ANOTHER UNBELIEVABLE FIRST FOR D-TEX

ALL NEW D-TEX "COINSHOOTER"

Positively Differentiates Between Trash and Treasure.

Bill and Lorraine Kueter with 6 of their 8 children test the new D-TEX "COINSHOOTER". Coin hunting is their specialty with over 13,000
coins plus numerous rings and other jewelry found in the last 15 months. They are members of The Prospector Club of Southern California.
Camping and coin shooting is the family hobby. After testing, Bill says the "COINSHOOTER" is the detector for him.

A VACATION THAT PAYS - THE D-TEX WAY

* IN FAMILY TOGETHERNESS * IN FUN FOR EVERY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY * IN CASH
MONEY IN THE FORM OF OLD VALUABLE COINS, RINGS & JEWELRY * IN MORE GOOD
FINDS IN LESS TIME - ELIMINATES UNNECESSARY DIGGING * WITH THE ALL NEW D-TEX
"COINSHOOTER" YOU MAY SEARCH THE AREAS WHERE OTHER DETECTORS GIVE UP
* TAKES THE FRUSTRATION OUT OF COIN SHOOTING * THE ONLY DETECTOR THAT
POSITIVELY DIFFERENTIATES BETWEEN TRASH AND TREASURE.

FAR EXCEEDS ALL OTHER MAKES OF DIFFERENTIAL AND ANALYTICAL TYPE DETECTORS.
REJECTS: Bottle caps, foil, nails and other ferrous and non-ferrous trash.

DETECTS: Silver, gold or copper coins, gold rings and other jewelry.
LOGICAL SPOTS: School yards, old churches, playgrounds, swimming beaches, old picnic areas,
carnival sites, old houses. Even the recreation vehicle camp grounds. Around each
camp area and the playground.

REMEMBER - EVERY PLACE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, COINS AND JEWELRY HAVE BEEN LOST.

The Coinshooter is made in two models, "COINSHOOTER I" and COINSHOOTER I I " . Both models
reject sea water and may be used on the beach with no interference from the water. Easily detects gold
and silver doubloons and pieces of eight in the sand and under sea water. The most efficient detector for
beach combing at any price.

for our folder on the "Coinshooter" or our catalog of allD-Tex

units with folder included.
THE FIRST REALLY NEW TREASURE LOCATOR IN 30 YEARS!
P. o. BOX 451 F 9 D - T E X ELECTRONICS Garland, Texas 75040
614 EASY ST. - PH. 272-2622
 '

WILLIAM KNYVETT, PUBLISHER

JACK PEPPER, EDITOR

GEORGE BRAGA, Art Director

MARY FRANCES STRONG, Field Trip Editor
ENID C. HOWARD, Utah Associate Editor
GLENN VARGAS, Lapidary Editor
K. L. BOYNTON, Naturalist Volume 36, Number 1 JANUARY 1973
MARVEL BARRETT. Circulation Manager

CONTENTS
FEATURES

DESERTS EDITOR SEEKS NEW HORIZONS William Knyvett

GEM FIELDS OF LAVIC VALLEY Mary Frances Strong

PRAIRIE DOGS . . . DESERT MERRYMAKERS K. L. Boynton

GHOST TOWN SAFE HUNTING Harold C. Henderson

THE LURE OF CAMP ROCK ROAD Lyle E. Fourtner

NEW MEXICO'S MYSTERY MESA Marjorie White

THE COVER:
Once a thriving company DESERT LOOP TRIP Roberta Starry
town for copper mining,
Jerome has survived five
devastating fires and today GOLD IN THE SNAKE RANGE! George A. Thompson
is a picturesque community
catering to artists and tour- John Southworth
ists. The Arizona town is SALOME, WHERE SHE DANCED
perched on the side of a
steep mountain a short dis-
tance east of Prescott.
Photo by David Muench, DEPARTMENTS
Santa Barbara, California.
A PEEK IN THE PUBLISHER'S POKE William Knyvett

BOOK REVIEWS Jack Pepper

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Club Activities

DESERT LIFE Hans Baerwald

RAMBLING O N ROCKS Glenn and Martha Vargas

DESERT SHOPPER New Hems of Interest

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Readers' Comments

EDITORIAL CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea St., Palm Desert, Califorma 92260. Telephone Area Code
714 346-8144. Listed in Standard Rate and Data. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States, Canada and Mexico; 1 year $5 00- 2 years
$9.50; 3 years $13.00. Other foreign subscribers add $1.00 U.S. currency for each year. See Subscription Order Form in this issue Allow
rive weeks for change of address and send both new and old addresses with zip codes. DESERT Magazine is published monthly Second
^ a s ^P°^agf paid at Palm Desert. California and at additional mailing offices under Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1972
,r nh WTTT S V t K n to reproduce any or all contents must be secured in writing. Unsolicited manuscripts and photo-
graphs WILL NOT BE RETURNED unless accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope
 -

A Peek
.metal in the
locator Publisher's Birds?
obsolete! Poke
PRECISION'S MARKS
MAKES IT SO; T
HIS MONTH'S column is submitted by
historian and author, Tom G. Mur-
ray, and is a moving tribute to the pass-
know
Now Precision gives you the better locator ing of an old prospector:
to do the jobs demanded by today's The Duke is gone. In the Lone Pine
sophisticated prospector and treasure Hospital on September 27, 1972, John
hunter. Ward (Buck) Johnston, "The Duke of
Muddy Waters" passed on to the big
Heres why camp in the sky. Cy Babcock, "The
it's better. Wildrose Kid" named him. Cy told me,
"The first time I saw Buck was right
• Truetone after a summer cloud-burst when he ar-
loudspeaker. rived at my Wildrose Station in Death
• Sensitive Valley. Buck was drenched but despite
indicating meter.
• 7" search his rainy look he was smiles all over.
loop. I told him that anyone that went through
• Battery hell and high water and still could smile
tester. must be "The Duke of Muddy Waters."
• Ground
control. The Duke, as far as my knowledge, out-
• T-R circuit. side of ageless Harry Briggs, is the last of
the famous Death Valley Miners who be-
• Metal-Mineral came a legend in their own lifetime.
control.
• Telescoping When the Duke passed to the mysterious
shaft. range beyond the clouds he joined other
• Space age famous western characters who in their
headphones two-fisted lives pitted themselves against
• Vernier
tuning.
• 2 year
Nature's most barren challenge. In mem-
ory I have a vision of the Duke sitting by
Hummingbird
guarantee. a big fire in the big camp in the sky,
circled by others of his vanishing breed;
Feeder
New ultra scan waterproof search loop with up to Death Valley Scotty, Ted Lang, Shorty • DRIPLESS
4-rimes as much coverage as other T-R's. Com-
plete with Precisions geobalance control, for work-
Harris. Silent George. Seldom Seen Slim, • BEE PROOF
ing in highly mineralized ground, salt water, wet the Wildrose Kid and a thousand others
• ANT PROOF
grass, etc. of their colorful image. The grand Duke
is 'dead—the desert trails will no longer • NOTHING TO RUST
Order now feel his friendly footsteps or drink in the
... or send wine of his merry laughter. Farewell,
ONLY 2 ^ ' * Postpaid
for more Duke of the sagebrush, of the sand and
information. wild winds, of the desert storms and Send check or money order to:
flaming sunsets and of all that made life
and the mystery of the desert so beautiful.
General Electronic Detection Co. ~DtAfAL- MAGAZINE
Farewell Duke of Muddy Waters.
1 6 2 3 8 Lakewood Boulevard
The Duke was buried in Trona, Calif. Palm Desert, California 92260
BELLFLOWER, CALIFORNIA 90706 Culifoiniu residents add l i e tax
Oct. 2. 1972 with full military honors.
 Book P.D.Q THE MOST VERSATILE UNIT

Reviews ON THE MARKET TODAY!

DIAMOND DRILL POINTS

Good drill points are necessary with any drill
press. Two styles are listed below. The solid style has
by Jack Pepper a drilling point composed of a special alloy and dia-
mond bort. This type of drill is delicate and needs care
in its use. However, with care, the solid type is much
All books reviewed are available through longer lived and will drill more holes per dollar. The
hollow core style drill has a hollow steel tip which is
Desert Magazine. Book Shop coated with diamonds by a special process. This style
drill, drills very fast and is less delicate and can be
used by the beginner with good success. We do recom-
mend this type drill for beginners and for extra fast
GUIDEBOOK drilling in Opal, Obsidian, etc.

TO THE
255? The New "WHIZ-Z-Z Sintered Diamond Drills AS A DRILL
No. Point Size Shank Size Price Eacb
COLORADO 89
90
1.00 mm 1.00 mm
1.50 mm 1.50 mm __ _
_ $5.50
5.00
Basic unit. Drills clean holes faster. Comes with
motor, cruck, foot rheostat, drill pan and drilling tem-
DESERT OF 91
92
2.00 mm 2.00 mm ..._ _ _.. _ _
2.50 mm 3/16 inch
5.50
6.00
plate. Booklet of operating instructions included.
Nickle Plated _ _ $42.50
CALIFORNIA 93
94
3.00 mm 3/16 inch
3.50 mm 1/8 inch _ _
7.00
8.00 (Does not include price of diamond drill point.)
By 95 4.00 mm 1/8 inch _ _ 9.00
Prices on request for larger drills Be sure to include sufficient postage
Choral Pepper up to 8 mm
tiny overpayment will be refunded
There are two major deserts in South- Metro Diamond Drill
Vitromet Bonded Diamond Drills
ern California. The Mojave Desert —
Here are the handiest Vitromet Bonded Diamond
SHIPLEY'S
sometimes called the High Desert—en-
compasses most of San Bernardino County
Tools developed for the Jewelry and Lapidary Crafts-
man for drilling, reaming and beveling Gemstones. MINERAL HOUSE
Drills With 3 / 3 2 " Shank On Hwy. 160 in southwest Colorado, 18 miles
on the south to the northern section of No. 8 1 mm (3/16" diamond depth) _... $7.50
east of Durango or l > / 2 miles west of Bayfield.
Mailing Address:
Kern County, and from the eastern slope No. 9
No. 10
lVt mm (3/16" diamond depth)
XVi mm _
$7.00
$6 50 SHIPLEY'S MINERAL HOUSE, Gem Village,
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Bayfield D, Colorado 8 1 1 2 2
Nevada border. No. 11 2 mm _ „ 57 QQ Phone: 303-884-2632
No. 13 2Vi mm $8.00
SEND FDR NEW CATALOG No. 9-B
The Colorado Desert lies below the No.
No.
6
7
3 mm
ZV2 m m -
__ _ $9^0
$11.50 LOTTIE W. SHIPLEY
Mojave and extends into Mexico. It in- No. 5 4 mm _ 5^4 QQ
cludes the Anza-Borrego desert area on
the west and on the east is bordered by

Living Room
the Arizona state line. Russ Leadabrand's
popular Guidebook to the Mojave Desert
of California covers the High Desert area.
Now there is another excellent guide-
book by the same publishers (Ward
Ritchie Press) on the Colorado Desert A Koenig Kamp-Stor Body gives
written by Choral Pepper. you room to store your gear r
outside the camper so there's
During her six years as editor of Desert room for you inside. No unpacking
Magazine, the author not only edited or moving equipment around just
manuscripts about the desert, but also ex- to make room for yourself.
plored and wrote numerous articles about And when you do
need something, you
the people and places of this vast area
know exactly where it is.
which is rich in history and beauty. Stowed away securely
Combining the information gleaned in one of the individual
from her past experiences with her recent compartments. Se-
cured against theft as
travel in preparation for writing the book,
well as weather. Each
she has presented a comprehensive and weather-tight compart-
accurate guide to the Colorado Desert. ment locks with tamper-
Although basically for passenger cars, proof paddle handle Gentlemen: Please send me your bulletin
latches. on the Kamp-Stor Body.
the guide also describes areas of interest
By protecting your equipment
for four-wheel-drivers. and keeping it out of the way until
In addition to describing places of in- you need it, a Koenig Kamp-Stor Address-
terest for Southern California travelers, can add greatly to your camping
City_
the author also presents the history of the enjoyment. For more literature or
the name of State-
area and intrigues the reader with tales of
your nearest Koenig Truck Equipment,
lost bonanzas, prehistoric Indian designs distributor Dept. D-7,

i
(such as the giant intaglios near Blythe), write: | P. 0 . Box 7726
Iron Works, Inc. . Houston, Texas 77007
old mining camps and intimate glimpses
 into the lives of old-timers such as Steve (Editor''sNote: Although the author uses
Ragsdale. certain metal detectors in his photos and
FUN and PROFIT This is a well-written book which will lists a few distributors, as he states, these
WITH ALL NEW be of interest to anyone traveling through are no! the only good detectors or only
the Colorado Desert, whether as a casual outlets. There are many other manufac-
COMPASS" Metal Detectors visitor or a veteran explorer. Slick paper- turers and models of excellent quality not
back, illustrated, 128 pages, $1.95. presented in the book for the simple rea-
son the author could not use every type
of detectors.)
COINSHOOTING
How and Where
To Do It EXPLORING .
By CALIFORNIA
H. Glenn Carson FOLKLORE
By
Coinshooting is a fairly widely used Russ Leadabrand
term for the hunting of coins with a metal
detector. One could call it coin hunting,
treasure hunting, looking for coins, bottle- Russ Leadabrand was born in Califor-
14-Day cap and aluminum foil collecting, or any nia's San Joaquin Valley and started his
Money-
number of terms. writing career at an early age. He is the
Back
Guarantee Actually it is getting out into the open, author of ten popular guidebooks to areas
using one's head—and metal detector— of interest in Southern California. During
RENTALS WITH OPTION TO BUY and trying to find coins and other items the years while gathering material for
Prospecting and Hiking Equipment
Books — Topo Maps
lost by people over the years. these travel guides he evidently collected
"When done right coinshooting is an anecdotes, folklore and legends which did
JACOBSEN SUPPLIERS interesting, healthful, and harmful-to-no- not fit the format of his previous books.
9322 California Ave., South Gate, Calif.
213 569-8041 90280 body hobby," the author states. "When He has taken this material and pre-
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED done in the wrong way it can make people sented it in his latest book which is sub-
angry, as it should. The purpose of this titled "True tales, tall tales and legends
book is to present tips and 'tricks' on for travelers through the Golden State."
coinshooting, to point out the various
C D E C SAMPLE places where coinshooters have a chance
Although he has divided the book into

rccc C0PY of success, and suggestions for improving

their coinshooting."
geological sections which include San Joa-
quin Valley, The Mountains, The Coast
and The Desert, it is not a travel guide,
TREASURE A veteran "coinshooter", the author has but rather a collection of his personal
W(f)RLD. presented a collection of facts and infor- experiences and observations on what is
mation which will be helpful to both happening to Southern California today.
veteran and novice seekers. Anyone who It is an easy to read, fast moving book
owns a metal detector will find this book about people and places which have not
will make their hobby easier, more inter- been covered by either Leadabrand or
esting—and maybe more profitable. Pa- other authors. Slick paperback, artist
perback, illustrated, 58 pages, $2.50. sketches, 110 pages, $1.95.

