196506 DesertMagazine 1965 June

8/14/2019 196506 DesertMagazine 1965 June

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TRAVEL /ADVENTURE/L IV ING


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tfinq/N E W home of

Our mailing address is the same .DESERT Magazine

Palm Desert, California 92260But

When you come to see us,or to visil our nice book shop,

be sure to come to ourNEW HOME

romhereto

7 4 1 0 9 L A R R E A

(Site of New \Safeway \Shopping \Center) \

\

HIGHWAY 1 1 1


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W t i f t l a k e . .

CONTENTSNumber 6

June, 1965

Oak Creek, ArizonaBy DON VALENTINE

4 New Books for DESERT Readers6 Saint or Sinner?

By BOB and JAN YOUNG8 Od d Form or Art Form?

By LYNN and WILLIS KINNEAR10 Big Fun at Little Lake

By DOROTHY ROBERTSON12 Searchlight, Nevada

By ROYCE ROLLINS16 Just Below the Border

By CHORAL PEPPER

By ROBERT KNAPP2 Sunshine and Siesta

By JACK DELANEY26 Shorty's Sorrow

By KENNETH MARQUISS28 Monsters of the West

By JOE PARRISH29 Mysterious Woodpile

By KEITH WRIGHT31 Desert Dispensary

By SAM HICKS32 Where to Order Maps

By JUSTINE LANCASTER33 Archeology in the Desert

By DR. CARLOS MARGAIN34 DESERT Cookery

By LUCILLE I. CARLESON35 Ghost Town

By LAMBERT FLORIN38 Letters from our Readers39 Photo Contest

FOLLOWING THE PUBLICATION of the May issue we felt we hadbeen hit on the head by The Balanced Rock in Arches National Monu-ment near Moab, Utah. Many sharp-eyed readers informed us thespectacular two-page color photograph in the center of the May issuewas The Balanced Rock and not Monument Val ley as the capt ionstated. We realized the mistake as soon as we saw the f irst copy. Wedo ha ve a photograp h of Monum ent Val ley and someh ow the pr in tersused the wrong picture. So if you want to see The Balanced Rock besure to go to Moab, Utah. We will print the Monument Valley photo-graph la ter .

JACK PEPPER, Publisher C H O R A L P E P P E R , EditorAl Merryman Rose Holly Marvel Barrett Lois DouganStaff Artist Circulation Business SubscriptionsElta ShivelyExecutive SecretaryDesert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260 Telephone 346-8144

National Advertising RepresentativeG E O R G E R . J O S E P H C O .

3959 W. Sixth Street . Los Angeles, Calif. 90005 Telephone 387-71X1DESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. Second Class Postage paid atPalm Desert, Calif., and at additional mailing offices under Act of March 3, 1879. Title registeredNo. 358865 in U.S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1965 by Desert Magazine. Unsolicitedmanuscripts and photographs cannot be returned or acknowledged unless full return postage is enclosed.Permission to reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writing. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE:$5.00 per year in U.S., Canada and Mexico. $5.75 elsewhere. Allow five weeks for change of address.Be sure to send both old and new address.

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This boxed, two-volume book re-counts thelife of one of thegiantsof West Coast business andpolitics.One January in 1865 a 24-year-oldCivil War railroader arrived in SanFrancisco. Fifty years later the Hon-orable Thomas R.Bard, former U.S.senator from California, was buried inthe luxurious garden ofhishome. Be-tween those times, theripples he setin motion arestill compounding. Im-portant andcolorful California namesof this eraare brought into the nar-rativeHearst, Pioche, Pringle, Ca-brillo, to name a fewand vividcharacter portraits are painted in de-tail. This book was an ambitiousundertaking and the subjectsland,oil andpoliticsas they applied to thelife ofTomBard leave little ofCali-fornia's history untouched. Two vol-umes, boxed, 368 and392 pages, il-lustrated, maps, bibliography. $11.95.PLANTS IN HISPACKBy Janice J. BeatyThis is a "first book" by one ofDESERT's popular young writers.It's thestory of Edward Palmer, along-forgotten scientific collector whodedicated his life togathering plants,animals, birds and Indian artifactsfrom Western frontiers andMexico.He was thefirst scientist to exploreremote Guadalupe Island off BajaCalifornia and diginto theancientIndian ruins ofUtah andArizona.

In spite of a brilliant career, Pal-mer was posthumously known aslittle more than a"nice old man whoputtered around the Smithsonian"until a botanist for theDepartmentof Agriculture came across aplant inthe National Herbarium collectedbyPalmer. Inorder toacquire more in-formation, he chased down acom-plete set of Palmer's notes. This in-terested him, butwhat of the manhimself? That required a lot of de-tective work, but theresults finallyfound their way into this book.

Hardcover, 182pages, it is illus-trated with fine drawings by JoanBerg. Recommended for y o u n gadults. $3.75.

OLD MINES OF SOUTHERNCALIFORNIAReprinted from a report of theState Mineralogist of 1893, this in-teresting paperback is limited to1000 copies. Areas covered are alldesert-mountain-coastal areas includ-ing the Calicos, San Gabriels, SaltonSea area, Colorado River district andsouthern counties. Fault systems ofimportant lodes andgeological mapsand studies arepresented from a timewhen things were popping in theseareas in themining industry.Any-one scouting Southern California forold mines, camps, bottles oranyotherreason will find data published in

this reprint that may not be foundelsewhere. Used with imagination,this book can provide both fun andinformation. DESERT has reservedabout half ofthe 1000of this limitededition for itsreaders and we recom-mend it. $2.50.

Books reviewed may beorderedfrom the DESERT Magazine BookOrder Department, Palm DesertCalifornia 92260. Please include25c forhandling. California resi-dents must add 4%sales tax.Enclose payment with order.

THE WESTERN HEROBy Kent Ladd SteckmesserIn analyzing theprocesses bywhichheroes arecreated, this author dugup oldnewspaper accounts and re-liable records about the escapadesofWild Bill Hickok, Kit Carson, BillCody, Billy the Kid andother villainsand heroes of theWest andfurtheranalyzed thereport in order to get

a true story. Then he put therumorsand publicity allback together againso today's reader could share in thefun of seeing legends in themaking.The system really works and by ap-plying it to today's colorful person-alities you can predict pretty wellthose whowill shine tomorrow.In concluding his study of whatmakes theAmerican hero, Steckmes-ser finds that courage, self-relianceand physical prowess rate high andmuch of theheroes' appeal seems tobe connected with a sentimental nos-

talgia for thefreedom of a vanishedfrontier. "Thegigantic figure of thelegendary hero standing in bold re-4 / Desert Magazine / June, 1965


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H I S T O R Y A F I E L DTo striking, marked PANORAMAS and mapsesp, S. W., appealing human interest is con-cisely added. 200 pp., clo th , postpd. $2.Check, N.Y. draf t or cash regd. to:B. F. Johnson, Poste A. Admon. Correos 31Esquina Balderas y AyuntamientoCity of Mexico

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lief against a picturesque backdroprepresents the perennial drama ofman facing theunknown."He also found that the basic ap-peal of legendary heroes is that theyserved good causes and, because Am-ericans generally cast themselves inidealistic roles, they areable to iden-tify with heroic representatives of anational character.Illustrated with oldprints and bill-board photos, the book also has agood bibliography and index. Hard-cover, 279pages. $5.95.

