196709 Desert Magazine 1967 September

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    ma&e 0%de*Desert MagazineBOOKShcp

    CALIFORNIA MISSION PAINTINGS byEdwin Dea-k i n . Paint ings from the 19th century portrayearly missions prior to modern restorat ions. Finetext gives history of each. Full color reproduc-t ions. $7.50."BOBBED" WIRE by Jack Glover. An i l lustratedguide to the ident i f icat ion and classif icat ion ofbarbed wire which helps to date old sites andrel ics. Soft cover. $5.00.ME N TO MATCH MY MOUNTAINS by IrvingSlone. Modern classic that tel ls the story of theopening of the Far West from 1840 to 1900.$6 . 50 .CALIFORNIA'S UTOPIAN COLONIES by RobertHine. Part of the Yale Western Americana seriestells the stories behind the bizarre rel igiousand poli t ical colonies that found a haven inear ly Cal i forn ia. Paper. $1.45.CAMPING AND CLIMBING IN BAJA by JohnW. Robinson. Guide to the Sierra San PedroMar t i r and Sierra Juarez of upper Baja Cal i -forn ia. Paper, $2.95.OLD-TIMERS OF SOUTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA byLester Reed. Recounts episodes of pioneers cov-ering an area from Owens Lake to Anza-Bor-rego and f rom San Bernardino east to Twenty-nine Palms. Spi ra l -bound. $5.95.ARIZONA: GUIDE TO THE GRAND CANYONSTATE. Newly revised and edited by JosephMiller. Past and present covered. Highly recom-mended. 532 pages, i l lustrat ions and maps.$ 7 . 9 5 .AUSTRALIANS AND THE GOLD RUSH by JayMonaghan. New facets of both Cal i forn ia andAustral ia gold rushes neglected by historians.Brings al ive the age of the sale. 317 pages,$ 6 . 5 0 .CHALLENGE TO SCIENCE, THE UFOENIGMA byJacques and Janine Vallee. Penetrat ing studyof the " f ly ing saucer" legend. 267pages, $5.95.SAN DIEGO BACK COUNTRY 1901 by GordonStuart. Fil led with local color and nostalg ia forhigh-but ton shoes and shivarees. 241 pages,$ 5 . 0 0 .HISTORIC SPOTS IN CALIFORNIA Revised byWilliam N. Abeloe. Only complete guide to Cal i -forn ia landmarks wi th maps, photos and l ivelytext covering both historical and modern eras.639 pages , $10 . 00 .BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND MAIL by Waterman L.Ormsby, a New York newspaperman who wasthe only through passenger on this f irst west-bound s tage. Western Amer icana, 177 pages$ 4 . 5 0 . 'THE LIFE OF THE DESERT by Ann and MyronSutton. Covers desert creatures, perennial waterproblems and how animals and plants survive.231 pages, $4.95.OFF THE BEATEN TRACK IN BAJA byErie StanleyGardner. About people and places in enchant-ing Baja California of Mexico. Colored photos368 pages, $8.95.HANDBOOK OF CRYSTAL AND MINERAL COL-LECTING byWilliam Sanborn. Describes environ-ment typical of collection sites and physicalpropert ies of minerals and crystals. Paper, 81pages , $2 . 00 .

    WHEN ORDERING BOOKSPLEASE

    Add 25cents PER ORDER(Not Each Book)

    for handling and mailingCalifornia residents add 4 percent

    sales tax, regardless of whet her youar e a Republican or Democrat.

    WILDFLOWERS OFTHE GRAND CANYON byJohnStockert. Fine photos and descript ion. Paper,$1 . 25 .FIRE OVER YUMA by Peter Odens. Historicaltales and anecdotes from the Lower ColoradoRiver area. Paper. $1.00.NEVADA'S TWENTIETH CENTURY MINING BOOMby Russell Elliott. First detai led work to coverthe promoters and leaders who in f luenced thestate's second mining boom. 344 pages, $5.95.LANGUAGES, TERRITORIES AND NAMES OFCALI-FORNIA INDIAN TRIBES byRobert Heizer. Schol-ar ly book contains probably as much about theCalifornia Indian society as we wi l l ever know.62 pages, $4.00.

    Clyde Forsythe's Famous . . .

    G o l d S t r i k eS e r i e sFour Mining Camp Scenes

    All In4-ColorEach 1 4 "x l7 " with white marginson high quality paper suitable forframing.

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    A GALLERY OF CALIFORNIA MISSION PAINT-INGS byEdwin Deakin, edited byRuth Mahood.Fine, ful l color reproduct ions depict ing 21 fa-mous missions painted in 1870 by Deakin asthey appeared before res torat ion projec ts began.Beaut i fu l book. 58 pages , $7 . 50 .THE NEVADA ADVENTURE, a History by JamesHulse. Covers era f rom prehistoric Indians toranching, atomic tes t ing and tour ism of t oday .306 pages , $7 . 50 .NEVADA'S TURBULENT YESTERDAYS by Don Ashbaugh. The best book about Nevada's ghosttowns and the rugged indiv iduals who bui l tt hem. 346 pages , $7 . 50 .CALIFORNIA, A Guide to the Golden State.Edited by Harry Hansen and newly rev ised, itcontains an encyclopedia of facts from earlydays up to the Space Age. Mi le by mile de-script ions to camping spots and commercial ac-commodat ions. Maps. Hardcover , $7.95.GUIDE TO COINS. Recent U.S. coin prices,Canadian, Mex ican and fore ign coins , medals ,tokens and emergency money, Colonia l , Terr i -t o r i a l , and Civ i l War coins . Hardcover . $3.50.1200 BOTTLES PRICED by John C. Tibbitts. Up-dated edi t ion of one of the best of the bott lebooks. $4.00.REDIGGING THE WEST for old time bottles byLynn Blumenstein. Photographs of over 700bot t les wi th ar t ic les that te l l the story and apho t ograph of each . $4 . 25 .20TH CENTURY COINS OF MEXICO. Compiledby Spencer Murray. Photos and other descrip-t ive informat ion re lat ive to da t e , quan t i t y , andvalue. Paper. $1.00.RELACIONES by Zarate Salmeron. Wri t t en by17th century Franciscan and is only source ofknowledge publ ished for Spanish explorat ionsinto Ar izona and New Mexico f rom 1538 to1 6 2 6 . 121 pages , $6 . 00 .A FIELD GUIDE TO WESTERN REPTILES ANDAMPHIBIANS by Robert C. Stebbins. A PetersonField guide. 207 species, 569 i l lus t rat ions, 185in ful l color, 192 maps . The best book of thistype. Hardcover . $4.95.HAWAII COOK BOOK. Exotic recipes adaptedto ingredients avai lable anywhere. Color photos .$ 1 . 9 5 .NATIVE SHRUBS of Southern California by PeterH. Raven. Wel l i l lus t rated, some in color , w i thinterest ing text anddescript ions of shrubs. Paper.$ 1 . 9 5 .NAVAJO RUGS, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE byGilbert S. Maxwel l . Concerns thehistory, legendsand descr ipt ions of Navajo rugs. Full colorphotos . Paper, $2.00.OLD CALIFORNIA MINES (1899) byCharles Yale.Reprint f rom early mining industry records.Photos show dif ferent types of min ing , ma in l yin Mother Lode country. Text contains stat ist icsand discussions of ear ly problems $2.00.EXPLORING CALIFORNIA BYWAYS from KingsCanyon to the Mexican Border by Russ Leada-brand. Maps for each t r ip wi th photographs,his tor ical in format ion, recreat ional fac i l i t ies ,campsi tes , h ik ing t ra i ls , etc. Paper, 165 pages,$ 1 . 9 5 .

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    olume 30 Number 9SEPTEMBER, 1967

    JACK PEPPERPublisherCHORAL PEPPEREditor

    ELTA SHIVELYExecutive Secretary

    MARVEL BARRETTBusiness

    AL MERRYMANStaff Artist

    JACK DELANEYStaff WriterEDITORIAL OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea, Palm Desert,Ca l i fo rn ia 9226 0 . Area Code 714 346 -814 4 .Unsolic ited manuscripts and photographs notaccompanied by self addressed, stamped and zipcoded envelopes wil l NOT be returned.DVERTISING OFFICES: James March & Asso-ciates Inc., 1709 West 8th Street, Los Angeles,o rn ia 900 17 , HUbbard 3 -05 61 115 NewMontgomery , San Franc isco, Cal i forn ia 94105,DOuglas 2-4994. Listed in Standard Rate & Data.CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT: 74-109 Larrea, PalmDesert , Cal i forn ia 92260. Area Code 714 346-8 1 4 4 . DESERT MAGAZINE is published monthly;1 year , $5.00; 2 years , $9.50; 3 years , $13.00.Foreign subscribers add 75 cents for postage.See Subscription Order Form in back of this issue.

    ESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine,Palm Desert, Calif. Second Class Postage paid atPalm Desert , Cali f . , and at addit ional mail ingtered NO. 358865 in U. S. Patent Off ice, andcontents copyrighted 1967 by Desert Magazine.Unsolic ited manuscripts and photographs cannotbe returned or acknowledged unless ful l returnpostage is enclosed. Permission to reproduce con-tents must be secured from the editor in writ ing.SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $5.00 per year in U.S.,Canada and Mex ico. $5.75 elsewhere. Al low f iveweeks for change of address. Be sure to sendboth o ld and new address.

    THE COVERThe dramatic photograph of Bodie,California is by E. G. Anderson, ofBurbank, California, who capturesthe spirit of the famous former goldrush town, now preserved as a StatePark. Gold was first discovered inMono County in 1852 but it was notuntil 10 years later that Bodie be-came a rip roaring community whosereputation was summed up in theslogan "The Bad Men From Bodie."

