THE

M A G A Z N E

-.-* ,.

More Norge Rollator Refrigerators are sold in Imperial and Yuma Valleys than anyother make. This leadership in sales is the result of better refrigeration in the mostsevere summer climate in the United States.

More Economy

And

1 0 - y e a r

Warranty. . . on the rollatorcompression unit youbuy today will still bein effect in 1948. OnlyNorge has this exclu-sive rollator mechan-ism, that provides morecold than you will everneed even in the hot-test weather.

SEE THIS AMAZING TEST.. . . IT'S PROOFof Norge superior cold-making powers . . . just as our own local tests have proven todesert home makers that only Norge gives incomparable refrigeration. More than 2500local Norge owners at+est to the extra savings that rollator refrigeration brings tothem every month. Ask your neighbor who owns a Norge—you will get first handinformation on this better food-saving Norge.

/ . V. HARDWARE CO.TEM STORES

IMPERIAL AND YUMA VALLEYS i30 Years of Successful Home Equipment!

BUDGET TERM!at I. V. HARDWARStores will s a v e y om o n e y in financincosts. Our c a r r y i ncharges a r e identic*with F. H.A. and wcarry our own contrac—no bank, finance corfpany, or power corrpany to deal with.

CREED OF THEDESERT

By JUNE LE MERT PAXTON

God ivould not give us skies ofblue,

If skies of grey were needed.He would not choose the thorny

bush,And leave the flower, unheeded.No, God puts into each placeThe things most needed for the

race.

DESERT

for April

MAR. 26-27—Annual district musicfestival at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

APRIL 1-2-3—Eastern New Mexicomusic festival at Clovis, N. M.

APRIL 5—Annual spring flower showof the Phoenix Woman's club. Mrs.J. A. Riggins, chairman.

APRIL 8—Arbor Day in NorthernArizona by proclamation of Gov.Stanford. Includes counties of Apa-che, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo andYavapai.

APRIL 9-10—Sierra Club of Californiato spend weekend in Joshua TreeNational monument exploring Won-derland of Rocks, Hidden valley andother scenic areas. Dick Freeman,leader.

APRIL 9-17—Annual Easter weektrek of Sierra Club of Californiato include visits to Tonto, CasaGrande, Chiricahua and Tumacorinational monuments and other scenicpoints in Arizona. Mr. and Mrs.W. A. Van Degrift, leaders.

APRIL 12-13—Annual reunion of Ari-zona pioneers sponsored by thePhoenix Republic. Limited to thosewho have been in the state sinceDecember 31, 1890.

APRIL 17—Outdoor Easter servicesat South Rim of Grand Canyon andat many other points in desert region.

APRIL 17-20—Spring Corn dances atCochiti, Santo Domingo, San Fel-ipe and other Indian pueblos in NewMexico.

APRIL 21-22-23—Annual state musicand art festival at Las Vegas, Ne-vada.

APRIL 28 to MAY 1—Frontier Day"Helldorado" at Las Vegas, Nevada.Horseman's association to stagerodeo during the last three days ofthe Frontier day event.

Vol. 1 APRIL. 1938 No. 6

COVERCALENDARPHOTOGRAPHYNATURE

RECREATION

ART

REPTILES

TRAVELOG

POETRYGEMS

PRIZESCAMERA ART

TRAVELOG

DEVELOPMENT

PROGRESS

INVENTION

FICTION

LANDMARKSPLACE NAMESNEWSBOOKSCOMMENT

Desert Verbenas, Photo by Leo HetzelImportant events scheduled for April 1Prize contest winners 2They Learned About Cactus from Beavertail

By DON ADMIRAL 3Trekking for Treasure

By VIRGINIA DUNCAN 4"Smoke Trees in Fiesta"

By AGNES PELTON 7They Found a Market for Rattlesnake Bones

By OREN ARNOLD 8Perpetual Ice Box on the Desert

By FLEMING KENNEDY 10"Yucca" and other poems 12Gems That Adorned Egypt's Mummies

By JOHN W. HILTON 13Amateur photographer's contest 14The "Feel" of the Desert

Photo by W. M. PENNINGTON 15Dead Indian Creek—Hiker's Paradise

By RANDALL HENDERSON 16Master of the Colorado

By TAZEWELL H. LAMB 18Summer Comfort for Desert Dwellers

By JOHN J. MANGEL 21Cooling the Desert by Evaporation

By L. G. TANDBERG 24Hard Rock Shorty

By LON GARRISON 27Prize contest announcement 28Compiled by TRACY M. SCOTT 30Here and There on the Desert 32Reviews of past and present literature 35Just Between You and Me, by the EDITOR 36

The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Publishing Company, 597 State Street,El Centro, California. Entered as second class matter, October I I , 1937, at the post office atEl Centro, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

Title registered, contents copyrighted 1938 by the Desert Publishing Company. Permissionto reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writ ing. Subscription rate $2.50 ayear in U.S.A. or possessions. Single copy 25 cents.

Editor: Randall HendersonAssociate Editor: Tazewell H. Lamb

Business Manager: J. Wilson McKenney

Special representatives: PHOENIX, Stephen C. Shadegg 14 E. Culver St • TUCSON E B Jones1422 E. First St.; PALM SPRINGS, Don Admiral, Desert Museum. LOS ANGELES John C Putman'Phone FEderal 9495.

Manuscripts and photographs submitted must be accompanied with full return postage. TheDesert Magazine assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of manuscripts or photographs althouqhdue care will be exercised for their safety.

Notice of change of address should be received by the circulation department the first of themonth preceding issue.

April, 1938

on Lake MeadBy H. P. GOWER

Death Valley, California

First prize photograph in the February contest ofthe Desert Magazine. Taken with a 3A kodak, stopbetween 11 and 16, 1/100 second, from a boattraveling 20 miles an hour at 8:00 a.m.

By CAL GODSHALLVictorville, California

Second prize award. Takenwith a Speed Graphic on Agfasuperpan press, fll, 1/440 sec-ond at 10:00 a.m. January 6,1938.

The DESERT MAGAZINE

I'll oil) by Duke Clarke

They Learned about Cactus from BeavertailBy DON ADMIRAL

Palm Springs Naturalist

ADMIRE the soft smooth complexion and the exquisitecoloring of the Beavertail cactus if you will—andit is worthy of all your admiration—but do not try

to brush away the little brown dots which adorn itsvelvet jacket.

More than one visitor to the desert has learned aboutcactus from Beavertail. Those innocent appearing specksare nothing more nor less than tiny clusters of sharp needlepoints. They are almost invisible to the eye—but eachlittle barb carries a sting of its own. And more pity tothe tenderfoot who would use his teeth to extract themfrom his palm.

Nature has provided Bsavertai] with a weapon so effec-tive that even the rodents of the desert are wary of tooclose an approach.

The joints of this cactus are broad and flat, somewhatresembling the shape and size of a beaver's tail—hencethe common name. Opuntia basilaris (Engelmann andBigelow) is the scientific name. Opuntia, the genus name,is an old Latin term; basilaris, the species name, refersto the joints which grow from a common base. There isa variety, brachyclada (Griffiths) (Munz), composed ofplants with smaller and reddish joints.

A single cactus may be composed of one joint or many,20 or even more. These joints are wrist-shaped where they

join the common base. They grow to a height of four toten inches and usually are single although it is not uncom-mon to find a second joint growing from the top of thebasal joint.

Along the upper edge of ths joints the flowers crowdeach other, forming a crown of magenta loveliness. Occa-sionally, as if to show its versatility, a white blossomappears. During the spring of 1937 I found a plant onthe southern edge of the Mojave desert on which I counted84 blossoms. Then I counted the flowers which alreadyhad withered, and the buds, and arrived at a total of 237blossoms representing the season's display on that oneplant.

The bud of the Beavertail is a food highly prized bythe desert Indians. There are a few needle-like spines tobe brushed off, and then the buds are placed in a pit andsteamed with hot stones for about 12 hours. Modernmethods now have entered the picture and simplified theproblem of preparing the food. One of the Indian womenon the reservation at Palm Springs is planning to preservethe buds in modern glass jars.

B'avertail cactus is rather widely distributed in theinterior valleys of California and the desert areas ofCalifornia and New Mexico and southward into old Mexico.The variety, brachyclada, occurs in Cajon pass and thewestern Mojave areas above the 2500-foot elevation.

April, 1938

MM

fmmk

. . * . • .

Superstition Mountain, Arizona Photo by McCullough Brothers, Phoenix

Treasure, literal and figurative, has enriched Arizona's Superstition Moun-tain for aeons, and legends of the treasure have intrigued The Dons Club ofPhoenix since its organization eight years ago. Young business men who areearnest students of desert lore, The Dons in 1934 launched a "Lost GoldTrek" to Superstition. It gripped public imagination instantly, is now called"the most extraordinary entertainment in western America."

By VIRGINIA DUNCAN

IT IS 8 o'clock and the fierce, wild peaks of old Super-stition have pulled their shadow blankets up closearound them for the night. We sit at the foot of one

of its sheer cliffs—human ants beside the wall of red rock800 feet high—and marvel at the incomparable brillianceof desert stars. Rocks on the horizon take on the formsof treasure hunters who have died there, and sahuarocacti are silhouetted like ghosts themselves. We are milesfrom civilization, miles even from a filling station, atrading post, a telephone. Then a handsome young man,dressed in colorful Spanish costume, steps out and lightsa two-cord pile of wood—stacked like a tepee—and thenow renowned Superstition Mountain Lost Gold Trek has

reached its climactic hour!The costumed young man is a member of the Dons,

a club of adult students in Phoenix devoted to desert legendand lore. I am a guest of the club along with some 500others. All day we have been on a nominal search fortreasure in beautiful old Superstition Mountain, and ifwe lack actual gold we nevertheless have found treasureindeed! This Trek of the Dons is the most distinctiveouting I have ever experienced, a full day and eveningof back-to-nature communion without benefit of ballyhoo,loud speakers or microphones.

The ironwood tepee is filled with dry pine kindling, sothat the clubman's match sends up an immediate blaze.

The DESERT MAGAZINE

In five minutes the flame is crackling, twisting, roaringup 50 feet or more, illuminating our faces, casting fan-tastic shadows on the great red cliff. The scene is soimpressive it leaves one gasping in sheer awe. We areseated in a natural rock amphitheatre, a little arroyo thatskirts the mountain. The cliff is a backdrop. Beside, butnot too near the campfiire is a leveled space about thesize of an ordinary living room floor.

When the blaze is at its height—"00M-00M, 00M-00M,

00M-00M!"From somewhere in the darkness comes the sudden

rumble of torn toms. The weird noise chills us. Havethe savages that once lived on this very spot come backto life?

They have indeed! For immediately a party of painted,costumed warriors appear in the firelight. They beginchanting— "EE-yah, EE-yah, EE-yah!" The crowd, the500 palefaces, are breathless with interest.

The rhythm changes then to a faster one."OOM-oom-oom-oom OOM-oom-oom-oom EE-yah-yah-

yah.' The redskins are swaying and circling and stampingin an aboriginal American dance which the finest studentson Broadway cannot equal. They are giving vent toemotions which white folk cannot even understand, muchless interpret. There are bizarre, minor cadences, pene-trating sounds that remain in the memory forever.

Then the Dons who are directing our program changethe mood and regale us with humorous stories of the desertland; ply us with the limitless legends of gold in theSuperstition. They bring on a cowboy orchestra twangingits guitars and harmonizing in such favorites as "HomeOn The Range."

Scarcely have we done with humming the beloved choruswhen a new music picks up from somewhere in a fastermelody and key. The cowboys have faded back into theshadows, and now—Don Alonzo Aguilar, Senor Jose Cota,Senoritas Maria Luisa Perez and Josefina de Carillo yMontoya are swinging in the gorgeous dances of oldMexico and thrilling us with Sonoran love songs. Fromsomewhere have come "Los Charritos" orchestra, a stringensemble of elderly Mexican men in gay costume, menwho cannot read a note of printed music but who playfrom the heart practically everything that they once hear.They accompany while Jose and Josefina do "El Jarabe

Map to the lost mine in the Superstition. Probably afake and typical of many such sketches that arcin circulation. Landmarks are fairly accurate.

Mrs. Sina Lewis, mother of 13 children, a veteranprospector who spent several years looking for theLost Dutchman mine in Superstition. Shown herepanning pay dirt.

Tapatio," perhaps the most beautiful dance brought herefrom old Spain.

When two hours of this extraordinary entertainmenthave ended and the fire has died to a great mass of intensecoals, the Dons' president makes a brief farewell speech,then points to the top of the cliff behind us. Lo— thedark, forbidden heights have been climbed in the nightby other Dons, and now the whole upper area is paintedin a luminous brilliance of red and yellow and green!

Flares thus light us to our cars, parked out of sight aquarter mile down the trail. When we have wound outthe desert trail and back eventually to the highway, thereis a feeling of satisfaction and happiness that defies words.

We had started this day at 9 a. m., traveling fromPhoenix. We realized we 500 were lucky, for we got thefirst reservations. More than 2,000 had applied! Webegan with hiking, flower study, cactus study, collectingrocks, hunting arrow heads, probing into prehistoric dwell-ings, exploring old Indian caves, sketching, photographing,lolling in the sun, visiting old abandoned mining camps.At noon we were fed a generous lunch with hot coffee andtea. At 5 p.m., tired from an afternoon in the open air,we were revived with an elaborate hot Spanish dinnerwith more coffee and tea. We sat around and watchedIndian craftsmen at work, chinned with prospectors whocame to the party, listened to impromptu singing andwatched the gloriously costumed Dons with their even

Above—At the entrance of Geronimo's Cave, high inthe cliffs of Superstition. Once a stronghold of theApache Chief for whom it is named.Below—Dons Club members (Spanish costumes).Indians, cowboys on a Lost Gold Trek to Superstition.

prettier costumed sweethearts and wives. Then the 8o'clock program began.