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June, 1965 / Desert Magazine / 5


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JOME SEE in it a spiritual light,with its twisted arms reaching to-ward heaven. Others, such as explor-er John C. Fremont, regard it as" . . . stiff and ungraceful . . . themost repulsive tree in the vegetablekingdom."But this desert tree, a member of

the lily family, has found wide usesby man, animal, bird, and reptile-ranging from fibres, dyes, food, nests,weapons and once even an instru-ment to cheat land buyers!First mention of the strange treeswas recorded by Captain Pedro Fagesin 1772 when he saw them while inpursuit of deserters who had led himinto the A ntelope Valley. Fages setthem down at "date palms." About70 years later, Fremont, also crossingthe Mojave desert, encountered thetrees and called them "repulsive."This curious plant's scientific nameis yucca brevifolia (which refers toits short leaves), but most historians

credit its common name, Joshua, toMormon pioneers who were remindedof Joshua, the Hebrew leader, whoheld his arms upward in beseechingvictory in battle. The Book of Exo-dus says that it was Moses who heldup his arms, however, not Joshua,so another explanation seems needed.Perhaps it may be found in theunrest of 1857 when the Mormonsand the Un ited States differed. Toconsolidate his armed forces, Brig-ham Young recalled an outpost ofSaints from San Bernardino. Sincemost of these pioneers had arrived bysea, few knew the way to Zion. Asthey moved into the desert throughCajon Pass the distended grotesquelypointing arms of the curious treemight have suggested a latter-dayJoshua showing the way, an idea fos-tered in the Book of Mormon.When limned by waning sun, con-tortions of the Joshua's limbs bringto mind Dante's enchanted forest

where trees were actually humans ineternal torm ent. Despite their con-volutions, the trees average 15 to 35feet in height, and some reach 50feet. After being seeded by vagrantdesert winds, the shoot is an impu-dent stem which eventually forks atthe tip, forks and forks again, bear-ing green leaves only at the extremeends. Through a curious self-prun-ing process, the lowest leaves witherand fall away, leaving a scarred,gnarled old trunk which, because itlacks growth rings, defies dating.Hence desert enthusiasts credit itwith age not always its due, thoughit does attain magnificent standswith trunks 4 feet in diameter inhigh desert sections of Nevada, Ari-zona, Utah and California.

Naturally the Yankee couldn't seesuch forests go to waste, so set aboutmaking use of them. The soft fibrouswood didn't lend itself to use as lum-ber nor fuel, but finally a visionarybuilt a small pulp mill in Soledad6 / Desert Mag azine / Ju ne, 1965


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to manufacture paper from thetrunks. A few editions of the Londonaily Telegraph were printed on thetock, but it proved too expensive forlarge commercial use.Panamint Indians of Death Valleyuse the flower buds which occurwithin a rosette of stiff leavesa sortof desert cauliflowerfor food. Draw-ing the leaves over the bud, theytwist and snap, then discard theleaves and roast the bud in hot coals.It is sugary and nutritious. Its seedsand dried fruit are milled intoflour and become an important bar-ter item between tribes. Early In-dians also used pigments from a redstrand taken from the inner bark ofthe Joshua rootlets to dye baskets.Joshuas have no great tap or inter-locking root system and many toppleover from moderate desert zephyrs.Though the tree is considered a nor-mal desert flora, its distribution iserratic and found only where thereis usually 10 to 15 inches of moistureavailable to supply its thirsty roots.Thriving in areas where it is oftenthe only tree, the Joshua is frequentlythe center of desert life. Flickers andwoodpeckers drill its trunk for nestsand when they are abandoned, owls,wrens and fly-catchers take over. TheScott oriole suspends its nest frombranches and wood rats gnaw its

spiny leaves to guard their homes.Perhaps more fascinating is thecycle of the Yucca moth and its pol-lination of the flowers, which is thecomplete symbiosis between flowerand insect. Yucca flowers appear tobe completely dependent upon themoth for fertilization.Long before the benefits of Sou-thern California were appreciatedthroughout the world, there were

people who lived without shame orsweat, principally by selling real es-tate to guileless rubberneckers fromthe East. These rascals, with a gleamin their eye, a cheery note in theirvoices and a touch of larceny in theirhearts, promoted "Widneyville bythe Desert," which they modestlyclaimed to be no less than a modernElysium. Cement sidewalks w erepoured, spur lines laid and townsitescut uj) into lots. As a final touch, alittle judicious trimming and prun-ing was applied to the Joshua treesand on each spine and spike a cullorange impaled. "These beautifultrees, so prolific of oranges, are anatural growth," the spieler said."Their fruit will grow as big as pump-kins!"Joshua trees are many things tomany people, but that was the onlytime they evfir produced pumpkin-sized citrus fruit! / / /

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WiU With*'TAG-A-LONGT O U R SOPENING THE WEST'S NEWESTS C E N I C W O ND ER LA ND W IT HC O M FO R TA B LE F O U R - W H EE LDRIVE STATION WAGONS. Com pletely Air ConditionedNow furnishing a variety of tour-guide services into the fabulousCanyonlands of Southeastern Utah,including:Grand, San Juan, Emery, Wayne,Garfield and Kane Countiesan dC A N Y O N L A N D SN A T IO N A L PA R K

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A r t F o t mO f

O d d F o r m ?b y L y n n and W i l l i s K i n n e a t

FIRST encounter with thesix-toed people of the Southwest oc-cured alter a chance conversationwith a ranger at Pueblo Bonito, thegreat ruin at Chaco Canyon Na-t ional Monument in nor th centralNew Mexico.

Thoroughly intrigued, we follow-ed his directions along a path besidethe high circular wall of the Pueblo.At a point about one-third of the wayaround, northeast from the center, asmall ruin sat by itself. On the cliffagainst which the ruin was built, wesaw our first petroglyph of feet withsix toes. Masonry of the ruin ap-peared to antedate that of PuebloBonito, so a date of 700 A.D. isn'timprobable .We were impressed with the six-toed petroglyph here, but grew even

f '

iii

~ ) \'V1*

more impressed after we came uponanother specimen on a canyon wallbelow the Puerco Indian ruin at Pet-rified National Park. In this case,ihe pair of feet differed. On e hadfive toes, the other six. We told ourselves it was probably due to erosion,but as soon as we reached home welooked up a scientific paper we'dpreviously ignored which reportedon the occurre nce of extra fingersand toes in groups of peoplea traitknown as polydactylism. It seemsthat this is an inherent characteristicoften associated with dwarfism. Suchdistortion of the genes may apply tofeet, hands, or both. We ha dn' t no-ticed any six-fingered hands in thepetroglyphs, but we decided thatwhat we had found migh t warra ntfurther attention.This led to another article on thesubject which stated polydactylism

Handsom e, six-toed couple from Mexico at Los Angeles County Museum .8 / Desert Magazine / June, 1965


9/40

be chemically induced in mice.afaulty diet? Our curi-we set abouta collection of petroglyph

inAt thetime

in the different stylesupofFire near

of the six-toed people was evi-of the artist'sa call

Sifi toed fool from Southern N evadahValley of Fire.

Indian Creek State ParkDr. Robert Ariss, museum anthro-ofou rby suggesting we cometoexamine some pottery fig-

sixtoes. Hecould notstateormerely anartisticbut the figures came

colored. A definite date oratapproximately 700and from around Jalisco incentral M exico. One figure isa man, the other a woman and

. On her left foot, the wo-Authorities state that it isimpos-todetermine whether these six-

in nature, or artistic im-foryourself. My own per-isthat itwas amatterif thepottery art

form hadbeen copied from theMexico artists, why wouldn't it haveappeared in pottery further north,rather than having been depicted inpetroglyphs through Arizona, Nev-ada and Utah? Inmy opinion, theart form did not travel, but thepeople did. Whether the people withtheir odd genes went from north tosouth orvice versa, is impossible todetermine, but timewise, indicationsare loosely contemporary.In their time, ifthey actually exist-ed asportrayed, were these six-toedpeople considered oddities, or didtheir uniqueness exalt their status?This may be only the start in a longsearch, for we are convinced, at thiswriting, anyway, that thepolydac-tylic Indians portrayed in glyphs andpottery were more than a transitoryart form.Whenever you come across a pet-roglyph site depicting humans, studythe figures closely and see what youcan find. Many have looked before,but lew have noticed the carefullydelineated feet pecked into rocks bya unique people who some 1200 yearsago wandered the Southwest on sixtoes. It's amystery everyone can helpto solveand a "different" sort ofvacation fun. After all, how manyfriends do you have who spend theirfree time searching for six-toed men?/ /

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This one is atthe Petrified ForestNational Monument in Arizona. SAN JACINTO, CALIFORNIABENTON HARBOR, MICHIGANJune, 1965 / Desert Magazine / 9


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L I T T L E L A K E ' S B I G F U Nb y D o r o t h y R o b e r ts o n

LAKE'S shimmering wa-ters have the same effect upon tiredtravelers journeying through aridMojave desert land as had the swampsof a century ago upon plodding pros-pectors. W her e wind-ruffled w aveletslap against basalt cliffs formed mil-leniums ago when molten lava oozeddown their dark flanks, gold-seekingMexican miners once paused to re-fresh themselves at swamps theynamed Lagunita. This was the firstwater to be found within 20 milesafter leaving the valley of the IndianWells.

