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COMING IN DESERT FOR 1985 AND BEYOND A PREVIEW

Many of our readers have asked what subjects we will be covering in upcoming issues. Here is a partial list of them.

DESERT visits the ARIZONA NORTHERN MINE, Dick Wick Hall's Glory Hole

SWANSEA, Ghost Town of the Buckskin Mountains

Recreation Unlimited: California's Owens Valley

Colorado River Subjects: Camping along and on the River, Lake Havasu City, Yuma, Glen Canyon, Steamboatingalong the Colorado, Gold is Where you find it, Boulder Dam's 50th Birthday

Ghost Towns: San Bernardino County Ludlow, ProvidenceRiverside County Gold Park, "New" Dale, Eagle MountainInyo County Cerro Gordo, Coso CountyArizona Silver King, Winchester, Humboldt, The BradshawsUtah Silver Reef, IrontownNevada Rhyolite, The Yellow Pine Mining District, PiocheNew Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, and the Mother Lode in Process

Creatures and Critters: HummingbirdsThe Desert TortoiseTrap Door SpidersSnakes Alive

Lost Mines and Buried Treasure Stories: The Lost Rhodes MinesQuartz Crystal Hill Lost MineThe Silenta Senora MineThe Lost Horse Mine Hoard

Exploring Ghost Railroads of the West: The Virginia & Truckee RailroadCarson and Colorado RailroadThe Yellow Pine RailroadPioche and BullionvilleArizona and Swansea

Desert Personalities, explorers, and pioneers: Wellwood MurrayAlfred DotenJacob HamlinWilliam H. Prescott

Of Plants, Trees, and Growing Things: The Mesquite TreePalo Verde TreesFishhook CactusChollaThe Joshua Tree

Of Parks and Places : Anza BorregoLehman CavesZion National ParkCoral Pink Sand DunesLaws MuseumMesa VerdePetrified ForestValley of Fire

Of Mines, Miners, and Rocks: GarnetsCopper Mining in ArizonaApache TearsAzuriteGold Mining on the Mother Lode

D. W. GRANTHAM, Editor

M. BANDINI, Nevada Editor

P. RICHARDS, Circulation

L. GARNETT, Advertising

N. LONG, Secretary

VOLUME 49, No. 1January - February 1985ISSN 0194 - 3405

C O N E N T SBARREL CACTUS IN DEATH VALLEY

COMING IN DESERT FOR 1985 AND BEYOND

WONDERS OF DEATH VALLEYIN AND AROUND UTAH'S DIXIEDESERT VISITS WHITEWATER

MOUNTAIN 0' TOPAZTHE CHUCKWALLA

AN INTRODUCTION TO EXPLORINGGHOST RAILROADS

THE LOST DUTCHMAN REVISITED

iOST TOWNS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY-PART I - "OLD" IVANPAH

FRONT COVER

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Chuck Gebhardt

Desert StaffChuck Gebhardt

DW Grantham & Paul Richards

DW Grantham

Desert StaffB. Crampton

DW GranthamDr. David Redd

Michael Bandini

DICK WICK HALL

BOOKS FOR DESERT READERSEDITOR'S LETTER

DUMP AT THE ARIZONA NORTHERN MINE

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Karen DavisThe Desert Bookstore

DW Grantham

DW Grantham

DESERT MAGAZINE (USPS 535230) is published every other month. Secondclass postage paid at Joshua Tree, California 92252. Offices arelocated at 6373 Elwood, Joshua Tree, California. Telephoen (619)366-3344. Please address all mail to Post Office Box 1318, PalmDesert, California 92261. Subscription rates: $15.00 USA, $18.00foreign, per year. See subscription form in this issue on page 42.POSTMASTER: Send change of address by Form 3579 to DESERT MAGAZINE,P. O. Box 1318, Palm Desert, California 92261. Copyright 1985 byDESERT MAGAZINE. All rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced in any manner without securing written permissionfrom the publisher. CONTRIBUTIONS: The editor welcomes unsolicitedmanuscripts and photographs but they can be returned ONLY if accom-panied by a fully postage paid return envelope. While we treatsubmissions with loving care, we do not assume responsibility forloss or damage. Please have a nice day.

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WONDERS OF DEATH VALLEY

by Chuck Gebhardt

Along the scale of human emotions,anticipation can be the most descriptivecharacteristic of one's feeling whenplanning a visit to Death ValleyNational Monument. A visitor maytravel up and down the same roadsfrom season to season through theMonument, yet view different landscapeeach and every time. That changingscene may be brought about by thetime of day, the cloud cover, or eventhe amount of rainfall during severalmonths preceding the planned visit.

For example, an unstable cliff faceof sandstone may have finally givenway to the elements and left exposeda new facade of colors never thoughtto exist behind the otherwise blandwalls. A new wash might have beenformed due to the previous summer'srain, or a once familiar wash will haveappeared to alter direction or size.These changes are in a continum asNature rules over the weather,geology,and the plants. The extremes of theValley's climate contribute greatly tothese changes; some subtle and someobvious. Assisting Nature in the nearconstant alteration of the DeathValley scene is Man. Man's influencecan be detected in one instance by aslight extension of the back countrytrails. More commonly, in the litter

that is randomly discarded at popularsites and the more sacred hidden can-yons.

Knowledge of these changes,whether man-made or natural, is oflittle consequence to the visitor un-less they can be experienced firsthand. Escaping the blacktop worldshould be the goal of every visitor.Regardless of your age, sex or size,take advantage of the many oppor-tunities to accompany a ParkNaturalist on a brief explorationof an historical site, a naturalphenomena, or a colorful panorama.Then, and only then, you willwitness

the first rays of the morningsun as they wash the western sideof the Panamint Mountains withstrong tones of pink and red. Youare standing ankle deep in saltand mud staring out over theBorax Haystacks. The many poolsof brackish water clearly reflectthese historic mounds of mud,once piles of borax scraped togetherby Chinese laborers for $1.25 a day.

Beneath your feet, the unseen SaltCreek quietly flows undergroundfor another 30 miles south. Theabsence of plant and animal life isunnoticed as you absorb the chang-ing character of the mountains in-tensified by the sun's rising.

the salt pinnacles at theDevil's Golf Course as they beginto glisten and sparkle like a fieldof grotesquely-shaped diamonds.Silence is gently nudged by thesunrise symphony of the saltcrystals - faintly at first light -but clearer and more definitive asthe sun's gradual rising sendswarmer rays for the crystals toabsorb. As you bend down tolisten more intensely, a flash ofcolor suddenly strikes your eyes.There, a few feet to your right,is a sparkling salt cone of almostperfect dimensions, Here amidthe jagged rubble of salt andmud pinnacles lies a hollow anddelicate dome of salt crystalssome eight inches high. Accumu-lations of salt in the mud, blist-ered by rising water, crystallizeto form domes or cones asmoisture evaporates.

a rainbow of color dancingacross the Salt Creek Hills as thesun reflects its beauty off thesurface of the moving waters ofSalt Creek, Migratory waterfowlnoisely escape the surface of thegreat pools at the sound of yourfootsteps. A faint, narrow trailthrough the pickleweed can leadyou to a cliffs edge and in sightof the only below-sea-levelwaterfall in the United States.South and downstream, pupfishswim rapidly by the woodenboardwalk exchanging glanceswith curious visitors. The inch-long, Ice Age fish are an endang-ered species, and the boardwalk

confines foot traffic to prevent cuttingtributary streams in the main creek.

the prominent spike of ManlyBeacon rising above a still-darkenedBadlands much like a golden fingerpointing up at the softly coloredmorning clouds, now dressed inpastel shades. Below Zabriskie Point,a coyote is seen loping through theshadows of the cuts and washes ofthe Badlands. To the south of ManlyBeacon, the foothills of the Black

Mountains appear like marble ice-cream as the sky lightens. Theeast side of Red Cathedral hasjustified its naming as the mount-ain walls turn a brilliant red andits sculptured surface accented bythe shadows.

the desolation, replaced withbeauty, as the sand dunes spreadtheir shadows across Mesquite Flat,the origin of the dune material.Watching closer, you see the con-tour of the dunes appear to alterand exaggerate with each fivedegree rise of the sun. Walkingthrough the neighboring field ofarrowweed shocks, you noticethe lengthy shadows cast by theshocks creep towards the dunes.The east side of the arrowweed isnow becoming drenched in a pinklight. At your feet, the changingterrain continues to offer surprisesto the unwary. The solid andsmooth looking surface suddenlybreaks like a pie crest thrustingyour foot into the soft sandunderneath. Further on, the dried,sunbaked surface crackles under-foot with the sound of breakingchina.

Inevitably, the morning mustmove on to be replaced by theharsh light of midday. At that timeof day, there is little of real beautyexcept for remote canyons andmountain retreats where such time-less beauty is enjoyed by the de-dicated lovers of Death Valley.This can be the time to enjoy theindoor wonders of Death Valley.The Borax Museum, with itsfantastic mineral and gem collec-tions, is indoors at Furnace CreekRanch. Taste the history of thearea by a visit outside behind thisMuseum. A variety of machineryand vehicles from the mining dayspast will bring you in touch withyesterday.

One-half mile north of FurnaceCreek Ranch is the Death ValleyMuseum and the National ParkService Headquarters. A slow tourof the displays in the museum canprovide a comprehensive view ofthe basic historical, geological, andnatural phenomena for which DeathValley is famous. See the formationof the lakes, the making of the saltpan, the growth of salt crystals, and

the abundance of wild things thatlive and survive in this less thanhospitable environment. Stay a bitand take in an interpretive talk ortwo - hear about Death Valley'sweather, animals, plants, or how theShoshone Indians made baskets andprepared their food.

As midday gives in to late afternoontone can seek the wonders of colors inthe eastern Valley bejeweled by thered light of the waning sun. Stand atArtist's Palette and gaze out over themulti-colored hills which look muchlike the crash site of a rainbow. Walkout onto the hills and touch thecolors. Wonder about the miracle ofchemistry that transforms trace min-erals into a veritable kaleidoscopewith the help of heat and moisture.Leave here and venture up GoldenCanyon to the base of Red Cathedral.The western face of that toweringstructure is now a fire red lighting upthe boulders strewn at its feet. In-vestigate the many side canyons andwashes to discover golden, upliftedland that seems to defy the rules ofNature.

