2402535-196604-Desert-Magazine-1966-April

7/28/2019 2402535-196604-Desert-Magazine-1966-April

1/38

W E S T E R N T R A V E L A D V E N T U R E / L I V I N G

1 9 6 6

O F T U M A C A C O R IO F T H E L O S T D U T C H M A N


2/38

COME TO SUNNY PALM DESERT AND VISIT OUR BOOK AND GIFT SHOP IN THE NEW HOME OFDESERT MAG AZINE. SEE OUR FASCINATING COLLECTION OF WESTE RN ARTIFACTS. LOOK FOR TH ECORAL COLORED BUILD ING AT THE CORNER OF LARREA AN D LANTANA, ACROSS FROM T HE POST

OFFICE, JUST ONE BLOCK FROM THE OLD LOCATION.

W E S T E R N B O O K SU N U S U A L G l F T S

G I F T C A R D SW E S T E R N A R T I F A C T S

B A C K I S S U E S

DESERT Magaz ine 's Book Shop and Mai l Order Depar tment o f fe rs acomple te se lec t ion o f books on the West . A l l books have been care fu l lyse lec ted and rev iewed in DESERT Magaz ine.

Send for FREE book ca t a logueto

Deser t Magaz ineP a lm Dese rt , Ca l i f o rn ia 9 22 60

Co m e in and Browse


3/38

C O N T E N T SVolume 29 Number 4

APRIL, 1966This Month's Cover

Superstit ion Mountainsby ROBERT BLAIR

4 Books for Desert Readers6 Desert Quartet

By LOUISE BELL PRICE

8 Legend of Apache TearsBy LEE LUCAS

9 Strictly for the birdsBy BABS KOBALY

11 Springtime is SnaketimeBy LUCILE MARTENS

14 The Lost Dutchman LegendBy ROBERT BLAIR

17 Silver ValleyBy BETTY L. RYKER20 Arizona Romance

photo by ESTHER HENDERSON22 New Desert Mountain Playground

by WALTER FORD26 Art of Desert Survival

By FREDIE HARRIS28 The Tumacacori Treasure

By ALLAN PEARCE32 Road to old Socorro

By EDWARD OR R34 Shatter, Texas

By LAMBERT FLORIN35 Hints for Campers

By BRUCE BARRON3 8 DESERT Cookery

By LUCILLE CARLESON

39 Letters from our Readers

14th Annual Yuma County Fair, Yuma, Ariz. March 30-April 3; AnnualNational Art Exhibit, Springvil le, Utah, April 1-30; Opening of PioneerHistorical Museum, Flagstaff, Ariz., April 1; Inyo (Calif.) County Cen-tennial Bottle Workshop Show and Sale, Bishop, Calif., April 1-3; SanJoaquin Valley Gem and Mineral Show, Fairgrounds, Stockton, Calif.,April 2 and 3; Annual Ute Indian Tribal Dance, Whiterocks, Utah, writeUtah Travel Council, Capitol Hi l l , Salt Lake City, Utah for dates; 16thAnnual Tucson Festival Arts Show, Tucson, Ariz., April 13-14; TrailRide to Superstition Mountain Wilderness Area, Maricopa County ParksDept., Phoenix, Ariz., April 16; 8th Annual Kern County Gem and Min-eral Show, Fairgrounds, Bakersfield, Calif., April 16-17; 7th AnnualNorthrop Gem and Mineral Club Show, Hawthorne, Calif., April 23 and24; Riverside Community Flower Show, Armory, Riverside, Calif., April23 and 24.EDITOR'S NOTE: Some dates are subject to change. I f you plan a trip to attenda specif ic event, we suggest checking f irst with their local Chamber of Commerce.EVENTS DEADLINE: Infor ma tion re lat ive to forth com ing events in the West must bereceived TWO MONTHS prior to the event. Address envelopes to Events Editor,Desert Magazine, Pa lm Desert , Cal i forn ia 92260.

JACK PEPPER, PublisherElta Shively Al Merrym anExecutive Secretary Staff Artist

CHORAL PEPPER, EditorRose Holly Marvel Barrett Lois Dou ganCirculation Business SubscriptionsDesert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260 Telephone 346-8144

DESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif . Second Class Postage paid atPalm Desert, Calif . , and at addit ional mail ing off ices under Act of March 3, 1879. Tit le registeredNO. 358 86 5 in U. S. Patent Off i ce, and contents copy righte d 1 966 by Desert Ma gaz ine. U nsolicitedmanuscripts and photographs cannot be returned or acknowledged unless full return postage isenclosed. Permission to reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writ ing. SUBSCRIPTIONPRICE: $5. 00 per year in U.S. , Canada a nd Mexico. $5.7 5 e lsew here. A l lo w f ive weeks for changeof address. Be sure to send both old and new address.

A / S ^ w M s u Bs c ENTER A NEW SUBSCRIPTION

N A M EADDRESSD SEND GIFT SUBSCRIPTION T O :N A M EADDRESSN A M EADDRESSN A M EADDRESS

Sign Gif t Card: "From

R I P T I O N S E R V I C EPALM DESERT, CALIFOR NIA 92 26 0

D RENEW M Y PRESENT SUBSCRIPTION

One Year $5.0 0 Two Years $9.5 0(Or 2 One Years)

D PAYMENT ENCLOSED ALSO SEND DESERT'S 12-ISSUE HAN DSOM E

Date Binder(s) with Year(s)

ZIP CODE

Three Years $13.00|Or Three One Yeorsl

BILL ME LATERBROWN VINYL BINDER FOR $3.50

(includes tax and postage) Undated

Apr i l , 1966 / Desert Mag azin e / 3


4/38

E R LE S T A N L E Y G A R D N E R SNewest AdventureH u n t i n g L o s t M i n e sB y H e l i c o p t e r

The famous mystery writer takesyou into Arizona's Superstition Moun-tains to look for the Lost DutchmanMine and the Trigo Mountains tosearch for Nummel's lost bonanza.

HARDCOVER FIRST EDITIONS, $7.50.Please add 25 cents postage and Californiaaddressees add 30 cents more for sales tax.Send Check or Money Order to:DESERT Magazine Book Dept.

PALM DESERT, CALIF. 92260

N e w B o o k s f o r D e s e r t R e a d e r s

OWN YOUR OWNPRIVATE LAKE

or LAKE FRONTAGE inBeautifulSilver Valley

See Story in this Issue

5 Acres to 160 AcresFor Information write, call or visit

HAL BURDICKP . O. BOX 212

N E W B E R R Y , C A L I F O R N I AOn Highway 66

Area Code 714 CL 7-3294In the following areas call:

Upland, Box 93, AC 714 982-0511Western Los Angles AC 213 347-3628Eastern Los Angeles AC 213 338-2129

San Diego AC 714 424-7950

Books reviewed may be orderedfrom the DESERT Magazine BookOrder Department, Palm Desert,California 92 26 0. Please include25c for handling. California resi-dents must add 4 % sales tax.Enclose payment with order.

HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINOAND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES, 1883By Wallace W. Elliott

The reprinting of this extremely rareedition of the history of these two im-portant Southern California counties(which today also includes RiversideCoun ty) is a major event in the publish-ing world. Long out of print, its originallimited editions were prompted by thelinking of Riverside and San Diego afterthe complettion of the California South-ern Railroad. Panoramic sketches of down-town scenes, homes, buildings, orangegroves and ranches will send you on apictorial romp through this region's Vic-torian past and the lively text, written bya pioneer newspaperman, gives a fascinat-ing account of early settlers, customs ofthe Rancho period, the arrival of the Mor-mons, descriptions of early mines, Indianbattles, bandit raids and fiestas.Hundreds of steel engravings and atwo-color plate map enhance the largeformat, gold-stamped, hardcover book. Itseems incredible that this beautiful 204-page book would cost only $12.00.JOHN SPRINGS ARIZONAEdited by A. M. Gustafson

Authentic history of early Tucson, bat-tles with Apaches and of daily pioneerlife at Tubac, Fort Bowie, Camp Wallenand similar places was recorded on thespot at the time it happened by this earlySwiss-born, Arizona pioneer. Havingcome from an American army assignmentin which a battle wound removed himfrom the fray, he joined with the Regu-lar Army to help protect the Arizonafrontier from the depredations of theApache. A soldier, storekeeper, farmer,clerk, brewer, school teacher, federal courttranslator, artist and writer, his experiencewas broad and so was his humor. He de-scribes events, such as a heavily chaperon-ed ball, so vividly that the reader squirmswith him in frustration when he tries to

arrange a private word with the lovelMiss Eulalia.Always curious, John Spring becam

interested in recording the legends anlore of Pima and Papago tribes when hsettled in the Casa Grande area and became attracted to prehistoric artifactsHis findings are included in this booand have contributed much to our knowledge of these tribes.Hardcover, 326 pages, the book is illustrated with reproductions of John Spring'own sketches. $7.50.

PUEBLO OF THE HEARTSBy John Upton TerrellPueblo of the Hearts, an Opata Indian village in Sonora, was given itname in the 16th century by Cabeza dVaca when he and his companions arrivedthere and were offered hundreds of driedeer hearts as food. Though Pueblo othe Heart's history was brief, it playehost to some of the most famous European explorers while they outfitted expeditions in search of the Seven Cities oCibola.

