193902 desert magazine 1939 february

8/14/2019 193902 Desert Magazine 1939 February

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. . . We WillBuy

Your First EditionWe will pay O N E D O L L A R for each copyof Vol. 1 ; No." 1 (November, 1937) . . of theDeser t Magazine . . . delivered to our officein good condition.

Anticipating a large sale for back copies of the Desert Magazinewe printed

960 copiesof the

first editionfor our

reserve stock. Duringthe

yearall

weresold except a handful whichwe are jealously guarding.We do not want tosell out completely; we need more copies.We will pay $1.00 for every copy-delivered to us in good order.

NEW PRICE FOR VOLUME 1 *4.50Effective January 15, 1939, the price for the first twelve editionsof the Desert Magazine, completelyin-dexed and bound in handsome gold-embossed binder willbe $4.50, shipped post-paidin special cartonanywhere in the U. S.

SCHEDULE OF SUBSCRIPTION PRICESSingle copies each number except first edition .25Gold-embossed loose-leaf binder (specify volume number) 1.00Volume 1 complete (12 copies and binder) 4.50Volume 1 without binder 3.50Volume 1 with binder and one-year advance subscription 6.50Volume 1 with binder and two-year advance subscription 7.75Volume 1 with binder and three-year advance subscription .9.50

REGULARSUBSCRIPTIONRATES

Cne year ....Two years ..Three years

$2.50. 4.00.. 5.00

All above prices effective January15, 1939. If single copies are missing from your files,you can fillthem at 25 cents a copy. Specify monthand year when ordering. These copiesare also going fast;or-der while supply lasts.

Single copiesof the first edition are withdrawn from sale exceptin 12-month volumeas listed above.

TH E597 State StreetG fl z i n E

El Centro, California


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F E B R U A R Y

Civic groups in the desert area areinvited to use this column for announc-ing fairs, rodeos, conventions and otherevents which have more than local in-terest. Copy must reach the Desert Mag-azine by the 5th of the month preced-ing publication. There is no charge forthese announcements.

JAN. 28Annual meeting of ImperialHighway Ass'n at Elsinore, Cali-fornia. Election of officers.

JAN. 29, 30Third annual rodeo atPalm Springs, California.

JAN. 29, 30Rodeo at Casa Grande.Arizona.

JAN. 31- FEB . 1 - - Ar izonaCattleGrowers Ass'n meetsat Safford, Ari-zona.

FEB. 1-14 - - E xhib it of pa inti ngs by-John Hilton and etchings by HenryDe Kruif at Desert Inn Art gallery atPalm Springs, California.

FEB. 3, 4, 5Riverside county fair andCoachella Valley Date festival atIndio, California. Horse show the3rd, parade the 4th, annual stampede4th and 5th.

FEB. 3, 4, 5First an nual SpanishFiesta at Douglas, Arizona.

FEB. 5Lucius G. Folsom to speak on"The Land of Ten ThousandSmokes" at Southwest Museum, LosAngeles, 3 p. m., no charge.

FEB. 9-12Junior chamber of com-merce rodeo at Phoenix, Arizona.

FEB. 11 Nevada State Press associ-ation to hold annual convention at

Reno.FEB. 12Dedication of Desert Botani-cal Garden of Arizona in Papagopark. Phoenix. Sponsored by ArizonaCactus and Native Flora society, Mrs.Gertrude D. Webster, president.

FEB. 12Francis H. Elmore to lectureon "Indians of the Southwest andTheir Ceremonials" at SouthwestMuseum, Los Angeles, 3 p. m., nocharge.

FEB. 12 - 18 Impe rial Valley Lettuceand Cantaloupe growers and shipper--to hold 10th annual invitational golftournament at Brawley, California.

FEB. 12 - 19 Exhibit at Pho enix Fed-eral Art Center. Selections to bemade for display at New YorkWorld 's fa i r.

FEB. 15 - 28M emorial exhibit oftheart work of Gordon Coutts at DesertInn Art gallery at Palm Springs.California.

FEB. 19Arthur Carthew to lecture on"Some of our National Parks" atSouthwest Museum, Los Angeles, 3p. m., no charge.

FEB. 19 -2 5 Painting and sculpture-exhibit at University of Nevada atReno.

FEB. 21-26La Fiesta de los Vaque-ros at Tucson , Arizona . Includeslivestock show and sale 21st to 26th,Indian Day the 23rd, parade the24th and rodeo 24th to 26th.

FEB. 24-26Arizona Association ofSocial Workers meets at Phoenix,Arizona.

