196410 Desert Magazine 1964 October

8/14/2019 196410 Desert Magazine 1964 October

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T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E W E S T

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A provocative, informing and entertaining publication devoted to the West, gjtAtfit- is more thanjust a magazine it is a Way of Living you can share with friends and relatives both in the West andin the East. And what better time than Christmas to share this Way of Living with your friends.

To make your Christmas richer, Desert Magazine's Book Order Department joins with its Sub-scription Department in a S p f r f f t l d t r i s t l M S fflfaf an outstanding Western book withevery three Gift Subscriptions at a special reduced price. The book will be sent directly to youfor your ownenjoyment or you may send it to a friend as a Gif t . See page 7 for Book Reviews.

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O c t e t t e * b y

CONTENTSVolume 27 Number 10

October, 1964

This Month's Cover(See Cover story page 10)Utah's Navajo LakeBy DARWIN VAN CAMPIN

4 Books for Desert Readers8 Beachcombing a Desert OysterBed

By WALLY PUGH10 Southwest Utah's Old NavajoLake11 NewMexico's NewNavajo Lake

By JOHN YOUNG12 $8 Million in a Clay Pit

By LESTILLINGHAST14 Flower Kissers

By KAY DUNN16 Moonlight Cruise onaShrimpBoat

By SAMHICKS19 Valley in a Time Machine

By GRACE ARLINGTON22 Romance of the Blue Shell

By JUANITA RUIZ24 Nevada Underground

By WILLIAM KLETTE26 Secret Canyon oi Hank Brandt

By VICTOR STOYANOW31 A Bottle Bon anza

By E. FRANCIS LONG32 TheManna Tree

By DOROTHY ROBERTSON37 Goodsprings. Nevada

By LAMBERT FLORIN38 DESIST Cookery

By LUCILLE I.CARLESON39 Desert Dispensary

By SAMHICKS42 Letters from our Readers43 Photo Contest Winners

POSSESSION OF PETRIFIED WOOD. An experimental step toallowrock collectors to take alimited amount of petrified wood from publicdomain lands isnow in effect. The United States Department oftheInterior has ruled each collector daily may take up to 25 pounds, plusone piece, without charge, on condition that the fossilized mineral iscollected ONLY for recreation and as ahobby. The annual limit perperson is 250 pounds.Petrified wood taken free of charge must be for personal use andmay NOT be bartered or sold to commercial dealers. The regulationsimplement a1962Federal law which protects the avidly sought materialfrom unauthorized wholesale removal. This law specifically excludedpetrified wood from the mining laws, and directed the Secretary ofthe Interior to limit and regulate free removal."We have a dual responsibility," Secretary Udall said oftheDepartment's regulatory action. "First, we have to recognize the legiti-mate recreation needs of the growing numbers ofrock collectors whoflock to the public lands each year. But ofequal importance istheneed topreserve quantities ofpetrified wood for the pleasure andinterest of future generations of rockhounds."For atrial period of one year, no permits for the free use of petri-fied wood on Federal lands will be required. Secretary Udall explainedthat apermit system could cause delay and discouragement amongpermit applicants.Petrified wood may not be collected in any national park, nationalmonument or on any Indian lands. Other public lands, such as thosein national forests, national wildlife refuges and game refuges, andcertain military reservations may be opened to collection, but regula-tions for such categories oflands have not yet been completed. BESURE AND CHECK WITH OFFICIALS before removing petrified woodfrom doubtful areas.He invited persons knowing ofdeposits which should be pre-served for public observation or scientific purposes to notify the nearestoffice of the Bureau of Land Management.Petrified wood actually is neither petrified nor wood. It is afossil-ized mineral substance, a relic offorests which existed millions ofyears ago. The substance is formed by silica and other elements thatseeped into and gradually replaced the original wood over thousandsof centuries. It is sometimes "agatized" or "opalized."The present law and regulations do not extend to other commonmineralsagate, obsidian and jasperwhich are ofinterest torock-hounds.

OCTOBER CALENDAR. Miners Convention and Small Miners' Equip-ment Show atBurton's Tropica Gold Hill, Rosamond, Calif., Oct. 3-4.San Diego County Gemboree atDel Mar, Calif., Oct. 10-11. Fiesta dela Luna, Chula Vista, Calif., Oct. 14-18. "Helldorado" Celebration,Tombstone, Ariz., Oct. 16-18. Butterfield Stage Fiesta, Gila Bend, Ariz.,Oct. 17. Fishermen's Fiesta atthe Port ofLos Angeles inSan Pedro,Oct. 23-25. Lockheed's Annual Gem and Mineral Show, 2814 EmpireAve., Burbank, Calif., Oct. 24-25. Last week ofOctober, Nevada Cen-tennial Celebrations atCarson City. Month ofOctober, FiestaofNations, House of Pacific Relations, Balboa Park, San Diego.

DESERT ispublished monthly by Desert Ma gazine, Palm Desert, Calif. Second Class Postage paid at Palm Desert, Calif., and at additional moilingoffices under Act of March 3, 1879.Title registered No. 358865 inU. S. Potent Office, and contents copyrighted 1964 by Desert Magozine. Un-solicited', manuscripts and photographs cannot be returned oracknowledged unless full return postage is enclosed. Permission to reproduce contentsmust be secured from the editor in writing. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $4.50 per year {12 issues) in the U.S.; J5 elsewhere. Allow five weeks for changeof address, and be sure to send the old as well as new address.

JACK PEPPER, Publisher CHORAL PEPPER, EditorElta ShivelyExecutive Secretary Al MerrymanStaff Artist Rose HollyCirculation Manager Marvel BarrettBusiness Manager

Address Correspondence To:Desert Magazine. Palm Desert, Calif. 92260 Phone: FI 6-8144

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GHOST TOWNSAND GOLDLEARN ABOUT THE COLORFUL GHOSTTOWNS OFTHE WEST DIRECTORY CON-TAINS INFORMATION ONOVER 340GHOSTTOWNS FEATURING PICTURES, MAPS, PLUSINSTRUCTIONS ON PANNING GOLD.PRICE: $1.00WRITE TO:

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Desert-Southwest Book CatalogMore than 75 Southwestern titles. His-tory, lost mines, Indian lore, adventure,gunmen, nature subjects, art of the area,guide books, travel, ghost towns, desertlegends.For your free Desert-Southwest BookCatalog, send your name and address to:D e s e r t -S o u th w e s t B o o k S to r eP.O. Box 757 Palm Desert, California

CALIFORNIAG H O S T T O W N G U I D ENew guide to over 100California ghost townsUnique and authentic guide to over 100ghost towns in California's deser ts and moun-tains with complete directions on how toreach them. Shows you the way to little-known and intrigue-filled towns that providehours of interest for those seeking buriedtreasures, old guns, western relics, purplebottles aged by the sun, and antique objects.Satisfaction guaranteed or money back.

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OLD MINES OF CALIFORNIAAND NEVADABy R. W. RaymondFor ghost town chasers, bottle dig-gers, and Western historians, thislittle book is a real bonanza. Origin-ally issued by theGovernment Print-ing Office in 1868, this 1964 reprintis limited toonly 1000 copies.Including comments on the time,the country and persons, as well ashighly reliable reports on mines ofthe Mother Lode of California andNevada, information contained in this133-page paperback isnot tobe foundelsewhere. Certain mining campruins discovered by this reviewer in

Esmeralda County were unidentifiedon current topographical maps, butdescribed in detail here. This wouldbe true of other areas, no doubt, andif carried into the field byback coun-try explorers, thebook could contrib-ute enormously as a guide to aban-doned mining camps, old diggings andgeological information pertinent tothe region.Published by Frontier Book Com-pany, it isavailable in a limited quan-tity from the DESERT MagazineBook Order Department and pricedat $2.75, including postage.FIELD NOTES OF CAPTAINWILLIAM CLARKEdited by Ernest Staples OsgoodThe discovery in a St. Paul attic in1953 of therough notes taken between1803 and 1805 by Captain WilliamClark brings into focus newhighlightsof the important Lewis and Clarkex-peditions. These manuscripts, nowin theWestern Americana Collectionat Yale University, have been editedand accompanied with introductorynotes by Mr.Osgood and publishedin a large (11x14) volume to beprized by collectors of Western his-tory.

Not for the casual reader, thesemaps and field notes describe thewild life, Indians, and adventures ofthe expedition in detail. One notereads, "Thebuffalo killed were sothin that the hunters probably tookonly the brains, marrow bones andhides. Thehides were used to coverone of the pirogues to protectbag-gage. The brains were used to softenthe hides and to make them moreflexible after they were dried andscraped."

Details such as theabove will ren-der the work of Mr. Osgood invalu-able to researchers, as it is onlythrough them that modern writersare able to bring life andveracity tohistorical manuscripts.

Including photographed reproduc-tions of theoriginal notes anda com-plete index, thebook consists of 335pages, is hardcover and sells for$12.50. Published bythe Yale Univer-sity Press, it may be ordered fromthe DESERT Magazine Book Depart-ment.

THE AMERICAS ON THE EVEOF DISCOVERYEdited by Harold E. DriverThis collection of well-documentedand eye-witness accounts of AmericanIndian life and culture on theeve ofits discovery bywhite men (includingaccounts of Norsemen who arrivedbefore Columbus) doesn't establishthe origination of theRed Man, butit does stimulate new thoughts onthe subject.

