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As seen by Ted Huggins and Raymond


Moulin at Dante's View
By BESSIE BERG
Rio Linda, California
Where in this sweeping vision does the
unreal end.
Reality begin'.' "The Path of Death" they
called it;
Sea of seething alkali—waves of heat that
send
Their wash as if on ocean shore; image knit
From dreams, where ocean is no more:
strange beach
Where mortals never cooled parched feet;
and only fit
For sprites of Hades: mirage shores that
reach
To the worn talus of the Panamints with
surge
Of surf-like haze, where wanderers might
beseech
The desert all in vain for water, as they
urge
Failing spirits toward a shimmering, elusive
place;
An ever distant fantasy: until their dirge
Is sung by wind-driven sand, whose burning
waves erase
Footprints from this arid shore, leaving no
trace.

BLIND MAK'TA
By ELLA LOUISE HEATLEY
Death Valley from Dante's View. Photo by Truman D. Vencil Long Beach, California
courtesy Las Vegas, Nevada, Chamber of Commerce.
Daily sitting at his loom.
Weaving, weaving;
DESERT SUNRISE SHADOW CLAN Intricate his work, his blindness
By ETHELYN M. KINCHER By ALICE BRILEY Past believing.
Meeker, Colorado Albuquerque, New Mexico Fingers, skill and memory—
The dawn unrolls the tapestry of day, At dusk, the ancient gods return All combining
A masterpiece, clean-woven by the Hand To walk their tribal paths once more. To produce this masterpiece—
That wipes out night and puts the stars Filing forth from tented rocks. His designing.
They dance upon this desert floor, Vigorous, past seventy,
away, Free, wise, gritty,
Preparing sunrise on the desert land. Some stately, long-forgotten rite.
At last, the twilight ritual done. Younger men seek his advice
Low in the east, the carols of color come Tall, the shadow chieftains stand (He scorns pity!)
And rise in a crescendo to a song With ceremonial robes drawn close. Happy, proud, he labors on.
That fills the desert heart, but leaves lips And lay themselves upon the sand Never grieving.
dumb— Beneath a star's ancestral light. Daily sitting at his loom
Even the winds are silenced, moment-long. Weaving, weaving!
Then, arched across the mesa, cliff and crest. TRANSITION • • •
The canopy of sky turns slowly blue, By MILDRED BREEDLOVE DESERT PEACE
A ray of sun points to the waiting West. By NESSIE M. KEMMER
And once again the desert day is new. Las Vegas. Nevada
These many years I pitched my lonely tent San Diego, California
Upon the desert's bare unfriendly sand Somewhere there is a place,
DESERT SUNSET And in a plantlcss world I paper-planned A place of wide and open space.
A vivid southern garden where the scent With quail and coyote calls
By KENNETH W. PAULI Of lilacs would bewitch the passersby.
Stanford, California Unconfined in man made walls.
A garden where the dews and morning mists Where whirring wings may mean a dove.
The air in the canyon lay tired Would sprinkle pearls among the amethysts Not warring jets that scream above.
And breathed hot on the crest of the rim Providing nectar for a butterfly. • • •
When the sun—red-stained with dust, The seasons came and went, though unper-
Dismounted, sank and grew dim. ceived; STRANGE WAYS
And day on cloudless day wove magic spells; By GRACE BARKER WILSON
The stars were hardly a wisp; The soundless solitude of space retrieved Kirtland, New Mexico
Thin was the mountain haze. The heart I gave to trees and carpet-bells.
No less colorful these hills no Spring has The desert ways are strange ways,
The tumbleweed shadows were blue Harsh, silent, and austere,
As the smoke of a dying blaze. leaved.
And I've forgotten how a lilac smells. Beneath a blazing sun by days,
A thing for men to fear.
But deep in the West the heavens were
bright, DESERT WIND The desert ways are strange ways
And something or someone up high By PAUL WILHELM With magic luring far,
Set spurs to a mount and rode trail Thousand Palms. California Beneath a silver moon that stays
To the end of that blazing sky. So let me live where I may hear To light a vagrant star.
The silken whisper of the sand,
Then branding the clouds with fire The singing music of the sphere, The desert ways are strange ways.
Upgathercd the straggling light, The light-wing feet, the unseen hand But those within its bound
And slammed the corral gates shut Of pressing winds that murmur near Feel all the world lies in the maze
In the face of the galloping night. The pulsing spirit of this land! That circles it around.

DESERT MAGAZINE
DESERT CALENDAR
May 1 — Annual Fiesta and Spring
Corn Dance, San Felipe Indian
Pueblo, New Mexico.
May 1-2—Turtle Races and Western
Parade, Joshua Tree, California.
May 1-2—Southern California Sierra
Club natural science outing to
Joshua Tree National Monument,
California.
May 2 — Annual Parker Regatta,
Parker, Arizona.
Volume 17 MAY, 1954 Number 5
May 3 — Ceremonial Races, 8:30-
10:00 a.m., Taos Pueblo, New COVER Saguaro Blossoms by HUBERT A. LOWMAN of
Mexico.
Covina, California. This giant cactus pro-
May 6 — Public pilgrimages to old duces creamy white blossoms generally late
Spanish homes, Mesilla, New Mex- in May. It is the Arizona state flower.
POETRY Death Valley Panorama, and other desert poems 2
May 7-9—13th Annual Lone Pine
Stampede, Lone Pine, California. CALENDAR May events on the desert 3
PHOTOGRAPHY Pictures of the Month 4
May 8-23—28th Annual Wildflower
Show, Julian, California. GHOST TOWN Nevada Ghost Town Where the School Bell
May 12-15—Junior Livestock Show, Still Rings, by NELL MURBARGER . . . . 5
Spanish Fork, Utah. WATER Forecasts for Colorado, Rio Grande River basins 9
May 13-16—20th Annual Helldorado WILDFLOWERS Predictions of May blossoming 10
and Rodeo, Las Vegas, Nevada. INDIANS Raphael's Last Deer Dance
May 14-15 — Procession and Bless- By CHARLES GALLENKAMP 11
ing of Fields, San Ysidro Chapel EXPLORATION We Climbed an Old Volcano
near Los Cordovas, New Mexico.
By RANDALL HENDERSON 15
May 15-16—Annual Grubstake Days, CONTEST Announcement for Photographers 18
Yucca Valley, California.
NATURE On Desert Trails with a Naturalist—II: Exploring
May 16 — Quarter horse show, So- the Kelso Dunes, by EDMUND C. JAEGER . 19
noita, Arizona. EXPERIENCE Life on the Desert, by ELLA BRISON JOY . . 21
May 21-23—Calico Days, sponsored LOST MINE Search for the Lost Pegleg Mine—1884
by Yermo Chamber of Commerce
at Calico Ghost Town, California. By HENRY WINFIELD SPLITTER . . . . 22
DESERT QUIZ A True-False test of your desert knowledge . . 24
May 26-29—Elks Rodeo, Carlsbad,
New Mexico. WILDLIFE A new Desert contest for writers 25
May 27-28—Annual Livestock Show, MINING Current news of desert mines 26
Vernal, Utah. LETTERS Comment from Desert's readers 27
May 29-30—Fiesta of San Felipe de CLOSE-UPS About those who write for Desert 28
Neri, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
NEWS From Flere and There on the Desert 29
May 29-3 I — Desert Peaks Section,
Southern California Sierra Club FICTION Hard Rock Shorty of Death Valley 29
climb of Glass Mountain, single LAPIDARY
peak which rises out of the desert Amateur Gem Cutter, by LELANDE QUICK . . 34
between the White Mountains and HOBBY
the High Sierra. Gems and Minerals 35
COMMENT Just Between You and Me, by the Editor . . . 42
BOOKS Reviews of Southwestern literature 43
The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Press, Inc., Palm Desert,
California. Re-entered as second class matter July 17, 1948, at the postoffice at Palm Desert,
California, under the Act of March 3, 1S79. Title registered No. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office,
and contents copyrighted 1954 by the Desert Press, Inc. Permission to reproduce contents
must be secured from the editor in writing.
MARGARET GERKE, Associate Editor
EVONNE RIDDELL, Circulation Manager

SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Year $3.50 Two Years SB.00
Canadian Subscriptions 25c Extra, Foreign 50c Extra
Subscriptions to Army Personnel Outside U. S. A. Must Be Mailed in Conformity With
P. 0. D. Order No. 19687
Address Correspondence to Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, California

MAY, 1954
„• •
~ 3

PICTURES O FT H E MONTH
OLD CALICO...
Storm clouds were gathering over
the ghost town of Calico when Clin-
ton L. Hoffman of Arcadia, California,
took the above photograph late
last February. Once the richest silver
mining camp in California, the town
v/ill come to life again May 21 to 23
during the Calico Days celebration
sponsored by Yermo Chamber of
Commerce. Hoffman used a Rollei-
cord camera, K-2 filter, 1/50 second
at f. 16 for this picture which won
first prize in Desert's March contest.
Marshal "Calico Fred" Noller
checks his trusty .45 after another
busy day guiding tourists around
Calico streets and shops, now under
reconstruction. Second Prize Winner
Hubert A. Lowman of Covina, Cali-
fornia, used a Brand 17 4x5 v:.ew
camera with 5" f. 4.7 Ektar lens,
Super XX film, medium yellow filter,
1/25 second at f. 11. The picture was
made just before sunset.

DESERT MAGAZINE
Nevada Ghost Town Where
the School Bell Still Rings
They still teach the three Rs in Unionville, Nevada, although the
town has long been a ghost. "But we're running out of children," Below the nut pines and mahogany
Grandma Leonard, who has lived in Unionville for C5 years, says of on the higher slopes grew junipers and
the town's five families, and the school is not expected to open next fall. gray sage. Chokecherry thickets were
Here is Nell Murbarger's story of the Leonards and their ghost town fragrant with bloom, and tracks of
home in the shadow of the Humboldt Mounlains of Nevada. quail and chukar partridge cut patterns
By NELL MURBARGER in the soft dust of the old stage road.
Creek — a merry little stream that Everywhere in the canyon lay crum-
Photos by the Author
tumbles through the heart of Union- bled evidence of a city that had flow-
Map by Norton Allen
ville, tossing its cold white spray over ered and faded—time-mellowed adobe
IN Buena Vista Canyon, watercress and mimulus and bathing walls and wide stone fireplaces; shut-
o n tne east
slope of the Hum- the roots of great cottonwoods along tered windows and sagging verandas
boldt range, lies Unionville, its banks. Not far below town its and broken gates. Enveloping these
Nevada. crystal waters are lost in the alkaline old homes were thick mats of Virginia
Unionville is a ghost town. Its barrenness of Buena Vista Valley. creeper and thorny jungles of purple
single, twisting street is bordered by
crumbling ruins; its mine tunnels stand
silent. The spooky old mill overlook-
ing town is draped in cobwebs and
tenanted by bats; and where men by
thousands once followed the trail of
treasure, only five families live today.
I had gone to Unionville to see the
Clarence Ernsts who are hoping to
develop the famous old Arizona Silver
Mine as a scheelite producer. When I
learned that Mrs. Ernst had been born
at Unionville and had lived there more
than 60 years, I sensed a story for
Desert Magazine. But my hostess only
shook her head.
"I'm sorry," she said. "There isn't
much I can tell you about the boom
days, because Unionville was a ghost
town long before I was born.
"No," she said, "the person for you
to see is 'Grandma' Leonard. Grandma
has lived in Unionville for 85 years,
and her parents and grandparents
lived here before she was born."
The next morning found me head-
ing up the street toward the Leonard
home.
Scarcely more than a rifle shot be-
yond the town rose the pine-forested
peaks of the Humboldt range. Al-
though it was June, their 9000-foot
crests still lay deeply buried in snow.
I knew that high in those hoary sum-
mits lay the birthplace of Buena Vista
Although Unionville, Nevada, has
long been considered a ghost, chil-
dren are still taught in the town
schoolhouse. Built in 1871, the neat
white building has seen constant use
through 82 terms of school. It is
said to be the oldest school building
in Nevada still used for its original
purpose.

MAY, 1954
pletely in the story that was being re-
woven by this "first lady" of Union-
ville.
Later I supplemented that story with
information supplied by the Ernsts and
with material gleaned from yellowed
files of Unionville's two newspapers,
the Humboldt Register and Silver State,
now preserved among the treasured
archives of Nevada State Historical
Society at Reno.
The saga of this desert mining camp
had its beginning in 1860 when rumors
of rich silver deposits in the Humboldt
range reached the Comstock region,
and a dozen families left that over-
crowded area to come north and found
the settlement of Humboldt City, ten
miles northwest of the present site of
Unionville.
Out of that town, in the spring of
1861, had ranged a prospecting party
comprised of Capt. Hugo Pfersdorff, J.
C. Hannan, four Paiute Indians, and
two burros. Gaining the crest of the
range, these men had looked down
upon a stream-watered canyon that
broke away toward the east. They
called it Buena Vista; and upon find-
ing rich silver croppings, they had
hurried back to Humboldt City with
news of their discovery.
By July 4 of that year, the new-
found canyon had attracted settlers in
sufficient number that an Independence
Day celebration was held, and three
days later the present site of Unionville
was plotted. A choice building loca-
tion was offered, cost free, to every
man who would contribute two days
work on the public road and make
improvements on his lot to a value of
fifty dollars.
At the time of Unionville's found-
ing, the Comstock Lode was still shin-
ing as a star of first magnitude; but
even in Virginia City there were many
men who had been a little too late to
connect with a major bonanza. Every
one of these was spoiling for a second
chance at the purse of Fortunatus, and
lilacs and old-fashioned roses, Queen every rumor of a new discovery sent
showed an interest in my quest; but, newspaper reporters into flights of
Bess and Cherokees, and yellow moss. she too, shook her head. fancy. Through the alchemy of print-
Tall grass covered yards and pathways. "I'm afraid I can't give you much er's ink, even a second rate strike could
The Leonard home was old, like first hand information because I was be transformed into a glittering Gol-
the others, and had its lilacs and roses; only a small girl when the boom days conda that threatened to upset the
but here was a comfortable, lived-in ended," she said. "About the best I economic balance of the world.
look that the others lacked. There could do would be to recall some of
were curtains at the windows; tulips the stories my folks used to tell. . . . Before Unionville's mines had pro-
were blooming in the garden, and from But come on in the house and have duced so much as a wagon load of
the old chimney curled a friendly some cold milk and cookies," she in- ore, the Territorial Enterprise of Vir-
plume of wood smoke. vited. "At least we can visit a bit." ginia City had heaped its benediction
The woman who answered the door All the while I sat at the oilcloth- on the new district.
was small and white-haired and quick covered table in the old kitchen, a "I shall express an honest opinion
like a sparrow. Her eyes were bright mockingbird was singing in a tree by based on a thorough examination,"
and clear, and the crinkled lines at the open window, and a clock on the the mining reporter of the Enterprise
their corners fell naturally into place wall was ticking away the hours; yet, had written. "Humboldt County is
when she laughed. I was only dimly aware of these sounds. the richest mineral region upon God's
Like Mrs. Ernst, Martha Leonard For the most part I was lost com- footstool! Each mountain range is

DESERT MAGAZINE
gorged with the precious ore. The
other day an assay of mere croppings
yielded $4000 to the ton! A week or
two ago, an assay of just such surface
development made return of $7000 to
the ton! Each day, and almost every
hour, reveals new and startling evi-
dence of the profuse and intensified
wealth. . . . Have no fears of the min-
eral resources of Humboldt County.
They are incalculable!"'
And from Salt Lake to San Fran-
cisco, soon sounded the cry, "On to
the Humboldt!"
Among the first to answer that chal-
lenge were A. W. Olliver, newly-ap-
pointed probate judge for Humboldt
county, and W. H. Clagget, attorney-
at-law. Purchasing a team and wagon,
the men set forth from Carson City
in December, 1861. Accompanying
them was Sam Clemens, a 26-year-old
newspaper reporter who would subse-
quently become famous as Mark
Twain.
"On the 15th day," according to Ruins of J. C. Fall Mercantile store. Closed in 1880, it was the last store
Clements' account of the trip in Rough-
to have operated at Unionville, Nevada.
ing It, "we completed our march of
200 miles and entered Unionville, the canyon, were IS stores, including enough to protect themselves from the
Humboldt County, in the midst of a general mercantiles, meat markets, two rain!
driving snow storm. Unionville con- pharmacies, jewelry stores, nine saloons During the camp's earlier years, vir-
sisted of eleven cabins and a liberty and a brewery, two hotels, two express tually all outside commodities were
pole. . . . The rest of the landscape offices, four livery stables, a dentist freighted from Red Bluff, California,
was made up of bleak mountain walls and a newspaper. by way of Honey Lake, the summer
that rose so high into the sky from Possibly no event in the history of of 1863 seeing ox-drawn freight wag-
both sides of the canyon that the vil- the town was more heartily acclaimed ons arriving in Unionville at the rate
lage was left, as it were, far down in than the birth of her first newspaper, of a dozen or more daily. The Red
the bottom of a crevice. The Humboldt Register. As ths first Bluff Independent told of the departure
"We built a small, rude cabin in the ink-wet copies were lifted from the from that place of 40 ox-teams loaded
side of the crevice and roofed it with press on the evening of May 3, 1863, with supplies for the Humboldt towns,
canvas, leaving a corner open to serve a rifle brigade formed ranks in front a single flour mill at Red Bluff having
as a chimney. It was very cold and of the office and fired a salvo of nine shipped to Unionville 85 tons of flour!
fuel was scarce . . . " blasts. By midnight, the new four-page Freight rates varied from seven to 14
publication and its editor, W. J. Forbes, cents per pound.
Unionville grew rapidly. By the had been saluted by 34 anvil salutes With failure of mail service to the
spring of 1863, more than 200 cabins and gallons of imported champagne. Comstock towns, in the winter of 1863
had been erected in the canyon, chiefly
Prospectors and assorted camp fol- Unionville's postmaster contracted with
of log and stone construction. Milled
lowers continued to pour into the town Wells Fargo & Company to transport
lumber was scarce and high in price.
throughout that summer of 1863. From the mail to Virginia City at 25 cents
(While newspapers of the period quote
the alkaline flat at the mouth of the a pound, 35 hours being required to
dimension stock at $250 to $300 per
canyon to the white crest of the Hum- make the trip. Passenger fares over
thousand feet, the Ernsts have records
boldts, property was being staked right the same route were then $30, but the
to show that lumber used in the two-
and left, and the county recorder and following summer saw them boosted
story house still occupied by them was
seven deputies were busy rscording to $50.
ox-freighted to Unionville at a laid-
down cost of one dollar a foot!) claims. Everyone was speculating Mail transportation was greatly
madly in "feet," as mining shares were speeded in 1864 by the inauguration
Roofs, for the most part, were then known, and promoters were doing of a tri-weekly pony express between
thatched with wild rye grass. Tied in a land-office business in stock certifi- Idaho City, Idaho, and Virginia City
bundles, Old World fashion, the coarse cates. by way of Unionville. With the clat-
material was laid on the roofs, butts Yet only a handful of Unionville's tering pony riders delivering Virginia
down, and with rawhide thongs was mines had actually shipped any ore! City newspapers of the preceding day,
attached to slats placed across the isolated Unionville began to feel a one-
rafters. Editor Forbes, who was widely
noted for his humor, had commented ness with civilization. Another stride
Before her second birthday Union- on this situation, and had expressed in that direction, also celebrated in
ville had become a bustling frontier fear of widespread hardship when the 1864, was the opening of telegraph
settlement with an assessed valuation rainy season got underway. After oper- service between Unionville and the
of $187,763 and had been designated ating in the canyon for two years, he outside world.
the seat of newly-organized Humboldt pointed out caustically, many owners As it battled for cheaper and more
County. Flanking the single narrow of speculative mining properties had rapid transportation facilities, the town
street that wound for two miles through not vet driven their tunnels in far in the canyon could not be expected to
MAY, 1954
purpose. It was built in 1871 at a
cost of $2500 and school has been
held there every term for 82 years.
"But now," she said sadly, "it looks
as if there won't be another term.
There are only a few folks left in
town, and most of us are old. We're
just naturally running out of children!
Under Nevada law, a school may be
maintained for three pupils — but it
looks as if there won't be that many
during the term to come."
The building referred to by Grandma
Leonard was not Unionville's first
school. The first schoolhouse, built in
1862 of adobe brick, seems to have
been used for everything. Political
conventions, dances, church services,
and sessions of the town board were
held in it. The Masonic and Oddfel-
lows lodges and the Sons of Temper-
ance used it for their meetings. Dur-
ing the Civil War it was the head-
quarters of both the strong Union
League and the local chapter of
Knights of the Golden Circle. Here,
too, had met the Buena Vista Guards,
a smartly-uniformed group of volun-
teer militiamen who lent their impres-
sive presence to all patriotic celebra-
tions and parades. Once in a while,
according to old newspaper files, they
Melvin and Martha Leonard, Unionville's oldest residents. Mrs. Leonard even rode forth in pursuit of renegade
has lived in the town for 85 years, her husband for nearly 70. Indians.
know that its prosperity would pass zona Mine, which had produced be- Strangely enough, said Grandma
with the Concord coach and the ox- tween five and six million dollars, Leonard, Unionvillc never had but one
team; or that the very progress for other mines of the district had never church building, although a Sunday
which it was striving would ultimately been famous for their yield. With the school had been organized as early as
vanish. silver market scuttled by government 1862 and religious services had been
devaluation, the Arizona had been conducted by visiting pastors. One of
First intimation of such development these visitors—the Rev. L. Ewing, a
came when the townsmen learned that forced to close, and Unionville died
on the vine. reformed gambler from California —
the long-awaited Pacific Railroad had eventually dedicated himself to the
been routed to by-pass them. Its rails The year 1880 found the town's task of providing the town with a
would follow the Humboldt River, on once-teeming population shriveled to church edifice- With the financial
the far side of the mountains. a bare handful of persons, and J. C. backing of Mr. Fall, the structure was
On the Humboldt River fifty miles to Fall, leading citizen of the canyon, brought to completion in 1871, and a
the north, had sprouted a straggling merchant, and owner of the Arizona 450-pound bell was purchased by pub-
settlement known as Winnemucca. No Mine, had closed his large general lic subscription.
one had given much heed to Winne- store and moved away. At the time
mucca, but with the new railroad af- of his departure, Mr. Fall stated that "Mr. Ewing was soon called else-
fording the accessibility Unionvillc he had spent at Unionville more than where," said Mrs. Leonard," and it
lacked, the river settlement launched $3,000,000—most of which had come wasn't long until the church building
a campaign to acquire the county seat. from the Arizona—and that he was had been sold and moved to Mill City
unable to continue operations due to where it was converted into a men's
It was a bitter fight. Defeated in the government's ruinous discount on clubhouse and saloon.
county balloting. Winnemucca twice bullion.
petitioned the state legislature and with Turning to Mr. Leonard who had
its second attempt won a decision over The Fall Mercantile—now lying in come in from the garden and had been
Unionville. The older town appealed ruins—was the last store to operate listening with interest, I asked at which
to the state supreme court, but lost; in the canyon. point he had entered the Unionville
and in 1873, county officials removed "My parents and grandfather had picture.
their records to the river town. Thereby come to Unionville during the first After beginning his teaching career
was terminated Unionville's 11-year years of the boom," said Martha in the Badger State, in 1882, Mr.
reign as seat of Humboldt County. Leonard. "As it came time for me to Leonard related, he emigrated West
Already demoralized by the rail- be born, Mother went back to Illinois and secured a contract to teach the
road's snub and a disastrous fire which so 1 could arrive in 'civilized' surround- school at Dun Glen, a present-day
had destroyed one entire block of its ings. In 1869 — before I was six ghost town about 25 miles northeast
business district, this added loss was months old—she and I returned to of Unionville. Still later he got the
more than the canyon town could Unionville. T attended school here, in job teaching Unionville's school and
weather. With exception of the Ari- the same building we still use for that held that position for 35 years. During

DESERT MAGAZINE
this time he brought the three Rs to
all the Leonard children.
One of the Leonard daughters—
now Mrs. Orfa Hammersmark — de-
Rivet Reports Indicate Continued
veloped a desire to follow in her fath-
er's footsteps as a teacher. With Mr.
Leonard's retirement, Mrs. Hammers-
mark stepped into his vacated post
Dmth fot Southwestetn States
and for 19 years has taught the chil- Due to continued drouth in the basin is expected to be near 65 percent
dren of Unionville—thereby making a Southwest, the runoff in the Colorado to 70 percent of the ten-year average,
father-daughter combination of nearly and Rio Grande this season will be based on the assumption that precipi-
70 years of continuous teaching in this even lighter than was predicted a tation for the balance of the season
part of what now is Pershing County. month ago, according to the February will be near normal.
"It was at Dun Glen that 1 first met report of the U. S. Weather Bureau. Precipitation during February av-
Mr. Leonard," put in Grandma. "1 Following is the detailed report, based eraged less than half of normal over
was only 16 at the time, but 1 knew on precipitation, and snowpack in the the Lower Colorado Basin. The en-
he was everything I wanted in a hus- high elevations: tire precipitation for the month oc-
band—besides being very goodlooking! COLORADO BASIN curred on the 14th and 15th. Highest
—and I didn't propose he should get Precipitation during February was percentages were observed for the
away from me! much below normal over the entire Prescott-Flagstaff area where values
"We were married in September, Upper Colorado Basin. Monthly totals ranged from 60 percent to 75 percent
1885—and in 1955, God willing, we averaged about 30 percent of normal of normal. Over the upper Gila water-
will celebrate our 70th wedding anni- over the drainage areas in Wyoming shed in New Mexico, monthly percent-
versary!" and northern Colorado and about 20 ages were only about 10 percent of
Bidding goodbye to these wonderful percent of normal over the southern normal.
old folks, I drove back down the wind- Colorado watersheds. Monthly per- Gila and Little Colorado River ba-
ing road—back past the time-mellowed centages in Utah ranged from zero at sins—The outlook for the November-
ruins and deserted homes. At last I lower valley stations to approximately June water supply for the Lower Col-
halted at the old graveyard near the 75 percent of normal over a small area orado Basin is very critical. Snow
mouth of the canyon. of the high Uinta Mountains. cover is practically non-existent except
Walking through that place of silent Colorado River above Cisco—The above 8,000 feet and then mostly in
mounds, I found my mind whirling current water supply outlook for the shaded areas. Soil moisture conditions
through an endless compote of stories Colorado and its tributaries above at the close of the month were critically
related by my Unionville hosts. Stories Cisco is not favorable and is approxi- dry for most areas. November-June
of the days when Mrs. Ernst's grand- mately comparable to the March 1 runoff as low or lower than that of
father ox-freighted from Sacramento outlook of a year ago. Runoff near the recent drouth years is in prospect
to Unionville and her grandmother op- 60 percent of average is in prospect for the basins.
crated the pony express station at Buf- lor the Dolores. Uncompahgre and RIO GRANDE BASIN
falo Springs on the Idaho-Virginia City lower Gunnison drainages. For the February has been an excessively
line; stories of later days when her remainder of the basin, 75 percent of dry month over the Rio Grande Basin,
mother raised poultry and vegetables average runoff is predicted. Precipita- and this coupled with abnormally warm
and hauled them by wagon to the tion for the balance of the season temperatures has resulted in an unusu-
Chinese city in American Canyon, a would have to approach the maximum ally severe deterioration of the water
dozen miles down the range from of record in order for normal runoff supply prospects. Snow survey reports
Unionville. to be realized. of the Soil Conservation Service and
Green River Basin—As a result of cooperating agencies show that the
There were tales of duck hunting snow water content on a number of
on Humboldt Lake, of notable horse- the light February precipitation, fore-
casts for the Green River Basin arc the New Mexico courses has actually
races and ball games, of terrific wind- declined during February—a rare oc-
storms and grand balls and midnight down by 3 percent to 13 percent from
those of a month ago. Streamflow of currence. Extensive areas in the basin
suppers and home-talent orchestra con- showed no measurable precipitation
certs from the steps of the Exchange near 75 percent of average is in pros-
pect for the Yampa and White River during the month; the balance of the
Hotel. basin was in the 10 percent to 50 per-
Basins in Colorado. Forecasts for the
Stories, stories! Yet I knew that all main stem of the Green River in Wy- cent of normal range. The over-all
the remembered tales of Unionville's oming range from 71 percent of aver- average for the basin probably falls
youth must be as nothing compared age at Warren Bridge down to 51 per- below 10 percent of normal.
to the unrecorded history that had died cent of average at the Wyoming-Utah
with the men who made it—the un- Rio Grande Basin — Forecasts for
border. As a result of spotty snowfall the basin are down by 10 percent to
sung pioneers who were sleeping in during the season, considerable varia-
these forgotten graves. 27 percent from those of a month ago.
tions may be noted in the forecasts for Water-year flow at Otowi Bridge is
Before leaving the cemetery to head the Utah tributaries. These range from expected to be near 600,000 AF.
down the long lonely road into Buena 88 percent of average for the Ashley which is 58 percent of the ten-year
Vista Valley, I turned for a last fare- Creek near Vernal down to 49 per- average. Forecasts for the tributary
well look at the grand old ruin in the cent of average for the Price River at streams arc somewhat higher, percent-
canyon. Heiner. age-wise.
The evening was young, but the sun San Juan River Basin—The current Pecos River Basin—Also down, by
had already slipped behind the high water supply outlook for the San Juan 9 percent to 23 percent, are the fore-
purple peaks of the Humboldt range River Basin is much less favorable casts for the Pecos Basin. November-
and dark shadows—like the relentless than that of a month ago. Forecasts June flows for streams of this basin
years—had stolen in to swallow the issued this month arc 13 percent to are expected to be in the range of 53
town. 18 percent lower. Runoff for the percent to 80 percent of average.