The brightness of day is soon tobe at an end. Quickly, now, positionyourself about one mile up GrottoCanyon road for the finale. Fourhundred feet below you to thenorth stretches the sand dunes andall of Mesquite Flat. At thisopposite end of the day, the dunesagain appear to be altering theirshape and direction as the sun re-cedes. A wierd shadow is beginningto form along the eastern slip faceof the largest dune. Watch intentlyas the shadow reaches its height offantasy—an outline of Pinocchiowith the unmistakable nose!

Nature's greatest gift to DeathValley must be seen in the briefestof periods during March and April.Time of day and sun's position isof less, importance when flower-waiching. The various elements ofweather, combined in the propermix at the proper seasonal time,can result in a prolific display ofblooms through the Valley.Commonly, the alluvial fansspreading out onto the Valleyfloor turn into entire slopes ofbright yellow. The Desert Gold,Evening Primrose, and Goldpoppycontribute to this coloring. Along-

side the roadways can be foundpurple Phacelia and Purplemat, andthe odd structures of the TrumpetPlant with its swollen stems. Onoccasion, one may sight the onlyorange-colored plant in DeathValley - the Globemallow.

A five-mile walk over andthrough what I call "Kit FoxCanyon" can be a botanist'sdelight in a good year. The rockystretch out to an old historicroad is littered with bloomingBeavertail cactus whose flowersrange from pink to deep magenta.Sharp eyes may pick out abloom or two on the GoldenCholla - a waxy-looking, palegreen flower which blends wellwith the plant color. Underfootat all times is the miniature DesertStar, a mini-Sunflower about thesize of Lincoln's head on aLincoln head penny.

Dropping down into the first washof this canyon, a small, white flowercan be seen ahead virtually floatingon air. This is the flower of theTobaccoweed known as Gravel Ghostwhich perches atop a slim tall stemof some 18-20 inches in height. Ona slight slope of the canyon wall, apatch of bright green topped with anoff-white flower can be glimpsed.Reaching the plant, one may be dis-appointed by the closed petals whichprevent viewing its internal beauty.By gently blowing into the flower,a momentary opening is createdthrough which startled eyes maygaze at the pinkish inner petals andtheir tiny bases of crimson red.This is the Desert Fivespot, one ofthe most beautiful flowering plantsof Death Valley and, in harsh years,one of the most difficult to find.

These are but a few of thewonders of Death Valley. Thereis much more here to fill everyhour of today while tomorrowstands by awaiting your presence

the origin of the Greenwaterpetroglyphs, the mystery of themoving rocks of Racetrack Valley,and the hidden identify of thosebeneath the many, unmarkedgravesites these are yet to beexplored. Rise early to follow thesun; see, touch, smell, and heareverything within your range, andDeath Valley will be yours forever.

A creosote bush witnesses the dawn, with the moonsetting, over the dunes at Death Valley NationalMonument in California

Light and shade contrast iMonument in California.

' the Mesquite flat dunes of Death Valley National

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IN AND AROUND UTAH'S DIXIE

by P. Richards & D. Grantham

In the Southwest part of Utah liesan area known as Dixie. The namewas coined by early settlers whofound the climate and growingconditions similar to that of the areaof the confederacy known as Dixie.

The climate is mostly dry. In agood year the area will receive teninches of rainfall although the averageis considerably less. Though hot, butnot unbearable in the summer, Utah'sDixie is known for its mild winters.The abundant sunshine and longgrowing season (which once enabledthe Mormon settlers to grow cotton)today make the area a very desirableplace to live or vacation.

Dixie's first settlement was locatedat (Fort) Harmony in 1852 byMormon missionaries and colonists.Among those early colonists wasJohn D. Lee perhaps better known asthe operator of Lee's Ferry on theColorado River in Arizona. Harmonywas developed into an agriculturalcommunity although lack of waterlimited its success. The site today isnot recognizable although identifiedby a sign.

Horse drawn wagon in Santa Clara

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Par t of the duties of themissionaries was the civilizing of theIndian tribes of the area. Toaccomplish this, Jacob Hamblin andseveral other missionaries establisheda small settlement on the banks ofthe Santa Qara River-called FortClara-then Tonaquint Station-andpresently Santa Clara.

The time was December 1854.From this settlement the saintsspread out and numerous smallcommunities were formed-PineValley, Bloomington, Grafton,Toqueville, to name a few. Many ofthese communities retain theirindividual character today.

A visit to Dixie should start at St.George, the present county seat. Forthe historian, a visit to the Museumof the Daughters of Utah Pioneers isa must. Located just behind theChamber of Commerce, this museumhas numerous displays of artifactsand relics of the pioneer days.Admission is free and there is alwayssomeone there to explain theexhibits, answer questions, and tell astory or two about the area.

Across the parking lot is theChamber of Commerce. Here onemay obtain information and literatureabout the area, where to go, what tosee, etc. The building they occupy isan exhibit in itself. For thephotographer, the building takes agood photo. It is the former CountyCourthouse built in the 1870's.

Pe rhaps the be s t way tosuperfically explore Dixie is byautomobile. While in St. George, besure to visit the summer home ofBrigham Young with its periodfurnishings. The most predominentbuilding in the city is the MormonTemple, which rises from the valleyfloor as a bright white jewel.Completed in 1877, this was the firstMormon Temple completed in Utah.There is a visitor center and thegrounds are open to non-Mormons.

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Former Washington County CourthouseNow the Chamber of Commerce

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10One of the many creeks in

Southern Utah

The Mormon Temple in St. George Snow Canyon from on top of the Rim

Brigham Young's Summer Home

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One of the many SandstoneFormations in Dixie

To the immediate east of St. Georgeis the town of Washington. Located atthe western edge of this community isthe remains of the Pioneer Cotton Mills.As early as 1851, cotton was raised inNorthern Utah. In 1855, it was culti-vated on a small scale at Santa Clara,some 9 miles west. The planting ofcotton was in response to orders fromBrigham Young who wished his colon-ists and colonies to be self-sufficient.

The nearby communities has 140acres under cultivation and the result-ing product was said to "be equal inevery way to that grown in Tennessee."The first extensive manufacture ofcotton cloth was begun in 1865 whena cooperative cotton factory was es-tablished in Washington, (see picture)Machinery was freighted from theMissouri River, more than 1,300 milesaway. Shortly after the opening ofthe factory, equipment to manufacturewoolen cloth was also acquired andinstalled. Large flocks of sheep wereraised locally to supply the mill.

The cotton industry flourished fora time, partly due to Civil War inter-ference with planters in the south.Part of the raw product went toCalifornia and some was freighted toNew York where it sold as high as$1.90 per pound. After the Civil War,the cotton industry revived in thesouth and the industry in Utah wasabandoned.

Pioneer Cotton Mill Building Roadside creek in Southern Utah

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Jacob Hamblin's home at Santa Clara

Traveling west from St. George toSanta Clara, one may visit the JacobHamblin house. Built in 1862, thehouse doubled as living quarters anda place of retreat in case of Indianattack. Tours are conducted throughthe house and admission is free.

Just North of St. George is SnowCanyon State Park, an area ofintricately sculptured, beautifullycoloreed sandstone cliffs, curiousvolcanic formations, Indian rock art,and much more. In the park arepicnic tables, drinking water, and acampground. Near the north end ofSnow Canyon, the road passesbetween 2 (of 3) imposing volcaniccinder cones known as the DiandValley Volcanoes.

Again heading north, we pass theHot Springs at Veyo and head up toCentral. Here we turn east some 7miles to Pine Valley. At an altitudeof 6,600 feet, the valley became aplace of retreat from the summer

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Cliffs behind Springdale, Utah Beehive Kiln at an old Mining Town

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Cemetary, Pine Valley Pine Valley Chapel

Many abandoned homes can be foundaround the outlying area

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heat of the Virgen Valley. PineValley's wooden chapel is one ofUtah's oldest church buildings incontinuous use, having been built in1868 by Ebenezer Bryce, a formershipwright and the person for whomBryce Canyon was named. Nearby isPine Valley Lake, a fishing andc a m p i n g l o c a l e . For t headventuresome, a dirt road leadsnorth to the ghost town of Pinto, butwe do not recommend this routeunless you enjoy the challenge. Thereare easier ways to both Pinto's andOld Irontown.

Returning to Central, we againproceed north about 6 miles to theturnoff (west) to Mountain Meadows.This was a well known stopping placeon the old Spanish and Californiatrails from the 1820's to the 1850's.It is also known as the site of amassacre in 1857. The area is alsorumored to be the location of a veryrich " los t" ledge of silver ore,appearing very dark or black in color,and located where ore would notexpect it to be.

DESERT VISITS WHITEWATER

By D. W. Grantham

Would you believe that there existsan area where wild grape vines grow,trout may be caught, one can picnicunder the shade of many trees, andfrolic in a creek of cold, clear water,all within a few minutes drive ofPalm Springs, California??

Yes, there is such a place. And itis a site frequently visited by manypeople, all seeking recoreation in avariety of forms. The name of thearea is Whitewater. To most travel-lers, Whitewater is but an offrampof Interstate 10 on the way to orfrom Arizona or the southern partof the Coachella Valley. But tothose of us who know, Whitewateris an area of unique attractions.

Most of the visitors to theCoachella Valley visit the standarddestinations: The Palm SpringsTramway, the golf courses, LivingDesert Reserve, date gardens, andsuch. But few have the opportunityto visit Whitewater. The opportuni-ties for recreation are strictly out-door.

There is a brook, several fishingpools, outdoor grills, a shaded pic-nic area, fish hatchery, and a storewith groceries, soft drinks, andpole rentals. The pools containfully stocked schools of trout withstudents eager to "drop out" atthe wiggle of a worm.

Whitewater Trout Ranch is

A group of kids at play in Whitewater Creek.From left, Edward, Donna, and Tina.

located a few miles northwest ofPalm Springs. Take Interstate 10to the Whitewater offramp, thendrive north about five miles onWhitewater Canyon Road. Thereis a road leading to Whitewaterfrom Highway 111, but this ispoorly marked. Once there, youwill find an adequate parking areaand lots of shade. The ranch isopen the year around every dayexcept Monday. The hours vary.Use of the picnic area is reservedfor paying guests. One of thebest things about WhitewaterCanyon in the summer is that it'sat least 10 degrees cooler therethan in the valley.

