197307 desert magazine 1973 july

8/14/2019 197307 Desert Magazine 1973 July

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JULY, 1973 50cICD 08256


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Posit ively Dif ferent iates Between Trash and Treasure* MORE GOOD FINDS IN LESS TIME* ELIMINATES UNNECESSARY DIGGING* TAKES THE FRUSTRATION OUT OF COIN SHOOTING.

' T e l e s c o p i n g L e g a d d e d

Instantly and positively rejects over 90% of all shallow trash with negative indications, yet it has a controlled differential rangethat gives you a positive indication on that deeper pot or cancontaining gold or silver coins or old guns or other deep relics andartifacts.REJECTS: Bottle caps, foil, nails and other ferrous and non-ferrous trash.DETECTS: Silver, gold or copper coins, gold rings and other jewelry.The first and only completely analytical detector with computerized hybrid thin fi lm micro integrated circuit with subminiaturesuper precision compatible components. Nothing like this ever available to the treasure hunter before. Absolutely infallible indifferentiation. Instantly and positively identifies all metals in differential range as trash or treasure.

F A R E X C E E D S A L L O T H E R M A K E S O F D I F F E R E N T I A L A N D A N A L Y T I C A L T Y P E D E T E C T O R S .BUILT//v

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WILLIAM KNYVETT, P U B L I S H E R - E D I T O R

GEORGE BRAGA,Art DirectorMARY FRANCES STRONG,Field Trip EditorJACK PEPPER, Special Feature EditorENID C. HOWARD, Associate EditorF. A. BARNES, Utah Associate EditorGLENN VARGAS, Lapidary EditorK. L. BOYNTON, NaturalistMARVEL BARRETT. Circulation Manager

Volume 36, Number 7 JULY 1973

FEATURES

THE COVER:'The magic of sunset onCanyon Lake on Apache'['rail scenic drive in color-ful Arizona. Photographyby David Muench of SantaBarbara, California.

LOVELOCKSLEGACYWATERLOO ONTHE DESERT

T H E MYSTERY RUINS OF HOLCOMB CREEKMONO'S VOLCANIC ISLANDS

UTAH'S STERNWHEEL RIVERBOATNARROW GAUGETO YESTERDAY

DESERT SHREWNEVADA'S MYSTERIOUS NOMADS

Mary FrancesStrongD an McCarthyGeorge PflegerBetty ShannonF. A.BarnesEnid C. HowardK. L. BoyntonHelen Walker

DEPARTMENTS

PEEK IN THE PUBLISHER'S POKEBOOKREVIEWS

DESERTLIFEO N THETRAIL

RAMBLINGON ROCKSLETTERS TOTHEEDITOR

CALENDAR OFWESTERN EVENTS

William KnyvettBooks forDesert ReadersDr. Hans BaertvaldRuss LeadabrandGlenn and Martha VargasReaders' CommentsClub Activities

EDITORIAL, CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea St., Palm Desert, California 92260. Telephone Area Code714 346-8144. Listed in Standard Rate and Data. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States, Canada and Mexico; 1 year, $5.00; 2 years,$9.50; 3 years $13.00. Other foreign subscribers add $1.00 U.S. currency for each year. See Subscription Order Form in this issue. Allowfive weeks for change of address and send both new and old addresses with zip codes. DESERT Magazine is published monthly. Secondclass postage paid at Palm Desert. California and at additional mailing offices under Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1973by DESERT Magazine and permission to reproduce any or all contents must be secured in writing. Unsolicited manuscripts and photo-graphs WILL NOT BE RETURNED unless accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope.July, 1975


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y o u r .. m e t a ll o c a t o ro b s o l e t e !

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M e t a l - M i n e r a lc o n t r o l . T e l e s c o p i n gs h a f t . S p a c e ageh e a d p h o n e s V e r n i e rt u n i n g . 2 y e a rg u a r a n t e e .New ultra scon wate rproo f search loop with up to4-times as much coverage as other T-R's. Com-plete with Precisions geo-balance control, for work-ing in highly mineralized ground, salt water, wetgrass, etc.

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G e n e r a l E l e c t ro n i c D e t e c t i o n C o .1 6 2 3 8 L a k e w o o d B o u l e v a r dB E L L F L O W E R , C A L I F O R N I A 9 0 7 0 6

A P e e ki n th eP u b l i s h e r ' sP o k e

E ACH ISSUE of Desert Magazine is de-signed to bring a variety of articlesto a diversified readership. Every effortis made to balance the book so that therewill be something of interest for everyoneno matter what their avocation. Becausethe Southwest has become so popular, inthe past emphasis has been placed on off-beat and off-road areas. This month wefeature two different ways of enjoyingthis land we love so much via riverboatand a narrow gauge railway!F. A. Barnes, takes us on a riverboat,the Canyon King, out of Moab, Utah andtells how this vessel came into being.Enid Howard paints a word picture ofthe fun and nostalgia in a 68-mile train

ride through some great areas of NewMexico and Colorado.Mary Frances Strong's field trip findsus in the Trinity Range near Lovelock,Nevada and Helen Walker brings us herversion of the archeological find of thewest, the Lovelock Caves.Back in California, George Pflegerhas a puzzle for us in the mysterious ruinsfound in Holcomb Creek and stirs thejuices of treasure hunters.In summary, the balance this month in-

cludes a riverboat on the Colorado, nar-row gauge trains in New Mexico, rock-hounding and archeology in Nevada andan old gold area of California.There's only one thing wrong. NowI'm unbalanced!The bindery department was off-bal-ance last issue and several subscribers re-ceived their copies minus an entire sec-tion. If this happened to you, please sendme a card and I'll get a good copy off to

you immediately.

TonI n Sensi si

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True False 3. Roulette is the most unpredict-able game of chance?True False 4. Dice is the wildest and mostwooly game of chance?True False 5. The new game 'Bushwhacker"is the most exciting, wildest,a nd u n p r e d i c t a b l e gam e ofchance invented since cardsand dice?True D False If your answer wasTrue to any butNumber 5, your fun sense is run-ning down. Join thousands whohave sparked their fun sense to anall-t ime high by playing "Bush-whacker," thegame of chance tha tmakes even losing fun!

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IIIIII_Desert Magazine


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H e a d e r sAll books reviewed are available throughDesert Magazine Book ShopMINESO FJULIANByHelen Ellsbe>t>

Historical photos and a detailed historyof the little-known mining area above theAnza-Borrego Valley, bring to light thediscovery-find that was made by a farmer,Fred Coleman of Volcan Mountain. Itstarted a new gold mining spree iri thesefoothill regions of Southern Californiasome 20 years after the better known goldrush to the Mother Lode Country. Theauthor has spent many days researchingthe mountain regions of Julian and Bannerferreting out stories from old newspapersand talking with old-timers who remem-ber the beginnings of some of the suc-cessful diggings. Accounts of mines suchas The Washington, The Warlock, TheGrold King and The Gold Queen, TheRanchito and The Golden Chariot makefor a refreshing look at what is now aland of tasty apples and other fruit, anda refuge for those who want to get awayfrom the city.

Paperback, illustrated, 72 pages, $1.95.EXPLORINGCALIFORNIABYWAYS VIO W E N SVALLEYByRussLeadabrand

Trips for a day or a weekend, formany years now, the author has beencarrying on a great love affair with theland he calls, "Back Behind the Moun-tains!" That's the Owens Valley country.Russ was born and brought up in a dif-July, 1973

ferent slice of California and his side ofthe mountains looked different, that wasthe San Joaquin Valley.The author suggests in. one instanceusing Lone Pine as base of operationsand absorb some of the local community,then take off for a weekend or week-long

pack trip. It's an especially good changefor anyone bored with flatland livingand like the author, you will find it can'tbe seen nor conquered in a weekend or aweek.Paperback, well illustrated and m apped,bibliography, $1.95.

Tours inCanyonlands Nafional Park ISLAND IN THE SKY WAS HERW OMAN WALKING ROCKS MONU MENT BASIN

Tours nearCanyonlands National Park ARCHES NAT IONA L PARK ONI ON CREEK HURRAH PASS GEM INI BRIDGES ROCKHOUNDING

RATES8 Hours $1 5 per person4 Hours $1 0 per personSpecial Tours $ 2 0 per person

Minimum: 2 Full Fares 12 and under Vi FareWa lking Rocks in Canyonlands

LIN OT INGER O TOURSMoab Rock Shoo. 137 N. Main. Moab. Utah 84532Phone (801) 253-5121 for Reservations

All our trips are designed especially forw o r t h Thousand pictures.

SLIDE SHOWNightly, 8 p.m.A GUIDE TO TREASURE IN

C A L I F O R N I ATom Penfield's projected "Treasure Guide Series" will coverall 50 states in just 17 volumesbut California (l ike Tex-as) possesses such a staggering number of buried and sunk-en treasures and lost mines that it required an entire 160-page book to adequately cover this one state.THE BIG ONE FOR WEST COAST

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Stresses caution

Marquiss. A single man's

BOOKS OF

Treasure

The

monum ents, recreational areas, and

micro-fi lm copies of early newspapers and

John and Louisa

ch Rainbow Bridge. Paperback, 265 pages,

Hardcover, 239 pages, $6.00.

The standard book for f ield iden-

on Hawaiian birds. 658 in full color. Hardcover.5 .95 .

