196612 desert magazine 1966 december

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Desert Magazine Book ShopTHE SEA OF CORTEZ by Sunset Staff. Exploresthe Gulf of Cal i forn ia, Baja Cal i forn ia, andMexico's Mainland Coast. Fine i l lustrat ions.Advance pr ice $9.95 unt i l Dec.31st, thereafter$1 1.75.ART TREASURES IN THEWEST by Sunset Staff.Descriptions anddiscussions of paint ings, sculp-tures andart ists displayed in Western museumsand public places. Hardcover $11.75.THE COLORFUL BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND STAGEby Richard Pourade andMarjorie Reed. With 20stage coach paint ings by Miss Reed, the textconcentrates on the Fort Yuma to SanFranciscoru n of the tough But ter f ie ld route. Album For-mat, heavy artpaper , $6 . 75 .IT ALL HAPPENED IN TOMBSTONE by JohnClum. Eye-witness account of famous gun batt lebetween Earps, Doc Hol t iday and the Clantonsand McLaurys by publ isher of TombstoneEpitaph. Margin notes by John Gilchriese.Hardcover, 45 pages, $4.00.DESERT GEMTRAILS by Mary Frances Strong.Field guide to gems andminerals of the Mo-have andColorado deserts andadjacent areas.Paperback, $2.00GOLD IN THE SUN by Richard Pourade. Fifth inseries of historical books about Southern Cali-forn ia. Covers Salton Sea, rec lamat ion of Im-per ia l Val ley and gemmining in SanDiego andRiverside count ies. Large format, beaut iful colori l lus t rat ions. $9.50.THE SILVER DONS by Richard Pourade recountsthe wrest ing of the Franciscan Missionary landby Spanish Dons and then lost to them byAmerican pioneers. Covers Mormon Batt l ion andf i l ibusters and war in Baja Cal i forn ia. Beaut i -fu l ly i l lus t rated. $9.50.THE GLORY YEARS by Richard Pourade coversthe early boom period of Southern Californiawhen San Diego's populat ion exploded, thencollapsed overnight. Beaut iful ly i l lustrated. Partof above series. $9.50.BOOT HILL by Lambert Florin. Sixth in his seriesof Western ghost town books. Dramatic photoswi th epi taphs andt rue tales out of the t ragic ,comic and scandalous West. Large format.$ 1 2 . 9 5 .GHOST TOWNS ANDMINING CAMPS OFCALI-FORNIA by Remi Nadeau. Theon ly good , hard-cover book on the Cal i forn ia ghost towns. Werecommend it h igh l y . $5 . 95 .OLD FORTS OFTHE FARWEST by Herbert Hart.Maps are inc luded wi th remarkably l ive ly andaccurate accounts of Western forts back to Civi lWar t imes. This volume covers the Southwest.Large format , good photos . $12.95.HUNTING LOST MINES BY HELICOPTER by ErieStanley Gardner. As fasc inat ing as one of hisPerry Mason mysteries, the author takes youin to Ar izona's Supers t i t ion Mountains look ingfo r the Lost Dutchman mine and into theTrigoMountains in search of Nummel's lost bonanza.Hardcover, color photos. $7.50.JEEP TRAILS TOCOLORADO GHOST TOWNS byRobert L. Brown. An i l lus t rated, detai led, infor-mal history of life in the mining camps deep inColorado Rockies. Fif ty-eight towns are includedthe almost inaccessible mountain fastness of theas examples of the vigorous struggle for exist-ence in the mining camps of the West. 239pages, i l lus t rated, end sheet map. Hardcover.$5 . 50 .

To Insure aReal

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Recommended Books

HERE IS NEVADA by Effie Mack andByrd Saw-yer. A complete picture of every facet of Nevadain tex tbook manner. $12.50.MANY MEXICOS by Lesley Byrd Simpson. Entirely revised. Among the best books on Mexicanhistory, customs, travel, art, etc. $ 7 . 5 0 .DESERT PLANTS AND PEOPLE bySam Hicks. Tellshow primit ive desert dwellers f ind sustenance,shelter, beverages and healing medicines innature. Hardcover . $5.95.ON DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, foun-de r and publisher of Desert Magazine for 23years. One of the f irst good writers to revealthe beauty of themysterious desert areas. Hen-derson's experiences, combined with his com-ments on the desert of yesterday and t oday ,make this a MUST for those who real ly wantot understand thedesert . 375 pages, i l lus t rated.Hardcover . $5.00.STANDING UPCOUNTRY by C. Gregory Cramp-ton. Best book ever writ ten about Utah-Arizonacanyon country. Superb color. $15.J. ROSS BROWN: Confidential Agent in OldCalifornia. Satir ical observat ions and rare ad-ventures of this 19th-century writer producelively fodder for history buffs. Hardcover, 218pages. $5.95.REMNANTS OF THE OLD WEST by HarriettFarnsworth. The oldWest's last l iv ing characterswere interv iewed by this author and the bookis f i l led with never-before published t idbits thatdeserve recording. Anattract ive book that makesa surprisingly inexpensive andwor t hwh i l e g i f t .Hardcover . $2.95.DESERT ANIMALS IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONALMONUMENT by Miller and Stebbins. Excellentbook and f irst of its k ind wi th thorough tex tand good i l lustrat ions. Color plates. $10.NAVAHO NEIGHBORS by Franc Johnson New-comb. One of the better books about NavahoIndians byan author whol i ved int imately wi ththem for over 30 years . $5.95.TREASURY OFFRONTIER RELICS by LesBeitz. Acollectors guide to western front ier rel ics withdescript ions, uses andprices. Hardcover. $6.95.

ROCK PAINTINGS OF THECHUMASH by Camp-bell Grant. Theonly def in i t ive work re lat ive toIndian pic tographs in theSanta Barbara region.Beaut i fu l ly i l lus t rated in color and interest ing,informat ive tex t . 163pages, hardcover.$10.HILTON PAINTS THE DESERT by John Hilton.Collect ion of 12, 16x19 inch Hilton prints ade-qua t e for f r a m i n g , or bound in plastic covert ied wi th leather thongs for v iewing. Interes t ingtext explains Hilton's paint ing technique. Statewhether bound or unbound . $65.LOST DESERT BONANZAS by Eugene Conrotto.Brief resumes of lost mine art ic les printed inback issues of DESERT Magazine, by a formereditor. Hardcover, 278 pages. $6.75.ERNIE PYLE'S SOUTHWEST. A collection ofErnie's t imeless word pictures describing hiswanders through the Southwest. Hardcover.$5 . 00 .RARE MAP REPRODUCTIONS from theyear 1886.Series I includes three maps, Arizona, Californiaand Nevada. Series II includes New Mexico,Utah andColorado. Reproduced on f ine paper.They show old towns, mines, springs andt rai lsnow ext inct. Each set of three, $3.75. Besure tostate series number with order.BOTTLE COLLECTOR'S BOOK by Pat and BobFerraro. Gives history, descript ions and pricelists. Profusely i l lustrated, 107-pages. Paper-back, $3.00.EARLY USES OFCALIFORNIA PLANTS by EdwardK. Balls. Tells how nat ive Indians used plantsfor subsistence. Checklist contains both popularand sc ient i f ic names. $1.75.PIMAS, DEAD PADRES ANDGOLD by Paul V.Lease. The author provides fodder to the ideat ha t the Black Robes hid amazing amounts oft reasure in Pimer ia, which is now Arizona.Paperback. $3.COOKING ANDCAMPING ON THEDESERT byChoral Pepper. Also useful in your own backya rd . Contains chapter by Jack Pepper on dr iv -in g and surv iv ing in back country. Recipes arenamed for ghost towns andlost mines and sug-gest places to go and th ings to do. Hardcover,$3 . 95 .SONORA SKETCHBOOK by John Hilton. Revisededi t ion . Art ist Hil ton writes of his years of resi-den t inAlamos , theancient si lver capital ofSon-ora, Mexico. Interes t ing, color fu l ly wr i t ten,Hardcover , $5.95.THE ANCIENT PAST OFMEXICO byAlma Reed.Art andarchitecture of pre-Conquest civi l izat ionswi th up- to-date archeological informat ion. Wel l -i l lustrated andwri t ten wi th easy- to-read s ty le.$7 . 50 .VISITING AMERICAN CAVES by Howard Sloanand Russell Gurnee. A t ravel book of cavest h roughou t the U.S. with informat ion abouthistory, seasons open, faci l i t ies for accommoc'a-t ion etc. $ 4 . 9 5 .HO W TORETIRE IN MEXICO on$2.47 a Day byEugene Woods. Presents an ent icing pre-ret ire-ment p lan that 's workable. Also, good t ravel in-format ion. Paperback, 95c.BAJA CALIFORNIA OVERLAND by L. Burr Belden.Pract ical guide to Lower Cal i forn ia as far as LaPaz by auto wi th mater ia l g leaned f rom exten-sion study tr ip sponsored by Univ . of Calif . In-cludes things to see andaccommodations. Paper-back. $1.95.

1 I Desert Magazine / December, 1966


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Calendar of Events

Christmas celebrations are being held in all commun ities throughoutthe West. Since they are too numerous to list, check the local chamberof commerce in the area you plan to visit for times and places.