Would you rather be a big fishin a little pond or a little fish ina big pond?? When referring to theWhitewater Trout Ranch, it makesno difference. In either case, you'dhave to await your turn at the worm,so to speak. The pond population isso dense at times that fishermen, inbaiting their hooks, turn their backsto avoid the ever watchful eyes ofthe fish. It is not sporting to catcha fish in mid-air.

No license is required and you maycook and feast on your fish at thepicnic grounds or take them home.Fresh caught trout are also availablefor purchase, without having to catchthem.

The Whitewater trout ranch producesabout 800,000 trout per year. Theircommercial activity includes the supply-ing of fish to many other trout farms inSouthern California. While enjoying therecreational area, we suggest you strollup to the "working area" north of theparking lot-it will prove interesting.

Here, you will see the rearing facili-ties with trout from the kindergartenstage up through the adult stage. There

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A Water tank along the railroad Wild grapes growing along the road.

are about 20 ponds containing purespring water which is changed con-tinuously, 24 hours per day. The wateris not reused, it is send into the White-water wash and flows downstream.

It would be a good idea to mark theWhitewater Trout Ranch on your calen-dar as a place to go when "Old Sol"starts pointing his finger at the Desertregion in late spring and during thesummer months—you will enjoy thecool shade and quiet outdoor atmos-phere. Whether your interest is in pa-tronizing the fishing pools or just pic-nicing and relaxing, you will find wel-come relief from the heat in this happyhome of finny friends.

Nearer to the freeway is the communi-ty of Whitewater, which consists of apost office, building rock dealer, house,bridge house retreat, and some ruins. Inearlier times, Whitewater was a majorstopping point on the old highway. Itboasted numerous businesses and evenseveral motels. Now it just sits and basksin the sun. At the east side of the town-site is a bridge that crosses over White-

Looking toward the town of Whitewater16

water Creek. For some good fun and re-creation, try visiting the creek. This areais open for visitors and one can sun, playin the water, ride an innertube, or picnic.The water is cold and inviting in thesummer heat.

Whitewater is the site of a long vanish-ed Cahuilla Indian village. It got its namefrom the color of the water—it lookswhite when running fast, due to the sus-pended particles of white sand carried bythe water. South of the highway is thesite of a stage station used by the Bradshawline and others, which saw service from1863 to 1877.

If you happen to visit Whitewater on aweek day, stop in at the Post Office andbuy some stamps. This office is being con-sidered for abandonment and that wouldbe a real loss for the community. Theoffice serves many people in the canyonand surrounding area. Unfortunately, itdoes not sell enough stamps and that isconsidered reason enough to abandon it.The post office is the key to the idenityof a community and the desert has lostenough of that idenity. Help retain thepost office at Whitewater. Buy yourstamps while passing through.

Whitewater Creek as it flows towards itsjunction with Snow Creek

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Whitewater Creek during the summer(Interstate 10 Bridge in the background)

For the electronic prospector ortrain buff, Whitewater holds severalattractions. Traveling south, White-water Canyon Road heads towardsHighway 111 and Palm Springs. Justbefore the junction with highway 111,several railroad tracks must be crossed.Right near here is the former site ofthe Whitewater Train Station, knownvariously as West Palm Springs, orjust the Palm Springs Station (afterthe Garnet Station was abandoned).There were numerous buildings atthis site and the area should be goodfor hunting for bottles, etc. For thosewith metal detectors, it may be toughas there is a ton of junk around thearea. Try around the old station siteitself. If you find anything, let meknow. To the west of the stationsite is one of the few reamining watertanks along the Southern PacificRailroad.

Whitewater is just a one hour drivefrom San Bernardino or Riverside andtwo hours from Los Angeles. Why notconsider a visit to the area. It is atrip I know you will enjoy.

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Mountain ol Topazby the Desert Staff

Smoky Mountain, Grassy TrailSilver City, Gold Hill, PigeonHollow Junction, and La Plata arejust names on a map —but namesthat make weekehd explorerstravel many miles over rough roadsin hopes of finding a faded pagefrom the past and seeing an in-teresting place. Or perhaps dis-covering a sun purpled bottle or apretty piece of rock.

Topaz Mountain is such a nameand when I read it, I felt an urge tosee what the mountain looked like.

Besides, any rock collector will tellyou that topaz is very collectable.The only problem was that I wasreading a map of Utah and that isquite aways from my place on theCalifornia desert. But that remote-ness served to make the trip allthe more interesting.

We drove east from Ely, Nevadaover Highway 50 towards Delta,Utah. After inquiring in Delta andvisiting a cheese factory locatedthere, we were northbound forTopaz Mountain. We drove west

LEGEND

Grai/al Road

Unimproved Of rt Road

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' ' • / / ' " " < • • • , ': Mt.

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out of Delta and turned north onUtah 99. We then turned left on agravel road and headed out a totalof 39 miles from town. Here wereached a junction, with a sign in-forming us that Highway 50 waseither 39 miles south or 50 mileseast at Jerico.

Turning left, west, we proceeded twomiles and then turned right (north). Theroad wound northward over a rough,rocky bench toward a light gray mount-ain that sprawled lazily under thebright blue Utah sky. A large beryllium

deposit is located a few miles to thewest of here. Scattered over the entirearea are claim markers of assortedshapes and sizes, all marking the loca-tion of someone's claim to the under-ground wealth that lies therein.

A little over a mile from the mainroad, the road forked and we turnedleft. Driving about a mile to the west,we reached a sandy wash that drainedthe Topaz Mountain area of its infre-quent rain. Here, the road turned north,followed the wash for about a mile,and stopped under a group of giantjuniper growing at the bottom of adraw. This area had been used as acampground by a good number ofvisitors.

At this campground was a heavypipe containing a book in whichguests are to register. A statementon the first page of the book saidthe Mineralogical Society of Utahand the Wasatch Gem and MineralSociety, both of Salt Lake City,hold four claims that cover thecampground and a nearby sectionof-Topaz Mountain. People are in-vited to look for Topaz on theirclaims and are requested to sign the

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Topaz Mountain rises in the middle of a portion of isolated Utah desert

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book and enter the time they spentlooking for gems.

The hot summer desert sun hasbleached out these stones andcolorless, clear crystals flash likediamonds in the bright sunlight.With luck, a sharp-eyed person can,in a few hours, pick up severalsparkling specimens. Everythingthat shines is not, however, a gemstone and the collector soon dis-covers that most of the flashescome from worthless fragmentsthat litter the ground. You willlearn, too, that many of the com-plete crystals are fractured and areof little value to collectors.

But then a lot of the fun is inthe hunt. As Shorty Harris once said:"It's the game man, the game", mean-ing that he may not have made a lotof money from prospecting, but hehad a lot of fun playing the game.Even fractured specimens will lookattractive in a display case.

Also in the surrounding area arcnumerous ghost towns and a fewmining camps. These sites makegood exploring and are not oftenvisited by tourists. On the way toDelta, just a short drive from Ely,Nevada is the Lehman Caves Park.These caves are worth the visit.They are very photogenic.

Both approaches to TopazMountain are passable throughoutthe year and if your vehicle is ingood condition, you should havelittle difficulty. However, becare fill of loose gravel and watchfor wash-outs after a storm. Thearea is best avoided in wet weather.Travel on both roads is erratic, sotake along extra food and waterwith you because if your car doesbreak down, it might be sometimebefore an other car comes along

The winters at Topaz Mountainaie freezing cold. Summers are hot.But in the Spring and Fall theweather is really good. So, if youwould like to try your hand atgathering topaz crystals and enjoysome scenic country and fiesh air,give Topaz Mountain a try.

A sampling of Topaz crystals collected at the Utah site

THE CHUCKWALLA iiz/*dHe is the second largest lizard in

the United States. His name,CHUCKWALLA, is of Indian origin.The generic name, Sauromalus Obesosmeans "flat lizard." And indeed he isboth a "flat" lizard and a "fat"lizard.

The skin is so loose it hangs infolds over his entire body, front andback. When alarmed at a noise orfrightened by an enemy, this flatbody enables him to squeeze into thenarrowest of crevices in the rocks,and because of the loose elastic skin,he can inflate his body so it isvirtually impossible to pull him out.This inflation can be 50 to 60percent greater than his normal size.

by B. Crampton

A 16 inch long male cane i t h e r d e f l a t e his body tothree-fourths of an inch in thicknessor inflate his body to three inchesthickness, as a protection against hisenemies. If a Chuckwalla is undecidedas to whether danger is hear, heusually sits high on his rock, bodyinflated and very slowly looks overthe surrounding terrain. His scales aresmall, smooth and closely set.

His habitat is in the rocky areas ofthe lower desert regions of SouthernUtah, Southern Nevada, SouthernCalifornia, and the lower part ofArizona. The species is morenumerous in Arizona. His bodyrequires a daily temperature of from80 to 120 degrees, so his habitat issomewhat limited.

Being a cold-blooded animal,Chuckwallas' activities are completelydependent on temperature; he isunable to move around aftertemperatures fall below a certainpoint. In the fall of the year, whenthe daytime temperature begins todrop, the Chuckwalla iseldom seen.He will move slower and slower, untilfinally retreating under the rocks orin a hole in the ground for his winterhibernation.

The Chuckwalla is the last of allthe lizards to emerge from his winterhibernation into the awakening ofSpring. Nature must have intendedthis, for, as almost all other lizardscan live on insects, the Chuckwalla isa complete vegetarian and must waituntil the buds and flowers of the

• ^

A vegetarian the Chuckwalla dines on leaves and berries |

20

*Despite his fierce appearance he is docile and shy

desert come into bloom. He eatsprickly pear, leaves of the creosotebush and encelia bush, and blossomsof all colors, although its favoritefoodseems to be anything with a yellowcolor.

A good part of every day is spentlying on the rocks, sunning andnapping. The territory of a maleChuckwalla includes at least onegood-sized rock, at least four or fivefeet high, and six to eight feet inwidth. This territory is about 20 feetsquare. He will allow very youngChuckwallas in his territory, mostfemales, but never another maturemale. Early morning and lateafternoon seem to be the time foreating, which is a slow, contentedprocess. The nights are spent underthe rocks, sleeping.