Amateur treasure hunt-

ing is an exciting, new
outdoor recreation ac-
tivity. Thousands of
dollars in coins, lost
CGI Lot-O-Tumbler
and buried treasure, re-
lics and artifacts are This tumbler works on the
being recovered every vibrator principle as opposed
day. Send for a free to the current rotary principle.
sample copy of the
world's leading maga-
zine on this fascinating CUT YOUR TUMBLING TIME
hobby, piease enclose 25tf
postage and handling. FROM 4 WEEKS TO 2 WEEKS!
(depending upon materials used)
TRUE TREASURE
PUBLISHING CO. COLORADO GEOLOGICAL INDUSTRIES, INC.
Dept. D P. 0 . Box 328 f LUS
' POSTAGE
CON ROE, Dept. D
TEXAS 7730T
3 £ (Shipping weight, 10 lbs.) 5818 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, Colo. 80220
< u
DESERT'S
Editor

FJprizons
J ACK PEPPER, associated with DESERT
Magazine for the past nine years, is
resigning his position as editor to devote
by
Bill
full time to writing.
Pe
Jack and I have been close friends for Knyvett /** PPer to seek new horizons
many years and since 1968, when I be- Southwest. With his completely equipped is to these writers, photographers and
came publisher and co-owner of the four-wheel-drive rig and travel trailer he reader;;, I wish to express my thanks for
magazine, our friendship has flourished will be seen throughout the west garner- sharing with me a rewarding nine years."
along with our relationship as business ing material for his books and free-lance Jack's career as a journalist spans 15
partners. I am proud to state that, as a material. He will assume the position of years with the New York World Tele-
result of our combined efforts, DESERT Special Feature Editor for DESERT Mag- gram, Oklahoma City Times and the San
has increased in circulation, color content azine and thus the readers, who have fol- Diego Journal (after World War II). The
and both regional and national advertis- lowed his adventures and explorations in war years found Jack in the Marine
ing. these pages, will continue to have "their" Corps, with 21/, years overseas. He parti-
In informing me of his decision to "re- magazine flavored with a dash of Pepper. cipated in the invasions of Tarawa, Sai-
tire" as editor, Jack explained that he "As an active participant in DESERT pan ard Tinian as a Marine Corps Com-
"had a couple of unfinished books under Magazine for the past nine years," Jack bat Correspondent.
my belt" which he could not finish as said, "it has been my great privilege and Immediately prior to his purchase of
long as he was tied down to an editor's pleasure to have met and helped writers the magazine in 1963, he was in charge
desk. and photographers whose articles have so of the Las Vegas News Bureau for nine
"Since first starting in the newspaper enhanced the pages of our publication. I years and headed up his own public re-
business when I was 21, I have been hit- know these writers and photographers— lations firm.
ting deadlines," he told me. "I have and new ones—will continue to contri- With a track record like that it seems to
found you cannot meet deadlines, edit bute their talents, which is why DESERT me that Jack just might have more than
other writer's material and do creative will always be a vibrant and active voice "a couple" of books under his belt.
writing at the same time. It is a difficult throughout the Southwest. In purchasing Jack's interest in the
decision to make, but I have decided now "I also want to thank all of the faithful magazine and assuming the position of
is the right time to seek new horizons." readers whose keen interest in our publica- Publisher-Editor, I know that all the
Jack's "horizons" will continue to be tion and the desert areas has made DES- reader:; will join me in wishing him the
in the mountain and desert areas of the ERT Magazine the success it is today. It greatest success in his new endeavors. Q
A California Field Trip

Igvic OME OF the finest gem cutting material in recreational vehicles. The family car

Mary
by
S
the
in the United States has been found on
alluvial plains of Lavic Valley in San
can readly be taken into this region. With
this in mind, Jerry and I decided to check
Bernardino County, California. Brilliant- out the Lavic area during our annual
Frances
ly-colored jasper has combined with chal- spring safari on the Mojave Desert.
Strong cedony to produce beautifully patterned The weather gods had smiled kindly
moss, lace, plume and flame j asp-agate and there was a touch of summer in the
known as "Lavic Jasper." air as we headed east from Barstow on
Photos Collecting has occurred in Lavic Valley Interstate Highway 40. We traveled along
by
for nearly five decades. However, during the edge of the Newberry Mountains, I- ••^-"-"'.'^ %i-'
the past two years persistent reports that crossed the salt-encrusted flats of Troy Dry " -rv" Lf> <•
Jerry • -i •
the area was worked out had reached my Lake, entered the lava flow from Pisgah :
'-?.^<''^%*fe
Strong desk. I- found this hard to believe since
Crater, then climbed the alluvial plain of :„''•' * i ' - . i '••'••
alluvial deposit such as this one tend to the Southern Cady Mountains. It seemed
have new material constantly exposed by only a short time before we had covered
erosion. the 50 miles to Ludlow and were taking 1''<•*''
Lavic gem field not only produces the off ramp giving access to old Highway
fine material but it is easy to reach. It 66.
j
provides an excellent area for new col- This new freeway (a section of which X>
lectors who haven't, as yet, invested is not yet completed) provides fast travel . ,-*/^ i":-s";'•"•*"
 %

fMH^&SK

-m**.-**: -k>

G«>(9(i material (above, left) is found at the edge of the Pisgah

Crater lava flow. There are excellent camping spots (left) on the
alluvial plain in the collecting area. Fine cutting material (above)
can be found in the exposed ash beds. The author (below) and
her dog "Lobo" examine a plume agate specimen.
 across the desert between Barstow and
In an hour yesterday Needles. Though it denies turnoffs to
the many gem collecting areas along the
I took $300,000 out of five route, they may be reached by using
lost mines...Then some the major ramps and the old highway.

critter BUSHWACKED me From Ludlow, we back-tracked 8.3

miles to a freeway overcrossing (see map
and took every bit of the for detailed mileages). Then, leaving the
loot! And the same pavement we headed south via a dirt road
thing could happen to the railroad crossing. Here, we saw a
change. The shop buildings and home
to you! which had comprised Lavic Siding had
all been removed.
Crossing the tracks, we turned right and
in a short distance turned left. Before us
lay Lavic Valley with the bulwark of the
Bullion Mountains forming its southern
border. To the west, the classic cinder
cone of Pisgah Crater dominated the sky-
line with the large mass of its lava flow
readily discernible. A close examination
of the lava shows it to be black basalt
and of such rough and ropy texture it is
easy to imagine its flowing down the
valley.
The Lavic area and 1 are old friends, as
I have been collecting here for nearly 25
years. I have always been able to find
some gem quality material and, some-
how, I felt secure with the knowledge that
"Lavic wouldn't let me down".
We parked our trailer a short distance
from the main road along the first dirt
tracks leading into the collecting area.
The ground was generously sprinkled with
specimens of brightly-colored jasper and
Jerry found a chunk of "lace carnelian"
And it IS happening every day to more and more treasure hunters when he leveled the trailer. It was blood-
as they discover the excitement of playing BUSHWHACKER—The red jasper interwoven with blue chalce-
complete waybill to family fun! Fast action and easy to play for two dony to form a lace-like pattern.
to six players. Collecting around the vicinity of our
camp, we picked up several good speci-
Whether at home, relaxing in your travel trailer or camper, or just
mens. Later, we followed the tracks west
sitting at the campfire, you can enjoy the treasure trail by playing
to the lava flow and found the dark ba-
jadas covered with larger specimens of
colorful material. I had been right—there
was plenty of good jasper-agate to be col-
lected—now, and in the years to come.
However, as yet, Lavic Valley has not been
W//ACKER} included as one of the multiple-use areas
Fastest Fun in the West in the Desert Management Program the
Bureau of Land Management has under-
For a treasure trove of fun, send way. It is possible that eventually rock-
collecting may not be permitted here.
Send check or money order to: By late afternoon, the Mojave Zephyr
VPMMBI V W Including postage Desert Magazine (what we desert dwellers call the strong
FUNTROTTER Dept
Post Office Box 1318, wind) began to come up. It rocked the
California residents add 30 cents sales tax
Palm Desert, California 92260 trailer gently—though at times can be
Desert Magazine is exclusive distributor. Dealer inquiries are invited. strong enough to be dangerous—and-sleep
 ' :
Barstow
Ludlow
• 8?mi.

good collecting
areas

Fiesta! That's what owning a Santa Fe

travel trailer means. Never a dull moment
in the excitement of going places... and
staying in the roomy luxury of a Santa Fe.
Quality construction provides peace of
mind in the knowledge that this is a travel
trailer built to last. Or if it's a motorhome
you have in mind, see Santa Fe. join the
fiesta. You'll say, "Old."
Write for literature and name of your nearest dealer.
SANTA FE TRAILER CO., INC.
DIV- OF TRAVELEZE INDUSTRIES, INC.
8130 San Fernando Road
Sun Valley, California 91353
(213) 875-1408

dig those coins with

SonBernardinoCc PROSPECTOR
came easily. Stopping for a coffee break, I pointed
Morning found a cold wind blowing out to Jerry the road into the Bullion RUGGED! DESIGN
and a mackerel sky warned of unsettled Mountains which leads to the finest A TREASURE HUN
weather to come. We explored two other plume-agate bed on the Mojave Desert. Probes gently in TUR
trails through the collecting area and This deposit is within the military reser- or PACKED EARTH!
found good material available. It only re- vation but until recent years limited col- TWIST-and it neatly
quires some walking, looking and careful lection was allowed. Due to large amounts removes a plug of
selection to obtain specimens of cutting of unexploded ammunition, the locale is
sod WITHOUT
quality. permanently closed. Rock-hard
DAMAGING THE
We drove south on the graded road to- Returning to camp we met Ben and finish in
LAWN! anodized
ward Lavic Dry Lake hoping the military Barbara Netto and Des and Idele Worth lemon-gold.
hadn't included the old Kenton Mill site from the Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Light, strong
within its boundary. A fence and sign Society. They were spending a week visit- and BUILT Sparkle blue
TO LAST! handle with
proclaimed it had. ing several desert collecting areas. Though elastic cord
The Kenton mill was built on the edge long-time rockhounds. this was their first One foot for fastening

of Lavic Dry Lake in the 1890s to pro- visit to Lavic and they were well-pleased long! to your belt.

cess the ore from the Tip Top Silver with the mineral they had found. A NATURAL
MATE FOR YOUR
Mine. It was with reluctance that we broke METAL DETECTOR!
About 70,000 ounces of silver had camp and continued out trip. However,
been produced when a shaft hit a high- we felt a sense of satisfaction in that,
grade copper deposit. There is no record though our beloved desert can be a fickle
$4.95 POST
PAID
CHECK OR MONEY ORDER
of the copper production—probably be- mistress, she has given us at Lavic a gem
cause all of the ore was shipped to Swan- field that many generations may enjoy. ENGINEERED THINGS
/
sea, Wales. • P.O. Box 10022 Portland, Ore. 97210
 Doqs...
DESERT
MER
MA <ERS
before, now seem warm and friendly. however, prairie dogs of both groups are
by
But one of the fat little residents spots basically much the same—fat, cheerful, in-
K. L. Boynton the traveler and gives a sharp yap of warn- dustrious and sociably inclined. True, the
1972 ing. There's an instant scurry and dash, black tails seem to be more closely knit
a popping into holes, and all the prairie in social organization, maybe because they
dogs vanish as if by magic. The deserted live usually in flatter, more open country,
land is empty once more. where danger is heightened; the upland
But not for long! The first cautious be- white tails having fewer problems in their
whiskered nose poked out of a burrow, rougher terrain. But black tail or white
the first bright eye that determines all tail, prairie dogs vote unanimously for a
is safe assures the others, and the scene good burrow, vegetation for food and
comes to life anew. All is bustle and ac- lots of their own kind residing nearby for
AST and empty stretch the arid plains tivity again in prairie dog town, and the socializing and mutual protection, as their
V of the great West—a land of endless
sandy-hued distances, of purple shadows
traveler goes his way with a lightened
heart, cheered no end by these droll and
ideal home condition.
Dug with his own fair paws, the bur-
cast by high-riding clouds that come and potbellied members of the squirrel tribe row of the prairie dog is his home and
go swiftly, leaving a blazing sky. A place who lead the merry life in the most in- fortress—a place for comfortable living
of great beauty, but infinitely lonely, for, hospitable of lands. and a fine refuge from danger. It is also
as far as the eye can see, there is no sign To make things even nicer, prairie a matter of interest and current surprise
of life. And, as the hours go by, the dogs, it seems, come in two main styles: to scientists who are just now waking up
traveler begins to grow uneasy, feeling one with white hairs adorning their short to the fact that this pudgy little character
strangely small in a very big and a very tails, and the other with black hairs for obviously knows his engineering princi-
lonesome place. tail trim. As to be expected, there are ples. The standard burrow, according to
And then—a gladsome sight greets his variations within each group, depending findings of various biologists, among
eye! There's life ahead and plenty of it, on where the animals reside, the deserty them R. E. Smith and the team of Robert
for he's coming upon a prairie dog vil- Zunis, for example, favoring a more Sheets, Raymond Linder and Robert Dahl-
lage. Its plump, sand-colored citizens are cinnamon coat hue than other white tails, gren, consists of two entrances connected
everywhere to be seen; feeding, frolicing as do the Arizonas, which are more bright- by a passageway. One entrance is shaped
about their mound homes, and the great ly colored than typical tails. like a low dome.
arid stretches that looked so forbidding Regardless of sartorial preferences, It opens into a tunnel that goes down
 •

watch for danger. It provides a splendid faster at the tall crater since it is up high-
exit facility, for popping inside he plunges er, and slower at the low dome entrance
immediately down the vertical shaft to since it is closer to the surface. That is
the bottom, landing far below any surface okay with principle No. 1. Then, since
danger. Now this burrow system might principle No. 2 says that pressure is lower
well be about 50 feet long, and what with where air is moving faster, the crater end
being some six to ten feet below surface, is bo and to have a lower pressure than the
would seem to pose an oxygen problem, dome entrance where the air is moving
since the natural diffusion of oxygen more slowly.
through the soil would not be enough to The difference in air pressure at the
do the job at all. So, how does the prairie two entrances sets up a suction between
dog manage his oxygen supply? them, pulling the air through the burrow.
Duke University zoologists Steven Vo- In fact, lab tests using a model of a bur-
gel and William Bretz report that they row in a wind tunnel proved that if air
have recently found the answer: the at the crater end was moving as little as
prairie dog supplies two simple engineer- one-half mile per hour and only one-
ing principles. Principle No. 1 is that when quarter mile per hour at the dome end,
air moves along a surface, that nearest the there was a complete change of air in the
surface will move at a slower rate. No. 2 burrow every 10 minutes. Looking at their
is that the faster the air moves along a findings, the Duke University scientists
surface, the lower the pressure there. Now mentally tipped their hats to their fat buck-
the wisdom of the digger's combination of toothed colleagues who so long ago learn-
a high crater entrance and a low dome en- ed haw to air condition their homes.
trance becomes apparent. The air moves This fat little citizen of the West looks

gradually to become horizontal. Here the

passageway is widened out in places to
make turn-arounds and a bed chamber.
As is to be expected from its comfort-
loving owner, the boudoir is lined with
soft dry grasses about two inches thick.
Proceeding several feet further, the hori-
zontal passageway makes an abrupt verti-
cal turn, going almost straight up to the
second entrance. This entrance is crater-
shaped with walls built up high around
it. In fact, the prairie dog goes to a lot
of trouble to shape up this crater, scrap-
ing together the surrounding surface soil
and pressing it hard into its walls with
his paws and nose.
Subsequent study shows that the crater
entrance is very important and the prairie
dog knows it, working from time to time
to keep the walls well maintained. Ris-
ing above the ground surface, the walls
act as dikes to keep flood water unable to
drain into the hard compacted soil after
desert cloudbursts from running into his
burrow. The crater works too as a kind
of hollow tower on which he can sit and
Like people, prairie dogs (above)
are suspicious of strangers,
and (right) enjoy a snack while
relaxing in the sun.
•-rr
 as though he likes comfort in many ways, the fact is that owls and snakes eat the
and indeed he keeps his paunchy stomach prairie dogs, the owls also eat young
well filled with green plants or dry seeds, snakes, the snakes eat the owl chicks and
cutworms, beetles, grasshoppers and eggs and in reality nobody gets along with
what's around? Even when the ground is anybody. There are also other tenants—
rock hard in drought, he manages to look black widows at the entrance, centipedes,
INBOW'S sleek and fat and downright cheerful. A
day lover at heart, the prairie dog rolls
insect larvae, beetles, cave crickets, and
ticks and fleas without number. No won-
END... out of bed at sunrise, spends the morning
hours eating, lolling in the sun, trotting
der the prairie dog says nuts to them all
and digs himself a new residence.
begins with a around and visiting. Friends and relations In the northern ranges, prairie dogs hi-
greet each other with a kiss prairie dog bernate, Wyoming white tails for instance
style, gently rubbing of their lips on the emerging in March some two or three
other's muzzle. The heat of mid-day finds weeks before the females who went to
TREASURE LOCATOR! each in his residence, returning topside bed later in the fall. Unlike many other
for another feeding and frolic in the after- kinds of hibernators, gentlemen prairie
noon. Sundown finds everybody tucked in dogs emerge still wrapped in a thick layer
for the night. of subcutaneous fat. This proves to be
"COMMANDER" 720
This Go Ida k T r e a s u r e
Locator is unsurpassed for
locating buried treasure, crater-shaped entrance
coins. Civil War relics and
for beachcombing. Features
"Tell-Tone" Signal. Locates low, dome-shaped entrance
any metal object under dirt,
sand, mud, rock, etc. No
cumbersome cords-com-
pletely transistorized, bat-
tery powered.
When it comes to find-
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with the leader—go with
Goldak!

