in the Palo Verde Valley. ward. "The thing which I appreci-
Despite his religious schooling, Des- ated more than all else was that
Vacation Paradise throughout the entire time we were
ert Steve has two vices. Those tall
yarns with which he entertains the in school there was not the slightest
This Year Come to tenderfoot visitors at Desert Center hint of discourtesy or ridicule from
constitute one of them. The other either student or teacher. No one
UTflH'S
son JUAII is — poetry. He writes the world's can tell me there is anything wrong
worst verse. with the younger generation of Am-
ericans. I put them to the test, and
The irony of it is that while there I know the answer."
are countless numbers of fine poets
• FABULOUS RED-ROCK COUNTRY whose genius goes unrewarded, Des- Recently Mr. and Mrs. Ragsdale
• MODERN & COMPLETE TOURIST FACILITIES ert Steve makes money out of his bought 560 acres of fine timber on
rhymes. He uses them for advertising the top of Santa Rosa peak, and built
• Monument Valley • The Needles • Dead purposes. There is a homely philoso- a big log cabin where they spend
Horse Point • Rainbow Bridge • Natural phy in Steve's doggerel which appeals much of their time while Therman
Bridges • San Juan River Goosenecks • La to folks despite its bad technique. runs the business at Desert Center
Sal Mountains . . . and supervises the operation of
One incident in Ragsdale's experi- branch stations at Utopia and Cac-
All In ence throws a great light on the char- tus City, which are also Ragsdale
SAN acter of the man. His life's desire towns on Highway 60.
JUAN was that his children should have a
thorough education. Business in Des- Steve's mountain domain is posted
COUNTY with placards advising visitors that
ert Center has prospered in recent
Write years, and there were ample funds to "DECENT FOLKS ARE
for Free carry the young Ragsdales through WELCOME; ENJOY BUT
Brochure college. DON'T DESTROY"
San Juan
County When the time came for Stanley, Beneath these black-faced lines are
Commission, the youngest boy, to take his ad- a few lines of Steve's own poetry.
Monticello, vanced training, he rebelled. Before "But the blankety - blank souvenir
Utah the first semester was finished at Riv- hunters keep stealing the poems off
erside Junior College, he returned the trees," complains Steve. ///
Wildflowcrs
fa February?
Zhere's
$ood Chancel
By LUCILE WEIGHT
EVEN WHEN DEAD, THE DUNE PRIMROSE IS
BEAUTIFUL. OUTER LEAVES
CURL INWARD TO FORM A "DESERT BASKET."
CANNOT POINT out, in the make a more reasonable basis for pre- topography (windward sides of ranges
I manner of a bus-driver conducting
a tour . . . "Now along this high-
way you have acres of blank flowers
diction. There may be a half-inch
rain in downtown Yucca Valley, and
five miles east you might reach a
may have received good rains while
those to the leeward may have re-
mained entirely dry) ; and catch
at the peak of bloom; next week, we north-south line beyond which not a basins where runoff has stood long
will travel on Highway Soanso where single drop has fallen. enough to penetrate deeply.
we'll see 15 species just coming into
flower . . ." So, if I were going to the desert in So—il I had a helicopter—I would
February—to see the Date Festival in set it down in February on Highway
Except for a Great Flower Year, Indio or just to get away from city 80 between Holtville and the Algo-
desert bloom cannot be predicted far smog—and if I had no up-to-the-min- dones Dunes first. This is about as
in advance. Those unusual years— ute reports from desert friends or far south as you can get on the U.S.
usually a decade apart—are foreshad- chambers of commerce or the DES- side of the border, and it approaches
owed as early as December and early ERT office (FI 6-8037), there are the Colorado River where mild win-
January. There is a chance—just a several roads I'd try.
chance—that 1962 will be a Great ters are the rule.
Flower Year. January rainfall will These would all be in low eleva- I'd probably first notice the frost-
determine this. tions, and that means Borrego, Im- green edging of plantain (Indian
perial and Coachella Valleys, and ex-
Normally, too many factors enter tending up the Colorado River val- Wheat) ; desert lilies might be com-
into the picture, and conditions over leys as far as I saw any hint of green; ing up, if not actually blooming.
the Colorado and Mojave deserts of then I'd skip over the intervening Some sand-verbena and white dune
California vary too widely to predict desert ranges of the Mojave, to Death evening primrose should be starting
flowers for February and early March Valley, the other really low elevation in the sandy area with the lilies.