With the exception of the GilaMonster, the Chuckwalla is our sendlargest Iguanid lizard, with a fullgrown male usually growing to about18 inches, including the long roundedtail, which is generally equal in length

to the body. Their color is abrownish gray, or lightish gray. As amale grows older, his gray color turnsto a black and he will have yellowand orange spotty dots on his backand stomach. These dots will not betoo noticable when he is cold orfrightened, but warm, contented, andlying on a rock, he presents a verybeautiful coloring.

Their chief weapon of defense istheir fat, blunt tail, which, whenhurled in an enemy's direction, willcause the enemy to think twicebefore attacking again. Their teethare in a single row around the edgesof their jaw, and they use them whenthe occasion arises. They are sharpand the bite from a Chuckwalla feelslike many tiny pin pricks. Their lastmeans of defense, but the methodused most often, is running into acrevice and inflating their bodies tofull expansion-making themselvesquite impossible to be pulled out.Living among the. rocks as they do,crevices and safety are usually withineasy reach of Chuckwalla.

Mating takes place in late May andJune. Eggs are laid in July or Augustin holes in the ground. Hatchingtakes place in late August orSeptember, and the number of eggsto a clutch is from eight to fourteen.The babies are about two inches inlength.

In s p i t e of t h e i r languidappearance, their stubby legs cancarry them with great speed.Watching a Chuckwalla at very closer a n g e , he looks demure andcontented sa any peaceful soul onearth. When frightened by noise orenemy, he has the appearance of avicious monster from a prehistoricage.

But they are not vicious monsters.They are shy, yet friendly andcurious. You caspend hours watchingtheir antics, but, even if you docapture one to study, do not takehim home. . .leave him in his ownnatural habitat for others to enjoy.

When danger threatens the Chuckwalla inflates his body * *Early morning the lizard crawls out of his hole into the sun

21

Exploring Ghost Railroads — An Introduction

By DW Grantham

I must confess that I am a con-firmed ghost town buff. I spendmany hours pouring over old booksand maps, hoping to find a lost orat least forgotten remnant of thepast that has not yet disappearedforever. Over the years, it hassteadily become more and moredifficult to find a site that has notbeen collected or vandalized.

It would not be practical for meto list all the towns and campsthat have totally disappeared overthe last decade or so. Ricardo,Garlock, Providence, Stedman,Lavic, the list just goes on and on.One of my more early and un-pleasant experiences came withexploring Stedman and the Bagdad-

Chase Gold Mine site. Very quickly,over just a period of a year or two,I witnessed the town disappear for-ever into the desert sands througha combination of excessive vanda-lism and reckless methods forcollecting camp relics. One morningwhile approaching the townsite, Inoticed a plume of smoke risingfrom ahead. Upon arrival at Stedman,we found a group of visitors from alarge city who had set the headframeof one of the mineshafts on fire andwere sitting around watching it burn.Their attitude was that of "whocares, it is not being used anyway".

This level of destruction led meto seek other, more inaccessablesites to explore. I developed myidea from walking the abandoned

right of way of the Ludlow South-ern Railroad which connectedStedman with Ludlow. Whilewalking the roadbed, I discoveredmany things one would notnormally be able to see or find.I found where the train was storedand serviced. Spikes and tie plateswere occassionally found stickingout of the sand. And I foundvarious sites that indicated theywere previously occupied bysomeone who preferred to liveclose to the railroad.

Then I started to notice thevarious roads and trails that leddown from the hills to the road-bed. Many had not been used fora long time. Following thesetrails often led to a mine site or

' A Santa Fe Freight Passing Bouse, Arizona

22

A Southern Pacific Train passes thesite of an abandoned station

An Abandoned Railroad right of way.Note that it is narrow

A Santa Fe Railway Baggage Caron display in Scottsdale, Arizona

Example of railroad dike(raised roadbed)

other center of human habitation.I was hooked.

My readings have taught methat there are a multitude of a-bandoned railroads in the South-western United States. Coloradois perhaps the state with themost abandoned lines, but all theother states showed many prom-ising leads.

Consider for a moment the follow-ing abandoned (ghost) railroads andthe areas they served: California:Carson and Colorado, Tecopa RR,Death Valley RR, Tonopah andTidewater, Bodie and Benton.NevadaWirginia & Truckee, NevadaCopper Belt, Dayton, Sutro andGold Hill, Eureka & Palisade, Pioche& Bullionville. Arizona: Arizona &Southern, Arizona & Swansea,Tombstone & Southern, Twin Buttes.The list goes on and on.

So how do you go about findingone of these ghost railroads andfollowing its path? The first stopis at the library. Pick a geographicarea. Then refer to books on 1)The area 2) Railroads 3) Transpor-tation 4) History. If an area wasserved by a vanished railroad, somereference should turn up from thosesubjects. In addition, most stateshave a Railroad Commission orsuch that is charged with the regu-lation of railroads within theirstate. They will have detailed re-cords on the roads.

Now that we have done all ourlibrary homework, we must pre-pare for the field work. First, amap of the route must be acquiredalong with a topographic map androad map. The major points (inter-sections, sidings, stations, etc)should be identified and located onthe topographic map.

Next comes the easy part. Packyour vehicle with the necessaryequipment, pick a date, arrangefor your friends to accompany you,and depart.

Upon arrival at your distination,you might wonder what to do next.

23

The site of an abandoned siding and station.Note the shadow of the removed railson the ties.

Railroad Artifacts in the dirt.Spikes and a Spike plate.

Let's take an example. One of myfavorite non-desert railroads is theSierra Railway in Central California.In December 1983, I wrote aboutthe long abandoned Angeles Branch.Let's look at a typical field trip tothat locale.

Upon arrival in Jamestown, wefind a State Museum and operatingrailroad. But that is the Standardto Oakdale line. The map indicatesthat the line used to split off andhead northward to Angles Camp.After a close examination of thearea, a single track is found thatleads to the north. Obviously notin use, we follow it. It goes be-hind several houses and businessesand deadends. This is what we arelooking for--the point from whichthe tracks have been removed.

From this point to the highway,nothing is visible. Not even an areawhere tracks might have been. Sowe cross the highway and look there.No sign, even at Woods Creek, whichmust have been crossed with a smallbridge. So we proceed north alongRawhide Road, looking for any signof a right-of-way. As we approachthe summit, it suddenly turns rightand goes straight along the side of amesa, which appears to be a lavaflow. Past the former town ofRawhide, and towards Shaws Flat,the roadbed is easily recognizableand in use for autos. Then it turnsleft and heads straight for a ghostmining town, Tuttletown. Here andthere we are able to identify por-tions of the right-of-way and rail-road dike.

After a short visit to the ruinsof Tuttletown, things began to getchallenging. The railbed headednorth by northwest, curving to-wards what is locally called"Jackass Hil l". Back along theroadbed, which we walked, wefound a number of old minesand shafts. Then we got a surprise.The curves going along the mount-ain were so steep that the trainshad to use a series of switchbacks.The train actually had to back uppart of the mountain. Once on

top of the hill, the roadbedcrossed Highway 49, went througha cut, and recrossed the highway.

The roadbed then went alongthe side of a hill and turned east.Here, at one time, it decendedthe mountain and crossed theriver on a bridge. Then it went bythe ghost town of Robinson'sFerry (under water now) andclimbed the hill on the north sideof the river. The portion of theright of way not under water iseasy to follow. Crossing Highway49 again (at a level some 15 feetabove the present highway, therails served the mines of CarsonHill. At this site is a glory holeof very large proportions. Here,too, were several sidings. Theroadbed then went north towardsthe town of Angels Camp wherethe line ended. At Angels Camp,we found the station still in use,but as a private residence.

In summary, by followingthis abandoned branch line, wevisited the ghost towns ofRawhie, Tuttletown, Robinsons,Carson Hill, Melones, Irvine, andthe current town of Angels Campand Jamestown. Along the waywe found many inactive mines,numerous old buildings andformerly occupied sites. Our listof places to revisit with a metaldetector and equipment grewlarge. And we are sure that wedid not find all the interestingplaces. And I know of severalother abandoned stretches of theSierra Railway just waiting to beexplored.

Our finds of the trip wereseveral ceramic type beer bottlesfrom Scotland and some spikes.But we had a great time for twodays and saw some really sceniccountry, laced with large amountsof history. Exploring ghost rail-roads can be great fun and adven-ture. Why not try exploring onein your locale??

The Lest Dutchman Legend

REVISITED

By Dr. David Redd

Of all of the lost mine stories ofthe American Southwest, perhaps thebest known is that of the LostDutchman Mine of the SuperstitionMountains of Central Arizona. Morehas been written on this fabulouslyrich lost mine than one can possiblyread. But let's get one thing straightright now-I do not believe that theLost Dutchman Mine exists, except asa mighty tall tale. Nor do I believethat Jacob Waltz or Walzer ever had arich mine, much less a lost orcarefully hidden one. As always, Iwelcome letters from our readers onthis subject. Maybe someone outthere knows something I don't.

Anyway, through my readings andexplorations, I have come to theconclusion that if any lost mine ortreasure exists in the Superstitions, itis most probably a Peralta discoveryor maybe the lost Apache Gold Mine.I tend to favor the Peralta discovery,but who is to say that the Peralta'sdid not find the Apache Mine or thatthe Apache. Indians mined ana b a n d o n e d Pera l ta location?(Pesh-la-Chi?

One of the most readable, althoughsomewhat "enlivened" accounts ofthe Peralta ventures, appeared someyears ago (1945) in this magazine.The text of that article follows. Inthe next issue, I will explain why Ibelieve the Dutchman never had arich bat hidden mine-anywhere.

L O S T MINES OF THEPERALTAS

Apache thunder gods were first inthe wild Superstitions. They werethere a thousand ages beforeConquistadores called the unknownland Pimeria Alta, before white menhad given a name to that incrediblytwisted maze of somber canyons andjagged, lofty crags which rise abruptlylike a lost world set apart high abovethe Arizona wastelands.

The thunder gods are still there hithe weird immensity of their domainas all ggood Indians will affirm-andmany white men also. But now thereis gold, yellow glittering gold, foundand lost with bleaching bones toguard it, and strange noises in thenightwind. And a pagan curse isabroad on the land-the curse of allmen who have too little and wanttoo much.

