AUGUST, 1972 . 60c

Desert Magazine Book ShopSUN, SAND AND SOLITUDE by Randall Hender-son. For more than 50 years Randall Hendersonhas traveled across the deserts of the West untiltoday he is known as the voice and prophet orthis region of mystery, solitude and beauty.Founder of Desert Magazine in 1931, he has de-voted his life to uider standing the great out-doors. His second and latest book is o culmin-ation of his experiences, thoughts and philoso-phy. Hardcover, deluxe format, deckle-edgedpaper, 16 pages ful color., excellent illustrations,$7.95.

DUTCH OVEN COOKBOOK by Don Holm. W i l dlife editor of the Portland Oregonian, the authorhas spent his life exploring and writing aboutthe outdoors, so his recipes for preparing foodin a Dutch Oven come from experience. If youhaven't had food r. noked in a Dutch Oven, youhaven't Iived . . . and if you have you willfind these recipes new and exciting culinaryadventures—as we'll as his style of writing.Heavy paperback, 106 pages, $3.95.

CALIFORNIA by David Muench and Ray At-keson. Two of the West's greatest color pho-tographers have presented their finest workslo create the vibrations of the oceans, lakes,mountains and deserts of California. Theirphotographic presentations, combined with themoving text of David Toll, makes this a classicin Western Americana. Large 1 1x14 format,heavy slick papei. hardcover, 200 4-colorphotographs, 186 pages, $25.00.

LOST MINES OF THE GREAT SOUTHWEST by JohnD. Mitchell. The first of MilcheM's lost minebooks is now available after having been out ofprint for years. Reproduced from the originalcopy and containing 54 articles based on ac-

Mitchell interviewed. He• life investigating reportsnines and treasures of thei. illustrated, 175 pages,

counts from peop espent his entire acluland legends of lostSouthwest. Hardcove$7.50.

NEVADA GHOST TOWNS AND MINING CAMPSby Stanley W. Paher. Covering all of Nevada's17 counties, Paher has documented 575 miningcamps, many of which have been erased fromthe earth. The book contains the greatest andmost complete col loci en of historic photographsof Nevada ever published. Tnis, coupled withhis excellent writ in;] and map, creates a bookof lasting value- Large 9x1 1 format, 700photographs, hardcove', 4 92 pages, $15.00.

MOCKEL'S DESERT FLOWER BOOK by Henry andBeverly Mockel. The well-known painter ofdesert wildflowers ha*; combined his four-colorsketches and black and white photographs todescribe in detail so the layman can easilyidentify wildf lowers, both large and small.Microscopic detail makes this an outstandingbook for identification. Special compressed fibercover which will not slain. 54 full-color illustra-tions with 72 life-size drawings and 39 photo-graphs, 316 pages, $5.95.

EXPLORING DEATH VALLEY by Ruth Kirk. Goodphotos and maps with time esiimates from placeto place and geology, natural history andhuman interest information included. Paperback.$1.95.

COLORFUL DESERT WILDFLOWERS by Grace andOnas Ward. Segregated into categories of red,blue, white and yellow for easier identification,there are 190 four-color photos of flowers foundin the Mojave, Cclorcdo and Western Arizonadeserts, all of which also have common andscientific names plus descriptions. Heavy, slickpaperback. $4.50.

HAPPY WANDERER TRIPSBy SLIM BARNARD

Slim and Henrietta Barnard present theirpopular "Happy Wanderers" televisiontravelogues every Saturday at 4 p.m. onLos Angeles Channel 7. For those inter-ested in taking the trips, they have com-piled two volumes of selected safaris theyhave made throughout the West. Bookshave maps, history, cost of lodging, mile-age, etc. Books are large format, heavypaperback and 150 pages each. VolumeOne covers California and Volume Two,Arizona, Nevada and old Mexico. Whenordering state which volume.

Volume One

Volume Two$2.95$2.95

DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES by Lake Erie Schaefer.A sequel to BURIED TREASURE & LOST MINES byFrank Fish, the author knew Fish for many yearsand claims he was murdered. Her book addsother information on alleged lost bonanzas, plusreasons why she thinks Fish did not die a naturaldeath as stated by the authorities. Paperback,illustrated, 80 pages, $3.00.

LOST MINES & BURIED TREASURES ALONG THEOLD FRONTIER by John D. Mitchell. The secondof Mitchells books on lost mines which was out-of-print for many years is. available again. Manyof these appeared in DESERT Mgazine yearsago and these issues are no longer available.New readers will want to read these. Containsthe original map first published with the bookand one pinpointing the areas of lost mines.Mitchell's personal research and investigationhas gone into the book. Hardcover, 240 pages,$7.50.

COMMON EDIBLE & USEFUL PLANTS OF THEWEST by Muriel Sweet. A description with artistdrawings of edible (and those not to touch)plants along with how Indians and pioneers usedthem. Paperback, 64 pages, $1.50.

WHEN ORDERING BOOKSPLEASE

Add 50 cents PER ORDER(Not Each Book)

for handling and mailing

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ALSOADD 5 PERCENT SALES TAX

Send check or money order to Desert Maga-zine Book Shop, Palm Desert, California92260. Sorry, but we cannot accept charges

or C.O.D. orders.

DESERT GEM TRAILS by Mary Frances Strong.DESERT Magazine's Field Trip Editor has revisedand brought up to date her popular field guidefor rockhounds. She has deleted areas wnich arenow closed to the public and added new areasnot covered before. The maps have also been up-dated. This is the "bible" for both amateur andveteran rockhounds and back country explorers.Heavy paperback, 80 pages ancl still the sameprice, $2.00.

GOLDEN MIRAGES by Philip A. Bailey. Out ofprint for more than 20 years, this was a collec-tor's item. A valuable book for lost mines andburied treasure buffs, it is beautifully writtenand gives first-hand interviews with old-timerslong since passed away. Excel lent for researchand fascinating for arm-chair readers. Hardcover,illustrated, 353 pages, $9.95.

GHOSTS OF THE GLORY TRAIL by Nell Murbarger.A pioneer of the ghost town explorers andwriters, Miss Murbarger's followers will be gladto know this book is once again in print. Firstpublished in 1956, it is now in its seventh edi-tion. The fast-moving chronicle is a result of per-;sonal interviews of old-timers who are no longerhere to tell their tales. Hardcover, illustrated,291 pages, $7.00.

BURIED TREASURE & LOST MINES by Frank Fish.One of the original treasure hunters providesdata on 93 lost bonanzas, many of which he per-sonally searched for. He died under mysteriouscircumstances in 1968 after leading an adven-turous life. Illustrated with photos and maps.Paperback, 68 pages, $2.00.

LAND OF POCO TIEMPO by Charles F. Lummis.A reprint of the famous writer and historian ofhis adventures among the Indians of New Mexico.Lummis was one of the foremost writers of theWest. Paperback, 236 pages, $2.45.

THE WEEKEND GOLD MINER by A. H. Ryan. Anelectronic physicist "bitten by the gold bug,"the author has written a concise and informativebook for amateur prospectors telling where andhow gold is found and how it is separated andtested, all based on his own pract'cal ex-perience. Paperback, 40 pages, $1 .50.

CORONADO'S CHILDREN by J. Frank Doby. Ori-ginally published in 1930, this book about lostmines and buried treasures of the West, is aclassic and is as vital today as when first written.Dobie was not only an adventurer, but a scholarand a powerful writer. A combination of legendsand factual background. Hardcover, 376 pages,$3.95.

SELDOM SEEN SLIM by Tom Murray. Profiles andvignettes of the colorful "single blanket jackassprospectors" who lived and died as they lookedfor gold and silver in Death Valley. Slick paper-back, exclusive photos of the old-timers, 65pages, $3.00.

DESERT OVERVIEW MAPS by Wes Chambers.Using topographic maps as basic underlays, Weshas compiled two excellent detailed maps forback country explorers of the Mojave and Color-ado Deserts. Maps show highways, gravel roads,jeep trail5 plus historic routes and sites, oldwells, which are not on modern-day maps, plusghost towns, Indian sites, etc. Mojave DesertOverview covers from U.S. 395 at Little Lake toBoulder City, Nevada, to Parker Dam to Victor-ville. Colorado Desert Overview covers from theMexican border to Joshua Tree National Monu-ment to Banning to the Arizona side of theColorado. $3.00 each. Be certain to state whichmap (or both) when ordering.

WILLIAM KNYVETT, PIRUSHER

JAC;K PEPPER. EDITOK

GEORGE BRAGA, Art Director

MARY FRANCES STRONG. Field Trip Editor

ENID C. HOWARD. Utah Associate Editor

GLENN VARGAS, Lapidary Editor

K. L. BOYNTON. Naturalist

DuvxLVolume 35, Number 8

MAGAZINE

AUGUST, 1972

CONTENTSF E A T U R E S

THE COVER:After their surrender to KitCarson at Canyon de Chel-ly in 1863, the proud Na-vajo Indians were banishedfrom their native lands forfive years until the "GreatWhite Father" realized hismistake and allowed thetribe to return in 1868. To-day there is peace and tran-quility in the historic can-yon. Photo by Ray Matiley,Tucson, Arizona.

MALHEUR—A DESERT REFUGE

LOST MINE OF MINNELUSA CANYON

HITE'S COVE

RIDING OREGON'S ROGUE RIVER

INDIAN TRAILS OF '72

THE CACTUS MOUSE—A DESERT DANDY

NEW MEXICO'S MANZANO MOUNTAINS

Mary Frances Strong

George Pfleger

fay Widen er

Eleanor Visser

Enid C. Howard

K. L. Boynton

Theltna E. Honey

D E P A R T M E N T S

A PEEK IN THE PUBLISHER'S POKE

BOOK REVIEWS

DESERT LIFE

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

RAMBLING ON ROCKS

DESERT SHOPPER

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

William Knyvett

Jack Pepper

Hans Baerwald

Club Activities

Glenn and Martha Vargas

New products

Readers' Comments

HI.TA SHIVF.I.Y. Executive Secretary MARVEL BARRETT. Circulation Manager

EDITORIAL, CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea St., Palm Desert, California 92260. Telephone Area Code714 346-814-1 Listed in Standard Rate and Data. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States, Canada and Mexico; 1 year, $5.00; 2 years,$9-50; 3 years $13-00. Other foreign subscribers add Si.00 U.S. currency for each year. See Subscription Order Form in this issue. Allowfive weeks for change of address and send both new and old addresses with zip codes. DESERT Magazine is published monthly. Secondclass postage paid at Palm Desert. California and at additional mailing offices under Act of March 3. 1879. Contents copyrighted 1972by DESERT Magixine and permission to reproduce any or all contents musl be secured in writing. Unsolicited manuscripts and photo-graphs WILL NOT BE RETURNED unless accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope.

AS A DRILL

Basic unit. Drills clean holes faster. Comes withmotor, chuck, foot rheostat, drill pan and drilling tem-plate. Booklet of operating' instructions included.Nickle Plated __ $42.50

(Does not include price of diamond drill point.)

DIAMOND DRILL POINTSGood drill points are necessary with any drill

press. Two styles are listed below. The solid style hasa drilling point composed of a special alloy and dia-mond bort. This type of drill is delicate and needs carein its use. However, with care, the solid type is muchlonger lived and will drill more holes per dollar. Thehollow core style drill has a hollow steel tip which iscoated with diamonds by a special process. This styledrill, drills very fast and is less dedicate and can beused by the beginner with good success. We do recom-mend this type drill for beginners and for extra fastdrilling in Opal, Obsidian, etc.

No. 14 2MM Hollow corediamond drill point $5.50 Each

The New "WHIZ-I-Z Sintered Diamond DrillsNo. Point Size Shank Sta Price Each89 1.00 mm 1.00 mm _ $5 5090 1.50 mm 1.50 mm ..._ _ 5.0091 2.00 mm 2.00 mm _ _ _ 5.5092 2.50 mm 3/16 inch ._ 6.0093 3.00 mm 3/16 inch 7.0094 3.50 mm 1/8 inch ..._. ___ _ 8.0095 4.00 mm 1/8 inch _ _ 9.00

Prices on request for larger drillsup to 8 mm

Metro Diamond DrillVitromet Bonded Diamond Drills

Here are the handiest Vitromet Bonded DiamondTools developed for the Jewelry and Lapidary Crafts-man for drilling, reaming and beveling Gemstones.

Drills With 3/32" ShankNo. 8 1 mm (3/16': diamond depth) $7.50No. 9 VA mm (3/16'" diamond depth) $TWNo. 10 1V4 mm __ _ — j ^ 5 0

No. 11 2 mm ._ $7 00No. 13 2¥z mm _ $8 noNo. 6 3 mm _____ _ $9.50No. 7 3V4 mm _ _ ___ _ $11.50No. 5 4 mm ._ ___ _ _ $14 00

Be sure to include sufficient postage—any overpayment will be refunded

SHIPLEY'SMINERAL HOUSE

On Hwy. 160 in southwest Colorado, 18 mileseast of Durango or i y 2 miles west of Bayfield.

Mailing Address:SHIPLEY'S MINERAL HOUSE, Gem Village,

Bayfield I), Colorado 81122Phone: 303-884-2632

SEND FOR NEW CATALOG No. 9-B

LOTTIE M. SHIPLEY

Publisher's

T HE SANDS of the desert are beingclosely examined for the possible

exclusion of special interest groups. Forthose who adopt a "it will never happen"attitude, let us note that the sands of thebeaches have already fallen under newregulations by the California Fish andGame Commission. Due to the increasingthreat posed by tourists and students whoswarm over the beaches by the thousandscollecting seaweed, periwinkles, sea slugs,and star fish, regulations are now in effectcovering the tide pools along California's1 200-mile-long coastline.