C O N T E N T SVolume 29 Number 12

DECEMBER, 1966This Month's Cover

Ocoti l lo in bloomBy DON VALENTINE

4 Books for Desert Readers7 Loot at MontereyBy JOHN MITCHELL8 One on the Rocks

By NOREEN GAMMIL10 Asian Conquers Desert Sand

By FRANK BROOKS, JR .12 Desert Mailbox

By GEORGE M . KEHEW16 Cash for Creosote

By HELEN BROWN17 Magic of Baja (final part)

By CHORAL PEPPER22 Where the Action Used to Be

By JACK DELANEY26 The Coming of the Camels

By DOUGLAS W . STEPHENS28 Father Ortiz and the GoldenNugget

By JO E PARRISH30 Discovery at Guevavi

By RUTH GRAHAM32 Queen of the Desert

By FRANCES BOSTWICK32 Hints for Desert Travelers

By BRUCE BARRON33 Mule Canyon's Ghost

By CAROL CURTIS34 Madrid, New Mexico

By LAMBERT FLORIN38 DESERT Cookery

By LUCILE I. CARLESON39 Letters from Our Readers

Starting with January we are adding more color photographs toDESERT Magazine. We like to use material from our readers. Colortransparencies must be either 2V i X 2V i or 4 X 5 vertical. Wepay $35.00 for each transparency used. Please enclose- stampedreturn envelope. Send to Photo Editor, Desert Magazine, PalmDesert, California 92260.

JACK PEPPER, Publisher CHORAL PEPPER, EditorElta ShivelyExecutive Secretary Al MerrymanStaff Artist Rose HollyCirculation Marvel Barret tBusinessDesert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260 Telephone 346-8144

DESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine, Palm Desert , Cali f . Second Class Postage paid atPalm Desert , Cali f . , and at addit ional mail ing off ices under Act of March 3, 1879. Tit le registeredNO . 35 88 65 in U. S. Patent Off ice , and contents copy righte d 1 966 b y Desert Mag azine . Unso lic itedmanuscr ipts and photographs cannot be returned or acknowledged unless fu l l 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 and Mexico. $5.75 elsewhere. Allow f ive weeks for changeof address. Be sure to send both old and new address.

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SfrixCt"Journeys withSaint Francis of Assisi"

"Brooms of Mexico"Illustrated in delightful 4-color by artist TedDe Grazia, whose Hallmark Christmas cardsare world famous, and written by AlvinGordon, those two books will make perfectChristmas gifts."Journ eys wi th S aint Francis of Assisi ' de-scribes in free verse the need for the con-t inuing faith in Our Lit t le Brother of Assisi intoday 's harassed wor ld. Heavy ar t paper,6x10 inches, hard cover, 4-color jacket.$6.75 (plus 27 cents tax for Californiaaddresses]."Brooms of Mexico ' ' is a free-verse b alla dabout the " l i t t le people ' 1 of Mex ico. Authorof several books on Mexico, Gordon is notedfor h is unique depic t ions of Indian and Mex i -can "pobrec i tos . " Heavy ar t paper, 6^x9%hard cover, 4-color jacket. $6.75 (plus 27cents for California addresses).

AUTOGRAPH PARTYArtist Ted De Grazia will be in theDesert-Southwest Art Gallery, High-way 111, Palm Desert, Calif, onSaturday, December 3, from 2 p.m.to 5 p.m. to autograph his books.Don't miss the chance to meet thisfamous artist.Send orders for the above listed books to:Best-West Publications

P. O. BOX 757Palm Desert, California 92260

Send for FREE Catalog of ourRecommended Books

Magazine BookshopPALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260

An entirelynew concept

in Booksfor B irdsPocket-Sized Alphabetical Check-List of

Over 300 Birds of the Southwest A quick and easy t imesaver Where tolocate the birds yo u re looking for.7 terri f ic short scenic tr ips where over 9 0 %of the various species of birds in southernAr izona are to be found.

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J \ / e w B o o k s for D e s e r t R e a d e r sTERRIBLE TRAIL: the MeekCutoff, 1845By Keith Clark and Low ell Tiller

This book was written with severalgoals in mindto wipe away some of themystery and misinformation associatedwith the historic Meek Cutoff, to narratethe passage of the emigrant train whosetragic experience rivaled that of Califor-nia's Donner Party, and to lay theground work for a solution to the BlueBucket lost gold.In 1845 emigrant parties reached oldFort Boise on the Snake River, but aheadof them still lay tortuous miles throughthe Blue Mountains and down the Co-

lumbia to The Dalles. A shortcut to avoidsome of this seemed to have been dis-covered by Stephen H. L. Meek, whopersuaded 200 families to follow himthrough the trackless desert country ofcentral Oregon.Somewhere along this route to theWillamette Valley, a group of these peo-ple stumbled onto gold, only to losesight of it again. For over 100 yearssearchers have traced and retraced thetrail, but the source of the gold has neverbeen located. This book throws a new

light on it's possible recovery.With maps and illustrations, this 244-page, hardcover book is $4.00.

MINES OF THE EASTERN SIERRABy M ary DeDecker

Mono County, California, establishedin 1861 with its county seat, Aurora,mistakenly located in Nevada, was firstto contribute color to mining historyalong the eastern slope of the Sierra Ne-vada, followed in 1866 by Inyo County.In this well-written paperback, the au-thor traces the frenetic rush of miningactivity from the day '49ers drifted backto the crest of the sierras to see whatthey'd passed over in their initial scram-ble, up to the present day. Included areclear directions to century-old mines withphotos, sketches and maps, as well asrecounts of the famous Lost Gunsightand the Lost Cement Mines which stilllure prospectors. With 72 pages, thebooks costs $1.95.

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.

ART TREASURES IN THE WESTBy William Davenport and the editorsof Sunset

This very superior book could be in-terpreted as a guided tour through artmuseums of the West, although it is farmore than that. Even Italian immigrantRodia's fantastic Watts towers, assembledwith seashells, mosaic, fragments of glass,iron, wire and concrete is featured, withdirections for finding it in Los Angeles.Permanent exhibits in private colleges,such as Mills in Oakland, as well as pri-vate and publicly sponsored galleries arenoted with full color reproductions ofsome of their treasures. The collectionsfeature American and European artistsof all schools and regional artists as farnorth as British Columbia, east to Phoe-nix, and west to Hawaii. In addition tocommentaries about individual sculpturesand paintings, there is a special supple-ment with a guide to museums, glossaryof art terms, capsule art history, biogra-phy of artists, etc. Hardcover, large for-mat, 320 pages. $11.75.

KERN RIVER VALLEYCENTENNIAL VIGNETTESBy Ardis M. Walker

From 1866 to 1966, this valley hasseen a lot of life. Places like WhiskeyFlat, Big Blue Mill, Bull Run Creek, LaMismo Gulch and Harley Mine gaveberth to bandits like Vasquez, cattlekings like Bill Landers, merchants likeAndrew Brown, Chinese miners, goodand bad Indians, and good and badwhites. In his vignettes, the author givesan historic panorama rich with humandrama which extends up to the day LakeIsabella's waters and the present popula-tion explosion determined a new twistto Kern Valleys' destiny. Paperback, 69pages, $1.95.

4 / Desert Mag azine / December, 1966


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PICK FOR '66FROM THEOtS I INFULL COLORWESTERN CHRISTMAS CARDS

Greet ings f rom our o u t f i t toyours -With Best Wishes forChr is tmas and heNew Yea r -b y A r thur F i t zS immonsiketree Shadows -May happ inessbe yours atChr is tmas and inthe NewI Ye,n byJohn W. Hi l ton

est Bened ic t ion - May the Peace andI Joy of Chr is tmas bew i t h youall theI Y e a r - b y A l l a n H u s b e r g

IA Chr is tmas P rayer on the T r a i l - M a yI the Peace and JoyofChr is tmas bew i t hI you all theY e a r - b y M e l v i n W a r r e n' . . . b o r n t h i s day, a S a v i o r . . . " - M a yhe Peace and JoyofChr is tmas bewi thI you alltheY e a r - b y T h o m a s L.Lewis

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l"The l i gh t hasc o m e . . . " - M a y the|Peace andHappiness ofChr is tmas beyou all theY e a r - b y M o r e t o nithRid n' in to aWarm Welcome - Inside sa descr ipt ive 20 ine verse by S. OmarBarker, plus greet ing by John Hampton

" . . . l a i r a n d o p e n f a c e ofH e a v e n . . " -May happ iness beyoursa tChr is tmas andin theNew Year -by Wayne Lowdermi lk

F r iendsh ip at C h r i s t m a s - A f r i e n d l ywish foraMerry Chr istmas and aHappyNew Ye ar - by Char les Lee . Nava joTh ink in ' ofyou - With f r iend ly g ree t ingsof the Season and Happiness throughoutthe New Ye ar - by C har les Par is

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S i len t Nigh t -May the Peace and Happ i ^ ^ ^ ^ S le ighbe l ls inthe S k y - M e r r y C h r i s tI ness of the Chr istmas Season abide with I I mas andHappy New Year - by BernardI you all theY e a r - b y ArtFitzSimmons I I P. ThomasB E S T Q U A L I T Y A R T : These are hewestern Chr istmas cards you've been looking for! Allnew designs since last year. Heavy, textured enamel paper folds tomake ar ich card, approx 5x7.Deluxe wh i te enve lopes -ex t ra s inc luded . We canpr int your name, orbrand , orBOTH in red o matchgreeting. Cards sent safely in ourexclusive 'Strong Box" carton. Our t ime-te sted ways and exper iencedstaff offer 24hour sh ipp ing tilChr is tmas. Our ca ta log ofwestern stat ionery, notes, pr ints, FREE withevery order. It's funtobuy ro m theLeanin' Tree!H O W T OO R D E R : Fil l in quant i t y of each card you want inbox below i l lustrat ion. Cards maybe assorted atnoextra cost. Order all of one kind or asmany of each asdes i red . Ci r c le to ta l quan t i t yand cost onpr ice l ist . Canada residents please remit inU.S. dol lar value. Colorado residents add 3%sales tax. You may order by etter orf i l l outcoupon and mail this ent ire page with cash, check ormoneyorder toThe Leanin' Tree. Thank you kindly.