FEB. 26J. F. Hoover to lecture on"The Navaho People and Their LandProblem" at Southwest Museum,Los Angeles, 3 p. m., no charge.

Volume 2 FEBRUARY, 1939 Number 4

COVER Montezuma Cas t le in Ar izona , Photograph byFred Hankins of Taft, California.

CALENDAR Feb rua ry even ts on the Desert 1CAMERA ART "Feel" of the Desert

Photo by W M . M. PENNINGTON 2MIRACLE W h i t e M a n ' s M a g i c H e a l sD a z B a h

B y M R S . W H I T E M O U N T A I N S M I T H. . . . 3DISCOVERY On Manly's Trai l to Death ValleyBy CHAR LES KELLY 6

GEMS Opals a t Zabr isk iBy JOHN W . HILTON 3

CRAFTS Rhythm that Comes from the EarthBy ANTOINETTE S. DUCL OS 12

WANDERER I Ha ve Stay ed with the Nav ajoLetter from EVERETT RUE SS 15

HOMESTEAD Game Farm on the MojaveBy RANDALL HENDERSON 16

PRIZES Ann ounc eme nt for am ateu r photog raphers . . . 1 8HORTICULTURE Hothouse of the Gods

By FLINT HINDM AN 19DEVELOPMENT Empire on the Colorado

By ARTHUR WO ODW ARD 22TRAVELOG Sphinx of Pyramid Lake

By MARIE LOM AS 25FICTION Hard Rock Shorty of Death Valley

By LON GARRISON 28BOTANY La Corona de Cristo

By FRANK A. SCHILLING 29POETRY Out Where the Joshuas Grow, and other poems . 30LEGEND How the Great Chiefs Made the Moon

By HARRY C. JAMES 31

ARTIST Just an Old Desert CustomBy LARRY WOL MAN 32

NEWS Here an d There on the Desert 34WEATHER D e s e r t t e m p e r a t u r e s d u r i n g D e c e m b e r. . . . 3 6LANDMARK Prize an no un cem ent for Fe bru ary 37PLACE NAMES Com piled by TRACY M. SCOTT 38BOOKS R e v i e w i n g p u b l i c a t i o n so f t h e S o u t h w e s t. . . 4 2COMMENT J u s t B e t w e e n Y o u a n d M e ,b yt h e E d i t o r. . . . 4 4LETTERS C o m m e n t f r o m D e s e r t M a g a z i n e r e a d e r s . . . 4 5

The Desert Magazine is published monthly by th e Dese rt Publish ing Company, 597State Street, El Centro, California. Entered as second class matter October 11, 1937 at thepost office at El Centro, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

Title registered No. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1939 bythe Desert Publishing Company. Permission to reproduce contents must be secured fromthe editor in writing. Subscription rate $2.50 per year in U. S. A. or possessions. Singlecopy 25 cents.

RANDALL HENDERSON, EditorTAZEWELL H. LAMB, Associate Editor

J. WILSON McKENNEY, Business ManagerManuscripts and photographs submitted must be accompanied by full return postage.

The Desert Magazine assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of manuscripts or photo,graphs although due care will be exercised for their safety. Subscribers should send noticeof change of address to the circulation department by the fifth of th e month preceding issue.

F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 3 9 1


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RESENTMENT Photo by WM. M. PENNINGTON

reel oh thBy JOHN STEWART MacCLARY

Young Navajo lipscan turn down, and bright brown eyescan flash re-sentment when the white picture maker advises: "Watchthe birdie." Tooyoung for school, too accustomed to open sunlightfor even remote interestinthe mysteries of artificial lighting, somewhat annoyedby brief confinementwithin four wallsof the studiothese babesof the desert would gain morejoy from findinga feather dropped froman eagle in flight.

Don't pity the desert's children. Rather, envy themthe lack of sophistica-tion which packsa week's delight intoa stick of chewing-gum . . . rendersthem camera-resentful insteadof camera-seeking.

The DESERT MAGAZINE


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:,

White Man's MagicHeals Daz Bah

When Daz Bah met with an accident there was no medicineman to hold a sing, and so her mother took her to the white man'shospital at Ganado, Arizona. The little Navajo girl was saved bythe skill of the Big Doctor and the efficiency of one of science'snewest inventions. Her recovery was a triumph for the white man'smagic which had a far-reaching effect in the ever-present conflictbetween the pagan beliefs of the Indians and modern medical sci-ence. Mrs. Smith's story will touch your heartand help you under-stand better the character of the Navajo.