Many areas that were formerly rich inmarine life have been denuded and col-lectors have concentrated in previously un-touched areas where depletion is proceed-ing at an accelerated pace.

Penalties for violation of the new regu-lations are $500 or six months in jail—or both— for stripping marine life fromtide pools.

Collecting is outlawed between the hightide mark and 1,000 feet beyond the lowtide mark without a DFG permit.

Qualified researchers can get permits,while schools must work through countyboards of education to set up special col-lecting programs.

F.xemptions include: Taking abalone,clams, crabs, lobsters, scallops, cockles andsea urchins at state parks, beaches and re-serves, and national parks; taking, squid,sand dollars, limpets, mussels, octopi,shrimp and chiones—and marine life thatcan be taken from state parks—at all otherareas except wild life refuges and otherclosed areas.

Today the beaches, tomorrow thedesert. It could happen.

FortheBirds?Youknowit

HummingbirdFeeder• DRIPLESS• BEE PROOF• ANT PROOF• NOTHING TO RUST

ONLY , i ' " ' Postpaid

Send check or money order to:

MAGAZINE

Palm Desert, California 92260Cal i forn ia residents add 15c tax

Tainter ojMany art critics consider John Hilton the foremost painter ofdesert scenes of the West. His oils are hung in galleries through-out the United States and are constantly in demand. DesertMagazine has a limited supply of prints of his painting entitled"Contrasts" showing sand dunes covered with desert wild-flowers and the Santa Rosa Mountains in the background.

The four-color prints are 11x17 inches on mat paper with two-inch margins. Ideal for framing, are mailed rolled, in a tube.These prints are available to Desert Magazine readers for only$2.50, including tax and postage. Send check or money order toDESERT, Contrasts, Box 1318, Palm Desert, California 92260.

FISH! FISH! FISH!TROUT, BASS AND CATFISH

Get your share at Hall's Crossing

HALLS'S CROSSING MARINA OFFERS: Gas and oil, live bait and lures, fishing gear, boat repairfacilities, cold beer, ICE, groceries, slips and buoys for rent. Overnight accommodations thatsleep two to eight persons. Write or call for reservations. At the general store: fresh milk, eggs,butter, frozen meat, cold cuts and canned items for camping or picnicking. Take a boat trip toRainbow Bridge in one day. 2, 3 and 4-day tours to various parts of the lake, camping andsleeping under the stars. Ferry service for travelers with light vehicles. All types of pleasurecraft for rent from 14-ft to houseboats. Airstrip is 4000 feet with tiedown facilities available.

HALLS CROSSING MARINAWrite Lake Powell Ferry Service, Blanding Utah or call Moab Mobile Operator, ask ~or Unit 56

Dick Smith invites you . . .

Come Flywith me!

See Canyonlands from theair! Majestic pinnacles, redrock canyons and arches.Truly a scenic wonderland.

Several flights to choose from in addition to flights over MonumentValley, Lake Powell, and Rainbow Bridge. Combination land-air andLake Powell-air tours available. Write today for a brochure.

Cantfonlands(^Aviation

AT CANYONLANDS RESORT—EAST ENTRANCE TO CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARKWRITE: P.O. BOX 246, MOAB, UTAH 84532 TELEPHONE 801-259-7766

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the Worlds Finest Quality Bee f""THE BEST FOR LESS"

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TOP SIRLOIN STEAK $3.75 FILET MIGNON STEAK $5.50

NEW YORK CUT STEAK $4.75 WESTERN B.A. BARBEQUE $5.25

COCKTAILS-DANCING For reservations: 328-1101

STEAK RANCH and HOTEL67-501 Highway 111, Palm Springs, California

BookReviewsby Jack Pepper

All books reviewed are available through

Desert Magazine Book Shop

FLORA OF

BAJA NORTE

By Tina Kasbeer

Another interesting book which willbe welcomed by Baja buffs is Viora ofBaja Nor/e by a botanist who spends allof her free time in Baja. Although exist-ing Baja travel guides touch briefly onthe endemic plants of the country, this isthe first book to go into detail.

Many of the plant specimens exist no-where else in the world, are weird inshape and in some cases so isolated theyare botanical puzzles. One familiar tomany Baja travelers is the cirio or, as it iscalled by many, the Inverted Carrot. Itgrows up and then down.

The author not only describes theplants but also tells how the Indians—andtodays residents -use certain of the plantsfor medicinal purposes. Although accur-ate in every detail, this book is writtenfor the layman and should be included inyour Baja research library.

Paperback, illustrated, 36 pages, $1.00.

San Bernardino

Mounta in frails

SAN BERNARDINOMOUNTAIN

TRAILS

By

John W. Robinson

An experienced hiker and writer, JohnW. Robinson has a new book on hikingtrails in the San Bernardino Mountainswhich is crammed with information about100 back-country trips into Southern Cali-fornia's historic range.

His previous book, Trails of the An-

gels, in which he explored the San GabrielMountains, was (and still is) a popularguide and is called the "bible" by manyhikers. His book on the San BernardinoMountains, was (and still is) a popularcomprehensive.

Handy to carry and easily put in a back-pack pocket, the new trail guide also hasa detailed fold-out map of the areas cover-ed. It not only locates the trails, streams,lakes, campgrounds and ranger stations,but also describes the gold mines, stampmills, Indian sites and other historicallandmarks found along the trails.

Since the book has both easy one-daywalks and more nigged backpack trips,it will be useful to both amateur and vet-eran outdoor enthusiasts. The 100 tripsare illustrated with detailed information.Heavy paperback, 257 pages, $4.95.

OREGON COAST

Photos by

Ray Atkeson

Text by

Archie Satterfield

One of the most beautiful shorelinesin the world, the Oregon coast stretchesfrom the Columbia. River to the Califor-nia border. The magnificent continentalboundary runs the full range of all kindsof beauty with rugged headlands, smallcoves, sandy beaches, sheer cliffs, fragileestuaries, broad tideflats and dense rainforests.

Photographer Ray Atkeson has spentmany years exploring and photographingthe area and his quest for beauty is pre-sented in the Oregon Coast, undoubtedlythe finest collection of color photographsof the shoreline ever presented in bookform.

The text by Archie Satterfield tracesthe history of the Oregon coast, the de-velopmental problems and the highlightsof various trips down the coast.

Noted for his ocean and coast photo-graphs, Atkeson is one of the nation'soutstanding color masters. Large 11 x 14format, heavy slick paper, hardcover, 124pages. A book you will want to leave onyour living room table for visitors to ad-mire. $19.00 until January, 1973, then$22.00.

LAKE POWELLMAP

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MALHEUR...Established by President Theodore Roosevelt in1908, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in theheart of the Oregon desert contains hundreds of dif-ferent waterfowl and native birds, plus 33 species ofmammals, making it an ideal "hunting ground" for

photographers.

T HERE WAS a chill in the autumn air,even though rays of the late after-

noon sun cast a golden shadow acrossthe field of ripened grain. For a momentall was quiet. Then faint honking soundscould be heard. They grew louder as for-mations of Canada Geese came into view.The first "Vee" dropped and we trembledwith excitement as wave after wave ofthese majestic birds, settled into the fieldto feed. The tumult reached thunderingcrescendos as hundreds of geese enjoyedtheir evening meal.

Though it was a moment to savor andlong remember, it was but a prelude tomany thrilling experiences we would en-joy during a visit to Malheur NationalWildlife Refuge in the heart of the Ore-gon Desert. Malheur is pronouncedMAY-HEWER.

Malheur encompasses the largest re-maining freshwater marsh in the UnitedStates and is one of the most outstandingwildlife refuges in our country. Establish-ed as a preserve and breeding grounds fornative birds by President Theodore Roose-velt in 1908, the Refuge also provides ahabitat for 33 species of mammals.

A trip to Malheur Refuge affords anoportunity to visit wildlife in its nativehabitat. You are the guest here and willfind it necessary to quietly drive alongthe roads and dikes, then wait patientlyto observe or photograph the inhabitants.The entire Refuge is open to the public;and, though many access roads have lock-ed gates, the keys are readily given to allserious observers. Malheur is ours to en-joy as long as we abide by the few simplerules.

Visiting season at Malheur is from Ap-ril to November with mid-April throughMay and September through October pos-sibly the best periods. Mosquitoes aboundduring June and July as no pesticides areused on the Refuge.

A paved road leads to Malheur Head-quarters, 30 miles south of Burns, Ore-gon. The first stop should be at the finemuseum, open 24 hours daily, with an ex-cellent exhibit of refuge birds and mam-

Under the direction ofJohn Scharff, who was managerfor % years, Malheur becameone of the nation'soutstanding wild birdsanctuaries.

• • • : # .

fit

•

mals. Descriptive literature, maps and abird list are provided. You may also ob-tain the literature by writing to MalheurNational Wildlife Refuge, P. O. Box I 13,Burns, Oregon 97720.

Casual visitors, or those with limitedtime, can observe many waterfowl specieson the spring-fed pond at Headquarters.The Audubon bird-blind is here and avail-able to anyone interested in taking photo-

A DESERT REFUGE

TheAudubonbird-blind affordsphotographers anopportunity forexcellent close-upshots of waterfowl.

. >. A

graphs. A climb to the top of the 50-footviewing towel will provide a birds-eyeview of the Refuge. A small herd of an-telope is confined to a large fenced areaunder the tower. They are often in favor-able positions lor photographs.

It is possible to spend just a day andglimpse" Malheur, but to really see it

requires at least several days. All modernaccommodations are available in Burns.

Campers will find facilities, complete withhookups, at the Environmental ResearchCenter a few miles south of Headquarters.

Jerry and I arrived at Malheur in mid-October of last year. An early winterstorm had left a blanket of snow on themountains and brought a crisp, fall chillto the air. During our visit, we encounter-ed cloudy days and a light snow fell onenight.

After visiting the museum, we talked atlength with Richard Toltzmann, the actingrefuge manager. He marked a map to in-dicate the best points for observation andphotos, gaye us the key needed to opengates, then we were off to explore theRefuge.

The first day we drove out into MalheurLake via Cole Island Dike. We set up ourcameras but the sight of so many Trump-eter Swans, Snowy Egrets, Great BlueHerons, Wood Ducks, Western Grebes,several species of geese and ducks had us"gaping" more than picture taking.

Avid birders for many years, the varietyof waterfowl had us thumbing the pagesof our bird book and thrilling to the manynew sightings. To residents of a desertwhere "there ain't no water," this greatmarsh in the heart of the Oregon Desertwas almost unbelievable.

We spent some time in the Audubonbird-blind taking color photos eventhough the weather was unfavorable. Butfor us, the joy of just seeing such a widevariety of birdlife was most meaningful.

Trips to Buena Vista Ponds, KrumboReservoir, Boca Lake, "P" Ranch Stationand numerous other areas filled our days.,We were up early and generally returnedwell after dark. Late one afternoon, weslowly drove along a section of the Cen-ter Patrol Road. Dozens of quail crossedahead of us, then a cock pheasant emergedfrom cover to look us over. We stopped.Another cock appeared, then another andanother until over two dozen pheasantsambled along the road in front of us.

The sun was dropping over the rim-rocks as we continued south. A movementin the brush caught my eye and I signalledJerry to stop. We waited and wondered ifanything would happen. Then cautiously,a doe (Mule Deer) came out into the cen-ter of the road. She observed us forawhile, then switched her tail and a tinyfawn put in an appearance. In a momentits twin joined the family circle. Motherdeer felt a little nervous at our presenceand guided her babies into the brush.

When they had gone, we drove south ashort distance and were rewarded with

9

• ^\:,-^r*:~

• - - - : - - • - •-•- . . * * ~ 1

Volcanic rimrocks (above) dominate the Malheur land of rivers, lakes andmarshes. Spring-fed ponds (below) are favorite spots for friendly geese.

the sighting of a herd of about 30 deergrazing in a meadow. They seemed undis-turbed by our presence and continuedbrowsing as we drove away.

This was one of the remarkable advan-tages to be found at Malheur—lengthy ob-servations of bird and animal activities.We enjoyed watching a pair of beavers

working on their dam and several musk-rats repairing their houses.

Early one morning, we explored thesouthern end of the Refuge near French-glen. When it was time for a coffee break,we parked along the bank of the Donnerand Blitzen River (locally shortened toBlitzen River). We quickly recognized

a saucy Belted Kingfisher. From his van-tage point on a limb above the water, hekept us entertained by diving after unwaryfish.

We also found ourselves in the middleof a "cattle drive" when two cowboysbrought a small herd across the river anddrove them up the rimrocks onto the allu-vial fans of Steens Mountain. We, too,visited this magnificent mountain whichrises from the desert floor in solitary iso-lation to an elevation of nearly 10,000feet. But this is another story we will betelling you in a future issue.

One of the wariest, pugnacious anddifficult animals to observe is the badger.Though short-legged and rather stout, hecan quickly dig or race out of sight as youapproach. We saw a sizeable adult digginginto a ground squirrel nest. He didn'tcare for our intrusion and, after lookingus over for a few moments hastened overthe ridge and out of sight.

It was well after dark one evening whenwe headed toward our trailer parked atthe Environmental Station. The car lightscaught: a flash of movement and reflectedtwo shining eyes. Jerry put on the brakes.A beautiful mountain lion wanted to crossthe road. After a short hesitation he cross-ed in front of us, then leaped up on thelow rimrock. Switching his tail he turnedand growled a "thank you." Mountainlions are fast facing extinction. They havean important role to play in the balanceof nature and have recently been placed onthe list of protected species.

During our week at Malheur, we sight-ed 37 species of birds and 13 mammals.Mr. Toltzmann assured us this was a goodrecord for so late in the season.