For 10 years I have made an intensive study of thedesert country, and I have traveled extensively elsewhere.Nothing have I found—not even excepting the New OrleansMardi Gras or the Pasadena Rose Parade—that excels ininterest and beauty this Superstition Mountain Lost GoldTrek; due, I feel sure, to the fact that it is not a "show,"but a cooperative experience based on the dual appealsof romance and lost treasure. The two things that fascinatemen most (and women!) are love and gold. When youcan combine the two appeals, you usually have somethingof extraordinary interest, and exactly that has been donehere.

The love story and the beginnings of gold lore in Super-stition Mountain dale back to the past century. It is aword-of-mouth history which has made Superstition themost alluring mountain in America, an eastern collegeprofessor declared. The original "hero" is one Don MiguelPeralta, a rancher in Sonora, who first worked the minein Superstition.

He acquired it by accident in the 1840s. His daughter,pretty Rosita, was attacked by a handsome young man.The young man eventually was killed in an accident whilefleeing Don Miguel's wrath, the legend tells, but not beforehe had discovered a rich outcropping of gold ore. DonMiguel took the ore, forgot the insult to his daughter.

He named his ore supply "La Mina Sombrera" (TheHat Mine) because it was near a central peak in Super-stition which resembled the crown of a Mexican hat. Heworked it for some years until Apache Indians massacredhis last big cavalcade of miners.

Years later, when the United States had acquired thearea now known as Arizona, a Dutchman named JacobWalsz took the mine from three Mexicans, killing themto do so. Walsz worked it for years, and before he diedconfessed he had killed several others in order to retainownership of his rich property. He died in Phoenix in1892, trying first to tell some friends of the mine's loca-tion. He had concealed the shaft, to wait until peopleshould stop trying to follow him in.

The friends could never locate the mine, and to thisday the place is called The Lost Dutchman. It is nearthe peak but Superstition is a vast, rugged area. Thepeak has since been re-named Weaver's Needle, becauseits shape also suggests an oval needle used for weavingrugs and such things. That is your only clue today, ifyou go in quest of Superstition's gold.

Many have searched. Even in recent years newspaperheadlines have proclaimed the national interest in Super-stition's tragedy and romance. Remember Adolf Ruthof Washington, D. C., who went into Superstition in 1930?

Ruth, aged 66, carried a map he had obtained inMexico. It may have been a genuine map, nobody knows.He never came out, never was found despite long search-ing. Eventually a hound dog with an archaeological partyfound his skull under a palo verde tree, and then hisbody was found. Somebody murdered Ruth, for his mapwas missing! The case has never been solved.

There are many other mysteries incident to the moun-tain's gold. Some persons have just disappeared up there.Some have died of thirst or hunger. Authorities havewarned the public not to go in without adequate provisionsand guides. These things all add to the lure of the moun-tain, contribute to its mystic charm.

It is on this factual background that the Dons' LostGold Trek has been developed. People naturally wantedlo see the mountain, to visit the actual scene of so manydramatic events. The Dons sought, not to make it achamber-of-commerce enterprise, but to preserve its tradi-tional interest for earnest students of folklore, scholars,authors and naturalists. This they have done, in a strictlynon-profit non-commercial enterprise.

It is regrettable that only 500 guests may go each year,but the number is limited by the physical necessities ofaccommodating the members of the Trek at campfireand meals.

The Dons of Phoenix, laudable as their efforts are,have no monopoly on this sponsorship of desert lore andlegend. Rather, they have shown the way for otherorganizations and groups to seek out and preserve thetraditions of their own desert communities to the endthat the real charm of the desert country may be disclosed.

Money is not everything! The beauty of the Lost GoldTrek to me is its freedom from cheapness and salesman-ship. One could not even buy a pack of cigarettes thatday, and the nearest filling station was 25 miles away.

The Dons are preserving the lure of the desert withoutdefiling it. The desert, above any other region, is repletewith possibilities of this kind. If the desert influencecould play a greater part in the lives of young men andwomen—and the Hollywood influence less—the arts andliterature of the country would profit immeasurably. Cali-fornia, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico—all thedesert states—offer possibilities that have not been touched.

The DESERT MAGAZINE

•MOKE TREESIN FIESTA"

HalftoneReproductionof Painting

By AGNES PELTONPalm Springs

• • *

5

Photo by Stephen Willard, courtesy Desert Inn Art Galleries

By JUNE DAY

So many important people in the last few years havebeen intrigued by the charm of the desert that it isno -longer a matter of surprise when another is addedto the list. Few, however, have brought finer gifts orpaid homage in a more beautiful way than AgnesPelton, artist.

Miss Pelton's work already had won widespreadrecognition when she moved to the desert six yearsago. She established her residence at Cathedral City,California, feeling that here in the heart of the Coloradodesert she could contribute something even moreworth while in the development of contemporary art.

Summer and winter for these six years she has stud-ied every whim and mood of the constantly changingnatural pageant around her. From the extreme heat ofsummer have come several of her most important can-vases. Her Smoke Trees, painted in the early sum-mer months when the spiny leafless branches burstforth in a gorgeous purple display of blossom, areamong her most beautiful creations.

Miss Pelton is one of those artists who has cap-tured the true atmosphere of the desert. In her paint-ings one can feel the heat, the baked dry earth, theclean crispness of the early morning air.

As a personality she has that rare gift of inspiringthose around her with greater interest and effort inthe accomplishment of worthwhile tasks. There is inher character a quiet courage and faith that knows noobstacle.

She was born abroad, but of American parents.

She returned to the United States at an early age andher musician mother encouraged her in the study ofthe piano. Early in her 'teens, however, she realizedthat painting rather than music was her forte, and tookup the study of art.

She was a student of Arthur W. Dow at Pratt Insti-tute in New York, studied landscape with W. L. La-throp, and worked with Hamilton Easter Field in Italyand also during several summers when he taught atOgunquit, Maine.

She is a member of the National Association olWomen Painters and Sculptors, the American Federa-tion of Art, the American Artist's Professional League,Solons of America, and the Riverside Art Institute.

Few artists have undertaken successfully so wide afield of painting as Agnes Pelton. Early work was inportraiture, including oriental children in costume,done during a winter at Honolulu. She also produceddecorative paintings of island volcanoes and tropicallandscapes.

Mention of her work would not be complete withoutreference to her contributions in the field of abstractart. These paintings are an effort to express throughpure and direct color, glimpses of what might be calledsymbolic vision. The quality of her abstract paintingsis unique and even those who are not impressed bythis type of art will recognize Miss Pelton's work.

Her desert paintings are on exhibit at the Desert Innart galleries in Palm Springs and many of her beautifulcanvases have been acquired by eastern visitors whoprize them for their true feel of the desert.

April, 1938

Mary and Don Wil-liams, of Phoenix, Ari-zona, solved the problemof meeting school jex-penses by creating noVelornaments from the verte-brae of rattlesnakes. Thesnake shown in the pic-ture, however, is not arattler—just a big harm-less member of the reptilefamily.

/Aeu7ouncta Matket

hot /Qattleina/ce Gone*

MARY WILLIAMS heard the whir-ring when she first stepped to theground. The night was black,

but she didn't need to see. The sound—like dried peas shaken rapidly in theirpods—was warning enough.

She crouched ever so slightly, andsprang back upon the porch by thekitchen door. Mary was agile; a juniorcollege co-ed.

She should have screamed first, tech-nically. Or, surely, she should havefainted when she was safely on theporch again. Instead she turned on theporch light and picked up a broom.

"Brother!" she called to Don Wil-liams, studying in a front room.

"What?""Get the hoe or something, please,

and come here."Don brought a shovel, and found

Mary holding the rattlesnake down.The reptile was four feet long and

8

seemed quite indignant. "PLOP!" Donsliced off its head.

The rattler didn't know it, but hewas really a wolf in snake's clothing.Moreover, Mary was the kind of girlwho, seeing a wolf at the door, jerks thecritter in and makes a fur coat of him!

Mary and Don Williams lived withtheir parents on the desert near Phoe-nix, Arizona. They both went to PhoenixJunior College, but the funds werealarmingly low. School, for them,would have to end in a few days. Theyhad gone to the kindly dean.

"I wish I could help you," the deanhad said. "I can only tell you to think,to use your fine brains. This countrywill continue to prosper and grow be-cause young Americans think their wayout of difficulties. They will find op-portunities where we older folk wouldhardly even look."

Don and Mary sat on the porch and

stared at the dead rattler. It had abeautiful skin, but the market for rat-tlesnake skins is not good. Some peo-ple like rattler meat—it is even cannedin one or two places—but Don andMary couldn't figure a sale for that,either.

"I know what," declared Mary sud-denly. "I'll use him."

She picked up the carcass and putit in a pot, boiled it on the stove fortwo hours. She didn't let her parentsknow all these initial details, nor evenDon. The next week Mary Williamscame to Junior College wearing a per-fectly gorgeous string of beads!

The other girls speculated on whetherthe novel beads were carved ivory.Some hinted about probable high cost.Interest in them was pronounced. Nextday, Mary added ear-bobs to match—and tactfully let it be known that, well,she would sell them, if anybody in-sisted.

Several people insisted.Don and Mary stayed in school. The

depression that had struck Mr. Wil-liams, Sr., began to lift, because he didnot have such a financial burden andworry with his children. He did, later,spend some time telling his own cronieshow proud of his two kids he was, butthat was pardonable under the circum-stances.

After two hours of boiling the fleshhad all dropped off the rattlesnake's

The DESERT MAGAZINE

backbone. The backbone had becomedozens of tiny "ivory" pieces, alreadyprovided with holes for stringing! Andalready "carved".

Mary made some of them pure white,with a little bleaching solution fromthe home laundry. Others she left theirnatural cream tone. She strung them inmany ways, alternating with crystals,working in colored beads, graduatingthem as to size.

She had a distinctive item of costumejewelry, a novelty which even the smart-est shops in Phoenix and Los Angelescould not supply. Furthermore, Maryherself was about the world's bestmodel.

That is, Mary Williams is a verypretty girl. She has a smile whichmakes you feel that this is a great oldworld after all; a daintiness just rightto set off the novel beads.

She made some mistakes. She didn'tset her initial prices high enough. Butshe did not lack for customers.

The shops and stores asked for whole-sale lots, but she couldn't supply them.Of course, she had set up a sort of home"factory", a production unit of whichher brother Don became an enthusias-tic raw materials man. Don knew anold-time settler who lives several milesout on the desert. The two of themworked out a plan that made heavy in-roads on the rattlesnake population.

The Williams yard had a water hy-drant in it, and one afternoon in latespring, when the sun was bearing downhard, a six-foot snake came slitheringacross the yard to enjoy the dampness

and coolness where the hydrant dripped."Now that," said Mr. Williams, Sr.,

"is not a rattlesnake. It's a gopher orbull snake, harmless to man. He eatsdestructive rats and things. Let himalone."

"All right," agreed Don and Mary.They let him alone. They even namedhim Bolivar. But they did not lovehim. It is difficult to love a gophersnake, because by the time you have de-cided he really is a gopher snake andnot a rattler (when you suddenly seehim coiled in the shadows) your heartalready has skipped six beats. Butthey let Bolivar alone.

As a matter of cold scientific andsentimental fact, a snake like Bolivar isa gentleman. His ki^d make perfectadditions to any yard or household.They catch rats and mice. They eradi-cate cockroaches. They stay back inshadows out of the way. They will notsteal goldfish out of the bowl nor climbup on the canary's cage. And theynever sit on the back fence at midnightand yowl "Meowr-r-r-r-rr owr-r-r-r-r-r!"

After a while Mary and Don had alittle basket full of rattlesnake rattles,too. They aren't worth much, as is.But Mary slipped a few in with thebeads, modeled a few into ear rings,thus adding a touch of noise to thebeautiful reptilian jewelry.

Next day at school, and at the nextcollege dance, Mary Williams not onlywore her lovely beads and ear bobs;she shook her head daintily and dis-played the newest novelty, the tiny little

jeweled rattles, half an inch long.That started the bead wearers' en-

thusiasm anew. People are like that—they want to collect things. Don andMary opened a savings account.

That's about all to the true story.The incidents you can forget; but don'tever lose the moral. You never can tellwhen a wolf, figurative or literal, willcome howling at your front door—orrattling at your back one!

Oh yes—about the photographs withthis article. That's the first live snakeMary Williams ever touched in her life!

We told her she just had to pose forus, because we had borrowed a longlive snake, a "Bolivar"; we wanted asensational picture, a pretty girl witha reptile around her neck—that sort ofthing. We had the beast in a large bag.

We poured him out."E-e-e-e-e-e!" shrilled Mary, backing

away."Come on!" we urged. "Modern

girls aren't cowards! Pick him up!"Or maybe the Phoenix girls lack nervenowadays!"

That got her. She twined the bigfellow around her neck, and otherwiseposed as we requested, a very graciousgirl.

We ducked our photographic neckunder the camera cloth then, for a mo-ment, and all at once the big snakeplopped down on our shoulders!

"What's the matter?" Mary giggled."Do the western men lack nerve now-adays?"

Beautifully carvedivory from the des-ert's most venomous

reptile

Even the rattler'srattles may be usedfor bizarre orna-

ments

April, 1938

Mir si*

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liv Frashei

Insulated by lava which flowed from an ancientvolcano, ice never disappears from one of

Nature's strange caverns in New Mexico.