DESERT ANIMALS OF THE SOUTHWEST by RichardClayton. Delight fu l for chi ldren and grown-ups,this little book includes sketches and concise de-scriptions of animals with accompanying foot-prints. Covering 38 creatures, it could be usedas a game around the campfire. Paperback,i l lus trated, 78 pages. $1.95.EXPLORING CALIFORNIA BYWAYS VOLUME VIOWENS VALLEY by Russ Leadabrand. Trips fora day or a weekend v/il l lead the readers a merry. chase in pictures and words up and down the# narrow Owens V alley. Your eyes wi ll feast onsuch attractions as the Alabama Hills, MonoLake, Mt. Whitney, giant boulders of obsidian atGlass Mountain, Bishop Creek and the nowplundered Owens Lake and many, many more.Paperback, i l lus trated and mapped, bib l iography.126 pages, $1.95.WILY WOMEN OF THE WEST by Grace ErnestineRay. Such women of the West as Belle Starr,Cattle Kate and Lola Montez weren't all goodand weren' t a l l bad, but were fasc inat ing andconficting personalit ies, as researched by theauthor. Their l ives of adventure were a vitalpart of the life of the Old West. Hardcover, illus-t ra ted, 155 pages, $5.95.

MAP OF PIONEER TRAILS Compiled by VarnaEnterprises. Publishers of popular maps on lostmines and ghost towns in California, Varna hasreleased a new large map on pioneer trailsblazed from 1541 throug h 186 7 in the westernUnited States. Superimposed in red on blackand white, the 37x45- inch map is $4.00.INDIAN SILVERWORK OF THE SOUTHWEST, ILLUS-TRATED, VOLUME I by Harry P. Mera. An illus-trated analysis of silver wor, with a brief historyof each category and excellent photos. The textmakes it easy to identify the various types ofworkmanship. Hardback, 122 pages, $4.50.DANCING GODS by Erna Ferguson. Many Indiandances and ceremonies of the Southwest areopen to the public, but some are restr icted orclosed to viewing. How this came about is ex-plained by the author who describes and locatesthe dances open to the public, and why someare not. Paperback, i l lustrated, 280 pages, $2.45.WEST OF DAWN by Hugh D'Autremont. Theauthor's account of his life of adventure whichstarted in the 1930s during which he lookedfor lost mines, prospected for gold in Mexicoand hardrock mined in California. Reads like afictional wild west novel. Hardcover, 187 pages$5.00 .

PALM CANYONS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA byRandall Henderson. The beautiful palm canyonsand isolated areas of Baja California are de-scribed by the late Randall Henderson, founderof DESERT Magazine. Although these are hispersonal adventures many years ago, lit t le haschanged and his vivid writ ing is alive today asit was when he first saw the oases. Paperback,i l lus trated, 72 pages, $1.95.

GOLDEN MIRAGES by Philip A. Bailey. Out-ofprint for more than 20 years, this was a collec-tor 's item. A valuable book for lost mines andburied treasure buffs, it is beautifully writtenand gives first-hand interviews with old-t imerslong since passed away. Excellent for researchand fascinating fo- arm-chair readers. Hardcover,il lustrated, 353 prjges, $9.95.COINSHOOTING, How and Where To Do It byH. Glenn Carson. This book presen-s tips andtr icks' on coinshooting and hunting other itemslost by people over the years. Meial detectorowners will f ind their hobby made more profit-able, says this veteran "coinshooter. " Paperback,i l lus trated, 58 pages, $2.50.THE CAHUILLA INDIANS by Lucile Hooper. Compared to the large tr ibes of the West, the Ca-hui l las , a l though being comparat ively smal l ,play an important part in the history of SouthernCalifornia. Customs, liv ing habits, the cultures ofthis tr ibe are better appreciated by the author'sinsight. First published in 1920, and again inprint. Paperback, large format, bibliography, 65pages, $2.50.GUIDEBOOK TO THE FEATHER RIVER COUNTRYby Jim Martin. This is a "m us t" for recreationenthusiasts eager to relive the discovery of goldin this country. Try your luck at gold panning,f ish ing, boating, hiking and ice angling asdescribed in this western travel book. Slick paper-back, i l lustrated, 128 pages, $1.95EXPLORING CALIFORNIA BYWAYS VOLUME VHISTORICAL SITES by Russ Leadabrand. This experienced author touches on the historic paceof California in such a way as to make thereader leave his comfortable surroundings andgo see what it's all about. To visit sites fromFort Bidwell near the Oregon border to LakeWolford in Southern California only makes oneappreciate its history more. Paperback, welli l lus trated and mapped, 132 pages, $1.95.NATIONAL PARKS OF THE WEST by The Editorsof Sunset Books. A pictorial interpretation ofthe 23 scenic preserves that encompass withintheir 12 mill ion acres most of the nation's f inestmountain and desert scenery. Contains 247photographs with 32 pages in 4-color, 43 2-color maps, drawings, geological diagrams, his-tory an d other in formation s. Large 9x1 1 format,heavy slick paper, hardcover, 28 6 pages $1 1.75.

Desert Magazine


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HE WESTWESTERN GEM HUNTERS ATLAS by Cy Johnsonand Son. A helpful book of detailed maps show-ing gem and mineral locations, from Californiato the Dakotas and Brit ish Columbia to Texas.Markings note private claims, gem claims (feecharged] and rock and gem locations. Alsosuggested reading for more detail on areasincluded and other rich areas not included inthis publication. Paperback, maps galore, col-lector's l ibrary, 79 pages, $3.00.BACKPACK COOKERY by Ruth Dyar Mendenhall.Full of good ideas for making the most of de-dehydrated foods. Paper. $1.00.LOST DESERT BONANZAS by Eugene Conrotto.Brief resumes of lost mine art icles printed inback issues of DESERT Magazine, by a formereditor. Hardcover, 278 pages. $7.00.THE ROCKS BEGIN TO SPEAK by LaVan Mar t in -eau. The author tells how his interest in rockwrit ing led to years of study and how he haslearned that manylespecially the complex pet-roglyphs are historical accounts of actualevents. Hardcover, wefl i l lustrated, glossary,b ib l iography, 210 pages, $8.95.

"OCKSBEGIN TO SI

THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTHWEST by the Editors ofSunset Books. A pictorial with a brief text show-ing modern day activities of cities such asPhoenix, El Paso, Taos, and communit ies belowthe Mexican border, and covering the South-western states, canyons and deserts. 240 photo-graphs of which 47 are four-color, large format,223 pages, hardcover, $10.95.TIMBERLINE ANCIENTS with photos by DavidMuench and text by Darwin Lambert. Bristleconcpines are the oldest l iving trees on earth. Pho-tographer David Muench brings them to l i fe inall their fascinating forms, and Lambert 's proseis l ike poetry. One of the most beautiful pic-tor ia ls ever publ ished. An idea l g i f t . Large l l x14 format, hardcover, heavy slick paper, 128four-co lor photographs, 125 pages. $22 .00.NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA GHOST TOWNS byStanley W. Paher. Directions to and history about23 of Arizona's most famous ghost towns. His-torical photographs and art ist sketches enhanceeditorial content. Large, 11x14 format, sl ickpaperback, 48 pages, $2.95.JOURNEY OF THE FLAME by W alter Nordho ff.The most excit ing tale of early Baja and AltaCalifornia ever writ ten. Recounts lost treasurelegends and is accurate historical account pre-sented in f ict ional style. Hardcover. $4.95.

July, 1973

GHOST TOWNS OIF THE NORTHWEST by NormanD. Weis. The ghost-town country of the Pacif icNorthwest inc lud ing t r ips to many l i t t le -knownareas, is explored in this f irst-hand factual andinteresting book. Excellent photography. Bestbook to date on ghost towns of the Northwest.Maps. Hardcover, heavy slick paper, 319 pages.$6 .95 .

DESERT GEM TRAILS by Ma ry Frances Stron g.DESERT Ma gaz ine's Field Trip Editor has rev isedand brought up to date her popular f ield guidefor rockhounds. She has deleted areas which arenow closed to the public and added new areasnot covered before. The maps have also been up-dated . This is the bi ble " for both amate ur andveteran rockhounds and back country explorers.Heavy paperback, 80 pages and st i l l the sameprice, $2.00.COMMON EDIBLE & USEFUL PLANTS OF THEWEST by Muriel Sweet. A descript ion with art istdrawings of edible (and those not to touch]plants along with how Indians and pioneers usedthem. Paperback, 64 pages, $1.50.

1200 BOTTLES PRICED by John C. Tibbitts. Updated edit ion of one of the best of the bott lebooks. $4.95. 9LOST MINES OF DEATH VALLEY by HaroldWeight. This is a new approach to the enigmaof Death Valley Scottys l i fe and legends andgives addit ional insight into the Lost Gunsightand Breyfogle bonanzas, plus other Death Valleymysteries. Paperback, historic photographs, refer-ence mater ia l , 86 pages $2.50.TRAVEL GUIDES TO BAJA CALIFORNIA by Kenand Caroline Bates. Published the Editors ofSunset Books, this is a useful book on Baja andshould be a companion piece to Gerhard andGulick's Lower California Handbook and Cl i f fCross's Baja by Road, Airplane and Boat. TheBates' book takes the reader to the people withtext, photographs and maps. Anyone going toBaja should have all three books. Large 8x10format , heavy paperback, 80 pages, $1.95.SPEAKING OF INDIANS by Bernice Johnston.An authority on the Indians of the Southwest,the author has presented a concise well-writ tenbook on the customs,'history, crafts, ceremoniesand what the American Indian has contributedto the white man's civi l ization. A MUST forboth students and travelers touring the IndianCountry. Heavy paperback, 10x7 format, i l lus-t ra ted, 1 12 pages, $2.50 .