—from the vantage view of early Jan- spot. Spring does not move gradually There might even be some desert
uary, when this is being written. If north in the desert. We must con- sunflower (Geraea) this early. On
there were rain gauges scattered along sider the matters of elevation, which terraces of pebbles and rocks, such as
strategic desert highways, it would determines temperature levels; local between Pilot Knob and the Cargo
TERRY'S LAPIDARY
Only during a few sensational years
have I seen any mass flowering in
February, although in years between,
GIFTS
there are colorful spots which afford from
3616 E. GAGE AVENUE BELL, CALIFORNIA
fine color shots. Rain December 14-15,
Send 50c for new 1962 Catalog 1961, was sufficient in a number of
places, especially in the High Desert
(Yucca Valley to Twentynine Palms)
SNIFFS
A FREE SERVICE
to urge germination. But unless
more rain follows, the plants will
VATS GARDENS
TO VACATION-PLANNING be dwarfed or give only a very brief Box 68 Indio, Calif.
SUBSCRIBERS. . . display. January rain, if any, should Owned and operated by the
be followed by temperatures warm Sniffs for 37 years
DESERT will be happy to send enough to allow growth, to insure a
you appropriate brochures and good show. Abundant bloom requires Featuring the world's finest selec-
folders on your Southwest vaca- much sunlight also, for the sun ap- tion of prize-winning soft dates
tion target. Merely indicate what parently controls the time-clock on in beautiful gift packages.
section of the Desertland you plan
bloom even more than does tempera- ORDER BY MAIL TODAY
to visit, and when. There is no
charge for this service. ture alone.
You are invited to visit our famous
Most of the seeds require about show garden and unique gift shop
SOUTHWEST TRAVEL one inch of rain in one fall storm on Palm Springs' scenic Hwy 111.
Desert Magazine in order to remove the built-in ger-
Palm Desert, Calif. mination inhibitor so that they can Please send me Sniff's
GEODES, CRYSTAL lined, 3" to 5", broken and • JEWELRY JEFFERSON NICKELS, 1938, 1940-S, 1941-S,
proved, or whole, unbroken, (not guaranteed) 1942-D, 1946-S, 1947-S, 1948-S, 1949-S, 1950-P,
$1.75 each postpaid. Free list gems and min- GENUINE TURQUOISE bolo ties $1.50, 11 stone 1951-S, 1952-D, 1952-S, 1953-S, 1954-S, 1955-P.
erals. The Vellor Co., P.O. Box 2344, St. Louis turquoise bracelet $2. Gem quality golden Any eight: $2; 19: $4. Fine. Postpaid. List
14, Missouri. tiger-eye $1.75 pound, beautiful mixed agate included. Stroud's Coins, Kinston, North Car-
baroques $3 pound. Postage and tax extra. olina.
ROUGH JADE for identification and recognition, Tubby's Rock Shop, 2420V2 Honolulu Ave.,
10 distinctive varieties for $5. Locations Montrose, California. • PHOTO SUPPLIES
given, brochure included. Find your own
jade treasures. Wilderness Originals, Canyon, DEALERS! Write for wholesale prices on our VACATION COLOR slides, movies. 3000 travel,
California. fabulous line of non-tarnishing aluminum nature slides. Free catalog. Sample slide 25c.
chains and baroque mountings. Include $1 Kelly D. Choda, Box 15, Palmer Lake, Colo.
PARTIES, LARGE or small groups, interested in for samples. Use letterhead or send tax num-
field trips for outstanding picture wood, con- ber. R. B. Berry & Company, 5040B Corby USE OUR mail service for fine custom black and
tact: Gemwood Mines, Box 522, Kanab, Utah. Street, Omaha 4, Nebraska. white and color film processing and printing.