By MRS. WHITE MOUNTAIN SMITH

rHE Navajo Indian Reservationcovers 16,000,000 acresof high-

lands and desert in northern Ari-zona and New Mexico, and there is nosuch thing as a newspaper of that tribe.Yet I doubt if there is a hogan hiddenaway in the deepest canyon thathas notheard the story of little Daz Bah Lee

F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 3 9

and how she was saved from deathby thewhite man's magic "Iron Lung." Some

day perhapsour white minds will fathomthe mystery of Navajo m a g i c newsspreading!

Until the day when her story was toldin every daily newspaperin the land andbroadcast over nationwide radio,Daz

Daz Bab's mother combingher hairwith a brush of stiff grass stems.Inthe corner is the Grandmotherofthe Trembling Hand at her spinning.

Bah was just another bright-eyed seven-year-old Navajo girlwho played aroundthe hogan or followed her widowedmother with the flocks near the prehis-toric Indian village siteat Wide Ruins.

On a perfect autumn day I left thep a v e d highway and wound throughpinon covered hills to the hogan ofMabel Lee, mother of my little friendDaz Bah. I had not seen her since shelay imprisoned in the big breathingma-chine at Ganado but she came to meetme and smiled until every white toothshone againstthe smooth darknessof herskin. The family was sitting inside thesummer hogan of juniper bowers andGrandmother of the Trembling Hand,making a place for me beside her on asheepskin, went on with her spinning.Daz Bah's mother continued combingthe child's gleaming black hair withabundle of stiff grass stems. Three gener-ations of Navajo women, happyandbusy!

"Daz Bah, I've come to listen to astory I want you to tell me, the story of


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what happened beforeyou were madewell in the Big Doctor's House."Through an interpreter she said:

"Early in the morning, the day I washurt, I woke up and heard my motherchopping wood outside." (Daz Bah'sfather was killed by lightning three-years ago.) "Slowly darknesswas fadingaway. Soon my mother would callme tohelp her milk the goats so we could havewarm milk to drink before we took thesheep away to graze. Then my mothercame and called, 'Daz Bah. get up,' andI jumped from my sheepskins on thefloor, leaving my orphan cousins Yinaand Kena asleep.Out at the corral mypet lamb followedme around askingforbreakfast. I held the goat's head whilemy mother milkedand when the bucketwas full we turned the sheep out to pickaround the corral whilewe ate our break-fast. Yina and her brother Kena helpedme herd the sheep because their flockranwith my mother's.

"I Was Scared an d Fell"' Drink plenty of water beforeyou

go,' said my mother. It will be eveningbefore you come home with the sheep.'We drank and then took our towels toprotect us from sun and blowing sandand started to drive the sheep in thedirection our mother said. As we passedthe corral Kena walked acrossa longlogthat bent and trembled with his weight.Yina and I were afraid but he laughed

and Yina ran swiftly across it. When Istarted I was scared and fell. I clutchedat the corral but instead I fell acrossthelog. I felt very much painbut I put myhand to my waist and said nothing. Moreand more I felt a sharp pain in my side,but we kept driving the sheep. Sometimewhen the pain was bad it seemed the skyturned dark like night,but I kept walk-ing until we came to the hogan ofAsdzani.

"I could not speak as I sat on herhogan floor,but Yina told her all aboutit. She said, 'You stay here with me and

let the others watch the sheep. Theycanstop for you on their way homeward.'1lay down and everything becameun-known to me, but through it all I coulddimly hear the tinkling of the bells onthe sheep my mother had entrusted tome. Somehow I followed the flock homethat night and helped again to milk thegoats and put the sheep into the corralaway from the coyotes. I would ratherbear the pain than tellmy mother I washurt falling overthe log. The pain stab-bed me and all night long I could notsleep, and all night long the dogs barked

trying to tell us a coyote was around thecorral. At last the sun came over the hillbu t I was in too much pain to carry theashes from last night's fire outsidethehogan and scatter them to the north so

no dweller in my mother's hogan wouldhave a cold. It is very bad to have thesun shine on the ashes of a past day. Iawakened my mother and while shechopped some wood Kena wentout tothe corral. He came running backto mysheepskins.

" 'Daz Bah, the coyote jumped overthe fence and killed the little lamb,ourpet.' But the pain was so much I couldnot grieve becausemy pet was killed.Again the world was dark for me andwhen I opened my eyes Yina had toldthestory to my mother who ran across thehills to bring Grandmotherof the Tremb-ling Hand to our hogan. My grand-mother can tell what is the matter withpeople by shaking her hand over them.'

Grandmother lookedat me and smiledwhile she was being discussed. Spyingapair of sun glasses in my lap she calmlyappropriated them and placed them infront of her keen black eyes. Very pleasedwith the results she grunted and wentonspinning. As far as I was concernedtheglasses were lost!