REDIGGING THE WEST for old time bottles byLynn Blumenstein. One of the better bott le books,wi th 700 photographs. Paperback, $4.25.

MINES OF DEATH VALLEY by L. Burr Belden.About fabulous bonanzas, prospectors and lostmines. Paperback. $1.95.LOST MINES OF THE GREAT SOUTHWEST by JohnD. Mitchell. The first of Mitchell's lost minebooks is now avaiiabfe after having been out ofprint for years. Reproduced from the originalcopy and containing 54 art icles based on ac-counts from people Mitchell interviewed. Hespent his entire adult l i fe investigating reportsand legends of lost mines and treasures of theSouthwest. Hardcover, i l lustrated, 175 pages,$7.50.GREENWATER by Harold Weight. Called the"monumental swindle of the century" this isthe story of the 1906 stampede to the BlackMounta ins and how $30,000,000 d isappeared.Paperback, historic photos, 34 pages. $1.00.RHYOLITE by Harold Weight. Tales of ShortyHarris, Ernest Cross, Bob Montgomery, M. M.Beaty and the men and women who estab-ished the famous mining town near DeathValley . Paperback, historic photos, 40 pages.$1.00.ON DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, foun-der and publisher of Desert Magazine for 23years. One of the f irst good writers to revealthe beauty of the mysterious desert areas. Hen-derson's experiences, combined w ith his com-ments on the desert of yesterday and today,make this a MUST for those who really wantto understand the desert. 375 pages, i l lustrated.Hardcover. $6.95.

GHOSTS OF THE GLORY TRAIL by Nell Murbarger.A pioneer of the ghost tow n explorers andwri ters, Miss Murbarger 's fo l lowers wi l l be g ladto know this book is once again in print. Firstpublished in 1956, it is now in its seventh edi-t ion. The fast-moving chronicle is a result of per-tsonal interviews of old-t imers who are no longerhere to tell their tales. Hardcover, i l lustrated,291 pages, $7.00.THE NORTH AMERICAN DESERTS by Edmund C.Jaeger. A long-t ime authority on all phases ofdesert areas and life, Dr. Jaeger's book on theNorth Ameican Deserts should be carried where-ever you travel. It not only describes each of theindividual desert areas, but has i l lustrated sec-tions on desert insects, reptiles, birds, mammalsand plants. 315 pages, i l lustrated photographs,l ine drawings and maps. Hardcover. $5.95.LOST MINES & BURIED TREASURES ALONG THEOLD FRONTIER by John D. Mitchell. The secondof Mitchell 's books on lost mines which was out-o f -pr in t for m any years is ava i lab le again . Manyof these appe are d in DESERT Mg azin e yearsago and these issues are no longer available.New readers wil l want to read these. Containsthe original map f irst published with the bookand one pinpointing the areas of lost mines.Mitchell 's personal research and investigationhas gone into tho book. Hardcover, 240 pages,S7.50.

7


8/48

LOVELOCKSLOVHLOCK, A BUSY little agriculturali community in Pershing County, Ne-vada, will be celebrating "Frontier Days"A ugust 3, 4 and 5 . Everyone who en-joys a rip-roaring good time of old-fash-ioned family fun is invited to come to thebeautiful Humboldt Valley and join in

tA-. IUHHBH ^

(right) are just part

are landm arks forield in the Trinity Ran ge.

Desert Magazine

the festivities. Lovelock's citizenry is well-qualified to stage a frontier celebration,as the communty's heritage is closely link-ed to pioneer trails and early day mining.Peter Skene Ogden and his HudsonBay Party are believed to have been thefirst white men to visit what is now thesite of Lovelock. Ogden and his men weretrapping beavers along the river which,because of their explorations, becameknown as Ogden's or Mary's Riverthelatter after Ogden's Indian wife. It wasrenamed Humboldt by John C. Fremont


9/48

Opposite page: Across the paved road, dirt tracks leaddown into the canyon w here colorful opalite and agatewill be found. Left: Opa lite occurs in massive dep osits.The material in this one is a soft, pastel lavender shade.

b yM a r y F r a n c e sS t r o n g

when he saw the great river during oneof his expeditions in the 1840s.O riginally known as Big Meado ws,"the Lovelock area was a welcome rest stopalong the emigrant trail. Many pioneers

camped here for long periods of timewhile they prepared their wagons for thedreaded crossing of the ill-famed FortyMile Desert. The lush meadows and amplewater gave both man and livestock achance to store energy for the gruelingpush across barren wasteland that seemedto have been created by the devil himself.

Due to the increasing number of peopletraveling the Emigrant Trail, GeorgeLovelock decided to build a station andsupply point on his ranch property at BigMeadows in 1862. When the Central Pa-cific Railroad was brought through theregion in 1867, the small settlement whichhad sprung up was officially designatedLovelock.

In these early days, the Humboldt Riverran free and clear as it meandered downthe long valley. During the seasons ofdrought it shrank to a mere trickle butbecame a raging, destructive torrent inperiods of heavy rainfallbringing feastor famine to the ranchers along its route.In 1908, Rye Patch Dam was completedand the river lost its freedom. Today, theriver's water is .stored and supplies regu-lar irrigation for over 10,000 cultivatedacres in the fertile valley.

Rye Patch Dam State Recreational Area,22 miles northeast of Lovelock, providesvacationers with a site where camping,fishing, swimming and boating may beenjoyed in a desert setting. C ampingspaces include tables, grills, fireplaces andsanitary facilities. The fee is St.00 pernight with a two-week limit. Trailers up to25-feet can be accommodated.Back-country explorers will find manypoints of interest around Lovelock whichJuly, 1973

Left: Small limb sections with clearchalcedony centers are often ringedwith red. yelioiv or brown agate.

F r o n t i e r D a y sThe origin of the Lovelock Fron-tier Days Celebration runs a parallelto the founding of the town ofLovelock a handful of peoplestriving for the achievement ofsomething beneficial to future gen-erations.In A ugust of 1868 George Love-lock Sr. granted some property fora right-of-way to the Central Pa-cific Railroad and the township ofLovelock began.One hundred years later the

Chamber of Commerce approachedPat Rowe and Elaine Pommerening,two of George Lovelock Sr.'s great-great granddaughters to head acommittee for a Lovelock Centen-nial Celebration.The three-day celebration wasfashioned from activities of the pastand included a parade, beef bar-b

q u e , mucking contest, children'sgames, park concessions, Indianpageant, Kangaroo Court, andbeard and old-fashioned dress con-tests.

Due to the interest and co-opera-tion of the town people and nearbycommunities and the huge successof the celebration itself, it was de-cided that an annual family affairof the same nature should be held.The Frontier Days Celebrationhas increased in size and interestwith an attempt at an added attrac-tion each year. In 1969 the Hard-Rock Drilling with cash prizes wasa featured attraction, in 1970 anantique bottle show and sale andflea market was added, in 1971 theaddition of a big name countrysinger was featured and gold-pan-ning was introduced and the BasqueContests and dancing was added in1 9 7 .

It is the intention of the Love-lock Frontier Days Committee tocontinue the hard work and to so-licit new workers and new interestsin the years to come.


10/48

A Gem Field in the Trinity RangeP ers hin g County, Nevada

form the valley's east-west boundaries.more than a century old A rabia

(discovered by George Lovelock in 1 85 9 ) ,(1860s) . Interest ing camps of the early1900s include Seven Troughs, Vernon,

arrell and Scossa to name but a few.ost of these sites are shown on theBottle and artifact collectors generally

l fine rock collecting areas. O nehan 20 miles northwest of Lovelock ands reached via a paved road!

There is usually a "Main Street" inost small towns and this is where our

held trip begins. In the center of Love-ock turn west on Main Street and go one

block. The street ends at the CountyCourthouse Square . ( Incidental ly, thereis a fine, shaded picnic area on the court-house grounds.) Jog lef t on Dartmount afew yards then turn r ight on Western Ave-

ue which runs between the courthousend a Safeway store.0

W estern A venue heads st ra ight for theTrinity Mountains and in 2.6 miles thepaving turns r ight and curves around LoneMountain. Then, af ter a sharp lef t turn,it heads for the hills. The next nine milescl imb a gent le grade into the mountains.

The paving turns west at the junctionof the Seven Troughs-Sulphur Road (dulymarked on the right) and continuesthrough the lava-capped peaks. From t imeto time, you may encounter heavy ore-laden trucks roaring down the road. Theywill be hauling from several diatomaceousearth quarries of the Eagle-Pitcher MiningCompany. Mine property is clearly posted" N o Tre spa ss i ng . "

Numerous beds of diatomite occurthroughout the Trini ty Range and someof them have been mined intermittentlysince the 1900s. The large Eagle-Pitcheroperat ion began in 19 5 8 and reportedlyshipped 2000 carloads annual ly. Thereare hundreds of uses for diatomite andproduct specifications are extremely ex-acting and complicated. Eagle-Pitcher hasbeen strip-mining filter-grade diatomitefrom deposits containing relatively minorcontamination. The ore was processed intheir modern plant a t Colado Siding, 25

miles north of Lovelock.Diatomite is a siliceous sedimentary

rock consisting mainly of the fossilizedremains of diatoms, a form of micro-cellular organisms. Many sedimentaryrocks contain diatom remains but theterm "diatomite" is restricted to materialof quality and purity suitable for commer-cial uses. Pure diatomite is composed ofopaline and hydrous silica and most de-posits contain a high amount of freewater.