We sell, buy and trade cameras. Write for
UTAH'S SPECIAL: 1 pound Utah red and yellow our free bargain sheet. (Since 1932.) Morgan
swirl agate 85c, 1 pound Utah pigeon blood • LODGES, MOTELS Camera Shop. 6262 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
agate $1., 1 pound Utah plume agate $1., 1 28, California.
pound snowflake obsidian 75c, 1 pound dino- ROCKHOUND HEADQUARTERS: Calico Motel,
saur bone (Utah) 85c, 1 pound Utah blue val- Highway 91-446 & Calico Road. Phone Clinton 35 mm. COLOR slides of Western artist Clyde
ley agate 75c, 1 pound Utah green jade-like 6-3467. P.O. Box 6105, Yermo, California. Forsythe's great "Gold Strike" paintings. Four
aventurine 75c, 1 pound Utah red lace agate Brochure on request. exciting slides: "Gold Rush," "Mining Camp,"
$2., 1 pound green variscite $4.50, 1 pound "Mining Town," "Ghost Town." Rise and fall
Wyoming black jade $3.50, $16.95 value. FOR RENT: modern cottages completely furnished, of a typical boom town. Set of four slides
Above material package special—all for $12.50 secluded in superb scenery of Chiricahua mailed to you for $1. Order from Desert
postpaid anywhere in the U.S.A. Dowse's Mountains near Douglas, Arizona. Ideal for Magazine Book Store, Palm Desert, Calif.
Agate Shop, 754 North Second West, Salt artists, birders, rockhounds, nature - lovers.
Lake City, Utah. Open all year. Write: Cave Creek Ranch,
Portal, Arizona. • PLANTS, SEEDS
MEXICAN TOPAZ crystals, approximately VA"
diameter, use as hardness points, interesting
structures. $2 per 100, postpaid. C. Buescher, • MAPS WILDFLOWER SEEDS: New 1962 expanded Wild-
flower Catalog is being printed. Same quality,
3603 Ridgedale, St. Louis 20, Missouri.
SECTIONIZED COUNTY maps - San Bernardino same price, 50c. Clyde Robin, P.O. Box 2091,
$3; Riverside $1; Imperial, small $1, large $2; Castro Valley, California.
• INDIAN GOODS San Diego $1.25; Inyo $2.50; Kern $1.25;
ENVIRONMENTAL PLANT life "grown in the
other California counties $1.25 each. Nevada
desert, for the desert." Featuring: Ocotillo
SELLING 20,000 Indian relics. 100 nice ancient counties $1 each. Include 4 percent sales tax.
in gallon cans $3.95 each, by Josephine,
arrowheads $25. Indian skull $25. List free. Topographic maps of all mapped western
71554 Samarkand Drive, Twentynine Palms
Lear's, Glenwood, Arkansas. areas. Westwide Maps Co., 114 West Third
(near cemetery). K6QHG.
Street, Los Angeles 13, California.
6 ARROWHEADS, 10 warpoints, 4 birdpoints, 2
spearheads — $5. Have beads, beadwork,
• MINING • REAL ESTATE
masks, fetishes, prehistoric pottery. Paul
Summers, Canyon, Texas.
ASSAYS: ALL types, $5. Spectographs $12. FOR SALE: bare land, 160 view acres located in
IF YOU are looking for prehistoric or historic Classes: Assaying—prospecting and mineralogy, Martinez Canyon overlooking Coachella Valley
Southwest material; for a certain Indian 12 hours, $15. Kilian Bensusan (Mining En- and the Salton Sea. Booming area, excellent
painter, a good rug, jewelry—anything unus- gineer), 8615 Columbus Avenue, Sepulveda, location for exclusive dude ranch or canyon
ual, why don't you write? House of The Six California. EMpire 2-1942. housing project. Reasonable. Write Cotton,
Directions, Fifth Avenue, Scottsdale, Arizona. 361 North Fifth Street, Coalinga, California.
ASSAYS. COMPLETE, accurate, guaranteed. High-
INDIAN PHONOGRAPH records, authentic songs est quality spectrographic. Only $8 per sam- FOR INFORMATION on desert acreage and par-
and dances, all speeds. Write for latest list: ple. Reed Engineering, 620-R So. Inglewood cels for sale in or near Twentynine Palms,
Canyon Records, 834 No. 7th Avenue, Phoenix, Ave., Inglewood, California. please write or visit: Silas S. Stanley, Realtor,
1, Arizona. 73644 Twentynine Palms Highway, Twenty-
NATURAL PLACER gold, cleaned mine run, 960 nine Palms, California.