The area encompassed by Malheur Re-fuge (181,000 acres) with its lakes, riv-ers and marshes has played an importantrole in the history of Oregon's desert coun-try. Peter Skene Ogden, famed HudsonBay Company explorer, first crossed south-eastern Oregon in 1826. It was a time ofgreat drought and he found bands of In-dians encamped near Malheur Lake. Theywere all facing starvation due to the scar-city of game. Ogden was not impressedwith the area's potential and headed hisparty south leaving the Malheur Regionunexploited.

This, of course, was not to last. Therewas no drought during the 1850s whenprospectors traveled through the Malheurarea en route to Idaho silver strikes. They

told of grass-covered hills and valleys,lakes and marshes teeming with water-fowl and abundant game. When this newsreached the outside world, settlement be-gan.

It seems only natural that the first per-manent residents would be trappers. In1862, four of then elected to settle at theedge of a spring-fed pond (at what is nowHeadquarters) when; they built a sodhouse. It is also understandable that themore aggressive stockmen would find thearea of interest. They came and the namesJohn Devine, Miller & Lux, Fine, Smytheand Peter French would become wellknown in the annals of Harney County.

Peter French settled in Blitzen Valley in1872 and built a cattle empire around his"P" Ranch, now part of the Refuge. Sever-al other ranches were added to the Refugeover the years including the "Double O"in the Harney Lake area.

There was not a great deal of develop-ment during nearly three decades follow-ing the establishment of Malheur Refuge.This was all to change when a vigorous,forward-looking, young Oregonian JohnScharff joined the Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice of the Department of the Interior.In 1935, John came to Malheur as RefugeManager.

He brought with him progressive plansto build a great Refuge that would pro-vide protection for the wildlife, yet allowuse by the public Over the years, Johnhas seen his plans and most of his dreamscome true. Until his retirement in July1 971, after 36 years at Malheur, he work-ed to develop the Refuge into one of Ore-gon's, as well as this country's, mostvalued natural resources.

Sitting on a dike in the pristine settingof Malheur Lake one has time to thinkwhile watching Sandhill Cranes stalkingthe water and Trumpeter Swans swim-ming by. How fortunate we are to stillhave such a region to visit in this periodof time when "wild land" is almost gone.

We must protect our Refuges and notallow the land to be taken for other uses.We must protect our wildlife and in do-in so protect ourselves. Without the beau-ty of wild land and its inhabitants, therewill be little food for our souls.

Malheur demonstrates how man andwildlife can live together compatibly. Avisit to the Refuge is an experience ofbeauty—one you, too, will long savor andnever forget. •

MALHEURNationalWildKfe Refuge

*tfLCANADA GOOSE

Burns l\

Research CenterCamping Facility

8<f "p" Ranch

SANDHILL

Frenchgleji

Harney Co.

n

A CaliforniaTreasure Trail The Lost Mine

ARMED WITH A METAL DETECTOR

AND A GOLD PAN,

A TREASURE HUNTER SEARCHES

FOR A LOST GOLD MINE

NEAR BIG BEAR LAKE

IN CALIFORNIA'S SAN BERNARDINO

COUNTY, WHERE GOLD WAS

MINED IN THE 1860s.

THE AREA IS COVERED WITH

HEAVY BRUSH IN A STEEP CANYON

BUT THE AUTHOR BELIEVES

THE GOLD IS "SOMEWHERE

IN THOSE HILLS."

Hidden by the heavy brush,(above) Minnelusa Creek flowsinto Big Bear Lake which canbe seen in background. Author

~$'' %$$W^*S exam"les an ore specimen (left)in one of the old prospectorholes, and (opposite page) findsa feiu specks of gold whilepanning the creek.

of Minnelusa Canyonby George Pfleger

GOLD HAS been mined in the SouthernCalifornia. San Bernardino Moun-

tains since the middle 1860s. Fabulousdiscoveries were made and the land wasclaimed by the kicky ones who proceededto reap the golden harvest.

Towns sprung upi in Bear and HolcombValleys with the influx of miners andhopeful prospectors. Stores to fill grub-stake orders, restaurants to feed the hun-gry and saloons lo quench the thirst of allwho came through the swinging doorswere about all the settlements consisted of.Naturally we must include the gamblerswho did their best to separate the minersfrom their hare! earned gold or wages,and, for the most part, succeeded.

The best discoveries of gold in this areawere made in the years following the CivilWar when many ex-soldiers were on theloose and looking for a way to make a liv-

ing, get rich quick or just find adventure.Some men, after reading of riches for thetaking, didn't have to think twice andthey soon found themselves on the long,lonely road to California and perhaps . . .gold.

In the early 1870s such a man arrivedin San Bernardino. He had no plans ex-cept to make his way the best he couldwith what jobs were available. He foundwork without much difficulty and wasjust getting settled when news of a newgold strike hit the papers.

The man from the east watched as mensold what little they possessed to get agrubstake so as to try their luck in thehigh mountains that surrounded them. Hehung around the mining camps until helearned enough about prospecting to cutout on his own and try his luck.

Working the canyons and gullys wasdisappointing, but he was determined tofind wealth and wouldn't leave the moun-tains until he did, the same vow made bythousands who eventually admitted fail-ure and went home. The quest for goldfrom early spring up into the summer waswithout success but the courageous pros-pector did not drift from his purpose. Thesearch went on. This was a stubborn pros-pector.

One sunny day his luck changed. Whilewalking along the north side of Bear Val-ley a cool stream of water reminded himof his thirst and strolling upstream hefound a place where the water was movingslower and he bent over to drink.

A pebble caught his eye. He picked itup for a closer examination. It was yellow.

He had found gold! Sitting down nearthe creek, he studied the small nuggetresting in his hand and dreamed of allthe fine things and the good life the treas-ured metal would buy for him. He wasrudely rocked from his dreams by therealization that all he had was ONE small

nugget; it would take many like it to givehim the things he wished for.

Knowing the gold was not born wherehe had found it, the most sensible thingto do would be to find out where it camefrom, upstream. Week after week hecombed the canyon looking for the motherlode. And evidently he finally found it.

He was reported seen in San Bernardinowith his pouch filled with nuggets, bothlarge and small and the good life was fin-ally his-his dreams fulfilled. A claim hasnever been filed on this rich placer mineand from all reports he mined it secretlyfor years without revealing its location,not even to his family.

After his demise, a map, worn thin andbadly blurred was found in his billfold.But it didn't betray the old man's secret,showing only the stream and several trees.Only the deceased miner knew where thegold would be found using the referencepoints. His secret had died with him.

The story of the lost mine in MinnelusaCanyon persists. Some call it a myth.Others, including this writer, believe itexists; that it is in the canyon and willsome day be found.

Finding the stream is no problem be-

' •

Looking up Minnelusa Canyon away from the lake and in the general area whereauthor thinks the lost diggings are located.

cause of a sign on the highway a few mileseast of Fawnskin reading "MinnelusaCanyon." Here we parked and the questfor gold began. Checking out the streamnear the road, we were able to get a littlecolor in the pan—a good indication of anupstream source.

Gaining permission from a propertyowner at the mouth of the canyon, we be-gan an intensive search for such tilingsas old tools, tin cans, diggings, a campsite,remains of a cabin or shelter—anythingthat would tell us someone had spent alot of time in one place.

For the first few hundred yards thecanyon is choked with brush, vines andbriers; a good hiding place for the mine.On the west bank, in about 150 yards, wefound an old digging high up on the bank.14

It is about 15 feet long, six feet wide andfour feet deep and filled with brush. Fal-len branches and a tree trunk lie acrossone end.

Could this be the lost mine? Clearingout the debris didn't take long and soonwe were shoveling out the rocks and dirtthat had fallen in over the decades.

Using the metal detector in the cleanedout pit proved encouraging. The ear-phones screamed and the needle on thedial went around and hit the peg. We hadmetal under foot. Could it be gold ?

Digging feverishly, we discovered thecause of the positive reading—magnetite,or iron, big chunks of it in clay. Still, wesearched for gold. After all, isn't it usu-ally found in connection with magnetite?

Three hours and two broken backs later,

we finally gave up. No gold was in evi-dence. But we did find every shade andtexture of clay and a small amount of as-bestos. A little sleuthing amongst theneighbors solved the mystery of the pit.It seems some residents of the area, backin the 1920s, did prospect this spot forasbestos for a time with limited luck. Itwould have been easier on the linimentbottle had we known this sooner.

The old miner was supposed to havestated that the mine was located wherethe canyon gets steep; so upstream wewent. About a quarter of a mile up wecame to some 100-year-old prospect holes

CAUTION!The entrance to Minnelusa Canyon is

marked by a sign on State 38, a few mileseast of Fawnskin on Big Bear Lake. Parkyour car under the trees by the highway.Do NOT drive up the Minnelusa CanyonRoad as there is no place to park. Youmay hike up the road to where it crossesthe creek and then take the path alongthe creek and up the canyon. The searcharea is above the homes at the base of thecreek. DO NOT GO ON PRIVATEPROPERTY. The area above the homesis part of the San Bernardino NationalForest. DO NOT SMOKE OR LIGHTMATCHES IN THE AREA ANDWATCH OUT FOR RATTLESNAKES.

in magnetite outcroppings. How do weknow these holes are so old? Simple, notin cans.

There are several stone claim monu-ments, now collapsed, erected to the old-timers; indications they thought they hadsomething but were disappointed — somuch that they threw a mining pick intothe rocks, there to remain until we camealong and found it. The handle remainsin fairly good shape, and is still usable.This is the only piece of equipment Ihave found in the canyon to date. But itstands to reason there is more. After all,the gold nuggets weren't dug out withsticks and fingernails. The old miner hidhis tools at his secret mine somewhere inthe canyon.

If you get a chance to get by this way,take a stroll up the trail and if you canfind an ancient camp, chances are you'llfind some rusty mining tools and a goldpan stashed in the rocks nearby. If youare this lucky, you could be within astone's throw of the "Lost Mine of Min-nelusa Canyon." •

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BACK-ISSUE BINGO RULES:

Mark card or, if you do not want to cut your magazine, list numbers selected ina letter. Single issues on the card are 40 cents each.BINGO: By marking five numbers in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally,you will receive five back issues plus BONUS of a 10xl3-inch four-color print,ideal for framing, of a desert scene by John Hilton, famous Western artist.

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FULL-CARD: By marking all numbers on the card you get all 25 back issuesfor only $6.25 plus BIG BONUS—Clyde Forsythe's famous Gold Strike series,containing four 4-color 14xl7-inch mat prints depicting the rise and fall of amining town. Each print suitable for framing.

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Here's a chanceto get those missingissues and completeyour volumes.Back issues ofDESERT Magazineare as timely todayas when firstpublished. Eachissue contains avariety of articleson travel, adventure,nature and rock-hounding. Regularprice for back issuesis 50 cents, so nomatter how youplay, you savemoney—and witheither BINGO orFULL CARD youwill receive aSPECIAL BONUS!

Please enclose 40 cents for single copies; $1.50 for each BINGO; $6.25 fora FULL-CARD to Desert Magazine, Bingo, Box 1318, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260.

ALONG THE South Fork of the MercedRiver in Mariposa County, Califor-

nia, approximately four miles south of itsconfluence with the Merced, rock founda-tions and disintegrating machinery com-pose a silent memorial to a long forgottenmining community. Nestled amidst greenhills and rollicking river, this is the siteof "Hite's Cove" and the Hite mine, oneof the most colorful and productive inMariposa County history.

John R. Hite found his golden dreamin this tranquil canyon in 1861 quite byaccident. While crushing some rock sam-ples by the river, his Indian wife slippedaway to attend an Indian celebration atIndian Flat over the ridge on the Merced.Hite chased the fleet-footed girl, but soontired of the vain pursuit, and sat down torest--in the middle of a bonanza!

Before anyone was; aware of his find,Hite had accumulated $50,000. His firstmilling process was by arrastra, and hepacked ore to the river on donkeys. By1886, the rich yield enabled him to es-tablish a 10-stamp mill, equipped with a500-foot flume to bring water from theriver, and a cyanide plant. A tramwaywas also constructed to haul the ore fromhis mine directly to the mill.16

HITESCOVE

- *

by Jay Widener

But John Hite was more than a miner;he was a builder. From the proceeds ofhis own mine, he built a village of homes,a large hotel, shops, and a stable, andsoon had a community of several hun-dred people. He planted a two-acre gar-den, and raised a variety of vegetables;and a fountain was constructed that play-ed in every direction with breathtakingbeauty.

An eighteen-mile wagon-road was con-structed from Mariposa at a great expense-a road that in the early 1870s became a

snow-free route for Yosemite tourists,who spent the night at Hite's Cove, and

then continued their journey into the val-ley by saddle.

During the 1 7 years that Hite operatedhis mine, he took out $2,500,000. He in-vested heavily in San Francisco real es-tate and ranch property throughout thestate, and in August 1879, sold his mineto the Clark and Bothwell Company forover $600,000.

This ended in litigation in 1882, andfrom 1883 through 1903, the propertywas managed by various lessees and own-ers with little success. In 1905, the Yo-semite Mining Company made an unsuc-cessful attempt to open the mine, and in

While chafing hisIndian ivije. Hite

discovered gold andthen built one of

the richest operationsin the Mother LodeCountry. Today, all

that remains are (left)crumbling

foundations, (right)abandoned ore

crushers and (below)rusting machinery.

\

I i

V

rf» %-

• •

d

-

> - "

1938, the property was acquired by theMinerals Engineering Company of LosAngeles who did some work, but no pro-duction was recorded.

After Hite extracted his millions, heturned to ranching at his Indian PeakRanch. Tiring of this, he left his Indianwife at the ranch, and went to San Fran-cisco to stay for awhile. While there, hebecame seriously ill. and had to go to ahospital, where he was nursed back tohealth by nurse Nettie Craven. Miss Crav-en was certainly aware of the prize shetended in her capable hands; but for what-ever reason, she made Hite her special

patient, and soon she and Hite weremarried.