By FLEMING KENNEDY

IGHT here," said my trailbuddy Bill, who breathes con-tempt for all forms of tourist

erosion, "is one of the few natural won-ders in the desert that can't be defacedor destroyed by sticky fingered souve-nir hunters! It's Mother Desert's ice-box—automatic and self operating—and no matter how hot the daytime maybe or how much ice may be chippedoff and stolen, as long as there's snow-fall and showers there'll be new icea'growin' down here."

We were standing in the PerpetualIce Cave, within touching distance ofthe great aquamarine deposit of whichwe had heard and whose existence wehad doubted. Doubted—because wehad been told the ice was to be foundbeneath a geologically recent lava flow.

When we hear of lava flows ourminds recall pictures of smoky vol-canoes in eruption, spewing torrents ofmolten stone—the hottest evidence of

Earth's internal discomfort. A "re-cent" lava flow, we imagine, still mightbe unbearably hot. How could sucha site be the resting place for a bankof ice that never has melted away?

We figured that the story might bejust another Tall Tale for Tourists.Both of us were sufficiently desert-wiseto know that the desert is packed withbelieve - it - or - not surprises, but wewanted to see—in midsummer—whetherthis unusual thing really existed.

The locality of the ice cave wasclearly marked on our New Mexicohighway guide. The map indicated animproved dirt road—leading southwardfrom Grant, on U. S. 66, through theold Spanish village of San Rafael. Thetotal distance indicated was 25 milesof unimproved road to be covered be-tween Grant and the ice caves—andunimproved road in a lava countrydoesn't mean "boulevard!"

But since we wanted to see as many

interesting sights as could be crammedinto limited time, we chose to take thelonger road from Gallup toward Zuniand to see El Mono in passing on ourway to the ice cave. The choice wasa wise one, for the glaring sun wasbehind us when the trail required mostattention—and "trail" is the properword for there is much sand and mal-pais along the way.

Every yard of our route was satur-ated with the history and lore of theSouthwest. I hope sometime to reportmy observations of Zuni and Inscrip-tion Rock. Readers of the DesertMagazine may share those delights infuture issues. But now we are approach-ing Mother Desert's Icebox.

We left our car in a wide place ofthe road, near a signboard which stoodabove a trail that headed off across thelava. The sign declared that the trailled to the Perpetual Ice Cave, but allwe could see was a great expanse ofgrayish black lava from which grewseveral large Ponderosa pines and asprinkling of scrawny undergrowth.

The lava flow had been described as"geologically recent" — which meantthat it might have been cooled fromthe molten state about 2,000 years ago.

10 The DESERT MAGAZINE

The gritty surface underfoot seemedhot enough to fry eggs—yet we weresupposed to be approaching the abodeof never-melting ice!

In that walk of 10 or 1 5 minutes wewere glad we had worn miner's boots.Anything lighter surely would havebeen shredded by the sharp rocks. Thereflected heat from the lava drew per-spiration from our bodies. Where wasthat bank of so-called ice? A sign led

. us on—pointing toward what seemedan extinct crater, yet was not. Thegreat hole in the lava bed actually iswhat is known as a "volcanic sink"-an area of lava which has collapsedinto the cavern formed when moltenrock continued moving onward beneaththe crust of that which had hardened.

We estimated the depth of the sinkat about 70 feet. From the floor, whichwas choked with chunks of stone rang-ing from the size of marbles to the bulkof motor trucks, a blast of hot air envel-oped us. Not volcanic gas, merely theaccumulated heat from a day's unre-lieved exposure to the steady rays ofthe sun and the Perpetual Ice Cave signpointed down into that roasting-oven!

We clambered down the wall of thesink. The trail wound around and overgreat blocks of lava and ended in frontof a jagged little cavern in the oppo-site wall.

We stumbled across the volcanic sink,groggy with heat and exertion, andclimbed the heap of rubble leading upto the cavern. A breath of cool airfanned our faces before we had reachedthe top of the pile. We looked downinto the deep, dark cavern.

Quarter-circling in a length of about50 feet and rising to a thickness of 12feet or so, the blue-gray-green deposit

Entrance to the PerpetualIce Cave

o( ice seems to glow like a giganticpearl. It glows with the light reflectedfrom the sky and admitted through thejagged opening in the wall—which isa good reason for the failure of flash-light photography to do justice to thecavern.

The ice is banded with dark hori-zontal lines. Close inspection showsthe lines to be layers of dust, depositedbefore the ice mass had reached itspresent height, and mingled with theice during periods of melting. Thedark bands offer no means for judgingthe approximate age of the deposit.

We had seen the natural wonder—but seeing had not brought understand-

ing of it. Granting the evident factthat the ice deposit was of indetermin-able age and that it seemed to havebeen endowed with perpetual youth,why was it so?

It required months of searching toassemble the scientific facts which Irelate in a few simple paragraphs. Itwould take much additional space tolist the authorities and accurate sourcesof information. Let's skip them andexplain the mystery:

Since basaltic lava is porous in tex-ture—like a sponge that has been turnedinto stone, it is filled with numberlessair pockets. That fact makes lava analmost ideal substance for insulationagainst the transfer of heat. In otherwords, once the original heat of themass has passed off and the spongystone has become chilled, the lowestdepths of the lava deposit will remainat the coldest temperature they haveexperienced.

Like the sponge, lava is a thirstymaterial. Melting snow and showersof rain are greedily absorbed. Themoisture trickles and seeps through thetiny air cells until it meets an obstruc-tion. If that obstruction happens tobe freezing temperature, ihe moisturesimply turns to ice.

Ice caves in lava beds are not par-ticularly rare, but most deposits disap-pear in warm weather. The PerpetualIce Cave is given its proper name be-cause of the fact that it is unique inthis respect and because it is accessibleas an interesting exhibition. Here, in-stead of freezing in solid cold stone,water drips from the roof of a volcanic"lube" and is frozen by cold airfrom the subterranean depths. MotherDesert's Icebox!

Wan

April, 1938 11

HAVE YOU?

By Lois Elder Steiner

Have you ever stood on a desert hill,Out in the desert sun,

When the heat burned into your very soul,And you wanted to run and run?

Have you ever stepped on a cactus thorn,And it made you sore,

And you got so mad you forgot to look.And stepped on a hundred more?

Have you ever come in, all starved at noon,And found ants in everything?

And while you were trying to pick them out,Did you try to sing and sing?

Have you ever stood on a desert hill,And watched the sun go down?

And then, us the stars came oul at last.Just couldn't go back to town?

Have you ever said to yourself at dawn,When the desert sky was aflame,

That no other sky in all the worldCould ever be quite the same?

If you've ever lived on the desert,I know that you've often cussed,

For there's something inside a man that swears,When he swallows ants and dust.

But in the silence of desert night—To us, from the heavens broad,

Sweet peace comes sifting softly down,We put our trust in God!

SAY THAT I LOVED THE DESERT

By John Arthur Nelson

Say that I loved the desert, nothing more,But hew no stone to mark my resting place.

Scatter my ashes o'er the desert's floor,1 crave no alien shaft to mar its face.

There 1 shall sleep, in gardens fit for gods,Where perfumed winds from ocotillos blow;

Or in deep canyons where the yucca nods,Or wild barrancas where spring floods may

flow.

Then, though I'm tramped a thousand feetbeneath,

Or lay like shadow'd lace across the sand,I still shall live, and through my love bequeath

My soul's recess unto this smiling land.Behold me thus! Wind-blown, unfettered, free!Dust back to dust . . . Unto eternity!

Photo by Frank T. Secrest

ucca

DESERT PSALM

By Marion Ives

The denizens of the desertAll prayed to Pan one night.

"Make us to man an ardent friendAnd not his foe to fight.

He'll find us in our desert homes,We build on arid span,

Let him not come with harm intentIs all we ask dear Pan."

(God's Own Candle)

By LESTA PURCELL

There was no altar builded here,To hold this white and flaming spear

Of bloom.

For no churchly nave can be high enoughTo clear the green enshrouded bluff

Whereon it blooms;

But no alien wind will blow the flameUntil its time is done,For God lighted it in his own name,And so unsheltered, the Yucca flower

Burns whitely on!

MIRAGE

By Franklin E. Ham

From crag to crag the sun's rays leap,Purple shadows fast pursue,

Across the valley floor they sweepTo a spectral rendezvous.

Then gone the lavender, the red,Gone the gold, the purple spread,

The blue now turns to black.Afar, a gleam of light!

A desert town awakesAnd dances in the night.

For miles on miles and days on days,Weary steps have brought me through

The shifting sand, a broiling maze;This, too, is my rendezvous.

1 pause and watch the shimmering glow;Falter fearful, ere I go,

My heart is filled with dread.Perhaps 1 have no right

To seek this desert townThat dances in the night.

A vision once I saw therein,Eyes, a smile and golden hair;

A crystal dawn or violinThrills—but she? Beyond compare!

Now hold, you wizened desert rat;Stay, and know she smiled but that

She saw all men the same.Let that be your requite;

Seek not this desert townThat dances in the night.

AN OCOTILLO TO THE ODES

By O. CotilloSidewinder Canyon

Your lines are sweet,As measured by the idle mindAnd win applauseFrom those who'd rave aboutOur desert world.

Why do you callFor praise and admiration?We do not craveYour tributes, toasts or rhapsodies anentOur colorful career.

We live and bloomTo die, to live, to bloom againEach cycle turnA joy, a thrill as on we goTo greet the coming change.

We live in peaceUntil your ghoulish friends appearAnd then we weepKnowing well the fate to comeFrom witless friends of Odes.

If you would beA timely friend to usAnd merit loveFrom desert species one and allJust tell your friends

We do not liveThat they might cut us down to graceTheir back yard fenceOr dig us up that we may dieTo bloom no more.

12 The DESERT MAGAZINE

~fhat -fldotned5 Alumtniel

By JOHN W. HILTON

Out on the Southern California Desertnear the Colorado river, John W. Hiltonhas found Dumortierite specimens whichhave the color and polishing qualities ofthe Lapis Lazuli of the ancients. In thethird desert gem article of his series nowrunning in the Desert Magazine, Hiltonprovides map and directions for collec-tors who would like to secure some ofthese specimens. Above is a view ofQuartz peak, landmark which guides theway to the gem field.

THE DEAD Pharaoh lay in statesurrounded by royal embalmersand high priests. About him were

assembled the ornate trappings ofburial. From their burnished surfacesglittered the dull luster of crudelypolished gems. Among these, and con-trasting beautifully with the gold, wasthe rich blue of Lapis Lazuli, symbol ofeverlasting life and guarantee of im-mortality.

From the scarab on the hand of anEgyptian mummy on the Nile to a re-mote spot in the Colorado Desert is atremendous distance, but there is a cer-tain connection, for here on this south-western desert so far away is a longneglected deposit of gems that mightalso be classed as Lapis Lazuli.

Lapis has been sought after andprized for so long that imitations havebeen used for it probably more oftenthan for any other gem. In fact, somany minerals have been called by thisname that it is now a matter of doubtjust which one deserves the originaltitle. The name has come to apply to

a large family of stones whose onlyrelation is their deep azure color. Hencethe trade names we now encounter, suchas Russian Lapis, Chilean Lapis, Ori-ental Lapis and Swiss Lapis. The lastmentioned is a porous form of chalced-ony mined in South America and clev-erly dyed in Germany.

Pliny the Elder describes Lapis Lazulias "stone of the sky" containing minuteparticles of gold. But most of the gemsof this type that have been examinedproved to contain small bits of ironpyrites. Some Persian stones, however,have turned out to be the copper oreAzurite containing actual particles ofgold. A find of this same type of mate-rial was made in the early days ofmining in Colorado, but due to the goldvalue of the rock extremely little ofit found its way into jewelry.

Because of the present use of thename and the beautiful color of themineral, I do not hesitate to nominateour desert Dumortierite for a place inthe Lapis family. I am by no meansthe first to do this. Attempts have been

made over a period of about 20 yearsto popularize this gem without greatsuccess.

There are several reasons for thesefailures. The attitude of the jewelrytrade, that in order to be valuable agem must be imported has been animportant factor, and in the secondplace there are several grades of theDumortierite. By far the most of itis not fit for gems because of its roughgrainy texture. Boulders were gatheredwithout proper regard for this impor-tant characteristic, giving rise to thegeneral belief that the material wouldnot take a good polish. Added to thisis the hard but fibrous character of eventhe best grades, making it practicallyimpossible to produce a good surfacewith the use of ordinary polishingagents.

Color was also a stumbling block toboth collectors and lapidarists. Thosewho selected the darkest blue roughmaterial were disappointed to find thatafter polishing the color had deepenedalmost to black. Some of the lighter

April, 1938 13

bright blue shades of the materialdeepen to a fine Lapis shade on beingpolished and those containing smallwhite spots are especially good.

This deposit of Desert Lapis is acces-sible to collectors, and the trip is wellworth while for its scenic and historicinterest. The road leads north fromthe Yuma highway to Ogilby on therailroad. Near Ogilby are many pointsof interest.

The Kyanite mines are well worthseeing, as are the diggings of the oldAmerican Girl mine where Mr. andMrs. John J. O'Brien with a crew of110 men are opening up deposits ofgold ore missed by the operators in theearly boom.

Farther on are the settlements ofHedges and Tumco where for yearsthousands of men toiled to wrest over$11,000,000 in gold from the stonyheart of the Cargo Muchacho Moun-tains.

Back on the graded road again is theGold Rock ranch where the Walkershave created a unique home on thedesert. Their front yard, with its gateand its cactus gardens framed in col-ored minerals, is a thing of real beauty.