The diatomaceous beds in this regionwere deposited in a large, fresh-waterbasin during the late Tertiary Period be-fore the present mountains were formed.These organisms have the ability to ex-tract silica from the water in which theylive and biologically precipitate it to formtheir shells. Such skeletal accumulations,formed at the bottom of lakes and seas,range in thickness from a few feet toas much as 8000 feet or more.

Large diatomite deposits are usuallyassociated with volcanic formations. Mostgeologists believe that some source ofsoluble silica is necessary over longperiods of time in order to form beds ofsignificant thickness. If you are interestedin examining diatomite, stop at the quarryat the end of the road. A t the time ofour visit it was not being used nor wasit posted.The rock collecting area is 7.4 mileswest of the Seven Troughs-Sulphur Roadat the base of a sharp-topped, lava-cappedpeakat a point where the road turnsabruptly south. On the right, a sizeablepull-out area provides a good campsite.See map for detailed mileages. There wasa fire ring and a refuse can when wecamped here. No water or wood is avail-able.

There are two collecting areasoneon each side of the road. North of thecampsite a two-track road will be seenleading up across a saddle. Small speci-mens of petrified woods will be foundalong the slopes from this point to thepaved road. It is of light colorjwhite,beige, tan and brown with some centersof deep brown and others almost white.The most sought-after l imb sections havea clear, chalcedony heart with outer ringsof yellow, red or golden brown. Theannular rings of the wood show veryclearly. A ll the specimens we have col-lected are of small sizeone to threeinches in length and girth. They are

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of good quality and take a fine polish.However, they are not too plentiful.Agate and jasper also occur in this areaand several diggings will be seen.A short distance south of the camp-ground, across the paved road, a 4WDtrail leads down into the canyon. It ispassable for pickups in dry weather. Inless than a tenth of a mile you will seeseveral excavations in an opalite depositon the south. Digging is required to ob-tain the best materials which occurs insoft, pastel shades of pink, chartreuse,beige, red and purple.

Agate will be found eroding from twosmall hills on the north side of the4WD trail - - a short distance east ofthe opalite. It is good material for themost part, with brilliantly-colored pat-terns. Plume, moss, dedritis, picture andbanded are a few of the varieties to becollected. A clear chalcedony with in-clusions of red and yellow jaspers alsois found here. It cuts into beautiful cabo-chons. There is, of course, considerable"leaverite."

Petrified wood has been reportedlyfound over a considerable area in thislocale. Trees grew along the shores ofancient lakes and were probably coveredwith ash when extensive volcanism occur-red. Through eons of time they werepetrified through infiltration and thenwere uplifted during the building of theTrinity Range.Diatomite is particularly susceptible todiagenetic changes caused by leaching andredeposition as opal, chert and porcelan-eous silica. This is quite possibly theorigin of the opalite, agate and jasperdeposits.

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Regardless of your interests, you willhave an exceptionally rewarding vacationin Lovelock, if it is planned to coincidewith their Frontier Days Celebration.Youwill find yourself stepping back in timeto the days of pioneers and prospectors.In spirit, you will be joining the stalwartbreed of men and women whofound thecourage to journey through an almost un-known land to open the west. Let's allhead for the Humboldt Valley and Love-lock's Frontier Days.

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11


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b yD a n M c C a r th y

Left: This artistic,vintage lamppost,is one of 14 spacedacross famedLondon Bridge atLake Ha vastt City.Opposite page: ThisOld World treasure,London Bridge,blends in well withdesert mountainsfor a backdrop.

WITH METAL detectors buzzing,treasure seekers comb the South-west in growing numbers amid yester-year's off-road communities. Brass buttonssurface around abandoned military posts.An old pick-ax is unearthed in soil at adesolate, abandoned mine. S quare nails arepocketed with mementoes recovered in along-quieted village.But nobody needs a detector to discoversome of the most fascinating, historic met-al now a celebrated part of A merica'sdesert in A rizona.Out Lake Havasu City way, where leg-endary London Bridge spans a mile-longC olorado River channel instead of theRiver Thames, some Old World treasuredmetal is found. It is part of a tourist attrac-tion that cost $2,460,000 to buy from theCity of London (plus another fantasticbundle of shipping and reconstructionmoney).The entire project cost $8,400,000 torelocate and rebuild on A merican soilthe 10,000 tons of Aberdeen and Haytorgranite quarried in Scotland.

Desert Magazine


13/48

A bi t oj Britain basks in Arizonasunshine, with Lake Havasuin the distance.

Fourteen old-fashioned green lamp-posts, spaced along the 1,005-foot span,once were shaped into cannons for war-fare. A nd no less a military expert thanNapoleon Bonaparte himself led Frenchtroops against England to fire those can-non during the 1815 battle at Waterloo.

Sixteen years after Napoleon's Water-loo, William IV and Queen Adalaide in-vited 1,500 guests to dine with them dur-ing the 1831 dedication ceremonies of thenew bridge. Their evening was illumi-nated by artistic lampposts originally castinto weapons of war.London Bridge's fame is worldwide.Shakespeare had crossed the predecessorof the Arizona bridge often to reach GlobeTheatre. And there's that nursery rhymeabout it falling down. Actually, the bridge

was settling into the Thames one inchevery eight years. That's one of the reasonswhy London officials put it on the auctionblock and sifted through 100 worldwidebids before the span came to the UnitedStates.Stand at the northeast end of the bridgewhile taped chimes of Big Ben stroke thehours. Across the colorful flowerbeds and

manicured grass to the parking lots, pick-up campers and recreational vehicles ofmany styles are braked. Out come peoplewho have been wandering about thesouthwest, stopping to probe gem stonesites, adventurers who have meanderedamong ruins of ghost towns, would-beprospectors pausing at an old mine site.Perhaps, just maybe, there's still thatbonanza vein of ore to be discovered.By the thousands visitors are drawn to

the bridge. During the first year after itselegant, very-British dedication on Oc-tober 10, 1971, some 750,000 visitorswalked the famed span, or drove acrossit at slow speeds.

Just at bridgeside is the $1,600,000English Village. Take time out for fishand chips amid Ye Olde Merrie Englandatmosphere beneath one of the arches.To the northeast are the distant Mo-have Mountains where many a prospectorlabored for years looking for, and some-times finding, the "gold in them, tharhills."Can't you just imagine, if the clockcould be turned back to those pioneering,prospecting days, what one of those op-timistic old sourdoughs would have saidor done, had he come around a draw tofind London Bridge right smack out thereon the desert ?He might have murmured aloud thatat long last the sun was getting to him andhe was glory-bound to eternity. Why, theyeven rolled out that strange old bridgeto carry him across to his reward."Git up, there, you old flea-riddendesert canary! Trot over there and let'ssee what that thing's all about. Git up,now! Git!" []

-itJUHr' ." *> 4 : i

4 , *


14/48

NO T T O O many years ago, in the SanBernardino Mountains of Califor-nia, a prospector was working alongrugged Holcomb Creek in quest of hisfortune, a dream that had not yet beenrealized.Panning some gravel from the creek

bottom, an occupation which until thatday had been no more than a repetitious,mechanical and fruitless pastime, he dis-covered there was more than the usualamount of color in the bottom.The discovery site, a few yards down-stream from a deep, dark, water-erodedhole in the canyon was worth checkingfurther. Right now it was time to restand contemplate possibilities of suddenwealth.Propped against the trunk of a smalltree he felt the weariness slowly seepout of his bones and his tired musclesgradually relax.Like all prospectors before him, onlyhis body rested, his eyes continued to

b y G e o r g e P f le g e r


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scan the gravel in the creek, the sand,rocks and hillside.High on the side of the mountainsomething stood out, which was not con-sistent with the natural formation ofthings. It seemed to be a man-made walland his curiosity, which could only besatisfied by a closer look, quickly wonthe battle and he dragged himself to hisfeet.Climbing the forty-five degree slope tothe construction took only a few minutesand he was rewarded for his labors whenhe mounted the six-foot high parapet.Following the wall a short distance tosome huge boulders, he discovered a smallnatural defensive position, which had beenimproved by man, facing the creek below.D igging around inside the main shel-ter, he wondered at the mystery of whoput the place together and when, untilhis discovered a few Spanish coins. Hefigured he had discovered some sort of oldSpanish fort.

After spreading the story of hisdiscovery the prospector seems to have d is-appeared. He described the place as beinglocated three miles west of Hanna Flats.The alleged facts of this story have sincegrown to include Indian attacks and treas-ure in the form of gold bullion, whichthe Spaniards were unable to carry andhurriedly concealed before fleeing.The legend of a Spanish fort and itsgold mine has fascinated treasure huntersand prospectors for decades and some havejourneyed down Holcomb Creek fromHanna Flats. In all cases they just walkedright past without realizing it might beso close at hand, assuming this to be thefortress described above.Not so for prospectors Cliff Overby,Bob Schoose, and Jake McCullough ofBig Bear Lake, Calif., they are a trio of

sharp-eyed miners. While prospecting thearea they spotted these same walls and tothem, being untrained in archeology, itappeared to be something the Indiansbuilt. They continued with their prospect-ing chores without giving it any morethought, but kept it in the back of theirminds.A bout a month later the same ruggedmountaineers were visitors at the U. S.Forest Service Station a few miles eastof Fawnskin on the north shore of the

lake, when several young men riding ina jeep came and asked the rangers on dutyif they knew of some crumbling stoneJuly, 1973

Overby in whiteshirt, Schoosekneeling, and

McCollogh onthe walkway

which may havebeen built by

Spaniards. Theboulder behindmen forms roof

of fort.walls in the vicinity of Holcomb Creek.The men in the jeep went on to describethe walls and called them the "Lost Span-ish Fort."