Following the discovery of preciousmetals, white miners, set t lers andstore-keepers risked Indian depreda-t ion to build up businesses that net tedone merchant as much as 550,000 an-nually. It was during this period, inthe mid-sixt ies, that the melodic nameof Lagunita was changed to prosaicLit t le Lake, California.From 1865 to 1883, Cerro Gordo'sfamous silver-lead mines kept south-

ern roads bus) with freightwagonsand Little Lake flourished as an im-portant stage stop. With the waningof Cerro Gordo, however, road traffic-began to slow. In 1910 the SouthernPacific Railroad came through Lit t le

Lake, giving Owens Valley its long-coveted rail connection to the south.It was necessary to lay the rails upontrestles in order to "navigate" thetule swamps. At long last Little L akethe stage stop, became Lit t le Lake thewhistle stop.In the early '20s, Bill Bramlette, awell-known auto racer of the era, sawLit t le Lake while part icipat ing in aload race from Los Angeles to Bishop.Envisioning possibilities in these

swamps, he purchased various home-steads around the area, aggregatingsome 1200 acres. Th en he settled

Upper Fossil Falls and mesa.

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Invokern Ridgecresl

%TO MOJAVE - TO SAN BERNARDINO

Southwest end of Little Lake. Petroglyphs are on face of basalt rocks.

down to raising cat t le . He dammedup the south end of the swamps toirrigate his pasture lands and, to keepdown the tule growth, he importedmuskrats. The resultant mile-longlake, he stocked with fish. Very short-ly afterwards delighted fishermen ar-rived from Southern California cities.For years B ill Bramlette's son, Tom,and his family ran Little Lake as afishing and boating resort . Tomput in two campgrounds at the northend of the lake, a snack bar and

a trout rearing pond and rentedboats. Fish are bluegill, bass, catfish,crappie and trout .To day Lit t le Lake is owned by theJack Morehart Land Company ofLos Angeles, but it has been sub-leased to Bob Whit ing of the Mt.Whi tney Game Club. Bob openedLittle Lake to public fishing on May

1 6 , 1964. Prices are reasonable. Boatrentals are S3.50 per day and fish-ing fees are $2.50 or, for childrenunder 12, $1.50 per day. No licenseis require d a nd there 's no l imit . O nelucky fisherman recently came awaywith a catch of 40!The campgrounds are in opera t ionall of the time and on weekends andholidays a snack bar is ope n. Th esefacilities are at the lake, but LittleLake hamlet lies a mile or so southwhere there is a large hotel with din-ing room, coffee shop and post office.In 1947 Little Lake became thescene of much archeological excite-ment when D uane and Margare tMack of China Lake discovered a cavewith a human skeleton which was

later identified by Dr. M. R. Har-rington of the Southwest Museum asthat of a Pinto Man some 3000 yearsold!10 / Desert Magazin e / June, 1965


11/40

The Bramlettes had known forwas onceof an extensive Indian camp,the artifacts toIn 1948 theSouth-of theLittle Lake Pinto basin.of a large

hunting points andhouseholdools.The area's other points of interestre the Upper and Lower Fossil Falls.ower Fossil Falls in on Little Lakeroperty, but Upper Fossil Falls isava flows were scoured andgroundinto potholes of every size anddepthby the Owens Lake overflow thou-sands of years ago. To reach UpperFossil Falls, drive twomiles up thehighway to a bright, orange-splashedboulder onthe right side of the road.A half-mile drive brings you to thefirst road on your right, now turnsouth and go to the end. Youwillhave a 3Amile hike over to the lipof the deep chasm, but watch yourstepyou come to theedge suddenly.

An easier way is to follow the redcinder road at thebase of theCinderHill east until you come to a largedry lake on your right. Tu rn andfollow the west side which anglessouthward. Follow the tracks thatturn west again, for this leads you tothe mesa which overlooks Little Lakecanyon. You can't miss it, for thewhole area glitters with obsidian chipsbrought down by the Indians from"glass" mountain, to the east.

This ancient campsite holds awondrous display of house circles andsecluded rock shelters. It has cavesand, if you are lucky, youmayevenfind desert diamondsclear quartzand feldspar that have leached outfrom the basaltic rock. Cut andpolished, these "diamonds" sparklelike dewdrops and make beautifuljewelry.Strangely enough, although thebusy highway isonly a short distancewestward, there is an illusion here ofbeing in another age. The country iswild, rugged and arid, yet duringspring and early summer it turnsinto a vivid patchwork of shiningwhite pygmy poppy, blue desert lu-pine and glowing paintbru sh. Herein this unspoiled region, within asafe distance from civilization forthe timid, city-jaded travelers mayhunt desert diamonds, wander in aprehistoric art gallery, fish, boat, orsimply marvel at thefrozen, swirlingmass of California's geologic past./

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OE ARC HL I GHT, Nevada is mytown.

Such reasoning defies all naturallaws of the dust-ridden, sand-blasted,wind-driven desert and is more thanI can explain, but it's so. Maybe it'sthe snaggle-tooth New York Moun-

tains to the east; or maybe it's theundulating terrain punctuated withJoshuas and mining scaffolds; or itmight be the rare turquoise and goldore spill ing from mine tailings in thecenter of town. Whatever it is, it isn'tWillie Martello's new gambling joint

or Searchlight's lusty reputa tion. It'ssomething more intangible than that.And I'd never, until a recent week-end, spent more than a few hours inthe town.

Searchlight today has a permanentpopulation of less than 200, but it's

ESSEXMap shows old government road to Piute Spring.

12 / Desert Magazine / June, 1965Fred Carleson uses detector at his father's old mine.

The Light is Green in Searchlight


13/40

usy with tourists following U. S. 95between Las Vegas and Blythe, or en-route to the Amboy Junction cutoffto Palm Springs. It is also the gate-way to Cottonwood Cove, a resort onLake Mojave that caters to boaters,fishermen and campers (DESERT,Aug. '63). Ghosts almost inheritedthe town a few years ago when Wil-lie Martello's bistro burned to theground and employment opportuni-ties dropped to nil, but Willie open-ed a grand new "cantina" fivemonths ago and the town is goingfull throttle again.Even so, the action today is mildcompared to that of Searchlight'shedonic past. In 1906 when it reach-ed boom height, whiskey splashedfrom 35 saloons and 10,000 peopletrod Main Street's wooden walks.Over $6 million in ore was guttedfrom its rocky terrain.

Duplex, the first big claim, wasdiscovered in 1898 by the Col tonbrothers who named the new campSearchlight to commemorate an occa-sion when a scoffer said, "If there'sany gold there, it'll take a search-light to spot it!" But there were otherminers who delved equally deep intothe peculiar turquoise and gold oredistinctive to the district. One ofthem sold a promising claim for$1500, a team of mules, a buckboardand a double-barreled shotgun. Andthe claim was good for its promise.It produced more than $1 million ingold! Another famous claim coughedup $150,000 after it had changedhands for a pint of whiskey.

Among Searchlight's best produ-cers were the Duplex, Pompei, Blos-som, Good Hope, Cyrus Noble, NewEra, Fourth of July and the Quar-tette. The Quartette went 1500 feetdeep with miles of undergroundworkings. First located by prospectorCharley Swigheart, it was sold forS500 and a team of mules to a minernamed McCready (his son later gain-ed fame in setting high-altitude air-plane records). McCready resold themine soon after purchasing it toCharles Dunn of San Bernardino for$60,000. In a six-year period it pro-duced over $2 million, but fame ofits gem quality turquoise studdedwith gold jumped stock to $15 a

/ GREAT GOLD BELT !(' SOUTHERN-NEVADA- I

VIR GIN IA- CITY - TO - SEARCHLIGHT

NEVADA'S TRAIL OF GOLD.A glance at this map of Nevada, shows the relative positionof the proven gold camps of Southern Nev ada. Th e great mineral zoneexterlds in a southeasterly direction from Virginia City through Tonopah,Goldfield, Lida, Bullfrog, Eldorado, Dupont, Searchlight and Empirecamps, and across the Colorado River into Gold Roads District, Arizona.One by one the new districts have been discovered from Virginia City,on through Searchlight district.