In following a trail of history, thauthor travels via a road of today. Thivillage, situated a short distance nortof Hermosillo in Sonora, Mexico, is located along one of the oldest trails omankind on the North American Continent and directions are given to guidyou there today. The book is brilliantlresearchedand, unfortunately, the research is apparent. It picks up in spotsbut unless you have an intense interesin the early explorations of this areawhich include those of Diaz and Alarcoup to the Colorado River as well, yomight have trouble keeping your intereson the book. For history buffs, thoughit is recommended. Hardcover, 101 pages$6.00.AN ARIZONA CHRONOLOGY(Statehood 1913-1936)By Douglas D. Martin

Here is a simply marvelous book. History, without a single footnote!In his second volume, which followthe first one devoted to the TerritoriaYears of Arizona (1846-1912), Mr. Mar

tin has used newspapers as his source4 / Desert Mag azine / Apr il, 1966


5/38

Unfortunately he didn't live to edit hisnotes and the job was completed by Pa-tricia Paylore, who did a commendablejob.In no other way is the history of timeso strikingly revealed as in a good chron-ology, as this is. Although it is not aninterpretation of the time covered, some-thing close to that evolves naturally fromday-to-day news headlines. Before peoplestarted sending their sinus' to Arizona,

the intellectual climate was more con-cerned with the three Cscopper, cottonand cattle. The Big Depression, ofcourse, was highlighted, as were longdisputes over the waters of the ColoradoRiver and Hoover Dam.But, oh, what wonderful items there areto stimulate the imagination! On October25th in 1921, for instance, a group ofNew Yorkers were so inspired by a Har-old Bell Wright novel that they organizeda $100,000 corporation to finance a searchfor the lost Iron Door Mine in Arizona's

Catalina Mountains. And later, on July20th in 1928, Arizona decided it neededto expend $30,000 to build a school fordelinquent girls. They'd been imprison-ing them with the delinquent boys at FortGrant and the co-educational system ledto trouble!On New Year's Day in 1931, theTucson Daily Citizen declared the pastyear one of outstanding accomplishmentswith the coming of airmail, completion ofa subway, erection of a Federal building,enlargement of the school system and a

$200,000 program to improve streets andlay dust. But al l was not glory in Ari-zona. In January three years later theW.C.T.U. made a national survey andlisted Arizona as one of the few reallywet states!Even if you've never been to Arizona,vou'll find this $4.50 paperback bookfascinating. This reviewer wishes we hada eood one for Southern California. Theearlier and smaller Volume 1, incident-ally, which covers the Territorial Years, is$1.95 and after reading this new one,you'll want the earlier one too.

COOKING AND CAMPINGON THE DESERTBy Choral Pepper,editor of D ESERT M agazine

Here I am again in the happy positionof reviewing my own book! This time wehave a "desert" book enhanced with aforeword by Erie Stanley Gardner and achapter on desert driving and survivingby Jack Pepper, which make the bookmuch more than just a cookbook. Recipesare truly different and those who don'tcamp any farther from home than their

own patios will profit from this wholeworld of gourmet cookery with littleeffort and lots of short cuts.The book covers cooking by desertlakes, cooking by desert seas and cookingin dry camps. There's Sam Hick's jerkyrecipe for the hardy wanderer, Jim Hunt'ssour dough starter for the sourdoughprospector and turtle steak for the Bajaaficionado. Then there are lots of excit-ing things for celebrating anniversaries or

gold strikes in camp, last night fiestaswhen you're out of everything fresh, andmany, many tricks we've devised to makeour ice supply last as long as two weeks,pack double the amount of food you'dusually put into half the space, andchiefly, our own system for concoctingspectacular meals in camps without cut-ting into adventuring time.As an extra fillip we've included in-structions for the "desert still" which willproduce life-saving water from the mostarid land. Recipes are named after lostmines, ghost towns and interesting desertcharacters, with information about them,which will make for good camp conversa-tion and contribute ideas for desert trips.

In his foreword, when Erie StanleyGardner describes the wonders of desertcamping, you're transported right alongwith him . Much of his desert savvy hasinfluenced this book as many of our rich-est desert experiences have been in hiscamps.Illustrated with 12 pages of desertphotos from our own album and artworkby well-known Southwestern artist Don-ald Yena, the book is hardcover and only$3.95.C. P.

Send For Our JustPublished FREE 1966

BOOKCATALOG

Latest and Bestfor the

Books on The WestMagazine Bookshop

PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260Since 1937 Offering the World's

Largest Selection of Bookson the West

Viva lat

Mexico!Everyone today is talking andreading about the exciting landsouth of our border. To understandthe land and the people read theselatest informative books.PowerBoating the West Coast ofMexico by Spencer Murray andRalph Poole. The only publishedguidebook for power-boaters whowant to cruise the west coast ofMexico from the head of the Gulfof California southward to PuertoVallarta. Describes in detail routeof sail, ports, accommodations,supplies and all other needed in-formation. $6.75 (plus 27 centstax for California addresses.)Cruising the Sea of Cortez bySpencer Murray. Modern-day ad-venture in a 25-foot power cruiserdown the Lower California side ofthe Gulf of Mexico. Includes mapsand complete informa tion for boat-ers. $6.75 (plus 27 cents tax forCalifornia addresses.)Pueblo of the Hearts by John Up-ton Terrell. The f i rst ful l lengthhistory of a once important f ron-t ier and outpost known as thePueblo of the Hearts, in northernSonora. From Cabeza de Vaca toDeAnza. $6 .00 (plus 24 cents taxfor California addresses.)Brooms of Mexico by Alvin Gordon.Delightful free-verse by one whohas spent a quarter of a century inMexico. Author of 'Our Son Pablo'and ' Inheri t the Earth. ' More than50 water colors by the fascinatingArizona artist Ted De Grazia. 48heavy art pages. $6.75 (plus 27cents tax for California addresses.)

Send orders for the abovelisted books to:B e s t - W e s tP u b l i c a t i o n sP. O. Box 757Palm Desert, California 92 26 0

April, 1966 / Desert Magazine / 5


6/38

A M E R I C A ' S G R E A TI N L A N D S E AWhere else but in the different world of Utahwould you find an inland sea? Great Salt Lakereally is unique fo r there is nothing like itin all America. The waterabout 25% s a l t -lets you float like a corka great experience!This is only one of the many wonders you'llfind in exciting Utah where there are threenational parks, nine national monuments,nine national forests, 22 major lakes an dreservoirs and 27 state parks.

u t a H !O U N C I L H A L L . C A P I T O L H I L L , S A L T L A K E C I T Y , U T A H 84114WRITE TODAYFOB FREETRAVEL KIT.U T A H T R A V E LC O U N C I L, D E P T . 1 5 8

Subscriptions as Gifts

A YEAR 'ROUN DDESERT RESORT

ON SPACIOUSLANDSCAPED GROUNDS Golf Privileges Two Heated Pools Hydro-Therapy Pool Con tinental Breakfasts Daily, Weekly, Mon thlyRates

WRITE FOR FREE BROCHURE

T h e A d o b eHighway 74

Palm Desert, California- Area Code 714 346-6185

D E S E R T Q U A R T E Tby Louise Price Bell

A S MOST people know, cacti of vari-ous kinds grow in the Southwestdesert. Some are more interesting thanothers and over a period of time visitorsto the desert have decided that the fourmost popular and interesting ones are theones shown here . They are often referredto as the "Desert Quartet."

The Saguaro, or Giant Cactus, is foundnowhere else in the world except in south-western United States and northern Mex-ico. It is larger and lives longer thanthe others, often reaching the height offifty feet and the age of 200 years. Theblossom is a waxy white bugle-shapedbloom about five inches in diameter butclosing in the heat of the midday sun.This blossom is the State Flower of Ari-zona. After the flowers shrivel up ,purple fruit appears and the birds feastupon it. Many Indians in that area eatthe fruit raw or preserve it . . . sometimesdry it as figs are dried. Th e Saguaro al-ways bears fruit, no matter how dry aseason it may bebecause it is like a re-servoir and can store water for as long asfour years in the ribs that extend fromtop to bottom.

Prickly Pear Cactus is a young growth,as compared to "Grandaddy Saguaro,"and seldom reaches 20 years. Howe ver,young plants break from the parent one,so the cactus continues growing. There

are several kinds of Prickly Pear butthey bear a strong family resemblance toone another so are easily recognized. Theyare usually about two to six feet tall andsprawl over from 16 to 18 feet of desert.And they are covered with tiny prickers!The Barrel Cactus was named Bisnagaby the early Spaniards because it is shapedlike a barrel and bisnaga. is Spanish forbarrel. Thi s cacti is also a great h elp toanyone lost in the desert since when thetop is chopped off and the inside pulpmashed with a stick, water can besqueezed out. Many lives have been savedby this water, in the early days whenthere was little travel across the desert.The Barrel Cactus also serves as a com-pass, because it leans a bit toward thesouth.The Yucca is really not a cactus butis associated with them . It is related tothe lily family, also the onion and garlicfamilies. It grows about five or six feettall and its top looks like the top of apalm with sharp pointed leaves fromwhich its creamy-white blossom-stalkshoots into the air about five feet. TheYucca is the State Flower of NewMexico.All desert growths have a peculiarfascination but the four shown here rank

first for desert garde ns. 6 / Desert Magazine / Ap ril, 1966


7/38

Waving in the hot desert air the flower-topped stalk of the Yucca ma kes a dramaticsight, is sometimes called "Spanish Dagger"because of sharp pointed leaves which looklike daggers, also resemble palm leaves.

Cruel-looking (and feeling)fish-hook spines cover theBarrel cactus but beautifulreddish-orange blooms forma crown at top, come Spring.Cactus candy, on sale inSouthwest candy stores, ismade from the pulp of this

cactus.

The Saguaro is the "grandaddy" of them all.This group is in the Saguaro National Forestnear Tucson. Holes are homes for desert-wrens.

The "paddles" of Prickly Pear are covered with needle-like spines, in spring the bloomsform at edges of paddles, are usually yellow, some times red or purple.

Apri l , 1966 / Desert Magazine / 7


8/38

A M E RI CA 'SNE W V A CA TI ONLA ND!

LAKE POWELLRAINBOW BRIDGE

GLEN CANYON DAMTRIPS from ONE HOUR to FIVE DAYS

SPECIAL ONE DAY TRIP to RAINBOW BRIDGEFishing unexcelled. Water Sports. Finestphotography. Complete Marina. Boatand Motor Rentals. Accommodations.New M otel. Trailer Park.