WE APPRAISE, buy, sell finest reservation-made fine, $42 troy ounce. Satisfaction guaranteed.
FOR SALE: Burro Schmidt's Famous Tunnel,
Indian goods. Send $1 for genuine turquoise Cashier's check or money order, Marcum Biel-
tourist attraction near Randsburg, 80 acres
nugget, fine quality key chain, 16-page catalog enberg, Avon, Montana.
$8000. Inquire: R. G. Sale, 42459 Sierra
of Indian handicrafts, history of Southwestern
Highway, Lancaster, Calif.
Indian jewelry, story of Navajo rugs, other $1 FOR gold areas, 25 California counties.
information. The Indian Room, 1440 South Geology, elevations. Pans $3, $2.50. Poke $1.
Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, California. Fred Mark, Box 801, Ojai, California. MORE CLASSIFIEDS *
February, 1962 / Desert Maqazine / 39
SILENT OR semi-active partner wanted, two
beautiful lakes and trout ranch. Beautiful
setting, excellent future. References ex-
changed. Snowshoe Trout Ranch, Avon, Mont.
FREE "DO-lt-Yourself" Leathercraft catalog. FROM YOUR favorite color slide or print, let
• WESTERN MERCHANDISE me do a beautiful oil painting for your home.
Tandy Leather Company, Box 791— Z42, Fort
Worth, Texas. Desert, mountains, canyons, or lakes. Any
DESERT CACTUS wood table lamps, mahogany sire. Guaranteed to please. Reasonable. Write:
base, complete except shade, $5.95 guaran- Box 325, Clearfield, Utah.
teed. Desert Saddle Shop, 24670 West 466, • MISCELLANEOUS
Hinkley, California. WAMPLER WILDERNESS trips—hiking and riding.
LEARN OIL painting. New correspondence California, Arizona, Mexico. Year around
GHOST TOWN items: Sun-colored glass, amethyst
courses for amateur and advanced students. activities at moderate prices. Details: Box 45,
to royal purple; ghost railroads materials,
Personal forty point critique of each painting. Berkeley 1, Calif.
tickets; limited odd items from camps of the
'60s. Write your interest—Box 64-D, Smith, Walker School of Art, Box 486, Montrose, Colo.
PLASTIC EMBEDDING for fun and profit, no
Nevada.
SOUR DOUGH biscuit recipe and full directions oven. Make beautiful jewelry, decorative
SUN COLORED glass for sale. Mrs. A. E. Wyc- $1. Dutchoven or modern baking. Revive the panels, science specimen castings. Catalog
koff, 11501 Davenport Road, Agua Dulce, Cal. lost art. Franks Murdock, Dalhart, Texas. 25c, Natcol Plastics, Box 444, Yucaipa, Calif.
Warn mO H ' H
A Special Issue on California's
COACHELLA VALLEY
A Comprehensive and Colorful Report on One of America's Most Fascinating Areas —
From Palm Springs to Salton Sea: "The Changing Desert." Home of the Date Industry
and the Winter Sun . . .
IN THE M A R C H ISSUE OF DESERT
By RANDALL HENDERSON
ate in 1962 or early next year, the gates are scheduled What is the value of this information to present and
L to be closed, and the filling of the great Lake Powell
reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam will begin.
Several years' time—depending on rain and snowfall in
future generations of Americans? I have asked this ques-
tion of many anthropologists.
the upper drainage basin—will be required to fill the It is because we live in a changing world—a planet
lake, which will extend 186 miles upstream in the on which the evolutionary process is always at work.
Colorado River. It is only through knowledge of the past that we can
in some measure foresee, and perhaps cope with the
While the dam-builders have problems of the future. According to the historian,
been blasting rock and pouring Arnold Toynbee, 21 ancient civilizations have vanished
cement in the great concrete from the earth, leaving only the artifacts of their culture
structure, parties of scientific as mute evidence of their existence.
workers have been engaged in an- Another brilliant scholar has told us that every
other project, not as spectacular, ideology carries the seeds of its own destruction. We
but nevertheless important. They are certain this is true of monarchy and fascism. We
are the men of the Upper Colo- would like to believe it is true of communism. But is it
rado River Basin Archeological also true of democracy founded on the theory that all
Salvage project. The rather im- men are created equal?
