OUR FREE CATALOG NO. 542 IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST CATALOG of JEWELRY PARTS HERE ARE A FEW TYPICAL ITEMS LIBERAL DISCOUNT TO ESTABLISHED DEALERS • IMMEDIATE DELIVERY FROM STOCK

No. 6-1 No. 45-2 BAIL, NO PEG EARWIRES Sensational new type. Holds Cementing to Baroque Gems well and is comfortable Sterling Silver or Gold Filled Sterling Silver $1.40 pr. — S7.00 doz. pieces 4 for $1.00-$2.25 doz. Gold Plated SI.20 pr. — $6.00 doz. pieces No. 87-3 No. 14-4 No. 59-2 TIE BAR MOUNTING BUTTON BACK With V2" disc for Cementing to Baroque BELL CAP—NEW IMPROVED Gems. This and our No. 67-13 Cuff Mount- Flat disc W with soldered Cementing to Baroque Gems ings Match. Rhodium, Gold or Copper Plated on ring. Rhodium or $1.30 per doz. Gold Plated Rhodium or Gold PI. 50c ea. $4.50 doz. $1.35 dozen MINERALS FOR "ATOMIC ENERGY" No. 67-13 By Robert D. Nininger CUFF LINK MOUNTING of U.S. Atomic Energy Commission 1/2" disc Our largest seller To be published late September, 1954 No. 21-11 CHAIN For Cementing Baroque $7.50 per copy Gems. Rhodium or Gold, Rhodium or Copper Plated This is a complete handbook 1o prospecting Gold Plated 50c ft.-10 ft. $3.00 for atomic energy minerals written by the 60c pair—$3.00 doz. pieces Deputy Asst. Director for Exploration of the Atomic Energy Commission. No. 67-17 No. 7-5/16" CUFF LINK MOUNTINGS 5/16" diameter Holds stones securely BEAD (TWO HOLES) Nickel or Gilt Plated All sizes available No. 39-1 80c pr—$4.00 doz. pcs. Sterling Silver $1.25 dozen KEY RING Gold or Rho- OVAL AND ROUND JUMP RINGS dium Plated Sterling Silver or Gold Filled . 54-4 35c doz.—$1.50 gross 4 for $1.00 $2.25 doz. No. 55-17 35c doz. $2.00 gross We stock all sizes No.101-3 No. 43-16 SPRING RINGS 7mm. diameter EARWIRES Rhodium or Gold Plated 'Sterling Silver or Gold Filled $1.25 doz. $1.25 doz. Copper Plated 80c doz.—$8.00 gross

No. 77-0—Pendant Mtg. With pinback and Gold Filled Wire for Baroque Gems 1fix25 mm. oval. S. S. Safety Catch Rhodium PI. Si.2."> ea. Rhodium or Gold Plated 16 ga.-- 5 ft. $1.60 $11.25 do/.. 4 for $1.00-$2.00 doz. 18 ga.-lO ft. $1.95 Ster. Sil. (Polished—no 20 ga.-lO ft. $1.30 plate) $1 ca.—$10.50 &/,. 22 ga.-lO ft. $1.00 Gold Plated 50c ea.— $4.60 doz. No. 92-4 24 ga.-lO ft. $ .75 26 ga.—10 ft. $ .60 No. 65-4 — Brooch MtR. FLEUR-DE-LIS Same as above but with- out ring and with pin for wearing as a brooch. With Pinback Sterling Silver Rhodium We Stock a Complete Line Plated $1.50 ca.—$15 dz. Gold or Rhodium Plated Gold Plated — $1.00 ea. 4 for $1.00-$2.25 doz. of Copper Jewelry Parts $9.50 doz.

Please add 10% Federal Excise Tax to all items listed except G. F. Wire and Copper Items California Residents Add 3% Sales Tax—Postage Extra OUR STORE IS COMPLETELY AIR CONDITIONED GRIEGER'S • 1633 E. WALNUT ST. • PASADENA 4, CALIFORNIA OUR STORE IS OPEN EVERY DAY EXCEPT SUNDAY FROM 8:30 TO 5:00. PHONE SY. 6-6423

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Nov. 1 — Ceremonial Dances, Taos Indian Pueblo, Procession at Dawn, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Nov. 2—All Soul's Day, Memorial Day in Spanish villages, New Mexico. Nov. 5-15—Arizona State Fair, State Fair Grounds, Phoenix, Arizona. Nov. 6-7—Colorado River Roundup, Parker, Arizona. Volume 17 NOVEMBER, 1954 Number 11 Nov. 6-7—Sierra Club Camping in Devil's Punch Bowl and Big Rock Prospecting on the Rio Grande. Photo by Josef Creek, California. COVER Muench, Santa Barbara, California Nov. 6-7—Sierra Club Hike to Black CALENDAR November events on the desert 3 Mountain; camp site at Last Chance Canyon, California. REUNION Death Valley Days 4 FIELD TRIP Second Week in Nov.—Snow Bowl Nature's Tumbled Gems at Pisgah opens. Flagstaff, Arizona. By HAROLD O. WEIGHT 5 LOST MINE Lost Gold of Indian Gully Nov. 11-14 — Annual Death Valley Encampment, Death Valley, Cali- By RUSS LEADABRAND 10 fornia. PERSONALITY Old Chief Tecopa of the Paiutes 12 Nov. 12—St. James Day Fiesta and POETRY Harvest Corn Dance at Tesque and Desert Sunset, and other verses 13 Jemez Pueblos. Santa Fe, New GEOGRAPHY Legendary Lake of the Paiutes Mexico. By JANE ATWATER 14 Nov. 13-14 — Annual Weed Show, FICTION High School, Twentynine Palms. Hard Rock Shorty of Death Valley 18 California. EXPERIENCE Life on the Desert Nov. 13-14 — Sierra Club Desert Camping and Song-Fest. Cotton- CONTEST By GRACE M. WILTON 19 wood Springs, California. NATURE Announcement of Photo Prizes 20 Nov. 13-18—Ogden Livestock Show, Bird That "Sleeps" all Winter Ogden, Utah. PHOTOGRAPHY By EDMUND C. JAEGER 21 Nov. 17-19 — Southwestern Medical PERSONALITY Assn. Convention, Paso del Norte Pictures-of-the-Month 23 Hotel, El Paso, Texas. He Rode with Buffalo Bill CLOSE-UPS Nov. 20-21—Elks' Rodeo. Victorville, By WILLARD H. PORTER 24 California. LETTERS About those who write for Desert 25 NEWS Nov. 20-21—Rodeo, Ajo, Arizona. Comment by Desert's readers 26 PUZZLE Nov. 20-21 — Sierra Club Knapsack From Here and There on the Desert 27 Hike up San Jacinto Escarpment, MINING California. True or False Quiz 32 LAPIDARY Nov. 23—Finish of Fifth Pan Ameri- Current news of desert mines 33 can Road Race starting at Guate- HOBBY malan Border, El Paso, Texas. Amateur Gem Cutter, by LELANDE QUICK . . 34 COMMENT Gems and Minerals 35 Nov. 25—Desert Sun Rancher's Ro- BOOKS deo, Wickenburg, Arizona. Just Between You and Me, by the Editor ... 42 Reviews of current Southwestern books ... 43 Nov. 25-28 — Sierra Club Hike of The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Press, Inc., Palm Desert, Telescope, Sentinel, Porter Peaks, California. Re-entered as second class matter July 17, 1948, at the postoffice at Palm Desert, Butte Valley, California. California, under the Act of March 3, 187fl. Title registered No. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1954 by the Desert Press, Inc. Permission to reproduce contents After First Frost—Navajo . Reserva- must be secured from the editor in writing. tion, Navajo "Yei-be-chi" and Fire RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor BESS STACY, Business Manager Dance, New Mexico. DAVID E. ZANDER, Sales Manager EVONNE RIDDKLL, Circulation Manager Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs submitted cannot be returned or acknowledged unless full return postage is enclosed. Desert Magazine assumes no responsibility for Late November—Zuni Pueblo, "Sha- damage or loss of manuscripts or photographs although due care will be exercised. Sub- lako" Ceremonies and House scribers should send notice of change of address by the first of the month preceding Issue. Dances, Santa Fe, New Mexico. SUBSCRIPTION RATES September through December 1 — One Veal' $3.50 Two Years $6.00 "Awatovi Murals" exhibition. Mu- Canadian Subscriptions 2.>o Kxfra, Foveign 50c Extra seum of Northern Arizona. Flag- Subscriptions to Army Personnel Outside U. S. A. Must Be Mailed in Conformity With staff, Arizona. P. O. D. Order No. WBS7 Address Correspondence lo I>eserl Magazine, Palm Desert, California

NOVEMBER, 1954 Aerial view of Death Valley looking south toward Badwater. Furnace Creek ranch in right foreground, with landing strip to the left. Furnace Creek Inn is at the canyon to the left of the ranch. Photo taken in 1936 by Spence Air Photos. 1/cdktf .., November 11-12-13-14 Recalling the days when an intrepid caravan of California- '49ers Chorus. Robert Morris. Director. George W. Savage. boun'J gold-seekers faced death on trie alkaline flats of Death Chairman Valley, the Death Valley '49ers, a non-profit organization, is 8:15 p.m. Kodachrome Showing of the finest western color pic- preparing to entertain many thousands of visitors at the 6th annual tures by noted photographers. Location, Furnace Creek Encampment to be held November 11-14 this year. Ranch Hangar. Floyd B. Evans. Chairman B. Paul Gruendyke, program chairman, has completed the 9:30 p.m. Square Dancing. Furnace Creek Ranch. Kinnie following program of entertainment and cultural events for this Powers. Chairman year's Encampment: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14 THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 11 7:00 a.m. Catholic Mass, Furnace Creek Inn Gardens. Charles 2:00 p.m. Conducted tour of Badwater and vicinity. Start from Scholl in Charge Government Center. Dr. Thomas Clements, chairman. 7:00 a.m. Protestant Sunrise Church Service at Desolation Car- 7:00 p.m. Campfire at the Sand Dunes. Community singing led yon. Special music by the North American '49ers Chorus led by Hugo Kirckhofer; Death Valley tales by Ardies Walker. by Robert Morris, Director. The Reverend Randal] C. Phillips Arthur W. Walker, chairman. will give the Sunrise Message. Paul Palmer in Charge FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 8:30 a.m. Authors' Breakfast at the Furnace Creek Golf Course. 8:00 a.m. Artists' Breakfast. The West's Noted Artists in Person Well known western authors in person as guests of honor. and featuring some entertainment surprises. Furnace Creek See and hear them tell their own stories. Price $1.50. John Golf Course. Price $1.50. John W. Hilton, Chairman D. Henderson, Chairman 1 1:00 a.m. Conducted Tour of the North end of Death Valley and There is no charge for any of the events on the program, the Scotty's Castle. Dr. Thomas Clements, Chairman expenses of the Encampment being paid by voluntary member- 1:00 p.m. Death Valley Scotty Memorial Dedication at Scotty's ships. Castle. Randall Henderson, Chairman Since accommodations are very limited in Death Valley, a 4:00 p.m. Painting Demonstration at Furnace Creek Inn by John majority of those who attend the annual Encampment take their W. Hilton. own bedrolls and camp out. Visitors should carry an ample supply 7:00 p.m. Camp Fire at Texas Spring; Community Sing led by of water, and also firewood if they plan camp cooking. Generally Hugo Kirckhofer: Death Valley Tales by Capt. R. A. Gibson the weather is mild in November and outdoor living on the and Judge James B. Nosser. Ardis M. Walker, Chairman spacious floor of Death Valley is no hardship. 9:00 p.m. Square Dancing, Furnace Creek Ranch. Kinnie George W. Savage, president of the '49ers, has extended an invitation to all who would care to participate in this unique 4-day Powers. Chairman program. SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 13 8:00 a.m. Photographers' Breakfast, presenting outstanding pho- YOU MAY BE A MEMBER tographers of the west with their own special entertainment. Presentation of a picture to John Lubken, long time chairman Membership in the Death Valley 49ers is open to all who of the Inyo County Board of Supervisors. Furnace Creek Golf contribute to the expenses of the annual Encampment. If you Course. Price $1.50. Floyd B. Evans, Chairman want a membership card and a windshield sticker for your 10:30 a.m. Conducted Tour of Central Death Valley. Dr. Thomas car, you may send your dues to Death Valley '49ers, 501 Clements, Chairman Hall of Records. Los Angeles. The following types of mem- bership are available: 2:30 p.m. Burro-Flapjack Contest. The desert's most entertain- Active Patron .... 10.00 ing feature, with oldtime prospectors participating in the most membership $ 2.00 Sponsor ... 25.00 novel race of all time. Location, Stovepipe Wells Hotel. Sustaining 5.00 Life membership .... . 100.00 Judge Arthur Manning and Harry Oliver, Co-Chairmen Surplus funds in the treasury are set aside for the build- 7:00 p.m. Camp Fire at Furnace Creek Ranch; Community Sing ing ol a Death Valley Museum, and all Life Membership fees led by Hugo Kirckhofer; Concert by the North American go into that fund.

DESERT MAGAZINE At the western edge of Pisgah Crater, in a sandy bay in the lava flow, wind and sand have established a sort of great tumbling barrel, where colorful bits of jasper and chalcedony and moss agate have been semi-polished into natural baroque gems. Though tumbling gems in a bar- rel is a recently developed inno- vation, tumbled gems aren't new. Nature's Tumbled At Pisgah Crater on the Mojave Desert, nature has been tumbling jaspers, chalcedony, sard and car- nelian and bits of agate and chal- Gems at Pisgah cedony roses for centuries. Pisgah, .. 13 miles west of Ludlow, California, is surrounded by black rock, pre- By HAROLD O. WEIGHT senting a desolate appearance Photos by the Author that belies the animal life that Map by Norton Allen teems on it each night.

HEN LUCILE appeared in the Lucile laughed at my consternation. stones in their native state—or as near doorway, rock-collecting sack "The necklace over at Pisgah," she to it as possible—she was enthusiastic in hand and eyebrows raised explained. 1 relaxed then. I remem- about the little gems produced by the inquiringly, I knew she must have bered that necklace, all right. new process. I liked them too, but I been reading my thought-waves. With protested the notion they were some- a soft breeze drifting down off the It all started at the Rockhound Fair held at Desert Magazine Pueblo in thing absolutely original in the rock- bajada and powder-puff clouds inten- hound field. sifying the rich blue sky above our February, 1952. There Lucile and I desert mountains, I'd been ransacking saw our first examples of the nugget "That's really old stuff," I said. my brain for any excuse to abandon or "tumbled" gems which were even "They're copying nature again. I can my desk and get outdoors. then on their way to becoming a na- take you out to Pisgah Crater, on tional fad. These stones also are called "Come on!" said Lucile. "Let's California's Mojave desert, and show baroque gems, and in the sense mean- pick out that necklace today!" you where wind and sand have been ing "artistically irregular," that word "Sure!" I approved eagerly, and half turning out 'nugget gems' for any slipped the cover over the typewriter probably is the best description. They number of centuries." have been smoothed and then polished before the sense of her words pene- Lucile selected several of the most trated. Then I stopped short, fran- — in natural or irregular shapes -— through being tumbled in revolving highly polished stones. "Like these?" tically trying to recollect any promise she demanded. of jewelry and to reassure myself that barrels with abrasives and polishing I hadn't forgotten a birthday or anni- agents. With her interest so definitely versary. Since Lucile always favors gem aroused, I decided I'd better be as

NOVEMBER, 1954 accurate as possible in my statements. way 66, less than 50 airline miles that the Amboy basalt may have It had been fully a dozen years since northwest and across the Bullion spewed out within the last thousand I last collected any of the little pebbles Mountains from our home at Twenty- years. The fact that the lava flows at Pisgah, but they had made quite an nine Palms. But all that beautiful Bul- follow present drainage lines in these impression on me at the time. lion Mountain country—long one of areas is evidence of the recentness of the most popular rock hunting areas— vulcanism. "They're not quite that shiny," I has been commandeered by the Marine The midnight mass of Pisgah qualified. "I guess anyone making Corps Training Center, more than crouches against the desert about 13 tumbled gems would think they needed 800,000 acres in extent and still grow- miles west of Ludlow. The crater and a final polishing session in the barrel. ing. The area is now completely closed its lava flow dominate the attention of But they are all shaped down and to rock collecting. Pisgah itself es- travelers along the highway for long cleaned of matrix, and have a nice caped the verboten area only by a hair distances in either direction. It is a waxy polish which shows their pat- and because of its proximity to the cinder cone — klinker-like bits and terns and colors. All kinds, too. Reg- highway. In fact, the Marine Base fragments of lava piled up around the ular jaspers, red, green, yellow and property line actually does cut through site of a short-lived explosion of ex- brown moss jaspers, chalcedony, sard the southern edge of the cinder cone. treme violence which occurred when and carnelian, and bits of agate and To reach the crater from Twenty- molten rock smashed through the chalcedony roses. I think if you really earth's surface. Around its base twist took time to hunt pieces to go to- nine Palms, it is necessary to make a great loop either to the west or the miles of tortured black basalt which gether, you could make colorful neck- throbbed through breaks in the cone's laces or bracelets or pendants, with east. The shortest route, via Sheephole Pass, is about 100 miles. The paving walls. Jerry Laudermilk recreated and no additional work except fastening dramatized the birth of Pisgah Crater on the caps needed." of Sheephole Pass road to Amboy is —in the opinion of a few of us unre- in a remarkable story in Desert Maga- "That sounds good enough," said constructed desert rats—one possibly zine (March, 1944). According to Lucile. "Just think — a necklace of good after-effect of the Marine inva- Jerry, something terrific and terrible nature's tumbled gems! When do we sion of our valley. The new paving in the way of violence and noise took go?" makes it easier for the Twentynine place on that day. A look at Pisgah's Well, there are almost numberless Palms residents who moved there for landscape would indicate that he was places we have promised ourselves we peace and quiet to escape to desert right. would visit—"just as soon as we can." areas where such conditions still exist. The "nugget gem" field lies just The Pisgah expedition might still be Reaching Amboy, we turned west- west of the point where Pisgah's basalt hanging fire if Lucile hadn't seen a ward on 66. Immediately to the left crosses Highway 66. It is largely south small jar of the Pisgah pebbles while was the frowning blackness of Amboy of the highway in what amounts to a we were visiting my mother in Needles. cinder cone and flow, and on either great sandy bay in the grim lava flow. Mother had collected them on our first side of the highway as we drove toward The sand probably was blown there visit to the field, about 1940, and still Ludlow were other complete or partial from Troy dry lake, to the northwest. considered them worthy of a place of cones. Contemporaries of Pisgah, they The semi-polished pebbles found in the honor in her desert gem cabinet. And are expressive reminders of the vol- bay are an isolated portion of the mag- the pebbles reminded Lucile that I had canic violence which wracked this part nificent placer jasper deposits which promised to take her to the spot where of the Mojave only yesterday in geo- can be found in various places for miles they grew. logic time. The late N. H. Darton, on either side of Pisgah. Pisgah Crater is located beside High- noted American geologist, estimated My first trip into the area, guided

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DESERT MAGAZINE A tortoise finds his flower delicacies. The tortoise's peculiar combination of acces- sories—front flippers which must be punched into the sand, elephant-shaped hind feet, and thoroughly non-utilitarian little tail—result in a distinctive track, easily identifiable once it has been recognized. by Mrs. Bertha Frisby, who then had joyed seeing what she could find there, kinds of material, was done by this a tiny rock shop near Yermo, was to she said, and she was certain my method. And 1 would guess that it collect gem jasper from one of the mother, in particular, would have a was some rock-hobbyist working in fields of larger material. We followed delightful time collecting there. So we war industry at this time who visua- the highway past Pisgah to the east, drove on back down the highway and lized the potentialities of barrel tum- on that expedition, turning off on the found a twisting, rutted trail into the bling in his hobby, and perhaps even side trail which leads to the railroad area and started to hunt. And Mrs. worked in a barrel or two of stones on station of Lavic. The turnoff was, and Frisby was right. Mother had a won- the night shift. is, most easily identified by airway derful time—but no more fun than But it is during the past two years beacon 44-18, located right beside the the rest of us. that barrel tumbling has passed the Lavic road. Today, most jasper hunt- Of course we did not realize we were status of a fad and taken the gem- ers cross the railroad tracks, but at collecting baroque gems. In fact. I polishing fraternity by storm. Hobby that time a few yards from the highway had heard the term only for odd- magazines have been full of barrel- one found wonderful pieces of all sorts shaped pearls or over-ornate styles of construction plans, methods of polish- of gem rock, including brilliantly col- architecture. Probably barrel tum- ing, tales of success and failure, argu- ored moss and some plume in clear bling, which was in industrial use then ments pro and con. Opinions have chalcedony. as a method of smoothing rough cast- ranged from the declaration that this So little more than an hour's hunt- ing, had never even been thought of was a millionaire's hobby to the pre- ing gave us a good quantity and va- as a way for rockhounds to polish diction that every lapidary shop would riety of cutting material. Then Mrs. stones. But, as with many another soon include a tumbling barrel. Frisby told us about the field where process, barrel tumbling received tre- Out of the confusion more or less the greater portion of the rocks, while mendous impetus and enjoyed a forced standard equipment and methods have of the same kinds as those around us, growth in World War II. More and emerged. Baroque gems are now of- were miniature in size and had been more finishing of various types of fered for sale by most dealers. Gem polished by the sand. She always en- stampings and castings, of various hobby suppliers are now producing