Wri te for In format ionART GREENECANYO N TOURS, INC.WA HWE A P LODGE and MARINAP. O. Box 15 97 Page, Arizona

Phone 645-2761

>ESERT NOTES by JOHN HILExquisite, full color scenes by America's fore-most desert painter. Generous pack of 18beautiful notes in a handsome gift box.Handy 4 x 5 s ize. Only $1.25 per box.Order "HILTON NOTES' today or send 10cfor sample and cata log snowing notes,prints, stat ionery and our famous Christmascards. Dealer inquiries inv ited. Our 1 7th yearof same day service. Money-back Guaranteeand postage free from the Leanin' Treel

The LEANIN' TREE RanchBox 1500 Boulder, Colorado

Lowest Photo Print PricesHighest QualityDev. & print 8 Jumbo printsf rom Kodacolor f i lm $1.7 8Dev. & print 1 2 Jumbo printsf rom Kodacolor f i lm $2.42Dev. & print 1 2 Jumbo pr in ts andnew ro l l o f Kodacolor f i lm $3.3 0Reprints from Kodacolor negs $ .16

Send for price sheetsand envelopes

Al l o therPhoto prices arecomparably low

MARKET BASKET PHOTO CO.P. O. Box 370, Yuma, Arizona or

P. O. Box 2830, San Diego, California

By Lee LucasOVERLOOKING THE mining townof Superior, Arizona, jutts ApacheLeap, a granite mountain of sheer cliffsand jumbled bou lders. Scattered widelyaround the foot of the mountain areblack nodules of obsidian, called ApacheTears, and there is a poignant legendthat explains how these black gems cameto be.

During the 1880s, the fierce ApacheIndians had a stronghold in the ruggedmountains near present day Superior.From there the warriors staged sneakattacks against the white settlers and thepeaceful Pima Indians.It was the autumn of one of thoseyears, while cactus fruit ripened on thelower desert flats, that the men con-gratulated themselves on a successfulraid and settled down to divide the plun-

der. The women gathered up their fringedburden baskets, along with all the chil-

When capture seemed certainto thewild-spirited Apache, a fate worse thandeaththe warriors agreed to jump fromthe cliff's edge to their death below.When the women returned to camp,their baskets heaped with fruit, theyfound the twisted bodies of their warriorslying among rocks at the base of the cliff.While the women buried the dead, theirsorrow was so great that their tearsmingled with the earth and turned into

bits of black glass, a tribute to undyinglove.Hardheaded realists counter the legendwith scientific fact. W he n lava cools tooquickly, it forms a natural glass calledobsidian. It is specks of magn etite, theysay, which cause its black coloring. Still,they have never explained satisfactorily,to me, why the obsidian is found in smallnodules scattered haphazardly throughoutthe perlite beds. One theory is that itrained while the lava cooled, hence cool-ing the spots faster where the raindrops

hit, and thereby forming obsidian. N omatter how you explain it, the Apache

The Legend of the Apache Tears

dren, and set off to pick the purple cactusfruit to provide their families sweetsthroughout the coming winter.Meanwhile, a detachment of cavalrysoldiers, led by trusty and accurate Pimascouts, tracked the Apaches to their moun-tain hideout. Th at night, under the with-ering fire of U.S. soldiers, the outnum-bered Apaches sought refuge atop thesteep-sided mountain. But there was noescape. Slowly they were driven to thecliff's edge. They were without food or

water and their arrows were nearly gone.

Tears are there. And near Superior, thereare several good places where, for a smallfee, the public is welcome to gather thetears to their hearts content.If you get an Apache Tear, hold it tothe light and you will see inside, solidi-fied for all time, the tear of a heart-broken Apache squaw. I will ignore herethe mutterings of those realists who claimthat it is actually the beginning of an in-comp lete crystal. Some things are betterleft to one's imagination, especially so

the legend of the Apache Tears. / Desert Magazine / Ap r i l , 1966


9/38

Strictly,for the birds!A CCORDING to desert ornithologists,there is no other oasis in SouthernCalifornia quite so attractive to migra-tory birds, both spring and fall, as thehigh desert's Morongo Valley. Yet thisattraction, so far, has been strictly forthe birds! Realtors are content to toutMorongo's nearness to Palm Springs orJoshua Tree National Monument, ignor-ing entirely Morongo's own uniqueoffering.

Few know, for instance, that accordingto certain naturalists, this valley has itsown native palms (two). Few, but birds,know that this town has its own oldbuildings, mines and ancient Indian sites.But more important, teachers, studentsand Audubon Society members are plan-ning annual treks to Lower Big MorongoCanyon, site of one of the most recentlydeclared Audubon Sanctuaries. Beside asmall stream, mist-netters expect to findquiet niches that will prove good forbanding warblers, buntings and tanagers.In this canyon alone, over 160 birdspecies have been tallied.From the air, this three-by-eight-milevalley must be surprisingly enticing tocome upon in arid desertland. Coexistingare conditions almost impossible to resiston a long, tiring, cross-country flight.Water, both running and still, and theproximity of so many different kinds ofterrain offers haven and foodstuff for awide variety of birdlife. Mo rongo air-strips beckon to flyers from chaparral andchamisal; to travelers from marshlands,streamlan ds, woodlets and shores. It

offers a piece of homeland to birds of

Morongo Valley provides a haven formore V ermillion Flycatchers than peop le.

April, 1966 / Desert Magaz ine / 9


10/38

grainfields, thoroughfares, pastures andcliffs. Yet, ifbirds browsed inbrochuresfor resorts, they'd never head for Mor-ongo Valley. Nor do anover-abundanceof human residents, compared tothe restof the high desert towns.

Known asthe "smallest mountain-sur-rounded valley inCalifornia," itsadver-tisers claim little for this "tranquilitywithout tranquilizers," as one realtor dub-bed Morongo's virtues. Much under-ground water, an abundance of ultra-

"SINCE 1931"

tftcbileJfh 7rand T railerELEVEN MODELS 16FT. TO 35FT.

MODEL 21PROTECT YOUR HEALTHwith WATER-GARD purifier;STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON ALL

Write for free literature SELF-CONTAINED MODELSTRAVELEZE TRAILER CO., INC. D.P. D11473 Penrose Street SunValley, California TRiangle 7-5587

PROSPECTORS Put your grubs take on t h e . . .' GOLD-MASTER Model S63Mine ra l , M e t a l , and Treasure Finder.

5 % D i s c o u n t ForC a s h$29.50 D o w nBat. $10.57 Per Mo.

It can detect gold and si lvernuggets , Rings , Co ins , Ve ins ,an d t reasures . No cumbersome Earphones, apowerful speakeris used Two highly sensitive loopsone fordetecting small nuggets, one for treasures andveins Simple toOperate Complete instruc-tions . . .and fresh batteries A small naturalgold nugget which It will detect is included.Easy terms available Send today for FREE literatu re * 1 6 9 S 0COMPLETE

N O W O N L Y

WHITE'S ELECTRONICS1011 Pleasant Valley Rd. Room 121Sweet Home, Oregon

M A C D O N A L DALL STEEL FRAME

CAMPERS

A SOLID FAVORITE FORFASTER, SAFER GOING!OTHER LUXURY FEATURES: Aluminum Exterior - Beautiful Interior Paneling - Heavy 1"Fiberglass Insulation - 84 Inches Wide - Adjustable Roof Vents - Three-Burner Stove withOven - Formica Counters . . . AND, MUCH, MUCH MORE!see them a t . . .

MACDONALD CAMPER KIT CO.11015 E. Rush St., El Monte, California

violet rays andasmogless haven for thosein ill-health are about all the statistics thatlandbuyers are offered. Birds, least of allare interested insuch statistics. They alsocare not a feather whether ornot Mor-ongo had the first grass-roots government,the first streetlights, the first telephone onthe high desert. These firsts, infact, hadthey continued at thesame pace, mightsooner have hurried thebirds off! Fmore people pass through than stay.There are those who think this under-development was a planned project byoldtime landowners quiety hanging ontotheir acreage while money, progress andpeople pass untapped through the Gate-way. Little do they realize that thetowns-people have todrive miles to ahospital,employment, a place where suits aresold, or teeth extracted. Yet these veryconditions, though detrimental to civil-ized progress, are responsible for thtown's greatest attraction: itscosmopoli-ton visitors-on-the-wing. Nature-lovers,by-passing therest of thehigh desert,often drive many miles tomerely catch aglimpse ofthat local favorite, the Vermi-lion Flycatcher, poised onapasture fence.Unwinged tourists are lately flocking tothe swank, neweatery which just opened;owned, strangely enough, by Sam Levineof Palm Springs Biltmore fame. Strangely,because Levine is also the owner of thmagnetic green core ofthe newly-declaredbird sanctuary in Lower BigMorongoCanyon.Through theyears, small bird arrow-heads have been found onflats leadingdown into Lower Big Morongo Canyon,evidence that this spot was asenticing tobirds in thepast as it is today. Birdershope to keep itthat way, so for their sake,no map accompanies this article . . .You might have totake the back way,a dirt road leading in from Desert HotSprings whose only marker is a fencedwater control sign. Oryou might haveto have a resident lead you in,atop thebackbone of surrounding hillsides, untilyou hairpin around to andthrough acattle gate. Or, you might have towalk

all the way from Covington Park, whichis close to the center oftown, yet adjacentto and part of the new sanctuary. Someresidents are even unaware of it.In fact, todiscourage most, rememberthat the road through this canyon iswash-ed outcompletely. Sincere birders willstill risk it,however. Tothe rest it willremain tooremote, scaled too small forthose used to extravagant beauty. Forhere, as in many desert canyons, onemust have the ability, as Charles Saunderspu t it, "toappreciate life's small offer-

ings." 10 / Desert Magazine / April, 1966


11/38

There are those who think agood rattler is a dead rattler

and there a re those who want topreserve them for posterity.

Read this story and then makeyour own choice.

S p r i n g t i m e is S n a k e t i m eB y L u c ile M a r t e n sEVER SINCE the serpent first rearedhis ugly head and spread his poisonin the Garden of Eden, men have loathed,despised and feared the evil snake as thelowest form of creation. History is re-plete with incidents of treachery andbloodshed wherein the venomous snakeplayed the role of villain. Legends, mythsand folklore are woven about his insidiousability to charm and fatally fascinate hisvictims. These tales usually culm inate w iththe stinging bite which was always con-sidered deadly. To some, the snake hasbeen a symbol of mysticism and rever-encebut to most he has signified mortaldanger.