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I Candles on the D e se r t A l t a r - M a y theI Peace and JoyofChr is tmas bewi th youI theY e a r - b y J o h n H i l t o n

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LOOKING FOR ACHRISTMAS GIFT?

C o o k i n g a n dC a m p i n g on the

D e s e r tby Choral Pepperwith achapter on

Driving and Survivingon the Desertby Jack Pepper. m

COOK ING andCAMPINGon the DESERTCHORAL PEPPER

F O R E W O R D BY

Cooking andCamping on the Desert ismore than just a book on prepar ing for adesert out ing or making meals that w i l lappeal whi le incamp. This book is a br iefmanua l onho w tosurvive in thedesert . . .the book is a must for anyone mak ing at r ip to thedesert , whether it is hisf irst orf i f t ie th. BILL HILTON, Santa BarL-ara N i w s -Press. ONLY $3.95

Plus 25cents mail ing charges. Californiaaddresses add 1 6 cents tax. Send check or

money order toDesert Magazine,Palm Desert , Cali f . 92260

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A DESERT Ma ga zine Gi ft Su bscriptionw i t h a beaut iful Christmas Gif t Card.

A Handsome Brown Vinyl Binder topreserve issues throughout theyear.

BY GIVING DESERTYOU'LL BE REMEMBERED

EVERY MONTH OF THE YEARJUST FILL OUT THE ENVELOPE IN THIS

ISSUE AND WE'LL DOTHE RESTI

SIX FACES OF MEXICOEdited by Russell C. Ewing

The sixfaces arehistory, people, geo-graphy, government, economy, literatureand art. Here, inheavy, large format, ispresented a text-type compilation byseven authorities whohave lived andworked with theMexican people in anarea of professional research. The his-torical theme covers thearrival of Cor-tes to themodern republic; custom, lan-guage and dress are discussed; the physi-cal variations of this fantastic land; thedevelopment of democracy from colonialtimes to thepresent federal state; Mexi-co's contrasts in agrarianism andindus-trialization and itslegacy of literary andartistic creativity. Everything from an-cient methods of weaving still used inOaxaca to a geological description ofvolcanic peaks is covered andalthoughthe material is presented in toopedantica style tomake forexciting reading,thebook isvery informative. Hardcover, 319pages. $10.00.CACTI OFCALIFORNIABy E. Yale Dawson

The more we explore, themore welearn about cactijust recently a newspecies of California prickly pear wasnamed and two are reported forthe firsttime inthis book. Descriptions, where tofind them, popular names as well asbotanical names, drawings andfull-colorphotographs are all included. Conven-ient size to carry into the field. Paper-back, 64pages, $1.50.LINCK'S DIARY 1766 EXPEDITIONErnest J. Burrus, S.J.

Translated into English, edited andannotated by theauthor, this importantaddition to theBaja California TravelsSeries is one of the most interesting.Jesuit missionary Linck's 1766 expedi-tion to thenortheastern regions of thepeninsula and theColorado River deltawas nottotally successful, as he did notquite reach theColorado River, but hedid mapwater sources and mountainpasses between theGulf and hePacificwhich established routes for a subsequentmission trail throughout Lower Califor-nia. Hereported on theattitude of na-tives, their customs, languages, and socialorganization, as well as the flora and

fauna encountered between San BorjaMission and the 31stparallel, slightlynorth of SanFelipe. A mapwith hisroute reconstructed is included. Hardcover, 115pages, $10. Limited to 600copies.THE CLIMATE OFSOUTHERNCALIFORNIABy Harry P. Bailey

Since theentire world is interested inCalifornia's climate, theauthor hasherepresented acomprehensive explanationofthis state's varying climatic regions in areadable, informative paper edition. Dis-cussed are the maritime fringe, transitionand mountain climates, low and highdeserts, Santa Anawinds, fire, flood,drought, and smog. Colored illustrations.87 pages, $1.75.THE WAGONMASTERSBy Henry Pickering Walker

From 1882, when the first wagonswere used in theSanta Fe trade, until1880 when the completion of majorrailroad lines made wagon trains obso-lete, wagon freighting wasessential tothe growth of the American West. Draftanimals had tobe provided for the wagontrains, rations for their crews, and wagonsthemselves had to be transshipped fromriver steamers to wagons, facts whichrendered the men who worked on wagonsdirect descendants of thebargemen andkeelboatmen of canals andrivers. Bull-wackers andmuleskinners were a breedapart, whose distinctive language addeda lusty flavor to American speech.Thebusiness was hard, dirty anddangerous,but itproduced heroes, unsung until now.Filling a gap in Western history, thiswell researched book thoroughly exhauststhe subject. Hardcover, 347 pages, $5.95.MINES OFDEATH VALLEYBy L.Burr Belden

Another good paperback bythis popu-lar historian who probably knows DeathValley aswell as anyone alive. Here istold the story of fabulous mining booms,of men who braved burning sands tofindbonanza, andBelden's ownideas aboutthe Lost Gunsight, the Lost Breyfogleand anexplanation of theLost MormonDiggins. This well-illustrated book isone you want tohave. $1.95.6 / Desert Magazine / December,1966


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SkeletorBy reader request DESERT Magazine will reprint a series of arti-cles written by the dean of lost mine yarns, John Mitchell, which

appeared or iginal ly in 1 940 and 19 41 .

SOMEWHERE along the old NewMexico trail that runs from Shake-speare to Skeleton Canyon is a shallowmining shaft containing riches that wouldbe quite astonishing to the original ownerof the prospect hole were he to returnthere.According to the story current in thisregion, the original prospector found asmall stringer of gold, but it pinched outbefore he had gone many feet beneath thesurfaceand the hole was abandoned.No one knows the location of this shaft,but today it is believed to contain 25mule loads of gold and silver bars andbuckskin bags of Spanish coins andjewelry.The gold and silver bullion was stolenfrom the mint and smelter, and the jewelsfrom the cathedral at Monterrey, Mexico.It is known as the "Monterrey loot," andfor a time was buried in Skeleton Can-

yon near the little town of Rodeo, NewMexico.The bandit gang that-stole the treasureand buried it was composed of JimHughes, Zwing Hunt, "Doc" Neal andRed Curley. Hughes was the leader, andhe and his men were said to have beenmixed up in the Lincoln county war inwhich Billy the Kid was the central fig-ure.Forming an alliance with the notoriousEstrada gang, Hughes and his partnersstole 25 U. S. government mules and

then crossed the border into Mexico.They robbed the mint, smelter and ca-thedral at Monterrey and returned toUnited States territory with booty esti-mated to be worth $800,000. Shortly af-ter returning to Texas bad feeling de-veloped between the Estrada men andthe Hughes gang, and the feud ended ina gunfight in which the Mexicans werewiped out.The treasure was buried temporarilyin Skeleton canyon and Zwing Hunt,who had been wounded in the battle, wasleft to guard it. Other members of theband continued their raids on miningcamps and stages in Arizona and NewMexico. Their last crjme was the mur-der of a farmer and his son and the theftof their wagon and ox teams.

Hunt had recovered from his wound,and it was decided to load the treasure,which now amounted to over a milliondollars, in the wagon and head for SilverCity.

Two days from Skeleton Canyon, adistance estimated between 40 and 50miles, the unshod oxen became so crip-pled from travel over the sharp rocksthey were unable to continue.That night the loot was carried up ahill and dumped into the abandonedshaft. Two buckskin bags of jewelry andchurch plate were thrown in the hole ontop of the money and bullion, and theshallow shaft filled with rocks and

gravel from the dump. The oxen wereturned loose to shift for themselves. Thewoodwork of the wagon was burned.The bandits had taken what moneythey could carry conveniently, and whenthey reached Silver City they spent itfreely. Heavy drinking led to a gunfightin which a young easterner was killed byone of the bandits, and the entire gang

immediately dispersed to the hills with aposse after them. Neal was shot and diedinstantly. Hunt was wounded and takento Tombstone where he subsequently es-caped and was reported to have beenkilled by Apache Indians.Red Curley and Hughes were over-taken and captured at Shakespeare wherethey were well known for their depreda-tions, and both were hung from a rafterin the dining room of the Pioneer House.Curley offered to take his captors tothe buried loot if the noose were taken

from his neck, but the request was re-fusedand with his death none remainedwho knew the location of the treasure-filled mine shaft.Prospectors have searched the area,and doodlebug gold hunters have mademany trips into the region of SkeletonCanyon and as far away as El Muertospringsbut the old shaft probably hasacquired a covering of desert vegetationby now, and the recovery of the fortuneis considered unlikely unless some oneaccidently comes upon the spot.

December, 1966 / Desert Ma gazin e / 7

Loot ofMonterrey


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77>


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Old Man of the mountains.

Death Valley mushroom.