Thus Hite, a declining old man of 70years became, in 1898, the defendant inthe famous Hite divorce trial, in whichLucy Hite, an Indian woman, was theplaintiff. After trial and appeal, Lucy wasawarded $16,000 plus $5,000 attorneyfees, and apparently, the Indian PeakRanch on which she lived.

Hite's Cove today is still a setting ofserene beauty, unpolluted by the tidalwave of tourism that has overtaken themajority of ghost towns. On two trips in-to the area, in August of '71 and in March

of this year, we were visibly impressed bythe few signs of digging. It seems evidentthat here indeed is a virgin site for bottleand relic buffs, and very possibly for theamateur prospector.

The trail to Hite's Cove begins at theconfluence of the Merced and the SouthFork on State 140, approximately 18miles north of Mariposa, at the site ofMajor Savage's trading post. Followingthe pictorial South Fork, the trail is easilynavigable by even the least seasonedhiker.

The old narrow and steep wagon-roadnorth from Jerseydale is still accessible,but is restricted to four-wheel-drives. Thisroute also necessitates fording the river onfoot at the end of the road, an impracticalfeat during wet or high water seasons. Be-fore using this road, I would strongly ad-vise contacting Roger Warren, Fire Con-trol Officer, at the Mariposa office of theU.S. Forest Service, who can give you in-formation on road condition.

And don't hesitate to introduce yourselfif you meet another bottle buff at Hite'sCove- it may be Roger! Q]

17

i

Oregon hasbeautiful covessuch as GoldBeach (left) nearthe Rogue Riverand spaciousovernightcamping areas(below) alongits 400-milecoastline. Allphotos courtesyOregon StateHighwayDepartment.

by

Eleanor

Visser

Z ANE GREY once wrote, " . . . The hap-piest lot of any angler would be to

live somewhere along the banks of theRogue River, most beautiful stream inOregon . . . and the coldest, swiftest, deep-est stream I have ever fished." The famousauthor had two missions—fishing andwriting—and he pursued both as long ashe lived, much of the time at his remotecabin which still stands on the RogueRiver.

The Rogue River, as a sport-fishingriver, ranks among the great salmon andsteelhead streams of the world, many ofwhich Zane Grey fished. It is also re-nowned as a boating and vacation areahaving been named one of the seven"Wild Rivers" of the "National Wild andScenic River Systems."

Along its shallow, lower thirty-twomile section, the Rogue is an easy-to-reach, wilderness playground. Countlessboaters, campers and anglers every yearvisit this wild river country. Another ex-

citing experience is riding the hydro-jetMail Boats on this stretch of the river.You relax while the boats take you on ajaunt into isolated scenic splendor andthrough some of the most spectacular un-touched wilderness in the world. Thetrip is a photographer's, botanist's andhistorian's delight.

You can reach the Rogue, located onthe southern Oregon coast 40 miles northof the California-Oregon border, fromnorth or south on Interstate 101. Fornearly 400 miles this panoramic highwayhugs the rugged Oregon coastline wherewild, turbulent rivers rush out to mergetheir fresh water with the salt water ofthe Pacific, and where hundreds of sealscavort on the off-shore rocks.

In the small coast towns of Gold Beachand Wedderburn, which nestle on eachside of the mouth of the Rogue, you willfind modern, ocean-view motels priced,at $10 to $16 per day, and several finerestaurants. If you are a sea food fancier,

Tourists goalong for the

ride in the mailboat from Gold

Beach up thescenic Rogue

River. One-daytrip includes

lunch at ariverside ranch.

there is daily fresh salmon and shell fishbrought in from the icy waters of theRogue and ocean by the fishing fleetbased on the river at the Marina. If youhave your own camping equipment, thereis a tree-shaded modern campground withwater, tables and a boat ramp a few milesup the Rogue from Gold Beach. But,wherever you settle down, when youwatch the red-gold sunset color the skyover the sea, you will know you've cometo a very special place.

Although the U.S. Mail Boats run allyear from the Mail Boat landing in Wed-derburn, between May 1 and November 1you should make night-before reservationsfor the 9 A.M. departure. Adult fares are$5.00, children 4 to 11, $3.00 and for theyounger children there is no charge. Fam-ily-style luncheons, which are served up-river at Singing Springs Ranch, are alsoarranged for in advance at a cost of $2.50for adults and $1.50 for children. Wearcasual clothing, and take a jacket with you

because the wind whistling down the can-yons in early morning and late afternooncan be chilly, even in midsummer. Brim-med hats and sun glasses are advised forthe warm, bright sun during the middle ofthe day.

The 64-mile round-trip Mail Boat rideis over the fascinating lower "River of theRogues" which was named by pioneerFrench trapper-explorers because of theroguish and hostile Indians who livedalong its banks. Known in the early his-tory of southwest Oregon as Rogue RiverIndians, it was from them this third larg-est river in the state derived its name.

A local Indian hunting and fishingguide, who knows well the remote wilder-ness areas of Oregon, tells the life story ofthe famous Rogue River to all who willlisten. Its origin is at Boundary Springs inthe high country near the northern borderof Crater Lake National Park. He de-scribes its swift passage down from themountains, its serene glide through the

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20

populous upper Rogue Valley and thecity of Grants Pass. Then is wild dashthrough Hellgate Canyon and north toHobson's Horn and Sexton MountainPass.

From there the river cascades throughGreen Knob, Agness and Bushy BaldMountain, dropping 900 feet in its roar-ing, riffled rush through the vast forestsof the ("oast Range, to finally emerge atGold Beach. On its 213-mile journey, theRogue gathers the waters of the sizableIllinois and Applegate Rivers, and count-less smaller streams.

The Mail Boat trips over the shallowriffles of the lower 32 miles of the Rogueexcite thousands of travelers each year.Especially designed and built to skim overriffles and rocks, the fast, open, shallow-draft hydro-jet craft are known as MailBoats because they daily carry mail andsupplies to isolated homes and resortsalong the river. In addition, they carryfrom 30 to 50 passengers on each trip inthe summer months. These modern, sleekboats are Coast Guard inspected.

The river pilots are skilled, licensedboatmen, who know every bend, riffle androck in the river and, as the)' swing theircraft expertly around treacherous sand-bars and huge boulders, their passengerslounge on comfortable, wide, cushionedseats to watch the panorama of scenery un-fold and to take pictures. This remindsone of riding in sight-seeing boats pro-pelled along canals in amusement parkswhere you watch constantly changingscenes on each side.

Through loud-speakers the friendly pi-lots, who stand on platforms at the rearof the boats, point out historical markersand points of special interest, includingremnants of old mining camps left fromthe 1850s, when millions of dollars ingold were taken out of the Rogue valley.And they tell the part the river played inthe Gold Rush days, as well as legends ofIndian history.

One such legend relates how Indianbraves had to prove their love for theirsweethearts by swimming the icy, tumul-tuous waters of the Rogue in winter. Onebrave drowned while proving his devo-tion, and ever since his death his sweet-heart climbs on a rock at the river's edge atnightfall, opening her arms wide and sing-ing her mournful plea for his .eturn. Be-guiled, like Odysseus to the sirens, pass-ing fishermen would plunge into the wat-

er toward her, only to be drowned, as washer lover, in the icy, swirling currents.

On the journey the boats pass PaintedRock, a towering cliff, which was oncethe site of an Indian village. You can stillsee Indian messages carved on the side ofthe rock facing the river. The pilots re-count the names of creeks, rocks and rif-fles, bestowed by early day prospectors,such as: Wake Up Riley Creek, WhiskeyCreek, Elephant Rock, Nail Keg Riffleand Mermaid Riffle, where the Indianmaiden's song for her lover still drifts inthe air.

The Mail Boat trips are a delight tocamera buffs. Movie cameras whir asaround each bend of the river new vistasof primitive scenery, wild bird and animallife appear. You may see deer, bear andraccoon along the banks or scampering upinto the forests. You watch a doe as shebrings her fawn to the river's edge todrink, and shows not a trace of fear asshe looks curiously at the passing boat.

Bald eagles, blue heron, hawks, cranes,gulls, pellicans and innumerable smallerbirds make their homes along the river,and many fly companionably along withthe boat for a time.

Strange nests of ospreys, looking likegiant salad bowls, are perched on the topsof snags. Ospreys are rare, large hawksthat sail the river canyons searching forfish they catch with their claws. The pilots

also cater to still camera enthusiasts, andstop the boats for picture taking whengood shots come: into view.

The river is a botanist's dream and, asthe Mail Boats proceed in the crystal clearair between alternating cliffs and openglades, you are treated to picturesque viewsof moss-covered rocks, trees, shrubs andwild flowers. Red-barked Madrona trees,sprouting bright red berries, are colorfulbetween dark, cool, fragrant evergreenbranches of Douglas fir, Port Orford ce-dar and Ponderosa pine.

There are glimpses of broad-leafedevergreen trees known as Oregon Myrtle-wood. These rare Myrtle wood trees, whosewood is highly prized for making beauti-ful bowls, trays and art objects, grow onlyin small groves scattered in valleys andalong rivers in southwest Oregon and thenorthwest corner of California. The manyvarieties of trees, with their varying shadesof green, make striking contrasts of colorwith flamboyant wild rhododendron, azal-eas and foxglove—some of the estimated3,000 higher forms of plant life nativeto this area.

The two-hour trip upstream ends at thehamlet of Agness, and the resort of Sing-ing Springs Ranch, which are located atthe top of a cliff. You climb up the side ofthe cliff on a guard-railed path, but pas-sengers unable to climb are taken by thetruck up a backwoods road to the resort.

An angler lands a 36-poundChinook Salmon near the mouthof the Rogue River. Fishingis excellent both in the oceanand all along the Rogue.

Here is the tiny Agness United StatesPost Office, one of the smallest in thecountry and just about big enough forone person to stand in, which was estab-lished in 1897. From here mail broughtby the boats is distributed to scatteredsettlers and trappers.

If you decide to remain at SingingSprings for a day or two cottages, set inwooded areas beside wildfowl ponds androse gardens, are available at about thesame rates as accommodations in GoldBeach and Wedderburn. You will betempted to stay and make the trip backdown the river another day.

Should you be fortunate enough to visitthe Oregon coast, to ride a Mail Boat upand down the riffles of the Rogue, andenjoy the restful peace of mountains, for-ests, streams and ocean you will, for awhile, forget the nerve-shattering noiseand confusion of the everyday world.

Whether you capture the essence of theRogue River in photographs, movies, oronly as pictures in your mind, it will al-ways stay with you. And you'll believewhat Zane Grey wrote in his journal," . . . the spell of the river is overpower-ing, and you long to return to it." •

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> 4

T-

by Enid C. Howard

NAVAJO TRAILS of 1972 bear little re-semblance to the horse and foot

trails used by Indians through centralArizona more than a century ago. Today,smooth ribbons of asphalt unwind overdune and prairie in this land of rock andsand where towering buttes are lost tosight in desert haze.

The modern Navajo travels the roadsin his sporty car or late model pickup,shops at the local supermarket, gas station,TV and furniture store. He wears his cow-boy or Mod apparel with dash and indi-viduality, sparked with handsome, hand-made silver jewelry, often set with price-less turquoise, which is so right with hisdark hair and strong features.

He is employed at a mechanized indus-try on the Navajo Reservation, either own-ed outright by the Tribe, or promoted onthe land through lease. He might own andoperate a service station, pilot a plane,raise cattle, work for the road department,teach school, deliver mail, work on theNavajo Police Force or as a forestry rang-er. The Navajo Nation today is a busy net-work of modern thriving communities

Although many of the youngerNavajos now travel in pickuptrucks, the horse is still themainstay of Indians in the moreremote parts of theirreservations. The horse wasbrought to the West by theSpanish invaders. Color photoby William Knyvett.

linked by the common purpose of findinga better way to upgrade the Navajo stand-ard of living.

The land of the Navajos is heaven-wideand spacious, and they are an industrious,charming and hospitable people. They in-vite you to explore their land of loftymonuments, glowing canyons and sweep-ing vistas, ancient legends and ruins, trad-ing posts, modern motels, hogans andsquare houses, new schools and museums,flocks of sheep and goats, and exquisitenative handcrafts. Every Navajo is fiercelyproud of his land and, rightly so, as it isuniquely adapted to his way of life.

One can travel the four compass pointsof Navajoland and discover new depthsto the character and life style of thesequiet-spoken Indians. The communitiesmentioned here are but a small cross-sec-tion of this intriguing, dynamic and bur-geoning nation.

On the western side of the Reservationat Tuba City, one might take Navajo Trail3 (State 264) to Holtvilla. Just to confusethe visitor, this stretch of Trail lies withinthe Hopi Reservation (600,000 acres) sur-rounded by Navajo land. Along this routeare the mesa villages considered to be theoldest continuously occupied pueblos inAmerica. The Hopi Indians were herewhen the Spaniards searched for the Sev-en Golden Cities of Cibola, and still livehappily in the old structures.

Modern conveniences have come to theHopi pueblos also. Invited to visit one ofthe pueblos, I was intrigued to see gas

> * • • ' • » • - • •

- ' . -^> '^ 'J - - . .

stoves, refrigerator.-., television, radios andcomfortable furniture tastefully arrangedin the centuries-old buildings.

Handcraft skills of the Hopi people areof good quality and they produce manyartistic items native to the Tribe. They arefamous for their authentic Kachina Dolls.The Hopi women create lovely baskets andpottery, while the Hopi silversmiths areskilled at inlay designs.

