198002 desert magazine 1980 february

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Brine the 7k$*L Home With YoThe largest stock of we stern books and m aps anyw

; you are always welcome here!DESERT MAGAZINE BOOK STORE & ART GA LLERY74-425 Highway 111 Palm Desert, Cal i fornia 92261

HO UR S: Weekdays 9:00 a.m . to 5:00 p.m.10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. TELEPHONE: (714)568-2781


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1 May we be refreshed as by streams in the desert-Psalms 126:4

February,1980(please seepage 4)

Editorial StaffDonald MacDonald, EditorGary E.Squier, Art DirectorMary Ei leen Twyman, Managing EditorPat J. Wi l l iams, Assistant Managing EditorJenni fer Osbo rn, Assistant Managing EditorPhi l l ip E.Squier, Assistant Art Director

Contribut ing Edi torsKaren Sausman, Natural SciencesWayne P. Armst rong, Natural SciencesThomas K. Evans, Government AffairsRuss Leadabrand, Field TripsJerry andLuisa Kl ink , Baja CaliforniaM R . Za rub ica , LibrarianGeorge Aber l ich, Illustrator

Business StaffDonald MacDon ald, PublisherGary E. Squier, Co-Pubisher andAdvertising DirectorGeorge E. Sector, Marketing DirectorMar j o r i eMo l i ne , Business ManagerChester Ross, Counsel

The Cover:Death Valley's Panamint Rangeis reflected on the surface ofBad Water, 279.8 feet below sealevel. Bad Water's name comesfrom an early-day surveyor'smap note stating that his mulerefused to drink here. The watermay be "bad" because of salts,but it is not poisonous.Photo by David Muench

4 IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR SUBSCRIBERS

5 DEATH VALLEY TODAYDonald MacDonald11 THEY WHO HEAR THE DESERT

Mary Eileen Twyman12 HIGH ROAD TO DEATH VALLEY

Walter Houk16 CERROCORDO

Annis M. Cuppett20 THE EYE OF HARRY VROMAN

Gary E. Squier27 THE CACTUS CITY CLARION

Edited by Mary E. Twyman30 HARQUAHALA32 DESERT CALENDAR35 WILL ROGERS CENTENNIALA Tribute by Tom Murray36 A GOURMET'S GUIDE TO UNICORNS

Wayne P. Armstrong40 THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

R. M. Lowe42 QUITOBAQUITO, PAST AND PRESENT

George M. Bradt46 THE DESERT IN THE BIBLE

Dr. Robert T. Fisher48 WHAT'S COOKING ON THE DESERT?Stella Hughes50 BUYERS GUIDE TO METAL DETECTORS

Compiled by Ernie Cowan55 OUR READERS WRITE58 THE TRADING POST

US PS 154-940ISSN 0194-3405is published monthly by Cactus Paperworks, Inc. Of-R:C. Packer, President; Chester Ross, Vice-President; DonaldE. Squier, Vice-President; MarjorieAND ADVERTISING

425 Highway 11 1, P.O. Box1318, Palm Desert, CA.92261.(714)568-2781. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: U.S. and its pos-and Mexico: 1-year, $9.00; 2-years, $17.00; 3-years,

.subscription order form in this issue. Please allow five weeks forchangeof address andsend both new and old addresses with zip codes. Secondclass postage paid at Palm Desert, CA., and at additional mailing officesunder Act of March 3,1879. Contents copyrighted 1979 by Desert Maga-zine andpermission to reproduce any or all contents must be secured inwri t ing. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs will not be returnedunless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope or inter-


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L H K E P O W E L LO F F - S E H S D I l IS J U S T BSB E D U T I F U L

It's the greatest for summer family fun.Wahweap, Bullfrog and Hite resorts/marinasare open year around, but you really shouldtry us in the spring, fall an d winter...Not only fo r moderate temperatures,/ betterfishing and ess crowded conditions, but for

S a v i n g s to

Send color and rate hrochiWahweap, Bullfrog and Hite resorts/marinas

. . . . .hures on

A d d r e s s .C i t y . _ Stale _

rMail to:

Lake Powell Resorts B Marinas DMB o x 2 9 D 4 0 , P h o e n i x, AZ 8 5 0 3 8

N e w c e n t r a l r e s e r v a t i o n s s y s t e m :I W e s t of M i s s i s s i p p i c a l l t o l l - fr e e 1 - 8 0 0 - 5 2 8 - 6 1 5 4 .

I n A r i z o n a , c a l l (602) 2 6 4 - 8 4 6 6 .

A n I m p o r t a n t M e s sa g e TbAll SubscribersYou may notice on our cover that we call this our "Feb-ru ar y" issue and then when you reach the Table of Contents,you see it labeled "Dec em ber /J anua ry/Fe bruar y." Please

let me explain but before I do, let me reassure you. You won'tmiss a single issue of Desert M agaz ine!We had to seemingly "s k ip " two months in order to br ingour cover date into line with the vast majority of other maga-zines on the nation's newsstands. Actually, we are notskipping any issues. It's just an arbitrary but very necessarychange in dating.Again I ' l l explain:Our wholesalers and retai lers demand that a magazine,any magazine, with a cover date of say, February 1980, bedelivered for display at retail newsstands by the last week inDecember, 1979, at the latest. If it's not available by thatdate, it's not likely to be displayed or, in fact, even distri-buted to the retailer by the w holesaler. An d thu s, our news-stand customers can't find Desert at their neighborhooddrugstore or supermarket.Each issue must follow the same sequence. March issuesmust be on the stands by January 28th and so on . The nexttim e you visit a newsstand , check and see for yours elf.And thus our problem. Our predecessors at Desert Maga-zine never thought newsstand sales to be important. Theymoved their November or whatever issue to the newsstand bythe first or second week of the same month and then won-dered why very few magazines were sold. It was because veryfew were displayed, and thus very few found buyers. Ourpredecessors have always been nearly 50 calendar days latewi th the ir "o n-sa le" date.

Your present editors do think newsstand sales are impor-tant, very important. The person who sees Desert on thenewsstand, and who buys it and likes it, may become oursubscriber. And then, too, many people would rather buy alltheir magazines at newsstands even though they cost twice asmuch that way. But the importance is that the more maga-zines we sel l , the better the magazine we can send each ofyou each month.You'l l f ind more pictures, more color, and more pages inthis issue of Desert than ever before in its 42-year history!But all of this costs money and circulation is wha t pays for it.So, to reassure you, no subscriber will miss a single issueof this magazine. For example, those of you whose subscrip-tions expire in May, 1980, will by our new dating systemautomatically receive June and July issues. In other words,everyone wi ll get the 12 (or 24 or 36) issues they p aid for withno break, or gap, in frequency.There simply isn't, and will never be, a December 1979 orJanuary 1980 issue. They never were and never will be pr in-ted. They are like Pegleg Pete's Lost Mine. They ain't.So thanks for hearing me out. If you have any questions Ihaven't answered, please call me personally. My number is(714)568-2781.Sincerely,Donald MacDonaldEditor

The Desert Magazine/February 1980


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iHHiiiiiby Donald MacDonald


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Photo preceding page is "Death ValleyDunes," by David Muench Designs in clay as seen looking outtow ard the Pa nam int Range fro m Zabr iskie Point.Death Valley is an ano m aly, a devia tion from n atu re 'sr u l e s . An d then m an has added his l e a rned confus ion . Fore x a m p l e , D e a t h V a ll e y N a t io n a l M o n u m e n t c o n t a i n s2,067,793 acres whereas the sa l t f la ts , the hea r t land of theVal ley, com prise only abou t 320,000 acre s. T he res t i s rea l lys o m e o t he r p l a c e .I t was the forbidding sa l t fla t or "p a n " that te rro r ized thepion eers in thei r westward t rek and yet the fla t ran ge s frombu t five t o 12 m i le s ac ross , l e ss than a day ' s journe y even onfoot . An d so they nam ed i t after the death they feared and i twas a mi snomer . I t was the seeming ly coo l and hosp i t ab l ePanam in t s beyond tha t c l a im ed the m os t l ives .Fear of death from thirst rob bed these p ione ers, inc ludingthe Jayhawkers, of thei r judgement as i t does some visi torstoday. In 1967, Park Service rangers found the bodies of twoyouths who had succum bed to dehydrat ion. Beside o ne lay analm ost ful l canteen of oran ge juice! What were they sa ving i tfor?The p ionee r s was ted the i r sub s t ance ru shing from onebr ine poo l t o ano the r . Ins t ead, they cou ld more ea s i ly havefound m esqui t e , dug to i t s roo t t i p s a m aximum of 50 fee t u n-

der the surface, and qui te possibly have reached the watert a b l e .

Death Val ley is not even a t rue val ley. Technica l ly, i t ' sknown a s a " rang e and va ll ey p rovince " where in geo log ica leons ag o a vas t b lock of the ea r th ' s su bs t ance dropp ed down,cau sing i t s ne ighbors to l i ft up . Today, the f loo r of the Valleyt i l t s s l i ght ly be tween the Panamin t s and the Fune ra lM o u n t a i n s .Pe rhaps i t ' s because the M onu m ent 's s ta ff of r ange r s cantalk from the com fort of their air-con ditione d offices an d ve-hicles, bu t they fee l su re tha t the t e r ro r s of the r eg ion havebe en m agnified out of a l l pro po rt ion. The or iginal 49'ers fe l tno r ea l hea t fo r they were the re i n December when am bien ttem pe ra ture s o n the f loo r of the Val ley se ldom exceed 100d e g r e e e s .Tes t im ony to the m odera t e c l im a te dur ing the ' ' sea s on ' ' i sthat 80 pe r cen t of the M on um ent 's winter visi tors qualify assen io r c it izens . In sum m er , the M onum ent thron gs with fo-re igne r s t aking advan tage of the r educed ra t e s a t the FurnaceCreek Ranch and the even cheap er U.S. dol lar . T he Inn withi t s $70 and up rooms on the A m er ican Plan a t t r ac t s wha t therang e r s ca l l the ' 'j e t se t ." Thi s bun ch is a s se ldom seen ou t -doors a s S l im was indoors .Four-whee le rs and b ike r s have b een ea sed ou t of t op b i l -l ing i n the Pa rk Se rvice 's b l ack book by the b ur ro s . T hese

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Death Valley's burgeoning burropopulation loves man and that may prove their undoing.Photo by Donald MacDonald.

friendly, fas t-mult iplying animals have changed roles fromthe se rvant of m an to nu i sanc e . The only living th ing accord e d m o r e d is a p p r o va l b y th e M o n u m e n t 's s ta ff i s t h e t o u r i swho feeds the b ur r os .O n e i n d i c t m e n t a g a i n s t t h e b u r r o i s i t s b a d m a n n e r s awate r ing holes . He i s an exube rant d r inker . He p lung es r ighi n , b r e a k in g do w n t he b a n k s a n d m u d dyi n g u p t h e w a t e r sand in so doing, he annoys the 300 or so pe rsn icke ty andp a m p e r e d b i g ho r n s he e p w hi ch c a ll t he M o n u m e n t h o m e .T h esheep , in fac t, becom e so a nno yed they 'd ra ther n o t d r ink, ors o t he r a n g e r s s a y.I c a n 't a r g u e . A n d n e i t h e r c a n I de fe n d t h e b u r r o a g a i n sthe charge tha t he caus es e ros ion a s he c r i s s -c ros ses the de-s e r t in s e a r c h of s p a r s e v e g e t a t io n . I t s e e m s i m p r o b a b l e b utha t ' s what i s c l a im ed by hi s pee rs .A m o r e s e r i o u s c h a r g e i s b r o u g h t o n b y t he a n i m a l 's l o ve om an, or m ore accu ra te ly , h i s love of m an ' s provender . Them ore dar ing Dea th Valley bu r ros have l ea rn ed to l ike app lesa n d c he w in g g u m a n d c ho c o l a te b a r s a n d t he y s t a n d i n t h e

The brown "desert varn ish" tookmany years to form on the curious sformations known as the Devil 'sGolf Course.