Dr. Driver, a professor at IndianaUniversity, haswritten many articlesand books onhisstudies of the NorthAmerican Indian extensive studieswhich have taken him as far afieldas Mexico and Africa. Th is book iscomprised of 11 sketches. Amongthem are a Spanish soldier's descrip-tion of the capital of Montezuma'ssprawling Aztec Empire, a tragicPeeagan love story, an explorer's dis-covery of the Polar Eskimo, and afascinating story about a young In-dian of Tierra del Fuego namedJemmy Button who was introduced tocivilization by Charles Darwin in 1832and then later returned to his ownprimitive "land of fire."In the final chapter of his book,Dr. Driver deals with contributionsmade by early Indians toour modernlife. Plants domesticated by the In-dians, such as potatoes and corn,areof prime importance. Tobacco, cura-tive drugs, cotton, the nativeham-mock, the poncho, parka and rubberare others. Art, literature, music, andthe cinema have revealed Indian in-fluences.Either paperback for$1.95 or clothcover for $4.50, this 179-page book ispublished by Prentice-Hall Inc., andmay be ordered from the DESERTMagazine Book Order Department.

4 / Desert Magazine / October, 1964


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J u s t m o s e u i r t o v e r . . .

Smoketrae in the West-Best Wishes atChristmas and Happiness through all theComing YearA Christmas KindnessGreeting is a beauIfful 4 line western verseJust mosayin' overto wish y'all MerryChristmas and a Happy New Year The Story of Christmas in Sign Lan guage-May the Spirit of Christmas abide with youthroughout the Coming Year

Thinkin' of you i t Christmas-Be st Wishesfor the Holidays and Happiness throughoutthe New Year

Lord-May the Peace andiness of the Christmas Season abidewith you hrough all the Coming Year

Christmas Morning on the Desert Mayevery happiness be yours at Christmasandthroughout th e New YearHowd j . . . f r om the wo of us!-With BestWishes at Christmas an d through all heNew Year

hC o w b o y ' sC h r i s t m a sP r a y e r

Cowboy's Christmas Prayer-This fa -mous 26 line prayer is inside the card inaddition to a greeting" . . . f a i r and open face of heaven. . . -May every happiness be yours at Christmasand throughout the New Year

Winter FriendsA friendly wish for a MerryChristmas and a Happy New YearChristmas Chores Christmas GreetingsandBest Wishes for all the Year

Christmas Visitors- May the meaningof theSeason be deeper, its friendships strongerand its hopes brighter, etc.Seasons Greetings-With Best Wishes atChristinas and Happiness through all theComing Year

Greetings from our outfit to yoursWithBest Wishes for Christmas and all the NewYearSpurs an Pine-Merry Chr istmas andHappy New Year

Christmas Handouts-Greeting is a warmand friendly 6 ine descriptive western verse Headin' West to Laramie-Best Wishes ora Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Roadrunning Santa Merry Christmas anda Happy New Year Christinas Thanhs Inside is a sentimental14 line western Christmas verse in additionto the greetingAl l new and different for 1964. Beauti ful ful l -color reproductions of original paintings by topwestern art ists featuring Lorenz an d including Kleiber, Fogg, Hi l ton. Lowdermilk, Echohawk,Harman, etc. f inest qual i ty, heavy-grade paper single folds t o 4 % " x 6 % " with matching whiteenvelopes. We always include a few extra envelopes with each order. Cards can be ordered within red to match greetings. These exclusive cards av ai lableby mail only. Your order careful ly f i l led an d shipped within 24 hours right up ' t i l Christmas.H O W T O O R D E R : Write quanti ty ofeach card yo u want in box below i l lustration.may be assorted at no extra cost. Order all of one kind or as many of each as desi red.an d cost on price l ist. You may order by letter or f i l l ou t coupon an d mailor money order t o :

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THE VAQUEROBy A.R. RojasHere is the story of the men whoherded cattle in the FarWest, of themen whorode far andwide sufferinghardships unimaginable today, toldlike it has never been told before.Reared among vaqueros himself,Mr. Rojas feels these greatest of West-ern horsemen have been neglected byhistory. A distinctly different breedof horseman from the American cow-boy whose culture descended from thesouth via the African negro herds-man, the vaquero was a product ofSpanish tradition. Techniques aswell as equipment differed greatly.The vaquero and hiscounterpart, thebuckaroo, were palate-bit men where-as the cowboy used a snaffle-bit. Oneused a single-cinch saddle, the othera double-cinch. Thecowboy dependedupon the natural instinct of a goodcow horse to do his job, the vaquerowas a rein man. No greater ridershave ever ridden our ranges than theproud vaqueros.Because of his direct Spanish andMexican Indian heritage, the authorhas been privileged to experience in-terludes foreign to most gringos. Hewrites of a conversation with thegreatYaqui warrior, Exciquio Chavez,whorose to brigadier general against hiswill. He relates a colorful incident inthe life of a Baja California vaquerowho became famous for braving agray bull. His stories of people,places and horses are told tenderlyand simply.Illustrated with sketches by the fa-mous Western artist, Nicholas S. Fir-fires, this book belongs in all collec-tions of Western Americana as it isamong the few (if not the only)authentic records of the AmericanVaquero. Published by McNally andLoftin, it is hardcover, 194pages andmay be ordered from the DESERTMagazine Book Order Departmentfor $4.25, postage included.

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1964-65 Season Opens October 2ndFeaturing Western and Contemporary ArtalsoDesert Crafts ^ Books ^ Navajo Rugs

SPICE YOURSPANISH WITH

D I C H D SBy R icardo Castillo

"Dichos" are thepungent Spanishproverbs which add so much colorand logic to the conversation andthinking of our Mexican neighbors."En el pais de losciegos, el tuertoes rey."In the blind man's country, theone-eyed manis king."Como el burro del aguador, car-gado de a g u a y muertode sed."Like thewater bearer's donkeyloaded with water, but dying ofthirst.

"Enchanda a perder se aprende."You have to waste a little whenyo u are learning."Cuesta mas trabajo guardarloque ganarlo."Money is easier to earn than itis to keep."El corazon no envejece, el cueroes el que se arraga."The heart doesn't grow old; it'sonly the skin that wrinkles.

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jjgggaasaaiiliiilllllllllBeds JtdGHOSTS OF THE GLORY TRAIL by Nell Mur-barger is a fast moving chronicle of Westernboomcamp and bonanza. Rich in human interestas well as authentic history, this book coversghost towns of Nevada, western Utah and easternCalifornia. Hardcover, 291 pages. Price $6.75.NEVADA'S TURBULENT YESTERDAY by Don Ash-baugh. I l lus trated with a f ine collection of oldphotos and throbbing with exc i t ing ta les ofNevada's robust past, this an authentic ghosttown his tory wr i t ten by one of Nevada's favor-ite authors. Hard cover. 346 pages. $7.50.JEEP TRAILS TO COLORADO GHOST TOWNS byRobert L. Brown. An i l lustrated, detailed, infor-mal history of l i fe in the mining camps deep inthe almost inaccessible mountain fastness of theColorado Rockies. Fifty-eight towns are includedas examples of the vigorous struggle for exist-ence in the mining camps of the West. 239pages, i l lustrated, end sheet map. Hard Cover.$5.50.PUEBLO GODS AND MYTHS by Hamilton A.Tyler. In this book the author draws interestinganalogies between Greek and mythological gods,no t to show that one developed f rom the other,but to belter explain the development and in-tent ion of Pueblo mythology. Then, like con-structing the House That Jack Built, he goes onto il lustrate associated ideas which gave birthto the gods. The fascinating final chapter re-lates Pueblo cosmology to contemporary West-ern thought. 313 pages, Hard Cover. $5.95.GHOSTS OF THE ADOBE WALLS by Nell Mur-barger, tho well known "rov ing repor ter of thedeser t . " The author's just-published book is anintimate chronicle of Arizona's once-boomingmining towns, stage stations, army posts, mar-auding Indians and fantastic human characters.380 pages, i l lustrated. Hard Cover. $7.50.ALL ABOUT CALIFORNIA By Thomas B Lesure.The author has compi led a factual report onthe attractions, cities and communities of Cali-fornia designed for "an auto tr ip or a vacationan d for assistance to f ind a home or low-costretirement in pleasant surroundings." It alsoincludes a section on "Business Opportunit iesan d Job Out look . " 104 pages , 8 ' /4x l l , durab lepaperback. $2.00.O N DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, foun-de r and publisher of Desert Magazine for 23years. One of the f i rs t good wr i ters to revealthe beauty of the mysterious desert areas. Hen-derson's experiences, combined with his com-ments on the desert of yesterday and today,makes this a MUST for those who real ly wantto understand the desert. 375 pages, i l lustrated.Hard Cover. $5.00.LOWER CALIFORNIA GUIDE BOOK by Gerhardand Gulick. The authors have revised the th irdedit ion to br ing it up to date. Veteran travelersin Baja California would not venture south ofthe border without this authoritative volume. Itcombines the fascinating history of every loca-t ion, whether it be a town, miss ion or aban-doned ranch, wit h detailed mileage maps andlocations of gasoline supplies, water and otherneeded informat ion on E


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Beachcombing a Desert Oyster Bedby wally pugh

THE COLORADO desert isan up-side down world where irriga-tion has turned barren wasteinto one of theworld's most fruitfulgardens and where a river out ofcon-trol half a century ago formed an in-land sea now 234 feet below sealevel. In this land of contrasts,oneof the most unusual spectacles is avast oyster shell bed formed when to-day's desert lay at the bottom of anancient sea. Acres and acres of petri-fied oysters blanket the land west ofEl Centro just south of Plaster Cityin the Yuha Basin of the ImperialValley. No midgets, these oystersaverage about six to eight inchesacross.