NOVEMBER, 1954 7 tumbling barrels commercially, all mo- ess would be, given a few centuries to field may represent erosional remnants tored and geared to the proper speed. work. from either range. If you wish, they will also furnish When Lucile and 1 reached the The larger pieces of gem jasper abrasive and polishing mixes for the sandy bay, I found that old trail into proved rugged obstacles to our collec- various steps of the process. the area had almost vanished. But a tion of the little stones. No one is The barrel usually is hexagonal in new road, broken through the edge of going to pass up a lovely piece of red shape, with one to three compartments the lava flow itself, led along the rim and green moss, or of apple-green for stones in various stages of produc- of the pebble field. I was certain that chalcedony, such as Lucile found, just tion. Load capacity varies from 20 the pebbles would be found almost because it is bigger than the stones he to 100 pounds. It is said that a mini- anywhere to the west of this road and, is supposed to be gathering. And mum of 100 hours is needed to carry perhaps three-tenths of a mile from somehow, first thing we knew, our stones to a final polishing, even under the highway, we started to hunt. In collecting eyes were adjusted to the the best of conditions. These best con- some places a car could be driven larger pieces and we had trouble see- ditions seldom prevail except with the safely through the sandy area, in others ing the smaller ones. experts. it would dig in. But almost immedi- If one does want larger pieces of Though discussion of the eventual ately we began to find the colorful little Lavic and Pisgah jasper exclusively, place of the tumbling barrel continues, bits of jasper, agate and chalcedony however, other parts of the deposit there is no doubt that it has become an that I remembered. will offer better returns. Lucile and 1 stopped at the old collecting area, integral part of rock-hobbyist opera- Picking out Lucile's necklace was tions. For my part, I like the stones between the highway and the railroad more difficult than I had expected, at the Lavic turnoff, on our way to produced in this fashion very much. however. There were quantities of But it seems to me that, past the Pisgah Despite at least 15 years of stones about the right size, but their intensive collecting at this spot, we novelty stage, their appeal will be pri- variety was so great that it was hard marily for the jewelry making enthusi- were able to find some good material to find pieces to match. We finally close to the road in the few minutes asts rather than those whose chief love found a number of attractive pieces by is the polishing of stones. we took to search. Farther south, jas- collecting types of pebbles—red moss, per is reported as still abundant. There By that I mean that with tumbled chalcedony and the like—on the theory is plenty of material still to be found gems, the hobbyist's individuality must that when we had enough of a general in the field on west of the pebble area, be shown in the silver or gold work, shade or material it would be possible reached from the turnoff at highway because the stone is primarily the re- to select from them a group that would post 114, which John Hilton described sult of a mechanical process. But there be artistically compatible. in Desert Magazine in January, 1946 is no cabochon—good or bad—which Most of the stones in the field run And rockhounds who enjoy prospect- does not reflect the personality, artistic from pea size to chunks about as big ing can find other sections of this judgment and technical ability of its as a fist, with the smaller ones in great greatest of Mojave jasper fields still maker. When I want to work with majority. There is a possibility that virtually untouched. baroque stones, I'll buy mine. But the this area carried only the smaller sized Our pebble collecting circuit event- gem cutter, also, can use the tumbling stones at the time it was separated barrel to great advantage in the rough- ually brought us to the Pisgah CVater from the rest of the jasper by the lava road again, and I followed it farther ing out of larger stones to determine flow. Or it may be that the great con- the best manner in which they can be into the lava flow, only to come upon centration of small rocks is due to the a locked chain at a place difficult to cut. And it seems to me that the excessive action of the wind and sand combined virtues of tumbling barrels turn around. From this point we could in the pocket, which has simply worn see that much work had been done on will make them essential parts, at least, them down to these sizes. To know the of every gem society lapidary shop. the southwestern slope of the cinder exact reason why Nature placed her cone. Later, from the California Di- It is particularly interesting that baroque gem factory at this particular vision of Mines, we learned that the while the stones are called "tumbled" point would require an intimate knowl- operation had been carried on by Mt. gems, the grinding and polishing actu- edge of the whole geological history of Pisgah Volcanic Cinders and that a ally are done by the sliding motion of the huge placer jasper deposit sur- small tonnage of cinders had been the rocks against each other, in the rounding Pisgah. Jasper of identical mined largely for test purposes. Cin- abrasive mixture, while the barrel nature can be found in places in the ders are used as an aggregate in stucco turns. If the barrels were revolved Cady Mountains northeast of Pisgah, and plaster. rapidly enough so that the stones would but it also can be found in the Bullion Mountains to the southeast, and the Looking out across the sea of black actually tumble, there would be little rock to Pisgah, from the road in the polishing indeed. And it is this iden- lava flow, it is difficult to imagine a tical process of an abrasive sliding scene that would appear more desolate which has polished the gem pebbles of and lifeless. And looking in at the Pisgah. In this, the wind was the mo- cone and the grim basalt desert from tive agent, eternally whisking fine sand the highway, it would seem a certainty back and forth across the surfaces of that here was one spot which all liv- the stones. And it is because the sand ing things avoided. But whenever I was blown across the pebbles, rather visit Pisgah there is a side excursion than the pebbles grinding against one another as they do in water worn de- I always make—back into the lava flow from the sandy bay near the high- posits, that the little stones are pol- r ished in their naturally irregular shapes, way. For he e the secret of Pisgah is just like barrel tumbled gems. Those revealed. Heie are little pockets of of us who have had windshields white sand in the black rock—little blasted, enamel polished off cars, and valleys and hillocks and dales. And our faces ground raw by desert wind when they are visited early in the morn- and sand know how effective this proc- ing after a quiet night, there is scarcely a square foot of sand that is not fretted DESERT MAGAZINE with the markings of some bit of life, large or small. Pisgah is not a barren and lifeless land. It is a world teeming with life, a very haven for small desert things of number beyond counting. Here are insects and lizards and snakes and packrats and kangaroo rats and pocket mice and chipmunks and rabbits and foxes and coyotes and birds. And desert tortoises—we must not forget the desert tortoise. One of our favorite pastimes, in places like this, is to search out the tracks of the little desert folk and speculate upon the identity of the track-maker. Some are easy—the fa- miliar pads of the coyote and the kit fox, the individual pattern of the rab- bit, the tail and toe script of the mouse family. But on this last trip there was one track that puzzled us both. We tried first to read it sideways, rather than in the direction it was actually going. And that way, as Lucile said, Looking across the hardened sea of black Una the cinder cone of Pisgah it looked as if two mites had danced presents a desolate lifeless scene. Structures at right on the cone, are the side by side, never varying their steps. workings of Mt. Pisgah Volcanic Cinders. We followed the track from cove to cove, wondering at its wandering, its Fall and winter—and summer if you there is an unexpected truth in our stubborn uphill strivings, its reckless are foolish enough to gamble with the dreams or our jests. The black and plungings. Then suddenly, in a fierce and dangerous heat of this burnt burnt land upon which Pisgah looks smoother area, we noted a wriggly land—the little pebbles of Pisgah sup- down is indeed a promised land for its twist between the tracks which could ply beauty for those who will appre- many inhabitants, and a pleasant one. only have been made by that absurd ciate it. And 1 think that rockhounds who little pigtail of the desert tortoise, and As perhaps you may remeir.ber, it love the desert in its many faces and at the same time we came upon a clear was from another Pisgah, high on its many moods will find at Pisgah the imprint of his firm, round, claw-deco- Nebo, above the plains of Moab, that fulfilled promise of a fascinating and rated hind leg. And the determined Moses looked out and saw the prom- a pleasant outing. And, considering searchings into odd corners were ex- ised land. [ do not know whether our her lack of technological training and of plained. He had been seeking choice Pisgah was named because from its the latest n, modern equipment. I flowers or buds for breakfast. height some traveler thought he saw think they will find Nature's tumbling I do not know why such an appar- the desert's edge, or whether it was barrel has done a very nice job of ently barren land as the black and so named in derision. But sometimes turning out miniature gems there. white desert of Pisgah should attract such a host of creatures. Of course, all the little caves and gas holes and cracks in the lava flow furnish safe homes for almost any kind and size of animal. And there is a surprising , amount of vegetation in the black and white wilderness. As for water, I won- der if, perhaps, the lava pockets filled with sand do not provide numberless little natural tanks, which trap what- ever moisture may fall and keep it in amounts sufficient for tiny thirsts. And, of course, there is the tremendous ad- vantage that man is seldom seen in such barren areas. At any rate, one trip into the little valleys of the Pisgah flow will convince you forever that this is a land of the living rather than the dead. And if you should go there after a wet spring, you also will discover that it is a land of beauty, for the wildflowers, geraea, purple phacelias and the rest, seem to glow with increased color against the somber background of lava. But why But in the little pockets of sand, the valleys and dales, is a secret world should I limit beauty to the spring? teeming with living creatures. Cody Mountains in background.

NOVEMBER, 1954 "It is but a short walk up to the place," the Indian said. "The small gold pieces cover the sand. There is much gold."

Lost Gold of Indian Gully . . .

Fifty years have passed since the Indian, Julian Cabrias, displayed stock, and had to move them down nuggets which he said he picked up from the sand in a gully in Cali- into the Imperial Valley where feed fornia's Oriflamme Mountains. The one living man who saw the nuggets was a little better. Harry Yarnell, a has searched for their source intermittently during most of his lifetime— gangling youngster who was forever in vain. But he believes the story to be true, for he saw the nuggets. prospecting the back-country hills, got a riding job. By RUSS LEADABRAND The trail led down the range through Illustrated by Don Perceval heads and give the strange, uninviting the Indian reservations and Chatty Map by Norton Allen slopes a wide detour when prospecting also signed on one of the Mission In- the area. dians—a quiet horseman of possible AND sinister, the hump- Harry Yarnell was one man who Cahuilla stock. backed ridges of the Oriflamme went into the Oriflamme Mountains The first night the party bedded Mountains rear up out of the and saw the Indian gold. down where Lake Henshaw now back country of California's San Diego He saw the smooth, golden nuggets stands. Cutting up against the horizon County, east of Julian and south of gleaming in the light of a campfire on stood Monkey Hill, where a circus Banner. a night when the cattle were restless wagon was wrecked years before and Beyond the Oriflamme lies Earth- and sleep came hard. its caged animals ran free to leave a quake Valley and many an old-timer Later he came back to claim this colorful name in a drab landscape. can tell you strange stories about the gold for his own. place. Some say that the ghosts of It all started a long time ago . . . There was a spring there then, the dead Indians—Indians slaughtered by It was 1914. September that year man-made lake was to come later. the Spanish—keep an endless watch brought blistering ruin to Valley Cen- Yarnell and the Indian—he called him- over a hidden cache of gold here. ter and Chatty Helm's ranch in the self Julian Cabrias — got to yarning Others who have watched the strange hills. over the campfire about gold in the lights in the night shake their grizzled Chatty had a herd of cows, dairy back country. Cabrias told of seeing

10 DESERT MAGAZINE OLD BUTTERFieU) STAGE ROUTE IMPERIAL HIGHWAY.

gold in many places during his casual half an hour from their camp. Cabrias It was spring before Yarnell found comings and goings in the rugged stopped at the mouth of a small draw. himself again on the trail down through wastelands of the state. In the rainy season a stream probably the San Felipe Valley. The oaks and Yarnell listened to stories of gold rushed down out of this small canyon willows stood green over acres of grass in the Santa Rosas, of old mines be- but now it was dry and barren. and cattle grew fat as they grazed. yond the Montezuma claims, of ancient "It is but a short walk up to the A spring thundershower followed diggings in the Santa Ysabel hills and place," the Indian said and pointed up him into Earthquake Valley and that of a lode in the bad country beyond the draw. "The small gold pieces night he watched the play of lambent San Felipe. cover the sand. I have heard my people fire on the Oriflamme ridges. Or he "I will show you," Cabrias promised. tell of this place many times. There is imagined he saw the racing fire balls And Yarnell figured it was just an- much gold." that cut from ridge to ridge and then other yarn and kicked dirt on the camp- And as it grew dark Yarnell made blinked out. fire and crawled into his blanket. a cairn of stones at the mouth of the Maybe it was heat lightning playing It was a hot, dusty trek down the canyon. A small cairn, one that he funny tricks. Maybe it was what sail- San Felipe Valley. They followed the would recognize when he returned ors at sea call St. Elmo's Fire. Maybe old Butterfield Stage route where mail from El Centro, but not a conspicuous it was the ghosts of long-dead savages was once carried—and twice a week pile that would attract attention. protecting a fortune that once was at that—from St. Louis to San Fran- The next day the herd was driven theirs. cisco in 21 days. down the box canyon toward Coyote Or maybe it was imagination. The third night the herd made it to Well and on the way the Indian told It was hard getting to sleep that Earthquake Valley. The stock was Yarnell that another "place of much night, whatever it was. gold" existed to the west, over beyond restless that evening and Chatty Helm The cairn was gone. sent the Indian out to quiet the ani- Pine Valley. mals. Yarnell, no longer a skeptic, made The spring rains might have car- mental notes and promised himself to ried the pile of stones away or a pros- Cabrias came back to the campfire pector from Riverside could have just after sunset. return to the Oriflaromes as soon as the riding job was over. kicked the marker down. That follow- "Look," he said to Yarnell and he In El Centro things became compli- ing morning Yarnell viewed the spot held his palm out in the firelight. cated. Yarnell was offered another job with dismay. Light from the flames caught and —a job too good to turn down-—that Yarnell prowled the draw for hours. shone on a half a dozen golden nug- took him north again up the west rim He was sure it was the right one but gets, the largest about the size of a of the Salton Sea and into Riverside. it yielded nothing. peanut. There one night he told another Some of the time he crawled up the "I found these like I tell you," Ca- prospector about the cairn in Earth- sandy gully on his knees, sifting the brias said in a matter-of-fact tone. quake Valley. The next morning the sand with his fingers as he went. Yarnell and the Indian walked to- prospector, burro and all were missing From there he went to the neighbor- gether in the growing gloom to a place from town. ing gullies. Nothing looked the same

NOVEMBER, 1954 11 as it had that evening in the crowding the present request is for two-thirds of cipally for the purchase of private dark. this area. Admiral Rees went on to say claims to mineral and grazing rights, He spent a week on the spot and in his letter: "The proposed Navy have been requested in the Supple- cursed himself for waiting and talking range totals 879,360 acres, largely mental Appropriation Bill. This bill so much. public domain lands, which can be was subsequently approved by both In Banner, where fortunes have been acquired free of claims and cost. Pri- the House and Senate before its ad- taken out of the ground, he got the vate claims, ehiefly in the form of min- journment." District Attorney Loun- clincher. eral and grazing rights, are confined to dagin, who has waged a two-year "Understand George Benton hit it about 50,000 acres in widely dispersed battle to prevent this action, said that rich," one leather-faced desert rat told locations throughout the range. The unless the Navy relents, the road which him. acreage includes state school and tax Inyo county has built in Saline Valley "How's that?" Yarnell inquired. deeded lands. The Saline Valley gun- recently, would be useless because "Found a boulder, wire gold stick- nery range was authorized by Public portions of it would go through the ing out of it. Must have weighed a Law 534 of the 83rd Congress. To gunnery range and travel would be ton. Took it to the stamp mill at Pine implement this project, $160,000, prin- prohibited.—Inyo Independent. Valley, George did. More 'n $3000 he got outta it." "Pine Valley!" It rang a bell some- where. Yarnell remembered what the Indian had said about "another place of much gold" to be found beyond Pine Valley. George Benton had found one of the Indian's sites. Yarnell went back to Earthquake Valley the next day to look again for the lost gold of Indian Draw. Yarnell never saw Julian Cabrias again. And he never found the rich pocket of nuggets that the Indian had sworn was up that gully in the Oriflamme Mountains. In more recent years mines have been dug in the area and some gold has been taken out. George Benton's big boulder of rock and gold—and it did weigh a ton—is a matter of record now. But the big find of nuggets up In- dian Draw has never been made. Yarnell—no longer a young man— still prospects in the Oriflammcs. He hasn't given up hope that some evening when strange lights dance across those barren ridges he'll stumble upon the dusty, narrow wash that was once marked with a cairn. And then he'll walk a short way up the gully to a place where bright golden nuggets cover the sand. It may take a while, but then what's time to a desert rat? Old Chief Tecopa of the Paiutes • • • On his first trip West, in the early years of this century, John A. Stebbins NAVY TO MAKE GUNNERY of Hi Vista, near Lancaster, California, took many photographs with his Gunlach RANGE OF SALINE VALLEY Manhattan 8x10 camera. Recalled to the East to serve in World War I, he put most of his pictures in storage, where prints, negatives and records were destroyed INYO—Word has been received in Inyo County that the Navy will take by fire. A few prints he had taken with him were preserved, and several of over Saline Valley as an aerial gunnery these came to light recently. One was this photo, believed to be of old Chief range for the U. S. Marine Corps. The Tecopa of the Paiutes. exact boundaries of the new range are Chief Tecopa was one of the Indian characters of the Old West. Wearing not available, but Admiral Rees in a his band uniform, gift of a Los Angeles banker, and a tall stovepipe hat letter to Representative Claire Engle decorated with a faded ribbon rosette, he used to beg quarters from passengers stated, "The location considered most riding Santa Fe trains on the Goff to Ivanpah run. He died around 1906, appropriate for the air-to-air gunnery probably soon after this picture was taken, and the band uniform and top hat range lies chiefly within a former Army were buried with him. Indians came from miles around to attend the funeral Air Force aerial gunnery range and spent three days celebrating and gambling. comprising approximately 1,338,000 The town of Tecopa, California, was named after the colorful old chief. acres." Two years ago, the Navy had It is said that he later demanded $200 for the use of his name, which is derived asked for all of this territory, however, from the Paiute word, tecopet, "wildcat."

12 DESERT MAGAZINE Photograph by Ben Pope, Dinuba, California. COME WITH ME AUTUMN'S LAST STAND By AMY VIAU 'De&ent By ELSIE MCKINNON STRACHAN Santa Ana, California Santa Ana, California By GEO. F. RANSOM Autumn's tent is still tonight Come with me as dawn lights the darkness Los Angeles. California Still with star-lit hush. And let us wander a desert way; Yucca trees stand silent guard Let us go content with the silence The mellow light of a sun unseen Where the shadows brush. That lifts to the sky with the glow of day. Slips over the jagged crest Winds have laid their trumpets down. Of the rugged peak (whose slopes of gray Leaves have ceased parading. Let us pause in a measure of musing, Seem like a barrier 'twixt night and day. Peace has filled the desert-dark, While steeped in the wonder of the desert As they rise on the east and west), No small sound invading. span While it paints on the crags of the east- Autumn's tent is pitched where still And the view of mountains rimming its ern range Moonlit dunes wear winter's chill. vastness A marvel of colors that ever change. • • • Where once the tides of waters ran. In tint and tone and hue, As pink gives place to shades of red OLD RUINS Let our hearts be as one with the stillness On the sunny side of the watershed, By GRACE BARKER WILSON As we bar our thoughts from outer dins; Then turn to maroon and blue; Kirtland, New Mexico Let us garner a silence for keeping While over the peak bands of sepia lie Not ever will you laugh again. When the desert way ends and the highway Which soften to blend with the azure sky. The ones who made your joy are sleeping; begins. Then the sides of the hills grow dim And only ghosts of happy men • • • And the glades grow cold in gray and brown. Above your ruins watch are keeping. For the day is done and the sun is down Through cracks within your ancient walls FROM OAK CREEK VISITORS Over the earth's round rim; Day after day the sands are creeping: By CONSTANCE WALKER And night paints black the desert scene. The dust of years has closed your halls. Los Angeles, California And silence covers all your weeping. We shall dream about the canyon • • • Where the water, mountain-cool, OLD ROADS Rushes down through walls of red rock By ENOI.A CHAMBERLIN Or becomes an angler's pool; Los Alamitos, California Almost hear the oak leaves rustle 1 traveled back along old roads today. At the foot of Schnebly Hills, Beneath a sky fresh-washed with indigo. Or the rattle of cicadae The greasewood made the same dark ap- Steefe and Drown a musicale of rills. plique By TANYA SOUTH And the most amazing solo Upon the desert's wide-flung domino. Of a tiny canyon wren The centuried hills still slumbered, no decay Still one by one they guard the trail, Will repeat a lyric song-burst Had marred their robes of tawny calico. The Sentinels that never fail— In our memories again. Staunch Virtues. Ready, one by one. But scattered ashes—mute and broken lyres Justice stands firm beneath the sun, —Alone were left of all my singing fires. With beetling brows. Prim Prudence, too. DEATH VALLEY MOUNTAINS PRAYING MANTIS And Conscience waiting all anew By LAURA HOLLON HENDERSON By GRACE PARSONS HARMON To judge your bidding. Proud and La Mesa, California Desert Hot Springs, California fine, Mountains in the distance The mantis is a right strange bug: Nobility salutes. There shine Propped against the sky, The one head-turner—very smug Sweet Kindness, Tenderness and Lonely, secretive mountains. About that trait just he possesses, Truth. Their heads towering high. And praying attitude he stresses. They are the very gist and truth Of our evolving. There they stand, At their knees brown foothills, The one 1 put out-doors today All at attention, all on hand, In a crooked row, Leered up at me, then flexed to pray. Swift to salute, pass or retard Stand like little children He raised those claws in prayerful pose, Our guard. That forgot to grow. But held his thumb before his nose!