Continue northwest from there to aturn off marked 4-S Ranch. Here ourtrail leaves the road to turn right to-ward Indian pass and the Coloradoriver. The mining roads turning righttoward the Cargo Muchacho Mountainsshould be disregarded, as should thefaint trails to the left a little farther on.

Against the skyline ahead will ap-pear a long flat topped black mesaand at the east end of this mesa is alarge pointed butte of the same mate-rial. Between these two looms a raggedvolcanic upthrust. The correct roadfollows a general course toward thislandmark. Off to the southeast rise

DUMORTIERITEThis mineral was named after

Eugene Dumortier, French pale-ontologist. It is defined as abright blue or greenish blue basicsilicate of aluminum, usually mfibrous or columnar aggregates. Ithas a hardness of 7 and specificgravity of 3.26 to 3.36.

the majestic spires of Pichacho peak,which must not be confused with theother landmark just mentioned.

At a point about ten miles from theGold Rock ranch the road leaves thedesert floor. From here nearly all thecross-washes contain desert lapis. Thismaterial is part of an ancient river bedand is not found in place. The moun-tains that formed these gems haveprobably been eroded down below thelevel of the present surroundings.

The large boulders in these streambeds do not appear to be of gem qualitybut here and there small water-wornpieces of good blue are found. Theseshould be slightly translucent on theedges and have a smooth weatheredsurface if they are to be polished.

It is better to come home with a fewof these fine pieces than to load thecar with large worthless boulders. Here,as always, the rule of sportsmanshipapplies, "take some and leave somefor the other fellow." I hope to de-scribe some very interesting gem locali-ties in these pages from time to timeand the attitude my readers show to-ward this rule on these first trips willdetermine how much I dare to reveal.

P R I Z E Sto amateur photographers

Each month the Desert Magazineoffers prizes of $5.00 and $3.00 for thefirst and second place winners in aprize contest for amateur photogra-phers.

All prints must be taken on thedesert and the subjects may includeclose-ups of plant and animal life, un-usual personal pictures, desert homesand gardens, weird rock formationsand landscapes and scenic shots.

Composition, lighting, focus and theother fine points of photography willbe no less important than subject.

Rules governing the contest follow:1—Pictures submitted in the April

contest must be received at the DesertMagazine office by April 20.

2—Not more than four prints may besubmitted by one person in one month.

3—Winners will be required to fur-nish either good glossy enlargementsDT the original negatives if requested.

4—Prints must be in black and white,2'/4x3'/4 or larger.

5—Pictures will be returned onlywhen postage is enclosed.

For non-prize-winning pictures ac-cepted for publication $1.00 will bepaid for each print.

Winners of the April contest will beannounced and the pictures publishedin the June number of the magazine.

Address all entries to:

CONTEST EDITOR, DESERTMAGAZINE, El Centra, Calif.

PICACHO

TO MIDWAY W £ U .AND PALO VERDE

14 The DESERT MAGAZINE

\

?„•%&.!*•

NAVAJO SILVERSMITH Pholo by IF. M. Penning/on

JhsL 'Jsud!'o£, Mm. (DsMhtBy JOHN STEWART MacCLARY

A RTISTIC EXPRESSION for Navajo men is dis-played in handmade silver ornaments. Since nometals were known to Southwestern Indians when

sixteenth century Spaniards first entered the region, itnaturally is believed that the working of silver was in-troduced by the conquering invaders.

For centuries, it seems, the Indians and their an-cestors had fashioned necklaces and ear-pendantsfrom unpolished bits of turquoise. Silver ornaments,contrasting with coppery skins, caught the fancy ofthe Indians. They combined blue turquoise settingswith the silver ornaments and produced native jewelryof barbaric beauty.

White visitors became interested in the unusual bits

April, 1938

of native jewelry seen in the Indian country. Col-lectors and souvenir-seekers purchased the trinketsand asked for more. The art-craft of silversmithingbrought unexpected cash returns into the pockets ofIndian men. A minor industry thus was given birth.

Originally, Mexican dollars or pesos—because theiralloy was soft—provided the principal source of silverfor Indian jewelry. The pesos were melted in primitiveforges, the silver was shaped by hammering. Now,most trading posts carry stocks of rolled silver in vary-ing standard thicknesses, together with assorted shapesof polished turquoise settings.

Indian schools teach silversmithing; native loretransmits symbolic patterns.

15

Undiian

BY RANDALL HENDERSON

ON THE MAPS it is marked "DeadIndian Creek." But none of theold-timers in Coachella Valley,

California, is sure about the identityof the Indian. And it really isn't acreek—except on those rare occasionswhen a flood of storm water surgesdown from the mountains and fills thedry stream bed with a raging torrent.

Dead Indian is one of the manyscenic canyons in that long spur of

mountains known as the Santa Rosaswhich jut far out into the Coloradodesert and form the south rim of theCoachella basin.

To reach the desert entrance of thiscanyon the motorist follows the pavedhighway between Palm Springs andIndio. About half way between thesetwo towns is the junction point wherethe Palms-to-Pines highway comes infrom the south. This is the road that

9

i#.' i ; Mi •

leads to Dead Indian creek.From this junction a straight high-

way climbs gradually toward the baseof the Santa Rosas four miles away, andthen starts a serpentine ascent up thegrade toward the summit.

There are two bridges near the endof the straight-away, and the first onespans the creek we are seeking. Thisbridge is 3.6 miles from the Indio-PalmSprings highway.

Viewed from the paved highwaythere is nothing about Dead Indiancreek to distinguish it from a thousandother desert arroyos. Smoke trees andwillows grow along the bottom of thesandy channel. Creosote bushes andcacti predominate on the rocky slopesabove the water line, and higher up onthe bordering ridges are agaves andyuccas—and more cacti.

Less than a quarter of a mile westof the bridge the broad ribbon of sanddisappears behind a protruding spur ofthe ridge which parallels the creek onthe south. There is nothing here to in-terest the motorist who comes out toview the desert from the upholsteredseat of an automobile.

But for those who like to explore themore secluded coves and canyons, DeadIndian creek, beyond that spur, haseverything the most adventurous heartcould desire.

If there are children in the party, orthose whose health will not permit tooviolent exercise, a leisurely hike up thewash will bring the visitors to a littlegrove of native palm trees. They are ashort mile from the bridge.

These palms are grouped around atiny spring. There are 22 trees in thisoasis, but so closely are they huddled to-gether that the invader seeking to reachthe spring may imagine himself scram-bling through the foliage of a tropicaljungle.

There is no established trail up thearroyo. Each hiker takes his ownroute—and when rain in the mountainsis heavy enough to send a freshet downto the floor of the desert all tracks areobliterated. Then the arroyo is cleanand fresh and waiting for a first visitorto come along and experience all thethrills of a first discovery.

At the little palm oasis the canyonforks, and here the leisurely hiker endshis trek. The whole aspect of the land-scape changes abruptly. The smoothsand of the arroyo disappears beneatha jumbled pile of boulders, and theridges on both sides close in and forma massive gorge of steep broken walls.

Native palm trees in GrapevineCanyon

16 The DESERT MAGAZINE

The hiker becomes a rock climber—orgoes no farther.

The right fork, leading to Ebbenscreek, is blocked by a vertical face ofrock 75 or 100 feet in height. Stormwater creates a roaring waterfall hereat infrequent times. To continue up thecanyon it is necessary to detour overthe steep talus slope on the left. It isa climb which calls for good balance,and the use of hands as well as feet.Above the waterfall the canyon ascendsgradually toward the fringe of pinonswhich dot the distant summit. Nativepalms appear at intervals along thecreek.

The fork which leads to the left alsopresents a rocky climb for those whowould go in that direction. This isGrapevine creek.

For the hiker who likes his trailsrough and rocky, I would suggest a tripup Dead Indian and Ebbens creeks to apoint approximately three miles beyondthe first palm group. Then leave thecanyon and cut across the ridges towardthe southeast. Eventually this routewill intersect the upper gorge of Grape-vine creek, which may be followed backto the forks at the palms. This is anall-day trip.

There are numerous Washingtonias inGrapevine. Occasionally one finds apiece of broken pottery or a large flatslab of granite with a mortar-hole—evi-

dence of pre-historic Indians who dweltby the springs which water the palms.

There are old Indian trails, but timeand the elements have made it impos-sible to follow them for any great dis-tance. However, the hiker does not

Continued on page 29

Recently the Sierra Club spent aweekend exploring Grapevine can-yon. This picture ivas taken as aquartet of climbers paused on arocky crest to gaze across the

desert panorama below

April, 1938 17

/ / J M P E R I A L callingPlease increase it 1,000 feet, making

Our order is now 5,000 feet,the lotal 6.000.

Thank you."R. C. E. Weber, project superintendent at Yuma,

Arizona, for the United States Reclamation service, getsthis telephone message from the Imperial Irrigation dis-trict, 60 miles away in California. It means the 70,000people in Imperial Valley, residents of seven cities andfarmers on half a million acres, need 6,000 second feetof water from the Colorado river to meet their daily needs.

From three other points, Superintendent Weber receivessimilar requests for water to fill irrigation requirementsin the 300-mile stretch of the lower Colorado river valley.Farmers on the Yuma project, in the Palo Verde Irrigationdistrict, and on the Parker Indian reservation upstream,tell him their needs. He makes up an order and passesit on to Boulder Dam.

There, by one-man control as simple as turning thefaucet in your kitchen sink, they change the unruly Colo-rado into an irrigation ditch.

The day this is written would be the second anniversaryof Boulder Dam's completion, if 1936 hadn't been a leapyear.

On February 29, two years ago, the contractors swepttheir trash out of the back door and turned the keys overto the government. Five thousand men had worked fiveyears, spent about $109,000,000 and used 5,000,000 barrelsof cement to build the works.

Now, after that output of sweat, money and material,one slender youngster at a homemade desk in the heart ofthe world's biggest dam handles this old bully of a river

Today when farmers in Imperial and Yumaand Palo Verde valleys want more water, theymerely relay the message to Albert Sharrowat Boulder dam. By a simple turn of the wristhe can dry up the entire lower basin of theColorado—or send downstream the greatestflood torrent the river has ever known. Here isthe story of how America's most treacherousstream is kept under control every minute ofthe day.

Maitet

By TAZEWELL H. LAMB

as easily as a cop controls traffic when he sticks out hishand and blows his whistle.

A flood of words has been poured over the dam—involume bigger than any flood that ever roared through theGrand canyon on its wild way to the Gulf of California.Farmers who started the immense project to save Imperialvalley from flood and drought; politicians who promotedand fought it; engineers who designed it, and the finefellows of the reclamation bureau who manage the finishedjob—all have been paraded before the spotlight to taketheir bows.

But so far as I know, Albert Sharrow hasn't had much,if any notice. Albert is a sort of forgotten man in thisdam deal. Nevertheless, he is the boy who can flick hiswrist as casually as you light your pipe, and hurl down-stream a flood greater than the unruly river has everknown. Or he can throw a couple of switches and dry upa big part of southern California, along with a sizeablepiece of Arizona.

I want to tell you a little about him. He was born inMinneapolis 31 years ago. He's a brown-eyed welter-weight with that cat-sureness which structural steel workersmust have if they are to live long at their hazardous trade.He has been married ten years and worked as a rigger onthree big dam jobs before he came to help build Boulder.Here a scaffolding collapsed and he fell 15 feet to aconcrete platform. He landed all spread out just in timeto serve as a cushion for a fellow worker who weighed220 pounds. The heavyweight got up unhurt. Sharrowwas considerably compressed, but after repairs he wentback to work. Not as a rigger, however.

His job now is Master of the Colorado.Albert wears a blue denim shirt and khaki pants and a

cap perches jauntily over one eye, even when he's on duty.

18 The DESERT MAGAZINE

When his picture was taken he removedhis cap. He packs a tin lunch box anddrives the seven miles from BoulderCity to the dam.

On the driveway straddling the riverfrom Nevada to Arizona he usuallystops long enough to look upstream,where Lake Mead, with its 550-mileshoreline stretches away in the dis-tance, blue under the brilliant south-western sunshine. He likes the picturemade by the lake.

Then he steps into an elevator anddrops down into the bowels of the damstructure. Guides describe this eleva-tor ride to the half-million tourists whocome here every year, "Folks, you arenow descending 528 feet, equal to a44-story building." There isn't another44-story elevator ride in this part ofthe world.

Through a tile-lined tunnel Albertwalks to his desk in the watermaster's

office. One huge window opens down-stream. Directly below is the tailrace.Water released through the dam boilsup there and flows away to the south,headed for the communities down theriver where 90,000 people depend onit for growing crops, for lawns, forcooking, drinking, bathing, for lifeitself.

The office is in the curve of a giantU, with arms reaching along canyonwalls on each side of the river andhousing the largest powerplant manever built. The powerhouses are aslong as a city block and as tall as a20-story building.

There is a switchboard with fivepanels along the north wall of thewatermaster's office. Three 12-inchdials each with two slender pointers,look like clock faces on the middlepanel. These are master gages, auto-matic, telling the changing story of

the river, second by second throughoutthe 24 hours.

The gage with the word FOREBAYprinted across its face shows storagein Lake Mead. A second gage, labeledTAILRACE, indicates water surfaceelevation at the powerhouse outlet, andthe third dial, marked RIVERGAGE,registers the measurement a mile down-stream.

Flanking the middle panel are otherdials and electric switches, recordingand controlling behavior of the greatvalves on the Nevada and Arizona sidesof the canyon, faucets regulating pen-stocks and tunnels fed from four intaketowers upstream.