posing title of their operation
needs clarification. Their task, The contemporary generation of political aspirants
simply stated, has been to study the geology, biology, has sought to identfy some destructive seeds in our cur-
ecology and archeology of the great basin which will be rent society. Some of them assure us that organized
submerged in water—so that whatever information is labor threatens the security of our economy. Others
pertinent will not forever be lost to this and future tell us the danger is in a capitalistic system which seems
generations of Americans. to put a premium on selfishness. Some would isolate the
United States from the rest of the world — they see
The project is sponsored and financed for the most dangerous seeds in foreign entanglements and aid to the
part by the federal government. The salvage program have-not peoples. Others say we are too prosperous—
on the south side of Glen Canyon was assigned to the that affluence has made us arrogant. Nearly anyone can
Museum of Northern Arizona—the north side to the give a superficial answer.
University of Utah.
I do not pretend to know the answers. But I am glad
According to Jesse D. Jennings, head of the depart- the historians are delving into the past, and the arche-
ment of anthropology at the University, director of the ologists and anthropologists are giving us a clearer
project, more than 1100 long-abandoned Indian sites picture of the slow and blundering steps by which our
have been located during the five years of study, and ancestors have been ascending the ladder of evolution.
many of them excavated. The final reports will fill more A knowledge of the past may help us cull out the
than 3500 printed pages. destructive seeds that threaten our future.
There were many questions to be answered: Where
did the aboriginal dwellers in this desert region come One of the Christmas cards I received this year
from? What kind of people were they? Why did they seemed especially appropriate at a time when there is
choose the recesses in these precipitous canyons for their so much distrust among fellow-Americans—when the
homes? What did they subsist on? What were their term "communist" is being hurled as an epithet at the
skills? Their customs? Their religion? Why did they liberals of the left, and "fascist" at radicals of the right.
leave? The Christmas greeting carried a quotation from Judge
At one site—crude stone and mud rooms under an Learned Hand, who wrote:
overhanging cliff—accessible only by hand and toe holes "Risk for risk, for mystelf I would rather take my
pecked in the precipitous rock face, the primitive oc- chances that some traitors would escape detection than
cupants appeared to have left hastily. Pottery utensils spread abroad a spirit of general suspicion and distrust,
were on the floor and outside the walls, and two perfect which accepts rumor and gossip in place of undismayed
ollas contained dried scraps of mush or gruel—the rem- and unintimidated inquiry . . . The mutual confidence
nants of a meal that may have been eaten a thousand on which all else depends can be maintained only by
years ago. an open mind and a brave reliance upon free discussion."
LAS VEGAS
VEGAS VIEW — The real estate with skyrocketing value
$10. DOWN
$10.00 per Month
$795 FULL PRICE
You can now take advantage of the fabulous business boom in the Las Vegas area. Here gains in real
estate activity outstripped all other parts of the nation during 1959 with a spectacular jump of nearly
100 per cent in sales volume—this trend and the trend in retail sales and other business activity has
continued to soar upward during 1960 and 1961.
Both fun and profit can be yours,..Bask in the desert sun...Ski at 11,910 foot Mt. Charleston...
Boat, swim and fish at giant Lake Mead. These water and snow-fun areas are within a 30-minute drive
of VEGAS VIEW.
Vegas View sites are free of city taxes but adjacent to the present Las Vegas city limits—totally
unfike much of the barren land being sold today in remote desert and swamp areas of doubtful future.
The lots now have graded streets and electricity on the East and West boundaries of the subdivision.
Never again will sites with such a potential increase in value be offered at these low, low prices. Com-
parable lots in Las Vegas are now selling for many hundreds of dollars more. In VEGAS VIEW just $10
will start you on your way to early future profits! Total cost of these 50' x 100' sites is only $795 plus
the low interest included in monthly payments. You must act NOW to take advantage of this oppor-
tunity of a lifetime. Remember-only a very limited number of these choice sites are available.
LAND, INC 130 LAS VEGAS BLVD. SOUTH, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
An Invitation to Make
Box 10
Yucca Valley, Calif.
MS a3liNOuj 009
N C i A V 1 0 1 h 1;; 0 M