    C O N T E N T S4 Books for Desert Readers6 Beware the Conenosed Bloodsu ckerBy SYLVIA KIRCHER8 Little Denmark, U.S.A.

    By JACK DELANEY10 Treasure Finders

    By W. E. OSBORNE12 Trapped in Tar

    By BEN TRAYWICK14 Lost Adams Mine

    By JOHN MITCHELL15 When It 's Hot

    By JACK DELANEY18 Have You Snagged a Cui-ui?

    By DORIS CERVERI21 No Town for the Ghost

    By HELEN WALKER22 The Case of the Blue Bucket Gold

    By CHORAL PEPPER26 Can the Devil be Conquered?

    By JOHN W. ROBINSON28 Along Nevada's Meadow Valley Country

    By ROBERTA STARRY30 Cave of Death

    By MAURICE KILDARE32 Horsethief of the Kingstons

    By DEKE LOWE34 Corinne, Utah

    By LAMBERT FLORIN

    36 DESERT CookeryBy LUCILLE CARLESON37 Hints for Desert Travelers

    By BRUCE BARRON38 Back Country Travel

    By JACK PEPPER4 2 Fort Churchill

    By JAN S. PAUL43 Letters from our Readers

    Septembe r, 196 7 / Desert Ma gazin e / 3

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    WESTERNCHRISTMAS CAUDS[You'll thril l tothis bright, new collec-1I tion of western andscenic Christmas I| cards. Infull color, by the west's lead- Iing artists, they're just great! Our 18th II year of happy customers. A postcard II TODAY will fetch our 20page catalog. I

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    Just PublishedHow 88 ,648Heavy SmokersStopped SmokingNEW YORKThe An t i -Tobacco Cen te r ofAmerica has just published a booklet whichexplains how88,648 heavy smokers (of whommany are physicians) have stopped smokingwithout straining their will power. This book-let is available free of charge to smokers . Allyou need to do, to obtain it, is to send yournarrte and address to The Anti-Tobacco Cen-te r of America, Dept. A-63-L, 366Fifth Ave-nue, New York 1, New York. This offer isopen while the supply of these booklets lasts.REPUBLISHED BYPOPULAR DEMANDNevada'sTurbulentYesterdayBy D O N A S H B A U G HHell Raising Boom Townsof aThousand Killings!Factual in every detail yet as excit ing as anovel, Nevada 's Turbulent Yesterday istops in its field. For 10 years as Sundayeditor of the Review Journal , the late DonAshbaugh collected materia l for his book.Now back in print, this excellent book is amust for arm chair adventures as well asactive explorers. Hard cover, 349 pages, 67priceless historical pho togr aphs . Price: }7.50plus 25 cents for mai l ing . Calif, residentsad d 30 cents sales tax.Send check or moneyorder to D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E B O O KS HOP , P a lm Dese r t , Calif. 92260. P leaseinclude your zip code.

    DIRECTORY OFS OUTHER NNEVADA PLACE NAMESBy Walter R.AverettWith special attention given to obscureor forgotten names, this book contains1300 entries covering all of Clark County,over half of Lincoln County, part of NyeCounty and a fewadjacent places in Ari-zona and California. It includes topo-graphic features, such as Bootleg Canyon,west of Boulder City where there wasonce a moonshine still; springs, such asBootleg Spring located dangerously closeto Mormon Well; towns, such as the all-but-lost ghost of Johnnie; political sub-

    divisions and mining districts past, pre-sent, remembered and forgotten. The ori-gin of the name is given as well as his-torical data and exact location. There aresome names that will even stump old-timers. Here are a few samplesPurga-tory Hole, Rappelje, Smiley's Spur, PikesDiggings and Angle City. This book is areal sleeper for collectors of WesternAmericana. Edition limited to 300copies.Hardcover, 114 pages, $5.00.W ATER W ITC HINGBy Earl Shannon

    This reviewer has read a lot aboutwater witching and this paperback bookis exceptionally good. Its author ap-proaches thesubject of dowsing for waterand mineral as scientifically as it is pos-sible toapproach a subject of mystery. Hediscounts the "nut" theories relative to"witching" for lost persons, objects, andso forth, as well as themystics and theirgimmicks. He doesn't make any claims,only details his own experiments whichhave covered a period of 30 years andmany parts of the U.S . He has graphedhis results and made deep studies intogeology in an effort to understand why"witching" works, as his results satisfyhim that it does. Hebelieves it is mineralscarried and deposited by water alongunderground courses that produces thereaction which indicates the presence ofwater, rather that thewater itself, because"dead" water (water buried in containersfor experimental purposes) does not pro-duce a reaction. Thewriting style isin-formal and the book is entertaining toread, whether or not you accept waterwitching as an art. 132pages, $2.75.

    Books reviewed may be orderedfrom theDESERT Magazine BookOrder Department, Palm Desert,California 92 26 0. Please include25 c for handling. California resi-dents must add 4% sales tax.Enclose payment with order.

    MOHAVE DESERT RAMBLINGSBy Sewell "Pop" Lofinck

    The author is well-known as a pros-pector and long time resident of the areanow covered by the U .S. Ordnance TestStation on the Mojave desert, for whichhe once served as a guard in an isolatedarea of the north range. Later he wastransferred into the Public Informationoffice to write a weekly column for theStation's newspaper. It is these columns,filled with "Pop-isms" about the desert,nature, solitude, wildlife, prospecting andpeople, that were collected by theMatur-ango Museum at China Lake, California,and put into book form. There arechap-ters on how to salt a mine, find purplebottles, plant cacti, survive in the ariddesert, and interpret petroglyphs. It isan interesting book, written in the folksystyle of a beloved desert character. Paper-back, illustrated with photos, 160pages,$3.25.A G U I D E TOWESTERNG H O S T T O W N SBy Lam bert Florin

    If youalready own any or all of Lambert Florin's marvelous hardcover ghosttown series, youwill definitely want thisguide which includes maps andmileages.If youhaven't the hard cover books,youwill want this anyway to enjoy the outstanding photographs taken by theauthor and to learn of ghost towns andmining camps in 15western states, includ-ing British Columbia and Alaska. Mainattractions in each town are mentioned,along with information about what liesat the end of side roads, but for historicalbackground andcolorful incidents relativeto the towns andtheir former lively occu-pants, youarereferred to thehard coverghost town series which covers all of thesites which are included in this guide.

    The book is large format, cardboardcover, 96pages, $2.25.4 / Desert Magazine / September, 1967

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    AND THE NORT HWE STOF NEW SPAINandHeizer

    The identification of Anza's remains,in their burialat Arizpe, Arizona in 1963,woundthe long and fascinating story ofand exploration in theAlong with Junipero Serra,and Miguel Cos-and explorer, Juan Bau-de Anza set a cornerstone in the his-and development of California. Oftwo, much is known, but theof Anza have been shrouded

    Anza was a true trailblazer, a visionaryd a doer. Theauthors of this book seemis not pro-the founder of San Fran-He did select the general locationthe presidio on San Francisco Bay, butt the site itself. This is based upon thethe suggested sitein Anza's diary and the oneit was actually located. Otherandof San Francisco arealso exploded in179pages, $8.75

    IN A BEDThis intriguing title arose from a cus-of the raw frontier when Western

    to miners rented bedsA sleeping guestbe clawed by a bedmate's spursup by bedbugs, but he wasthe landlord'sbe "Noin a Bed."Other famed early Colorado hotelsand lascivious. Oysters,and crusty French

    at home and al-the menu might read "tabbleby a cup of "demy tass,"and decor were as opulently Vic-and, sometimes, as proper as that

    With a theme built around the famousof Colorado's early mining days,has put together a book filledand atmosphere. In-are a number of lively tales re-is alsofun book to read and would make a

    A t r u e s t o ry o f a d v e n t u r e , i l l u s t r a t e dw i t h o v e r 3 0 0 p h o t o g r a p h sa n d f iv e p a g e s i n c o l o r . . .

    O F F T H EB E A T E NT R A C KI N B A J A

    DFFTHBBEATS'1TRACKBAJA7

    E R L E S T A N L E YG A R D N E RWhen Choral Pepper, Editor of DESERT MAGAZINE, joined thelatest Erie Stanley Gardner expedition into Baja California, she littlerealized she would be flying in helicopters over literally unexploredcountry. Nor did she realize that readers would demand far morematerial on the expedition than she could possibly crowd into fiveinstalments in the magazine. Here is a book that is a detailed accountof these modern-day adventuresthe story of the first helicopter everto be seen in Santa Rosalia, in Mulege, in San Ignacio . . . the storyof exploring hidden canyons where no human has set foot to groundin modern times. $8.95

    Other books of adventure by Erie Stanley Gardner:H U N T I N G L O S T M I N E S B Y H E L I C O P T E R $ 7 . 5 0T H E W O R L D O F W A T E R $ 5 . 0 0T H E D E S E R T I S Y O U R S $ 7 . 5 0T H E H I D D E N H E A R T O F B A J A $ 7 . 5 0H O V E R I N G O V E R B A J A $ 6 . 0 0H U N T I N G T H E D E S E R T W H A L E $ 6 . 0 0N E IG H B O R H O O D F R O N T IE R S $ 6 . 0 0

    At bookstores everywhere

    W I L L I A M M O R R O W A N D C O M P A N Y

    JSeptember, 1967 / Desert Magazine / 5

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    B E W A R Et h eC o n e n o s e dB l o o d s u c k e rby Sylvia Kircher

    ISERABLY sick to hisstomach "George Gray"lurched from his bed andgasped, "I feel awful."Then he complained ofitching all over, even thesoles of his feet and palms of his hands.A nettle-like rash spread over his bodyand a few minutes later, weak and de-pressed, his skin clammy, and his pulsequickened, he was assisted back into bedby his wife. Then she called the doctor.By the time the doctor had arrivedthere were localized swellings in theglands of George Gray's neck and groinand on the back of his left thigh wereseveral round, red, painful inflamma-tions about two inches in diameter, eachwith a hard, whitish welt in its center.The doctor, recognizing them as insectbites, was able to determine almost im-mediately that George's "illness" was asevere allergic reaction to the insectvenom.