When he comes on duty Albert'sfirst job is to read the master gagesand put these figures on a report form,which has blanks for entries he mustmake every 30 minutes. The report is

Arizona Spillway~50'x l50'-l70'Deep

fll Drum Gates, lOo'x 16'

c 4 5

^jhTTjlP"-'.,. -Spillway

Crest, 1244 Feet

IntakeTowersI 395 in heiqht

30 SteelPenstocks>

13 Steel\Penstocks • 660 -

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

2200 in length

2O9'x4!'x696-84" Needle

Valves

EPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF RECLAMATION

Arizona Spillway Tunnel50' Diameter

tADacey BOULDER DAM AND POWER PLANT NO. 27400

This drawing illustrates the manner in which Boulder Dam works. The Nevada wall of Black Canyon is shown as solid,whereas the Arizona wall is cut away to reveal the intake towers, the spillway, the penstock pipes, and outlet works.Inside the Nevada wall of the canyon a similar set of diversion works has been placed. Principal dimensions are shown.

April, 1938 19

This is the business end ofBoulder dam — where power isbeing generated to pay for the$160,000,000 project. Reclama-tion Bureau photo.

headed "Release of Water from LakeMead."

He must record water flow throughgiant needle valves, each capable ofturning loose a small Niagara. Hemust write down a half hourly reporttelephoned to him from the power-house, giving the volume of water pass-ing through each of six huge turbines.Four of the six generators run by theseturbines cost $2,500,000 apiece.

When he adds all these figures fromthe powerhouse he knows how muchwater is going down the river towardirrigation requirements for which hegets the orders from Yuma. Imperialirrigation district's 612,000 acres want6,000 second feet daily; the Yuma proj-ect needs 550 feet; Palo Verde, 200feet and Indian farmers on the Parkerreservation ask for 50 second feet. Theserequirements vary according to season,being higher in summer than winter.

It takes five days for the water totravel from Boulder dam to Yuma andthere's evaporation to consider. Insummertime, with an irrigation demandof about 11,000 feet, evaporation eatsup 1300 feet of water between the damand Yuma. This loss must be figuredin the total volume released, or some-body will get a short order.

Water flow through the turbinesfluctuates as lights and kitchen rangesand heaters in southern Californiahomes and motors in southern Califor-nia industry are turned on and off.

They can tell at the dam, any hourof the day, whether or not it is cloudyin Los Angeles 250 miles away, simplyby peering at a gadget in the water-master's office. An automatic pen marks

on a revolving drum every second'sflow of water released at Boulder. Whenthe powerhouse load lightens becauseLos Angeles folks are not using theirlights and stoves and motors, the recordshows it. When the sun goes behindthe clouds over Los Angeles and folksbegin turning on more lights, the tur-bines call for more water. On Albert'schart the change registers immediately.

On the graveyard shift, along about3:30 in the morning, when nearly every-body in southern California is in bedand the lights are turned out, dischargefrom the dam hits its low for the 24hours. This morning at 3:30 the mastergages showed only 3,349 feet goingout at the tailrace. At 6 o'clock in theevening the peakload of the day calledfor 9,186 feet, nearly three times asmuch water.

River Flow Is Averaged

Low and high turbine requirementsfor the day are averaged and whennecessary, the big by-pass valves areopened to give the lower valley enoughwater to take care of its crops, its live-stock and its humans.

A woman could turn the handwheelon a 72-inch valve control, althoughmoving parts of the mechanism weighten and one-half tons.

Water rations for cities and for farm-ers on about 700,000 acres along the300 miles of river between the damand the Mexican border are measuredout every day now. Los Angeles and12 cities of the metropolitan districtwill want a billion gallons daily fromLake Mead when the $220,000,000aqueduct is in service from Parker dam

to the coast region. It will be possibleto put an additional 1,300,000 acresunder irrigation in the lower valley andplans are already under way to developa 600,000-acre project on the Gila inArizona.

Albert will have a great many morewater orders to fill then. But it hasbeen computed that Lake Mead willhold enough water to give 5,000 gallonsto every inhabitant on earth and hebelieves his storage supply ought tolast at least as long as he lives.

Once—in 1884—the Colorado wenton a rampage with a flood of 300,000second feet. Once the flow at Yumafell to 66 second feet. These twoextremes illustrate the twin disastersfought by the lower valley people inall the years before the dam was built.

Today's control is so delicately bal-anced that with the turn of a wheel awave of water could be sent downriverto release your boat from a sandbar,if you should get stuck while navi-gating the stream.

Albert's shift ends at 2:30. ThenJoe Kine, grey eyes twinkling, comesto relieve him.

"Have they told you about the timeI flattened out the river?" Joe asks.Then he tells the story on himself. "Ourboss, the engineer in charge of thewatermaster's office, was away. We gotour signals crossed some way or otherand did not discover it until the folksdown in the Imperial valley began yell-ing for more water. We had been short-changing them. But temporary shortagewas soon corrected when the giant tapswere opened a little wider. There isplenty of water here for them and it isour business to see that they get it."

Albert Sharrow says the best damstory he has heard was told on the sweetyoung bride who came out to BoulderCity and after devoting several days ina diligent effort to learn about the bigdam her husband was helping build,finally confronted him with this one:"Honey, I understand everything herebut one thing: How do they get theelectricity out of the water?"

20 The DESERT MAGAZINE

The birds and beasts and idle rich may avoidthe rigor of climatic extremes by migration orhibernation—but the most of us have to take ourweather as we find it.

We do have the privilege, however, of takingthe natural elements and putting them under con-trol and thereby adding to the comfort of ourhomes and workshops. And that is what is takingplace all over the desert region today. Within thepast three years air cooling and conditioning has

become a factor of tremendous importance todesert people—and the practical application ofthis new science to the everyday problems ofcomfort and health has just begun.

There are three general types of cooling equip-ment now in practical use, and in order that thereaders of the Desert Magazine may understandclearly the difference between them John J. Man-gel, air conditioning engineer for the Nevada-California Electric Corporation, was asked to writethe following article:

Sum/net

By JOHN J. MANGEL

THERE are in common use todaythree types of cooling equipmentwhich are available for the pros-

pective purchaser. They are describedbriefly as follows:

(1) Mechanical Refrigeration—Fig.1 (Similar to what you have in yourhousehold refrigerator.) This typeoperates by mechanically compressingand alternately expanding a refrigerant(Freon) in a closed system, therebyproducing temperatures (40°) consid-erably below the dew point of the airbeing conditioned. Air subjected to

such low temperatures is not only cooledbut also dehumidified by having themoisture condensed out of it. Such aplant when properly designed andequipped with the necessary fans, nitersand controls can be depended uponto maintain summer comfort in anyclimate.

(2) Indirect Evaporative Cooling—Fig. 2.

The cooling medium is water cooledby natural evaporation to 70° -80°, andcirculated through extended surface orfinned coils over which air is in turn

passed to be cooled. The usual equip-ment is a pump, a finned coil, acooling tower where evaporation takesplace, a fan to circulate, and a filterto clean the air to be treated. Thereare, of course, variations to the ar-rangement of equipment, but the resultsare essentially the same due to the limi-tations of water temperatures.

A plant based on this principle andproperly applied produces satisfactoryresults over large areas of western U.S.where the wet bulb does not, however,exceed 74° F. Conforming to certainpsychrometric laws water does not coolby natural evaporation below its wetbulb temperature, and since this tem-perature is always above the dew point,dehumidification cannot take place asin the refrigeration plant. Generallyspeaking then, this system, althoughhaving considerable merit, has some-what limited application. Its principaladvantage is lower investment and oper-ating cost.

COOLING TOWER COOLING TOWER

CONDITIONEDSPACE

COMPRESSOR -

FIGURE-1 MECHANIGAL REFRIGERATION

April, 1938

FIGURE-2 INDIRECT EVAPORATIVE COOLING

21

(3) Evaporative Cooling—(DesertCooler).

This is perhaps the oldest and sim-plest means known to man. Nativesof hot countries the world around de-vise various and sundry ways to makeuse of the cooling effect derived fromthe evaporation of water. Aside fromthe drying of perspiration from thebody, the hanging of wet clothes inrooms, wet tents, sprays on buildings,air washers, and more recently theDesert Cooler, a product of our south-west desert, are all examples.

Volumes could be written recordingthe personal viewpoints of the laymanas to what constitutes physical comfort.

Since a majority of the readers ofthis publication are dwellers of ourgreat Southwest, it seems appropriateto compare desired conditions in thedesert areas with the average forthe U.S.

The accompanying chart shows theextent of the "Summer Comfort Zone"as applied to the whole U.S. The dot-ted line superimposed thereon indicatesthe adjusted extent applicable to thewarmer southwest desert areas.

Since most tables published with re-gard to recommended air conditionsmust necessarily be general in scope,the writer favors more modified insidesummer conditions as found from ex-perience to be more applicable andhealthful to the warmer desert areas.Table A is recommended for conditionsto be maintained within spaces withlong and continued occupancy, suchas homes, general and private offices,hospitals, hotel guest rooms, restau-rants, theaters, where the period ofoccupancy per person is one hour ormore. For shops and stores (includingdrug stores not serving meals) banks,post offices, libraries, public buildings,and hotel lobbies, where the period ofoccupancy is short Table B is found tobe satisfactory and safer for physi-ological reasons.

*The relative humidity is maintainedconstant for several practical reasons.A saturation of 45% is generally ac-cepted as most desirable from the stand-point of health and the preservationof goods, but it also happens to be theaverage for all summer conditioned

WHEN THERE IS COMFORT

<

MM

MM

c

1 1 1

1

0

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For true comfort, theneither too damp norperature and relative ]

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air mustoo drylumidity

C be neither too hot norPeople are comfortable

are within the limits of t

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fortZONE

[IDITYJ

/ P E R C E N\Ot MOIS

too cold; it must beonly when the tem-le zone shown below.

TAGE\

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

UNCOMFORTABLE

70% 80% 90% 100%

COMFORTABLE

spaces in this area. Where departurefrom the above is necessary or desir-able, an equivalent effective tempera-ture should be adhered to.

One should keep in mind for all dis-cussions relative to air conditioning forcomfort that optimum conditions rec-ommended as a rule are not the resultof individual opinions nor even the

OUTSIDEDry Bulb °F.

110 (or over)1051009590858075

Dry Bulb8582807978777675

"A"INSIDE

°F. Relative Humidity*45%

45%45%45%45%45%45%45%

Dry Bulb9086828078777675

"B"INSIDE

°F. Relative Humidity*45%

45%45%45%45%,45%45%45%

conclusions of any one group of per-sons. They are based upon the findingand research by such organizations asthe American Society of Heating andVentilating Engineers, the United StatesBureau of Mines, the American MedicalAssociation and many individuals col-laborating.

We are virtually living in an air age.What with aviation, radio, television.and air conditioning, there is the tend-ency to generate a consciousness of theelements about us as never before.Many believe that history will recordair conditioning as the greatest achieve-ment of the age and rightly so, sincethis knowledge has already broughtcomfort and health to millions withpossibilities still open beyond all ap-preciation.

22 The DESERT MAGAZINE

Helpful Hints for BuildingEvaporative Coolers

(1) Use a fan of ample size.(a) The cubic-fect-per-minute air-delivery of the fan should

equal one-third to one-half the total cubic feet of air-space in the house.

(2) Use ample evaporative pad surface.(a) Approximately one square foot area for each one hun-

dred cubic feet of air delivered per minute.

(3) Pad construction.(a) Pad should be about three inches thick.(b) Excelsior should be loosely packed.(c) Use horizontal strips in the pad one inch wide to keep

the excelsior from settling.(d) Construct pad so that it can be removed and opened

for replacing the excelsior.

(4) Make provision for evenly distributing the water at the top ofthe pad.

(5) Provide electric switch and water valve inside the house.(6) Locate air inlet high to {rrcvent drafts.(7) Make cooler air-tight so chat all the air must enter through the

evaporative pad.

(8) Mount fan asshown in dia-gram.(a)Usebaffle

with circularopening oneinch greaterd i a m e t e rt h a n f a nblade.

FRONT V/£W SIDE view

OPERATION(1) Regulate water flow so that there is practically no waste.(2) Open windows on opposite side of house to allow air to

flow through freely.(3) Do not rccirculate any air.(4) On 3-speed fans, the current consumption is greatly reduced

on lower speeds.

(Right) Outside view show-ing homemade box typedesert cooler used on homeat Needles, Calif. This unit,has a large area of excelsiorsurface on three sides. Therearc many variations of pad

arrangement.

(Left) Inside view of anevaporative cooler installedin a home at Yuma. Ari-zona, showing that the in-side appearance of the unitcan be kept in harmonywith the decorative scheme.

MAY WE HELP YOU WITHYOUR AIR CONDITIONING?

This company provides a complete air-conditioning

information and planning service to assist you in learning

all the facts. Our engineers will survey your building or

home, tell you what it costs to install and operate the equip-

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obligation.

N E V A D A C A L I F O R N I A ^ p E L E C T R I C C O R P O R A T I O NServing light, heat, and power to the great Western desert area

April, 1938 23

The old-time desert prospector who soaked the burlap cover-ing of his canteen in water and then hung it on a mesquitetree limb to catch any passing gust of wind, was a pioneer inthe field of evaporative cooling.

Today, the same principle is applied in the cooling of deserthomes and offices—but an electrically-driven fan has beensubstituted for the fickle desert breezes, and the effectivenessof the method has been multiplied many times.

Summer cooling of homes and workshops within the lastthree years has become an essential problem to more than amillion people residing in the arid Southwest. In an effort tocontribute authoritative data bearing on this problem, theDesert Magazine presents herewith the latest information avail-able from the testing laboratories.

Sooll

By L. G. TANDBERG

One of many designs of desert coolers

DURING the past fifteen or twentyyears, many experiments havebeen made in space cooling, using

ordinary desk fans placed in front ofmoist burlap, felt or similar materials.The relief obtained in the way of lowertemperatures was very largely offsetby the increase in moisture content ofthe air. After a short time the at-mosphere became saturated and nomore cooling resulted.