These fossils relate a history oft h e . Imperial Valley and adjacent re-gions extending back millions ofyears. But the interpreter must bewary, for the language of fossils isfull of pitfalls.Since the shells came to theatten-tion ofsome of the earliest white mento visit the valley, attempts have beenmade to translate the story in therocks. The first published description

of fossils from the Imperial Formationwas made byWilliam P. Blake, whowas a geologist for the Southern Pa-cific Railroad Survey in the early1850's. Blake was with a party thatcamped near themouth of AlversonCanyon. Hisdescription of four fos-sils from the locality, including twospecies of oysters, launched scientificinterest in the area.Colonization of the Imperial Valleyaround the turn of the century stimu-lated further interest in thegeologi-cal history of the region. However,

in those days it was no leisurely Sun-day drive to the fossil beds. One col-lector, W. C. Mendenhall, reportedthat it was a one-day journey from ElCentro to theCoyote mountain area.Initially, the fossil shells raisedmore questions than they answered.For example, their age became amajor subject of debate among pale-ontologists, who dated them from Cre-taceous times more than 70,000,000years ago to the Pliocene period of5,000,000 or 10,000,000 years ago.A mystery developed when earlygeologists discovered that the closestliving relatives of the fossil shells werein the Atlantic Ocean rather than off

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the coast of California. This led tospeculation about the land formationsat the time the fossil-bearing sedi-ments were laid down. Was there asea passage that connected this regionto the eastern seaboard?An expedition of the CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences to the Gulf ofCalifornia in 1921 cleared up part ofthe mystery. This expedition estab-lished that the ancient shells are re-lated to gulf species, which in manyrespects resembles marine life in theAtlantic more closely than life in thePacific just across the peninsula ofBaja California. Descendants of thefossil forms live today in the warmgulf waters almost unchanged in ap-pearance from their ancestors. Today

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it is generally believed that the oystersas well as the other fossils in the area,lived toward the end of the Mioceneperiod or at the beginning of the Plio-cene, around 10,000,000 years ago.Later studies established that a suc-cession of "Panama" canals linked theAtlantic and Pacific oceans acrossdifferent parts of Central Americaduring earlier ages. Each time theoceans were connected, there was a

great migration of sea life betweenthe two oceans. The last of thesecanals closed off about 30,000,000years ago. These migrations providedthe interchange of life on the twosides of the continent that resulted inthe similarity between fossil and gulfforms and Atlantic sea life.As a result of the patient geologicalinvestigations, we have a fairly accur-ate picture of the Imperial Valleyregion of 10,000,000 years ago. Inthe midst of the relatively shallowsea, the Coyotes mountains rose to

form an island of granitic and meta-morphic rocks of possibly carbonifer-ous age. A balmy tropical climateprevailed in that ancient time as evi-denced by the huge fossil coral reefsof the region. Sharks swam in thesea, and ancestors of the horse andcamel roamed the shores.A trip to the oyster shell beds takesyou back through 10,000,000 years ofgeologic time. It also provides youwith a look at the rugged desert ter-rain almost unchanged from the wayit was found by the first explorers of

the region. A four-wheel drive vehicleis essential and plan on hiking thelast half or three-quarters of a mileto the oysters.A good place to start is El Centro.Before you leave town, make surethere is water in your canteen. Evenin winter, this is thirsty country. Youwill also want a good pair of hikingshoes.From El Centro, head west on High-way 80 about 13 miles until you seea sign announcing the "Oyster ShellBeds." The sign is on the south side

of the highway, and it directs youdown a dirt road leading south acrossthe railroad tracks. Indicated distanceto the shell beds is 4Vi miles.Follow the dirt road for aboutfour miles. From this point, it isbetter to walk, as the road windsdown into a sandy wash where a con-ventional automobile may get stuck.Also, you will miss additional collec-ting opportunities if you drive all theway to the shells.From where you are parked, SignalMountain arises out of the desert al-most due south. The mountain isjust across the border in Mexico andmakes an excellent landmark. Setyour course southwest and you willbe going directly toward the shell bed.To get there, descend into a gully,climb a small but steep hill, and de-scend into a second gully. Follow thisgully upstream to the shells.

Along the way, you'll find chipsof petrified driftwood that oncefloated in that ancient Pliocene sea.Years ago, petrified driftwood logswere relatively common on the desert,but these are now to be found onlyin some of the local rock and mineralshops. In addition, there are interest-ing concretions to be found. Anotherbonus is the scattering of desertflowers that bloom almost any timeduring winter or spring.

From a distance, the oysters appearas rocks covering the slopes. Mostnumerous members of this vast oystercolony are Ostrea vespertina or theruffled oyster. You are also likely tofind pecten fragments and possiblythe complete valve of a pecten.But more important, you will takeyour own personal trip into the past.For here, on a vast scale, MotherNature exhibits a rare collection of

ancient memorabilia. / / /POLISHER

Great fun for everyone.A wonderful gift for someone.The original Thumler's Tumbler polishesrocks to a f ine, gleaming finish. Produced bythe largest manufacturer of small tumblers inthe country. Guaranteed for one year.COMPLETE POLISHER on ly $19.95Motor, barrels and all as illustrated. PREPAID2 SETS OF 3 ABRASIVES $2.40(1 set for each 1 qt. barrel)Rubber tumbler liners, pair .89Victor 's Tumbling Manual $2.00

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'64

SAN DIEGO COUNTYFAIRGROUNDS

DEL MAR, CALIFORNIA

SATURDAY. OCTOBER 1010 a.m. to 9 p.m.UEST EXHIBITS

DOOR PRIZES DEALERS CAMPING SUNDAY. OCTOBER 11

SWAP TABLE 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.FREE PARKING ON FAIRWAYI M P E R I A L V A L L E Y

O C T .3 0 , 31

NOV. 1.1964

&MIDWINTERFAIRGROUNDS

IMPERIAL.CALIF.FOR BROCHURE AND ROCKHOUND MAP WRITE I. V. D. A.. IMPERIAL. CALIFORNIA

October. 1964 / Desert Ma azine / 9


10/44

MOCCASINS C O W B O Y B O O T Sf i fa n c y W e s t e r n

Located in"The Center", long a Palm Springs landmark (across from theDesert Inn), theGrone'sMOCCASIN SHOP offers over 100 choices forfoot comfort. Moccasins with beautiful bead work,velvety-soft impo rted deerskin, rugge d rawhid e, durable full-grain cowhideSome for r id ing ,some forf l y ing , all for just plain walking com fort. Look for us onyour next desert tr ip.WRITE FORFREE CATALOG

MOCCASIN SHOP174 NORTH PALM CANYON DRIVEPALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA PHONE 325-6425RISING TONEW H EIG H TSAlthough theEast African Watusi andDinka tribes aretaller, Americans areamong the tallest people inthe world. Yale University recently reported that men of theClass of 1967 are aninch taller than those of '38. Today's Americans arefour inchestaller than those ofColonial times and today's teenegers are taller than their parents.Dr. T. D. Stewart of theSmithsonian Institution thinks better nutrition is theanswer, butwarns of possible danger. "This is what happened to thedinosaurs," hesays. "They got sobig they became helpless."Experts predict that women will average 5'10" by the end of thecentury andmen 6'6". Dr. Harry Shapiro ofthe American Museum ofNatural History attributes thistendency tomarriage outside one's local group. But, in contrast to Dr. Stewart, hebelieves outbreeding produces extra vigor and is aphychological advantage.So far, excessive tallness hasn't gone toAmerican heads, however. Merchants reportthat men still buy the same size hats!

RACKREGENT

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"Take the sizzle out ofthe Sun."Your car upto 15 degrees cooler. Blocks thesun's raysyet gives excellent visibility andventilation.Ideal for campers, travelers, andevery daydriving. Greatly improves air conditioningefficiency. Custom made for cars 1955through 1964. Easy to install with enclosedsimple instructions. Write for Free catalogand prices. Give make of station wagon,sedan orhardtop, 2 or 4 door. Prompt ship-ment. SIDLES MFG CO., Box 3537D, Temple,Texas. II

At lost! An all-weather,completely enclosed lug-gage compartment foryour luggage rack. Travelwith safety and com-fort. No more flying,flapping canvas. Madefrom sturdy convertibletop and fabric. Justfasten down straps toluggage rack rail andforget about rain-dust-sleet and snow! From$39.95. Write for freebrochure.R A C K R E G E N TGR 3347911008 W. Pico Blvd.West LosAngeles,California 90064DESERT Subscription Service

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S O U T H W E S T U T A H ' SM V A J O L A K E

N A V A J OL A K EZIONNATl.A R K

^ S t . G e o r g e , . v K o &inkDunes

K NOWN ASPacuay, m e a n i n gCloud Lake, by early Piute In-dians, Utah"s Navajo Lake re-ceived itspresent name when pioneersrecovered animals stolen bymaraud-ing Navajo Indians along itsshores.Mirrorlike andclear, Navajo Lakeis especially spectacular during fallmonths when turning birch leavesoutline itscool water like fire on ice.