    As he administered medication, thedoctor recalled a similiar case. Quicklyhe removed blankets, sheets and pillowcovers from the bed and methodicallyinspected them. Finding nothing, hethen yanked back the mattress from thebox spring. In the middle was a blackbug about three-fourths inches long witha protruding, cone-shaped snout and abody that looked as if someone hadpinched it flat in the middle. "That,"6 / Desert Mag azine / September, 1967

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    The insect is variously called the Kiss-TriatomaIn a few cases (about 5% )

    Though a bad bed companion, the(Cimimidae) feed entirely on

    stick their stylets into other insects, ro-dents or even chickens.A member of an interesting family, theReduviidae, which includes the Corsairs(another mean biting, but handsome,black and amber fellow), the Bee Assas-sins, and the beneficial Giant WheelBugs, the Western Conenosed Blood-suckers are found from California eastinto U tah, and south into Arizona andMexico. They are particularly active inMay and June, continuing their activitythroughout the summer until October orlater, depending on the weather. Theyare parasites on Wood Rats, which maybe a boon to city folks who don't have thewood rat's bulky, stick houses in theirback yards, but a pesky nuisance to peo-ple living in foothill or country locationswho might. Wood Rat nests should beeliminated, if possible, from the vicinitynear wherever Conenosed Bloodsuckersare known to have inflicted their painfulbites on an unsuspecting victim.During the day these pests hide out-doors under rocks and debris or else in-doors in bedding, draperies or rugs. Atnight they can sometimes be seen crawl-ing over walls, floors or ceilings. If youlive in an area that Conenoses are knownto inhabit, it would be a good idea tohave all doors in your house weather-

    stripped, and be sure all windows havetight fitting screens. At night, checkyour bedding thoroughly before crawlingin. This is particularly important withsmall children.Recommended first aid treatment forthe Bloodsucker's bite is an application ofhot Epsom salts over the puncture point assoon as possible. If any symptoms of acutedistress or shock are evidenced, put thevictim to bed immediately, keep himwarm, and call a doctor.Let me make it absolutely clear at thispoint that the Southwest is not seethingwith hosts of Conenose Bloodsuckers in-tent on your blood. They are, more realis-tically, only a noxious minority groupamong the many thousands of insectswhich are entirely beneficial and harm-less. You may never encounter one. Butyou should be familiar with them, just asyou should be familiar with, and hencetry to avoid, all injurious insects as wellas other injurious arthropods such asticks, scorpions and Black Widow spiders.But don't condemn all of them becauseof the obnoxious habits of a few. Learn todifferentiate between the injurious andnon-injurious and, whenever possible, tryto observe the others with interest andcuriosity. After all, who can take issuewith a Ladybird beetle or a butterfly?

    it's HYD RAULICit RAISESThe unique hydraulic mechanism which raises thecamper top can be safely operated even by a smallchi ld. Locks prevent accidental lowering. The top islowered quickly by the simple turn of a valve. Drivesafely at any speed with minimum drag and sway.Sit or recline on comfortable couches while travel-ing with top down. Alaskan camper top raises in sec-

    onds. En joyroomy walk-in l iv ing quarters, weather t ight , h igh cei l ing, "homeaway f rom home," comple te w i th th ree-burner s tove ,sink, cabinets, i ce box , beds a n d many other luxuryfea tu res. 6 FACTORIES TO SERVE YOUWrite today to the factory nearest you for free folder describing the most advanced camper on the road.

    R. D. HALL MFG., INC., 9847 Glenoaks Blvd., Sun Valley (San Fernando Valley) California 91352. Dept. D.ALASKAN CAMPERS NORTHWEST, INC., 6410 South 143rd Street, (Tukwila), Seattle Wash. 98168, Dept. D.ALASKAN CAMPER SALES, INC., (S.F.-Sacramento area) Intersection of Interstate Highway 80 and State 21.Route 1, Box 332, Sulsun City, California 94585, Dept. D.

    PENNECAMP, INC., 401 W. End Avc., Manhelm, Penna., 17545, Dept. 4.R. D. HALL MFG., INC., Texas Division. 5671 Cullen Blvd., Houston Texas 77021, Dept. D.FORT LUPTON CAMPERS, INC., 1100 Denver Aw., Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621, Dept. D.

    September, 1967 / Desert Magazine / 7

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    A cool escape for desert dwellers

    Little Denmark, U . S. A.by Jack Delaney

    OLVANG, CALIFORNIA isthe "eatin'est" town inthe West! Any hour ofthe day you'll see crowdsof eager eaters in thebakery-coffee shops thatdominate the business district. Day-longcoffee breaks are in vogue here, andthese usually end with a carton of goodiesunder the arm of the pastry patron, forlater enjoyment. At mealtimes, the ecsta-tic smacking of lips during the dessertcourse is a sight to seeor to hear! Afterall, authentic Danish pastry is just aboutthe ultimate in taste treats.

    Strangely, the continuous intake of deli-cious, rich pastries as a daily routine hereappears to present no serious weightproblem for the residents. From my de-tailed observation of the local gals, intheir colorful Danish garb, I can truth-fully report that they are trim and shapely.The local men aresorry, I was too busytaking inventory on the beautiful gals tocheck on the local men!

    Solvang, an accurate small-scale fac-simile of a fascinating Old World city,is about 45 miles north of Santa Barbara,in the Santa Ynez Valley. For a pleasantinterlude, drive along the freeway (U .S.101) to the vicinity of Buellton, theneast on Highway 246 a couple of miles tothis Danish-American town of 2000happy people. It is one of the leadingtourist attractions in Southern California,playing host to 250,000 visitors each year,many of whom are repeaters.Whether your visit is a return or a firsttime occasion, it is sugested that you con-sider the weekend beginning Friday, Sep-tember 15. It will be during these threedays that Solvang will present a fairylandof music, color, and gaiety, matched onlyby Old World festivals of bygone years.This is the weekend of the Annual Dan-ish Days Celebration. It would be well,however, to arrange reservations in ad-vance, if you plan to stay in Solvang orthe general vicinity.

    An unforgettable event will be offeredSaturday and Sunday morningsaeble-skiver breakfasts prepared and servedalong the main street (CopenhagenDrive), under the shadow of a Danishwindmill. Aebleskiver are pancake-likeballs, cooked in heavy cast iron skilletscontaining round depressions for shapingthe delicious morsels. Du rin g the cele-bration, volunteer bakers will attract largeaudiences by their display of proficiencyas they deftly turn the little sphere withknitting needles.

    In case you have never visited this pic-turesque village, it should be pointed outthat it is well equipped with modernmotels, restaurants, bakeries, and giftshops. "Quaint" is the word most oftenused to describe Solvang. Its windmills,homes, stores and customs carry anauthentic Danish theme. This is a town offlagseverywhere you'll see the Ameri-can and Danish flags flying side by side.The Danish flag, the Dannebrog, is theoldest flag in the world. It came intobeing in the year 1219-

    An unique custom in Denmark is thedisplay of various insignia, or emblems,at the entrances to shops as an indicationof the products they offer. For instance, abakery displays a Danish kringle (a formof pastry), while a shoe store is identifiedby a boot hanging over the sidewalk. Thispractice is followed, to some extent, inSolvang. Another indication of Danishbackground is the artificial storks grac-ing the roof lines of some of the build-ings. The people of their Old Worldcounterpart believe that a stork on theroof brings good luckso long as itstays on the roof!

    Should you have any questions per-taining to Solvang or its accommodations,just look up King Merrill, editor of theSanta Ynez Valley News and of the in-formative magazine, In The BeautifulSanta Ynez Valley. The business officeof the newspaper is located on the town's

    main street, so it is easy to find. You'llenjoy meeting Mr. Merrill and will findthat he is a very helpful and pleasantperson with whom to spend a few minutesand from whom to gain a bit of know-ledge about the beautiful Santa YnezValley.Many California towns started fromscratch and just "growed." Solvang hasbeen a planned community from the be-ginning . It was founded in 1911 bythree members of a group of Danish edu-cators. Their purpose was the establish-ing of a community where the arts andcustoms of their homeland could be re-created. Also, it was their desire tobuild a folk school for the western Danes.Solvang was born on 9000 acres of theold Spanish land grant known as RanchoSan Carlos de ]onata.Atterdag College was opened in 1914and its educational program was patterned

    after the Danish Grand View College inIowa. The theory of education was toinstill a philosophy in our young peopleto create wholesome, productive lives,rather than lives geared toward accumu-lating wealth. There were no textbooks,no examinations, and no degrees. Historywas the main subject, as it points outwhere we have failed and helps us tolearn from these failures. Atter dag Col-lege operated full time until 1937, andas a summer school until 1951.This Danish folk school ceased tooperate because of the compulsory educa-tion laws of the State of California, withwhich some of the school's policies werein conflict. Evidently, the concept ofteaching young people how to be down-to-earth, hard-working, useful citizenswas not enough. An effort should havebeen made to teach them to be thinkers,ready and willing to solve the problems ofthe worldprovided they can borrowtheir parents' cars. At any rate, goodold Atterdag is no longer serving as aneducational institution. Th e building is

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    Near the center of town is Old Mis-(Ities is the Spanish

    year. It has sur-years. Today,

    The proverbial Little Red Schoolhouse

    nce. This is truly a Valley his-gem. It can be reached by driving

    Originally, the Little Red Schoolhouse

    This one side trip is worthwhile, even

    aced sandwiches for lunch. At din-

    Just point to the item on the

    Velkommmen til 1967

    ws OLIVOS

    Little red schoolhouse at Ballard.S O L V A N G

    " W i N I S H W V r t "

    Map of Little Denmark, U.S.A

    Above: Old M ission San lues. Below: Solvang street scene.