About five years ago it was discov-ered that a fan placed in a burlap-covered box outside of a window gavebetter results than were produced witha fan placed in the room. At about

the same time air conditioning engi-neers began to recognize the value ofcooling buildings by the simple methodof introducing a water spray into alarge volume of moving air. Thismethod necessitated a comparativelyrapid air change in the building to becooled.

A great deal of experimental workhas been done in recent years in apply-ing this principle to home cooling.Obviously, practically all such experi-mental coolers were home-made, firstusing desk fans which were readilyavailable. Later when it was discov-ered that a more rapid air change was

TO DRAIN

necessary, make-shift fans were as-sembled using motors with automobilefan blades and various other blades,usually of cast aluminum. These weredriven at ordinary motor speed of be-tween 1700 and 1800 rpm. They pro-vided the necessary air movement butwere objectionable because of noise, ex-cess drafts and lack of flexibility. Ithas been found that more rapid airchange is required when outside humid-ity increases.

In order to handle the necessaryvoume of air for rapid change and atthe same time reduce the noise to aminimum, fans have been developedthat operate at comparatively lowspeeds and are extremely quiet. Theseare obtainable with motors havingthree-speed control so that desired flex-ibility is obtained. Under favorablehumidity conditions these may be oper-ated at second or low speed. Themaximum speed is used only at timeswhen higher relative humidity prevailsand more rapid air change is desired.

Having been developed as a homemade article the original coolers werenecessarily very crude, often being madeof old packing boxes. It was soonfound that many such coolers had anevaporative surface too small for effi-cient cooling of the large volume of airrequired. Later coolers were made hav-ing evaporative surfaces on the back

24 The DESERT MAGAZINE

and two sides, with the top and bottomclosed. This reduced the size of thecooler without impairing the efficiency.Excelsior has been most commonly usedfor the evaporative pads. While it hasits disadvantages, it is inexpensive,easily replaced, and is very efficientin absorbing and evaporating water.Other materials have been used, suchas charcoal, spun glass and aluminumshavings.

During 1937 many factory - madecoolers were offered, incorporating moreefficient type fans and having improvedconstruction of evaporating pads andwater distribution system. Many ofthese were made of sheet metal andwere painted to conform to the build-ing, resulting in a much better appear-ance than some of the home madecoolers.

In order to obtain proper cooling itis necessary to circulate a large enoughvolume of air to provide a completechange of air in the home every twoor three minutes.

The cooling mat through which theair enters must be large enough toavoid much resistance to incoming air,otherwise the efficiency and coolingeffects are greatly reduced. The amountof pad required varies with tempera-ture and humidity conditions. Underthe most favorable conditions, a padof one square foot of area for each100 cubic feet of air fan capacity perminute may be required. In dryclimates smaller pads will be satisfac-tory. For best results it is necessaryto provide an outlet or opening atopposite side of house to allow freeair movement through and out of thehouse.

Evaporative-type coolers can be usedeconomically in localities where hightemperatures are accompanied by mod-erately low relative humidities. Theyhave been used successfully during thesummer months in Arizona, the desertand in central valleys of CaliforniaNevada, New Mexico, Western Texas,Utah, and parts of Oklahoma, Colo-rado, Kansas and Nebraska.

The shaded area of the chart onPage 26 shows the conditions underwhich evaporative-type cooling is prac-ticable. For example, the tempera-ture has been hovering around 90degrees F. for a few days and theweather bureau reports an averagerelative humidity of 30%. Followthe 90 degree line until it intersectswith the 30% humidity line. If thispoint (point P) of intersection liessomewhere in the shaded area of thechart it means that evaporative cooling

* ^ i t>8 econ-

omical • • / . u ' s h e « l t h "• • * ' C i t 's a u t o m a t i c • • '

jul • • •

EDGAR'S is also headquarters for Frigidaire refrigerators, thesensational 1938 model with the Quickube tray and silent Meter-Miser. Priced as low as $126.50. Before you buy, stop at Edgar'sand examine the Frigidaire line.

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KOOLER

When you feel all petered outwith the heat . . . when swelteringdays and sleepless nights havesapped your vitality and frazzledyour nerves, it's time to buyEskimo Air Kooler.

Low Cost of OperationThe tremendous cooling effectis produced by a small motorwith a positive type blower,for a few cents a day.The water consumption costis so small that you will notnotice the amount on yourwater bill.

Low Cost of MaintenanceFilter pads are easily replacedeach season at a cost that isless than the amount youspend each week for colddrinks and refreshments dur-ing the summer.

Easy to OwnYou may enjoy your Eskimo whilepaying for it on easy terms.

See Your Dealer or Write

Star Radiator Company649 CERES AVE. LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

April, 1938 25

J. S. LOUISwith a backgroundof thirty-five years inRefrigeration andAir Conditioning

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CHART SHOWING CONDITIONS UNDERWHICH EVAPORATIVE COOLING IS

100

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A

72 ;

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1 7̂

\V

71

\

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PRACTICABLE

' 80 82 84 86 88 I

In

1(7 W ^* 96 98 WO 102 104 106 108 110 //2 /I4 116 118 /204 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 WO 102 104 /06 108

DRY BULB TEMP£RATUR£

may be effectively used under thoseclimatic conditions.

Tests conducted by universities andcity engineers show that the evapora-tive - type cooler, when properly in-stalled and operated, constitutes a verysatisfactory and efficient form of sum-mer comfort to residents in hot climateswhere the relative humidity is low.Actual results have shown from 20to 25 degrees drop in temperature fromoutdoors to indoors. Last year's experi-ences of present users of evaporative-type coolers show that during the threesummer months their average cost ofoperating a cooler is from ten to twenty-five cents a day, depending upon thesize.

Inasmuch as cooling effect is obtainedby the evaporation of water, best re-sults can be obtained when humidityis very low. It is claimed that somedegree of comfort can be obtained withwet bulb temperature of 77° or below(approximately 50% relative humidityor less). The lower the wet bulb tem-perature, the lower the fan capacity isneeded. Usually a fan providing anair change of once every three to fiveminutes will be found satisfactory.When higher wet bulb temperaturesprevail, less efficiency results fromevaporative method and a much morerapid air change is necessary in orderto prevent humidity building up to anuncomfortable point. An inexpensivetemperature and humidity meter is avaluable aid in the operation of anevaporative cooler.

Complaints regarding excess moisturein the building usually are a result oftoo slow an air change. This can beremedied by providing a fan havinglarger capacity so as to obtain an airchange every minute to minute-and-a-half. This will result in considerable

draft, but this is preferred by most per-sons to conditions which are obtainedwithout this air movement.

Where unpleasant odors result fromintermittent drying out and wetting theexcelsior, ordinary baking soda is effec-tive as a remedy. However, the chang-ing of the excelsior at least once ortwice each season will be the bestsolution.

Because of its economy in construc-tion and operation the evaporativecooler undoubtedly has come to thedesert to remain permanently. Refine-ments will come, but the principle issound and effective and the time isapproaching when air cooling equip-ment will be regarded as an essentialadjunct of every desert home.

Harry R. SonesDealer in

Westinghouse AppliancesDomestic and Commercial

Philco RadioRADIO SERVICEPhone 948 for Service

1125 Main St. El Centro, Calif.

26 The DESERT MAGAZINE

Sez HardRock Shortyof

DeathValleyBy LON GARRISON

"A YET on the otherh a n d , " objected HardRock Shorty, "names don't

a durn thing. Take HighBall Mountain over there .

Hard Rock propped his feet onthe porchrail, fired up his pipe,and settled back in comfort.

"There ain't a one o' us old-

timers here in the Panamintsreco'noze High Ball Mountain asanything but Sody Water Moun-tain. An' the reason for callin'it Sody Water Mountain is plumbsimple — there's a sody springover on the other side of it rightalong the road. Folks goin' byused to stop an' drink there, an'the wise ones carried along a lit-tle vaniller or sasspariller. Allthey had to do was stir 'er up an'chink er—nice and cold and fizzy.

"Here two or three years ago,a coupla hombres come alongwith a keg o' spirits, an' theystops for a coupla high balls.They mixed a few drinks and thengot tired makin' 'em one at a timeand dumped the whole keg in thespring. After while they gotloaded up and drove on.

"A little while later a party o'

them tenderfoot tourists comesalong and piles out of their carsto try some of Mother Nature'ssparklin' and healthful sodywater, ft tastes kinda funny butit makes 'em feel right purt sothey drink some more.

"An' a coupla hours later whenme an' my partner arrives theyhad drunk that spring dry andwas waitin' for 'er to (ill up again.When she filled up with plainsody water they decided there'ssomethin' wrong with the springand left. So the name of themountain was changed to HighBall and tourists is still drivin'out there across the desert to findthat place they heard about whichmakes you feel so good you almostlove your mother-in-law. Spring'sstill there, too. Nothin' in er butsody water though."

See theDesert inits Colorful

SPRINGTIME DRESS

In spring the desert shows its patches ofbrilliant color, sends forth the fragrance offragile flowers. Several areas in Imperialcounty are meccas to visitors at this season.

This spring try a circle tour through Im-perial valley, see the wild flowers in the vari-ous favored sections, visit the interestingscenic wonders of the Colorado desert, and

plan to tarry for a time in one of the friendly valley cities, where every convenience is available.

While you are in the desert country studying its fascinating botanical life, take time to note thediversity and richness of the valley's agriculture. Imperial Valley offers not only the relaxation of desertlore but offers the prospective investor an opportunity for abundant livelihood.

For further information on Imperial County, address B. A. Harrigan, secretary,Imperial County Board of Trade, El Centro, Calif.

April, 1938 27

U)Ud J>1OIVJQAA....NEAR BRAWLEY

In many beautiful spots nearBrawley desert wild flowersare now in bloom.

This is the season of idealclimate and colorful land-scape which makes your des-ert trip memorable.

Try a weekend trip throughthe desert and make Brawleyyour headquarters—

For further informationabout Brawley, write the

Chamber of CommerceBrawley, California

DESERT OF THE PALMSA new book byDON ADMIRAL

DESERT CRAFTS SHOP597 STATE STREET EL CENTRO, CALIF.Sent postpaid anywhere in U. S. for r nonly OUC

Are You Planninga Trip Abroad ?

If so consult us. We aretravel specialists cover-ing all parts of the worldwhether you go by airpassenger liners or freightboats. The service costsyou nothing.

ECKDAHL-SUNDINTRAVEL BUREAU

1043 So. Broadway

Pr. 6426

Los Angeles California

Ti IvT C? X "K T T "O Linwood Campbell of Pioche, Nevada,,/TL JM lb> W Jti £ \ won the $5.00 prize offered by the Desert

Magazine in February for the best identi-fication and description of the two pictures shown below. Mr. Camp-bell's winning letter is printed on this page.

CATHEDRAL GORGE—Near Panaca, Nevada

By LINWOOD CAMPBELL

THIS picturesque canyon, one ofNature's wonderlands, is locatedtwo miles northwest of Panaca,

Nevada, on the Four States Highway,U. S. Route 93, connecting from Banff,Canada, with Mexico.

Cathedral Gorge derives its namefrom the thousands of cathedral-likespires of colored clay, rising in variedand grotesque figures. It contains 1578acres in a long narrow valley with highperpendicular walls on which thesespires are formed.

Into these walls nature has carvedmany pits and caves that are fantasticand interesting. Entering one of thesecaves you may find yourself betweenhigh walls towering on each side. Soonyou may be crawling on your handsand knees through small caverns, againfinding yourself in the sunlight or atunnel large enough to stand erect in.In others you travel down into thedarkness, finally running into a blankwall, while far above you can see tinyspecks of light. In one such cave anatural half moon has been formed.This cave is appropriately called "The

Moon Cave".Cathedral Gorge was named by Mrs.

W. S. Godbe in 1894. It was desig-nated a State Park by Gov. Jas. G.Scrugham in 1926 and was created as aState Park by the Nevada Legislaturein 1935. On February 22, 1935, Mil-lers Point was named by the Union Pa-cific Masonic Club and was dedicatedby the St. John Lodge No. 18, F. & A.M. The point was named in honor ofColonel Thomas Miller, who was re-sponsible for having roads and trailsbuilt into this sector.

relating to

the desertBOOKSBooks on C a l i f o r n i a and theSouthwest including Death Valleyand the Colorado Desert havealways been one of our outstand-ing specialties.

Books bougSt. Catalogs issued.

DAWSON'S BOOK SHOP627 S. Grand AvenueLos Angeles, California

28 The DESERT MAGAZINE

ON THE MOJAVE DESERTWho can name this Landmark?

Prize Is Offered to Magazine ReadersThis month the Desert Magazine goes

out on the Mojave desert of Californiato select a scenic picture for Landmarkscontestants.

The striking rock formation shownabove is not far from one of the welltraveled highways and has been seen bymany desert visitors. It is a spot thatall out-of-doors folks should knowabout.

To the person who sends in the cor-rect identification together with themost accurate and informative descrip-tion of the odd rock formation in the

willforeground the Desert Magazineaward a cash prize of $5.00.

The letter of identification must notexceed 300 words and should give allavailable information as to location,name, distance from highway and near-est town, and any other data which maybe obtained.

To be eligible for the prize, answersmust be in the office of the DesertMagazine by April 20, 1938. The nameof the winner together with the prize-winning reply will be published in theJune number of the magazine.

GRAPEVINE CANYON—HIKER'S PARADISE

(Continued from Page 17)need trails in this area because the greatCoachella basin is a landmark visiblefrom every high point, and all the can-yons and tributaries drain to the des-ert on the north.