Mother of Pearl shell, set in silver forbracelets, pendants and rings, is highlyprized by serious collectors of fine Indiancraft items, although it is very expensive.No longer do the skilled artisans of the In-dian Tribes sell their work for peanuts.They have been educated to know theworth of their craft, and this is as itshould be. The Hopi Silversmith GuildStore, on Second Mesa, is the commercial

*:

Trader Don Lorenzo Hubb ell'shome and trading post as itappeared circa 1876. Today thearea is a National Historic Sitehonoring the famous whitefriend of the Navajos.

outlet for Hopi handcraft of highestquality.

Near the Guild store, the Hopi Tribehave modernized their image by construct-ing a new motel compound, The HopiCultural Center Motel, with 33 units,restaurant, lounge, display and sales forHopi Crafts. Architecturally patterned af-ter the old pueblo design, it is a delightfulovernight stop for those who wish tospend some time exploring the mesa vil-lages. Trailers can be parked near themotel, but there are no facilities.

Navajo Trail 3 eastward joins Trail 8,where turning north will bring the travel-er to Chinle, and Canyon de Chelly, thatplace where all Navajo hearts dwell. If theheart were a painter, it could paint a poig-nant scene of suffering, of warring andmassacre, within these canyon walls.

The pathos of yesterdays — when theNavajos were forced by U.S. Army troopsto leave this sun-tinted canyon and endurebanishment for four long years. The heartand soul of Canyon de Chelly is its time-lessness. One feels there was no begin-ning, there will be no end to its existence,it will always be beautiful and beloved bythe Navajos.

Canyon de Chelly National MonumentHeadquarters is perched atop a rise at theentrance of the canyon. Here the visitormay obtain information on the early in-habitants, study their artifacts and read thestory of the Navajos who made "The LongWalk" in 1864 when they were removedto Fort Defiance. All this is displayed veryeffectively in the small but complete mu-seum in the foyer. Visitor hours; winter,8 A.M. to 5 P.M., summer, 8 A.M. to6 P.M.

The Rim drive on the south side of thecanyon is for passenger cars, and a "do ityourself" drive, for spectacular effects ofdepth and distance at the overlooks. Hik-

Villages of the HopiReservation are located onthree main mesas and arecompletely surrounded by theNavajo Reservation.

In contrast to the trading postsand tribal headquarters of

earlier years, the architecture todayis of modern design and in keeping

with the landscape. This is thenew Hopi Cultural Center

with a motel, restaurant and craft shop.

ing is allowed only from the rim to theWhite House Ruins. This is private landand visitors should not intrude or trespass.The people usually do not object to yourphotographing scenery, but do not "snap"the Indians unless you ask permission.You will be expected to pay for this privi-lege.

Accommodations at the ThunderbirdLodge near the Monument Headquartersare excellent, and arrangements to tour thecanyon with one of the Indian guides canbe made at the office. One should not missthe opportunity to observe the small farmsof the families who summer in the can-yon, and winter on the mesa tops, or tosee and photograph the extensive ruinswithin the canyon.

Cottonwood Campgrounds adjacent tothe lodge is super. Under shading oldtrees are restrooms, picnic tables, fire-places and water, but no wood. There aretrailer pull-outs but no hook-up facilities.It is operated by the Monument and isopen April 1 to November 1.

Chinle, keeping pace with progress, hastwo restaurants, one motel, gas and gro-ceries, modern schools and hospital fa-cilities. The Chinle people go about theirproductive routines, but are not too busyto welcome travelers who come to visittheir beautiful Canyon de Chelly.

From Chinle, retrace the route on Trail8 to Ganado, for here is located the grand-daddy of all Trading Posts. Hubbell Trad-ing Post is a national historic site and thecomplete story of it;: history can be obtain-ed in the trading room there. The Nation-al Park Service maintains the facility as aworking example of how it was in 1876when Don Lorenzo Hubbell was teacher,friend, fair trader and doctor to the Na-vajos. He guided the Indians through thefirst years of painful exposure to thewhiteman's blunderings, temperament, di-seases and strange ideas of food and

One of the largestprehistoric ruins in Canyon

de Chelly is the White Houseivhich can be reached by a trail

from the rim of the canyon.

equipment.If you happen to be interested in buying

a "one of a kind" handmade Navajo rugof museum quality—here is the place tofind it. Prices for these beauties are high,but worth the investment. Sometimes theyare sold before they are finished, and oftensight unseen, as the product of the expertweaver is known by serious collectors. Dovisit the rug room at Hubbells.

Don Lorenzo Hubbell is buried on thesmall hill overlooking the Trading Postnext to his wife, Lena Rubi, and his clos-est Navajo friend, Many Horses. Thishistoric site is a tribute to an outstandingpioneer and fair trader to the Indian peo-ple, among whom he chose to build hishome and live his life.

Twenty-seven miles east of Ganado viacontinued on pttge 32

Color photo by Jack Turner

CACTUS MOUSE...

A DESERT

by K. L. Boynton(ft 1972

ACXORDING TO cactus mouse philoso-phy, no matter how tough life in the

desert may become, it is up to a fellow tomaintain appearances. None of this slop-py desert-rat stuff for him. He dressesmost fashionably: buff waistcoat satinsmooth, white vest, white spats andshoes, white gloves and black whiskers.

Finding time to keep such elegant rai-ment in perfect order in a dusty desert

and when a fellow must do all his ownwork of food finding, food hauling andhouse construction, is not easy. Costumeupkeep it seems, according to biologistEisenberg's study, is both a time consum-ing and complicated affair

It starts with a bath and, deserts beingwhat they are, the mouse must providewater for it himself. He licks his paws,rolling them under his mouth to applyplenty of moisture. Then he's ready. Hisface is first on :he agenda, and it is at-tacked vigorously with both paws. Start-ing with his nose, he works upwards anddownwards, bobbing his head to aid inthe scrubbing. His big ears get special at-tention (even scrubbing behind them)and ending with a final few good swipesfor the top of his head and back of hisneck.

His white vest is then licked until itshines with cleanliness, its gleaming furthen being combed and smoothed downneatly with his pav/s and nails. Now hegoes after his sides, his forepaws reachingwell up over his back as he turns andtwists. Flanks, legs get their treatment; infact he doesn't miss a thing. His tailcomes last. Seizing it in his forepaws hehauls it up to his mouth, licking andsmoothing it from base to tip. Ablutionsnow over, he does a job on his nails, pick-ing and cleaning his toes with his teeth. Afinal shake and fluff, and he ready to goforth.

This small object of sartorial splendor iswise in his fastidiousness for much of hissuccess in the desert is due to his cleanli-ness. Constant fur care keeps fleas andother unwelcome residents to a minimum.Body cleanliness also cuts down the possi-bilities of internal parasites. Further, as thework of biologists McNab and Morrisonshowed, this same fur coat, thicker in pro-portion to his body mass than that of hiscousins among the white-footed mice liv-ing in forest or prairie lands, helps shuntaside desert sun radiation.

Tnsulating against heat, it is a great fac-tor in keeping his temperature down. Odd-ly enough, his fur coat also helps cool himoff when his temperature reaches the pointwhere body heat must be unloaded. Com-pressing his fur, he squeezes out the heat-ed air. Spreading and opening his coat, helets more heat escape. If he has to resortto licking his fur under extreme heatconditions, he adds evaporative cooling.

A cactus mouse prefers dim light, andis therefore active at dusk, perhaps as a

safety adaptation from daytime predators.These little fellows have outstandingly

large eyes, the weight of their lens beingat least five times that of the lens of thehouse mouse. As zoologist Walls showed,large eyes let in more light and increasethe clarity of the image on the retina, thusgiving much better vision in dim light.The ears of these desert mice are largereven than those of the white-foots ofprairie and forest. Tests have shown thatthey can hear in the ultrasonic ranges, andit well may be they may make high fre-quency sounds themselves and use themas a bat does in echolocation enabling con-siderably more accurate activity in dark-ness.

The mouse's business day or night isput in foraging for food—seeds, fruit,grain, insects—some of which is eaten onthe spot, or in the case of seeds or grain,may be packed into the mouth and luggedoff to be buried in secret caches dug inthe sand near the home nest. Burying suchsupplies is a very big deal. A small holemust be dug, the seeds shoved out of themouth and into it, and the hole covered upagain, the mouse being very careful tosmooth the ground and disguise the spotwith elaborate forepaw action.

If nest building is in order, dry grasses,soft parts of plants, feather treasures andthe like are hauled to a selected site in acactus or rock crevice or other such pro-tected spot. Here the mouse proceeds toshred it into still finer softer material,holding it in his forepaws, splitting andpulling it with his teeth.

When a pile is accumulated, he bur-

Sketch by Karen Fowler

rows into it and, turning his body roundand round, molds it into the ball shape socharacteristic of white-footed mice every-where. The entrance is a nice round hole,just big enough to slip through, and themouse may make a round wad of materialand have it handy to use to plug the doorshut when he is in residence.

Explorer by nature, the cactus mousedearly loves to poke his long nose intoeverything, his body stretched out, hisears up, whiskers forward, testing, testing.From time to time he may sit up to lookaround, to listen harder. In the wild, ex-ploring is a good way to set up a homerange where the terrain becomes wellknown, where food sources become locat-ed, and man)' good escape places are athand.

It is also a fine way to meet the neigh-bors, a matter of social consequence. Malecactus mice usually avoid encounteringeach other, and hence fights seldom occur.Should a fray be unavoidable, both con-testants go at it with vigor, biting, scratch-ing, clutching each other and rolling headover tail, each squealing to add sound ef-fects. It ends when one goes onto his back,closing his eyes in submission, at whichpoint victor and vanquished go their ways. . . to take a bath, naturally.

In the exploration, should the encoun-teree be some highly decorative little itemwho perchance had built her nest in a cac-tus not too far away, things would be dif-ferent. Naturally she would not be avoid-ed, and naturally there would be no fight,and naturally one thing would lead to an-

continued on page 36

27

New Mexico'sManzano

MountainsD o YOU want to go where the gang

doesn't go? Try the cool ManzanoMountains near Albuquerque, New Mexi-co, in the shady Cibola National Forest.Six campgrounds, 80 miles of hiking orhorseback trails, innumerable spots forsmall trailers or tents, and much more,await you.

"Archeologists consider the area one ofthe most interesting in the United States,"Ranger Bill Russell told me. "It is overlaidwith three cultures.—early Indian pueblo,Spanish mission era, and today's villageswhere both are commingled with a bit ofAnglo influence."

This compact range, 26 miles long andseven miles wide, ts rugged country with

by Thelma E. Honey

peaks up to 10,000 feet. Five campgroundsare accessible from State Highway L0south from U.S. Highway 66. The uniquevillages of Chilili, Tajique, Torreon andManzano cling to the eastern foothills onState 10. The present buildings have thick,red adobe mud walls, as did their prede-cessors which have disintegrated into earthhummocks.

Gold seekers, spurred by rumors of goldbars buried by fleeing Spanish priests dur-ing the 1680 Indian Rebellion, have dugunsuccessfully for years.

Turn west from Tajique for approxi-mately 2l/2 miles to reach the small Ta-jique Canyon Campground (2 acres with5 units for camping and picnicking). This

.---•-"•" trl

There's no smog to obstruct the view (opposite page) from the Capillo Peak Camp-ground, or from the Capillo Peak Fire Lookout (above) in the Cibola NationalForest. The Lookout Road (below) is one of many scenic trails winding throughthe Manzano Mountains. Photos from 11. S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region-

is the only one that doesn't have safedrinking water. The Fourth of July Camp-ground, 5 miles further, is the largest with26 units and is the most commonly used.

New Mexico's only stand of hard mapleenhances its fall beauty. Trails lead toMosca Peak with splendid vistas of the RioGrande Valley to the west and the fertileEstancia Valley to the east. A crest trailsouth traverses the length of the moun-tains.

Although there are springs, take a can-teen of water when hiking or riding.Horses may be trailered into Fourth ofJuly and other canyons. Check with rangerfor exact water locations of springs, assources dry up at certain times of the year.Signs mark the trails which have grownup with bushes in spots. Extensive horse-back trips on these trails are not for thetenderfoot trail rider without a guide.

The quaint village of Manzano is thegateway to the other eastern campgrounds.It was named for the ancient apple treesstill growing there. Natives and expertsargue over planting dates from 1676 to1800.

A road leads northeast from Manzano

to New Canyon (10 units) and CapilloPeak (7 units) . From the Capillo LookoutStation, your vision is the only restrictionon how far you can see. The road to this9,368-foot peak is steep with switchbacksand trailers over 16 feet are not permitted.To be safe, check with the Cibola NationalForest Ranger, at Mountainair, on roadconditions and the length of any traileryou plan to pull into the mountains.

A short walk from any campgroundgives a refreshingly new perspective ofthe mountains with their conifer and as-pen-covered peaks, deep valleys, lime-stone buttes and wildlife. Deer, turkey,red and blue fox, the little tassel-earedAbert squirrel, blue scale quail and band-tail pigeons may be seen by the quiet, cau-tious observer. Pinon jays scream at pic-nickers and constantly spy for a brief op-portunity to steal a morsel of food.

My dog and a jay teased each other oneentire afternoon at New Canyon over afew scraps the dog didn't want but pro-tected. For the fishermen, the little Ta-jique Creek and Manzano Lake are stock-ed with trout each spring. Although fish-ing isn't a major attraction of the area,

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The other two ruins are state monu-

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ments and were constructed of red sand-stone, which glows blood red in the bril-liant sun. Quarai is 8 miles north ofMountainair. The walls of this mission,La Concepcion Purisima, stand almost totheir original forty foot height. An atmos-phere of worship pervades the rooflesssandstone cathedral with its azure skyceiling. Birds sing from niches and windssough in the pines and cottonwoods. It'sno wonder visitors report seeing ghostsand hearing their wailing on moonlight

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Manzano is one of severalSpanish-American towns locatedon State 10 which runs alongthe base of the ManzanoMountains,

nights! The other ruin Abo, is adjacentto U.S. 60, 12 miles west of Mountainair.