"When the sun looked down throughthe hole in our hogan top my grand-mother cameand her hand shook as shepassed it up and down my body. Shelooked puzzled and again she raised herhand. How it jerked and trembled as itpassed over the pain in my side.

' 'I know whereshe is hurt but I can'ttell what sort of sing to have for her,'she said. There are different singsfordifferent hurts, just like white doctorsgive different kindsof medicines for ail-ments.

Medicine Man is Aw a y" Gray Singer is far in the mountains

singing away a bad dream that ManyGoats has had. We cannot ask him, somy daughter, we must send Daz Bahwhere medicine is made in the WhiteDoctor's Hospital.'

"Time passed. I awoke to hear babiescrying, many babies. I was not on mysheepskins in my mother's hogan. This

must be where grandmother saidI shouldgothe hospital."Shi mah, (Mother) when did we

come and who brought us here?"" 'Be brave. I will not leave you,' was

all my mother would say. It seemed asthough a great mountain lay on me andI could not lift it to breathe. But everytime I closed my eyes a nurse calledmyname, 'Daz Bah, you must not sleep.Daz Bah, open your eyes,Daz Bah'I was so tired, if only I could sleep with-out my name being called. Strange brightlights like little suns shonein the roofabove me. Strange people cameand went.Medicine men of my own people stoodbeside me. I was choking.

"My mother never left me. Alwaysshestood besidethe high whitebed touching

me when I cried. No matter when Iopened my eyes she was there." (For al-most ten days Daz Bah's mother stoodbeside the bed or crouched on the floorbeside it, leaving the room only whenforced to by the nurses.) "She lookedtired and sad and yet she smiled whenIopened my eyes.

"Mother, I want to sleep, I want tosleep!"

"After a long time the Big Doctor(Dr. C. G. Salsbury) a nurse and a manwho spoke my own tongue, came intothe room. They moved like peopleI seein dreams. The Big Doctor talkedandthen the Navajo talked. He said thewhite doctor was fixinga box to helpmebreathe; that they wouldput me in itand I would stop choking.I was scaredwhen theyput me in the box. Therewassomething tight around my neck. Iscreamed and fought. My mother lookedas though her heart hurt but she didnothing and darkness came aroundme.After a while they found thatthe boxdidno good and I must stay awakeand fightfor air. For seven daysand nights I livedlike that.

Navajo Mother is Happy Again"Then a long darkness came.One day

I opened my eyes and I was not tiredanymore. My mother smiledat me and I wasin a great iron cage with justmy headoutside and it rested on a soft pillow. Idid not have to draw breath intomyself.The machine did that for me. I went tosleep again becausemy mother lookedsohappy."

The bright eyed little girl tookthestring of shining beads I gave her andtrotted across to another hogan to dis-play them. She knew nothing of themiracle machine which brought lifetoher and made her an object of wondertoher tribesmen.I went to Ganado for therest of the story.

In his sunny office Big Doctor pointedto a huge book of clippings and letters,all having the same subject a seven-

year-old Indian child fightingfor life inthe "Iron Lung." Something about thislittle waif in a remote cornerof Arizona'shighlands brought backto life by one ofscience's newest and rarest inventionstouched the hearts and imaginationsofthousands of people. That scrap bookheld telegrams and letters from doctorsand hospitalsall over the nation suggest-ing cures and asking for reports. It hadletters to the suffering child from whiteboys and girls in eastern cities who lis-tened to March of Time tell her story.There were clippings from Chicago,New

Orleans, New York and from modestlittle crossroads towns. One learnedar-ticle clipped from a Connecticut papersaid: "Daz Bah's life has been savedbymanual 'perspiration!'" Reporters called

The DESERT MAGAZINE


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by long distance from Boston for news;ind Los Angeles sent photographers. One^reat hearted doctor in Canada shippeday airplane a package of a precious serumlie believed would aid the Navajo girl.Flowers came to her room, and dollsranging from southern black babies toShirley Temples. And through all thehub-bub the hospital folk continued thequiet fight for life.

We, who live year after year amongthe Navajo people, know that Sage Me-morial Hospital and its superintendent,Dr. Salsbury, are the greatest gift anyChurch has given to an Indian people.As he sat talking I thought of thehundreds of lives he has saved among theNavajos.

"Every once in awhile in medical workii case comes along and jars one out ofthe daily routine. I don't know when I'vebeen as stirred as I was when theybrought Daz Bah into Sage Memorial, 'the doctor said. "The nerves of her dia-phragm were injured and breathing wasno longer involuntary. For seven daysand nights that child did not sleep at all.