NOVEMBER, 1954 13 •

Pyramid Lake, Nevada, from the east. The pyramid to the right may have been the "very remarkable rock" for which Fremont named the lake in 1884. The "Squaw and her Basket" (see photo, facing page) is dwarfed in the center of the picture, with tufa formations to its left. Anahoe Island in the right background. Legendary Lake of the Paiutes

According to Indian legend. Pyramid Lake, on the Paiute reserva- Pyramid Lake's water supply comes tion in Nevada, was created by a heartbroken mother's tears. Geolo- from another famous western lake not gists, of course, have different theories, in spite of the huge tufa squaw more than a hundred miles distant as and weathered rock basket which still stand on the east shore, mute the Truckee River flows. Lake Tahoe, testimony, as it were, to the Indian tale. Here is the story of a fascinating largest of the Sierra Nevada lakes, is desert lake, largest remnant of a once great inland sea—its geology, annually replenished with spring run- history, fish and bird inhabitants and the Indians who live nearby. off from heavy winter snows and shares this bounty with its desert offspring place in the dry hillocks and washes 2500 feet below. By JANE ATWATER of the surrounding desert. From Lake Tahoe, at an altitude of Photos by Adrian Atwater The treeless shoreline curved grace- 6225 feet, the Truckee River tumbles Map by Norton Allen fully, interrupted occasionally by piles down the eastern Sierra slope across of tufa-encrusted rocks in weird forma- the California-Nevada border, rushes T FIRST we thought it was a tions. Giant heads, big beehives — through the deep gorge of Truckee mirage. We were driving north some overturned to display more ef- Canyon bisecting the city of Reno and from Reno on Highway 33 fectively their honeycomb structures— then meanders through the desert to through Nevada desert hills when we and a variety of designs captured our empty itself into Pyramid Lake below. topped a barren rise and suddenly saw fancy. We let our imaginations run Tahoe and Pyramid lakes are less the incredible blue expanse of Pyra- wild and identified butter churns, teddy than 50 air miles apart. mid Lake spread out below us. Its bears, cherubs and patriarchs all en- Highway 33 travels the southeastern cool turquoise beauty seemed out of tombed in stone. end of the lake until it intercepts High-

14 DESERT MAGAZINE way 34 angling north at Nixon. Pyra- western facet of the pyramid about 10 mid Lake lies entirely within the 325,- feet above the water line two streams 000 acres set aside as a reservation for of boiling water shoot forth under ter- the Paiute Indians. Administrative rific pressure, pouring an estimated headquarters are at Nixon. The tribe 200 gallons of water a minute into the is incorporated, and the chairman of lake. High up on the pyramid, steam the Tribal Council is Avery Winne- issues trom fissures in the walls. mucca, great-grandson of the famous Our interest shifted from the pyra- old Chief Winnemucca. mid to the "Squaw and her Basket," a The main street in Nixon is paved, tufa formation on the shore below. gas pumps are conspicuous in front of We recalled the story of the easily the Paiute Trading Post where tourists recognizable rock. stop to buy Indian handicraft, and "Many years ago," the Paiute legend vehicles of all vintages are parked relates, "an old Indian woman had wherever seemed convenient to their two sons who were constantly quarrel- Indian owners. ing with each other. As the fights be- At the Post Trader Store, which has came more frequent and violent, their been in operation for 65 years, we met mother told them unhappily that they Elda Ackerman. Elda barters in the must part. She pointed to the north old-fashioned way, trading food and and sent one in that direction. The clothing with the Indians for their craft other she guided to the south. work. "Then the old woman, her heart Brother David, the former Gareth heavy with sorrow, took a basket and Hughes of early day moviedom, is the walked into the desert. She sat down Episcopal missionary in Nixon. So and began to weep, her tears flowing great is his concern and affection for into a pool until it became a lake." his Indians that he has turned down According to the legend, this lake is offers to return to Hollywood and Fremont's Pyramid Lake. fame. His message to his congrega- To give some credence to the myth, tion is simple and direct, and he is a the Paiutes point to the "Squaw and highly respected and dearly loved mem- her Basket" sitting on the east side of w*« ber of the community. the lake near Fremont's pyramid. This Besides the two stores, there is a peculiar formation, an igneous cone Two cormorant fledglings on Ana- general meeting hall, headquarters thickly veneered with calcareous tufa, hoe Island in Pyramid Lake. On building for reservation authorities, a has a striking resemblance to an In- this island, cormorants, sea gulls, school and Brother David's church. dian woman. The basket, an immense pelicans and other water birds are Of the 450 Paiutes on the reservation, rock hollowed out by wind, water and protected by the Wildlife Service. most of them live in and around Nixon, sand, lies at her feet. on their ranches or smaller plots of ground. The principal industry is cat- tle raising. Most of the Indians' needs The Squaw and tier Basket. According to Paiute legend, an Indian mother, are fulfilled at the trading posts. Oc- mourning for her departed sons, created Pyramid Lake with her tears. casionally a special purchase necessi- tates a trip to Reno, 40 miles distant. A trip to the city is an important event in a Paiute family's life. Approximately eight miles north of Nixon on Highway 34, a dirt road heads north. We followed it through cuts and over hills until we found our- selves "opposite a very remarkable rock" as Fremont called it when he camped there in 1844 on his second trip of exploration through the north- west. This rock, Fremont noted, "rose, according to our estimation, 600 feet above the water, and from the point we viewed it, presented a pretty exact out- line of the great pyramid of Cheops." Fremont named the lake Pyramid Lake. Standing on Fremont's old campsite, we looked up at the precipitous three- sided mass of igneous rock. A white band of crusted lime 40 feet high en- circles the base and marks the water line of historic times. A few weather- beaten evergreens cling to the top of its otherwise barren surface. On the

NOVEMBER, 1954 15 posit the usual two chalky white eggs. Then incubation begins with the sun taking its turn at the nest. The eggs hatch after four weeks and the naked youngsters lie in helpless ugly squalor, panting in the hot sun which seems intense enough to roast them alive. Occasionally the mother may be seen standing over them with her wings out- spread to protect them from the heat. The nests lie so close together and look so much alike, one wonders how the parents know their own, or how the eggs and the young survive the awk- ward antics of the oldsters as they flap their wings and paw the brush and ground with their feet when they take off for flight. When feeding time comes, the par- ent bird stands at the edge of the nest and regurgitates a half digested mass of small carp, chub or minnows into its large orange colored bill and the little ones help themselves. A visitor to the colony may be sur- prised to note the different stages of development in each area. In one may be eggs and very new arrivals; in the next, new arrivals are being trampled and crowded by an older brother or sister already covered with a light sprinkling of white down. In still an- other, adolescents with flight feathers already well developed will be huddled together among the bushes. On warm days the birds will stand around with their mouths wide open, panting like dogs after a chase, their pouches shaking with every breath. When one goes near, the youngsters will stagger off on their big webbed feet with wings dragging at their sides like poorly handled crutches. The young birds huddle together in a small place. Those on the outside push and climb to get near the center, until it looks like a toddlers' football scrim- mage or a rugby scrum. A number of years ago, the Uni- To Sparks 6 Reno versity of California carried out an interesting survey at Pyramid Lake. There were at that time an estimated 10,000 pelicans on the nesting ground with 10,000 young by late July. Peli- To the east of the pyramid is Ana- and clumsy migrants settle down on cans have been coming to Anahoe hoe Island, a three-humped mountain their breeding grounds in March. If Island for several decades and always backbone which rears out of the water one scans the skies during the season go back to the same shoulder of the 500 feet. The western edge of this he often is rewarded by the thrilling mountain for their nesting. island is steep and rugged. The east- sight of great irregular wedges of doz- ern flank drops to a sloping beach ens of snowy white bodies swinging in Anahoe Island has been set aside which extends for a mile before it ends wide circles high in the air, flashing as a game refuge by the United States at water's edge. On this shoulder, pro- black bordered wings. Wildlife Service and all these birds tected from the westerly winds, thou- Since these birds, like the cormor- come under its protection. Very few sands of pelicans, cormorants, sea gulls ants and California brown pelicans, game birds make the island their and a few other species of waterfowl nest in large colonies, one may find breeding place. live under wildlife service protection. four or five areas, each covering more We retraced our path on the west Perhaps the most notable feature of than an acre, on the higher shoulder side of the lake until, 17 miles from the island is the thousands of white of Anahoe Island. When a new flock Nixon, we came to the Pyramid Lake pelicans which fly here every spring arrives, hundreds of parents set about Guest Ranch. Here Harry Drackert, to rear their young. These spectacular the business of building nests to de- one-time rodeo star and professional

16 DESERT MAGAZINE bronc buster, raises race horses and takes guests on pack trips. Some of the trips are for game hunting. Other outings are for the rockhounds who comb the countryside for cutting ma- terial. In a quick survey I noticed chalcedony, some moss agate and a few pieces of petrified wood. Other hobbyists collect artifacts. Harry has a fine collection of his own on dis- play. The Southern Pacific Railroad crosses the back of the guest ranch and in the early days a narrow gauge baggage car was left there. Now eight children attend one of the most unus- ual schools in America in the discarded car. The site of the present day ranch was at one time a Pony Express stop and later became a stage coach stop on the road between Reno and Klam- math Falls, Oregon. It was called Sut- cliffe after the man who ran the station, and the name remains to this day. The Needles, a cluster of sharp stone teeth rising on the north shore. Several miles to the north, a South- ern Pacific maintenance crew has its headquarters. Except for Nixon, the pie are found and explored annually. the shore line. Fossils of the eohippus, guest ranch and the railroad crew, the Some contain evidence of several tribes or prehistoric horse have been uncov- shores of the 35-mile long and 18-mile occupying the same caves at different ered. Investigation of these places will wide lake are uninhabited. eras. Several layers of culture, basket continue for some time. fragments and artifacts have been The most recent shore line of Pyra- At the far northern end of the lake, found and studied. Petroglyphs by the mid Lake resembles a great arena with accessible only by dirt road, are the thousands cover rocks above but near 19 separate and distinct benches on "Needles," rugged masses of igneous rocks, coated thickly with calcareous Close-up of one oj the many tufa formations which line the shore, showing tufa. They are all connected at the base and rise in varying shapes to a intricate interior designs. height of 100 feet. When Fremont and his party first passed this way, these pinnacles were far out in the water, but today they are land masses. From several of these flow streams of hot water. The geological theory for Pyramid Lake is quite different from the legend of the "Squaw and her Basket." About 20,000 years ago, most of western Nevada was covered by a huge inland sea named Lake Lahontan after a French explorer. Scientists have care- fully traced its outline over western Nevada. It was contemporary with Lake Bonneville, another prehistoric body of water which spread over vast spaces of eastern Nevada and western Utah, and of which only the Great Salt Lake remains today. Lake Lahontan diminished over the ages until all that remains are Pyra- mid Lake and Walker Lake, far to the south. Various fossils common to both Pyramid and Walker lakes date back at least 15,000 years. The surrounding countryside has evidence of prehistoric life. Mummies have been found in burial caves. Last year, three were taken from one cave near the shores of the lake. New caves containing artifacts of prehistoric peo-

NOVEMBER, 1954 17 Htti Rock Shorty of DEATH VALLEY

Death Valley was having one of its periodic sandstorms. Dust was so thick outside the Inferno store it was impossible to see as far as the gas pump. Inside, a half dozen motorists who had stopped for shelter until the wind subsided were hovering around the old wood-burning stove. Even Hard Rock Shorty had forsaken his habitual bench-seat under the lean-to porch and was lounging inside on a stack of potato bags. "How long do these sandstorms generally last?" one of the dudes asked. "Sometimes five or six days— "i9Kl sometimes longer." was Shorty's reply. One of the women in the No imagination is required to appreciate the profile of this drowsy stone party gasped in dismay. gentleman, one of the tufa formations on the east shore. "All depends on where she's blowin' from," Hard Rock went one mountain side. These benches frequent. Attempts are being made on. "Them northeasters from designate the various levels of water to restock the waters with trout found Nevady is the worst. "Remem- as the lake dwindled to its present size. in lakes in northern Idaho, and Koko- ber one year when Pisgah Bill They are covered with sand mixed with nee salmon from Oregon. By next started fer his mine up in Eight a profusion of tiny shells. These shells season, fishing should be good again Ball crick with a pack-load o' were living mollusks which thrived in in Pyramid Lake. The lake is unre- grub. Sandstorm hit 'em before Pyramid Lake long before the Sphinx stricted, although the Indian Service he got there. Blamed mule was built in Egypt. at Nixon has control over fishing and wouldn't face it, an' they wuz no Although Pyramid Lake is a fresh boating privileges. shelter. Bill finally got the mule t' the mine by turnin' 'im around water body, it has no outlet. Living In its incredible setting, Pyramid creatures still inhabit its depths, but an backin' 'im all the way home. Lake is a beautiful spectacle, and a Even then, the sand blasted all slow desiccation may change this con- fascinating classroom for geologist, dition in the future. The Truckee River the hair offen that critter's hind historian, naturalist, archeologist, rock- end. formerly poured all its flow into the hound and student of fish, bird and lake and maintained a level balance. animal life. We never tire of our visits "Jest like sandpaper when the Nevada irrigation canals, built about there, and leave each one with a feel- wind's blowin' thataway. 50 years ago, diverted much of the ing of awe for the works—and the "Pisgah Bill figgered they river water to more arable lands. quirks—of Nature. ought t' be some way to put all As the result of these adverse con- that wind to work, so he rigged ditions, Pyramid Lake is receding as up a sort o' windmill out at the PALM CANYON RE-OPENED mine to pump water an' maybe much as 5 feet a year. An occasional FOR 1954-55 SEASON heavy run-off in the Sierras sometimes turn the grindstone to sharpen Closed to the public during the the drill bits. Worked all right reverses the trend temporarily. At summer by order of the Cahuilla several places the lake has been fer awhile, but one o' them Tribal Council, Palm Canyon, four storms turned them propellor sounded to a depth of 1500 feet, so it miles south of Palm Springs, California, isn't likely that there will be a big blades so fast it burned out the has been re-opened for the season. At bearings, an' when Bill climbed elongated dry hole in that part of Ne- the toll gate where visitors are per- vada for some centuries to come. up there to fix the thing that sand mitted to enter the canyon from 9:00 blasted the whole contraption Since the Truckee channel at the a.m. to 5:00 p.m., an Indian gate- right out from under 'im an if southeast end of the lake became sand keeper collects a 50-cent admission the wind hadn't blowed Bill into clogged, it has been impossible for the charge from adults and 25 cents for that drinkin' pond he had fer the fish to go upstream to spawn. Some minor children over 12. Those under burros a hundred yards down- cutthroat and bass are still caught on 12 are admitted free. Receipts go stream he'd a been bad hurt. the line, but catches are small and in- into the tribal fund.

18 DESERT MAGAZINE To those who come to the Desert with jriendliness, it gives friendship; to those who come with courage it gives new strength of character. Those seeking relaxation find release from the world of man-made troubles; for those seeking beauty, the Desert offers Nature's rarest artistry. This is the Desert that men and women learn to love.

Grace M. Wilton wept when her doctor in Chi- cago told her she must go to the desert for her health. She wanted no part of the heat and dust and crawling things. But when she opened her LIFE ON THE DESERT heart to the desert in Arizona she discovered that By GRACE M. WILTON it offered not only health but also such contentment as she had never known before.

NE MORE siege of pneumonia dow as tears ebbed from my eyes. I I learned that over 100 edible plants ar"d I won't answer for you." brushed my face dry and read the fold- grow in this semi-arid country and in The short, gray-haired doc- ers which reported only 10 inches of spring, a profusion of vari-colored tor eyed me thoughtfully as he revealed annual rainfall for Arizona and 325 flowers make it a garden of infinite my condition and added a "sentence" days of sunshine. I dropped the fold- beauty. to life in the desert. ers on the bed with a sigh, reluctantly Within a week after leaving Chicago "It's not a bad place," the doctor resigned to sand and heat and bugs— I was settled in a small cabin on the added when he saw me shrink at the and crawling animals. edge of a rocky canyon that opened thought, "it's warm, dry and sunny. That is how I came to Arizona. onto the desert. Each day I took a Not like this." He nodded to the win- Sick, lonely and fearful. That was the short walk and began to get acquainted dow. A cold wind whipped mushy unhappy beginning of a lasting friend- with the strange, unreal world around snow flakes against it; rivulets of icy ship. me. At first I could see nothing lovely water squirmed down to the sill. My first look at the desert was from about the hot, dry and dusty land. I didn't want to leave my beloved the Pullman window one morning in Then, weeks later, on one of my Chicago for Arizona. To me it was late spring, 1950. A gray-green land- morning hikes I met an old prospector. a strange place with strange people— scape was sliding by. It rolled away He gave me something to think about. and animals. I shuddered. for miles, ending at the foot of far "You must be friendly to the coun- "Here are some folders. Study them, distant mountains outlined in purple try, let yourself go and enjoy your let me know when you can leave." The against a blue sky. This was Arizona! walks," he said. "The desert is like doctor offered a self-satisfied smile Desert country! a person. You have to let her show that only angered me as he closed the 1 didn't expect to see anything grow- you her wonders, her tragedies and door. ing on it. Desert had meant sand to her moods." The old prospector's eyes I watched the snow for a while, my me. It w?s my first discovery about gazed off to the distant mountains; cheeks becoming as damp as the win- this n;w land, and very pleasing. Later his gnarled hands were folded on top

NOVEMBER, 1954 19 of a cactus cane. "And she has many so. He was Mrs. Spider's winter meat oneness with God and nature that is gifts to offer," he murmured. Then supply. She spun around him trying lost to those of us who have lived in with a friendly nod he moved down to catch his feet. I released him with the city surrounded by hurry and noise the trail that disappeared amid the my stick and he hurried away. To of man's constant business. I had cholla cactus and the tall Spanish bay- me, he was no longer a "crawling crea- come to think of the desert as a pro- onets with creamy white flowers that ture"; he was a friend. testing mother who is eternally caring look so much like wax candles. Through the summer I watched the for, and feeding her children. When "Gifts?" I mentally questioned, look- cactus family, the shoe sole, barrel and her families die she tenderly covers ing after him. "It's true, the desert is stately cholla. From flower to bud and them with sand and sees that their giving me one precious thing—health." fruit I saw them grow. In the fall the graves are not forgotten by spreading I smiled. My heart grew light and the old prospector taught me how to burn them with bushes and flowers of her sand wasn't drab and colorless. It had the thorns off the prickly pear and eat own design. the sparkle of gold. it. I read how the Indians dried the fruit With a start I realized one day that A marvelous thing happened next of this cactus and prepared it for win- I loved the desert. I knew she loved morning. I awakened with the hunger ter use. It was a source of sugar. me too because she had shown me some of a working cowboy. I impatiently Each day I gazed at the fluffy white of her secrets. With a humble heart I waited for the coffee to finish dripping; clouds floating across the desert's sky thanked her for her gifts of health and the smell of frying bacon had never and felt peace and silence enter my peace of mind, tranquility of soul and been so delicious. It was the first time heart and soul. But it took a trip into knowledge that there is a higher power in months I had been hungry. town to show me the preciousness of that governs and rules in the land. I was well! The sun had been heal- my quiet way of life. On that trip I So now, with pride, I claim her as ing my sick body while the desert oc- realized 1 had gained more than health my friend—the gracious desert who is cupied me with a variety of new inter- during my stay on the desert. I had always ready and willing to help those ests. This dry tawny land held new found harmony and satisfaction, an who open their hearts and minds to fascination. interest in the things about me and a her. As my strength increased I took longer and longer walks. I hated to turn back when the hot sun began to beat down on me. But like other des- ert creatures I knew it was best to stay Clear Photo Weather . . . in the shade during the heat of the day. Cooler weather of November makes it one of the more pleasant Each morning I rose at dawn to months of the year for desert trips by photographers and, serving watch the glorious changing colors of camera enthusiasts doubly, reduces the saturation point of the atmo- sky and land. Each evening I took my sphere clearing it of much of its usual haze. It is a good month for seat on a huge boulder for the show taking pictures of panoramic scenes which are ideal, along with any the sun seemed to put on for my bene- of the hundreds of other possible desert subjects, for entry in the fit. Never had I seen such splashes of monthly Desert Magazine photo contest. Both professional and ama- color. I'm sure no painter could cap- teur photographers are invited to submit black and white glossy pho- ture the vividness of a desert sunset tographs of desert subjects for judging by the staff. at its height. It tinted the surrounding country and I thought of the desert as "putting on her evening gown." Entries for the November contest must be in the Desert Magazine office. Palm Desert, California, by November 20, and the winning prints I came to know the animals I met. I learned their names, lizards, horned will appear in the January issue. Pictures which arrive too late for toads and the ugly tarantula. one contest are held over for the next month. First prize is $10; second "Just give him room and he won't prize $5.00. For non-winning pictures accepted for publication $3.00 hurt you," the old prospector advised each will be paid. when he discovered me watching one that was blocking my favorite trail. HERE ARE THE RULES I studied the black and yellow fuzzy spider for a while, thinking about all 1—Prints ior monthly contests must be black and white, 5x7 or larger, printed the tales I had heard of him. He didn't on glossy paper. seem so frightening when met face to 2—Each photograph submitted should be fully labeled as to subject, time and face. place. Also technical data: camera, shutter speed, hour of day, etc. One day as I walked to a huge 3—PRINTS WILL BE RETURNED WHEN RETURN POSTAGE IS ENCLOSED. cholla where a little cactus wren had 4—All entries must be in the Desert Magazine office by the 20th of the contest made her home, I heard a sound in month. some rocks. I searched and found a 5—Contests are open to both amateur and professional photographers. Desert lizard firmly anchored by his tail in a Magazine requires first publication rights only of prize winning pictures. spider's web. Somehow he had fallen 6—Time and place of photograph are immaterial, except that it must be from the into the trap and his tail was tangled desert Southwest. in its sticky mesh. His feet just cleared 7—Judges will be selected from Desert's editorial staff, and awards will be made the ground as he swung in a desperate immediately after the close of the contest each month. effort to break away. I watched for a Address All Entries to Photo Editor time, marveling at the strength of the web. The lizard was perhaps seven or eight inches long and at first I thought 'Decent TKayafcne PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA he could free himself easily. But not

20 DESERT MAGAZINE ON DESERT TRAILS WITH A NATURALIST-VIII Bird That 'Sleeps' All Winter Four years ago Dr. Edmund Jaeger surprised the scientific world By EDMUND C. JAEGER, D.Sc. by publishing his discovery of a Poorwill which he found hibernating Curator of Plants in California's Chuckawalla Mountains. Since then. Dr. Jaeger has received many letters, indicating that hibernation is a characteristic of Riverside Municipal Museum the Nuttal Poorwill. Here is the latest information about the bird that sleeps all winter. N NOVEMBER of 1946 Milton Montgomery and Jerry Schulte accompanied me on a Christmas vacation trip to the picturesque Chuck- awalla Mountains, north of Salton Sea and west of the Colorado River in California. Little did we realize that it was to be a journey momentous in the history of ornithology. It was on this holiday outing that by merest chance, we found in a niche in a gran- ite rock that unique specimen of Nut- tal's Poorwill which was to make pos- sible the discovery of the phenomenon of hibernation in birds. When first we saw the small soft- feathered granite-gray bird nestled neatly in a fist-sized hole in the rock by the side of a narrow ironwood bordered gully, we thought it might be a dead or sick bird. But when it was observed more carefully I suspected it might actually be in a state of winter torpor. That was the beginning of a series of observations and experiments that lasted over four consecutive winter seasons. Every two weeks from early When in hibernation, the Poorwill could be picked up and photographed. November through late February, I After months oj torpor, when warm weather came, the bird became visited the place and saw my Poorwill active and flew away. "asleep" in its winter quarters. Each year, after its period of warm weather activity it returned to its hole in the popular and beautifully illustrated of the feathers revealed the bird in a wall to sleep away the winter, unmind- monthly magazine. state of stupor under a lower leaf of ful of the handling it repeatedly got My article on the hibernating poor- the agave plant next to the ground. as we photographed it again and again, will appeared in the February, 1953, Miss Thorburg reported: weighed it, took its internal tempera- National Geographic Magazine. Since "The men placed the Poorwill in tures and performed experiments and then so many persons have inquired the truck cab while they went on with tests to satisfy ourselves that its physio- about further knowledge of the winter their work of plant collecting for two logical state was that of true hiberna- behavior of this unusual bird that I hours. The warm sun, and perhaps tion with the usual loss of weight, low feel I should pass on to Desert Maga- the previous handling, caused the bird body temperature and lack of con- zine readers some interesting informa- to open its eyes and become quite ac- sciousness found in hibernating animals tion that has recently come in to me. tive. During the ride home, which took such as hedgehogs and ground squir- another hour, the bird was covered rels. Let me say first of all, that several hibernating poorwills have lately been with a sweater and by the time the When I reported my findings in found. One reported in September, Museum was reached it was asleep. It ornithological journals, bird students 1953, by Florence Thorburg, of Tuc- did not waken while being observed all over the world were keenly inter- son, Arizona was brought in to the by several people nor while having its ested, for here was the first concrete Arizona Desert Trailside Museum. It picture taken in the sun. evidence of hibernation in birds. Soon was discovered in January of that year "For five days it was kept in an un- letters began pouring in asking for by two young men who were collecting heated adobe building. Nights were further details, and accounts of my an agave in the Silverbell Mountains cool but days quite warm. The bird investigations appeared in many mag- northwest of Tucson. As a pick axe would be inert or torpid in the morn- azines. Eventually the National Geo- was struck into the ground to loosen ing but it showed signs of wakefulness graphic Society requested that I write the plant, the men noticed some fea- during the warmth of the day. It was a popular account for readers of their thers fly. Investigation of the source then moved outside the building to a