There are many harmless reptiles inthe United States, but only four types areknown to be poisonous. Their venom isalways painful and dangerous, and occa-sionally fatal. Of these, the rattlesnakeis by far the most common and wide-spread although the copperhead, cotton-mouth moccasin and coral snake areoccasionally encountered in some areas.The dry, arid regions of SouthernCalifornia and Arizona are particularlyinviting to the North American rattle-snake. San Diego county harbors threespecies of the dangerous snakes, whileArizona boasts the greatest number ofvarieties in the United Statessome18 out of the large number of presentlyknown species and sub-species.The rattlesnake loves the sun, but isnot equipped to withstand its heat. Attemperatures ranging above 91, he isquickly rendered helpless and if allowedto remain in the higher temperatureslonger than 10 minutes, he will perish.Is it any wonder the rattlesnake seeksshelter among brush, rocks, or any othershade that will break the mortal rays ofthe hot sun?Neither can the rattlesnake withstand

the cold. At temperatures around 35 F.,just pleasantly brisk to the human crea-ture, the rattlesnake is immobilized andunable to defend himself or carry onlife processes.Throughout his existence, the rattler

has lived on small ground animals andlizards, yet he cannot pursue them. Hehas no legs to run with and being a thick,clumsy reptile he moves very slowly.When hungry, the rattler lies in ambushwaiting for his next meal to stumble un-wittingly within striking distance. Havingonce killed his prey and injected enoughvenom to prepare it for his peculiar palate,he has no teeth with which to chew andmust slowly ingest and swallow it over aperiod of several hours, in some instances,during which he is at the mercy of hisenemies.It is pretty well established that rattle-snakes have no sense of hearing and aredeaf to air-borne sounds. Their head, al-though equipped with sharp and pene-trating eyes, has no eyelids and the snakemust lie awake or asleep staring malev-olently into space.The rattlesnake has no way of savinghis skin when he sheds it and at regular

intervals the old skin is automaticallydiscarded to uncover a brand new one.During this shedding process the rattleris blinded by a fluid that forms over hiseyes. He is very cranky while undergoingthis inconvenience and discomfort. How-ever, each time this transformation takesplace, the snake adds a new rattle to hisstringwhich, by the way, has nothingto do with the number of years of histotal age.When the rattlesnake is pursued byan enemy more deadly than himself, heis equipped to climb very little and cer-tainly not to heights great enough toafford even a small degree of protection.He is not belligerent by nature and al-though he can both bite and strike with-out coiling, his strike can reach barely

half again his length.In colder climates the rattlesnake maybe depended upon to hibernate during thelong winter, but in the mild climate ofSouthern California the hibernation periodis not long and exact dates are not pre-dictable. When the sun breaks unex-pectedly through the gloom and the airwarms up for a while, out pop the



12/38

snakes to enjoy the balmy weather whileit lasts, no matter what the month.Rattlesnakes are not uncommon in thecoastal areas of San Diego county, but thedry, rock-studded hills of the back coun-try are usually more to their liking. TheSouthern Pacific rattlesnake may makehis home in either location but the RedDiamondback rattlesnakeas gentle andpeaceful a reptile you are apt to find inthe rattlesnake family, is partial to the

rocks and dry bush for his habitat. How-ever, in spite of the fact that the rattle-snake is physically handicapped, coward-ly, weak-minded and misunderstood, hemust never be underestimated nor hisexistence ignored! His only defensivemechanism is his inherent ability to manu-facture one of the most deadly of knownvenoms, and to inject it in whateveramount he deems necessary. When therattlesnake is threatened or believes him-self in danger, he instinctively strikes

In water, the rattlesnake travels muchmore rapidly than on land. He is abuoyant swimmer but here again, he isnot likely to attack until thoroughlyannoyed. He swims on the surface wherehe can be readily detected.The greatest danger from rattlers isnot to see them, and anyone visiting or re-siding in an area where these snakes areever found is wise to train himself in theart of observation. Many accidents are

caused by stepping on a rattlesnake orannoying him unintentionally; or by try-ing to kill one without suitable means.Amateur snake handlers are apt to learnthe hard way if they make a mistake in thepresence of a rattlesnake or a person whois unable to move because of injury orother reason, might conceivably be avictim. And, of course, children tooyoung to identify danger should not begiven an opportunity to pick up or play

out and inflicts his dangerous bite onhis victim.A rattler will not always warn you ofhis presence. He will first try to liequietly hoping you will not see him andwill go away. By the time that ominousrattle sounds, you may be sure that he isfearful and annoyed. Usually, beforestriking, he will rattle, hiss, and windhimself into a well-anchored strikingcoil, shaped like a letter "S." But he canbite without engaging in any of thesepreparatory acts, and sometimes does so.Darkness is no protection against aprowling rattler. In fact, because of themildness of night temperatures, thesnake is often more active than by day-light. Wise campers or hunters do well

to keep this in mind after nightfall.

with snakeseven little ones. The venomof the baby rattler is often more deadlythan that of its parents.Adults can outrun a rattlesnake ifthey see him in time. A distance of twoor three feet from a snake will usuallyinsure safety, even if the snake is coiledto strike. To run from one snake andencounter another is a common danger.Anyone trying to avoid a rattlesnakeshould be very cautious about the direc-tion he takes.In the early days on the Santa Fe Trail,men were sent ahead with large whipsto frighten snakes out of their pathway.In early Indiana, it is said that the pio-neer housewife, when tending her garden,hunting eggs, or picking berries, carried asnake stick with which she sought to lo-

cate harmful snakes. There is also anaccount of a fishing guide who swishedthe grass as he advanced in order tocause the snakes to sound their alarms,and another fisherman, on the Salton Sea,reached out of his boat to examine asnake swimming by. Sure enough, it wasa rattlerand it required considerabletime to get him ashore and to a doctor.Early settlers were careful to keeptheir houses closed at night to avoid

snakes from crawling into their homesand even recently a Palm Desert, Cali-fornia woman called the police depart-ment to rid her bedroom of two side-winders who had crawled in from thepatio through an open sliding door.Although incidence of accidents is de-clining and advancements have been madein developing anti-venom and in thetreatment of bites, the possibility of in-jury from this source will probably con-tinue to exist in greater or lesser degreewhile the hardy breed exists.There are simple precautions to takewhile camping, hiking, fishing or justplain living in the dry, sparsely settledareas of California and Arizona. Commonsense may not only enable one to avoidbeing bitten, but may help avoid dan-gerous encounters. It has been said beforebut it is worth repeating"The danger-ous rattlesnake is the one that you didn'tsee."Don't lift a stone or log under whicha snake may be hiding. If the stone mustbe moved, pry it loose with a stick or pry-

bar, or your booted foot.Never reach into holes, crevices, orunder rock piles, or into other openingswhere danger may be lurking.Keep a sharp lookout for snakes ifwalking through brush, grass, or rocks.Keep in the clear as much as possible.The color of snakes often renders themalmost invisible unless one is alert totheir possible presence.Snakes are active at night. Don't gatherfirewood in the dark; wear your shoesand carry a flashlight when you move

around at night.Camp in a clearing and keep your bed-roll away from rock piles, rubbish, orbrush piles. Keep boots and clothing highenough to prevent rattlers from crawlinginto them. Look over the situation beforeresting on a rock or a log.If you hear a warning rattle, locate thesnake before moving away from it. Lookbehind you before you back up.Even though you kill a rattlesnake, itshead remains dangerous for considerabletime. If you remove the rattles, place yourfoot on the snake's head to avoid a pos-

12 / Desert Magazine / A pri l, 1966


13/38

sible accident. To protect others, bury thehead as soon as possible, handling it withsticks or a shovel to play it safe.Remember that snakes cannot standheat and will lie in the shade when it ishot. Although most of them occur in thelower altitudes, in the southern statesthey may be found in even the highestspot. There is no "safety belt" for rattle-snakes.Never step over a log or rock withoutfirst stepping on top of it to make surethere is not a rattler concealed on theother side.Give rock ledges ample clearance if thepath allows and avoid walking close tothem; in climbing amid rocks, don't reachabove your head for a hold.Look for a cleared spot before crawlingunder a fence. In high grass, beat thegrass with a stick to give the rattler achance to sound off and reveal himself,or to escape.Snakes can swim, so use your oar to re-move them if they approach or attemptto seek refuge in your boat.In the rough and ready jargon of campand outdoor life, a "good stiff drink"used to be considered a positive and wel-come cure. A tall bottle of "snake-bite

medicine" was essential in every sports-man's kit. We now know that in the eventof a bite from a poisonous snake, alco-holic stimulant of any kind is the worstpossible remedy. In fact, the more alcoholthat the body contains, the more rapidlythe system distributes the poison and themore promptly do the tissues absorb thedangerous venom.What to do? Carry a recognized andapproved snake kit which may be pur-chased from most drug stores or campsupply stores and read the instructionsfor use in advance so in case of an acci-dent you'll know what to do. Then calla doctor immediately or transport thevictim to the nearest hospital. The earlieranti venom is administered the better. Itis not recommended that it be adminis-tered by persons unfamiliar with the tech-nique.If our pioneer fathers had allowed themany varieties of the North Americanrattlesnake to bluff them out, the West

would not have been won. But their bestweapons were the same then as nowalertness, caution, and presence of mind.Although a rattler may seem to threatena human, that human is a much greaterthreat to the snakeunless he panics!Be alertbe calmand BEW ARE !

GOLD BUGDry Concentrator.Hand operatedIdeal forprospect ing,pocket hunt ingor sampl ing.1 2 'A lbs. $99.50f .o .b . ComptonProduction modelsava i lab le .

Mike Kovacs uses a GOLDBUGSee DESERT, Feb. '66

1966 MODELSM E T A L D E T E C T O R S

FROM $75.00 TO $165.00FIND ALL METALS, INCLUDING

GOLD AND SILVERTop guarantee.Sensit ive and stable.Easy to operate.Light and compact.RAYSCOPESandDETECTRONS

Write forfree brochuresAlso Lapidary Equipment, Gems andMinerals, Books, Jewelry, Tools.

For Information WriteCOMPTON ROCK SHOP1405 S. Long Beach Blvd., Compton, Calif.Telephone: 632-9096

it R A IS E S ... it L O W E R S -it's HYDRAULIC!The unique hydraulic mechanism which raises thecamper top can be safely operated even by a smallchild. Locks prevent accidental lowering. The topis lowered quickly by the simple turn of a valve.