The slopes of the mountains arebroken and scarred with deep ravines.Granite boulders are heaped about inwild confusion. At one point near theupper channel of Grapevine creek therocks are piled in great monuments, asif some race of giants had been therestaking out mining claims and markingthe location corners with slabs of rock

beyond the power of an ordinary manto lift.

If the season is dry it is advisable tocarry a canteen in tramping over thisnorth slope of the Santa Rosas. Thereare many springs? but not all of themhave flowing water during periods ofprolonged drought.

Nature has provided in this place ascenic park accessible to the casual visi-tor who does not wish to venture farfrom the main highway, but it also of-fers opportunity for those who find athrill in scaling difficult rock faces andascending precipitous peaks.

Dead Indian creek has everything,for those who would sense the charmof a secluded desert canyon.

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April, 1938 29

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A ONE MAN'S TOWNOwner: S. A. (Desert Stave) Ragsdale

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DESERT PLACE NAMES. . . Compiled by TRACY M. SCOTT . . .

For the historical data contained in this department, The Desert Magazine is indebtedto the research work done by Miss Scott; to Will C. Barnes, author of "Arizona PlaceNames"; to Frances Rosser Brown's contributions to "New Mexico" magazine, and tcother sources. . . . . • • • • • •

ARIZONA

ADAMS WELL Yuma county.At lower end Castle Dome mountains.

Well dug by Samuel Adams about 1860.According to Fish, Adams was a characterof those days. He ran for district judge atfirst Territorial election and was defeated.In 1866 ran on an independent ticket fordelegate to Congress. Was defeated by ColeBashford. Adams' great hobby was the im-provement of the Colorado river, which gavehim the title of "Steamboat Adams."

BOWERS RANCH Yavapai county.On Agua Fria, 20 miles southeast of

Prescott. After Nathan Bowers, early resi-dent of Prescott, member of the first Terri-torial livestock sanitary board, 1887. Ranchfirst located by King Woolsey and calledWoolsey ranch. "At the Bowers' ranch onthe Agua Fria, one sits down to supper in aroom which once formed parl of a prehis-toric dwelling." (Bourke. I

HATTAN POINT Coconino county.Canyon wall projection, Grand canyon

national park about two miles west of northof suspension bridge, on left bank of Phan-tom creek. Named for Andrew Mattan,hunter and cook for Powell's second expedi-tion through Grand canyon. "It was Andy'sfirst experience as a cook although he hadbeen a soldier in the Civil war." (Dellen-baugh.)

MUSIC MOUNTAINS Mohave county.Elevation 3,971 feet, about 10 miles west

of Peach springs. "Named in 1854 by Ivesbecause of regularity of the strata of whichit is composed and singular erosive work onthe face which gives it distinct appearanceof a huge sheet of music, carved on themountain." (Minton.) "After James Music,oldlime prospector." (Smith.)

CALIFORNIA

EARP (urp) San Bernardino county.A small postal station. From Wyatt Earp,

born 1848; came to California in 1864;drove stage from San Bernardino to Pres-cott and later to Salt Lake, with plentytrouble with Pah-Utes, of whom he killedseveral; peace officer at several wild cow-towns when railroads were building west-ward; one of principals in Earp-Clantongunfight at Tombstone; in 1901 prospectedin the Colorado desert and staked HappyDay gold mines, located near the Earn sta-tion on the Santa Fe railroad.

IVANPAH Inyo county.May be from Ivapi, a Shasta name under

Karok tribes. Karok means "the upstreampeople." It is in Chemehuevi territory andmay be from Ivan (dove) ; and pah (water).Kroeber has no definition for the word.

MORENO or MORENA San Diego county.Spanish word for "tanned" or "swarthy."

Also a Spanish proper name. Lake belong-ing to chain of reservoirs in city of SanDiego's water supply. The lake has beenstocked with game fish and is popular withanglers. In season wild ducks collect on thelake and so do hunters.

TIOGA (ti o' gal Mono county.Grade and pass (elevation 9,941). An Iro-

quois word meaning "where it (the trail)forks."

VAS0UEZ ROCKS (vas' quays)Los Angeles county.

In Mint canyon near Soledad canyon. Atone time a favorite hiding place of TiburcioVasquez, notorious bandit, who was hung inSan Jose in 1875. Also sometimes calledRobbers7 Ronst.

NEW MEXICO

ABBOTT Mora county.Named for Ira A. Abbott of Vermont, who

was appointed associate justice of the su-preme court by President Theodore Roose-velt in 1904.

CANYON DE OJO CAMARILLO (canyone'day o' ho cab mar rel lyo) San Juan county.

Literally "canyon of the eye of a smallroom; a window in a small place." Ojoalso means spring (of water) ; and may re-fer to a small spring in an enclosed place.

CIMARRON (see mah rone') Colfax county.River in Union county. Spanish for "wild,

untamed; uncultivated," usually referring tothe surrounding country. But may also meana river full of rocks and rapids.

DEMING Luna county.Founded in 1881 several miles east of

present site, but moved to junction ofSouthern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads.Given maiden name of Santa Fe official'swife, whose father was president of theSouthern Pacific at that time. C. FrankAllen laid out the Denting townsite onpaper but was never there. He named thestreets for metals and said later that hewas ashamed of having named one streetTin.

NEVADA

PYRAMID LAKE Washoe county.Named by General Fremont, January 14,

1844. From the shore he noted "a very re-markable rock in the lake. It rose about 600feet above the water and from the point weviewed it, presented a pretty exact outlineof the great pyramid of Cheops, so I calledit Pyramid lake." Pyramid city laid out in1876.

30 The DESERT MAGAZINE

COMSTOCK LODEMining district in western Nevada. Named

for Henry Comstock, a Canadian, who witha man named Penrod found ore (1859) thatassayed about $4,000 a. ton. District at peakof production about 1861, with total yield$340,000,000.

RAGTOWN Churchill county.Now called Leetville. Name may have

had three origins: emigrants changed cloth-ing here and left their old clothing on thebanks of Reese river. Early settlers lived inragged tents. Inhabitants of the new townstuffed rags in broken windows. Founded1854 by Asa L. Kenyon.

UTAHBONNIEVILLE Boxelder county.

In 1832-33 a B. L. E. Booneville campedon the Salmon river and gave his name towhat is now known as the Great Salt Lake.

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARKIn 1860 Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon pio-

neer, discovered the canyon now bearinghis name. Established as a national parkSeptember 15, 1928. Total area 35,240 acres.

KA1BAB (kai' bab)National forest in Utah and Arizona. Ute

word meaning "mountain lying down."

Clouds, Rain, and Floods in Los An-geles Coastal Plain—Sunny and Warm

in DesertFebruary Report fromU. S. Bureau at Phoenix

Temperatures DegreesMean for month "56.4Normal for February... ... 55.1High on February 7 77.Low on February 18 34.

R a i n -Total for month 0.55Normal for February.... ... 0.77

Weather—Days clear 0,Days partly cloudy 8Days cloudy \\

W. B. HARE, Meteorologist.

From Yunia KureauTemperatures Decrees

Mean for month "58 2Normal for February ... 58.6High on February 10 and 28 . 78.Low on February 18.... 35.

R a i n -Total for month ... 0.5867-year average for February 0 41

Weather-Days clear 14Days partly cloudy 6Days cloudy 8

Sunshine 75 per cent (232 hours oul of pos-sible 308 hours).

Colorado River—February discharge at Grand canyon was360,000 acre feet. Discharge at Parkei325,000 acre feet. Estimated storage behindBoulder dam March 1—14,960,000 acre feet.

JAMES H. GORDON, Meteorologist.

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ARIZONAFLAGSTAFF . . .

Failure of the Navajo tribal council, whichmeets only once a year, to act on applicationsfor permits authorizing scientists to carry onresearches on the reservation has created adeadlock. Commissioners of northern Arizonacounties have adopted a resolution which willbe presented to Congress in an attempt toclarify archaeological as well as mining rightson Indian reservations. Navajo governors didnot feel justified in determining responsibilityof applicants for research permits.

GLOBE . . .Reorganization of the International Vana-

dium company by a group headed by Dr.P. F. de Villiers of South Africa, is announcedhere. At holdings 28 miles southeast of Globenew buildings are being erected and newequipment will be installed, according to Dr.de Villiers, who says mining and milllingoperations will start as soon as possible.

PRESCOTT . . .Three thousand members have been pledged

for the Arizona association of small mineoperalors, it was announced after a confer-ence here attended by delegates from all sec-

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tions of the state. Councils will be organizedat 20 mining centers. To attract capital tonew mining, it is hoped to make Arizona "atax paradise like Nevada." Thumping approvalwas given by 150 delegates to a resolution en-dorsing old-fashioned prospecting practices.Commending the laws of 1872 allowing min-eral entry on discovery, the resolution saysthat without this legal provision "the wonder-ful west would slill be unpopulated save byIndians and horned toads."

PHOENIX . . .Most fascinating problem encountered in

three months of travel through the SierraMadre mountains of Mexico is: Who was theblue-eyed, red-haired white man who lived foryears with the wild Apache remnants of Ger-onimo's band?" This is what Dr. Helge Ing-stad, Norwegian explorer, told Phoenix news-papermen on his return from a Mexican expe-dition. Dr. Ingstad's mission was study of thelittle group of Apaches who chose exile ratherthan surrender in 1886 to officers of theUnited States army. He says the few surviv-ing Indians "live like eagles" in one of theworld's greatest beauty spots and are "thehealthiest looking human beings I have everseen." Fights with Mexicans have almostwiped out the Apaches and women predomi-nate in the Indian band, he believes. He saysof the last 20 Apaches killed in fights withMexicans, 17 were women dressed like men.

TUCSON . . .After nearly a quarter of a century's serv-

ice as director of the state museum at theUniversity of Arizona, Dr. Byron Cummingswill retire on July 1. Dr. Emil W. Haury,associate professor of anthropology, willassume the duties Dr. Cummings lays aside.The university's board of regents has votedthe title of director emeritus for Dr. Cum-mings, who resumes in April work on restora-tion of prehistoric Kinishba ruins, near Whiteriver in east central Arizona.

WICKENBURG . . .Arizona's lamb crop is heavy this year and

shipment of "Easter" lambs to eastern mar-kets is under way. According to Jerrie W.Lee, secretary of the Arizona Wool growers,234.000 head of sheen were pastured in thetriangle marked by Wickenburg, Casa Grandeand Buckeye.

HOLBROOK . . .Permission has been granted by Navajo

county supervisors for the federal Indian bu-reau to purchase 23.000 acres of land at $1.67an acre from the Arizona-New Mexico Landcompany for the use of the Navajo Indians.In 1934 the southern boundary of the Navajoreservation was extended to include 147.000acres that was property of the Arizona-NewMexico company. In exchange the companywas to select 147,000 acres of .public land inCoconino, Navajo and Apache counties. Since1934 the company has selected 124.000 acresbut has been unable to locate the last 23 000.Under the present plan the company will bepaid for the remaining acreage and the In-dians given clear title to the land.

32 The DESERT MAGAZINE

AJO . . .Prehistoric animal bones are being un-

earthed in a cave near Sonoita by a group ofscientists, said to be working under sponsor-ship of the American Museum of Natural His-tory of New York.

HOLBROOK . . .World famous Petrified Forest will be pro-

moted to status of a national park, if a billsoon to be introduced in congress becomes alaw. Rated now as a national monument, theForest would receive more care and main-tenance from the park service under dedica-tion as a park.

TUCSON . . .Coyotes are an asset and not a liability to

the forest service, says H. Garvin Smith, as-sistant supervisor of the Coronado nationalforest, in defense of a predator cattlemencurse. Smith does not believe coyotes killmany calves. He thinks they are useful be-cause they do kill foxes which damage forestgrowth.

YUMA . . .Short-staple cotton acreage allotments for

Arizona counties as provided in the new cropcontrol bill are: Maricopa, 113,820; Pinal.39,280; Yuma, 14,880; Graham, 11,280; Pima,5,933; Greenlee, 954; Santa Cruz, 480 acres.

CALIFORNIA

IMPERIAL . . .In Fish Creek canyon, Imperial county,

Earl Coleman and Robert McKean mined atruckload of Iceland spar, used in makingoptical lenses. State mining bureau officialssay there are several deposits of this materialin California, notably in San Bernardinocounty and near Darwin. Price runs high,but there's a catch in it. Much of the sparis damaged in mining and the operator col-lects only for material the lens-makers areable to use.

VICTORVILLE . . .A board of army engineers sponsored the

call for a public hearing here March 3, todiscuss need of flood control, water conserva-tion, soil erosion prevention along the Mojaveriver. A. J. Lintner heads a survey committeewhich prepared a report and arranged forappearance of witnesses.

TWENTY-NINE PALMS . . .Surveyor II. Fred Peterson has published a

new map of Twenty-nine Palms and vicinity,showing all roads, mines and wells, mountainranges and the boundary lines of the newJoshua Tree National Monument.

BLYTHE . . .Weeds have been burned along 200 miles

of county roads in the Palo Verde valley'scooperative campaign. "Untold quantities" ofstink bugs, field mice and other pests perishedin the weed killing effort, says W. M. Mowry,county agricultural inspector. War on gophers,now nearing end of its second year, has cov-ered nearly 37,000 acres.

CAMPO . . .Veteran prospectors from the Mexican bor-

der to Searchlight were invited to attend amining opportunities conference in Los An-geles, scheduled for March 10, under auspicesof the Mining Association of the southwest.Purpose: to show their best ore samples toprospective investors who might back legiti-mate operations with a few hundreds or a fewthousands of dollars.