NOVEMBER, 1954 21 box set half underground. Here it was a bouquet of pink Ranunculus again resumed its dormant state. (Andersonii) on my desk, and 1 "On January 25 the Poorwill greeted the children and showed ap- weighed 34.1 grams. On January 29, preciation of their gift with so much a cloacal temperature was taken with enthusiasm that they took the earliest a quick-recording thermometer which opportunity to show me another of read 13.2° C. (55.7° F.)." their nature treasures—a Poorwill. I This report was most interesting to expressed doubt about being able to me because the behavior of the bird, get near such a shy bird, but they as- and the internal temperature and sured me that I could see it at very weight readings, were so similar to close range because it was asleep. Sure those I had previously reported, they enough there it was, back in a small corroborated my earlier findings. hole in a bank. I thought maybe the Sam King, superintendent of the bird was sick, but they assured me Joshua Tree National Monument, that it slept there every winter, but wrote me last February of having a that it would soon waken and fly away, Poorwill brought into the Monument as spring was coming. Now, as I con- Headquarters in a state of torpidity. sider it, I am more surprised than I It was kept in a cool room for a num- was then, because it would seem like ber of days but for reasons unknown an excessively long hibernation for the bird died before I was able to see it. such a small creature. I don't know In July of 1953, A. L. McCasland how early the winter snows arrived, but who was then convalescing from illness the elevation was over 6000 feet, and in the San Bernardino County Hos- Pioche is far inland. This Poorwill pital sent me the following letter: must have had nearly seven months of hibernation. Somehow the children "Today I picked up a copy of the had found this bird and were pleased Geographic and found your article with its odd habit, and went out to about Poorwills. Perhaps you will be look for it each spring when the snow interested to learn when and where I melted. I wish I had known more about found these birds hibernating in con- birds then; the children would have siderable numbers during the winter of been so pleased to have their discovery 1931-32 and 1933-34 along the San reported to some authority on birds." Pedro River near Bammoth, Arizona. I The observations of children, as this was collecting dry saguaro and cholla can prove, are often most valuable and cactus wood to be used in the making I like to encourage their natural history of rustic furniture and found these birds activities at every opportunity. Their inside hollow saguaro trunks. The The author, .standing beside the alert inquiring eyes often see things saguaro has hard ribs that do not rot granite boulder where the Poorwill which adults never even notice. Some while the pulpy interior does, and in slept all winter. The bird's tail may of my most interesting correspondents some cases it seemed that the birds be seen in the crypt in the rock and visitors are children who report to had built a sort of nest or at least had al his lejt. me the unusual things they find while dug in and covered themselves with on their rambles. I leave it to them the dry pulp. I met a prospector there 1944, when he found a Poorwill in a to find the first birds' nests and see whose name I can't recall who knew rock cavity in a dormant state. He the spring's earliest flowers. Their about these birds and their habits. picked up the bird and found it very questions often lead to the opening up They caused me to pass up some light in weight. There was no evidence of vast new fields of investigation, and, choice timber to avoid destroying their of breathing, movement or apparent as a wise French savant once said, their winter quarters. I saw evidence that life. He brushed the bird's feathers, queries are the key to philosophy. wild animals had torn up some of these stroked its head, and then laid it in a windfalls and concluded it had been glove in the warm sunshine. An hour • • • done to get the birds. If you care to later, while prospecting close by he visit this district, it is between Winkel- saw a bird fly away, and when he went ENGLISH PROFESSOR SAYS man and Oracle on the San Pedro to look for the Poorwill it was gone. NORTH POLE ONCE WAS River." In February of this year Maud A. LOCATED IN ARIZONA I afterwards talked personally with Minthorn of Northridge, California, Arizonans who have just been Mr. McCasland. He said he thought wrote me and I quote the following through a hot summer may not believe he had seen between 35 and 40 of the statements of unusual interest: this, but according to the theory of birds in winter torpor and once had "Your story of the hibernating Poor- Dr. K. M. Creer of Cambridge, Eng- brought in five of them to the head- will was especially interesting to me, land, the geomagnetic North Pole was quarters building of a mine. There he because I realized that I had lightly once located in what is now Arizona. kept them pretty-well covered over passed over my own experience with The British professor bases his con- with saguaro saw-dust in a box for a one of those little creatures, not know- clusion on an examination of very old period of several weeks. One day he ing at the time how rare hibernation in pre-Cambian rocks at Grand Canyon. went in to observe them and found birds was. It was in the spring of 1909. He believes that before the Pole ar- that they had awakened and escaped. I went out to teach in a one-family rived at its present position it wand- In August this year Wm. F. Pasivio, school in Nevada at Wheeler Spring ered around the prehistoric world from a prospector at Riggins, Idaho reported not far from Pioche. My school con- the Central Pacific to Japan. About to the National Geographic Society his sisted of the children of one large the time life began to appear on the experience with a hibernating Poorwill. Mormon family named Wheeler. When earth, perhaps 600 million years ago, He wrote that he was prospecting I arrived at my tent-schoolhouse some- the present state of Arizona was buried near Wenden, Arizona, in February, time in April that first morning there beneath a great glacial cap of ice.

22 DESERT MAGAZINE PICTURES OF THE MONTH

Dick Randall of Rock Springs, Wy- oming, won first place in Desert's Picture-of-the-Month with this close- up of a healthy bobcat. A tough scrapper when cornered, the bobcat seems as much at home on the des- ert as anywhere. Taken with a 4x5 speed graphic, 8 inch lens, super xx film, f. 32 at 1/100 second, with one press 40 flashbulb for illumination.

Taken at the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial at Gallup, New Mexico, Henry P. Chapman of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has caught in this picture the Laguna braves emulating the grace of the eagle in action. Awarded second place in the October contest, it was taken with a Rolleiflex 2.8-Cat f. 11 in 1 200. He Rode With Buffalo Bill...

Rancher, fanner and showman, Harry Knight "signed on" with Buffalo Bill's wild west show half a century ago and rode hard with the famed scout-showman as boss hostler and arena director, touring most of the 48 states. Now a far- mer and cattle feeder at Yuma, Arizona, he remembers Buffalo Bill's showmanship and quick thinking that once staved off possi- ble catastrophe.

By WILLARD H. PORTER Photo by the Author

YEARS AGO, Thad Saunders, an Indian bronc rider with the Buffalo Bill Wild West show, led a tall, gangling youth to Col. Buffalo Bill Cody's tent. "Colonel," the young man said, "I've always wanted to meet you. I'm Harry Knight and I've heard my father speak of you many times." "Not I. W. Knight?" Cody asked. The young man nodded. "Why, I knew him well," Cody said. "We used to scout for the government together, and he was the best dog- goned bronc rider 1 ever saw." "Harry's got himself quite a repu- tation as a bronc rider, too," Saunders told Cody. Cody appraised the youthful cowboy for an instant. Then he said, "Want to come work for me?" "There's nothing in the world I'd rather do," the young man told him. That was over a half century ago. Today, at 76, Harry Knight lives with his family on an irrigated farm at Yuma, Arizona. Here, he and his two sons, Bob and Dick, raise alfalfa, bar- ley and corn and feed cattle for market. Harry Knight broke horses for the British government to use in the Boer And after work, Harry Knight loves War, now operates an irrigated farm in Arizona. to sit back in his easy chair and talk about Col. William F. Cody and his talk. Even crying youngsters would we couldn't show there. Said there fabulous "Buffalo Bill's Wild West be quiet when the Colonel was speak- was some kind of an ordinance against Show and Congress of Rough Riders ing." shows and circuses because it was a of the World." After a few years with the show, college town. "The Colonel," he'll tell you, "was Knight and Cody became good friends, "We went in anyway and set up our one of the finest old men I ever knew and Knight was handed several re- tents. Heck, we had to eat! We'd —and he was the greatest showman of sponsible jobs. As arena director and been on the road a long time without them all. I can see him now being boss hostler, he traveled through nearly a performance, and our show was our introduced to the crowd. He'd whip every state in the union. living. off that big white hat and hold it Part of the time it was fun; part of "Well, an hour before the matinee, straight out from his side. the time it was work. And sometimes about a thousand college boys headed "He wore beautiful hats. The John it was downright dangerous—like the our way to run the Colonel and the B. Stetson people used to make them stand at Princeton, New Jersey, in the whole outfit out of town. But the for him and send six at a time. early 1900s. Colonel didn't scare. "But what a showman! He was the As Knight tells the story: "Colonel "Working with his usual presence only man I ever saw who could quiet Burk, our advance billing man, came of mind, he lined up the whole show a crowd instantly when he started to back one day from Princeton and said on one side of the tent and just waited. 24 DESERT MAGAZINE We were all mounted and when the and weathered by an outdoor life. A vada State Department of Highways, boys showed up, we rode right through sense of humor and a real laugh to go was an air force photographer in In- them with an old-fashioned whoop-de- with it are part and parcel of this old dia during World War Two and has do cavalry charge. We held the mati- cowboy, rancher, farmer and showman worked as a ferry pilot and parachute nee on time, all right. —a chap who used to ride, and ride jumper. That night there was a full house. hard, with Buffalo Bill. A native of Stockton, California, Most of them were the same students Jane moved to Nevada a little over bent on giving Colonel Cody trouble. five years ago. "He stopped that," Knight tells, "by Their work has appeared in Desert riding into the arena and telling the Magazine before. Mrs. Atwater au- audience, 'Boys I want you to be quiet. thored "Lost Wells-Fargo Gold" in If you don't believe we're serious about the April, 1954, issue of Desert. Mr. putting on this show, just look behind Atwater supplied illustrations for that you.' " Russ Leadabrand, author of "Lost article and previously won first prize "The boys saw a dozen elephants Gold of Indian Gully" is a newspaper- in a picture-of-the-month contest. chained by their hindlegs to the up- man and is working at the present • • • right poles which propped up the time on the Pasadena Independent. In For many years, as a science teacher grandstands. Those boys never opened his spare time he wanders through the in the Riverside Junior College, Dr. their mouths through the whole show," Southern California hills and deserts Edmund C. Jaeger made it a practice Knight remembers. looking for interesting stories and bits to take the young men in his classes During the years Harry Knight was of history for his daily column in the out on weekend exploring trips in the with the show, there were about 1200 Independent. Archeology and looking desert. During the years he was a riders in the troupe. These included for lost mines and buried treasure member of the faculty, many hundreds 150 Indians, and a few of them had stories are his hobby, and he has writ- of students, in groups of two or three taken part in the Custer massacre. ten a number of magazine articles for on each trip, camped with their teacher "I remember one," recalls Knight, outdoor and men's magazines. "I'm and received instruction in the field "named Lightfoot West. He was a building a file of lost gold legends that both in the natural sciences of the pretty fierce looking Indian, with a will take a lot of running down, but desert and also in the art of camping Roman nose and piercing, hawk-like that's the fun of getting a good story," and living together out-of-doors. eyes. He used to stalk through the side- he contends. Leadabrand lives in Pas- Many of Dr. Jaeger's former stu- show crowds in the Middlewest and adena, is married and has three chil- dents have now become successful in East until he spotted some country dren. business and in the professions. boy to tease. Lightfoot would fix him Don Perceval, illustrator of the In September Dr. Jaeger sent out with a black stare and walk toward "Lost Gold of Indian Gully" story, is invitations to all his former compan- him, slow at first, then a little faster. an Altadena resident and an outstand- ions on the desert trails for a reunion Usually, the victim could stand just so ing Western artist. His oil paintings campfire party near Negro Buttes on much of this, and then turn and run." are attracting a growing audience. Per- the Mojave Desert. The evening was In 1912, Knight left the show and ceval is a former art instructor, and devoted to reminiscence and to further put his $10,000 savings into a cattle has done many Indian illustrations for instruction—for Dr. Jaeger is always a ranch. In 1918, the year he was mar- the Santa Fe Railroad. His latest teacher. He hopes to make the reunion ried, he bought the 40,000-acre Tri- achievement has been the black-and- campfire an annual event. angle HC at Camp Wood, Arizona. To white plates for Harry C. James' com- supplement their income during some ing book on the Hopi Indians. He VOICE OF OPPORTUNITY poor years in the 1920s, the Knights plans to move to Arizona soon, to for the atomic age. made the Triangle HC a cattle-work- make his home. A mental springboard into a challenging future. ing dude ranch. They worked cattle Make your sperG time pay off. • • • Jam-packed practical informa- and ran dudes for 23 years and then This month's Life - on - the - Desert tion. Details of Govt. bonus of $10,000 for uranium discovery. moved to Yuma. author, Grace M. Wilton, has lived in 60 exdtiny pages, which niitclit change destiny of your life. 53 postpaid. Cir- Knight has led an active life, even the West since a small child, and in cular Inc. PAIL ARNOLD, 238 Mortti by old time cowpuncher standards. In Arizona for the past six years. Her Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, California. 1898, before he joined Cody's show, love is the desert and she would never he went to Los Angeles to break 1600 consider living anywhere else. Relat- head of horses for the British govern- ing her own experiences, her article, A family hotel in dowimmu ment to use in the Boer war. Knight she said, is written in the hope that it LOS AAGELLS worked at the old Dakota stables on will be helpful to those who are un- Aliso street. happy living on the desert. Mrs. Wil- In Los Angeles again, 14 years later, ton is a member of the Hauchuca Knight won $700 in what he calls one Writers group. Weldon Heald is her of the first big rodeos ever produced instructor. in the United States. • • • "That's where," he says, "the name Jane and Adrian Atwater, author 'rodeo' first got started. The show and photographer of "Legendary Lake was advertised as a 'roundup,' and the of the Paiutes," are Nevadans by Los Angeles newsboys—mostly Mexi- choice with hobbies that can be cans then—were told to really whoop grouped under one word—"desert." Free heated swimming poo) Also teamed as Mr. and Mrs., they exclusively lot guartu... and holler about it. But the kids unplo parking. fin* food couldn't say 'roundup' so they said live in Carson City, Nevada, in a home •odettly prn.il only 'rodeo.' The name has stuck." that houses, besides themselves, a (ram Sutler Cento. large collection of minerals, Indian Under the high-crowned, broad- HOTEL flOUUOA brimmed hat which Harry Knight al- artifacts and Dawg, their white Collie. ways wears, is a kindly face, wrinkled Adrian, a photographer for the Ne-

NOVEMBER, 1954 25 merit. It comes in metal flasks about abandoned cars or parts of cars that 1 inch in diameter and 6 inches long. may have been observed by your read- It is sprayed around the bite and ers in their desert travels, printed in freezes the area until the services of a the "Letters" department of your mag- physician or a hospital can be reached. azine? LiTTBS OTTO J. BAUM What ever help you might offer would be greatly appreciated. Advantage of Dry Mesas . . . Save the Pictographs . . . L. P. McGINNIS San Diego, California • • • Desert: San Bernardino, California San Bernardino, California Desert: Back in the Gay Nineties, doctors in Desert: Boston sent "lungers" to Phoenix to I was happy to see, in "Just Between get well in the dry, desert atmosphere. You and Me" in the July issue of We believe that the citizens of But they did not do so well in the Desert Magazine, a plea made for the southern California should know why irrigated areas. Someone thought of preservation of the badly deteriorated the Sierra Club, the Izaak Walton moving them out on dry mesas, far Giant Pictographs on the Colorado League, and the Audubon Society from the irrigation ditches, and a col- River above California's Palo Verde combined to defeat the often repeated ony was formed seven miles out on Valley. demand of the mineis that Joshua Tree National Monument be opened Central Avenue, north of Phoenix, at In March, my wife and I made a the edge of barren granite hills. Result to mining and prospecting. This vic- trip along the Colorado River, from —they got well! tory for the conservationists occurred Needles to Blythe. Main purpose of in a two and one-half hour hearing . I know from personal experience, the excursion was to visit these picto- before the San Bernardino County that 120 degrees is more oppressive graphs. We had heard and read much Board of Supervisors. in Phoenix, Yuma or El Centro, than about them, and we wanted to see Dr. J. P. Buwalda, professor geology on dry mesas near Castle Dome, For- them. at Cal Tech, John Rogers, who is tuna, or Picacho. In Randall Hender- We were indeed distressed to see writing his doctor's thesis on the ge- son's article "We Built for Summer how these figures have been ruined by ology of Joshua at Cal Tech; Dr. John Comfort" in July's issue of Desert, he vandals and hoodlums who had driven Goodman, biologist of Redlands Uni- suggested drinking a lot of water. That cars over them and have written their versity; Clinton Schoenbcrger, biolo- is very good. Also deep breathing names next to them. gist of Valley College, and Dr. Edmund helps to stimulate the heart-action. Jaeger, eminent student of the Ameri- Water should be fresh and pure from On the highway, the state has gone can deserts, all testified along with artesian wells such as found at Thermal to considerable expense to build a rock members of the above societies. and sold all over the desert southwest. cairn and place a bronze plaque de- It should be cool—never chilled with scribing the pictographs and directing The defenders of the Monument ice-cubes. The Mexican people cool tourists to them. But nothing has been testified that this 500,000-acre park their water by hanging in the shade, done to fence off the area or even to has been set aside for all time as the an earthen Olla which is porous enough warn against their destruction. only high desert wilderness for the to permit a slight seepage, the evapo- I understand a society exists which people of the United States. Nearly ration from which does the cooling. is interested in the preservation of In- 250,000 people are attracted here an- They build their adobe house always dian carvings, rock inscriptions, etc. nually by its esthetic and recreational with a room on the east, another on They should be contacted before the values. the west, with a wide entry-way be- Giant Pictographs are destroyed com- Also, they pointed out that the tween, where the prevailing north and pletely. Joshua area was prospected and mined south breezes can move freely. They JOE B. MULCAHY out before its creation in 1936. Since also keep the earth sprinkled to help in World War II virtually the only activ- evaporative cooling. Many of these Desert's editors know of no pic- ity on its mining claims has been the people live over one hundred years, or tograph-protecting society. Perhaps salvaging of the old machinery. did until too much contact with mod- one of Desert's readers has heard of The U. S. Bureau of Mines, the ern progress and civilization. such an organization which would U. S. Geological Survey and the be interested in preserving the fine Atomic Energy Commission have cor- The Jack Rabbit Homesteaders have set above Blythe.—R.H. roborated the findings of previous in- an advantage over all those living in vestigations — showing conclusively irrigated valleys. For health of body, Old Jalopies Wanted . . . that there is practically no commer- mind and spirit can be found in the 6081 Atlantic Ave. cial minerals within the Monument. granite hills. Long Beach, California It is interesting to note that the total LEO TURNER Desert: value of all ores produced within the • • • With some 500 other Southern Cali- Monument before the mines were de- Snake Bite Treatment . . . fornians I am a member of the Horse- pleted was less than $500,000. Within San Diego, California less Carriage Club, of which you, no the original boundaries of the Monu- Desert: doubt have heard. We are constantly ment there were some mineral claims As a desert traveler, I am interested searching for old automobiles of any of value, but in 1950 this mineralized in snakes, their habits and precautions make that we may restore to their area — 289,000 acres — was deleted against them. I have always carried a original condition, or if beyond repair from the Monument. snake bite kit called Cutters Compak use for parts to restore other old cars. A report from the U. S. Department for emergency, but I have heard from We are not profiteers in that we hope of Interior states: "The possibility of various people that the anti-venom in to restore these vehicles and sell them commercial production of base metals, these kits deteriorates after a short for profit. strategic minerals, or important quan- time. An advanced student in first aid The favor that I ask is, would it be tities of non-metallic minerals within tells me that at Camp Pendleton, they possible to have a request for informa- the Monument is remote." use Ethyl-Chloride for snake bite treat- tion regarding the location of old NORMAN H. MELLER, M.D.