The Desert M agazine/February 198


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From left to rig ht: A. Two of these borax wagons in tandem held 20 tons. B. Ruins of borax works south ofFurnace Creek. C 20-mule-team borax wagon at Santa Fe RR. D.1960 photo of the ghost tow n of Skidoo. E. Bottlehouse at Bonnie Clare , Nevad a, in 1930. F. Chlo ride City as it was in 1959. G. The Old Ha rmon y borax works as it lookedin 1934. H. Note the p air of horses used in the trace spot. I. Restored wagon train can be seen at Furnace Creek Ranch.

h ig h w a y w a i t i n g fo r m a n t o c o m e b y in h i s m o t o r c a r . A n d t h eb u r r o s d o n ' t s e e m t o k n o w t h e d i ffe r e n c e b e t w e e n d a y a n dn i g h t . T h e y a r e h a r d t o s e e a t n i g h t , e s p e c i a l l y t h e b l a c ko n e s , a n d t h e y a r e a c c u s e d o f c a u s i n g t h o s e m y s t e r i o u ss i n g l e - c a r a c c i d e n t s w hi c h t h e r a n g e r s s a y t o d a y a r e t h e c h ie fd a n g e r t o h u m a n l i fe i n D e a t h V a l le y .T h e b u r r o i n t h e h i g h w a y c a u s e s m u c h s o u l s e a r c h i n g a -m o n g t h e r a n g e r s . S o m e t a l k o f d e c la r i n g o p e n s e a s o n o n t h es p e c i e , o f i n v i t i n g t h e fo l ks f ro m A l p o a n d S k i p p y t o c o m e i ni a n d s o l v e t h e p r o b l e m f o r e v e r , b u t t h a t , t h e y k n o w , w o u l dc a u s e a t e r r i b l e o u t c r y f r o m t h e p e o p l e w h o b u y A l p o a n dS k i p p y , t h o s e p e o p l e w h o p r e f e r t o t h i n k t h a t d o g f o o d i sm a d e fr o m d a n d e l io n p e t a l s .S o t h e r a n g e r s w a t c h t h e b u r r o m u l t ip l y, a n d m u t t e r a b o u th i m , a r i d p o o r - m o u t h h i m t o vi s i t o r s . Y o u a r e w a r n e d o f t h ed i r e c o n s e q u e n c e s o f fe e d i n g h i m b u t i n t h e s a m e b r e a t h , in -v it e d t o t a ke o n e h o m e . T h e r a n g e r s w i ll c o r r a l t he a n i m a l s t oo r d e r ; h o w e v e r , t h a t m a r k s b u t t h e b e g i n n i n g . T h eThe Desert Maqazine/Februar 1980

d e p a r t m e n t s o f a n i m a l r e g u l a t i o n fr o m t h e v a r i o u s ju r i s d i c -t i o n s in v o lv e d t h e n s t e p i n , a n d s o m e u n h a p p y o w n e r s h a v es a i d t h e i r " f r e e " b u r r o w o u n d u p c o s t i n g a s m u c h a s $ 2 ,0 00b y th e t i m e t h e y g o t h i m h o m e .O d dl y , t h o s e w h o l iv e a n d w o r k i n D e a t h V a l l e y do n o t p r a yfo r r a i n a s y o u ' d t h in k t h e y m i g h t . T h e r u n - o ff fr o m e v e nm i n o r s t o r m s g a t h e r s a b o v e t h e a l lu v ia l fa n s a n d c h a r g e sdo w n o n t o t h e r o a d s y s te m , t e a r i n g o u t g r e a t c h u n k s o f it .L a s t w i n t e r w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y b a d i n t h i s r e s p e c t , r e p a i r sa b s o r b i n g m u c h o f t h e fu n d s t h a t w o u l d n o r m a l l y b e a U o te dt o c r e a t i n g m o r e t r a i l s a n d v is t a p o i n t s .T h e U . S . g o v e r n m e n t i s m o r e f o rb i dd in g t o p r i v a t e e n t e r -p r i s e t h a n t h e t e r r a i n o r c l i m a t e i n D e a t h V a l l e y . T h e P a r kS e r v i c e a c q u i r e d S c o t t y ' s C a s t l e s o m e y e a r s b a c k a n d j u s t r e -c e n t l y t o o k o v e r t h e e n t i r e c o m m u n i t y o f S t o v e P i p e W e l l s ,b o t h o f w h i c h a r e n o w b e i n g o p e r a t e d b y c o n c e s s i o n a i r e s .C u r r e n t l y , c o v e t o u s b u r e a u c r a t i c e y e s a r e b e i n g c a s t t o w a r dt h e F r e d H a rv e y i n n k e e p i n g o p e r a t i o n s .


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D E 4 T H V A L L E Y B O O K SGREENWATER, "GREATEST COPPER CAMPO N E A R T H , " by Harold 0. Weight.A N U N N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y OF D E A T HVALLEY, With Reflections on the Valley'sVarmints, Virgins, Vandals and Visionaries, byPaul B ailey.The largest selection in South PalmDesert. Write us for free catalogue.Desert Magazine BookstoreP.O. Box 1313Palm Desert, Ca lif. 92261

14th thru 18th CCrutury(Cnmttrii

J K u b i r f r Bizu) rH3-4rna

St. M ax 2B11arrmtlliyrr

Anai, (California B23UB

Charcoal kilns near Thorndyke arewell preserved.Photo byDonald MacDonald.

M i n i n g is p r o h i b i t e d e x c e p t on c l a i m se x i s ti n g p r i o r to 1974. Tho se , in t u r n , areb e i n g i n v a li da t e d one by one on t e c h n i -c a l g r o u n d s by the S e r v i c e ' s own Divi-s i o n of M i n i n g . Ev e n the r o c k h o u n d andb o t t l e c o l l e c t o r is t h w a r t e d by r u l e s pro-h i b i t i n g the r e m o v a l of a n y t h i n g but y o u ro w n t r a s h fr o m the M o n u m e n t .

B u r e a u c r a t i c i n t r u s i o n is not c o n f i n e dto the M o n u m e n t . S o m e 19m i l e s o u t s i d ei t s s o u t h e r n b o r d e r , the e n t i r e t o w n ofD e a t h V a l l e y J u n c t i o n has b e e n c l o s e ddown by s t a t e and c o u n t y h e a l t h in s p e c -t o r s . G r o u n d s e e p a g e , it s e e m s , hasl e a c h e d i n t o the w a t e r s u p p l y to r a i s e thec o l ifo r m c o u n t j u s t at the t i m e w h e n thet o w n ' s new o w n e r , P e t e r S i m o n , hadn e a r l y c o m p l e t e d a t o t a l r e s t o r a t io n . Them o t e l and r e s t a u r a n t w e r e to be o p e nt h is s e a s o n to r e c e i v e bus t o u r s , but t h i sn o w w i l l be d e l a y e d a n o t h e r y e a r . Thef a m e d A m a r a g o s a O p e r a H o u s e , un-affec ted, is o p e n now.

W a t e r , of c o u r s e , is a l w a y s a p r o b l e mi n D e a t h V a l l e y . Not a s h o r t a g e of it fora c t u a l l y , t h e r e ' s a lot. It's j u s t t h a t itg e t s too hot. In s u m m e r , r e s i d e n t ss w i t c h t a p s , t a k i n g t h e i r c o l d w a t e r outof the hot. T h a t ' s b e c a u s e t he y use t h e i ri n s u l a t e d hot w a t e r h e a t e r s ( u n l i t ofc o u r s e ) to k e e p the w a t e r r e l a t i ve l y c o o l .

T h e r e a l a n o m a l y of D e a t h V a l l e y isn o t h i n g t h a t has b e e n w r o u g h t byn a t u r e . It's t h a t one c a n ' t " e s c a p e " to itf o r t h e r e ' s no p r i v a c y . If you s e e k pri-vacy any way but on foo t , you ' l l be vio-l a t i n g a r u l e . And if you v i o l a t e a r u l e ,y o u p r o b a b l y w o n ' t e s c a p e out of theV a l l e y . T r a g i c a l l y for its t r u e g r a n d n e s s ,i t ' s b e c o m i n g a D i s n e y l a n d , d i f f e r i n go n l y in t h a t the m a t e r i a l s f r o m w h i c h itw a s c r e a t e d are g e n u i n e .The Desert Magazine/February 1980


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THEY WHO HEA R T HE DES ERTBy Mary Eileen Twyman

Ranger Virgil Olson's voice filled the compact caras he drove leisurely along the floor of Death Valley.A big, easy-going kind of guy, the steering wheellooked small in his hands as he and Don MacDonaldwere discussing the geological reasons why themountains were lighter here, darker there, the forcesof nature that brought about the formation of the flatvalley and jagged cliffs, and what caused the dunesto shift. My own thoughts soon filtered through thetechnical conversation, and the voices faded into thebackground as the magnificence of the place over-whelmed me.I had flown over Death Valley before, and beenimpressed, but not indelibly. Being an ocean andpine-covered mountain enthusiast, I had driventhrough the desert before, journeying between eachbut always at nigh t to escape the hea t. So I had neverreally seen desert, just felt it, as a warm breezethrough an open car window .W e started on this tour of Death Valley early in themorning. The new sun reached out to the valleythrough an ethereal blueness, touching crags andforming deep pit shadows under them, and lightingto florescent brilliance the shades of green andorange gracing these crags. The sun climbe d the skyslowly, an artist sure of its work, magnifying hardand rough rising from soft and smooth, highlightingcontrasts and textures everywhere and alwayschanging, following its whim .We could deceive ourselves into thinking thatwe've conquered this place, I thought, safe in ourhigh-powered vehicles skimming over blue-blackhighways. Maybe there are some who would believethis illusio n, but those who would seek to understandDeath Valley wou ld laugh at it.I tuned in on the conversation again, when Donasked Virgil why it was called Death Valley? And,Virgil explained that the term was probably born ofthe apprehension of the 49ers who believed theywere traveling a short-cut to San Francisco only tofind they were becoming victims of the elements.The Valley must have appeared savage and merci-less to the m .At Bad Water, Virgil pointed to a sign paintedabout 200 feet above us, on the side of a rocky cliff,designating sea level. As my eyes followed theheight of the giant rock to where its tow ering top wasframed against flocculent breaths of clouds in vibran tblue, I was struck with a strange notion, that becamethe realization, that if by some quirk of nature a fewmountains w ould move over, be re-arranged, tons ofocean could come crashing down on us.To me the ocean is poetry, all rhythm and mood,swinging through every phase of emotion. And thepine covered mountains sing, through breeze andstream and wildlife, caught up and blending intoperfect harmony. But then I learned too, in this