MAY, 1954
IN MAY
< * ' ^ ^ H E R E ARE always flowers, if you look far Death Valley National Monument—From Death Val-
/ enough and hard enough," observed Jane S. Pin- ley comes the report of Chief Ranger E. E. Ogston. "Some
heiro the third day of spring—a spring which a of the Beavertail are in bloom now," he wrote March 29,
month before had indicated little wildflower color in "and within the next two weeks there should be a very
Southwest desert areas. After March rains, the blossom- good showing of this species. Geraea canescens (Desert
ing picture brightened, and fair to good displays are Sunflower) is starting to bloom as well as a few Evening
promised in May for most regions. Primroses. Indian Painbrush is out at higher elevations."
Antelope Valley—"There have been wonderful soak- Ogston feared that few blossoms would remain until May.
ing showers for more than a week now," wrote Mrs. Mojave Desert — "A few spindly little plants are
Pinheiro, Desert Magazine's wildflower correspondent for already beginning to bloom," Mary Beal wrote from Dag-
Antelope Valley, California, March 24. "My guess is gett, California, late in March. She reported good gentle
that there will be a fine wildflower display throughout the rains had brought out the young plants and a good flower-
high desert area in April and May. Everywhere on the ing season was indicated.
desert floor seedlings have popped up—Gilia, Lupine, "But there is one big flaw in the picture—and that
Sand Verbena, Primrose of many varieties, Mimulus, Pha- not of Nature's making," she added. "Northern sheep-
celia, Zygadenc, Desert Hyacinth, Mariposa, Coreopsis, men are bringing great truckloads of sheep into our area
Scale Bud, Snakeshead and Desert Dandelion, Chia, Pin- and turning them loose to graze on our desert plants.
cushion, Forget-me-not, Fiddleneck, Mentzelia and many So the beauty will not develop except in those stretches
more. It looks as though, after much dryness. this will where the sheep have not spoiled the landscape." The
be a beautiful spring." Mojave Yuccas were blooming by April 1.
Saguaro National Monument, Arizona — Equally Apache Junction, Arizona—Correspondent Julian M.
pleased over the sudden change for the better were John King doubts whether any annuals will last until May.
G. Lewis, superintendent, and Benjamin J. Zerbey, ranger, "The cactus blooms probably will provide the outstanding
of Saguaro National Monument near Tucson, Arizona. color that month," he predicted. "Hedgehogs started
After good rains in March, the following plants promised blooming late in March, Staghorns should follow in early
blossoms for late April and May: Ocotillo, False Mes- April and different plants of that variety may be expected
quite, Brittlebush, Marigold. Paper Daisy, Hedgehog to bloom through April and into May. Saguaro blossoms
Cactus and Filaree should reach their flowering climax in will be outstanding in May as well as those of the Prickly
late April; Prickly Pear, Cholla and Palo Verde will be Pear. The flowering trees—Palo Verde and Ironwood—
best in May, Saguaro by late May; Desert Poppy, Pent- will bloom in May, and their spring color is spectacular.
stemon and Larkspur are expected to blossom sporadic- In the higher areas just to the east of us, century plant
ally through April and early May. blossoms should be out in substantial numbers in May."
"It appears that March rains will bring forth a fine Borrego Desert, California — Barrel and Beavertail
show of Palo Verde blossoms," Ranger Zerbey wrote. cacti promised good color for April visitors to Borrego
"The cacti will be about equal in quantity to other years. State Park, but few of their blossoms were expected to
Annuals will be colorful but not spectacular." last far into May. "Cholla and Torch cacti will probably
Joshua Tree National Monument, California—By late bloom in April and most of May," predicted James B.
March, the Joshua trees were blooming in Joshua Tree Chaffee, park supervisor.
National Monument. On March 16, reported Superin- Casa Grande National Monument, Arizona—The long
tendent Samuel A. King, a snow storm occurred at higher drouth in the Coolidge, Arizona, area was broken in
elevations (3000 feet upward) which did some damage March by gently soaking rains, reported Superintendent
to fully developed blossoms; but most were still in the A. T. Bicknell of Casa Grande National Monument. If
bud stage, so a good display was assured for the first three followed by warm weather, this would increase cactus
weeks in April. Ranger Charles Adams predicted that blossoming in April and May, he hoped. Among species
Cotton Thorn, Woolly Marigold, Large White Desert expected to bloom those two months are Saguaro, Hedge-
Primrose, Golden Gilia, Desert Mallow and Great Basin hog, Staghorn, Prickly Pear and Arizona Rainbow Cactus.
Blue Sage would be blossoming in Hidden Valley in May, May blossoms also should appear on Ocotillo, Palo Verde,
and in Queen Valley, Small-leaved Amsonia, White Tidy Brittle Bush, Mesquite, Ironwood and Catsclaw.
Tips, Mojave Sand Verbena, Spiny Hop Sage and Annual Coachella Valley, California—As Jane Pinheiro re-
Mitra. Jupiter Flat, Ranger Adams predicted, would be marked, "if you look far enough and hard enough" you
bright with the flowers of Lacy Phacelia, Paper Bag Bush, will find flowers. Motorists along Highway 111 between
Yellow Turban, Scale Bud, Parish Larkspur and Purple Palm Springs and Indio will not find the brilliant carpet
Mat, and, at Salton View, May blossoms would decorate of wildflowers which Nature has in years past spread
the Chia, Harebell Phacelia, Desert Aster, Fringed Onion across valley dunes. But to the hiker who will leave the
and Adonis Lupine. highway for the canyons, many blossoming plants will pre-
Lake Mead National Recreation Area—Prospects also sent themselves, singly and in small groups along the trail.
appear brighter for wildflowers at Lake Mead National Barrel Cactus should be in bloom in April and May, Beav-
Recreation Area. Park Naturalist Russell K. Grater ex- ertail, Prickly Pear and other of the faithful cactus clan. By
pects good flowering for Beavertail Cactus, Strawberry mid-March the Ocotillo were flowering, their red-tipped
Cactus and Yucca, extending into May. Colorful displays stems brown from lack of rain. Good late March rains
of Desert Marigold, Desert Mallow, Datura, Prince's added hundreds of green leaves, and scarlet blossoms
Plume, Desert Dandelion, Desert Aster, Sun-ray and remained to make a good display, especially on the
Desert Chicory are also indicated. Palms-to-Pines highway from Palm Desert.

10 DESERT MAGAZINE
Deer Dance at Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. One of the oldest and best
known of the Rio Grande Pueblo rituals, it is performed in late summer or early
fall as part of the elaborate hunting ceremonies of that season. The dancers lean
on sticks to imitate forelegs and wear heavy antler headdresses. Photo by author.

Raphael's Last Deer Dance


In the sunbaked villages of the Pueblo Indians the age old religion these walks or 1 helped him tend his
of the people still guides their daily lives. Here is the story of the Deer crops. Always we laughed and talked,
Dance, one of the rituals through which these Indians try to reach their and I learned much about his people
gods, and the part it played in the life of an aging tribesman in the and how they lived.
pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico. I was surprised this day to find him
sitting by the river, his face silent and
By CHARLES GALLENKAMP thoughtful. He glanced up at me as
MEDINA sat looking the twilight. Inside its sun red walls 1 came near, but the usual warm smile
into the clear water of the river. the people of his village were lighting was missing from his lips.
Gradually his gaze rose to the fires for the night. Soon the harvest "'What's the matter, Raphael?" 1
far distant mountains to the east, their would begin and there would be little asked. "You look as though something
peaks shrouded in clouds made orange time to rest and to think. But for the is troubling you."
and red by the late afternoon sun. moment Raphael's thoughts were My question seemed to startle him.
On their broad, massive slopes he locked deep within himself. Seldom had our conversations gone
could pick out patches of aspen trees I had taken a small adobe house a beyond the point of casual, offhand
already turning gold in the early au- short distance from Santa Clara which subjects. Of personal lives we knew
tumn frost. The valley of the Rio served as both studio and home for practically nothing about each other;
Grande stretched out before him like the summer. In the mornings I wrote it never seemed important there amid
a huge silver snake winding its way or photographed nearby places of in- so much distance, such space. The
across the darkening desert. terest. Often in the afternoon I went beauty of the place itself was enough
Far up the valley, where the river for long walks down through the fields to draw us into a friendship heedless
disappeared into black lava mesas, the of ripening corn and along the river. of problems, backgrounds and the like.
pueblo of Santa Clara slept quietly in Raphael usually accompanied me on But Raphael needed the confidence of

MAY, 1954 11
Once, four winters before, he never been tested before then 1 would
had wounded a buck in the moun- say you might have some reason to
tains and was forced by driving snow worry; but no one can live as long as
and darkness to leave the creature to you without many such trials. Per-
die there in the cold, black night. All haps this is meant to be the biggest of
the way down the mountainside and them all, and to deny yourself the
across the wide plain below he thought chance to conquer it would be a far
he could hear the anguished cries of greater wrong than leaving behind a
the dying buck high in the timber wounded deer. Yes—go and dance
above. Never had he been able to rid with your people, but dance with more
his memory of those haunting shrieks, and greater faith than anyone else. 1
and not since that day had he killed somehow feel that the spirit of the
another deer. wounded deer will understand now."
As the time to hunt again drew near, "Maybe you be right," replied Ra-
Raphael felt he must do something to phael. "I must think much about
appease the angry spirits and free what you say before the time to dance
himself of disgrace. He wanted once comes."
again to be able to share his kill among We shook hands and the Indian
the others in the way of his people. made his way slowly across the desert
More important was a promise made toward the pueblo. I watched until he
to his son, that the year of his first faded into the falling darkness, then
hunt he would wear a pair of mocca- sat a long time on the river bank won-
sins sewn from the hide of a swift dering if I had said something to help
buck which Raphael had vowed to ease the old man's mind.
shoot for that purpose. By the next Four days later the time of the Deer
winter the boy would be old enough Dance arrived. It was a cold, clear
to take the old man's gun and go him- morning and the wind blew in short
self to look for game. None of this chilling gusts sweeping little clouds of
would be possible unless the gods re- yellow dust along before it. When it
lented. stilled, blue streaks of fragrant pinyon
Already the village was preparing smoke floated skyward from the vil-
The dancers' faces are painted black, a dance in honor of the deer spirits. lage. The plaza, the houses and cor-
a startling contrast to the white of It was Raphael's turn to participate in rals were bathed in soft light from the
their costumes. The front of this the ceremony and he felt compelled morning sun which promised to warm
to do so. It would have been wrong the air as the day grew longer. There
young dancer's headdress is made
and faithless not to dance when his was restlessness everywhere, even in
of sticks lashed together with yucca the wind and dust.
fiber. Photo by the author. time came; but inside him grew the
dark apprehension that his presence A few people had come from nearby
a friend now, someone other than a would so offend the spirit of the Santa Fe and Taos and were crowded
member of his tribe; for this was, it wounded buck he would make it for- together in patches of warm sunlight
appeared, a matter of deep personal bidden for any man of the village ever across the plaza. Soon their numbers
disgrace. His weathered face grew again to slay a deer. began to swell with artists, tourists,
tense as he began to speak. When the old man finished talking priests, Indians and many others who
Soon the harvest would be over, he he looked again at the now almost had traveled far to witness this ancient
told me. Then follows the time to black water. His heart was heavy in- ritual. They lined the plaza and roof-
hunt—first the deer in the mesas and deed and nothing could have demanded tops as they have done for years to
canyons near the pueblo, later bear in more concern than the thought that experience for themselves a people's
the far off mountains. The last three he had lost, perhaps forever, his favor age old supplication to Nature—the
years Raphael hunted tirelessly along- among the gods. In the light of his mother of all life.
side the others but had not himself faith, born of necessity and nourished Today the Indians were to dance in
killed a deer. For weeks during each by nature, Raphael had lived long and honor of the Deer Spirit. They were
succeeding winter he searched the well. Each year he watched his son to pray that the bucks grow strong
mesas, valleys and plains looking for grow strong and tall like the corn in and heavy and the does remain fer-
deer. He had even ventured to the the fields. His home was always a tile. It was never by will but of neces-
distant mountains alone to hunt along happy place and his friends many. He sity that the deer were slain at all, thus
the snow covered game trails. Once accepted with quiet dignity all that the spirits of the dead creatures were
he did see a giant fat buck standing in life offered and had passed the years to be venerated in dance and song, ll
the snow just ahead of him. He raised at peace with himself and his gods was. in essence, a living tribute to the
his rifle, took careful aim and breath- who dwelled in the mysterious place many small lives that must be given
lessly squeezed the trigger. His bullet that was the world about him. to preserve the unbroken spirit of ever-
shattered a pine sapling inches ahead After a moment Raphael looked at lasting life in all.
of the fleeting buck's shoulder—he had me and spoke. Soon the throbbing of a deep drum
missed completely. "Do you thing it be wrong if I don't could be heard inside a distant kiva.
Word soon spread of Raphael's dance with my people this time?" he All eyes turned expectantly to catch
plight. Friends told him he was grow- asked. "There are plenty others to the first sight of the dancers coming
ing old and need no longer go to hunt dance and then I won't bring angry from the great ceremonial chamber.
with the others. But Raphael held spirits to my village." To the Pueblos the kivas represent the
deep in his heart a much greater fear. "Raphael," I answered hesitantly, underworld from which all life origin-
He had begun to believe the gods "you've been a man of strong faith for ally came, and it is said that many of
themselves willed that he should kill a long time—not one of your people their gods still dwell in this under-
no more deer. would deny that. If your faith had world, therefore in the kivas as well.

12 DESERT MAGAZINE
Most rituals begin in the kivas; for it in the forest. For a moment the deer dust the lean, aging form of my
is there, in this sacred keeping place dancers seemed to be in complete troubled friend, Raphael Medina. His
of Pueblo religion, that the gods can chaos, then they moved farther down head was bowed under the weight of
most surely be awakened to the prayers the plaza, reformed their lines and the heavy headdress and his hands
of the people. continued to dance. No sooner was clutched the deer-sticks with uncer-
A feeling of hushed excitement everything again in order when the tain, wavering strength. I was glad to
stirred the waiting spectators. Some- same erratic drama was repeated and see him there among his people, danc-
one had caught sight of the dancers the deer came scampering back. ing in the manner of his father and
making their way to the plaza. From The steps and patterns were, in grandfather before him. To everyone
the roof of the kiva they appeared, fact, a kind of dance drama depicting he seemed sure of himself, possessed
one after another, their grotesque cos- the struggle between the hunter and of equal faith. I doubt that anyone
tumes against the brilliant sky like his prey. The movements of the deer other than myself knew what he actu-
tiny gods coming up from the world dancers became increasingly angry and ally felt within him—how much he
below. Indeed, that is exactly what frightened. Their heads bobbed up feared his very presence there in the
they were; for their faith was supposed and down in time to the drumming sacred plaza on this day. 1 somehow
to tranform each dancer into the im- and they pawed the dust with the felt his courage would find reward, but
age of the spirit they sought to ap- sticks. When one of the hunters came I was none the less apprehensive of
pease. To the beat of a single drum too close they would fling their horned events to come. If Raphael did not
they walked in reverent procession into heads in the sky and leap away to a kill a deer this winter, I would surely
the plaza amid those of us who waited place of more safety. witness and feel some responsibility
in respectful silence for the rite to be- Despite the confusion and excite- for the destruction of an old man's
gin. When they had all entered the ment of the drama, never once did it spirit.
plaza the drum stopped and quiet fell seem to lose its form and meaning, All through the long day the cere-
upon the village. never was the rhythm of the chant mony went on. Eight times the deer
I counted close to forty dancers in swallowed up in the impassioned spec- dancers disappeared into the dark kiva
the plaza, all men and boys heavily tacle. Before all who watched passed to rest and pray, then return to the
bedecked in costumes symbolic of the the minds and bodies of a people car- plaza to repeat again the drama that
deer. They wore beautifully made ried to the heights of spiritual anima- held me in motionless wonder. Tour-
white leggings and white dance kilts tion by a respect for the elements of ists came and left, but I wanted to re-
tied about the waist with woven sashes. nature thought so necessary to exist- main for the supreme moment I knew
Their moccasins were of bleached deer ence that it had centuries before given was yet to come. I had not long to
skin trimmed with animal fur. Above birth to these dances, each of which wait.
the kilts they were clothed in ordinary was an ingenious overture to the dark Just as the sun's rays were turning
white shirts with blue and yellow arm mysteries of life somewhere beyond to gold and the last group of dancers
bands. The entire costume of stark the limits of human knowledge. ended their ritual, there was heard the
white was broken only by their black It was not long after the dance had sudden, sharp staccato of rifle fire in the
painted faces half hidden under a mas- beiiun that I saw amid the swirling hills behind the pueblo. Quickly, with-
sive headdress of deer antlers, eagle
feathers and evergreen boughs — the Raphael had wounded the deer and, unable to follow the bleeding buck
symbol of lasting life. Each dancer through the snow, had left him to die a slow painful death. He was afraid
carried two straight sticks with which his deed had angered the gods so they would not allow him to kill another
he imitated the forelegs of the deer, deer, and he feared his participation in the pueblo's Deer Dance would
and his steps echoed the sound of spread their wrath to all the members of his tribe.
tiny bells, turtle shell rattles and heavy
necklaces of turquoise, silver and shell.
When the great drum began to thun-
der once again a chorus of bronzed
old men started to chant in low, fun-
ereal unison, and the dancers moved
slowly into two lines up and down the
length of the plaza. Soon their feet
were stamping the rhythm of the drum
beats in the dry dust below until it
swirled around their black faces almost
masking them from sight. As the chant
became more intense, the chorus raised
their hands high in the air and began
to tell with gestures the story of many
good things in the people's life: birth,
falling rain, growing corn, and the
death of many deer during the weeks
to come.
Then, suddenly, in the midst of this
solemn prayer there sprang forth two
Indians dressed as hunters. One car-
ried a rifle, the other a bow and some
arrows. They plunged into the lines
of dancers sending them scattering in
all direction around the plaza with the
nervous movements of surprised deer

MAY, 1954
out warning, a dozen Indian hunters still had that grim, set look of deter- When I opened my eyes again, the
rushed into the plaza, crouched to take mination I had seen the day of the sun had climbed high above the snow
aim at the startled deer-men, and be- dance. He went about the last minute covered mountains. The pueblo was
gan firing into them. These were the tasks with the cold precise manner of alive with activity — skinning fresh
hunters of the pueblo who would soon a condemned man. There could be killed deer and hanging the red meat
go into the mountains and forests, and little doubt that Raphael's very soul out to dry. By then most of the men
this was the long awaited bountiful would die within him if he returned had returned, though not all had
slaughter they hoped to make. this time without a deer. For four brought back deer. There were many
As the bullets whined above the long years he had waited faithfully, days left for them to try their luck.
deer dancers, they pretended to drop danced, chanted and prayed that the The morning wore on and I knew
as though hit by the stinging fire. Some gods forgive him his crime against the that I must be on my way. Raphael's
slumped down motionless; others wounded deer. There was nothing left wife, Dora, promised to write if he
leaped high in the air and crumpled in to do now but to go and see. got his deer, but there was anxiety in
a seemingly lifeless mass in the dust. Late that afternoon the first hunters her voice even as she spoke. After
Spectators scrambled for safety as the returned bringing with them three fine saying goodby to the friends I had
hunters dashed to claim their victims heavy bucks killed in a canyon a few made in the little village, 1 started
and carry the limp bodies into the kiva. down the rough, dusty road that winds
The whole scene was tragically beau- its way toward Espanola away from
tiful, surpassing any play I had ever the sun baked walls and green fields
seen. The deer had been slain, their that had been my home for three
spirits honored by the reluctant tribes- months. I left behind many memories
men, and the Deer Dance ended. of the wonderful hours I spent there,
but most of all I was leaving some-
Night fell again upon the village, thing unfinished — the battle which
leaving the men to think of prepara- Raphael Medina, my friend, waged
tions for the first hunt which was soon with his own faith and his deepest
to follow. I did not see Raphael again convictions.
that evening or for several days after.
I believe it was fear that kept him from I had driven about three miles from
those who were shortly to witness what the pueblo and my mind was buried
was to be the greatest test of his life- deep in thought. Suddenly I heard a
long faith. shout from high in the rocky mesa to
my left. I looked up. There among
No one saw Raphael until the day the massive stones stood an old In-
of the hunt the following week. A dian man, his hand waving a friendly
light snow had blanketed the distant farewell as I drove past. I waved in
mountains which, it was said, would reply, and strained my eyes to see who
drive the deer down near the pueblo it was. A careful look at his tired but
into the lowlands where feed was still smiling face and I knew it was Raphael
abundant. The day before excitement coming home at last. I looked again
in the village had been heightened and could hardly believe my eyes.
when an Indian reported that deer had There, slung over his saddle, was a
crossed a trail in front of him as he miles from the pueblo. Before long huge lifeless buck—a creature with
was bringing his cattle down from the another party arrived with two more. heavy antlers that jutted into the bright
mesas. Meetings of the hunting parties There was no sign of Raphael. A sky like sharp, black swords. I laughed
were held all over the pueblo that friend told us he had wandered off out loud with happiness, and up on the
night, but Raphael—the oldest hunter from his party just after noon and had hill Raphael's face twisted into a broad
of them all—was not among them. not returned by the time they were grin. Our eyes met with understand-
He sat alone in his home waiting for ready to leave. ing and he turned to walk away toward
the dawn that never seemed to come. his village. I started on my way again
"Raphael acted funny," the young feeling that I would like to return again
The weather which brought the Indian said. "Kind of quiet and un- next winter—to take Raphael's place
snow had also caused several days' happy about something." There was when the time of the Deer Dance came.
delay in the hunt. I had planned to nothing to do but wait.
leave to spend the winter in Albuquer-
que on that day, but wanted, if possi- The evening passed slowly. I re-
ble, to remain until Raphael returned. turned to my house to pack a few last CHANGE OF ADDRESS
I had until the morning of the second things and get them in my car. Then
I went to Raphael's home to wait with Desert Magazine is mailed to
day before my schedule would force subscribers on the 20th of the
me to leave Santa Clara. his family by the fire. We ate and
laughed, saying nothing about Raphael preceding month (unless the
The next morning I came early to and the serious task he was about. 20th happens to fall on Satur-
the village to watch the small groups We all felt a certain tension but did day or Sunday, and in that
of hunters leave. Some rode away on the most we could to dispel it. Out- case the mailing date is the
horseback, others in dusty trucks side the quiet was broken now and 22nd.) In order that there may
loaded with blankets and sleeping bags. then by excited laughter along the be no delay in delivery to sub-
They took rifles, sacks of food, and narrow streets as more hunters re- scribers changing their ad-
most of them carried tiny stone hunt- turned bringing in their bounty. When dresses, it is requested the new
ing fetishes and pouches of sacred corn Raphael had not come by midnight. address be sent in by the first
meal. In a distant corral I saw Raphael we felt sure he would sleep out some- of the preceding month. Thanks
saddling his horse and checking to see where. His wife and son went to bed for your cooperation. We want
that his rifle and gear were secured for and I spread my bedroll on the floor you to get your Desert on time.
the long hard ride ahead. His face near the fire.

14 DESERT MAGAZINE
Much of the climbing was done on exposed faces. Here, Lillian I. Casler and Willard Dean pause for a rest near
Ed. Gammon is leading the way up the ancient crater. the summit. Dean is chairman of the Desert Peakers.

We Climbed an Old Volcano...