The Alaskan Camper is quickly transformed fromits compact low silhouette on the road to roomywalk-in living quarters. Drive safely at any speedwith minimum drag and sway. Moments later, enjoy

the comfort and convenience of a weathertight,high ceiling, home away from home complete withthree burner stove, sink, cabinets, ice box, beds,and many other luxury features. EVERY NEWALASKAN CAMPER CARRIES A WARRANTY.Write today to the factory nearest you for free folder describing the most advanced cam per on the road.R. D. HALL MFG. INC., 9847 Glenoaks B lvd. , Sun Valley (San Fer nan do Valley),California, Dept. DCAMPERS, INC., 6410 South 143rd Street , (Tukwila), Seatt le, Washington, Dept. DPENNACAMP, INC., 401 West End Ave., Manheim , Penna., Dep t. DCANADIAN CAMPERS, 77 Pelham Ave., Toronto 9, Ontario, Canada, Dept. D

MOBILE LIVING PRODUCTS (B.C.) LTD., P.O. Box 548, Red Deer, Albe rta, D ept. DMOBILE LIVING PRODUCTS (B.C.) LTD., (Sales Office Only),

500 - 20th St., New We stminste r, B .C., Dept. DR. D. HALL MFG., INC., Texas Div ls ion,5761 Cul len Blvd. , Houston, Texas, Dept. DFORT LUPTON CAMPERS, 420 Denver Ave., Fort Lupton, Colorado, Dept. D

1 9 6 6 / D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / 1 3


14/38

The Lost Dutchman LegendBY ROBERT BLAIR

ONE HOT June day in 1931 a sixty-five-year-old man, crippled, andwalking with a cane wasguided into thelonely reaches of Arizona's SuperstitionMountain by two cowhands from aneighboring ranch. Adolph Ruth, a re-tired civil servant from Washington,D . C. was not a greenhorn prospector;he had in fact broken his leg some yearsearlier while searching for a Californiamine which, ironically, may have beenthe Lost Pegleg. Though the fracturehad been a bad one, Ruth did not for-swear his interest in lost mines; he knewlittle of the Arizona mountains, but hehad what he thought were compellingclues to the location of a famous goldmine within the Superstition range.

When twoweeks had passed and theelderly adventurer did not return, search-

ing parties were formed and the moun-tains were scoured. It was sixmonths be-fore his ultimate fate was discovered.First a skull, then later a skeleton, wasfound. Thepersonal effects andphysicalevidence proved the remains to be thoseof the unfortunate Ruth. News accountsof the discovery contained much specula-tion that the explorer had been near tofinding the famous Lost Dutchman Mine.The mention of the fabled mine, plusthe horrifying fact that the victim hadapparently been beheaded, resulted in ex-tensive press coverage of the event. Withthe death of Ruth, the modern legendof Superstition Mountain was established,and continues to grow with subsequentkillings andshooting affrays in the yearssince, for it is the astonishing number ofmurders, some of them unsolved, that has

;These prehistoric petroglyphs have been ca lled treasure symbols by uninformedpersons. They were here long before theDutchman.

given the Superstition story its addeddimension of danger and mystery. TheAmerican West abounds in legends oflost mines and buried treasure, real andimaginary, butnowhere, perhaps notevenin the Klondike of Dangerous Dan McGrew, have somany menapparently losttheir lives.A rigid orthodoxy binds the telling oftales of lost mines. The plots are asstereo-typed as soap opera stories, and themanyvariations on the Lost Dutchman themeembody all that is typical in Western

dramaturgy: white bearded prospectors,treacherous Indians, perfidious white men,lost gold, stolen maps, with murders,massacres and mystery enough to satisfya whole generation of television writers.The "Dutchman" was actually a Ger-man immigrant named Jacob Walzer,known locally by a variety of names suchas "Old Snowbeard," or simply "Jake."He died in 1891, and is buried in an unmarked grave in a Phoenix cemetery afterthoroughly mystifying the residents ofthat city for over 20 years. It was Wa

zer's practice, particularly after partakingliberally of Phoenix beer, of boastingabout his rich mine in the Superstitionsthat focused attention on that particularrange as a possible gold site. His stories,embellished and distorted by succeedinggenerations of tale-spinners, have becomethe legend of the Lost Dutchman.In it usual telling, the mine wasorig-inally discovered by the Peralta family ofSonora, Mexico. Working in the vicinityof Superstition Mountain in the 1840s,they are thought to have developed a

number of highly productive gold de-posits. With the pending transfer ofsouthern Arizona to U. S. jurisdiction in1848, thePeraltas aresaid to have assem-bled a large number of Mexican workersin order to recover as much as possiblefrom their mines before the territory be-came overrun with Americans. Unluckily,the sudden appearance of such large num-bers of men andanimals caused the fierceApache residents of the region to con-clude that their mountain stronghold wasbeing invaded.Shortly after the arrival of the large

14 / Desert Magazine / April, 1966


15/38

The Superstitions in a dramatic mood.

mining party under the command ofMiguel Peralta, Apache bands began aseries of merciless raids. The Mexicans,unable to withstand the massive assault,fled frantically with their pack mules andtheir gold, attempting to reach the safetyof the flatlands at the northwest end ofthe Superstition Range. They were cut off,so the story goes, and died virtually tothe last man after a pathetic last stand ina steep box-canyon at the northwest endof the mountain.After this massacre of 1848, the In-dians held the mountains uncontested for

nearly 20 years, though a few adven-turers reportedly found encouraging signsof gold during this period of Apacheoccupation. Several fanciful anecdotes re-late to this time, with references to Wea-ver's Needle as a conspicuous landmarknear the alleged gold strikes. For oneimprobable reason or another, none ofthese latter finders ever returned to file aclaim.Jacob Walzer appears in the story inthe late 1860s after reportedly havingworked for a time at the great VultureMine in Wickenburg.. With a fellow

miner named Weiser, he made his waysoutheast towards Florence, Arizona, nowthe county seat of Pinal Coun ty. Some-where along the way the two Germansare preseumed to have found the fabledgold deposit, a strike of such incrediblerichness that milling was not requiredthe gold could be recovered by hand-crushing and sorting methods!According to one account, the two part-ners worked their mine in peace untilabout 1879, when the unpredictable

Apaches struck once more, this time kill-ing Weiser. (Other sources intimate thatApril, 1966 / Desert Magazine / 15


16/38


17/38


18/38

First view as you come upon cave.

spewed from the canyon's entrance, windswhistled and howled like irate spirits.Then it started to rain. I wond ered if thewrath of those primitive spirits had beenevoked at our disturbance of their restingplace.Back at my headquarters I learned

from Mrs. Ruth Armstrong, an authorityon rocks and gemstones in the area, oflava bombs to be found around the baseof the Pisgah Crater, to the east. Thisextinct volcano blew its top at late as 700years ago and is responsible for the layerof dry "black top" called lava flow. This

spooky mount, rising mesa-like from thedesert floor, is not distingishable as suchuntil it is viewed from nearby. The n,its blackened, charred exterior reflectsthe violence and tragedy of an unexpectederup tion. A locked gate discouragesmotorists from driving up to it, but itsempty silhouette contributes much to thetimeless mood of this strange desert withits vast underground of water stored in anatural sealer of Bentonite.With the inception of the modern-daybulldozer, the properties of soil in thisregion have been utilized to the fullest.Within a few short hours, an acre-sizedlake can be scooped out and lined withits own non-absorbent clay. Then a singlewell drilled to a depth of 100 or 150feet assures an unlimited supply of freshspring wate r. The cost of an acre lake islittle more than that of a swimming pool!Depending upon a person's particulartastes, each may realize what he wantshere. If you're a fisherman, b luegill, cat-

fish, bass and trout thrive in these man-made desert lakes. If more action is de-sired, a lake can be shaped for water-skiing, boating, sailing or water paddling.Or, if you just want to get away from itall, you can create an island retreat andstock it with crocodiles! Already some 35to 50 lakes have been dug, or are in theprocess, but the rolling, dune-like deserthides these real-life mirages and unlessyou're equipped with a sand buggy, youmay miss most of them.Hal Burdick, one of the newer pio-neers, owns a nearly five-acre lakestocked with fish and planted with luxu-

Silver Valley seen from Newb erry M ountains. Ca dy Range at right.18 / Desert Ma gazine / April, 1966

Passageway inside cave circles and returnsto upper level at right.


19/38

riant foliage. He is now completing thelandscaping of another lake with two is-lands joined by a Japanese rainbowbridge. Another, Lake Loreen (DESERT,Nov. '62), is a more commercial ventureof 34 acres. Operated by Gus and LoreenRaigosa, the public can enjoy its fish-filled lagoons and swimming holes, boat-ing or just plain picnicking. And for thegourmet, there is a little Polynesian res-taurant where food rivals that of Bali Hai,on San Diego's Shelter Island, which in-spired this place.

On the eastern edge of the valley isthe long, shallow basin of Troy Dry Lake.One of these days a far-sighted developerwill reconvert this to its original state,making a wonderland of homes and re-creation areas against the purple andbeige Cady Range which slopes up fromits shoreline. Th at this was once full andlush is evidenced by arrowheads and arti-facts, probably of my primitive Indianswho frequented the cave. But it was alsoa more recent battleground. In the mid-1800s, soldiers drilled at old Fort Cadywhose ruins lay to the north. This outpostwas one of the worst assignments a soldiercould have and desertions were many de-spite its convenience and protection formore than 2,000 covered wagons a year.It was also a shipping point for the goldmines of Alvord, until it was abandonedin 1870.Even in modern dress, Silver Valleyand its neighboring communities stillbreathe the days of old. The revived ghosttown of Calico brings western-mindedtourists into the area and although Bar-stow has assumed a facade of shysophistication, ranchers still come to mar-ket wearing broad-brimmed hats andspurs on their boots.


20/38


21/38


22/38

after reading this article, you ll want to be the first to visit th

by Walter Ford

L ET YOUR thoughts dwell for a fewminutes on amountain desert scenicarea where camping sites with wood,stoves, tables, benches, running water,and sanitary facilities arefurnished freeof charge. Andwhere you maycollectrocks, search forIndian artifacts, observethe abundant wildlife or enjoy one ofthe most breathtaking desert vistas yet tobe found. Then , if you are in themoodto make this mental vision a reality, youhave only toload upyour camping gear,follow Highway 80 to the turn-off be-tween Boulevard andJacumba andenterthe recently opened McCain Valley Re-source Conservation Area in SouthernCalifornia.