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    Dr. Osborne, international authority on advanced electronics whopursues treasure hunting as a hobby, prepared the followingarticle at the request of DESERT Magazine for the vast numberof readers who write to this office in quest of reliable information

    about metal detectors from an objective source.

    by W. E. OsborneTREASURE FINDERS

    LECTRONIC METAL loca-tors are tricky animals.The very best one de-signed is no better thanthe skill of its operator,a n d many purchasers(and builders) of high-quality instru-ments have obtained poor resultsthrough no fault of the device itself. Forthe peak performance which I am suremost users desire, a top-grade locator de-mands operating ability which only seri-ous practice and some study can acquire.

    The three detectors above are all different beat-frequency types, built by the writerover the last 10 years. All have built-in battery chargers, car or line. S imilar detectorsare manufactured commercially. The writer's experimental infrared mine detector isheld like a drill gun. Meter variations indicate actual shape of buried object, butnot composition.

    If the purchase of a good instrument isaccompanied by a resolution to dailyachieve better results through such studyand practiceinstead of placing the in-strument in the same category as a newspade or fishing polethen, and onlythen, can it become a real "treasure-finder."My first unit was built in 1927, with

    the search coil wound around the wood-en rim of a bicycle wheel. I used astraight transmitter circuit, single tube(battery drain 0.25 amps!), which bytoday's standards is very insensitive, andmainly used for pipe-find ing. Over theensuing 40 years my design assignmentsin this field have included military minedetectors for the U .S., British and Austra-lian Forces, magnetometers for submarinedetection, and nuclear detection devices.Some non-technical comments on currentmetal locator types may therefore be ofinterest to those DESERT readers who,like myself, have an urge to seek goldwhenever circumstances will permit.

    The transmitter-receiver (TR) prin-ciple is one of the two most popular typesof locator. Two loop antennae (trans-mitter and receiver) are usually mountedat each end of a carrying pole, at rightangles to each other, to minimize directpickup between the two. The transmittercoil (frequency about 70-100 Khz) is atthe rear and is mounted vertically formaximum penetration, and when itsradiated field is interrupted by metal, a10 / Desert Magazine / September, 1967

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    on tripod for test purposes, andM-19 anti-tank mine (plastic).

    n audible change of pitch. Th e limit-onrange with the TR typeof direct (undistorted)T to Rloop, and thisat longer range. Complex

    to a10/1 ratio, and I havetoincorporate this on verymilitary units. The extra expense,itscommercial use, even if FA Aontransmitter output were

    Iknowofthe TR type, and whiletothat ofseveralitwas poorly regarded for reasonsandawkwardness. I

    tothe beat-frequency (B F)

    The range of aBF locator can equalof aTR type, butismore critical, asfine tuningto aone-cycle beat isrequired forsensitivity. Frequency should be

    much the same as in the TR, but there isno receiver. A second signal (at the samefrequency) is provided by ashielded andcrystal-controlled oscillator. Bothsig-nals are fed to aspecial "mixer" trans-istor. Metal in the field of the transmitterloop (the search coil), changes this onefrequency, and the mixer output, normallyzero, then produces a"beat" which is thedifference between the two signals. Thewhole unit can be smaller, lighter, anddraw less battery power than aTR. Forthis reason Iprefer and use it. Recharge-able batteries, with asub-miniature char-ger built in, are also afeature of my owninstrument. Recharging isdone by eitherautomobile or house current.Infrared mine detectors are a recentdevelopment. No search coil isused,asthe instrument is basically apassive infra-red receiver. The detector inless expen-sive models is anuncooled cell ofleadselenide or indium antimonide. Betterunits use anuncooled immersed bolo-meter. As any buried object will possess

    different infrared characteristics tothoseof the surrounding earth, it isrevealedas areflected pattern on the surface. U n-fortunately, rocks, wood, and even paperare included. However, asthe shape ofthe buried object can be read by an ex-perienced operator, much needless dig-ging isavoided. No commercial modelsare yet available. Size and weight are ex-tremely small.Magnetometers are awonderful aidinlocating either metal oroil. The oldertypes, with adepth range ofabout 500

    feet on a submarine, have since beengreatly improved. The two basic typesare theflux-gate, and total-field (nu-clear precession). The former cancelsout the earth's magnetic field (to zero),and measures any unbalance createdbysubmerged or buried objects such as metalor oil. The latter starts with the totalfields, and adds or subtracts for the ob-jects. Vehicle-mounting isusually neces-sary, and costs several thousand dollars.A number ofother principles are usedin locator design, but space prohibits dis-cussion here. They include conductivitymeasurement ofthe earth; pulsed ("ra-da r" ) types which are long-range, meetFAA rules, but which also require avehicle; and abalanced 3-coil magneticbridge asused inmany World War IImine detectors.A final word. W hen buying an instru-ment, itis safer to follow the axiom that,"You get what you pay for." An elec-tronic metal detector can then be awon-derful investment, if you follow theadvice in thefirst paragraph. Goodhunting!

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    September, 1967 / Desert Magaz ine /11

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    T r a p p e d in T a rby Ben Traywick

    OME of the most fierceand frightful creaturesever created on thisearth sleep entombed inpits of tar within thecity of Los Angeles, Cali-fornia. Here is the cemetery of the horri-ble Thunder Beast, the great cats, giganticmammoths, huge bears, and the fierce,terrible dragons of ancient lands and seas.The name "fossil" has been given toall organic bodies, animal or vegetable,buried naturally in terrestrial strata andmore or less pertified. The earth has notalways presented the calm aspect of sta-

    bility which it now exhibits. It has had itsconvulsions and its physical revolutions.A thousand causes, aqueous, igneous, andatmospheric, are continually at work modi-fying the external form of the earth bydestroying and rebuilding. However, manwould have to live for several millionyears in order to be able to understandthe tremendous changes that occur.Entire mountains ranges have beenformed by upheavals within the earthonly, over a long period of geologicaltime, to be worn down and washed into

    the seas again. And to the opposite, oceanbeds have lain beneath the water formillions of years only to have at last beenthrust up several hundreds of feet. Suchactions as these formed the asphalt bedsof La Brea, which are actually part of asedimentary series consisting of sands,clays, gravel and angular rubble with adepth area of 40 to 190 feet. Beneaththese deposits are the older formations ofmarine shales and sandstones with inter-bedded oil sands. It is from these that thetar comes.

    In 1769, Gaspar de Portola was thefirst to record seeing the "tar pits of LaBrea." Three years later, Jose LonginosMartinez reported a lake of pitch inwhich bubbles formed and burst contin-ually. Animals would step into it, thenwere unable to escape because their feetwere held fast; finally they would sinkbelow the surface. Even in that earlyyear he remarked on the presence of hugebones that appeared to be petrified inthe tar.

    In 1844 Duflot De Mofras, during hisexplorations of Oregon and California,recorded the presence of "the pits of as-phaltum." He remarked that the pitsreached the surface in small pools ofmineral water which was imbibed by ani-mals and birds. At a glance, the tar pitappeared to be a pool of water, a decep-tion which entrapped many creatures.

    No one recognized the importance ofthe fossil bones in the tar pits until W . W .Orcutt visited them in 1905. He dug asabre-tooth cat skull and portions of theskeleton of a huge ground sloth. Dr. JohnC. Merriam (U niversity of California)examined the bones and strongly recom-mended that further excavating be con-ducted. Allan Hancock, who ownedRancho La Brea on which the tar pitswere located, granted exclusive excavationprivileges to the county of Los Angeles in1913. The county museum conducted theexcavation and now has the fossils ondisplay.Later Hancock gave the 23 acres en-closing the fossil tar beds to Los Angelescounty for a public park, called HancockPark. Over the years, trees, shrubs, andplants of the types that grew in Califor-nia during the Ice Age have been planted

    and an observation pit has been con-structed so visitors can see the skulls andbones just as they were trapped and sub-sequently entombed in Pleistocene time.In one mass of tar, comprising lessthan 4 cubic yards, Dr. Merriam foundmore than 50 skulls of the dire wolf, 30skulls of the sabre-tooth cat, and numer-ous remains of horse, sloth, bison, coyoteand bird. Remains found in the tar pitshave changed little from the originalstate.

    Portions of the skull and skeleton of awoman were found at a depth of 6 to 9feet. All the bones were definitely fromone individual and clearly resembled theaboriginal people who had inhabitedSouthern California and the Channel Is-lands prior to the arrival of the whiteman. At a level of 8 to 18 feet, thewooden bunt foreshaft for an atlatl dartand 3 broken atlatl dart foreshafts wereuncovered, an indication that an atlatl-using people once inhabited the La Breaarea when animals, that are now extinct,roamed California.It is believed that the climate in Plei-stocene years was very nearly the same asit is today and the surrounding terrainwas rolling with a semi-arid type ofvegetation. This environment caused thearea to abound with bison, horse, ele-phant, mammoth, sloth, antelope, andcamel. The most prevalent forms of lifeuncovered at La Breat were those of pred-atory animals. Obviously this was a dir-ect result of the effective lure offered bythe victims trapped in the tar, bringingthe flesh eating animals directly to thepool.