Mopah Peak in the Turtle Mountains of Southern California has ert terrain in quest of semi-precious
long been a landmark for lost-mine hunters, prospectors and gem gem stones, some one reported that
stone collectors. More recently this ancient volcanic crater has become chalcedony and agate were weather-
a challenge to the mountain-climbing fraternity, and here is the story ing but of the seams in the volcanic
of a recent ascent by members of the Sierra Club of California. rock of the Turtle Mountains—and
By RANDALL HENDERSON today collectors are still climbing the
slopes and combing the surrounding
Map by Norton Allen mesa—and getting lovely specimens of
creamy chalcedony roses. This is a
IN February this year 1 igneous rock which serves as a land- gem field that will never be exhausted.
was a member of a little group mark for lost gold hunters, prospectors My first trip to the Turtles was in
of Sierra Club members who and gem collectors—and as a goal for 1940 when I accompanied Louise and
reached the summit of Mopah Peak those mountaineers who like to try the late Arthur Eaton on a rock col-
in the Turtle Mountains near the Colo- their skill in difficult places. lecting trip to the newly discovered
rado River in the southeastern Mojave For 75 years lost mine hunters have chalcedony field. We camped along
Desert. been drawn to the Turtles by stories of an arroyo five miles from the base of
We were not the first to scale this a fabulously rich placer field which Mopah Peak at an elevation of 1100
ancient volcanic crater, or what is left once yielded great nuggets of gold— feet. That great spire of rock was a
of it, for the forces of erosion have and then was lost. This is the locale challenge I could not resist, and while
broken down most of the walls of the of the legendary Lost Arch mine. other members of the party roamed
vent from which lava once spewed Then, 15 years ago when the new over the desert and climbed the lower
forth on the surrounding terrain. What fraternity of hobbyists known as rock- slopes in quest of gem specimens, I
remains today is a great pinnacle of hounds began to swarm over the des- explored the possibility of reaching the

MAY, 1954 15
Mopah Peak jrom the northwest side. This route was At the summit, left to right, seated: Tom Corrigan,
abandoned in favor of a more feasible ascent Lillian 1. Cosier, Ed. Gammon, Pauline A. Savior.
from the southwest. Standing: Bob Bear and Willard Dean.

summit. The northeast face of Mopah 1 had the same experience Edmund stone corral again—but on this Satur-
is almost vertical and I contoured Jaeger wrote about in his "Desert day night there were a dozen other
around the base to the south face where Campfires"' story in the April issue of campfires, and bedrolls of 42 mem-
there appeared to be a feasible route Desert Magazine. The rocks out of bers of the Sierra Club and their guests
upward in a great couloir or gully of which we had improvised a little fire- were scattered among the rocks on
broken boulders. It was a hand and place began to explode. I realized the desert floor at the base of the Tur-
toe ascent and as I worked up over then that they were the same type of tle Mountains.
the loose debris 1 came to the conclu- andesite Jaeger had described, and Bob Bear of the Desert Peaks group
sion that this was the vent of an an- hastily replaced them with other stones. was leader of the party, and among
cient crater with the south rim entirely On this trip I followed approxi- those present was Willard Dean, this
eroded away. Shoulders of rim-rock mately the same route as in 1940, but year's chairman of the Desert Peakers.
cut off my view both to the east and again I was turned back within 500 Within the membership of the Si-
to the west. feet of the summit. I was sure I had erra Club, a California organization
Eventually, I reached a point where climbed higher this time than on the of which John Muir was one of the
the climbing appeared too hazardous previous attempt. I crawled into a founders, are various sections with
for a lone ascent—and turned back shallow cave to rest before starting special interests—the Rock Climbers,
where my altimeter registered 3260 down the mountain. There was evi- the Ski Mountaineers and the Desert
feet. dence that bighorn sheep had been
Peaks clan. Throughout the year these
Early this year the Desert Peaks using this cave for shelter.
mountain climbing folks schedule
section of the Sierra Club scheduled A loose rock in a little niche in the weekend and vacation trips to the vari-
Mopah for one of its week-end climb- wall of the cave attracted my atten- ous summits in California and Arizona.
ing expeditions, and as I was to be a tion, and when I pulled it out there Between the Tehachapi Range and the
guide on the trip I went out the pre- behind it was a little match box con- Mexican border are 192 peaks with
vious week to see if I could find a taining the card I had left there Feb- elevations over 5000 feet, and the goal
route to the top. ruary 25, 1940, when I turned back of all Sierrans who like mountaineering
Camping at an old stone corral near at this same place. is to become members of that small
the base of the mountain, Cyria and A week later I camped near the old group which has climbed 100 of these

16 DESERT MAGAZINE
fSw^ewyFSs

SCATTERED CHALCEDONY
ROSES FOUND OVER THIS
ENTIRE AREA

peaks. It is a little game initiated by Then we circled the base of the for all the members of the party to
Weldon Heald in 1945—and several mountain to the southwest approach work their way up over the route, and
of the Club members have qualified. where the face of the old crater ap- a majority of the party continued
Not all the Sierrans at the campfire peared to offer adequate hand and toe around the base of the crater in quest of
Saturday night were there to climb holds. This was the route that finally another or a better route to the top.
Mopah Peak. Some of the women had brought success to seven members of With Tom Corrigan and Ed Gam-
brought their small children, just for the party. But it was a slow tedious mon taking turns in the lead, seven
a weekend outing on the desert, and climb with frequent use of the rope of us slowly worked our way to the
among those present were rock col- for security. It became evident there summit. The volcanic rock in this
lectors who had joined the Turtle would not be time enough in one day massif is highly fractured, and we had
Mountains expedition to hunt for chal-
cedony, or gather garden rocks. Looking out on the Turtle range from one of the many caves in the volcanic
rock. These caves are used frequently for shelter by bighorn sheep.
Our camp was five miles from the
base of the Peak, and a rough pros-
pector's road winds among the rocks
and through the sand in the bottom
of Mopah dry creek to within a mile
of the base of the monolith. The next
morning two jeep station wagons trans-
ported 21 prospective climbers up the
wash to undertake the ascent.
Since Desert Peaks members gen-
erally do not go in for the rope-climb-
ing technique of the Rock Climbing
section, I wanted to find an easier route
to the top than the one where I had
twice failed.
Tom Corrigan, who had once
reached the top of the Peak and had
done considerable exploring of the
mountain, suggested that we attempt
the ascent by way of a steep couloir
on the west side. That was our first
objective, but it soon proved imprac-
ticable for so large a party with limited
experience in rope-climbing.

MAY. 1954 17
to test each hand and foot hold care- Yuma on a charge of homicide. A a mistake, for he had seen the Indian
fully before trusting our weight on it. lieutenant and a half a dozen troopers many times after that.
We began the ascent of this route came up the Colorado to Chemehuevi According to Battye there were no
at 10:45, and at 1:10 we were looking Valley on a steamboat. The culprit, palms at the spring when he first saw
down on the world from the highest learning of their approach, fled to Mo- it 50 years ago.
of the three pinnacles which crown pah Spring, and with his Winchester, Those who reached the top on this
the ridge of the old crater. some water and food, climbed the peak expedition were Bob Bear, Willard
There was a small cairn at the sum- and defied his pursuers. Dean, Ed Gammon, Tom Corrigan,
mit, but no record of previous ascents. The lieutenant, after surveying from Pauline A. Saylor, Lillian I. Casler and
The elevation was 3675. a safe distance the impregnable posi- the writer. We added a few rocks to
Mopah is one of twin peaks. The tion of the fugitive, and not caring to the cairn and left a small note book
other, approximately the same height, sacrifice the lives of his men, held a there as a register for future climbers.
is a pyramid type of mountain lacking parley with the Chemehuevis. He By 5:10 we were back at base camp
the challenge to climbers offered by promised them that if the man would again, having come down with the use
Mopah. surrender, no harm would befall him, of ropes by a route inside the couloir
From the summit we were looking and as payment for their good offices by which I had twice tried and failed
down on Mopah Spring, a waterhole he gave the tribe a substantial quan- to reach the top.
well known to all prospectors in that tity of provisions. For those who like rugged climbing,
region, located in an arroyo northwest Everything worked out according Mopah will always be a challenge.
of the Peak. When I photographed to plan, and the steamboat with the Probably a score of routes to the top
this spring in 1940 there were two soldiers and provision left for Yuma. will be found where the ascent could
Washington palm trees there. Today All arrived safely except the Indian. be made without the use of pitons or
the two palms are there, with four They reported he had fallen overboard the other paraphernalia of the rock-
younger members of the same species and drowned.
growing nearby. climbing fraternity. But it will always
Later, Capt. Polhamus, skipper of be advisable to use ropes for security,
At the top of Mopah, one has a the steamer which transported the for much of the climbing must be done
grandstand seat overlooking a vast party, told Battye that the report was on exposed walls.
panorama of Mojave desert terrain.
To the east are the Whipple Mountains,
with Lake Havasu occupying a canyon
which was once the course of the Colo-
rado River. To the South are the
Riverside and Maria Mountains which
mark the boundary between the Mo-
Photo Contest kt May. ..
It is the driest year on record for many Southwestern areas, and
jave and Colorado Deserts. To the that means the photographer will have to look carefully for good
west are the Old Woman Mountains wildflower pictures. But, though the annuals may lag and their blos-
and to the north the Sacramento soms once open be scraggly and small, the cacti will be flowering for
Mountains, with Needles just beyond. "business as usual" in the camera-posing field this spring. May and
Perhaps the first person to climb June are the best months.
Mopah was a Chemehuevi Indian in
the 1870s. This was told to me by
A good cactus blossom shot may win Desert Magazine's May
Charles Battye of San Bernardino,
photo contest—or an animal study, a sand dune pattern in black and
California. Battye is a veteran rail-
white, contrasts in shadow and light on a canyon wall, the character-
lined portrait of an Indian patriarch. Any subject is eligible as long
road man, now retired, who for many as it comes from the desert Southwest.
years was stationed at Needles, Cali-
fornia. He spent his off hours explor- Entries for the May contest must be in the Desert Magazine office.
ing that desert area and became inti- Palm Desert. California, by May 20, and the winning prints will appear
mately acquainted with many of the in the July issue. Pictures which arrive too late for one contest are
Indians living in Chemehuevi Valley held over for the next month. First prize is $10; second prize $5.00. For
—the valley now occupied by Lake non-winning pictures accepted for publication $3.00 each will be paid.
Havasu, the reservoir behind Parker
Dam in the Colorado River. HERE ARE THE RULES
In September, 1940, Desert Maga- 1—Prints for monthly contests must be black and white, 5x7 or larger, printed
zine published a map of the Turtle on glossy paper.
Mountains in connection with a field 2—Each photograph submitted should be fully labeled as to subject, time and
trip story about the chalcedony gem place. Also technical data: camera, shutter speed, hour oi day, etc.
field. At that time we marked the 3—PRINTS WILL BE RETURNED WHEN RETURN POSTAGE IS ENCLOSED.
volcanic crater as "Moabi" Peak, be- 4—All entries must be in the Desert Magazine office by the 20th of the contest
cause that was the only name I could month.
find for it on the old maps available. 5—Contests are open to both amateur and professional photographers. Desert
Following the publication of this Magazine requires first publication rights only of prize winning pictures.
map, Charles Battye wrote, advising 6—Time and place of photograph are immaterial, except that it must be from the
that the name properly should be Mo- desert Southwest.
pah, as he had distinctly heard the 7—Judges will be selected from Desert's editorial staff, and awards will be made
Chemehuevi Indians pronounce it that immediately after the close of the contest each month.
way. Battye stated that his Indian
friend, Hi-ko-rum, related the follow- Address All Entries to Photo Editor
ing history: In the 1870s a member
of the Chemehuevi tribe was being 'Deoent THoyofitte PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA
sought by U.S. soldiers from Fort

18 DESERT MAGAZINE
ON DESERT TRAILS WITH A NATURALIST-II

Exploring the Kelso Dunes...


"A thousand wonders are calling. Look up and down and 'round
about you." Edmund Jaeger early heeded John Muir's advice and has
spent a lifetime exploring Nature. In this second story in a new Desert
Magazine series, Jaeger tells about the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave
Desert of California—a desolate yet beautiful expansive desert sand
pile which miraculously sustains plant and animal life.
By EDMUND C. JAEGER, D.Sc. horseback, or even by jeep. Only the
Curator of Plants coyotes, kit foxes and lonely wander-
Riverside Municipal Museum ing bob cats really know much about
Map by the Author them. These hardy mammals travel
widely over the smooth sand at night.
AK TOWARD the eastern end Cleverly they stalk and gobble up ro-
of San Bernardino County of dents, such as kangaroo rats (Dipo-
California, just beyond Soda domys), pocket mice and white-footed
Lake where the Mojave River finally mice. The rodents are able to live in
ends its long northeastward course the dunes in fair abundance because
across the Mojave Desert, lie the high certain plants such as perennial grasses,
curving hummocks of the Kelso Dunes, Edmund C. Jaeger
spring's annual flowers and a few hardy
sometimes referred to as the Devil's shrubs yielding seeds and fodder can complicated pattern of conditions for
Playground. They cover an area of subsist on the near humus-void sands. existence.
at least 57 square miles and the highest The plants also furnish food for a few I have spent enough time investigat-
parts reach an elevation of at least specialized insects which, in turn, make ing the Kelso Dunes to know there is
500 feet above the surrounding desert life tenable for several species of large in spite of their apparent barrenness
floor which marks them as the highest and small lizards. Both insects and a surprising amount of life of various
sand dunes in California. lizards as well as rodents in turn fall kinds. Of this the best evidences are
This extensive ripple-surfaced de- prey to sidewinders, those small rattle- the numerous animal tracks of differ-
posit of aeolian sand is seldom seen snakes specially adapted to progression ent kinds. Life, both plant and animal,
except by persons traveling on the over loose sand. Yes, here as in so is most abundant about the fringe area
Union Pacific trains. The railway many places, life presents a vast and where there is the greatest abundance
passes along their northern side but
no major highway lies within many Dipodomys, the kangaroo rat, and a few other rodents are able to live in
miles of their boundaries; high ridges the barren Kelso Dunes because certain plants, such as perennial grasses,
and bold mountains cut off a view of some spring wildflowers and a few hardy shrubs yielding seeds and fodder,
them from almost all sides. Because can subsist on the near humus-void sands. Photograph by Gayle Pickwell.
of this isolation, these remarkable hills
of clean shifting smooth-textured sands
have retained their primal beauty in a
very marked degree. Only the most
primitive roads lead near them and
some of these are very treacherous be-
cause of loose sand and rock. How-
ever, persons willing to hazard the trip
may reach them by going north from
a point near Amboy or south from the
railway station at Kelso.
The sands of which these dunes are
composed are a very light tan in color
and are supposed to have been derived
from the deposits of loose sand along
the lower reaches of the Mojave River.
Strong winds blowing from the west
carry this sand and, because of pe-
culiar local eddies in the wind currents,
deposit their loads here. During the
years they have built up the sands
higher and higher until this extensive
accumulation has resulted. The sands
appear to be very deep—not a mere
mantle hiding some high rocky core.
Because of their width few persons
have ever ventured to cross these dunes
of dazzling sand, either on foot, on

MAY, 1954 19
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of vegetation. Those curious darkling Colorado. It has been found nowhere about the twiggy seed-bearing branch-
beetles, often best known under the else in California. How its seeds first lets attest to the fondness of these
names of Pinacate beetle, stink-bug got here is anybody's guess. rodents for this nutritious food.
or circus-bug, probably penetrate far- On these dunes grows in low broad It is about an hour and a half's stiff
ther toward the center of sand desola- mats an extraordinarily beautiful and climb to the highest part of the dunes.
tion than any other creature. They are rare Croton with leaves, not the usual Where the slopes are steep it is a case
hardy insects and wide and constant gray-green, but a rich copperas-green, of two steps forward and one lost. One
wanderers. a color I have seen in no other desert proceeds, not steadily, but by going
Far toward the center of the hills plant. The most common grass is a up and down over an ascending series
of sand we may also see the flashing perennial Dropseed (Sporobolus) with of large conical hillocks and minor
sheen of the dragonflies' wings. Al- long and vigorous creeping under- ridges. The last knife-like ridge is ex-
though it is many miles from the water ground stems, from which spring stout ceedingly steep so that climbing is both
where these dextrous flying insects stalks covered with broad green blades very laborious and breath-taking. But
emerged from the egg, they are fairly which gracefully sway in every breeze. how rewarding the view!
frequent visitors here and find suffi- Here, too, grows a sand-binding bunch Far to the north lie broad tree-
cient flies or other small flying insects grass sometimes called Indian Rice. yucca-covered domes and ridges and a
to sustain them. Both grass species have rather large most remarkable "nest" of black sym-
In the glorious spring season follow- plump seeds which formerly were util- metrically formed cinder cones, 22 of
ing good winter rains and occasional ized by the local Indians. These them all huddled together in a small
snows, there is often a magnificent grasses are usually most plentiful in area; to the east and northeast one
covering of colorful wildflowers, espe- the low bowl-shaped "blowouts" where
sees the majestic bold escarpment of
cially in the broad swales and on the more favorable moisture conditions
prevail. the dark colored Providence Moun-
lower border slopes.
tains, the lvanpahs, Clark Mountains,
Only last autumn while walking The largest of all the dune-dwelling pinyon-clad on their higher slopes; far
over the southern portion of the plants is a Dicoria, sometimes called to the west lies dazzling-white Soda
sun-flooded sands I found blooming the Bugseed-bush because of its pairs Lake and beyond, barren rocky moun-
a shrubby pink-flowered penstemon of flat-bodied bug-shaped seeds. {Di- tain ridges of forbidding form running
which has evoked much interest among coria in the Greek means "two bed- north and southward, especially beau-
botanists. It is a possible new species. bugs.") It forms numerous large tiful at eventide when the last rays of
Here in spring I have collected the green domes. When in seed it fur- the setting sun bring new splendor and
small-flowered sand verbena (Abronia nishes much food for the many mice momentary loveliness to this silent
micrantha) whose natural home lies and kangaroo rats. Their myriad foot land. The only possible sight of things
far eastward in Arkansas and southern prints found everywhere under and man-made may be a far distant train

20 DESERT MAGAZINE
slowly creeping like a giant caterpillar sands take on a light leaden-blue color, ridges, they fairly sing. It gives one
across the desert wastes. still somewhat suffused with orange. a strange feeling very like that of
To appreciate and know the Kelso It is a somber scene but still very wandering in a blizzard. Perhaps most
Dunes it is well to visit them in all appealing. A night spent beside or on beautiful of all are those days in late
seasons, in many kinds of weather and the dunes, especially a moonlit one, winter and early spring when great
at different times of day. Late October is a long-remembered experience. Even white cottony clouds pass across the
and November's calm weather is per- a windy day has its advantages. As azure sky casting fleecy shadows inter-
haps most pleasant. On rare occasions blowing sands sweep in tenuous sheets spersed with patches of brilliant sun-
when it rains the erstwhile brilliant up the slopes and outward over the splashed sands.
At first the miners grumbled at having the superintendent's

LIFE ON THE DESERTBy ELLA BRISON JOY


wife in camp. But they changed their tune after the
mulligan-every-meal cook had to pinch-hit as mucker and
"that woman" started baking pies.

TAKE a woman? We neither roof nor floor, so the child and could not come up with a load of water
will have trouble enough," I camped down by the spring while on that day. My daily bath and the
one of the miners grumbled. the men stayed in the cabin. Frank child's consisted of one tomato can
Later he was to be thankful that I had and Walter went up to the mine each of water. Today, every time I let
decided to join my husband on the morning and came down for dinner at water go down the sink I remember
trip. night. those years of never having enough
We had spent the winter at Ord I fixed up a kitchen and dining room and think what I could have done then
Mountain at the Hassen Mine. Now and two bedrooms from the natural with the water I now waste.
my husband Walter was to go to Goler shelter made by a large boulder which To make the fuel last, I would stand
Canyon in the Panamint Mountains of had rolled down the mountain and over the stove and put in just one
California to superintend the assess- lodged against another huge rock. It piece of sage brush at a time, to keep
ment work there as well as some as- was a lonesome place for little Walt the kettles boiling.
saying and exploration. We outfitted and me, with nothing to do all day One day Frank said, "1 am going
at Daggett, California. except cook dinner for the two men to Los Angeles and have hired a man
Frank Brown was general manager when they came down after work. We who has a mine across the hill to
of the company. Besides Frank and were in a canyon and could not even bring water and wood up the moun-
Walter, there were four miners, one see out over the desert. tain on his burros. He will bring all
mucker—he shovels out the waste— The cook was still giving the men you want if you will give him all the
and a cook in the group. A four-horse mulligan three times a day—a can of pie he can eat."
team and large freight wagon and a corned beef, a can each of corn, to- The next day he came with five
buckboard drawn by two mules, matoes and peas, potatoes and onions animals — two five-gallon cans of
Maude and Jack, completed the outfit. —and the men were ready to strike. water on three burros, and two piled
We had decided that I would re- This was averted when the mucker got high with sage brush. Here was lux-
main in Daggett with our five-year-old sick, and Frank was unable to go to ury! What a wash day I had, and a
son, Walter, Jr. But when I saw the Ballarat for a man to take his place. real bath! The old mountain had
men getting ready to start, I could not I said I would do the cooking if the never before been decorated with such
resist going too. Mr. Brown and Wal- cook would do the mucking, and so a line of laundry flying gaily in the
ter consented, and little Walt and I it was arranged to everyone's satisfac- breeze. As for my end of the bargain,
joined the party. tion. 1 doubt that the man who brought the
I was not a newcomer to camping. We moved up to join the others on water ever had so much pie.
I had baked hundreds of sour dough the mountain, sleeping in a tent on I expected Frank Brown to bring
biscuits in a Dutch oven with cow the same level with the kitchen. The my daughter when he returned. She
chips for fuel; had driven a wagon at tunnel was below, and the men had was in Las Vegas and was to meet
night looking for water until the moon their sleeping quarters there. The one- him in Daggett.
went down, then unrolled a blanket room cabin, a small sheet iron stove About the time they were due, I
bed in the middle of the road for a with four holes, a table and boxes for walked out to the point. Away, far
few hours' sleep before getting up to chairs was home. We used tin dishes below, the road curled through the
fetch water for breakfast. I had trav- and for fuel just a bunch of sage brush canyon. And there was Frank, the
eled a month at a time to reach some which Frank would bring up on the mules and buckboard looking like
remote mine, then packed everything back of one mule every morning. The black ants in the distance. I scrambled
by horseback over mountain sheep other mule carried two five-gallon cans down to camp for a bed sheet—the
trails to camp. I was no tenderfoot. of water. That was all I had for cook- only thing large enough to stand a
The cook in our outfit had hired out ing three meals a day and lunches for chance of being seen—and waved it
"for a change" after working at the the men who worked at night. in welcome. Soon we would bid good-
Hotel Green in Pasadena. The first I baked pie every day and made bye to our camp here and travel that
morning he packed the lunches, we light bread when it was not too hot. same road back to civilization.
had soft boiled eggs, cold. Next morn- There is a certain time on the desert Later that night, after everyone was
ing I suggested that lunch might taste in summer when it is impossible to in bed, I again went out on the point
better if he cooked the eggs longer. make yeast bread. The heat kills the to see if all the stars were in place and
All he answered was, "I didn't know." yeast. But I did not learn that until the full moon shining as brightly as it
Every day of the trip we had mulligan. after I had spoiled a batch or two. should. I looked across the valley to
After several days' travel, we ar- Then baking powder biscuits were sub- the Funerals. Our existence certainly
rived at Goler Canyon. A narrow, stituted three times a day. lacked comfort — not even enough
winding trail led to the top of the On the days Frank went to Ballarat water to take a decent bath—but that
mountain where a stone cabin squatted for the mail I could not cook beans, night I felt richer than all the million-
next to the mine adit. The cabin had dried fruit or make bread because he aires in the world.