The instant she dozed breathing stopped.Our improvised respirator failed to workand death seemed certain. We knew ofihe Collins-Drinker Respirator located inPhoenix, which had been presented to

Dr. C. G. Salsbury and two o\ thenurses at Ganado Mission hospital.Daz Bah is shown in the "IronLung" which restored the little Nav-ajo girl to health after all other cura-

tives had jailed.

Arizona by the Arizona Grocers' Associ-ation. There was a chance, just a chance,the machine could save her. Albert andGolden Farr, two white men who handleheavy trucking on this part of the reser-vation volunteered to go after the IronLung. They made the eight-hundred-mile trip over dangerous mountain roadsin 23 hours, stopping only for coffeeonce or twice. They stayed awake in or-der that a Navajo Indian child mightnot die in her sleep. The nationwide-praise they received for their act of mercywas well deserved.

"It was two in the afternoon and DazBah had been dying since noon. Hersmall body was worn out with the strainof sleeplessness and pain and we allknew the end was near. Beside the bedher exhausted mother stood with tears

streaming down her face. First her hus-band had been killed by fire from theclouds, and now she must lose her girlchild.

"Into the courtyard at the back of the

hospital rolled the heavy truck and eagerarms unloaded the seven-hundred-poundbreathing machine. There were no franticscreams this time when we lifted theweary child and laid her gently inside thebig iron instrument. With the rubbercollar arranged around her tiny neck wethrew the switch and the work of breath-ing was taken out of our hands. In lessthan one minute the girl was soundasleep and twenty-four hours later she-still was sleeping. After five days the in-jured nerves had healed and normalbreathing began. The first 'life saved'was chalked up to the credit of the IronLung."

With Death in disordered retreat thatstrange uncanny mental radio which per-meates the Navajo reservation began towork. Soon a delegation of strange Medi-cine Men stalked into the hospital room.They asked questions of Daz Bah'smother; they touched the great greenmachine and watched the leather bellowsrise and fall. They retreated to the cor-ridor and held a closed-session powwow.And then they came back and sprinkledsacred meal and pollen over the breathingmonster and threw a little in the six di-rections for good measure. And then theyleft. But others came and went through

Continued on page 32

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On Manly's Trailto Death l/alley

By CHARLES KELLY

Charles Keliy is a historianan outstand-ing contributor among contemporary writers ofwestern history. And so it was a big day inhis life last September when he followed avague lead down into southwestern Utah anddiscovered a clue which definitely establishedthe route by which the ill-fated Manly partyreached Death Valley in 1849. The discovery

was widely publicised in the newspapers atthe time, but here for the first time are given thefull details of the findwritten for Desert Mag-azine readers by Kelly himself.

"I cut the first three lettersof my n a m e on a rock, and

the date "

> O O wrote Henry W. Bigler in his\S journal under dateof November

' 3, 1849 nearly 90 years ago.He was camped that day with a packtrain in a beautiful little meadowofabout 50 acres near the headwaters of acanyon draining toward the Gulf ofCalifornia. The camp was only threeorfour miles westof the rim of the GreatBasin, yet the creek down which Biglerwas traveling alreadyhad cut its chan-nel more than a thousand feet deepthrough a stratum of white pumiceandvolcanic ash which brilliantly reflectedthe afternoon sun. The flat little meadowin the canyon bottomwas covered witha

luxuriant growth of desert grassesandfurnished the first good feed the packanimals had seen for many a weary day.

Henry W. Bigler, although stillayoung man, was no stranger to deserttravel. As a member of the MormonBattalion in 1846-47 he had trudgedfrom Fort Leavenworthto Los Angeles,completing one of the longest infantrymarches on record. After beingdis-charged in Los Angeles, he had startednorth with someof his Battalion compan-ions, intending to return immediatelytoSalt Lake City where Brigham Younghad decided to locate. At Sutter's Forthehad stopped to work on the mill beingconstructed at Coloma by James W. Mar-shall, and was present at the originaldis-covery of gold, the correct dateof which

momentous occasion he carefully setdown in his journal at the time. Withafew Mormon companionshe dug goldfor awhileand then cheerfully obeyedtheorders of Brigham Youngto gather withthe other Saintsin "Zion." He had beenin the Holy City a few months whenhereceived a call from Brigham to go to

the Sandwich Islandsas a Mormonmis-sionary.