    Apparently the tar trap and its vicinitywas an excellent feeding ground for the12 / Desert Magazine / September, 1967

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    dire wolf and the sabre-tooth cat. This isreflected by the extraordinary numbersof wolf and cat remains buried in the tar.Extinct forms of mammals actually rep-resent the greatest portion of skeletal re-ains taken from the tar pit. In the dogfamily, the dire wolf outnumbers theand thegray wolf. In the cat fam-ily, the sabre-tooth and the great cat orion-like feline exceeds the puma andynx. Among the bears, the short facedis twice as abundant as the black or

    The short faced bear possessed a shor-ened face, as the name implies, andThe principal cut-are more like those of a dogof a bear, thereby indicatingwasmore carnivorous thanthesize of thelaskan Kodiak bear of today, they areto have been the largest fleshating mammal occurring at La Brea.Though about the size of today's Afri-

    the sabre-tooth cat's front limbsand powerful while its hindThe short orwas similar to that of theor lynx. A true cat possesses 30but the sabre-tooth had only 26.the cheek-tooth region, the principalfor a slashingIts upper canines were greatin a long cur-and flattened transversely. Thesenot biting organs, butIn attacking largethe huge cat sought a vulnerableon the neck, dug its claws in deepthe strong front limbs and thenthe long, upper

    the lower jaw swunga huge gape to thethe powerful head and neckto the longSkeletons of the great cat, one of thein the pit. It wasas large as any cat livingit is generally referredas a lion it has on occasion been calledcat wasatBison were even more numerous thanin thePleistocene years of LaBreait appears that these extinct animalsto the tar pit. Consider-the modern buffalo,thehump.Mammoths were considerably larger

    than their cousins, the mastodon and theelephant. Skeletons have been foundthat measured 16 feet from the shoulder.The ivory tusks were curved with a spiralturn outwards, up to 15 feet in length,and fitted into the upper jaw. A massiveskull furnished an attachment area forthe muscles and tendons necessary tomanipulate the trunk and support thelong, heavy tusks.Though the grazing ground sloth was

    smaller than the mastodon it possessedconsiderable bulk and weight. Its muzzlewas blunt, the jaws armed with lobategrinding teeth. The reconstructed skele-ton shows this creature wasmassive, withthe anterior limbs much longer than theposterior, the articulation of the footoblique to the leg;great, short toes armedwith powerful claws, and the beast un-doubtedly possessed a tremendous crush-ing strength. This strength and clawshelped thesloth evade its natural enemies,the great cats and packs of thedire wolf.Its teeth indicate a died of vegetablefoods, leaves and small twigs.Because of the fragile physical make-up of birds, it is exremely rare thatfossilized remains are found in condition

    to study in detail. However, this is nottrue of the LaBrea tar pit because of therapid entombment andpreserving powersof the tar. As many as 126 differentkinds of birds were recovered, some withskeletal remains so well preserved theywere reassembled and mounted for dis-play. One of the most unusual was anextinct condor-like vulture. This hugebird stood approximately two-and-one-half-feet tall, had a wing span of over12 feet and,when alive, probably weigh-ed over 50pounds.Because of the discovery of fossil rec-ords, such as those in the La Brea tarpit, traces of a past infinitely longerthan man had hitherto suspected havebeen studied. Some have no clear rela-tionship to living things, nor livingthings a clear relationship to them, butas strange, terrible, and incredible asthey may seem, they are but what lifehas produced on its way to its presentstate. Generation by generation overcountless millions of years, it has chang-

    ed from thewonder it was to the wonderit is. There has been no creation sincethe beginning of life; life has evolvedcontinually, eternally.

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    September, 1967 / Desert Magazine / 13

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    Mitch Williams Says:Before It GetsToo C ivilize d SeeAmerica's New

    C A N Y O N L A N D SN A T I O N A L P A R K

    in special air conditioned 4-wheel-drive tour cars. Plan now to seethis scenic wonderland.Float trips on the exotic Coloradoand Green Rivers

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    WESTERNGATEWAYSMagazine of the Golden Circle

    WESTERN GATEWAYS IS A QUAR-TERLY MAGAZINE FEATURINGTRAVEL INFORMATION, MAPS,ARTICLES, AND PICTURES OFTHE INDIAN COUNTRY, UTAH'SCANYONLANDS, LAKE POWELL,AND THE FOUR CORNERS AREA.Join us in time for theAutumn issue, featuring:

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    By reader request DESERT M agazine will reprint a series ofarticles written by the dean of lost mine yarns, John Mitchell,which appeared originally in 1940 and 1941.

    by John MitchellIEUTENANT W . H . Em-ory, in his Notes of aMilitary Reconnaissancefrom Fort LeavenworthKansas to San Diego inCalifornia, published in1848, states: "The Prieto (Black) riverflows down from the mountains freight-ed with gold. Its sands are said to befull of the precious metal. A few ad-venturers who ascended the river huntingbeaver washed the sands at night whenthey halted and were richly rewarded.Tempted by their success, they made asecond trip and were attacked and most ofthem killed by the Indians. My authorityfor this statement is Landreau, who,though an illiterate man, is truthful."

    Adams and Landreau headed southafter the massacre and were picked up inan exhausted condition by a scouting partyfrom the Army of the West, near theheadwaters of the Gila river. After thelapse of 20 years Adams returned to theApache country and tried to relocate theruins of the log cabin and the corral thathe and his former partners had construct-ed near the rich diggings. Th e object ofthe search was about $60,000 worth ofgold dust left buried under the cabinfloor and the narrow gulch from whichthe gold had been washed.

    CITY

    Adams organized several expeditionsto search for his old workings and waswell known around Fort Wingate, NewMexico, where he purchased provisionsand equipment for his many trips into thewild country to the southwest of the fort.As nearly as can be ascertained theplace where Adams and Landreau wererescued was about 25 miles northwest ofSilver City, New Mexico. It was to thisplace that Adams came in later years, andhe was often seen in that region.

    The fact that the two men had traveledsouth after the massacre would indicatethat the rich deposits were located near theheadwaters of the Black river, but Adamshad only a hazy recollection of the dayswhen he and his companion wandered,exhausted and fearful of the Indians,from the scene of the attack.

    Adams died at the age of 93 withoutrelocating the gold. The search has con-tinued to this day and more than oneman has lost his life on the trail in quesof the lost diggings.If the story is true, the buckskin pokesheavy with $60,000 in gold, still rot be-neath the ashes of the old cabin floor. Nodoubt the place is now overgrown withvegetation, and only by mere accidenwill the treasure be recovered.

    14 / Desert Magazine / September, 1967

    L O S T A D A M sDIGGINGS

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    When It's Hot go where it's notby Jack Delaney

    Where spring comes in the summ er,And summ er comes in the jail;Where jail comes in the winter,And winter comes not at all!

    HIS POEM, author un-known, was used in themasthead of the Carls-bad Journal, and its fore-runner the C a r l s b a dChampion, for m a n yyears and was responsible for peopleshowing up in droves. Whether they werelovers of poetry, lovers of cool oceanbreezes, or just plain lovers is beside thepoint. It was the friendly atmosphere andpleasant tempo of life they found herethat appealed to them.During the sizzling summer, or anyother time of the year, should you feelthe urge to substitute surf and sand forthe smoke and smog of your churning city,or roaring seas for the roasting sun ofyour favorite desert area, why not try thisresort community with the mixed-up sea-sons? Carlsbad, California, a few milessouth of Oceanside, is 35 miles north

    of San Diego and about midway betweenLos Angeles and Tijuana, Mexico.It is one of the few cities along the

    Pacific Coast that was settled by non-Latin races. This is stated neither as agood nor as a bad point, but simply as afact. There was no Catholic church hereuntil late 1926, according to FatherWilliam O'Dwyer of St Patrick's Catho-lic Church. W hen Father Juan Crespisurveyed the adjacent San Luis Rey area

    in 1769, while searching for missionlocations, and Father Junipero Serrastudied the region about 30 miles to thenorth in 1776, they traveled along ElCamino Real, which is some distance eastof the site of present-day Carlsbad.

    As a result of their travels, missionswere eventually established at Oceanside

    Above: Hanseatic House and gazebo overoriginal mineral well of old Karlsbad.Below: Bird sanctuary at Bu ena VistaLagoon.