MAY, 1954 21
Search for the Lost
Pegleg Mine -- 1884
Tom Cover was a systematic prospector. Determined to find
Pegleg Smith's lost mine, he collected all the Pegleg stories, rumors,
hints—every scrap of information or hearsay he could—and, evaluating
them, drew up a list of clues to guide his search. Some of his conclu-
sions were printed in a Riverside, California, newspaper in 1884, soon
after Cover's disappearance on his final trek into Pegleg country—
the Borrego Badlands of the Colorado Desert. Henry W. Splitter recently
discovered these newspaper accounts and incorporates them into this
story of Tom Cover's persistent but fruitless search.
By HENRY WINFIELD SPLITTER
N 1884, Tom Cover, a prominent The role of city founder and orange
citizen of Riverside, California, rancher did not entirely satisfy Cover.
went to the Colorado Desert in Indeed, he often declared that the main
search of the Lost Pegleg Mine. He reason he had come to Southern Cali-
never returned. fornia was to find the Lost Pegleg
In itself, this isn't an unusual tale. Mine. For 17 years he carried on this
Many men, lured by visions of vast quest, and at the time of his disap-
wealth, have sought Pegleg Smith's pearance was the Southland's dean of
black gold nuggets, and many have lost mine prospectors.
lost their lives in the search. But During this entire period Cover had
Thomas Cover wasn't an ordinary been collecting all available Pegleg
prospector. stories, rumors and hints to help guide
Cover had come to Los Angeles in his search. Some of these were printed
1867 from Alder Gulch, Montana, in a Riverside paper in 1884 subse-
where he had been one of the first quent to his disappearance. Eventu-
discoverers of gold in that state. With ally forgotten, they have only recently
Pegleg Smith was a trapper who a fortune of $75,000, he traveled west, again come to light. Recorded here
stumbled onto a rich field of black finally settling in Riverside where he is Cover's story of the original finding
gold nuggets. He never was able to remained the rest of his life. He is of the mine enroute from Yuma to Los
relocate the site, nor has any man reputed to have been one of the first Angeles.
since been able to discover again settlers in that community and to have "On the evening of the third day
the fabulous mine he lost. Sculpture helped introduce the Washington or out from the Colorado," he relates,
by Cyria Allen Henderson. Riverside navel orange to citrus ranch- "they (Pegleg Smith and his compan-
ers there. ions) had camped, when one of their
A mountain of black quartz reeking with number climbed a little hill or butte 50
yellow gold, it holds more millions than had immediately recognized as the lost Peg- feet high. He found the hill covered
leg mine. with loose pieces of black rock, inter-
ware ever fancied in the fabled romance of The excitement, however, was too much
Monte Cristo. That it exists no Caiifornian for the miner. It brought about a relapse mingled with grains of yellow metal.
miner holds a doubt; but though many have of his fever; he died, and again the Pegleg The men of the party were trappers,
dared the tortures of death by drought, and •was an unsolved mystery.
£>e Courcy would intrust the secret of his not miners, and knew nothing about
many have paid the penalty of death In the ores. It did not dawn upon them that
hunt for its incalculable treasures, no man luck to no white man, but hired Indians to
seek the three golden hills. They never they had found a deposit of precious
metal, but they supposed it to be cop-
per or something of the sort. Never-
theless, their curiosity was sufficiently
piqued to induce them to gather a
number of the specimens to carry away
with them.
THE THREE GOLDEN HILLS OF THE LOST "PEGLEG."
\Frnm a rough xkeUh supposed to have been made by tfes Semnd dUtcoverer of the mint.} Drawing of the three buttes accom-
has as yet succeeded in finding the Pegleg panied a story of the Lost Pegleg
and survived to profit by its naked millions found it, or at least they never revealed the Mine which appeared in the San
of gold. secret of their discovery to the doctor, and
he died without ever making more than that Francisco Examiner, February 21,
This morning at 9 o'clock two men will first $3,000 out of the miner's discovery of 1892. Another source claims the
leave this city to seek the lost mine; and the Pegleg.
with money and pluck at their back they Another decade rolled by—nay, more; a sketch was made from memory by
hope in time to discover' it. They are decade and a half. One after another pros- the miner cared for by Dr. De
Thomas Doran and 3. K. ("Jack ») Bell; pectors started out to seek the lost mine;
both of them, San Franciscans, both of but no man ever came back to tell that he Courcy. The three black buttes
them prospectors inured to the vicissitudes had found i t comprise the main landmark to the
lost Pegleg gold.
22
DESERT MAGAZINE
"The next day they resumed their
journey across the desert. The first
settlement on this side which they
reached was Temecula, a Catholic In-
dian Mission. One of the mountains
of the San Jacinto group near Temec-
ula still bears the name of Smith's
Mountain as a souvenir of the journey.
Besides Pegleg, the only other mem-
ber of the party whose name has been
preserved by tradition is one Yount.
It is said that a descendant of Yount's
still remains, in the person of a grand-
son residing at Rincon.
"Smith and Yount remained in Cali-
fornia for many years, preserving the
curious specimens which they had
brought with them from the desert.
When gold was discovered in Califor-
nia in 1848, their interest in these
specimens was renewed, and they
caused them to be examined by expert
mineralogists. This investigation proved
that the specimens were charged with
free gold."
The date for Pegleg's discovery is
declared by Cover to be 1836, the
usually accepted one being 1829. Ac-
cording to another source, Pegleg him-
self is said to have told a friend at San
Francisco in 1854 that the date was
1832.
The question has often been asked:
why didn't Pegleg revisit the fabulous
spot before 1850? If, as is generally
stated, he had his specimens analyzed
upon his arrival at Los Angeles and
found them to be gold, the delay seems
strange indeed. Cover's version offers
a logical answer: Pegleg had had no
assay made until Gold Rush days, and
until then he believed the metal was
merely copper. This explanation is
corroborated by an extensive article in
the San Francisco Examiner of Febru-
ary 21, 1892.
In 1850, Pegleg organized an un- Above—Seventeen Palms Oasis in the Borrego Badlands of the Colorado
successful expedition in search of his Desert. Most of the searching for the Lost Pegleg Mine has centered
mine. Others believe that he made a around this spot.
second try in 1855, and still another Below—Aries Adams examines records cached in the dark recess formed
in 1856. According to a Phoenix at- by the dead fronds of one of the palm trees in Seventeen Palms Oasis. Water
torney who stated his opinion in 1893, and food is often cached by prospectors in these natural cupboards.
the 1855 search was conducted not in
the Colorado Desert at all, but in Ari- general, stories of a prospector who flecting to the northward and coming
zona, on or near the Bill Williams fork was rescued half-crazed from thirst out through San Gorgonio Pass. Being
of the Colorado River. and heat in the desert probably tell unacquainted with this route, he went
Pegleg died in the middle 1860s. the adventures of Pegleg II. too far south and entered the 'bad-
Meantime, a second Pegleg Smith had Vitally interesting is Cover's story lands.' After infinite hardships he
come on the scene, an ex-soldier who about Dr. De Courcy of Los Angeles finally got through, but instead of find-
worked for years as an emigrant guide and how he came to devote much of ing his exit by way of San Gorgonio,
from Yuma to Los Angeles. Oddly his later life to a search for the Pegleg he came out by Carrizo Creek canyon,
enough, he also found gold in the des- mine. reaching Temecula as the first settle-
ert, possibly the original Pegleg mine, "About 1869 a miner, who had pre- ment.
and when in the middle '70s he went viously crossed the desert from Cali- "On the second day out from the
out to his secret mine and never re- fornia to Arizona, concluded to return, Colorado side of the desert, the miner
turned, all knowledge of his find, too, and he set out on a saddle mule for found himself utterly bewildered, and
was lost. Stories about the first Pegleg his perilous journey. Going out, he he rode to the top of a little butte
have sometimes been attributed to his had followed the Butterfield stage nearby to take his bearings. While
later namesake, and vice versa, creat- route, by way of Warner's Ranch and there he chanced to look down and
ing a most tantalizing comedy of er- Carrizo Creek. Returning, he could was astounded to find the hill literally
rors for the lost mine investigator. In shorten the distance somewhat by de- covered with broken quartz and parti-

M AY, 1954 23
cles of free gold. He described the as his fee for medical attendance in order to gain more information
place as not a defined ledge, but what $2,000 worth of the precious metal. about the country and to further the
is known in miners' parlance as a In response to a protest from the doc- search if possible, he left Los Angeles
'bust-up'. He lost little time in dis- tor that he was being paid better than and took up his residence in Yuma.
mounting, and emptying his saddle- he deserved, the miner said in an off- "His method of prosecuting the
bags of surplus clothing and everything hand way that it didn't amount to any- search is said to be by Indians, two or
that could be dispensed with, filled thing; he would soon be where he more of whom he has constantly in
them in turn with rich ore and loose could get plenty more. his employ. At all seasons of the year
mineral, which he was able to gather "As soon as the man was strong when it is practicable, he keeps these
from the ground. enough to be about, he and Dr. De men out prospecting the desert, en-
"Resuming the journey, he found his Courcy, with one other whom they deavoring again to trace the footsteps
way out of the desert as described, and took into the scheme, set about organ- of the lost patient. Evidently the doc-
in due course of travel arrived at Los izing an expedition ot the mine. They tor is impressed with the perils in-
Angeles. Here, as a result of hard- purchased a wagon and a team of volved in the search, no less than he
ships endured, he fell sick. Dr. De mules, with the necessary outfit, but is with the reality of the ledge itself,
Courcy was called and attended him just as they were about to start, the and he wisely refrains from offering
through a long and serious prostration. man succumbed to the excitement, suf- himself as another victim to its glitter-
As the man was finally convalescing, fered a relapse and died. The expedi- ing attractions.
he opened his heart to the doctor, tell- tion was then out of the question, as
ing the story of his discovery on the "It was from Dr. De Courcy that
it involved too many hardships and the unfortunate Cover obtained much
desert and producing the saddlebags uncertainties to be undertaken by nov-
in proof thereof. information regarding the probable
ices. whereabouts of the mine, as well as
"The contents of the bags Dr. De "But Dr. De Courcy never gave up this part of its traditional history. For
Courcy estimated to be worth at least his hopes of some day finding the this purpose Cover paid a visit to
$7,000. From this store he was given treasure. Eight years ago (in 1876), Yuma last winter. The Doctor gave
him, beside the information, a speci-
men of the black quartz and free gold,
This month's Desert Quiz is one
TRUE OR FALSE of the easiest that has been of-
fered for many months—just to
give the newcomers on the desert a bit of encouragement. But the ques-
which he had originally received as a
part of his medical fee from the miner,
and had treasured for 15 years. This
specimen was Cover's madstone, but
tions involve a wide range of subjects — history, geography, Indians, it aggravated his malady rather than
botany, mineralogy, and the general lore of the desert country. A score cured it. He carried it with him until
of 12 to 14 is fair, 15 to 17 is good, 18 or over is excellent. The answers it lured him to his fate."
are on page 41.
1—The bite of a tarantula is deadly. True False The De Courcy story, substantially
2—The Pecos River of Texas and New Mexico is a tributary of the as above, is retold in the San Francisco
Colorado. True . False Examiner, February 21, 1892. Here
there is a variant detail referring to
3—The Saguaro is the largest cactus native of the United States.
the route taken.
True . False
4—There are no active volcanoes in Arizona. New Mexico, Utah or "The miner left Yuma for Los An-
Nevada. True . False geles, and in crossing the Colorado des-
5—Highest mountains visible from Flagstaff, Arizona, are the San Fran- ert took a short cut through an old
cisco peaks. True . False 'draw,' or river bed, by whose tortuous
6—Salton Sea is larger than the Great Salt Lake. True.... ... False twistings and windings he was shortly
7—Indians who live on the shore of Pyramid Lake in Nevada are the hopelessly bewildered," reported the
Chemehuevis. True False Examiner. "Despairing of ever finding
8—The Funeral Range is visible from Tombstone, Arizona. True a trail in the draw, he got out on the
False plain and noticed three hills clustered
9—Because of the similarity, the Mexicans can understand much of the together in the distance. He struck
Navajo language. True False out for them in hopes of being able to
10—Wickenburg, Arizona, is on the bank of the Hassayampa River. take his bearings. When he reached
True False the biggest one, all else was forgotten
11—Coronado came to New Mexico seeking the fabulous Seven Cities of in the naked millions that blazed upon
Cibola. True False his tutored eye from the black spar
12—Weaver's Needle is a prominent landmark in the Superstition Moun- with which he was surrounded. He
tains of Arizona. True __. False packed his saddle-bags with samples
13—Mature seeds of the native palm tree found in Southern California and finally managed to get to Los An-
are black. True _.. False geles."
14—The coyote is a vegetarian. True . False The story of the finding by a Yaqui
15—All the various Apache Indian tribes are now concentrated on one Indian of a rich gold deposit in the
reservation in the White Mountains of Arizona. True . False._.. .. . desert southeast of Warner's Ranch is
16—Roosevelt Dam is in the Salt River of Arizona. True . False . . told by Cover as in Philip Bailey's
17—Blossom of the Ocotillo is yellow. True . False._. ..... Golden Mirages. Cover and Bailey
also tell substantially the same tale
18—Chrysocolla is one of the copper ores. True . False . about an Irishman who made a rich
19—Shivwits Indian reservation is in Utah. True . False find in that same area, back in 1860,
20—South Rim of the Grand Canyon is higher than the North Rim. but Cover has the Irishman show up,
True False immensely rich, in San Francisco, not
in San Diego.

24 DESERT MAGAZINE
Finally, there is the story of the
squaw and the three hills. "Five years
ago (1879), while out on one of his
desert expeditions, Cover stopped at
Flowing Wells, a station of the South-
ern Pacific railroad. The station-keeper
told him that, a few days before, a
Desert Birds <: Prize Contest Announcement
Hou> to attract them
your h o m e . . . .
squaw had come there in a famished
condition and utterly worn out with What experience have you had with desert birds? Have you found
travel. After she had somewhat re- a way to attract them to your home for food or water? Or for nesting?
freshed herself with food and rest, she
showed them several hundred dollars' Actually the desert country is the homeland for many species of birds.
worth of gold nuggets, which she car- Some of them are wildings of canyons, others make their homes in the
ried in a small bag. They asked her cactus. Some prefer the mountains and others the desert low lands. The
where she got it, and she pointed in a naturalists in Death Valley Monument, which includes the mountain ranges
southerly direction and said on some as well as the floor of the valley, have a check list of 233 species and sub-
little pachapas, holding up three fingers species of birds seen in that area. Some of them are migrants, others are
to designate the number. occasional visitors, but scores of them spend all or a considerable part of
the year within the Monument. Some of the species prefer the desert wilder-
"Her story was to the effect that she ness—others build their nests in the farmlands and towns. Some, like the
and a companion were trying to go roadrunner, appear to be equally at home in the cultivated districts and in
from Warner's Ranch to an Indian vil- the arid back country.
lage on the north of the mountains.
While on their way along the border Jf you are interested in the birdlife of the desert, and have been
of the desert they ran out of water. successful in attracting them to your home by providing feed or water or
The buck lay down under a bush and nesting facilities, Desert Magazine would like to have you write about your
told her to go and hunt for some. She experiences for the benefit of other desert people.
spent considerable time in the search, This is a prize contest with a $25.00 award to the first and a $15
and finally succeeded in finding a hid- award to the second place winner. In addition to the awards for manu-
den spring, but when she returned to scripts of from 1200 to 1500 words, $5.00 will be paid for each acceptable
the place where she had left her com- picture sent with your story.
panion, he was gone. Frightened at
the situation in which she was left, she Entrants in this contest may reside anywhere, but the stories must
began to search for the Indian, and be based on experience with birds in the desert area—the states of Arizona,
climbed to the top of a hill to look New Mexico, Nevada, Utah or the desert sector of California. Also,
about. There she found the gold, but stories must be about the wild birds of the desert region—not about
she was in too much fear to gather imported or captive birds.
much of it. She traveled all of that day The contest will close May 20. Entries should be typewritten, double-
and part of the night, when she saw spaced, on one side of the paper and pictures should be 5x7 or larger in
a light. She arrived at the station early black and white, well wrapped for protection in the mails. Winning
in the morning. As soon as she was stories will be published in Desert Magazine. Unsuccessful manuscripts
able to travel, the squaw left the sta- and pictures will be returned if return postage is enclosed.
tion.
Address entries to Bird Contest Editor, Desert Magazine, Palm
"It seems that the agent did not Desert. California.
place sufficient confidence in her story
to try to trace her course back into
the desert, or his duties at the station,
or some other cause, prevented him one day (30 miles) to reach this side being composed of Hank Brown and
from doing so." of the desert. The Yaqui left his hid- O. D. Gass, who spent the greater part
den spring at the foot of Smith's Moun- of the summer of 1883 in prospecting
This Cover material, collected as it tain (this side of the desert) at day- the desert. Generally it was believed
was prior to 1884, deserves special break and traveled easterly until about that the Borrego badlands, being of
credence as reflecting perhaps more three in the afternoon. In that time secondary formation, could not con-
exactly events as they occurred than he might have gone 30 miles. The In- tain gold. Cover's first expedition,
do versions obtained a half century dian squaw and her man, starting from therefore, explored the region north-
later. The stories probably represent the same place as the Yaqui (Warner's east of the railroad. He then heard of
the originaal version from which later Ranch) might easily have followed the the squaw's story and decided the gold
variants were derived. same course and arrived by chance at must be south of the road. In the
Tom Cover was not content simply the same hills. The miner returning second expedition an effort was made
to know and record these narratives. from Arizona was only two days on to skirt the desert to the west, pene-
He also drew certain practical deduc- the desert when he found the gold, but trating between the badland hills and
tions from them. He came to the fol- he traveled alone, with a mule and the mountains. In Cover's third ven-
lowing conclusions: lightly equipped. He might have made ture the badlands were left to the east
"A little reflection will show that 90 miles in two days. All of the stories and north and a passage was tried be-
the several stories above recounted concur as to finding the precious metal tween them and the mountains, com-
point to substantially the same locality on top of a hill or pachapa. The hid- ing south. In neither of these expedi-
and describe presumably the same spot. den spring is referred to by two of the tions did Cover get through. The
Pegleg Smith and his party traveled Indian traditions." fourth trip went by way of San Felipe
three days in a northwesterly direction Tom Cover made five separate trips canyon, but had to be abandoned be-
from the mouth of the Gila before they in as many years in search of the Pegleg fore completion. The fifth and last
found it. The distance was probably mine. In addition, he fitted out an- expedition led to Cover's disappear-
about 90 miles. They then traveled other expedition at his own expense, ance and presumed death.

MAY, 1954 25
Tonopah, Nevada . . .

MINES $nd MINING


Phoenix, Arizona . . . Fallon, Nevada . . .
Diamond drilling operations at the
Summit King mine just north of Ton-
opah have gone as far as is considered
practical, and the next step is to be-
gin stoping and shipping ore. It is
The U. S. Geological Survey has Mining ore from perlite deposits 18 hoped that actual mining operations
announced that a new vanadium min- miles south of Fallon is to begin soon, will disclose an extension of the ore
eral previously unknown to science has according to A. E. Hepburn, president body beyond the limits indicated by
been found at the Monument No. 2 of Nevada Perlite Company. Ship- diamond drilling. Officials of the com-
mine in northeastern Arizona. Officials ments of mine-run materials will fol- pany admitted that the ore body dis-
said the new mineral has been named low. Present plans are to ship 500 tons covered in August, 1952, does not
"Navajoite" in honor of the Navajo or more daily until a processing plant appear to be as large as was first be-
Indians on whose reservation the mine being built three miles west of Fallon lieved, and that the property may be
is located. The mineral was described is completed.—Fallon Standard. closed down "temporarily" after re-
as a "dark brown fibrous mineral com- • • • moval of the known vein matter is
posed of hydrated vanadium oxide. Santa Rita, New Mexico . . . accomplished "unless additional ore
Although it has a high vanadium con- is discovered."—Tonopah Times-Bo-
tent it is not considered a good vana- This desert town, perched atop a nanza.
dium ore mineral because it does not rock "island" in the middle of an open • • •
occur in large enough quantity." — pit copper mine, is being moved to Salt Lake City, Utah . . .
allow mining expansion. New methods If the present rate of development
Phoenix Gazette. of recovering copper from low grade
• • • continues, Utah and western Colorado
ore, which was once considered worth- might become the biggest uranium pro-
Adelcmto, California . . . less, have made the Santa Rita site
Two 75-ton capacity tungsten mills ducers in the world, believes Dr. F. W.
value. So 37 families and their homes Christensen of the College of Mines
will be in operation by early 1954 in are being shifted a mile and a half
El Mirage Valley, ten miles west of at University of Utah. "The Big Indian
to the northwest, opening the former district in San Juan County, Utah, al-
here, according to Jonathon Walker townsite to blasting powder and shov-
of the W. F. Mining Company. One ready is one of the largest uranium ore
els. Cost of the migration, an esti- areas on the North American contin-
of the mills will be a wet mill and is mated $1.5 million, is being borne by
now under construction on the Ade- ent," he pointed out, "with reserves of
Kennecott Copper Corporation, owner uranium ore proved by drilling, devel-
lanto-El Mirage highway. The other of the mine and the town. — Mining
mill, of radically new design, will be opment and exploration over an area
Record. 10 miles long and two miles wide."
installed and operated by the Osborne • • •
Testing Laboratories of Los Angeles. He added that there were "very ob-
Carlsbad, New Mexico . . . vious" possibilities of finding other ore
Expected to be in operation by Janu- Last step in an expansion program
ary, 1955, the mill will separate tung- deposits similar to that encountered in
of the potash division of International the Big Indian district. — Salt Lake
sten ore supersonically, that is, by high Minerals and Chemical Corporation at
frequency sound waves. Open pit min- Tribune.
Carlsbad was completed in March • • •
ing operations in the valley are produc- when new installations in the sulphate
ing Vi to 1 percent tungsten ore. — Goldfield, Nevada . . .
section of the chemical plant were tied Louis H. Smith has leased his man-
California Mining Journal. into the circuits. The expansion work
• • • ganese property seven miles southwest
amounted to approximately $6,000,- of Goldfield on the old Lida road. The
Pioche, Nevada . . . 000, and the new equipment increases
New activity is reported at the old lessees have already moved in some
production capacity for sulphate of heavy equipment, and they plan to
Atlanta mines, located 51 miles north- potash by about 50 percent.—Eddy
east of Pioche in the northern sector install a washing plant. Assays as high
County News. as 48 percent, about $105 a ton, have
of Lincoln County. Idle for nearly 20 • • •
years, the mines were leased recently been returned from samples, and evi-
by E. E. Collins, R. A. Hardy and S. Beowawe, Nevada . . . dence of uranium has been found on
U. Guthrie. Open pit mining started The old mining camp of Cortez, the claims, Kiester Smith, one of the
last August, and by October ore was south of Beowawe on the Eureka- lessees, reports. The lease embraces
being hauled to the McGill smelter for Lander county line, is showing signs a group of four claims known as the
sampling. A considerable portion of of life. Recovery work has begun on Joan of Arc 1, 2, 3 and 4.—Goldfield
the gold is combined with tellurium. 80,000 tons of tailings which were left News.
An analysis also shows the ore con- on the dumps when the mines ceased • • •
tains a sufficient quantity of uranium operations about 25 years ago. The Blythe, California . . .
to make a valuable by-product. — tailings are being shipped to the Inter- The Blackjack Mine, principal pro-
Battle Mountain Scout. national Smelter plant at Tooele, Utah. ducer in the Arlington group of claims
• • • It is understood that the smelter will at the northeast end of the McCoy
get the tailings from the old mill just Mountains, 25 miles northwest of
Moab, Utah . . . above Cortez and will use them as Blythe, is currently producing man-
A rich uranium discovery in Min- flux. These tailings came out of the ganese ore for the Wenden stockpile.
eral Canyon has been announced by old Cortez chlorinating mill in 1870 Production is made from two drifts,
Gail and William Tibbetts and Mar- with 21 ounces of silver in them. Tn about 50 feet apart vertically, which
lene Law. The channel outcrop ap- 1915 they were run through an effi- run along the course of the vein. The
pearing in two places shows a 12-foot cient cyanide plant which left five upper drift extends over 300 feet. An
face assaying .5 to 3.0 percent uranium ounces in the re-tailings. The Cortez irregular ore body has been stoped to
and 5 to 10 percent vanadium. Road district was discovered by prospectors the surface over a vertical distance as
work is under way, and mining opera- from Austin in 1863. — Humboldt great as 50 feet.—Mineral Informa-
tions have begun.—Mining Record. Star. tion Service.

26 DESERT MAGAZINE
umm
Jade Flecked with Gold . . .

Desert:
Whittier, California

One Spring morning several years


Sheep Without Horns . . .

Desert:
Victoria, Texas

Last summer, wallowing over de-


tours throughout New Mexico, I re-
alized an extensive road improvement
program was being carried on in the
state—but I had no idea that they
were planning to move Taos, or the
Rio Grande! The last question in the
of man contemporary with prints of
dinosaur he has made the most as-
tounding discovery known to Paleon-
tology or Archeology! Referring to
the find, Mr. A. states: "That's the
thrill I'll never forget." I can agree
most heartily with that understatement.
However, let's look at the record:
The dinosaur became extinct near the
close of the Cretaceous Geological
ago I walked the road on the west March Desert Quiz says that Taos is Period, some 75 to 100 millions of
bank of the Colorado River between on the bank of the Rio Grande. Up years ago. At that time no mammals
the ghost town of Crossroads and to last summer, it was several miles existed, unless it was some small in-
Parker Dam. There are to be seen from the river. significant creature entirely unrecog-
along this road many drifts of sand nizable as progenitor of evolved true
And the cut of the pictograph on mammals of the Tertiary Period.
and coarse gravel, a product of the page 7 has the caption: "The human
river in ages long past. Some of these race was recording the presence of The giant sloth evidently migrated
piles have been cut open by the road bighorn sheep long before the white into North America from South
builders. men came." But in the picture there America near the beginning of the
Always seeking specimens, I ex- are four men mounted on horses. The Pleistocene Period, some 5 million
amined some of these banks. At the horses look rather modern, and not years ago. Man is one of the most
foot of one, I picked up a water-worn at all like the eohippi. recent arrivals upon the scene, perhaps
pebble of slick, dark green, 2Vi But Desert for March is a good a few hundred thousand years ago.
inches long, 1V2 inches wide and pear- number. I particularly liked "Uncle Many, many millions of years inter-
shaped. In one side was a flake of Sam Bought a Cactus Garden." vened between the last of the dino-
gold, perhaps worth one dollar, and saurs and the advent of man.
near it two smaller flakes, together REV. VICTOR R. STONER
Now, a footprint preserved in sand-
worth 50 cents. I carried it with me, • • • stone would of necessity have been
more interested in the rock than the Brings Taos Back Home . . . made originally in loose sand and
gold it contained. What was it? Could Berkeley, California shortly covered by sediment before
it be jade? Desert: being obliterated by wind, hail, water,
I laid it on my table at the camp In the Desert Quiz for March, 1954, etc. The material preserving the print
dormitory and often contemplated it. the 20th question states: "Taos, New must then be buried deeply to permit
The story got around camp that I had Mexico, is on the bank of the Rio the pressure of accumulated material
a gold specimen in my room and one Grande"—and the answer is given as together with the heat generated by
day a nondescript character took it to "true." that pressure, and perhaps some chem-
the blacksmith's shop, laid it on the Unless Desert's quiz editor considers ical reaction, to transform the sand
anvil, and pounded it with an eight- the bank of a river to be rather more into sandstone. Thereafter upheaval
pound hammer "to get the gold out," extensive than I do, this is not correct. must raise the sandstone high and
as he said. When I recovered it, it had The Taos and Vicinity quadrangle, erosion wear away the overburden
been pulverized beyond interest. surveyed in 1936 and published in and expose the preserved footprint.
Not long after this affair, an old 1945 by the U. S. Geological Survey, Can the footprints of dinosaurs,
prospector dropped into my room one shows Taos to be about 8 miles from sloth and man be preserved contempo-
evening, and we talked rocks, mines the Rio Grande. raneously?
and desert travel for some time. Dur- Taos is located between the Rio Surely I have interpreted Mr. Ap-
ing the converation I asked him if he Taos and the Rio Fernando de Taos. plegate's letter incorrectly.
in his prospecting had ever found Taos Pueblo straddles the Rio Taos, J. A. KAY
jade. He said he had seen white jade and Ranchos de Taos is on the Rio • • •
in San Diego County and black jade Grande de Ranchos. All these rivers Protect the Pines . . .
in Nevada. I related the preceding ar
p tributaries of the Rio Grande.
story to him, adding that since that MORT D. TURNER Datil, New Mexico
incident I had made a trip to Los Desert:
Angeles and, there having seen speci- Readers Stoner and Turner are I was delighted to see in the Febru-
mens of Wyoming jade, was convinced right. Desert's proofreader, who al- ary issue of Desert Magazine (p. 32)
that what I had was actually jade. But lowed the typographical error to float a protest against cutting down our
I had never heard of jade containing on by, admits he was "all wet" on pinyon pines for Christmas trees.
gold. March's Question No. 20 and prom- In our own district, the forest serv-
ises to watch his rivers more care- ice last year permitted several thou-
He said my account was highly fully from now on.—R.H.
credible, and that back in the eighties sand pinyon pines to be cut for Christ-
• • • mas trees—for Texas! For wood, for
a prospector in Mojave County, not
far from the east side of the Colorado Of Dinosaurs and Man . . . nuts, for shelter, for pitch, to help
River, picked up a piece of float that Montebello, California stop erosion, this tree is one of the
was unmistakeably jade flecked with Desert: most valuable. It is a crime to cut
gold. It was a specimen of extraordin- In the November issue of Desert so many thousands of the young trees
ary beauty which passed through the there appears an interesting letter by each year, to be decorated and then
hands of several owners and at length R. W. Applegate relative to his seeing thrown out after ten days or so.
came to rest in the private collection contiguous footprints of dinosaurs, Let someone design a synthetic
of the curator of the Museum of Ge- sloths, birds and man preserved in Christmas tree which will still hold
ology in the Ferry Building, San Fran- sandstone in Arizona. sentiment yet will not destroy our
cisco. If Mr. Applegate has, as indicated young forests.
PAUL J. LINSLEY in his letter, actually found footprints LORAINE MORLEY REYNOLDS