Rare old mining promotion brochure to promote the Golden Terra NevadaMining Company, published in 1905.share before the mine ever paid adividend.

In 1902 the Quartette built a 16-mile narrow-gauge railroad to theColorado River where a mill wasconstructed to refine the ore. Bothmules and ore were loaded in carsat Searchlight from where they coast-ed 18 miles downhill to the river.There the ore was dumped and themules hitched up to pull the empty

cars back to the mines. In 1903 waterwas struck at the 300-foot level inSearchlight so a mill was erected thereand the rails and rolling stock of theone on the river were sold to theYellow Pine Mine at Goodsprings.Characters have always been a liv-ely part of Searchlight's history. One,a camp cook named Sam Yet, inheri-ted the rich New Era mine for pastdue wages and became one of the



14/40

D. R. Scholfteld shows Fred how he has remod eled the hou se built by Fred'sfather in 1906. The almond tree was only tree in Searchlight when Fredstarted it from a seed when he was a boy.

wealthiest citizens of the town. Butprobably t h e greatest characterSearchlight ever produced is today'sWillie Martello. A native Califorian,handsome Willie crossed the borderinto Nevada right at the close ofWorld War II with only $13 in hispocket. The reason he stopped atSearchlight was because two of hisseven brothers had gone broke try-ing to resurrect an old hotel thereand the empty building provided afree place to board. Today, havingrun his $13 into a tidy fortune ex-ceeding 2 million, Willie quitefrankly credits his financial success togenius, but whether or not, to makethat kind of a fortune in Searchlightrequires genius.

It's kind of too bad Willie didn'tcolor the past instead of the present.Searchlight's early history escapedrecording and there isn't much wecan learn about it, but Willie's es-capades will live long in the future.

His history-making began with a fam-ily photo of the seven little Martellosdressed in Indian costumes. All werebarefootexcept one. That was Wil-lie. This historic photo rests behindthe bar of his El Rey Club today.Just as Willie refused to be a bare-foot Indian, he has refused to bowto other obstacles that inhibit pro-gress. Before a telephone line wasestablished to Searchlight he relayedsupply orders to Las Vegas by meansof carrier pigeon. Willie likes to "eatgood." When he opened his newplace and couldn't find a cook inSearchlight, he imported one of thefamous Luigis from Los Angeles.Now everybody in his place eatsgood! The Martello enterprises maynot be especially uplifting, but theyare important to the economy of thecommunity and there are few, if any,local residents who don't appreciatethat.We were fortunate in Searchlight

to run into Fred A. Carleson of SaltLake City and Palm Desert. Fred'sfather had a number of mines in theareaat one time he leased the Quar-tette and Fred spent about fiveyears of his boyhood in Searchlightright when the boom was at its peak.He had his young grandson in towand invited us to join them on a tourof the old mines.The house the Carleson familylived in is now occupied by a retiredengineer named D. R. Schofield. Westopped to visit Mr. Schofield and heinvited us inside, hoping Fred couldsolve a couple of things that had mys-tified him. When remodeling, he wassurprised to find the house built ofsolid redwood and held together en-tirely by screws. Not a nail in thewhole job! Fred explained this verysimply. The house was built for hisfather by a coffin-maker whose bus-iness was located across the street.

Coffin makers used redwood becauseit wouldn't rot and, apparently, thatkind of carpentry didn't require astock of nails!We've been lost on the desert our-selves and lost mines are legion, sowe hardly expected Fred to be ableto trace his way back to the old fam-ily minesespecially considering thathe hadn't been near them for overhalf a century. But we were wrong.Right as radar, he walked directly toeach site. Some were 100-foot work-ing shafts with rusty relics still recog-nizable. At one we picked up thedistinctive square cans of curved cutEnglish tobacco his father alwayssmoked and at several others wefound sun-purpled glass in the campdump.

Visiting these mines with someonewho had worked them as a boy wasquite a revelation to our luxury-spoiled generation. Courage was cer-tainly not wanting in boys of Fred'stime. While we drove to one minelocated 20 miles southeast of Search-light Fred told us of a time he andhis father arrived by buckboard atthe site only to discover they'd for-gotten the dynamite caps. The nextmorning Fred's father dispatchedhim by horseback to pick them upand return the same day. Fred re-called that the storekeeper tied theexplosives around his waist inside hisshirt so they wouldn't accidentallybreak loose from the saddle and ex-plode before he reached the mine!This is the only shaft Fred almostfailed to locate . . . the reason beingthat it now holds a windmill. Weloaned him our mineral detector totest a few outcrops and the beepssounded so excited we were temptedto jump the claim. It is now owned

14 / Desert Magazine / June, 1965


15/40

In fact, they had to go to Piute

Fred hadn't explored the area of

Fort Piute ruins still stand with gunports intact.roads. We rounded a curve of a hilland found ourselves surrounded byBoy Scouts from Las Vegas. Withfishing in the stream, exploring theold fort and following Indian trailsthrough a gallery of petroglyphs,these boys had a heavy agenda. Hugebisnaga marched up the hill, eachfat barrel ready to explode intobloom and groves of cottonwoodtrees spread shade along the banksof the bubbling stream. From thehard rock floor of this borderlandbetween Nevada and California des-ert land it was a refreshing and un-expected retreat.The sturdy fort still stands in ruin,its gun ports framing the twists ofOld Government Road as it windstoward Dead Mountain. Establishedin the early 1860s, there is little pub-lished about this interesting redoubtin spite of its important proportions.Most references refer to it as FortPiute, but we found one that calledit Fort Beal. The most logical reasonfor its existence was to provideasylum for soldiers constructing theOld Government Road, a route in-stituted to protect Western migrantsand to maintain open supply linesbetween Camp Cady to the east andFort Mojave on the Colorado River.Apparently Indian troubles ceasedsoon after its construction and, as itsrole was short-lived, history forgot itfast.

As we turned to leave, fearing we'dhave to navigate the winding dirtroads back to the highway in dark-ness, the sun faded behind the moun-tains. With ruins to explore, petro-glyphs to photograph and a lazy,shady stream enticing us to relax,it wasn't easy to step on the throttle.But one thing for sure, we'll be back.I l l

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16/40

J U S T B E L O W THE B O R D E Rby choral pepper

Editor of DESERT MagazineIFTY YEARS ago anyone ventur-

ing south of the border took his lifein his hands. Th is is still true todayit you're looking for trou ble. But ifyour interests are legitimate andyou re looking for nothing more vio-lent than the strum of a guitar orhealthful relaxation, you have aboutasmuch chance of getting bumpedoff by a bandit in Baja as you wouldby the mafia in Las Vegas.Our most recent expedition to Baiawas with Henrietta and Slim Barnardthe Hap py W ande rers" of televisionrenown, who invited us to join them

as guests on their weekly travelogueSlim planned the trip-* triangle tourlrom Tijuana to Ensenada and backto the border town of Tecate wherewe had reservations at the European-type spa, Rancho La Puerta.To avoid congestion at the borderP e i i m ^ t h ^ B a r n a r d s for lunch atPolio de Castillo in Tiju ana . Wechose this restaurant because it's agood place for lunch if you like

chicken or Mexican food (we do) andbecause it's owned by our friendRicardo Castillo and his brothersRicardo is known to DESERT readersas the amateur archeologist who ac-companies many of the Erie StanleyGardner adventures recounted in hisbooks and on these pages.Polio de Castillo restaurant is onthe far end of the main thoroughfareof Tijuana at a turn of the main high-way to Ensenada . It's on the right-hand side of the street and you haveto look hard to see it because it's atiny place. Usually a pair of Senor-itas are patting tortillas in the win-dow and inside there are counterswhere barbecued chicken may be pur-chased to take with you, or eatenlamily style at one of the long tablesIt isn't a fancy place, but it's cleanand the Mexican food is superb.There's a lot to do in this lively-border town, but our interests runmore toward exploring old missionsand watching fishermen drag in lob-ster traps, so we sped toward En-senada. About 37 miles south of

Tijuana and on the left hand side ofthe highway are the adobe ruins ofLa Mision. This was not the originalsite of mission San Miguel de laFrontera founded in 1787 by Domini-can friar Luis Sales. Th at was sevenmiles inland, but probablv didn'tconsist ol much in the way of con-struction as the mission was movedto this location only a year later.In a letter written to a friend inSpain, Fr. Sales mentioned that afterHeavy rains he often walked beside astream bed and picked up nuggets of

gold. Whether he referred to thislocation or the former is unknownbut the fact that we never seem tohave time to explore this area witha metal detector is one of our bi eIlustrations. &Father Sales was an interesting let-ter writer and his epistles sent toSpain provide the only informationrelative to early days in this area. Al-though he seems to have nourisheda rather low opinion of the nativeshe was impressed with their adapta-

Left: Senonta pats tortillas in win-dow of Polio d e Castillo restaurantCenter: Old Hotel Iturbide was livelyspa for the British. Right: Only itsfoundation remain today.