EFFECTIVE DEPTH RANGE turn around

(Under Normal Conditions)

— Prairie Dog Burrow Plan —

Merry as these droll rodents are, each very valuable and helps carry them through
keeps a weather eye out even when eating. the rigors of the breeding season with its
Sentinels are quick to report danger, and inattention to food matters, its wear and
frequently a major predator is kept from tear of battles and subsequent wooing.
scoring by somebody seeing it and barking At the end of all this, the males are quite
a warning in plenty of time for everybody apt to establish new quarters away from
to tumble safely into his burrow. Coyotes, the noisy family centers with their chat-
wolves, hawks, eagles work hard for a tering females and highly vocal youngsters.
doggy dinner. But badgers are a different Gestation is around 27 to 33 days and
matter. Rapid and more powerful digger, not much is known about the 5 to 7 young-
they systematically go to work, tearing up sters the first few weeks of their lives in
Start out right—send $1.00 pre-
paid for authentic gold-plated the burrows and capturing whole families. the burrow. They do appear topside in
replica of a Spanish doubloon
found off Cape Kennedy. Ferrets are even worse news in prairie dog mid June apparently well weaned by
GOLDAK COMPANY, INC.
towns, for they slip down the passageways now and dining on green stuff them-
1101-AAirWay for surprise kills. Snakes are impossible selves. One litter per year is the rule.
Glendale, California 91201
to keep out, and dearly love prairie dog The prairie dog likes annual forbs above
Please send free literature on GOLDAK trea-
sure locators. a la carte. all, other greenery being passed up in
• I enclose $1.00 prepaid for my gold-plated
doubloon replica with pouch. Prairie dog burrows are so comfortable favor of these whenever they are available.
Name- they attract two undesirable tenants — In a typical desert environment when times
Address- little lugubrious-faced burrowing owls and are bad, cactus, Spanish bayonet, mesquite
City rattlesnakes. Early naturalists viewing this bark are all eaten, and the animal must
State - -Zip- frequent three-way togetherness thought spend more time to find food. If the
that everybody got on well together, but supply becomes dangerously far from bur-
 •

row safety, the prairie dogs may move Texas, Oklahoma and in the Desert Mus-
en masse and establish an entirely new eum, Tucson. New Mexico in 1970 joined
town. the ranks of prairie dog preservers, too, JEEP OWNERS. CAMPERS . H U N T E R S - F I S H E R M E N
T H I N G S Y O U ' V E BEEN L O O K I N G FOR
In the natural state of affairs, these establishing a new refuge 30 miles north A N D SOME Y O U ' V E N E V E R SEEN!
ground squirrels and their environment of Santa Fe. FLOTATION TIRES
are in balance. The arid plains provide &
This changing attitude is very good WHEELS
enough food, and natural enemies and news for the prairie dog and for people
other troubles keep their numbers down. interested in good range management.
With the introduction of too many live- The scientist, who knows he still has much
stock, the picture changes abruptly. The to learn from this fat little rodent, rejoices,
grassland deterioriates from overgrazing. and the chances are good that the desert
SEND TODAY-INCLUDE ZIP CODE!
Forage plants decrease, short grass and traveler, if he's lucky, can still come upon
sage increase and so do the prairie dogs, a dog-town, and find these merry little 3201 CALIFORNIA A V ! D e p t D
SOUTH GATE CALIFORNIA 9D?B0
thanks to the wholesale slaughter of their fellows at home.
natural enemies—wolves, coyotes, badg-
ers, bobcats, pumas, raptor birds, that al-
ways accompanies livestock introduction.
And, because man grabs nature's bounties
all for himself, he wages war on the
prairie dog, whose increase in numbers is
a sympton of overgrazing and not the
cause of it.
Some plants are destroyed by prairie
dogs; some are helped in a kind of primi-
tive cultivation, and abandoned burrows
provide holes for badly needed water to
enter parched soil. Under certain condi-
tions, prairie dogs actually accelerate the
recovery of deteriorated ranges. The ro-
dents feed mainly on annual forbs and
other plants typical of the early stages of
plant succession (the overgrazed range
situation) and as a result help to increase
climax plant species, principally good
forage grasses.
So at last the prairie dog, whose final
disappearance from the scene seemed in-
evitable through ruthless destruction, is 10 Ft. Fiberglass
gaining thinking friends. Villages have w/10 Ft. Fiberglass
been preserved in national monuments in Halldon Body
Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota,

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T
GHOST TOWN
REASURES SUCH as a Dutch oven full
of coins, a chest containing family
heirlooms and jewelry or a fruit jar full
of gold nuggets have been found buried
is the ground or in various parts of aban-
doned houses.
While digging through a dump look-
ing for bottles, I found a cold cream jar
containing gold and silver coins. Evidently
the jar had been accidentally mixed with
household rubbish and hauled to the
dump.
There are thousands of other hidden
treasures yet to be found, and with the
advent of sophisticated metal detectors,
a weekend of treasure hunting has become
a popular family pastime.
However, many old-timers were afraid
to bury or hide their wealth. Instead they
stored it in the town's "community" safe
or vault. (Many Navajo Indians pawn
their beautiful handmade turquoise
jewelry today; not so much for the money,
but they know it will be safe in an Indian
trader's vault.)
Nearly every old town or mining camp
had a safe or vault. Some were in the bank
—if the town had a bank—while others
were in a saloon, barber shop or rooming
house. I have found "safe seeking" a pop-
ular pastime.
The safes in the boom days of the roar-
ing mining camps were about as impreg-
nable as the safes of today. The older ones
were resistant to saws, torches and impact
tools. But they could be, and many times
were, opened by means of explosives.
There were as many different sizes of
safes as there were needs for them. The
small one pictured is typical of about the
smallest of its day. This particular safe
has a history that includes being stolen
and blown open. It was recovered in a
refuse dump in a neighboring town, and
brought back to be used as evidence. Later
it was repaired, a new door was made for
it. and is now in working order.
From this, the size ranges upward to
almost unbelievable proportions. Some
becoming a part of the structure that
houses them. These are known as vaults
and as such were apt to be governed by
the size of the building. The storage area
could be of any size and the safe company
would build the door and install it.
The bullion vault in the basement of
the John S. Cook bank building in Gold-
field, Nevada, is an excellent example of
 the use of huge proportions dependent

SAFE HUNTING upon available space. Ten feet wide and

20 feet long, this vault was under lease
to the U. S. Treasury. The lettering is
partly readable even now. Beside the usual
amount of papers and valuables, there has
been as much as $1,000,000 in gold
bullion stored here at one time.
A ':T I There is another vault of similar di-
mensions on the main floor of the build-
ing. This one is quite ornate, having two
fabulous doors. The inside of the doors is
enclosed with glass. The bolts, wheels
and mechanism are gold plated and hand
burnished. The cost of construction of
these two vaults was $70,000. Today the
estimated cost of the doors alone would
be $14,000 each.
The large vault in one of the stock ex-
change buildings in Goldfield in which
stacks of gold bars were once stored, is
of interest in a rather surprising way.
As ycu enter the vault through the heavy
gold-trimmed door, you are amazed to
come face-to-face with the wooden door
of a refrigerated walk-in meat locker. This
vault was built around 1908 and the
meat locker was constructed within it in
the 1930s for R. C. Laub's meat market.
As the sights of abandoned and dis-
integrating old towns are visited, it is
interesting to search for the remains of
a safe. One will usually be present. The
remains may be difficult to locate but
the find will be worth the effort.
If the building that houses the safe's
remains is in good shape, the safe will
probably be in good condition with the
original finish.
Bu:: if the building has been destroyed,
or if the safe has been removed from
the building and left outdoors, it is a safe
bet that all you will find is a skeleton
and the doors will be gone. The broken
and battered safe and its pieces will bear
silent testimony of the results of willful
While "safe seeking" in the destruction by persons who did not ap-
ghost towns of the West, preciate the old safe as a relic.
author discovered and pho- So many of these silent shells of safes
tographed a variety of safes. that once held such values have taken
Four examples include ones their stories and the romance thereof with
found (upper, left) at Balla- them. Slowly they disintegrate and blend
rat, (far, left) near Modoc, into the trash and junk scattered about
giant vault (left) in the and disappear from view.
Goldfield, Nevada bank It will always be with the same antici-
building, and (above) one pation of wild, exciting events that we
found in a refuse dump near read and re-read the romantic accounts of
Ventura which the author the vital part the faithful old safes played
rebuilt. in the history of our frontier towns. Q
THE LURE OF
 r>F-tiXt;.:&#* -

GAMP ROCK ROAD

by "I TS resources are hardly tapped, its
beauty is relatively unknown and its
this remote, isolated haven we had enjoyed
so often with others. Is is an area rich
potential for recreation and wildlife is in potential for the treasure hunter, bottle
Lyle E. virtually unlimited. This wide-open space collector, naturalist, historian, and a boon
Fourtner offers invigorating change from the hurry to those who seek only the quiet serenity
and press of urban life; it offers refresh- of a desert retreat.
ment for the spirit in its multitude of We began our trip at the juncture of
scenes." Barstow Road and North Side Road about
Thus, Room To Roam, published by five miles north of Lucerne Valley. Head-
the U. S. Department of the Interior, ing east on North Side Road, the blacktop
describes some 40 million acres of public end:: in about five miles. Two more miles
domain land, approximately 11 million of dirt road took us to Camp Rock Road.
acres of which are contained within the This; is generally well graded. However,
boundaries of California deserts. there may be a few spots of washboard.
A tiny spot of this desert, nestled be- Cur objective was an area of approxi-
The windmill and old corral (above, left) tween Ord and Rodman Mountains in mately four square miles located just
mark the site of Holb Well. Camp Rock San Bernardino County, has all of these northwest of Holb Well. About seven and
Road (left) makes a right-angle turn at attributes. one-half miles up Camp Rock Road we
Holb Well. Abandoned prospectors' dig- My wife and I stumbled upon it quite spotted a high-voltage line. Beyond the
gings and rock houses can be found in by accident, in the spring of 1970. Re- power line and to the left, the gray, gran-
the area. From an old mine, (above) the cently we found ourselves again in need ite fingers of Ord Mountain probe the
Camp Rock Road can be seen in the valley of "refreshment for the spirit." desert sky.
below. All photos by the author. We decided it was only fitting to share We were tempted by several side roads
 and byways beckoning us to investigate
the hidden mysteries just over the next
hill. Unless you're driving a four-wheel-
drive vehicle, resist the temptation! It's
a long way to the nearest telephone and
this is no place to get stuck in the sand.
Roadrunner Pin
Sterling silver with genuine turquoise Twelve miles from where we left North
eye, about 3" long. $10.00. Side Road, we came to a point where
Calif, residents add 5 % sales tax Camp Rock Road makes a right-angled
Send check or money order to: turn to the left.
ALLEN TOMLINSON
To the east is a road leading up to a
P. O. Box 925, Palmdale, Calif. 93550
windmill. This is Holb Well. It is worth
your time to explore the area. You may
FIND BURIED TREASURER find an old bottle turned azure in the des-
Locates buried gold, silver, coins, . £ fc'siD^" ^1
jewelry, old weapons. Works / < ^ ' ^ J S ® ' / \ ert sun—or the metal detector may turn up
through earth, vegetation, (C^.-.f'xTlPyv^/
water, wood, etc. w^*^^fr't' some old antique.
Write for free catalog and fasci- xjSjW^ 19'5 Fifteen hundred feet farther east is an
nating treasure booklet. /l^^1'^ + n 1QB50
Financing available. y<^ old mine shaft. It has been boarded up
^rNew Relco detec- but we could look inside without too much
5 powerful r^"^tors send electronic
models ^^Hbeam far into earth to trouble. Old mine shafts can be extremely
^ i e e k out treasures lost or I dangerous so do not reconnoiter past the
hidden throughout the cen-
turies. Signals when object entrance!
is detected. Most powerful Off to the left were some large granite
made.
RELCO, Dept. D-318 Box 10839, Houston, Tex. 77018 and sandstone boulders. There is evidence
of past campsites around the huge rocks; > v
another place where the metal detector
may be used to advantage.
Subscriptions as Sifts Still farther east — approximately six
miles—are three separate locations where
Indian petroglyphs are found. This road,
for the most part, is not for conventional
passenger cars.
The Department of the Interior Room
To Roam shows the old Spanish Trail
in 1822 passing directly through the site
of the petroglyphs and heading nearly
straight west, finally turning south and
terminating in the Los Angeles Basin. If
this were indeed a true location of this old
A
trail, we could, from our present vantage
point, see a considerable portion of it by
looking westward along the valley between
the Ord and Rodman Mountain.
With due respect to the Department, I
suspect the location of the Old Spanish
Trail as depicted in this publication is in
error. Research will show the trail to be
farther north and more generally follow-
ing the Mojave River. Also, the terrain
to our east, as it passed through petro-
glyph area, is extremely rough and beset
by past volcanic activity. The terrain is de-
cidedly not conducive to either wagon or
SEND FOR packhorse type of travel.
FREE CATALOG However, I am not at all sure that we
were not looking along an old Indian
Dept. D KEENE ENGINEERING trail—and possibly a trail followed by
11483 Vanowen St., North Hollywood, CA 91605 some of the early whites. It is well known
(213) 764-6114 — (213) 877-7240
that the Mohave Indians often served as
 Area has many old mines (left) and
washes (below) with prehistoric fascinating
Indian petroglyphs.

guides to those attempting to find the

Articles
shortest route into the San Bernardino and
Los Angeles Basins. An account of Jeded-
About the West
The bock issues of DESERT MAGAZINE are
iah Smith, for example, says he went into as alive today as the day they were printed.
the San Bernardino valley east of Cajon Packed with information and detailed maps
Pass. We do not know exactly how far on out-of-the-way places, the articles are
east. We know too, that he used Indian historically informative for both adults and
guides to make this trip and it could be students.

he passed by this way. 1967 Volume

12 MONTHS
In the early 1880s, the notorious Ute
chief, Walkara, drove his herds of stolen $3.00
horses out of the San Bernardino and San 1968 Volume
Gabriel Valleys and hid them in the desert 12 MONTHS
until he could sell or trade them. $3.50
It was time to leave Holb Well so we 1969 Volume
headed down Camp Rock Road for a half 12 MONTHS
mile or so. Off to the right is a portion of $4.00
the Rodman Mountain range. Within hik- Preserve your volume* in a handsome brown
ing distance in a series of small gullys vinyl binder. Holds 12 issues. State whether
and ravines. you want binder dated or undated.

In the trek from Camp Rock Road to Only $3.50,

the mouths of the ravines, keep a sharp postage and tax included.

eye open. On her first trip across this Send check or money order to
area, my wife picked up an unblemished Dept. D l , Desert Magazine,
Palm Desert, Calif. 92260. Include zip code
purple, pumpkin-seed whiskey flask. It
is noteworthy, too, that we did not see a
single beer can or pop bottle.
There are remnants of an old pros-
pector's camp about one hundred yards

"^
in from the mouth of one of the ravines.
Rusted tin cans and old bottles abound.
This is an ideal spot for metal detectors.
Jl
About fifteen hundred yards on up the
gully, over boulders and sharp rocks is WanJ,
ererd
an old copper mine.
Rusted and deteriorated to some extent, The tours by the Happy Wanderers con-
the old windlass and cable are still intact. tain excellent maps, mileage, history
of the areas, costs of gasoline consump-
The dry desert air has preserved them tion, lodging meals, what to wear and
quite well. this best time of the year to make the
trips. A family can plan their trip and
Wherever mineral deposits are found, determine the exact amount of time and
there is always a good possibility of find- money required.
ing gemstone. In this case several small Volume Number One covers 52 tours
throughout California's deserts, moun-
pieces of chrysocolla were found. I am con- tains, lakes and seashores. In Volume
fident a more discerning eye and a little Number Two, Slim and Henrietta explore
Arizona, Nevada and Old Mexico,, with
digging will reveal much more. the areas ranging from modern resorts
From this elevation we looked down to ghost towns.
onto the valley floor and saw Camp Rock When ordering BE SURE to state Volume
Road snaking its way into Daggett. One or Volume Two. Both books are large
format, heavy paperback with 150 pages.
Stay overnight and you will be enter-
tained by a chorus of coyotes. One came $2.95 each
within a hundred yards of our trailer de-
Calif, residents add 5 % sales tax
spite the vigilance of our large German
Shepherd. Later he joined his brethren and on sale at
together gave us an early morning rendi- Desert Magazine Book Shop
tion of "The Desert Song." • PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260
 San Esteban de Acoma Mission
as it looks today. Legends say
Franciscan priests, who built
the monastery in the 17th
Century, could hear ghostly
voices from atop Katzimo,

New
three miles away.