MAY, 1954 27
Hopi Snake Secrets . . . All of the pit vipers native to the I have studied and handled snakes
Paterson, New Jersey United States give birth to live young, and other reptiles for 45 years and
Desert: as do all species of water snakes and have hunted and caught 17 different
In the March issue of Desert, I some other American species. All of species of rattlesnakes in the United
noted the comments on rattlesnakes these young snakes are on their own States.
and the Hopi Indians. at birth. As there is only one reptile BILL ROSS
native to the U. S. that shows any ma- • • •
It was my good fortune to be the
guest last summer of John Lansa who ternal instinct whatsoever, there is no Anyone Want Rattlesnakes? . . .
is a member of the Hopi clan which need for mother and babies to remain Barstow, California
stages the snake dance for rain. I together. Desert:
stayed with him at his home in Old The gastric juices in the stomachs Do you know of anyone or any
Oraibi for the greater part of my sum- of snakes are so strong that a snake, firm which is interested in buying rat-
mer vacation. We talked of many lizard, bird or rodent swallowed by tlesnakes? I have heard that they are
things Hopi. a snake is completely dissolved. Only caught and sold to a number of differ-
He told me that before the snake hair, scales, feathers and claws are ex- ent buyers, like laboratories and zoos.
dance each participant is given a prep- pelled undissolved. This one fact OILMAN TAYLOR
aration which he holds in his mouth alone would prove that female snakes Does any Desert reader know the
before and during the dance. If he do not swallow their young. answer to this one?—R.H.
is bitten, there is no swelling; he is
merely sick to his stomach for half an Territory), by stage coach. She was
hour or so. married in Deadwood and from there
I asked my friend if he knew what began her mining travels.
the preparation was, knowing full well "I now spend most of my time in
that I would not find out. He said Riverside, California," she writes,
only the medicine men knew, and that "with my days of 'roughing it' limited
it was a religious secret. to field trips with the Riverside County
ARTHUR S. DRAKE Charles Ballou Lockwood, who tells
"Why Utah Loves the Sea Gull" in Chamber of Mines and frequent trips
• • • to my little ranch in Murietta which,
this issue of Desert Magazine, is prac-
Glendale, California tically a native Westerner, coming to because of its lack of modern conveni-
Desert: Utah at the age of five. He majored in ences, is a constant reminder of my
In the comment on Edwin R. Pur- journalism in Utah schools but, upon life on the desert."
die's letter from Hong Kong, China, graduation, turned to music for a • • •
concerning the three drops of gall as career, conducting his own dance band Nell Murbarger, ghost town writer,
a snake bite treatment, the editors on tour throughout the West and Mid- whose story of Unionville, Nevada,
state that the Hopis' real secret of west. appears in this month's Desert, won
immunization to snake bite is still a three first awards in the 1954 Cali-
mystery. Illness forced his retirement from
the band circuit in 1933, and, remem- fornia competition in journalism and
According to Charles Bogart, her- related fields sponsored by the Cali-
petologist of the American Museum bering his early journalistic training,
he became a writer. His articles have fornia Association of Press Women.
of Natural History, the Hopis remove State winners will compete in the finals
both functional fangs and embryo appeared in numerous magazines and
newspapers. of the National Association of Press
fangs from the rattlers making them Women.
permanently and completely safe to
Since a young man, Lockwood has "Ghost Fortress in New Mexico,"
handle.
had a keen interest in the desert coun- Miss Murbarger's story of Fort Union
Mr. Bogart attended a recent Hopi try and the history of the West, and
snake dance. He watched through a which appeared in Desert Magazine in
much of his writing is in this vein. He
telescope where the snakes were re- now resides in Pasadena, California. February, 1953, was awarded first
leased after the dance. While pretend- • • • place in the historical article classifica-
ing to look for pottery fragments in tion.
the vicinity, he secured one of the To most people, Ella Brison Joy's • • •
reptiles used in the dance, hiding it Life-on-the-Desert account of her ex- Recently Harold and Lucile Weight
beneath his hat. He later discovered periences in a mining camp in 1908 is spent a weekend camping in the Whip-
that one of the African snake cults a story of unusual adventure. But to pie Mountains along the Colorado
uses the same technique of rendering Mrs. Joy, who for 42 years traveled River on the California side and while
poisonous snakes harmless. with her husband from mining camp there gathered the material for a field
Verification of this may be obtained to mining camp, it was a way of life. trip story which will appear in Desert
in the new book, The World of Nat- "Through Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Magazine during the summer. They
ural History as Revealed in the Ameri- Arizona, Colorado and California we found a big field of colorful jasper—
can Museum of Natural History by traveled by stage coach, buckboard, and evidence that prehistoric Indians
John Richard Saunders, pages 127-30. mules, horses and on foot," she re- had used this stone for the making of
PAUL MURRY members. "Once we even went down their arrowheads.
• • • the Salmon River in Idaho on a flat
boat. Many of the mines were almost One of the reasons why Harold's
Babies "On Their Own" . . . stories are always popular with Desert
inaccessible, and raising two sons and
El Monte, California readers is that he covers such a wide
a daughter in such primitive living con-
Desert: ditions was no easy task." field of interest. While his field trips
Contrary to the opinion of Wilbur are concerned primarily with gems and
F. Williams, whose letter appeared in Mrs. Joy was born in Minnesota minerals, he also includes observations
the March issue of Desert Magazine, and lived in Pennsylvania and New of geology, botany and archeology
rattlesnakes do not swallow their young York before moving west to Dead- along with generous sidelights on his-
for protection or any other reason. wood, South Dakota (then Dakota tory.

28 DESERT MAGAZINE
Hete mi There on the Desert... MardKock Shorty
ARIZONA Twenty Years of Life . . .
Book of Navajo Secrets . . . WASHINGTON — A government
WINDOW ROCK—In an unprece- health expert reports that the average
dented action, the Navajo Tribal Coun- life span of America's Navajo Indians
cil voted to provide the money to is less than 20 years, compared with
publish their most sacred religious 68.4 years for the nation's white pop-
secrets. After the longest debate in ulation. Dr. James R. Shaw, chief of
tribal history, the council voted 50-18 the health branch of the Bureau of
to appropriate $30,000 for Father Be- Indian Affairs, said that deaths from
rard Haile, Catholic priest, to publish tuberculosis in 1952 were 9.3 times "Nope! They ain't no snakes
his monumental work on the sacred the rate for white persons; deaths from in Death Valley," Hard Rock
and secret "Blessing Way" ceremony. dysentery ran 13 times higher and from Shorty was explaining to the
Father Berard declined to say who measles, about 29.5 times more — Teachers Touring Club. The
had outlined the complete ceremony Phoenix Gazette. Club, on a sight-seeing bus trip
for him, something it is forbidden for through the Valley, had stopped
any one Navajo to know. "He told Okay Rainmaking Program . . . at the Inferno store for cold soda.
me," the priest said, "he would give it "Too hot for snakes here,"
CASA GRANDE—Agriculturalists
to me, not anybody else, because he who rely on the flow of the Gila River Shorty went on. "They can't take
knew me and trusted me, and he for irrigation water supply have joined all this sunshine. But they's lots
wanted me to write it down for pos- in a move to enlarge upon stream flow of them up in the Panamints
terity." At the end, one aged coun- through a program of precipitation where there's plenty o' shade.
cilor told the 80-year-old priest: "You control on the Gila watershed above "Usta have a pet rattler here
came to Navajoland to make Christians Coolidge Dam. Interest in the pro- at the store. Pisgah Bill brought
of the Navajos, but the Navajos have posed program resulted from the ex- him down from Wildrose Canyon
made a Navajo out of you."—Phoenix perience of the Salt River Valley Water one summer. Bill said snakes
Gazette. Users Association. Officials of the as- were better'n cats fer gittin' rid
• • • sociation claimed good results were o' the mice and rats.
Indian Board Named . . . obtained by the use of silver iodide
"Feller who owned the store
PHOENIX—The long-planned Ari- generators located at strategic points that summer didn't like the idea,
zona Indian Commission became a on the Salt River watershed. Although but he finally agreed to let the
reality with the appointment of six many of the Gila Valley farmers ex- snake live under the floor—on
members in March. Five Indian mem- pressed skepticism, they were willing one condition. He said if Bill'd
bers were named after nomination by to give the rainmaking program a try tie a bell on that snake's tail so
their own tribal groups. They are Sam in view of the short water supply ob- everybody'd know when the rat-
Ahkeah of the Navajos to a term ex- tained on the Gila in past years.—Casa tler wuz movin' around, he'd
piring in 1957; Agnes Savilla, Mojave Grande Dispatch. agree to let Pisgah keep the snake
tribal member, until 1955; Charles — providin' of course that it
McKee, Hualpai, to January, 1955; would git rid o' the mice.
Enos Francisco, Papago, until 1956, Indian Bureau Changes . . .
and Sam Thomas of the Pimas, until "So Bill sent to the mail order
1957. Governor Howard Pyle named WASHINGTON—Secretary of the company an' got a little bell an'
Dr. Leo Schnurr of Grand Canyon as Interior Douglas McKay has an- tied it on the rattles.
one non-Indian member; another will nounced several major personnel shifts
be appointed later. Ex-officio mem- in the Bureau of Indian Affairs as part "Sounded like a good idea,
bers are the governor, superintendent of the administrative reorganization of but it didn't work. Rattlesnake
of public instruction, director of pub- the bureau recently recommended by soon starved to death."
lic health and the attorney general. a survey team and now under way. Hard Rock slowly lit his corn-
The commission is authorized to con- Allan G. Harper, area director at Win- cob pipe while he waited for the
sider and study cases involving state dow Rock, is being transferred to inevitable question.
Indians and to hold hearings and make Washington as a member of the com- "Why'd it starve? Well, I'll
investigations of Indian matters. — missioner's coordinating staff, where ask you one: How's a rattlesnake
Yuma Daily Sun. his experience in Indians Affairs and
knowledge of Navajo administration with a bell on its buzzer ever
• • • will be directly available to Commis- gonna ketch a mouse?"
Wyatt Earp's Watch . . . sioner Glenn L. Emmons. W. Wade
TOMBSTONE—One of the latest Head, now area director at Anadarko,
Arizona Pioneers' Museum . . .
additions to the Restoration Commit- Oklahoma, will be the bureau's area
tee's growing collection of museum director at Gallup, New Mexico, where TUCSON—Bids were let in March
pieces is Wyatt Earp's pocketwatch. he will supervise the Navajo Reserva- for construction of the $250,000 li-
The silver watch was donated by Ross' tion and Indian agencies in New Mex- brary and museum for the Arizona
Antique Shop. Fitted with a locket ico and Colorado; and G. Warren Pioneers Historical Society. Dr. M. C.
case on the back, it bears the name Spaulding, who has been director of Bledsoe, society president, said the
of W. Earp and dates back to the the program division in the Washing- building will be located near the Uni-
early 1880s. Ross said he bought the ton Office of the Bureau since 1951, versity of Arizona and will become
watch some time ago in Bisbee for a will become superintendent at Window headquarters for the society.— Yuma
few dollars.—Tombstone Epitaph. Rock. Daily Sun.

MAY, 1954 29
TO MUSEUMS, school science departments,
private collectors: Will sell collection of
THE DESERT TRADING POST
Classified Advertising in This Section Costs 10c a Word, $1.50 Minimum Per Issue
museum quality rare mounted animals,
birds etc. from Africa, Australia, South
America. Some specimens practically im-
possible to procure. No heads, no large
specimens. For full information write—
W. H. Zuber, 3936 Sutro Ave,, Los An-
INDIAN GOODS FOUR BEAUTIFUL Desert View lots, black geles 8, California.
top street, electricity, water. Bargain if
AUTHENTIC INDIAN SONGS and chants you take two or more. Neal Shane, 363 FIND YOUR OWN beautiful Gold nug-
on high fidelity phonograph records. Re- Termino, Apt. C . Long Beach, Calif. gets! It's fun! Beginners' illustrated in-
corded by well known tribal singers — struction book! $1.00. Gold pan, $2.00.
Natay, Pop Chalee, Chief Spotted Back MAJESTIC JOSHUA TREES are thick on Where to go? Gold placer maps. South-
Hamilton, H. Lomawaima, J. Gachupin this 80 acres of flat, virgin land 3 miles ern California, Nevada, Arizona, $1.00
and others. For catalogue write Canyon N.W. of colorful Cima, California, (85 each state. All three maps $2.00. Desert
Records. 834 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix. miles S.W. of Las Vegas). Just $895 Jim, Box 604, Stockton. California.
Arizona. (full price). $35 down, $19 per month.
Investigate without delay. C. Pon. Box GOLD PROSPECTING CATALOG—List-
CLOSING OUT—For many years we have 546DM. Azusa, California. ing, placer and lode maps, steel gold pans,
served you, our friends and customers, mining and mineral books, books on lost
with the finest of Reservation Indian made BEAUTIFUL DESERT RETREAT 4 miles mines, pocket magnifying glasses, min-
artifacts, but now the time has come for south of lndio, 26 miles SE of Palm eral collection sets, blueprints of dry
us to retire from active business. We Springs. Home built by reputable con- washers and wet washers you can build
are offering our selected stock at a sub- tractor with his own crew for his own yourself. Catalog and Gold Panning Les-
stantial discount for quick disposal. You use, located top of magnificent sand dune son — Free. Old Prospector. Box 729.
may now buy things you could not afford planted to mesquite and flowering desert Desk 5, Lodi. California.
at former prices. Many items of interest shrubs. All surrounded by ten acres
to collectors. Daniels Indian Trading young Ruby Blush grapefruit trees. Owner
Post. 16299 Foothill Blvd. (Highway 66) now forced to leave valley will sell at MINERAL RICH NEVADA MINES —
Fontana, California. cost. $47,000. Write Ronald L. Johnson, Our old "Reno Gazettes" tell location.
Thermal, California. Many a profitable digging. Find vana-
dium, cadmium, titanium etc. — dollar
6 PERFECT ANCIENT FLINT arrowheads for dollar more precious than gold. Ne-
$2.00. Fine grooved stone tomahawk VICINITY WILEY WELL: 160 acres, all
oil, water & Mineral rights. Sell or trade, cessary to modern industry, overlooked
$3.00. Grooved granite war club $2.00. as useless by old timers. Get to yours
Perfect peace pipe $5.00. 6 fine bird ar- cash or terms. $25.00 per acre. 760 this easy way: year 1899-1910, per copy
rows $2.00. 2 flint knives $1.00, 6" to T. Canyon Crest Dr., Sierra Madre, Cali- $5.00; year 1911-1915 per copy $4.00;
Perfect spearhead $7.00. All offers fornia, Custer 5-0927. year 1916-1925 per copy $2.50. Sorry,
$20.00. List Free. Lear's. Glenwood. DESERT RESORT. Nevada. 120 acres, no C.O.D.s to facilitate handling. Send
Arkansas. lodgings with indoor and outdoor recrea- cash, check or money order to: Great
tions. Owner retiring. Rare bargain at Western Discount Co.. Suite 105-112.
FOR SALE: Large Indian collection, ollas. 4459 Avocado St. Los Angeles 27, Calif.
baskets, artifacts. Write for list. Chevron $95,000. Terms. California high desert.
Station. BorregO Springs, California. Grocery store, cafe and trucking business.
Gross income, $11,000 month. Total DESERT TEA. One pound one dollar
BOOKS — MAGAZINES price $35,000. Terms. Garage. Nevada. postpaid. Greasewood Greenhouses. Len-
On main highway. With or without wood, Barstow, California.
MOTHER LODE Newspapers cover criti- equipment and inventory. Total price
cal mineral finds, 1900-1926. Many rich $6950. Las Vegas — Combined grocery NEW CALIFORNIA State Topographic
plums waiting to be picked by modern and service station. Well stocked and Map 64x90" $2.50. Lost mines of 10
detection equipment. Newspaper Origin- fully equipped. Good lease. $7000. Terms. Southwestern states, with map $1.75.
als, $3.50 per copy. Associated, RM701. Motels, business opportunities, lots, acre- Sectionized County maps: San Bernar-
117 W. 9th St.. Los Angeles 15, Calif. age and homes. Hamilton Realty Co., dino, Riverside $1.00 each, Inyo, Mono,
512 So. Fifth St., Las Vegas, Nevada. Kern, Los Angeles 75c each. Imperial.
BOOKS FOUND—Any title! Free world- San Diego 50c each. New series of Ne-
wide book search service. Any book, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES vada County maps $1.00 each. Joshua
new or old. Western Americana a spe- Tree-Twentynine Palms area $1.56. Town-
cialty. Lowest price. Send wants today! IMPORT-EXPORT! Opportunity profitable, ship blanks, all sizes. Lode or Placer
International Bookfinders, Box 3003-D, world-wide, mail-order business from location notice forms 5c each. Topo-
home, without capital, or travel abroad. graphical maps in California, Nevada,
Beverly Hills. California. Utah, Arizona and all other Western
Established World Trader ships instruc-
tions for no-risk examination. Experience states. Westwide Maps Co., 114'/2 W.
BOOKS ON GEMS — Rare, old, out-of- Third St., Los Angeles, California.
print books in many languages. Stamp unnecessary. Free details. Mellinger, 985,
for list. Willems, Box 1515, Chicago 90. Los Angeles 24, California.
GHOST TOWN ITEMS: Sun-colored glass,
REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITY FOR COUPLE with some amethyst to royal purple; ghost railroads
outside income, to live on ranch and materials, tickets; limited odd items from
82 ACRES WITH WATER RIGHTS: East- operate small artistic trading post on camps of the '60s. Write your interest—
ern High Sierra. Fishing, hunting area. percentage basis. Banner Queen Ranch, Box 64-D, Smith, Nevada.
Ideal for Trailer Park or subdivide for Julian, California, Phone Julian 4092.
cabin sites. Box 417, Bishop, California. REQUEST OUR LATEST LIST of irresisti-
EXTRA MONEY for you. Make flowers ble quality minerals, books, magazines,
3 ATTRACTIVE Modern cottages, spaced everlasting, form others, enjoy your Mineralights, Geiger counters, Rockhound
for privacy. First class construction. Lot flowers through the year. Materials cost specials and lapidary equipment. Five
200x150, fully fenced, well landscaped. practically nothing. Formula and process cents, please. Gritzner's Minerals, Mesa
Fruit, shade trees, shrubs. Good water, only $2.00. Collord, 1610 Rucker, Ever- 3, Arizona.
view, splendid location, healthful climate. ett. Washington.
Live in one rent two. $23,500 completely AVAILABLE: four 8x10 glossy photos
furnished near Apple Valley. Substantial MISCELLANEOUS showing over 100 dried plant decorations
down payment. Ellis Gardens, Box 574. for home use. With list $1.00. Palm
Lucerne Valley, California. CHINCHILLAS, will swap for desert land Valley Ranch, Box 70, Palm Springs,
or mining claim. Sacrifice $500.00. Dr. California.
CAFE FULLY EQUIPPED (living quart- Houde, 920 E. Broadway, Glendale, Cal.
ers). Mobilgas station, garage: with 5 SILVERY DESERT HOLLY PLANTS:
rental units. Going business. Also, want PAN GOLD: $1 for 75 placer gold spots One dollar each postpaid. Greasewood
partner promoting new desert resort. in California to pan gold. Geological for- Greenhouses, Lenwood, Barstow, Calif.
Acreage one to 300 acres. Come and mations, elevations, other notes. $2.75
stop with us. Ocotillo Wells Inn, High- or $2.25 for gold pans. Poke for nuggets YOU TOO can stop smoking. New method.
way 78, San Diego Co., or write Box 86, and dust $1. Tweezer $1. Fred Mark, Free particulars. Don Rogers, Fanwood,
Del Mar, California. Box 42132, Los Angeles, California. New Jersey.

30 DESERT MAGAZINE
CALIFORNIA workers, while the U.S. held out for years, one portion of the line after
Buys Resort Town . . . payment at the prevailing rate for that another was abandoned until only the
JACUMBA — The mountain com- given area. The new document speci- Keeler-Laws unit remained. — Inyo
munity of Jacumba has been sold fies the wages will not be less than Independent.
again. The entire town of 300 acres those paid domestic laborers "as de- NEVADA
has been purchased by Henry La Zara, termined by the United States secre-
a Los Angeles electrical contractor who tary of labor." Mexico also obtained Paiutes Sue Uncle Sam . . .
already has begun an extensive pro- a provision for compulsory non-occu- WASHINGTON — A $60,000,000
gram of improvements. He is the sixth pational as well as the previously- suit by the Northern Paiute Nation of
owner of the town within the past ten agreed occupational insurance protec- Nevada and Oregon against the fed-
years. Jacumba is located 70 miles tion to be taken out by American eral government will begin May 12, the
east of San Diego on the highway to employers for Mexican Workers. — Indian Claims Commission announced.
Imperial Valley. It is a popular re- Phoenix Gazette. The Indian nation, which embraces
sort in the summer. In addition to hot • • • 6000 Indians in Northern Nevada and
and cold mineral springs, the town has Narrow Gauge Goes Modern . . . Southern Oregon, is suing the govern-
a hotel, a motel, apartments, 20 stores, KEELER—Most of the country's ment for the alleged wrongful taking
80 cottages and a cafe.—Yuma Daily narrow gauge railroads have gone out of an estimated 50 million acres of land
Sun. of business, but not Southern Pacific's from them a century ago. The Indians
• • • little three-foot branch line running are seeking compensation for loss of
Rare Fish Caught . . . from Keeler to Laws. It's going mod- a vast area extending from Tonopah
BLYTHE — Raymond Barnes is ern with a brand new made-to-order northward to a point 50 miles north
thinking of giving up fishing and be- diesel locomotive. An order has been of Burns, Oregon, and from the Cali-
coming a rockhound. Fishing in the placed for a five-ton, 450 horsepower fornia border eastward to Battle Moun-
Colorado River below the Blythe Weir, diesel to be delivered in September to tain.—Humboldt Star.
he hooked an odd specimen, 24 inches replace the venerable steam locomo-
long, weighing IVi pounds, with a tives now in operation on the famous 'EVERYTHING FOR THE HIKER"
4',/2-inch tail and a hump on its head. old 71-mile slim gauge line. The
Long and skinny, the fish had the iri- newer of the two retiring engines, built SLEEPING BAGS
descence of a minnow. Game Warden in 1911, will be retained for emerg-
George Werden identified the catch as ency use. The Keeler-Laws line was AIR MATTRESSES
a Bony Tail, a true minnow. It will built 73 years ago as part of the 300- SMALL TENTS
be sent to Department of Fish and mile Carson & Colorado Railroad
Game laboratories for study by biolo- which extended from Keeler to a con- and many other items
gists. It is reported that another such nection with the now defunct Virginia
specimen was caught in the Colorado & Truckee Railroad at Mound House,
River about nine years ago. — Palo Nevada. The Carson & Colorado was VAN DEGRIFT'S HIKE HUT
Verde Valley Times. acquired by S.P. in 1900 and, as traffic 717 West Seventh Street
from mining areas dwindled in later LOS ANGELES 14, CALIFORNIA
RIDGECREST—Mike Lee, friend
of the late Burro Schmidt, prospector
who dug by hand a tunnel through
El Paso Mountain (April Desert), re-
ports Schmidt's old cabin has been de-
stroyed by fire. He said arson was
FIELD GUIDES to the desert country
indicated.—Desert-Mountain News. The desert does not want for wonders. On the dry sands of its
• • • dunes and the granites and shales of its canyons dwell many fascin-
New Bracero Agreement . . . ating creatures of the plant and animal world. The more familiar these
WASHINGTON — The United wildings become, the more satisfying becomes the Nature lover's
States and Mexico have a new agree- desert trail. Here are books to pack in your knapsack for formal intro-
ment on recruitment of Mexican farm duction to each stranger you meet . . .
workers. It will run until December
31, 1955. The state department said Bittl$—A FIELD GUIDE TO WESTERN BIRDS
the new agreement clears up what it By Roger Tory Peterson $3.75
termed an earlier misunderstanding
on wages. The Mexican government FlOHtetS—FIELD BOOK OF WESTERN WILDFLOWERS
had insisted the U. S. secretary of By Margaret Armstrong $5.00
labor fix wages paid Mexican farm
DESERT WILD FLOWERS by Edmund Jaeger $5.00
The Desert Trading Post R0Ck$—FIELD GUIDE TO ROCKS AND MINERALS
By Frederick H. Pough $3.75
NAVAJO RUGS RE-WOVEN. Arizona
Weavers, 2321 North 7th Street. Phoenix, Reptiles—FIELD BOOK OF SNAKES
Arizona.
ARTIST, WRITER, Health Seeker, or Ad- By Karl P. Schmidt and D. Dwight Davis $3.95
venturer, you can file, locate, on gold, All Books Mailed Postpaid • California Buyers Add 3% Sales Tax
lead, or silver 20 acre mining claim, no
taxes in Panamint Mountains, elevation
4500 ft., 90 mile view. Dry air, good
water available, build yourself a rock
cabin. Prospector will guide you and
supervise. Total cost $200.00. Russell,
Desert Ctsfts Shop
5143V4 Almaden Drive, Los Angeles 42, PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA
California. Albany 3353.