brief encounter with Death Valley, that the desertspeaks. Its voice is low and steady, tinged with calmgentleness. It's a voice of strength and character, avoice derived from seeing all, knowing all, andsurviving all.It would be hard to explain why only some can hearthis voice, respond to it, and seek to understand it.Maybe those of us who do had grandparents whomet, faced, and braved the desert in search of theirdreams and ideals. Maybe we do n't hear the hum ofour fine vehicles as we glide over desert highways.Maybe we hear the creaks and groans of our ances-tors' wagons, sense their agony and fear, feel thewheels binding in the ruts, the straining of lean,muscled animals braced against tortured leatherharnesses. W e know from our inner stirrings that thedesert is not conquerable, but only allows some tosurvive. It picks and chooses its own people, its ownanimals, its own vegetation.We passed several herds of burros, whose abilityto not only survive but to multiply in Death Valleystresses their importance to the prospectors. Whoknows what went through the mind of the first littleburro to peer over his master's shoulder into DeathValley? Had that sturdy little fellow not beensecurely tethered to the end of a lead-line, he mayhave flicked his ears, snorted, wheeled on his heels,and followed his tracks back to from whence hecame. But it was his willingness, his inherent abilityto take care of him self, w hich made him ve ry much apartner w ith man, very much a key to the survival ofmany of our forefathe rs.Virgil turned the small sedan up-hill, tremendousmountain rising on the right of us, the tops of tama-risk trees, rooted somewhere in the bottom of thedrop, brushing the sky to the left of us. He motionedto the left, toward the raven "...playing in the aircurrents. He sure is having fun up the re. "It was evident that Virgil had come to love DeathValley. Though he had traveled those roads manytimes, his delight in his environment kept comingforth. Knowledgeable about the whys of DeathValley, he saw it through my new eyes too. He un-derstood what it asks of those who challenge it, who,in turn, it challenges. Virgil would prefer to call it"L i fe Val ley."The desert speaks in a strong clear voice. It speaksthrough Death Valley. It speaks through the peoplewho have learned they must not just live in it, butwith it. And through the burros who have earnedtheir right to be a part of it. Then there's the mes-quite which wills its roots 40 to 50 feet into theground to tap fresh water, and the insects th rivin g inthe briny pool at Bad Wate r. The desert speaks, anddemands respect. And, they plant, a nimal, andman who hear the desert have been chosen, andare of a select few.


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Prabably no more than 1,000 years old ,the "m aa r" craters in the Ubehebe areawere formed when r ising magmacontacted water and explodedinto steam.

High Roadto Death XalleyStory and Photos by Walte r Houk

Every traveler in these parts knows the awesome cleft ofDeath Valley lies beyond the final ridge east, the crest of thePanamints. If it didn't, that upheaval of terrain we call InyoCounty, with i ts mighty escarpments and deep trough val-leys, would attract more attention to itself than it does a wes-tern p relude to Death Va lley.You can supply some of that missing attention on a 75-milefour-wheel-dr ive exploration of the Inyo high road to DeathValley. As a mountainous overture to that below-sea-levelsink on sometimes rough and rocky dirt tracks, it may be farmore intr iguing than the fast paved highway of theauto-motorist.A t f i r s t you fo l low the course o f the legendary36-mule-team freight wagons (two 18-mule teams hookedtogether for the grade) up from Keeler to the mines and townof Cerro Cordo or rather i ts shaky, weathering rem nants.Beyond, you drop down into surprise pinyon pine andjuniper woodland, luxuriant on the far slope of the InyoMountains, and then down among str iking Joshua trees in

Lee Flat. You gaze expansively southward over the PanamintValley dry lakes and later on, out to the west over SalineValley, a prospect that dramatically enlarges the stature ofthe Inyos looming as backdrop. Finally you witness marks ofwind-blown rocks that have moved unseen on the gleamingsurface of a playa renowned as The Racetrack. Thatphenomenon is inside the Death Valley National Monumentboundary, and from there the Valley itself is just 27 milesaway.Slow travel encourages the weaving of the Inyo country'sspel l . At a suitably leisurely pace you could take two days tocross the high road's three mountain ranges and interveninglowlands.The route is shown on the ma p, as are alt i tudes of summitsand flats to serve as an index of ambient temperatures. Also12

shown are alternate roads in case snow should close thehigher elevations, a possibi l i ty well into spring, or in case awashout should create an impassable barrier.Both times I made the tr i p, in October and in Apr i l , snowsthreatened the upper end of the Cerro Gordo road but didn 'treach lower ground, or tended to be short-lived if they did,while really low positions offered havens from cold. The mapalso notes two possible camp locations, one at 6,500 feet forbenign weather, the other at 2,100 feet for almost any kind ofweather.For the experience of tra veli ng the Inyo outbac k, I am in-debted to George Service whose Desert Expeditions out ofPalm Desert is not operating just now. I hope he will resume.He provided not only machines to match these mountains,but he was the man to match the machines as well as themountains. No mean trick, out where a breakdown (andsometimes the road) must be repaired on the spot, and helpmay be a long time in coming.In other words, this is not a jaunt for beginners. But foranyone accustomed to pr imitive-area dry cam ping, to makinga campfire only with deadwood no cutting , please and tohauling out all traces of our throwaway society, it offersrespite from noise and crowds amid landscapes of half adozen different plant communities in settings of sometimescosmic immensity.That largeness of scale begins beside the widest of theintermountain sinks, dusty Owens Lake, opposite thestupendous east face of the Sierra Nevada. From there theheights to be scaled are the Inyos, a relentless climb up thecelebrated Yellow Grade of 4,500 feet in eig ht miles sosteep it can burn out car transmissions. And it can be a radi-ator boiler on a hot summer day.You drive a road engineered to minim ize curves and thussideways strain on mule-team lines rather than gradient. AThe Desert M agazine/Feb ruary 1980


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To Death Valleyvia Towne Past

S E G M E N T 4 (alterr

ROAD SEGMENTSiting, Kelli-r ID Ui Flit vii

Cirro Gordrj, 19V mile; to Saline Valley-HunterMm. ra id je t, 6mi ln; toa 25 mlr;SEGMENT 2 (illtrriK)Altarnita if Cirro Gordo iummit ii doted. Kielir

raid viiStitr Hwy 136ind 190 21 m ot;1 Lee Fill 10 mild;lo Sme VllltyHunttloid jd,, 6 milei; lotil, 37 mileiSEGMENT 3

r Mn

Teikittli Jet, VI I Slime Valley tnd R ieit r

o Ubehebe Cuter paved midheed ,75 et thown on AAA Oeith Vl lltv

MAP LEGENDKEELER, 3BDDCEflRd GQROOJ.100SUMMIT, 8.200

i ' CAMP1,8,500i I LEE FLAT 66001 I PANAMINT VALLEY VIEW, 6.000( I SUMMIT, 8,1004 I CAMP2 ,1 ,1 00{ | INYOSSALINE VALLEY VIEW, 3.500( ) SUMMIT, 3BOO( ) RACETRACK, 3,700{ ( SUMMIT. 4.900( ) UBEHEBE CRATER.2.B00 tit raid)

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- RO UTE OF T RIP. . . . . . . . . A LT ER NA TE RO UTES

PAVED ROADZZZ^Z1~ DEATH VALLEY NATL.MON. BORDER

DEATHVALLEYNATIONALM O N U M E N T

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few relics of an ore-hauling aerial tramway are still visiblebeside the way. After the arid canyon of the lower half youemerge to apanoramic view of the Sierra, its apparent heighthaving r isen with your gain inalti tude. Then youcome out onslopes cut clear of tree cover for smelter fuel a century ago,where a scatter ing of pinyons isonly nowbeginning to comeback.A satisfying number of buildings sti l l stand, but CerroGordo today gives l i tt le intimation of its rowdy nineteenth-century past when its silver bonanza rivaled that of theComstock and helped to bui ld LosAngeles. You are askedto pay the caretaker a modest fee, and he n you maywanderabout among sagging structures in a landscape pock-markedwith mineshafts and strewn with abandoned mining arti facts.Any snow not visible from below may lurk just over thesum mit close by. If enough of it does toclose theroad you cango back down to Keeler, then east onto State Highway 190and turn north on a road about 4V2-miles past the Darwinroad (see map) to pick up the route onward to Saline Valley.Otherwise, f rom the Cerro Gordo summit go over anddown, steeply at f i rst , toward San Lucas Canyon. You passso me r e ma r ka b le su r v i vo r s of sme l te r ch imn e ys andstructures over mineshafts, in a pinyon forest nurtured byrelatively moist, shady slopes. Then junipers and Joshuatrees appear in sparser cover near the canyon-bottom road,almost six miles down.This road, in San Lucas Canyon, was broad and wellmaintained when I saw t last, as it is used bytrucks from the14

Rocks, some weighing as much as 500lbs., move slowly across the floor of theRace t rack, a phenomenon sc ien t is tshave yet toexpla in . Photo by theauthor.

talc mine to the left. Turn right (southeast) and in about 41/2miles, a side road will take you back into pleasant sidecanyons where you may f ind asecluded camping place.Or stay on the main road to the broad miniature plain ofLee Flat not far ahead, site of as f ine a stand of Joshua treesas you'l l seeanywhere, and perhaps the northernmost largegrove of this indicator plant of theMojave Desert.Side roads on the left arefrom nowhere but at a wye inter-section well down into LeeFlat, turn left (east) to cross theflat, and then turn left again onSaline Valley Road.With only a brief climb, this scales an end of the minorNelson Range, between the Inyos and the Cottonwoods (abranch of the Panamint Range system) to theeast. It affordsa stunning view the length of Panamint Valley, f lanked by thelofty, sometimes snow-capped Panamint massif.Then beyond the junction with the Hunter Mountain Road(a less varied alternate route), Saline Valley Road turnsnorthwest along thewal l of Grapevine Canyon andeventuallyreaches dow n to its bottom. Thedesert here looks wilder andsomehow more remote, its aridity emphasized in spring andsummer by theoccasional green of cottonwoods, grapevines,and wil d clematis.In six miles or so you leave the canyon. Just over a smallrise is Saline Valley, anemptiness a th i rd the size of DeathValley and almost unmarred by anysign of theworks of man.At about five miles into the valley, turn r ight (northeast) atthe only road junction. The road here hasdescended about4,000 feet from the high point in the Nelson Range, to thelowest elevation on thet r i p .If day is wan ing , youwi l l f in d some agreeable camping lo-cations in about VA miles, to the r ight and up the secondwash crossed by the road actually part of the watercoursedown from Grapevine Canyon. Camping on the long alluvialslope at thebase of mountains butoverlooking a vista of suchquiet grandeur was one of the memorable experiences of mydesert career.From this location upover the mountain to The Racetrackis only four miles and 1,800 eet, but this is a part of the roadthat has long since disappeared from the AAA Death Valleymap and gets little use. Even so, relying on usermaintenance, wemade it in late 1977 having to rebuild onlyone washout with boulder f i l l .Should the road not be open, you can backtrack and takethe Hunter Mo untain road bypass around to TheRacetrack. Ifit isopen, you wi l l betreated to a r ival of the famous Dante'sView in Death Valley, a panorama across Saline Valley thaton a sparkl ing day is worth the price of admission for thewhole tr ip . The viewpoint is a knob just off the road abouthalfway up in distance but close to the top (3,560 feet) inal t i tude.Not farbeyond is TheRacetrack. A relatively small dry lakein a setting that seems almost intimate by contrast with thethree grand valleys along the way, it is one of Death ValleyMonum ent 's out ly ing gems. From theedge of that playa it isabout eight miles to Teakettle Junction and the alternateroute, then 19gently-sloped m iles (not he 17.5shown on theA A A map) through upland desert to the paved road atUbehebe Crater and the upper end of the Valley, yourjourney's end.