December, 1966 / Desert Mag azine / 9


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TRAVELERS moving along combinedU. S. 60,70, and 99 in thedesertwest of Indio, California, marvel at thetwin rows of evergreen trees parallelingthe freeway in aseemingly endless chain,a verdant contrast tothebleak, dry,sand-swept surroundings.The clue to the whyandhowof thiswelcome greenery lies in thestretch ofwood ties andsteel ribbons of rail thatrun between therows oftreesthe South-em Pacific Railroad Company's mainlineacross thedesert.And therein is a story notconcludedyet. Southern Pacific is still plantingtrees andsandblasted residents in desertcommunities are taking a leaf from theirconservation lesson.For years Southern Pacific has beenplagued with blow sand piling onto road-beds, plugging switches, sandblastingequipment and damaging both tracts androlling stock. Theproblem has grownmore severe inrecent years because high-way construction and the developmentof subdivisions, as these expose even moreraw, sandy soil tothewind.Although prevailing winds from thewest and northwest can blow anytimeof year, they come mostly in thespring.Sand carried along the surface of theground is a very sharp, abrasive quartzmaterial. Moved bywinds up to30or 40

miles per hour, the particles cut intowooden utility poles and fence posts,abrade metal and severely scour glass.This sand of keen grinding abilitycol-lects around cross-ties in theballast ofthe roadbed. Trains passing over thetrack create movement which damageswooden ties andloosens iron spikes andplates securing therails.Abrasive sand between thesurface ofwheels andrails produces a grinding orrolling effect which rapidly wears awayto replace 10miles of track between

Thousand Palms and Garnet, near Indio,a fewyears agoat acost ofseveral m illiondollars.Another operational hazard is the ac-cumulation of sand in switches whichmakes it necessary torun trains at slowerspeeds. This, of course, increases costs.This stretch of railroad is in the Coa-chella Valley Soil Conservation Districta state chartered, locally supervised armof government which hadbeen coordin-ating soil andwater conservation workfor and among farmers andranchers foryears. TheU. S.Department of Agricul-ture Soil Conservation Service providestechnical help in theconservation work.In I960, railroad officials turned tothese agencies forinformation about con-trol of windblown sand. Based onotherexperience with just this sort of thing,

SCS technicians made some recommenda-tions.Dikes were constructed with earth-moving equipment to provide traps orstorage areas for wayward sand. Thencame the trees.A native ofwestern AsiaTamarix orAthelwas selected forwindbreak plant-ing. Introduced toSouthern California asa windbreak tree, it provides protectionthroughout the year. It is highly tolerantof salty soils, poor-quality water and lim-ited or intermittent supplies of moisture.

And it thrives in temperatures as highas 120degrees Fahrenheit. A deep,ex-tensive root system and rapid rate ofgrowth qualify it as atop windbreak tree.This species is easily established fromcuttings. A single row of these cuttingswas planted oneach side of 10miles ofthe railroad right-of-way, spaced about18 inches apart toinsure dense growthmore than 70,000 cuttings.A water jet probe wasdevised to "dig"the thousands of holes for planting thecuttings in the dry, rocky, sandy soil.

10 / Desert Magazine / December, 1966


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The probe also provided the initial irri-gation. Boards were placed on the wind-ward sides to protect the tender growthand lath or picket type fences preventeddrifting sand from burying the cuttings.Irrigation at five-day intervals includedfertilizer in the water.Where did the water come from? Awell was drilled, pumps installed anda main pipeline with distribution lineslaid to provide water for irrigation alongboth sides of the track.As a result, there is today a continu-ous row of trees on each side of thetrack, plus additional plantings alongboth sides of an additional 10 miles.The first trees have reached a height of30 feet and are effectively stopping sandat the edge of the right-of-way. Once thetrees achieve enough height, irrigationwill be reduced in frequency and amountto reduce maintenance.It costs Southern Pacific nearly a quar-ter of a million dollars for the well,pumps, pipelines, and plantings, but of-ficials are satisfied. So satisfied, that plansare afoot to establish similiar protectionon other stretches of track.The example appears to be contagious.Palm Springs, reached from the Inter-state route by an arterial which crossesthe tree-lined SP trackage at Thousand

Palms, now has an ordinance requiringdevelopers to provide protection. A largesubdivision of several hundred acres, PalmSprings Panorama, also has controls ineffect, and group action is being carriedout by neighboring landowners. The Cali-fornia Division of Highways is develop-ing plans for a windbreak on a stretchof highway adjacent to the railroad.

Soil Conservation Service technicianshave hundreds of applications from arealandowners requesting assistance in thescience of sand control. From the stand-pjint of the traveleraside from the afety factorthe conservation projectis a thing of fantastic beauty highly inkeeping with America's current emphasison beautification of the countryside.

i t R A I S E S . . . i f L O W E R S it's HYDRAULIConds. Enjoyroomy walk-The 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-

in l iving quarters, weather t ight, high c ei l ing, "h om eaway from home," complete with three-burner stove,sink, cabinets, ice box, beds and many other luxuryfeatures.7 FACTORIES TO SERVE YOU

Write today to the factory nearest you for free folder describing the most advanced camper on th e road.R. D. HALL MFG. INC., 9847 Glenoaks Blvd., Sun Valley (San Fernando Valley),California, Dept. DCAMPERS, INC., 6410 South 143rd Street, (Tukwila), Seattle, Washington, Dept. DPENNACAMP, INC., 401 West End Ave., Manheim, Penna., Dept. DCANADIAN CAMPERS, 77 Pelham Ave., Toronto 9, On tario, Canada, D ept. D

MOBILE LIVING PRODUCTS (B.C.) LTD., P.O. Box 548 , Red Deer, Alberta , Dept. DMOBILE LIVING PRODUCTS (B.C.) LTD., (Sales Office Only),500 - 20th St., New Westminster, B.C., Dept. DR. D. HALL MFG., INC., Texas Division,5 761 C ullen Blvd ., Houston, Texas, Dept. D.

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D e c e m b e r , 1 9 6 6 / D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / 1 1


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N o t e s f r o m a D e s e r t M a i l b o xBy George M. Kehew

A S THOUGH to mimick a frontierdance hall queen, two flagrantpalms raise their skirts and expose awooden keg tucked between their knees.These flippant old palms are among agrove growing in a peaceful oasis called"17 Palms." The oasis, with its healthyflora set against the Santa Rosa moun-tains, provides a beautiful setting for anold Anza-Borrego custom, the desert mailbox. The round, wooden keg, held by theperky old palms, is the mail box itself.

According to legend, before modernman came to bathe his nerves in desertsolitude, earlier, less aesthetic menpros-pectors, mountain men, railroad survey-ors and explorersstopped at 17 Palmsto fill their containers with water fromits spring. To alleviate a belly ache causedby its brackishness, they later began tohaul their own in canteens, kegs and jars.A few of these early travelers left a jaror two of clear, fresh water for a follow-ing party, while it, upon arrival, used theoffering and left a jar of its own freshwater in turn. That started the custom.

Sometime prior to 1930, desert travel-ers then began to leave notes in glass jarsas well as water and the desert post officewas born. In recent years, after sand bug-gies, 4-wheelers, trail bikes and othervehicles arrived, a few who were des-tructive broke the jars. Finally, in 1962,

the park service installed an unbreakablewooden keg in order to perpetrate thecustom.Dated October 20, 1962, by the Bar-netts from San Diego, the incident wasrecorded on a scrap of paper, as follows:Our camper is parked at Split Mountainand we drove here in our 4-wheel driveNissan Patrol. The weather is just won-derful, sun shining and a nice bree2e. To-day the rangers installed this barrel fornotes because someone with a gun didn'trespect the post office and broke the jars.May you enjoy the palms and scenery asmuch as we did, and leave it just as beau-tiful for the next visitor.If anything can be learned from read-ing the notes left at 17 Palms, it is thefact that the one thing desert travelersdo not bring along is writing paper. It is

amusing to see how resourceful peoplebecome when presented with an oppor-tunity to leave a little bit of themselvesfor posterity. The mail box containsscraps of brown paper bags, paper plates,credit cards, U.S. Army liberty cards,small pox vaccination slips, sport fishinglicenses, cereal box tops, membershipclub cards, Christmas cards, P.T.A. cards,bowling cards, and one desperate travelerleft his automobile pink slip!Even more interesting, of course, arethe notes themselves. These reveal the

warmth of those wonderful people whotruly love the desert.NOTES ABOUT THE WEATHER

Beautiful Day, February 14, 1965.Very tired this morning, tent flapped allnight, couldn't sleep. Park is similar tothe sea parks, you eat lots of sand. R.M.March 8, I960. The flowers were inbloom as we came out the TruckhavenTrail. The breeze was gentle and thebirds sang all during our lunch. It surelyis nice to escape civilization for awhile.K. P. and M. M., Borrego Springs,California.December 4, 1963 Wednesday3:45.A beautiful place for a honeymoon(here with Mr. Strickler, Park Super-visor). Mr. & Mrs. T. H. G.March 9, 1963. So damn windy doubtthat these palms will last long. R. R. P.U. S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceJanuary 2, 1964. David, Millie andBrian (18 months old!) arrived at 17Palms on a gorgeous, sunny, clear day.Millie drove the Jeep from Fon't Point,while David and Brian put all theirtrust in God and hoped that 'Mother'knew what she was doing! Got out ofwash after rain and good thing, for tre-mendous flash flood came down! S. E.and B. G.Anyone who travels across the desert



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soon learns to respect his vehicle. Thisis revealed by the notes about them.Don and Pete were here in a Red FireBall army truck on May 14, 1955.