MAY, 1954 31
Uncover Ancient Camp . . . ceiling is heavily fire-blackened. There Lake Lahontan Healthy . . .
was no evidence that white men had FALLON—With added gains from
BOULDER CITY—On a explora- ever visited the site.—Las Vegas Re- increased river flows due to heavy
tion trip to Emery Falls in the eastern March rains, Lahontan Reservoir stood
view-Journal.
section of Lake Mead National Recre- at the strong level of more than 250,-
ation Area, Photographer Bill Belknap, • • •
Mead Run-off Low . . . 000 acre feet. Although the Carson
his 10-year-old son, Buzzy, and a
friend, Jorgan Visbak, stumbled onto a BOULDER CITY — Prospects for River flow has been below average all
major archeological find. A cave, half- a heavy run-off into Lake Mead this winter because of a deficiency in early
hidden in a canyon wall, yielded a spring and summer are very dim, ac- fall and winter precipitation, Water-
wealth of Indian relics. Wally Wallace, cording to the Office of River Control master Harry Richards reports the local
naturalist at Lake Mead National Rec- of the Bureau of Reclamation. The water outlook is good.—Fallon Stand-
reation Area, accompanied the discov- office is predicting a minimum run-off ard.
erers on a return trip and shared their of 3.9 million acre feet and a maxi- • • •
enthusiasm. The cave extends almost mum of 9.7 million for a mean of 6.8 NEW MEXICO
60 feet into the canyon wall, and its million. This is compared to a mean
of 5.4 million last year and a normal Drouth, Erosion Bad . . .
of 8.8 million set up over a period of ALBUQUERQUE — Of a million
3 1 years. The storage minimum is not and a half acres under cultivation in
1000 TRAVEL SCENES
expected to be quite as low as in 1952, eight New Mexico counties, 999,529
when the lake level fell to 1132.2, but acres are without adequate cover, the
it is expected to hit 1134.—Las Vegas Soil Conservation Service reported at
rntt LIST, Review-Journal. a March meeting of the State Drouth
^SAMPLES 30c WRITE TODAY
• • • Committee. Almost a million acres
SPECIAL OFFER are in danger of being blown away.
Lake Mead Homesites . . . To prevent dust bowl tragedy, the
To introduce readers of DESERT to our
BOULDER CITY—A new home- committee promptly asked a $200,000
2"x2" COLOR SLIDES for home projec
tion, we are offering a FREE 20 page
site area on Lake Mead, near Overton, disaster allocation from state civil de-
catalog and a FREE sample color slide. Nevada, will be opened for lease by fense funds for emergency tillage, plus
Our color pictures are on many subjects, the National Park Service in the near an equal sum from the federal govern-
such as Travel, Science, Nature, Na- future, according to George Baggley, ment. "A month from now may be
tional Parks and the southwest. Write chief ranger of Lake Mead National too late," the committee reminded in
today to— Recreation Area. There are approxi- a request that immediate aid be given.
mately 90 lots which will be made —New Mexican.
K E L L Y D. C H O D A available for lease probably in late
BOX 588 STANFORD, CALIF. • • •
April or the first of May. The lease No Money for Rainmakers . . .
We'll send your Free slide and set-up will be the same as that for
catalog promptly
lots near Davis Dam, on the Arizona WASHINGTON—The House Ap-
side of the lake, which were opened propriations Committee has refused to
several months ago. Six of the 39 recommend any money for rainmak-
lessees in the Davis Dam tract already ing studies. An act of Congress last
CALIFORNIA
have vacation homes under construc- August authorized the studies, and
CATTLE RANCH President Eisenhower subsequently
In famed Santa Ynez Valley, 40 miles tion.—Las Vegas Review-Journal.
from Santa Barbara, 1200 acres. Magnifi- • • • asked $150,000 to finance an advisory
cent ranch house designed by Plunkett, committee to study public and private
10-car garage, swimming pool, spacious Bighorn Sheep Hunt . . . experiments in weather modification.
foreman's cottage, ample barns and sheds, PIOCHE—Sixty Nevada residents The appropriations committee gave no
plenty of water. Also ranch of 110 acres
available for $500 an acre.
have a chance to hunt bighorn moun- explanation of why it turned down the
tain sheep during the state's 1954 sea- request.—New Mexican.
Wallace Hebberd
son, April 1 1 to 25. Three areas in • • •
Santa Barbara California
Clark County are open, including, for Protest F a k e Indian A r t . . .
the first time, a portion of the federal GALLUP—Ned Hatathli, manager
Desert Game Range. Hunters awarded of the Navajo Arts and Crafts Guild,
ALL ROADS tags are not required to hire a guide has asked the Navajo Tribal Council
this year, nor are they restricted to to protest to Washington against
LEAD TO certain days during the open season. "cheap Japanese-made imitations of
HOTEL The ten hunters hunting on the federal
Indian craft work." Hatathli said he
CUEROHI-IGUEROA AT OLYMPIC ILVD.
refuge are under superivision of state
and federal personnel, but hunters in
the other areas have no direct super-
has proved the products are being sold
in national parks "under the super-
with vision.—Pioche Record. vision of the government which is try-
motel ing to make the Indians self-supporting
through their arts and crafts industry."
SAN JUAN and COLORADO Navajos in the Gallup area made
RIVER EXPEDITIONS $150^000 last year from beaded Indian
Heated swimming pool Enjoy exploration, safe adventure and belts. Japanese-made belts are now
exclusively for guests... scenic beauty in the gorgeous canyons of selling for one-fifth the local price, and
ample parking... fine, food
modestly priced... only
Utah and Arizona. Staunch boats, experi- the competition threatens to wipe out
enced rivermen. For 1954 summer schedule
2 blocks from Staller Center. the industry, he said. Other Japenese-
. WOLFORD. Msnaaor or charter trips anytime write to—
I. FRANK WRIGHT made products cutting into the Navajo
market are Kachina dolls, a traditional
MEXICAN HAT EXPEDITIONS Hopi craft, and bows and arrows. —
Blanding, Utah New Mexican.

32 DESERT MAGAZINE
Warmer, Heavier Coats . . . projects at the same time. However, on the Colorado River in Arizona.
pressure groups may force a revision Echo Park would dam a deep gorge
SANTA ROSA — New Mexico
in the administration's stand.—New of the Green River, a tributary of the
sheep continue to grow heavier fleeces,
Mexican. Colorado. As part of the whole de-
according to the Crop Reporting Board
• • • velopment, the President also ap-
of the U. S. Department of Agricul-
UTAH proved conditional fund appropria-
ture Agricultural Marketing Service.
tions for 1 1 irrigation projects, subject
Average grease weight of fleeces shown Bridge Work to Start . . . to further consideration by Secretary
in the state jumped from 8.7 pounds MOAB — Contract for the bridge McKay and Secretary of Agriculture
in 1952 to 9.0 pounds in 1953—the across the Colorado River at Moab Benson of the "relation of these proj-
greatest increase in grease fleece weight will be let about June 1, and construc- ects to the wise use and sound develop-
for any state of the western region. In tion is expected to take about a year. ment of the basin."
1953 the average selling price for New Estimated cost of the project, including
Mexico fleeces was 52 cents a pound, • • •
three miles of road entering Moab. is Halogeton Funds Urged . . .
an increase of 3 cents per pound over $ 1,250,000.—Moab Times-Independ-
1952. New Mexico ranked seventh in WASHINGTON—Senator Wallace
ent. F. Bennett (R., Utah) appealed to
the United States in number of sheep • • •
shorn last year, and cash receipts from Congress for federal funds for the
River Project Okayed . . . Bureau of Land Management to con-
the production of wool in the state in WASHINGTON—President Eisen-
1953 amounted to $5,901,000. — tinue its program of fighting the poi-
hower in March approved a $930,- sonous weed halogeton. The senator
Santa Rosa News. 343,000 power and irrigation develop-
• • • said sheepmen in his state had advised
ment for the Upper Colorado River him they fear a further spread of the
Toll Taken by Predators Basin and recommended early Con- weed may cut even deeper into their
SANTA F E — Furbearer Biologist gressional consideration.
Frank Sampson agrees that some pred- drouth-ridden herds.—Salt Lake Trib-
The President specifically included une.
atory animals cause enough livestock the controversial Echo Park Dam on
and poultry damage to warrant curb- the Colorado-Utah border in his rec-
ing their activities, but he cautions that ommendations. Conservation groups If You Wear
the right ones be caught. Reporting had opposed the $176,400,000 struc- SPECS
on a study of damages by various ture on the ground it would flood out You Need
predators, Sampson found that 71 1 portions of Dinosaur National Monu-
coyotes averaged about $3.02 damage ment and destroy much of the area's
each, but that 20 percent of the coyotes
were responsible for the damage. The
scenic beauty. The President included
in the proposed project a $21,000,000
SPICW
rest were solid citizens, eating rodents fund for recreational development of
and other legitimate coyote fare. Only
five percent of 41 bobcats, causing an
the park, which Secretary of Interior
Douglas McKay said "now is inacces-
SHIELD
average of 38 cents damage, were sible to all but a small group of ANTI-GLARE PROTECTION
marauders, he found. Sampson feels people. for work, play, reading, driving, sports, tele-
that blanket indictment of these ani- In a separate statement, McKay said vision. Just snap them on your glasses and see
mals, because a small percentage the Echo Park site was chosen because better, feel safer when driving in the sunlight
cause trouble, is unwise. Trapping for no other could be found which would
or toward glaring headlights at night.
the specific vandal pays best dividends Opaque or transparent styles—$1.00
provide water storage facilities to meet BALBOA ENTERPRISES
in future security for the farmer and the region's needs. He said the $21,- 507 East Balboa Blvd., Balboa, California
rancher, he said.—New Mexican. 000,000 would be used to build roads
• • • and facilities to convert this wilderness
May Review San Juan Stand . . . into "one of the great recreation areas
SANTA FE—New Mexico may de- of the nation." Your B I G
Echo Park is one of two major
cide to take another look at its San
Juan River policy, fearing that the state power and storage dams approved. 1954 Vacation
may lose out completely on any The other, Glen Canyon, would be From Hite, I'tah to Lee's Kerry, Ariz.
prompt federal approval of half a bil- built at a cost of $421,300,000 about ]5y Boat
lion dollars' worth of water projects by 13 miles upstream from Lee's Ferry Glen Canyon, the most beautiful
section of the Colorado River, trans-
demanding that the whole plan be con- verses desert country famous for
sidered as a package. There are three scenic and scientific marvel and
major projects being pushed to enable untouched by civilization. An ad-
New Mexico to put to use the now- venturous journey into the historic
unused San Juan River which crosses past. See the famous Rainbow
Bridge — Crossing of the Fathers —
northwest New Mexico. They are a Ancient Indian Cliff-dwellings—Hole
combination Shiprock Indian - South in the Rock where Mormon pioneers
San Juan Irrigation Project for Navajos perilously descended. Thousands of
and whites to use about 630,000 acre thrills await you during 8 full days
feet; and the San Juan-Chama Trans- in this wonderland!
Safe! No Rapids! Experienced Guides!
mountain Diversion Project to take Sailings: June 5 and 1!)
about 235,000 acre feet from the San July 3 and 17
Juan Valley into the Middle Rio WHAT EVERY MAN WANTS: Pare: $150.00 Per Person
Grande Valley via the Chama River. This clever Map, Bine-print Reader Deposit: $25.00
measures all distances on any flat
All three are dependent upon construc- surface . . . has dozens of uses . . . For Reservations and Further
tion of the proposed Navajo Dam. Tax and Postpaid $2.75 Information, write to:
The state's present official position MARSHTJTZ OPTICAL CO. JOHANNES RIVER SAFARIS
urges feasibility studies on all three 531 So. Olive St. Est. 1887 Los Angeles Hanksville, Utah

MAY, 1954 33
^H
^ r
DIAMOND BLADES
"Treat yourself to the best
"reat yourself to the best"
••'J
II,. nv.\ -Duty Super Standard
.jtk Sin icr-Ghgd. Charged ( Ii urged
AMATEUR GEM CUTTER
By LELANDE QUICK, Editor of The Lapidary Journal
S 9.03 $ 7.98 $
1 ^ 1 0" 11.50 10.44 We saw a woman's suit advertised in this wired baroque gemstone with a chain and
15.23 14.02 morning's paper at $295 and while this one jump ring for $2.00.
22.2R 18.53 did not look too unusual, and we seldom While it is true that the assembling of
i j i S p |(>1 1" 29.40 25.67
BNKi|B " 32.76 29.08 pay any attention to those things anyway, these pieces offers nothing in the way of
65.60 43.20 36.12 we did read the descriptive material to de- original creation it is still a way for the
IP i r 2(l" 77.95 !)3.24
51.97
65.73
39.84
51.40
termine why an ordinary suit, designed for hobbyist to make some personal jewelry.
149.62 125.73 street wear, would cost so much. The only The assembling of such pieces will encour-
226.00 188.05 apparent reason we could find was that the age many to attempt some original crea-
:>(>" State .^rbor Size suit had agate buttons. So the couturiers tions and they may start you off in a new
sales tax in California have discovered the agate! hobby that will bring you great happiness.
Allow lor 1 'ostage ai id Insurant e The names of the dealers offering the above
Violet Allen, of the Allen Lapidary
Covington Ball Bearing Grinder Equipment Company, went all out on ag- items will be supplied if you send a postage-
mid shields are r ate accessories for her Easter outfit this paid reply envelope.
In i n i shed in :i ( BUL_ year. At the prices quoted above Mrs. Al-
sizes mid prlop m • • ; • •;•,•
len's clothes would have commanded thou- The annual convention and show of the
ranges to su 11 : sands of dollars. Her hat is trimmed with
1- California Federation of Mineralogical So-
y o u r require'
moiits. Walcr and rI £\ agate and of course all buttons on her
costume are agate. Her shoe laces are
cieties was concluded yesterday at lndio.
just 1 I miles down the highway from our
grit proof, tipped with agate and she has a handbag offices. It was a marvelous, compact quality
COVINGTON 8" TRIM SAW to match her shoes with purse pulls of agate. display of the finest mineral specimens and
Her gloves are trimmed with agates and examples of the lapidary art. But the thing
and motor ;irc com- of course her jewelry accessories are all that was outstanding about it was the im-
pact and do not made of agate. Surprisingly, all of these pression we received that here was a hap-
splash. Save blades agates are tastefully arranged on very mo- pier group than we have ever seen at a
and clothing with dishly designed clothes and the effect is not
(his saw. rock show before. Most of the 6000 re-
garish at all. ported visitors came in rockhound clothes.
Agate buttons are not new to rockhotinds. They came that way because nearly every-
BUILD YOUR OWN LAP Any lapidary who has the ability to make one who attended went on a field trip some-
and SAVE with a COV- matching cabochons can easily make agate place in our neighborhood during one of
INGTON 12" or 16" Lap buttons with a new gadget called "button the three days of the convention. The host
Kit. We furnish every- backs." These gadgets are flat metal disks Society had provided six Greyhound buses
thing yon need. Send containing eyelets for thread. They are to take the visitors to nearby points and
for new free lapidary glued to the backs of the cabochons and all they had to do was alight from the bus
catalog. thus buttons are made. and walk a short distance to plentiful sup-
COVINGTON
plies of several kinds of rock.
Multi-Feature This reminds us that it is indeed easy
16" Lapidary today to make all manner of jewelry items Probably nothing was more typical than
Unit Does without being a silvercrafter, for the market an incident we witnessed as we were leav-
everything is full of accessories for assembling gem- ing toward the end of the afternoon. The
for you. buses drew up and one hardy old soul
stones into earrings, pendants, tie clasps and
many other things. Even if you are not a clambered off with two sacks loaded with
COVINGTON rocks from the Kaiser iron mines, about
12" 14" rockhound and have no machinery you can
or 1«" now buy the "makin's" for some fine jewelry 50 miles away. She could hardly lug the
Power Feed with which to amaze your friends. As an load and a male companion offered to help
Diamond example you can buy some baroque stones her tote the rocks inside the fairgrounds.
Slab Saws He made the remark that he was going
(stones polished without being ground; pol-
SAVE ished in their natural shapes) and some right to the lunch counter, for he suddenly
BLADES silver caps. These silver caps will fit over remembered that he was very hungry. The
any curved surface of the stones and they old lady suddenly had a look of dismay.
Used by the U. S. Government can be bent to shape and then glued with Grabbing one of her sacks she dumped it
Send for New Catalog, IT'S PIIEK any one of several good brands of cement on the ground. Out of the bottom of the
now available. Earwires are available too sack and atop the pile of specimens there
Covington Lapidary Eng. and a set of earrings can be assembled in appeared the remains of a paper sack and
REDLANDS D, CALIFORNIA a few minutes. a pile of crumbs of bread, crackers and
cheese. She had been having such a good
As an example of values being offered time she had forgotten about her lunch.
She fingered the bits of crackers and cheese,
by some of the dealers we see where squashed tomatoes, etc., and started to sal-
one o f them will sell an ounce of vage whatever she could. "Be careful or
polished genuine turquoise baroque gem- you'll eat some of those rocks" said her
earwires with loops for dangles, a dozen companion. "Don't worry about me" she
sterling silver caps or tips for cementing replied, "when 1 come to a rock I'll know
the stones to the silver mountings—enough it . . . and besides I need the iron, after
materials to make six pairs of dangle type that trip." That's rockhounding. As Hubert
turquoise earrings, and all for $2.95. Dafoe, new Federation President, said to
us in our office today "I am sure that no
ALLEN Another dealer offers a complete outfit convention anywhere at any time brought
JUNIOR GEM CUTTER for making a useful and attractive key as much happiness to its visitors as the
ring outfit that contains a grooved and lndio show."
A Complete Lapidary Shop
Only $43.50 Next year the convention goes metropoli-
• Specializing in •
• Ideal for apartment house dwellers. tan again. It will be held at San Francisco
• Polish rocks into beautiful gems. FINE FOREIGN GEMS and plans are already under way to make
• Anyone can learn. AND MINERALS it an International Show. Invitations will
• Instructions included. Lapidary Equipment and Supplies shortly be extended to several nations to
Write for Catalog, 25c Gem drills—Jewelry tools—Sterling exhibit some of the best of their country's
Jewelry Mountings—Books—Mineralights mineral and gem specimens. This could
ALLEN LAPIDARY EQUIPMENT have far reaching consequences, for the at-
COMPANY — Dept. D SUPERIOR GEMS & MINERALS tendant publicity in the countries involved
3632 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles 43, Cal. 466S Park Blvd., San Diego 16, California could well start an international rockhound-
Phone Axminster 2-6206 Open 10:30 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. ing hobby and people may discover the
Closed Sundays blessings it has brought to so many thou-
sands of Americans.

34 DESERT MAGAZINE
GEMS »»4 MINERALS
CAMEO COLLECTION ONE FIFTH ANNUAL SHOW
HOBBIES ARE FUN
Start Yours Today
(NOTICE—All our prices now include
Tax and Postage)
OF GEM FESTIVAL FEATURES FOR TOURMALINE SOCIETY For the Gem Cutter
Pierre Touraine's 200-piece gem cameo Tourmaline Gem and Mineral Society 40 to 50 sq. in. assorted slabs $3.00
of San Diego County, California, announces 8 lbs. assorted chunk material 3.75
collection will be displayed for the first Burnlte—(azurite, malachite & copper)
time in the United States at Glendale Lapi- a non-competitive, non-commercial show Top grade, per lb 6.50
dary and Gem Society's Gem Festival May May 1 and 2 in the cafeteria of Grossmont Lower grade, some cutting, lb... 1.25
15 and 16 at Glendale Civic Auditorium, High School. 12 miles east of San Diego Slabs, top quality, per sq. in 50
Jade—(Alaska), V? lb 6.25
1401 Verdugo Boulevard, Glendale, Cali- on U. S. Highway 80. Materials from Crys- Slabs, per sq. inch 96
fornia. The cameos, most of them Brazilian tal Hill, Jade Cove, Mesa Grande, Coon Red Plume Agate (very beautiful), lb...12.00
agate, are beautifully carved to represent Hollow, Hauser Beds. Potato Patch and Slabs (minimum 4"), per inch 1.50
Jacumba will be shown as well as Indian Mexican Agate, per lb.... - 3.50
scenes from Greek and Roman mythology, Slabs (minimum A"), per inch - 30
ancient and modern history. Some are por- artifacts, sandstone concretions and desert Tigereye—Golden, per lb 2.40
traits of famous people of history. A few glass. Slabs, per inch - 30
pieces are carved in gem materials unusual Amazonite (good color), per lb 5.00
Slabs, per inch .50
for cameos—like the turquoise Orpheus and OCTOBER DATES* CHOSEN Template, sizes marked for standard cuts 2.10
green jade Psyche. (Mounting catalog sent upon request)
Humboldt Gem and Mineral Society.
Carved jade statues from the collection Eureka, California, has selected October 2 Rough Faceting Material
of Dr. Chang Wen Ti of Los Angeles also Vi-lb. Sunstone $2.60
and 3 as dates for its 1954 show. The place '/«-lb. Peridot, (small xls.) 5.00
will be shown as well as other of Dr. Chang's will be announced later. y-i-lb. Kunzite 3.80
gem carvings and his 14-piece miniature Vi-lb. Amethyst (very good color)....- 6.20
table set of translucent Burmese jade. • • • Vi-lb. Smoky quartz 3.80
In addition to the special exhibits 50 cases "WORKING HOBBY" THEME !4-lb. Topaz (small xls.) 2.90
Vi-lb. Apatite (golden) 6.20
of members' work will be shown, including OF GEM SHOW IN AUGUST Vi-lb. Garnet 5.00
minerals, fossils, fluorescents, lapidary work Benitoite XL (rare gem), each 4.70
and jewelry. Theme selected by member clubs in the
Lapidary Association for their second an- For the Jewelry Maker
The show will be open free to the public.
Hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, nual gem and mineral show August 13 to and Collector
15 is "Working Hobby—Minerals to Gems." 6 different ring stones. $3.70
to 7 p.m. Sunday. 6 different brooch & pendant stones 7.30
• • • The process of transforming a drab speci- 6 different genuine faceted gems 7.30
men into a beautifully set gem will be illus- 6 different gen. faceted gems (larger) 12.00
NEW ROCKOLOGIST CLUB trated in displays and working exhibits. The
IN MORTON. WASHINGTON show will be held at the Shrine Convention
SPECIALS
Faceted hearts, gen. amethyst or topaz
New this year in Morton, Washington, is Hall in Los Angeles, California. citrine drilled and including studs,
the Morton Rockologist Club. Publicity Co-chairmen are A. B. Meiklejohn of the each $2.00
Chairman Charlie Reed reports 30 charter Los Angeles Lapidary Society and Thomas Pendant with chain, gold filled or s. sil-
ver with amethyst or topaz citrine
members. Officers are Von Sparkman, S. Warren of the American Gem and Min- hearts 3.75
president; Elmer Rouner, vice-president; eral Suppliers Association. Treasurer is W. Earrings to match, gold filled or s.
Ruby Pigman, secretary-treasurer and Er- A. Stephenson of the Hollywood Lapidary silver for pierced or non-pierced ears.. 5.25
Agate marbles, genuine—large size 1.50
win Prentice, field trip chairman. Meetings Society. Committees are composed of Small to medium sizes 1.00
are held the first and second Wednesday of members from the four host clubs: Los Specimen boxes with 35 diff. minerals.. 1.90
every month. Angeles Lapidary Society, Hollywood Lap- with 70 diff. minerals 3.90
idary Society, the Gem Cutters Guild and Bulk assortment of $10.00 worth of min-
• • • eral specimens, our choice for 6.75
Santa Monica Gemological Society. (Satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded)
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GROUP • • • DEALERS PRICE LIST AVAILABLE
SLATES JUNE CONVENTION Nelson Geode Bed was the destination
Eleventh annual convention of the Rocky of Clark County Gem Collectors on a field COAST GEMS
Mountain Federation of Mineral Societies trip excursion from Boulder City, Nevada. X!)ll K. Valley Blvd. — Roscmcad, California
will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, June
11 to 13, according to an announcement
from Stewart Romney, secretary. Exhibits
will be arranged at the Salt Lake County SAWS! GRINDS! 'HILLQUIST SLABBING SAWS
12" bench model, $72
Fair Grounds, 5177 South State Street on SANDS! BUFFS!
16" floor model, $110 I
U. S. Highway 50-89-91. Everything in- 1
eluded except 20" floor model, $155 I
• • • motor. Uses a l i i Real rockhounds sav.
Hillquist acces- I favored for their big I
WESTERN DAYS, ROCK scries. Idealfor 1 HILLQUIST DIAMOND SAWS capacity and lifetime
construction. "Magic-
SHOW DUE IN BRAWLEY beginners. Only I
$42.50 complete
Cut Faster-Last Longer-Cost
Brain" automatic feed i
I Less. Available in all sizes.
Two field trips are planned during Braw- for above $4^35
ley Rock Club's show April 30 to May 2, HILLQUIST TRIM SAW 1 You'll swear by 'em, not at 'em!
The "Cadillac" of trim saws. Exclu-1
weekend of the Western Days celebration ^sive"up-ond-down" Before you buy any lapidary
in Brawley, California. Exhibits of rock irbor. "No-splosh"!
specimens will be display in Plaza Park. plastic guards. I equipment-send for our big
Free camping will be available for visitors. Precision rock I

HOW TO HAVE FUN WITH ROCKS A-


clamp and guide. I
Complete with 8 " !
blade, $62.501
FREE CATALOG!
FULL OF HELPFUL LAPIDARY
iThree si:
I $64.50.
GEMS AND MINERALS HILLQUIST GEM DRILLHOLE SAW INFORMATION-Send NOW To
since 1937—the rockhound's OWN magazine • Drills finest holes , I LAPIDARY EQUIP. CO. .HILLQUIST DRUM SANDER
—featuring mapped field trips, gem cutting l o t high 1 I The most popular drum
helps, silverwork and designs, mineral col- 1545 W. 49 SI. SEATTLE 7, W N .
I sander made. Patented
lecting helps and articles, many supplier Ispeedandsaws
ads, and all manner of material that will Idiscs up to 1 Vi". I "quick-lock' screw makes '
help you have more fun with rocks. I Exclusive ramrod I it easy to change sanding
Owned by over 75 organized clubs, the Cali- • action prevents I cloth. 3 " x 7 " - $9.50
fornia Federation of Mineralogical Societies, I core plugging.
GEMS AND MINERALS is written and ed- I Fully automatic. HILLQUIST COMPACT LAP UNIT
ited for practicing gem cutters and rock Bigger than the Gem-Master. Handles
collectors. It is the ONLY monthly maga- HlttQUtST.COMPLETE FACETER up to a 10" saw. Saws, grinds,
zine in the field publishing 12 full issues Only $62.50 complete with 3 1
a year. Over 9,000 rock hobbyists already sands, polishes, laps, facets,
use and enjoy GEMS AND MINERALS, so index plates. You can cut any I 1 Takes • cuts spheres — does every
will you. Send only $3.00 for 12 monthly faceted form quickly and I Big! Rugge a uable for pro-Bthing and does it better.
issues. Subscribe today. jNw;; • rr^--, easily. The equal I 2" , 12 wh . Va Thouands in use.
of faceters • 1 sionals or any° Everything include'
GEMS AND MINERALS costing twice I
Box 716B Palmdale, California the price. I

MAY, 1954 35
AMONG THE
GEfll fllRRT A D V E R T I S I N G R A T E
10c a w o r d . . . Minimum SI.50
ROCK HUNTERS
FIFTY MINERAL Specimens, %-in. or GET YOUR COPY of "A Mineral Collec- JULY SHOW IN COMPTON
over, boxed, identified, described, mounted. tor's Guide to Wonderful Wyoming." 25c. Annual show of Compton Gem and
Postpaid $4.00. Old Prospector, Box 729, Gritzner's. Mesa 3. Arizona. Mineral Club will be held July 17 and 18
Lodi, California. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall in
DENDRITIC OPAL, Kansas, good polish-
FOR SALE: Jasper wonder rock all colors. ing stone, only $1.25 a pound. Hastings Compton, California, announces Ida Coon,
For flower pots, fireplaces, tiling etc. Typewriter Co., Hastings. Nebraska. publicity chairman.
Polishes wonderfully. By pound, ton or • • •
car load, also claims for sale. Mary McSHAN's GEM SHOP—open part time, A quiz program was conducted by Oleta
Moser, Box 176. Goldfield, Nevada. or find us by directions on door. Cholla Becker, Bea Letcher and Lois Olinger at a
cactus wood a specialty, write for prices. Dona Ana County Rockhound meeting in
BOOKS: Beginners to advanced. Gemology, 1 mile west on U. S. 66. Needles, Cali- Mesilla Park, New Mexico. Contestants
mineralogy, geology, etc. Write today fornia, Box 22. drew numbers and qualified for the jack-
for free price list. Gem Finders, 859 pot question if they answered three of the
North Ramona, Hawthorne, California. HIGH GRADE WOLLASTONITE for sale: numbered puzzlers.
300,000 tons in sight half mile from paved • • •
FOR SALE—RX complete Lapidary shop highway. Guy Smith, Mina. Nevada.
in one machine, also 200 lb. Montana February field trip of Delvers Gem and
agates at bargain price. Nels Christoffer- RADIOACTIVE ORE Collection: 6 won- Mineral Society, Downey, California, was
son, 8058 Cypress Ave., Fontana, Calif. derful different specimens in neat Red- to Death Valley. Leading the trip was
wood chest, $2.00. Pretty Gold nugget. Darold J. Henry.
C 6 «
ONE OF UTAH'S largest assortments of $1.00, four nuggets, $2.00, choice col- Fifty members and guests of the Miner-
beautiful specimens of woods, agates. lection 12 nuggets, $5.00. Uranium alogical Society of Arizona joined a group
dinna bone. Many fine pieces of jade, Prospector, Box 604. Stockton. Calif. field trip to an orthoclase deposit south of
and many others. Stop and see our Superior, Arizona. They found good crys-
museum of polished specimens and cut AUSTRALIAN cutting fire opal, specimens,
stones at 329 Reed Ave., Salt Lake City. cutting material. H. A. Ivers, 1400 Ha- tal specimens, including Carlsbad twins in
The Dowses, Phone 3-8722. cienda Blvd., La Habra, California. chunks of decomposed granite.