With Apostle C. C. Rich and a groupof other Mormons boundfor the missionfield, Bigler set out from Salt Lake Cityin October, 1849. News of the Californiagold discovery had reached the east in1848, and already the westward trailswere lined with goldseekers. Most trav-elers took the better known road down

FROM SALT LAKE

OUSpanishTrail ! /TO LOS ANGELES/

The DESERT MAGAZINE


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the Humboldt directly to the diggings;but many, reaching Salt Lake City toolate in the season to cross the Sierras atDonner Pass, were compelled to seek asouthern route open in winter months.The latter included William Manly, au-thor of "Death Valley in '49," the Ben-nett and Arcane families with whom he

[raveled, the Jayhawkers, and hundredsof others not mentioned in his account.This large group set out from Salt LakeCity in the fall of 1849, and before theyhad traveled far, were joined by the Big-ler missionary party.

Hunt Agrees to Guide PartyAt that time no wheeled vehicle had

ever passed between Great Salt Lake andthe village of Los Angeles, but the gold-seekers of '49 were not to be stopped bylack of roads. In the new Mormon vil-lage they found Capt. Jefferson Hunt, for-

merly of the Battalion, and from himlearned of the Old Spanish Trail overwhich he had traveled from Los Angelesto Salt Lake. This route, first explored in1829-30 by William Wolfskill and agroup of trappers from Santa Fe, hadbeen used annually by the pack trains ofSpanish traders ever since its discovery.

The trail was marked by the bones ofinimals which had died of thirst along:he way. Captain Hu nt believed he;ould take wagons over that route. Heigreed to guide the 49ers for $10 perwagon.

Down through Utah trekked the vari-ous detachments later to be known as:he Death Valley Party. Near whereParowan now stands, they first struck theOld Spanish Trail and halted to form amore compact company. There were morehan 200 wagons and nearly as manypackers, including the missionary party.

They traveled together until theyeached the future site of Enterprise,

Utah. At that point a meeting was heldo decide whether they should continuean the Old Spanish Trail or strike outnore directly westward. Due to the per-suasive oratory of an ill-advised preacher,ind the production of an alleged map;howing a cutoff, nearly the whole com-pany decided to strike out due west,leaving less than a dozen wagons tobllow Hunt over the known trail.\mong those who started over the sup-posed cutoff were William Manly, thosenentioned in his story, and Bigler with.us missionary party.

Manly's story, written from memorymany years later, is a saga of desert trav-el, but is not a daily record and there-fore not detailed enough so that hisjoute can be traced accurately. Bigler,however, had been keeping a journalever since he joined the Battalion in '46,;nd his record of this journey of 1849

Charles Kelly, right, a nd J. Roderic Korns, standing at the rock face onHenry W. Bigler carved his initials in 1849

which

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Bigler's initials were carved at the base of these white volcanic cliffs nearthe head of

Beaver Dam wash in southwestern Utah.

was merely a continuation of the series.Parts of his journal have appeared fromtime to time in abridged form in variouspublications, but it was left for the W.P. A. Writers Project in Utah to makeacomplete transcript. Reading that tran-script I found the entry of November3, 1849, wherehe says he cut his nameand the date on a rock. It occurred to methat it might be possible to locate thatinscription if time and the elementshadbeen kind, and in doing so, to fix the

exact trail of the Death Valley Party.With a copy of his journal in hand, I

started out last Labor Day to search forthose elusive initials, knowingit wouldbe like huntingfor the proverbial needlein a haystack due to the rough natureofthe country and lack of roads. On thisquest I was accompanied by J. RodericKorns of Salt Lake City,and Frank Beck-with, newspaper publisher of Delta,Utah, two historically minded friendswho had often proved their mettleondesert journeys.

At Parowan we left the paved high-way and started along the Old SpanishTrail, which turns westto Iron Springs,then circles the north end of the Ironmountains to reach a spring at what isnow Newcastle. Relyingon Bigler'sde-

scription we had no difficulty in locatingthe exact route takenby the 49ers, al-though we were compelled to followmany dim roads and sheep trails.Ap-proaching Newcastlewe found partofthe old road made by the Death ValleyParty still visible,and photographedit.Due to a cutoff madeby Mormons afterthe settlement of Cedar City in 1852,this part of the old trail has been littleused since that date.

Party Breaks UpTwelve miles westof Newcastle lies

the little town of Enterprise, whereinearly days were found large meadowswatered by Shoal creek. Here Bigler,hisMormon friends and most of the goldseekers turnedoff the Old Spanish Trailto take their fabled cutoff. Instead ofturning south with Captain Hunt, thevstruck out due west, traveling up Shoalcreek for about 19 miles, when theyturned southwestup a dry canyon knownas W hite Rock wash. Following thiswash to its head they reachedthe rim ofthe Great Basin and immediately drop-ped down into a deep canyon on theColorado river drainage, leading almostdue south.