The new playground, which consistsof38,692 acres inthe In-Ko-Pah Mountainseast ofMcCain Valley, isbeing developedby theBureau of Land Management ofthe U. S.Department of the Interior. Awell graded road over which trailers canbe pulled with ease extends through thearea for 12miles and nearly toSombreroPeak. Future plans include continuingthe road toCanebrake Canyon toconnectit with Anza-Borrego State Park. Im-


23/38

N E W D E S E R T M O U N T A I N P L A Y G R O U N Dproved campsites at Lark Canyon, WhiteArrow, and Cottonwood provide at pre-sent 25 camping spaces. These campsitesare spaced at intervals along the west sideof the access road and are plainly markedwith signs. About four miles beyond theLark Canyon site there is access to an ob-servation point from which you can geta view of the whole Carrizo Badland areaand on clear days, see the Salton Seaglistening in the sun some 50 miles away.

The McCain, for which the valley wasnamed, played an important part in theearly history and development of that sec-tion of San Diego County. George Mc-Cain, the first of the family to settle inthe region, arrived on August 18, 1868.The first shelter was built with tules andwillow poles, and from that humble be-ginning one of the largest cattle spreadsin San Diego County was developed, cov-ering more than 40,000 acres. From thetime of their arrival the McCains wageda continuing battle with Indians, whiterenegades, and weather. In her book,Memories of the Early Settlements ofDulzura, Potrero, and Campo, the lateElla McCain tells about the killing of oneof the McCain boys by Indians, stormswhich left four feet of snow on theground, and sub-freezing temperatures inwhich much of their livestock perished.

One half mile beyond the entranceto the new playground an unimprovedroad leads eastward toward Tule Moun-tain, and termina tes" on a rocky ridgeoverlooking Carrizo Gorge. GeologicalSurvey and auto road maps show a "Sa-catone Spring" near the end of the roadand I have had more than a casual inter-est in springs with that name eversince I did a series of stories on old-time desert watering places for DESERTMagaz ine about 10 years ago. Early mapsshowed a Sacatone Spring on the Mo-jave Desert near Ivanpah and another ofthe same name near Arroya Salada, westof Salton Sea, but I was never able to lo-cate either spring . On my first trip tothe Tule Mountain section I was curiousto see if its Sacatone Spring was going tobe as elusive as the others. It was. EdGreen, regional manager for the State De-partment of Fish and Game told me laterthat the spring is improperly located on

maps, but that it could be found in adrainage several hundred yards from theedge of the ridge. Sometime I'll makethe trip down the slope just to convincemyself that there is really a SacatoneSpring.Our unsuccessful search for SacatoneSpring was not entirely wasted effort.The attempt to locate it led us to the topof a ridge where we were rewarded withan unexpected view of the S.D.A. & E.railroad tracks winding around the sideof Carrizo Gorge less than two miles

away. Directly ahead was the highestwooden railroad trestle in the world, oneof the 16 tunnels in the gorge, and a caron a siding. Often dubbed, "the railroadthat couldn't be built," the S.D.A. & E.was considered one of the outstandingrailroad construction jobs of its time.Claiming equal attention was the spectacu-lar beauty of the route through CarrizoGorge, which, unfortunately, passed fromreach of the traveling public when pas-senger service was suspended in July,1 9 5 1 .

M cC AI N VALLEY RESOURCE CONSERVATION AREA f

CottonwoodCampsite

Lark Canyon*T e _ Campsitelo ban Diego

N o t e : Bou nda ry l ines are jus t app rox im ate . E l CentroApril, 1966 / Desert Magazine / 23


24/38

McCain Valley is rugged and beautiful.

Had we been aware of the events occur-ing across the two-mile stretch to the rail-road, we could have had ringside seatsto one of the most bizarre dramas everenacted on the desert. A few days pre-viously 11 freight cars were derailed,spilling their contents over the side of

the 1,000 foot gorge. Part of the cargowas 72,000 cans of beer. W hen the wordgot out, thirsty adventurers descendedupon the scene like a swarm of hungrylocusts on a field of clover. They came onfoot, on motorcycles, and in Jeeps. Onewas even seen pushing a wheelbarrow

along the tracks. A few of the morhardy ones tried a backdoor approach bmaking their way through Carrizo washfrom th e valley floor. One motorcyclrider entered a tunnel only to bound oua few minutes later with an onrushindiesel engine close behind. A frantic Jeepdriver had a brush with disaster when hbacked out of a tunnel with just a fooclearance as a train thun dere d by. Somof the thirsty brigade managed to getheir spoil out intact, while others foundrailroad guards and deputies waiting tocharge them with trespassing and theftandperhaps the cruelest blow of allto confiscate their hard-earned plunderMuch of the terrain of the new recreational area is covered with granite boulders, some of which are 50 or more feehigh . Smoke blackened reccesses andcaves among the boulders indicate occupation by the long vanished DieguenoIndians, who are considered by archeologists to have been descendants of theYuman tribe which once lived along theshores of ancient Lake Cahu illa. Mor-teros for grinding seeds and acorns arenumerous and a sharp pair of eyes wiloften reward their owner with a perfecarrow point, or perhaps an earthen utensil in some dark recess. The term "Dig-gers" has often been applied in a derogatory sense to these ancient inhabi-tants because of their custom of diggingfor roots and plants, which they used forfood. How ever, their artistry of design

There are some who believe the black gold nuggets of Pegleg's might be found in this area. Gold finds were reported duringbuilding o f the S.D.A. & E. railroad tracks which w ind around the top of Carrizo Gorge.

24 / Desert Magazine / A pr il, 1966


25/38

as depicted in their baskets and featheredcostumes, and the inventiveness displayedin the making of utensils and tools fordaily living, indicates that their culturewas equal if not above other contempor-ary tribes.A small section of the McCain Valleyrecreational project has been set aside formining operations which are confinedmainly to quartz, tungsten, feldspar, andberyl. Specimens of beryl weighing sev-

eral hundred pounds have been reportedfrom a mine on the slope of Tule Moun-tain. While there are no records of suc-cessful gold mining within the area,Harry Phillips, a mining engineer of ElCajon (DESERT, Aug-Sept. '65), toldme recently that during the constructionof the S. D. A. & E. railroad throughCarrizo Gorge one of the engineers on awork train found enough gold specimensto fill a cigar box. Since many present-day followers of Pegleg Smith's trail be-lieve that the Carrizo section holds thesecret of his fabulous find, Harry Phil-lip's story may add an additional note ofassurance to their beliefs. When weconsider that most of the drainage fromCarrizo Gorge flows through the Car-rizo Badlands, it requires little imagina-tion to visualize rich outcrops, high uponthe ridges or slopes, that could well bethe source of Pegleg's lost gold.

Campfire permits arerequired for openfires in the McCain Valley ConservationArea and campers entering from the westmay obtain them from the State Divisionof Forestry at La Mesa or Descanso. Thenearest ranger station for those comingfrom theeast is at Campo, about 13mileswest of the recreation area entrance. Theranger who patrols the McCain Valleysection works out of the Campo station,so you may be able to avoid going theextra distance by phoning from Jacumbalearn the time of his next trip, when youmay obtain your fire permit.

The rules which govern visitors to theMcCain Valley Resource ConservationArea are outlined in a brochure whichmay beobtained from theBureau of LandManagement, Riverside, California, andare few in number. They deal mainly withfireprevention and campsite cleanlinessregulations which conscientious campersusually follow without reminders. Cam-pers and visitors are advised not to tres-pass upon mining properties andprivatelyowned land in the recreational area. Theseare usually posted or fenced. That justabout sums up the rules and regulations,except the last one on the list and per-haps the easiest to follow. It states, sim-ply, "Enjoy yourself."

C O W B O Y B O O T SWeste/in

Located in "TheCenter" (across from the Desert Inn), The Moccasin Shop offers one of the largestselections for foot comfort this side of anyw here. Moccasins wi t h beaut i fu l bead work , ve lvety-sof t imported deerskin , rugged rawhid e, durab le fu l l - gra i n cowhide some for r id ing, some forf l y ing , all for just p la in walk ing comfort . Look for us on your next desert trip.W R I T E FOR FREE CATALOG

Producing Survival Kit

TILLCompleteKit $2.49

NEW PROCESS PRODUCES 1 TO 2QUARTS OFPURE WATER DAILY

IN DRIEST DESERTA Reusable kit for Survival and a

Fascinating Experiment for the YoungScientist. Easy to install and operate.Send Check or Money Order plus 25c pottage to:

DESERT MAGAZINEPalm Desert, California 92260

California residents add 10c sales tax.

The Family Vehicle for Year-Round Fun!Exclusive Sliding C anopyTop

Only Pullman Camper features this exclusive and patented Canopy Top wh ich adds 36 squarefeet of area and can be complete ly enclosed wi th specia l f i t ted curta ins. It takes on ly aminute to unsnap the tension latches and ro l l out on rugged nylon ro l lers. Guaranteed notto ra t t le . IN THE TREELESS DESERT AREAS WHERE SHADE MEANS LIFE YOU ARE SAFE ANDCOMFORTABLE WITH THE PATENTED PULLMAN CANOPY.Other Pul lman FeaturesSTRONG LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION. Tubular aluminum framework provides greaterstrength yet reduces over-a l l we ight and gas costs. Safety glass in all s ta t iona ry w indows.LOADING MADE EASY. Ext ra-wide four- foot rear door.SPACE SAV ING . Door tab le cabin et provides storage space and doubles as t ab le or work a rea .CLEAN, DRY INTERIOR. Water-t ight and dust proof Neoprene gaskets around all w i n d o w s ,doors and underside. Prices Start at On ly $375 .00VISIT OUR MODERN PLANT AND SEE FOR YOURSELF, OR WRITE FOR FREE BROCHURE TO

PULLMAN CAMPERS, DEPT. DM, 8211 PHLOX ST.,DOWNEY, CALIFORNIATELEPHONE TOpaz 2-7968 or SPruc. 3 - 5 6 8 6 .