GEMS A-PLENTY: Beautiful baroque MINERAL SPECIMENS, cabochons and FOR SALE: Beautiful purple petrified
gems, large variety, tumble polished all cutting materials of all kinds, western wood with uranium, pyrolusitc, manga-
over, $10.00 for one pound (about 100 jewelry. Beautiful travertine for book- nite. Nice sample $1.00. Postage. Maggie
stones). 10 lbs. of top grade gemstonc ends, paper weights, sohcres etc. Write Baker, Kingman, Arizona.
prepaid for $7.00. Wholesale price to for prices. Eighteen miles south of Battle
dealers on baroque gems and gemstone Mounta-n at Copper Cfnyon. .lohn L. FOR SALE: House of Agates on Highway
in the rough. Satisfaction guaranteed on .lames. Box 495, Battle Mountain, Nev. 101. Eureka, California. Going business,
every sale. San Fernando Valley Rock retail and manufacturing—in semi-preci-
Shop, 6329 Lindley Ave., Reseda, Calif. QUARTZ CRYSTAL GEODES (Kentucky ous stones and jewelry. Includes prop-
Diamonds). These geodes range from erty, living quarters, retail store, income
ROCKHOUND PARADISE. Stop and see 2" to 8" diameter. Showy xls. Masses from one leased building. $10,000 will
our display. Agate rough and slabs. No clear to white, some phantoms. Selected handle. Splendid location, Frank Coulter.
junk. Minerals, fluorescent minerals. Sat- specimens from broken aeodes $2.50 lb. Realtor. Cutten P. O. Box 43. Humbokll
isfaction guaranteed. Write for prices. Unopened geodes $1.50 lb. Dealers County, California.
P. G. Nichols, Prop., Sun Valley Trailer write for wholesale rates. Midwest Min-
Park, 3922 No. Oracle Road, Tucson. eral Mart. R. B. Boies, P. O. Box 391. R1ZIRITE No. 3: Black Dacite with bright
Arizona. Hamilton, Ohio. We trade for Western metallic inclusions. Does not oxidize or
minerals. undercut. Hardness about 6. Redenbach
has 100 award ribbons on gemstones. He
ROSE ROCKS—Barite crystals in the form states "top quality material." Slabs 4 sq.

Pinon Incense... of a rose V/i in. size $1.00. We will send


a free sample if you inclose 25c for pack-
aging and mailing. Harris Gems, Yukon,
inches for $1.00. 7. Rizir. Box 835,
Trona, California.
THE BELEAL'S lronwood Rock Shop.
Bring the delightful fragrance Oklahoma.
Specializing in fire agate. P.O. Box 542,
of the Pinyon Forest into your MONTANA SAPPHIRE: Small vial mine Highway 60-70, 7 miles from Blythe, Cal.
home or office. The burner is a run $2.00. Sapphires I to 2 carat, clear,
SWAP—Two walnut antique chests with
miniature model of the outdoor suitable for faceting $1.50 each. Harry
Bentz, Philipsburg, Montana. mirrors for 8 inch vertical saw and
baking ovens used by prehis- grinder cabochon unit. 6116 Cecilia St.,
toric Indians, and still in use in ATTENTION ROCK COLLECTORS. It Bell, California. Topaz 2-3898.
New Mexico paeblos. When will pay you to visit the Ken-Dor Rock
Roost. We buy, sell, or exchange min- SUNSTONE: Clear stones of good size
the little cones of genuine pin- eral specimens. Visitors are always wel- and free from fractures for facet or cabs,
yon pine are burned in this tiny come. Ken-Dor Rock Roost, 419 Sut- $1.00 per ounce. For the tumbler and
oven the aroma is a breath of ler. Modesto, California. small gems $6.00 per pound. Sunstone
makes beautiful baroque stones. J. Ba-
the outdoor Southwest. nasco. Plush, Oregon.
WANTED: Chalk grade Turquoise. Write
Kills kitchen and bathroom complete details as to quality and price. TONOPAH, Nevada, is where C. C. Boak
odors and removes the smell oi P.O. Box 5171. Phoenix, Arizona. lives, with his outstanding scientific
stale tobacco. Pueblo Indians world-wide collection of Mineral, Gem
220 DURO Sanding Disks mounted on V»" and semi-Gemstone species—spectacular
burn pinyon for nasal and plywood with sponge rubber cushion. Just crystal groups, etc. Visitors welcome. C.
bronchial ailments. what you need for polishing. 6" $1.00 8" C. Boak, 511 Ellis St., Tonopah, Nevada.
$1.25 10" $1.50 postpaid. Hastings Type-
Burner and 15 cones $1.75 writer Co., Hastings, Nebraska.
Burner and 54 cones.... 3.00 ONYX BLANKS, unpolished, black 25c
each; red, green, blue 35c each. Perfect
Extra cones, 36 for 1.50 GENUINE TURQUOISE: Natural color, cut titanium. Fine cutting and polishing
blue and bluish green, cut and polished at reasonable prices. Prompt attention to
Postpaid to You cabochons — 25 carats (5 to 10 stones mail orders. Juchem Bros., 315 West 5th
according to size) $3.50 including tax, St., Los Angeles 13, California.
D6S6RT CRAFTS SHOP postpaid in U.S.A. Package 50 carats
10 to 20 cabochons) $6.15 including 10 POUNDS of beautiful mineral speci-
Palm Desert, California tax, postpaid in U.S.A. Elliott Gem & mens, selected $6.00. Ask for list. Jack
Mineral Shop, 235 E. Seaside Blvd., Long The Rockhound, P.O. Box 245, Carbon-
Beach 2, California. dale, Colorado.

36 DESERT MAGAZINE
NATRONA COUNTY CLUB LAPIDARIES, ARTISTS
Election News
A new gem and mineral society—John
SPONSORS WYOMING SHOW
Wyoming Gem and Mineral Show will
be held in Casper, Wyoming, June 4 to 6,
JOIN TALENTS IN SHOW
Lapidary and jewelry displays and oil
painting* will be shown at the joint show
Day Basin Charter Gem and Mineral Club of Los Angeles Lapidary Society and
sponsored by the Natrona County Rock- Southwest Art Association to be held May
of John Day, Oregon—has elected charter hound Club. "All phases of the rockhound 1 and 2 in the auditorium of Van Ness
officers. Ralph Hibbard will serve the new hobby — polished gems, minerals, fossils.
organization as president, assisted by Mrs. Playground, 5720 Second Avenue. Los An-
Indian artifacts and commercial equipment geles. California. Hours will be from 10
La Vonne Oliver, secretary. C. W. Esk- —will be covered," promises Mrs. M. D.
ridge, advertising chairman, reported the a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m.
Hays, secretary of the host club. Casper to 6 p.m. Sunday.
club has fifty charter members and has is in the heart of a good gem and mineral
several field trips outlined. collecting area.
• • • ALTA INDUSTRIES
Harold L. Leach is new president of 2!2:i West Encnnto Blvd., I'lioenix, Arizona
Benicia Rock and Gem Club, Vallejo, Cali- MAKE SHOW PLANS EARLY LAPIDABY EQUIPMENT
fornia. On his executive board are George Montebello Mineral and Lapidary Soci-
L. Nance, vice-president; Roy O. Bahren- Manufacture and Design
ety will hold its first annual Rockhound 16-18 Inch powerfeed slabbing saw
burg, secretary; May Spinder, treasurer, and Roundup November 6 and 7 at the Taylor Belt sanders and Trim saws
E. C. Huett, director. Ranch House in Montebello, California. (send postal for free literature)
• • •
New officers of Roxy Ann Gem and Min-
eral Club are L. A. Mentzer, president;
Harry Marx, vice-president; Mrs. Florence
Renaker, secretary, Mrs. Eva Duggan,
treasurer.
• • •
Receiving the gavel from Guy Morris,
retiring president, Russel Doakes became
new chief executive of Pacific Mineral So-
ciety, Los Angeles. Also installed at a re-
cent meeting was J. R. Hecox who suc-
ceeds W. A. Clarke as vice-president and
field trip chairman.
• • •
Newly-irustalled officers of San Gabriel
I was collecting
Valley Lapidary Society, San Gabriel, Cali-
fornia, are Karl H. Lust, president; Charles minerals for fun... but
G. Wearden, first vice-president; Warren
Dunbar, second vice-president; Mrs. Mar-
garet Gnagy, secretary, and Charles C.
FOUND A FORTUNE!
Sautter, treasurer.
• • •
Mrs. Minnie Craig LaRoche was installed
as president of Fresno Gem and Mineral editions of MINING
Society. Other new officers are Clarence RECORD...refers
Yoder, first vice-president and field trip to a find made
chairman; Dr. Asher Havenhill, second flith a Mineralight
vice-president and program chairman; Mrs. Ultra-Violet
June Riley, secretary; Ernest Islon, treasurer, Lamp.
and Dr. Clement A. Tavares, federation di-
rector. The board of directors is composed
of Carl Noren, George W. Pierson, Paul
Sorrenti and Ocie Randall.
DELVERS READY#GRAB
BAGS FOR MAY GEM SHOW
Members of Delvers Gem and Mineral
Society, Downey, California, have been
"Y ,v, we had with us one
of i/our lights, which we
r
"Wt use tin Minn alight
"Tlii-s is i ith'mt doubt one
of the u orld's major dc-
/msits of SchK litc...u-ouU
ust d. Without thelighi we in nil our prospect ng. It probably lit V I havt been
saving grab bag material for weeks, looking 100 ilil have iiii-ir located has bi en n i'i! viihu hi, in discovert ,1 wit) out a Min-
forward to the society's show May 8 and tht tungsten." loratii <i uranium.31 craHtjht.
9 in the community building of Simms Park, -Ira C. Lambert. -Wm. II. Hi Idmn. —W. II. Hoopt r.
Bellflower, California. The kitchen com-
mittee was busy baking pies and cakes for (ABOVE QUOTATIONS ARE EXCERPTS FROM ACTUAL LETTERS N FILES OF ULTRAVIOLET PRODUCTS, INC.)
the snack booth.
• • •
Dr. J. Harlan Johnson and the depart-
ment of geology at Colorado School of Many a Mineralight user will tell you that what started as a hobby produced a
Mines invited Colorado Mineral Society to bonanza. For in addition to providing added pleasure and excitement for collectors all
hold its March meeting on the campus at over the world, this magic black-light lamp has often located hidden values by the ton!
Golden.
Tungsten, uranium, mercury, zirconium and many other valuable minerals are readily
TREASURE HU N T E R S identified with Mineralight. You do not have to be an expert to make these identifica-
New type metals detector Distinguishes tions. Anyone can do it quickly and easily.
metals from black magnetic sands. Ideal for
locating gold nuggets, placer deposits. De- Mineralight will make your mineral collecting more interesting-more thrilling-more
tects metals under salt water. Locates exciting. And there's always the possibility that the magic of Mineralight may light your
coins, jewelry
on b e a c h e s . way to a fortune... as it has done for so many others.
_ ,f _ „ Free f r o m
false detec-
t i o n s . Each
* unit supplied ULTRA-VIOLET PRODUCTS/INC.
with two dif- Fill out and mall
ferent search coupon today, for free
Dept D South Pasadena, California
coils. Ask for /'/' a si SY ml mi <• ma )>li Ir information on your Mint ralighi prospecting
free l i t e r a - catalog, prospecting
lamps, and namt of dt alt r m arcsi me,
~ ,.• '•' •• • "'. ^ M " \ ' - ' '" •- - ••'•
ture. instructions and illus-
'., * " ; ' " • • " ~^m*""^\ - • •• * * i - "" GARDINER trations of minerals NAME
.:'•"/-. \ - , . -' B f *• ••' *v • ' '• • .'' ' r - ELECTRONICS in glowing colors.
^ . - < ^. ' .;>„ ' ^ H ' "' ."-V-"1" '" ':" CO., DEPT. DM ADDRESS
2 0 1 8 N. DAYTON
PHOENIX, ARIZ.
CITY STATE- _

MAY, 1954 37
Mrs. C. P. Htitchinson of Whittier Gem Roy Wagoner lectured on gem polishing
MINERAL CATALOG AVAILABLE <tnd Mineral Society has spent several years at an evening meeting of Montebello, Cali-
Send 5c, cost of handling accumulating her collection of rough min- fornia, Mineral and Lapidary Society. He
If you want Fine and Rare Minerals, Ores, erals used in the manufacture of color pig- explained the use of abrasives and listed
Fluorescents, Geiger Counters, Mineralights, ments. She displayed the collection at a their various grades.
Books, Ring Mounts, or advice, write to—
Pasadena Lapidary Society meeting when
MINERALS UNLIMITED she addressed members on "Minerals in "The Production and Cutting of Colored
1724 University Ave., Berkeley 3, California Art." Gem Material" was George Roy's topic
• • • when he appeared as speaker on a Shadow
April 2 was scheduled Junior Night at Mountain Gem and Mineral Society pro-
COLORFUL CUTTING MATERIALS the Mineralogical Society of Arizona. Jun- gram in Palm Desert, California. Roy is a
Sawed, untrimmed pieces, none smaller ior members also planned the program for consulting gemologist.
than half inch; sampler of one piece each the March general meeting of San Diego
of Arizona Jasper, chrysocolla, moss agate. Mineral and Gem Society, California. Mineralogical Society of Southern Cali-
Shattuckite, petrified wood, Norwegian
moonstone, verdite, sodalite, green quartz: • • • fornia asked Dr. George Tunell to speak
All nine pieces, identified, postpaid Pictorial designs on pottery of various at its March meeting in Pasadena. Dr.
guaranteed $1.00 Tunell chose to discuss "The Development
LOST MOUNTAIN GEMS Indian tribes were discussed by Dr. Walter
P.O. Box 5012, Phoenix, Arizona Taylor, archeologist. at a meeting of Santa of Crystallography in Relation to Miner-
Fe. New Mexico, Gem and Mineral Club. alogy."
Committee heads have been named by
San Francisco Gem and Mineral Society:
TIN OXIDE $1.50 PER POUND Annette McFarland, editor; Alan Duff, pro-
gram director; Bob White, field trip direc-
tor; Alden Clark, federation director; Louise
If you buy $5 worth of Basic Lapidary Supplies from the following list. Berton, members' exhibits.
A $10 purchase entitles you to buy 2 lbs. Tin Oxide at $1.50 per 1b.
A $25 purchase entitles you to buy 5 lbs. of Tin Oxide. Several California gem and mineral so-
cieties scheduled the California Federation
NORTON CRYSTOLON GRINDING WHEELS . . . convention at lndio as their March field
Size 6x'/2" 6x1" 8x1" 8x1 W 10x1 1/2" trip. Among the clubs planning to attend
the meeting en masse were Compton Gem
80 grit $7.50 and Mineral Club, Kern County Mineral
100 grit $2.65 $3.60 $5.35 7.50 $11.35 Society. Long Beach Mineral and Gem So-
220 grit 2.95 3.95 5.90 8.25 12.50 ciety. Hollywood Lapidary and Mineral
320 grit 3.35 4.50 6.70 9.40 14.20 Society and San Diego Lapidary Society.
Shipping weight 2 lbs. 3 lbs. 5 lbs. 6 lbs. 9 lbs.
Palo Alto Geological Society, Palo Alto.
Crystolon Wheel Dressing Brick 6"x2"xl" 95c California, visited Pinnacles National Mon-
ument on a recent field trip.
CRYSTOLON ABRASIVE for the Lapidary . .
Grit Size 1 Pound 5 Lb. Lots 10 Lb. Lots 25 Lb. Lots "We are going to look for moonstones
80. 100. 120. 18. 220 $ .83 S .52 .39 $ .30 but not on the moon, and for whale bone
2F (320), 3F (400) .38 .57 .41 .32 but not in the ocean," read the announce-
Graded 400 1.09 .73 .57 .48 ment of the East Bay Mineral Society's trip
Graded 600 from Oakland, California, to Bolinas Bay
1.35 .94 .78 .69 in Marin County.
DURITE (Silicon Carbide) ROLL SANDING CLOTH—
Available in 120. 150. 180. 220. 330 grits FIRE OPAL-MEXICO
Dry Rolls Fine minerals, Aztec agate and other
2" wide, 25 ft. long—$2.00; 150-foot roll—$ 9.00 CHOICE cutting materials
3" wide, 15 ft. long— 2.00; 150-foot roll— 13.25 REQUEST FREE PRICE LIST
10" wide. 5 ft. long— 2.00; 150-foot roll— 39.77 RALPH E. MUELLER & SON
12" wide, 5 ft. long— 2.25; 150-foot roll— 47.70 1000 E. Camelback Phoenix, Arizona
Wet Rolls
3" wide, 10 ft. long—$2.00; 150-foot roll—$21.60
10" wide, 40 in. long— 2.60; 150-foot roll— 71.25
DURITE SANDING CLOTH in round disks . . .
KEEP VOUR m f l P S . . .
Available in 120. 220. 320 grits Every month Desert Magazine
Wet Dry carries two or three maps especi-
6" 5 for $1.00; 25 for $ 3.90 8 for $1.00: 25 for $ 2.25 ally prepared for readers who
8" 3 for 1.10; 25 for 7.00 5 for 1.00; 25 for 4.10 come to the desert for recreation
10" 2 for 1.15; 25 for 11.00 3 for 1.00; 25 for 6.45 or field trips.
12" 2 for 1.65; 25 for 16.00 2 for 1.00; 25 for 9.45 These maps are best retained
for permanent reference by filing
CONGO OR FELKER DI-MET DIAMOND BLADES your copy of Desert Magazine
4" diameter by .205" thick S 7.80 10' diameter by .040' thick S14.80 each month in one of the loose-
6" diameter by .205" thick 7.80 12' diameter by .040' thick... 18.20
14" diameter by .050' thick 25.20
leaf binders supplied by the
6" diameter by .032" thick 7.80 magazine publishers.
16' diameter by .050' thick 28.60
8" diameter by .032" thick 10.40 20' diameter by .060' thick 39.20 Covered with imitation leather
8" diameter by .040" thick 11.40 24' diameter by .060' thick 50.60 and gold embossed, each binder
When ordering please state arbor hole size
holds 12 copies. They are easy
ALL PRICES F.O.B. PASADENA to insert and they lie flat when
ADD 3% SALES TAX IF YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA open.
Member of American Gem and Mineral Suppliers Association MAILED POSTPAID FOR
$2.00

1633 E. WALNUT ST.


GRIEGER'S PASADENA 4, CALIFORNIA
THE mflGflZiriE:

PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA

38 DESERT MAGAZINE
6000 BLANK MOUNTINGS
for
AGATE JEWELRY
WHOLESALE
Rings — Ear Wires — Tie Chains
bers boarded four chartered buses to visit Cuff Links — Neck Chains
More than 6000 visitors registered at the
California Federation of Mineralogical So- Kaiser's Iron Mine in the Eagle Mountains Bezel — devices — Shanks
cieties convention, held in March at the north of Desert Center, and Sunday a sim- Solder — Findings
Riverside County Fairgrounds, Indio, Cali- ilar caravan visited the Salton Sea, glaub- Send stamp for price list No. 3
fornia. "The Coachella Valley and San erite crystal area and hot mineral wells.
Gorgonio Mineral societies are to be com- Monday morning nearly 300 rockhounds O. R. JUNKINS & SON
plimented upon the fine arrangements, or- joined a three-day field trip to Wiley Well
derly operation and excellent cooperation in the Chocolate Mountains, Coon Hollow 440 N.W. Beach St.
which made this convention an outstanding and Crystal Hill, Arizona. NEWPORT, OREGON
success," commented Hubert A. Dafoe, new The next convention of the federation
federation president. will be held in the Cow Palace in San Fran-
cisco, and the 1956 meeting is scheduled
Dafoe was elected at the I5th annual for Fresno, California.
meeting held March 26, opening night of
the three-day show. Other new officers are • • •
Vincent Morgan, Boron, California, vice- Joyce Alton of Phoenix reigned as queen
president, minerals division; W. A. Steph- over the annual gem and mineral show
enson, Hollywood, vice-president, lapidary; sponsored jointly by Maricopa Lapidary So-
Jessie Hardman, Long Beach, secretary, and ciety and the Mineralogical Society of Ari-
Jack Klein, Barstow, treasurer. Chairmen zona and held in Phoenix in March.
of the judging, rules and regulations com- • • •
mittees are Harold and Nathalie Mahoney, Lapidary arts of Assyria, Babylon and
Oakland. Mesopotamia were discussed by Dr. Rich-
ard H. Swift, Los Angeles Lapidary Society
Twenty-three societies from all parts of speaker.
California and several from Nevada were • • •
represented by displays at the show. Special Presented with a choice between Pala
praise is due the continuous music, the and Mule Canyon, the latter site was voted
cleaning and sweeping out of the show by San Fernando Valley Mineral and Gem
buildings, the excellent registration and in- Society for its March field trip.
formation service, the field trip arrange- • • •
ments, the art show and space allocations Outdoor explorations ruled out by rain,
which made convention operation smooth Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Club of Med-
and pleasant. Arrangements for trailer and ford, Oregon, took a "field trip" to seven
camping space also were efficiently handled. members' homes to view their collections
Saturday more than 175 federation mem- and inspect their workshops.

HILLQUIST
Why Search for COMPARE!
• Put the Hillquist Gemmaster beside any lapidary

URANIUM machine — cheaper, flimsy "gadgets" or units that


sell at twice the price. Compare construction! Com-
pare ease of operation! Compare how much you
get for your money and you'll say, "I'll take the
Gemmaster!"

with a Horse and Buggy? -


Here is a worthy companion for our larger and
more expensive Hillquist Compact Lapidary Unit.
Tho smaller in size, the Hillquist Gemmaster has
many of the same features. It's all-metal with spun
KM,. • , aluminum tub. You get a rugged, double-action rock
clamp, not a puny little pebble pincher. You get a
full 3 babbitt sleeve bearing and ball thrust bear-
ing. You get a big 7" Super Speed diamond saw
and all the equipment you need to go right to work.

USES ALL ACCESSORIES


You can use all the regular Hillquist accessories
with the Gemmaster: The Hillquist Facetor, Sphere
Cutters, Laps, Drum and Disc Sanders, etc.

WRITE FOR FREE CATALOG


Is more sensitive than any other I COMPLETE, RE AW TO USE! YOU GET ALL THIS-
Scinfillator or Geiger Counter
« Easily detects deeply buried Uranium
deposits from ground or air
Produces results never before possible
Can be used for oil field surveys
Made by the manufacturers of the
BIG 7" Diamond Saw • 6" x 1 " Grinding
famous "Scintlllator" Wheel • 6" Felt Buff • 6 Backing Wheel
6" Disc Sander • Double-action Rock
Clamp • Oil Feed Cup • Water Feed
Hose & Clamp • Dop Sticks & Dop Wax
Polish, Compound, Etc.