Mexico's
Mystery
Mesa
by
Marjorie White

Photos by the author

N1 "EW MEXICO'S Enchanted Mesa

stands like a medieval fortress in
a landscape of pastel-hued sandstone
domes, castles, and tables on the Acoma
Pueblo Indian Reservation, south of Inter-
state 40, about 60 miles southwest of
Albuquerque. The vertical, gently-tur-
reted walls of the famous landmark, rise
precipitately 430 feet above the valley
floor and, from dawn to dusk, shifting
colors and patterns of sun and clouds
shimmer in eye-filling beauty from the
erosion-worn surface.
The Acoma name for the Enchanted
Mesa is Katzimo (Kaht-ZEE-mo), which
means "haunted," with the implication
of "accursed." Indian legend, passed on
from father to son for over 1000 years,
explains why and lends mystery to en-
hance the grandeur of the natural rock
stronghold.
Many centuries ago, the Acomas say,
their ancestors left Shipapu, their place
22 Desert Magazine
of origin in the north, and after several
stops on the way, settled on the Enchanted
Mesa as their home site. They made dwell-
ings on the flat, nearly level top and plant-
ed crops on the valley land below.
The lofty, sheer-walled bastion was an
ideal location, easy to defend against hos-
tile nomadic peoples. It had only one ac-
cess, by a ladder of sticks placed in holes
packed into a huge boulder that extended
above a depression on the southwestern
side of Katzimo. The ancient Acomas
climbed up and down the ladder rock to
till their fields of cotton, corn, beans and
squash.
So they lived, secure from enemies, for
untold years—or centuries. But one sum-
mer day, while they were gathering the
harvest in the valley below, a storm struck
suddenly. Perhaps, say the Acomas, their
ancestors were disrespectful of the gods
and the thunderbird spilled the lake on
his back in punishment. Thunder crashed,
lightning crackled, and torrents of water
rushed over the Enchanted Mesa. Then,
like a typical desert shower, the rain stop-
ped as quickly as it had started.
When the water abated, the ancient
Acomas tried to return home. But they
found their ladder rock had been forced
out of place by the storm and there was
no way to reach the summit of Katzimo.
Two old women and a young boy and
his mother, who had been left at home,
were stranded on the mesa top and their
cries for help spurred the rescue efforts.
One woman jumped to her death. When
sacrifices to the gods and all human at-
tempts to reach the summit failed, the
Acoma ancestors sadly turned their faces
away from Katzimo.
They wandered three miles southwest
of Enchanted Mesa and built new homes
atop the mesa of Acoma, where Coro-
nado, the first Spanish explorer of New
Mexico, found them in 1541. This rock-
top pueblo has been the home of the
Acoma Indians since about 900 A. D., and
may be the oldest continuously inhabited
village on the mainland of the United
States.
Franciscan priests in the monastery of
17th century San Esteban mission in
Acoma Pueblo, the Indians say, used to
to say they heard the ghostly voices of
the abandoned ancestors echo at night
from the summit of Katzimo.
Is the Acoma legend about Enchanted
Mesa based on fact or fancy? That's what
Frederick W. Hodge, noted archeologist
January 1973
 Vroman, whose artistic photos of the En-
chanted Mesa research and many other
scenic wonders of the Southwest are pre-
served on glass-plate negatives in the Los
Angeles County Museum.
At Laguna Pueblo, next door neighbor
to Acoma Pueblo, Hodge enlisted the
services of Maj. George Pradt, an ex-
perienced government surveyor, and two
young Lagunas to drive the wagons, carry-
ing the equipment. The party made camp
in a grove of junipers at the southwestern
corner of the mesa on the morning of
Sept. 3, 1897, the day after a drenching
rain shower, like that of the Acoma leg-
end. On this site today, the modern
Acomas have built a pleasant little picnic
ground, where visitors have a splendid
close-up of the Enchanted Mesa and the
talus, where Hodge found prehistoric
pottery shards, piled halfway up the cliff-
side.
Hodge and his companions began the
climb at noon, their progress slowed by
the burden of heavy photographic equip-
ment, surveying instruments, and half-
dozen lengths of extension ladders, and
a quantity of ropes and blankets. When
they reached the point, 60 feet below the
summit, where Hodge had been stopped
on his first ascent, they set up their lad-
ders, imbedding the bottom legs in holes
drilled into the boulder.
One man, a length of rope tied around
his waist, climbed the vertical, swaying
nchanted Mesa stands like a solitary fortress in New Mexico. ladder and, once on top, fastened his rope
to the rock and threw it down to the next
and authority on Pueblo Indian culture, make a believer of Prof. William Libbey man. When the four explorers reached
wanted to know when he visited Acoma of Princeton University who, in the sum- the summit, they threw down ropes to
Pueblo in 1895. mer of 1897, was conveyed—and photo- which the Laguna youths, who stayed on
When Hodge found fragments of pre- graphed in transit—by a chair of ropes the lower level, tied blanket-wrapped
historic pottery in the 224-foot high talus, to the top of Katzimo. In a Harper's pieces of photographic and surveying
debris washed down from the summit of Weekly article, entitled "The Dis-En- equipment to be drawn up one by one.
Katzimo, he decided to try an ascent. chanted Mesa," Libbey said he saw noth- "The view from the summit is sub-
He climbed to within 60 feet of the top ing that would indicate ever a former visit lime," Hodge wrote later. "Pink mesas,
and was stymied at that point, like the by human beings." haughty in their grandeur . . . placid pools,
ancient Acomas of the legend, by an un- Hodge, who was working nearby in Ari- born of yesterday's storm, glittering like
scalable boulder. A careful check of the zona when Libbey's report was printed, diamonds in an emerald field." But the
big rock showed a series of regular and was challenged by the contradiction of his 50-acre table top of Enchanted Mesa was
badly-eroded holes, which has been expert opinion by a "pretentious green- less sublime.
gouged into the soft sandstone surface. horn" and was intrigued by a photograph Windswept and washed by centuries of
They were just the right size and spac- of a curious stone monument that Libbey rain, the almost-barren surface was cov-
ing to hold sticks to form a ladder. had found on the summit and attributed ered only by a thin layer of shard-strewn
Was this the ladder rock that fell dur- to erosion. He immediately made plans sand and littered here and there with de-
ing the great storm ? Hodge was sure it for another ascent—all the way to the top cayed tree skeletons, long dead from lack
was, and this evidence, along with the this time—of Enchanted Mesa. of nourishing soil. Any dwellings that
potsherds recovered from the talus, seemed To assist him, Hodge chose two mem- might have once been on the summit,
to confirm the Acoma tradition that the bers of his archeological expedition crew Hodge said, would have been weathered
Enchanted Mesa had once been inhabited. —H. C. Hayt of Chicago and Pasadena to ruins and borne away long ago by wa-
But Hodge's published report did not photographer-bookstore owner Adam C. terfalls such as he had seen cascading
down the cliffs the preceding day.
Since dusk was approaching by the time
the tedious and dangerous climb was com-
pleted, Hodge and his companions made
a fire and prepared to spend the night on
their lofty perch.
At dawn, they were awakened by three
angry Acomas, who had seen the camp-
fire from their pueblo and came to rout
the intruders from their sacred Katzi-
mo. The Lagunas, camped below, said the
Acomas had threatened at first to cut
down the ladder, but curiosity prevailed.
They, too, wanted to see where their an-
cestors had lived.
After Hodge explained the purpose of
the ascent, the Acomas were eager to join
in the search for relics. Among the finds
were arrowpoints, pieces of shell brace-
lets, a quantity of very ancient, coarse-
textured pottery fragments, and crudely-
Few white men have succeeded in getting to the top of mysterious Katzimo.
serrated blades of axes, one of which the
Acomas wished to keep for ceremonial taineers because the upper 60 feet must chanted Mesa and the access road to the
use. be scaled with artificial aids, such as be- picnic ground, a few hundred yards off
The little monument, which had caught lays, and only with permission from the NM State 23, the route to Acoma Pueblo,
Hodge's attention in the Libbey expe- Acomas. the historic, still-inhabited village atop
dition photograph, remained a puzzler. So, the Enchanted Mesa, which Lummis the accessible 357-foot high rock of
It is formed by an upright, slender slab called "the noblest single rock in Amer- Acoma. Guided tours of Acoma Pueblo
of rock, 30 inches tall, held in place by ica," remains shrouded in a aura of mys- also permit views of Enchanted Mesa, es-
smaller rocks around the base. Hodge tery and legend, and the wind that sighs pecially good from the walled grounds
was sure that it was man-made and of such around the lonely walls may still carry of Saa Esteban Mission, and at a dis-
antiquity that the design held no signifi- the spirit voices of the ancient ones who tance of three miles, in the as-yet smog-
cance for the Acomas who examined it wailed for help on that long-ago summer free atmosphere of the Acoma reservation,
with him. These discoveries on the sum- •day. the haze of reflected sunlight adds a misty
mit reinforced the archeologist's earlier A marker points the way to the En- outline that becomes a haunted place.
opinion that the Enchanted Mesa was an
ancestral home of the Acoma Indians. More than 1,000 years old, today's Acoma Village is three miles from Katzimo.
"Katzimo is still enchanted!" said
Hodge in his subsequent articles in Na-
tional Geographic and Land of Sunshine
(later, Out West), a Los Angeles-based
magazine, founded and edited by Charles
Lummis, pioneer historian of the South-
west, a name which he coined for the
region extending from West Texas and
New Mexico across southern California.
Lummis, who had assisted the eminent
Swiss archeologist, Adolph Ranbelier, in
research of prehistoric Indian ruins dur-
ing his earlier residence in New Mexico,
made his own search of the top of En-
chanted Mesa a few years later, using the
ladder which Hodge had left there. He
found more artifacts and traces of a dwell-
ing remains, which contributed to the
previous evidence of former habitation.
No archeological examinations of En-
chanted Mesa have been reported since
1907. It is not recommended for moun-
 by Roberta M. Starry

_---> i
 Old sand
fence (left)
and a few
gutted buildings
are all that
is left of
the famous
Yellow Aster
Mine.
Nature's sculpture
(below) can
be enjoyed at.
Red Rock Canyon
State Park.
Randsburg
(right) today
is a picturesque
community for
tourists.

Photo by
Warren Transue

O NE OF Southern California's newest

state parks, Red Rock Canyon, just
25 miles northeast of Mojave, is a place of
and sand out of the canyon onto the open
country. Two miles after leaving State 14
one of the sand banks, bisected by the
sand, travel was slow and a shovel was a
necessity.
Seven miles from State 14, a dirt road
unique beauty. After exploring its many road, can be identified as an abandoned turns right toward a cluster of mill build-
fantastic, multi-colored formations and railroad bed, part of a dream that turned ings on the edge of the white expanse of
canyons so often filmed in western mov- into a financial nightmare. Koehn Dry Lake. For over 50 years salt
ies and television, it is a picturesque place In 1908, Mojave was the jumping-off has been a product of the lake. The
to camp while discovering the country point from which a rail line was built by Amerxan Salt Company of Long Beach,
around the park. Southern Pacific. It was June of that year present owners of the lake, process salt
A loop trip out of the park—which can that the tracks reached Cantil. The main around the clock all through the year.
be completed in one day—encompasses a line avoided Red Rock Canyon because Saltdale, once a company town with bar-
wide variety of interests. It takes you a of floods and steep grades. racks and cabins for the workers, is now
step back into history, through old min- But there was a need to get supplies into mostly mill and equipment structures.
ing communities and abandoned mines, to the canyon during the construction of the In the early days salt companies de-
a step into the future and a view of the Los Angeles Aqueduct and a group of pended upon rain to carry minerals and
race between subdivision and agriculture men put fortunes in the Red Rock Rail- water down into the lake and then waited
absorbing the desert acres. Three to four road. One flash flood twisted and laid for summer heat to evaporate the liquid
miles southwest out of the park on State waste the greater portion of the little line, so salt could be gathered. Everything from
14 (distance depending on which point smaller floods took their toll. In 1910, chopping up the salt blocks to filling sacks
in the park one uses as starting point), is only 22 months old, the road was aban- with the final processed product was done
a large boarded-up building that still car- doned as an expensive experiment. by hand and a number of men were em-
ries the sign "Wagon Wheel." A sharp, Looking toward Red Rock Canyon, ployed when nature cooperated with rain
left turn puts you on the Red Rock-Rands- there is a house and other buildings which and heat. Today the process of evaporat-
burg Road, heading east. now lie within the park. In the 1920s the ing the liquor pumped from deep wells in
The route starts through dips with highway went past there and the road- the lake, to the refined salt ready for mar-
sand-banked sides created by storm runoff house did a flourishing business as well ket, his become mechanized and few men
from Red Rock Canyon. The face of the as acquiring a reputation for shootings are required to operate the mill.
land is changed when infrequent but vi- and a hideout for bootleggers. In those Salt, one of man's most sought-after
cious storms push tons of water, boulders days the road was carved through the minerals, has created wars, spurred explor-
 wandering about is not safe or permitted.
Continuing on the Red Rock-Rands-
burg Road, you travel parallel to the
Southern Pacific tracks and one of the old
Borax roads to Mojave. Way stations,
water stops and depots are gone; the
haunting whistle of the steam locomotive
no longer echoes along the valley and into
the canyons. But the line is still busy;
multiple engines daily haul talc, mineral
concentrates and chemicals over the rail
line that old-timers dubbed the "Rabbit
Trail" when it first pushed its way
through the sage and sand.
Six miles from the intersection of Salt-
dale and the Red Rock-Randsburg Road is
a Y. A hard surface road to the left is a
one-mile side trip to the historic old town
site of Garlock. Vandals have destroyed
much in recent years. But there are still
things of interest, like the sagging old
house that belonged to "Granny" Slocum,
a well known character of the area, a rock
building that looks like a bank but in its
prime (1898-1906) was a bar and bawdy
house across from the stage stop.
Guided tours of the Saltdale production plant can be arranged by first stopping at
the company office. Photo by Mary Berry shows the Red Ball Trailer Club on tour. In a way, the owner was a kind of bank-
er as he bought gold and made loans—
ers and been the basis of trade routes but permission to do so must be obtained that is if the miner or long-team driver
being developed between distant lands. at the office in the mill building. Extent of managed to get past the temptation of the
Here the whole process from beautiful allowable exploration will depend on bar at the front, the girls' little rooms and
pink liquor to pure white salt may be seen, working conditions at the time. Just freely finally reach the office at the back. The
same hazardous course had to be run in
getting back out of the place.
In the early 1890s, the town was mostly
a tent settlement with supplies for the
long-team drivers, a few travelers and the
cowboys who had dug a number of wells
to supply water for their grazing herds.
As gold mining developed, the town grew
and gold mills moved in because of the
water supply and access to the few wagon
roads through the area.
The mills have gone for scrap, adobe
buildings have disintegrated, and only
one dugout can still be seen. An arrastra
Riding one beyond the historical marker shows how a
of the drag mill operated to crush gold-bearing
famous rock.
Thunderbird Returning to the Randsburg Road and
Ranch crossing the railroad tracks, the route
Peruvian crosses a valley and climbs the Rand
tho roughbreds. Mountains. The valley and the mountain-
Trainer Baca side form a garden of wildflowers in
collects mail spring if the rains have been just right.
at the Cantil The season varies with the weather. High
post office. desert cold may cause a late season and
Riding gear sudden heat shortens the blooming period,
is also from Peru. but there are always some from late March
through mid-May. Though no flowers There are endless roads that offer hours and horse breeding ranches. Here is the
are evident from the road, a short walk of exploring and scenic views of land- home of the recently developed Cantil
into the desert will produce many sur- marks like Pilot Knob and Fremont Peak. Pony and one of the largest stables of
prises with clumps of growth in sheltered Mojave-Randsburg Road skirts the foot- Peruvian Paso horses in the United States.
areas. In April the mini-flowers carpet hills of the Rand Mountains and there is Thirteen miles from California City is a
the valley floor. They are worth getting continuous evidence of mining. About 12 one mile side trip to Cantil.
down to the ground to examine; a magni- miles from starting on this road there is One of the few remaining railroad wa-
fying glass brings out their unusual a noticeable change from virtually un- ter tanks still stands, a reminder of the
beauty. touched desert to marks of subdivision de- need of frequent water stops for the old
Randsburg is a famous gold mining velopment. Roads and streets slice across locomotives. Through the door of the
town dating from the late 1890s. Build- the land, the forerunner of people and abandoned store building can be seen the
ings in use before the turn of the century houses. wooden boxes of the first post office. On
are still occupied and, with the exception Within the next five miles there is usu- the rail siding are ore cars loaded with
of electricity and many coats of paint, they ally a wide variety of plants including chunks of white clay, raw material for
have changed little. In the general store it marigold, coreopsis, various gilias, mon- the makers of fine white china. Week-
is still possible to get a phosphate, or soda key flower, poppy, fiddleneck, blazing days one may meet the postmaster, last of
at a soda fountain that is now rarely seen star, larkspur and aster. They spread from the old-time assayers, who lived during
outside a movie or photo in a book. the roadside over the rolling hills until the mining boom days and knows where
As in the old days, it carries everything they become a soft haze in the distance. there is still gold to be dug when the
from drug store items to miner's lamps Signs on the left indicate various roads price goes up.
and gold pans. Across the street is the fa- to Galileo Hill, a side trip to a high point One mile farther on Neuralia Road is
mous old White House Saloon with multi- that gives a spectacular view of the desert State 14. Red Rock Canyon State Park is
floor levels, wine cellar, long bar and se- in all directions. The view may be limited just around the corner to the north where
cret exits. Today it breathes respectability on windy days by the shifting sand in the any di.y one may find a movie company on
with relics to view or buy. valley and flat lands. A calm, sunny day is location, a science class exploring forma-
Interesting old buildings line the street ideal for a visit to Galileo Hill not only tions, an art group trying to capture color
on both sides, a picnic area near the Mu- for seeing far, but for comfort while view- and form—or there may be just the quiet
seum is a modern touch that gives the ing the miles that spread out to familiar broken by the hum of a bee, the call of a
traveler a shaded spot to pause and view landmarks. bird or the whisper of a breeze.
the surroundings. The Museum has dis- The Mojave-Randsburg Road goes
plays telling the story of the famous gold through the main section of California RIVERSIDE COUNTY'S LARGEST
mines, the people that worked the mines, City which at one time was considered a 4-WHEEL-DRIVE HEADQUARTERS
and the way of life over 70 years ago. unique development in the heart of noth- Accessories for All Makes
Continuing on the main street through ing but desert. Today it is a modern com-
town, the Big Butte Mine and mill loom
straight ahead, then the road curves to
the right through mining country mark-
munity where supplies are available, re-
creation is encouraged and growth is the
password.
r i Jeep
ed by tunnels, shafts, dumps and A Neuralia Road leaves California City at
frames. the west end of the business district and SALES and SERVICE
Unfortunately, the famous Yellow As- heads north toward Red Rock Canyon
1 st and Market, Riverside, California
ter Mine on the hill above Randsburg was through newly developed alfalfa, sheep Telephone 714 684-9020
destroyed by fire in December, 1970, and
is now off-limits to visitors.
Two miles out of Randsburg, take a
well-traveled road to the right for six-
tenths of a mile and right again at the
junction of Mojave, Randsburg Road. Lo-
cally this area is called Dog Patch, with its
cluster of buildings, mounds from past
COLOSSAL CAVE 22 MILES/ EAST OF TUCSON. ARIZ. ON 1-10

diggings and remains of mine structures.