Rumor had reached us that manynames cut on the rocks by the Death

Valley Party in White Rock wash werestill legible. But careful examinationofevery available rock surface failedto dis-close a single name. Indian petroglyphsin the canyon may have been responsiblefor the rumor.

Crossing the wash on a rough roadleading away fromthe old trail, we weresoon lost in a maze of mountains. Atlast we came to forks in the trail and theway we took brought us to Acoma, a

water tank on the railroad in Nevada.Here we were directedto Lamond Wood,an old pioneer in that section.We foundWood at Barclay (Joseca,Nev.) wherehe had lived for 60 years in the samehouse. He knew every inchof the sur-rounding country, and told us how tofind the 49er trail. Among other thingshe said there were old names in thecanyon indicated,and that on top of themesa were the irons of some old linch-pin wagons which appearedto have beenabandoned afterthe going got too rough.It would have been impossible,he said,to have taken them further.

Korns, librarian of our expedition.then referred to another record, the

Continued on page 41

8 The DESERT MAGAZINE


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Opals at

ZabriskiJjJ Y first visit to the Zabriski opal field was many

/I/I years ago when Max Felker and I made a midsum-mer trip into Death Valley. We went in over Win-

gate pass on a day when the temperature was reported at134 degrees.

As we reached the top of the pass the great below-sea-levelbasin lay before us with all its white hot splendor. The al-luvial fans of the Funeral range extended like giganticwebbed feet with their toes hidden in the shimmering hazethat covered the floor of the valley.

We had entered the valley by the hardest route in themiddle of August to see what this Death Valley countryreally was like in the summertime. We soon found out.Every few miles we had to stop and add water to the radiator.We were thankful for the advice of a prospector at Barstow.He told us to take all the water we would possibly needand then add 10 gallons more.

We reached the flats in the floor of the valley and the finewhite alkali dust filtered up through the floor boards and inthrough the windows. It burned our lips and irritated ournostrils. Behind us it ascended in a white cloud that blottedout all vision in that direction. Before us a quivering lake of

Probably you have never heard of the opal fieldat Zabriski near the southern edge of Death Valley inCalifornia. The gem trade knows little about this de-posit for the reason that the stones found in this local-ity have no commercial value. They are too small.But they a re colorful little specim ens nev erthe less, an dmake an interesting item for collectors.

By JOHN W. HILTON

quicksilver seemed to cover the road and recede as we ad-vanced.

Suddenly there appeared ahead an object, dark and foreignto the landscape. It wavered for a moment and disappeared,then came in full view again. Our phantom became moredistinct as we approached, but still we were unable to identifyit. Sometimes it had the height of a three-story building, andthen it would shrink to the size of a man. Finally it emergedfrom the mirage and we stopped our car beside a high-wheeled ore truck that appeared to be deserted.

We called but no one answered. Then I walked aroundthe truck and saw two human feet protruding under theshade of the running board. A pair of shoes and a torn shirtlay on the ground near by.

I called Max and we stood there hesitating. We were bothfamiliar with the tragedy of heat and thirst on the desertof the victims in a final delirium tearing their clothes fromtheir bodies. That torn shirt had a foreboding look.

Then Max stepped over and nudged one of the feet withhis toe. An answering grunt from beneath the truck dispelledour fears. A moment later a sleepy-eyed individual emergedfrom beneath the vehicle.

"Are you all right?" one of us asked.

On the slopes of this hill, w ithin a stone's throw of the paved highway at Zabriski, John Hilton picked up the opa l speci-mens pictured on page 11. Standing wa lls of the 0 Id ghost borax camp are seen in the lower left corner.

F E B R U A R Y, 1 9 3 9


12/46

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DESERT PLACE NAMESCompiled by TRACY M. SCOTT

Fo r the historical data containedin this department,the Desert Maga2ine is indebted tothe research work done by Miss Scott; to the late Will C. Barnes, author of "ArizonaPlace Names;" to Frances Rosser Brownof New Mexico and to Hugh O'Neil ofOgden, Utah.

ARIZONABAN GHA RTS Yavapai county

Stage station on road between Ash Forkand Prescott, where stages stoppedformeals. The presence of Banghart's attrac-tive daughters made this place very popular.Located in 1866 and owned by GeorgeBanghart. Now called Del Rio, on A. T. &S. F. rr. Said to be location of Postle ranchwhere first territorial capitalwas set up.First called Chino. Governor Safford visitedBanghart 's in 1873 and mentions the visitin his report for that year.