26 DESERT MAGAZINE I Christmas Mi ftete Qnd The on the Desert... WITH REAL DESERT FLAVOR ARIZONA New Survey on Indians . . . Well Known Guide Passes . . . W1NSLOW—Three private citizens, GRAND CANYON—W. M. "Bud" interested in the welfare of the Indian, Clawson, great grandson of Brigham Young, who was a guide for many are forming a nonprofit organization years in the Grand Canyon, and be- to conduct economic surveys on In- came known as "Rainbow Bud," died dian Reservations to speed up their in Reno, Nevada, after a long illness. rehabilitation. The organization will Clawson was born in Salt Lake City be formed by Lawrence F. Lee, former in 1896. He later moved to California. president of the U. S. Chamber of He achieved an outstanding record as Commerce, David T. Beals, president a bronc rider and was a rancher until of the Interstate National Bank of the time of his illness.—Coconino Sun Kansas City, and Dr. Clyde Kluckholn, • • • of Harvard, author of a recent book Want to impress your best girl (whether Indians Express Distrust . . . on Navajos. They will receive grants she's five or fifty)?—make a real hit with from private foundations. your boss?—send one gift which an entire SAN CARLOS—When the federal family will enjoy? Want to send something government eases itself out of the pic- which, most places, your friends cannot buy Glenn Emmons, U. S. Commissioner for themselves? ture, Arizona is ready and able to as- Here at Desert Palms Ranch, Dr. Hayes of Indian Affairs, speaking before the grows the most luscious Deglet Noor dates, sume responsibility of the welfare of and the sweetest seedless grapefruit you Winslow Chamber of Commerce, said have ever dreamed of. We'd really like to its Indian citizens, assured Governor send just the right gifts for you! Howard Pyle when he spoke to more that there are three outstanding needs REMEMBER: No shopping, wrapping or than 350 tribesmen and guests at an to be met before the government can mailing worries! divest itself of responsibility to the •><•, |bs.—$3.20 •"> ll>s.—.Sr>.2» Intertribal Council meeting. U. S. In- Insured end delivered in U.S.A. dian Commissioner Glenn Emmons, Indian. The government must insure .\ Iso ideal for «'in|>!u "c and business gift also assured them that it will be a long better health protection in Indian lists. ORDER TODAY I-'KOM— time before there will be a termination homes and communities, education for DR. KENNETH HAYES of services to the Southwestern Indian all Indian children of school age, and (Est. 1926) tribes. Despite these statements, In- wider opportunities for economic prog- DESERT I'M.MS RANCH dian leaders were skeptical. Tribal P.O. Box 218, W. Indio, Calif. (Hwy. Ill) ress in and around reservations. — When in this area, stop overnight at Judge Nelson Jose, of Sacaton, charged Phoenix Gazette DR. HAVES GUEST RANCH the state is both unwilling and unable to take care of its more than 70,000 Indian residents, and asked how Ari- zona expected to dig up the $20,000,- 000 a year the federal government Shm Vout Enjoyment Of now spends on Indians in the state. Other Indian leaders expressed similar distrust of the Indians' future as painted WITH YOUR FRIENDS . . . by Governor Pyle and Glenn Emmons. — Yuma Morning Sun Give 9 Gift • • • Students Scale Mountain . . . PHOENIX — The rugged Lizard Subscription Fot Head peak in the San Miguel Moun- tains of Southern Colorado, has been scaled only five times in its entire his- Christms tory. Two young Phoenicians, Ralph Pateman and Charlie Scarborough, Reasonably priced, yet the gift that comes 12 times a year. No both college students, have become the shopping, wrapping or mailing problems for you. sixth party to climb the steep 13,500 Give your friends the entertainment, adventure and information in foot peak. Records reveal the cliff DESERT. Give them the pleasure of beautiful full color covers of was not conquered until 1924. Pate- desert scenes—of following maps to mineral and gem locations, lost man, a young adventurer whose feats mines, or auto exploring the Desert Southwest. include bull fighting, was told by na- tives in the area that one man was Colorful desert gift card sent to arrive a few days killed and several injured in a tragedy before Christmas. on the peak in 1950. The steep slope Use the convenient order blank in this copy. is extremely difficult to climb because Send your gift list to- of loose rocks that make certain foot- ing almost impossible. Freezing wind and rocks cold enough to numb their THE hands slowed them in making the climb. The summit of the mountain $3.50—1 year; $6.00 for 2 years consists of about a foot-square area of Two or more gilts $3.00 each loose rock, the boys said.—Phoenix Gazette The First Christmas Was on the Desert

NOVEMBER, 1954 27 It Just Won't Work . . . OKLAHOMA CITY—Lie detectors THE DESERT TRADING POST won't work on Indians. Dr. H. Dona- hue, state mental health director re- Classified Advertising in This Section Costs 10c a Word, $1.50 Minimum Per Issue ports that after making several tests, he finds the graph just runs along BOOKS — MAGAZINES NEW CALIFORNIA State Topographic without a quiver. He reasons it's be- Map 64 x 90" $2.50. Lost mines of 10 cause of their very stoic nature. — BOOKS FOUND—Any title! Free world- Southwestern states, with map $1.75. Yuma Morning Sun wide book search service. Any book, Sectionized County maps: San Bernar- new or old. Western Americana a spe- dino, Riverside $1.00 each, Inyo, Mono, • • • cialty. Lowest price. Send wants today! Kern, Los Angeles 75c each. Imperial, Museum Proposed . . . International Bookfinders, Box 3003-D, San Diego 50c each. New series of Ne- MESA—A proposal that might re- Beverly Hills, California. vada County maps $1.00 each. Joshua Tree-Twentynine Palms area $1.56. Town- sult in an archeological museum for BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ship blanks, all sizes. Lode or Placer Arizona has been made by the histori- location notice forms 5c each. Topo- IMPORT-EXPORT! Opportunity profitable, cal landmark committee of the Mesa graphical maps in California, Nevada, Chamber of Commerce. Frank Mid- world-wide, mail-order business from Utah, Arizona and all other Western home, without capital, or travel abroad. states. Atomic Energy Commission Air- vale, who owns a prehistoric ruin of Established World Trader ships instruc- borne Anomaly, Uranium Location maps. typical valley culture, has offered to tions for no-risk examination. Experience Westwide Maps Co., \\AV2 W. Third St., deed land for the museum to the city. unnecessary. Free details. Mellinger, Los Angeles, California. A98B, Los Angeles, 24 California. It is hoped the University of Arizona or some other institution can be urged URANIUM CLAIMS with merit, wanted SILVERY DESERT HOLLY PLANTS: for development. Will give liberal over- One dollar each postpaid. Greasewood to excavate the ruin, which is said to ride. Can furnish bank reference. Give Greenhouses, Lenwood, Barstow, Calif. be quite large and dating back to early detailed description of property in first pithouse through pueblo times, about 3 letter. Rex R. Moore, 2904 Liberty Bank SPECIAL: Lariat Ties, braided, /T genu- 1100 to 1200 A.D.—Phoenix Gazette Bldg., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ine turquoise stones on slide, $3.95. Larger stones $4.95, gift boxed. Diorama • • • CAFE, SERVICE STATION and five rent- Studios, 1225 N. Anita St., Tucson, Ariz. Navajo Students . . . als for sale. Fully equipped (living quart- FLAGSTAFF — Nineteen Navajo ers). Going business. Also want partner BUY SURPLUS MACHINERY: Tools, to promote new town. Real opportunity. Indian students are attending Arizona trucks, jeeps, etc.. from government. List State College on tuition grants by the Come and stop with us. Ocotillo Wells $1.00. Send to Government Surplus Bul- Inn, Highway 78, San Diego County; or letin, Box D213 East Hartford 8, Conn. Navajo Tribal Council at Window write Box 86, Del Mar, California. Rock. Don May, education guidance PAN GOLD: $1 for 75 placer gold spots officer for the council, arranged for REAL ESTATE in California to pan gold. Geological for- the grants. Ten of the students are mations, elevations, other notes. $2.75 COACHELLA VALLEY: 80 acre ranch, or $2.25 for gold pans. Poke for nuggets upper classmen and nine are freshmen. attractive home, asparagus, grapes, dates. and dust $1. Tweezer $1. Fred Mark, —Phoenix Gazette Drastically reduced price, good terms. 726 N. Ave. 65, Los Angeles 42, Calif. Write Ronald L. Johnson, Realtor. Ther- • • • mal, California. PINKING SHEARS—Only $1.95 postpaid. New Canyon Road . . . UNUSUAL 30 Acres raw, virgin land 23 Chromium plated, precision made. Man- GRAND CANYON — Visitors to miles west of Calexico. $750.00 (Full ufacturer's Christmas overstock. Guaran- Grand Canyon National Park enter- Price) $30.00 down, $17.00 per month. teed $7.95 value or money refunded. ing on Highway 64 from Williams, will Order by mail. Lincoln Surplus Sales, Write today. Pon & Co., Box 546 DM, find a new, modern highway which Azusa, California. 1704 W. Farwell Ave., Chicago 26, 111. will take them directly to the Canyon REAL ESTATE WANTED: Acreage with NEW SHAVING PLEASURE. Cheap. Send rim at Mather Point, where a modern some improvements, mountain scrub oak, for free blade. Midwest Sales. Box-283, parking area has been constructed. mesquite country, hunting, winter vaca- Savanna, Illinois. tioning territory, Southern Arizona pre- —Coconino Sun ferred. Cash sale. Will let owner remain PINYON NUTS: $1.00 lb. postpaid in as caretaker. Frank Kolbe, Point Pleas- Arizona, Southern California—other states ant, Pennsylvania. add 25c for postage. Box 34, Grand KEEP VOUR mflPS... Canyon, Arizona. Every month Desert Magazine INDIAN GOODS CERAMIC ARTISTS: A beautiful rich carries two or three maps especi- 6 PERFECT ANCIENT FLINT arrowheads redbrown natural glaze desert clay. Con- ally prepared for readers who $2.00. Fine double bladed tomahawk tains gold. Send $1.00 for generous sam- come to the desert for recreation $3.00. Grooved granite war club $2.00. ple. Nevada Ceramic Clays & minerals, Perfect peace pipe $5.00. 6 fine bird ar- Box 25413. Los Angeles, California. or field trips. rows $2.00. 2 flint knives $1.00. 6" to 7" These maps are best retained perfect spearhead $7.00. All offers $20.00. FREE "Do-It-Yourself" Leathercraft Cata- for permanent reference by filing List Free. Lear's, Glenwood, Arkansas. log. Tandy Leather Company. Box your copy of Desert Magazine 791-E7, Fort Worth, Texas. CLOSING OUT: We are in a hurry to each month in one of the loose- dispose of remaining Indian Artifacts, GOLD PROSPECTING CATALOG—List- leaf binders supplied by the better bargains than ever, dealers wel- come. Daniels Indian Trading Post 16299 ing, placer and lode maps, steel gold pans, magazine publishers. Foothill (Highway 66) Fontana, Calif. mining and mineral books, books on lost Covered with imitation leather mines, pocket magnifying glasses, min- and gold embossed, each binder eral collection sets, blueprints of dry MISCELLANEOUS washers and wet washers you can build holds 12 copies. They are easy GHOST TOWN ITEMS: Sun-colored glass, yourself. Catalog and Gold Panning Les- to insert and they lie flat when amethyst to royal purple; ghost railroads son — Free. Old Prospector, Box 729. open. materials, tickets; limited odd items from Desk 5, Lodi, California. MAILED POSTPAID FOR camps of the '60s. Write your interest— S2.00 Box 64-D, Smith, Nevada. WILD ANIMAL and Bird Movies. 8 mm. or 16 mm. Beautiful color or B&W. Also THE DESERT TEA. One pound one dollar 2x2 color slides. Free catalog. Wild Life postpaid. Greasewood Greenhouses. Len- Films. Rm. 19, 5151 Strohm Ave.. N. wood, Barstow, California. Hollywood, California. PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA

28 DESERT MAGAZINE CALIFORNIA Twentynine Palms Visitors . . . TWENTYNINE PALMS—Proof of Ducks Creole Hazard . . . increased interest in Twentynine Palms IMPERIAL VALLEY—Ducks may and the improvements of roads and FURNACE be hard to scare off this year in the camping facilities in Joshua Tree Na- rich rice and grain fields of Imperial, tional Monument, is seen by the travel CREEK INN San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. report for the month of August, re- AMERICAN PLAN The supply of flares, rifle grenades and leased by Superintendent Sam King. other pyrotechnics used may be in short An increase of 223 percent over Au- FURNACE CREEK supply this season, according to the gust, 1953, and a decrease of 11 per- \ RANCH California Farm Federation. The flares cent from July, 1954 is reported. Dur- 'A. EUROPEAN PLAN .-•d and grenades are furnished from out- ing last month, 14,443 visitors and dated supplies of the Department of 4057 cars entered Joshua Tree Na- Defense. The present supply is esti- tional Monument, bringing the total mated at 25,000 rifle grenades, which for the calendar year to date to 181,- is barely enough to meet the needs of 451 visitors and 50,777 motor vehicles. Enjoy this luxurious desert oasis a normal season. Should there be an for rest, quiet, recreation: golf, There were 319 persons in the camp tennis, riding, swimming, tour- early flight of sprig, as there was two grounds in August and 16,568 camp- ing, and exploring. Sunny days, years ago when nearly a million birds ers during the first eight months. — cool nights. Excellent highways. preceded the usual flight, a very bad The Desert Trail For folders and reservations situation could develop. The lateness write 5410 Death Valley Hotel Co,, Death Valley, Calif. Or of this year's rice crop adds to the phone Furnace Creek Inn at normal hazard. Farmers using pyro- State's No. 1 Entry Spot . . . Death Valley. Or call your local technics this year are urged to make BARSTOW — Yermo and Daggett travel agencies. special discount as efficient and economical use as pos- combined to make Mojave Desert the Nov. 21 to Dec. 1H , sible of the available materials.—Holt- state's No. 1 entry spot for autos dur- ville Tribune ing August. Yermo had 197,440 pas- • • • sengers and over 67,000 autos pass through its portals. Daggett, not quite Woman Saved by Rain . . . as lively, viewed nearly 100,000 pas- BLYTHE—The miracle of rain on sengers and 30,000 automobiles. A. the desert is credited for saving the P. Messenger, chief of the Bureau of life of Mrs. Mattylyn Carson, 50, of Plant Quarantine, noted some 1,342,- Phoenix, who had been lost in the 651 passengers were checked through Wiley Well area for almost two days. California inspection station in 1953. Mrs. Carson had accompanied her son, —Barstow Printer Review Allen, 23, and daughter Becky, 13, on • • • a rock hunting expedition when their Create Mountain Trails Group . . . car became stuck in the sand. Her CALIFORNIA CAR BED—Front seat converts children left on foot for Blythe to get HEMET—A permanent trails sys- to level double bed. a tow car, and after many hours went tem in the San Jacinto Mountain area CUSTOM CRUISING SEAT — Luxurious twin was a step closer today as a result of front seats. Reclining; automatic bed level- by she became alarmed and left the ing features. Transferable to next car. car to hunt for them. She became lost the creation of the Mountain Wilder- and walked for an estimated 13Vi ness and Trails Association by River- Auto lounge side County riding and outdoor clubs The finest in touring comfort. Twin front miles. In the meantime, when Allen seats recline to any angle or convert to level and his sister returned to the car and recently. The group organized to es- tablish a net work of permanent riding single or double beds. found their mother gone, the alarm COME IN FOR DEMONSTRATION was sounded. She was found by Dep- and hiking trails leading to back-coun- try wilderness. Support for establish- O. R. REUTER uty Sheriff Wayne Barrett of the sher- 2801 W. Slauson, Los Angeles 43—AX. 4-0888 iff's substation at Blythe and her son, ment of a 3000 mile state hiking and who were searching the desert trails riding trail from Oregon to Mexico, in a Jeep. In a critical condition due held up in Riverside county by right- to dehydration, Mrs. Carson had water of-way difficulties, has been promised. Looking for a PUBLISHER? The organization's temporary execu- Do you have a book-length manuscript you injected under her skin to speed up would like to have published? Learn about tive committee will be replaced by a our unusual plan whereby your book can be her recovery. She said she was able published, promoted and distributed on a permanent board of directors to be professional basis. We consider all types of to scoop up small quantities of muddy work—fiction, biography, poetry, scholarly water during the storm, which hospital named later.—Hemet News and religious books, etc. New authors wel- come. For more information, write for valu- authorities said no doubt saved her • • • able booklet D. It's free. life.—Palo Verde Times VANTAGE PRESS, INC. Salton Sea Is Still Rising . . . (>:i.->6 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. EL CENTRO — The Salton Sea Main Office: New York 1, N. Y. continues to rise. According to the Hesperia's Drilling Successful . . . Imperial Valley Irrigation District the HESPERIA — The Omart Invest- sea has recently reached 234.80 feet. SAN JUAN and COLORADO ment Company's Hesperia water drill- It is 1.20 feet higher than a year ago RIVER EXPEDITIONS ing efforts have finally paid off. A 610 and .36 foot higher than it was six Enjoy exploration, safe adventure and foot well in the center of section 8 months before the last measurements scenic beauty in the gorgeous canyons of pumped 1000 gallons per minute. A were taken. Rise of the Salton Sea is Utah and Arizona. Staunch boats, experi- enced rivermen. For 1955 summer schedule small motor was used during the test due to the inflow of Colorado River or charter trips anytime write to— and the full capacity is still unknown. water taken into the Imperial Valley I. FRANK WRIGHT There was only a 10 foot draw-down. via the Ail-American Canal from Casing was 14 inches, and the hole Yuma, where it is used for irrigation. MEXICAN HAT EXPEDITIONS gravel packed 24 inches.—Victor Press —Phoenix Gazette Blanding, Utah

NOVEMBER, 1954 29 NEVADA be found. It may be that the where- quarters for visiting Masons. A prior Cemetery to be Restored . . . abouts will be discovered in the re- proposal to strip the historic building habilitation of the cemetery.—Fallon of its artifacts and install them in the FALLON — The Stillwater Indian hall in Reno has been met with grow- Reservation Council is taking steps to Standard ing opposition. Masons who are sup- restore the cemetery which was so dis- • • • astrously damaged during the July and Watch for Rattlers . . . porting the campaign have expressed August earthquakes. The Indians at AUSTIN—Rattlesnakes seem to be the opinion that "this is a project that the reservation have taken pride in the appearing in places that ordinarily are will appeal to Masons throughout the upkeep of the cemetery, which was or- not their regular haunts. The experts world and one which will supply the iginated in 1914 as a permanent proj- say they are seldom seen above 6000 thousands of Lodge members who an- ect, after considerable persistance on feet, but Nevadans living above that al- nually visit Nevada, a focal point of the part of Mary Brown, one of the titude usually see a few every summer. fellowship at the West's most historic first Baptist missionaries to be sent to The rattlesnake is not aggressive and al- Masonic Hall." — Territorial Enter- the reservation. The officers of the most never strike without warning. prise Look where you walk, for more than • • • Indian Council are soliciting aid from More Funds Needed . . . the proper authorities for this purpose. 50 percent of snake bites occur when someone steps on a snake or too close FALLON — The Ichthyosaur Park It is recalled that the remains of the to one. Rattlers have no body heat fund has now reached the sum of last of Paiute Chiefs, Captain Brecken- and are always searching for a warm $1060 according to Margaret Wheat, ridge, were buried somewhere in the place to coil up. When you see one local archeology authority. The first vicinity of the cemetery. Interred with wound up nice and tight, you have thousand dollars has been assured, but him were the treaty papers signed by the advantage, but when you see one more money will be needed for the him and the United States Government. loosely coiled—stop. He is liable to project, as a caretaker must be hired There has always been the hope that strike—and they often travel in pairs. to prevent vandalism, and for other someday these historical papers might A cautious, watchful person is seldom expenses. The 50 foot Ichthyosaur is bitten. Rattlers often curl up on the located in the lone district near Ber- black top of the highways because of lin. Dr. Charles Camp, University of the warmth. One tourist, who had California paleontologist, who un- stopped on the highway to change earthed the remains, is at the camp to drivers, stepped out of the car and felt talk to visitors. Many groups of local something strike her ankle. Her hus- people continue to visit the locality band had had first aid. He cut the which is bringing fame to this valley. wound and applied suction and a —Fallon Standard tourniquet, and rushed her to the Aus- • • • tin hospital where her condition was Experiment in Cloud Seeding . . . said to be good.—Reese River Reveille WASHINGTON — Relief for the drouth emergency area in the Hum- Hammocks from Yucatan 9 • • boldt River Basin by cloud seeding is Imported handbraided hammocks of Would Preserve Historic Hall . . . being urged by Sen. George W. Malone, h-;i\y mercerized cotton! Very decora- VIRGINIA CITY—The campaign t:va and extremely relaxing. Swing from with the aid of several government de- trees, rafters, or hooks. Require 18 feet, to preserve the historic Masonic Hall partments. He is urging this measure ni'irmum space for hanging. Specify color choice and alternate from combi- at Virginia City is gaining nationwide especially during the winter months nations of white with blue, yellow, or support from Masons and non-Masons rose stripes. $35.00 ppd. Californians add when an effort would be made to in- 3rA sales tax. alike, who would like to see the Vir- crease snow packs, which in the past FAR CORNERS, LTD. ginia City Masonic Hall, preserved and years have been far from sufficient. 12!JN'i Prospetf St., La Jolla, California restored as a shrine of the Old West Senator Malone points out that fees and a Nevada State Information head- collected in Nevada by the Bureau of Land Management, under the Taylor Grazing Act, are at the rate of 12 cents Sportsmen . . Are you the HARDY outdoor type? per animal unit month, of which two cents is allocated back to range im- ... or are you enjoying the provement and ten cents goes to the United States Treasury. He argued comforts of a goocTSIeeping Bag that at least two cents could be devoted to the cloud seeding program. Con- In building a balanced camp kit, the experi- enced sportsman gives top priority to choosing sidering that the 10 cents for the Treas- a good sleeping bag. One of our best buys is ury can't be collected so long as the Dactherm Robe. This is an all year sleep- drouths keep cattle off the range, the ing bag filled with Type III, crimped virgin only way to collect that money in the Dacron, which gives you effective insulation while still allowing necessary air circulation. future is to invest the Treasury's share Other features of this bag include: detachable now in an effort to provide water and tent flap, close weave cover material, full zipper insure future range population on and weather seal. Cost of the 34"x78" Dactherm Robe is only $26.95. This is just one of more which fees can be collected. Discus- than 25 different styles in our stock. Write sion at the moment is centering around or phone us for our Free camping brochure. the question of whether basinwide cloud seeding would be successful. Past experiments in cloud seeding for ranges have been conducted under ex- treme summer drouth conditions, with Complete Field-Tested Equip. Sales & Rentals — Camping, Fishing, Hunting, Skiing no program extending through the win- 99 E. COLORADO BLVD., PASADENA, CALIF. — Ph. RY 15897—SY38137 ter for the purpose of increasing snow Just 1:J minutes via the Arroyo Soco Parkway from T*os Angeles packs.—Reese River Reveille