Little known, other than locallybyresidents of nearby Cedar City, thisbeautiful body ofwater was impound-ed by anancient lava flow that fillsthe east end of thevalley over whichHighway 14 isbuilt. Oldtimers tellof fish perishing during autumn andearly winter when itswaters grew lowand left them stranded, butthat storybelongs with thepast. Now agovern-ment-built dike maintains aminimumdepth and thevarious species of troutplanted by theUtah State Fish andGame Commission swim happily allyear round.An excellent camp with fine facili-ties isprovided on thesouth shorebythe U. S. Forest Service. Beyond theforest camp, boats andother accom-modations may be rented duringsummer months, butNavajo Lake'sshore rests under snow in thewinter.Fall is theideal season for acameraforay asmay beseen by this month'sDESERT cover. ///

San JuanTRADING POST. . . your headquarters for aSouthern Utah vacation

ON PAVED HWY. 47MEXICAN HAT, UTAH22 Modern Motel Units . . . Guided ScenicTours toMonument Valley and Fabulous SanJuan County . . . Curio Shop, Navajo Rugs,Indian Jewelry . . . Cafe . . . Film, CampingSupplies . . . Service Station . , . LicensedHunting Guides . . Accommodations ForHunters During Deer Season.

Phone: 42, Mexican Hot, Utah



11/44

H E W M E X I C O ' SH i V A J I L A K E

b y J o h n Y o u n gU H H I M E IS A great legalizer,"wrote the late H. L. M encken.An example of this truismtook place recently when the UnitedState government moved to carry outa long-deferred obligation under its1868 treaty with the Navajo tribe.The result is a brand new lake. Al-though in the treaty the governmentpromised 160 acres of agriculturalland to each head of a family and80 acres to each single Navajo forfarming, the land alloted to the Nava-jo reservation was notably devoid ofagricultural possibilities, without ir-rigation.

In September of 1962, somethingwas finally done about it. The new$42 million Navajo Dam, secondlargest of its type built by the Bureauof Reclamation, was dedicated to ful-fill the 96-year-old committment byproviding the water necessary for irri-gation.

In addition, Navajos are enjoyingfringe benefits never dreamed of acentury ago. Already fresh water en-thusiasts are skimming across NavajoLake's 35-mile-long surface on skis,fishermen are pulling up trout by thestring, and campers from neighboringTexas and Oklahoma are seeking re-lief from heat along its cool, woodedshores. Although the dam is actuallysituated on the reservation, it will at-tract thousands of tourists to Navajocountry and the tribe is making busyplans to reap a share of the touristdollars. Th is, of course, is secondaryto the lakes primary assetthat ofproviding irrigation water for morethan 100,000 acres of arid reservationland which can soon be devoted tocultivating something beside sheep.

Not yet full, the lake will eventuallycover some 19,000 acres of lan d. Atits peak it will contain 778,000 acre-feet of water, with a dead storagecapacity of 672,000 acre-feet. Locatednear the Four Corner's country whereNew Mexico, Colorado, Utah and

Arizona meet (39 miles west of Far-mington and 30 miles south of Aztec),it is served by two clear streams, thePine and the San Juan, a major tri-butary of the Colorado. The water iscold enough to support a large popu-lation of trout.Situated only a dozen miles off newstate highway Route 17 that crossesnorthern New Mexico from Chama toBlanco through the jicarilla Apacheand Navajo reservations, the newroute connects at Blanco with theNavajo Trail recently paved fromShiprock to Kayenta at the southernend of Monument Valley.By building its own access road tothe dam, using volunteer labor andfunds raised by popular subscription,the little town of Aztec earlier this

year won an All-American City awardfor community building projects with-out federal assistance. Its popula tionof less than 5000 turned out en masseto build a 250,000 highway which wasturned over to the New Mexico statehighway department as a gift.Aztec is so named because its earlysettlers thought that the extensive, in-tricately designed stone ruins at theedge of town were of Aztec origin.

Now known to have been built by14th-century Pueblo Indians, relatedto the present-day Rio G rande Pueblopeople, the ruins are preserved inAztec Ruins National Monument.Many less elaborate Ind ian ruins

and relics were buried by the newlake, but only after considerable sal-vage archeology was carried out dur-ing the period of dam construction.These ruins were both of prehistoricand modern Navajo and Pueblo ori-gin. Thousands of Pueblo Indianslived here for many years as refugeesfrom the aftermath of the Pueblorevolt in 1680 in New Mexico. T hePueblos chased all the Spaniards outof the state, then many of them wentaway and hid when the Spaniardsreturned in force 10 years later.Part of the attraction of the newlake is its dramatic setting in steep,heavily-wooded canyons at an eleva-tion of 6,000 feet, surrounded byby ridges above 7,000 feet.Fall should be the best season ofthe year to visit this new lake in itsancient setting and to explore a fewof its canyons before the State ParkCommission fully develops resort fa-cilities and the crowds move in. / / /

October, 1964 / Desert Magazine / 11


12/44

B U R T O N S ' H I S T O R I C T R O P I C OG O L D M I N EGo Underground on Guided Tours

900-ft. ShaftOpen SlopesGlory HoleGold Ore In Vein Mining Drills innTools in Place.I X * * X Southern California's Largest Gold Mill.| # \ g i w Milling Process explained. See whereVJI Millions In Gold have been recovered.

Through Early Day Collection ofMining Relics and Antique*m " TH E MLSEUM AND OLDGOLDCAMP.PAN FOR GOLD

IN ANTELOPE VALLEYOff Willow Springs Rood or Roiamond Blvd.

TOUR TIMESWeekdays - 10:30 A.M. and 2 P.M.Sat. and Sun. - Continuous 9:30 A.M. to 4 P.M.

WE ARE CLOSED MONDAY AND TUESDAYSpecial Arrangements Can Be Made for Groups, In AdvanceBURTONS' TROPICO GOLD MINEAND MILL TOURS, Inc.

ROSAMOND, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Give an interesting giftGive DESERTonly $4.50 a yearCHANGING ADDRESS?New postal regulations make it importantthat you send your change-of-address noticeto us prom ptly. And please remember to l istyour old address as well as your new andyour Zip Code.DESERT MagazinePalm Desert, Calif. 92260

FREE!Helpful brochurefor rock hobbyists!This new brochure,fresh off the presses, isa v a i l a b l e w i t h o u tcharge to rock hobby-ists and readers ofDesert Magazine. Spe-cial sections on sharp-ening, reversing andinstallation of diamondblades for better lapi-dary cutt ing . . . alsoincludes useful tips oncoolants, lubricants,speeds and feeds, andother suggestions onhow to get longer and better wear fromyour cutting equipment. Compact andeasy-reading, well-illustrated. Writetoday for your copy.

Please mail me your free brochure, "Do's& Don ' ts for Lap idary Cut t ing. "NameA d d r e s s City, State.Dept. D-10 NIK DIAMOND PRODUCTS12600 Chadron,Hawthorne, Calif.M . K DIAMOND SINCE 1866

in aSOIL PIPES made of gold! This isno Arabian Nights tale. Thesepipes were made in the Los An-geles pottery works of one Ezra Ham-ilton. Actually, the pipes were notsolid gold, but the same clay thatwent into their manufacture camefrom pits that subsequently yieldedup $8,000,000 of the precious metal.It was in the 1880s and Los Angeleswas enjoying a building boom. Th edemand for Ezra's pipe grew by leapsand b ounds. His one big problemto assure himself of a dependablesource of raw materialhe solved byacquiring his own clay pits. Thesewere located 50 miles to the northeastnear the town of Rosamond. Th e pur-chase price is not known, but thereare records of earlier land sales inthe area for as little as 50c an acre.Although the same clay is still there,these pits are no longer known asclay pits; they are called Burton'sTropico Hill and are occupied by agold mine that was one of the nation'smost productive until mining opera-tions ceased in 1956.

Today, all gold mines are not goldmines. High labor costs and the priceof gold are such that the industry canno longer operate at a profit.Ezra continued to use his superla-tive quality fire clay to make hissuperlative quality soil pipe. His busi-

ness flourished with an ever-increas-ing demand for his products untilthe early 90's. Although he had triedhis hand at gold mining in earlieryears, it took a national depression tocause Ezra to wonder if his superlativequality fire clay might possibly be ul-tra-superlative. Business at the pot-tery works fell off and Ezra, withmore time on his hands, occupiedhimself with a close examination ofhis clay. He pan ned some of thematerial and found shiny yellowspecks. Testing proved them gold!From then on, Ezra spent moretime at clay pit and less time at hispottery works. He panned in various

parts of his holdings for over twoyears, but the results were indifferent.The gold was there, but the yield didnot encourage a profitable operation.Then, one day in 1896, he hit adike that assayed at $35 a ton! Ezrawas elated. This would justify a large

scale operation.He closed out his pottery business,but because the government control-led all mining operations he carefullyguarded his secret until he couldlegally secure claims. After complet-ing legal requirements, he made hisfirst shipment to the smelter in SanFrancisco, which netted him $4600.Ezra used this to build a mill. Fouryears after his initial strike, he soldone of his claims for $100,000 andover the next few years sold additionalclaims. With his new prosperity hedeveloped a health resort at nearbyWillow Springs, built the HamiltonHotel in Rosamond, and dabbled inother ventures, such as silk worm cul-ture. At the request of the State ofCalifornia, he contributed choicespecimens of ore for the state exhibitat the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair-specimens bulging with the yellowstuff that assayed at $90,000 a ton!

Eventually Ezra sold out entirely.Various groups succeeded one anotherin ownership until Clifford and CecilBurton, brothers, bought out theTropico stockholders some time after1920. Meanwhile, the mine had un-dergone many vicissitudes caused bywar, depression, inflation and exhaus-tion of known productive areas.Stockholders sold to the Burtons outof sheer discouragement. The confi-dence and judgment of the Burtonswere vindicated, however, when newexplorations turned up the richest de-posits yet to be found. During a per-iod between 1933 and 1942 the opera-tion enjoyed its greatest prosperity.

The two Burtons have now passedon, but Clifford's daughter, Doreen,and her husband, Glen Settle, oper-ate the property as a tourist attrac-



13/44

pitby leslie tillinghasttion. Tours are conducted throughthe underground passages, now elec-trically lighted, and through the mill.You can see how ore was removed byhand pick and chisel, dynamite, andlater power drills; how it was collec-ted in small iron cars and conveyedto the mills on narrow gauge rails;how it went through a series ofcrushers until it became a flourypowder from which the gold was dis-solved and recovered in huge ma-chines by means of chemicals, filtra-tration, heat, and lots of water. TheSettles also operate a restored goldcamp and museum in conjunctionwith the mine.

Visitors to Tropico Hill are shown

a flat, whitish area at the base ofthe hill. This, it is explained, consistsof residue deposited by years of millwashings and still contains an esti-mated quarter-million dollars ofgold. Upon hearing this, a visitor'sbetter self may be sorely tried, butall thoughts of backing in a fleet oftrucks are quickly dispelled when helearns that the cost of recovering itis figured at $300,000.Will the Tropico ever produceagain? The Settles say its dependsupon the future of the price of gold.All is in readiness and with little pre-paration the speed of resumptionwould make the dust flyand the dustwould be gold dust! / / /

White area is formed of mill washingsa>td said to contain $250,000 in gold.

Above: Gold from Tropico Mine wastested in this office. Below: Ezra Ham-ilton whoops it up in 1896.

Corrugated iron structure encloses ore crushers. Ore is passed toit in steel cars over rails on scaffolding. Floury fine ore ultimatelyreaches agitation tanks (lower left) where it is mixed with cya-nide and water to dissolve gold.

October, 1964 / Desert Magazine / 13


14/44

Flower Kissersby Ray Dunn

I T TAKES 150 North Americanruby - throated humm ingbirds toweigh one pound! Yet, despitetheir diminutive proportions, theirmaneuverability defies the science ofaerodynamics, their beauty equalsthat of glittering jewels and theirboundless energy exceeds that of anyother bird.Among the smallest featured crea-tures in the world, they inhabit onlythe Western Hem isphere. Early ex-plorers, seeing them for the first timedarting from flower to flower, calledthem beija flor meaning "kiss theflower."The Indians, too, glimpsed theirbeauty, calling them "rays of the sun"and "tresses of the day-star." But nei-ther the Indians nor the early explor-ers realized that in addition to hissparkling beauty, the hummingbird isendowed with dexterity, energy andstamina far in excess of any othermember of the bird family.

Wherever and whenever flowersbloom profusely, the hummer is seenstreaking from blossom to bloom inan aerial display of precision flyingthat never fails to astound the ex-perts.

Hitting his mark like an arrow, hemakes a pin point stop, probes theflower for nectar, then, in a rapid se-quence of movementstoo quick forthe eye to seehe flies backward,straight up, sideways, turns a somer-sault and speeds away again.While modern science has only re-cently accomplished the feat of re-fueling in mid-air, hummingbirdshave been doing it for centuries.With heavily developed wing mus-

cles that account for over V4 of hisentire weight, and a wing beat of upto 80 beats a second, he hovers on in-visibly vibrating wings like a minia-ture helicopter while draining honey-like liquid from a flower.In contrast, his legs are underde-veloped and he needs a strong gripeven to stand. Resembling a tinytippler, his efforts to walk are some-times comical, leading one observerto comment, "I wonder what they putin that nectar anyway?"Some North American species mi-grate 2000 miles to their winter homein Mexico or Central America and,weight-wise, hold the world's record

for long distance flying. Among thosethat make this lengthy migration isthe ruby throat, which weighs in at1/10 of an ounce. This colossal tripis the equivalent of a 25-pound eagleflying 8 million miles!One stretch of the journey necessi-tates a 500-mile non-stop hop acrossthe Gulf of Mexico. For this rigorouscrossing he carries an extra tank offuel. In preparation, Nature pro-vides him with the ability to storeenergy by adding fat up to half his

weight.With complete disregard for calorie-counting, the hummingbird snacksevery 10 or 15 minutes, consuminghalf his weight in sugar every day. Ifcalculated for a human, this intakeequals that of a 150 pound person eat-ing 75 poun ds of sugar. He also re-quires meat, devouring quantities ofinsects in addition to the sugar.His insatiable appetite keeps himon the go at dizzying speeds fromearly morning until sundown. But at

night, especially where nights are coldor when food is scarce, he passes intoa deep sleep resembling suspendedanimation. His body temperature14 / Desert Maga zine / October, 1964


15/44

drops and his energy output dimin-ishes to an extremely low degree.From this profound sleep heawakens almost instantly and at day-break is again making his rounds atfull speed.Although it appears that hisneedle-like beak is used as a drinkingstraw, it is his long tubular tonguethat does the work. In conjunctionwith an internal suction pump, histongue extends beyond his bill, probesa deep-throated flower and drains itof nectar in less time than it takesto tell.In addition to his dexterity andstamina, this fragile creature is gener-ously endowed with beauty. Au dubon,the famous American naturalist, said,"They are indeed glittering fragmentsof the rainbow." And Crawford H.Greenwalt describes them as "theworld's living gems."Their names hint at their radiantbeauty, many species being named

after precious stonesfiery topaz, sap-phire, and ruby throat. Other nameslike "golden torch" derive from theircoloring which runs the spectral scale

from delicate pastels to fiery reds anddeep purples.The male is the more brilliantlyattired of the two and in courtshiphe flips through a series of aerialacrobats designed to attract even themost retiring female. Darting andflashing in high rises, dips and dives,his speed paints a streak of vivid coloragainst the sky. His elation doesn'tlast, however, for soon after the cere-mony he swiftly disappearsleavinghis tiny bride with the entire respon-sibility of building the nest, incubat-ing and raising her family of two.At first glance his actions seemheartless, but his desertion is at leastpartially excused when the shortageof males is taken into consideration.Some authorities believe that thereis only one male to every six females.Those who lure the hummingbirdby artificial feeders, report that, bynature, they are curious pugnaciousand friendly. Because of the ir jet-likeget-away they come close to humansand, sometimes while feeding, evengrow tame enough to be stroked.Others report that they sometimestake possesion of a feeder and chaseoff all intruders regardless of size.

Since they can become air-borne andaccelerate to a speed of 30 miles anhour in 2/10 of a second, they arepractically fearless.They will happily drink yoursugar and water, but don't ask themto sing for their supper because, ofall birds, they probably have thetiniest voice in birdlan d. But if theirfeeders become empty, they maketheir needs known in no uncertainterms. They put on a noisy displayof airpower by "buzzing" the feeders,dive-bombing and darting back andforth. The entire show is accom-panied by threatening chirps andsqueaks.With respect for his skill, admira-tion for his beauty and wondermentthat so much personality can be1wrapped up in such a small package(gift-wrapped at that), everyone whohas ever had contact with the hum-mingbird agrees with Comte de Buf-fon, the French naturalist, who said,"of all animated beings, the humming-birds is the most elegant in form and

brilliant in color. Nature has loadedhim with all the gifts of which shehas only given other birds a share."/October. 1964 / Desert Ma azine / 15


16/44

E ACH TIME a Mexican shr imperwinches up its purse nets from thefloor of the Gulf of California,an amazing collection of marine lifeis depo sited on the co ncrete after-deck of the camaronero. W h e n ashrimper is dragging, the big nets arelifted every four to six hours andswung over the gunwhales. Taut draw-strings are pulled and thousands ofpounds of exotic and monstrous crea-tures spill out in flapping disarray.Octopus, squid, turt les and poison-ous spotted sea snakes tangle with atleast a 100 different varieties of sealife of every shape and size. Viciousmoray eels weave from side to side,bi t ing everything that moves. Mantarays, vivid shellfish, sea horses andcrawling crabs add a final grotesquetouch to the quivering mass of dis-placed denizens of the semi-tropicalwaters. Sometimes, to the consterna-tion of shrimpers off the Gulf coast

of Baja California, it seems that onlyshrimp are scarce.At Mulege's Las Casitas hotel, Isat in the patio visiting with the crewmembers of a Guaymas shrimp boatnamed [ose Luis anchored off Som-breri to at the mouth of the MulegeRiver. Fred Woolworth, manager ofLas Casitas, had once spent an inter-est ing night aboard a shrimper andsuggested that il it could be arranged,I might enjoy a similar experience.Reluctantly taking the hint , Mart inRobes, engineer of the Jose Luis,looked me over long and hard beforefinally offering to see if he couldarrange with his captain to take meaboard for the night 's run.A short time later, waiting for ayoung sailor from the Jose Luis topick us up in a dingh y at the pier, Iunderstood his apparent reluctance.My coat, which was much too hot towear, had a flash-gun sticking out ofone pocket and the other bulged withorange fi lm packs. In one hand Iheld a camera and in the other a

pink blanket proferred by Fred Wool-worth's wife, Cuca, as we'd left hishotel . I 'm a ranche r by trade andcomfortably at home around Mexicancampfire circles, but this was a newelement for me. In other words, Ifelt like a dude.