The three prospectors could scarcelycontain themselves when their discoverywas described perfectly by the fort hunt-ers. However, calm was maintained whilethey posed a few questions of their ownand were told research had turned up in-formation that the Spaniards mined goldthere long ago and had constructed aprospective stronghold to ensure theirsafety. Severe Indian attacks had event-ually caused them to suddenly evacuatethe area, abandoning the gold they hadmined and melted into bars.

Knowing I was a prospector, treasurehunter and writer, the discoverers of theold ruins presented the full story and toldof the help they needed. They questionedhow and where to look for the treasure,could the author use his metal detectorto find the golden goodies and also, Iwas to write their story.Happy to accept the invitation, a rende-vous was agreed upon and I followed theprospectors to their mining camp (theyare actually involved in gold mining)where we loaded our equipment aboarda pick-up truck.Some had to ride in the bed of thetruck which proved to be very uncomfort-able. I, as the honored guest, rode in the

A solid sectionof the pathwhich wa s built

so long ago.


16/48

Stopping on a curve high above the

The construction was pointed out and

This enslavement, which was the cus-

iard, was irritating to the friends andrelatives of those enslaved and usuallyresulted in the attacks that led to theirbeing driven from the area.Tuning in the new metal detector tooksome doing since there was no time topractice with it previously and even afterwe did familiarize ourselves with its tem-peramental moods, nothing containing

metal could be located. This is under-standable since in the days when thealleged Spanish fort was operational, any-thing made of metal was essential to thesurvival and comfort of its owner. Whowould be so careless as to lose a knife,buckle, sword, pistol, cup, gun, fork,etc., when the nearest source of replace-ment might be over 200 miles away ormany days travel and usually purchasedat an extremely high price?The walled enclosure itself now filledwith soil that has washed in through theback entrance covers any possible artifactsto a depth of several hundred feet makingelectronic detection of very, small objectslike coins impossible.The placer site below shows no signof ever having been worked, for duringheavy rains and the spring thaw the waterhas to squeeze through the narrows atthis point, causing it to move at a deadly

speed, obliterating any indication of hu-man activity.The deep part of the creek at the baseof the narrow falls looked like a logicalhiding place for any gold ditched by theSpaniards. It is about ten feet deep underthe falls and very dark, a perfect placefor someone to throw gold bars and othertreasures when being harassed by irate

aborigines with no time to waste on dig-ging holes. A thorough search of thearea failed to turn up artifacts or eventreasure signs which the Spaniards usuallyleft w hen forced to abando n a. rich lo-cation.The day was coming to a close and af-ter a tortuous climb back up to the truckaffectionately dubbed "The Moff," weloaded our gear and bounced back tocamp, three miles up the creek. Upon

arrival, it was discovered, the three pros-pectors wives were ready with a charcoalfire and a stack of* thick steaks whichwere immediately set out to broil.It was two weeks before we couldmake another concentrated effort to dis-cover the gold cache or whatever mighthave been left behind by the long de-parted inhabitants. However, the minersdid find a few hours of free time to digaround in the stone shelter and came upwith a small gold nugget, definite proof

of the purpose of the fortification.We all got together as planned in themiddle of September and made anotherexpedition to the diggings, this timetaking along both of my detectors.As before, the machines failed to turnup any metal objects, not even tin cans.However, we did notice an extension ofthe catwalks along a short distance up-stream, but on the south side of the creekheading in an easterly direction. The built-up path extended for a distance of aboutfive hund red feet and it overlooked thewide gravel beds along the creek.Here was evidence of a camp havingbeen utilized for years. Two old cedartrees about five feet in diameter wereused for a fireplace and a hole largeenough to crawl through was burned intothe base of one.This new find extended the mining

This black poolis thought to bebe a hiding place for g oldby ea rly-day Spaniards,

Desert Magazine


17/48

area to a length of approximately one-half mile. It seems someone had spentconsiderable time in the canyon, maybe aslong as two hundred years ago. They wentto a lot of trouble building the catwalksalong the creek. Was the purpose tobetter control Indian serfs panning outthe yellow metal ? O nly the discoveryof artifacts could prove this theory.The mining operation which was soonfound to have extended almost three milesalong the creek toward Hanna Flats rightinto the camp area of our three friendshad to be a lucrative one to have drawnthe fearless men of old into such hostileterritory.There has to be lots of gold laying onbedrock along Holcomb Creek since itoriginates in Holcomb Valley, scene ofthe recovery of many millions of dollarsof this precious metal in the 1860s and"70s.The prospectors, Cliff, Bob and Jakehave purchased a four-inch dredge touse on the site, hoping to find their for-tune in the murky depths of the creek.They have secured the property with atwenty-acre placer mining claim and itincludes the fortress on the hillside. It ishoped that this mine will prove to be asgood as it may have been when workedby the original miners. These three menwill find the gold if it is there.To reach the site you first go to thetown of Fawnskin on the north shoreof Big Bear Lake and turn north on theroad to Hanna Flats, where you thenhead west on the road along HolcombCreek. On the left you pass a sand andgravel pit and on the right a house trailerthat has been destroyed by vandals. It ispossible to drive a car about three-quartersof a mile beyond this point, from there ona four-wheel-drive vehicle is necessary.A bout two miles further along thisjeep trail you will arrive at a place whereth e road is several hundred feet aboveHolcomb Creek, which is now on theright and far below. Do not make thehard left turn where the road dives steep-ly down into the canyon but pull off tothe right and stop. Here you descendto Holcomb Creek and the walls and for-tification which can only be "The LostSpanish Fort of Holcomb Creek."Explore the area carefully and maybeyou can find evidence which will provethat the Spaniards of old did in fact buildthe fort and mine gold. QJuly, 1973

Above: The three prospectors wa lk along pathwa y toward fort, followed by man 'sbest friend. Below: A front view of rock fort, showing partially crumbled wall.


18/48

1MonosVolcanicI s la n d s

wo OF California's most intriguingparcels of land are viewed by thous-t their footprints there. A lthough lo-

s , in this case, the sea gull flies, Mono

Mono's diverse twins are a unique studyin contrasts. The black island, Negit, is

b y B e t t y S h a n n o nering mass of scorched, jagged lavaboulders. Paoha, the white island, is astark scenic contradition to Negit's angu-lar silhouette. It has all the physical char-acteristics of the legendary, romantic des-ert islea long, low sinuous form crest-ing along a ridge of white cliffs and broadpumice sand beaches. But Paoha's tran-quil landscape caps a not-so-placid inter-ior. Bubbling hot springs and hissingsteam vents audibly hint of the turmoilstill seething deep underground.

Above right: MonoLake's Negit Island,summer nestingsite for a largecolony of Californiagulls. Left: a gullchick blends intothe lan dscape ofone of Mono'stufa islets.Right: On thelee side of Pa oha.Mono's white island.

Desert Magazine

The origin of the islands is explainedin a legend told by the Mono Indians. Ittells of a once beautiful land ravaged bymountains of fire. For many moons theearth rumbled and trembled, but at lastthe smoke cleared to reveal a large plaindominated by a snow white mountain.Alongside it was one of the fiery moun-tains.The Great Spirit then sent to the whitemountain Paoha, the White Angel. Fromher mountaintop she commanded to all


19/48

^

ugly. Many suns passed, during whichtime the North Wind covered the landwith ice and snow. Then the South andWest Winds blew gently, creating greatcanyons and rushing streams. Finally, theGreat Spirit replenished the land.Still the beauty was marred by thejagged black mountain. So Paoha orderedthe streams of the mighty mountains to

empty their water about her to cover theunsightly Negit. But as the waters lappedhigher and higher on the scorched moun-

were created by extensive volcanic activity.Probably the islands' most famous vis-itor has been Mark Twain. One blisteringsummer day, while on a holiday from themines at Esmeralda (A uro ra), the cele-brated author and his friend, CalvinHigbie, rowed out to Paoha. They ex-plored its two and one-half mile length,crossing its ash hills several times.But Mark Twain was not impressed.A few years later, when he recounted theirMono Lake adventures in "Roughing It,"

the mountains around that there wouldonce again be peace throughout the land.But the small fiery mountain at herside roared in rebellion. Flames belchedforth and out of its belly came a warriorcloaked in g leaming black. A fierce battleensued between the White Angel andNegit, the Dark One. In the end, theAngel triumphed and she banished thevanquished warrior to the dark interior ofhis mountain.However, the land was still ruined and

Holly Sha nnon looks into an active steam vent, one of several on Paoha.tain's sides, she relented a little and al-lowed to its peak to remain free in the sun-light, and she sent to it her white birdsof hope and promise.