30 DESERT MAGAZINE NEW MEXICO more from it than one or more ranch- merely fighting to preserve Echo Park ers, Chino states. Representatives of and Dinosaur National Monument. Aldo Leopold Honored . . . other Indian tribes in New Mexico will The two were identified as a group of GLENWOOD — In honor of the give historical testimony in support of eastern and middle western congress- man most responsible for the preserva- the Mescalero claim. — Alamogordo men and senators who are opposed to tion of primitive Gila Wilderness, News all reclamation, and California which Senator Anderson of New Mexico, does not intend to let upper basin erected a plaque and praised the con- states use any water which otherwise servation work of Aldo Leopold in a Black Bear at the Sands . . . might go to California. Without Echo dedication held beside U. S. Highway Park Dam the storage project will be 260, about ten miles south of Glen- WHITE SANDS NATIONAL difficult to justify, the Post said. •— wood, September 11. Senator Ander- MONUMENT—Imagine the surprise The Vernal Express son told how Leopold, a figure in state of Johnwill Fans, superintendent of and national conservation circles, the National Monument, when he saw fought to keep the land the way it was a black bear near the headquarters originally, and told of the laws that building. He has often been heard to 1000 TRAVEL SCENES Leopold helped to create so that the say "when I see a bear on the sands, Gila tract would not be touched by I'll resign." But now that he's seen man-made construction. The area is it he's not ready to quit. He grinned and commented, "That's an old story. said to contain nearly every type of SPECIAL OFFER wildlife found on the North American Many people come excitedly to tell us continent. Senator Anderson said, "We that a bear is nearby, but it usually Tn Introduce leaders of DESERT to our turns out to be a dog or an otter." 2"x2" COLOR SLIDES for home projec- can look at the great expanse of the tion, we are offering a FREE 20 page This was a real bear, though, Faris catalog and a FISKH sample color slide Gila Wilderness and know it is one of Travel, Science, Nature, National Parks the few such areas in the United States declares. He was about two and one- and the southwest. Write today to half or three feet high, was heavy and virtually untouched by human hands, KELLY D. C HODA his fur gleamed. "We're surprised to and honestly say this might not have BOX 588 STANFORD, CALIF. been except for the initiative of Aldo say the least," he said.—Alamogordo Leopold." Leopold died in 1948 from News a heart attack while fighting a neigh- bor's grass fire.—New Mexican Genuine Turquoise Nugget Jewelry-earrings, small $2.95, medium UTAH $3.95, extra large $4.95. Pendants to match $1.95, $2.95 and $3.95. Chokers 7 nugget with 14 squash seed beads, 22 Echo Park May Be Saved . . . round balls, $6.95. Necklaces 11 nuggets 18 seed and 38 round ball beads $12 00 Reservoir Gates Closed . . . WASHINGTON — Plans for the everything in solid sterling. Men's extra heavy sterling hand cast rings, plain or immediate construction of Echo Park channel, hand cut turquoise $7 95 Deal- ELEPHANT BUTTE—Gates of the ers write— Elephant Butte Reservoir are closed Dam in Dinosaur National Monument and probably will not be reopened this are being delayed. In an article in the DIORAMA STUDIOS year. Storage to date is 28,475 acre Post, by staff writer, Nello Cassai, 1225 N. Anita St., Tucson, Arizona feet—up from the all time record low water officials are said to have con- ceded that organized opposition of of 9800 feet before the heavy rains High Power came. Storage of 50,000 acre feet is naturalists—led by the Izaak Walton League of America—has forced them BINOCULARS expected. Editor Paul Toole of the " 14-PAGC BOOK « CHART to revise their thinking on the contro- Know the facts! Learn meaning of Hot Springs Herald said the heavy Power. Field, Coating. Latest data inflow had saved the lake's fish and versial dam in northwest Colorado. 33 Models sold on " that fishing this week has been excel- The article also said that continued 30 DAY lent. Residents are breathing a sigh opposition by naturalists and conser- of relief after the fear of an empty lake vationists to the Echo Park feature luihmll Bldg, Pasadena, Calif. Z£% and consequent loss of the tourist may again doom the multi-purpose reclamation development. town's fish attraction. Unless there is "EVERYTHING FOR additional heavy water flows from In an editorial in the Post, it was THE OUTDOORSMAN" more storms, however, 1954 will be stated that there is a great deal of mis- SLEEPING BAGS, AIR MATTRESSES SKIS AND SKI CLOTHING the 12th consecutive year in which conception about the real opposition and many other items inflow has been below the average of to the Storage project. Two forces opposing the storage project are more Van DeGrift's Sporting Goods the 50 year 1895-1944 period.—New 717 W. 7t)i St., I.os Angeles 14, California Mexican powerful than the group which is

Mescaleros Seek Land . . . THE BARRETT RANCH FORT STANTON — Mescalero "Where It's Summer All Winter" Apaches are seeking the return of their A comfortable place to spend a week-end or the entire winter. Away ancestral holdings which formerly were from smog, fog, snow or rain. Humidity is almost nil. Far from the irrigated districts on the warmest, driest part of the desert. owned by the Fort Stanton Marine Season November 1—June 1. Hospital. Wendel Chino, president of A dozen completely furnished modern houses, 1 or 2 bedrooms, with the Mescalero Indian Tribe business complete privacy. Air cond., electric refrig., modern bath facilities, etc. committee, representing the tribe, de- A Naturalist's Paradise. Wonderful bass fishing; boating; prospecting; clares that the land in question is their exploring. Evening campfires with a jolly crowd. Very informal. aboriginal homeland and feel they are Located in the California Desert just a mile West of the Imperial Dam. still owners and want the land, not a For folder write: financial settlement. They will use the BARRETT RANCH, Rt. 2. Box 258. Yuma, Arizona land, and Indian famiiles would benefit

NOVEMBER, 1954 31 Testing Project Near Zion . . . by a parachute and gently eased to Mountain Gorge; 3300 visited Harpers the ground, approximately 1500 feet Corner, Echo Park and other portions VIRGIN — Site for a $2,000,000 below. At the beginning of the experi- of the canyon section by automobile, testing project to be undertaken by the ment, dummies will be used until it is 889 made trips through the canyons Wright Air Development Center of proven the descent will not harm a by river boat and 884 saw the Monu- Dayton, Ohio, has been chosen near human being.—Caliente Herald ment from the air either by chartered the entrance of Zion National Park. • • • flights of the Basin Flying Service or The experiment station will be to study the special flights by Frontier Airlines and develop methods of ejecting pilots Increase in Monument Visitors . . . VERNAL — Dinosaur National during the dedication of the new air- from jet craft at supersonic speeds. A port administration building.— Vernal Monument had more than 55,000 vis- mile-long track will be erected with Express itors in the first eight months of 1954, a rocket engine to push the carriage, « • c similar to the cockpit of a plane, to an increase of 196 percent over the the edge of the mesa and catapult the same period in 1953. A breakdown of New Freedom for Ind'ans . . . simulated cockpit into the air, where visitors to different sections of the WASHINGTON—For the first time ejection seat tests will be made. The Monument, shows that 50,000 visited in history, Congress has moved to end, carriage and the seat will be caught the»(dinosaur fossil quarry and Split rather than extend, federal control over the American Indian. Bills passed by Congress during the past session Here is another set of booby- will end federal supervision in two traps set by Desert Magazine's years over 60 Western Oregon tribes, TRUE OR FALSE quiz editor for folks who think four Utah Paiute bands and the Ala- they know a lot about the Great American Desert. But they really are not bama and Cooscvada Indians of Texas. booby-traps. Every one of them is a legitimate question with a yes or no The Oregon Klamaths will get freedom answer. You'll not get all of them correct, but you'il learn some new desert in four years. The Wisconsin Menom- history, geography, botany, mineralogy and lore of the desert country. inees in, five years and the Northern Twelve to 14 is fair, 15 to 17 good, 18 or over excellent. The answers are Utes of, the Uintah-Ouray reservation on page 38. in seven years. Other legislation en- acted will be to improve the govern- 1—A rattlesnake adds a new button to its rattle every year. True ment's health program from the In- False terior Department to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare; 2—Navajo Indians grow cotton for weaving rugs. True . False . give Indians the right to own and sell 3—Desert Indians in Southern California once used a crude throwing property; possess fire arms and liquor; stick or boomerang to capture rabbits. True . False.... ._. and provide more efficient law en- 4—The state flower of Arizona is the Saguaro cactus. True forcement on reservations. — New False Mexican 5—Elephant Butte dam is located in Arizona. True False 6—It is necessary to have a license from the U. S. Indian Bureau to open STATEMENT REQUIRED I!V THK ACT OF AUGUST 21, 1!)12, AS AMENDED BY THK a trading post on an Indian reservation. True . False ACTS OP MARCH 3, 1933, AND .JULY 2, 1946 (Title :ii). United Slates Code, Section 233) 7—The desert kangaroo rat travels on all four feet. True . False.- _. SHOWING THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGE- MENT, AND CIRCUIiATION OF 8—The book, Ben Hur, was written by Lew Wallace while governor of The Desert Magazine published monthly at Palm Desert, California, for October 1, 1954. New Mexico. True . False 1. The names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing editor, and business managers 9—The Great White Throne is located in Bryce Canyon National Park. are: Publisher, Desert Press, Inc., Palm Desert, California. Editor, Randall Henderson, Palm True . False __. . . Desert, California. Business manager, Bess Stacy, Palm Desert, California. 10—The desert coyote will not harm lizards or rodents. True 2. The owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its name and address must be stated and also False __ . immediately thereunder the names and ad dresses of stockholders owning or holding 1 11—The soldiers of Capt. Juan Bautista de Anza on their historic trek percent or move of total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and ad from Tubac to Monterey to establish the first white colony in Cali- dresses of the individual owners must be given fornia wore armor-plate of metal. True . False If owned by a partnership or other unincor- porated firm, its name and address, as well as 12—The Oatman massacre in 1851 occurred at Oatman, Arizona. that of each individual member, must be given.) Lena Clements, Clifford W. Henderson, Cyria True False A. Henderson, Randall Henderson, Evonne Rid- dell, Nina M. Shumway and Bess Stacy of Palm 13—Bloodstone is a solid red mineral. True ___.. False Desert, Calif.; Martin Moran, Indio, Calif., Vera I,. Henderson, Los Angeles, Calif.; Philip T. 14—The Great Salt Lake has a higher salt content than ocean water. Henderson, Pasadena, Calif. True . False . 3. The knowrn bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 per- 15—Rainbow Natural Bridge is in Utah. True . False cent or more of total amount of bonds, mort- gages, or other securities are: Hank of America, 16—Scotty's Castle in Death Valley is owned by the National Park Indio, California. Service. True . False 4. Paragraphs 2 and 'A include, in cases where 17—The four states which meet at the Four Corners are Utah, Colorado, the stockholder or security holder appears upon the books of the company as trustee or in any Arizona and New Mexico. True...... False... other fiduciary relation, the name of the per- son or corporation for whom such trustee Is 18—Uranium is never obtained by placer mining operations. True acting: also the statements in the two para- graphs show the affiant's full knowledge and False beltef as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders 19—Director of the National Park Service is Conrad Wirth. True who do not appear upon the books of the com- pany as trustees, hold stock and securities in a False capacity other than that of a bona fide owner. RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor 20—All date palm trees in the United States came originally from offshoots Sworn to and subscribed before me this 29th imported from Asia and Africa. True ..... False day of September, 1954. LOIS E. ROY (My commission expires May 18, 1958.)

32 DESERT MAGAZINE Salt Lake City, Utah . . . Two million acres of public domain —formerly withdrawn for power site MINES i«A MINING development — have been opened to mining claim location in Utah. The Winnemucca, Nevada . . . Winnemucca, Nevada . . . lands affect the Colorado River drain- With only a life-savings of $6000, In the Kings River district about 75 age basin, and include the tributaries less than 3 years ago, Vernon Pick, age miles north of Winnemucca, Nevada, of the Green and San Juan Rivers. 50, decided he would like to prospect an important uranium discovery has This acreage is regarded as some of for uranium. Today he is a multi- been reported on property recently the hottest for prospecting for uranium. millionaire. Recently he sold some of acquired by the Double O Timber & Mining claims filed on top of power his uranium mines in southeastern Mining Company of San Francisco. site developments were not valid. How- Utah for $9,000,000 cash to the Atlas The property is known as the Granite ever, certain dispensations were granted Corporation headed by Floyd B. Od- Point Group and is close to the hold- to miners who pursued the cause of ium. Pick became a uranium pros- ings from which six carloads of ura- validation. Henceforth, in order to pector after a fire destroyed his motor nium ore has already been shipped. obtain a valid mining claim in the with- rewinding shop in Minneapolis in Strong radioactivity along the whole drawal areas, the miner must relocate, 1951. He bought a pick-up truck and length of the property is reported and posting the following notice: "Relo- trailer and headed west with his wife, the grade of ore is considerably im- cated claim, under authority of Fed- Ruth. At Colorado Springs, Colorado, proved as depth is gained.—Humboldt eral Register Document dated August he bought a handbook on uranium and Star 26, 1954, Vol. 19, No. 166 of Federal caught the prospecting fever. With the • • • Register and Utah No. 3 (A-2) (BLM book in hand, he headed for Utah and Kanab, Utah . . . Order)." Those with claims must use was down to his last grubstake nine A 50-hole drilling program has been this relocation notice. Those seeking months later when he struck "the real started on Kanab's first Uranium prop- new claims must also use the same thing." Floyd Odium of the Atlas erty. The property which is located notice.—Salt Lake City Tribune Corp. said that the Pick property is nine miles east of Kanab has good • • • "regarded as one of the richest de- showings of uranium-bearing ore. Al- Montrose, Colorado . . . posits of uranium ore on the Colorado together, the Kanab-Uranium Corpora- Plateau." Pick still has two produc- tion, recently set up by C. W. Parry, One of the largest uranium deals ing uranium mines—one in Utah and has 20,000,000 shares, most of which yet concluded, was the sale of the hold- the other in Colorado. — Humboldt has been issued, leaving a balance of ings of the J. R. Simplot Mining Co. Star 5,000,000 shares being offered to the of Boise, Idaho, to Camoose Mines, public. The $50,000 drilling program Ltd., of Canada. The three operating has been anxiously awaited by this mines are producing in the multi-mil- Moab, Utah lion bracket at this time, but figures Two brothers have reported finding area, and with a local company doing the exploration and development, a big are not obtainable. This is the only uranium ore in the northeast corner property on the plateau in addition to of Grand county—a find which might boom in its economy is expected. — Southern Utah News the Utex Mi Vida, where diesel equip- prove to be the largest low grade de- ment is used underground, and where posit yet located. The strike is in the • • • trucks are loaded right in the mine. bad-lands at the head of West Water Moab, Utah . . . A four million dollar sale, possibly Camoose Mines, Ltd., is an old com- Creek, where they have located 162 pany with extensive zinc lead proper- claims since going into that country the second largest in uranium history, was made by the Old Texas Mining ties in the northwest, as well as ura- in April. C. J. Baumgardner of Las nium claims in Grand County. An Vegas and his brother George, of Co., recently, to Chicago interests. The purchasers were represented by Ger- interesting feature of the big deal, ac- Ouray, Colorado, said an old cowman, cording to reports, is that it was made Billy Brown of Ridgway, Ouray county, ald Gidwitz, chairman of Helene Cur- tis Industries. The property includes verbally over the phone by Mr. Sim- Colorado, who ran cattle in that coun- plot, who later turned down an offer try in 1893 to 1900, told them of the 26 out of 30 claims in the Rattlesnake Mountain area, located about four from another company for a million "queer country" in 1937 and they went dollars greater because he considered back five times. Even though geolo- miles northeast of the Charles Steen Mi Vida Mine in San Juan County, his word binding.—Moab Times-Inde- gists told them there couldn't be ura- pendent nium in that area, they investigated Utah. The mining operations, near and think they have something. It's a Moab, Utah, are being conducted by • • • geological oddity they say.—The Min- the Mineral Engineering Co. of Grand Phoenix, Arizona . . . ing Record Junction.—Vernal Express The University of Arizona will con- • • • • • • tinue in its uranium prospecting meth- Provo, Utah . . . Kanab. Utah . . . ods by testing leaves of plants. The Within the borders of Utah County, Possibility of growing economic de- project has been underway for a year large quantities of industrial clay and velopment in Kanab is seen by the and will continue through September about 50 percent of all used in the arrival of 19 trucks, trailers and equip- 15, 1955. The Atomic Energy Com- state in brick and pottery making can ment of the J. Ray McDermott and mission provides a grant of $5200 for be found. Edmond P. Hyatt, ceramic Co. Corp., of New Orleans, La., to the work. Dr. Edwin B. Kurtz of the engineer and instructor in geology told begin drilling operations on three oil botany department, who is heading of these clay deposits at a recent wells north of Kanab. Seven families the research, believes that by testing monthly session of the Utah County and a crew of 16 men will begin op- leaves, traces of uranium in the soil Coordinating Council. He divided the erations on the three proposed wells can be found much easier than by clays into four groups: those found in that will take from six to eight months geiger counter, as geiger counters test Manning Canyon, which are special to complete. Drilling will be on a only the top four feet of soil, while shale clays; Long Trail shale, Fox Hills 24-hour basis and the land covers ap- plant roots go down from 10 to 40 clay and miscellaneous. — Salt Lake proximately 125,000 acres in the Sand feet and have been known to go as City Tribune Dunes area.—Southern Utah News deep as 100 feet.—Phoenix Gazette

NOVEMBER, 1954 33 hillsides to haul heavy sacks of rocks is not a safe program for too many elderly people. However the picture has changed a great AMATEUR GM CUTTER deal today for the man or woman who wishes to while away a little time each day By LELANDE QUICK, Editor of The Lapidary Journal in a useful and satisfying pursuit of gem cutting or silvercrafting. No longer does a The world is rapidly becoming an old years before every young person had to man need a backyard shop to follow the man's world. According to a study of pop- carry the burden of an old person on his hobby. Hundreds of people travel all over ulation by the United Nations one out of back—but in a different way. The young the country in trailers and have lapidary every 10 persons living in the world today are now supporting the old by taxes which machinery stored in a small space under the is 65 years of age or older. The average is buy pensions and these pensions allow the bed so that they can grind rocks wherever even higher in the U. S. By the year 2017, oldsters to support themselves, instead of they can find an electric outlet. Anyone it is estimated that 17% of the world popu- being relegated to an unwanted attic room who has room for a set of golf clubs or a lation will live beyond the 65 mark. in a home where they are not wanted. mixmaster in trailer or home has room to- We said long ago in these columns that Pensions, trailers, the automobile and the day for adequate lapidary and jewelcraft it would only be a matter of a very few modern road enable untold thousands of layouts. these senior citizens to follow the birds— It is no longer necessary to have a big south in the winter and north in the sum- diamond saw to saw up the big boulders. mer. These people have established the Slabs of rock can be bought from any one economy of many places in the nation. of more than 500 rock dealers. You do net Some cities have been designated by soci- need to spend a lot of money to go after ologists as "retirement cities." Two of these rocks yourself. Buy the slabs by mail at a cities are St. Petersburg, Florida, where few cents per square inch. You see what more than 22 persons out of every 100 are you get; you have no culls or duds; you past 65 in a population of 97,000 and spend nothing in time, energy or money to Pasadena, California, almost 17 percent of go long miles after rocks. Someone else the 104,000 population are beyond 65. It has gathered them for you and you can is a standard joke locally that the popula- buy good gem material for less than it tion in Pasadena sits around listening to would cost you to go after it and with the the hardening of the arteries. assurance that you can get what you want It may be a joke to some people, but it when you want it. certainly is no joke to the thousands who The most important consideration for the have retired from something but have failed adoption of the gem cutting hobby by older to retire to anything. Too many are lost folks is that of supplementing income. Just souls with no organized activity. We cite about everyone on a pension has the idea an extreme instance of the killing of time in the back of his head that he'd like to on the part of a couple of retired friends have a little activity that would bring in a of ours who have no program of any kind. little money so that he would not have to They spent the better part of two days disturb his nest egg too much. giving a detergent bath to all their old phonograph records, many of which they Let us suppose that you have your trailer had not played for years and most of which parked with a hundred others and you are they would never play again. This strikes grinding away at some pretty agates you us as probably the low water mark in wasted found on a nearby beach that morning. time and it seems to us they would have Neighbors come to watch you and in no HILLQUIST been a lot happier if they had just sat and time at all they are propositioning you to listened to the playing of every one of those cut a stone for them which they found and dusty old records for a few days and lived which they treasure. Or they want some # Put the Hillquist Gemmasler beside any lapidary in the memories they called forth. earrings made and your wife does some machine — cheaper, flimsy "gadgets" or units that silver work so she makes the earrings for sell at twice the price. Compare construction! Corn- Now the reason we mention the old age a small fee. Such earrings are more highly pore ease of operation! Compare how much you problem now and then, is because we be- get for your money and you'll say, "I'll take the prized by that neighbor, who remembers Gemmaster!" lieve that gem cutting and silvercraft are you as she tells other friends in other places two diversions to which bored oldsters can about them being handmade by a friend, Here is a worthy companion for our larger and direct their effort with great satisfaction. rather than just being a casual purchase of more expensive Hillquist Compact Lapidary Unit. Someone has said that you can't set all 20 some machine made bobs from Penney's. Tho smaller in size, the Hillquist Gemmaster has million old folks in America to weaving many of the same features. It's all-metal with spun Or perhaps you are anchored to a little aluminum tub. You get a rugged, double-action rock baskets, and of course you can't have every one of them working and whittling at a pile home in a small community, and feel that clamp, not a puny little pebble pincher. You get a you have no outlet for the surplus items you full 3" babbitt sleeve bearing and ball thrust bear- of rocks. ing. You get a big 7" Super Speed diamond saw make and have no room or inclination to and all the equipment you need to go right to work. But it happens that the United Nations keep. If you become skilled and have any has studied this matter so thoroughly, that originality at all, you should climb into USES ALL ACCESSORIES a list of the most important towns of less your car and take a trayful of your best You can use all the regular Hillquist accessories than 10,000 population, which are consid- work into the city. Visit the gift shops in with the Gemmaster: The Hillquist Facetor, Sphere ered retirement towns, includes the names the big hotels and on the boulevards and Cutters, Laps, Drum and Disc Sanders, etc. of many where our subscribers live and we show them your wares. They are always WRITE FOR FREE CATALOG hope to bring a new angle on the gemcut- anxious to stock a few handcrafted item.s ting hobby to some of them. In addition and they don't have to lay out any money I COMPUTE, READY T0~USE! YOU GET ALL THIS- to the big California cities, all of which to put in your line. You leave a half dozen are retirement towns, the following smaller pieces with them on consignment. You communities are listed as important Ameri- haven't lost anything or tied up any money. can retirement meccas: Atascadero, Ban- The pieces are better off in a case where: ning, Carmel, Claremont, Corning, Covina, they are seen by the buying public than Garden Grove, Glendora, Fair Oaks, Hemet, they are in your dark bureau drawers at: Laguna Beach, Sierra Madre and Del Mar. home. We know several people who have • BIO 7" Diamond Sow • 6" x 1 " Gi been supporting themselves for years by | WhMl • 6 " Fall Buff • 6 ' Backing Wheel "Ah, but rockhounding is too strenuous | 6" Disc Sander • Double-action Rock just such methods—but they do fine work | Clamp • Oil Feed Cup • Water Feed for us," I hear some subscriber sighing. Yes, that is in increasing demand. | How t Clamp • Dop Slick, t Dop Wax* I agree with that objection. I think that | Polish, Compound, Etc. rockhounding, as it is popularly understood, In conclusion we offer the thought that BUILT FOR LONG SERVICSI is too strenuous for most people over 65. I if you never sell a gem or a piece of jew- No other low-cost lap unit always get a smile when some wise ac- elry at all, the high satisfaction that will gives you full 3" sleeve quaintance in the 40s says he is going to bearing, ball thrust bearing come to you in creating something with and pressure lubrication. retire at 65 and go fishing. He forgets about your hands and thoughts will be a rich the degenerative processes coming up, the experience. For every man has within his arthritis and the circulatory symptoms that heart an unsatisfied longing to be an artist. will never permit him to wade about in icy If you can satisfy this longing in your re- water to break his hip on a slippery rock tirement years then you have achieved new for a few fish. And the climbing of steep hope and an escape from loneliness.