A few minutes later, after Guada-lupe Rodriques warped the pangoalongside the shrimper and I lookedup into the steady gaze of CapitanFelipe Maytorena, I almost blurtedthat it was all just a joke; that Ireal ly hadn't intended to clut ter uphis shrimp boat anyway. However, Istood up manfully, al thou gh un stead-ily, in my Western boots and ac-knowledged his introduction. Cour-teously shaking hands and helpingme aboard, he didn' t betray his innerthoughts, but having once been in thedude business myself, I had little dif-ficulty in reading his mind as heescorted me on a tour of his boat.T h e steel-hulled Jose Luis is 62-feet long with about a 22-foot beam.Her deck is covered with a four-inch

IB / Desert Magazin e / October, 1964


17/44

layer of concrete gravel to preventslipping. She's powered by a sparklingclean Caterpillar diesela marineconversion of the Cat D-8 engineandis probably the finest power plantever devised. The [ose Luis, likenearly all Mexican camaroneros,car-ries a crew of seven; the captain,the motorista, the motorista's helper,the cook and three fishermen. Themen are salaried and they share apercentage of the catch over andabove a certain tonnage which firstgoes to the company owning the boat.The length of time a shrimper is atsea depends entirely upon how longthe ice lasts in her hold.Grub aboard was excellent. Mostmeals consisted of beef and fresh vege-tables accompanied, of course, withbeans and tortillas. Ample refrigera-tion eliminated any problem in keep-ing meat, vegetables and fruit fresh.On my many trips to Baja withErie Stanley Gardner I had always

noticed the camaroneros and wonder-ed about the mechanics of their drag-ging operation. Prior to this experi-ence I had never known what pur-pose the plank platforms served whichswing from the steel booms extendingoutward from the beams of all theboats. As soon as the Jose Luis wasunder way, I found out.Martin explained the position thatthe planks, or tablas, assume in thewater and pointed out to me the man-ner in which the mouth of each pursenet is held both open and down dur-ing the dragging operation by thetablas. While suspended in air theseheavy planks resemble table tops, butin the water they look more likesled-runners. The leading corner ofthe bottom edge is rounded and pro-tected with a heavy steel band.Wh ile the shrimp boat is in motion,the tablas sink the nets to the bot-tom and slice through the water.The mouths of the nets drag theocean floor at just enough of an angleto scoop up everything in their waylike a giant vacuum cleaner. Nearthe bottom of the purse nets thicktiers of colorful plastic ribbons pre-vent the loaded nets from catchingon the bottom and tearing.A small third net, complete withsmall-scale tablas is lowered whilethe boat is working and then raisedevery half - hour to check on theamount of shrimp in the area. Aheavy catch indicates what is happen-ing in the big purse nets and theyare raised and emptied accordingly.The boat usually travels about four

miles per hour while it is dragging.Power winches with cat-heads dothe heavy lifting, but crew members

Big purse n ets are straightened as they e nter water.

The small chango is dropped o ver side.

The purse nets are hauled in simultaneouslyand dumped.

Shrimp are sorted and tossed into baskets.October, 1964 / Desert Maga zine / 17


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blend so expertly into the maze oftackle and power equipment thatthey seem a part of the machinery.We raised the purse net three timesduring the night. Although the bignets are sucked in by separately op-erated winches reeling in approxi-mately 500 feet of cable, each timethe tablas broke the surface at thesame instant.When the nets reached the surface,the skipper gave the engine fullthrottle forward for about a half mileto force everything in the nets downto the bottom of the purses. Next,the pay load ends of the nets werewinched up and swung over the sideswhere draw strings were tripped torelease a silvery avalance of sea lifeonto the deck.After throwing big fish, sharks andshell-fish to the stern, crewmen sepa-rated the shrimps and squid fromother small fish with a wooden rakeand then tossed them into baskets.The men wear gloves for this becausemany of the fish have poisonousspines. One dangerous customer isthe poisonous Lopon. This fish lookssomething like a sculpin and his poi-son is so virulent that a tiny scratchfrom his dorsal made on a person'shand will cause the entire arm toswell and throb with pain for days.After sorting, everything el s e isshoveled back into the sea. Occa-

sionally manta rays are netted thatare so huge they can't be forced outthrough the holes in the gunwhalesand must be hoisted over the sidewith a power winch.On the following day, sharks arefilleted, salted, then hung in the rig-ing to dry like clothes on a line. Otherfish are cleaned and put on ice, likethe shrimp and squid.There was a moon, but I think thepelicans would have homed in on theboat without it when we hoisted thenet at 10.30 P.M. and again at 2:00A.M. Floodlights shining down fromthe rigging and the clattering soundsmade by winches sucking in the netsattracted them like a dinner gong.The shrimp season closes in Mexi-can water July 15 and opens Septem-ber 15. For a short time after theopening of the season, crew membersof the Jose Luis claim that often thebig nets come up so full of pure

shrimp they have no sorting problemwhatsoever. By May they become morescarce.After I had been aboard the JoseLuis for a couple of hours withoutcommitting any serious breach ofshrimp boat etiquette, the Captainand every member of his crew cameto me individually with some sortof gift characteristic of life aboarda camaronero. The Captain gave me

Left top: Manuel Beltran removesmeat from shell fish. Bottom: Capi-tan Maytorena with gift of sea horses.Below: Guadalupe Rodriquez hoistsgiant manta ray. Right top: ArturoCedillo holds poisonous Lopon inright han d and Parag uito in left. Bot-tom: Day or night, pelicans comewhen nets are raised.

three sea-horses and later Martin pre-sented me with two flat ovals resem-bling tortoise-shell which came fromthe feet of large shell-fish Thesethings are the trap-doors which pro-tect the shell-fish while they are in-side their mobile homes and are sup-posed to make wonderful guitar andmandolin picks. Still later, ArturoNolasco gave me a beautiful shell hehad stowed away in his bunk, and oneby one, the other boys appeared withstartling little cow-heads they'd madefrom the heads of a fish calledvaquillas, or, literally, heifer-fish.

We had cast off at 5:00 in the after-noon on our shrimp run and afterseveral long, sweeping circles out inthe Gulf north of Mulege, we return-ed to the conical-shaped point calledSombrerito at the mouth of the Mul-ege River at 7:00 the following mor-ning.Somehow, under the influence of

a warm Baja moon, the night slippedby like the shadow of a passing cloud.I had always suspected a man couldfind as much contentment and friend-ship on the after-deck of a camaron-ero as he could find around a camp-fire on a Mexican mountainside. Iwas right.In fact, the night was so short Ididn't find time to use Cuca's pinkblanket! / / /

18 / Desert Magaz ine / October, 1964


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VALLEY i me MACHMEOld Stage Coach Station

DaenLXtrip of the

mon:hBY GRACE A R L I N G T O N

DRIVING THROUGH Arizona'sHarquahala Valley is like step-ping into a time machine. Youcan view the past, present and futureof the nation's development all ina day. This wide area 60 miles duewest of Phoenix stretches beyondRoute 80 past the busy town of Buck-eye to a land where the old and newstare at each other.The fabled Hassayampa River isworth a stop, but don't drink of itswaters, at least not up-river. Leeend

attributed to the Indian warns thathe who drinks from that side of theroad will never again tell the truth.Drink downstream and you will al-ways be truthful.We stopped beside the river toclimb a black lava hill of up-juttingvolcanic rock which eons ago spewedout from the earth's center in aprocess of creation so awesome it isstill shrouded in m ystery. Even our

time machine didn't take us back farenough to show how it all came about.Some thousand feet above levelground we reached the highest ledge.Far in the distance outcroppings ofrocks supported sparse gray-greendesert growths. We were looking atscenes of exotic beauty that hadn'tchanged since the swamps dried upand the desert began a million yearsago.How huge this valley, and howquiet! Birds and insects made smallnoises as they flew through the air,nature's busy creatures which longago adjusted to the dry terrain of thedesert.

After setting the camera on a tri-pod so we could study myriad scenesto photograph, we leisurely pickedour way down. Below, a long column-of dust swirled behind a rapidly mov-ing car. It stopped with a jerk. A manalighted and looked up at us. Hestood with feet apart and hands onhips, in a belligerent attitude."We'd better get down and see whathe wants," my husband said. We m ade

a hurried descent, watching him aswe neared the bottom.Suddenly his face cleared into abroad smile. "I came out to see whatyou were doing surveying my land,"he called sheepishly, "but I see it's acamera you're using."We shook hands, introduced our-selves, and found him a "kindredspirit" who thrills to the magic ofdesert scenes as we do. Ed A rand ishis name, and he was building a newhouse where he could look up at the

mountain he owned."You ought to see the old Winter'sWell," he told us. "It was a stageOctober, 1964 / Desert Magazine / 19


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Don't ever drink from the up-river side of the Hassayampa!TONOPAH

coach stop. Horses were wateredthere, and people put up for thenight on the run to Los Angeles. Notmany places like it left any more."And he told us how to find it."Go over beyond those telephonepoles about a half mile as the crowflies and then a stone's throw beyondthe irrigation ditches."How else but with birds and stones

could a man measure the desert? Wethanked him and drove on, wonder-ing about the scene we were aboutto witness. And when we got thereit was beyond expectation.A forest of cool, green trees rosefrom the hot, dusty land to invite usto tarry a while. Out of the past weconcocted images of stage coachesdrawn by dashing horses careeningacross the rugged land. We started towalk, feeling a desire to be active inthis place when men had sweat andworked to develop an empty plain. In

a small clearing an old tumble-downinn leaned with the wind at a crazyangle.Then we found the well. Straightdown 60 feet, men had dug it. Nowit was empty, except for a little waterat the bottom that glistened in thenoonday sun. Nearby a noiselesswindmill pumped water for cattlethat somehow grazed on the meagerfodder of the desert.We did not stay long. Other placesawaitedlike the hot mineral spring,up to 128 degrees, that ran in avein through the valley. An old set-tler had told about moving out fromPhoenix during the depression whenhe had no job nor money to feed hisfive children. So he bough t a bat-tered truck and a saw and hauledfirewood for city folks in order toeke out a living.In Phoenix they'd had ice. Herethey hauled water and drank it atdesert temperature. A deep well wasimperative.