A lthough geologists have developed acomplex and more scientific explanation,based on extensive studies of the MonoBasin, their theory and the Indian legenddo agree on certain basic facts. The lakefirst appeared during the glacial ages, andmany of the prominent geological fea-tures of the basin, including the islands,July, 1973

he complained of Paoha's silence andsolitude. Through his jaded eyes, the is-land's landscape was "dead," "dismal"even "forbidding."However, he did recall one bright, pic-turesque spot. It was the island's onlytreea small, graceful pine whosebranches were kept perpetually moist bythe mist from a nearby steam vent.It gave me an eerie feeling when, sev-eral summers ago during our own explor-ations of the island, we happened upon

19


20/48

In 1881, Paoha served as a temporary-erting a bloody battle along

The Chinese had been employed to lay

When word reached members of the

Island.They camped there until the unionmembers, finding them gone, had timeto cool down and returned to Bodie. TheChinese continued building the railroaduntil it was within several miles of Bodie.Then they were released and the job wasfinished by a crew of Bo die's union men.During the early years of this century,

the Mono Basin experienced a minor eco-nomic boom. There were indications ofoilblack goldand slumbering Paohasuddenly became a hub of excitement.Lumber was barged from the railroadsiding at Warm Springs on the lake'seastern sh ore. A derrick was erected onthe island's southern tip and in 1909drilling began. However, the project wasabandoned a year later. The well hadreached a depth of 1500 feet but theonly gusher was hot water.Paoha's silence and solitude, that wasso depressing to Mark Twain, has beenan attraction to others. For awhile, theWallace McPherson family lived on theisland, homesteading 160 acres on thewestern side. They built a home with amagnificent view of the Sierra Nevadas,and raised vegetables and Toggenburg

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goats. Their house burned in the early1930s, but the goat barn, with its doublerow of stalls, still stands.But the strangest buildings are overthe ridge on the eastern side of the island.Nestled against the hill, now almosthidden by the encroaching bitterbrush,are three dome-shaped, concrete cabins.They front on a broad, white sand beach,which curves around into a crescent shapecreating a natural harbor, for this is thelee side of the island where the windusually blows down off the snowy peaksof the Sierras.

This was to have been a sanatorium,the dream of a doctor from SouthernCalifornia. The location seems ideal, re-mote and quiet. Nearby are several min-eral springs where you can have yourchoice of hot or cold water. But: we weretold the project was abandoned before itreally began. In the jungle of bitterbrushwe found the rusted skeleton of a doc-tor's examining table. In one of the cabinswas a doctor's leather bag, twisted andshrunken from its years of exposure tothe dry desert air.

Some of the scenes for the Hollywoodswashbuckler, "Fair Winds to Java," wereshot at Mono Lake. The filming crew setup their headquarters at Yates Harboron Negit Island.The script called for an erupting vol-cano, so a plaster model was built on oneof the nearby, small tufa islands. Fueledby gallon-size jars of gasoline, it looked,throughout the Mono Basin, like theD ark O ne had finally escaped his millenia-long imprisonment.It has been more than twenty yearssince the movie-makers have packed theircameras and returned to Hollywood, butthe volcano and several other fragile propsare still standing.Until now man's impact on the islandshas been temporary, a transitory fling andhe was gone again. It has remained thedomain of the White Angel's birds, theCalifornia gulls and other shore birds.During the nesting season, which be-gins in June and extends through July,Negit and several nearby islets literallybecome one vast gull factory. The slightestdepression, when linked with a few feath-ers and dried weeds, satisfies a gull's nur-sery requirements, so almost every avail-

able spot of bare ground is utilized. Twoor three speckled eggs are laid in eachnest. After hatching, the fluffy gull chicksDesert Magazine


21/48

become cave dwellers among the manycrevices and under ledges of lava bould-ers and tufa formations.Throughout the summer, gulls, in vari-ous stages of development, monopolizethe Mono landscape. But in September,the entire colony leaves its island homesand wings westward to the coast.Because of N egit's importance as a nest-

ing site for the gulls, the island was re-cently designated a natural area by theBureau of Land Management. But justhow long Negit will remain a sanctuarywhere the gulls may nest undisturbedis seriously questioned.During the past two decades, the lake'slevel has dropped drastically. The insati-able thirst of the City of Los A ngeles hascaused most of the shrinkage. Water fromseveral mountain streams that once pouredinto the lake is now diverted to the Los

A ngeles aqueduct. A recent survey con-cluded that in perhaps as few as three orfour years the receding waters will createa land bridge between Negit and theshore, thus opening this once wild islandto all predators, man and animal.Caspian terns, killdeer, grebes, andphalaropes are also attracted to Mono's

marine environm ent. A small colony ofavocets stakes its territorial claim to oneof Paoha's secluded beaches, far fromthe raucous cries of the gulls, while rockwrens and swallows take advantage ofready-made homesites within the islands'abrupt cliffs of lava and tufa. However, ifmore water is not released into the lake,eventually all of Mono's birds will facea precarious future.The outboard motor has replaced oars,but otherwise it is not much easier to getto the islands now than it was in MarkTwain's day. The receding lake has leftthe Mono Marina's launching ramp highand dry, so that facility is now closed.There are no boat rentals at Mono Lake,but a small boat may be launched at justabout any place where it can be carried tothe water.

However, a word of caution. Windscan suddenly whip a mirror surface intoa foaming froth. Throughout the years,Mono's alkaline waters have capsized sev-eral large boats, sending a number of vic-tims to its depths.

In the summer and fall, the lake ismost likely to be calm during the morn-ing hours. There are two good harbors

on the lee side of Paoha, one at the south-ern tip, the other toward the northernend of the island. If you are caught outin the middle when the wind begins, it'sbest to wait it out on Paoha. The windusually stops just as suddenly as it be-gan, and by late afternoon Mono is onceagain serene and calm, her twin islandsaglow in the last golden rays of sun-light. .

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July, 1973 21


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b y F.A . B a r n e sCaptain Tex McClatchyuses the giant ship's wheel

in the pilot house tosteer the CANYO N KING

on its maiden voyage.

P A D D L E W H E E L R I V E R B O A T S are a partof American tradi t ion . With theadvent of steam engines, these hard work-ing but glamorous craft evolved rapidlyin design, capacity and number until theycarried a large propo rtion of A merica'sfreight and passengers along its coastalwaters and vast inland waterways. A feweven plied the open seas, although carry-

ing enough fuel for such long voyageswas a problem.

T he story of A merica's riverboats hasbeen told in book, song and poem, butthis story began to end with the comple-tion of the vast railroad network that hasserved this nation since the late 1800s.Rail transportation was both cheaper andfaster, and thus seemed to be dictatingthe final chapter in the romantic and ad-venturous tales of the paddlewheel boat.

Strangely, however, these powerful,efficient workhorse craft, did not dis-appear entirely from the American scene.A few continued to ply western waters forseveral decades into the nineteen hundreds.Others continued to haul passengers andfreight on major midwest rivers. Evennow a big paddlewheel workboat doesdaily duty for the U. S. Coast Guard inPuget Sound.

But the few craft still in operation havehad difficulty in meeting stringent modernsafety standards and regulations. Excep-tional and expensive measures have hadto be taken to keep alive some of theolder craft such as the Delta Queen.Thus, for the most part, the very fewpaddlewheel boats in operation today areeither drastically rebuilt old-timers, boatsnewly built for limited or captive use inmovies and vacationlands, or powerboathulls clumsily converted to paddlewheelpower for tourist sightseeing ventures.Within the last several decades, very fewpaddlewheel boats have been designedand built as such, and fewer still to mod-ern safety standards.

Still, paddlewheel boats can do jobsthat more modern craft cannot. The Can-yon King sternwheel riverboat, operating

Continued on Page 28Desert Magazine


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Negotiating Tanglefoot curve.Photo by D avid Ogle.

AH other photos byTom Brown.

Y e s t e r d a yH i g h l i g h t y o u r s u m m e r

v a c a t io n w i t h a t r i po n a b e a u t i f u l ly s c e n i cn a r r o w g a u g e r a i l w a y l i n e .

P a s s t h r o u g h m a g n i f i c e n tg o r g e s , l u n c h a t 1 0 , 0 0 0 f e e t .

B r i n g h o m e s o m e g r e a t p h o t o sa n d a b i t o f n o s t a l g i a .

b y E n i d C . H o w a r d

THERE A RE thousands of people liv-ing in our country today who havenever traveled on a train! Never heardthe click-clickety clack of steel wheels onrails, or heaiid that whistle blow fora road crossing far out on the prairie,or watched a hundred-car freight trainsnake its way down a mountain side.But the age of nostalgia is with us andmemorabilia of the 1800's is fashionable.Even such a weighty object as a 187,250-pound narrow-gauge steam locomotiveis a subject of awe and curiosity for justabout anyone and particularly for Narrow -Gauge Railroad Club members. As muchas they would like to acquire their own pri-vate collections, such large items of yes-terday are a little difficult to handle.Scenic Railways Inc. has solved the>problem for clubs and everyone else by

operating narrow-gauge systems as recre-ational and sightseeing trips, and the de-mand for tickets exceeds the supply. Thenarrow-gauge lines are ideal for this pur-

pose, so says Robert Keller, President, ofScenic Railways Inc. He maintains thatthe external combustion processes, such asthose used in steam boilers and gas tur-bines, produce an exhaust which is re-markly free of pollutants if the fuel-to-air ratio is correct. Robert Keller, Ph. D.,knows whereof he speaks, his special fieldis mechanical engineering design.