October 3, 1959. Came in '56 Coupede Ville. Going was rough in spots, buttrip worth it. C. D. M.The Manns were here February 6,1961 in '60 Jeep truck with SkyRiderCamper. We weigh 9,500 lbs. Hope weget out.December 13, 1958. Drove from Bor-rego in '54 Ford (Standard Trans.)

No trouble. Very nice camping. J. & W.G. Sherry and BillHere on December 31, 1961 in a1954 Lincoln. Not a soul in sight. G.N . E. San Diego.5 Jeeps-1 Scout-1 Jeepster-1 Toyota-1Land Rover 25 people and 3 dogsFebruary 20, 1965.Jim and Cookie were here in theirChev Greenbrier Camper. This littlecamper has been over all the Jeep trailsand to all the places in Borrego StatePark over the past three yearsNovem-ber 27, 1964.

May 30, 1959. Came in '55 Jeep fromBorrego. The same Jeep that took us toCentral America in 1955 and to Oaxaca,Mexico in 1957. Looking for the place'where the green grows'. If we find itwe will be close to Peg Leg's mine. J.and M. N. San Diego.HOLIDAYS, OF COURSE!

January 1, 1965. We are campingtonight in Arroyo Salada, 15 milesdownstream, roughly, east of here, aboutl/2 miles west of Highway 99 (86?)1.5 miles east of where power lineDecember, 1966 / Desert Maga zine / 13


14/40

Seventeen Palms Oasis.crosses Arroyo Salada. Happy New Year.D . M. C.

Waiting for the Easter sunrise (fullmoon tonigh t). R. H. & T. H. and Pros-pector "Red"Thanksgiving Day, I960. The Wadefamily in a Jeep. Heading for PumpkinPatch. Lovely day. No turkey, just ham.Pumpkin pie ?

THE DESERT DOES NOT DRY UPHUM ORFebruary 22, 1964. Eggs broke andcooler dumped water on sleeping bagson rough road. Nice herebirds' eyesshine at night in trees. Nice place tovisit, but wouldn't want to live here. Wecame in 4-wheel drive Scout. C, M. and

S. San Diego

February 22, 1958. We sincerely hopeyou get out of here. We didn't.Windy and warm. Just wanderinglost half of the time. Mae and Pat, Fredand JoeCongratulations to those who have en-joyed the trip through the area. Haveyou taken time to see it? A Desert Rat.HOW SOME ARRIVED AT 17 PALMSYou'll never believe the trouble we'vebeen through to get here. Flat tires, re-hauled the rear end of buggy twice, etc.,etc. We finally made it. Happy NewYear! The R. S. Family San DiegoMay 5, 1962. Smitty, Jane and Rickymade it here after two weeks of drivingaround this crazy desert. Tally-ho! Nowback to San Diego. The Green HornetFebruary 12, 1965. Had a hard timefinding the place, but it is sure worthall the efforts. We are Dune buggy rid-inghaving fun. V. Q. of San Diego.March 31, I960. Found 17 Palmsafter many tries. Not a tourist in sight.Hasta. Y. H.March 5, 1961. Came by '46 Jeep,been to Calcite Mountain going to Pump-kin Patch, back to San Diego tonight. G.B. and J. B. SanteeFebruary 5, 1964. We found our wayhere today under the guidance of Jeep-master Mary Fairchild. Ruth and Jackand Duchess, the DalmationFROM AS FAR AS PUERTO RICO,AND AS CLOSE AS BORREGOSPRINGSDanny Parker was here on June 20,1963 from San Juan, Puerto Rico.



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December 23, 1963. I have lived inBorrego for sixyears and this is the firsttime I have been here. It is quite a thrill.Jo AnnApril 13, 1964.Lived in San Diegofor many years, spent a lot of time inBorrego Springs, but this is our firsttime to visit this place. Hope people leaveit as it is. Mr. andMrs. R. H. PApril 29, 1961 See unto yourself. Lookat thebeauty all around you. He gave usthis and he will take care of us. T. H.of Bellflower.I amvery grateful for this fine desert.B. R. of San DiegoFebruary 23, 1964. Amreally enjoyingthis beautiful country of ours. Soexciting.We' l l be back. A. and U. J. and L.AND BACK THEY COMEDecember 17, I960. Back again foranother crack at thePumpkin Patch.W . L. of SanDiego. Was here in Jan-uary of 1959. Back again in JanuaryI960 with my fiance.Here April 8, 1951with Jeep Calval-cade. Here again, April 6, 1952,againwith Jeep Calvalcade.Seventeenth trip to 17 Palms. G. andM. JonesJanuary 27, 1963. Four years and 11months since we were here last. Manychanges in our lives, but not in this spot.Still peaceful, quiet, and unchanging. C.M . P. FamilyTo reach 17 Palms travel east fromthe Pegleg Smith Mounment on theTruckhaven Trail to the fork of the Ar-

royo Salado. Drive up the Arroyo Saladountil you see the 17Palms yellow markeron your right. Follow the direction onthe marker for a short distance to thedesert post office. Trails are sandy anduntil the Truckhaven Trail is paved, itis best to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle,although some hardy souls won't agree:W hy a Jeep in here? I came in herewith a GMC Carryall twowheel drive byway of Truckhaven. April 25, 1957.P.S. I hope I get out.17 Palms lies well within the Borrego

Valley Sector of the Anza Borrego Des-ert State Park. The rules of the parkmake it clear that you stay on prescribedtrails and these trails are patroled regu-larly by Ranger Fred Meyers. It is bestto come in the cooler months, fromOctober to April. As Joe and Bev put it:Dear Gladys andGeorge: It is August

21, 1964 and we are leaving you thisnote so you will know we were here.P.S. It's hot as hellwish youwere here!Joe andBev.

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December, 1966 / Desert Magazine / 15


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let's Go To Baja!'

I VADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!

Are you dreaming of Baja down Mexicoway? Baja California in Ola* Mexico has mein its spell and I must go back again. Maybeyou have always wanted to see this fascina-ting peninsula that time forgot. If so thennow is your chance. Come with me in4-wheel drive air conditioned station wagonsfor a wonderful trip. We leave San Diegoarea Jan. 10 and go all the way down toLa Paz and the cape on a leisurely triplasting 30 days. Or you may take thereturn trip leaving La Paz in Feb. I amtaking a limited group so make your reser-vations soon. Write to me for details.MITCH WILLIAMS

156 North First West Mo ab , UtahPhone 253 -4346

by Helen Brown

FOR FURTHERW R I T E D E P A RDEVELOPMENT, CARSQNl -CITY, NE

DO YOU WANT to make a buck ortwo in the winter desert ? Why nottry picking creosote bush for extra cash?In Imperial County, California, where oneof the finest stands of creosote bushgrows, the William J. Stange Companyof Oakland, California, has an extrac-tion plant to take the tarlike substancefrom the bush and process it for an anti-oxidant used as a food preservative.

"See," one man said as he showed ushis picking methods, "you run yourhands down the end of the brancheswhere the young growth is, strip offthe ends, and put them in the sack."It is as simple as that.From late November to March, pick-ers gather the leaves and twigs. Theyearn 2c a pound and a steady, fast picker,who knows where the bushes grow thick-est, can make $17 to $20 a day. A car isessential, but sacks are provided by thecompany.The whole idea started back in 1942when two groups of researchers at theUniversity of Minnesota were workingsimultaneously on what medicinal usesIndians made of the native plants and ona project searching for a food preserva-tive from natural plants. The two groupspooled their knowledge and came upwith an excellent preservative with the

horrendous name of Nordihydroguiareticacid, more comfortably known asN.D.G.A. antioxidant. The creosote bushis the only plant known to contain thisparticular antioxidant and it is the mosteffective natural one of any kind known.The Stange Company, with its broadexperience in extracting goodies fromaromatic herbs and spices, is the onlycompany extracting this acid in our South-west deserts.

The creosote bush is an evergreen shrubwith dark green leaves and dark brown

stems. It grows to a height of 5' to 6' andin some protected places from 10' to 12'.One of the best adapted plants on the des-ert, it grows all over the Southwest andin Old Mexico. The Mexicans call it"little bad smeller," a truly descriptivename, but its odor on the desert is notespecially noticeable unless a person getsthe stickiness on his hands and clothes.In Imperial County, it is commonly called"greasewood," though it is not a truegreasewood bush at all.

In the extraction process, leaves andtwigs are softened by steeping in waterwith caustic sodas and other chemicals

and the sludge rises in a few hours tothe surface of the vats. It is scooped offinto metal drums and shipped to Oaklandwhere it is again processed until the color-less, odorless crystals emerge. For years,food processors were annoyed by the im-pairments of flavor quality in their prod-ucts during the storage period as a resultof atmospheric oxidation. Minute quan-tities of N.D.G.A. antioxidant are nowused to prevent rancidity and off-flavorin animal fats, such as lards, ice cream,whole milk and butter, as well as in deep-fried foods. It even inhibits mold growthand helps to retain the vitamin potencieslonger.Creosote bush picking or striping, is aneasy, pleasant way to make a little moneyon the desert and you can be your ownboss at the same time. For the enlighten-ment of those nature lovers who want nodestruction of the desert plants, the re-moval of the branch tips in no waydamages the plant. In fact the creosotebushes seem to thrive under this formof hit and miss prunin g.


CASH FOR CREOSOTE


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Final Installment of Six Parts

T h e Magic of Bajaby Choral PepperEditor ofDESERT Magazine

Exclusive report onrecent Erle Stanley Gardner Expeditioncend. Fortunately, Baja's famous pilotand long-time Gardner friend, FranciscoMunoz, had joined the expedition for afew days and accompanied usnow. Inou rpoor Spanish we'd have had a hard timeexplaining themiracle of the helicopter.Considering our dramatic arrival, thepoise of these people was remarkable.One child hid herself under a blanket,believing thehelicopter had come to des-troy the chickens, but by the time we'dvisited a few minutes with the men, theirfamilies came out to welcome us and the

DESCRIBED BY a visitor inthe early1800s as "the tail end of anearth-quake," Baja California's wild terrainhasn't changed.Reconnoitering by helicopter east andsouth of our San Ignacio camp, we hover-ed over cataclysmal country even anearth-quake wouldn't claim. Rarely did we seesigns of water among theburned redcin-ders of theearth, butwhen we did, an-cient walls marked the sites of abandoned

rancheritas or mission way stations. Hov-ering above Cerro San Pedro, a mountainonce described as a wind volcano whichthrew up flames, we noticed a trail wind-ing around its hub. Imprinted in rock bythree centuries of burro travel, the pathled to a ranch nestled in theshadows ofthe mountain, then continued across thearroyo through orchards and corrals, todisappear among a melee of wind cavesand jumbled lava.As we circled the ranch, women andchildren took refuge in the adobe build-

ings, but themen collected into a bravegroup above thepasture to watch usdes-The people of G uadalupe overcame their fright of the helicopter after tee landed.

little frightened girl hadalready changedinto a blue party dress. Immediately wewere invited to the ranch house for cooldrinks of spring water and presented withquantities of fresh fruit to take back tocamp.Our helicopter was the first motorizedvehicle to ever appear here. Althoughmost Mexicans who live on these remoteranches are accustomed to planes flyingoverhead, never before had an aircrafthovered so closely above their heads norsettled down in their own field. And, of

Reproduction of the Virgin ofGuadalupeis only remaining possession of originalmission. Below istombstone from missiondays, unsettled by the elements.



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course, auto travel along steep, moun-tainous burro trails is impossible.This ranch was the original site of theJesuit Guadalupe Mission. Established in1720, it survived famines, epidemics anda structural castastrophe which killed anumber of neophytes when a wall col-lapsed. In 1795 it was finally abandoned.Its claim to fame, however, is not itsendurance so much as its proximity to theforest where Padre Ugarte obtained hiswood to build the famous El Triunfo dela Cruz.This ship, the first built on the penin-sula, was an experimental venture spon-sored against great odds. The only woodavailable for such an enterprise was lo-cated some 60 miles from Mulege, theclosest port, and separated from it by tworugged, steep mountain ranges. Scofferssaid that not with 1000 men nor 200 yokeof oxen could a single tree trunk of thehuge guerivo tree be carried to the beachto build the ship. But Ugarte accomplish-

ed this, carrying away 284 planks with ateam of mission oxen, five lumbermen,and a few natives who had never knownwork. The ship was constructed at Mulegeand launched a year later, about the timeG uadalupe del Sur mission was estab-lished.When we asked to see the grove oftrees, the spokesman for this family in-dicated they were some distance away, be-yond Cerro San Pedro, but he showed usa sapling recently transplanted to the

ranch as well as a broad plank cut fromone of the trees. This had been used as atrough since early mission days to drainwhey from cheese. The guerivo is thePopulus Brandegeei, a straight, whitish-gray hardwood tree which reaches aheight of 70 feet and, our friend claimed,is so great in circumference it requiresfive men holding hands with arms out-stretched to surround it. I had hoped wecould get to this unique forest in the heli-copters, but time ran out on us.Erie Stanley G ardner and Ricardo Castillo explore the ranch at Guad alupe.

V

Little of Guadalupe is left from mis-sion days. Elaborate tombstones at theold cemetery rest at rakish angles, usurpedby floods or, perhaps, rumbles in thebelly of Cerro San Pedro. That they havenot been replaced is probably due to su-perstition. There is a picturesque seriesof spring-fed aqueducts and pools builtby Spaniards for bathing, and ramblingwalls still outline corrals and citrus or-chards where grow the sweetest limes inthe world, but the mission building itselfis only rubble.A Dominican frail, Luis Sales, in writ-ing of Guadalupe's happier days, reportedthat the land was good, although waterscarce, and the jewels, ornaments, sacristryand church were all rich. Of the latter,only a framed reproduction of Our Ladyof Guadalupe remains. This hangs in asmall chapel on the ranch and is a mov-ing, sensitive copy of the original inGuadalajara, which appeared as a celes-tial image on the palm fibre cloak of anIndian neophyte in Mexico in 1531. Thephotograph accompanying this article isprobably the only published one of thepainting from the ancient altar of theGuadalupe Baja mission.

Unlike the colony at San Francisco,where we'd landed the preceding day,this ranch stradles a cross-country trail be-tween Mulege and San Ignacio which istraveled by vaqueros en route to marketsat those population centers. Consequently,the people here have comparatively moreoutside contact, in spite of their remotelocation, and the ranch appears prosper-ous. Its rustic charm and promise of theunexpected appealed more to me than didother ranches we visited. I would like toreturn to explore Guadalupe's wind caves,canyons and hidden grottos.

La Higuera, a neighboring ranch whichoperated under the auspices of Guada-lupe mission and was named for the figtrees beside its spring, was the most pros-perous of those we visited by helicopter.Referring to it as a "neighbor" could onlybe in Baja, as it is separated from Guada-lupe by a series of enormous ranges andan infinite number of miles. However,the two are connected with a missiontrail.

The moment we landed at La Higuera,we knew we'd found another branch ofthe prolific Villavicientio family; not onlybecause of the extraordinary height ofthe men, but because of the characteristicorder and beauty of the ranch. Yellowand orange flowers spilled from a centralpatio of the rambling house and a large,palm-roofed ramada overlooked a des-cending terrace of citrus trees. Uncle Eriesettled into a chair of stretched rawhide18 / Desert Ma gazin e / December, 1966


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and threatened to never leave. Actually,there isn't much more from life a mancould want, if he were content to livethis close to the earth. Moreover, there'sa primitive, but passable, automobileroad to Santa Rosalia, furnishing thisfamily with an access to certain commer-cial luxuries.In spite of this, life goes on much asit has throughout history. Hides are stillstretched across twig frames and tannedwith the bark of palo bianco. Cooking

is done in an outdoor cocina. What ha sbeen added are colorful pans hung abovethe estufa and a wall covered with photosof popular American movie stars, surelynever even dreamed of in the days of thepadres. A violin in an old wooden caserested on a rafter of the ramada. I won-dered if it hadn't once belonged to theAmerican-educated Fidel Villavicientiowho so impressed Arthur North on histravels in 1902. It was easy here to imag-ine holiday fiestas during which manygenerations of romance had been inspiredby fragrant orange blossoms and sweetstrains of violin.As we rose above the earth once again,we were astonished at the sudden changesof terrain. Without any transition at all,rugged lava gave way to granite-walledbarrancas thousands of feet deep. DickPeck, piloting the FH 1100, drifted downinto a deep canyon indented with grottosand carpeted with a jumble of rocks.While Doug Allen hovered beside us inthe other 'copter to take motion picturesof ours making a landing, Dick and J.W.scanned the terrain to locate a reasonablylevel spot to settle our aircraft. It wasthen I let out a whoop to end all whoops.

On my side of the 'copter was a spec-tacular cave painting we'd never beforeseen. On the 1962 expedition, Gardnerand his party discovered and named mostof the caves worth claiming and on thistrip Dr. Margain has pinned his tag ontoone, but there was no "Pepper Cave." Iwas determined there would be before Ireturned to the States on the followingday."It's up ahead, on the left," I shouted

to J.W. I was already out of the heli-copter and wobbling up the rocky stream-bed. The other 'copter landed and DougAllen scrambled out with lenses andcamera and headed toward a lofty perchon the opposite wall. While we waitedfor Carlos to catch up with us, J. W.signaled to Doug that there was a paintedcave somewhere on our side. Doug sig-naled back that he could see it from hisposition on a knoll. A little further along,a mass of boulders which blocked our

Between flights, helicopter pilots Don New and Dick Peck manufactured artifacts tocontribute to B aja's posterity.

view diminished and there it wasjustlike Times Square!At the point of a V where anotherbarranca angled into this one, the muralstood out high and bold, visible from agreat distance. For once the artist seemedconcerned with composition. The focalPalo bianco bark is still used to tan hides.

figure, more than life-sized and paintedhalf-black and half-red, stood with armsupraised, as if delivering a benediction.In addition to it, there were similar fig-ures of men and animals, some superim-posed over others.This super-imposition we have found

The cocina at ha Higuera is the pride ofa pretty Villavicientio bride.