The Desert Ma gazine/Feb ruary 1980


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The Desert Magazine/February 1980 15


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When your eyes become accustomed tothe gloom of the hoistworks, you'l l beamazed how well preserved it is. It 'salmost as though the miners had left forthe day , on ly to re turn a t dawntomorrow. Photos by Dennis Millard.

16 The Desert Magazine/ February 19


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tos by Dennis M illardCerro Cordo perches high atop Buena

and as the wind moves carelessly

scence w ith one another.But the town was not always this sti l l .

The area was discovered by Captainand it was he who named Owens

that the town began to attract outside in-terest, after one of these earlier minersvisited Virginia City and displayed greatchunks of rich silver ore. A trickle ofminers began moving into the area inearnest search of their fortunes, andthey were joined by an ever-deepeningtide of others as word of the riches to befound in Cerro Cordo spread throughoutlying communities.

Victor Beaudry, a French Canadian,was there to meet them. In 1866, heopened the first store as a result of anabiding conviction that the ore of CerroCordo ultimately would be acclaimed asthe finest to be found in any miningcamp. Through a propensity for attach-ing overdue accoun ts , he acqu i redvarious mining properties in the area aswell as two ore furnaces and severalp r ime bu i ld ing lo ts . Soon , he hadparlayed his method into interests in theUnion and San Felipe Mines, in additionto other, less prominent claims in thedistr ict.If Beaudry's methods were calcula-t i ng , they were soon overshadowed bythe cleverness of another citizen, Mor-

timer Belshaw, who arrived in town in1868. While Belshaw was impressedwith the quality of the ore being takenfrom the mines, he was quick to realize amore important fact. The true wealth ofCerro Cordo would be built on the avail-able deposits of galena, an ore of silverand lead. With this in mind, he soonbecame a part owner in the Union Mine,which happened to harbor the greatestuntapped deposit of galena in InyoCounty. Of course, he never consideredstopp ing the re . Wi th the eye o fbusinessmen of every era, he lookedaround and determined that certainthings would be needed if the town wereto prosper.

His first move was to direct the gra-ding of the Yellow Grade road up theside of the mountain. This allowed freemovement to and from the growingtown, and his gatehouse located halfwayup the mountain allowed him to collecttolls from every arrival and departure. In1868, he brought the first wagon load ofsilver into Los Angeles where it wasshipped on to San Francisco. (Naturally,Belshaw had not overlooked the fact thatt Mag azine/Feb ruary 1980 17


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You and your family can stay in Mortimer Belshaw's house for a reasonable$3 per person, but do bring your own water. Photo by the author.

several financial connections in thatnorthern city would be of great value tohis growing fortune.)In 1870, he saw yet another m ethod fordeveloping the town and increasing hispersonal wealth from the additionalmining interests and tol ls which wouldresult. One of the biggest problems hadlong been a lack of water in the aridcountryside, and burro pack trains whichmoved between the nearby springs andthe camp were too slow to meet thegrowing demand. So, Belshaw instal leda pipeline from Cerro Cordo Springs andpumped the water into storage tanks onthe mountain top. From there, with thehelp of gravity, the precious liquidflowed directly into the town and thewater problem was solved. Suddenly,Cerro G ordo citizens w ere able to enjoy awater supply of 1,300 gallons per day.

Of course, it must be said that whatwere financially sound business prac-tices for Beaudry and Belshaw were alsoof benefit to the town. Although it didn'thappen overnight as in some othermining camps, Cerro Gordo soon wasable to call itself a thr ivi ng c ity. In the

late 1860s and early 1870s, it boasted alarge number of shops and offices, an iceplant, 12 saloons and two whorehouses.The latter were owned by Lola Travisand Maggie Moore and it was seldomthat a night went by without the sound ofgunshots from the cribs or the bars. Thecitizens of Cerro Gordo tended to behot-tempered and arguments were, asoften as not, settled with guns.

As the town grew, the Yellow Gradebecame even busier as mule-drivenfreight wagons hauled ore down themountain on the first leg of the trip toLos Angeles, and then returned withsuch staples as baled hay, foodstuffs,and beer. In addition, two competingstage lines arrived and departed dailyvia the treacherous Yellow Grade whichis still in use today.

Throughout Cerro Gordo's peak years,smelters turned out huge quantities ofsilver-lead bars, each weighing approx-imately 85 pounds. During the Civi lWar, the town's si lver output was amajor source of income for the UnionArmy, and contributed $27,000,000 insilver and lead prior to 1876. By that

year, however, the ore had been nearldepleted.In 1877 a holocaust destroyed thUnion Mine, forcing Belshaw to shudown his furnace forever. The minerwho had watched innumerable sunriseover the mountains began leaving fonew horizons in Bodie and Darwin. IOctober, 1879, the final ore wagotrundle d down the Yellow Grade and thlast mine was abandoned. The boom haended.

A resurgence of interest in Cerro Godo's mining possibilities came in 191with the discovery of zinc in the UnioMine. The company of L.D. Gordon &Associates acquired a lease which allowed them to remove zinc from the minand, in 1914, the company purchased thproperty. In the next four years before ended, the workings at the bottom of thmine had been extended to the 1,100 foolevel, 34 miles of underground tunnehad been built and over $3,000,000 zinc had been shipped via an overheacable tram which extended down thmountain to Keeler. But by 1915 thboom, too, had expired.18 The Desert Magazine/Feb ruary 198


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The Union Mine proved out to hold one of the richest deposits in the annals ofmining history. Photo by Dennis Millard.

Toda y, Cerro Go rdo is one of the best-

ng the tow n, you w i l l note a smal lthe side of the road direct in g youthe Cerro Cordo mine s. I t is im portant

i l l be pleased you went to the trouble of

Rockhounds, for example, wil l dis-found , whi le photograph-gene ra l l y a re t h r i l l e d w i t h t he

History students wil l f ind plenty toresearch and four-wheel-drive buffs soondiscover the trails are perfect for a driveinto yesteryear.As you come into tow n, yo u'l l pass theAmerican Hotel where the original stovecowers in the shadows of the kitchen andrusty bedsprings litter the floor of theupstairs dormitories. Behind the hotel onthe side of the hill are three shacks, allthat remains of a once-thriving China-town. To the left of the hotel is the icehouse where meat once hung inrefr igerated plenty. Drive on by and parkin the area set aside for automobilesbelow the home of Barbara and JackSmith. After paying $1.00 per personand signing the register, you'l l be to ld :"Look around and enjoy yourself . Justbe careful and, please, don't shoot anyguns in the area ."

Before hurrying off to your explora-t ions, ask to see Barbara's paint ings.After many years spent in the whirl ofHo l l ywood , she m ar r i ed Jack and ,together, they acquired the town ofCerro Gordo. Now, she spends much ofher t ime paint ing the sights of her

beloved mining camp and answering thequestions of any person interested in thehistory of the tow n.In addit ion to call ing at the AmericanHotel , you'l l want to visit the red-l ightdistr ict (the Waterfall Gilded House ofPleasure once owned by Lola Travis isst i l l standing), the Union Mine hoistworks and mi l l , and the various miner'shouses . W i t h ve r y f ew excep t i ons ,everythin g including the interiors ofmine shafts, if you're so inclined isopen to you.At night, you can pitch a tent beneath

the stars or, if you want to taste the realflavor of history, you can stay in Mor-timer Belshaw's house ($3 per person) orin the hotel or bunkhouse ($2 per personin either bu ilding ). All ca mping spots aredry, however, so you'l l want to bringplenty of water with you.A tr ip to Cerro Gordo is a drive intothe past. For the most part, time stoppedhere one hundred years ago, but you canmake it live again. All you need to do isallow your imagination to run free, openyour heart, and listen for the whispers ofthose who used to be.

19


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THE EYE OFHARRYVROMANby Gary E. Squier

Mu ch of H arry's work was done before the days of colorphotography. Although Black and White was his nat ive medium,color obviously was not foreign to him . Above is a f loweringPrickley Pear shot near Palm Desert, California in 1948.

20 The Desert Magazine/February 1


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H a r r y V r o m a n i s 9 1 y e a r s o l d . F o r m o r e t h a n 70 o f t h o s e 9 1y e a r s , h e w a s ap h o t o g r a p h e r . O n e o f t h e p i o n e e rp h o t o g r a p h e r s . H is e y e w a s c l e a r a n d p a t i e n t . Its t i l l i s ,t h o u g h t o d a y h e s e e s t h r o u g h a m a z i n g l y t hi c k g l a s s e s t h a tref lec t l igh t in ad r e a m - li k e w a y; s e e i n g t h r o u g h e y e s t h a th a v e f e lt t h e s u r g e o n ' s k n i fe .Bu t h e l o o k s aty o u l o n g a n d h a r d . F o r v is i o n i s o n e o f h i sg if t s , a n d t h e w i ll t o s e e i s v e r y s t r o n g i n H a r r y V r o m a n . T os e e a n d h a v e h i s v is i o n fe l t b y o t h e r s .H a r r y h a s l o o k e d a t t h e d e s e r t s o f N o r t h A m e r i c a l o n g e rt h a n m o s t o f u s h a ve b e e n a l i ve . H e s a w t he d r a m a o f t hed e s e r t t h r o u g h t h e v i e w fi n d e r o f h i s 4 X 5 c a m e r a . S a w i t i nb l a c k a n d w h it e , c o n t r a s t i n g t h e h i g h li g h t s a n d s h a d o w s o fl ife, m a d e t h e m w o r k a g a i n s t e a c h o t he r . H a r r y s a w t h ed e s e r t a s ab a t t l e b e t w e e n l i g ht a n d s h a d o w . H i s s ha r p , c r i s p ,c l a s s i c l a n d s c a p e s o f W h i t e S a n d s , N e w M e x ic o r e v e a l h i sv is i o n . T h e d e s e r t , w h e r e e v e r y t h in g c u r v e s a n d j u t s a n ds t a n d s a l o n e c a s t i n g i t s o w n s ha d o w , w a s H a r r y ' s p u r e s ts u b j e c t . A s u b j e c t h e s t u d i e d fo r y e a r s .