There is only on^ campground, John F.Kennedy, on the west side. It covers 10acres with 18 units Turn east from NM 6which proceeds southeast from U.S. 85 atBelen and terminates it U.S. 60, 22 mileswest of Mountainair.

There are many other spots where onemay camp. Cottonwood Springs and PineShadows Spring in the southern part arebeautiful examples. From either of these,Manzano, the highest peak in the range,can be reached by trails. Turn north fromU.S. 60 about 16 miles west of Mountain-air into Priest Canyon. Watch closely forthe single brown and white sign right atthe road. Before pulling any rig into thisarea, check the ranger as the dry washeschange with rains.

I drove a Comet station wagon over the12 miles to Cottonwoad with no difficulty.However, care was required as there wassome sand and I skirted a few high cen-ters. The drive through Priest Canyon,not particularly scenic in itself, presents amagnificent view of the towering moun-tains into which it leads.

From any campsite, you are only anhour or two from many other attractions.The modern city of Albuquerque has

: - * • • •

parks, zoo, museums, art galleries, swim-ming pools, golf courses, North America'shighest and longest tramway and the his-toric Old Albuquerque Plaza founded in1706.

In the Plaza you will find Indian wo-men in their colorful costumes, sitting onthe broad sidewalks, selling silver and tur-quoise jewelry, beads and pottery. Theshops around the Plaza feature native per-fumes, leatherwork, western and fiestaclothes, silver jewelry, paintings, wood-carvings and pinatas. Cafes serve deliciousMexican and American cuisine.

State 10 takes you into the SandiaMountains with ghost towns of the gold,silver, coal and copper mining era as wellas summer and winter sports. To the southof the Manzanos you will find the Valleyof Fires State Park in the heart of a hugelava flow, Elephant Butte and CaballoLakes with plenty of fish and water sports.

The Manzanos offer uncrowded camp-sites for being lazy, shutter-bugging, ex-ploring or whatever your bag may be. Theonly time during the year when they attractnear-capacity crowds is the Fourth of Julyweekend. So, if you want to enjoy whatthe gang hasn't found, I recommend the"Apple Tree" Mountains. •

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INDIAN TRAILS OF'72continued from page 25

Trail 3, the Navajo Tribal Capital and Ad-ministrative Center at Window Rock, Ari-zona, is the hub of the Navajo Nation.The Tribal Council conducts the businessaffairs of the sixteen-million-acre Reserva-tion in an attractive modern building ofrusset-colored sandstone, quarried in thearea. Window Rock has much of interestfor the visitor. An excellent tribal mu-seum, located in the fairgrounds complex,is open seven days a week. Geology, arche-ology and the history of Navajoland arewell presented. The original hand writtendocument of the United States Treaty withthe Navajo Nation is on display underglass.

A copy of this famous—or infamous—treaty and the discussions between the Na-vajo chiefs and General W. T. Shermanthat led to the signing is available. Send$1.00 check or money order to DesertMagazine Book Shop, Box 1318, PalmDesert, California 92260.

Don't pass up the Navajo Arts andCrafts Guild shop in. Window Rock. TheGuild shops have been established at vari-

Navajo womenweaving rugs

along the roadsthrough the

reservation wasonce a commonsight as shown

in this oldphotograph.

Today, fewerrugs are being

made and mostare woven inside

the craft centersor in remote

parts ofNavajoland.

•

ous locations on the Reservation to providea commercial outlet for quality Navajorugs, paintings and fine turquoise jewelry,made by skilled Navajo silversmiths.

The "New Look" has not destroyed the

Navajo's capacity to enjoy life. If youshould see a crowd of happy, laughingpeople gathered at a rodeo corral, stop andwatch the Indian cowboys rope a calf, orride an exploding bronc. Horses are a way

THUNDERBIRDLODGEComfort and quietin the traditionalSouthwestern style

HEADQUARTERS FOR CANYON de CHELLY TOURS

Accommodations are air-conditioned and the atmosphererelaxing to ensure your appreciation of one of America'sbeauty spots, majestic Canyon de Chelly.

The Thunderbird Lodge "Jeep" trips start at theLodge. Reservations may be made with theaddress given on the right.

The half-day trip starts at 8:30 A.M. and returnsat 12 Noon. Another daily trip starts at 1:00and returns at 4:30 P.M. Minimum of £• fares.The full day trips start at 8:30 A.M. and returnat 4:30 P.M. This trip includes a delicious lunchwhile in the Canyon. Minimum of 4 fares.

All limes are Mountain Daylight SavingTrips in Season only, April 1 to November 1

Our brochure describes thetours, Lodge accommoda-tions and rates. Write:Thunderbird Lodge

Box 548Chinle, Arizona 86503(602) 674-5443, 674-5265

Name

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The annual Into -Tribal Indian Ceremonial (above) in Gallup, New Mexico fea-tures parades, hidian dances and craft displays from tribes throughout the West.Handsome Navajo jewelry—and that of the other Indian tribes of the West— suchas this sand-cast riaja (below) today is considered to be equal to that of the finest

artistry in the world.

of life for the Reservation people, and the the year, representing every type of hand-local rodeos are hotly contested. Ask per- work of all Indian Tribes,mission to take pictures at these events. For the ceremonial, each Tribe wears

The culmination of all Indian Tribes their elaborate traditional costumes in theactivities for the >'car takes place in Aug-ust when all "Trails" lead to Gallup, NewMexico, for the world famous Inter-Trib-al Ceremonial. Into the exhibit hall poursthe finest Indian craftsmanship and art of

parade and tribal dances. A whoop-it-uprodeo is part of the four-day program toentertain the thousands of visitors whotrek to Gallup to see this colorful pageant.

This year the Inter-Tribal Indian Cere-

monial will bt held August 10 through13. For complete information on this out-standing four-day event write to the Gal-lup-McKinley Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1 395, Gallup, New Mexico 87301.

Ask for a list of motels and trailerparks for the area, or maps and brochuresfor any other point of interest in Navajo-land, or other Indian Reservations. Gallupis known as "The Indian Capital of theWorld" and the Gallup Chamber of Com-merce acts as an information center ontourist attractions and facilities for allIndian Tribes.

If your interest lies in exploring ancientIndian ruins, in the northern region of theReservation are Keet Seel and BetatakinRuins, in the Navajo National Monument,accessible from U.S. 160. From there youmight swing further north to the land thatmust be seen to be believed—MonumentValley! Its unique beauty invades yourheart!

Yes, the Navajo, Hopi and other IndianTribes are on the move, and they knowwhere they are going. The Indians in Ari-zona have grasped the opportunity for de-termining personally their own future.The most dramatic change on the Reserva-tions has been the result of commercialand industrial projects developed by theTribes. To create employment for the peo-people near their homes, Tribal Govern-ment has assisted several private firms tolocate on the reservation.

Education has assumed a major rolewith the people, and an extensive adulteducation program is given priority. Morethan -12,000 young Navajo people attendschool regularly, and the number of Nava-jo students attending college and universi-ties is at an all time high.

That the Navajo has great stamina,adaptability and determination to travelnew Trails in 1 972 will become very evi-dent to the visitor in this sprawling, vi-brant and enchanting land that is bigenough and wide enough for elbow roomand where a man "can see clear into theday after tomorrow."

Navajoland is filled with the sights andsounds of life, but retains the intimatefeeling of being one with the ruggednessof the wide open country. Here there istime enough to absorb deeply of the sun,the breeze, the far horizon, and listen todrifting sand whisper through sage andmesquite. Tread softly, with courtesy andconsideration, and you will always bewelcome. •

' nF i

A mother hummingbird feeds her twoseven-day-old babies. The smallest andswiftest of North American birds, hum-mers are fearless and pugnacious. Theyfeed while hovering and can even flybackward. Baerwald used a 200mm Ex-acta lens.

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Nevada'sTurbulentYesterdayBy DON ASHBAUGH

Westernlore Ghost Town Scries

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Factual in every detail yel as exciting as anovel, Nevada's Turbulent Yesterday istops in its field. For 10 years as Sundayeditor of the Review Journal, the late DonAshbaugh collected material for his bookNow back in print, this excellent book is amust for arm chair adventures as well asactive explorers. Hard cover. 3'i9 pages, 67priceless historical photographs. Price: $7.95plus 50 cents for mailing. Calif, residentsadd 38 cents sales tax. Send check or moneyorder to DESERT MAGAZINE BOOKSHOP, Palm Desert, Calif. 92260. Pleaseinclude your zip code.

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CACTUS MOUSE—A DESERT DANDY

continued from page 21

other. Unlike many species of white-footswho throw their spouses oat immediatelyupon setting up housekeeping, Mrs. Cac-tus Mouse is quite tolerant, with the hon-eymoon going on perhaps even after thebirth of the litter.

Small families are the rule here, a def-inite adaptation to desert conditons.Three or four make a batch; the young-sters themselves are very large, beingalready about 13 perecent of their adultweight. This, too, is a desert advantagesince raising already bigger and fewer off-spring is much easier on the mother interms of water loss in nursing and energyexpenditure.

Cactus mice don't look like much whenthey arrive. Apparently hairless, blunt ofhead, eyes shut tight, even their pawsseem to be unfinished. But they have theirwhiskers and can make their wants wellknown, and besides their mother is thereto clean, warm and feed them. The youngget on with things themselves, their earsup in 24 hours, their front teeth in by thefifth or sixth day.

They are especially fast at getting theireyes open in 10 to 15 days, compared withup to 28 days in some other species ofwhite-foots. They also grow faster, andhence the cactus mouse tribe has a goodsetup in desert conditions. Successful re-production can be carried on during theshort period when rainfall and food arearound, the young are ready to breedthemselves as early as 28 days for the fe-males, 40 for the males.

Biologist Terman, interested in white-footed mice generally, pointed out that innature the number of these animals peracre is consistently small. Further, out-breaks of over population do not occur inwhite-footed mice as they do in house

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mice, lemmings, or meadow mice. Testsmade in labs, too, under the very bestmouse-happy conditions with plenty offood, plenty of space and good livingconditions showed that they breed to acertain point, and then while conditionsstill all seemed perfect, the white-footedmouse population leveled off. Somewhere,somehow, still unexplained satisfactorily,there is an efficient population controlmechanism at work that keeps the popu-lation of these little animals at relativelylow and stable levels.

The young stay in the home ranges oftheir parents until they mature, at whichtime they extend the explorations theyhave already been making further andfurther until they find a place for them-selves. Here each ma)1 live for the durationof his life.

Interested to see how this little creaturegets along so well under desert conditions,McNab and Morrison found that in addi-tion to the insulation advantage of the furpelt, the cactus mouse has another bigace; his basal metabolism is about 10 per-cent lower than would be normal for ananimal of its size. They feel that thiscould well be an adaptation to desert con-ditions, pointing out that the poorwill, amost successful bird in the desert, is offsome 33 perecent in its expected metabo-lism.

The cactus mouse is a quiet species, easygoing, tolerant, a conserver of energy.With a low basal metabolism there is lessneed lor evaporative cooling, and hencethe animals are far better able to standhigh temperature living. They are, in fact,well adjusted to high temperature.

By and large, white-footed mice are apretty smart lot, unrelated, by the way, tohouse mice and rats, belonging insteadto the same tribe as lemmings, hamsters,muskrats, pack rats and voles. Quick andagile, they show great joy in activitywheels in laboratory colonies, preferringsquare wheels, of all things, which requiresplit second timing and coordination tomake them work fast and well.

With family traits of the white-footsbehind him, and with his specific adapta-tions to desert conditons, no wonder thecactus mouse is successful. His kind willcontinue to be the Best Dressed Citizensof the desert for many a day to come. •

Calendar of Western Events

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JUNE 28-AUGUST 27, MAJOR EXHIBIT OFNAVAJO BLANKETS from public and private-collections created during the 19th Century.Hammer Wing. Los Angeles County Museum ofArt, Museum closed Mondays.

AUGUST 10-13, INTER-TRIBAL INDIANCEREMONIAL, Gallup, New Mexico. Fifty-first year of this outstanding Indian celebrationwhich includes display and sale of Indian craftsof the Southwest, parades, dances, rodeos andmany other events. A tribute to the AmericanIndian.

AUGUST 12 & 13, GOLDEN GATEWAY OFGEMS sponsored by the San Francisco Gem andMineral Society, Hal!, of Flowers, Golden GatePark. Complete shov. with demonstrations.

AUGUST 12 & 13, MOUNTAINEER GEMCLUB'S 7th annual show, Big Bear City FireStation, Highway 18, Big Bear City, California.Write Frank Bowes, Box 414, Big Bear City,Calif. 92314.

AUGUST 31 -SEPTEMBER 4, 16TH ANNUALGEM SHOW of the Antelope Valley Gem andMineral Club held in conjunction with the 31stAnnual Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festi-val, Lancaster, California. Gems, minerals, fos-sils, Indian artifacts, bottles. Co-hosted by Palm-dale Gem and Mineral Clubs. Admission togrounds, 7") cents. Write P. O. Box 69, Lancas-ter, Calif. 93534.

SEPTEMBER 2-4, ANNUAL NORTHWESTFEDERATION OF M1NERALOGICAL SOCI-ETIES Convention and Show. MultnomathCounty Exposition Center, North Portland, Ore-gon. Sponsored by Oregon Agate & MineralSociety. Write Norman Nicholson, 514 S. W.Lobelia, Portland, Oregon 97219.

SEPTEMBER 9 & 10, ANNUAL GEMBOREEsponsored by the Santa Maria Gem & MineralSociety Fairgrounds, Santa Maria, Calif. Ad-mission and parking free. Write Billy Joyall,1617 North Lynne Dr.. Santa Maria, CA 93453.