17/40

Cartographer How ard D urke's map shows Happy Wan derer's triangle trip from Tijuana to Ensenada and to Tecate.lion to the arid land and commentedin one letter that by holding thepulpy leaf of an agave in theirmouths they were able to travel formany days without tasting water.

The sea, he wrote, compensatedfor the sterile land and yielded anabundant supply of otter, the skinsof which were in demand by the Chi-nese and Japanese. Russia had de-veloped a lucrative trade in this mar-ket by the 18th century, until Spain,eager to obtain Chinese quicksilvernecessary to their mining industry,urged its missionaries to go into com-petition by trading Indian fishermenuseful goods for the precious skins.For a celibate priest, Father Salespossessed a jolly imagination. "Theotter skins are used to create longgowns for the Chinese and Japaneseand short capes for their ladies," hewrote to his friend in Spain. "Theymake a lovely sight, are warm, softand serve to make generation moreactive!"

It later letters he lamented thata mining industry here could neverbe successful due to lack of funds,supplies and water so it's doubtful

that the Spanish gave the Russiansmuch competition in rendering theotter extinct, which had just aboutbeen accomplished by 1911. Today,happily, sea otters thrive in protectedwaters further south along the coast.Ensenada, about 27 miles south ofLa Mision and on the north shoreof Bahia de T odos Santas (Bay ofAll Saints) , was once the jumping offplace for Baja's most nefarious spe-culators. Far enough from the U.S.border to evade exposure by honor-

able businessmen and distant enoughto glamorize potential investors, itexperienced an early boom unequal-led by any other Baja community.Shipping at this time actually rivaledthat of San Francisco.In 1882 the International Companyof Mexico launched a grand coloniz-ing scheme. Streets were laid outfor a "city of the future," rich withextravagant promises. Then moneyran short and the whole hystericalproject was sold to a British syndicatewhich was developing a mining in-

dustry at El Alamo. By 1889 Ensen-ada had become little more than away station for miners en route to

the gold placers. Nevertheless, Brit-ish made history here. Th e first golfcourse on the whole American conti-nent was established to keep them ac-tive during the 14 years their wivessipped tea on the broad verandas ofthe luxurious Hotel Iturbide, now anempty foundation overlooking thebay.Today Ensenada enjoys anotherboom. Cantinas , vendors, shops,hotels, motels and trailer parks linethe streets and highways in lively pro-fusion. Modern po rt facilities areequipped to handle 4000 bales of cot-ton trucked in annually from Mexi-cali as well as other export cargo, andprivate yachts and fishing boatsbobble in the harbor. But tourismis the big business. There are a num-ber of good places to stay and Ameri-cans needn't worry about the foodin first rate restaurants. After all,our Mexican friends want us tocome back.

Hussong's Cantina is one of thefew remaining landmarks of the great"British Concession." Like celebratedHarry's Bar in Paris or Sloppy Joe'sin old Havana, it's a stop visiting



18/40

Americans rarely fail to make andone, like its counterparts, likely toprove disillusioning to the fastidious.Nevertheless, seated beside the dere-lict you're likely to see your town'smost respected citizens. The stringquintette it worth any amount oftime you put in waiting for them to"catch the spirit." This spirit, inci-dentally, is caught more efficiently ifa tip is passed in advance of the re-questand don't forget there are fiveof them! We were fortunate in th atSlim Barnard had been there beforeand knew exactly the amount tobring on one of the finest and mostmoving concerts I've ever witnessedso great that the shabby walls dis-appeared from my conscious mindand tears flooded by eyes. These menare truly gifted. One is blind and,perhaps, has a natural talent, butthere must be a strange story behindthe highly trained genius of the violin-ist leader. Th e composition theyplayed for us was by Tchaikovsky.After spending the night in En-senada, we headed back to the northend of town and turned onto Mex-ico # 3 to Tecate. This route waspaved in 1961 and winds throughpleasant villages shaded by cotton-wood trees, ranches and vineyards.At a left turn from the highway wefollowed a divided dirt road to Gua-dalupe, a community settled in 1905by a group of bearded Russian emi-

Above: Primitive art along route has great appeal now, but is destined togrow more com mercial with popularity. B elow: Slim Barnard and ChoralPepper learn how to use the hula board. Teache r (at right) is pretty L a Puertadirectress, Jessica Simmons-grunts of the Molokayne sect, a reli-gious movement escaping the dog-matic Greek Orthodox Church oftheir hom eland. First these peoplehad gone to Canada, but after suf-fering through a cold winter theymoved to Southern California. Th erethey found our "acre" plan of farm-ing disagreeable, so migrated again

to Baja California where their de-sires for both communal propertyand a salubrious climate were rea-lized. After acquiring 13,000 acresfor $50,000, the sturdy Russianssettled down to getting their rootsinto the land. At first they appearedodd, wearing high-visored hats andlong black, beards, but as the original20 families increased in number theymoved their samovars into thecocinas of easy-going mestizos and to-day the only dramatic sign of Rus-sian occupation lies in pointed roofsof old farm houses and austere wood-en markers in the cemetery.

These latter paint such a startlingpicture of temperamental differencethat it's astonishing the twain evermet. Black painted markers withRussian inscriptions dominate theolder part, but toward the fringesthey mingle with paper-flower deckedcrossesa solemn testimony to inte-gration.Back on the highway we watchedfor a village called El Testerazowhere, Ricardo had told us in Ti-juana, a group of farmers were do-ing interesting wood carving. Itwasn't hard to find, as their work wasdisplayed along the road for a coupleof miles in each direction. A primi-tive artist with the surname of Arcostarted this project by carving figuresfrom stumps, letting the naturalshapes of the wood dictate the sub-jects. An American admired them

and suggested Arco train his country-men to manufacture similar figuresand create a volume market. Nowthere are more "artists" along this


19/40

route than there are farmers andsome of the figures are truly remark-able. We came home with a 4-foottall sculptured creature that defiesidentification, but we think it's aprehistoric bird.The final lap of our weekendjourney led us through the plaza ofTecate, along the main businessstreet and out the other end towardRaneho La Puerta, a few miles westof town.Th is place is an enigma to mea potpourri of cult, cosmetic and calis-thenic. Its founder, Edmond Bor-deau Szekely, who formerly operateda spa in the south of France, camehere around the time of World WarII and established La Puerta in Te-cate and, more recently, fashionableGolden Door in Escondido, Cali-

Barry Weinstock, Happy Wanderer'sassociate producer, canters with TrentPepper at Raneho La P uerta.fornia. The big difference in the twois in pricethe Golden Door costs$500 per week and La Puerta a mini-mum of $10 per day. Also, familiesfrequent La Puerta en masse whilethe more elite establishment catersonly to women, with the exceptionof a special session for men. All thebest of famous European spas is rep-resented in the treatments availablehereherbal vapor baths, dry heatbaths, body building, reducing, sci-entific diet, irrigationalong withsome innovations that include the"romance of gastro-archeology," or-ganically grown vegetables (even thecows and goats are fed organic foodso their products won't contaminate!),some Aztec games instituted by Pro-fessor Szekely and an exclusive lineof cosmetics sold only through LaPuerta or the Golden Door.