O n e o f t he t a s k s o f p ho t o g r a p h y i s t o i s o l a t e t h e s u b j e c t ,t h e p r o c e s s o f e x c lu s i o n a n d i n c l u s i o n , t h e p r o c e s s o f fo c u s .H a r r y fo c u s e d h i s a t t e n t i o n o n t h e d im p l e s o f s a n d d u n e s , t h ep a t t e r n o f l e a v e s , t h e s i m p l ic i t y o f a H o p i w o m a n a n d c h i ld .A s ap h o t o g r a p h e r , H a r r y h a s d o n e ita l l . Bo x c a m e r a , d r yp l a t e s , b a b y h o m e r u n s , s t u d io wo r k , p o s t c a r d a r c a d e s ,w e d d in g s , fr e e - la n c i n g fo r p u b l i c a t i o n s , a n d m a y b e e v e ns o m e fa s h io n p h o t o g r a p h s a r e h i d d e n i n hi s fi l e s .H e m a d e h is f ir s t c a m e r a i n M a n k a t o , M i n n e s o t a w he n h ew a s s i x. H e b o u g h t hi s s e c o n d o n e atS e a r s & R o e b u c k in1908, a4X 5 Ce n t u r y d r y p l a t e t h a t h e c a r r i e d o n h i s b i c y c l ew hi l e a p p r e n t i c i n g w i th ap h o t o g r a p h e r i n M o s c o w , I d a h a ,

The Desert Mana7inp/Fohfnan; -loan

Above. The soli tary figure ofHarryVroman on the sweeping dunes ofWhiteSands, N.M . Photo by Bill Revis, 1942.

Below. Checking his exposure meter,Harry relied primarily on his largeformat 4x5 Graphic. Photo by Bill Revis


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In 1925 while w orkin g on a Navajo Reservation in Arizo na,Harry captured the feelings of this woman and child.

22 The Desert Magazine/February 1980


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Desert da ndelion seed pods and Senecioblossoms in Salt River Can yon, 1958.

w ho w a n t e d t o b e a m u s i c ia n n o t a p h o t o g r a p h e r .T r a v e l h a s a l w a y s b e e n i n H a r r y ' s b l o o d , s o a ft e r h i sa p p r e n t i c e s h i p h e s e t o u t fo r S o u t h A m e r i c a . He g o t to S a nF r a n c i s c o w h e r e h e p h o t o g r a p h e d do c k w o r k e r s o n t h eB a r b a r y C o a s t . T h e n o n t o S o u t h A m e r i c a . T h i s t i m e h e g o ta s fa r a s L o s A n g e l e s w h e r e h e r a n o u t o f m o n e y , b u t n o t o u to f l u c k . H e m e t E d n a . I t w a s l o v e a t fi r s t s i g h t . H e f o ll o we dh e r t o S e a t t l e , a n d th e y b e c a m e m a n a n d w ife . T o g e t h e rt h e y t r a v e l e d f o r o v e r 4 0 y e a r s . T h e y b o u g h t a 1 936C h e v r o l e t i n 1 942 fr o m a J a p a n e s e fr i e n d w h o w a s o n h i sw a y t o a n i n t e r n m e n t c a m p . T h e y ho o k e d a 12-fo o t t r a i l e rt o t h e s e d a n a n d c o n t i n u e d t h e i r t r a ve l s . T h e t r a i le r w a s h ist r a v e l i n g d a r k r o o m . T h e y s l e p t i n t h e c a r . A n d th e y l i ve d t h a tw a y n o t fo r a w e e k e n d o f v a c a t i o n i n g , b u t fo r a l m o s t 3 0 y e a r s .

T h e y s p e n t s e v e r a l s u m m e r s i n Y o s e m i te Na t io n a l P a r k,H a r r y wo r k i n g a s a d a r kr o o m t e c h n i c i a n fo r A n s e l A d a m sw h o s e w o r k h e a d m i r e s . ' 'A n s e l w a s a l w a ys t a l ki n g t o m ea b o u t e x p o s u r e a n d a p e r t u r e s e t t i n g s . M o s t of i t w a so v e r m y h e a d , ' ' H a r r y r e c a l l e d . H a r r y ' s p h o t o g r a p h s w e r ea l w a ys s h o t fr o m t h e g u t , n o t t h e m i n d . F o r m a n y y e a r s h e

c a l c u l a t e d h is e x p o s u r e b y e y e w it h o u t t h e a i d o f a m e t e r . H ejus t d id i t .H a r r y a n d E d n a V ro m a n d i d g e t t o S o u t h A m e r i c a . T h r e et i m e s t h e y c r o s s e d t h e Pa n a m a C a n a l o n t he i r w a y t o t h eA n d e s . T h e y d id m i s s i o n a r y w o r k i n P e r u a n d l a t e r o n t h eH o p i a n d N a va jo r e s e r v a t i o n s i n A r i z o n a , a l w a y s s h o o t i n gp i c t u r e s , a l w a ys p a y i n g a t t e n t i o n t o li fe a r o u n d h im .H a r r y ' s n a m e s t a r t e d s h o w i n g u p i n p h o t o c r e d it s inNational Geographic, Desert Magazine, Ideals, a n d ArizonaHighways. A t t h e p e a k o f h i s p r o fe s s i o n a l c a r e e r h e w a ss e l l in g w o r k t o m o r e t h a n 3 5 n e w s p a p e r s , m a g a z i n e s a n dc a l e n d a r c o m p a n i e s . Bu t t he m o s t h e e ve r m a d e o n o n ea s s i g n m e n t w a s $ 75 0. S o m e p h o t o g r a p h e r s t o d a y g e t t h a t fo ra h a l f - d ay ' s w or k .D u r i n g a tr i p t h ro u g h A r i z o n a ' s W h i t e M o u n t a i n s , t h e ys t o p p e d n e a r P r e s c o t t . T h e y s a w s o m e p r o p e r t y t he y l ik e d,p u t a do w n p a y m e n t o n i t , a n d s t a r t e d wo r k in g o n t h e i rd r e a m h o m e . T h e y w o r ke d o n t h e h o u s e t he y c a l l e d' ' R o c k h a v e n ' ' fo r 15 y e a r s , b u t t h e y n e v e r l i ve d i n i t . E d n ad i e d b e f o r e t h e h o m e w a s f in i s h e d .

Thus photo called Dimp les and Curvesis one of a series el W hi le Sands, N.M

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Saguaro Boquet, Saguaro National Monument, 195524

Red Rock Country Sedona. Usinginfrared f i lm , Harry turned thislandscape into a dram atic statemen

I v i s i t e d H a r r y r e c e n t l y in M e s a , A r i z o n a . H e w a s s l e e p i n gw h e n I w a l k e d i n t o h i s r o o m a t t h e G o l de n M e s a H o m e fo r t he lde r ly . I wa i t e d a t the fo o t o f h i s b e d. He e ve n tu a l ly wo ke ua n d l o o ke d a t m e . H e s a t u p a n d lo o k e d a t m e l o n g e r a n dh a r d e r , t h e n w a v e d h i s h a n d t o w a r d t h e d o o r . " G o a w a y . I 'mt o o s i c k , '' h e s h o u t e d . ' ' I c a n ' t h e l p yo u a n y m o r e . ' '" C a n I he l p y o u ? " I s ho u t e d b a c k . He c o u l d n 't h e a r m e , sI q u ic k ly w r o t e i n m y n o t e b o o k , ' 'Y o u a r e a f i n ep h o t o g r a p h e r , M r . V r o m a n . I ' d l i ke to te l l y o u r s t o r y . ''H e t o o k t h e n o t e b o o k fr o m m e a n d l o o k e d a t t h e p a g e f ors e v e r a l m i n u t e s , s t u d y i n g e a c h w o r d c a r e fu l l y. H e t u r n e d t om e a n d c u p p e d h i s ha n d s a r o u n d h i s m o u t h li ke a

c h e e r l e a d e r . ' ' C a n ' t , ' ' h e y e l l e d . " I t ' s t o o l o n g . ' 'T o o lo n g ? I do n ' t th in k s o . T o o fu l l to o fu l l o f li fe .A n d H a r r y ' s p h o t o g r a p h s h a v e f i ll e d u s a l l . H is vi s i o n o fb e a u t y h a s a d d e d s o m e t h i n g t o t h e l ife o f e v e r y o n e w h o h a sl o o k e d. T h e p h o t o g r a p h s o n t h e s e p a g e s t e s t if y to t h a t .T h a n k y o u , H a r r y .T o m y k n o w le d g e H a r r y V r o m a n i n e xp l i ca b l y h a s n e v e rr e c e i v e d a m a j o r p h o t o g r a p h i c a w a r d , n o i n s t i t u t i o n a lr e c o g n i t i o n o r t h a n k s .H a r r y n e e d s m o r e t h a n t h a n k s . H e ' s a l o n e n o w , a n dl o n e l i n e s s c a n b e a t e r r i b l e t hi n g . H e ' s a p r o u d m a n a n dw o u l d n e v e r a s k fo r a n y t h i n g , b u t I kn o w h e ' d l o v e to h e a rfr o m a n y o f y o u w h o h a v e b e e n t o u c h e d b y h i s wo r k ,b y h i s l i fe . A ve ry fu l l l i fe in de e d.

The Desert M agazine/Fe bruary 19


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e Desert Ma azine/Februar 1980


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byKatherine Ainsworth

"If you want to read a book that is soentertaining you will not be able to put itdown, then Katherine Ainsworth's 'TheMa n Who Captured Sunshine" is theanswer, it is the engaging biography ofJohn W. Hilton, one of America'sforemost desert artists and a man of manyaccomplishments . . . highly recom-mended reading! Desert Magazine"Over 70 and still growing, Hilton, thenoted painter of desert scenery, spinsmore yarns than M r. B ojangles, beginningwith his boyhood in China to recentexcursions in the wilds of Mexico.Combining science and humorousanecdotes, he tells of discoveringgemstone mines and new animal species,selling a koala bear to Clara B ow andfending off sidewinders for Gen. Patton.This entertaining profile includes eightcolor reproductions of his paintings,photographs and a glowing tribute byfriend James Cagney.

Los Angeles T imesTO PLACE ORDER:Please send check or money order$12.95 per copy to:DESERT MAGAZINE BOOKSHOPP.O. Box 1318Palm Desert, California 92 26 0

California residents add 6 % salestax, and please enclose $1 .00 forpostage and handling.AN ETC PUBLICATION

P H O T O C O N T E S T

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Desert M a g a zi n e h a sr e i n s t i t u t e d i t s m o n t hl y p h o t oc o n t e s t . Ba c k i n t h e d a y s w he nR a n d a l l H e n d e r s o n w a s e d i t o rof Desert, t h e m o n t h l y p h o toc o n t e s t w a s ve r y p o p u l a r i ne a c h i s s u e . We t h i n k w i t h t h el i g h t e r a n d m o r e v e r s a t i l ee q u i p m e n t o f to d a y a n d t h e fa c tt h a t a l m o s t e v e r y f a m i l y o w n ss o m e k in d o f c a m e r a , t h a t t h ec o n t e s t w il l b e t w i c e a si n t e r e s t i n g a s i t w a s i n t h e p a s t .S o e a c h m o n t h fo r t h e f i r s t s i xm o nths of 1980, we wi ll awa rd$ 25 fo r t h e b e s t Bl a c k a n dW h i te p h o t o g r a p h s u b m i t te d .I f yo u t h i n k t he d e s e r t c a n ' t b e s h o t i n b l a c k a n d w h it e , c h e c k o u t H a r r y

V r o m a n ' s wo r k o n t he p r e c e d i n g p a g e s .T h e s e c o n d h a l f o f 1980 ( Ju l y t hr o u g h D e c e m b e r i s s u e s ) w il l b e a c o l o r c o n t e s t .W e ' ll p u b l i s h t h e r u l e s f o r t ha t i n o u r M a y 1 980 i s s u e . C o n f u s e d? D o n ' t b e . I t ' ss i m p l e . W h a t we w a n t n o w a r e B la c k a n d W h i te p h o t o g r a p h s o f s u n r i s e s , s u n s e t s ,d e s e r t c r e a t u r e s , d e s e r t p e o p l e , de s e r t p l a n t s , d e s e r t p l a c e s t h e r e i s n o l im i t o nt h e s u b j e c t m a t t e r s o l o n g a s yo u r p h o t o g r a p h i s fr o m t h e d e s e r t , a n y d e s e r t . T h ew i n n i n g p h o t o g r a p h s wi ll b e p u b l i s h e d m o n t h l y. ($1 0 w i ll b e p a i d fo r n o n - p r i z ew i n n i n g p h o t o g r a p h s a c c e p t e d fo r p u b l i c a t i o n . ) T o e n t e r t h e c o n t e s t , y o u r p h o to -g r a p h s m u s t b e i n o u r o ffi ce b y t he f i rs t o f e a c h m o n t h .C o m e o n yo u c a m e r a b u f fs . G e t o u t t h e Ni ko n , C a n o n , O l y m p u s , M i n o l t a ,H a a s e l b l a d t o r G r a fl e x o r e v e n y o u r I n s t a m a t i c . L e t ' s g e t s h o o t i n g !

HERE A RE THE RULES1. P r i n t s m u s t b e B &W , 8X 10, p r i n t e d o n g l o s s y p a p e r .2. A l l e n t r i e s m u s t b e i n t he Desert M a g a z i n e o ffi ce b y t he f i r s t o f e a c h m o n t h .3. P r i n t s wi ll b e r e t u r n e d if s e l f -a d d r e s s e d s t a m p e d e n v e l o p e i s e n c l o s e d .4. C o n t e s t s a r e o p e n t o a m a t e u r a n d p r o fe s s io n a l p h o t o g r a p h e r s . DesertM a g a z in e r e q u i r e s fi r s t p u b l i c a t io n r i g h t s o f p r i z e -w i n n i n g p h o t o g r a p h s .5. J u d g e s w i l l b e s e l e c t e d f r o m Desert's e d i t o r i a l staff, a n d a w a r d s w i l l b em a d e i m m e d i a t e ly a ft e r t h e c lo s e o f e a c h c o n t e s t m o n t h .6 . E a c h p h o t o g r a p h s u b m i t t e d s ho u l d b e la b e l l e d ( s u b j e c t , t i m e o f d a y, p l a c e ,s h u t t e r s p e e d , fi lm , a p e r t u r e s e t t i n g , a n d c a m e r a ) .A d d r e s s a l l e n t r i e s t o P h o t o E d i t o r , Desert M a g a z i n e , P . O . Bo x 1 31 8, Pa l mD e s e r t , Ca l i fo r n i a 92261. A n d g o o d s h o o t i n g .

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Vo l . 1, No. 1February, 1980 CLARION 'The nosiest newspaperin th e W e s t . "Argus, Monarch PlanBoost In Production

A r g u s Re s o u r c e s , I n c . , r e c e n t l y c o n c l u d e d a c o n t r a c t w i t h M o -n a r c h M i ll in g Co . t o p r o c e s s t h e s i lv e r d u m p s o w n e d b y A r g u s Re -s o u r c e s a t A u s t i n . T h e du m p s w il l b e u p g r a d e d a t t h e d u m p s i t e s b yscreen ing ou t the minus quar te r- inch f ines , which a re la rge ly de-c o m p o s e d g r a n i t e a n d o f n o va l u e .T h e r e w i l l b e a p p r o x i m a t e l y400,000 tons of mill grade orew h i c h a t t h e s t a r t w i l l b eprocessed a t the ra te of 200 tonspe r day, sa id Wil liam R. Noack,p r e s i d e n t o f A r g u s Re s o u r c e s .Then the capa c i ty of the m i ll wi llb e e n l a r g e d t o m o r e th a n d o u b letha t f igure by the comple t ion ofa s e c o n d c i r c u i t .The mi l l a l so wi l l upgrade theo r e fr o m t h e T r u e Blu e m i n e , s ixm i l e s n o r t h o f A u s t i n . T h i s o r ei s scheduled to be de l ivered fora m i l l r u n .With the record h igh pr ice ofs i lver , a much lower g rade ofs i lver o re can be de l ivered to them i ll from both the T rue Bluemine and the Hi l l s ide shaf t inA u s t i n , s o a c t u a l p r o d u c t i o nfr om t h e s e m i n e s w i ll b e a c c e l -e ra ted more quick ly than hadb e e n s c h e d u l e d . I t h a d b e e np l a n n e d t o k e e p t h e m i ll he a d a t

15 oun ces of s ilver p er ton , bu ta t t o d a y 's p r i c e s w e c a n p r o d u c em u c h m o r e t o n n a g e p r o f i t a b l ywith a m i ll head of 10 ou nce s ofs i lver per ton , Noack sa id . Thish igher p r ice of s i lver increasest h e r e s e r v e s i n t h e m i n e v e r yg r e a t l y ." Wo r k o n r e o p e n i n g o u r g o l dp r o p e r t y a t M a n h a t t a n , p l a n n e df o r n e x t s p r i n g , i s p r o g r e s s i n g , "he a l so repor ted . One shaf t onLi t iga t ion Hi l l has been chosent o m i n e i n d e p t h . T h e w a t e rlevel now stands at 400 feetwhi le the or ig ina l dep th of thert":nntinufirl nn n. 28.

Old-Timer HitsHigh Prices OnGold MarketsGold pr ices have never beenhigher in the h is to ry of theworld, recently passing $440 ano u n c e o n t h e Lo n do n m a r k e t .B u t n o h a p p i n e s s w a s e x p r e s -

s e d b y a r e a g o l d m i n e r s ." I g u e s s e v e r y o n e t h i n k s t h eminer wi l l be happy a t l as t tohave go ld c l imb to th is remark-a b l e p r i c e . " D i c k J o h n s o n ,l o n g - t i m e r e s i d e n t a n d g o l dm iner from the S pider Gulcharea in the Chuckwal la Moun-ta ins wes t of Blythe, sa id ."But I don ' t l ike i t a t a l l , andnei ther do mos t of my co l-l e a g u e s . "J o hn s o n h a s p r o s p e c t e d i n t heChuckwal la m in ing d is tr ic t s ince1952, went th rough the las tdepression, and is fearful of ther u n a w a y g o l d p r i c e s w h i c hm i g h t t r i g g e r a n o t h e r d e p r e s -s i o n .Johnson sa id he would no t besurpr i sed i f an ounce of go ldwent to $1,500 and looks forgold to be $650 by the end ofD e c e m b e r ."How could anyone l ike i t?The dol la r i s t i ed to go ld . Theprice should have leveled off atno t more than $200," he sa id ." I 've made a lo t of money whengold was $35 an ounce bu t nowthat i t ' s $400 and be t te r I don ' t

H nn n OD \

Smoky Valley Sues Nevada and Nye CountyOver Net Proceeds Tax

Sm oky Val ley M ining Com -p a n y o f Ro u nd M o u n t a i n h a sf il e d s u i t a g a i n s t t h e s t a t e a n dNye county over a d ispu ted taxbil l .T h e c o m p a n y c l a i m s t h a t t h eS t a t e T a x Co m m i s s i o n i m p r o p -e r ly c o m p u t e d i ts " n e t p r o c e e d s

of m in es " tax for 1978.T h e m i n i n g c o m p a n y i s o n e o ft h e c o u n t y ' s l a r g e r t a x p a y e r sa n d o p e r a t e s a g o l d o p e r a t io n a tR ou n d M o u n t a i n .

Tonopah TIMESBONANZAan d Goldfield NEWS

Illiterate Tells How Famous CavernsGot Named CarlsbadThis morn in , whi ls t sup in a kup of koffee over a t Klaypools . An

old lady says to m e. Howdy thea r fe l le r . Long t im e no see n. Wen inhe c k a i r yo u r g o i n a r i t e s u m m o r e t a l l ta l e s i n t h a t N e e d l e s p a p e r .I 've b in lookin for i t fo r a long t im e. So I says to her e . T wont be longn o w si n e yo u r s o i n t e r e s t e d . H e a r g o e s .Back in them n in e tys . I 'mprosp ec t in o ver New M exickoway. Wen one day a frend cam efor to visi t , and wanted to dos u m p r o s p e c k t i n . S o , I s a y s OK .M r. Car l Dum bkuph. (In Ger-m a n . D u m b h e a d ). Le a ve u s g o .We lo a d s u p m y b u r r o w w a t w ecalled Lizebeth. Digin tuls of al lk inds. Fude and p len ty l iqu ids ,an d took off.T r a p s i n a l o n g t r a i l . U p j u m p so u t a t h e g r o u n d , a p o c k e tgoffer. A ll loded doun with g oldn u g e t s .Car l was shegr inned, neverhavin seen such stuff befor. S o Isays O.K. Car l . Hears yourchanc to git welthy. Git theposthole digger offen Liz. Andto dig in down tha t gofer hole ,and git r ich.Ca r l l o s t n o t i m e g i t e n t owork. Digin fase and furesuly.I 'm g is t m ess in rou nd wi th Liz.Wen I heard a te r ibu l ye l l in .

Lookin doun the hole. I heard a

Anaconda to Start"M ol ly" Operat ion HereJus t 25 m i les nor th of Ton-o p a h , t h e A n a c o n d a M i n in gCompany has a mul t i -mi l l iondol la r expendi tu re underway,p r e p a r a t o r y t o t h e o p e r a t i o n o fr e m o v i n g t h o u s a n d s o f t o n s o f

h i g h g r a d e m o l y b d e n u m , c o m -m o n l y kn o wn a s " m o l l y , " a n dused for the hardening of s tee l .M ixed wi th the "m ol ly" i s agood depos i t of go ld and s i lver .In a l l th is p rojec t cou ld rep-r e s e n t m a n y y e a r s o f e c o n o m i cgrowth for Tonopah and sur-r o u n di n g a r e a s . T he m o n e y p u ti n to t he p r e p a r i n g a n d o p e r a t i n gof the mine p lus the weal tht a ke n f ro m i t in m i n e r a l d e p o s i t scould very well run into theb i l lions of dol la r s .F . D . H o w a r dT o n o p a h T I M E S - B O N A N Z Aan d G o l d f i e l d N E W S . 27


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ILL ITERATE. . .( C o n t i n u e d f r o m p . 2 7 . )l o t sa pan t i n and g r oan in . I k a il sdoun, sayin. Car l how be you.Why you gronin and wee pin . Heyells back. I 'm in a heck od abeaut iful cave a l l inpaled withste lackmites . I 'm f ixin to g iveup th e g os t . I h o ll e r s back d ow n.Carl dont g ive up . I 'l l g i t tou yusum a t abe l s and d r ink in stuff.So I sa is to Liz. Git home andfetch back lotsa stuff for to eat.Th e a s s l ayes back he r e a r s andtakes off . Comes on back inhaste a l l loded down. I takes thes tuff an d s l ides down to we ar a tCarl was inpailed with aholeflock of ste lac km ites. So I fedCarl and drunk him sayin. Dontt ry to g i t off them s te lackm itesthey wil l leave a i r in yourkarkass and you' l l sakum b. Sohe says OK. And I left for hom e.M eanwhile a fe ller knowd as"Slicky Dick". Planted a eleva-t e r d o w n in t h e s h a ft a n dcharged the folks $5 bux to gowdoun to vis i t Car l . And theywuld answer. Car ls bad rea lbad . So i t c am e t o be ca l l edCarls Bad Kaver ins. Simple asthat . Huh?Ed LangNeed les DESERT STARO L D - T I M E R . . .(Continued from p. 27.)s e e m t o b e a b l e to b u y a n ym o r ethan I ever did.

"I t ' s jus t l ike the Gold Rushback in 1849. The prospectorsa r e ou t i n th e h i l l s pann ing th ed r y w ash es , th e p r om ote r s a r ea ll com ing i n fr om th e Eas t , andth e gov e r nm en t on th e o th e rh and i s t r y ing i t s be s t t o c l o seth e m ine r d ow n and t ak e ov e rth e m ines fo r th em se lv e s ," h esaid.J o h n s o n s a i d t h e r e ' s n o tm uch ch ance of p i ck ing upnu gg e t s on h i s c l a im s ; h ow ever ,he has found $50 nu gg ets on hisd igg ing s i n th e pa s t .He expla ined that explora t ionb y l a r g e m i n i n g c o m p a n i e s h a sb e e n d o n e n e a r h i s c l a i m a n dhas shown extens ive gold min-e r a l iza t i on and enough tonnageto develop a t leas t 10 largemines in the Chuckwal la miningdis t r ic t .However, Johnson sa id, min-ing in the Chuckwal la Moun-ta ins i s l ike farming in the val ley one nee d s a l o t o f l and an d al a r g e c a p i ta l i n v e s t m e n t t osucceed ."I bel ieve the Palo Verde

Valley wil l pro spe r than ks to the28

ARGUS(Continued from p. 27.)shaft is 650 feet."Now the shaft are a has be encleared of old -mine workingsa n d p r e p a r a t i o n s a r e b e i n gm a d e t o p u m p o u t t h e w a t e r t othe 650 foot level this winter.The Sierra Pacific Power Co. isnow m ak ing a su r v ey to b r i ngpower to the s i tu, then the shaf twil l be deepened several hun-dred feet."We wil l make dr if ts in bothdirect ions, explor ing for goldo r e , on the White Caps forma-t ion. These dr if ts wil l be belowthe old workings of severalf o r m er ope r a t i ng m ines w h icha r e now a l l owned by A r gus R e-sou r ce s , I nc ." U nt i l Ar gus acq u i r ed a t o t a lof e ight former ly separa te , con-t ig u o u s m i n e s a t M a n h a t ta n , i twas im poss ible to have a unif iedope r a t i on a s now p l anned . Th em ines ow ned by Ar gus a r e th eWhite Cap s Gold M ine, theM anhat tan Con sol idated GoldM ines, and the Nevada Co-al i tion Gold M ines . The WhiteCaps M ine has proven 10,000tons of IVi-ounce gold ore and20,000 ton s se m i-proven ore be -tween the 1,100 and 1,300 footl eve ls . Th ese can be r each ed bya dr if t a long the White Capsl im es tone f o r m a t ion f r om th enew Argus shaf t . Addi t ional orebod ie s a r e l ik e ly t o be encoun-t e r ed bef o r e th e p r ov en o r e i sr e a c h e d . "T o n a p a h TimesBonanzaand Goldfield Newswork that has been done by theh und r ed s of m in ing m en th a thave dot ted the hil l s and de se r tsi n th i s a r ea ," h e p r ed ic t ed ." Th e poo r o ld m ine r h as b r av edthe heat of the des er t , fought forhis lan d, eked out a l iv ing , g aveup the bet ter th ings of l i fe , andd r a g g e d h is fa m i l y t h r o u g hh ar d sh ips no t end ur ed by m os tpeop l e i n th i s c en tu r y . M ay benow they wil l have a chance a tthe good l i fe ," he sa id.J oh nson d oes no t be l i ev e th eminer wil l become r ich f romd igg ing h i s ow n c l a im s , bu tr a th e r s e l l i ng o r l e a s ing h i s ac -cum ula t i ng h o ld ings t o l a r gec o m p a n i e s .M a n y o f t h e s e c o m p a n i e shave a l ready begun extens iveex p lo r a t iv e ope r a t i ons i n th ed ese r t and a r e s a id t o be ne-go t i a t i ng fo r m any c la im s i n andaroun d the val ley.Jeanet te HydukePalo Verde Valley TIMES

Slob-of-the-Week AwardEnds in TieOur Slob-of-the-Week awardgoes t o th e im be c i l e s ( I know ab e t t e r t e r m b u t i t ' s n o t p r i n t -able) who af ter removing thef il le ts from thei r bas s , dum pedthe rem ains on the f loor of them en ' s com f ort s t a t i on a t th eboa t l and ing a t Ruby M ar sh . I t ' s

diff icul t to unders tand the men-tality of a humanoid who wouldac t in th i s m anne r bu t pe r h aps apsychiatrist, skilled in workingwith menta l d isorders , couldexpla in such behavior .Unfor tunate ly, we have co-winners as Slobs-of- the-Week.Th ey a r e th e Las V egas h un t e r swho threw away eight backs, 16d r um s t i ck s , and tw o com ple t es a g e g r o u s e i n a n d a l o n gCanyon creek in O'Neil Basin.Happi ly, two of our personnelw er e ab l e t o e sco r t th em to th eW e ll s J u s t i c e C o u r t s h o r t l ythereaf ter , where they contr i-bu t ed t o th e pe r m anen t s ch oo lfund of the state of Nevada.Len Hoskins, Nev. Dept. ofWildlifeThe Eure ka SENTINEL

93-Year-Old Ed C. JaegerHas 50 PalaversbyJack Harr is

U nd er a c l ea r b lue O c tobe rsky Dr. Edmund C. Jaeger ," d ean of th e sou th w es t d es -e r t s , " held his 50th Palaver ath i s P o o r w i l l S a n c t u a r y n e a rD ese r t C en te r . Th e t r ad i t i ona lr inging of the hand-made cowbel l , found by Dr. Jaeger manyyears ago in Baja Cal ifornia,ca l led toge ther a bo ut 100 of Dr.J aege r ' s f r i end s , ex - s tud en t s ,col lege and high school profes-s o r s , and thei r s tudents for aweek-end of pala ver ing.At the age of 92, Dr. Jaegerno l onge r l e ad s th e Sa tu r d ayaf ternoon nature walk to pointout the deser t f lora and fauna,bu t so well were they tau ght , h isex-s tudents now take the leadwhile Dr. Jaeger leans back toob serve an d enjoy the product ofhis ac t ive and wel l spe nt c are er .October of 1954 was the dateof the first Palaver, held in the(Continued on p. 32.)

Drinkin g, Gam bling, B ank RobberyDragged George Kirk to His Doom

Of al l the t roublemakers whofinal ly cam e to gr ief on the shor tend of a long rope in ear ly-dayN ev ad a , none w as m or e d ese r -ving than George Kirk. Fromwhat is known of him, he was anat ive of e i ther Kentucky orM is sou r i , bu t r um or h ad it th a th e h a d m u r d e r e d a n u n c l ebefore leaving home for I l l inoisin 1855. There were a lso s tor iesthat he had taken up horses t ea l i ng i n h i s new h om e andhad shot the sheriff of BruneauCounty before escaping to Cal-ifornia.

Tak ing t o d r inking , ga m bl ing ,and r obbe r y i n Sonor a , Calif.,h e end ed up i n th e Tuo lum necounty jail. Sheriff John Sedg-wick took a l iking to him, butw a s b e t r a y e d a n d s e v e r e l ywounded by Kirk in June of1858. For that caper, Kirk wass e n t e n c e d t o f i v e y e a r s i np r i s o n .Am ong h i s o th e r ad v en tu r e sfol lo wing his re lease in 1863 wasano th e r h o r se s t ea l i ng v en tu r ein Placer County, in the courseof which he was woun ded in theleft leg by a charge of buc kshotand partly crippled for l ife.

M oving on to Nevada, he tookup s t age r obbe r y , bu t end ed upwith a stretch in the Nevadasta te pr ison for a l l h is effor ts .D ur ing a s econd sen t en ce in th eN e v a d a p e n a l i n s t i t u t i o n f o rburglary, he wounded wardenAlex Hun ter while a t tem pt in g toe scape and H un te r d i ed i n SanFrancisco two years la ter f romthe effects of the woun ds.R e lea sed a s econd t im e i n1870, Kirk went to work in themines in Virginia Ci ty, buteventual ly qui t and ag ain took tol iving by his wits . He hung outwith a bad crowd in VirginiaCity, but local law enforcementoff icers could not get anythingon h im , a l though h e w as suspec ti n s ev e r a l r obbe r i e s and bu r g-l a r i e s . At th e t im e h e w aslynched in July of 1871, he wasl iving with a local pros t i tu te ,M ar y Sm i th , be t t e r n k now n a s"Dutch M ary" who worked in aD - S t r e e t b r o t h e l . I n d e s p e r -ation, Virginia City's vigilantesh a d w a r n e d h i m o n t h r e eoccas ions t o l e av e t ow n andnever re turn. With I r i sh s tub-bo r nes s , h e cam e back each(Continued on p. 33.)The Desert Magazine/F ebruary 1980


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T H E L I V I N G D E S E R T R E S E R V EbyKaren Sausman, DirectorLiving Desert ReserveEar ly in De cem ber , the Living Dese r t

i n c l u d e a k it c h e n f o r fo o don room for ca r ing for in jured,haned or i ll an im als . In addi t ion , the

a s e A v ia r y in t h e J a m e s I r vi n e G a r d e n s .The Underwood A nimal Care Cen te r wi lle r v e ' s c o l l e c t i o n o f n a t i v e d e s e r t