OCTOBER 7 & 8, ANNUAL HARVEST OFGEMS sponsored by the Centinela Valley Gem& Mineral Club, Hawthorne, Memorial Center,Prairie and El Segundo Blvds., Hawthorne,

Calif. Admission and parking free. WriteCharles Bawolski, 407 East Hilldale St., Ingle-wood, Calif. 90302.

OCTOBER 7 & 8, GEMARRIFIC SHOW, 16thannual event sponsored by the South Gate Min-eral and Lapidary Club, South Gate Park Audi-torium, 4900 Southern Ave., South Gate, Calif.Admission and parking free. Write AmberHull, 9838 Elizabeth St.. South Gate, Calif.90280.

OCTOBER 8, ROCK SWAP & FUN DAY,Farmer's Free Market. 30th & S Streets, Sacra-mento, Calif. Free booths for swappers, tail-gaters welcome. Write Sacramento DiggersMineral Society, 5250 38th Ave.. Sacramento.Calif. 95824.

OCTOBER 20-23, ANNUAL TECOPA-SHO-SHONE ARMAGOSA ROCKHOUND DAYS,Tecopa, Calif. Parade, street dancing, miner'sdrilling contest, etc. Write Lloyd Miller, Box24 Tecopa, Calif. 92389.

OCTOBER 21 & 22, 23RD ANNUAL GEMSHOW sponsored by the Whittier Gem & Min-eral Society, Palm Park Youth Center, 5703 S.Palm Ave., Whittier, Calif. Admission andparking free.

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Rambling

Rocksby Glenn and Martha Vargas

METEORITES:Rocks from Outer Space

ANYTHING CONCERNING outer space

is a timely subject today. The recenttrips of the astronauts to the moon, re-sulting in pieces of the moon beingbrought back, have interested everyone.The obtaining of these samples is a featcertainly worthy of note, but the fact re-mains that pieces of rock have beenreaching us from space ever since the for-mation of our globe.

We do not know whether the rate ofreception of this material has variedmuch in the past, but it is going on todayon a large scale. Every night it is possibleto see meteors flashing through the sky.On occasions, there are reports of thesestriking the earth, and a piece or piecesbeing found by someone. Most of thematerial that falls to earth is dust andunseen, but this amounts to a number ofmillion tons per year.

Only a very small amount of this is inpieces large enough to be classed as me-teorites. While an object is movingthrough the sky, it is known as a meteor;after it falls to earth, it becomes a mete-orite.

Meteorites fall into two classes, stonyand metallic. The stony type is leastknown and understood, as most of themsoon alter due to weathering, and quicklybecome unrecognizable among other rocks.

At the time of falling they are coveredwith a thin bluish skin, the result of sur-face melting while traveling through ouratmosphere.

Only about one-sixteenth inch, or less,of depth of the surface of a meteor ismolten at any time during its flight, andas this burns and vaporizes, more of thebulk is melted. With this process, it isnecessary that the piece be originally very-large if it is to become a meteorite. Smallones simply burn away into ash.

Metallic, or iron meteorites as they areusually called, do not alter greatly exceptto take on a thin coat of rust. They arecomposed almost entirely of iron, plus avariable amount of nickel. Other mineralshave been found in them, including dia-monds, and a unique mineral called mois-sonite. Moissonite has not been found asan earth mineral, but has been manufac-tured as a furnace product -we know itas silicon carbide, and it is extensivelyused as an abrasive for cutting gems andmany other things.

Some of the diamonds found in meteor-ites have been large enough that theymight be cut into gems, but are alwaysopaque. A few very small clear ones havebeen found.

Where do meteorites some from ? Manypeople have thought that they came fromthe moon because of its closeness. Manyscientists eagerly awaited the first moonlandings, expecting to find answers tomany questions. Moon rocks have beenfound to be very different from knownmeteorites, and also very different frommost rocks on earth. Now there is seriousdoubt about any meteorites coming fromthe moon, and evidently bodies furtherout in space are the origin.

Pondering the origin of meteorites canbe interesting, but, on the other hand, wehave some very interesting meteorites toponder. Perhaps it is with tongue in cheekthat we call some rocks meteorites but

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there seems to be no other category toplace them in. These we call tektites. Gen-erally they are glassy, much resemblingthe volcanic glass we call obsidian. Mostare dark, usually black, some are lightercolors, and one locality produces a trans-parent green. All have a superficially sim-ilar look; a rounded, button-like, or dropshape with a deeply pitted surface. Intern-ally, too, they are nearly identical, havinga swirled appearance, and usually contain-ing bubbles. There seems to be little doubtthat these moved through our atmosphere,but no one has been able to really proveor disprove this thought.

The best and first known locality is inCzechoslovakia, near the Moldau River.They have thus been given the name,moldavites. They are a bright green todark green, transparent to nearly opaque,about the size of a walnut and larger, andare totally unlike any rocks anywhere inthe vicinity. At first they were thoughtto be slag from an ancient glass factory,until nearly identical material was foundin other parts of :he world, far from cen-ters of any type of civilizations. The trans-parent moldavites have been cut ino life-less, but interesting gems for collectors.

Tektites are found in a large area inthe Pacific Ocean -embracing the Philip-pine Islands, the Java Sea, Indo-China,and Australia. They have been given localnames, such as Australites, from Austral-ia, and Billitonites, from Billiton Islandin the Java Sea There are other areasalso, such as Africa and South America.

A new thought concerning tektitesgives a new twist to the "out-of-space"thinking. Each area where tektites arefound is roughly circular, from a fewmiles to many hundreds of miles across.The theory offers the idea of a large me-teorite falling in about the center of thearea. The impact would have greatly heat-ed the surrounding rocks, melting them.At the same time, this molten material

was splashed far out into space. Whenthey fell back, the)' now behaved like anyother object moving through our atmos-phere. This would explain the tektitesbeing found in relatively small areas, andthat only one type appears in one area.Now we have the possibility of earthrocks being flung into space, and comingback in a different form. At present theyhave not been ruled out of the meteoriteclass, and probably will not.

A material whose origin is not readilyexplainable quickly assumes an aura ofmystery, and takes on lore far beyond itsimportance. The Billitonites, especially,have been cut into gems. These go by thenames of Agni-mani, Agni-gemma or firepearl. The prefix agni is from the ancientSanskrit language and means fire. Themani is of uncertain origin, but is claimedto mean fabulous jewel. The suffixgemma is evidently from the Latin mean-ing bud. Thus the names can mean any-thing from fire bud to fire gem, or what-ever the imagination desires. A few yearsago these gems were sold with the infer-ence they would protect the wearer fromharm and give him great powers and wis-dom, generally increasing his good for-tune.

According to articles appearing in vari-ous periodicals, the gem was owned andworn by rulers in Europe and the Orient,and even great army generals were listed.Investigations into the source and availa-bility of the gem soon showed an uncertainsource, and that they were sold by onlyone individual. Obviously a clever pieceof merchandising! Reports of good for-tune of the owners did not quickly flowin, and the fad soon died.

Today, all of the civilized world iswatching the flights into space, and allthat they will tell us about the universe.If we will look under our feet, and canrecognize what we see, some of the storyis there. •

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• BOOKS - MAGAZINESOUT-OF-PRINT books nt lowest prices! You

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"GEMS & AAINERALS,' the monthly guide togems, minerals, and rock hobby fun. $4.50year. Sample 25c. Ce-is & Minerals, Mentone,Calif. 92359.

'OVERLOOKED FORTUNES' ir minerals and gemstones; here are a few of the 300 or moreyou may be overlook ng: uranium, vanadium,tin, tungsten, columbium, tantalum, nickel,cobalt, gold, silver, platinum, iridium, beryl-lium, emeralds, etc. .Seme worth $1 to $2 apound, others $25 to $500 per ounce; anemerald the size o"r your thumb may beworth $1000 or more; learn how to find,identify and cash in on them. New simplesystem. Send for free copy "Overlooked For-tunes in Minerals,'1 it may lead to knowledgewhich may make ^ou rich! Duke's ResearchLaboratory, Box 666-B, Truth or ConsequencesNew Mexico 87901 .

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APACHE INDIAN ARROWHEADS: Perfect, authen-tic, [reservation-made), rare, agate, jasper,obsidian, flint, 4—$1.00; 25—$5.00. Epanco,DD1239, Apache Junction, Arizona 85220.

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SPECIAL RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS: "The Road-map to California's Lost Mines and BuriedTreasures," 127 stories, best hunting clues,25x36 inches, folded or rolled, $4.00. "TheRoadmap to California's Pioneer Towns, GhostTowns and Mining Camps, 430 old sites, pres-ent towns, etc. Special index. 25x36 inches,folded or rolled, $2.95. "The Oregon Trail"The trails used in 1810/1860, from KansasCity to the Pacific Northwest, 17x32 inches,rolled, $1.50. Californians add 5 % tax. VarnaEnterprises, Dept. A, P.O. Box 2216, Van Nuys,California 91404.

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paradise, Bloomington Country Club lots, Ko-lob lots, ranches, farms, commercial, mobilehome lots. Frank Pierce, Realty. Licensed Brok-er Utah and California. P.O. Box 12, St.George, Utah 84770, 310 East Tabernacle St.,(801| 673-5000.

GOVERNMENT LAND!;—Low as $1.25 acrelAvailable for recreation, investment or home-steading. For latest report, send $1.00. West-ern Lands, Box 1.555-DM, Tacoma, Wash.98401.

GOVERNMENT LANDS . . . low as $1.00 acre!Million acres! For exclusive "GovernmentLand Buyer's Guide plus "Land OpportunityReview" listing lands available throughoutU.S., send $1.00. Satisfaction guaranteed.United Lands, Box l°107-'RH, Washington,D.C. 20036.

TRAVEL

C BAR H GUEST RANCH. American plan, threemeals, room, horseback riding, swimming,riflery, shuffleboard, horseshoes, ping pong,darts, archery, etc. Hayrides. Twenty-sevenmiles east of Victorville on Highway 1 8. Ralphand Rita Chamney, P.O. Box 307, LucerneValley, Calif. 92356 (714) 248-7666.

DEATH VALLEY and Desert Areas ~'Jeep" Photo-See Tours, 4225 Paseo de las Tortugas, Tor-ranee, Calif. 90505. Paul H. Thompson, Photo-grapher-Guide.

• TREASURE FINDERS

SAVE DOLLARS! Build seven-transistor metal de-tector. Plans, parts list, over 20 pages of stepby step instructiors, detector and treasuretips with order. Send $2.00 or write. Mail Or-der Electronics, Box 1133D, Merritt Island, Fla.32952.

FIND BURIED TREASURE with revolutionarypatented, analytical metal defector. Featurespush button and automatic tuning, negligibleground pickup, greatest range. Free catalogue.Gardiner Electronics Co., Dept. 5 1 , 4729 N.7th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85013.

POWERFUL METROTECH Io«ito7s~de7ect gold, »il-ver, coins, relics. Moneyback guarantee. Termsfree information. Underground Explorations,Dept. 3A, Box 793, Menlo Park, Calif. 94025.

FREE 128 page catalog on detectors, books andmaps. General Electronic Detection Co., 16238Lakewood Blvd., Bellfiower, Calif 90706.

METAL LOCATORS: White's, Goldak, Detectron,Metrotech, Precision, Excelsior, Fisher. Freecatalog. Aurora Prospector Supply, 6286Beach Blvd., Buena Park, Calif. 90620 (714)521-6321,

NEW BREED OF METAL LOCATORS. Transistor-ized, lightweight construction. Money backguarantee. Free li'erarure. Roth Industries,Box 90993, Dept. 16, Los Angeles, California90009.

TREASURE-METAL and mineral locators. Free 24page booklet. GeoFinder Co., Box 37, Lake-wood, Calif. ^

GOLD, S I L V E R . ' T E L I C S F Located with powerfulDetectron Metal Deitectors. Free information.Detectron, Dept. D-8, Box 243, San Gabriel

Calif. 91778.

WILL YOU GAMBLE $4.00 to save $200? Buildone or several detectors from our 20-pagebook "Build Transistor Treasure Detectors."Easily followed instructions. $4.00. Trionics,Box 164, Brewer, Maine 04412.

FREE—VALUABLE TREASURE FINDER catalog sentby return mail. Find coins, rings, gold, silver,metals, relics. Write today. Jetco, Dept. CD,Box 26669, El Paso, Texas 79926.

PROSPECTORS —TREASURE HUNTERS! Join theProspectors' Club of Southern California. Fieldtrips, family fun. Send for free copy of Clubpublication, "Treasure News", to Box 907D,Bellfiower, Calif. 90706.

GOLDAK Treasure Locators—Pleasure and profitin a hobby you'll enjoy. Find coins, relics,gold, silver. Charge on Bankamericard. Gol-dak, Dept. DM, 1101-A Airway, Glendale,California 91201.

FISHERTETECTORsT'YoiTdeserv^"thlTbest! Freeliterature, FRL Dept. DM8 P. O. Box 490,Belmont, Calif. 94002.

NATURE'S DIET: Live longer, feel healthier andstronger. These are just some of the benefits tobe found in natural foods. This book providesthe vital facts concerning food pollution, meal-planning, macro-biotic diets and value-wiseshopping. Send $1.95 for Natural Food Book# 1 8 0 . Walker Enterprises, 817 N. 4th St.,Phoenix, Arizona 85C104.

MINI SOCIAL SECURITY: Get a permanent re-production of your social security card, whichmay be easily attached to your key chain.Highly practical, this wafer-thin aluminumcard is attractivley colored in red, white andblue. Card will be personalized with yourname and social security number. Send $1.00for Mini Social Security. Walker Enterprises,817 N. 4th St., Phoenix, Arizona 85004.