The curse and the gold were foundtogether nearly a century ago, theresult of a deliberate treasure hunt.But the gold was lost again. And eventoday men are searching for the eightfabulous bonanzas which were firstworked by the ill-fated Peraltaexpedition from Mexico.

The year was 1846. It was theperiod when Santa Fe as capital of aremote frontier province was thejumping off place for a vast westernt e r r i t o r y infested by savage

Indians-arid, the Peralta brothershoped, gold mines in the raw. Forthe Peralta silver mines in Chihuahua,after two generations of furnishing aliving in the pleasant manner dueSpanish noblemen, were at last nearexhaustion. Their owner, MiguelPeralta, had just returned home froma trip to the headwaters of the RioSalado with a perfect way to remedythe situation.

" T h i s r io drains a virginwilderness," he told his eager sons,"in which gold anywhereill give cluesto itself as placer-erosion-borneparticles~in the riverbed. Follow theriver then until you find such placergold, and trace it back to its source."

This was excellent prospectingadvice in any time or country. And itwas exactly what Pedro, Ramon andManuel with their little band offamily retainers were doing as theyjourneyed for endless weeks downthe ever-widening course of the SaltRiver. They followed the rushingwaters through high sheerwalledgorges cut through multicolored rock,travelled past boulder-choked rapidsand verdant oases of willow andcottonwood, briefly green against theeternal browns and reds and greys oftuffa, sandstone, basalt and rockysoil. Occasionally they tested for goldwhere tributary drainages pouredwater into the river or wheresandbars or riffled bedrock made anatural gold trap in the riverbed

25

/*

. DutchmanPeralta Locality

To FLORENCEJJOXTON PLLEN-

itself. And always they pressedrelentlessly on toward a horizon asdistant and vague as the purpleclouds at sunset. Then finally on alucky fall day they rounded anabrupt bend in the river's shadowedchasm to find before them (at thepresent site of Mormon Flat) averitable paradise in that county ofsun-baked, rainbow-hued rock, asmall, verdant valley in the middle ofwhich La Barge creek, then unnamed,tumbled down in minature cascadesfrom a range of jagged mountains onthe south. From the wild, unchartedSuperstitions!

So was history made. And sobegan legend. . . For there at thejunction of the stream and the river

they fell to work with goldpan andshovel as they had a hundred timesbefore. But this time, gold was there,a fabulous treasure trove of bright,yellow flakes, caught beneath thesands of the riverbed from a millionyears of rock- pulverizing erosionabove.

Indeed only a fantastic bonanzacontaining undreamed of wealthsomewhere in the rugged maze ofdeep canyons and rock spires abovecould have released such a store oftreasureAnd with the first wild shoutof discovery the trek of the Peraltab r o t h s t o p p e d with dramatics u d d e n n e s s , and an excitedconsultation was held.

By this time their provisions haddwindled. And Pedro, who as eldestbrother was in nominal command,decided to split up their forces in theinterest of speed. And he left Ramonand Manuel to build a permanentcamp at the desert oasis andconstruct the two arrastas which stillmay be seen there when the water islow. And so the two grew wealthierand more selfish day by day as theyworked the placer beds. As gold piledup, they grew ever more fearful ofthe newly found fortune. Sulkingsavages had been seen in the vicinity.

In the meantime Pedro was on thetrail of golden ore for the arrastaswhich he had ordered built. Higherand higher he climbed from La Barge

26

into Boulder creek, on up NeedleCanyon and into the very heart ofthe Apache Thunder Gods' ownsacred mountains. There within aregion from one to two milesnortherly of a towering, hat-shapedpeak which he named La Sombrera,the placer trail thinned out and hefell to prospecting for the source ofthe metal.

First, he tried a steep tributarycanyon (now known as BluffSprings), followed its brush andboulder choked course upward overwaterfalls and cliffs to the top of thehigh, plateau like Bluff Springsmountain, and left behind as proof ofhis presence narrow explorationcross-cuts on several quartz veins.Again, he tried farther up Needle

Canyon which drains the west slopesof Bluff Springs Mountain, and leftanother crosscut on the side of a hill.Then finally high on the easternslopes of a black-topped mountain amile and a half due north of LaSombrera, he came upon rich twinoutcrops of reddish, gold bearingquartz. Circling around the samemountain he found a third on thenorth side and still another below thesouthwestern slopes. Four bonanzas!

Exciting weeks fled then in swiftsuccession while the wheel of fortunespun crazily. But soon provisionswere gone and the mules werestaggering under capacity loads ofshining yellow rock ready to becrused in the arrastas. Pedro, afterthe fashion of miners who must leave

These prehistoric petroglyphs have been called treasure symbols by uninformedpersons. They were here long before the Dutchman.

good ore behind, went down intoNeedle canyon below, into which theeastern slopes of the black-toppedmountain drained, and there made akey marker by driving stones into agiant saguaro cactus. This cactusstood upon the end of a rocky ridgewhich jutted into the canyon and wasconsequently outlined in bold reliefagainst the sky so that it would havebeen almost impossible for him laterto pass by without seeing it. Thenfrom this marker he made atriangulation map by drawing theoutlines of both the fabulousmountain to the west and LaSombrera to the south so anyonecould return to the proper regionmerely by traveling up NeedleCanyon until a point was reachedfrom which both landmarks matchedthe chart from entirely differentdirections.

Then Pedro returned to the riverto find his brothers impatientlyawaiting him.

Indians, it seemed, were thetrouble-and the impatience that agolden fortune would bring toanyone. Nor did Pedro's tale of yetmore gold change their minds.

"We already have enough fora lifetime," explained Ramon andManuel. "And we have decided toenjoy it while we may. We want togo far south of the village Tucsonwhere cattle flourish and establish agreat rancho. For here each day moresavages come to prowl about andharass us. Soon we might beoverwhelmed. And then what of ourgold?

Pedro laughed at their fears. Heloved gold more than he feareddisaster. Moreover, the gold wasinexhaustible, it seemed, a prize in athrilling game. So wasn't the gambleof finding it, the risk of getting awaywith it of far more importance?

"We part then," Pedro said,"because I am returning home for alarger expedition with which to workthe mines. So let us divide all equally

27

with a fourth share for padre. Antwill draw each of you a chart shoiyou desire later to return."

The two copies of Pedro's mapwhich went south into Sonora withRamon and Manuel were brightthreads in the amazing skein ofgolden disaster which ApacheThunder Gods were even thenweaving with sardonic mirth. For thetowering pinnacles and sheer, chasm-cliffs of the Superstitions wereage-long Apache domain-sacredground to be guarded with life andhonor by every savage who feared themidsummer lightning bolts andcrashing thunder, the roaring floodsof winter which angry deities sentdown those deep, rough canyons!

Back from Chihuahua City to

those same mountains came Pedroagain in the winter of 1847-48 with68 men and 200 mules. Back togolden fortune-and savage death!

No sooner had he returned to thearrastas upon the river in the fall of1847 than skulng savages began toappear, were glimpsed here and therelike furtive ghosts.

The very nature of that incrediblyrough country, the somber chasms ofLa Barge, Boulder and NeedleCanyons, each with its labyrinth ofcountless tributary arroyos madeexcellent cover in which silentApaches came and vanished likefurtive phantoms. And continuallyfrom such vantage places warriorskept the gold hungry invaders undersurveilance, occasionally transfixed aluckless miner with flint-tippedarrows that seemed to come fromnowhere.

If Pedro had been a soldier hewou ld have r ecogn i zed theunmistakable portents of impendingdisaster and would have kept his mentogether. But he was a miner and themad, driving urge to dig quickfortune from his mines, the romantic,reckless impulse to search for yetmore gold at the same time madehim ignore danger. And so he dividedhis strength, leaving a handful ofworkers at the arrastas, splitting the

28

others into mining and prospectingparties which were scattered overseveral square miles in the wild regionaround the black-topped mountainwhich he had mapped before.

The prospecting parties almostimmediately discovered two morepotential bonanzas above the keymarker in Needle Canyon, both lyingupon the steep slopes of a hill juttedinto the canyon from the westernside. Then directly across from thishill in a steep-climbing arroyo whichran up the canyon's eastern side andunder towering cliffs still a third veinof rich, gold bearing quartz wasfound. Later, further explorationlocated one more mine site aboutthree-quarters of a mile east of LaSombrera, near the western slopes ofLa Barge Canyon. But this lattermine, which was rediscovered in1940, was merely a conglomerateplacer deposit formed in prehistorictimes when the mountains lay underthe sea and its gravels failed to matchin fantastic richness the white androse quartz ores of the other sevenbonanzas.

There began in the Superstitionsthen feverish activity such as them o u n t a i n s had never beforewitnessed. Permanent camps, ofwhich there are still traces, wereestablished in Needle, Bluff Springsand La Barge Canyons, and in one ofthe arroyos at the foot of LaSombrera Pedro had a stone huterected from which he could directthe mining. Nearby, too, charcoal pitsin which to retemper and sharpendrills were dug and fired, trees werefelled and hewed into mine timbersand always the shafts were sunkdeeper and deeper into gold-speckledore which busy muletrains gatheredand hauled to the arrastas. And sofor many months the profitablebusiness of mining went on.

By now the winter of 1847-48 hadcome and gone, the brief desertspring had long sincefaded and theheat of summer was on the wane.And then suddenly the Apaches, whohad been content with occasionalraids upon isolated miners andpackers, began to attack in earnest.The roving bands of warriors grew

constantly larger so that Pedro wasforced to place more and more of hismen upon guard duty to protectthose mining. And unknown to himunder cover of the harrassing attackswily Apache chieftains far to thenorth across the river were massingtogether hundreds of braves withwhom to destroy at one blow theinvaders who so tenaciously workedand fought within their sacredmountains.

Pedro's first hint of the impendingcatastrophe came from the river onan unlucky September day when ascout staggered into camp to gasp outwith his life a horrible tale ofmassacre at the arrastas. The Apacheshad slaughtered the astonishedworkers upon the river and even atthat moment were ambushing guardsand packers. Then other scoutsrushed into camp to inform theminers that death was indeed uponthem, that hordes of fierce savageswere swarming into the Superstitionsin over-whelming numbers and hadalready surrounded them upon allsides but the west.