FRE DO NIA Coconino county"Name suggested by Erastus Snow be-

cause many of the residents were from Utahseeking freedom from federal laws againstpolygamy." Most northerly townin Ari-zona, about 3 miles south of Utah line.Settled 1865 by people from Kanab.W. G.Mann, forest service, Kanab, wroteto Wil lC. Barnes: "Accordingto local authorities,Mormons living in Kanab, Utah, sent theirextra wives acrossthe state line to Fredoniato make it hard for U. S. marshals to findand arrest them. The name is a combina-tion of 'Dona'a womanand free. Saidto have been first called Hardscrabble."

MING VILLE Graham countyNamed for "Big" Dan Ming, prominent

cattleman and politician. His cow ranchwasin Aravaipa canyon. Summerin 1885 andpreceding winterhad been very dry all oversouthern Arizona. Cattlemen helda meetingat Willcox. Somewag suggested Mingbeinvited to open with prayer. Ming offeredthis plea: "Oh Lord, I am about to roundyo u up for a good plain talk.Now Lord, Iain't like these fellowswho come botheringyou every day. This is the first time I evertackled you for anything and if you willonly grant this I'll promise never to botheryou again. We want rain, good Lord,andwe want it bad, and we ask you to sendus some. But if you can't or don't want tosend us any, for Christ's sake don't makeitrain up around Hooker'sor Leitch's ranges,but treat us all alike. Amen." From RangeNews, Willcox. Ming diedin San Francis-co in November 1926, age 84.

CALIFORNIASKID OO Inyo county

Old mining camp in the Panamints.Es-tablished by John Ramsey and others, about1906. The word, popular at that time,means "get outta here."

STOVER MO UN TA IN Rivers ide countyChristobal Stover arrivedin the district

with Louis Rubidoux and ran cattle herein 1842, on a claim he had taken up. Hebecame a famous bear hunter, in his oldage once went aftera granddaddy bearandwas dreadfully clawed. From these woundshe later died. Indians calledthe mountainTa-hual-tapa, or "the raven mountain"be-cause so many crows or ravens congregatedand nested there.

PALA (pah ' lah) San Diego countySp. "tree trunk" or "tree bole." Indian

word means water. Drury says Pala means"shovel-shaped," referringto the valley inwhich the village is situated. Mostly settle-ment of Pala-tin-gwa tribe, evicted fromWarner's ranch in 1903.

KO IP Mono countyPeak named by Willard Johnson, U.S.G.S.in 1883. Ele. 13,300 ft. Mono word koi-pumeans mountain sheep.

MASSACRE CA NY ON Riverside countyA few miles north of San Jacinto. Ac-

cording to Drury it was the site of a fiercebattle waged over a food supply of wildgrain, by the Ivahs and the Temeculas.Thelvahs lost and were all killed, either by-weapons or by being driven overa cliff inthe canyon.

NEVADACHURCHILL county

Organized in 1861. Named from FortChurchill , which in turn was named afteran officer in the U. S. army.

M OU NT ROSE Washoe countvLocation of U. S. observatory. Namedby

Miss Rose Hickmanof Washoe City.ESMERALDA county

Formed in November 1861.Sp. for em-erald. Mines opened therein August 1860.

RALSTON VALLEY Nye countyNamed for Judge James H. Ralston,who

died from starvationand exposure thereinMay 1864.

NEW MEXICOLAS CRUCES (lahskru' ses)

Dona Ana county

This site was a landmark on the trailbetween Santa Fe and Chihuahua longbe-fore the town was founded. Known as LasCruces (the crosses) becauseof the numberof crosses marking gravesof traders andtravelers who had been killed in this vicinity by Apache Indians. Locationsof some ofthese crosses are now fixed as being atLucero Mill, on North Alameda, on lowerMain street where the arroyo comes intotown and on upper Main street. Town tookthe name of its site when founded in 1849by a colony of about 100 Mexicans whoasked U. S. soldiers stationed north atDona Ana to make the first survey. Rail-road came in 1881 and immediately the landoffice, court houseand several hundredpeo-ple moved over from Mesilla. Legislature

passed an act in 1882 establishing LasCruces as the county seat of Dona Ana.

UTAHB1CKNELL Way ne county

When Thomas W. Bicknell made anoffer of a library to any Utah town whichwould changeits name to Bicknell, the citi-zens of Thurber accepted the offer andchanged the name of their town in 1914.Bicknell soon after donateda library of1,000 books to the town, and these volumeshave been placedin the Wayne High schoolat Bicknell. GeorgeC. