193802 DesertMagazine 1938 February

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M A G A Z I N E

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CREED OF THEDESERTWhen Calsclaw and Cac-tus hold oppositeviews,

They never grow vio-lent or raucous.On the contrary, they a ct

as gentlemen should,Debating with dignity c a u t i o u s .

J U N E LE MERT PAXTON

DESERT

for FebruaryCivic groups in the desert area areinvited to use this column for announc-ing fairs, rodeos, conventions and otherevents which have more than merelocal interest. Copy must reach theDesert Magazine by the 5th of themonth preceeding publication. There isno charge for these announcements.

JAN. 28-29Ro:Ieo at Palm Springs.JAN. 28-29-30Rodeo at Casa Grande,

Arizona.JAN. 29-30Members of Sierra clubof California to camp overnight atBorego Palm canyon and exploreBorego painted desert and Rockhouse canyon.FEB. 2Candlemas Day dance at SanFelipe, New Mexico.FEB. 4-5 6Stampede and Date Festi-val at Indio, California.FEB. 6-13Tenth annual invitationalpolf tournament at Brawley. Cali-fornia, sponsored by lettuuce andcantaloupe growers and shippers.FEB . 11-12 No rthern New MexicoTeachers' association to hold con-

vention at Raton.FEB. 11- 14 World's championshiprodeo at Phoenix. Sponsored by Jun-ior chamber of commerce. RichardMerchant, director.FEB. 15Turtle dance at Taos, NewMexico.FEB. 18Kenneth Chapman of theAnthropological laboratory at SantaFe, N. M., to speak on crafts ofprimitive races at Heard museum,Phoenix.FEB. 17-22Six-day live stock show atTucson.FEB. 19-22Rodeo at Tucson.FEB. 19-20Sierra club of Californiato camp at Painted canyon nearMecca.

Vol. 1 FEBRUARY, 1938 No . 4COVER Shiprock, in northern New Mexico

Photo by WILLIAM M. PENNINGTONCALENDAR Future even ts on the desert 1PHOTOGRAPHY Prize contest win ners 2NATURE A Ge n t l e m a n W i t h Da gge r sBy DON ADMIRAL 3PERSONALITY Tom Pava tea , Hopi Trader

By MRS. WHITE MOUN TAIN SMITH 4CAMERA ART Bah-Ulth-Chin-ThlanBy WILLIAM PENNINGTON 7DESERT GEMS Happy Hunting Ground for Gem CollectorsBy JOHN W. HILTON 8WILD LIFE Boarding House for BirdsBy NATT N. DODG E 10SPORT Unclimbed Pinnacle of the DesertBy GLEN DAW SON 12TRIBUTE He Lost His Life's Savings

By RANDALL HENDERSON 14ARTIST Devil 's Ga rde n, paint in g by PAUL GRIMM 15TRAVELOG Gr avev ard of the Mamm oths

By JOHN STEWART MacCLARY 16LETTERS Com ment from Desert M agaz ine read ers 19ARCHEOLOGY Art Gallery of Ancient IndiansBy F. R. JOHN STON 20PLACE NAMES Com piled by TRACY M. SCOTT 23N E W S Her e an d There on the Desert 24POETRY 26BOOKS Past an d Pres ent Literature of the Desert 27LANDMARKS Prize contes t anno unce men t 29FICTION Sez Hard Rock ShortyBy LON GAR RISON 30CONTEST Prize anno uncem ent 31COMMENT Just Between You and MeBy THE EDITOR 32

The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Publishing Company, 597 State Street,El Centro, California. Entered as second class matter, October 11, 1937, at the post office atEl Centro, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.Title registered, contenis copyrighted 1937 by the Desert Publishing Company. Permissionto reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writi ng. Subscription rate $2.50 ayear in U.S.A. or possessions. Single copy 25 cents.Editor: Randall HendersonAssociate Editor: Tazewell H. LambBusiness M anager: J. W ilson McKenney

National Advertising Representatives: S. H. Williams & Co., Inc., Los Angeles, San Francisco,Chicago, New York.Manuscripts and photographs submitted must be accompanied with full return postage. TheDesert Magazine assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of manuscripts or photographs althoughdue care will be exercised for their safety.Notice of chanqe of address should be received by the circulation department the first of themonth preceding issue.

February , 1938


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Gentlem anWitkV c\aaet5

By DON ADMIRAL

H ANDSOME CABALLERO ofthe desert is the Ocotillo.Tall , lithe and graceful, theclosely grouped wands swaying in thebreeze appear to be galloping over thesands while their scarlet plumes nodto passers-by.Cheerful and gracious, this strikingdesert shrub seems to reflect the tradi-tional hospitality of the gentleman ofold Spain. But like a true caballeroit also possesses the weapons for ahaughty and painful repulse of thosewho become too familiar.Generously equipped with the meansof withstanding the extremes of desertclimate, the Ocotillo adapts itself toits desert home without the appearanceof struggle. Unlike the Creosote bushwhich is a rough and ready adventurer,the Ocotillo has chosen the limitedlocalities in which it finds life con-genial, and confines its home to these.Although not the hardiest of desertshrubs, Ocotillo is one of the bestequipped for life in the arid region.The structure of the wand-like branchesis such as to conserve moisture and re-sist the effect of hot winds. Thornsline the stalks, protecting them frommarauders. These thorns originally

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were the stems of the first leaves grownon the branch.The leaf cycle of the Ocotillo isgoverned entirely by moisture. A heavyrainfall brings out a new growth ofsmall green leaves. As the moisturesupply diminishes these leaves turn tobeautiful shades of orange and redlike the autumn coloring of many de-ciduous trees, and then drop off. Thisprocess of leaf-growing may take placethree or four times during a rainy year.

Ocotillo is not C actusEven though it possesses formidablethorns, the Ocotillo, contrary to pop-ular opinion, is not a cactus. It is acandlewood. It is called candlewoodbecause the wood is so resinous thatlighted splinters may be used for light-ing purposes. The Mexicans call thesplinters ocotillos, or little ocotes, aftera pine tree knot which is sometimesused as a torch.The magnificent plume of red tubu-

Pholo by Hetzel

lar blossoms gives rise to the nameof flaming sword as well as candleflower, but Ocotillo is the word ingeneral use.Fouquieria spendens is the scientificname. Fouquieria, the genus name, is inhonor of a French medical professor,Fouquier. Splendens, the species name,is derived from the scarlet plume ofthe flowers but could aptly refer tothe entire plant.Ocotillo frequently is used in thedesert region for fencing purposes. Itis so efficient it will turn back a burro.The canes are cut and stuck into theground and several strands of wirewoven through them to keep them inplace. Under favorable conditions thestems take root and become a livingfence armed with daggers.The habitat of the Ocotillo extendsfrom the desert slopes of the coastalrange in California eastward into Ari-zona, New Mexico, Texas, and southinto Mexico.

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By MRS. WHITE MOUNTAIN SMITH

He ran away from the white man's school, andl ived to become a merchan t p r ince among h is ownpeople. Tom Pavatea is more than a trader , he is abenevolent father to the Hopi tribe. He cannot write,but his code of honor is respected by men of all races.This intimate story of an outstanding Hopi Indian iswr i t ten by a woman whose books and magazine ar t i -cles have qualif ied her as a high ranking authority onIndian life and cultural aspects of the desert frontier.Readers of The Desert Magazine will enjoy this story byMrs. White Mountain Smith.

A T THE GAP, called Walpi. halfway up the hazardous road to theHopi Mesa, is a stone altar, theSpider Shri ne. Ar>d here drenched inthe warm drowsy October sun I foundmy old friend Tom Pavatea, dreamingaway a stolen hour. He had climbed u pthe winding trail past Tally Rock withits graven record of slaughtered Nava-jos and Apaches, to lay a perfect ear ofblue corn among the other bahoosprayersplaced on the altar.

Tom's thick hair was bound awayfrom his face by a brilliant band ofpurp le silk. His shirt was plush, greencrushed plush, belted in at the waist bya row of huge silver conchos, a beltmade by his hereditary enemy theNavajo. Around his neck were numer-ous strands of wampum strung withgreat blobs of native turquoise, work-manship of the Zunis. For Tom is thegreatest Indian trader among the South-west Indian s. It was he who encouragedhis Hopi people to resume and increasethe manufacture of their native handi-crafts, and through him they marketthousands of dollars worth each year,thus keeping their beautiful crafts aliveand making themselves independent ofwhite man's charity."How oM are you, Tom?" I askedhim with the liberty of friendship."I cannot tell, maybe sixty years,mavbe sixty and five. The seasons comeand go. I begin my store in 1896. Ithink I am twenty-five then. I am busyand do not mark the years. I am oldwhen I look back on the mistakes andsuffering of my peoples. I'm youngwhen I look forward to the things yetto be done. When I cannot longer moveabout and do those things that wait,then I'll be old and it is time to die."He ceased to speak and looked outacross the desert; across the nativeburial ground where his parents andhis children are, where most of hisdreams are buried in the grave of hisfirst born son; on to the great stonestore that houses his thriving business.

His eyes were full of things hidden tothe white race. I thought of the last

rad'0 talk given the world bv Oliver W.Holmes on his 90th birthday. Thisprimitive unlettered Indian had ex-pressed in his own simple way thesame great sentiment of one of thegreatest trained minds the United Stateshas known. He said: "To express one'sfeelings as the end draws near is toointima te a task. But I may mention onethought. The riders in a race do not

stop short when they reach the goal.The race is over, but the work is neverdone while the power remains. For towork is living. I quote from a Latinpoet: 'Death plucks my ear and says,Live, I am coming'."Tom, the merchant prince of theHopis, sat there diligently searchinghis brain for incidents of his life thatwould amuse or entertain this white

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woman, E Quat-che, ("my fr iend") .It has never occured to him that his lifeis a book of thrilling adventures, pagesof danger and tragedy, of sacrifice andheroism, fighting an endless battleagainst poverty and ignorance, greed ofwhite men, despair of red men. It hasbeen a grand fight and today TomPavatea stands as a monument of in-tegrity and fair dealing among all races."I have just come from Ne-Nah-Phi'shouse," I said. "She will not live manymore davs!" I spoke of the old Tewawoman, his foster mother.Raised by Tewa Mother

Tom's soft brown eyes filled withtears. "She is the only mother I everknew. My own mother die when I littlebaby, my father too, and she took meinto her home as one of her own. Iremember running around the mesaplaying with other little boys. We hadno clothes to wear. When I was coldshe wrapped me in her own skirts untilI stopped shivering. And when I wassix the white officers came and took meaway to school at Keam's Canyon. Idid not care for school at all. I say tome, 'You do not need to read and write.You go home! ' So I come back home.The officer come after mea short wayafter. I wear Uncle Sam's clothes home,he say. I do not know I have anyUncle Sam, but he take the clothes back

The WatchmanalVs wellon the Walpiwith me inside them. I think! Nexttime I run home I take clothes off andleave them for my relative. I comehome bare those twelve mile. My peopleh 'd me in the corn room where it isdark but the officer find me and takem: back. He whipped me many timesbu t I always run home. He mad. Hestop coming for me, a"d so I still donot read andwrite!" He chuckled slylyas he remembered how a naked littleHopi Ird outdid the white officer."For fifteen years I herd sheep forTom Keam. He pay me maybe twenty-five cent a day and food, very goodford. I have coffee and sugar and flourand lots of good beef. I save thosequarter. One day I count them. I veryrich. I have more than two hurdreddollars. So I trrde them to Mr. Keamfor sheep and I drive them to the mesa.I build a corral in the wash, and a bigstorm come and sheep go down thewash, very dead. I herd sheep somemore, save some more quarter. Then Igo and say T wll have a store.'"My brother Henry have seventy-fivedollars. I have not so many but thankhim for the sheep herding work and go.I go to Holbrook, to Mr. Schnster, whohrd much goods for trade. 'We want astore. We can get good baskets and

pottery and rugs the Hopi and Tewapeoples make. You give us goods totrade, we bring those thing'. We giveh ;m our money and he give us goods,oh, much more goods than we havemoney. He trust us, you see. And heloaded those goods into a wagon ofhis own and he say:" 'You sell these goods for rugs andbaskets and pottery. You bring backto me with mvwagon and horses. I giveyou more things to trade.' And so itwas that I become a trader."A simple story, simply told. Tomaddrd an afterthought: "I never stealfrom Mr. Schuster; he never steal fromm e !"Loved by Tribesmen

Back of that little saga of Tom'scareer lies drama. Tom Pavatea is abeloved god to h;s people. He feeds thehungry little ch'ldren of his tribe. "Be-ciuse when I was little I was oftenhungry." He clothes the helpless oldfolks. "They wrapped me warm inrabbit skin blanket when I am little andcold."One day a Hopi boy was guardingh ;s mother's sheep and playing with anold twenty-two rifle. A Navrjo lad ap-peared ardNavajo-likedecided toappropriate the gun for himself. In thescuffle he was shot. Clansmen gathered,and Hopis armed themselves and rushed

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to the scene. In a hastily erected juni-per shelter the wounded boy lay dying.The mother demanded the life of theHopi boy in atonement. Tomheard of it.He hurriedly visited the nearby sandbanks and rock crannies used by him asFirst National Banks, and from tobaccopouches and tomato cans extracted aquantity of money. He knotted histreasure in the middle of an old redhandkerchief and joined the mob. TheNavajo women interrupted their deathwails to count the money he offered,and the Hopi people snatched their boyand left without saying goodby.

Today that Hopi boy stands behindthe counter in Tom's store, trying in ameasure to take the place of Tom'seldest son who died last year of tuber-culosis, leaving six small children underTom's care. The boy, Theodore. Tomsent to school and made him stay there."I cannot read or write. I can onlyfigure by counting on the scales. Youmust be educated, so that you can go onwhen I stop." But death stepped in andTom carries on while another son isbeing trained.Wife Speaks I\o English

Tom married a Tewa girl. She wasa daughter of the people who came tolive with the Hopis and to be Keepersof the Trail . Or, perhaps I should say,she married Tom, since the girls in thattribe select their man and like theNorthwest Mounted go out after him.Her name is "Quang" and she speaksno English. Why should she? She hasTom between her and the white world.And is not her husband the smartestman in all their tribe? She too wentto school just long enough to be re-christened "Julia" and then she stole afew crusts of bread and thus fortifiedand equipped ran back to the mesaand was never captured again.

Tom, as his fortunes ascended, es-tablished her in a big stone house nearthe store, and there Indian fashion hersix children w ere born. Two of them liein the graveyard just a stone's throwaway. Rather, they sit in their deepsquare graves, chins on knees, securelysewed into hand woven blankets, theirfaces turned toward the Grand Canyonplace of Hopi souls. It cost Quangjust eight hundred pounds of groundcornmeal to purchase Tom from hisfoster mother. "She got a bargain,"chortles Tom. "Besides I have to weavehe r two blankets, and make her a pairof white doe skin moccasins and leg-gings. I put a whole deerskin in eachbuskin." He dresses her in the richestplush jackets, and adorns her with silverand turquoise. She is his wife andwhen his fine brown eyes stray towardthe slim giggling school girls, Quang

a blind child to an institution, he neverfails them."Why are you not a Christian, Tom?"He looked back at the mesa, lyingshadowed in the sunset. "I have notthe time. I have not the money. Toomany of my people need food andclothes. Too many must be cared for.I am too busy to be a Christian!""Write me, I pray, as One WhoLoves His Fellowmen!" I murmured,under my breath, and I made no effortto explain when my Indian friendturned puzzled child-like eyes upon

Store where Trader Tom bartersgroceries and clothing for theblankets and baskets and potteryof his tribesmen

quickly brings him back to earth.From a tiny rock hut with a dirtfloor Tom's business has grown to atwenty-five thousand dollar a year en-terprise. The big shadowy trading postis divided into two parts. One side ispiled high with brilliant baskets fromthe Second and Third Mesas, withcreamy golden pottery from the FirstMesa and with Katcinas, paintedgourds, drums and hand woven blanketsmade by the menfolk in their under-ground kivas, clubrooms. Here, in thesedown-cellar havens, the men gather andgossip and do their work, safe, becausethe women are not allowed to descendthe ladd ers! "Just like a MasonicLodge," says Tom.Invests in Bonds

In exchange for the handicrafts of histribe Tom trades sugar and flour andal l the things white education has taughtthe Indian to need. With the moneyTom buys Government bonds. Hebought a thousand dollars worth ofLiberty Bonds during the war and sincethen has taken over six thousand dol-lar's worth from his tribesmen whowanted their money. Tom, at one timetrusted a bank to keep his money. "Itbusted!" said he. "I never again seemy money I put in there. Somebodyelse, a white man I guess, must havetake it !" So now any extra change heha s he buries in a coffee can.

Tom is not what the missionariescall a Christian, but when they needmoney to build a bath house or to send

SHIPROCKShiprock, majestic in its tower-ing reach toward the turquoiseskies of northwestern NewMexico,gives us the cover for The DesertMagazine this month. The photo-graph is one of William M. Pen-nington's best.This mighty monument risesfrom the very core of the earth,more than 1800 feet from its baseto the top of its tallest spire, com-mands a widespreading view of thedesert in the homeland of theNavajo Indians.Impressive in massive dignitv;cathedral in design, to the early

I n d i a n s S h i p r o c k was endowedwith sacred significance. In itsshadow the tribesmen gathered forceremonial rites.Navajo name for the great rockis Sa-bi-ta-ihliteral ly, "Rock-With-Wings." Ground plan of themonument, as seen from a plane,resembles the shadow of an enor-mous bird in flight. Mystery is howcould the medicinemen of centurieslong ago have known that, for Ship-rock cannot be climbed. Volcanicdikes give the bird-like ground out-line.Legends declare the huge massof stone once flew through the airas a bird, before it came to rest inNavajoland.Geologists of the modern school,discarding legend, say the greatbulk of basaltic lava is a volcanic"plug ," an extrusion of molten lavafrom far below the crust of theearth.Th e two Navajos in the photo-graph and their steeds remind oneof descriptions of the followers ofGenghis Khan, who swept out ofthe Far East to scourge Europe,astride tough little horses kin to thepair pictured.

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BAH-ULTH-CHIN-THLAN Photo by W. M. PenningtonTHE FEEL O F THE DESERT

ACCEPTANCEA CCEPTANCE of what was unavoidable , andadjustment tc new condit ions were the prob-lems faced by Bah-Ulth-Chin-Thlan, memberof the Navajo tribe during that critical period whenthe white men were advancing westward in to theIndian domain.

This Pennington photo-portrait reveals the thought-ful dignity of one of the lead ing tribesm en. W heremilitant Be-Zhosie chose to sulk and preach defianceof the white man's laws, Bah-Ulth-Chin-Thlan wasone of the group which advocated peaceful accept-ance of the new order .

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first these gems held a strong fascina-tion for me. The name opal was amagic word.One evening while looking over aCalifornia map I saw the name "Opalmountain" marked on the desert sec-tion 35 miles northwest of Barstow. Myyouthful imagination immediately builtup a picture of a country where opalsmight be found as easily as moonstoneswere picked up on the beach.I was of course disappointed when Ifinally visited the district with my fatherand a friend. We failed to find opals ofgem quality but we did discover a num-ber of large bomb-like volcanic rockswhich proved to be geodes. Some ofthese were hollow and others were filledwith beautifully marked and coloredagate.In my ignorance I broke these upindiscriminately, ruining some finespecimens with my hamm er. Later Ibecame aware of my mistake when fsawed a few of the smaller geodes

This jewel case was cut from rosequartz. The gems shown are amiscellaneous collection of peb-bles picked up on the desert andpolished

which had not been broken and discov-ered the exquisite structure of the in-terior.On returning to the same localitylater to get more of these geodes wefound that others, equally ignorant, haddemolished all the remaining material.This happens so often that it is wellto mention here that in collecting min-erals on the desert the same rules ofsportsmanship should be applied thatprevail in game hunting: "Do not de-stroy" and "Leave some for others."A few geodes properly sawed in halfand polished are worth more than awhole sackful of broken fragments.Gems found on the desert are of twomain sources. The first are those stoneswhich have been carried to their presentlocation by water. The second are thosefound in or near the mother rock wherethey were formed.The former type is called an alluvial

BLOODSTONENext mon th John Hiltonwill tell readers of The Des-ert Magazine about Blood-stonewhat it is , how toidentify it, and where it isfound. He has also prepareda map as a guide to gemhungers who will be interest-ed in visiting one of the mosta c c es s ib l e f i e l d s w h e reBloodstone is to be obtainedin the Southern Californiadesert. The map will be pub-l ished accompanying the ar-ticle.

HARDNESS TESTIn this column each month Iwill discuss some of the technicalterms which necessarily appear ina series of articles on gemology.Later, when the meaning of themore important physical charac-teristics have been explained andthe technical terms defined, I shalldevolc this space to notes on gemcutting.The first and most importanttest used in identifying gems ishardn ess. According to the scalegenerally used there are ten de-grees of hardn ess. These degreesare represented by ten well knownminerals, talc being (1) and dia-mond (1 0) . Only four of theseare needed for tcs'ing stones ofgem quality, namely: feldspar (6),quartz crystal (7), topaz (8), sap-phire (corundum) (9).The hardness test is simple. Ahard mineral will always scratcha softer one. but the reverse isnever true. For example, mineral(3) will not scratch mineral (4),but (4) will scratch (3). Anymineral scratched bv feldspar (6)has a hardness of (5) or less, andhas no gem value. Any mineralthat cannot be scratched by (9) isa d :amond.Test specimens of the four min-era's can be obtained at small cost,and are very useful for the gemseeker.

deposit and it may be along the courseof a recent cloudburst, a prehistoricriver bed or an ancient beach line. Itmight be well to mention here that theface of the desert has been altered re-peatedly and what was once the bankof a river may now be the top of amou ntain. Gems in such deposits, beingof harder material than most of therock above them, survive the hundredsof miles and thousands of years oftravel to be cast finally upon a riverbank or washed out at some distantbeach. Or, after centuries of waiting,the land may have tilted leaving thedeposit high on some desert hillside.Then perhaps a summer cloudburst maydislodge it and send it on its way tobe redeposited in a stream bed below.Some of the gem pebbles found onthe floor of Imperial valley may havegone through this cycle several times,and their source may be traced alongancient river beds as far north as Can-ada. In such a locality, almost any peb-ble having a pleasing color and asmooth non-porous texture with a hard-ness sufficient to resist a common filecan be polished into a gem.With the added leisure of our modernsystem of living, people are castingabout for hobbies to occupy their time.I cannot recommend too highly the

hobby of collecting desert gems. It isan avocation that will take one out intoContinued on page 30F e b r u a r y , 1 9 3 8 9


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Soatdlnq fjou.5efiot SltJ.5

By NATT N. DODGE^ LAMMING the door of his car, the, Agent stepped briskly toward thehouse of Engineer Willard Bradleyat Grand Canyon Village. As he pausedbefore knocking, a tiny bird dartedfrom a pinon branch overhead, hov-ered beside his face, and chattered ex-citedly. As if this were a pre arrangedsignal, other birds came winging. Oneswooped to his shoulder, anotherperched on his hat, several flutteredabout his hands, others settled on theporch rail and on branche s. It was allquite bewildering to the Agent and hewas plainly relieved when a pleasant-10

W hen winter com es to GrandCanyon and the usual sourcesof food are buried beneath thesnow, the birds and animalsflock to the door of BlancheBradley, wife of a Park Serviceofficial. Here they find a friendwhose cupboard is never bare.Mrs. Bradley's interesting ex-periences with the wild life ofthe park are told in the ac-companying article by Natt N.Dodge .

Mrs. Bradley interviews one ofthe Pigmy Nuthatches which hasbecome a regular boarder. Thebird e vidently is not quite sure ofthe part played by the photog-rapher

faced lady opened the door and badehim enter."Whew!", he exclaimed, turning downhis coat collar, "lots of people keepdogs, but that's the first time I've everbeen met at the door by birds . Do theyscare off burglars?"

"Oh no", explained Mrs. Bradleysmiling, "they thought you had some-thing for them. They were after ahand out. Dogs and cats," she added,"are forbidden in a National Park sothe wild things are not in constant fear.They learn that people won't hurt them,and with a little time and patience theymay be tamed quite easily."Mrs. Bradley has always been inter-ested in birds. Wherever she has lived,

she has made a hobby of feeding them,but it was not until the long, hard win-The DESERT MAGAZINE


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ter of 1936-37 that she put this interestto practical use. Snow, which beganfalling on Christmas day and blanketedthe Southwest to the Mexican border,piled up in three-foot drifts on theSouth rim of the Grand Canyon. Aftera few days, it became apparent to resi-dents of Grand Canyon Village thatrabbits, deer, and the various species ofbirds which spent the winter in thatarea were having difficulty finding suffi-cient food. Then Mrs. Bradley wentinto action. She hung from treeibranchesseveral grape baskets containing grain,placed crushed pinon nuts on boardslaid on the surface of the snow, fastenedsuet to tree trunks for the woodpeckers,and in a sunny corner of the porch shemade a feeding box and stocked it withcornmeal and cereal for the smallerbirds.

Ravens ArriveFirst boarders at the Bradley housewere a pair of ravens. These awkwardblack foragers, which she later named"Honeyboy" and "Sassafras," had appe-tites that played havoc with the meagersup ply of foodstuffs. Fin ding that thesebirds preferred meat, Mrs. Bradleystocked up with scraps from the localbutcher. These she scattered and fromthe kitchen window watched with de-light the antics of the big ebony trampsas they shuffled clumsily about in thesoft snow. Twice a day, as regularly asher own children exclaimed, "Mother,I'm hungry!", the two ravens announcedtheir presence with harsh croaks. Mrs.

Bradley was astonished to find that thetwo of them consumed fifteen pounds ofmeat a week. She began to realize thatshe was in the bird restaurant business.Juncos and chickadees were patronizingthe hanging baskets, woodpeckers andsapsuckers frequented the suet posts,and breadcrusts tossed out on the snowwere eagerly sought by rabbits, AbertSquirrels, and by the mule deer whichinhabit the pinon-juniper forest whichblankets in somber green the rollingwilderness of the Coconino plateau.Throughout the winter, Honeyboy

and Sassafras were Mrs. Bradley's starboarders . These birds, like the come-dians for whom they were named,proved to be great mirth provokers.Their antics made their awkwardpseudo-dignity the more grotesque. Onon occasion, Mrs. Bradley tossed outsome weiners left over from a P.T.A.party. Shortly after, she noticed Honey-boy, with wings outspread and beak

When deep drifts make travel dif-ficult and food hard to find, deercame to the Bradley back door fora daily handout

gaping, pushing himself along on thesurface of the snow, plunging his headinto drifts and gulping great mouthfulsof the cold stuff. For a few momentsMrs. Bradley was puzzled althoughstirred to hilarity by the crazy appear-ance he made. Then she rememberedthat the weiners had been split and lib-erally flavored with mustard.The passing of winter and the melt-

ing of the snow did not lessen the pop-ularity of Mrs. Bradley's bird boardinghouse. Instead, the demands upon itincreased. Incoming hordes of migrat-ing birds stopped at the Bradley lunch-counter to gulp down a hasty meal orto leisurely partake of a satisfyingvariety and quantity of food. Summerresidents settled down in the vicinityand began to look about for nestingsites. The food baskets required moreand more frequent fillings. Rock squir-rels and chipmunks came out of hiber-nation and devised varied and ingeniousmethods of getting into the feed trays.Nuthatches, chickadees, bushtits, tit-mice, robins, chipping sparrows, juncos,mourning doves, and crested jays be-came steady patrons. Migrating cross-bills, grosbeaks and house finchesstopped at the Bradley oasis for shortrests and deep drinks at the water basin.Chestnut-backed bluebirds settled inazure showers. Flickers augmented thewoodpecker waiting-line at the suetracks. Although apparently fond ofbreakfast food cereals and corn meal,the flickers found difficulty in eating it.By this time, Mrs. Bradley had be-come absorbed with the fascinatingstudy of the activities of the variousbirds that had taken up residences in

the vicinity and, in order to encourageas many as possible to stay, she placednesting boxes in the trees. Several ofthese were immediately investigated byhouse hunters, and nest-building wassoon in progress. Bluebirds and nut-hatches occupied nearly all of the quar-ters, entertaining the Bradley familywith their broodrearing activities. Asleek rock squirrel took up its resi-dence beneath the Bradley house andbecame a family pet, but created con-siderable antagonism among the blue-birds whose nests he insisted on investi-gating. He was not a welcome visitor,and was always driven off with a fiercebeating of wings and snapping of beaks.

Birds Becom e FriendlyWith the passing of summer and thematuring of the fledgelings, the birds be-gan to show more of an interest in theirhostess. Frequently, as Mrs. Bradleyreplenished the food in the baskets,

nuthatches or chickadees flew down tohover about her head or alight on theedges of the dish she held. She talkedto them in conversational tones alwaysmoving quietly and slowly. They soonlearned to know her voice, and wouldcome at her call, dropping down uponher shoulder or outstretched hand. Oftena Rocky Mountain nuthatch might beseen on the windowsill peering intentlyat his benefactress washing dishes justinside.Although both species of nuthatcheshave become very tame and literallymob Mrs. Bradley every time she stepsoutside, a chickadee has made himselfparticularly intrusive. When hungry,Continued on page 28

F e b r u a r y , 1 9 3 8 11


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Recognized as two of the most skilled rock climbersin the West, Glen Dawson and Bob Brinton recentlyattempted to scale the unconquered walls of Monu-ment Peak near Parker, Arizona. They failed to reachtheir objective, but the story of their adventure isnone the less interesting because it gives an insightinto an outdoor sport which is gaining in popularityamong western Americans. The picture on the leftshows Dawson on a typical rope down over a verticalface of rock.

llnclim tted

v.

PinnacleOF THE DESERT

W HEN Engineer Harrington, chief of a party of U. S.Land Office surveyors engaged in running the sectionlines on the Colorado River Tndian reservation atParker, Arizona, in 1912, sent out a detail one morning tolocate and mark the northwest boundary corner of theIndian lands, the men came back a few hours later andreported that it couldn't be done."No human being can climb the peak where that cornermonument is supposed to be located," they told Harring-ton. "An d so we did the next best thing and drove theiron post horizontally into the base of the pinnacle."It is still there.So far as the records show, Monument Peak remainsuncl imbed, althoug h four men w ho rank high amongPacific coast rock-and-rope experts have made the attempt.Monument Peak is a conspicuous needle of disintegratinggranite located across the Colorado river and a few milesnorth of Parke r. The Indian reservation includes a tri-angular slice of California soil, and this peak marks theapex of the triang le. Few people except residents of theimmediate area had given much notice to this striking land-mark until the U. S. Reclamation Bureau started construc-tion of a dam in the Colorado river for the MetropolitanWater District.Rock sccalers among the dam workers often discussedthe possibilities of an ascent and finally in April, lastyear, John Mendenhall and John Schaffer made the attempt.Although both men rate high as rock climbers, they werenot well equipped for a vertical ascent involving so manydifficulties, and reached a point only about half way up.They reported, however, that the peak might be scaled byclimbers supplied with pitons and other equipment of theclimbing fraternity.Regarding this report as more or less a challenge, a well-organized attempt was made on the peak last October byGlen Dawson and Bob Brinton, ace rock men of the Sierraclub of California . They reached the spike which Menden-hall and Schaffer had driven into the wall, and Brintonadvanced perhaps 30 or 40 feet above, but at that pointthe men decided that it was too hazardous to continue.The story of this last attempt is given in the accompany-ing report written for Desert Magazine readers by Dawson.

12 The DESERT MAGAZINE


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By GLEN DAW 5ONIt was George Bauens who first told me about a spectacu-lar unclimbed monolith near Parker Dam. Then anotherSierra Club member, John Mendenhall, showed me picturestaken during an attempt which he made on the peak.Bob Brinton and I decided that we would try it. Onenight last October we followed an old road and campedjust below what we thought was the unclimbed pinnacle.

The next morning we went up with easebut it was thewrong peak.After some inquiry we found the road leading from Parkerdam into Copper Basin. And there across the basin was animpressive pinnacle of rock which dominated the wholelandscape. There could be no doubt that this was Monu-ment Peak. Its sheer walls were a challenge to any climb er.A warm steep scramble brought us around to the westside of the peak where it adjoins a more massive mountain.Here we found a bench mark, the highest point reachedby the surveyors.Towering immediately above us was a great pile of rocks,brittle and loose to the slightest touch, yet rising in a ver-tical wall more than 360 feet overhead and 2446 feet abovesea level.A glance at the wall is enough to discourage anyone,but after coming across the state of California we had togo through w ith the forma lity of trying it. Using 90 feetof 7/16 inch yachting rope, Bob and I started the ascent.For difficult climbing, a party of two is the minimum andthree the maximum, tied together on one rope.With a bowline knot at his waist, Brinton went firstand I protected him as best I could by belaying the ropearound m y hips . He moved cautiously, testing each rock,Continued on page 22

Dolled white line shows the routetaken by the tivo climbers. In the small,circle at the top is Brinton at the highestpoint reached in the climb, with Daw-son just below. For the protection ojthe climber above, Dawson has a securehold on a safety rope which is knottedaround Brinton's waist.

Bob Brinton, left, and Glen Dawsonstudying a possible route up the brokenrock face which leads to the summit ojMonument Peak. The softness of therock rather than lack of footing andhandholds defeated the climbers.

F e b r u a r y , 1 9 3 8 13


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1

This personal sketch of Dr. W.T. Heffernan h as be en in prep -a ra t ion for severa l weeks . Theday be fore the manusc r ip t wasto go to the printers , on Decem-ber 29, word came of the doc-tor 's dea th . W e ha d hop ed tha tthe print ing of this record mightbr ing a g low of added happi -ness to the c losing years of thedo ctor' s life. But sinc e thatcould not be, we offer it un-changed as a t ribute to thememory of a man to whosevis ion and courage the wholeof Imperia l Valley is a l ivinga nd g rowi ng m onum e n t .

Editor.

LATE ONE night in 1902 a dis-tracted Mexican rode into the

little cluster of tent houses whichformed the headquarters camp for engi-neers who were building a canal fromthe Colorado river to reclaim the SaltonSink of California."I must have a doctor," he cried inbroken En glish. "My wife is vereeseeck. My three muchachos they allalone. They cry."He had traveled 70 miles acrossdesert barrancas and through mesquitethickets to reach the nearest settlement.His camp was at El Mayor far down onthe delta of the Colorado river.There was no practicing physician inthe little border settlement where he

---but HelpedReclaim aDesert EmpireBy RANDALL HENDERSON

came located on the present site ofCalexico. But in one of the tents was aformer government doctor from the In-dian reservation at Yuma. He had dis-continued his practice to develop hisnewly acquired homestead and to helppilot the affairs of the new irrigationproject in which he was financiallyinterested.When he heard the story of the Mexi-can wife in distress he said he wouldgo . They rode all night with only thestars and the dim silhouette of the dis-tant Cocopah mountains to guide them.At ten the next morning they arrived atthe camp, and the Mexican woman wassoon relieved.As compensation for his 140-miletrip across an unfriendly desert, thedoctor received from the Mexican agrateful "muclias gracias!"And that "thank you" just aboutsums up the total reward which hascome to Dr. W. T. Heffernan in returnfor the investment of all his savings and

the major years of his life in the bring-ing of water to the Colorado desert.Dr. Heffernan was the man who sup-plied funds for C. R. Rockwood's "crazydream" when all other sources failed.Rockwo od, for the. inform ation of thosewho do not already know, was the engi-neer who first conceived a feasible planfor using Colorado river water to con-vert the west's most forbidding desertregion into one of the most productivegardens in the world.The first meeting of these two menRockwood and Heffernanwho were

to play leading roles in the reclama-tion of Imperial valley, was at Yuma14 The DESERT MAGAZINE


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DEVIL'SGARDEN

HalftoneReproduct ion

of painting

By PAUL GRIMMPalm Spr ings

in 1892. Dr. Heffernan was 25 then.He had been graduated from the medi-cal school at the University of Cincin-nati, his birthplace. A young physician,just out of school, he wanted to seesomething of the world before settlingdown to an established practice in hisown office.He went to Washington and took anexamination for the U. S. Army Medi-cal corps. He passed the examination,but the Army wanted to send him toa remote post in Montana. He dislikedthe idea of a frigid winter climate andrejected the commission which was of-fered him.Then he went across to the IndianBureau. Yes, there was an openingwhere he would not be troubled withzero weatherat Yuma, Arizona.And so the young doctor came westto become resident physician and sur-

geon for the Yuma Indian school at$1500 a year. Later he served for fouryears in the additional capacity as phy-sician for the Arizona State penitentiary,then located on the hill overlookingYuma.He was a highly skilled surgeon andthere were constant demands for hisservices from private sources. With twosalaried positions and a lucrative pri-vate practice he soon accumulated asizeable savings account.Then came the meeting with the vis-ionary young engineer who wanted tomake two blades of grass grow on landso arid that it would not even sprout acactus.

Painter of the Desert SunlightA PPRECIATION and understandingof the subtle lure which the desertholds for thoughtful human beingsis evident in the paintings of PaulGrimm, who has spent his winters forthe past seven years working in thevicinity of Palm Springs, California.He is a master painter of the sun-light, and it follows naturally that hisbest work is done in the desert. Hisstudio is the great outdoors, and moreoften than not he will be found in asecluded arroyo or on a remote hillsidepainting a desert landscape which theeyes of casual visitors have never seen.Grimm is a native of Capetown,South Africa. Born of German parents,

he spent his boyhood in Germany andSwitzerland. Later he accompanied hisfamily to Rochester, New York, wherehis painting career was begun.Recognition of his work has comefrom many high sources. He won theBausch & Lomb scho larship for paint-ing, and later in Germany was awardeda six-year scholarship in the RoyalAcademy at Dusseldorf.His summers are spent in paintingthe High Sierras. In his recreationhours he will often be found rolling anexcellent game of ten pins at the Vil-lage bowling alley. His pictures areexhibited exclusively in the Findlaygallery at Palm Springs.

They messed together in the oldYuma hotel, and their acquaintance de-veloped into a warm friendship. Rock-wood talked incessantly of his plansfor diverting the Colorado into theSalton Sink. Dr. Heffernan liked Rock-wood, and was interested.When the engineer's original backersran out of funds before the preliminarysurveys were completed and withdrewfrom the projec t, Dr. Heffernan offeredto help with his own savings.Rockwood was without funds of hisown, and practically every penny whichwent into the promotion and develop-ment of the Imperial project between

1892 and the entrance of the Chaffeyinterests into the undertaking manyyears later, came from the checkbook ofDr. Heffernan.First it was $7,800 to buy up the orig-inal surveys and equipment; then$5,000 down and $250 a month for theAndrade option on Mexican landsthrough which the canal was to be con-structed; then $2,000 for the option onHall Hanlon's river ranch where theheading was to be located.In 1895 the Southern California Landand Improvement company was formedContinued on page 31

February, 1938 15


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Cftavey*of the

A LammotillBy JOHN STEWART MacCLARYO NE DAYprobably within the next threeyearsthe hardrock excavators and builderswill put away their tools, andAmericans willbe invited to come to a certain desert hillside alongthe Green river in northeastern Utah and viewone of the strangest sights in all the worldCross-section of a prehistoric graveyard

the burial place of Gargantuan reptileswhich roamed the earth 140,000,000 yearsago!Today the Dinosaur National Monument is justan obscure dot on themap. But it requires no pro-phetic vision to foresee the time when the unusualmuseum now in preparation at this place will beone of the most popular attractions in the wholepark system.My first visit to the Dinosaur monument was in1928. I had seen photographs of a partial dino-saur skeleton, apparently carved in relief on hevertical face of a cliff located somewhere in themonument reserve. I wanted to see thequeer thingto make myownpictures of it.When a business errand took me into the Uintahbasin of Utah, to Duchesne and Vernal and theWhiterocks Ute Indian agency, it appeared to beconvenient time to spend an extra half day hunt-ing dinosaurs. My brother, vacationing with me,shared my interest."According to the road map," Bill said, "theDinosaur National Monument is duenorth of Jen-sen, Utah. There appears to be about five or sixmiles of dirt road between Jensen and ihe Monu-mentand Jensen is on the highway that leadsfrom Salt Lake City to Denver. Let's go and seewhat there is to be found."We inquired at Jensen's post office-store regard-ing custodians or guides in the National Monument.The proprietor was away. The information gainedfrom the young manon duty wasnot encouraging."Up there ." he pointed northward, "There ain'tno guides, nor custodians, nor nobody. Just barehills with a few holes in 'em. They were takenmore than one hundred miles, to the railroad atPrice, Utah. I've heard that they shipped sevencarloads. They didn't leave nothin' to see. Youcan go up to the hills an' prowl around, if youlike, but you'll just bewastin' time."Bu t wewent to thehills, just the same.The distance northward from Jensen and High-way 40 was almost exactly six miles to the spotwhere the dirt road came to an end. Fields ofalfalfa on the fertile flood plain of Green riveremphasized the drab tones of hills in the Dinosaur



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Artist's concept, of anim als w hich roamed the earth 140,000,000 years ago. Painting by Charles R. Knight under direc-tion of Henry Fairfield Osborn. Copyrighted by American Museum of Natural History. Reprodu ced in Desert Magazinethrough the courtesy of Dr. Barnum Brown.National Monument. Those cedar-dottedmounds have the appearance of im-mense sand dunes. But they aren't. In-stead, they are the prehistoric equiva-lent of modern structural concrete; sandand gravel and lime, bonded togetherinto a solid mass of stone that is harderand tougher than any cement paving.Scientists believe that when the vastinland area was covered by a Jurassiclakesome 140,000,000 years agothe great sandstone hills which we seetoday were sandbars and shoals ofquicksand. The fossil skeletons now en-tombed in solid stone must have beenswept as carcasses into the quicksandfrom distant regions. Once buried inthe heavily mineralized sand, shut awayfrom sunshine and air, the bones werepetrified by chemical replacement ofcells with the minerals which cementedthe sand grains together.

That theory is logical and scientifi-cally sound. It explains why some ofthe fossil skeletons are found dismem-bered and jumbled together and why asmany as eleven different kinds havebeen found in this particular locality.High on a ridge which formed theeastern wall of the canyon there wasvisible evidence of past excavation. Atiny house of concrete blocks, with opendoor and empty window, overlooked adeep gash in the hill. Probably thebuilding had housed the office of scien-tists in charge of the work.Near at hand was a signboard declar-ing that this was the Dinosaur NationalMonument with the added warning:

"Carving or writing of initials or otherinscriptions on any wall, formation orbuilding is strictly prohibited."The visible cleft in the hill, below theabandoned little building, seemed thelogical place to look for the dinosaurskeleton-in-relief we were seeking. Weclimbed the steep gritty hillside, scarce-ly knowing what we might expect to see.What we saw in the cleft was only theevidence of past human lab ors. It ap-peared that all seven carloads of fossilbones had been quarried from that pit.But the job of mopping-up had been

thorough. As our informant at Jensenhad warned, "They didn't leave nothin"to see."If you visit the Dinosaur NationalMonument today, searching for the cleftI have mentioned you will not find thespot. It has been dug away. A newlandscape has been created.From 50 to 100 men have worked fornearly three years carefully pulling thehillside apart, inspecting each piece ofloosened stone for fossil remains it mayconceal. The stone which we trod in1928 was broken into rubble long ago.At the stage of excavation shown in this photograph the skeletons to be exhibitedin the Dinosaur National Monument, will be left imbedded in the rock an d coatedwith protective varnish. Carnegie Museum photograph.

mFebruary , 1931 17


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Hills wh ere Dinosaur N ational M onument, is located. Picture was taken justpreceding cloud burst which visited the spot O ctober 15, 1937. Photo, courtesyiNational Park Service.The excavation is many times deeperthan the one from which seven flat carswere loaded.Into that excavation, before long, willgo carpenters and stone masons, glaz-iers and decorators, steam-fitters, plumb-ers, electriciansevery type of artisanand craftsman required to erect an ultra-modern museum building. And all ofthem will be supervised by scientistswhose aim is to preserve visual evidenceof prehistoric life in Utah.The specially designed museum build-ing will be as unique as its unusualsetting. The entire north wall of the190-foot building will be formed bythe fossil-bearing cliff. The fossils willnot be removed from the stone whichhas encased them through the ages.Instead, they will be left in place asa permanent display of petrified bonesin the matrix whose chemical action hastransformed them into stone. Above andbelow and in front of the specimens,stone particles will be skillfully re-moved. The effect will be a panel ofancient fossils sculptured in bas-relief.Concealed spotlights will emphasize im-portant details.The opposite wall of the building willbe covered by a gigantic mural 20 feetin height and 190 feet in length show-ing the dinosaurs as they looked whenalive in the swampy terrain 140,000,000years ago.In the center of the room will belife-scale models of the creatures whosefossil skeletons are exposed in the northwall. Trained guides will explain theexhibits, answering questions and relat-ing facts concerning the discovery anddevelopment of this most unusual ex-

hibition.It was Dr. Earl Douglas of the Car-negie Museum who, in 1909, started ex-cavating where the petrified tail of adinosaur projected from a cliff of stone.By the time that skeleton had been re-moved from its stony tomb, it was iden-tified as an unusually fine specimen ofBrontosaurus, the rarest and the largestof sauropod dinosaurs, 80 feet in lengthand 15 feet high at the hips. By acci-dent the bones were distributed betweenthree institutions which had dug forfossil specimens. One had the tail, an-other had the long neck, the third hadthe body of the beast!Eventually all the parts were acquiredby the American Museum of NaturalHistory which will assemble the fossilbones and display the ancient giant inNew York City.President Woodrow Wilson, in 1915,set aside an area of 80 acres surround-ing the qua rry. This tract was giventhe name of Dinosaur National Monu-ment and was placed under the jurisdic-tion of the National Park Service. Re-cently the State of Utah has increasedthe area by giving 12 sections of adjoin-ing land.The American Museum of NaturalHistory became actively interested inthe possibilities of the Dinosaur Na-tional Monument in 1931. Since thattime the general development of theMonument has been directed by Dr.Barnum Brown of the American Mu-seum staff, whose activities in the fieldof vertebrate paleontology have ex-tended over 40 years.In the present project work has beencooperatively shared by the National

Park Service, the American Museum ofNatural History and the State of Utah.Employing emergency workers on tasksnot demanding technical skill, the Na-tional Park Service is excavating to thedepth assigned for the museum site andwill erect the building in which the ex-hibits will be displayed, also the housesfor resident custodians.Other improvements in the hands ofthe National Park Service will includethe development of water supply, andthe creation of a huge parking area forthe accommodation of motoring visitors.When the rough work of excavationis completed, the American Museum isto supply technically trained workersfor the purpose of cleaning away sur-plus stone from around the fossils tobe displayed.The State of Utah is to improve theroad from Jensen to the Dinosaur Na-tional Monument, creating an all-weather route over which the interestedfolks of the world may comfortablytravel to visit a display such as can beseen nowhere else on earth.R O A D I N F O R M A T I O N F O RDEATH VALLEY VISITORSMotorists planning trips to DeathValley this winter will be interested ina late bulletin issued by the NationalPark Service describing road conditionsin the national monument:From Baker via Shoshone and DeathValley Junctionall paved.From Shoshone via Salsberry andJubilee passesfair gravel road fromShoshone to Ashford Mill; paved fromAshford Mill northward on east side ofthe Valley.From Las Vegas via Death Valleyjunction all paved.From Beatty via Daylight Passrough gravel road from Beatty to Day-light Pass; paved from Daylight Passwestward.From Lone Pine via Townes Passthe new Mt. Whitney-Death Valley roadis open. This provides an excellent ap-proach to the Valley from the west, alloil-surfaced except 3 miles west ofTownes Pass.From Olancha via Townes Passfair gravel and sand road from Olan-cha to junction of new road, balance oilsurfaced.From Trona via Wildrose and Emi-grant Passgood gravel road fromValley Wells to mouth of WildroseCanyon; paved from Wildrose Canyoneastward.All main roads within Death ValleyNational Monument are open and inexcellent condition with following ex-ceptions: Titus Canyonclosed tem-porarily; open later; Road north fromSurveyor's Well to Scotty's castle,rough but passable.



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nThe mail man brings in an armful

of 'em every morningsome withchecks, others with good wish es, anda few with new ideas and criticisms.They are all st imulating, becausethey prove that many people, bothon and away from the desert, areinterested in this publication. W e'renever too busy to appreciate a letterso this is your invitation to write.W e w ould like to hear from everyreader of this magazine at least oncea year.Temecula, Calif.Dear Editor:

Your magazine, December issue, frontcover picture of Borego Badlands. Attaboy, Desert! Stick to the old names sothat we will know what you are talkingabout.Borego B adlands that's just whatit is to every old-timer. When they tryto change the name of a place like theBadlands to "Painted Desert" it's likecalling Buffalo Bill "Willie."K. V. BENNIS

Highgrove, CaliforniaDear Sir:f picked up your December numberof The Desert magazine, the first copyI ever saw, and I must say that it issomething California needs more thana good five-cent cigar. It is chock fullof interest from cover to cover, forfolks who love the desert.OTTO H. ROWLAND

Poetsville, ArizonaEditor, Desert Magazine:0 Editor please,I'm flown on my kneesTo pray for the fateOf our Magazine great.There's Stingle and SteveAnd McCall I believeWho try to write verseWhich couldn't be worse.They'd smear up your Mag.With illiterate slag,And kill every traceOf sweetness and grace.So head them off nowThese poets low-brow,Our Magazine saveFrom a punk rhymster's grave.

Yours, JINGLERThe World's Worst Poet

Alliance, OhioDear Messrs. Henderson and McKenney:From a gracious friend 2,000 milesaway I received your first number ofThe Desert Magazine. Those who do notlove the desert probably do not permitthemselves to find much beauty in lifeitself.There is only one thing I dislikeabout your new magazine, and aboutmy friend in Nevada for sending it.That is that it makes me restless for thefreedom of the desert nowwhile Iknow that I must seek happiness inmy work which is here.(Miss) JO BINGHAM

Los Angeles, Calif.Dear Sir:Last weekend, following a hobby ofknocking around in desert places, myson and I took a run up Pushawallacanyon, the trip which was describedin a recent issue of The Desert. Thescenery was all you described, and weenjoyed the experience immensely . . .And incidentally I think your articlerelative to Pushawalla must have

brought out some traffic, because thetrail up the canyon and beyond the firstamphitheater of palms had gotten alittle cut upto such an extent that wehad to cut brushwood and dig out of thesand three times on the trip. But iheselittle incidents are what make deserttravel interesting. D. C. MacEWENPomona, Calif.Dear Sir:Why didn't you people publish amagazine like this long ago? To myknowledge this is the best magazine onthe newsstands today, and no foolin'either. I sure wish you success.STEVE MARCIAS

Tucson, ArizonaTo the Editor:I want to thank you for publishingThe Desert. It's brimful of what thedesert holds, and so many people missentirely . I want you to know that yourmagazine is appreciated, and many hereare buying it. CORRINE FENTON

Painted Canyon in the Indio-Mecca Hills

F e b r u a r y , 1 9 3 8 19


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Precipitous rock walls of the desert in many placesare covered wi th cur ious images , somet imes pa in tedbut more often incised in the rock itself. No one knowshow long they have been there, nor can any l ivingperson s ta te wi th assurance jus t what they mean . Butthey are there, the graphic symbols of a race of peoplewho were str iving perhaps to give expression to thatsame inner u rge which causes the men and women oftoday to write poetry and carve exquisite sculptures.With the thought of throwing some light on the originand meaning of these myster ious symbols, The DesertMagazine asked F. R. Johnston, president of theArcheological Society of Southern California, to givehis conclusions regarding some of them.

-Qtt (falUtij of)flncient UndLlanl

1

"V'i

I By F. R. JOHNSTONN INYO county, California, is a small canyon, un-named on the maps but often referred to as SandTank canyon, which may properly be called the ArtGallery of the prehistoric Indians of the desert.Ten thousand or more petroglyphic figures, represent-ing the crude art of many generations and perhaps manytribes of ancient dwellers, decorate the vertical walls ofthis obscure gorge for a distance of approximately threemiles.The picture writings of the early Indian inhabitantsare to be found in many places on the Southwest desert,but here is the greatest collection known to exist in thisregion.

There are five horizontal strata of rock in the composi-tion of these canyon walls, with petroglyphs on all ofthem. Those near the bottom show the wearing effect offlood torrents, and are not as distinct as the ones above.Combining the conclusion of geologists and archeologists,one is led to the conclusion that a dense population ofIndian tribesmen made their homes in the region of thiscanyon at a period when water and game were far moreplentiful than today.Different types of petroglyphs tell the story of differentperiods of occupancy. None of us is expert enough tostate definitely that a given petroglyph is an authenticreproduction of a certain animal or bird, and yet themeaning of many of them appears to be clear.At one point in the canyon is a figure which closelyresembles an opossumand yet the scientists tell us thatthe 'possum has been a native of the coastal area less than150 years. The deer and the goat appear to predominate.Bear tracks are shown, but not the bear. This anima l washeld in sacred awe by the Indians and its death was theoccasion for a ceremony.Many of the pictures appear to be merely the artist'sillustration of an idea or dream or legend. This group



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of symbols of course is beyond the possibility of trans-lation.The data presented on the opposite page in explanationof the petroglyph pictures, is offered merely as the writer'sinterpretation of these strange symbols. No one can saywith absolute assurance just what these rock drawingsmean.The following descriptive paragraphs are numbered tocorrespond with the pictures, starting at the top of theopposite page.

1Possibly a mythological figure. More likely a cere-monial pose, showing a tribesman with arms out-stretchedin supplication to the Gods. Indians never addressed theirdeities kneeling, as do the white men.2Here the hunter is after game. Note the arrow inthe back of the foremost deer, bent at right angles nearthe top. All hunting scenes where there was a direct hitwith bow and arrow are depicted thus. If the animal hasbeen killed with a spear the weapon is straight, and gen-erally extends entirely through the body.3One character, left center, is outlined as a Deity in

elaborate* dress. The circle with cross is believed to rep re-sent a roll of blankets or a trader come to barter . Theoutline second from the right is a series of small lakesor basins of water. The two outside figures could repre-sent looms, or might be dream symbols.4This represents three bodies wrapped for burial.These images are found on a large sandstone boulder atthe upp er rim of the canyon. The rock is about four feetin diameter. The markings no doubt pertain to the rankand material wealth of the deceased Indians.5This is the most interesting of all the pictographsfound in the canyon. It represents 81 men on the march.My interpretation is that this depicts the migration from

the valley about the time the Owens valley lakes beganto dry up and water became scarce. Only one water signis shownthe circle with line indicating a lake or sourceof supply. The figure standing above the group is takento be the chief. At the left and below the lake is ananimal, probably a deer. In most instances the petroglyphsin this region show an abundance of game. The lonedeer in this picture indicates that game is disappearingas the water supply diminishes.6The main character is a warrior with headdress andregalia of the Buffalo dance of the plains Indian s. Wh ileno buffalo are known to have existed in this region, itis possible that a tribesman may have witnessed such a

dance and reproduced it here to show others what hehad seen, just as dream visions were recorded on therocks. The coiled snake is typical of the region, and wasrevered by all tribes. The serpent is in closer contactwith the Earth than any other of the Little Brothers ofthe redskin. An animal is shown quite clearly near thesnake.7This picture is at the entrance to the canyon andshows two war riors in battle. Pro bab ly the larger of thetwo figures is the home tribesman, a mightier man thanhis enemy. All men in Indian pictures are similar in form.Women are distinguished by the presence of some sort ofskirt.8Shows deer and fawns being pursued by wolves orcoyotes. Several such scenes are depicted in the canyo n.

F e b r u a r y , 1 93 8 21


24/36

Unclimbed PinnacleContinued from page 13

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

keeping his weight on his feet and usinghis arms and hands for balance, butnotfor lifting purposes except when neces-sary.He came to a ledge where he couldbelay me, and he took in the rope, keep-ing it not quite taut as I moved up therock face toward him. A belayingpoint is known in climber's languageas a stance, and the distance betweentwo stances is a pitch.Two pitches up the face we came toa tin can containing the record of JohnMendenhall and John Schaffer whomade the attempt similar to ours inApril, 1937. At their highest pointthey had driven an iron stake into acrevice. Brinton went up to the stakeand drove in a piton, which is an ironpeg with a hole in the end. This equip-ment is made in Germany especiallyfor rock climbing. A snap ring knownas a carabiner is clipped into the pitonand the rope clipped into the carabiner.On the ascent of the higher Cathedralspire in Yosemite 38 pitons were used.

Route Becom es HazardousWhen Brinton began working hisway up the next pitch over loose rockabove a massive overhang I began to

think about our margin of safety. Brin-ton is a brilliant leader and I wasanchored to the piton, but I felt thatour experience in loose rock did notjustify our going further.Geoffery Winthrop Young, leadingauthority on mountain climbing, con-siders consistent judgment the mostimportant factor in leadership. Sinceturning back on Monument Peak I havetried to analyze my own reactions todetermine whether for the time beingI was unduly frightened or justlycautious. The climbing is not difficult

as climbing goes, but very dangerous.In Yosemite and on Tahquitz Rocknear Idyllwild the granite providesfewer handholds but is much more de-pendable. German mountaineers taketheir climbing so seriously that theyattempt ascents which English and Am-erican climbers consider unjustifiable.Drawing the delicate line is one of themajor problems of rock climbing andmountaineering.We had spent two days finding ourpeak and in a few moments I had madethe decision to turn back. The theory

that it is better to be too cautious thannot cautious enough was about the onlyconsolation for our failure.

For the descent we took out our 200-foot rope of 5/16 inch diameter andattached it to the middle piton with asling rope. Climbing down is usuallymore difficult than going up, and ropingdown properly is one of the most im-portant skills of a rock climber.We doubled the rope and when wereached a tiny ledge retrieved it bypulling it through the sling. This pro-cess was repeated to the base. Thelast rope down was over an overhangand the rope burned us slightly in spiteof extra patches on our pants.

Peak Can Be ClimbedOld timers say that Monument Peakis impossible, but both rock climbingparties who have reached the half waypoint believe it can be conquered byan experienced party with a less con-servative mental attitude.Our trip was not disappointing be-cause we did not reach the top. Rather,it was dismaying because we did notfind good rock on which to work. Ex-ploring has always been a major sportin the desert regions, and with moreand better roads the way is beingopened for more detailed explorations.Climbing ability depends on naturalaptitude and upon training and ex-perience. In Los Angeles, San Fran-cisco and Berkeley, Sierra club expertsregularly give instruction in climbingtechnique on practice rock walls.The Southwest is full of peaks whichmay have climbing possibilities. Ship-rock in New Mexico has been given upas impossible by more than one moun-taineer. Picacho, near Yuma, is adelightful climb, and for the expert thegreat flat-topped summits of southernUtah are climbs worthy of the highest

traditions of Alpinism.Development of the sport of rockclimbing in the Southwest is a new andentrancing field. Those who enjoy theadventure of a precipitous rock wallmay yet discover what Monument Peakfailed to providea good desert rockclimbing center.

Albert Stetson'sAZTCCMOPMEXICAN AND INDIAN GIFTS23 E. Adam s Phoenix, Ariz.



25/36

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

ARIZONAAJOPima Co., Arizona

Sp. "garlic." Elevation 1,850 feet. Railroadstation and copper mine at southern end ofTucson, Cornelia and Gila Bend R. R. Stationestablished 1916. One of oldest mining campsin state, worked continuously since 1855. Firstshipments of ore to San Francisco in 1856.Emory called it Ajo in 1854."The Ajo Company was formed in SanFrancisco in 1854, with Major General RobertAllen, U. S. A., president; E. E. Dunbar,secretary-manager. First ore packed to Yumaon mule back at a cost of $105 a ton."(Poston.) Named after Ajo mountains. W ildgarlic grows all over hills in good seasons."Dr. McDougal found two very interestingplants. One was Ajo lily, from which themountain range and valley are named. Theroot we found tasted very like an onion set."(Horna day.) In 1926 the residents of Ajotried to change the name to Greenway in honorof Major John C. Greenway, of the RoughRiders, who developed the mine, built therailroad to it, and did much for the town.The change was not approved by the U. S.Geographic Board because of its rule againstsupplanting old, well established names bynew ones. Postoffice established Aug. 29, 1900.HASSAYAMPA RIVERArizonaOriginally spelled "Assamp" in old miningnotices. Later, "Hassamp" or "Hasiamp."Rises in Yavapai county on north slope ofMount Union; flows south, enters Gila atPowers Butte, Maricopa county.According to D. E. Connor: "Was firstcalled 'Haviamp.' Wheelhouse, secretary ofthe mining district, did not like the spelling;said it was not Spanish enough and in thedistrict notices he spells it 'Hassayamp'.""Said to have been named by PaulineWeaver and to mean 'beautiful waters'."James, Arizona the Wonderland."According to a Yuma Indian employed byme, this name 'Hassa-yamp' means 'waterthat is hidden' or 'water that is in a dry bed'."Letter, J. H. McClintock.

"You've heard about the wondrous streamThey call the HassayampThey say it turns a truthful guyInto a lying scamp.And if you quaff its waters onceIt's sure to prove your baneYou'll ne'er forsake the blasted streamOr tell the truth again."Orick JacksonT

THE NEEDLESMohave Co., ArizonaGroup of three sharp peaks on Arizona side,Colorado river. About five miles below pointwhere Santa Fe railroad crosses river. Socalled by Whipple, 1853. Ives says: "Acluster of slender, prominent pinnacles namedby Lieut. Whipple, 'The Needles'". Townof same name on California side of river.THOMAS PEAKApache Co., ArizonaElevation 11,470 ft. Apache India n reser-vation. One of main peaks in White Moun-tains east of Ft. Apache. After Major GeneralThomas, U.S.A. Turning point on line betweenIndian reservation and National forest. Alsocalled "Baldy" on some maps.

SUPERSTITION MTS.Pinal Co., ArizonaElevation 5,030 feet. Pluge uplift 40 mileseast of Phoenix. Name "Superstition" hasbeen accounted for by stories told earlysettlers, especially the Spanish, by the Pimas,that these mountains or at least their frontpeak were "bad medicine." Indians saidApaches from its summit watched for wan-dering bands of Pimas or Maricopas anddescended upon and killed them. "Theirarrows could not fail them," so the Pimassaid. Undoubtedly the valley Indians dreadedor revered these mountains as the case maybe. These rough uninhabited mountains arefine setting for legends of "lost" gold mines.The "Lost Dutchman" mine is one of theselegendary affairs for which no historical basisexists. Romance, however, will live long afterhistorical facts fade away.

CALIFORNIACAHUILLARiverside Co., California(Kay wee'yah) A Shoshonean tribe or dia-lect group of San Gorgonio pass and theColorado desert. Also a reservation in River-side county. Word according to Mott means"mas ter." Name of clear water lake whichonce occupied below-sea level basin of Im-perial valley.FURNACE CREEKDeath Valley, CaliforniaRemains of an old furnace were found hereand supposed to be the place where theMormons worked ore in 1858. The anvil atAnvil Springs was also supposed to be ofMormon origin. Chalfant refutes this theory,however, and thinks the equipment belongedto Mexican miners.OLANCHEInyo Co., California(Oh lahn'chah) The Yokuts tribe wascalled Yaw-lan-che, and it is likely the town,peak and mine in Inyo county are a deriva-tive. Means "huge wave," (Mott.) The firstmine by that name was worked in 1864.

NEVADACARSON CITYOrmsby Co., NevadaAlso valley, river, etc. All named for KitCarson who was in Carson valley in 1830-33.Carson City incorporated in 1875.

NEW MEXICOALBUQUERQUENew MexicoDon Francisco Cuervo, temporary governorof New Mexico under Spanish rule foundedthe town in 1706, naming it San Franciscode Alburquerq ue. This was to honor himselfand the Duke of Alburquerque, viceroy ofNew Spain who had given him the appoint-ment. The Duke later ordered the San Fran-cisco part changed to San Felipe in honorof King Philip of Spain. Later inhabitantsof the town dropped the first "r" and alsothe San Felipe.

UTAHUINTAUinta Co., Utah.(U-in-tah- or Win-tah). Also town andriver. Town settled in 1850 by Dan Smithand first called East Weber, but on March 4,1867, when the Union Pacific reached thatpoint, name was changed to Uinta. Uinta wasa great Ute chief who was active about 1849.County formed in 1880.

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F e b r u a r y , 1 9 3 8 23


26/36

. . . of the desertPaul's Pure DatesT h e most luscious fruit and perfect foodknown to man matures to unrivaled per-fection in this Desert Oasis and isshipped direct to you.Price list and Sampler,literature on , $1,110request. *^* PostpaidPaul's Pioneer Garden

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fjete and lltete. . . ONTHE DESERT

PHOENIX, ARIZONAWinter lettuce shipping season came to aclose in the Salt river valley the first of Jan-uary with a total loading of 2971 cars, ap-proximately 200 less than was shipped theprevious year. There are approximately 12,000acres of spring lettuce which will be readyfor harvest about the first of March if normalweather prevails.INDIO, CALIFORNIAHighway 99 through this city is to be wid-ened and the notorious "bottleneck" eliminatedduring 1938according to assurances given bythe California Highway commission. Work hasalready has been started clearing the rightof way.TUCSON, ARIZONA

M r s. Georgia Scott Forbes was re-electedpresident of the Arizona Pioneers' Historicalsociety at the annual organization meetingDecember 29. Other officers are Mrs. PhyllisM. Saunders, vice-president; John C. Etchells,treasurer and Mrs.George Kitt, secretary.29 PALMS, CALIFORNIATwenty-Nine Palms Inn, which has the dis-tinction of being the oldest hostel here, re-cently has been sold to the 29 Palms Com-pany, with Mrs. Edith Thatcher as partowner and manager.L A S ' VEGAS, NEVADAThe Valley of Fire area north of here isto be restocked with antelope if plans spon-sored by the Clark County Fish and GameProtective association are successful. Thisregion is regarded as a perfect habitat forantelopes if they are given protection fromhunters. Forty young animals are to be sup-plied by the Biological survey from northernNevada.COACHELLA, CALIFORNIAAccording to Supervisor Frank Dillon, anew county ordinance is being preparedwhich will prohibit the pasturing of sheepand other range stock on Riverside countylands where wildflowers are growing. Thenew ordinance is to be strictly enforced.Dillon said.TOMBSTONE, ARIZONAAmerican Legion members have erected amonument to the Unknown Soldier in Tomb-stone's historical Boothill Cemetery. Themonument is of black manganese built in theform of an obelisk with a bronze plaque,the work being done by Legionnaires them-selves.BLYTHE, CALIFORNIAPalo Verde valley produced its first im-portant commercial crop of pecans this year.A. E. Bottel, agricultural agent for Riversidecounty, estimates that the output will amountto 16,000 pounds or more.

CARLSBAD, NEW MEX IC O According to Col. Thomas Boles, superin-tendent of the Carlsbad caverns, millions ofbats which make their homes in the cavesleft early in December for their annual flightinto Mexico where their food supply of in-sects is more plentiful during the wintermonths.IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIAPremium lists are now available for Im-perial Valley's annual Midwinter Fair whichis to be held here March 5 to 13. The exhibitsinclude the entire range of agricultural prod-ucts, livestock, handicraft, art, domestic sci-ence and miniature aviation. D. V. Stewartof Imperial is secretary.KINGMAN, ARIZONAAsserting that Anson II. Smith was the real"Father of Boulder Dam," citizens of Mohavecounty, Arizona, have petitioned Arizona rep-resentatives in congress to have Smith's name"inscribed on imperishable stone or bronze"and placed at the dam where it may be seenby visitors. Through his Mohave county news-paper, Smith was advocating the constructionof such a dam as early as 1890,and there wasmuch local resentment when his name wasomitted from the memorial previously placedat the project.PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIATo provide additional recreational oppor-tunities for winter guests, the Palm SpringsAssociates, a civic organization, has announcedplans for a Snow and Sun festival to be heldin the San Jacinto mountains. Ski and tobog-gan courses are to be prepared and a programarranged by Ray Murray, publicity directorfor the Associates. Dales have not yet beenannounced.PHOENIX, ARIZONAStarting with the coldest January weatheron record, 1937 became one of the warmestyears in the history of the Weather Bureau,according to the report of the local office. Thethermometer showed a total excess of 450degrees of temperature above a normal year.There was a deficiency of 2.27 inches of rain-fall in the 12 months.PIOCIIE, NEVADACecil W. Creel, director of agricultural ex-tension for the University of Nevada, was oneof the two persons nationally honored by theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation for "dis-tinguished and meritorious service in theinlerest of organized agriculture," during 1937.DESERET, UTAHSamuel W. Western, aged 94, has beenkeeping weather records for the U. S. WeatherBureau in this community for 40 years. Heranks as the oldest of the volunteer observersfor the bureau.



27/36

ELMER SEARSHe groivs lettuce a nd cantaloupes

in Imp erial Valley and is the chiefsponior of the annual VegetableGrowers and S hippers g olf tourna-ment to be held at the Del RioCountry club at Brawley, Califor-nia, February 6 to 13. This is aninvitational tournament for ama-teurs with trophies and otherawards in excess of $1500 for thewinners. Director of the tourna-ment is Tom Reha , professional atDel Rio club. More than 350entries are expected.INDIO, CALIFORNIAAs a result of unu sually warm w interweather, many varieties of desert wildflowersalready are out in full blossom. Sand ver-benas also have been plentiful along thesandhill roule east of Imperial valley and inthe Coyote well area along Highway 80.BOULDER CITY, NEVADAIf experiments now in progress are success-ful, fishermen will find excellent sport inthe Colorado river below Boulder dam as wellas in Lake Mead. Recently 25 000 rainbowtrout were planted just below the dam andmore are to be added during the winter. Bassfish ing in the lake has proved increasinglypopular during the past year as a result ofmany fine catches.FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONAPlans have been recommended for the con-struction of an earth dam at the upper endof Lake Mary and the maintenance of theresulting reservoir as a game refuge, accord-ing to Tom McCullough, chairman of a localcommittee of the Game and Fish association.The area will be closed to duck h unters . Asecond wild life restoration project is to beundertaken at West Cataract dam near Wil-liams.TOMBSTONE, ARIZONAStating that there is still a fortune in silverand other minerals to be taken out of theTombstone area, Dr. B. S. Butler of thegeology department of the University ofArizona, and Eldred Wilson of the Bureau ofMines, recently have completed a three-yearsurvey of the mineral resources of the region.Their report, which is to be published withinthe next few weeks, includes maps and de-tailed information as to their find ings .

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICOAccording to estimates from federal sources,the American pinon nut crop this year mayamount to 1,000,000 pounds. The nuts areharvested from national forests and adjacentlands in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado andUtah.GOLDFIELD, NEVADAPlans for the revival of this old miningcamp as a tourist and pleasure resort wereannounced recently when Louis D. Snaderacquired a half interest in the Goldfield Hotelfrom Ray Holbrook, formerly sole owner. Bothmen are to be identified with the operationof the property in the future. The building isto be remodeled, and efforts will be made torestore some of the glamour which surroundedthis hostelry in days when Mark Twain wasone of its guests.YUMA, ARIZONAAn improved Stoneman cotton strain, saidto produce more and larger boles, has beendeveloped at the Yuma farm of the Uni-versity of Arizona. Selective work was carriedon by E. H. Pressley of the plant breedingdepartment, aided by G. E. BIackled"re, Yumacounty agricultural agent. About 9.000 poundsof the seed will be available for plantingnext year.29 PALMS, CALIFORNIAOver 100 species of wild birds are found inthe 29 Palms area according to a recent publi-cation prepared by Frances Carter, formerresident of this region. It was while here thatshe prepared the material for her paper "BirdLife at 29 Palms".AJO, ARIZONASeeking information about the life andexplorations of Marcos de Nizza, believed tobe the first white man to enter Arizona, Dr.Maynard Geiger of the Sarta Barbara missionand Fr. Bonaventure Olasser of the Para


28/36

Pancho Contento on his way toCalexico, where healways finds thebest for the least.Si, Si, the

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catering to those who desirequietness and rest. Situated ona high knoll in thecenter of avast desert valley. Incompar-able panoramic view. Elevation2100 feet. Drynvigorat ing cli-mate.ALBERT F. MILLER, Managing Owner

You harmless little quadrupedThat thru the deserts roam,I envy youyour horned headYou never need to comb.You have nocares about the timeYou do not watch the clocksNor worry howyou'll get adimeWith which tobuy your sox.You do not worry o'er the billsNor how you'll pay the rentYou find no rouble inthe hillsThese ills tocircumvent.You care not forthe style's decreeNor fashion's latest mode

For allthe ladies whom you seeAre dressed a laHorned Toad.They donot paint their lips and faceEach time they "fill a date"Nor pull a glass out every placeTo keep their hat onstraight.You donot drive fortwenty blocksFor space topark your car;You park among the desert rocksNo matter where you are.I envy youyour wide abodeYour desert waste immenseAnd though youareaHorned ToadYou have your recompense.

B E AUT YBy Thelmct IrelandJust a bunch ofscattered buildingsLaced together bysome tracks.Nothing beautiful about them;Sordid, shabby, more like shacks.From them tower mighty steeples;Smoke stacks with a snow white plumeCast their shadows on thedump groundsRemnants of anearly boom.No, it's not a pretty picture,But tothose nowworking there,That smoke coming from those chimneysIs a scene of beauty, rare.

THE DESERT FEVERBy June Le Mert PaxtonI'm packing mygrips, I'm closing mydoors,I'm leaving this desert behind;The days are solonely, the night is sostill,I'm dreading the silence I once sought tofind.Why tarry here longer since health is re-gained?Why linger amidst the vast space?I'll hie tothe city, I'll join inthe din,I'll resume my former mad pace( I n theCity)I'm surrounded by comforts and luxuriesplenty;My time is alltaken Ifind.I'm busy with phone calls, solicitors, trades-men.And somany errands tomind.The darkness comes on but it tootakes itstollFor the gay crowds have only begun;The radio blares and theauto declares theyoung folkAre out forsome fun.But now something happensI can't quitedefine it;A vagueness, a longing it seems.A something that's bigger and better

193802 DesertMagazine 1938 February

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Transcript of 193802 DesertMagazine 1938 February