Pedro immediately ordered hismules burdened with treasure hadthem packed with all the goldenconcentrates which they could carry.A local cowboy in 1901 stumbledupon $35,000 worth amid a heap ofSpanish-shod mulebones on top ofthe black-topped mountain. Andwhile the miners fought a desperaterear-guard action there Pedro himselfburied the remainder on the fabuloushill which he had mapped, cutting insolid rock upon the top in the formof Spanish miner's signs a permanentmemorandum of its location and thenearby locations of his richest mines.Then his band of miners fled infrp»i7ied haste toward the open desertto the west-fled in the only directionwhich had been left open.

But they fled into a trap!

Apaches were there waiting, wereindeed everywhere-hideously paintedsavages , r i d ing madly uponbare-backed ponies, screaming,fighting, killing in a blood-thirsty,superstitious frenzy. They drove theminers back against the mountaincliffs within sight and sound of thepresent location of Goldfield. Then

from all sides came a deadly hail ofarrows, savagely hurled lances . . . .

The Apaches promptly scalpedthei r victims and looted thepacktrain, thinking they had obtaineda fortune in booty. But unwittinglyt h e y l e f t a greater fortunebehind-yellow dirt, so they thought,which they dumped disdainfully uponthe ground. Many years later in 1914two prospectors., C.H. Silverlock anda partner, digging in curiosity amidthe debris of a massacre, found partof it there-$18,000 in glitteringgolden concentrates!

Now the invaders had indeed beendestroyed to the last man. But therestill remained in the sacred domain ofthe thunder gods the sacrilegiouswork they had wrought. Moreover,

t h e m i n e s h a f t s and theyellow-flecked rock which had beenuncovered there would no doubt befound again. And then once more aninvading horde would swarm into themountains. Should such a thing occuronce more, said the medicine menholding solemn council upon thematter, the Apaches might foreverafter be punished severely by stormsand floods and all manner of naturaldisasters which angry deities couldcontrive. So it was decreed that aband of thirty squaws and twoyouths would be sent back into theSuperstitions to destroy all traces ofthe workings and cover the mines.

And there in the mountains thiswork party labored for one fullmoon, throwing ore and hastily

The Superstitions in a dramatic mood.

abandoned tools back into the shafts.Then they covered the mines withstout logs which in turn were coveredwith the natural caliche cement thathardens into rock, placing over thewhole yet another covering in thecunning Indian fashion-this time ofdirt and surface rocks to match thesurrounding ground.

But with all this care the Apachesquaws left one mine open becausethey thought it so well isolated andhidden that it would never again befound. And it was the most fantasticbonanza of them all, a mere shallowpit, newly opened, which wasdestined to become America's mostsought-for mine. This was thelegendary treasure that was tobecome known later as the LostDutchman Mine.

IEXPLORING SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY GHOST

TOWNS PART ONE: M

by Michael Bandini

•i •'*>,•>

• - * • •

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Once-filled water tanks and grassy areas are now dry and barren.

•

Ruins of stone houses are good grounds for use of metal detectors.

San Bernardino County isliterally covered with ghost towns

and vanished camps. Perhaps one ofthe lesser known of those ghosttowns is Ivanpah. The name is ofIndian origin and is Southern Piutefor "good water", an obviousreference to the existing and formersprings at the site. South of theMesquite Mountain Range, on theeastern slope of the Clark Mountains,lies the remains of this old silvermining camp. The site is quite closeto the Nevada State line. This, theoriginal townsite, is not to beconfused with the present daysettlement and railroad facility, bythe same name, on the Union PacificRailroad between Nipton and Cima,Cal. That settlement, which I call"new Ivanpah", is a relativeyoungster, having been founded in1903.

The old, original town of Ivanpahwas situated around springs that arenow shown on topographic maps asIvanpah Springs. The records of thePos t Office Depa r tmen t inWashington D.C. list the location as81 miles north of Fenner, on theSanta Fe Railway line to Needles.(Current location is 11 milessouthwest of Nipton). Ivanpah firstcame into public view as the result ofsilver discoveries and subsequentmining operations as early as 1867.This activity blossomed out to a fullscale boom town witcontinueddiscoveries of valuable silver ore intot h e 1870 ' s . The total silverproduction for the area has beenestimated to be four million dollars,and that at a time when silver soldfor less than $1.00 per ounce. At

30

$8.00 silver, the production estimatewould approximate $35,200,000.00,not too shabby even at todaysinflated prices.

At the peak of production,between 1882 and 1885, Ivanpahboasted a population of 300. Wagonroads connected the mines with thetown and led to junctions with roadsleading to neighboring towns such asGoodsprings (Yellow Pine MiningDistrict) and Barstow (WatermanJunction). The townsite was brokenup into segments, each one near oneof the springs and having numerousstructures located nearby. In additionto the usual assortment of residencesand commercial buildings, the townhad a post office, which opened onJune 17, 1878.

Some of the ruins are identifiableas to their purpose. Two mills werebuilt at the town,and one can berecognized. The ruins of the smelter,the assay office, someof the stone

buildings, a few adobe type blockhouses and a few "dugout" typeshelters are also recognizable. Inaddition, there are some remainsfrom later attempts to reactivatemining in the area.

This is truly a ghost town. Notmany people visit the quiet old ladyof yesterday, and a feeling of aweand deep respect is prevalent as onewalks around through the ruins andunderbrush. It would not surprise meif there are still to be discovereddugout homes and adobe ruins in thearea, buried under many years ofgrowth of weeds and brush. Packrats,unmolested by man, have built manylarge nests. Some of these nests havebeen found to contain old bottlesand other relics of interest to theghost town buff or collector ofWestern Americana.

Unfortunately, two of the springshave gone dry, but one still producesclear, sparkling water that is caught

in two large metal tanks for use bycattle. Wild burros depend upon thissource of water and are still watchingover the townsite as not very silentsentries. If you are fortunate, youmay be able to take a few goodphotographs of the burros as theyclimb over the washes and hills of thearea.

To reach the site of "OldIvanpah", travel north on Interstate15 towards Las Vegas, Nevada. Travelpast Barstow, by Baker, and 43.5miles beyond Baker you willapproach the Yates Well offramp.Exit the freeway at this offramp andtravd .6 of a mile west to a stop signon a stretch of the old highway.Make a right turn and travel north.Quickly, you will come across a gate.If it is closed, open it and passthrough. BE SURE TO CLOSE THISGATE AFTER YOU HAVE DRIVENYOUR CAR PAST IT' If it is open,you might be kind and close it.Otherwise, cattle can wander all over

the place and either get lost orinjured.

Four-tenths of a mile further upthe road, make a left turn. There is afork in the road at this point. Travelanother three-tenths of a mile in awesterly direction and another gate isreached. Again, be sure to close thegate behind youProceed another 5.5miles from this gate, pass under thehigh voltage power lines,andanabandoned house will appear. Thisruin is a remnant of more moderntimes.

Just beyond this abandoned house,the road forks. This is the site of theghost town of Ivanpah. The left forkcontinues six-tenths of a mile, endingat the previously described watertanks. At the tanks is a nice grassyspot (in season) where water hasirrigated the local vegetation. It is agood spot to stop and explore thearea. Nearby are the mill ruins andsome of the stone buildings. The areais best explored by foot. Remember,this is the desert and at certain timesof the year, walking must be donewith caution, less one suddenlydiscover a rattle snake.

Returning to the forks of the road,take the right fork. In seven-tenths ofa mile the northern most portion ofthe town will have been reached. It isbest, again, to park your vehicle andwalk. For those who are interested inlooking for bottles, it would beadvisable to take along a metaldetector to help find hidden piles ofcans. Many of these trash piles wereshallow pits that are now filled withdirtand rock or covered over bybrush. Look for them in an area thatwould have been near a home or in aravine that would catch them aswater carried them away, during oneof the desert's infrequent gullywashers.

Anyarea that would have been anatural place for the people to havethrown their cans and bottles is agood place to start your search.Diligent searching shoulddiscovermany more relics. Who knows, maybeyou will be the next one to find asun-colored medicine bottle or someother token of a long gone era. Asalways, be careful not to damage the

32

**

With a population of 300 in its heyday, Ivanpah's mines produced more than$4,000,000 in silver. Today, the once flowing springs are dry and the rock housesof the miners are occupied by packrats. Little known, the area may be rich inbottles and other collectors' finds. Undergrowth has covered many locations.

'n

' t

r SITE OF'OLD IVANPAH

: - i S « 7 , / House VM

,iii|

walls or ruins of the structures andfill your holes if you must dig. Inthat way, there will be something leftfor future generations to visit andappreciate the past.

TKE TERRIBLE TARANTULAby Tim St. George

JL HE DANCE of the Tarantellastarted it. Malevolent Dr. Fu Manchuadded to the legend. And fear andignorance perpetuated the base can-ards about the ferocity and dangersof the tarantulas.

No doubt these hairy arachnidsare somewhat creepy-looking, but thefact is, the North American tarantulabite is seldom administered until thetarantula has been plagued beyondendurance by someone interested inmeasuring a spider's patience. Thereis said to be one variety in SouthAmerica big enough and deadlyenough to capture and feast on smallbirds, but ours are friendly, usefulbug eaters.

Tarantulas love to primp and en-joy being stroked or combed with asmall, soft brush. Youngsters occa-sionally match them for harnessraces, a thread being tied about thespiders' bodies to keep them on thetrack. Squeamish teachers have dis-patched the author's son when histarantula accidentally popped outfrom a matchbox on the school roomfloor. (Dead, some boys chop thebody hair and use it as itching pow-der. It is an irritant and used by thespider in defending itself.)

But such youngsters and tarantulasneed all the friends they can get. Thespider, not the boy, has a Nemesisin the form of a wasp, the "Taran-tula Hawk" (Pepsis thisbe) whichwill take on a tarantula several times

its size simply to lay one egg and per-petuate the hawk's clan.

Once contact is made, the spiderand wasp circle warily, looking foropenings. Then one or the othermakes a lunge. Engaged, the taran-tula tries to sinks its hypodermic-likefangs into the wasp's abdomen. Butthere are armor-plated scales whichseldom are penetrated. Meanwhile,the wasp has inserted its stinger intoa vital area, always where nerveganglia are located. The effect isdramatic in that the stricken taran-tula staggers and shudders in truemovie fashion as he goes limp, preyto the Tarantula Hawk.