December, 1966 / Desert Maga zine / 19


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Pepper Cave stands at the V of tw o canyons, spectacular as Times Sq uare.common among cave paintings and italways stimulates speculation. Dr. Mar-gain interpreted it as a means to suggestperspectiveto illustrate a man standingbefore, or behind, a beast, as the case maybe. I was reminded of early SouthernCalifornia Indians who went into a frenzywhen the moon passed over the sun ineclipse. Their ancients had taught themit indicated a combat between good andevil spirits in which their own well-beingdepended upon the outcome. Chants andlegends of almost all primitive tribes re-flect deep concern with the sun and moonin regard to fertility rites, mating seasonsand superstitious guidance. Could it bethat these super-imposed figures symbol-ized eclipses, or new moons in which onefigure passing over the other representedthe moon and sun in conjunction?In spite of its inaccessible location, Idetermined to scale the wall up to PepperCave before laying claim to it. This al-most turned out to be a mistake.Besides being a natural-born cowardwhen it comes to high, steep places, Ipossess about as much muscle as a marsh-mallow. This enticing cave shelter awaited

christening atop a ledge overhangihg anabsolutely sheer wall some 35 feet high."I'll help you," J. W. offered, but evenhe looked dismayed. "Usually there'ssomething you can get a grip on," he mut-tered, placing his foot against a smallindentation in the granite and ascendinga few feet. Then he spied another toe-hold under a root and shifted his weightto it. I followed. Then up another fewfeet he climbed. I followed again, awk-wardly, as my camera swung between meand the wall, forcing my center of gravityinto space. With hands and feet spread-eagled to reach the only available grips, I

could hardly release one to come to theaid of the other, but somehow we man-aged to climb higher and higher.On an adjacent ledge isolated fromours by a deep crevice, Carlos Margainwatched our ascent. Along with mypounding pulse, I heard his camera click.Everything else was very still. Jay and Ihad now progressed about 25 feet abovethe rocky base. I didn't dare look up. Ididn't dare look down. We were too highto jump and we had run out of toe-holds.

"Put your foot on my knee and I'llboost you up," Jay directed, quietly."Uh-uh," I answered, mentally mea-suring the impossible distance. "I justthink I'll stay here the rest of my life.You go up."The shallow niches which supported myfeet were too uncomfortably spaced forme to hold my position much longer. Jaycomprehended this.Pushing his rubber-soled boots againstthe wall, he catapulted himself upward toa ledge above his head. There, balancedon its narrow, sloping rim, he reacheddown for my hand.Thinking of the drowning man whopulled his companion down with him, Icontemplated our chances. If I were to re-lease my grip and then miss his hand,there was no safe alternative. On theother side of the ledger, his perch was pre-carious. If our hands connected, myweight might unbalance him.Jay sensed my dilemma. "Now!" hecommanded.Catching my wrist, he pulled me, dang-ling in space, up to his perch and safety.If it weren't for Jay's strong arms and in-



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WHEREthe actionused to beby Jack Delaney

Ruins of La Paz, Arizona. Old well is in foreground.SOME STRUCK it rich and lived toenjoy their riches; while others did,but didn't! Some learned the hard waythat a fool and his poke were soon parted.Others, following the golden rule ofthe Golden West, gave assistance tofriends in need who later proved to benot friends indeed. Still others madefortunes by digging gold in the mines,and lost them to "gold diggers" in thesaloons and gambling halls. This wasthe story of La Paz, Ehrenberg, andQuartzsitethe golden triangle of Ari-zona.

It all started in 1862, soon after thediscovery of gold by Captain PaulinoWeaver, prospector, and guide. He wastrudging the bank of the Colorado Riv-er, near Ehrenberg (across the riverfrom where Blythe, California was laterdeveloped), when he spotted "color"in the sand and gravel. Returning toYuma with the news and a few samplenuggets, he touched off a stampede offortune hunters. As a result, La Paz,about six miles north of Ehrenberg, wasborn.La Paz flourished for seven years asa placer mining center and river port.During that time, approximately $8,000,-000 in gold was produced from placeroperations. It missed becoming the terri-torial capital by only two votes; but in1864, when Yuma County was formed,La Paz was the first county seat. As a

22 / Desert Ma gazin e / December, 1966

gold-rush town of 6000 people, it wentalong well until it was double-crossed bythe Colorado River. Then the river cuta new channel and left the town threemiles inland. Steamboats carrying ore toYuma suddenly had a problemno port!A simple solution was the selection ofEhrenberg as the port, since it was perchedon the river bank. This town was namedfor Herman Ehrenberg who surveyedmining properties in the area before hewas killed by Indians at Dos Palmas,California in 1866. It was the landingspot for Bradshaw's Ferry, and was afamous river port and trade center in theearly 1870's. However, Ehrenberg didn'tlast much longer than La Paz. It leftonly a boothill graveyard as a reminderof its importance in the get-rich-quickera.

The Bonanza crowd was composed ofrolling stones, but they didn't gather anymoss. Sourdoughs considered a pound ofgold per day fair return for placer activ-ity. If they didn't obtain this result, theymoved on. Sometime in the 80s theminers from La Paz, Ehrenberg, and manyother places converged on Quartzsite, andmade it a boom town. Eleven saloonsdominated the town's main street, andmany stories of the gold rush days prob-ably originated in these alcoholic arcades.No mention of the Quartzsite areashould be made without recounting thecolorful life of Hi Jolly. This story, which

is not a barroom rumor, has been toldmany times. My version was verified byFred Kuehn, oldest living pioneer ofQuartzsite, who was a close friend of HiJolly. He and his mother provided foodand nursing care for the old man duringthe last years of his life; they were to-gether constantly.Hi Jolly's father was an Arab, his

mother a Grecian captive. His Arabianname was Hadji AH, which sounded likeHi Jolly, the name he carried throughouthis years in the United States. The Gov-ernment arranged for him to bring aload of camels from Arabia in 1856 andanother in 1857, as an Army experimentin the use of these animals on the desertsof the Southwest. Later he served as ascout for the Army and provided valuableassistance in tracking down Apache In-dians who were not only getting into thewhite man's hair, but taking it with themskin and all.The Army Camel Corps, in its prime,consisted of 75 camels. However, the ex-periment proved to be a disappointing;and, around 1865, the animals wereturned loose to roam the desert. For sev-eral years Hi Jolly tried to establish mailand freight routes with some of thecamels. It was known that they couldwalk for two or three days on the des-ert without water, and carry up to 600pounds. But the idea didn't catch on, sopoor Hi turned to mining and prospect-


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Blythe region is Pete Daniel, who re-members many of the old timers who havemoved on to the great Bonanza in thesky. He still has several mines in thevicinity of Quartzsite, and occasionallydisappears to work them. In the old daysthere was an unwritten law among placerminers that they could work an area 25feet square without filing a claim. Each2 5-foot plot was respected by the othermintrs and, after obtaining all of theeasily obtainable gold from their spot,the miners moved over to the next un-worked square.These prospectors of the Quartzsite areaalso observed another unwritten law. Thiswas an understanding that any miner whodid well and carried a quantity of goldto town for the purchase of provisions,both solid and liquid, should bring backa stock of supplies for his less fortunateneighborsa sort of pre-social securitysystem.

A discussion of the people and eventsof the past, especially when it includessome people of the present who are oldenough to separate the facts from thefiction, should lead to a suggested tourof the area for tourists or week-endjaunters. It is natural that they will wantto know what ruins or mementos of theold gold era remain for viewing andphotographing today.Motorists from Southern Californiashould drive to Blythe on Highway 60,

cross the Colorado River to Ehrenberg,and turn left on the first road past theriver crossing. The Ehrenberg cemeteryis a few hundred feet along this road.After observing the final resting place ofa town, they should continue north onthe same road about three miles to theMohave Indian Reservation InformationOffice. Here, Robert Martin and his wife,definitely friendly Indians, will provideinformation on the location of La Paz's

Hi folly's monument at Quartzsite.

NFrneN

skimpy remains. After exercising theirimagination and camera lenses, theyshould return to Highway 60 and driveabout 18 miles east to Quartzsite, at thejunction of Highway 60 and 95.This town is unimpressive when com-

pared with modern towns of its size, butit cannot be classed as a ghost townthe ghosts decided to give the residentsanother chance! It is rich in historical im-portance, with a few remaining attractionsof the past for tourists to view. Amongthem are the tomb of Hi Jolly in thetown's cemetery, the remains of the oldTyson Wells stage station, and the ruinsof an old adobe.Hi Jolly's tomb, with its pyramid-shaped monument, is an impressive sightin Quartzsite. It is constructed of black

malapai rock, petrified wood, gold-bearing quartz, and natural red, white,and blue rocks (symbolizing the flag).Crowning the pyramid is the silhouette ofa one-hump camel made of copper. Avault in the base contains a few old letters,Hi Jolly's government contracts as cameldriver and scout, and less than a dollarin change (his total wealth when hed ied) . Also, the vault contains somethingelse that was dear to his heartthe ashesof Topsy, the last of the original camelshe brought to this country.The old Tyson Wells stage station,now crumbling to the point where entryis not permitted, was known for years asFort Tyson. This interesting historicalattraction of Quartzsite was never reallyan army fort. It was constructed in 1856by Charles Tyson as a stronghold for pro-tection from the Indians. The main build-ing, a number of smaller buildings, andseveral wells, were encircled by a talladobe wall which gave it the appearanceof a fort. Later, Fort Tyson was a regu-lar stopping place for the Army's troops



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marching through, and a stop-over forstages running from Ehrenberg to Pres-cott, Arizona.What remains of the ancient adobe,mentioned previously, is located on thefrontage road about half-way betweenTyson Wells and Hi Jolly's monument.It is diagonally across the road from thePost Office, one of the town's few mod-ern structures. This is the adobe that wasthe family home of the Kuehn's in theearly days; and it is here that Hi Jolly

spent much of his time during his lastyears. Also, it is the birthplace of JudgeGeorge Bagley, the present Justice of thePeace in the area. Camera bugs shouldbe in ecstacy with the interesting subjectsavailable in Quartzsite.As pointed out, this town is only areminder of the past; but, according to

M r s . Vaun Allen of the Quartzsite Im-provement Association, "There'll be somechanges made." The Association wasformed in 1964 with a membership of146 families. An indication of the en-thusiasm of the residents is evident in thefact that they financed the installationof a four-channel booster station onGuadalupe Mountain, about 10 mileseast of Quartzsite, in order to receivetelevision programs from Phoenix. Sub-scribers pay $20 per month and, believeit or not, those who cannot afford thecharge are allowed to enjoy the servicefor free!

A master plan calls for promoting thetown as a retirement center. It Will changethe image from a treasure chest of rocks,ruins, and relics to a gold region forgolden agers. Land, that was availablefor practically nothing a few years ago,is now selling for $1500 per acre. Thereis little industrial activity in Quartzsite atpresent, but it is the headquarters of theOldham Honey business. This honey isa desert product which originates from cat-claw, mesquite, and many other desertflowers and blossoming trees. It is wellknown throughout the United States, andabroad.La Paz provided the opportunity forArizona to be born with a golden spoonin its mouthit is now only a memoryof its bustling past. Ehrenberg has onlya cemetery remaining as a mark of res-pect for its old time importance. The his-torical progression of Arizona's pot ofgold that flourished in the last half ofthe 19th century, might be described inbaseball jargon as a triple play: La Paz,to Ehrenberg, to Quartzsite. However, theexpression: "two down and one to go"does not apply here, because the surviv-ing community of Quartzsite has no in-tention of going!

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The Coming of the Camelsby Douglas W. Stephens

S ENTRY SAM Lamb stomped angrilyback and forth through the wet snowwhich smothered Fort Tejon.This early fall, 1857, Sam, a new mem-ber of General Beale's 1st Dragoons, hadhoped to enjoy Southern California'sbalmy, semi-tropical nights, soft swayingpalms and, perhaps, beautiful, dark-haired senoritas. Instead, either desert-roasting blasts or bone-chilling blizzardsracked a man's body. And only fat Indiansquaws, smelling like rancid lard, evershowed within a mile of the place.Trooper Lamb stopped pacing his post

long enough to shake a fist at the whitecrystals falling around him. Just his luckto be stuck at the only army fort in South-ern California where snow ever fell!The white flakes masked Fort Tejon'ssquat adobe buildings forming a U-shaped pattern around the sloping paradeground. There were no bastions or block-houses, only barracks for Beale's Dra-goons at this God-forsaken fort perchedin the mountains 90 miles north of LosAngeles.


Suddenly the trooper stiffened, alert,listening, the cold forgotten. Horses andsome softer-walking, bulkier crittersmoved over the pass. He sniffed the air.The strong, disagreeable odor reachinghim wasn't Indians, for sure, yet smelledas bad. Then he heard the clank of caval-ry spurs and knew General Beale, thattough, colorful commander of the fortmust be returning from Powder Horn,Texas as mysteriously as he'd left.

Born to a Navy family, General Ed-ward Fitzgerald Beale graduated fromAnnapolis and sailed as a midshipmanwith Commodore Stockton aboard theUSS Congress. But the West drew him.Resigning his Navy commission and ac-cepting a 1st Lieutenancy in the U. S.Army, he later carried news of Californiagold to Washington, D.C.

In the barracks, men said the Generalhad traveled seven times across the East-ern plains, often in the company of ScoutKit Carson. In 1854, President MillardFillmore appointed Beale Superintendentof Indian Affairs for California andNevada. That same year Beale, in order to

protect the San Joaquin Indians from thewhites, talked the Army into establishingFort Tejon in the Libre Mountain rangesouthwest of the Sabastian Indian Re-servation.

Trooper Lamb thought about these redmen now. California Indians seemed tamecompared to the Apache or Sioux he'dfought further east.He sighed. At least, up here in thehills, he'd see plenty of action, chasingbandits and guarding miners; probablyride patrol with Beale as far east as theColorado and help explore the OwensValleymaybe even see Great Salt Lake.Lamb, peering through the thick snow-fall, frowned as downwind the sound ofhorseshoes striking rock became mingledwith the muffled shuffle of padded feetand the faint tinkle of bells. Above it allhis nose burned with that stinking sourodor.A moment later he realized why. Ap-proaching through the snow dimly atfirst, then plainer, plodded a line of high-stepping humped animals. Camels! Onlyhe did not know what to call them then,


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for he had never seen a camel before.Pictures, yes. But these ugly, smelly beastslooked so different.Sam watched with startled fascinationas the 28 haughty camels, bells hangingaround their necks, bright colored scarfsdraped across their snow-speckled humps,filed past into the fort. He shook hishead. Had the General gone stark, desert-mad on his long journey home?When camels were first brought to theAmerican desert, it took long hours ofhard arguing to convince Secretary ofWar, Jefferson Davis, that they would besuperior to horses for transporting sup-plies across the hot desert to isolatedArmy posts. But later, in 1858, cameldoubters had to admit the God-awful-smelling shaggy-humped creatures provedtheir worth in building a wagon roadfrom Fort Defiance, New Mexico Terri-tory, to Fort Tejon. Wider use of thisliving ship of the desert would surelyhave been made had not the Civil Warerupted.At this time, General Beale volun-teered his services to the Union cause, butPresident Lincoln decided the Generalcould serve his country best by stayingin the West and counteracting secession-ists in California.After the war, Beale acquired 200,000acres of Kern County land, of which FortTejon became a part. Beale's ranch, orig-inally a Spanish land grant owned byIgnacio del Valle, became an importanteconomic influence in this area and FortTejon's buildings grew into residences,stables and ranch sheds.In 1939, the Tejon Land Company,which General Beale originally formed,deeded the five acres on which the oldfort stood to the State of California. Bythis time the buildings had fallen into astate of ruin.Today, freeway traffic on Highway 99passes a partially rebuilt Fort Tejon threemiles north of Lebec, midway betweenSan Fernando and Bakersfield.At this point, if you turn west off thefreeway, you will see restored by the Fort

Tejon Restoration Committee not onlythe officers and orderly's quarters, but theenlisted men's barracks where TrooperLamb and his fellow dragoons werebilleted. The restored buildings appearnow as they once did when Fort Tejonrepresented the chief military, social, andpolitical center between the San JoaquinValley and Los Angeles.You can explore the ruins of thestable where General Beale quartered notonly the dragoons' horses but the 28

Fort Tejon Barracks in 1885.

camels he brought from Texas. You cansee where stood the blacksmith's shop,granary, quartermaster's store, guardhouse, mess and kitchen, troop bakeryand the stage station of Butterfield'sOverland Mail Line, established in 1858on a route which extended from St. Louisto San Francisco.The next time you drive Highway 99between Bakersfield and San Fernandostop off at this historic fort. While youtramp the ground under the magnificent

Valley Oak which shade the area, perhapsyour imagination can relive that snowyfall day when Trooper Sam Lamb watch-ed General Beale lead his Camel Corpinto the fort. If you strain your imagin-ative powers still more, perhaps you canalso hear tinkling camel bells and shout-ing cameleers; cursing troopers andclanking cavalry spurs as California his-tory seeps out from each adobe brickand rebuilt timber of this interestinglandmark.

Colonel Bea le's quarters, destroyed by earthquake in 1851 December, 1966 / Desert Maga zine / 27


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F ATH ER O RTIZA N D THE ELUSIVE NUGGETby Joe Parrish

THE ANCIENT Spanish mission ofNuestra Senora de Guadalupe inpicturesque Juarez, across the storied RioGrande from El Paso, has seen muchduring its three centuries.Established in 1659, its thick adobewalls have resounded to the clank ofSpanish armor and the clink of vaquerospurs. They have listened to the whisperedswish of Indian moccasins and the sharpclick of spike heels. Built during thedying days of the Middle Ages, it hasseen its parishioners progress from solid-wheeled, one-ox-power carts to sleekthree-hundred horsepower wagons of an-

other breed.It has seen the ebb and flow of war,revolution and social upheaval. In 1947it even saw a berserk guided missile, es-caped from White Sands Missile Range,roar low across its aged rafters and landwith a fine bang on the mountains behindit, to the vast embarrassment of the sky-rocket scientists, the Pentagon, and theSecretary of State.But one of the strangest things it hasseen was the mysterious affair of the agedApache woman and her elusive nuggets of

purest gold.For many years, so the story goes, theold squaw made regular trips from herencampment outside Juarez to the mis-sion, where it was her habit to give herconfession to Father Ramon Ortiz, whowas resident priest at the mission fromabout 1845 to his death in 1896. It alsowas her habit to make a contribution tothe church each trip. But her offering wasnot in the form of moneyinstead, shewould leave a large nugget of gold.Father Ortiz was a natural born treas-

ure hunter. He spent years, and somesay a fortune, in seeking the legendaryLost Padre Mine, said to have been con-cealed in 1680 when the Pueblo Indiansof New Mexico revolted and cleansedtheir land of the hated paleface foreigners.But duty came first and he never askedthe woman where she obtained her gold.One day the aged s

196612 desert magazine 1966 december

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