,20 / Desert M aga zine / Octobe r, 1964


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A drilling rig came inthen theimpossible happened. It rained.Hard, driving, lasting rain. Andwhen it quit, the rig was immovable,bogged down in the man's front'yard."Then drill right there," the desertdweller said. "We have to get water."So they drilled. Day after day thebit pounded deeper into the earthwhile his wife watched from the kit-

chen window anticipating the timewhen they could enjoy a cool drink.At last the drill struck waterhotwater, 108 degrees! The woman could

vast Valley of Harquahala one day,his imagination tricked him into see-ing acres of lettuce and cabbage andpotatoes. Obsessed with this vision,he began to buy great sections of thisworthless desert.His brother, Joe, came from Brook-lyn to see what ailed him. "If you'dgone a little farther, you'd be a littlenearer." said Joe."Nearer to what?" asked Steve."The school for mentally retardedat Salome, where you belong."It looked that way to others too.

prove he can do what he thinks hecan.Today Steve Martori owns 6,000acres producing very high yields. Wedrove up to one of his wells sunk1500 feet into the earth. He haseight of them, some pumping at thefantastic rate of 4,000 gallons a min-ute. Geologists say the whole valleyrests on a vast underground lake.We stopped the car and stepped out

to feel the earth shake from themighty reverberations of the roaringpump. Here was the look of the fu-tureand the worry. Would this un-

This haunting photograph is the eye of a well.have cried, but being of pioneer stock,she didn't. Nor did she forsee thatthis vein of water would one day bevaluable for hot mineral baths andsold by the gallon for heathful drink-ing.

We mused on this tale as we drovetoward the setting of another a mod-ern pioneer named Stephen Martoriwhose reputation is fabulous in thispart of the country.Martori had come West from Brook-

lyn to buy cabbage for a producefirm his family owned. Instead, hebought a dream. Looking out at the

There was no available transportationand the railroad demanded $15,000to build a spur to his acres. The elec-tric company agreed so emphaticallywith the general opinion of Steve'smental condition that it wouldn't riskputting up lines unless he put up$240,000. The gas company turnedhim down flat. Bankers wouldn't talkto him. And a geologist he hired tofind water concluded that therewasn't any.But, as has happened before, ad-

verse conditions such as these stimu-late the American pioneer spirit, caus-ing a man to work like the devil to

derground water someday be depletedand allow the mile-long rows of greenvegetables to again sink into desertdust?Martori thinks the undergroundwaters are produced by seepage fromupground rivers and lakes. Perhapshe is right; he has been right aboutmany things.The mystery of the past, glory ofthe present, and hope for the futurethat's Harquahala Valley where pre-

historic upheavals challenge the mod-ern accomplishments of our mechani-cal era. / / /October, 1964 / Desert Maga2ine / 21


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7 esteem the blue shells . . . and especially thelarge one, it is truly a rare piece. May your rever-ence live a thousand years. Softly I chanted thesewords, as I gazed down into the quiet waters of thetidal pool. The re, in the botto m on a cushion ofvelvety sand, I found my first "blue shell" of theseason.

From an isolated mission in the wilds of theSonora Pimeria, a Jesuit missionary wrote the abovelines to Father Kino in appreciation for a gift ofseveral abalone shells Kino had sent him.Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, pioneer Jesuitmissionary, explorer, cartographer, ranchman and,we might add, first conchologist of the westernhemisphere, had come to Pimeria Alta in 1687.Pimeria Alta comprised an area from Northern

Sonora Mexico to the Gila River border in Arizonaand west to the Colorado River. His arrival inPimeria marked the beginning of a remarkable featof exploration, the development of a cattle indus-try, and of agriculture in this new world. But itwas his search for the origin of the blue shells thatlaunched the intensive investigations that borderedon the scientific.In Pimeria Alta he established missions andvisitas that extended from Kino's headquarters, theMission Nuestra Senora de los Dolores in the north-

central section of Sonora, to a point close to CasasGrandes, Arizona; thence west to the fringes ofthe Yuma nations on the Colorado. Thoug h sol-diers of the royal order often accompanied him,Father Kino made many a trip alone. His treks intothe unchartered deserts of Pimeria Alta of South-ern Arizona took him to villages where dwelled un-known Indian tribes to whom he carried the mes-sage of Christianity.It was on one of these expeditions to the junc-tion of the Gila and the Colorado rivers in 1699that Kino was presented with blue shells identicalto some he had seen in 168 5 along the Pacific coastof the Baja California peninsula.


Father Kino carried these shells back to hishome mission of Dolores. Exulting in their beauty,he held them before a flickering candle. Lightplaying on the iridescent hues of the abalone shellproduced a panorama of magnificent scenes. Slowlyturning the blue shell, Kino saw the first rays ofthe brilliant Sonora sun breaking through the blueand purple shadows of distant m ountains. Thenagain, a glorious sunset with flashes of fiery orangesilhouetting grotesque saguaros.

Thus, while Kino sat in rapturous meditation,a brain wave of tremendous impact invaded him."How," he asked himself, "did these blue shellsnative only to the Pacific find their way to theQuiq uim a tribes of the Colorado? Was it possiblethat a passage existed between the land of theYuma nations and California?It had long been believed by the Spaniards th atCalifornia was an island. Even though FatherKino had studied under the brilliant tutelage ofGerman professors in Ingolstadt who instilled inhim the theory that California was a peninsula, hechanged his views after arriving in Americaper-haps to be in harmony with his superiors.But now as he sat contemplating the blueshells, the possibility that a land passage connectedPimeria with Las Californias took form. From 1700on, his quest for the blue shells fostered many

strenuous journeys into the land of Yuma tribes.Following his decision to investigate a landpassage to California, Father Kino asked all of thePimeria Tribes to assemble at San Xavier del Bac,near the present town of Tucson, Arizona. A tthat time del Bac was only an Indian rancheriawhich he visited periodically, but while awaitingthe Indian alcaldes, governors and captains, Kinooccupied himself by laying the first founda tionsfor the present "White Dove of the Desert," thebeautiful mission of San Xavier del Bac. The year,1700.When all of the visiting tribes had gatheredat del Bac, Father Kino patiently expounded the


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omanceottby Juanita Ruizlls relayed to you by yo ur In dian brothe rs |toi-

It has now been established that the abaloneof the Am erican contine nt. Archeological

Un ited States. It is probable that it hadissionaries. Th e abalone shell was used pri -

As early as 1698 Kino had traveled to the

a growing narrow er. He wagered the distance,

Father Kino, the indefatigable explorer, made

Via Caborca, Sonoyta, thence through thedread del Diable, these two hardy pioneers foundtheir way to the mouth of the Colorado River.Here they made camp on the grounds of an estu-ary. From all indications they were camped on thewest shore of the Gulf of California, just belowits head. That early March morning, so many yearsago, Kino was elated to see the sunrise over the headof the gulf, "proof most evident that we were nowin Califo rnia." From this location they were ableto sight land for 30 leagues to the west and thesouth. Towards the northwest and northeast, landwas also visible for,many leagues.

To further bind these illuminating discoverieswere reports from Indians who had traveled longdistances to visit the missionary. From the south -west of California they brought gifts of blue shells.Further south, they informed Father Kino, wereother white men who wore the same robes andvestments as the missionaries of the Pimas. The Seaof the West, they assured Kino, was not more thaneight or nine days distant.

Kather Kino dropped onto the damp groundsof the estuary to give thanks for the confirmationthat a land passage to California existed. As heprayed, there passed before him visions of mulecaravans following the possible land route withprovisions for Mission Loretto Concho on BajaCalifornia where Kino's beloved Jesuit brother andco-worker, Salvatierra, existed in desperate need.The hope that some day Sonora's missions wouldrender help to the poorer missions of the Baja Cali-fornia peninsula was almost a reality.

Kino had by this time extended Christianityand pushed the margins of the Spanish empire tothe borders of the Gila and Colorado rivers. Newterritories to the south and west beckoned, but hemade his last trip to the Yuma nations in 1702. Itwas not until 72 years later than Franciscan Friarsopened the land passage that Kino discovered.To the brown clad Franciscan Friar, Francisco(Continued on Page 36)

October, 1964 / D esert Ma gazine / 23


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by william kletteUT ITTLE GREEN men?. IntheI Lehm an Caves? Never heard ofthem."