Old cemetery was all Russian, but asintegration set in wreathed crossesappeared.We were there during a cold spellin January and didn't participate inthe outdoor activities, but this timeof year should be an ideal season togo on a health kick at La Puerta.Horseback riding is included in therate, as are meals, which are strictlyvegetarian. (There's a good restaur-ant in Tecate called Manuel's). Thegymnasium is equipped with thelatest in body building and spot re-ducing machines and the staff is welltrained.Surrounding the resort facilitiesare 1000 acres of riding and hikingtrails into country once occupied bythe Cochimi Indians. Campsiteswith potsherds are still evident andabove the ranch is a ceremonial hillwhere boys were sent to become menby spending three nights alone inspiritual communion with their an-cestors.We enjoyed our brief visit to

##&& pA KOMltfi J A T EAO

Raneho La Puerta. Slim Barnard ex-perienced his first facial and leftfeeling like a new man, which provesthat beauty is more than superficial!Henrietta and I spent a brillianthour leaping and swinging in a danc-ing class (called Jaz/.ex) and Jackand our son, Trent, galloped onhorseback up to the hill where boysbecame menit worked in reverse onJack. All in all, the trip was a smash-ing success. Jt isn't often I returnfrom a weekend as abloom as an or-ganically grown tomato and as lithe-some as a chorus girl. / / /

Slim and Henrietta Barnard stroll through Russian farm. Bath house onright wa s Russian version of steam bath.


20/40

'F THE EARLY Franciscan missionary priestswho arrived on the American continent, few wereso colorful as the intrepid Fray Francisco Garces.The explorations of this pioneer "Grey Robe" westof the Colorado River opened the way for thegreat westward movement from Sonora, Mexico,to the present site of Los Angeles, California. Al-together, Padre Garces' pathfinding led him overmore than 1000 miles of Colorado desert withoutthe assistance of a single white companion.

Padre Garces was but 28 years old when theJesuit missionaries were ordered out of New Spainand replaced by Franciscans. Assigned to MissionSan Xavier del Bac, the northernmost mission inPimeria Alta (in what is now Arizona, nine milessouth of Tucson) Garces' outpost afforded him anopportunity to explore lands hitherto untouchedby white men.

Padre Garces was at San Xavier less than threemonths before friendly Indians offered to guidehim to other tribes so he could better know hisneighbors and. the lands they occupied. In Aug ust,1768, the "Old Man," as the Pima Indians affec-tionately called him, although he was not yet 30years old, set out on his first expedition. Histravels carried him north to the Pima village of

Pitiaque near Casa Grande on the Gila River. Ashe went, he preached to the Indians through aninterpreter and displayed the banner that he wasmany times to carry into unknown lands. On oneside of the banner was a picture of the VirginMary with Jesus in her arms and on the other wastha t of a lost soul engulfed in eternal fires. TheIndians displayed a preference for the picture ofthe Virgin and this never failed to please thegood padre.

On his explorations Fray Garces always studiedthe country with an idea of extending the mission-ary frontier to the Gila. In 1771, he undertoo k anambitious expedition dedicated to selecting sitesfor new missions and preparing the Indians forthe coming of the friars. Leaving Xavier in Aug-ust with one horse and three Indian guides, heheaded west to Sonoita, an outpost established ear-lier by Father K ino. The re he left his guides andcontinued alone to the foot of the Gila range, stillfollowing the road tha t Kino had traveled. Thetrail from Sonoita to the Colorado River has sincebeen called Camino del Diablo (Devil's Highway).

Having reached the Gila mountains at TinajasAltas, he left Kino's trail and crossed the moun-tains, intending to go west across the then un-

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yr a w i n g b y l i n d a B u l l

known Yuma Desert directly to the ColoradoRiver, but was persuaded by some Pimas to gofirst to the Gila River. Swinging north, he paida short visit to the Pima people, then continueddownstream along the Gila looking for its junctionwith the Colorado. However, because the Gilawas greatly swollen and did not show its usualincrease where the two rivers met, Garces passedthis point without recognizing it and for 13 dayscontinued down what he believed to be the Gila.Enroute, he met some Yuma Indians and askedtheir chief, later known as Salvador Palma, to takehim to the Colorado. Twice Palma took him downthe river as far as Cerro de San Pablo (now PilotKnob), but Garces still refused to believe he wason the Colorado River and Palma would go nofurther into enemy territory.

Traveling under great difficulties, Garces con-tinued down the Colorado alone and reached tide-water, but was forced to return north because oflagoons and swamps. With the aid of some Caju-enche Indians, he finally crossed the Colorado, stillbelieving it to be the Gila, and headed northwest

in search of new tribesand the Colorado. Hetraveled parallel to the Cocopah Mountains to apoint west of the Cajuenche village of San Jacome,then returned to the Yumas at San Pablo. Havingbeen "entertained" through a sleepless night by apow wow, Garces again set out to the west. Trav-eling alone across the August desert he passed ablack hill, which he appropriately called CerroPrieto, and continued to the foot of the SantaRosa mountains. Here he discovered the SanFelipe Creek Pass which later contributed to thesuccess of the Anza expedition and established theland route from Sonora to the California coast.On his journey back to Sonoita, Garces again cross-ed the Yuma Desert, apparently unalterably con-vinced that he had failed to find the ColoradoRiver!

By the time Garces returned from his exploits,he had traveled over 780 miles, crossed the desolateYuma Desert in two places, opened a new trail fromthe Gulf of California to Alta California and inso doing became the first white man to cross thedreaded Colorado Desert. / / /



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Sunshine, Serenityand Siestab y J a c k ( D e l a n e y

P o o / Palm D esert Country Club. Background shows carefree homes along the fairway.

N O MORE girl-watching aroundthe water-cooler. No more clock-watching and half-hour coffee breakson company time. After many yearsof service a faithful employee is aboutto hear the boss's final command,"At Ease!"Every indispensable man in in-dustry becomes an ex-indispensableman someday. When an eager bea-ver's job develops a "lived-in" quality,it's time for him to turn in his wash-room key, shake hands with his fel-

low employees and walk out into anew world of happiness and satisfy-ing experiences. At this point he hasthe opportunity to change the popu-lar expression of a prominent laborleader from, "Too old to work andtoo young to die," to "Too old forthe job, but young enough to havea ball!"The initiate into the unregimentedregime should realize that retirementdoes not really change anyonebut itdoes have a mellowing effect on theindivid ual. Th is is a gradua l process

rather than an abrupt modificationof the person. For example; if onehas been an ogre throughout his yearsof employment, he will slowly become

a mellow ogre in retirement. If hehas been withdrawn and anti-socialall of his life, he is free to crawl intohis shell when he bows out of thej o b .There are now some 23 millionemployees covered by private pens-ions in the United States, with anestimated one million added eachyear. These employee benefit planshave one fault in commonthey areall set up in terms of dollars. Th ere'snothing wrong with money, we all

like to have it around; but "Mandoes not live by bread alone." Hisurgent need is for guidance and pre-paration for a full measure of worth-while living during his latter years.In fact, there are so many importantthings that money can't buy, it's awonder the commodity is so popular!From the National Council On TheAging (New York) we learn that theranks of the relaxed in the U . S. arebursting at the seamswith over 18million in the "sunset group" at pre-sent and an increase of more than

one thousand each day. A contribut-ing factor is the longer life span medi-cal science has achieved for us. Ac-cording to statistician Dr. Louis I.