34 DESERT MAGAZINE A "Travelogue of Nevada Ghost Towns," by Ocie Randall and Walter Riley was to be the program for the September meeting of the Fresno Gem and Mineral Society. 6EMS <">

MINERAL SOCIETY RECEIVES BOOKS MINING CLAIMS AS GIFT Economic Mineral Deposits—By Alan M. Bateman dealing with Geology, Mineralogy and commercial uses Price $8.75 Ten mining claims near Traverse Creek, Economic Geology—By H. Ries, A.M., PhD Price $fi.00 El Dorado County, were presented as a gift Identification and Qualitative Chemical Analysis of Minerals—By Orsino Smith...Price $7.50 recently to the El Dorado County Mineral Handbook for Prospectors and Operators of small mines—-By Von Bemewitz Price $7.50 The Hock Hook—Fenton .... Price $7.50 and Gem Society by B. A. (Jack) Stifle of A Field Guide to Rocks & Minerals—by Frederick H. Pough Price $3.75 Oakland, California. The Story of Metals—By John W. W. Sullivan . Price $3.00 They will be known as the Stifle Memorial The Uranium and Fluorescent Minerals, (a field guide for Uranium prospecting) By H. C. Dake Price $2.00 Park in honor of William L. Stifle, uncle of A Textbook of Mineralogy with an extended treatise on Crystallography and B. A. Stifle, who located them over 35 years physical mineralogy—by William E. Ford Price $7.50 ago. On the claims are 10 known minerals Gold Pans, Mortars & Pestles, Chemical Kits, Picks, Tools, Mineral Specimens with serpentine predominant. We carry a complete line of gem cutting and rock polishing equipment and supplies • • • Featuring work by its own members, the COMPTON ROCK SHOP Hollywood Lapidary and Mineral Society, 1409 S. Long Beach Blvd. Co nip ton, California planned its seventh annual show October Open Tuesday Evening til 10:00 P.M. — Phone NBw rk 2»0!>(i 9 and 10.

NOVEMBER, 1954 35 The San Diego Mineral and Gem Society planned to have as its guest at the general ADVERTISING RATE meeting on October 8, Mrs. Erna Clark, a 10c a word . . . Minimum $1.50 lecturer and writer, who has returned from GEffl mflRT a tour around the world. Specimens she has found in her travels were to be shown.

URANIUM — 1.00% U-30-8, $1.00. In- ATTENTION ROCK COLLECTORS. It At the regular meeting of the Pasadena stantly determine the value of your ore will pay you to visit the Ken-Dor Rock Lapidary Society held October 6, Dr. Harry by comparison with this accurately ana- Roost. We buy, sell, or exchange min- B. Derian. sculptor of the famed Sapphire lyzed sample. Free comparison tube and eral specimens. Visitors are always wel- Washington, was scheduled to speak and instructions included. R. T. Barrett, come. Ken-Dor Rock Roost, 419 Sut- show the preparation for his carving of the 22319 Kathryn Ave., Torrance, Calif. ter, Modesto, California. 1997 carat Australian sapphire. Sketches and terra cotta models were to be shown RARE OPALIZED Wood. In slabs and ROCKHOUND PARADISE. Stop and see and the year spent in research and the sec- cutting material. For prices write J. Guth. our display. Agate rough and slabs. No ond year spent in carving explained in de- Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. junk. Minerals, fluorescent minerals. Sat- tail. The field trip to Boron for petrified P. O. Box 492. isfaction guaranteed. Write for prices. wood was planned for October 9 and 10. P. G. Nichols, Prop., Sun Valley Trailer George Lowe is field trip chairman. IF YOU ARE interested in gems, minerals Park, 3922 No. Oracle Road, Tucson, or jewelcraft and want to know where to Arizona. BELEAL'S IRONWOOD Rock Shop, Box buy anything connected with the hobby, 542 Blythe California, Highway 60-70. where to go after rocks, what to read MINERAL SPECIMENS, cabochons and 7 miles West. California fire agate semi about the crafts, you need The Rock- cutting materials of all lands, western preforms. Top polished, you finish $2.50 hound Buyers Guide. This book has 192 jewelry. Beautiful travertine for book- to $20.00. Large stock other material. pages of absorbing information, the name ends, paper weights, spheres, etc. Write No price lists. and address of nearly every dealer in for prices. Eighteen miles south of Battle America, field trips in 9 states and Mex- Mountain at Copper Canyon, John L. ONYX BLANKS, unpolished, black 25c ico. Only $2.00 postpaid from Lapidary James, Box 495, Battle Mountain, Nev. each, red, green, blue 35c each. Perfect Journal, Box M, Palm Desert California. cut titanium. Fine cutting and polishing GENUINE TURQUOISE: Natural color, at reasonable prices. Prompt attention to blue and bluish green, cut and polished mail orders. Juchem Bros., 315 West 5th cabochons — 25 carats (5 to 10 stones St.. Los Angeles 13, California. according to size) $3.50 including tax, postpaid in U.S.A. Package 50 carats (10 FIFTY MINERAL Specimens, %-in. or to 20 cabochons) $6.15 including tax, over, boxed, identified, described, mounted. postpaid in U.S.A. Elliott Gem & Mineral Postpaid $4.00. Old Prospector, Box 729, Shop. 235 E. Seaside Blvd., Long Beach Lodi, California 2. California. GEMS A-PLENTY: Beautiful baroque SPECIAL: Tumbled gems—3 oz. 50c Ex- gems, large variety, tumble polished all cellent quality, add tax and postage. over, $10.00 for one pound (about 100 Dixie Rock Shop, 3245 Prospect Ave., stones). 10 lbs. of top grade gemstone OREMflSTER prepaid for $7.00. Wholesale price to So. San Gabriel, California. SUPERSENSITIVE MODEL LSTSM-55 dealers on baroque gems and gemstone The model L3TSM-55 Oremaster is more sen- BEAUTIFUL FREE GOLD — Specimens in the rough. Satisfaction guaranteed on sitive than some instruments selling for $1.00 each. Return if not satisfied. Prices every sale. San Fernando Valley Gem twice the price. It is not affected by tem- perature changes or vibration, and is very to dealers. J. N. Reed. Box 102. Cabazon, Shop, 6329 Lindley Ave., Reseda, Calif. reliable, economical to operate, strongly built, California. and reasonably and quickly serviced if ever FOSSILIZED CARNIVORE TEETH: Im- necessary. (Any model Oremaster can be bedded in rock. Scarce. Specimens $1.50 serviced in our laboratory within thirty McSHAN's GEM SHOP—open part time, minutes after receipt ) or find us by directions on door. Cholla each. Rudger Lewis, Ramah, N. M. The model L3TSM-55 has the following fea- cactus wood a specialty, write for prices. tures: I mile west en U. S. 66, Needles, Cali- I HAVE BEEN successful in getting an outstanding polish on Apache Tear (Ob- 1. Three supersensitive Geiger tubes. (This fornia, Box 22. Oremaster will still operate even though sidian) baroques. Small, % inch 20 for 2 ol the Geiger lubes are out or broken.) FOR SALE: Beautiful purple petrified $1.00. Medium 15 for $1.00. Large 10 2. Three miniature electronic tubes. wood with uranium, pyrolusite, manga- for $1.00. Bola size 3 for $1.00. App. IS. Powerful 3Vi" built-in speaker for use matched flats and dangles for earrings in car, climbing over rocks, and in nite. Nice sample $1.00. Postage. Maggie snake country — wherever you can't Baker, Kingman, Arizona. 50c per pair. Satisfaction guaranteed or watch the meter. money refunded. Add sales tax and 10% 4. Big supersensitive 4'/2" meter with: OPALS AND SAPPHIRES rough, direct Federal tax. Write for price list on the a. Eight meter ranges—two for airborn from Australia. Cutting opal, 1 ounce following baroques: rhodenite, Oregon or mobile use in locating radio-active areas, five for prospecting the areas, $5, $10, $20, $30 and $60. Blue sap- agate, dendritic agate, quartz crystal, rose and three for testing the veins and phires, 1 ounce $10, $30, and $60. Star quartz, snowflake obsidian and chryso- ore samples. sapphires, 12 stones $10, $20, and $30, colla. Wholesale prices to dealers. G. F. b. Eight meter speeds, giving you four Clark, 16230 Orchard Ave., Gardena, meter speeds on the supersensitive etc. Post free and insured. Send inter- ranges and four on the regular ranges. national money order, bank draft. Aus- California. 5. Heavy aluminum rustproof case which tralian Gem Trading Co., 49 Elizabeth is light-weight but strong enough to St., Melbourne, Australia. Free list of LOVELY BAROQUE GEMS: For making stand on. all Australian stones rough and cut, 16 pp. today's jewelry. Bracelet finding kits. Bola 6. Large comfortable handle, which makes carrying it a pleasure. necklace kits. Caps, chain, jump rings, 7. Weight approximately seven and one- stone cement. Faceted stars, faceting gar- half pounds, length seventeen inches, nets, rough star sapphires, goldstone, height four inches, and width five inches. BLANK MOUNTINGS golden citrine, aquamarine, India moon- 8. Powered by two one and one-half volt stone, fine sagenile agate. Fire opal by flashlight cells, two No. 455 Eveready for forty-five volt B batteries, and one No. the piece, the ounce or the pound, Mexi- 467 Eveready sixty-seven and one-half AGATE JEWELRY can banded agate, Siam zircons, madena volt B battery. 9. Tropicalized for use anywhere. WHOLESALE or red. Rutillated quartz, clear smoky 10. Directional for quick determination from quartz. Dark and light amethyst, lapis- which direction the radiation is coming. Rings — Ear Wires — Tie Chains lazuli from Persia and Afghanistan. Fine 11. Fully guaranteed as are all Oremasters. Cuff Links — Neck Chains specimens. Ctit slabs. Open every day The list price on the model L3TSM-55 is $295. in the week. Drop in and see us. H. A. Bezel — devices — Shanks Easy payment plan available if desired Ivers, 1400 North Hacienda Blvd., La We service all makes of counters Solder — Findings Habra Heights, California. Send stamp for price list No. 3 WHITE'S ELECTRONICS CUSTOM TUMBLING: 1 lb. or 100 lbs. 1218 'M' Street Sweet Home, Oregon O. R. JUNKINS & SON Let us tumble your material into brilliant Note: Specifications and prices subject to 440 N.W. Beach St. baroques. Send for price list and free change without notice NEWPORT. OREGON sample polished baroque. Treasure Crafts, Box 847D, Ramona, California.

36 DESERT MAGAZINE NEBRASKA MINERAL, GEM CLUB Members of the Wichita Gem & Mineral ELECTS NEW OFFICERS Society found amethyst crystals on their September field trip, at the site of one of Arthur O. Henry was elected president the very few 'granite outcroppings in the PRICES SLASHED! at recent elections of the Nebraska Mineral state, eight miles south of Yates Center in Due to bigger buying volume we can now and Gem Club which now boasts 121 reg- eastern Kansas. They also visited nearby give better prices on most of our items ular members and 23 junior members. quartzite sites where red and blue speci- (Write for new price list for complete listing) Assisting with official duties will be John mens were selectee!. The Society finished E. Hufford, vice-president; and Lloyd, C. the days fun with a visit to a nearby quarry HERE ARE A FEW OF THE ITEMS Fowler, secretary-treasurer. for crinoid, coral and other specimens that TITANIA (Rutile)—Top quality, superior cut— The club meets on the third Wednssday flourished when Kansas was under the sea. per carat $8.00 of each month at 7:3C p.m. in the Print Special Offer — Brilliance Unequalled Room of the Joslyn i4emorial Museum Approx. 1 ct. Titania set in beautifully styled in Omaha. Interested \ isitors are invited ladies solitaire ring—14k yellow or white to attend. An overnight field trip to the Magdalena gold-$14.95. area in New Mexico, where the Santa Fe Approx. .75 ct. Titania set in men's belcher Official publication of the club is The Gem & Mineral Club will look for Pyrite, type ring—14k yellow or whfte gold, $19.95 Nebraska Rockhound'n Rear Trunk. Azurite, Smithsonite and Calcite crystals GENUINE AGATE MARBLES (mixed sizes 1/2" was planned for October 9 and 10. At the to 1")—per doz. $7.50. W to %" ea. 75c September meeting. Herbert Grand-Girard EARRINGS (made from agate spheres) — Dif- Coachella Valley's U alifofftia) famous talked on "Minerals of the Mid-West." Mr. ferent — unusual. S.S. or G.F., pair $2.75 quartz crystal, owned b\ Mr. and Mrs. and Mrs. Grand-Girard are new members LARIAT TIES with 25x18 mm. cabochon. The Omar Kerschner of Indio, ,was exhibited of the club. He was formerly president of latest type sport tie—blue, red, yellow $2.65 this summer. The giant crystal, weighing the Chicago Rocks and Minerals Society. CUFF LINKS (S.S.), swivel base, mounted with between 500 and 600 pounds is a familiar 30/22 mm. cabochon. In attractive gift sight at mineral and gem shows and at the box. Available in various materials. Give Riverside County Fair and I^lational Date 1st and 2nd choice color of stone de- Festival. I ALTA INDUSTRIES sired, pair—$6.95 GENUINE SYNTHETIC TURQUOISE STONES- 2123 W. ENCANTO BLVD. Very beautiful and hard to tell from the DIAMOND BLADES PHOENIX, ARIZONA real ones. Drilled drops (approx 3A" long) "Treat uourself to the best" Per doz. _...._ _ _ ... $1.00 "Treat yourself to the best" MANUFACTURE AND DESIGN Baroques, approx. W diam. per doz. $1.00 Heavy-Duty Super Standanl New 10-12 inch powerfeed slabbing Mixed cabochons (2 mm. to 8 mm. round) uper-Chgd. Charged Charged saw unit. per 200 .. . $1.00 6" $ $ 9.03 $ 7.98 CUTTING MATERIAL (slabbed) assorted per 8" 11.50 10.44 16-18 inch powerfeed slabbing saw 10" 15.23 14.02 Ib. ..___.. $1.50 12" 22.26 18.53 unit. CABOCHONS (mixed sizes and material)— !4" 29.40 25.67 Fine finish—excellent polish. 1 dozen dif- Id'' 32.76 29.08 New 10 inch trim saw unit. 18" 65.GO 43.20 36.12 8 inch trim saw unit. ferent ring stones .. __ .... $6.00 20" 77.95 51.97 39.84 Plain and ball bearing belt sanders. V2 dozen different brooch and pendant 24" S3 24 65.73 51.40 stones _ _.__._. .... $5.00 30" 149.62 125.7:! Send postal for free literature. 36" 226.00 188.05 SUPER SPECIAL (never before offered) — 1 State Arbor Size dozen mixed cabochons—16x12 mm. to Sale Tax in California 30x40 mm., 1 dozen $8.75 Allow for Postage and Insurance TREASURE HUNTERS FACETED HEARTS (genuine amethyst and New type metals detector. Distinguishes topaz citrine) drilled for studs. They make Covington Ball Bearing Grinder metals from black magnetic sands Ideal for locating gold nuggets, placer deposits. De- beautiful pendants, necklaces, earrings, and shields BIT water. Locates bracelets, etc. While supply lasts — furnished in coins, je\velr\ Small, each ... $1.00 sizes and prict on beaches. Free from Medium, each ..... $1.50 ranges to suit false detec- Order yours right away your require- tions. Each HAND CARVED ANIMALS (genuine amethyst) ments. Water and unit supplied with two dif- frogs, bees, lizards, turtles, etc, ea. 75c grit proof. ferent search (make attractive jewelry) coils. Ask for COVINGTON 8" TRIM SAW free lite ra- (Money back guarantee) il re. Add 10% fed tax to all items—3% Calif. S tax and motor are com- pact and do not GARDINER splash. Save blades ELECTRONICS COAST GEMS, Inc. and clothing with CO., DEPT. DM this saw. 20)8 N. DAYTON 8911 E. Valley Blvd. — Rosemead, California PHOENIX, ARIZ.

BUILD YOUR OWN LAP and SAVE with a COV INGTON 12" or 16" > a|. Kit. We furnish o>«r> thing yai* need. Srn" for new tree lapidar,> catalog. Petrified Wood, Moss Agate, Chrysocolla ACOVINGTON Turquoise, Jade and Jasper Jewelry ^Multi-Feature 16" Lapidary Unit Does HAND MADE IN STERLING SILVER everything for you. Bracelets, Rings, Necklaces, Earrings COVINGTON and Brooches 12" 14" or 16" SPECIALLY SELECTED STONES WITH Power Feed CHOICE COLORS AND PICTURES Diamond Slab Saws Write for Folder With Prices

SAVE BLADES ELLIOTT'S GEM SHOP Used by the U. S. Government 235 East Seaside Blvd. LONG BEACH 2, CALIF Send for New Catalog, IT'S FREE Across from West End of Municipal Auditorium Grounds Covington Lapidary Eng. Hours 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. DaUy Exceot Monday BEDLANDS I), CALIFORNIA

NOVEMBER, 1954 37 Two fall field trips were planned at a re- In the September issue of The Sphere, 1 cent meeting by the Clark County (Nevada) monthly bulletin of the Hollywood Lapidary "OVERLOOKED FORTUNES' Gem Collectors. On October 31 members and Mineral Society, Frank Graf reported IN THE RARER MINERALS planned to travel to Bullhead at Davis Dam, his lapidary instruction to veterans in the Find war minerals! Here are a few of the Arizona where they were to search for rocks Brentwood Veterans Hospital has proved 40 or more strategic rarer minerals which washed down the Colorado River. On No- successful. "Many are turned away because you may be overlooking in the hills or in vember 27 the collectors plan to visit the only two can work at my machine," he that mine or prospect hole: columbium, tan- Selenite fields at Bonnelli Landing in Ari- said. Graf suggested the group sponsor a talum, uranium, vanadium, tungsten, nickel, zona, about 40 miles from Las Vegas. lapidary class at the hospital as a club cobalt, bismuth, palladium, iridium, osmi- September meeting was at the cabin of Mr. project. um, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, titan- and Mrs. S. Gene Parks on Mt. Charleston, • • • ium, tin, molybdenum, selenium, germanium, 32 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Mrs. J. San Diego Mineral and Gem Society manganese, cadmium, thallium, antimony, H. Nicolaides was hostess for the group of planned to hold its 17th annual Mineral mercury, chromium, etc. Prices booming; about 35 members. and Gem Show Saturday and Sunday Octo- many much more valuable than a gold • • • ber 2 and 3. Commercial, special and mem- mine: cassiterite now $1000 a ton; bismuth "Tin from Bolivia," was the title of a ber exhibits were planned. $1500 a ton; columbite $2500 a ton; tant*- movie shown at a recent meeting of the • • • lite or microlite $5000 a ton; tungsten $3 San Antonio (Texas) Rock and Lapidary pound; platinum $90 ounce, etc. Now you Dr. Herbert Adair gave an illustrated lec- Society. Samples of tin ore and smelted ture on Dinosaur National Monument in can learn what they are, how to find, iden- material were shown by Mrs. Farquhar as tify and cash in upon them. Send for free Utah at a recent meeting of the Los Angeles an adjunct to the movie. Lapidary Society. Dr. Adair showed colored copy "overlooked fortunes"—it may lead • • • to knowledge which may make you richl slides he had taken of the monument. Also A postcard will do. With 65 members present, Roy Bible at the meeting James Ruddy was awarded talked on "The Great Pyramid of Gizeh," a life membership in the society. DUKE'S RESEARCH LABORATORY at the September meeting of the Cheyenne • • • Box 666, Dept. B, Hot Springs, New Mexico (Wyoming) Mineral and Gem Society. His The San Jacinto-Hemet Rockhounds club talk was illustrated with a chart showing a received first prize at the Farmers Fair at cross section of the great pyramid, its rooms Hemet, California. August 18-22, the club and passages. He described the pyramid as has announced. Four special awards were • Specializing in • the "most gigantic lapidary project of the presented to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Har- ages." well of Sunnymead, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin FINE FOREIGN GEMS • • • Grouard of Santa Ana, Mr. and Mrs. Web- AND MINERALS Ogden D. Scoville, mining engineer, was ster Parker of Riverside and Mr. Walter Lapidary Equipment and Supplies to speak on "Collecting in Western Mexico," Zeiders of Romoland. The members re- Gem drills—Jewelry tools—Sterling at the September meeting of the Santa Bar- ceived 31 first awards, 15 second awards Jewelry Mountings— Books—Mineralights bara Mineral and Gem Society. Scoville, and six third awards. who is a member of the society, planned to • • • SUPERIOR GEMS & MINERALS exhibit several specimens collected in that Minerals, gemology and lapidary were 4665 Park Blvd., San Diego 16, California area. topics for a panel discussion by experts at Open 10:30 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. • • • a recent meeting of the Fresno Gem and Closed Sundays After a lengthy contest to select a title, Mineral Society, Fresno, California. Ques- the San Francisco Gem and Mineral So- tions by members were to follow the dis- ciety has named its monthly bulletin "The cussion. Mineralog." John Mueller submitted the THE I'ROSPKOTOR'S CATALOG winning name. Society members planned a We are pleased to announce the advent of field trip to Berkeley Hills for agate and a new Minerals Unlimited Catalog, specifi- cally designed for the amateur or profes- quartz nodules Sept. 26. TRUE OR FALSE ANSWERS sional prospector. If you are interested in • • • C.eiKer Counters, ftfineralights, Blowpipe Sets, (iold Pans or any of the other equipment Sagenite was to be the object of a Sep- Questions are on page 32 necessary to a field or prospecting trip, tember 4-6 search at Owlhead Mountain by send 5c in stamps or coin for your copv the Pasadena Lapidary Society, according I—False. A new button is added MINERALS UNLIMITED, Dept. I) every time the snake changes its 1724 University Ave., Berkeley, California to the monthly bulletin. George Lowe was field trip chairman. skin which may be two or more times a year. 2—False. Navajo nigs are woven with wool. WS! GRINDS! 3—True. 4—True. AND* BUFFS! 12" bench model, $7i 5—False. Elephant Butte dam is in Ev«rytWn9in-1 16" floor model, $110 I eluded except I 20" floor model, $155 New Mexico. motor. Uses all I Real rockhounds saws 6—True. Hillquist «"»• I favored for their big ,ori.*. Ideal tor I HILLQUIST DIAMOND SAWS capacity and lifetime 7—False. The kangaroo rat's normal banners. Only I Cut Foster-Last Longer-Cost construction. "Magic- Drain" automatic feed ' travel is on its powerful hind I less. Available in all sizes. for above $46,35 legs—hence the name. Youil swear by 'em, not at'em! HILLQUIST TRIM SAW 8— True. The "Cadillac" of trim sawi. Exclu ^_sive "up-and-down" Before you buy any lapidary 9—False. The Great White Throne ^arbor. "No-splosh" I is in Zion National Park. plastic guards. I equipment - send for our hig Precision rock I 10—False. Coyotes eat both lizards clamp and guide. I . w and rodents. Complete with 8" I k FREE CATALOG! The ultimate i 11—False. Some leather armor was blade, $62.501 FULL OF HtlPFUl LAPIDARY HILLQUIST GEM DRILL-HOLE SAW ""o""*'^-5-^0^ worn—no metal. Us finest holes "LAPIDARY EQUIP-CO. .HILLQUIST DRUM SANDER 12—False. The Oatman massacre lot high 1545 W. 49 St. SEATTLE 7, WN. I The most popular drum was near the Gila River in I speed and saws I sander made. Patented • discs up to 1'/:". I "quick-lock' screw makes ' southwestern Arizona. • Exclusive ramrod I it easy to change sanding 13—False. Bloodstone gets its name • action prevents I cloth. 3"n7"~ $9.50 I core plugging. from small specks of red in I Fully automatic. $68.80 I |IIITlTil-IM-l-IIIIBIl'l^fHILLQUIST COMPACT LAfIMH UNIT greenish chalcedony. I Bigger than the Gem-Master. Handles HILLQUIST COMPLETE FACETER up to a 10" saw. Saws, grinds, a 14—True. 15—True. Only $62.50 complete with 31 sands, polishes, laps, facets 16—False. The will of Albert John- ^ index plates. You con cut anyl cuts spheres — does every faceted form quickly and I R a son, Scotty's partner, gave the I Wgl ?/"^:,[ ValJob»e »or pro- thing and does it better. wne ^easily. The equal I I 2" x w ' wanting fast, — , nouanos m use. Castle to the Gospel Foundation of faeeters I 1 fessionals or any , n\y$53.50| Everything include 1 1 9 of California, the profits to go to costing twice I I smooth g"" * " ^ from $1^951 except motor the price. I Other ArPV — ^ at $122.50 religious charities. 17—True. 18—True. 19—True. 20—True. 38 DESERT MAGAZINE Bidding was high at the annual auction Members of the East Bay Mineral Soci- Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Laughlin, members held by the Los Angeles Lapidary Society ety, Oakland, California, planned a three of the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Mineral and at the September meeting. In one hour, day field excursion September 4, 5 and 6 at Gem Society, appeared on Marge O'Brians auctioneer Jack Gaston and several volun- "Hobby Corner" television show, Thursday, teer assistants sold $97.35 worth ~f assorted the Forest Service Camp Grounds at Jack- September 9. They showed jewelry they rocks — brought and bought by members. son Creek, about 18 miles east of Quincy. have designed and made, telling about stones This money was used to purchase refresh- The group was to search for rose quartz. in each piece. ments and prizes for the annual picnic held Sunday, September 26. at Tapia Park. The Los Angeles Lapidary Society meetings are held at 8:00 p.m. the first Monday of each month at Van Ness Playground Auditorium, Felker DI-MET 5720 2nd Avenue, Los Angeles. Visitors are cordially invited, reports Maxine Reams. Corresponding Secretary. imm'EQUIPMENT Diamond Blades • Core Drills • Machines • • •