A p r i l , 1966 / Desert Magazine / 25


26/38

The Art of Desert Survivalby Fredie Harris

The small kit fox has huge ears that can detectthe faint scurrying of rats and other small ani-

mals, which are its prey.

The camel can go a week or so without food orwater. It does this with the help of its distinc-tive hump. The hu mp contains fat. If the camelis forced to do without water, the fat breaksdown and furnishes nou rishment. This processreleases hydrogen which combines with oxyg enin the camel's breath to form water. For everypound of fat, the c amel receives about one

pound of water.

The mesquite sends roots down 100feet or more to reac h a permane ntsource of water. Sand may smotherother desert plants, but not the mes-quite. It simply send s up new branchesto keep above ground. Great dunesbuild up around mesquite trees in

this manner.

Cactus plants are perfectly adapted to the desert. Their cyclindricalshapes and their lack of leaves reduce moisture loss by exposing lessarea to the sun. The spiny surfaces discourage hungry animals. Somecacti are pleated, like an accordion, so they ma y expand when they drinkwater and shrink as the water is used. Their roots are shallow, but wide-spread, since most water during rare desert rains stays on the surface

of the ground.

26 / Desert Magaz ine / Apr il, 1966


27/38

The kangaroo rat eats only seeds and occa-sional green vegetation, which require lesscooling for the digestive process than a meatdiet. During the heat of d ay, it retreats to itsburrow, which it seals off with a plug of dirt.The rat's own respiration then keeps the bur-

row coo l and m oist.

Owls escape desert heat by pecking ho les in thesides of large cactus plants. The inside of thenest dries out to form a hard shell. This reducesthe amoun t of moisture that evaporates throughthe hole a process by w hich the p lant protects

itself from dehydration.

tortoise, a cold blooded reptile, has nobuilt-in thermostat to regulate his temperatureduring extremes of heat and cold. Therefore,nature has enabled him to hibernate under-ground for long periods during cold wintermonths or hot summer days. When he comesforth in the Springtime, his hard shell protectshim from predators who move faster than hedoes. What can we learn from him? Well,

when there's trouble, duck !

, - ; - *The pack rat protects its burrow from raids bypredators by covering the entrance with piles of

sharp-spined cholla cactus joints.

The fringe-toed lizard hides from its enemies by plunging out of sight in loose sand. Its peculiarbreathing system makes it possible to breath without inhaling sand.



28/38

T h e T r e a s u r e of T u m a c a c o r iDURING THE 18th Century talesof fantastic treasures were not un-common in Southern Arizona. Earlypioneers and prospectors spoke often oflost missions, Spanish gold and hiddenmines. They combed the hills searchingfor the mine with the iron door, or themine sealed by neatly stacked rocks, orthe mine whose door had a copperhandle.

The treasure reputed to be the richestof them all, however, was the treasure ofthe Tumacacori Mission. Early prospec-tors told the story that whoever foundthis cache would practically own Ari-zona.It was not until sometime after 1880that people in southern Arizona began torealize just how fantastically rich thistreasure was. What they had believed tobe several different treasures were nowall considered a part of Tumacacori.

For more than 150 years Spaniards, andthen Americans, tried to wrestle the secretof the Tumacacori treasure from the rug-ged mountains south of Tucson, Arizona.Searches have been mostly concentrated tothe east of the Santa Cruz River aroundSan Cayetano, a part of the CoronadoMoun tains. It wasn't until the mid-1880sthat someone searched elsewhere.

This someone was a foreigner. He cameto Tucson professing to know the where-abouts of the treasure. He openly claimedto possess certain Spanish church recordsrevealing the location of "2,650 muleloads of silver and 905 loads of gold."According to an account in a Tucsonnewspaper dated about this time, theforeigner stayed in town only longenough to acquire supplies for a couple

of weeks in the mountains and to pur-chase several mules on which to pack thetreasure from its hiding place. When heleft Tucson, according to the same news-paper account, he went as far south asTubac and there, instead of turning eastas all other treasure hunters had beforehim, he turned west and entered the un-friendly Tumacacori Mountains.Several weeks later he spent an eveningwith two prospectors somewhere on thetrail north of Tubac. After a little timearound the camp fire and the warming in-

fluence of a generous meal, he proudly

Sudden rainstorms make treasure hunting in the Tum acacori Moun tains dan gerous aflash floods carry awa y everything in their paths.

showed his host what was later estimatedto be "about 200 pounds of gold."The prospectors related to authoritiesin Tucson that the foreigner's mules wereladen with gold and claimed the foreignertold them that he was going to Tucsonto sell the gold and then return for an-other load.But he never reached Tucson. Th e twoprospectors were the last known personsto ever see the foreigner.Copies of Church records brought fromSpain by the foreigner showed up againa few years later in the hands of a trea-sure seeker from the East. This characterbecame a familiar sight in southern Ari-zona for several years. He lived in anold shack deep in the Coronado Moun-tains, east of Tubac, and came to townonly when he needed supplies. Then, likethe foreigner, he disappeared. Some sayhe found part of the treasure; others in-sist he grew tired of his long, lonelysearch and returned to the East.In 1910 seven Mexicans joyously rodeinto Tucson after wagons, burros andsupplies. They said they had found the

Tumacacori treasure. They paid for theirpurchases with small gold bars and triumphantly left Tucson, never to be heardof again.During the 1930s an engineer caminto possession of the old Spanish Churchrecords and set out to try his luck. Beforentering the mountains, he made arrangements to be met by a friend on a certainday of each week at a certain spot. Athe end of the third week, he returnedto the meeting place laden with bags ofantastically rich gold ore. The bags wer

made of deer skin, old and brittle. Htold his friend there were thousands morwhere these came from and sent his friendto a nearby ranch to get mules to hauout the gold.The engineer was never seen again.Like the others, the only thing he lefbehind was a copy of the ancient Churcrecords. Here is part of one translateversion:Redotero Year of 1398 to 1658 thiredotero belonged to Tumacacori. Thmine o f the Tum acacori, named the vir

gin of Guadalupe, is one league south28 / Desert Magazine / A pri l, 1966


29/38

by Allan L. Pearcefrom the main door of the Mission andfrom the water of the San Romain. Toyour left you measure one Kilometer and40 varas to the north. About 1,800 varasbefore you get to the mine there is ablack rock with CCD -TD carved under-neath the rock. Fifty varas from the crossof the Christ is the treasure. There weretwo knolls which were blown up on themine and without further help powderwas put between the cracks of the rocks,leaving no trace.

There is a patio that measures 50square yards and in this place is thetreasure of our mission. In the middleof the patio is the mouth of the mine,inside and out is the treasure. There are2,650 loads of stamped silver and 905loads of gold. The gold was broughtfrom the Sierra of Guachapa.

The records continue in the same man-ner to reveal the whereabouts of fouradditional mines, all unbelievably rich.This is the treasure which has excited

TO TU CSO N-46 Ml.Tubac

TUMACACORINAT'L.MON.

M200, an inscription found near theentrance to Jenkin's mine. the adventurous souls of men for nearly300 years. In view of the number ofseekers why hasn't it been found? Withdirections contained in the Church recordsit would seem that a reasonably intelli-gent person would need only begin at the

mission and start picking up gold.This is the problem. W here is themission ? The foreigner and the engineersearched in the Tumacacori Mountains tothe west of the Santa Cruz River. Every-one else has combed the San CayetanosMountains to the east of the Santa CruzRiver.The Easterner probably used the ruinsof the Tumacacori Mission now standingnear Tubac as a starting point. Beforethe government made this mission nearTubac a national monument, gold hunters

had literally torn it to pieces. They hadripped up the floors, chopped the plasterfrom the walls and dug deep holes allover the patio.The mistake these men made was insimple arithmetic. There were two Tuma-cacori Missions. The one now standingwas founded by Father Eusebio FranciscoKino in the late 17th Cenutry. TheChurch records revealing the wheraboutsof the treasure (see above) were dated inthe mid-17th Century, almost 40 yearsearlier.The fact that there were two missions is



30/38

substantiated by the use of two names inancient stories told by the India ns. Theyreferred to the lower Mission, the onenow standing, as Tumacacori de Cayetanoand the upper Mission as Tumacacori deCerrita; the first being located near theSan Cayetano Mountain and the secondnear the Cerrito Mountain.The first mission, the one which hidesthe secret of the treasure, is believed tobe located several miles west of the Santa

Cruz River and further north.A considerable amount of treasure hasbeen found in this area. Early prospec-tors, the foreigner in particular, and evenmodern hunters have found goldencandlesticks, silver crosses, bullion andseveral gold bars bearing the Jesuit stamp.In I960 a javelina hunter stumbled acrossa partially buried mine which is now be-lieved to have been one of the Jesuitmines. This mine is currently producingsilver in large quantities.Some treasure hunters believe Father

Kino spent much of his time looking forthis treasure. In letters to Spain he wroteof the dangerous trips from the SoynotaMissionover 100 miles to the westthrough the Tumacacori Mountains to theTumacacori mission. Such a trip wouldcarry him into some of the most ruggedmountains in southern Arizona andwould take longer than the more popularroute southeast from Soynota and thennorthwest. Most travelers avoided thisunfriendly chain of mountains with its

Some seekers look for an explanation in prehistoric petroglyphs they refer to as"Spanish hieroglyphics." They should know better!

Historic photo of present Tuma cacoriMission.

steep peaks and treacherous cliffs. It was,and still is, barren of life and vegetation.It lacks water, except during the rainy sea-son when heavy rains cause dangerousflash floods.If these mountains were so treacherousand there were no Indians living in themwhom Father Kino could convert, whydid he travel through this area? Theanswer might be a simple one. Churchrecords, which reveal the location of thefive Jesuit mines, states that the mines

are located in a straight line due southof the mission. This straight line wou ldlead directly through the mountains thatFather Kino traveled.Was he looking for the mine? Talestold by Papago Indians still living in

the area claim he was. They say the pad respent much of his time looking for thelost treasure of Tumacacori.Why?Father Kino discovered several minesof his own during the time he was found-ing a series of approximately 30 missionsthroughout northern Mexio and southernArizona. These mines, according tolegend, were fabulously rich. If suchwere true, why did he spend so muchtime looking for th e Tum acacori treasure ?The only possible answer is because the

father knew what was in those mines; heknew that a treasure worthy of a king'sransom had been hidden somewhere byearlier Jesuits. The same problem plaguedhim, however, that later plagued others.He couldn't find the first Tumacacorimission!This mission could have been destroyedby Indians, or by soldiers looking for trea-sure, or have been washed away in floods.All of this, of course, is speculation,but the belief that Father Kino neverfound the treasure is supported by thefact that he made no mention of it in hisletters to Spain.