Dublin, the average life of prehis-toric man was only 18 years. About2000 years ago in Rome it was 22years, and during George Washing-ton's time it was only about 35 years.There are predictions now of a 150year life span for our grandchildren.With the coming population ex-plosion of the "clover crowd" (whichpromises to be a block-buster), therewill be a continuing need for seniorcitizen centers offering an active ex-istence at reasonable prices. Many

outstanding retirement communities,adult condominiums, cooperativeapartments, mobile home parks, etc.,are available in Southern California.These popular villages tempt mem-bers of the geriatric set with everytype of recreational facility. Th ephysical menu consists of all kinds ofgames, with the possible exceptionof leapfrog. A newcomer is over-whelmed for a while, like a kid in aroom full of toys. Eventually he picksup his favorite "toys" and settlesdown to a satisfying routine of play;md social activity.When one is let out to pasture heis free to choose his own "grazingfield." Those who select the desert



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When your career comes to rest there are many places on or near the desert to enjoy retirementmobilehome parks, homesteads or planned retirement communities, to name a few. From time to time DESERTwill endeavor to cover the pros and cons of each type of retirement residence.

to active retirees who arePALM DESERT COUNTRY CLUB, in

lities. Th e popu lation is abou t

retirem ent comm unity. Pricesom $13,500 to $21,000. Membership

Richard R. Oliphant, Vice Presidentme nt was dropped (in 1964) a

Numerous activity groups

The only problem experienced bys of the living quarters. Th e

DEL WEBB'S SUN CITY is a haven395. It is less than 60from P alm Springs. It has

over 50Prices for homes range from

Apartments are also available,

and a motel provides the opportun-ity for retirees to "try before theybuy."Although the accepted retirementage in industry is 65, the citizens ofSun City average only 62. Accordingto the management, the only prob-lems they've had are the natural onesof adjustment. It takes time for somepeople to fit into a new way oflife after many years of strict routine.Because of the age restriction theresidents are all senior citizens, butvisiting friends and relatives add atouch of youthfulness to the scene,which is refreshing.RANCHO BERNADO, located in the

rolling hills on the outskirts of SanDiego, has beauty and charm. Th earchitecture, in most cases, subtlycompliments the setting while echo-ing the Rancho's Spanish heritage.The present population is 2500, witha projection to 37,000 at some futuredate. A unique feaure is the agelimit of 50 years or over for one sec-tion, with no age requirement in theother sections. Homes range in pricefrom SI6,600 to $23,600. Apartm entsand motel units are also available.Both the prestige area for the "oldfolks" and the family section havetheir own recreational facilities.

The author noted a slight indica-tion of class distinction between thetwo levels while chatting with someof the residents. A woman pointedout that, "The old folks live overhere in these beautiful homes, butup in that section anyone can live."However, the policy of allowing fam-ily groups to enjoy carefree living inthis beautiful setting is a good one.

ROSSMORE LEISURE WORLD (Lagu-na Hills) is abo ut seven miles fromLaguna Beach. Although it is lessthan a year old the population is2500, with a prediction of 30,000for the future. The age requirem entis over 52 years. Prices for apart-ments are $11,095 to $13,795 andup . Monthly payments, around $175,include the membership fee andmany other items. There is a stockpurchase arrangement in connectionwith the occupancy of an apartment.This community is one of three"Leisure Worlds" in California.Others are planned for New Jersey,Maryland, Chicago, and even Swit-zerland.

The first impression one has uponentering is that this is a World'sFair! At the entrance is a mammothglobe, slowly rotating on an axis ofcascading water fountains, with the

Active retirees have fun at D el Web's well-planned Sun City, near Riverside,California.June, 1965 / Desert Magazine / 23


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water shooting half way up SouthAmerica. A short distance from thisspectacular emblem is a tremendous,beautiful building, resembling theLos Angel* Music Center. This isthe international headquarters forall of the "Leisure Worlds." The liv-ing area of apartments is walled,with uniformed guards at each gate24 hours a day. Surrounding the"inner sanctum" is the business andprofessional section, with an im-pressive medical center, many office

Living is easy at Rossmore LeisureWorlds near Laguna Beach.

buildings, and a shopping plaza. Thelatter is unique in that the decor ofall of the shops, even that the U. S.Post Office, is of the Gay '90s era.Alter years of building homes and

retirement cities, the developer de-cided to build worlds for the retirees.It is hoped that his worlds will bebetter than the old one we're allstuck with! The only complaint,gleaned from a resident, is that whendinner is ready and he has to run out

Rancho Bernardo near San Diego is spread over rolling hills rich in history.

for a loaf of bread, it's necessary forhim to drive to the market; and, inreturning to his apartment, line upfor clearance by the guard at thegate. By the time he arrives with thebread, his dinner is cold.

The one threat to the peace andtranquility of any of these self-con-tained communities is progress. Asthey grow it is natural for traffic toincrease, bringing noise and confu-sion. The original concept of a re-laxed spot for 2000 retirees turns intoa tremendous complex with 50,000people milling around wondering whythey ran away from a busy city in thefirst place. Fortunately, one can en-joy many happy years before thegrowth reaches this stage. On thedesert it is still possible to thrill tothe matchless glory of the sunrise andthe fiery magnificence of the sunsetwithout having to peek betweenhigh buildings and neon signs!

The newly retired, planning to re-locate in a golden age village, shouldbe reminded of the possible need for(please excuse the expression) money.The recipe for a happy retirementincludes a dash of it. One of theearly highlights in this new way oflife is the grand opening of the piggybank, and an audit of its contents.The individual who failed to putaway his spare nickels and dimesthrough the years soon learns thathappiness won't buy money!

Fortunately, it is possible for analert retiree to supplement his in-come by accepting some form ofwork, preferably on a free lance orpart time basis. Light sales workwill provide interesting contacts anda few dollars, advisory, or other ser-vices related to his former occupa-tion is a natural; or just "mindingthe store" a day or two a week canbe a pleasant experience.Someone once said, "If you're go-ing out for a canter you've gotta havea horse." In planning to break theharness of employment for a happylife on the desert, or anywhere else,you've gotta have several "horses."Among these are: a moderate income,reasonably good health, an enthusi-astic attitude toward the future anda determination to season your re-laxed existence with service toothers. According to Nehru, the lateprime minister of India, "Life is notmerely a question of years, but ofwhat is put into it." (Oops! Theregoes the women's bicycling club put-ting everything into their ride towardthe desert sunset!) / / /



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M o n s t e r s oft h e W e s tb y he P m i t b, SOUTHWESTERN Indian

If reports of two amazing monstersin modern times are true, theyay indicate that the fabled Thun-an actual living creature.

ore believable, because the

huge, so incredible as toIt was- early summer of 1890.bstone, A.T., was in an uproar.wboys had ridden in andbuying implements to skin an

ountains.Their description of the thing

except fore. The largest pterodactyl, thenodon, had a wingspread of 24But the pteranodonmy compared to the Ari-a creature, which the cowboysured at about 160 feetmoren half a city blockrom wingtip

When they had first seen the crea-ed from a long flight, be-

nce at a time, resting on the

I found the story in an unidenti-fied newspaper clipping dated June7 , 1890, which quotes the TombstoneEpitaph."After the first shock of wildamazement (the story said), the twomen, who were on horseback andarmed with Winchester rifles, re-gained courage to pursue the monster,and alter an exciting chase of several

miles succeed in getting near enoughto wound it with their rifles. Thecreature then turned on the men, butowing to its exhausted condition,t h e \ were able to keep out of its wayand after a lew well-directed shotsI he monster rolled over and remainedmotionless."It had an elongated eel-like body,some 92 feet long and 50 inches indiameter at its largest point. Its twofeet were attached to the body infront of the wings. The head wasabout eight feet long with jaws thick-

ly set with strong sharp teeth andgiant protuding eyes the size of din-ner plates. The 80-foot wings wereof thick, translucent membrane de-void of hair, scales or feathers.The men are reported to have cutcut off a small portion of the tip ofone wing as a souvenir, and to havemade preparations to ship the hideeast for scientific examination.That's all there is. I've found noother references to this incredibleevent.Was the thing skinned and thehide sent east? Or did the carcass re-main there to be burned into dustby the blazing Arizona sun? Or were

the two waddies merely indulging inthe time-honored Western custom oftelling tall tales? It's anybody's guess.The other creature was even moreunbelievable, if that's possible. Itapparently was at home either underwater or in the air and lived in LakeElizabeth, California. It was seenmany times by various people andlast was sighted in 1886 or 1887. Were