• MISCELLANEOUSGIANT TEN-FOOT BALLOON: These huge surplus

weather balloons are great for beach, pool,or backyard. Inflate with air pump, vacuumcleaner or helium. Launch your own flyingsaucer and create a sensation in your neigh-borhood. Send $2.98 for giant balloon # 5 8 2 .Walker Enterprises, 817 N. 4th St., Phoenix,Arizona 85004.

OIL PAINTING—KNIFE, BRUSH. For beginners orAdvanced. Degrees granted. Guide book withminiature, full color to enlarge for lessons bymail. Roy Keister College, 19 Washington St.,Santa Clara, California 95050.

GUMMED NAME AND address labels: 1000—$1, 3000—$2.25. Two week delivery. C.Friday, 4705 Adam Road, Santa Susana,Calif. 93063.

FOR NEW JOB openings in Los Angeles, Califor-nia, write Mary's Work Shop. Send $2.00 forinformation. Mary Green, 1259 N. El Molino,Pasadena, California 91104.

CAMERA OWNERS! Capitalize on your vacation-holiday photos, slides. Report tells How,Where. Only $1.00. Handy Stephen, Box20383, Los Angeles, Calif. 90006.

Preserve Your IssuesFor Travel Guides and

^ ^ ^ Reference in a

BINDEROnly $3.50

Each library-style brown vinylbinder holds 12 issues of DesertMagazine. An ideal gift for friendswho constantly refer to Desert asa source of information on all ofthe West.

BE SURE TO STATE WHAT YEAR YOU WANTPRINTED IN GOLD ON THE BINDER

'7t*A*hT SUBSCRIPTION FORM 8 72£ ^ f f £ 9 # A » ^ M . PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260

• ENTER A NEW SUBSCRIPTION • RENEW MY PRESENT SUBSCRIPTION

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• SEND GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO:

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One Year $5.00 Two Years $9.50 Three Years $13.00(Or 2 One Years) (Or Three One Years)

• PAYMENT ENCLOSED • BILL ME LATER

• ALSO SEND DESERT'S 12-ISSUE HANDSOME BROWN VINYL BINDER FOR $3.50

(includes tax and postage)

Date Binder(s) wi th Year(s) D Undated

Portable Propane CampstoveAn indoor outdoor two-burnercampstove that cooks and operateslike a home gas range is now on themarket. The new unit is equippedwith two non clog 6,000 BTU burn-ers that cook with a blue flame andare recessed to prevent flame distor-tion, the cooking areas can easilyhandle two 12-inch frying pans.Stove has a three-sided windshieldfor wind protection which can beeasily removed when cooking in-side. Unit folds into compact carry-ing case. Designed to operate onlow pressure (11 inches) L.P. gas,the stove also can be connected to alarge 20-pound propane tank. Pric-ed at $29.95 and available at deal-ers.For more information write to Paul-in Products, Dept. DM, 30520Lakeland Blvd., Willowick, Ohio44094.

Trail Bike Travel TrailerA self-contained travel trailer speci-fically designed to legally transportfive trail bikes while it comfortablyshelters up to nine people is nowbeing manufactured by JourneymanTrailers of Downey, Calif. Called"The Smuggler" it is fully equippedand is offered in a choice of eightmodels ranging from 14 to 20feet. En route co your destination,a section of Ozite-carpeted floorunfolds to create a hardwood stag-ing area in the trailer for threebikes. A five-foot hitch tongue car-ries anoher vehicle across the trailerfront while a rear bumper turnsover to carry the fifth bike astern.For information write to Journey-man Trailers, Dept. DM, 12400Benedict Avc, Downey, CA 90242.

DesertChopperNewandinterestingproductsItems appearing in this columnare not paid advertisements

ULTRAVIOLET

GUIDE

Ultraviolet Guide to MineralsThis authoritative book, reprintedfour times since first published inI960 and out-of-print for more thana year, is once again availablethrough Ultra-Violet Products, Inc.,a leading California company in thefield of mineral identification andsuppliers of equipment for mineralprospectors and rockhounds. The"most complete book on fluorescentminerals," it has 244 pages with 60four-color photographs and is forboth professionals and hobbyists.Written by Serling Gleason, it con-tains seven Field IdentificationCharts covering the common fluor-escent minerals found on fieldtrips, including the principal fluor-escent ores and some gem and semi-preciius stones. Sells for $5.95.Write to Ultra-Violet Products, Inc.,Dept. DM, 5114 Walnut GroveAve., San Gabriel, Calif. 91778.

Console SeatA new console seat which fits mostfour-wheel-drive vehicles and manypickups has been developed to in-crease the front seating capacity ofthe vehicles. Constructed of vinylNaugahydc and foam rubber up-holstery mounted on a sturdy steelbox, it is installed between bucketseats. When not being used as anextra seat, the back folds down foran arm rest. The seat also unlocksfor large storage space in steel box.Colors available to match individualseat upholstery. Priced at $59-95.For additional information write toGeneral Technology of Arizona,Dept. DM, Box 1134, Scottsdale,Arizona 85252.

Illii'lik 'VI!

TIRES 8. WHEELSUNIQUi

OFF-ROAD S CAMPING EQUIPMENT11% OF OfiDEBS SHIPPED W I T H I N 24 HOURS

New Free Cepek CatalogDick Cepek's 1972 off-road andcamping equipment catalog is justoff the press and contains hundredsof new items not listed in his pre-

vious catalogs. Dick started his pres-ent business more than 10 years agowhen, after buying his first 4WD,he decided the manufacturers werenot putting the right kind of tireson desert-type vehicles. He startedselling "flotation" tires and todayhis large company offers a completeline of "distinctive products for theautomotive sportsman."Write to Dick Cepek, Dept. DM,9201 California Ave., South Gate,Calif. 90280 and include your zipcode.

42

Letters

EditorLetters requesting answers must includestamped self-addressed envelope.

Animal Tracks .Please renew our

year . T h e f i e ld t r i p s^real and we gel to ifrom Hava.su. We cafor future reference Iwi 11 have more time.

K. L. Boynton's nnWe often gel side-whi le rockhounding.sibly draw the fool pcases of Ii/.ards andmake and include ll

NORM

Edilor'.\ Sole: Si r.gcsled th&t tinnnal h\t d wih Mr. Bo1) ntonelude \ial) marking*production ciin be itc

subscription for anotherif Mary Frances Strong arei) to the places not too farefully save all past issuesM irips we plan when we

rnal articles are also great.racked by animal tracks( ould Mr. Boynton pos-ints (or body markings in.snakes) that the animalsem in his articles?•\N & BEA MIDGLEY.

Like Haviisu. Arizona.veil other rattlers have SUg-ck r or markings be includ-r irticles. We plan to hi-ts soon as the technical re-' mplished.

Desert Dweller Speaks .. .In the letter by \>

'72 issue he statedwheel-drive vehiclesert. Yes. thai is triuSalton City are nowend.

This gentleman slithe wind storms ocmade there is alwaysdescends upon our tirun and two 100-raihelped to prompt h!igel a petition signetsible residents of theCounty Board of S.trols of t h i s s o n of

T h e 1 i t t e r so apt l\

cause of great complties are wrecked orers walk away Irontype of people conn

illie Worthly in the Junehat there were 660 four-n the Anza-Borrego Dcs-, nd we thai live here in

^ iftcring from thai wcek-

mld come out here whenur. Where that trail wasa great cloud of dust thatwn. This four-wheel-drivele dune buggy races have• residents of this area toby nearly all the respon-

town and present it to thepervisors asking for con-enterprise,described as discard is theairt by many. Many vehi-ail in the desert and own-

hem. More of the same, lont; and shoot holes in

the cars, break all the glass and. last but notleast, set fire to the remainder. This makes itimpossible to remove the remains to the clump.Enclosed are photographs as proof.

The responsible clubs and groups that arctrying to educate the desert traveler will justhave to try harder. There are many existingtrails and some beautiful sights lo be seen herein this part of the desert, but unless some per-sonal restraint is exercised by the ones who goacross country and tear up the terrain, there-will be nothing left but to ask for controls inthis area.

We are drivers of four-wheel-drive vehiclesand are in the desert four or five times a week.We have watched for the past four years thisdesert deteriorate and debris pile up at variousplaces. Wild life has virtually disappeareduntil you can hardly find a kit fox or coyote.Even the lizards and snakes have vanished.The practice of bikes chasing rabbits and foxeshas ceased because there are no more of thesepoor animals to be run over by these humanpredators.

The carrying of firearms for "personal pro-tection" is ridiculous. This practice should bebanned so the irresponsible can no longer shootup signs and kill the few remaining kit foxesand rabbits. If the gunmen are so afraid of theirlives, then they should stay home.

f am not against urban people coming to thedesert. But when you come to the desert, treatit like you owned it and had to keep it up aswe do.

ORVJLLE SMITH,Salton City. California.

Live and Learn . . .I greatly enjoyed the June issue, especially

the "Letters to the Editor" section. The pollu-tion scene bothers me. but 1 just cannot placemy finger on it.

Personally. I found out about pollution yearsago. I always carry a bag for garbage and assum-ed that everyone did that. But on a trip with afriend in 1965 we stopped and had lunch inour car along the highway, after which I toldhim I would take the refuse to the can alongsidethe road and asked him where his was. Hehemmed and hawed and said he didn't have any.

I got out of the car and started toward therefuse can and then remembered my friend hadeaten two hard boiled eggs, a tomato and asandwich, so I looked at his place beside theroad and found he had thrown the refuse out.T picked it up and took it to the refuse can, allthe time wondering about my friend. Of course,he's 76 years old now and he should knowbetter.

Also, you state in your article. "Desert Dig-gings" that the archeologists are comparing ourtravesty with the "Fall and Decline of theRoman Empire." More power to them, but inthe same issue (June '72) in the article. "Mis-sion San Antonio de Padua" the author states"sickness continued to devastate the ranks ofthe natives and by 1830 their population wasonly 681." I just don't have the answer to allthis. I.of us pray there is one.

L. L. PONATH.Hinklev. California.

Bodie Puzzle . . .I am enclosing a photograph which ! took in

the town of Bodie, California. The object isabout 10 feet in diameter and two feet highat the outer edge. The center tapers in and istilled with rocks . . . probably by tourists. Therewere two of these, about 20 feel apart and werelocated near the main area of town. Would youplease tell me what the)' are and what theywere used for?

RONALD S. JOHNSON,Santa Ana. California.

Is It Rainbow? . . .M u s t w r i t e a n d tell you h o w m u c h I en joy

your magazine. Such an improvement sinceyou have Alary Frances Strong and Jerry backwith you again. I have taken your magazinelor many years and read her book ami she hasnever given us a bum steer."

Regarding her article in the lunc 72 issue,1 had an experience with what I thought wasRainbow obsidian. As you know, near MonoLake in California there is a mountain of ob-sidian. I broke off several pieces and sureenough they showed "rainbow" colors. How-ever, after several days, the colors laded ondall that was left was the black color. I hopethis is not so in this case.

As for the article by Stan Jones on fishingLake Powell, it is a beaut! Lets have more ofthem. We have been to the lake, not for hsh-mg, but it is a must lor everyone.

By the way. I called on Harry Oliver not toolong ago and he was in fine spirits. It is goodlo know that his old home "Fort Oliver" hasbeen restored.

EDWARD 1.. OATMAN,Calimesa. California.

Editor's Note: Relative l<> the obsidian, MaryFrances Strong sctys \he is not aware that "Rattt-bow" type obsidian it found in the obsidian de-posits around Mono Lake. However, being agood geologist and always wanting lo investi-gate lips from reader*, she would like lo seethe specimen. If Reader Oatman will send apiece lo Desert Magazine, she will put itthrough the let/ ami report her findings.

Can ' t Win Them A l l . . .Thanks for sending the book Cooking and

Camping on the Desert so quickly. We enjoyedall of |ack Pepper's advice. I was nearly bittenby a small rattler April 1st at Opal Mountain.Needless to say. between that and the pot ofbeans 1 had cooked in my new Dutch oven, weall almost made it to the moon before ourastronauts did. My husband also burnt my firstsourdough biscuits! But my stew and beanswere great!

MILDRED HARLOW.Norwalk California.

43

THE BETTER BREEDDESIGNED AND BUILT ESPECIALLY FOR TREASURE FINDING

The history of D-Tex started in 1959 with a continuous record of Increased production and im-proved detectors each year since.

We designed and built the first solid state all transistor, B.F.O. Detector of conventional design tobe available to the public. By 1963 we had international distribution with D-Tex being shipped worldwide.

To celebrate, our 14th successful year, we have introduced, by far, our best and, most universal de-tector yet, with higher sensitivity, better range and our new no-drift computerized circuits.

Bill Mohan with his all new for 72 D-Tex ProfessionalD-Tex is by far the most widely known and most highly regarded of the many firms offering trea-

sure hunting equipment. Tins is proven by the many world wide professional treasure hunters onsix continents who regard D-Tex as the key to their success.

When you want to know which detector keeps operating, and under all conditions, from the arctic tothe tropics, ask the guys in the boondocks, the unanimous choice . . . D-Tex . . . all the way.

This year our all new for 72, with our all new computerized — no drift — gold precision handcrafted circuits. Our completely new feather-weight, high "Q" coils, new soft rubber hand grip fortireless use, plus our all American made parts and our unmatched lifetime, unconditional guarantee,is without doubt "The Better Breed".

Every D-Tex is built of the best of precision American made components — and skill — and time— and patience — and pride — with its big performance advantages.

PROUDLY BUILT PROUDLY OWNEDD-TEX IS FOR THE SERIOUS TREASURE HUNTER

For Full Information and Free Illustrated 1972 Catalog Plus True Treasure Finding Stories Write Today

P.O. B0X451K D-TEX ELECTRONICS Garland, Texas 75040614 EASY ST. - PH. 272-2622