I INSTRUMENTS, INC. BUILT FOR LONG SERVICE!


for free complete catalog | 2235 DSR 5o.La Brea Ave., Los Angeles 16, California No other low-cost lap unit
gives you full 3" sleeve
of Geiger Counters, Scinttllators | Please send Free Catalog. bearing, ball thrust bearing
and metal locators including the NAME . TITLE and pressure lubrication.
COMPANY.
new "Special Sclntiflator" priced
ADDRESS_
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CITY _ZONE STATE,
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W O R L D ' S L A R G E S T M A N U F A C T U R E R S O F P O R T A B L E R A D I A T I O N I N S T R U M E N T S

MAY, 1 954
A blue theme was followed at a recent A multi-million-dollar uranium find by Pecos diamonds, aragonite crystals and
meeting of Evansville, Indiana, Lapidary Member M. A. Hougen was reported in roses, jasper and Indian artifacts were
Society. Each member was asked to bring the March issue of The American Prospec- sought by members of Santa Fe Gem and
a blue stone for discussion. tors Journal, bulletin of the American Mineral Club on a field trip outing to a
Prospectors Club, Los Angeles. The dis- site south of Vaughn, New Mexico.
A talk by Ralph Botter on "Mineral covery was made near Caballo, New Mex- • • •
Analysis in the Field" was followed by in- ico. Emory Wilson John, 83, geologist and
stallation of officers at the annual birthday • • • fossil collector, passed away March 3 at
dinner of El Paso Mineral and Gem Society. Ladies of Southwest Mineralogists, Los Delta, Utah. He was well known to many
Angeles, baked pies and cakes for a snack rockhounds throughout the country.
Chicago Rocks and Minerals Society bar at the society's April show. • • •
marked its eighth year with a birthday • e • Maud Kelley's special project is teaching
party. The program was a color movie on Cliff Wygle showed colored slides at a a group of neighborhood children about
the life and arts of Southwestern Indians. meeting of Coos County Mineral and Gem rocks and minerals. She told fellow mem-
• e 1 Club, North Bend, Oregon. Fluorescents bers of Minnesota Mineral Club of her
Santa Cruz, California, Mineral and Gem are his specialty. progress at the March meeting.
Society viewed a motion picture demon- • • • o • •
strating the art of cutting and polishing Speaking before members of the Earth Mrs. Vivienne Dosse is a rockhound who
cabochons. The film was taken by M. D. Science Club of Northern Illinois, Ray Bish specializes in small specimens. She displayed
Taylor who afterward gave shop tips on told "How Geodes Got That Way." He boxes from her extensive thumbnail collec-
cabochon cutting and faceting. discussed the prevailing theory that geodes tion at a meeting of Delvers Gem and
are formed in cavity, usually in lava, and Mineral Society, Downey, California. The
Al Cook showed slides of the Harvard described some varieties of geodes which secret of a beautiful collection of thumb-
seem to have some other origin. nails is in the arrangement, Mrs. Dosse
collection of minerals for the entertainment • • • told her audience. Specimens should be
of Compton Gem and Mineral Club. Dr. Robert Webb of the University of colorful, perfect and, in the case of crys-
California at Santa Barbara spoke to the tals, complete. They should be well dis-
FAMOUS TEXAS PLUMES Santa Barbara Mineral and Gem Society played and systematically arranged. Mrs.
Red Plume, Pom Pom and many other types and showed colored slides on "New Mex- Dosse's minerals are displayed in boxes
of agate. Slabs on approval. Rough agate, ico, Land of Geological Enchantment." divided into one-inch compartments. The
8 lb. mixture postpaid, $5.00. Price list on • • • identification is posted in the correspond-
request.
"Lapidary Work for Beginners," A. B. ing space on the box lid.
WOODWARD RANCH Meiklejohn's talk to Hollywood Lapidary
17 miles So. on Hwy 118 • • •
and Mineral Society, was particularly inter- Sgt. George Zurian, president of El Paso
Box 453. Alpine. Texas esting to tyro gem cutters in the group. Gem and Mineral Society, illustrated with
Meiklejohn is a member of the Los Angeles blackboard drawings his talk on the manu-
Lapidary Society and president of the Lapi- facture of synthetic gems in Germany, as
TURQUOISE day Association.
Cabochon and baroque cut stones in all sizes
he observed the process while stationed
and grades, drilled, tumbled nuggets matched
• • • with the army in Europe.
for necklaces and earrings.
The best gem quality amethyst, a rich • • •
Approval selections
purple with red sparkle, comes from the Two films, "Prospecting for Petroleum,"
Ural Mountains in Siberia, Francis Hueber explaining the geological theory of how oil
MARYOTT'S told members of Indiana Gemology and was formed in the earth, and "The Fossil
Claypool, Arizona Gem Society when he spoke at a meeting Story," telling the uses of fossil material for
in Indianapolis. cement, oil. iron and building stone, were
shown at the March meeting of the East
Bay Mineral Society, Oakland, California.
The NUCLIOMETER Model DR-290 I • • •
"Precious Opal, Its Romance and Lore"
was Mrs. M. H. Ziegler's topic when she
A super-sensitive instrument unaffected by desert spoke to Colorado Mineral Society at a
heat, excellent for making "grid-map" surveys, for meeting in Denver.
uranium deposits, and locating distant ore bodies. • • •
Tested and proven to be the most sensitive and Quartz crystals and limonite cubes were
efficient portable radiation detector made. It is collected by members of a field trip group
rugged, stable, with a three scale sensitivity, cali- from Delvers Gem and Mineral Society,
brated in counts-per-second, low operation cost. Downey, California, on an excursion to
Triced at only $545.00 F.O.B. Compton, California Crystal Hill, south of Quartzsite, Arizona.
New Model DS-234 Scintil'atron—The latest scin- • • •
tillation counter on the market. Superior sensitivity Carroll Chatham last year produced 55,-
performance and calibration. Low Price. . . $467.00 000 carats of emeralds by his secret process;
F.O.B. Compton, California only 18,000 carats were mined from the
earth. Chatham spoke on the Chatham em-
Geiger Counters—The Prospectors Pal Model DG-2 erald at a meeting of the Gem and Mineral
with three scale sensitivity meter $98.50 Society of San Mateo County, California.
The only low cost counter calibrated on all three scales Model 27 < • •
Model DG-7—same as above with separate, detached probe $135.00 Indian jewelry and silvcrmaking were de-
scribed by Buford K. Thomas at the March
METAL DETECTORS—The Model 27 Deluxe (with meter) for prospecting meeting of Wasatch Gem Society.
for metallic minerals, gold and silver included (Depth range maximum • • •
7 ft.) $110.00 Harry and Ruth Crockett, bird authori-
Model 711. Metal case, light weight, easy to carry, (depth range 21 ft.) $138.00 ties, presented a program of colored slides
of Arizona birds at a meeting of the Min-
All priced F.O.B. Compton, California eralogical Society of Arizona. Many of the
Mortars and Pestles — Gold Pans, 2 lb. — Miner Picks, 4 lb. 445 species recorded in the state were shown.
Drift Picks — Chemical Kits • • •
We stock a complete line of Ultra-Violet Second "round-up" of Montebello Min-
Mineralights, also Gem cutting and polish- eral and Lapidary Society, California, was
ing equipment, and supplies. held in March. Every member was asked
to bring something to display and discuss.

Compton Rock Shop


1409 South Long Beach Blvd.
LAPIDARY SUPPLIES — MINERALIGHTS
Send for FREE price list
Compton, California CAUFORNIA HOUSE OF ROCKS
Model DR-290 m
Open house every Tuesday evening 16208 S. Clark Ave.. Bellflower. California
Telephone NEwmark 2-9096 Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wed. till 9 p.m.
Nncliometer Closed Sunday

40 DESERT MAGAZINE
Marble was under discussion at a recent An auction was scheduled for the March The Tejon Ranch near Grapevine, Cali-
junior meeting of the Earth Science Club meeting of San Antonio Rock and Lapidary fornia, on Highway 99 granted the Min-
of Northern Illinois. Society, San Antonio, Texas. eralogical Society of Southern California
• • • • • • permission to search for garnets on ranch
Program chairman of San Francisco Gem Santa Fe Gem and Mineral Society, New property.
and Mineral Society sent questionnaires to Mexico, hunted Apache tears in Peralta • • •
members asking their program preferences Canyon on a recent field trip. Bill Runnels is collecting tumbling ma-
and compiled a year's entertainment sched- • e • terial from members of San Diego Lapidary
ule from ideas contained in answers. A "panel of experts" composed of David Society. He has offered to polish scraps of
• • • MacKaye, Glenn Vargas, Dorothy Faul- agate and other gem materials for use by
Petrified palm and tule, ribbon agate, haber, Leah Jayne Hambly and George the society for grab bags and door prizes.
bloodstone, dumorterite and jasper were Smith promised to try to answer members' • • •
sought by San Diego Lapidary Society on questions at the March meeting of Coa- How deep is the ocean, and what is the
a trip to the Ogilby-Tumco area of Cali- chella Valley Mineral Society, Indio, Cali- sea-bottom landscape like? How is a sub-
fornia. fornia. marine cable constructed, and how is it
• • • • • • laid in the sea? These questions were prom-
Joint field trip to a contact-metamorphic Dr. Richard Jahns of California Institute ised answers at the March meeting of Chi-
formation in the Jacumba Mountains of cago rocks and Minerals Society by Clcll
Imperial County was planned for March of Technology spoke to San Fernando Val-
by the Mineralogy and mineral resources ley Mineral and Gem Society on the for- M. Brantlinger, guest speaker. Brantlinger's
division of San Diego Lapidary Society. mation of agate, petrified wood and the topic was "Messages Via Davy Jones'
• • • growth of crystals. Locker."
• • • s • •
Colored slides of scenic trips through Ideas for using baroque stones in jewelry
Nevada, Arizona, California and Colorado Dr. Carl Beck of the geology department
were shown by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Nelson of the University of New Mexico was in- were passed on to Fresno Gem and Min-
to fellow members of Clark County, Nevada, vited to address Santa Fe Ger.i and Mineral eral Society in the "Jewelry Angles" de-
Gem Collectors. Club at its April meeting. partment of Chips, the club bulletin.
• • •
Geodes, were the prizes on a recent Comp-
ton Gem and Mineral Club weekend outing Felker DI-MET
to a site near Red Mountain, California.
• • •
Kramer Hills, California, for travertine
and palm wood was the recent destination
LAMAW EQUIPMENT
of a field trip group from Kern County Diamond Blades • Core Drills • Machines
Mineral Society.
• • • Felker DI-MET
F. W. Schmidt, member of the Califor- RIMLOCK BLADES
nia Academy of Science, was guest speaker standard for fast, smooth
at a pot luck supper meeting of Long Beach cuts, long life, low cost!
Mineral and Gem Society. He showed pic-
mum of polishing. Wheel
tures explaining geological history. bodies are mode of cop-
• • • •v. per or steel. Diameters
In the March issue of the American from 3 " through 3 6 " .
F e l k e r DI-MET U N I L A P - A universal lapidary machine
Prospectors Journal, bulletin of the Ameri- designed for multiple operations: grinding, sanding, pol-
can Prospectors Club of Los Angeles, Stan Felker DI-MET Continuous
ishing and lapping! Spindle operates in either vertical or
horizontal position lor moximum convenience and e 111 -
Skiba discussed radioactivity, describing the Rim METAL BONDED BLADES ciency Accessories Quickly interchan^jc'iuli'.
scintillation counter and comparing it with — Although more expensive in
origirval cost,- DI-MET Metal A
the geiger counter as an instrument for Felker DI-MET Model
Bonded.Blades repay in / DH-1—Operates like a
finding radioactive ore. longer ultimate life and un- circular sow, but blade
• • • usually fast cutting. Usually oips fnto coolant stored
preferred in production cut- \ in a l u m i n u m b a s e .
Gem and Mineral Society of San Mateo ting. Diameters from 2 " Blade can't r u n dry!
County, California, took advantage of low through 1 2 " Uses 6 " or 8 " Di-Mi-t
tides to take a mid-March field trip to Jade Rimlock or M e t a l
:led Blades. Includes
Cove. Felker DI-MET Diamond and angle fences.
Abrasive CORE DRILLS —Drills
rock samples in a few seconds. Other machines available —Write for circulars
Produces exceptionally smooth,
TRUE OR FALSE ANSWERS straight holes and removable
on all Di-Mci equipment!

Questions are on page 24 cores. Dfi;l Uiunmiers from '/a" FELKER MANUFACTURING CO.
to2'/2".
Torrance, California
1—False. The tarantula is compara-
l!>24-l!).->4 World's Largest and Oldest Manufacturer of Diamond Abrasive
tively darmless. Cut-off Wheels and Machines. Celebrating our 30th Anniversary!
2—False. The Pecos is a tributary
of the Rio Grande.
3—True. 4—True. 5—True.
6—False. Great Salt Lake is much
larger
7—False. The Paiutes have their
home at Pyramid Lake.
'Sew *?o>if
8—False. Funeral Range borders
Petrified Wood, Moss Agate, Chrysocolla
Death Valley. Turquoise, Jade and Jasper Jewelry
9—False. The Navajo and Spanish HAND MADE IN STERLING SILVER
languages have nothing in com-
mon. Bracelets, Rings, Necklaces, Earrings
10—True. 1 1—True. 12—True. and Brooches
1 3—True.
SPECIALLY SELECTED STONES WITH
14—False. The coyote is a meat CHOICE COLORS AND PICTURES
eater.
15—False. There are three Apache Write for Folder With Prices
reserv itions.
16—True.
17—False. The blossom of the Oco-
ELLIOTT'S GEM SHOP
235 East Seaside Blvd. LONG BEACH 2. CALIF.
tillo is red. Across from West End of Municipal
18—True. 19—True. Auditorium Grounds
20—False. The north rim is higher. Hours 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. Daily Except Monday

AY, 1954 41
Hetween If on and. Me

By RANDALL HENDERSON

N MARCH the California Federation of Mineral for the legendary lost mine. Members of the trail party
Societies held its annual convention and rock show were assigned to groups of from 30 to 50 hikers, with a
on the desert—at Indio in the Coachella Valley— Don, in the costume of old Spain, as the leader of each
and for three days I had an opportunity to mingle with group. At the frequent rests along the steep trail, the
one of the gayest and most informal fraternities of human leaders gave informal talks about the mysterious Dutch-
beings I have ever known. I guess most hobby groups man's mine, and the geology and botany of the mountains.
are that way.
For those who felt the hike would be too strenuous,
The rockhounds collect and cut and polish stones for a lively day of entertainment was provided at the base
the fun of it. And when they come together from all over camp. A Mexican band and a cowboy orchestra took
the West for California's big annual reunion they leave turns serenading the crowd. A quartet of Papago women
their business and professional worries at home and spend spent hours making their native bread and there was
three days swapping stones, admiring the gorgeous gem always a long line of patrons waiting to get free samples
rocks on exhibit, and bragging about the rare beauty they of the delicious product. The Powder Horn Clan, a group
have discovered in some obscure deposit of country rock. of old firearms hobbyists, held target practice with their
muzzle-loading guns, and next to them the Phoenix Police
Since about 98 percent of the solid substance of this Department did some crack target and trick shooting.
globe is rock of various composition, the stone collectors
will never run out of material for their hobby. Theirs is Dr. Herbert Stahnke of Arizona State Teachers Col-
a great outdoor pastime which brings many benefits in lege, the Southwest's leading authority on the venomous
addition to the acquisition of brilliantly-colored specimens reptiles and insects, had an exhibit, under glass, of some
of quartz, and copper and iron ores. To those who have of the poison denizens of the desert. During the after-
never been initiated into the hobby of rock-collecting 1 noon he gave a lecture on the subject. On the stage of
can only suggest that the next time a mineral show is the little outdoor amphitheater at base camp he handled
held within driving distance of your home town you visit scorpions, a sidewinder, a Gila monster, a coral snake and
the exhibit and become better acquainted with the artistry a rattler as if they were old friends. He even brought
with which Mother Nature put this old planet together. some of the children up on the platform to pass a desert
It was a wondrous achievement. tarantula among them, as evidence this hairy spider is
quite harmless.
Thanks to the courtesy of Tom Lesure, writer of The climax of the day's events came in the evening
Phoenix, Cyria and I had the opportunity in March to following a program of Mexican and Indian dances, when
accompany the Dons Club on its annual Lost Gold Trek a brilliant display of fireworks from the rim of the cliffs
to Arizona's Superstition Mountains. 3000 feet overhead was the prelude to a gorgeous firefall
The Dons are Phoenix business and professional men which rivals the famous Yosemite firefall in California for
—50 of them—dedicated to the purpose of perpetuating impressiveness.
the best of the traditions of their state. The Trek to Super- Sack lunches were passed out at noon, and a barbecue
stition Mountains is held annually to keep alive the dinner served in the evening.
memory of the Dutchman, Jacob Walz, and his long lost
gold mine. The Lost Gold Trek is held in March each year, and
is open to the public. A tremendous amount of detailed
I have read about this Lost Gold Trek for many work is involved in the staging of such an event, and the
years, and somehow had gained a wrong impression of Don's Club deserves the appreciation of all desert people
it. I thought it was a swanky affair staged for the enter- for the important contribution its members are making
tainment of the rich dudes who flock to Phoenix every in the preservation of Southwestern traditions.
winter season. * * *
Actually it is a glorified family picnic—open to As if to compensate for the lack of annual wildflower
mother and dad and all the youngsters. And what a glori- bloom this year—due to lack of rainfall during the winter
ous field day we had in that lovely setting of Saguaros —the Palo Verde trees this season have put on one of
and Palo Verdes out at the base of the rugged Supersti- the most gorgeous displays of golden blossoms I have
tions. seen in years. We call this a desert, and yet there is no
Over 600 Arizonans and their guests were present at month in this arid land when some of the trees and shrubs
this year's Trek. Of this number 350 persons took the of this region are not in bloom. I think April is the most
9-mile trail hike up into the Superstitions on a mock hunt delightful month of the year on the desert.

42 DESERT MAGAZINE
The book explores every phase of

BOOkSiM'SOOWMST
LONG-LOST GOLD MINE show the right and wrong of the sim-
hiking. It tells what clothes to wear,
how to select a route, what to pack
and how to carry it, how to walk and
what pace to set. It gives camping
techniques, food ideas, equipment
IN THE SUPERSTITIONS plest operation and illustrate peculi- notes, first aid instructions. Separate
arities of different plants. chapters discuss problems of men,
Within five miles of Weaver's Needle women and children on the trail. For
in Arizona's Superstition Mountains, For purposes of planting timetables those who plan extended wilderness
so the story goes, lies a fabulously and instructions, the West is divided stays, there is information on burros,
rich gold mine. But, though men have into 12 zones. Zone 8 is the desert their use and care.
been looking for seven decades, no region, Zone 8A the low desert, Zone
8B the high. Map sketches show read- As the more accessible of America's
one knows just where it is. outdoor playgrounds become over-
ers into which category their garden
The mystery of the Lost Dutchman falls. A calendar in the back of the crowded with increasing numbers of
Mine rivals that of Pegleg Smith's book shows when to plant (and what), vacationists, it becomes necessary to
black nuggets for top billing in the prune, spray, etc., for each zone. strike off the beaten path for real wil-
lost mine lore of the West. Jacob derness living. The Sierrans' book
Waltz (other authors call him Walzer Years of research by the garden tells how you can do so comfortably
or Walz) is said to have been led to staff of Sunset Magazine have re- and enjoyably.
the mine by its original owners and sulted in a truly Western garden
book, guiding home gardeners of sea- Published by the Sierra Club, San
to have died after numerous profitable Francisco. 152 pages, appendices
trips to the site without having shared coast, inland, mountain and desert.
giving food lists, equipment list and
the secret of its exact location with Published by Lane Publishing Com- bibliography. $2.00.
anyone, although he dropped tantaliz- pany. 384 pages, spiral binding, index,
ing hints to a few. Facts became dis- numerous sketches. $2.95. • • •
torted as the legend grew. • • • Books reviewed on this page are available at
Desert Crafts Shop, Palm Desert
In his recently published book, The SHE REMEMBERS WHEN
Lost Dutchman Mine, Sims Ely has PALM SPRINGS W A S YOUNG
attempted to separate fact from fiction.
"Minnie was the 'sittingest' horse I Looking for a PUBLISHER?
He repeats the Dutchman's story in Do you have a book-length manuscript you
what he believes to be the purest form ever saw," Maude Fox recalls. But in would like to have published? Learn about
our unusual plan whereby your book can be
possible and tells the various legends spite of Minnie's proclivity for staging published, promoted and distributed on a
a sit-down stike whenever she decided professional basis. We consider all types of
which have grown up around Jacob work—-fiction, biography, poetry, scholarly
Waltz and his mine. He recalls others' her load was too heavy, Maude and and religious books, etc. New authors wel-
come. For more information, write for valu-
attempts to find the hidden gold, bring- her husband made it to Yucaipa Val- able booklet D. It's free.
ing the chronicle almost up to the pres- ley that early spring of 1910, there to VANTAGE PRESS, INC.
6356 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif.
ent with the account of a man who join other settlers in establishing the Main Office: New York 1, N. V.
died seeking the mine in 1947. town of Yucaipa, California.
Mrs. Fox remembers those pioneer-
The ending to Ely's story is yet to ing days—the hardships as well as the
be written — possibly, he hopes, by good times—in her book, Both Sides
some unknown adventurer who hap- of the Mountain. Besides the early
pens to read this book. history of Yucaipa, she tells of a trip
Published by William Morrow and through the mountain pass to Palm
Company. 178 pages, endmaps. $3.50. Springs, then "just a few shacks on the
• • • desert," and relates the thrilling tale
IF YOU WANT COLOR of Willie Boy, the Indian murderer,
IN YOUR DESERT GARDEN and his death after a wild posse chase
across the dunes.
There are two classes of desert gar- Published by Maude A. Fox. printed
deners, the editors of Sunset Western by Desert Magazine Press. 132 pages,
Garden Book decided: "those who 8 historic halftone illustrations. $3.75. Another guide to desert trails
encourage the desert and its plants to • • • —this fascinating, map-packed,
come to their door and those who hold mystery-jammed book by John
off the desert with flower color and BY BACKPACK OR BURRO
D. Mitchell, dean of Southwest-
the green of growing things." The ON WILDERNESS TRAILS
ern lost mines authorities. Fifty
latter group faces more difficulties in The group of Sierra Club hikers one tales of lost and buried
a region where extreme high tempera- agreed. It was indeed regrettable that treasure, illustrated by maps oi
tures exist day and night for three so few of those who visit our national the supposed bonanza sites and
summer months of the year. To these parks and monuments, our national wash drawings of story action.
gardeners, the Western Garden Book forests and other wilderness areas ever Pegleg's Black Nuggets, Losi
offers invaluable help. get away from roads and onto trails. Breyfogle Mine, Lost Adams
The 384-page lie-flat volume offers Few of those who do are properly Diggings, Lost Blue Bucket
everything from an introductory chap- equipped for the adventure. Gold, Lost Dutchman Mine and
ter on botany—"How Plants Grow"— The group of 11 outdoorsmen, other less famous lost lodes.
to watering, pruning, pest control, a members of one of the largest and $5.00
gardener's lexicon and encyclopedias most enthusiastic hiking clubs in the
of annuals, perennials, bulbs, vines, world, decided to do something about DESERT MAGAZINE PRESS
shrubs, vegetables and trees. Drawings it. So together they wrote Going Light Palm Desert, California
and diagrams on almost every page with Backpack or Burro.

MAY, 19 5 4 43
fl FIELD GUIDE TO ROCKS flllD minERflLS
By FREDERICK H. POUGH, Former Curator of Minerals, American Museum of Natural History
YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK — has ever been printed for the rockhound and gem
Contains 234 photographs, 72 in full color, and a hunter. Available now. Order your copy today. If
simplified Field Guide to identification. Every min- you are interested in rocks, gems or minerals, this
eral the Rockhound is likely to encounter is described book is a must for your library shelf.
in detail. This is the most important new book that $3.75 POSTAGE PREPAID

SCI!D F O R f R € € 5 6 P f l G € P R I C € LIST
This catalog is the same as our 1952 Fall Catalog. It is Bails, Locket Loops, Chain by the foot, Bezel Wire, etc.
8Wxll" in size and it is profusely illustrated. Your Field Trip Books and Books of all kinds on Minerals,
shopping will be made easy — order by mail or visit Gems, Jewelry Making, Prospecting, Uranium, etc.
our shop to select your gifts. This catalog lists Gem Fluorescent Lamps, Fluorescent Minerals, Geiger Count-
Cutting Equipment, Grinding Wheels, Diamond Blades, ers, Uranium Samples, Magnifiers, Scales, Templates, etc.
Sanding Cloth, and Polishing Powders, Jewelry Making Services Offered to You Are: Expert Gem Stone Cutting,
Tools, Sterling Silver Sheet and Wire, Blank Ring Custom Jewelry Making and Repair.
Mountings, Jewelry Findings such as Earwires, Dealers please ask for wholesale discount sheets
POLY ARBORS AT NEW LOW PRICES
illustration at right shows
1—POLY D12 Arbor $19.95 1—Dresser Rest 2.25
2—Cast Splash Shields 15.00 1—Jig Block DIAMOND
1—100 Grit Wheel 8"xlVz" 7.50 DRESSER 10.90
1—200 Grit Wheel 8"xlV2" 8.25 2—Galvanized Splash Pans.... 6.00
TOTAL VALUE $69.85
SPECIAL COMBINATION PRICE $62.00
YOU WILL BE WEARING RAINBOWS
When you wear jewelry set with TITANIA. Gems of synthetic
TITANIA have five times more ability than the diamond to
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ings you may now have from which you have lost the
original stone.
Visit Our Shop and See Ladies' and Men's Rings Set with
Titania. A Large Stock of Titania Earwires Is Also Available.

FREE LAPIDARY LESSONS


With the purchase of cabochon or facet cutting equipment
having a value of $85.00 or more, an experienced lapidary
will give you a lesson in gemstone cutting in his own shop.
Model E-10 Gem Stone Cutter—$139.75 F.O.B. Pasadena
Add $4.00 crating for out-of-town shipments
Note: Trim saw has a vise (not illustrated) with lateral
adjustment for slabbing.
This unit and other HIGHLAND PARK EQUIPMENT is
fully described in our 56 page free catalog.
LET'S GET ACQUAINTED OFFER With every retail purchase of $5.00 worth of merchandise you
18" Rhodium Plated Sterling Silver or receive 4 tumble polished gems or baroque gems worth at least 25c
yellow Gold Filled Neck chains each. With a $25.00 purchase you receive 20 tumble polished gems,
2 for $1.00 or $4.50 per doz.
plus 20% Fed. E. Tax with a $50.00 order you receive 40 tumbled gems. WE TUMBLE
OUR OWN GEMS.
THIS OFFER EXPIRES JUNE 30, 1954
ESTWING ALL STEEL
SEND FOR OUR APPROVAL SELECTION OF TUMBLED GEMS.
ROCKHOUND PICKS You may select only those you desire or you may keep the entire
Gift Model—Polished $4.10 selection at a SENSATIONALLY LOW PRICE. These selections will
Regular Black Finished $3.85 contain Tiger Eye, Chrysocolla, Rose Quartz, Beautiful blue, green.
Allow 3 lbs. Shipping weight Cornelian, and black Brcdlian 21c;c:tes, etc.

GRIEGER'S • 1633 E. WALNUT ST. • PASADENA 4, CALIFORNIA


OUR STORE IS OPEN EVERY DAY EXCEPT SUNDAY FROM 8:30 TO 5:00. PHONE 5Y. 6-6423

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