How does a train stay on its tracks?The answer is quoted from Bob Keller'sDesert Magazine


25/48

- Jtf *

i>a6

* % < $ * ,

ew of A lternatives to the Private Au-

"A lthough well known when railway

prime means of guidance. Primarily, guid-ance is accomplished by forming eachwheel with a slight taper, the largest di-ameter being inboard. On curves, wherethe outside wheel must travel further thanthe inside wheel (while each makes ex-actly the same number of revolutions dueto its rigid connection with the axle),the wheelset moves a small distance out-ward on the curve. Thus the inside wheelruns on a reduced diameter. This auto-

matically compensates for the effect ofthe curve and allows the wheelset tonegotiate it without flange contact."One of Scenic Railways systems, TheCumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad hasas colorful a history as any wild weststory ever written. The .Denver and RioGrande Western Railroad completed thenarrow-gauge tracks west from Alamosa,Colorado, to Chama, New Mexico Terri-tory, on January 1, 1881, later extended25


26/48

ROUTE OF THECUMBRES A N D TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD A

project ofSCENIC RAILWAYS INC.P.O. Box 789Chama, NM 87520Between C h a m a , N e w M e x i c oAnd Anton i to , Co lo rado

Below: On the last leg of the westbound climb to Cumbres Pass. them to Durango and Silverton, Colorado.Millions of dollars worth of ore, coal,oil, timber, and livestock were hauled upthe 14 miles of 4% grade from Chamato C umbres Pass at 10,015 feet elevation,then down the 1.42% drop to A ntonito,Colorado, thence to Alamosa and easternmarkets. It was possible then, to travelfrom D enver through to Silverton inthirty-one gruelling hours on what railroadofficials called the "San Juan Express,"because its run ended at the San JuanMountains which dominated the countryand gave up rich silver ore to be shippedeast.The transition from work horse rail-, road to the m ore glamorous role of recrea-tional transportation was not made with-out anguish. When the Rio Grande an-nounced on September 18, 1967 that theyhad filed formal application with theInterstate Commerce Commission to aban-don the narrow-gauge between Alamosa,Colorado, and Farmington, New Mexico,the citizens of both states raised a howlthat let the IC C know just how they feltabout "their" railroad.

A tug-of-war between the people, theRio Grande, the ICC, and the two statesDesert Magazine


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dragge d out for three years. A group ofcitizens who formed the "Colorado-NewMexico Citizens Committee to Save theRailroad," explored new and innovativeideas to decide what course of action couldsave at least part of the scenic narrow-gauge line, but were dealt a low blowwhen the ICC handed down the opinionthat the line, "was obsolete, and a misfitfacility and is inadequate to serve theneeds of the area."

Americans have ever been famous fortheir know-how and can-do. "Save theNarrow-Gauge" echoed over the land, andthe Crusade brought history buffs andrailroad fans to join the fight. Newspa-pers kept tally on gains and losses. Final-ly, the problem went before both statelegislatures and the miracle was struck.Both states voted to jointly purchase the64 miles of track between Chama andA ntonito.On July 16, 1970 the Denver and RioGrande Western Railroad received $547,-120 from two states, who were willy-nillyin the railroad business, lock, stock, andnine steam locomotives, with sundry an-tique rolling equipment, repair shops, wa-ter tanks and buildings on right-of-ways.A neat package all wrapped up in anti-quity !

Rio Grande efficiency experts solemnlypredicted it would take three years and amillion dollars to put the railroad intooperational status. Not sothe first of-ficial tourist run left Chama, N. M., June26, 19 71, nine months after the purchase!By the end of the season in October, 9000happy travelers had experienced the Cum-bres and Toltec Railroad, or "The Trackof the Cats," as the people of New Mex-ico and C olorado have affectionatelynamed "Their" railroad.

And who should have the better right toaffix an endearing name to the Narrow-Gauge ?

When the two states took title to theline, volunteers from every corner of thestates, and neighboring states, too, con-verged on the 64 miles of track and"cleaned house."Weeds were chopped, rotten ties re-placed, portions of the roadbed were re-built, warped rails replaced. Professionalrailroad employees, retired and not-re-tired, worked long h ours and w eek-ends onthe locomotives, tenders and shop equip-ment. Carpenters and plumbers swarmedover the box-cars installing plexiglass win-

July, 1973

Above: Crossing Ca scade Creek trestle near Osier, Colorado. Below: Passenger stopat 10*0 15-foot Cumb res Pass shows old section house tha t wa s used recently inthe filming of the movie "Showdo wn ".dows and rest rooms, painters did theirthing in rich red paint on the outside ofthe faded old box-cars.

Rejuvenation of "The Track of theCats" was the personal contribution ofhundreds of volunteers, not only of la-bor, but in hard cash, because they wantedto "get the narrow-gauge on its wheels

again." And they didthe first trial runthree months after the purchase on a crispSeptember morning in 1970, a gala oc-casion for the workers and well-wisherswho gathered at every curve and cross-ing to cheer Engine 483, which was chris-tened, "Chief Cat," on its way.

Continued on Page 40


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Continued jram Page 22on the Colorado River out of Moab, Utah,is proof of this.Way back in 195 7, "T ex" M cClatchy ofMoab was dreaming of running commer-cial boat tours on the highly scenic Colo-rado River. In those days, powerboatingon the C olorado was considered a pas-time only for eccentrics. But Tex didmore than dreamhe studied the stretchof river he wanted to run, and he ex-perimented with various types of boatsand propulsion.

He discovered that neither conventionalpropeller-driver boats, nor ultra-modernjet propulsion were satisfactory on th eC olorado. Num erous shallow sandbarsmade p ropellers impractical, and the heavysilt content of the water rapidly erodedexpensive jet pumps.Then Tex had another dream. Why nota big, old-fashioned sternwheel riverboat,one designed to haul hundreds of people,to operate in shallow water and to lendan air of last-century nostalgia, yet builtto modern safety standards and offeringits passengers modern on-board conven-

iencies ?A fter a flurry of consultations withmarine architects and an Alaskan who hadbuilt and was operating two such boatsalready, Tex decided his dream was feas-ible. He then began turning it into reality.By January of 19 72, everything was or-ganized for the complex task, and con-struction began on Tex's "dream boat,"28

Above: The CANYON KING was constructed beside the Colorado River, just three miles north of Moab,Utah. At this point the hull was complete and work was progressing on the first deck and below-deck installations. Right: The CANYON KING'S two decks were complete, the framework of the pilothouse was in place, and the big marine-diesel engine that powers the craft is being hoisted onto thedeck. Far right: The CANYON KING was actually pulled down its launch ramp by human-power. Some800 local citizens participated in this operation by tugging on steel cables run through pulley blocks.When the signal was given, everyone hauled away, and the 40-ton vessel slid down the ramp.

months from the time its keel" was laid.It was structurally complete and its powersystem was installed and operational, butwhich he later christened Canyon King.A rchitectural details were worked out,steel by the ton was ordered, west coastshipyards were searched for various items many d etails remained to be completedof equipment and a crew of experienced before the scheduled maiden voyage twoweeks later.The Canyon King is not the first pad-dlewheeler to ply the Colorado River nearMoab, but is the first excursion boat, andthe first even approaching its size. The 93-foot boat has a hull 72 by 26 feet andweighs over 40 tons, yet draws less than

shipbuilders from Alaska was hired tobuild the basic vessel.By early A pril, the basic structure ofthe Canyon King was complete. Moabworkmen then took over, hurrying toready the boat for the coming travelseason.They succeeded. The Canyon King was two feet of water, and with proper hand-launched on A pril 30, 19 72, just four ling can cross sandbars still shallower than

Below: A large bulldozer eased the CANYON KING into the river after 800 people on long towlines had moved it to the water's edge. Right: Starting its maiden voyage, a full load, of some 200tourists and local citizens crowded aboard for the historic trip. Even fully loaded, the big boat onlydraws two feet of water. Shallow draft is essential to boating on the Colorado River because ofnumerous sand bars beneath the surface. Far right: CANYON KING as it tours the Colorado Rivergorge. Twice-daily excursions are offered. The daily trips are in the morning and late evening.


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that . The fireproof, all-steel boat is pow-ered by a large marine-diesel enginewhich is connected by a series of gears,drive belts and sprocket chains to the 14-foot, wood-bladed paddlewheel.

The boat's lower deck is glass enclosedand surrounded by a shaded walkway. Theupper deck is open for viewing and photo-graphing the towering river-canyon walls,except for a sunshade and the pilot house.Passengers enjoy the luxury of music, asnackbar and sometimes entertainmentfrom an old-fashioned player piano.

Under way, the Canyon King can carry

150 passengers, but for dockside parties,conventions, weddings, family reunions,business meetings and other charter uses,there is room for 200 people aboard.

During the long travel season thatsoutheastern Utah enjoys, from May-through October, the Canyon King pliesthe picturesque C olorado River gorgedownstream from Moab every day, carry-ing passengers through majestic redrockscenery unmatched anywhere, on watersthat are just not suited to boats of moremodern design.

A nd to such trips, the big boat itself

adds a taste of the romance and drama ofyesteryear, as it churns through the waterwith its powerful, bright-orange paddle-wheel flashing in the sun, and its tall,black stacks silhouetted against the deepblue sky. T rad itiona lly, boats are "fe-male," with names to match, but after atrip aboard this proud craft you cannothelp but agree with C ap'n Te x when hesays:

"A s 1 watched this boat grow from apile of steel, I just knew it was going tobe' the best, so it had to be called the"Can y o n Kin g !"


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N THE great and vast deserts of theSouthwest, there dwells a certain

Nottosorex crawfqrdi (notio-southern,

s kin d) .Now although Notio measures less than

Clad as he is in ashy grey tones, and

, but a member of the ancient order of

Inside this narrow flat skull is a very

Out of date brainwise, he is likewise

lso have shearing edges fore and aft, buthe three points of their triangles standin peaks that fit like wedges into gaps be-tween the upper teeth. Notio, munchingon an insect, cuts up its hard body cover-ing into small bits with this battery ofpoints and blades, and crushes the pieces,which is why crusty crickets, grasshop-pers and beetles go down his hatch withsuch speed and in such numbers. A thor-ough eater, Notio first neatly removesthe legs to immobilize his prey and thenbites their heads, proceeding thereafter to30

DESERTThe very elusive shrewfrom our photo files.