If you want to explore more old mines,
leave the Mojave-Randsburg Road in less
than a mile and take the oiled road to the
left which goes to the Atolia tungsten field
and U.S. 395. Roads branch and return,
others skirt the diggings or go to mines
that have gone back into operation. DO
NOT TRESPASS ON POSTED PROP-
ERTY!

January 1973
Gold
in
the
Snake Range!
by ( ( f~> OLD Strike in the Snake Range!" rocky slope, seven miles south of Mt.
V j So shouted the headlines of the Moriah and eight miles northeast of Os-
George Osceola Nevada Nugget in March, 1906, ceola, he found the black horse. And there,
Thompson but there was no one left in town to read shining in the morning sun, almost as if
them, for Osceola was deserted, except the black horse has led him to it, was a
for the town drunk and a one-legged man ! .rotten quartz ledge shot through and
Nevada's last great gold rush had begun! through with stringers of yellow gold!
It all started when Tom Watkins lost Watkins staked his claim on March 6,
his horse. For years he had prospected 1906 and what better name could he call
around the placer mining camp of Osceola, his find than the Black Horse claim?
always sure that somewhere in the moun- Watkins took samples of his discovery
When Tom Watkins' sleek
tains he would find the missing lode from to an Osceola assayer, and then with Dick
black horse strayed from camp, which the gold in Osceola's dry gulches Millick, his partner of many prospecting
his owner followed him into the came. His sleek black horse was his spec- trips, he hurried back to his claim, not
sage-covered Nevada hills. ial pride, so when it strayed from camp even waiting for the results of his assay.
He not only found his horse, one day in the desolate Snake Range he It was lucky that they lost no time, for
lost no time following its trail. the assayer had a secret too good to keep.
but the animal was standing
Watkins followed the black horse into The samples were the richest he had ever
on a rotten quartz ledge
the sage-covered foothills north of Os- seen, and within hours everyone at Osceola
containing a gold bonanza! ceola, where the 12,000-foot high peaks knew of the new strike. Overnight Osceola
of the Snake Range suddenly break off was deserted in the mad rush
into the rolling hills that meet the glar- From all over the Great Basin they
ing wastes of Utah's salt desert. On a came. Prospectors, promoters, saloon keep-
ers, confidence men, and camp followers. to the ton, $100,275 to the ton! Armed town was granted a post office on Sep-
Old-timers who still remembered the guards have been hired to prevent high tember 17th, 1906. Building lots on main
strikes at Tintic and the Comstock Lode grading, and to keep curiosity seekers street which had sold for $50 were bring-
came, along with young men who thought from taking samples, the loss of which ing $!'00, and promoters claimed they
there would never be another strike. More costs the company thousands of dollars would soon sell for $1,000 each! Other
than a hundred claims were staked the each day!" promoters surveyed two new townsites six
first day, and within a week there wasn't Mid-summer saw nine Black Horse miles north of Black Horse, naming them
a foot of unclaimed ground within sight business houses in new frame buildings, Woodlawn and Silver Creek, but they
of the Black Horse claim. and it was rumored that Wells Fargo was were never serious rivals for Black Horse's
A city of tents exploded helter-skelter planning to build a stone bank building. fame.
in all directions, for there was little timber The While Pine News at Ely report- Winters were hard in the barren Snake
for cabins in the Snake Range. For the ed, "Until now a scarcity of lumber has Range, but even with snow laying deep
old-timers there was no time to build handicapped Black Horse's growth, but in the 7,000-foot high gulches miners kept
cabins anyway, and the young men spent now this problem has been remedied, for workirg, and more new strikes were re-
every minute working the claims. Tents C. E. Hilford has started two new saw- ported One hundred tons of "mill rock"
were hastily thrown up without plan, a mills in the mountains, promising a good shipped to the Whitney Mill at Osceola
small teepee pitched next to a large wall supply of cut lumber for the town." returned its owners $16,000, while at the
tent that housed a rough plank-bar saloon, Among the first new buildings erected Black Horse Mine a body of high grade
while a half tent-half board building next were Don Clay's San Pedro Club, which ore worth a dollar a pound was uncovered.
door served as a general store. advertised "Fine liquors and beer on Not to be outdone, the Hamilton brothers
Frank Mclntyre staked his San Pedro drought," along with Jim Mihigan's gen- claimed they had ore stacked at their Red
claim next to Watkins' Black Horse claim, eral store, which carried "A complete line Chief Mine worth two dollars a pound,
while on its other side was the Mabel of mining tools." The rapidly growing Continued on page 34
claim, located by Fred Schrott and F. C.
McFall. Newspapers of the day gave the
new camp generous coverage. One Salt
Lake City daily reported, "Gold can be
traced from Mt. Moriah on the north to
Jeff Davis Peak (now Mt. Wheeler) to
the south. The Black Horse Mine boasts
quartz in which free gold can easily be
seen." The San Pedro ledge was described
a being "seven feet wide and carrying
values of $400 to the ton, while ore worth
less than $100 is thrown on the waste
dump!"
In July, Ely businessman Thomas
O'Neill purchased an option on the Black
Horse Mine for $50,000 while the Mines
Development Company of Salt Lake City
obtained a bond on the San Pedro prop-
erty for $75,000. Other promising claims
which changed hands for high prices in-
cluded the Grasshopper, California, Lucky Most of
Boy, Cyclone and Buchanan. A Salt Lake the Black Horse
City banking firm organized the oddly Mine's fabulous
named Nil Desperandum Company. gold ore
The Mining Review at Said Lake City came from
reported, "Affairs at Black Horse are at surface veins
a fever heat due to the many rich strikes like this one.
being made." That prophecy was probably Photo courtesy
the understatement of the year, for only a of author.
few days later workmen at the Mabel
Mine uncovered the richest gold ore ever
found anywhere. The next issue of the
Mining Revieiv described it. "No part of
the Mabel ledge can be found which
doesn't show coarse wire gold. Assays
show an unbelievable 5,013 ounces of gold
15. ft
 Salome was so dry
her legendary pet frog
carried a canteen and
never learned to swim because
there were no puddles of water.
• Mm

Salome,
OUhere Site
by John Southworth
widely-advertised town of its size in the water and the excess flows out of the basin
world. One large restaurant is full of over a subsurface low crest of the Harqua-
Dick's works and the town still advertises hala Mountains.
LOW down a bit the next time you are "Salome, Where She Danced" although The total underground flow of water is
S tempted to zoom through Salome,
Arizona, on your way to or from Califor-
no one knows for sure what Dick really thus brought near to the surface by the
had in mind when he started that one. The natural underground dam. Even the casual
nia. Salome may be just a "wide spot in lady was real but it is more than just visitor can see in his mind's eye exactly
the road" on U. S. 60 between Blythe, doubtful that she ever danced in Salome. how this occurs. Wells abound in the area
California and Wickenburg, Arizona, but Salome is in the middle of high and dry and some dump their output into open
it has a lot to offer the interested traveler McMullen Valley which at one time was ditches where it flows southward along-
who is willing to delay his headlong rush somewhat of a mining center. Today cot- side the oiled road into a lower drainage
for a brief visit. ton is king and continues to do more for area to be lost forever to the McMullen
First of all, Salome was the home of Arizona than could the old colonial con- Valley cotton growers.
Dick Wick Hall who started the town in cept of raiding a mining district for its As for mining, it is still going on. Silver
1906 where he dispensed "Laughing Gas" mineral wealth. Cotton requires a lot of is a hot property right now and some
and his one-sheet Salome Sun to weary water, which is paradoxical in the light of .brand new operations are being opened
travelers until his untimely death in 1926. all the trouble Dick Wick Hall's frogs had northeast of Salome. There is also one
He made his town internationally famous with that commodity. I don't know wheth- plant just east of town processing decor-
with his desert humor and tall tales about er or not any of those frogs of his ever ative stone products brought in from
dry frogs that always carried a canteen and studied geology but if they had, they many locations, some quite distant. But the
could never learn to swim because they would have hopped on down south of old time gold producers are the ones that
could not find sufficient water for that ac- town and sunk a well. remain interesting. Their's were the bright
tivity. Dick's writings were published as a That is precisely what the modern cot- flashes that still arouse the spirit.
syndicated column in the Sunday issue of ton growers did and they have water in One of the earliest local mining oper-
many leading newpapers and the Saturday abundance. The McMullen Valley drain- ators was a Dr. Wilson Walter Jones who,
Evening Post published everything he age collects in a typical desert basin full back in pioneer days, located and worked
sent them. of porous sand deposits. Beneath its a gold-copper property in Tank Pass on
His writings made Salome the most parched surface, the sand is saturated with the northwest rim of McMullen Valley.
Deter! Maeazine
32
 From 1906 until his death in 1926,
Dick Wick Hall brought inter- weight of the rock as he tried to kick it
national fame to the town he founded. out of his way and ended up carrying a
He is shown here in front of his $2,000 nugget back to camp. The partners
"Laughing Gas" service station. stretched their beans and picked up an ad-
ditional $25,000 in raw gold from the
thousands in nuggets and specimens going open hillside. The three worked the de-
to "boomers" who rushed the spot before posit for 30 months, eventually selling
the rightful owners could sufficiently pro- their claims when they thought their open
tect it. pit glory hole was worked out.
After 65 years the stripped area of the In 1891, H. A. Hubbard bought the
Harcuvar Glory Hole, one of the strangest property and started a shaft. An employe
and most interesting mining discoveries by the name of Dougherty, with little to
ever made in Yuma County, is still visible entertain him in the isolated mining camp
on a lonesome hillside just north of Tank and with too much energy to sit still, spent
Pass, the now abandoned western exit to his fres time scratching around in the old
McMullen Valley. glory hole.
A more interesting and easier to reach His words of elation, unlike those of
old-time producer, in the same general Archimedes, went unrecorded when he
area but southwest of Salome, is the now came running down the hill wildly wav-
abandoned Harqua Hala, discovered in ing a piece of fabulously rich gold ore.
1888 by Bob Stein, Mike Sullivan, and He had been enlarging a tiny seam and
Henry Walton. Those three were down broke into a body of ore which would long
to their last beans at the end of a totally be worked as the famous "Castle Garden
unproductive prospecting trip. Walton, in Stope" The first round of shots after
He sank a shaft and shipped ore by steam- disgust over such notable lack of success Dougherty's discovery produced over
er from now ghostly La Paz on the east for so long a time, stomped up what is $4,000 in "showcase" ore. A 25-stamp
bank of the Colorado River to the smelter now known as Martin Peak on a trip of mill constructed on the site handled ore
at Swansea, Wales. The operation was pro- his own after the camp chores were done worth $1,450,000 produced from that
fitable but did not justify the continued for the night. single stope during the next four years.
exposure of human life to the constant Near the top of that raw desert peak Thus ended the second phase of the Har-
Indian attacks and was abandoned. a lime-coated rock rested across a palo qua Hala's gaudy life.
Years later, about 1905, Dick Wick verde root in a manner to impede his path, Hubbard sold out to an English syn-
Hall grubstaked one Shorty Alger, an ex- water having washed a gully under the root dicate for something over a million dol-
perienced prospector, to check the Tank and rock. Walton was impressed by the lars, a sum almost identical to the value of
Pass area. The story he brought back
strains the imagination but he had the
nugget to prove it. It is difficult to argue
with success, no matter how strange the
circumstances.
Apparently Shorty slipped while climb-
ing a steep hill, stuck his prospecting pick
into the ground to prevent a fall, and in
so doing impaled on its point a gold nug-
get weighing more than half a pound.
There was the expected rash to the area,
hundreds of claims were staked, and
thousands of dollars changed hands buy-
ing and selling worthless property.
The first location was the only pro-
ducer. Shorty Alger had banged into the
only exposed corner of an isolated ore
body that soon yielded over $100,000 to
him and his partners, with additional

This old adobe building is a relic

of the famous Harqua Hala Mine
of the 1890s. It is located
on what is now called Martin Peak.
the ore which the new owners would ex-
tract in seven years of operation. Dur- GOLD IN THE SNAKE RANGE!
ing the "British Period" fine houses, even Continued fram page 31
tennis courts, were built to bring an aura
of gracious living to the western scene. and hired guards to prove it! it seems that Scotty Bertie had a few treats
But the Harqua Hala was not finished The summer of 1907 found the follow- too many. Usually Scotty never got into
even after the English pulled out and the ing numbered among the new camp's much trouble when he was drinking, but
bats had taken over for a decade or two. business houses. There were four stores, then usually he stayed out of the "Bucket
There was still life in the old girl and Migihan's, Bacon & Courtright's, Ras- Of Blood!" No one seemed to know af-
she gave up another 176,000 to that same mussin & Day's, and Fred McQueens. terwards just what started it all, but not
Hubbard, ever the optimist, who in 1920 Kixmueller & Koracker operated a res- long after Shorty entered the saloon he
repurchased the property for about $7,500. taurant, while Mrs. Bliss offered "Home and Fred Loper were arguing hot and
Today desolation reigns on Martin Cooked Meals". Rockhill & Thurber were heavy. Some say that Scotty reached for
Peak. A recent sheet metal house, the walls mining engineers, W. D. Clay was Justice his back pocket, maybe for a hide-out gun,
of an oversized adobe structure, mill foun- Of The Peace, and there were three board- but whether he did or not never mattered,
dations, a head frame and the usual scrap ing houses. Payne Brothers Wholesale for Loper grabbed a six-shooter from
metal strewn about stand in mute testi- Liquors supplied liquid refreshment for behind the bar and fired. As his stunned
mony. Unfortunately the quality of the the town's four saloons, the San Pedro friends watched, Scotty was hurled back-
debris is no better than that which one Club, Rush & O'Neills, Connor's & Hunts- ward by the heavy bullet's impact, a gap-
finds around far less notable old produc- man's, and a place the miners called "the ing hole in the center of his chest!
ers. Four production phases were all she Bucket of Blood," operated by Fred Loper Before the miners could act, Loper ran
could muster but that is three better than and Hyrum Young. out a side door and raced away into the
most of her competitors. Gone are the Until 1907 ore was hauled from the night. The sheriff's office at Ely was
golden dreams and golden days. mines to the Whitney and Southern Queen quickly notified and Sheriff Alex Baird
Until very recently one of the curiosities mills at Osceola, but the long haul was gathered a posse to follow Loper's trail
of the Harqua Hala mill site was a very difficult, especially during the winter. In the next day. Odds at Black Horse were
unusual ingot mold in which Hubbard cast [anuary, 1908 stockholders of the Mabel three to one that Loper would be caught,
his bullion for shipment to the railhead Mine were assessed one cent a share to but maybe the odd's weren't high enough,
at Phoenix. It was fashioned in a way to build a mill at Black Horse, and owners for it was a tired and empty-handed posse
make unnecessary any large and heavily of the San Pedro Mine soon announced that straggled back into town a few days
armed bullion convoy. It lay abandoned they had ordered a twenty stamp mill at later. They had never even caught sight
in the sun, unwanted for years, because no a cost of $55,000. of Loper, and so far as anyone knows,
other mine produced enough gold to have The new mills were built at Willow no one else ever did either.
need for it. Patch, near the San Pedro Mine where Maybe Scotty's killing cast a shadow
Now, with all Americana bringing never-failing springs promised a depend- of gloom over the camp, or maybe the
fancy prices, it has been picked up for the able water supply. A few of the old- old-timers had been right all along, but
city trade. So if you should run across a timers had second thoughts about the from that time on the town just seemed to
bullion mold which will cast a 400-pound new mills, for Black Horse's fabulous die. When the oak and aspens turned
bar of gold, chances are that it belonged high grade ore was becoming more like color that fall the trail over Sacramento
to Hubbard and the old Harqua Hala. "mill rock" as shafts went deeper, and Pass was seldom without a miner leaving
Yes, you should linger a while the next when the rich ore veins pinched together for some new diggings he had heard of,
time you are near Salome, "Where She they were tighter than a parson's purse! where ore veins were more dependable and
Danced. " Read the old Dick Wick Hall Throughout 1908, promoters with gilt- where winters were easier. Only a few
clippings in the big, old restaurant. Take edged stock certificates kept pushing stock die-hards stuck it out that winter of 1909,
the only paved road south out of town a prices higher, and the camp continued its and even they agreed that mines "were
few miles to where the water for acres dizzy pace. Then in September, 1908 the deep enough" when spring came again.
of cotton comes from, and think of Dick's Black Horse Company issued 272,000 Today, a poor dirt trail turns north
poor, dry frogs. shares of stock to build still another new from U. S. 6-50 just west of Baker,
Where you passed the Sheriff's office mill, and the old-timers began to nod Nevada but there is little left to see. Like
on the edge of town, note the well marked their heads knowingly, for they had seen a meteor in the western sky, Black Horse
Harqua Hala Mine Road taking off to the the same thing in too many other camps. had soared for awhile, but it was more
right hard by a fence and cattle guard. But then, as if to discredit the doubters than just "a flash in the pan." While it
The road is well graded and passes once and for all, a great new vein of high lasted it was a real gold rush, probably
through rich desert country which is beau- grade ore was discovered at the Hole Card the last one Nevada had. The miners who
tiful in the springtime or just after one Mine, and once more the drinks flowed joined the mad rush there wouldn't soon
of those infrequent August showers. It is free and easy across the pine plank bars. forget it, or its $100,000 a ton ore. And
less than 15 miles from Salome to the old Some might say the drinks flowed a its not likely either that they would ever
Harqua Hala. Visit her. She has been little too freely, for the boys from the forget Tom Watkins and his black horse!
waiting for you for a long time. Hole Card Mine were buying drinks, and
•
 by Peninsula Bottle Collectors, San Mateo MARCH 3 & 4, MONROVIA ROCKHOUNDS
County Fairgrounds. Write P. O. Box 886. 14TH ANNUAL GEM & MINERAL SHOW,

Calendar of Belmont, CA. 94002.