This type of reasoning brings up animportant question: If Father Kinocouldn't find the treasure 40 years afteit was buried, what chance has a fortunehunter 300 years later?There must be a clue no one has de-ciphered except the foreigner whobrought the Church records to ArizonaNot knowing this due, today's treasurehunter still has something working forhim. According to Church records, alfive mines lay in a straight line duesouth of the Mission: "You continue inthe same direction to the south. Fromhere there is one stream that leads out ofthe river Santa Cruz. About three leaguesfrom the mine of our Lady of Guadalupeis one mine by the name of Los Janostowards the south . . . from the mineof the Purima Concepcion to the mineof our Lady of Guadalupe, there arethree leagues. About halfway, in the samedirection is the mine named Los Opates."If the mine found by the javelina huntein I960 is actually one of the hiddenJesuit minesthere are reasons to believe it isyou need only go directlynorth to find the other mines.

Jerry Jenkins, a part-time treasurehunter, advanced this theory two yearsago and, surprisingly, after combing themountains from the border to the north-ern fringes of the Tumacacori Mountainshe found a mine which might be one30 / Desert Magazine / April, 1966


31/38

of the mines mentioned in the churchrecords. This mine isadjacent to themountain believed to be the one referredto in Church records as Guachapa. It isa tall peak almost directly west of thepresent Tumacacori mission and directlysouth of where the first mission is nowbelieved to have been. The mine is fullof water and, according to Jenkins,itwould be impossible to pump the waterout because it is internally fed by a springcoming from somewhere within themountain.

This writer accompanied Jenkins to thesite and as we were walking to the mine,he discovered ahuge boulder, partiallyburied, with the inscription, "M200."Just what that means, wedon't know.The mine found by the hunter lies onthe Arizona-Mexico border afew mileswest ofNogales. If aline isdrawnstraight north through the TumacacoriMountains to the Cerro Ruido, where themission is believed to be, this line would

intersect themine found byJenkins.Fur-thermore, the water in the mine escapesdown the side of the mountain and be-comes a part of a "stream that leads outto the river Santa Cruz."In the company of this writer, Jenkinshas followed the directions given inthe Church records from the site wherethe early mission is believed to have beenand wound up within 100 yards of themine he found. The inscription "M200"is less than 50 yards from where the in-scription "CCD-TD" is supposed to be.Jenkins believes that ifhe could con-tinue following the directions from themine he found, hewould eventually comeclose to another mine mentioned in therecords. He'sconvinced that thediscoveryof onemore mine will unravel the entiresecret."But I'm only aspare time treasurehunter," he complained. "Idon't havetime to follow this thing through andfrom the rate people are starting to ex-plore thedesert, I'll probably be toolate."

OewtDESERT LAKE PROPERTYROBERT V. SHEARS, BROKERInvestment -Recreation -Agricul ture

21 3 ED 5-8659SILVER VALLEY-P . O. Box 191, Newberry, Cal i fornia

lVAF WANTS TO KNOW IF WE. WAVEBVENEDFHGEES"

Nothing could be closer to the truth.In recent years, since the discovery of thesilver mine on the border andparticularlysince Jenkins found his mine, treasurehunters have been pouring into Tubac bythe hundreds. Residents of this little vil-lage claim that the number of treasureseekers have increased several hundredper cent. They say that the law of aver-age indicates that someone must soon findanother mine, ifonly by accident. Per-haps it will be the mine which will "buyArizona for theowner."

C A L I F O R N I AG H O S T T O W N G U I D ENe w guide to over 100California ghost townsUnique and authentic guide toover 100ghost towns in California's deserts and moun-tains with complete directions on how toreach them. Shows you the way to little-known and intrigue-filled towns that providehours ofinterest for those seeking buriedtreasures , old guns, western relics, purplebottles aged by the sun, and antique objects.Satisfaction guaranteed or money hack.

Or de r Now!Only $1.95A . L. ABBOTTDept. D-14151.1 West Knm neya I)r ive A n a h e i m , Calif.

M E T A L & M I N E R A LL O C A T O R S b y .EO HINDER

A L W A Y S B E T T E R A L L W A Y S'LITERATURE HINDER CO.HE

IO X 37 , LA K I W O O D , CALIFORNIA

JlWtLRY CRAFTS CATALOGF R E E ^6pages

Lapidary rockhounding jewelry making.ad d up to a fascinating creative art!GET CRAFTS BIGGEST CATALOG

World's largest selection over 10,000 itemsoffered...imports from allparts of theworld.STONESJEWELRY MATERIALSM O U N T I N G S B O O K S C R A F T T O O L S

MACHINERYSUPPLIESETC.SEND FOR FREE CATALOGGRIEGER'S, NC.

D.pt 30 -1633 I . Walnut Paiod.na, CalifApril, 1966/Desert Magazine /31


32/38

T h eR o a d

toO l dS o c o r r o

byEdwardO rr

irANA

THE BAYING of hound dogs is nota sound you would expect to hearin Baja California, but then the MelingRanch is not an ordinary place.Located about 160 miles south of theborder, the ranch lies protected from themain road by 34 miles of dirt roadthrough mountains that belong to themoo n. If you are hardy and have aa 4-wheel drive truck the trip is noproblem . If you want to try it in a

passenger automobile, carry a rabbit'sfoot in each pocket and tow a trailerfull of spare parts. Or, you can flydown and land on the excellent stripjust east of the ranch minutes after yourtake-off in the states. Any way you go,the trip is worth it.My family and I decided the road tothe ranch was one of the few in Bajawe had not explored and for us that isreason enough to start packing. W eloaded our Power Wagon, called theboss and told him we expected a severe

attack of flu on the following Monday,and pointed the "Beast" south. W erolled through the familiar check points:Tijuana, Ensenada, Santo Tomas, andSan Vicente and soon reached the end ofthe pavement.As you pass Arroyo Seco take a goodlook at the asphalt, it is the last thereis between there and La Paz. But for-tunately there are only seven miles ofchuckholes between the pavement's endand the turn-off for the ranch. Eightmiles off the main road is the village of

San Telmo where the store is clean, thebeer is cold, and there is no water inthe gas. From San Telmo it is only 26miles to the ranch and as you top thelast mountain you can see in the distancethe peaks of the San Pedro Martir Moun-tains which have the only pine forest inBaja California.We pulled in to the ranch, our arrivalannounced by the flute voiced canines,and met our charming hostess. Peggy Mc-Lean runs the guest ranch while Bertieand Salvador Meling share the old ranch

house. It was dark when we arrived andthe guests were sitting down to dinner.The ranch was packed that weekend, butin the tradition of hospitality everywherethere was room for a few more. After ahome-cooked dinner of tender mountain

quail flanked by huge bowls of potatoesand hand-made tortillas, we relaxed un-der a hot shower and spent the night inone of the comfortable cottages whichstands near the main house.The next day we lived the quiet lifeof the ranch. W e rode horseback in themountains, swam in the pool filled withclear stream water, and lay in the sun.That night we had the privilege of spend-ing the evening in front of the fireplace

in the old ranch house talking with Ber-tie Meling, a living legend in Baja Cali-fornia.We looked at boxes of old photo-graphs and tin types, one taken of hergrandfather more than 100 years ago.And we heard the story of the MelingRanch, the gold mine, and the house wewere in.The house is over 50 years old andthe original frame has adobe additions toaccommodate the Meling family. Salva-dor's father was the first Meling in Baja.

Although Baja California seems an un-likely place to a attract a Scandinavianwhaling captain, he settled there and sentfor his family. Th e call of the sea isnot quickly lost and Salvador's gnarledhands tell of his early days before themast. W hether he was drawn back toBaja by the mountains and the land or byrancher Johnson's pretty daughter is notknown . But he and Bertie were marriedand went to live on the ranch which nowbears his name.From that point the legend of the

Meling Ranch began to grow and thefabulous production of the Socorro Gold

' . <

W ' - m -The road to the mine is no freeway!

I Desert Magazine / April, 1966


33/38

Mine only added fuel tothe fire.Theorigin of the Socorro, astold byAuntBertie, had itsroots in the attitude ofthe Spanish Conquerors and their lustfor gold. The Padres quickly realizedthe Spaniards came to Baja only for gold.They reasoned ifnone were found theSpaniards would leave. So thepriestsdecreed it taboo for an Indian torevealany source ofgold. Through the yearsthis grew into areligious belief and tothis day the main sources ofBaja gold,although known tothe Indians, arelost tothe white man. But stories filterthroughstories ofagroup of Indiansnorth ofthe SanPedro Martirs whofound alump ofyellow metal, very soft,just right to make an arrow straightener;and ofatrader near the mouth of theColorado whotraded these Indians fivehorses for the tool made ofpure nativegold. Others concern ayoung bravehop-ing tomake thesame trade when he, too,found aarge piece ofthe yellow metal.But he was forced by his father to dis-card it because itwas rubbing asore onhis horse. He buried itbeneath acairnof rocks beside thetrail, meaningtoreturn. Buthedidn't anditremains thereto this day,waiting.

These stories drew men from all walksof life tosearch the mountains for thehidden treasures. Not allwere disap-pointed. Oneofthe daughters of thefirst Meling married ayoung man com-pletely infected with the fever and hevowed tofind gold ordie in the at-tempt. Hisplan wastosetoff with hisbride eastward over the SanPedroMar-tir Mountains to theTwenty Mile Deserton the other side.An old Indian asked oftheelderMel-ing, "Dothey know how hard life is onthe desert?"The oldman replied, "They havenever been there."The Indian paused, turning o

2402535-196604-Desert-Magazine-1966-April

Documents

Transcript of 2402535-196604-Desert-Magazine-1966-April