    (San Luis Rey de Francia) and at SanJuan Capistrano, much to the delight ofthe swallows who were returning eachyear to nothing but grassy fields. Thesewere, and still are, major institutions andthe countryside surrounding them is pic-turesque and beautiful. However, it istrue that Southern California mission his-tory might have been slightly different ifthe good Padres had not bypassed "thecity of three seasons" on their trek northin search of the ideal in real estate.The formal beginning of Carlsbad wasrelated to the discovery of a mineralspring here in 1882. An early settler,John Frazier, located it while digging awell for his homesite. Friends who drop-ped by for a drinkof water, naturallyall agreed that the product of his newwell had a peculiar taste. They reasonedthat anything with such an off-beat tastemust have health-giving properties. Mr.Frazier had samples of it analyzed. Hewas amazed to learn that the water wasidentical in taste and chemical content to

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    that of the Ninth Spa in Karlsbad, Bo-hemia !This famous Old World wateringplace, founded by King Karl I of Bo-hemia, was originally named Karl's Badt(Karl's bath), and was later popularlyknown as Karlsbad. It is interesting tonote that Carlsbad, California was namedafter the European Spa because of thesimilarity of the water in its mineral well.News of the discovery spread to manystates. As a result, Germans, Bohem-ians, and English people from all overthe U nited States flocked to this haven ofhealth to drink the peculiar tasting watersand receive the expected benefits.Special railroad excursions and otherpromotions were instrumental in the de-velopment of Carlsbad. Tourists weregiven the opportunity to taste the min-eral water at a "fountain of youth" pipeddirectly to the train depot! However, itis possible that the mild summer climate,the sun-splashed surf, and the sheer

    beauty of sea, sand, and rocks, had thera-peutic value in excess of the mineralwater.The famous old well of Carlsbad, whichserved a noble purpose for many years,has now ceased to function. It is a Cali-fornia landmark, designated as a histori-cal site in 1955 by the State Assembly.Be sure to ree it when you visit this resort.It is located in the 2800 block of Carls-bad Boulevard, not far from the center ofthe business district. Th e little gazebo atthe surface of the well is a scaled likenessof the lookout over the old city of Karls-

    bad, Bohemia.In connection with this historical shrinean unique development is taking shape.It is named "Olde Karlsbad" and can bestbe described as "A Bit of Old Europein America." A quaint village of OldWorld shops, transplanted to sunny Cali-fornia, Olde Karlsbad hopes to reflect thebeauty of our world and the wealth ofits ancestry. Buildings h ave been chosenfor replicas because of their beauty, ortheir historical importance. You will en-joy strolling the cobblestone courtyardand viewing the two structures that havenow been completed.

    The principal building at present isthe Hanseatic House, copied from theage-old buildings of the Hanseatic Lea-gue which, in the 13th century, broughtEurope out of the Dark Ages. Next tothis structure is a replica of AntonDvorak's home in Karlsbad, with theplaque that tells of his New WorldSymphony. Beneath these buildings is aninteresting high-walled art gallery. Bypassing through an iron gate at the lowerlevel, which is secured by a great lock

    King Karl I of Bohemia after whom Carlsbad, California was named.

    brought from Munich, you will see theoriginal mineral well.Olde Karlsbad's art gallery, is also the

    home of the exquisite replica of KingKarl's crown. Th e original is one of thefinest examples of medieval lily crownsin existence. The re are 91 rubies, sap-phires, and emeralds, and 20 pearls in it.It is kept at Prague and is displayed tothe public twice yearly. The replica,which you will see here, contains syntheticstones, but is accurate in every other de-tail. Mad e of copper, it is double-platedwith 24 karat gold. As a club project ofthe Del Norte Gem and Mineral Societyof Carlsbad, it required 2700 man-hoursto complete.

    In this one central location you will seethe crown, the old mineral well, and OldeKarlsbadthe dream of Mr. and Mrs.Christiansen that is coming true. Th eChristiansens, who are the leading author-ities on the history of this area, are gra-cious hosts. You'll find them eager toanswer your questions and make yourvisit an interesting and enjoyable occasion.

    At the northern boundary of the city isBuena Vista Lagoon, one of the few freshwater lagoons remaining on the WestCoast. Covering about 325 acres, it isclose to the ocean and has high andscenic shorelines. Buena Vista is knownas the principal sanctuary for migratory16 / Desert Magazine / September, 1967

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    fowl on the Pacific Flyway. It offers re-each year and is a permanent home formany species. In 1959, the Buena VistaAudubon Society recorded 225 varietiesof birds habitating the sanctuary duringa 12-month study.The wide variety of bird life in a con-centrated area has earned the lagoon anational reputation among nature lovers.The refuge can be reached from the busi-ness district by driving north on Jeffer-son Street. Just follow this street aroundthe lagoon to the parking area and enjoya session of bird-watching at close range.The shoreline stopping place will be in-vaded by famished fowl soon after youarrive, so be sure to bring some stalebread or other goodies for them.On the southern fringe of the commun-ity is Agua Hedionda Lagoon, which isl l / 2 miles long and y2 mile wide. It hasbeen called the largest inland body of saltwater along the Pacific Coast. This is asailing, rowing, fishing, and a multitudeof other water sports. The location fromInterstate Freeway 5 is: east on Tamar-ack Avenue to Adams Street, then righton Adams about a mile to the quarter-mile channel that extends out from the'agoon on the north shore.It is here that the Janss Corporationis developing a multi-million dollar resi-dential marina, known as Bristol Cove.This will be a beautiful palm tree-linedchannel-front living area for boating en-thusiasts and those who enjoy an invi-gorating nautical atmosphere. A possibledifficulty for those who choose this ideallocation is that their luxury living quar-ters might be invaded by friends everyweek-end, who just happened to be pass-ing through with their swim togs, fishinggear, and a boat hitched to the rear oftheir cars. Fortunately, the developershave anticipated this possibility and havea solution to the problem.Zoning for building sites at BristolCove permit construction of two to tenrental units per lot. If the resident isoverrun with friends, he can hang out a"no vacancy" sign! Also, a large area oneach side of the mouth of the channel hasbeen earmarked for the development ofmajor hotels, restaurants, and shops. Thismeans that you and I will be able to sleep,eat, and enjoy ourselves here soon, evenif we are not friends of one of the ownersof a channel-front house.A few miles southeast of Agua Hedi-onda Lagoon is a dragway for speedsters.This fabulous combined drag-strip andsports car track is called the world's mostmodern layout. Carlsbad Raceway is beau-tifully situated on rolling hills along

    Palomas Airport Road, only a few min-utes from downtown. Special racing eventsare featured here each week throughoutmost of the year.Thus far in our outline of the attrac-tions of Carlsbad, an emphasis has beenplaced on the unusual points of interestthat you, as a sightseer, might want tos e e . However, as a visitor or vacationer,you might have more interest in beachattractions. You'll find them here in awide varietydeep-sea fishing, cruising,surfing, skin-diving, swimming, sunbath-ing, and miscellaneous beach fun. Th eocean activity is safeeagle-eyed life-guards are on hand to watch the littletykes, as well as teen-aged, middle-aged,and golden-aged tykes.The strand is clean, wide, and gentlysloping. It welcomes the stately surf andtames it. As a beachcom ber, you canhike along the sand in the early morningand see what the night tides have broughtina redwood log from some distantpoint, a mysterious box, a fishing netfloat, or millions of tiny seashells of manyshapes and hues. Along the surf edgerun long-beaked sandpipers and, occa-sionally, dignified pelicans searching forfood. Swoo ping gulls cock beady eyesfor goodies. This is their feeding groundand they know it!

    Those who wish to enjoy a stay at thebeach in their campers, tents, or evensleeping bags, may do so at CarlsbadBeach State Park. Facilities consisting offlush toilets, drinking water, hot showers,laundries, tables, stoves, and cupboardsare offered and all roads are surfaced.The charge has been $2.00 per automo-tive vehicle per night for some time.(Better check on a possible slight increase,recently announced.) Sites are assignedon a first comefirst served basis dailyat 8:00 a.m. This oceanfront park in-cludes 4000 feet of beach strand and ispatronized by the same hungry sand-pipers, pelicans, and seagulls as any otherstretch of our Pacific waterfront."There's something for everyone atCarlsbad" is not just a Chamber of Com-merce slogan, though it would be anapprop riate one. It is my own impres-sion after having spent many days, onseveral occasions this year, in this inter-esting area. The re is "m eat" here for thehistorian, the artist, the rockhound, thebird-watcher, the lagoon-lover, the boat-ing enthusiast, the automobile racer orobserver, and the beach cavorter. Why nottoss a few items into the car, point ittoward the Pacific Ocean, and let it takeyou to this resortwhere the land endsand the sea begins?

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    September, 1967 / Desert Maga zine / 17

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    Have You Snagged a Cui-uiby Doris Cerveri

    OULD YOU believe thereexists a prehistoric fishso odd and unusual thatit is found in no otherlake in the world exceptone in western Nevada?The cui-ui (pronounced quee-wee) isjust such a fish. Althou gh many peopleare not aware of this oddity, ichthyologistshave known about them for some time.These large, ugly, clumsy fish have been,and still are, somewhat of a mystery.Since they were first reported in 1868,research has led some authorities to be-lieve they are a form of prehistoric life.Years before this, however, Paiute Indiansno doubt were sustained by these fishalone when other food was scarce.