At Escalante. Utah, early in September, Felker DI-MET approximately 56 enthusiastic explorers of RIMLOCK BLADES scenic beauty and historical facts convened Accepted for years as the standard for fast, smooth for a three day excursion into eastern Utah. culs, long life, low cost! The expedition was under the sponsorship Finish requires a mini- of the Cedar City Rock Club with mem- mum of polishing- ^rVheel bodies ore made of cop- bers of the Cedar City chapter of the Sons per or steel. Diameters of Utah Pioneers, and the Mineralogical from 3" through 36". Felker DI-MET UNILAP-A universal lapidary machine Society of Utah as guests. Randall Lyman designed for multiple operations: grinding, sanding, po/- of Escalante acted as guide for the trip that isnfn

October meeting of the San Diego Min- eral and Gem Society will feature a talk by Why Search for Mrs. Erna Clark, who has recently com- pleted a world-wide trip. Dorothy Craig spoke at the society's September meeting. URANIUM r"' ""— WHEN IN SAN DIEGO You will enjoy stopping to see our display of fine crystals and mineral specimens from with a Horse and Buggy? all over the world. MINERAL GEMS O. A. Newhouse, 4676 Park Blvd. Corner Adams Ave. — San Diego 16, Calif.

FAMOUS TEXAS PLUMES Red Plume, Pom Pom and many other types of agate. Slabs on approval. Rough agate. 8 lb. mixture postpaid, $5.00. Price list on request. WOODWARD RANCH 17 miles So. on Hwy 118 Box 453. Alpine. Texas Is more sensitive than any other ScintiIlator or Geiger Counter « Easily detects deeply buried Uranium COLORFUL CUTTING MATERIALS deposits from ground or air Sawed, untrimmed pieces, none smaller Produces results never before possible than half inch; sampler of one piece each of Arizona Jasper, chrysocolla, moss agate. « Can be used for oil field surveys Shattuckite, petrified wood. Norwegian ^ Made by the manufacturers of the moonstone, verdite. socialite, green quartz: All nine pieces, identified, postpaid Dealers famous "Scintillator" guaranteed St.DO Wanted LOST MOUNTAIN GEMS P.O. Box 5012, Phoenix, Arizona PRECISION RADIATION

BEFORE YOU BUY ANY INSTRUMENTS, INC. GEIGER COUNTER Contact your nearest dealer \ I 2235 DSR So.La Brea Ave., Los Angeles 16, California Get our FREE Booklet-"HOW TO SELECT orwritedirectforcompletecatalog \ I Please send Free Catalog. GEIGER & SCINTILLATION COUNTERS." In- of Geiger Counters, Scintillators \ | NAME TITLE formation on proper instruments for pros- pecting—ore recognition charts-how to file and metal locators including the / | COMPANY claims, etc. Prices on complete line, Geiger, new "Special Scintillator" priced / I ADDRESS Scintillation Counters, $39.95 & up. Pros- pect for uranium fortunes. Write now. at only $299.50. / I__CITY _ZONE STATE_ DEALERS INVITED. 5060 HOLLYWOOD BLVD., D«pt. D L WORLD'S LARGEST MANUFACTURERS OF PORTABLE RADIATION INSTRUMENTS JEB INSTRUMENTS IPS ANGELES 27, CALIFORNIA

NOVEMBER, 1954 39 Members of the Indiana Geology and Oklahoma Mineral and Gem Society At the Forest Dale Club House, the Wa- Gem Society were to be spelunkers for a made a Labor Day field trip to McCurtain satch Gem Society of Salt Lake, met to see day when a field trip was to take them to County in search of green quartz, adularia the colored slide collection of W. T. Rogers, May's Cave, about six miles southwest of and tabular quartz crystals. A "rough-it" showing the Death Valley and Redwood Bloomington, Indiana, in mid-September. trip, members camped out and enjoyed only Area. A field trip was also planned for The cave is believed to mark the course of one modern convenience, electric lights September 26 at Woodlawn, where Moss an ancient underground waterway. rigged by Alvin Markwell, Hack Yount and Agate was to be the object of the search • • • Chal Snyder. A variety of choice specimens along the Provo River. A display of $500,000 worth of jewelry were discovered by those participating. e e e was shown at the September meeting of the A lecture on diamonds by Mrs. Gladys Oklahoma Mineral and Gem Society by Babscn Hannaford, representing N. W. Miss Emma Jordon, manager of the House Me-nbers of the Lahontan Gem and Min- Ayer & Son of New York City, was pre- of Winston. Meeting at the home of Mr. eral Club of Nevada have planned to enter sented to the Wichita Gem and Mineral and Mrs. H. T. Daniels, society members a club float in the Nevada Day parade in Society, in the Science Building of the Lni- heard Miss Jordan talk on the Biblical his- Carson City the last of October. A field versity of Wichita on September 26. Mrs. tory of gem stones. Plans for the October trip to Nye Canyon near Yerington. with H;.nnjf:)rd also Hi .wed slides of the dia- 17 gem show set by the group were dis- members meeting at Silver Springs was mond industry, from mine to finished gem. cussed. planned for Sunday. September 26. Th; Barite Rose quarry, selenite crystal lo- c ;tion at Brookvil'e, ;.nd Rock City w.ll be the field trip for October. • • e Dr. Theodore Just, chief curator. Depart- TIN OXIDE $1.50 PER POUND ment of Botany, Chicago Natural History Museum, was scheduled to address the Chi- If you buy $5 worth of Basic Lapidary Supplies from the following list. cago Rocks and Minerals Society at their A $10 purchase entitles you to buy 2 lbs. Tin Oxide at $1.50 per lb. first meeting of the season on September A $25 purchase entitles you to buy 5 lbs. of Tin Oxide. 11. His illustrated lecture was to he "Cycads Living and Fossil." NORTON CRYSTOLON GRINDING WHEELS . . . • a • Size 6x>/2" 6x1" 8x1" 8x1 W 10x1 W Boron Dry Lake and Castle Buttes were 80 grit $7.50 to be the locations of a September field 100 grit $2.65 $3.60 $5.35 7.50 $11.35 trip by Delvers Gem and Mineral Society. Bellflower. California. Petrified wood, palm 220 grit 2.95 3.95 5.90 8.25 12.50 and agate are found in that locality. 320 grit 3.35 4.50 6.70 9.40 14.20 • • • Shipping weight 2 lbs. 3 lbs. 5 lbs. 6 lbs. 9 lbs. Willard Perkin, who has collected min- Crystolon Wheel Dressing Brick 6"x2"xl" 95c erals for many years, and has traded ex- tensively with European collectors, was CRYSTOLON ABRASIVE for the Lapidary . . . scheduled to speak to the Long Beach Min- Grit Size 1 Pound 5 Lb. Lots 10 Lb. Lots 25 Lb. Lots eral Society, October 13. Colored slides 80. 100, 120. 18. 220 $ .83 $ .52 $ .39 $ .30 and the history of minerals from old time 2F (320). 3F (400) .38 .57 .41 .32 locations were to be shown and explained. Graded 400 1.09 .73 .57 .48 Graded 600 1.35 .94 .78 .69 DURITE (Silicon Carbide) ROLL SANDING CLOTH— Available in 120. 150. 180. 220. 330 grits Dry Rolls 2" wide, 25 ft. long—$2.00; 150-foot roll—$ 9.00 3" wide, 15 ft. long— 2.00; 150-foot roll— 13.25 10" wide. 5 ft. long— 2.00; 150-foot roll— 39.77 12" wide, 5 ft. long— 2.25; 150-foot roll— 47.70 Wet Rolls 3" wide. 10 ft. long—$2.00; 150-foot roll—$21.60 10" wide, 40 in. long— 2.60; 150-foot roll— 71.25 DURITE SANDING CLOTH in round disks . . . Available in 120. 220. 320 grits Wet Dry 6" 5 for $1.00; 25 for $ 3.90 8 for $1.00; 25 for $ 2.25 8" 3 for 1.10; 25 for 7.00 5 for 1.00; 25 for 4.10 10" 2 for 1.15; 25 for 11.00 3 for 1.00; 25 for 6.45 "20th Century prospectors" — hunters, 12" 2 for 1.65; 25 for 16.00 2 for 1.00; 25 for 9.45 fishermen everywhere, take Goldak's new U-238B geiger counters on every trip! The CONGO OR FELKER DI-MET DIAMOND BLADES U. S. 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SOLDAK COMPANY PASADENA 4, CALIFORNIA 1559 W. Glenoaks Boulevard Glendale, California 40 DESERT MAGAZINE The San Francisco Gem and Mineral Society members spent a greal deal of time in the planning of the Second Annual Gem Mineralight Makes Rich Tungsten Find in Nevada and Mineral Fair scheduled at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, in San Francisco, October 16-17. Admission was to be free, with a snack bar. prizes and grab bags. The field SSSi trip for Oc:oi-cr is scheduled at Jim-Bob AFTER SEARCH Min;, Saturday and Sunday, October 23-24, with members panning for gold near Coul- terville, 120 miles east of San Francisco in the historic Mother Lode area. Gold pans, shovels, and bottles were to be supplied. I was collecting u

Discussion of a worthwhile site for an minerals for fun... but October field trip occupied most of the business session of the Explorers-Rock- FOUND A FORTUNE! hounds Club of Alamogordo, New Mexico. September 21. S/Sgt. Steve Strauss, club Each of these president, who has been stationed in Ice- headlines...reprinted land, showed colored films, some of which from just two recent z were taken at midnight and as late as 2 editions of MINING a.m. during the season when Iceland has RECORD...refers sunshine round-the-clock. Phil Stevenson to a find made brought polished agate for display and re- with a Mineralight ported on a place some distance from llltra-Violet Albuquerque where both agate and petri- Lamp. fied woods might be found.

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BULLETINS 2-A $ 3 ON BAROQUE SUPPLIES FREE No. 2-A—Listing Kits, Findings, Mountings, Stones, Tumblers, Supplies, and Accessories. No. 3—Special mountings cast to your stones in modern design and universal wrap around mountings. 9 STONE ASSORTMENT, approximately W size 9 for $1.80 9 STONE ASSORTMENT, approximately W-W size 9 for $2.70 CHOKER & BRACELET FINDING KITS Al, one kind or assorted-your choice while stocks iast. ^K.Vtacluctes: 7° No. 11)1 Bracelet Chain; 9 Caps; 9 No. 187 .Jump Rings; 1 large Jump Ring; 1 heavy Spring Ring. S.S. or 6.F., complete. Bracelet Findings Kit KB91. ....$2.25 Choker Findings Kit KC!)i ..$3.00 W Kit complete with 9 stones—$3.95 •>*" Kit complete with 9 stones—$4.85 Please allow for approximate postage, insurance, 1(K Fed. Tax, California residents add 39 sales tax. 2732 Colorado Blvd.—Tel. AL 1488 J. J. JEWELCRAFT I>OS ANGELES 41, CALIFORNIA

NOVEMBER, 1954 41 y-u5t between

By RANDALL HENDERSON Thus another large sector of the desert Southwest is to be closed to prospectors, scientists and those who come APRIL the Desert Magazine carried a story to the desert for recreation and spiritual strength. about Stephen Riess and his revolutionary theories From the standpoint of crop production, Saline Valley regarding the origin of water. Riess believes that has little to recommend it. It is just as arid as the name within the rocky structure of the earth, Nature is con- implies. But it will be a tragedy indeed if the armed forces stantly at work creating new or primary water—and that persist in their policy of closing more and more of these if man would tap these sources he would be less depend- desert lands to civilian use. For as population becomes ent on rainfall. more crowded humans will have increasing need for the Some of the geologists scoff at the Riess ideas. One space and the freedom which is found only in the arid of them went so far as to broadcast the assertion that any lands. It was in the solitude of a desert wilderness that person who claimed there were sources of water other the prophets 2000 years ago gained the spiritual stature than the precipitation cycle was more than likely a fraud. that enabled them to found a great and lasting Christian Being neither a geologist nor a chemist, I am not religion. qualified to pass judgment on the merit of Mr. Riess' theories. But this is a question of vital importance to The Desert is in a sullen mood today. We cannot see people of the desert, and I want to relate the experience San Jacinto and San Gorgonio peaks on the distant of one of my neighbors in this area because of the bearing horizon. The entire landscape is shrouded in haze—gray it may have on the question. dirty mist which obscures the entire rim of the elongated Owner of 500 acres of land in Anza Valley in the bowl which is Coachella Valley. Santa Rosa Mountains overlooking Palm Desert is H. A. We do not have these days often. They occur when Pursche, a farmer of wide experience. He bought the a sandstorm somewhere to the east, perhaps as far away land several years ago because he thought its soil would ;:s Arizona or New Mexico, whips fine particles of silt grow good summer lettuce. aloft and the gulf winds carry them westward until the The soil was rich, but he was unable to develop enough air currents are slowed down by the mountain barrier water for crops. He spent a small fortune putting down which separates the desert from the coastal plain. When wells—15 of them. But all he got was dribbles of water the overhead currents of wind lose their velocity the fine —enough for a few cows. He consulted geologists, and particles of silt slowly settle to the earth, just as the calcite they gave him little encouragement. Beneath the fertile content in a flowing stream is deposited when the current top soil, they said, was solid granite. is retarded. Then Pursche read an article about Stephen Riess and Some of my neighbors wonder if this is smog which called him in for consultation. Riess spent four days has drifted through the mountain passes from the Los studying the geology of the area and the chemistry of the Angeles metropolitan area 120 miles away. But this isn't rocks, then advised that a well near the top of a rocky hill smog. During the war I spent a summer on the Sahara probably would tap the best source of water. When water Desert where the haze was so dense at times it was difficult was struck the well pumped 450 gallons a minute, and for our planes to find the runway—and there wasn't: a later when the hole was sunk to a greater depth the factory within a thousand miles of our little Sahara oasis. production increased to 600 gallons. And that is a good The haze on the Sahara was the result of sandstorms well in terrain where previous holes had yielded only four which may have stirred up the sand 600 or 800 miles away. or five gallons a minute. Sometimes it was necessary to climb the planes to 12,000 Recently I talked with Riess about his theories as to feet to get above those dust clouds. the origin of water. He is a geo-chemist who came to this Here, the same winds which bring a hazy overcast country from Germany in 1923. There is no hocus pocus also bring moist air. Humidity is high—and the atmo- about his method of seeking water. His approach is that sphere is oppressive. Those desert dwellers who have of a scientist who is convinced that the elements of the nothing to do but think about their personal comfort are earth are constantly at work under certain conditions ready to give the whole desert back to the Indians. manufacturing new water, and that it is within the realm But the desert's ugly mood generally lasts only a few of science to determine what these conditions are and hours. Then the atmosphere clears until one can almost where they are operative. count the agaves on the side of the mountain 20 miles Anyway, that well on the Pursche ranch in Anza away. The sun is hot—but the heat is a relaxative that Valley is pumping a fine stream of water, and I am re- is good for normal human beings. Field crops make phe- luctant to believe it was all a matter of luck. nomenal growth, and in the patio the bougainvillia and * * * other sun-loving domestic shrubs throw out great clusters Inyo County, California, appears to have lost its long of blossoms. fight to prevent the Navy from taking over Saline Valley All normal people can adapt to desert living—and if —879,360 acres of it—as an aerial gunnery range for the they have a bit of poetry in them they learn to love the Marine Corps. place.

42 DESERT MAGAZINE tion, generally good condition and the fact they come from a single cache, they are considered a significant addi- tion to the corpus of figurines from the northern periphery of the South- west. Morss presents reasons why he MASKED DANCERS OF HOW MEN MAY SURVIVE believes the figurines date from the THE HOPI TRIBESMEN IN DESERT TEMPERATURES 11th century. Who are the Hopi Kachinas? Are Many months before Pearl Harbor, Published by Peabody Museum of they gods or devils? What role do they both military and civilian chiefs in American Archeology and Ethnology, play in the religious life of the tribes- Washington began preparations for Harvard University. 74 pages, 18 col- men? Why the grotesque masks and war — a war which they were afraid lotype figures and 13 illustrations. costumes? might extend to remote corners of the $3.50. These and a thousand other ques- world. tions which may be asked by students As part of this preparation, the U.S. Books reviewed on this page are available at of tribal life and religion in the South- Office of Scientific Research and De- Desert Crafts Shop, Palm Desert west, are answered by Dr. Frederick J. velopment entered into a contract with Dockstader of Dartmouth College in the University of Rochester, New York, his new book The Kachina and the for an exhaustive study of problems White Man. which must be met if American sol- OWERINC CACTUS During the 20 years he has been diers were called upon to conduct a THE W studying the Kachina Cult of the Hopi war on or over the desert of North mesas, Dr. Dockstader has secured Africa. There would be problems of over 300 different Kachina figurines. food and clothing in high temperatures, Since the tribesmen constantly are cre- of stamina and training — of actual ating new Kachinas and discarding old survival in lands of excessive heat and ones the author does not regard his own collection as complete. little water. Contrary to popular concept, the As part of this program of research, Kachinas are not gods. Neither arc a team of scientific men spent many they idols. Rather, they fill the role months with the Patton army in train- of emissaries between the gods and the ing on the Southern California desert. people. They convey to the unseen Other research teams went to the Sa- spirits of the Hopi world, the prayers hara, the Gobi, and other deserts of for rain, for favorable weather, for the world. No expense was spared in good crops. They reward the good making this the most exhaustive study deeds of the tribesmen, and punish ever conducted in the broad field of The book which catches the human reaction to heat under adverse transgressors. unsurpassed beauty of During his years at Arizona State conditions. Teachers' College where he obtained Out of these studies came a series his Bachelor's and Master's degrees, of monographs carrying summaries of The Flowering and where he later was an instructor. all the data collected, and illustrated Dr. Dockstader was in close contact with charts which would make the in- with the Hopis, and spent much time formation intelligible even to the lowli- Cactus with them in their pueblo homes. est private in the U. S. Army. Edited by RAYMOND CARLSON An artist and craftsman himself, he More recently the reports covering Photographs and technical data by gained the complete confidence of the every phase of the study have been R. ('. and Claire Meyer Proctor Indians, and from his association with published in book form, Physiology of 137 glorious photographs. 82 in them he derived an intimate knowl- Man on the Desert, by E. F. Adolph brilliant color, catch the cactus edge of tribal customs and thinking. and Associates. flowers of the Southwest at the This background has enabled him to height of their astounding beauty. prepare and illustrate a most revealing The 357-page book, available at The text by Raymond Carlson, present only in paper binding, has been editor of Arizona Highways, de- book on a phase of Hopi life which scribes all the main species of cac- has been the subject of much misun- selling for $7.00. However, Desert tus, the best time of year to see derstanding. Magazine has obtained the remaining them, the areas most easily ac- supply of this limited edition and while cessible to tourist travel, and how The book deals especially with the to grow and transplant cactus. A influence of the white man's civiliza- they last will offer them to Desert read- detailed map shows just where tion on the culture of the Hopi Indians, ers at $3.50. Early next year a few of each species is to be found in these also will be available in hard Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colo- and particularly on the Kachina cere- rado. Nevada and California. monials. cover at $5.00. Published by the Cranbrook Insti- There is a special section on the best way in which to photograph tute of Science at Bloomfield Hills, SIGNIFICANCE OF DISCOVERY flowering cactus which deals with Michigan, the 204-page volume con- OF INDIAN FIGURINES GIVEN all the problems faced by the tains 12 Kachina plates in full color, amateur, and there are detailed five halftone photographs and 89 line Significance of 11 clay figurines dis- line drawings by George Avey to covered in an ancient Indian cave at assist in identification. I) x IIV2 illustrations. Also, it includes a chro- inches. $7.50 nological listing of Hopi-white man Range Creek, Utah is the primary aim contacts from 1540 to 1850, Hopi of Noel Morss' papers, Clay Figurines At all bookstores glossary, bibliography and index. of the American Southwest. MCGRAW-HILL BOOK CO., INC., N. Y. 36 $5.00. Because of their elaborate decora-

NOVEMBER, 1954 43 -,:••••••:••;:, : ,,-,••• .-. k J

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