Photo by Karl H. Ma sloivski.

do a complete job on the rest of thecarcass. Then, nose twitching, whiskersakimbo, he rushes off on the trail of thenext one.This insect diet furnishes sufficientmoisture which is lucky, for unlike hiscousins among other shrews who live inforests and prairies, Notio is at home onlyin places of extreme aridity where freewater is seldom available. Favorite spotsare typical desert areas of mesquite andcactus, creosote, salt brush, sagelands, yuc-

ca flats. Nor does he follow the pattern ofsmall desert animals whose lives dependon a hole into which to escape the heat.Notio is no digger, nor is he interested ina second-hand hole dug by somebody else.His abode is topside, a little ball of softmaterials tucked under a dead agave plant,or under litter or amongst the piled-updebris of a woodrat's castle, or under a cot-tonwood login fact under whatever isavailable on the surface that offers pro-tection. The team of biologists, DonaldDesert Magazine


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b y K . L. B o y n t o nCOPYRIGHT 1973

* m

Hoffmeister and W . Good paster, lookinginto the affairs of the desert shrew inA rizona, found an especially neat domi-cile made of cottonwood leaves packedclose together, those on top being laidlike shingles. This seemed an architecturaldesign excellent for shunting aside therays of the sun, and rain water runoff.When it comes to housing, Notio, whosekind has been around deserts so long,obviously knows w hat he is doing. H eis also neat about his home, establishingJuly, 1973

his comfort stations several feet away fromhis nest, usually on an elevated spot witha view.

Shrews as a tribe are a peevish lot, be-ing prone to furious fights in which thevictor promptly dines on the vanquished,not even saving the end of the victim'stail for a toothpick. In fact, when biolo-gst C. H. Merriam confined three of theBlarina type together one evening, twoimmediately slew and ate the third. Onhand to greet the scientist the next A. M.

was only one shrew with a bulging belly.Notio's particular brand, however, aresurprisingly amiable, and while each adultbuilds and occupies his own private nest,they seem to get along together wellenough in the wild. Even in captivity,as long as food is available in excess, andthey are not confined too closely together,there is little fighting among these moreeven-tempered Notios. Not that they areplacid, for shrewlike, their movementsare erratic and fast, haste being alwaysthe by-word. Five-fingered, five-toed,they're flat-footed to boot, but still legit along a zigzag course at top speed, tailheld up in a stiff curve out of the way.

It must be said in defense of shrewsas a whole that all this rushing about socharacteristic of them, and their notor-iously short-fused tempers and warlikeways can be laid in part to the fact thattheir body tempo is so astonishingly fast.Metabolically they are little dynamos,driven by a body rhythm so rapid that itburns up reserves quickly, and they musteat every few hours to keep from starvingto death. In fact, one of the Blarina bunchcan eat its own weight in meat aboutevery three hours, and consequently mustspend most of its time hunting. A shrewof this type may pitch into a mouse muchbigger than itself, lay it out with thepoison in its saliva, and be dining withgusto all within a few moments.

The desert dwelling Notios apparentlydo not eat live rodents so relished byother shrews, captives in labs turning themdown regularly. They also spend far lesstime hunting for food, taking time offduring the day to do nothing. They mustbe slower geared, probably a distant adap-tation to desert environment where sur-vival at best is chancey and any needlessexpenditure of energy can be fatal. Hoff-meister and Goodpaster found theseshrews at their siesta, curled up or stretch-ed out on their sides, or sleeping peace-fully on their backs with all four feetup in the air.

Notios are exceptionally sound sleepersto boot, and the fact that they rouse soslowly from sleep intrigued zoologistsH. N. Coulombe and B. H. Banta s tudy-ing them in Inyo County, California.Pondering the matter, they concluded thatthis apparent deep slumber might, in real-ity, be a period of a big metabolic slow-down during which time these desertdwelling shrews were able to cut their

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Monument Valley

Accommodations overlooking the monuments. Bring your camera forspectacular beauty of the 8th wonder of the world!Write for brochure:Goulding's LodgeTrading Post

Box 1-D, Monument Valley Utah 84536Phone 801-727-3231 an d Tours

Enjoy Moab's

A S P E C T A C U L A R S O U N D A N D L IG H T P R O D U C T IO NT H A T R IV A L S F A M O U S E U R O P E A N S H O W SCanyonlands By Nightis a unique two-nour cruise on the Colo-rado River at dusk, as twilight fades intonight .A long the way, a s tar t l ing var iety of l ight -ing effects bring to life the darkened redrock cliffs of the Colorado River gorgedur ing an inspir ing program dramat iz ingsouth-eastern Utah's unusual natural andhuman history.Canyonlands By NightCruises leave our dock at the high wa ybridge near scenic Moab, Utah, everyevening throu gho ut the travel season, one-half hour af ter sundown.ADULTS, $5.00. Children under 12, $2.50

For detailed brochure, reservations orexact departure times, write or call theCANYONLANDS BY NIGHT office at:

Room 29, Bowen Motel169 Nor th Ma in , Moab, U tah 84532

|801) 259-5261WELTON B. W I N N , General Manager

Canyon walls come to life under 40,000wa tts of controlled illumina tion

respiratory water loss to a minimum. Cer-tainly spending the hottest time of the dayquietly resting in their well-protected sur-face nests would conserve on energy,lessen the need for so much food, keepbody temperatures down within reason,and thus save the high cost of heat dissi-pation.Trying to find out what goes on in the

social life of shrews is a frustrating jobsince basically there isn't much to find,shrews at their best not being exactly hailfellows well met. Furthermore, their smallsize and secretive habits add to the diffi-culty. However, Sherlocks among scientistshave deduced that the skin glands whichare very prominent in the bare thickenedskin on the flanks of the adult males arenot there for nothing, particularly sinceglands of a similar type, but covered withthin hair, are also found on the flanks ofthe ladies. More and more is being foundout about animal glands in general thesedays, A ustralian scientists reporting thatthe wild rabbits there seem to have avariety of scents that mean different thingsunder different conditions, thus servingas a form of communication in rabbit so-ciety. It may well be that a similar situ-ation applies here, shrew scents conveyingsubtle meanings lost on the dull humannose.Anyhow, all the Notios know when it isSpring, and the wooing season must goon throughout the warmer months of theyear, since young have been found atvarying times throughout the summer.The length of the gestation period is notknown, and it is believed that usuallyfrom 3 to 5 youngsters make up a stan-dard litter, although six places are pro-vided at the table.Newborn shrews are very under doneupon arrival. Blind and helpless, they are

quite naked as well, looking much likewrinkled pink prunes. They are also farfrom finished, for their ears are merebumps and their fingers and toes onlyknobs with no claws. Ah, but what a dif-ference only three days can make! Thenewcomers now have short fine hairs,claws on their feet, their ears are begin-ning to look like ears, and their eyes areabout to open. Forty days from arrival theyoungsters are out of the nest, well haired,almost adult in size and catching insectsright and left.Shrew glands, while being a sourceof major attraction to other shrews, ap-

Desert Magazine


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Shrews of all kinds interest many acientist for so much remains unknownbout these old relics of the past. Thanksto the recent fine work by zoologistsDavid A rmstrong and Knox Jones Jr.,otio particularly has the spotlight cur-rently, and no wonder, for here is a tinyanimal driven by a fast body tempo, andlimited by lack of brain developmentand by retention of a tooth style adaptedprimarily only to insect eating, who isbound to have enough problems underthe most favorable conditions.

By rights, such an animal should notbe able to make it in a desert, since therethe cost of living is too high for its smallbody, its water loss potential too great,

its food supply too uncertain. Yet, Notioflourishes far and wide in the most aridof conditions. True, his sagacious choiceof homesite, and his unshrewlike habitof time-off for such sound sleep siesta-ing,his more even-temperment are all adaptivefeatures. But biologists suspect that thereare still more reasons for his success inthe desert. A nd w hat these are, they're stilltrying to find out.

With an abundan ce of desert greenerythis spring, conditions were 'fust rightfor these Western Painted Ladies, whowere awing by the millions.

July, I9-/3

Mitch Wil l iams'T a g - a - L o n g T o u r sL A N D A N D R I V E R E X P E D IT I O N S

C a n y o n l a n d s N a t io n a l P a r ka n d

U t a h ' s W i l d e r n e s s R i v e r s

Send for brochures onOne day Land and River ToursWilderness Expeditions by Landand RiverWilderness Expeditions into OldMexicoMitch Wil l iams'T a g - a - L o n g T o u r s

452 NORTH MA IN P.O. BOX 1206BMOAB, UTAH 84532

Phone 801-259-6690 or 801-259-7218

P R O S P E C T I N G ]T R E A S U R E H U N T I N G

SEND FOR FREE1973 CATALOGKEENE ENGINEERING

11483 Vanowe n St . , North Hollywood, CA 91605( 2 1 3 ) 7 6 4 - 6 1 1 4 ( 2 1 3 ) 8 7 7 - 7 2 4 0

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\

O n T h e

N 19 64, in the Los A ngeles C orral ofTh e Wes tern ers Bran d Bo o k Nu m b er

The California D eserts,Richard C. Bailey wrote what is

I had the good fortune to be the editorought after property today. While I wasoth praised and condem ned by the We st-

erners for changing the established formatof the Brand Books, I think that articlessuch as Bailey's will enter into the perman-ent literature of the California desertcountry.

Bailey, then and now the director ofthe Kern County Museum in Bakersfield,C alifornia, talked at length in his articleabout the geologic importance of the RedRock Canyon area, a region now neatlybisected by Highway 14, north of Mojave.

Placer g

197307 desert magazine 1973 july

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