FEBRUARY
FERNANDO
17 & 18, 5th ANNUAL SAN
VALLEY GEM FAIR, Devon-
Masonic Temple, 204 West Foothill Blvd.,
Monrovia, Calif. Write Jeff Joy, 5526 Dods-
worth Ave., Glendora, CA. 91740.

Western Events shire Downs,

ridge, Calif.
CA. 91335.
18000 Devonshire Blvd., North-
Write P. O. Box 286, Reseda.
MARCH 10 & 11, SPRING PARADE OF
GEMS sponsored by Needles Gem & Mineral
Club, High School Gymnasium. Free Admis-
sion. Blue agate field trip. Write C. W. Kerr,
FEBRUARY 17-19, WESTERN WORLD OF
JANUARY 20 & 21, 8TH ANNUAL AN- GEMS sponsored by the Scottsdale Gem & Min- P. O. Box 762, Needles, CA. 92363.
TIQUE BOTTLE SHOW & SALE, Las Vegas eral Club, Mall Fashion Square, Scottsdale,
Convention Center. Free tours, overnight park- Arizona. Free parking and admission. Write
ing. Bottles, insulators, ghost town relics. Write Eleanor Morrison, 4753 North 33rd Place,
Dottie Daugherty, 884 Lulu Ave., Las Vegas, Scottsdale, AZ. 85018.
Nevada 89119.
MARCH 2-4, WONDERFUL WORLD OF
FEBRUARY 9-11, TUCSON GEM & MIN- LAPIDARY sponsored by the Maricopa Lapi-
ERAL SOCIETY'S 19th annual show, Tucson dary Society, Inc., State Fairgrounds, Phoenix,
Community Center. Collections and lecturers Ariz. Overnight camper parking. Field trip.
from the world's top museums. Large display Write 10637 Crosby Dr., Sun City, AZ. 85351.
of rough and cut diamonds. One of the best
gam shows in the world. Write P. O. Box 6363. MARCH 2-11, IMPERIAL VALLEY GEM &
Tucson, AZ. MINERAL SOCIETY'S 26th annual show, Cali-
fornia Mid-Winter Fairgrounds, Imperial, Calif.
FEBRUARY 10 & 11, FIESTA OF GEMS Field trips to Mexico, Write Ken Skillman,
sponsored by American River Gem & Mineral 707 C Street, Brawley, CA. 92227.
Society, Rancho Cordova (Calif.) Community After their mother was killed, Photo-
Center. Write Jos McGuire, 2689 Grove Ave., MARCH 3 & 4, VENTURA GEM & MIN- grapher Hans Baerwald successfully
Sacramento, CA. 95815. ERAL SOCIETY'S 11th annual show, Ven- raised! these two little jack rabbits
tura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, Calif. Write
FEBRUARY 10 & 11, 4TH ANNUAL AN- Ed Turner, P. O. Box 405, Santa Paula, CA.
and, when they were big enough to
TIQUE BOTTLE SHOW & SALE sponsored 93060. forage for themselves, set them free.

~f.'

•-''I'.iffi

m
I 'I " • • T i VI i

I1
\ v..;
Selected Reading from Deeeri
ROAD MAP TO CALIFORNIA'S LOST MINES AND
BURIED TREASURES and ROADMAP TO CALIFOR-
LET'S GO PROSPECTING by Edward Arthur.
Facts and how-to-do-it on prospecting are pre-
THE MIGHTY SIERRA by Paul Webster. Subtitled
"A Portrait of a Mountain World", This is a dra-
NIA'S PIONEER TOWNS, GHOST TOWNS AND sented by the author who has spent 30 years matic story of the geology of the Sierra Nevada
MINING CAMPS compiled by Varna Enterprises. searching for gems and minerals in California. and of the people—both of historic and present
Both roadmaps are 3 8 " by 25" and scaled. Sou- For those who think there are no more valuables age—who have lived and died in the mountain
thern California on one side and Northern Cali- left in California, they will find a new field in world. Includes a special Travel Guide, glossary
fornia on the other. Both contain detailed loca- this informative book. Includes marketing data, and bibliography. Seventy 4-color and 90 black
tion of place names, many of which are not on maps, potential buyers for discoveries. Large and white photographs plus maps and illustra-
regular maps. Treasure Map is $4.00 and Ghost 8x1.0 format, illustrated, heavy paperback, 84 tions. Large format, hardcover, 288 pages,
Town Map is $2.95. When ordering, be certain pages, $3.95. $13.95 until Dec. 31—then $17.50.
to state which map, or both.
CALIFORNIA by David Muench and Ray At-
SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAIN TRAILS by John
keson. Two of the West's greatest color pho-
W. Robinson. Easy one-day and more rugged
tographers have presented their finest works
hiking trips into the historic mountains. The 100
to create the vibrations of the oceans, lakes,
hiking trails are described in detail and illustra-
mountains and deserts of California. Their
ted so you will not get lost. Heavy paperback,
photographic presentations, combined with the
257 pages, $4.95.
moving text of David Toll, makes this a classic
OREGON COAST with photos by Ray Atkeson in Western Americana. Large 11x14 format,
and text by Archie Satterfied. The finest collec- heavy slick paper, hardcover, 200 4-color
ion of four-color photographs of the magnificent photographs, 186 pages, $25.00.
shoreline ever presented. Excellent historic text,
paper, 124 pages. $19.00 until January, 1973, NAVAJO RUGS, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE by
Large 11x14 format, hardcover, heavy slick Gilbert S. Maxwell. Concerns the history, legends
then $22.00. and descriptions of Ndvdjo rugs. Full color
photos. Paper, $2.50.
GOLDEN MIRAGES by Philip A. Bailey. Out of MOCKEL'S DESERT FLOWER BOOK by Henry and
print for more than 20 years, this was a collec- Beverly Mockel. The well-known painter of
tor's item. A valuable book for lost mines and desert wildflowers has combined his four-color
buried treasure buffs, it is beautifully written sketches and black and white photographs to
and gives first-hand interviews with old-timers describe in detail so the layman can easily
long since passed away. Excellent for research identify wildflowers, both large and small.
and fascinating for arm-chair readers. Hardcover, Microscopic detail makes this an outstanding
illustrated, 353 pages, $9.95. book for identification. Special compressed fiber
cover which will not stain. 54 full-color illustra-
TIMBERLINE ANCIENTS with photos by David tions with 72 life-size drawings and 39 rJhoto-
Muench and text by Darwin Lambert. Bristlecone graphs, 316 pages, $5.95.
pines are the oldest living trees on earth. Pho-
tographer David Muench brings them to life in DESERT GEM TRAILS by Mary Frances Strong. One
all their fascinating forms, and Lambert's prose of the most popular and authoritative books on
is like poetry. One of the most beautiful pic- the Mojave and Colorado Deserts has been com-
torials ever published. An ideal gift. Large l l x pletely revised and updated. Detailed mileage
14 format, hardcover, heavy slick paper, 128 maps, photographs, history, landmarks, etc.
four-color photographs, 125 pages. $19.00 until make this book tops in its field. Heavy slick
January, 1973, then $22.00. paperback, 80 pages, $2.00.

MY CANYONLANDS by Kent Frost. A vivid ac- NEVADA GHOST TOWNS AND MINING CAMPS
count of the early exploration of Utah's Can- by Stanley W. Paher. Covering all of Nevada's
DESERT yonlands by the author who spent his entire 17 counties, Paher has documented 575 mining
life exploring America's new national park and camps, many of which have been erased from
EDITOR who presently runs a, guide service through the the earth. The book contains the greatest and
scenic country. Hardcover, artist illustrations, most complete collection of historic photographs
160 pages, $6.95. of Nevada ever published. This, coupled with
his excellent writing and rfiap, creates a book
of lasting value. Large 9x1 1 format, 700
COMMON EDIBLE & USEFUL PLANTS OF THE photographs, hardcover, 492 pages, $15.00.
WEST by Muriel Sweet. A description with artist
drawings of edible (and those not to touch)
plants along with how Indians and pioneers used LOST MINES OF THE GREAT SOUTHWEST by John
DESERT EDITOR by J. Wilson McKenney. Known them. Paperback, 64 pages, $1.50. D. Mitchell. The first of Mitchell's lost mine
by his many fNends throughout the West as "Mr. books is now available after having been out of
Desert" the Ifcjfe Randall Henderson founded the print for years. Reproduced from thS original
Desert Magazine 35 years ago and for more than FOUR WHEEL DRIVE HANDBOOK by James T.
Crow and Cameron Warren. Packed into this copy and containing 54 articles based on ac-
20 years was editor and publisher. His former counts .. from people Mitchell interviewed. He
volume is material gathered from actual experi-
business partner and long-time friend, J. Wilson spent his entire adult life investigating reports
ence and presented in a detailed manner so it
McKinney has written a book about Henderson, and legends of lost mines and treasures of the
can easily be followed and understood. Highly
Desert Magazine and the growth of Palm Desert Southwest. Hardcover, illustrated, 175 pages,
recommended for anyone -interested in back
since Henderson moved the magazine to the area country driving, Paper, illustrated, 96 p, $2.50. $7.50.
in 1 948. This is a story about a man, his dream,
and how he made it a reality. Hardcover, illus-
trated, 188 pages. $7.95. HELLDORADO by William Breakenridge. One of
SUN, SAND AND SOLITUDE by Randall Hender-
the most famdus law enforcement officers of
son. For more than 50 years Randall Henderson
the Old West describes his life and gives first-
30,000 MILES IN MEXICO by Nell Murbarger. has traveled across the deserts of the West until
hand accounts of the famous outlaws and law-
Joyous adventures of a trip by pick-up camper today he is known as the voice and prophet of
men he knew. First published in 1928 and
made by two women from Tijuana to Guate- this region of mystery, solitude and beauty.
long out-of-print, now available. Hardcover,
mala. Folksy and entertaining, as well as in- Founder of Desert Magazine in 1931, he has de-
illustrated, 1883 map of Arizona Territory, 255
structive to others who might make the trip. voted his life to understanding the great out-
pages, $7.50.
Hardcover, 309 pages, $6.00. doors. His second and latest book is a culmin-
ation of his experiences, thoughts and philoso-
MINES OF DEATH VALLEY by L. Burr Belden.
About fabulous bonanzas, prospectors and lost
mines. Paperback. $1.95.
phy. Hardcover, deluxe format, deckle-edged
paper, 16 pages full color, excellent illustrations,
$7.95. Important Notice:
Magazine Gift and Book Shop
GOLD AND SILVER IN THE WEST by T. H. Wat- LOST MINES & BURIED TREASURES ALONG THE LOST LEGENDS OF THE WEST by Brad Williams
kins. The author brings together for the first time OLD FRONTIER by John D. Mitchell. The second and Choral Pepper. The authors examine the
the entire story of gold and silver mining in he of Mitchell's books on lost mines which was out- "lore, Isgends, characters and myths that grew
West. It tells of conquistadores chasing myths in of-print for many years is available again. Many out of the Old West" in a sequel to their popu-
Old Mexico, gold and silver strikes in the West, of these appeared in DESERT Mgazine years lar first book, The Mysterious West. Included
Alaska, Mexico and Canada, the rise and fall of ago and these issues are no longer available. among the more than 20 "lost legends" are
mining ventures, promotional schemes and to- New readers will want to read these. Contains such intriguing subjects as lost bones, lost
day's operations. Hardbound, large format, 212 the original map first published with the book ladies, lost towns, and lost diamonds. Hard-
illustrations (75 in 4-color) 288 pages, $13.95 and one pinpointing the areas of lost mines. cover, illustrated, 192 pages, $5.95.
until Dec. 31—then $17.50. Mitchell's personal research and investigation
has gone into the book. Hardcover, 240 pages,
FANTASIES OF GOLD by E. B. Sayles. During $7.50. NEW MEXICO PLACE NAMES edited by T. M.
his search for archeological finds for more than Pearce. Lists and gives a concise history of the
30 years, the author was exposed to the rumors places, towns, former sites, mountains, mesas,
and legends of lost gold and treasures. After rivers, 2to, in New Mexico, including those set-
his retirement as curator of the Arizona State tled by the early Spaniards. Good for treasure
Museum, he classified and delved into these hunters, bottle collectors and history buffs.
still unsolved mysteries. An interesting and in- Paperback, 187 pages with more than 5000
formative book on lost bonanzas and legends, names, $2.45.
many of which have never been published.
GHOSTS OF THE GLORY TRAIL by Nell Murbarger.
Hardcover, well illustrated, 135 pages, $6.50.
A pioneer of the ghost town explorers and
writers, Miss Murbarger's followers will be glad
LOST DESERT BONANZAS by Eugene Conrotto. to knov/ this book is once again in print. First
Brief resumes of lost mine articles printed in published in 1956, it is now in its seventh edi-
back issues of DESERT Magazine, by a former tion. The fast-moving chronicle is a result of per-i
editor. Hardcover, 278 pages. $7.00. sonal irterviews of old-timers who are no longer
here to tell their tales. Hardcover, illustrated,
BICYCLE TRAILS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA by 291 pages, $7.00.
David Kurk and Robert Miller. Sixty-nine trails, in-
cluding sidetrips, ranging from three to fifty SOURDOUGH COOKBOOK by Don and Myrtle DESERT OVERVIEW MAPS by Wes Chambers.
miles in both rural and urban areas. Illustrated, Holm. How to make a sourdough starter and Using topographic maps as basic underlays, Wes
maps, terrain description, paperback, 128 pages, many dozens of sourdough recipes, plus amusing has compiled two excellent detailed maps for
$1.95. anecdotes by the authors of the popular Old back country explorers of the AAojave and Color-
Fashioned Dutch Oven Cookbook. A new experi- ado Dei.erts. Maps show highways, gravel roads,
ence in culinary adventures. Paperback, 136 jeep trails plus historic routes and sites, old
NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA GHOST TOWNS by slick pages, illustrated, $3.95. wells, v/hich are not on modern-day maps, plus
Stanley W. Paher. Directions to and history about ghost tDwns, Indian sites, etc. Mojave Desert
23 of Arizona's most famous ghost towns. His- Overview covers from U.S. 395 at Little Lake to
torical photographs and artist sketches enhance GHOST TOWN BOTTLE PRICE GUIDE by Wes and Boulder City, Nevada, to Parker Dam to Victor-
editorial content. Large, 11x14 format, slick Ruby Bressie. A new and revised edition of their ville. Colorado Desert Overview covers from the
paperback, 48 pages, $2.95. popular bottle book, first published in 1964. Mexicar border to Joshua Tree National Monu-
New section on Oriental relics, plus up-to-date ment to Banning to the Arizona side of the
A FIELD GUIDE TO ROCKS AND MINERALS by values of bottles. Slick, paperback, illustrated, Colorado. $3.00 each. Be certain to state which
Frederick H. Pough. Authoritative guide to iden- 124 pages, $2.95. map (or both) when ordering.
tification of rocks and minerals. Experts recom-
mend this for all amateurs as one of the best 100 DESERT WILDFLOWERS by Natt Dodge. Each
3rd edition with many new color illustrations. flower is illustrated with a 4-color photograph
Hardcover. $5.95 and described in detail, where found, blooming ARIZONA
period, etc. Habitats from sea level to 4,000
BARBED WIRE HANDBOOK by Thomas E. Turner. feet. Slick paperback, 64 pages, $2.00.
Contains 418 different kinds of barbed wire
and associated items, described and illustrated
with line drawings. Current value prices. Paper- HOW TO COLLECT ANTIQUE BOTTLES by John
back, 102 pages $3.95. C. Tibbitts. A fascinating insight of early Ameri-
ca as seen through the eyes of the medicine
companies and their advertising almanacs. Ex-
cellent book for avid bottle collectors and those
just starting. Also includes chapters on collect-
ing, locations and care of bottles. Heavy, slick
paperback, well illustrated, 118 pages, $4.00.
ARIZONA by David Muench. The finest pictorial
presentation of the Grand Canyon State ever
ON DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, foun- published. One of the outstanding color photo-
der and publisher of Desert Magazine for 23 graphers of the world, Muench has selected 160
years. One of the first good writers to reveal of his '••color photographs which are augmented
the beauty of the mysterious desert areas. Hen- by comprehensive text of David Toll. Hardcover,
derson's experiences, combined with his com- 1 1x14 : ormat, 200 heavy slick pages. $25.00.
ments on the desert of yesterday and today,
make this a MUST for those who really want
ANZA-BORREGO DESERT GUIDE by Horace Par- to understand the desert. 375 pages, illustrated.
ker. Third edition of this well-illustrated and Hardcover. $6.95. Send check or money order to
documented book is enlarged considerably. Tops
among guidebooks, it is equally recommended SELDOM SEEN SLIM by Tom Murray. Profiles and
Desert Magazine Book Shop
for research material in an area that was crossed vignettes of the colorful "single blanket jackass P.O. Box 1318
by Anza, Kit Carson, the Mormon Battalion, prospectors ' who lived and died as they looked
49ers, Railroad Survey parties, Pegleg Smith, the for gold and silver in Death Valley. Slick paper- Palm Desert, California 92260
Jackass Mail, Butterfield Stage, and today's back, exclusive photos of the old-timers, 65
adventurous tourists. 139 pages, cardboard pages, $3.00.
Calif, residents add 5% sales tax
cover, $3.50.