    A sucker-type fish without teeth, theyhave an extra bottom fin, a fact most in-teresting to fish scholars. They are onlyseen during the brief spawning seasonwhich lasts approximately one month,starting about the end of April, whenthey begin the hazardous journey up the18 / Desert Magazine / September, 1967

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    ruckee River in western Nevada to pro-pagate their young. Ithas been reportedthat spawning is more active at night, andso also is their migration.It iscustomary forthem todeposittheir eggs inshallow water where theflow israpid. This often exacts an enor-mous toll from the young for asuddenfall in thevolume of thewater mayleavenests high and dry inasingle day. Dur-ing thebreeding season, males differ

    from the females in color. Thehead andbody of themale isextremely robus, broadand round, andiscompletely scaled withlarge, even scales which resemble thosefound of asnake more than those of afish. In the female thewhole upper sur-face is dark brownish-black, not theolive color usually seen insuckers.How-ever, females are sometimes called blacksuckers.Divers whohave gone down as far as100 feet after thespawning season isover have never seen acui-ui, while othersreport seeing the fish at adepth of 40 to

    50 feet. Pyramid Lake is full of plankton,a very minute form ofanimal and plantorganisms, and the water isthick withalgae, which issufficient food for fish.Fishermen report they will not rise tobait and are taken without afight onlyduring thebrief spawning season.As soon as the spawning season starts,Paiutes from the Pyramid Lake Reserva-tion and sportsmen can be seen standingknee-deep inthe shallow water of thelake. The fish aretaken with improvisedgaffs or three-pronged snag hooks, whichare drawn quickly through the muddywater on achalk line.Each fish averages four toeight pounds,but usually only the filets, weighing abouta pound, are eaten, although the Indianssometimes boil the rest ofthe fish for asoup. Years ago the Paiutes boiled thesmaller ofthe two bladders which thefish has and made aglue to fasten theirarrow feathers.When the cui-ui were more numerous,Indian women peddled them in Reno, 33miles distant. Paiutes are known as thecui-ui eaters, but the rich, oily flavor ofthe fish, which tastes something like across betwen a trout and a mackerel,appeals to others as well.Pyramid Lake, approximately 30 mileslong and 11miles wide, isentirely with-in the Pyramid Indian Reservation andfishing rights toitare controlled by thePaiute Indians. Anyone wishing tofishmust first secure apermit atthe generalstore at Nixon, asmall Indian settlementnear the lake. The price is reasonableand many sportsmen trytheir luckfor

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    September, 1967 / Desert Magazine /19

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    The Squaw and her basket formation at Pyramid Lake.

    trout when the cui-ui are not in season.Approximately 50 years ago the lake wasfamous for huge cutthroat trout. A 42-pound giant is on display in the museumat Carson City.Equally mysterious is the entire Pyra-mid region, still as primitive as it was in1844 when John Fremont came upon it.The large rock pyramid after which henamed the lake is a natural stone forma-tion standing 50 stories high and is olderand larger than the pyramids of Egypt.Approximately 16 years after the lake was

    discovered, it was the scene of the firstdisastrous Indian war in Nevada, whenthe area was still a territory. PyramidLake is a portion of what is left of ancientLake Lahontan, a body of water havingno outlet. It is fed by the water of theTruckee River flowing from Lake Tahoein the Sierra Mo untains. Lake Lahontanwas larger than Lake Erie and existedthousands of years ago in the westernhalf of Nevada, covering approximately8,422 square miles. About 886 feet deep,it was originally the home of thousands

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    of fish representing several distinct forms.As climatic conditions caused the lake tobreak up into smaller ones, many fishperished.This strange inland sea, which has notbeen destroyed by 1000 years of relent-less desert sun, is shaped like a harp.Since the building of Derby Dam on theTruckee River for irrigation purposes sev-eral years ago, however, the level of thelake has been dropping at the rate ofthree and one-half feet annually.Pyramid Lake is the only remainingbody of fresh water to contain offspringof the cui-ui found in Lake Lahontan.It has been reported, but not authenti-cated, that the cui-ui has relatives in cer-tain lakes in Australia, and some speciesappear to be related to fish found inU tah. Indians say there was a spottedfish lighter in color existing in LakeWinnemucca, known as the izhi-cui-ui.(Winnemucca Lake on the east, separatedby a low range of hills from Pyramid,dried up in 1932.)South of the large pyramidal islandstands Anaho, an islet of about 250 acresbuilt up in in long 100-foot terraces andcrowned by crags of tufa. He re can befound one of the largest pelican rookeriesin the western U nited States. No rth ofthe "Needles," another outstanding cal-careous formation, are subterranean hotsprings. In caves near the lake there arenumerous fossilized fragments of severalvarieties of fish. Major discoveries by theNevada State Museum's archaeological sur-vey crew revealed evidence that prehistoric

    man lived in these caves probably about11,000 years ago.Another peculiar thing about the lake

    is its color. In winter the water is graylike the North Atlantic; in August it isemerald green. At other times it alter-nates between deep Mediterranean blueand topaz and is fine for swimming.Some individuals say that it tastes likeAlka Seltzer gone flat. Its shoreline isbarren of shrubs or trees, except for desertsagebrush. The development of PyramidLake for recreational purposes by privateenterprises recently was made possible bya bill approved by Congress and signedby Presiden t Johnson. The measure al-lows 99-year leases of land on the PaiuteIndian reservation which embraces thelake. At nearby Nix on the re is an inter-esting trading post to visit and the routeback to Reno via Wadsworth and Sparksoffers a distinct change of scenery fromthe direct approach on State 33.

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    EADOW LAKE is your re-ward for having driven20 miles on a county-maintained d i r t roadwhich you turned ontofrom Highway 89, about10 miles beyond Truckee, California.Your map will reveal that you havetaken one giant step out of the barrendesert and that you are at the site ofa town called Summit City, also knownas Meadow Lake City. As you followthe road around the mile-long lake, yourdoubts will be confirmed by a brownforestry marker. In 10 short years, Mea-dow Lake City was born, flourished,died and then vanished into the soil onwhich it had been built. Only this brownmarker stands today, where yesteryear atown of 5000 people pursued fame andfortune.

    When Henry W. Hartley discoveredgold in this basin, that summer in 1863,he did not forsee the turn of events. Per-haps it was just fate that the whispers ofhis rich assay reports crept across thevalley to a restless Virginia City. Tim ingwas perfect. The future of the Corn-stock looked hopeless. Eager ears werealert for any news of richer strikes. Assoon as the snows melted, the relocationbegan. Word spread and people pouredin over the four existing roads, some withtools to work, others with decks and diceto play. A city was born and it maturedovernight. By 1866, the population ex-plosion had hit a record 4000. A checkon statistics showed that 1200 miningclaims had been' recorded, 500 buildingshad been completed and others goingup as fast as material was available. Ele-gant hotels welcomed newcomers and 90saloons did a round-the-clock business,

    No To w n for the Ghostby Helen Walker

    thus keeping two breweries at full pro-ductio n. Every conceivable need was satis-fied by the enterprising mercantile storesthat fronted on the plaza.The most sensational claim to fame wasprovided by Meadow Lake. Each Satur-day night a gaily lighted double-deckersteamer traversed the one-and-one-halfmile long lake, providing the rollickingminers unusual entertainmen t. They weremet at the opposite dock by beguiling fe-

    males and eager gamblers who led themoff to saloons and bawdyhouses for fur-ther gaiety.Hopes were high in this new mecca,assays were good . Everyone was con-vinced that this time they had hit a bon-anza for sure. They kept so busy provingit to themselves and others that thetruth was either overlooked or, perhaps,ignored. N o one wanted to fact the fact

    A JTRUCKEE

    RENOi RGINIA ACITY Ythat goodfeflowship was holding thetown together, not the product.

    Finally mine owners were forced to ad-mit the problem. Ore was being yielded,but the strangely obdurate ore was notpaying. A strange mixture of arsenic,antimony, lead and other ingredients wasneutralizing the effects of quicksilver andpreventing amalgamation. The mineswere not making money.Bad news spread as fast as good.People, so eager to be among the firstto arrive, left with the same haste. Byearly fall it was all over. Doors swayed inthe cool autumn breezes while chipmunksand rats took over the empty buildings.The few diehards who stuck it out hada choice of magnificent hotels with lavishfurnishings, but even with these luxuries,

    they gave up one by one all exceptHenry W. Hartley."Hartley Hermit," he was referred tonow. Living with unbelievable elegancetastefully selected from the disintegratingtown, he continued to work his minewhile other mine owners fruitlesslysearched the world over for an answer tothe mysterious ore. When old age finallyovertook Henry, he sold his claim andmade plans to finish his life traveling.

    But again fate stepped into the scene.Henry died before he left his belovedtown. Friends buried him on a hilltopoverlooking the site with these words onhis marker, "He died with the firm be-lief his town would someday live again.1820-1892."Soon thereafter the town was demol-ished by fire. People said a wayfarer,seeking shelter in the remains of the Ex-celsior Hotel, started it by leaving asmoldering campfire. Today there is notone foundation or brick to show where

    these people lived, worked, and hoped forthe fame and fortune that tortured theirminds. Meadow Lake is truly a ghosttown, with no home even for the ghost.

    September, 1967 / Desert Magazine / 21

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    On a recent expedition to the Oregon desert withErle Stanley Gardner, we solved

    The Case of theBlue Bucket Goldby Choral Pepper

    Editor ofDESERT Magazine

    HE N FAMOUS w r i t e r -adventurer Erie StanleyGardner invited us toaccompany him on an ex-pedition into the rela-tively unknown regionsof the Oregon desert, I dropped every-thing to delve into the mystery of a his-toric gold strike found and lost by awagon train of immigrants to Oregonin 1845. These settlers, astray in thestrange, arid desert, had only one goalin mindto possess land, not gold.Nevertheless, the yellow rocks theyscooped from a damp streambed into ablue wooden bucket gave birth to oneof the great legends of the West. TheLost Blue Bucket Gold is to Oregonwhat Pegleg's Black Gold is to SouthernCalifornia and the Lost Dutchman Mineis to Arizona.After devoting several weeks to re-search on this subject, I was struck bytwo startling paradoxes. One related toan inconsistency in the reported activitiesof the immigrants' hired guide, StephenMeek. He was the confidence man who

    Uncle Erie and Rueb Long do a littleprospecting along the Blue Bucket trail,had convinced a large segment of thehuge train that hecould guide it througha desert cutoff that would shorten thetrek from Fort Boise to Oregon's Wil-lamette Valley. Meek had initiated his"terrible trail" at thehead of a group ofwagons led by a mannamed Herren, buttoward the end of Herren's account of

    this part of the trek, there is suddenly nofurther mention of Meek. Sowhathap-pened to Meek?The other paradox is that portions ofHerren's trail, as well as those of twoother parties whotook the ill-fated Meek

    cutoff, are visible enough to have beenretraced by prospectors for more than acentury, yet never has a significant clueto the source of the Blue Bucket goldbeen found!It was this latter paradox that causedme torecall a conversation with DESERTreader Lois Pierce from Hoodsport, Wash-ington, whovisited ouroffice some timeago. Mrs.Pierce is descended from twofamiles of the immigrant train that tookthe Meek cutoff in a group of wagonstrailbossed by a man named WilliamT'Vault. Herfather, James Miller Allen,and her maternal grandfather, RufusRiggs, were among the leaders whohelped Meek escape when others in thetrain threatened his life for having con-ned them into hiring him as a guide intocountry he only pretended to know. LoisPierce's unexpected revelation explained

    Our caravan ofGrasshoppers set forth on anew Oregon adventure.22 / Desert Magazine / September, 1967

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    The camp we found in the Lost Forest was a dry camp surrounded with sand dunes!