The wasp is just as efficient in pre-paring the cadaver as a birthplace forits young. She first cleans herself ofany remaining tarantula venom, thenflips the tarantula over and drags itinto either the spider's own home, ora nearby burrow. The wasp care-fully scrapes away the irritating hairon the abdomen, then lays one whiteegg, and leaves, after carefully plug-ging the entrance with dirt and debristo insure a safe, large meal for thewasp when it hatches.

Though being host for a parasite isits last act, the tarantula gobbles upnumerous harmful insects and gener-ally minds its own business withoutharm to man. Deserving a betterpress than it receives, the tarantulashould be recognized as harmless andhelpful, rather than hirsute andhorrendous. / / /

Water WitchingNo Water . . . No Charge

Also, we Dowsefor Minerals and Oil

CHARLES WSHAW

(619) 262-22601205 46th St., San Diego, CA 92102

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33

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Salome was so dryher legendary pet frogcarried a canteen and

never learned to swim becausethere were no puddles of water.

DICK WICKHALL

by Karen Davis

P*1

It isn't easy to find out who DickWick Hall really was. Most libraries,even in Arizona and California havelittle or no material on him. RandallHenderson, Founder of DESERTMAGAZINE says he was a goodfriend. So just who was he? DeForest Hall (his true name-originally)was born in Creston, Iowa on March30, 1877.

His adventures were numerous. Heattended college , served in a war,collected rattlesnakes in Florida, andwent on to become Arizona's greathumorist. It was at the NebraskaState Fair that Hall heard about theHopi Indians of Arizona and theirreligious rights. As an amateurrher-petologist, he was intrigued by theiruse of live rattlesnakes in religiousdances. So, in 1898, at the ripe oldage of 21, Hall travelled to NorthernArizona and the Hopi Reservation.Here he took a job as a census taker.He then lived with the Hopi for awhile, gaining a valuable insight intothe people and their philosophies.

After this, he obtained a job onthe old Tewksberry Ranch inPleasant Valley. This site, in north-eastern Arizona, is known as thesetting of the bloody callteman-sheepman feud between the Grahamsand the Tewksberrys.

Hall wrote enthusiastic accountsof live in Arizona to the familyback home. Thus, his entire familymoved out west. His brother, Ernestlater became Secretary of State ofArizona. Dick Hall's closest encoun-ter with state government was hisnext job-on the construction of theState Capitol.

DeForest's next venture was anindicator of things to come-as apromotorr For the remainder ofhis life, Hall was to become one ofthe greatest promoters of Arizona.This new job also set Hall up as anewspaperman. The job was editingthe Wickenburg News-Herald, whichhad not been an outstanding successbefore, and which, after about 10months under his guidance, went deep

in the red. To regain the losses, Hallprinted an edition whose front pageglistened with a coating of real goldand copper dust. In that edition, hemade a request for financial supportfrom his readers. This request wasalso the first known example of hispublished humor. It read:"The past ten months serve to

remind usEditors don't stand a chan ce

Editors don't stand a chanceThe more we work we findbehind usBigger Patches on our pantsThen let each one show howthey like usSend what you can to DickWick HallOr when the fall winds cometo strike usWe won't have no pants at all."

This is also the first time wefind his new name in use. Bycourt order, he had it changed.From an article in the April 27,1902 ARIZONA REPUBLICAN,

34

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From 7906 ««/*'/ few de<rtfc /« 7926,D/c£ IF<V& HW/ brought inter-national fame to the town he founded.He is shown here in front of his"Laughing Gas" service station.

comes the following: "Dick Hallcame down from Wickenburgyesterday and will be in the city(Phoenix) for a few days. He camefor the express purpose of chang-ing his name and he is not goingto get married to accomplish thatpurpose either. He says 'Dick' isall right for a name as far as itgoes, but it doesn't go far enough.He is going to space it out there-fore with the alliterative name of'Wick' so that hereafter he will beknown as 'Dick Wick Hall.' Thisis purely a matter of patriotismwith him. He says any man oughtto be proud of the town in whichhe lives? at least he is, and helives in Wickenburg, or 'Wick' forshort."

In 1903 or 1904, Dick, tiredof prospecting around the areawith his brother, Ernest, beganplans to develop the Salome area.He had become a victim of goldfever when a miner, thought tobe Shorty Alger, set off a dyna-mite blast which uncovered afabulously rich pocket of gold-ore running $100 or more perpound (gold sold for less than $20an ounce at this time). In notime at all, some 2,000 people weremilling around the area west ofWickenburg. The bonanza was shortlived and most prospectors wentback home.

Dick decided that gold was notonly where, but in whatever formyou found it, so he and Ernestfiled on 100,000 acres of land andsank a well. This was called theGrace Valley Development Company.Soon a few buildings were hastilythrown together around the wellssite. Today, this spot is about one-half mile north of the present townof Salome.

• • ' • ' ' '

Old Jones store mid post office

35

j \ U ADE WITH A LAUGH ON A UII. 'EOOFA?H BY A BOUGH IJFCKA BIGGER UNPAID CIRCULATION THAU LYPIA PIKKHAM'6

DICK WICK HALL, EDITOR - "PUT" DRAWS THE SCENERY

DEAfl

SALOME, YUMARESQiJE COUNTY, ARIZONA,"WHERE SHE DANCEU1"

I

I Thank You' for tn» Kindly F e e l i n g whlohPrompted You to w r i t e me Such a Nioe L e t t e r - and IWant to Apo log i ze for not be ing Able to w r i t e You aWarm P e r s o n a l L e t t e r Right Now, but So Many FolkB havebeen sending ire P o s t a l Soquata - or e l s a Wanting toKnow How Do I Gat That Way - t h a t ona Corner o f theLaughing Gas S t a t i o n i a A l l P l l a d up F u l l o f UnansweredMall , and I c a n ' t Keep Up. I am a 100 Mi les from Phoenixand 300 from Los Angeloa and a l l tha Good ( l o o k i n g )Stenographara are Afra id to Come Hore to Work for me onaccount o f the Un Temad Cow Boya or a laa they are juatJ e a l o u s o f tha way Salome dancaa.

I d o n ' t know What Elsa to Do, so I am g r i n d -; Ing out t h i s Temporary E x p r e s s i o n o f My Apprec ia t ion:•>-.. o f your Wri t ing ma, which was good for Both o f"<i-'-' Ua, as Flowers i s Soarce Out Here and i t i a Alwaystha Best Way to Send - and to Gat - tha Flowars Before

,' the Funeral - which Most o f Us Never Do, and have toWalt u n t i l Af ter we are Dead to Find Out What Fdlka

thought about u a . So I Thank You for the Verbal andMental Floirora, i n c l u d i n g the Brlok Bats and Boulderswhich sometimes oome a l o n g with the Boquats , and Someo f t h e s e d a y s , a s soon a s I oan Get Time, I w i l lw r i t e you a Real L e t t e r - mayba t h i s Year or Next - ' "whioh i s P r o t t y Soon for t h i s oountry , where someof the Mountains axe Over a M i l l i o n Years Old andLook Jus t the Same l i k e they d id whan I f i r s t ooraehere and P l a n t e d the Cactus in Arizona.

I t Kseps ce p r e t t y Busy Watering thsFrog and t e l l i n g Bed Time S t o r i e s to my Familyof Household P a t a , . w h i c h "Put" has made some l i t t l eP i c t u r e s here of for you to See , and in Between Times Ipeddla Laughing Gas ar.d Gum and Bull Durham to Fo lksGoing to - or 5oair.~ From - C a l i f o r n i a by the Best <4Shor teo t Route. A l l Tour ia t6 e i t h e r Smoke the Bul lor e l s a thsy Peddle i t - and I Do Both - for Over30 Years - and So Long now that I Fee l Al l Undressedi f I h a v e n ' t Got a Sack of Bul l Somewhere in myC l o t h e s - which i s about A n you need C l o t h e s for Herein the Suunser Time. Even My Frog la Part B u l l . I havegot to Quit Now. I hoar a T o u r i s t H o l l e r i n g Outside

D p .. u . , _ where Sirro o f "Jy Pats haa made him Climb a Cactus ,ncL> n u i which i s j u s t Their Way of Having a L i t t l e Fun, andP A P A I Don't Like to have Strangers Get Rough with My

Cactus and Er9ak tha Thorns a l l Off.

Yours, Until the Frog Learns to Swim.

— ' •• , ADIOS, AUIGC:HAPPINESS IS JUST i

A STATE OF KIND, i

MAMA

DICK WICK HALL

A W A R M t3A6s<HOT AT BOTH EUDS CUwi> I N

SEVEN YEARS OLDA N P i CAN'T S W I MJ'U SAY ITS DRY

A page front the Salome Sun

Hall also began promoting a minenorth of the settlement, and he gavethis the ever glamorous name of theArizona Northern, or better knownas the Glory Hole. Litigation andbad engineering advice tied up themine for many years and therefore,only the very rich "glory hole"ores were ever extracted. For afurther story on the mine, seeDesert, May 1985.

Both of these ventures were tobe placed on the back burner whenDick decided that the railroadunder construction from Wickenburgto Earp offerred attractive financialpossibilities. Along with E.S.Joneshe opened a store to supply theneeds of the railroad builders andtheir employees. This store was runby Jones who had operated a simi-lar one in Congress and Wickenburg.

During the next few years, Dickspent much of his time promotingoil, mining, and real estate inCalifornia, Utah, Louisana, Texas,and even Phoenix. But he alwaysreturned to his own town,Salome.

With the coming of the statehighway, which paralleled therailroad from Wickenburg, busi-ness picked up. Unfortunately,this dictated a move for the townas it was north of the railroadtracks and the highway was onthe south side. One of thebetter known businesses wasthe Blue Rock Inne, operatedby the Jones family. Theother was the auto garage.

The garage was on Hall's landand he was a partner in the busi-ness. Quickly, it became muchmore than a garage. Hall realizedthat motor travel was here to stayso he set about planning to landmore of the tourist business.Calling on his knack for wordsand his humor, he renamed thegarage "The Laffing Gas Station,"and began publicizing it by meansof a unique, single sheet news-paper, which he called the "SALOMESUN," avowedly "Just for f u n -made with a laugh on a memeographby a rough neck staff." This was, hesaid, a first class newspaper-—"because it has to be sent out in anenvelope with a 2 cent stamp on it."

36

Sign of the famous frog(Anyone out there remember whena letter cost 2 cents to mail?) And,according to the masthead, thenewspapers main aim was "to makeyou smile for half a mile."

Dick had his own wry, yet gentlekind of fun poking wit that still iseasy on the ear and delights themind. His famous frog is an ex-ample of that wit. This is what hehad to say of how it came intobeing: Salome, Yumaresque County,Arizona—"Where she danced"—was dry long before Volstead wasweaned. The Lord initiated theDry Act here. We are not al-together dry here, however. Itdoes rain once in a while, butnever twice. We had a big rain inFebruary. That was in the year 1904or 1905, if I remember rightly.

The frog was not born here.Neither was I. I found the egg upin the Owens River Valley, nearLittle Lake, California, in aSlough back of Bill Bramlette's

Blue Rock Inne—early 1900's

37

GOLF COURSE EDITION SALOME SUH SALOME, ABIZOtTA.

THK BLUE ROCK IMME'S FAliCUS GfiEASE'*OOD GOLF COUHSE.

Loca t ed i n Korthv/est Yuir.aresqy.a County , At and Around 'SALOME, ARIZ.,"•Vhare Shs pancs t i" t h e "Or ig ina l Red Hot llama Bear Foot Bare T r o t -t h e 1 t h a t ilad? John t he B a b t i s t Lose His Head. The Golf Course i s aL i t t l e ov2r 33 t l i l e 3 Around and roik.3 -vho have P laysd i t say UobodyKevsr Sa-.v i l c t h ing Like i t Uo-.vhere P s f o r a . KO ARTIFICIAL HAZARDS ANYWHERE OH THE COURSE - a s t h e r e a r e P l e n t y of N a t u r a l Ones. F o l k scorns from Al l Over t he V.:orid to £;"3nd the Season P l a y i n g Around i tJ u s t Once - and Some Aln t Got Around i t Yet . S c o r e s r u n n i n g Over1,000 a r e Co.L.i>on, a l s o E i r d i e s of V a r i o u s Kinds , E a g l s s , Coyo tes &Jack R a b b i t s - t u t Hab t r . t , Badgar and Coyoto Holes DON'T COUHT. GoodGuides , Cadiya & Korc&3, C a n t e e n s , T e n t s & Carr.ping O u t f i t s Leased byt h e Seek, tonth o r Y a w , PROVIDED a S u b s t a n t i a l Depos i t i s Made andALL CADCYS & HORSES LOST OiJ THE COURSE "UST BE PAID FOR. A T r a v e l l -i n g Barbor Shop on t'.'.e Course Hakes t he Rounds Each Month. T o u r i s t s

Al V i

This Far A Fay Follows Across Table Top Mt. - 538. Rods

Table -< Top Mountain

Bandit CanyonLost Squaw Mine Dead Horse Hills

Uj Here - so arathe Prices

Go!

' oustUi thing

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APACHEPEAK

1 \f q Y ^ Don't Overplay•V J ' , x t h i s Hole

' ••• ' V..-. s - \i \ Scorpion Ouleh. -"• i-

DAAIGES - T h i s i s t h e ' - - .

i Basin

2AD LA-:D3Mar.y a. Brav^ i.ian has DiedHer3. CO :.T0T Ca.r.p Kara Alone

ar.d L o t s ; j t ."ia!it. Go to Lazy L or the; of I t \ Hip-0 Banch - Rough but Safe.

Along Here \^ F l y i n g VIV ycorrals

0TKA!JK\G0Di

] A.'tor Spending 2 Cr 3 'Vjjks - or i'icnths -

I fi.i h'ujr: KCCiC I:.":»E »111 Lock LikJ t n j 3ign. i 3:..' t.".-:rj Jiot^l a.'.i Bjana & Baccn . f i l l?2;)| Tj'.otJ lik,-- Oydtord a:U A l l i j a t c r ? . 'ars ,

S a t i s A^cordar-i to '."hat You Havj A " i n t .

Layout—Greaseivood Golf Course

place seven years ago, I thoughtit was a wild duck egg, but on theway home it hatched out a frog. Iraised him on a bottle, Shasta andPluto water mostly, and that iswhy he is such a lively and healthyfrog.

The Salome frog is 7 years oldnow and even though he can't swimyet, it isn't his fault. He never hada chance but he lives in hopes.Three years ago, fourth of July,Palo Verde Pete shot off a box ofdynamite and the frog, thinking itwas thunder, chased the cloud ofsmoke two miles down the road,thinking it might rain. He isolder and wiser now and gettinglike the rest of the natives. Hejust sits and thinks. Sometimes Iwonder just what he thinks. Heprobably thinks he is having ahell of a time. MORAL—Even afrog's tale can have a moral. Ifthe world looks blue and yourluck is bad and you think youare having a hell of a timewhy just stop and think of myfrog-—seven years old and hecan't swim."

In case you might wonder a-bout the origin of the name ofthe town, Salome, that was a-nother subject that Dick liked tojoke about and tell strangerstales about. The truth is that henamed it after Mrs. Grace SalomePratt, the wife of a mining part-ner of his, Carl Pratt of Pittsburg.Grace Valley was also namedafter her.

Dick Wick Hall did more thanjust make people smile. He madethem forget the many bumps andruts in the dirt highway that ranpast the Laffing Gas Station. Healso carried on a running battlewith Yuma, the State HighwayCommission, and other officalsof the county to get better roads.His methods were novel andsometimes incendiary. Inaddition to the SALOME SUN,he once had printed and distri-buted red lettered hand billsthat said: "DANGER! Don't goby Yuma. Tourists are warnednot to attempt to go to LosAngeles by way of Yuma—

38

100 miles out of the way andthrough terrible sand dunes thatdrift like snow, where planks,brush and boards are used formiles to keep cars from beingburied. Go by Blythe, theshortest and best route. . ."Needless to say, the battle ragedbetween the politicians in Yumaand the humorist in Salome. Eventhe YUMA SUN AND THE SALOMESUN exchanged unpleasantries.(Editors note: today Salome is inLa Paz County)

Another of Dick Wick's more famousclassics is the fictional Greasewood GolfCourse. It spoofs the game of goldwhile kidding the city dweller and theirexaggerated fears of the desert. Itboasts a 23 mile course laid out oversome of the hottest, roughest acres inArizona, and he gravely warns players

against the natural hazards of poisonwaterholes, bandits, crouching taran-tulas and Gila Monsters—and evenjumping cactus.

Dick Wick Hall passed away onApril 28, 1926 while on a trip toLos Angeles. Thus Arizona lost oneof her best humorists andphilosophers. One of his moreserious stories is about the town inwhich he lived. It tells a lot aboutthe man and is as follows: "Whenpeople say what a place to live, Ifeel sorry for them because I amfinding something for which theyare still seeking. So many say theywould rather die than have to livein a little town like Salome, whereeverybody knows everybody else,because it is so lonesome here. They

would rather live in Los Angeles orNew York or Pittsburgh where theycan live seven years in one place andnever know their neighbors and haveto ride seven miles on a street car tofind someone they know to say helloto. Civilization is getting so compli-cated now days that hardly nobodyraises any cabbages and green onionsin their back yard no more. Iwould rather live out here, lying onthe soft side of a big granite rock,soaking up sunshine and satisfactionaway from the worries of the out-side world where so many folks workso hard getting nowhere. I can getto the same place out here so mucheasier without working so hard."

Where Dick Wick Hall is buried

In Hop dress

39

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NEVADA GHOST TOWNS AND MINING CAMPSby Stanley W. Paher. Covering all of Nevada's 17counties, the author has documented 575 miningcamps, many of which have been erased from theearth. The book contains the greatest and mostcomplete collection of historic photographs ofNevada ever published. Large 9 x 12 size, 700photographs. Hardbound. 30.00

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41

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42

T/V i* *

between Ifou and Mi

^ PfM*^5i ^B Y : D . W . GRANTHAM

First, a note to all our loyal subscribers and in particular to the librarians among us—This issue, January—February 1985is Volume 49, Number 1. There is no Volume 48, Number 6 as this issue was delayed by the Christmas holidays and wedecided to incorporate parts of it into this issue. All subscription expiration dates have been revised to account for thischange. At present, DESERT MAGAZINE will be mailed in the odd numbered months. In this way, you should receiveyour copies earlier and there will be no long delay during the Christmas season.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On page two of this issue is a preview of coming attractions. We have lined up some very interesting and unique articles.The list is not complete—there are many more subjects we will be covering, but could not list them due to the limitedamount of space on a page. The uncoming articles on Arizona Ghost Towns and the Gold Park, California article promiseto be excellent. As always, DESERT MAGAZINE will accept articles from its readers and any other knowledgable partywho cares to submit one. The rules are on the bottom of page 3.

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Starting in the next issue will be the return of one of the favorite columns of many readers—letters to the editor. Do youhave a question?? Or a comment?? Or maybe you would like to discuss a subject. Drop us a line. A self-addressed stampedenvelope will be required for a reply.

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We have received a lot of mail recently with many letters asking the same question—Is DESERT MAGAZINE in print.Obviously the answer is yes, yet many of our former readers do not know about us. If you happen to know anyone whois a desert lover, please let them know about Desert. For 1985, we would like to have a healthy increase in subscribers.We are at a point now where more subscribers will enable us to increase the frequency of publication with no increase incost. Simply put,that means the more subscribers we get, the more issues you get.

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Am wondering what the weather will be like for the next few months. Here on the desert, we have had a lot of rain, and yes,even some snow. If the rainfall keeps up, then this could be a good year for the wildflowers. Will let you know how thisprogresses. There has been so much development in the Coachella Valley that there will be little area left for the SandVerbena and the Primrose. I wonder if the Federal Government has such a thing as an endangered flower? I am afraid thatwe will have to look to the foothills of San Diego, Northern Los Angeles, and Kern County for Wildflowers in the future.And of course, selected parts of the Desert such as Joshua Tree National Monument and Anza Borrego.

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