Change in Policy-All Orders Shipped POSTPAID

 One of the most interesting products
of wind weathering is what is known as

Rambling by
a ventifact. The word is from the Latin—
ventium—wind, and factu'm—something
that is made or done; something that is
made by the wind.
The wind has, at best, a very small
Glenn effect on the most solid articles, thus the

Rocks and Martha situation necessary to form ventifacts is

somewhat rare. There are a number of
Vargas requisites before recognizable ventifacts
HOLDS 3 LBS. OF GEM MATERIAL
can be produced. First, the most obvious,
FOR ONLY $11.95 VENTIFACTS: there must be a wind that blows nearly
PLUS POSTAGE
constantly, and it must be of high ve-
Nature's Sculpture
locity.
GORDON'S ALL-NEW
1971-72 CATALOG
IS NOW AVAILABLE. OVER 250 PAGES
W EATHERING and erosion are
logy's destructive forces. They are
usually found together, and even though
geo- Second, the wind must be funneled
into a more or less constricted area so
that its energy is concentrated. Third,
OF MOUNTINGS, TOOLS AND SUPPLIES.
it is sometimes difficult to separate them, there must be available plenty of small
A MUST FOR NEW ROCKHOUNDS
they are not identical. Weathering is the particles of sand that can easily be moved
$1.00, REFUNDABLE
WITH ANY $7.50 ORDER.
process that breaks rocks into smaller by the wind, and there must be larger
FREE! FREE! pieces—erosion is the force that moves chunks that can be worn away.
For DESERT Magazine Readers the smaller particles to another location. The most logical places for such ac-
GORDON'S GEM SHOPPER Wind is one of the forces that usually tivities would be within a deep canyon or
is both weathering and erosive at the

GORDON'S
in a dry river bed at the bottom of a
same time. Like moving water, wind is valley. Many of the canyons in the Mo-
first a force of erosion, and as such be- jave Desert, especially near Death Valley,
1741 CHERRY AVE comes a force of weathering. There is are prime locations for this phenomenon.
LONG BEACH, CALIF. 90804 a fundamental difference between the Most of the desert is subjected to frequent
P.O. BOX 4073D action of wind and water, however. Wa- winds of medium to high velocity.
ter usually will move particles from the One of the finest areas to find venti-
smallest pieces up to quite large sizes, facts is in the Whitewater Wash immedi-
depending upon its velocity. The faster ately east of Palm Springs, California.
it moves, the larger the particle it can Strong winds move down this wash and
carry. into the Coachella and Imperial Valleys,
PuftE Wind is seldom capable of moving especially during the winter and spring
ASPIRIN
rock particles larger than sand category, months. The wash lies at the bottom of
and thus expends its efforts on cutting a natural trough, and is strewn with many
them. The results of weathering by wind boulders of granite and granite-like rocks.
41 Years Before "Aspirin" Was are most easily seen on rocks of fist size These are lying in a bed of sand and fine
Discovered, or larger. gravel.
Covington was manufacturing hand and foot-
powered grinders for gem coral and sea shells In order that a ventifact can be pro-
duced, the rock must be composed of lay-
FREE CATALOG
of over 200 modern gem
ers or portions of different hardnesses.
machines & equipment. Granite and its relatives are excellent raw
(Mail coupon below)
materials. The usual mineral makeup of
granite is quartz (hardness 7 ) , feldspar
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I LONE PINE, CALIFORNIA
(hafclness 6), biotite mica (hardness 3), one direction. The third type is a series
and other minerals in small amounts with of ridges or bands that move across the
hardnesses between those above. rock without any definite pattern, follow-
When wind moves across rocks of this ing soft and hard layers in the rock. We
type, each mineral is worn away at a dif- know of no accepted name for this type.
ferent rate; the hardest being worn the
least, and thus remaining as lumps or
The formation of any type depends
greatly upon the original shape of the
Make Your
ridges. These protrusions will partially rock, and how it lies in relation to the Outings
protect some of the softer particles on the
leeward side, and the surface will become
wind. Also, the shape depends upon the
minerals of which it is made. If the rock
More
grooved. is mostly limestone with only a small Fun
amount of hard materials, the surface will
be nearly smooth, with a few lumps pro-
truding from it. If the minerals are mostly
METAL DETECTORS
hard, with only a few soft particles, the
• Detectron
surface will be dimpled. • Excelsior
The einkanter type is the most diffi- Gel the Best .
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cult to recognize, unless one views it at Easy to Operate
From
right angles to the wind direction. It can $64.95 to
$165.00
easily be mistaken for a usual rock. The
Stop By And See Our
dreikanter is more easily recognized, as a
Western Artifacts, Indian Collection, Jewelry
triangular rock is not usual. The ridges Display, Lapidary Equipment, Tumblers, Gold
across it are also a good guide. The third Pans, Dry Washsrs, Books on Treasures and
type is easily recognized as the furrows Lost Mines and other items of fun for
Obviously, the work of the wind is con- and alternating ridges are most unusual. the entire family. For information |ust write
to or call:
fined to the portion of the rock that lies Examples of the third group are usually
above the surface, and thus a ventifact can the most interesting. The surface texture COMPTON
be recognized by the somewhat smooth may resemble a fine tapestry or sculpture. ROCK SHOP
1405 South Long Beach Blvd.
normal surface on the portion that was The depth of some of the furrows is often
Ph. 632-9096 Complon, Calif. 90221
buried. surprising, and the steep angle of the
Ventifacts have been carefully studied walls is unexpected. Some of the ridges
in order to learn about the behavior of are so parallel-sided that they have the
high velocity air currents. The shapes of" appearance of being carved by metal tools. V TREASURE
ventifacts have also been carefully noted, These surfaces are a real contrast to
and found to generally fit into three cate- the semi-smooth flowing surfaces of the HUNTERS-
gories. The first, and most simple shape einkanters or dreikanters. Any type can
is somewhat like that of a gabled house inspire an artist, depending upon whether
PROSPECTORS
roof, with one side facing into the wind.
This is known as an einkanter. The early
studies were carried out by German geo-
he likes conventional or abstract art. Re-
gardless of how the artist leans, most will
admit that ventifacts are nature's sculp-
IREE
logists, and the word means one ridge.
The second type is known as a dreikan-
ler meaning three ridges. This type is
ture in its finest form.

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second is formed by wind from more than MAPS
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•OOKS- CKAFT TOOLS - MACHINIDV—SUPPllfS—I Northrup Industrial Park
GRIEGER'S, INC. Box 1705, Bellevue, Wash. 98009
P«pt 52 - 1 * 3 3 t . Walnut — Posodtno, Coll*.,
 • MAPS

The Trading Post Classified Ads GHOST TOWNS OF NEVADA. Over 175 locations,
towns, mines, mill sites, history and dates.
Large folded map, only $1.50 to Ervin Stubbs,
(P.O. Box 1 2865, E. Las Vegas, Nevada 8911 2.
OLD MAP KIT. Reprints of State and Railroad
maps, 70-90 years old. Send self-addressed,
stamped envelope for details. Specify state.
BOOKS - MAGAZINES EQUIPMENT Northern Map Co., 2046 N. Tripp Ave., Dept.
DM, Chicago, Illinois 60639.
OUT-OF-PRINT books at lowest prices! You PRECISION LAPIDARY Abrasive Compounds for
name it—we find it! Western Americana, tumbling, polishing and grinding. Send for
desert and Indian books a specialty. Send free catalogue and price list. MDC Industries,
us your wants. No obligation. International 400 West Glenwood Avenue, Philadelphia, • MINING
Bookfinders. Box 1, Pacific Palisades, Calif. PA. 19140. Dealer inquiries invited. ASSAYS. COMPLETE, accurate, guaranteed. High-
90272. est quality spectrographic. Only $5.00 per
"GEMS & MINERALS," the monthly guide to • GEMS sample. Reed Engineering, 522 W. First St.,
gems, minerals, and rock hobby fun. $4.50 Rialto, Calif. 92376.
year. Sample 25c. Gems & Minerals, Mentone, SHAMROCK ROCK SHOP, 5 93 West La Cadena
Calif. 92359. Drive. Riverside, California 92501. Parallel
to Riverside Freeway. Phone 686-3956.
"OVERLOOKED FORTUNES" in minerals and gem
Come in and browse; jewelry mountings,
• OLD COINS, STAMPS
stones; here are a few of the 300 or more chains, supplies, minerals, slabs, rough ma-
you may be overlooking: uranium, vanadium, CHOICE UNCIRCULATED SILVER DOLLARS: 1880-
terial, equipment, black lights, metal de- 81 S Mint; 1883-4-5; 1898-99-1900-01-
tin, tungsten, columbium, tantalum, nickel, tectors, maps, rock and bottle books. 02-04 O Mint, $4.50 each. The lot $50.00.
cobalt, gold, silver, platinum, iridium, beryl-
GEM SHOP WEST. Mineral specimens, custom Illustrated catalogue 50c. Shultz, Salt Lake
lium, emeralds, etc. Some worth $1 to $2 a
jewelry, gem identification, slabbing. 72-042 City, Utah 84110.
pound, others $25 to $200 per ounce; an
emerald the size of your thumb may be Highway 1 1 1 , Rancho Mirage, Calif. 92270.
worth $1000 or more; learn how to find, Phone 346-2812.
identify and cash in on them. New simple • REAL ESTATE
system. Send for free copy "Overlooked For-
tunes in Minerals," it may lead to knowledge
• HEALTH 40 ACRES $250.00 PER ACRE. Develop your own
poultry ranch or retirement home in smog-
which may make you rich! Duke's Research BACK PAIN STIFFNESS, get immediate relief. Now free and people-free high desert. Interest in
Laboratory, Box 666-B, Truth or Consequences easy illustrated booklet, copyrighted 1972. new well, good roads, surveyed, 5,000 ft.
New Mexico 87901. Send $3.00 to: Self Alignment, Box 336, Cor- elevation, East San Bernardino County, $200
ona del Mar, Calif. 92625. down, low monthly payments. Also 1100
LOST DESERT GOLD, legendary and geological
history of the southern California desert, with acres for larger investors. Owner, E. R. Lewis,
photos and maps to pinpoint locations. $2.50 • INDIAN GOODS 5328 Park Lane, San Bernardino, Calif. 714-
postpaid. Gedco Publishing Co., Box 67, Bel I - 882-2146. Map mailed on request.
flower, Calif. 90706. FINE RESERVATION-MADE Navajo, Zuni, Hopi
SOUTHERN UTAH. Invest now in Color-Country
jewelry and Kachina dolls, Navajo rugs, Yei
SURVIVAL BOOKS! Guerrilla Warfare, Wilder- paradise, Bloomington Country Club lots, Ko-
blankets, Chimayo blankets and vests, pot-
ness Living, Medical, Guns, Self Defense, lob lots, ranches, farms, commercial, mobile
tery. Nambe cooking and serving ware and
Nature. Books—Vital, Fascinating, Extraor- home lots. Frank Pierce, Realty. Licensed Brok-
unique gifts. A collector's paradise. Open
dinary; Catalog free. Adobe Hacienda, er Utah and California. P.O. Box 12, St.
every day from 10:00 to 5:30. Buffalo Trad-
Route 3, Box 517A, Glendale, Arizona 85301. George, Utah 84770, 310 East Tabernacle St.,
ing Post, 20115 Highway 18, Apple Valley,
(801) 673-5000.
"DEAD MEN DO Tell Tales" By Lake Erie Schae- Calif. 92307.
fer. Facts about Frank Fish's mysterious death, GOVERNMENT LANDS . . . low as $1.00 acrel
ARROWHEAD'S WEST. Tools and Relics of Stone-
still unexplained. Sequel to "Buried Treasure Million acresl For exclusive "Government
age Man. Arrowheads, Artifacts, Birdpoints,
& Lost Mines" the Treasure Hunters manual. Land Buyer's Guide" plus "Land Opportunity
Gamepoints, Darts. $1.00 each; 3/$2.00 or
$3 postpaid. L. Erie Schaefer, 14728 Peyton Review" listing lands available throughout
12/$6.00. Send for our list of available ma-
Drive, Chino, Calif. 91710. U.S., send $1.00. Satisfaction guaranteed.
terial to: Arrowhead's West, P.O. Drawer 80,
United Lands, Box 19107-RA, Washington,
RIVER OF GOLD, the richest treasure of them Barstow, CA. 92311.
D.C. 20036.
all. A new book "Treasure Travels" contains INDIA~N CALENDAR" 1973—large/colorful decor"
all new photos, maps and other valuable ative panel. $1.50. Eagle Dancer in color for IDEAL 5-ACRE RANCH. Lake Conchas, New Mex-
information on California's most fabulous framing-White Burlap, $5.00. Indian Dancer ico. $2,975. No. Down. No Interest. $25
treasure. $3 postpaid. Gedco Publishing Co., prints, 4-$3.00. America Is Indian Country Monthly. Vacation Paradise. Camp, Explore.
Box 67, Bellflower, Calif. 90706. T-Shirt, $2.50. H&E Enterprises, P.O. Box (Money Maker. Free Brochure. Ranchos: Box
224(D), Dundee, Illinois 60118. _ 2003DP, Alameda, CA 94501.
FREE 128 page catalog on detectors, books and
maps. General Electronic Detection Co., 16238 HOMESITES WITH EXQUISITE view of Twentynine
APACHE ARROWHEAD Collections—Perfect, jas-
Lakewood Blvd., Bellflower, Calif. 90706. Palms and Joshua Tree National Monument,
per, agate, flint, 25-$5.00, 100-$15.00.
MAGAZINES WANTED: Oliver's Desert Rat Scrap- $600.00 acre. William Simmons, 3335 North
Dealers inquiries invited. Geronimo, DD1239,
book, Calico Print, Ghost Town News. Send list, Flowing Wells Road, Tucson, Ariz. 85705.
Apache Junction, Arizona 85220.
price, Ryland, Box 2617, Pasadena CA91105. PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA. 440 acres in city
limits. $140 acre. One mile access to Hiway
FOR SALE. Desert Magazines complete, from No- • JEWELERY 111. Adjacent Federal Game Refuge. 915
vember 1937 to June 1972. Many in hand-
some cases and others in binders. H. Janet- CUSTOM-MADE JEWELERY at prices you can af- Fairview, Apt. 6, Arcadia, Calif. 91006.
zky, Box 3310, Sedona, Ariz. ford. Full information sent on request—rings, 26'/, ACRES at Palm Springs R.R. Depot. Level.
pendants, pins, cuff links, etc., mail order $590 per acre. $10% down. Also 40 acres at
"ENCHANTING ENCOUNTERS With Birds" — a only. Freda M. Francisco, 11335 E. Lambert, Newberry Springs at $7500 full price. Easy
new truly enjoyable, clothbound book of de- El Monte, Calif. 91732.
lightful personal experiences with humming- terms. Owner, Box 304, Hesperia, CA 92345.
birds, robins, nightingales, etc. Splendid pho- HISTORICAL MAPS! "Pioneer Trails", 1541 to Telephone (714) 244-9450.
tographs; 50 pages text. Satisfaction assured. 1867. From Coronado to the Pony-Express, GOVERNMENT LANDS—Low as $1.25 Acre! Buy,
$3.75 postpaid. Fitting gift for any bird with trails in red. Most of U.S. and Upper lease or Homestead. . . Free Detailsl Lands
lover! Birdlover, 16759 Otsego, Ehcino, CA Mexico. 3 7 " by 4 5 " . Folded, $4.00, Rolled, Digest, Box 1555-DM, Tacoma, Wash. 98401.
91316. $4.25. "Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of
California". 127 stories. Folded, $4.00. Rolled,
WILD & WOOLLY West Books. Send Stamp for $4.25. "Pioneer - Towns, Ghost - Towns and
illustrated catalog of 25 books on Indians, • TRAVEL
Mining-Camps of California". 433 places.
Railroads, Ghost Towns. Sample book and Folded, $2.95. Rolled, $3.20. "The Oregon C BAR H GUEST RANCH. American plan, three
catalog $1.00. Filter Press, Box D, Palmer Trail". Pictorial. Blue or black. Rolled only, meals, room, horseback riding, swimming,
Lake, Colorado 80133. $1.50. "Land of the Ancient Scrolls and Tab- riflery, shuffleboard, horseshoes, ping pong,
GUIDE TO MEXICO'S gems and minerals: locali- lets". Israel and the Far east nations. 8 colors. darts, archery, etc. Hayrides. Twenty-seven
ties, mines, maps, directions, contacts. Eng- Rolled only. $4.25. Sales tax 5 % . Varna miles east of Victorville on Highway 18. Ralph
lish-Spanish glossary, too. $2.00 postpaid. Enterprises, P.O. Box 2216, Oept. A, Van and Rita Chamney P.O. Box 307, Lucerne
Gemac, Mentone, Calif. 92359. Nuys, Calif. 91404. Valley, Calif. 92356. (714) 248-7666.