    It also provided a clue to the

    Here is what happened.Because water and graze grew scarce

    f on their own to the north. Meek

    e the cattle. At this point,

    ed it slightly to the north. Meek,

    toward a landmark now known asWagontire Mountain where trappers hadtold him there was a spring. Then heretraced his tracks to Crane's Prairiewhere he arrived in time to meet theT'Vault train and lead it through a passto the south. It was his hope that theycould find adequate water and pasturagealong a southern parallel to the Herrenroute until water became more abundantand they could work their way north torejoin the Herren party at Wagontire.The only thing wrong with his ideawas that after they had negotiated thepass to the south, it didn't give entreeto any traversable terrain to the north orwest. W ater was abundan t in places, butso highly alkali it even made the animalssick. Consequently, the T'Vault trainwandered further and further off-course,until Meek finally admitted that he washopelessly lost.

    After dispensing with his services, thetrain sent out its own scouts who eventu-ally found a way to the north where thetrain picked up the Herren tracks andfollowed them to a common destination.It was at this reunion, with the desperatetrials of the terrible trail behind and com-paratively easy travel ahead, that a mem-ber of the T'Vault train exhibited to somefriends of the Herren train the yellowrocks he had tossed into his tool chestafter finding them in the bottom of hiswater bucket. Dan Herren hammered oneon a tire rim to determine if it was malle-able enough to be gold. Farmers that

    Jack Pepper, Rueb Long, Erie Stanley Gardner, Sam Hicks and f. W. Black estimatethe location of the third grave on a topographical map.September, 1967 / Desert Magazine / 23

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    they were, the men who witnessed thishistoric occasion decided that the goldenmetal was only brass! Nevertheless, DanHerren's name became associated with theBlue Bucket gold and it is along histrailthe wrong trailthat five genera-tions of prospectors have concentratedtheir search.There is an additional reason for thishistorical lapse which I shall mention inthe interest of history buffs. Th e 1845

    Oregon Immigrant Train began its trekwest from M issouri. Divided into a seriesof smaller wagon trains in order to facili-tate travel, each group chose its ownleaders, adopted its own slogans, and car-ried on a friendly competition with theother groups. In most cases a train wasidentified with the name of its leader,but one group, departing from St. Joseph,elected to call itself "The Military Immi-grant Train." William T'Vault was ap-pointed Commander and other memberswere given military rank according to re-sponsibilities. All gearbuckets, shovelhandles, tools and so forthwere painteda uniform blue and the members of thetrain accepted typical military regimen-tation. It was a member of this trainthe Military Immigrant Trainwhoscooped the gold nuggets into one ofthe train's blue buckets. However, whenthe original train entered the Oregondesert, it divided into smaller segmentsand only the unit still led by T'Vaultretained the Military Immigrant Trainidentification. The remaining members,who now traveled with Herren, Teth-erow or McNary, went down in historyas members of the "Meek Cutoff TrailTrain."

    Years later, after the California goldrush bad joggled a memory of goldfound along the immigrant trail, occa-sional references to the "Military Immi-grant Train" became confused with anactual Oregon Central Military expedi-tion that crossed a portion of their trailaround 1847. Thus, the fourth split-offfrom the Meek Cutoff train became lostto history until Lois Pierce matched acollection of family diaries to tales of thelost Blue Bucket gold and made a tripto southeastern Oregon to see if the ter-rain fit the theory. It did. Mrs . Piercethen published her findings. U nfor-tunately, her lack of familiarity with theregion produced some minor inaccuracieswhich reflected upon the authenticity ofher historically important work. With thehelp of Reub Long, who wrote The Ore-gon Desert and who "came here when thesun was just a little thing and the moonwas not yet born," we set out to recheckM r s . Pierce's clues. Reub took a personal

    W a t o n l i r e ' M o u n t a i n

    P l u s h

    The place to search for a rich pocket ofgold is along the ridge below the lava.cap of C oyote Hill between the twocreeks.interest in this adventure because a side-light in the Pierce narrative revealed thathis own grandmother had numberedamong the travelers of this train.

    Our primary clue, according to diariespossessed by Mrs. Pierce, depended uponthe finding of three graves, each locateda day's travel apart, with the first oneabout 12 miles from the dry stream bedwhere the gold was found. Because ourcamp was in the Lost Forest to the north,near where scouts of the Military Immi-grant Train found water near the end oftheir trek, we scheduled our search forthe third grave first, following theirtrail in reverse. After first getting sup-plies at the nearby community of Christ-mas Valley we started our search.

    Right from the start we were in luck.It was dusty traveling, even dirtier thanin Baja, as we guided our fleet of sevengrass-hopper vehicles along a sandy roadfrequented more by sheep than by motors.We stopped to visit with a Basqueshepherd who had been in this countryonly three years. He was intrigued withBruce Barron's grasshopper with a broncosaddle mounted above the motor, but hewasn't intrigued enough to risk exchang-ing it for the reliable qualities of hishorse!Soon we turned into a broad valleystudded with juniper trees. In the dis-tance a windmill marked the abandonedGoodrich Wells Ranch, but the old build-ings which used to stand on a slope near

    the well exist no more. Fanning outthrough fragrant sagebrush in all direc-tions, we searched for the grave of asmall golden-haired girl of the MilitaryImmigrant Trail.Jack Pepper became our first herowhen he shouted from a hillside that hehad found it. Early diaries describedthis grave as one covered with rocks, andindeed it was. There was some contro-versy among our members, however, be-

    cause the grave lay in a north-south direc-tion. J. W. Black, self-acknowledgedexpert on burial etiquette, insisted thatal l graves lay east and west, so thiscouldn't be a grave. U ncle Erie triedtried to tell him that those placed on ahillside must lie perpendicular to theslope of the land, no matter in whatcompass direction, bu t J. W . w ould havenone of this. The n Bruce Barron's metaldetector buzzed over a toy enamel cupof 19th century vintage. We couldn'tfind the ox yoke that the immigrantsreportedly left to mark this grave, but thediscarded toy cup seemed to prove thatJack had found a child's grave.

    Following a gravel road, we cut cross-country to U .S. Highway 395 near theAlkali Lake Station. The second gravehad been reached by the wagon trainfrom a narrow valley along the rim-rocks of Venator Canyon and held thecorpse of a woman who had died offever. No t having enough rock to moundthis grave, the mourners outlined it withrocks and left a wagon wheel for amark er. It is located on the flat abovethe present Walter Lehman sheep campabout three miles northeast of the Station.

    Now came the moment! If we couldlocate the third grave, we would bewithin 12 miles of the source of theBlue Bucket gold, as that was approxi-mately the mileage covered in one day'stravel by the wagon train and this burialoccurred the day following the campwhere the gold was found. Th e gravewas occupied by the corpse of a man whowas buried beside the trail on flat landthat lay below a series of low hills nearthe end of an alkali lake. A wagon tail-gate was left to mark the grave.Very often, as any desert wandererknows, modern highways follow the samepaths of least resistance along whichpioneers blazed their earlier trails. Herewas a case in point. Just inside a fencedpasture near the highway rest station wefound a dirt mound that looked like agrave. Moreover, since this terrain wasrelatively free of rock, it occurred to usthat the grave might have been outlinedwith rocks, rather than entirely covered,as was grave number two. U nder a

    24 / Desert Mag azine / September, 1967

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    grave on hillside near theauthor visits with a Basqueho prefers horses to Grass-With their White Electronic

    found. The author,Creek are a hotter location, but did

    detector.

    the moun d. This satisfied us

    While driving to the hogback summit. S. 395, we spotted a gentle

    Here is what we had to guide us,Three days after the train had moved

    The im migrants had seen black

    ed it. Onw ard the oxen plumm eted,

    directly into the bed of a normally drystream where lava potholes were filledwith fresh water.After finally getting the animals undercontrol, the men guided their wagons

    into a circle on a flat above the creekbed. There were now but 30 of the 45wagons led by T'Vault when he left theHerren route at Crane's Prairie to proceedsouth under the guidance of Meek. Alongthe creek bed grew juniper trees, so themen cut some down and hauled them tocamp for firewood. They then dug adeep hole into the damp sand to obtainadditional water. However, for theirparty of 150 persons and 250 head ofstock, it was hardly adequate. The waterwas not clear and it tasted heavily ofmineral, although it was blessedly notalkali as had been most of the waterfound prior to this camp.

    Scouts were sent ahead to establish aroute to the northwest. Soon they returnedto report that more alkali water laybefore them. Every man, woman andchild was ordered to fill every availablecontainer the evening before they brokecamp. It was at this time, included amonga settling of