it and the Arizona monster one andthe same creature? I think not, as thedescriptions are quite different.One eye witness described it aslarger than the largest whale withenormous bat-like wings which itkept folded next to its body whenon the ground or in the water. Itwas equipped with six legs or flippersand had a head resembling that of abulldog.A Don Felipe Rivera is said to havecome across it while it was out of thewater and to have chased it back into

the lake, firing at it with an oldColt .44 revolver as it waddledclumsily across the the mud flats.The bullets bounced off the creaturewith a ringing, metallic sound andthe next day he picked up four ofthe slugs that had been flattened likecoins.It led off ranch stock, gobbling upcattle, horses, sheep, pigs, and, it issaid, an occasional human. One re-port said the monster once tried toswallow a full-grown Texas longhornsteer, which, however, put up quitea fight and got away.To rid the area of the thing, DonFelipe is said to have gone into LosAngeles and negotiated with the SellsBrothers Circus to sell it to them forS20,000. Their agreement is reportedto be in the public records of LosAngeles County.But before arrangements could bemade to capture the creature, itemerged from the lake with a roarand flew away to the east, never tobe seen again. The full story can be

found in On'the Old West Coast byMajor Horace Bell.Lake monsters of the Loch Nesstype have become sort of run-of-the-mill these days. In the WesternUnited States there are monsters re-ported in Walker Lake (DESERTSeptember '64) and in Pyramid LakeNevada, and still another in PayetteLake, Idaho. The numerous coldwater lakes of Western Canada ap-pear to be infested with the things,according to recently published ar-ticles. But the unknown lake crea-tures and the thunderbird and piasa,pale into insignificance beside the in-credible desert monsters of Tombstoneand Lake Elizabeth. / / /



26/40

Here's a lost lodetrue story . . .guaranteed tobring out theprospector in anyred-blooded man!

BEFORE STARTING, I think itwould be wise to make two thingsclear. First, it is no fun to be remind-ed of something painfulparticularlyin printand I have no desire to stepon toes, as I have some corns of myown. I lost track of him years ago,but he is of the rawhide breed whocould very easily still be alive. Solet's just call him "Shorty."Second, I had nothing to do withthe naming of those mountains thatfringe the area where I saw Shorty"lose" his vein of shining rock. Thoseranges were named by early "moun-tain men"basic gents who used apttags. Map makers who came to Ari-zona later could hardly change es-tablished place names and theycouldn't use the impolite words, sothey subs tituted in itials. These desig-nations are on today's maps and anyfriendly forest ranger will explainwhat they mean!

The raucous clamor of a big con-struction job had been silenced by

Shorty's Sorrowby Kenneth Marquissthe opening of lunch boxes when Iheard Shorty holding forth. Heprobably never in his life had givena whoop about the Einstein theory,but he was chopping on the same logwith a home made axe. He was tell-ing a man beside him he didn't carehow rich gold ore was, there weretimes when it couldn't be mined; andhe could prove what he was talkingabouthe knew where such ore was!Lunch hour was almost over beforeI had a chance to side-track him toarrange a coffee pow-wow after work.I wasn't about to let him drift awaywithout including me in on his"proof." In the cafe, as soon as thenoise of stirring subsided (he likedsugar) , I pu t it flat "and blunt. Justhow rich, and why co^dn't it bemined? He said it "was way up ona mountain in Arizona, in^anyoncountry, and 20 miles from a ^ road.The pay streak was about six incheswide (half of the one foot vein width)and it was 'hang-together' ore." Ijust looked at him.

He said, "Okay, next go-homeweekend, you drive over to my placeand see for yourself, but I'm tellingyou, it's too remote to mine." Be-cause we were working on a big pre-war California desert job, we gothome only every other weekend.As soon as I drove into his yard

and parked, Shorty handed me apiece of milk white quartz about thesize of my palm and approximatelytwo inches thick. One side was slickfaced, the other rough. It was bro-ken in two places, but the pieces justwobbledthey were held together bya mesh of gold wires running through the rock. We shook hands on the dealright then because I had an angle.The year before, on a Nevadaprospecting trip, I had met a north-ern mining executive. He had thepersonal charm of a rogue elephant

and a ruthless, obstacle-smashingdrive I admired. He also had plentyof cash, hard hands, and equipmentto back it up. If anybody could jerk26 / Desert Magazine / June, 1965


27/40

heed rock out nf really rugged, he was the man. He had told1 cou ldn't swing a dealOur own concrete-form erection job

ing the situation. T he answer

its for the ro ad toWood. Yes, it snowsin Arizona!send engineers. Buy-out or

The answer upset Shorty's theorieswas jub ilant. He didn't like

In essence, all we had to do was

fand keep an eye on the kitty .

kyrocket. These m etals are as im-o biscuits. W ith two comp anions,

They were after "black tung-

ThGs6 occurred in walnut to crab-apple-sized crystals, generally in andaround the pegmatite dikes that cutthe formations underlying the lavarim rock in this area. Th e price perunit had gone so high they were ableto operate on a "poor-boy" basis;that is, to sift and pick up by handand sack the erosion-exposed orepebbles below the ledges. Thesegleanings of "black tungsten" ore, to-gether with the crystals showing onthe rock surface (that could beknocked out with chisel and singlejack), were sent by pack mule to thenearest dirt road and trucked to therailroad loading docks. The opera-tion required only a minimum ofequipment and money outlay, butgave a quick cash return.They were just beginning to dowell when the partner handling packmules returned from town with a longface, a short sack of groceries, and anewspaper. Back of the front pagewar news was an item telling of theseaport arrival of shiploads of Chi-nese and Malay tungsten ore. Pro-

This trip was made with a pack m ule.duced at coolie wages, this ore hadknocked the props from under thedomestic tungsten market. Th e"poor-boy" sacks of ore were hardlyworth loading on'the mules.

Shorty said that a couple of daysbefore the bad news, he had beenscavenging on a high hill aboutthree h^Grs out of camp. He cutacross the rim rock and dropped intoa narrow canyon. Th ere was a trickleof water so he stopped to bathe ina hip-deep pool. He piled his clothesbeside a foot-wide ledge of milky

quartz that cut "square across thecanyon like a chalk line." Because itshowed no black spots indicating tung-sten, he disregarded it until he wasdressing. Then he spotted the gold.He knocked off a chunk (the one Isaw) and put it in his knapsack. Hegleefully told me he "could find theledge at midnight with one eyeclosed."At the partners' campfire councilthe night of the tungsten bad news,the subject of the gold came up as apossible alternate. Although thesample Shorty found was admittedlybonanza ore, its depth and width be-hind the lace was unknown and itwould be a mountain-encased hard-rock mining operation to get it out.It was a gamble involving severalthousand dollars (which they didn'thave) for jack ham mers, rail, drillsteel, pipe, tools and heavy engines.This equipment would have to be

moved in and it would be long weeksbefore the money started flowingback. All these factors were magni-fied by existing war shortages. Shortysaid the combine dissolved withouthis partners ever seeing the ledge.Upon our arrival in Arizona, wetilled the grub box in Prescott, drovenorth to Simmons, swung west on theroad through the mountains to CampWood; and then headed south to thepicturesque Anderson Ranch nestledin a beautiful cove of rim rock. There

we got pack horses and headed intothe rough coun try. We passed B.T.Mountain and Shorty showed methe first of the old campsites. Later,north of Sycamore Creek, we dis-mounted at the second camp and hepointed out the dilapidated remainsof the old wire-tied branch and twigbeds where the tent had stood. Hethen began to circle, like a wise oldhound cutting for tracks, and shortlycalled out to me. Cached in behinda large boulder, where he had left itso many years before, was a half-empty, rotting canvas sack of wol-framite.In spite of these good omensShorty was beginning to worry. It had

1Starting down old Yolo Ranch trailinto S ycamore Canyon. T his was 2ndtrip, with Blanco doing the work.



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over 20 years smcc lie Jidi} beenthere and the country looked differ-ent. New line fences blocked the oldtrails and these, with the naturalbarriers of the criss-crossing canyons,made miles of detours. It took usdays to find the third camp.

Shorty's fears were justified. Wenever did find the last one"the badnews camp." As the days moved onhe grew silent and desperate. Herouted me out of the blankets bystarlight and there wasn't a supperfire that was sta

Documents

196506 DesertMagazine 1965 June