INDIO . . .In an effort to protect the well known "fish

traps" on the south side of Coachella valleyfrom vandalism, County Engineer A. C. Ful-mor of Riverside has recommended that theboard of supervisors acquire the property fromits private owners. The traps are loose rockformations along the old shore line of LakeCahuilla and have been the subject of con-siderable controversy among archaeologists.

PALM SPRINGS . . .Formal petition for incorporation of Palm

Springs as a municipality of the sixth classhas been filed with county supervisors. Fivehundred petitioners signed, proposing a com-munity of seven councilmanic wards in anarea of approximately 20 miles.

EL CENTRO . . .Robert Hays, secretary of the Four States

Highway association, believes a newly dis-covered pass through the Chuckawalla moun-tains will be chosen for a direct road fromImperial valley to Boulder Dam and Nevada,[daho, Montana and Canada.

GARNET . . .Recently included in the Riverside county

highway system, the Metropolitan aqueductroad running from Garnet to intersectionwith Highway 60 east of Indio will be knownas the Garnet cutoff. The Little Morongoroad, also formerly owned by the metropolitandistrict, has also been accepted by the county.

PALM SPRINGS . . .Dwellers on the desert who predict cli-

matic changes along the route of the Metro-politan Water district's $220,000,000 aoueductwill be produced by water flowing throughthat big channel from Parker to the coast areall wrong, says Dr. George F. Taylor, meteor-ologist. Outside of a radius of ten feet fromthe aqueduct it will be impossible to detectany atmospheric change, he asserts.

PALMDALE . . ."Volcanic mixture" deposit near here, said

to contain about 30 metallic and non-metallicminerals, including nitrates, phosphateis. potashand sodium, will be ground in a mill andmarketed as fertilizer, accordina to a localannouncement. For the mixture it is claimedthat it will reclaim alkali land, sprout lettucein 48 hours, and stimulate growth of anv tvpeof field or garden product. "If the productwill do that," says a Tehachapi newsnaper, "itis worth ten times its weight in gold."

BRAWLEY . . .California's state park commission has voted

to acquire unoccupied land in western Im-perial county and eastern San Diepo countvfor the proposed Anza State Park. Arei willstretch from shore of Salton Sea to Jacumba.from Coyote Wells to Riverside county line.

NEVADA

CARSON CITY . . .Nevada's Colorado river commission has an-

nounced terms it will approve in adjustmentof dispute over sale and distribution ofBoulder dam power and allotment of powerrevenue. Annual guarantees to Arizona andNevada are provided in existina law. Pro-Dosed amendments are subject of controvertbetween these two states and southern Cali-fornia purchasers of power.

LAS VEGAS . . .An Indian war axe, found at the base of

Fortification mountain by Leonard Atkinsonof Boulder City, has been dated by Archaeolo-gist W. S. Park as belonging to the basket-maker period of about 400 A.D.

Illustrated in Color for clubs,schools and private gatherings.

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The DESERT MAGAZINEEL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA

otf, the,Members of the Desert Magazine staff

send a welcome greeting to Oren Arnoldof Phoenix, whose feature story in thisnumber, "They Found a Market for Rat-tlesnake Bones" is his first contribution tothese pages. While new to the DesertMagazine, Oren is by no means a novicein the field of writing. His books andmagazine features already are wellknown to readers of Southwest lore andliterature. There will be more featuresfrom his typewriter in the future. We'reproud to have his by-line in this magazine.

Many good manuscripts have been com-ing to the Desert Magazine office fromPhoenix during the past few weeks—morethan from any other postoffice. The oldidea that the Salt River valley producesnothing but cotton and melons and alfalfawill have to be revised. Tucson, PalmSprings and Santa Fe are supposed to bethe cultural centers of the desert South-west—but as far as the Desert Magazineis concerned Phoenix also is entitled toa literary rating.

According to reports coming to the Des-ert Magazine, the old Bradshaw stageroad in Southern California leading upSalt Creek wash to the site of the CanyonSprings stage station, has seen more

traffic during the past four weeks thanever before since gold-rush days. Thereason: gem collectors seeking Bloodstonespecimens in the Orocopia field describedby John W. Hilton in the March number.Many nice stones have been found in thearea. And we are pleased to report thatthe collectors without exception, have ob-served Hilton's rules for good sportsman-ship on the desert.

Don Admiral, whose informative naturestories have been appearing regularly inthis magazine, recently has been namedas curator of the newly opened desertmuseum at Palm Springs. The museumincludes both natural history specimensand Indian relics. It already has re-ceived a number of new contributions frompublic spirited residents of the Villageand Admiral has plans for expanding theexhibits with historical pictures of manu-scripts, as well as a complete collection ofdesert flora.

For the information of those who wouldcontribute verse, the Desert Magazine can-not accept poems of more than 24 lines.This restriction is made necessary by thedesire to include as many poems eachmonth as space will permit.

June Le Mert Paxton, who writes the"Creed of the Desert" feature, lives in alittle cabin out in the Joshua Tree deserttoward 29 Palms—"The Joshuas" she callsher home. She also contributes to otherpublications. Her two daughters areteachers in Los Angeles schools, one ofthem an instructor of journalism.

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BOOKS OF YESTERDAY and TODAY—a monthly review of the best literatureof the desert Southwest, past and present.

POPULAR DESERT HANDBOOKIS RECENTLY REVISED

T HE DESERT is austere and forbiddingonly to those who have not penetratedthe mask which the arid region presents

to superficial observers.To the student who has the desire to see

beyond the drab exterior and understandsomething of the plant and animal life andthe natural history of this fascinating region,Edmund C. Jaeger's handbook, "The Cali-fornia Deserts", provides an open doorway.

Recently a revised edition of this bookhas been published by the Stanford Press atPalo Alto, California. ($2.00).

Jaeger tells of the desert's past, of itsaboriginal inhabitants, its physiographicaspects, climatic features, flora and fauna—in fact, all of the essential information iheaverage reader will wish to know about twoof America's greatest arid regions, the Mo-jave and Colorado deserts.

The author writes with authority of ascientist who has made a close study of hissubject—and yet the material is presentedin the popular style of an elementary text-book.

There are chapters on birds, reptiles,shrubs, flowers and other classifications ofdesert life, accompanied by pen sketcheswhich will aid in identifying the subjects.

Malcolm J. Rogers of the San DiegoMuseum contributed a chapter on prehis-toric Indian life in the desert, and Dr. S.Stillman Berry wrote several pages on"Snails and Mollusks".

Altogether, the book is a well-roundedprimer of desert information with the addedmerit of being entertaining reading.

RHYMES FROM THE LANDOF THE JOSHUA TREE

"But the desert, pal, is where 1 dwell—Where I call Heaven, you may call hell."A little book of verse written in and

about the Mojave desert comes from thepen of H. G. Peavler of Lancaster, Cali-fornia. "Rhymes of the Singing Sand" isthe title, and its pages reflect both under-standing and love for the land of the desertraL and the burro. Not poetry, just rhymeof the homely kind that every reader canunderstand.

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THROUGH THE EYES OF ANEASTERN TENDERFOOT

M EN and women who live by choiceon the Great American desert willnot become enthusiastic over the

book of an eastern writer who describes thearid Southwest as a "desert tiger", and whowarns readers, "Let no one who loves hishide camp on or east of the San Bernardinomountains."

"The Trail of the Desert Sun" by Ray B.White, is another of the many books con-taining the superficial observations of aneastern tenderfoot during a hurried motortrip through the West. Such books generallyamuse Westerners.

However, they are not without merit, be-cause it always is interesting and sometimeshelpful to get a view of ourselves as otherssee us. Desert people hardly could beoffended by the remarks of a writer whoseknowledge of the arid region was obtainedduring two midsummer days as he speededacross the southwestern states in companywith other easterners who felt it was neces-sary to keep their heads swathed in wettowels to preserve their lives.

But the desert is not a total loss—evento Ray B. White. Discussing the attachmentof ihe Navajo and Hopi for their desertabodes, he concludes: "The place must notbe so terrible after all. Not that I wouldlive there of my own choice for anything!No. But I would not be deaf even to thecall of the desert . . . I must somehow addit to my soul, or to my personality—anywayyou wish to put it. Not its aridity, nor itsfruitlessness, but its profound enigma, itsimperturbability, its colorful vistas, its im-penetrable silence."

—R.H.

NAVAJO IS SUBJECT OFNEW ARIZONA BULLETIN

Published by the State Teachers Collegeat Flagstaff, Arizona, a comprehensive bulle-tin recently has been published titled "TheNavajo". This is the second of a three-volumeset announced some time ago covering Indiantribes of the Southwest. A previous volume"The Hopi" met with such a widespreaddemand that the edition is practically ex-hausted.

Dr. T. J. Tormey, president of the col-lege, expresses grateful acknowledgment toRoss Santee, state director of the WPAwriter's project; Robert Eunson, assistantdirector, and Dr. Edward A. Kennard, fortheir work in editing the publication, andto Dr. Harold S. Colton and the Museumof Northern Arizona for helpful coopera-tion. The bulletins sell for 50 cents.

DIVISION OF MINESPUBLISHES BULLETIN

Under the direction of Walter W. Bradley,state mineralogist, the California division ofmines, Department of Natural Resources,recently has issued the July, 1937, issue ofthe California Journal of Mines and Geology.Copies may be obtained at the offices ofthe Division of Mines in Sacramento, SanFrancisco and Los Angeles at a cost of 50c.

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ou omWe

By RANDALL HENDERSON

SINCE the desert folks are all going in for air coolingdevices of one kind or another, the Desert Magazinethis month is devoting some of its pages to a dis-

cussion of cooling problems.Perhaps the outside world is not aware of it yet, but the

perfection of air cooling equipment is changing the wholeaspect of life on the desert—at least in the communitieslarge enough to have electrical service. It is the most revo-lutionary thing that has taken place in the high temperaturezone since man began diverting water for the reclamationof arid lands.

The well-equipped home in Salt River or Imperial val-ley during the period of extreme summer heat is now morecomfortable than the average home in San Diego or LosAngeles. In the coastal area, air cooling is still regardedas a luxury. Here on the desert it has been accepted as anecessity. The air-conditioning industry may thank thepeople of the desert for practical pioneering in a fieldwhich potentially is not less important than automobiletransportation or radio entertainment.

% •* -s

Being one of the old-timers on the desert I will confessI still have a feeling of guilt when I go to bed in anair-cooled room. I wonder if I am going soft. But theyounger generation has no such misgiving. Air cooling ishere to stay. There is no doubt of that—and the old "sum-mer heat" bogey man who gave the women and children—and the men who could afford it—an excuse for a prolongedvacation in the mountains, is losing cast.

-» -S V:

But while the air coolers are changing the manner of lifein the desert towns—they are not changing the desert.There still remain the canyons and sand dunes, the hiddensprings and palm oases where you and I may go when wewill and find Nature's own handiwork—undisturbed by thegreed of men—and the seclusion which is so good for thehuman soul at times.

* * -X-

Last week I received a friendly letter from James A.Jasper who served as supervisor of San Diego county from1893 to 1906. San Diego county then extended to theColorado river, including the present area of Imperialcounty. The old road signs he erected across the Coloradodesert are still standing—monuments to a public officialwho did his job well.

More than any other mail which comes to my desk Iappreciate the letters from the real pioneers of the desertfrontier. Usually they give interesting sidelights on earlydesert history—information not found in the books. I ampreserving all these letters in a special compartment—andsooner or later the records they contain will be passedalong to readers of this magazine. I know of no finer serv-

ice we could render than to make this office a clearinghouse for assembling and preserving the historical informa-tion aavilable from men and women who helped make thehistory.

Among those who already have contributed are Ed. F.Williams who rode herd in Arizona before the days of thewhite man's reclamation projects, H. E. W. Wilson whoremembers when the original 17 palms were standing atthe spring of that name in the Borego Badlands, ElmoProctor who lived in Conchilla valley at the time when aclerk in Washington misspelled the word and changed thename to Coachella as it is known today, Charles Battyewho lived among the Mojave Indians when some of themstill wore G-strings, and R. H. Theilmann who watchedthe Rockwood gate at Pilot Knob go out in 1905.

There are many others—both men and women—whocame into the desert forty or fifty years ago and pioneeredthe way for good roads and cities, and the agriculture andcommerce of today. Few of them acquired riches—but theylearned habits of clean living and straight thinking, other-wise they would not have survived the rigors of a desertwhich has no place for weaklings.

* * *As this copy is being written, early in March, rains are

falling quite generally over the desert region. In anothertwo or three weeks the desert will present a panorama morecolorful than usual. The burroweed, which more than anyother plant with the exception of Creosote bush, gives thedesert its prevailing color-tone in the spring months, willbe in full leaf. Ocotillo will be blossoming, cacti will be inbud, and a hundred species of wildflowers will be addingtheir bright hues to the landscape. If you would see thedesert in its brightest raiment, plan your outing betweenthe middle of March and the latter part of April.

* * *

And now, I've got this Chuckawalla business all clearedup—at least, to my own satisfaction. My esteemed friendEdmund C. Jaeger writes:

"I think we are justified in spelling the word withan 'a', or without it. Many of the Indians and mostnative desert people always say 'Chuckawalla'; hencewe find the name Pushawalla applied to a canyon near1000 Palms. This is a name given by the Indians andcowboys, and doubtless is a word coined to harmonizein a certain way with Chuckawalla. The latter is anold Indian name and like Mohave may have a numberof corruptions. You will find Mohave spelled Mojaveand Mohahve and even Maharve in the old writings."

* • * #

So that's that—and you may take either spelling youwish. But please do not call it "Chuckerwaller."

36 The DESERT MAGAZINE

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