0 spec ies of an im alsing in s ize from the 175-pound deser t

Each spec ies has i t s own spec ia l d ie tich may ran ge from l ive c r icke ts to aix ture of fresh f ru i t s , veg e tab les , an d dogood. M any of the food i tem s a re pu rchasedon ated from loca l m arkets . However ,ug ht in from ou ts ide the Coachella Val-. T h e Big n o r n s h e e p e a t a s p e c i a l t y p e of

i ll in g Co m p a n y i n H e m e t , Ca l i fo r n i a .he hawks, owls , and eag les have a spe c ia li s purchased commerc ia l ly in f rozen b locksfr om Lo s A n g e l e s .The Underwood A nimal Care Cen te r wil la l so be used in the Liv ing De ser t Rese rve ' si ld l i fe rehabi l i t a t ion program. Almos tevery day, in jured and orphaned na t ivea n i m a l s a r e b r o u g h t t o t h e Re s e r v e f o rcare . Usua l ly on ly deser t b i rds-of-prey,hawks, owls , and eag les a re accep ted fort rea tm en t ; however , the Reserve a l soa c c e p t s c e r t a i n s m a l l m a m m a l s a n ds o n g b i r ds o n a m o r e l im i te d b a s i s .H u n d r e d s o f a n i m a l s a r e b r o u g h t t o t h eRe s e r ve e a c h y e a r . M o s t of t he m a r e c a r e dfor and then re leased back in to the wi ld .T r e a t m e n t m a y m e a n n o m o r e t h a n g i v i n gone or two day ' s she l te r and a few goodm e a l s t o a n i m m a t u r e h a wk th a t h a s n o t y e tlea rned to hunt for itself, o r i t m a y m e a ns p e n d i n g d a y s p a t c h i n g a n e a g l e t h a t w a sshot from the sky. While m ost of thea n i m a l s a r e r e l e a s e d , a fe w a r e k e p t i n t h eRe s e r v e ' s p e r m a n e n t a n i m a l c o l l e c t i o n .S o m e i n d iv id u a l s c a n n o t b e r e t u r n e d t o t h ewild be ca us e of injuries which have m ade i tT he De s e r t M a ga z i ne /F e bru a ry 1980

i m p o s s i b l e fo r t h e m t o fe n d f o r t h e m s e l v e s .T h e s e a r e r e t a i n e d i n t h e D r . R a y m o n d B .C o w le s M e d ic a l W a r d u n t i l s u i t a b l e h o m e si n o t h e r f a c i l i t i e s l i k e t h e L i v i n g D e s e r tR e s e r v e c a n b e fo u n d f o r t h e m .T h e w o r k o f c a r i n g f o r t h e s e c r e a t u r e s i sm o r e t h a n a f u l l - t i m e j o b . T h e R e s e r v e ' sA n i m a l D e p a r t m e n t ha s a p a i d s ta ff o f o n ea n d o n e h a l f p e o p l e . H o w e v e r , a g r e a tp o r t i o n o f t h e w o r k d o n e w i t h t h e r e h a b -i li ta t io n p r o g r a m , a n d m a i n t a i n i n g t h eR e s e r v e ' s c o l l e c t i o n i s d o n e b y v o l u n t e e r s .T h e s e i n d iv i du a l s d o n a t e t h e i r t i m e t o b et r a i n e d i n c a r i n g f o r n a t i v e w i l d l i f e .V o l u n t e e r s a r r i ve a l m o s t e ve r y m o r n i n g t oa s s i s t i n t h e f e e d i n g o f t h e a n i m a l s a n ac l e a n i n g o f t h e c a g e s , a n d o c c a s i o n a l l yb e c o m e in v o l ve d in t h e t r e a t m e n t o fi n j u r e d a n i m a l s . T h e w o r k is h a r d b u te x c e p t i o n a l l y r e w a r d i n g . T h e d a y i s n e v e rd u l l . T h e m o r n i n g m a y s t a r t w i t h t h ea r r i v a l o f a n i n j u r e d g r e a t - h o r n e d o w l a n dt h e d a y m a y e n d w i t h t h e s e t t i n g f r e e o f as p a r r o w h a w k o r a g r e a t b l u e h e r o n .T h e R e s e r v e i s a lw a y s l o o k i n g fo r p e o p l ew h o a r e w i l l in g t o t a k e t h e t i m e t o l e a r nh o w to w o r k w i th n a t i v e a n i m a l s p r o p e r l y .If y o u a r e i n t e r e s t e d in v o l u n t e e r i n g fo r t h ea n i m a l c a r e p r o g r a m , do n o t h e s i t a t e t o

c o n t a c t t he R e s e r v e fo r m o r e i n fo r m a t i o n .T h e w o r k g o i n g o n i n t h e U n d e r w o o dA n i m a l C a r e C e n t e r a n d t h e D r . R a ym o n dB . C o w l e s M e d i c a l W a r d c a n b e v i e w e d b yv i s it o r s t o t h e R e s e r v e . T h e A n i m a l C a r eC e n t e r h a s a l a r g e g l a s s w i n d o w w h i c he n a b l e s p e o p l e t o s e e s o m e o f t h e a n i m a l sb e i n g c a r e d fo r a n d a l s o , v i e w t h ep r e p a r a t i o n o f f o o d i n t h e k i t c h e n . T h eM e d ic a l W a r d , s i t u a t e d j u s t n o r t h o f t h eA n i m a l C a r e C e n t e r , i s s c r e e n e d b y as i x - f o o t h i g h f e n c e . T h e W a r d f e n c e ,h o w e v e r , is o v e r e i g h t fe e t t a l l a n d m o s t o ft h e in h a b i t a n t s c a n b e s e e n fr o m a b o v e t h ef e n c e l i n e . F o r s m a l l v i s i t o r s , p e e p h o l e sh a v e b e e n c u t i n t o t h e f e n c e s o t h e y m a y b ea b l e t o l o o k i n s i d e . T h e r e a s o n f o r t h ep r o t e c t i v e f e n c i n g i s t h a t s u d d e n m o v e -m e n t s a n d l o u d n o i s e s f r o m v i s i t o r s , e v e nt h o u g h u n i n t e n t i o n a l , a r e o f te n f r ig h t e n i n gt o t h e w i l d b i r d s a n d o t h e r c r e a t u r e sh o u s e d i n t h e W a r d . T h e f e n c e a c t s a s ab u f fe r t o k e e p fr o m c a u s i n g t h e m u n d u es t r e s s .T h e L i v i n g D e s e r t R e s e r v e i s o p e n d a i l yfr o m 9 A M u n t i l 5 P M a n d i s l o c a t e d a t4 7 - 9 0 0 P o r t o l a A v e n u e i n P a l m D e s ; e r t ,C a l i f o r n i a . P l e a s e p ho n e (714) 346-5694 fo rf u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n .

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HARQUA HALAw ill it r i s e a g a in rby Wayne Winters, Editor,Western Prospector & Miner

In thes e days of $400-an-ounce go ld , any number of ear ly wes te rnn i n e s a r e g e t t i n g a n o t h e r g o i n g o v e r b y p r o s p e c t o r s , m i n e r s , andp r o m o t e r s . A l l o f t he s e fo l ks h a ve o n e t h i n g i n c o m m o n t he k n o w-l e dg e t h a t in m o s t in s t a n c e s o n l y t h e h i g h g r a d e w a s d u g f ro m t h ebowels of the ea r th by those ho rny-handed so ns of to i l , the or ig ina lo p e r a t o r s o f t h e W e s t ' s fe w g r e a t c a m p s .To day they ' re fo l lowing the o ld saw: "You look for a m ine wheret h e r e ha v e b e e n o t h e r m i n e s . " A n d i n t h e s e t i m e s i t i s n o t e v e n ne-o s s s a r y to ha v e m o r e o r e , f or e v e n a n o l d du m p i n o n e o f t he h i g hg r a d e c a m p s c a n b e e c o n o m i c a l l y c y a n i d e d v i a p a d l e a c h i n g m e -thods, p rov id ing fas t cap i ta l wi th which to pursue the o ld leadsv^hi le looking for p rev ious ly un touched ore bodies . Indeed, o ldg o l d -s i lv e r p r o p e r t i e s w it h du m p s o f m a j o r p r o p o r t io n s a r e i n g r e a td e m a n d t he s e d a y s .O n e o f A r i zo n a ' s b e t t e r k n o w n e a r l y m i n e s , t he H a r q u a H a l a , i ssuch a p ro pe r ty . Fi r s t loca ted in Dece m ber 1888, i t p roduced in theneig hborhoo d of $4,000,000 in gold in the co urs e of 40-odd yea rs ofi n t e r m i t t e n t w o r k i n g . N o w i t s l e e p s i n t h e n o r t h e r n Y u m a Co u n t ys u n , j u s t w a i t i n g f o r s o m e e n t e r p r i s i n g m o d e r n m i n i n g p r i n c e t op l a n t t h e w a ki n g k is s o n i t s g o l d e n l i p s , b r i n g i n g t h e l u c i o u s p r i n -C2ss back in to b loo m .I t was in the ear ly win te r of 1888 tha t Rober t S te in and HarryWa t to n l o c a t e d s e ve r a l c l a i m s a fe w m i l e s s o u t h w e s t o f H a r r i s b u r ga n d a b o u t n i n e m i le s s o u t h o f t h e s i t e o f t o d a y 's S a l o m e . M i ke S u l -l ivan owned adjo in ing c la im s.T h e s t o r i e s o f H a r q u a H a l a ' s d i s c o v e r y a r e , l i k e t h o s e o f m o s tmines , var ied . One vers ion has i t tha t no one had made any wor th-whi le d iscovery un t i l one day when Sul l ivan ran in to a regu la r nes tof nu gg e ts an d pro cee ded to ga ther a ha tfu l , o n ly to f ind o u t tha t hew a s o n g r o u n d o w n e d b y h i s n e i g h b o r s . H e m a d e a d e a l t o m e r g eholdings wi th them , then d isc lose d h is find. To ge ther they se t ab ou tp i c k i n g u p e v e n m o r e n u g g e t s a n d a l s o d i s c o v e r e d a b l o w o u t i nquar tz i te tha t was so r ich in the prec ious ye l low meta l as to be a l -m o s t b e y o n d belief. I t ha s b e e n s a i d t ha t n o o t h e r s t r i ke i n A r i zo n aequaled th is in va lue of surface go ld p icked up wi th so l i t t l e effor t .H a v i n g l o c a t e d t h e c r o p p i n g , t h e y b e g a n m i n i n g a n d q u a r r y i n gout the ore , which cont inued so r ich tha t wi th in two months thethree men working a lone took ou t more than $100,000 and hadturn ed down an offer of $75,000 for the i r p ro pe r ty . This was the be -g i n n i n g o f t h e G o ld en E a g l e , o n e o f n i n e c l a im s t h a t w e r e e v e n t u a ll yp a t e n t e d to c o m p r i s e t he H a r q u a H a l a G r o u p .L ike a l l o t h e r m i n e s , r e p o r t s w e r e c o n f li c ti n g i n n a t u r e i n i t s b e -g i n n i n g . On Jan.6, 1889, the T om bston e Prospector p r i n t e d : " T h ela tes t r ep or t s b u t confi rm the f i r s t s to r ies of the r ich and ex tens ived e p o s i t s o f m i n e r a l i n t h e n e w d i s t r i c t . T h e r u s h fo r t h e n e w c a m p i su n p r e c e d e n t e d s i n c e t h e di s c o ve r y of T o m b s t o n e . " I t c o n t i n u e d ,"Em ile Sydow left Phoenix acco m pan ied by M iss Nel lie Cashma nand Kei th M i l le r . They went by pr iva te co nveyance and were th reedays on the journe y, a dis tanc e of 145 m i les . There were no accom o-d i t io n s a n d e ve r yo n e i s s l e e p i n g o n t h e g r o u n d , r o l le d i n b l a n k e t s ,i h e r e i s n o g r u b i n c a m p o u t s i d e o f t h e s m a l l a m o u n t t a k e n i n b yp ro s p e c t o r s . A M r . S e v e n o a k s , w ho fo r m e r l y r e s i d e d i n T o m b s t o n e ,oifered the own ers of the r ich str ike $50,000 down o n a b on d of short

The main shaft of the Harquahala orBonanza mine is inclined slightly andleads to where large masses of goldo ccu r r e d , i n t ima te l y a sso c ia te d w i thquartz. Photo was taken in 1953.Photo from D esert Magazine Archives.

30 The Desert Magazine/Feb ruary 1980


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dura t ion , and $150,000 more in ca se hi s p r inc ipa l s , George Hear s t& C o . , t o o k t h e p r o p e r t y . Th e r e w e r e a b o u t 1 00 p e r s o n s i n c a m p a tt h

198002 desert magazine 1980 february

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