"Green men around here? Whatare you, Mister, some kind of anut?""Sorry, but I can assure you thatany story of little green men in thecaves is absolutely not of Indian ori-gin. Now ifyou were to ask abouta blue-headed dwarf . . ."These were afew of the commentsI received when, following asugges-tion made by DESERT editor ChoralPepper, Iundertook to run down justone of the many strange stories thatsurround theLehman Caves Na-tional Monument.Rising starkly from the sage andgreasewood covered desert of easternNevada is a wild, pinyon-coveredarea of jagged mountains and steepglaciated canyons called the SnakeRange. At the north-eastern e d g e ,dominating the surrounding countrylike asnow-covered pyramid, isMt.Wheeler, one oi: the highest peaks inthe Great Basin. Here, forestsofaspen, fir and pine sweep down al-most to the desert's rim and snow-fedstreams flow the year around.Tens of thousands ofyears ago

surface water percolating through thehuge block of limestone that under-lies this part ofthe Snake carved alabyrinth of high vaulted rooms andtwisted passageways. As years passed,mineral-laden water seeped throughthe overlying rock and spread athinfilm of drip stone over the walls andceilings. These formations grew asstalactites while underneath squat,columnlike stalagmites rose tomeetthem.Toda y, an estimated 300 caves rang-ing in length from a few hundred feet

to several miles honeycomb the range.Some are partly filled with water andmust be entered by small boats or

rubbe r rafts. Others once housed thegiant sloth and the sabre-toothedtiger. Among all of these, the largestand most spectacular is the two milelong series named after an early Nev-ada rancher and pioneer, AbsalomLehman, the Lehman Caves.Although only 10 miles by agoodpaved road from U. S. Highways 6and 50, the caves are little known tothe general public, attracting fewerthan 30,000 visitors each year. How-ever, once seen their beauty isnoteasily forgotten and many travelersreturn year after year.

Unlike other caves, there is nosameness here. Each room is entirelydifferent. Insome, water seepingthrough the walls has woven flowingpanels of stone draperies or bandedstrips of translucent "bacon." Inothers, helictites, twisting twigsoflimestone growing inseeming defi-ance of gravity, reach out like deadbranches from an ancient tree. Theirnames suggest their contentsQueensChamber, Cypress Swamp, the Musicand Gothic Rooms.

A strange type of formation foundonly here are palettes, orshields-round, flat discs of calcite up to threefeet indiameter that have pulledaway from the walls and project outinto the rooms at crazy angles.Although history has it that thecave was first discovered when a horseLehman was riding stepped in ahole, archaeological excavations showthat Indians made use ofthe placemany years earlier. In1939, whenwork was being done to enlarge theentrance, the remains of seven bodieswere found. Th e fact that they hadbeen buried over aperiod of yearsrules out any sudden calamity, buta lack of artifacts to serve as mortuarygifts presents apuzzle.Work done this past year underthe direction of Dr. Charles Rozairefor the Nevada State Museum sheds

little light on the mystery. W hile aformal report on the "dig" has notyet been released, Dr. Rozaire, in aletter, stated that the cave was prob-ably a place visited rather than used.No satisfactory explanation has beengiven for the burials.But what about the rumor of littlegreen men? Itwas from just such aremark that I set out on my search.The people that Icontacted in andaround the community ofBaker,just five miles north ofthe Monu-ment, were friendly, but of little help.Indian legend or not, as far as theywere concerned no one like that hadever lived around there.I visited with Keith Trexler, theChief Park Naturalist atthe Monu-

ment, and heard for the first time thestory of the blue-headed dwarf. Fromhere the trail led me to the SouthwestMuseum inLos Angeles and to itscurator, M. R. Harrington. Here Iheard more of the same. "An Indianlegend, perhaps, but I've never heardof it. Of course, all tribes did havetheir stories oflittle people. Whydon't you contact my son, Dr. JohnsHarrington, of Tujunga?"Dr. Harrington, aprevious contri-butor toDESERT and one who iswell acquainted with this partof

Nevada, referred me to an old fact-sheet once issued by Cave Headquar-ters. This stated that ". . . local In-dians who had long known ofthecaverns . . firmly believed that theywere inhabited by a little blue-headedman who would spread pestilenceamong them and eat their children ifhe were molested."A later check at Monument Head-quarters did not uncover this report,but Idid learn that the Cave Custod-ian at the time of the report had beendischarged from the Park Service for

having "hallucinations." It seems thathe would often run from the cavescreaming stories ofstrange lights24 / Desert Magazine / October, 1964

Nevada Underground


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dancing in far off corners and livingwalls pulsating like a stomach ofsome gigantic creature.Could this be where and when thestory of the little green men or theblue dwarf got started?A rather ignoble end to a legend,perhaps, but there are still other mys-teries surrounding the Monument.Who were the Indians who first livedthere? In what way did they usethe caves? Was Lehman the firstwhite man to set foot inside the cav-erns or did he, as some say, onlytake credit for its discovery? Andhow many unknown wonders awaitthe tap of a speleologist's hammer toopen up another crystal wonderland?The cave is open to the publicthroughout the year. Guided tours

conducted by Park Service personneltake about an hour and a half tocover the two-thirds mile of trail.The temperature inside remains ata steady 48 degrees so wear warmclothing.Free picnic facilities, complete withbarbe que pits and restrooms, are main-tained near the Park Service Head-quarters and there is a newly inaug-urated Visitor's Center with museum.While there are no overnight accom-modations within the Monument it-self, excellent camping sites are found

in the surrounding Humboldt Nat-ional Forest.With or without any help fromlittle green men or blue-headeddwarfs, the Lehman Caves stand easilyamong the most beautiful in theworld. Dr. William R. Halliday, aleading American cave authority andauthor of several books on speleology,has said that if a person were to seeonly one cave in his lifetime, thatone should be the Lehman Caves. / / /

The Parachute, a distinctive forma-tion in Lehman Cave found nowhereelse in the world.October, 1964 / Desert Magazine / 25


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THESECRETCANYONby Victoir StoyanowCOLUMBUS SOUGHT Indiaand discovered, among otherthings, Cuba. Penicillin, theGrand Canyon, and gunpowder werelikewise accidental finds auxiliary toless lofty quests.

Similarly, Hank Brandt's Mine hasbeen, for over 100 years, a fringe bene-fit of ventures in pursuit of the fabu-lous bonanza promised in overblownPeg Leg Smith sagas.Though disciples of the famousamputee have sought his black nug-gets of the three buttes from the RioGrande to the Pacific and Mexico tothe Tonto Rim, more analytical ex-plorers invariably reach an impassein the baleful quadrangle of Califor-nia's Colorado Desert circumscribedby Highways 80, 86, 78, and S-2.This, unlike Evangeline's verdantrain forest, is indeed the "forest pri-meval" where nature has reduced itstortured terrain to basic essentials.Even the delicate Smoke Trees boast

a hardness unbelievable to outsiders.Unpopulated and unpopular, thisdetrital, diastrophic region of scream-ing contrasts has become the classicdead-end for the professional huntersof Peg Leg's lost loot.Unlike the rest of the desert, atbest a poor geologic risk for gold, thebadlands of Carrizo, Borrego, andOcotillo have the necessary ingredi-ents for the shy and elusive yellowstuff, having, in recent times, beensubjected to dynamic and violent ac-tion of seismic, hydraulic, and igneous

forces. Moreover, extraction of goldof prodigious yields from that regionis historically unde niab le. Ind ian re-portstales of the Cocopahs and Die-guenospoint to the sorry area be-tween Travertine Rock and CarrizoMountain as the source for gold theyhave exhibited and bartered withfrom tim e to time. Chronicles con-taining the accounts of Anza's con-temporaries, Pedrillo and Rubio, aswell as notable Pegleggers such asKnowles, Coffee, Ortega, Slover andOwens are fair indication of the geo-logically irregular zone.We spent several months of 1963-64 in the Badlands of the Carrizo be-

tween its yawning Gorge and its con-fluence with the San Felipe, and inthe Lower Borrego Valley below thelevel of the sea in the Salton Sink.After tracking Captain Anza's routefrom Santa Rosa (Yuha Well) to SanSebastian (Harpe r's Well ), I was con-vinced that exploration of the areahad been surprisingly scant. Our in-terest lay in the story behind accountsof Desert Gold in general. Why, withall the many sightings of the bashfulproduct, has it remained so elusive,so unattainable?Hank Brandt's name seems to crop

up by accident in the accounts of ad-vocates of Peg Leg Smith lore. Theusual entree into his story is by refer-ence to a Cocopah Indian known asAntonio who worked for the L.C.D.Corporation in Baja California underits American superintendent, a manof integrity called Smale. Antoniosought the counsel of an Indian sha-man high in the mountains of SanPedro Martyr and inquired regardingthe source of readily available Indiangold. The wise man's directions ledto the mouth of the Carrizo Corridorwhere it passes through gates formedby Fish Creek and Coyote Mountains.From here the story digresses to ac-counts of a slew-footed giant thatchased unwary travelers to deathdown the winding Carrizo Wash.Probing below the surface of thesetales, despite the dearth of journal-istic treatment, leads to the unmistak-able discovery that the tall phantomwas in fact a flesh and blood beingwho went by the name of HenriBrandt.

Since Brandt's story reposes in theshadow of the colorful Peg Leg leg-ends, it receives little notice in theAmericana of Lost Mines. Neverthe-less, the overall picture of HankBrandt's Canyon enjoys a status sel-dom achieved by other bashful bon-anzas. The latter are in most cases asynthesis of tales varying in authen-ticity, the degree of reliability beingdirectly proportional to variables in-cluding delusion, alcohol, literary li-cense, and the double-edged artistryof the con-man. Not so with HankBrandt and his secret canyon. Hereis an account we can put in a boxand nail down the lid. We can pin-point his activities. We can relatethem quite accurately to definite

limits in time and space and this, be-lieve me, is quite unusual in LostMine hunting.The site of Hank's shack in theCarrizo Slot can be readily fixed onthe map and on the ground. His ship-ments of gold to the San FranciscoMint from Riverside are a matter ofrecord. At least one photograph ofhim exists. There are people alivetoday who as children knew him.There is a man in the Jacumba areawho recalls Hank's excursions into theBadlands.Henri Brandt was a Fr

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