40
 MISCELLANEOUS • MISCELLANEOUS
HOW TO PLACE YOUR AD
OIL PAINTING, knife, brush. For beginners or GUMMED NAME AND address labels: 1 0 0 0 —
• ^ Mail your copy and first-insertion remit-
advanced. Free brochure. Degrees granted. $ 1 , 3 0 0 0 — $ 2 . 2 5 . Two week delivery. C.
tance to: Trading Post, Desert Magazine,
Roy Keister College, 19 Washington St., Santa Fridcy, 4705 Adam Road, Santa Susana.
Palm Desert, California 92260. Classified
Clara, Calif. 95050. B. Calif. 93063.
rates are 25c per w o r d , $5 minimum
per insertion.
DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED ADS IS 10TH OF
SECOND MONTH PRECEDING COVER DATE.
Preserve Your Issues Each library-style brown vinyl
For Travel Guides and binder holds 12 issues of Desert
TRAVEL Reference in a Magazine. An ideal gift for friends
4WD-"JEEP" Scenic Adventure Trips, Death Val-
who constantly cefer t o Desert as
ley region, all desert areas, Paul H. Thompson
Enterprises, Box 2 0 , Darwin, Calif. 93522. a source of information on all of
the West.
• TREASURE FINDERS
FREE—VALUABLE TREASURE FINDER catalog sent
BINDER
by return mail. Find coins, rings, gold, silver,
metals, relics. Write today. Jetco, Dept. CD, Only $3.50 BE SURE TO STATE WHAT YEAR YOU WANT
PRINTED IN GOLD ON THE BINDER
Box 26669, El Paso, Texas 79926.
FISHER DETECTORS. You deserve the bestl Free
literature, FRL, Dept. D - l , P. O. Box 4 9 0 ,
Belmont, Calif. 94002.
TREASURE-METAL and mineral locators. Free 24
page booklet. GeoFinder Co., Box 3 7 , Lake-
SUN STILL Survival Kit
wood, Calif. 90714. NEW PROCESS PRODUCES 1 TO 2
GOLDAK Treasure Locators—Pleasure and profit - 4 0 IN DIA-
in a hobby you'll enjoy. Find coins, relics,
STRAW;, QUARTS OF PURE WATER DAILY
gold, silver. Charge on Bankamericard. Gol- IN DRIEST DESERT
dak, Dept. DM, 1101-A Airway, Glendale,
California 9 1 2 0 1 . A Reusable kit for Survival and a
POWERFUL METROTECH locators detect gold, sil- Fascinating Experiment for the Young
ver, coins, relics. Moneyback guarantee. Terms Scientist. Easy to install and operate.
free information. Underground Explorations,
Dept. 3A, Box 7 9 3 , Menlo Pork, Calif. 94025.
FREE 128 page catalog on detectors, books and 1.INER
Complete Kit $2.49
maps. General Electronic Detection Co., 16238 (POLLUTANTS) Send Check or Money Order plus 25c postage lo:
Lakewood Blvd., Bellfiower, Calif 90706.
DESERT MAGAZINE
METAL LOCATORS: White's, Goldak, Detectron,
Metrotech, Precision, Excelsior, Fisher. Free Palm Desert, California 92260
catalog. Aurora Prospector Supply, 6286 Califcrnia residents add 12c sales tax
Beach Blvd., Buena Park, Calif. 90620 (714)
521-6321.
GOLD, SILVER, RELICSI Located with powerful
SUBSCRIPTION F(DRM
Detectron Metal Detectors. Free information.
Detectron, Dept. D - l , Box 2 4 3 , San Gabriel, 7)*A*hT CALIFORNIA 92260
Calif. 91778. A / v V v M t a PALM DESERT
FIND BURIED TREASURE with revolutionary RENEW MY PRESENT SUBSCRIPTION
• ENTER A NEW SUBSCRIPTION •
patented, analytical metal detector. Features
push button and automatic tuning, negligible
ground pickup, greatest range. Free catalogue. NAME
Gardiner Electronics Co., Dept. 5 1 , 4729 N.
7th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85013. ADDRESS ZIP CODE
WILL YOU GAMBLE $4.00 to save $200?. Build D SEND GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO:
one of several detectors from our 20-page
book "Build Transistor Treasure Detectors."
Easily followed instructions. $4.00. Trionics,
Box 164D, Brewer, Maine 04412.
NAME

MISCELLANEOUS ADDRESS
AUDUBON SUMMER INSTITUTE: Field Studies in
Desert Ecology. August 4 - 1 2 . Field trips and
indoor sessions alternating with relaxation in
air-conditioned ranch setting. Write Tucson NAME
Audubon Society, 2504 E. Lee, Tucson, Ariz.
85716.
ADDRESS
NEW KAMPER-KITCHEN. Do-it-yourself 3 6 " box
unfolds t o 2 tables with legs. Holds stove,
lantern, a l l cooking accessories. Free litera-
ture. Send stamped envelope to Luken Sales
Sign Gift Card: "From
Co., Box 2 0 3 1 , San Bernardino, CA 92406.
One Year $5.00 Two Years $9.50 Three Years $ 3.00
FREE BROCHURE. New Product for campers —
Mini l i n e ! Easy to install, permanent, low pro- (Or 2 One Years) (Or Three One Years)
file clothesline for housecars, campers, trailers.
Ends those "tree to tree" lines. P.O. Box 2 4 2 ,
• PAYMENT ENCLOSED • BILL ME LATER
Joshua Tree, CA 92252.
• ALSO SEND DESERT'S 12-ISSUE HANDSOME ISROWN VINYL BINDER FOR $3.50
SAVE A LIFE: Free Information. A product that
every camper, hiker, boy scout, girl scout and (includes tax and postage)
sportsman should have. Write: Rescue Blanket Date Binder(s) with Year(s) • Undated
Box 886, Dept. A, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356.
 Desert
Shopper
r.,

Aerospace Rescue Blanket Rol-Bar-Lite—Dome Lite

Made of a thin, metalized foil on Two types of overhead dome lights
a polyester base and nearly tear for 4WD vehicles have been de-
proof, this "blanket" is about the veloped by Nielson Products Com-
size of a wool blanket (approxi- pany of San Diego. One is the Rol-
mately 100x60 inches) yet when
folded it is just the size of a pack
of 20 cigarettes. A space-age pro-
duct, it weighs 1% ounces and is
New Bar-Lite for attachment to roll bars
on both hard top or soft top ve-
hicles. The lights are curved to fit
watertight and waterpoof, and with
gold and silver sides can be used
as a signal marker. Keeps body
and the contour of the roll bar. The
other is the Dome Light for hard
. top 4WD's of all makes and comes
in both single and double lights.
warmth in and heat out. This new
innovation could save the life of an
injured motorist, hiker, skier, hunt-
er, or any person injured in an out-
interesting Both types of lights can be attached
with either screws or "flat surface"
mounting. They are dust and weath-
door mishap. It also is great for
protection against rain and snow
while sleeping outdoors. Can be
products er protected and will not rust, cor-
rode or tarnish. Both have remote
switch and under-dash bracket for
switch, plus all electrical wiring and
carried in your back pocket. Only hardware for installation. For addi-
$3.95. tional information on dome lights
Items appearing in this column
Available through Turner's Classic are not paid advertisements
plus other 4WD products write
Enterprises, Dept. DM, K6072, Nielson Products Co., Dept. DM,
P. O. Box 886, Lucerne Valley, CA. P. O. Box 23022, San Diego, CA.
92356. 92123.

Wide-Track Undercarriage
Sleepatron The new 1973 Silver Streak travel
Restful sleep can now be introduced trailers have introduced wide-track
safely and maintained with the new undercarriage to the line, improv-
electronic Sleepatron. According to Utility Truck Snug Tops ing stability and roadability. Exter-
the manufacturers, a study and sur- A new stream-lined fibre-glass top, ior modifications include gold ano-
vey was made to discover the type custom made for most popular brand dized aluminum front window awn-
of sound that would best stimulate utility trucks, has been designed and ing with distinctive matching corner
sleep and it was found that the is now being produced by Custom window covers. Chrome wheels are
sound of falling rain gave the best Hardtops, well known maker of standard on all Continental models
results. The Sleepatron simulates fiberglass hardtops for convertibles. as is the power-jack hoist for ease
the sound of heavy rainfall which Called the "Snug Top" it is manu- of hitching and unhitching. There
you have enjoyed while in your factured to match the style lines of is smoke-tinted safety glass for in-
camper or cabin. It also eliminates the cab and enhances the beauty and terior coolness and reduction of sun
the noises of traffic or artificial versatility of the vehicle. The snug glare and roof-mounted TV an-
sounds such as in motel rooms, at fit offers weather and security pro- tenna. Other new features include
home or for night workers who tection for any load. Features in- additional tank for waste water, re-
sleep during the day. Its small size clude: hand laminated fiberglass, cessed wall-mounted dining table,
(6 7/8 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches) tinted AS-2 Federal approved safety- built-in clothes hamper and newly
makes it convenient to take on trips. glass, window frames' of anodized designed entrance hinges for great-
Three flashlight batteries give it aluminum, screened, sliding glass er security. The aircraft-type con-
660 hours of operation. Price is windows and large, metal framed struction travel trailers come in 23,
$65.00. tailgate window. Suggested retail 26, 28, 30 and 32-foot lengths. For
For complete information write price, S325.00. F.O.B. further information write Silver
Gardiner Electronics, Dept. DM. For complete information write Cus- Streak Trailer Company, Dept. DM,
4729 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, tom Hardtops, Dept. DM, 1410 2319 No. Chico Ave., South El
AZ. 85013. Cota Ave., Long Beach, CA. 90801. Monte, CA. 91733.
 My question is about Rainbow Bridge. Some- to Saratoga Springs for the first time. The Park

Letters one told us that there were two persons a num-

ber of years ago who went overland to Rainbow
Bridge by vehicle, rather than on foot or horse-
back. Is this possible? If so, we would like to
try it . . . or at least part way.
Service had recently chopped down or bull-
dozed out all the tamarisk trees and they lay in
desolate wind-rows around the perimeter of the
pools. It was explained on signs, that this was
done with the idea of returning the area to the
MRS. H. R. MILLER, conditiDn it was in before the coming of the
Cleveland, Ohio white man.
Editor's Note: I ant certain your information All access roads off the entry road, had been
was mistaken. There is no way of getting to plowed across or mounded over. There was a
Rainbow by vehicle, and, frankly, I hope there small parking area S. E. of the springs, but it
never will be. As I stated in my article in the is not large enough to turn around in if you

Editor
Letters requesting answers must include
sfamped self-addressed envelope.
May 1972 issue, it is the quietness and pristine
wilderness that makes the ride such a thrill.
I am a 4WD explorer, but there are same areas
of the West that should remain as they were
thousands of years ago — The Rainbow Bridge
happen to be towing a trailer. No more camp-
ing is allowed in the vicinity.
In the visitors register on the site, comments
were invited, and we could not find one favor-
able word on the changes made in the name of
trail is one of them. ecology. Certainly, not only man but the many
birds and mammals in the area must have en-
A Real Gem . . . joyed the shelter of the tamarisk trees. I'm
Just wanted to tell you how much I en- happy to say the pools and pupfish were in
Lost Subscriber . . . good condition and the view was still lovely
joyed Glenn Vargas' column on diamonds in
the September issue. I am not a rockhound I have read through two years of back issues in the desert sunset.
and seldom read his articles—just skin them— of Desert Magazine to deduce your policy with DOROTHY SUNDBERG,
but this one was a dilly. Thank you. respect to use of dune buggies, trail bikes, and Lancaster, California.
motorcycles on desert lands. As nearly as I can
AUDREY JUSTICE,
tell, you deplore destruction of desert plants and
San Diego, Calif.
animals and invasion of private lands. Once
you have "wrung your hands in anguish", you
Recreation Areas . . . seemingly feel free to aid and abet the use of
I have been a reader of Desert Magazine these destructive vehicles.
for years and enjoy it very much. I could be very wrong, since I am trying to
In your article "Desert Lands for Recrea- read another man's thoughts, but I must piece
tion" in the July 1972 issue you listed 19 Bur- together as best I can the basic thrust of the
eau of Land Management areas which were tone of your comments. My personal view is
set aside by the Department of the Interior as that dune buggies, trail bikes, motorcycles—and
"prime recreation areas." while we are at it—snowmobiles should be
I am a rockhound and my family and many totally barred from entry to any public lands.
others enjoy rock hounding in many of those Since I seem to be completely is disagreement
areas. Does 'this mean we cannot rockhound with you on this subject, I must ask that you
in the areas mentioned? not renew the enclosed subscription to Desert
HOWARD PAGE, Magazine.
Port Angeles, Washington. ROBERT L. SPEER,
Eitor's Note: Yes, you can still collect rocks Carmel, California. Alley Oops . . .
in these areas as you have in the past. However, Editor's Note: Former Reader Speer evidently While gathering material for an article on
as I pointed out in the article, you can "at least missed some issues, such as the Novembr 1971 the Mother Lode Country for Desert Magazine,
for the present," according to B.L.M. spokes- edition in which we endorsed the B.L.M. multi- I came across the above sign in Amador City. I
men. The basic idea of setting the sites aside as ple-use plan. We have constantly stated it is could not find anyone who knew why the alley
"prime recreation areas" is to insure they will NOT the 'vehicle causing the damage, but a had such an unusual name. Maybe a Desert
forever remain as public lands and not be traded few reckless and thoughtless drivers in the reader can help.
or sold to private interests. How long these vehicle. Most organized back-country vehicle A. H. WATERMAN,
areas will remain open to rock hounding, 4WD clubs have done far 'more to clean up the des- Arcadia, California.
explorations, etc., depends on whether they will erts after others than they have done damage.
become "over-used." If we treat the areas with As far as his sweeping ban is concerned, how Coal Washer . . .
respect, collect only rocks and geim stones in can the "public" which is camposed of private Nema Anderson states in the article "Sego,
small amounts, and not despoil our deserts, they citizens (such as Mr. Speer) be banned from A Wayside Canyon", November 1972, that
will remain open for all of us to enjoy. If, on public lands which they own. The solution is the first coal washer west of the Mississippi
the other hand, they are threatened with destruc- not banishment, but education and cooperation River was built at Sego in 1911.
tion by vandals and reckless drivers, then the among all interested groups. Bill and Doris Whithorn stated in their
B.L.M. will have to restrict their use. It is up to
book "Photo History of Aldridge" that a coal
us to see that this does not happen. In the ^mean-
washer was built at Aldridge in 1894 and was
time, "happy rock, hounding."
washing 60 cars (100 lbs. each) per day as
Death Valley . . . early as 1896. Aldridge is now a ghost town
We enjoyed Mary Frances Strong's article on a few miles north of Gardiner, Montana.
Rainbow Bridge . . . the Westside of Death Valley in the November The Whithorns also note that the first coke
My family and I have just purchased our third issue. We often used to appreciate the solitude oven west of the Mississippi River was built
four-wheel-drive vehicle. We have covered many of camping at Eagle Borax when it was still at Cokedale, Montana in 1882. This oven and
trails in the Canyonlands National Park and in designated as an unimproved campground. the ruirs of 103 newer ones still exist between
Colorado. As Easterners we are sad that we have Almost every year since our children, now Bozeman and Livingston, Montana.
to wait until summer vacation to make our trips in college, were babies, we have made the trek IVAN ELLERKAMP,
out West. to Death Valley. Last March, 1972, we went Bozeman. Montana.

January 1973 43
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Register now for 1973 National Rally, San Diego, Calif., Sept. 9-15. Contact V. L. Cooper, rally coordinator, Silver Streak factory.