Desert Magazine 1957 January
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PUEBLO PANORAMAS IX Cliff Apartments Under overhanging strata along the precipitous 600 foot inner walls of Walnut Canyon east of Flagstaff, WALNUT CANYON Arizona, an ancient cliff people built communal dwellings perhaps a thou- By JOHN L. BLACKFORD sand years ago. Apartment - like rooms, in long connected rows, uti- lized every suitable site of southern exposure. Fortified promentories guarded approach to the densely populated gorge. Limited to this jo? ~' •*"' ''• •% • ^ simple architecture, these canyon Indians grew skilled in their various handicrafts. Canyon Vista • • • Views from cliff edge and doorway in Walnut Canyon afforded no spec- tacular scenery. But the wooded walls of their rocky stronghold must have filled the early dwellers with a sense of security; and the narrow, pinyon and juniper clad defile, with its torrent roaring below in spring, surely moved primitive hearts with mr •'*''#• • ' <• • *«••• its rugged beauty. DESERT MAGAZINE DESERT CflLEnDRR January 1—Comanche War Dances, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. January 1—Deer, Los Matachines or Tkt&L Turtle Dance, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico. January 1—New Year Cup Races, Arizona Snow Bowl, Flagstaff. January 1—Sun Bowl Carnival and Football Game, El Paso, Texas. January 1—Annual Rodeo, Kinsley •^M?^i Ranch, Tucson, Arizona. January 1-31—Harwood Foundation Art Exhibit and exhibition of In- Volume 20 JANUARY, 1957 Number 1 dian Arts and Crafts at Rogers Museum, Taos, New Mexico. January 2-5—Arizona National Live- COVER Willis Palms, Coachella Valley, California stock Show, Phoenix. By WILLIAM APLIN January 6 — Buffalo Dance, Three Kings' Day Ceremonials, Taos, PHE-HISTORY Walnut Canyon, by JOHN L. BLACKFORD . 2 New Mexico. CALENDAR January events on the desert ....... 3 January 6—Dances and Installation FIELD TRIP of Governors in various Rio Grande We Took the Old Trail to Chuckawalla Spring Pueblos in New Mexico. By RANDALL HENDERSON 4 January 6—Twelfth Night, Burning POETRY Rain Song and other poems : . 8 of the Christmas Trees, Raton, New Mexico, and other Spanish- ADVENTURE We Saw a Rockfall in Glen Canyon American Settlements. By AL HALL & HUBERT LOWMAN ... 9 January 6-10 — American National FICTION Hard Rock Shorty of Death Valley ..... 10 Cattlemen's Association Conven- GHOST TOWN tion, Phoenix, Arizona. Boom and Bust at Leadfield January 6-30 — Exhibition of Oil By RUSS LEADABRAND 11 Paintings by Nancy Barnhisel, LOST MINE Lost Apache Gold in the Little Horn Mountains Addington Gallery, Desert Hot Springs, California. By HAROLD O. WEIGHT 13 CONTEST January 10-12—Third Annual Lettuce Picture-of-the-Month Contest announcement . 16 Festival, El Centro, California. PHOTOGRAPHY Pictures of the Month 18 January 12-13—Yuma County Cham- NATURE ber of Commerce's Bandollero When Birds Come for Water Tour to San Felipe, from Yuma, By EDMUND C. JAEGER 19 Arizona. EXPERIENCE My Pupils Were the People of Navajoland January 13—Western Saddle Club's By ALPHINE RENSLOW 21 Little Stampede, Phoenix, Ariz. CLOSE-UPS January 15-17 — Desert Senior Golf About those who write for Desert 22 Association Tournament, Palm PERSONALITY From Cripple Creek to Contentment Springs, California. By NELL MURBARGER 23 January 18—Southeastern New Mex- DESERT QUIZ ico Hereford Show and Sale, Ros- A test of your desert knowledge 27 GARDENING well. Bare Roots Cost Less—Do Best! January 18-19 — Southern Arizona By RUTH REYNOLDS 28 Square Dance Festival, Tucson. LETTERS Comment from Desert's Readers 30 January 19-20—Sierra Club Hike to NEWS Phantom Canyon and Enchanted From here and there on the desert 31 Valley, near Thermal, California. MINING Current news of desert mines 35 January 20—Trek to King's Canyon URANIUM Latest developments in the Industry 36 for Winter Visitors, sponsored by HOBBY Mesa, Arizona, Jaycee. Gems and Minerals 38 LAPIDARY January 21-22—Solar Furnace Sym- Amateur Gem Cutter, by DR. H. C. DAKE . 41 posium, Phoenix, Arizona. COMMENT Just Between You and Me, by the Editor ... 42 January 23 — Fiesta and Buffalo BOOKS Dance, San Udefonso Pueblo, New Reviews of Southwestern Literature .... 43 Mexico. January 25-26 — Annual Western The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Press, Inc., Palm Desert, California. Re-entered as second class matter July 17, 1948, at the postoffice at Palm Desert, Dance, Clayton, New Mexico. California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Title registered No. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office, January 25-27 — Gold Rush Days, and contents copyrighted 1957 by the Desert Press, Inc. Permission to reproduce contents Wickenburg, Arizona. must be secured from the editor in writing. January 26-27 — Sierra Club Desert RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor EUGENE L. CONHOTTO, Associate Editor Peaks Hike to Sheephole Moun- BESS STACY, Business Manager EVONNE RIDDELL, Circulation Manager tains, between Twentynine Palms Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs submitted cannot be returned or acknowledged and Amboy, California. unless full return postage is enclosed. Desert Magazine assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of manuscripts or photographs although due care will be exercised. Sub- January 27—Buffalo Barbeque, Mesa, scribers should send notice of change of address by the first of the month preceding issue. Arizona, Civic Center. SUBSCRIPTION BATES January 29—Annual Snow Bowl Ski OHO Year $4.00 Two Years $7.08 Carnival, Flagstaff, Arizona. Canadian Subscriptions 25c Extra, Foreign 50c Extra January 31-February 3 — Phoenix, Subscriptions to Army Personnel Outside U. S. A. Must Be Mailed in Conformity With Arizona, Open Golf Tournament. P. O. D. Order. No. 19687 Address Correspondence to Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, California JANUARY, 1957 ;'>"* '~--:S';^ %V••'"'-'•' .;:-•:• V>-^. 1---i^-# The jeep caravan that re-opened the old short-cut trail into Chuckawalla Spring. We Took the Old Trail to Chuckawalla Spring Hidden away in a remote canyon in the Chuckawalla Mountains " ^^OME OF the rockhounds want of Southern California is a historic old waterhole—the rendezvous of ^^ us to show them the old road prospectors and homesteaders for three quarters of a century, and more to the geode field at Chucka- recently a good hunting ground for rock collectors. Geodes are found walla Spring," Loren and Rose Perry on the hills for many miles around the Spring. Here is the story of one of Pasadena wrote me in 1953. "We of the most recent expeditions to Chuckawalla Spring. have been over the route in a jeep, and it saves a lot of mileage. We'll be glad By RANDALL HENDERSON to have you join us," they added. Map by Norton Allen This was an invitation I was eager This map by Norton Allen is a revision of the map which appeared in the May '56 issue of Desert Magazine with Harold Weight's story of the geode field at A ugustine Pass. TO RICE RIVERSIDE^ CO. •KAO'GILBY DESERT MAGAZINE i: ••;.>- ': T °tP]arer,S°ld *« the arroyo below Chuckawalla Spring and this the camp occupied by the prospectors during the "boom" that followed the discovery. to accept, for it had been nearly 18 across the Chuckawalla Valley, one of years since I had visited this remote the Blythe Herald and Justus came to them to Chuckawalla Spring which town occasionally for grub. waterhole. Although this was one of was one of the few places where good the first geode fields to be discovered drinking water could be obtained. He was in his late 70s when I saw by the rock collecting fraternity on him at Chuckawalla Spring, and nearly Later a showing of placer gold was blind. Desert Steve Ragsdale had pro- the Southern California desert, its in- found in the gravel banks below the accessibility and the discovery of more vided a home for the old man at Desert spring and for a period of 15 years Center, but Desert Center was too dull and better geodes in the area of the there were always two or three or a Hauser beds to the southeast had left for him, with nothing to do. He dis- half dozen prospectors camped here appeared one day and Steve, follow- the Chuckawalla Spring practically un- working the gravel or prospecting the disturbed for many years. ing a hunch, found him trudging along Chuckawalla and nearby mountain over the desert in the direction of There were delays in arranging the ranges. Chuckawalla Spring. He wanted to be trip, and it was not until the weekend On one trip to the Spring in the in the hills with his gold pan. of April 14-15 in 1956 that our jeep early '30s I found my old friend Justus party was organized for the excursion. Smith living in a tent while he panned So Steve put up a tent for him at Our Friday night rendezvous was gravel. Justus was a veteran prospec- Chuckawalla Spring, and once a week along Highway 60-70 where the side tor who had once filed on a home- took groceries out to him. The day I road takes off to the oasis at Corn stead in the Palo Verde Valley. I walked into his tent he was fumbling Springs. There we camped overnight, knew him there in the days before with the canned goods on the table. ready for an early morning start along World War I when I was publishing "Will you tell me which can has the the route Loren Perry would show us. pork and beans?" he asked. And then Fifty years ago the Chuckawalla This sign board 23 miles east of I knew the truth—that Justus Smith Valley where we were camping was Desert Center marks the turnoff for was too blind to read the labels on the taken up in 160 and 320-acre desert those taking the best road to Chuck- cans. But he was happy out there, and claims by Southern California families awalla Spring.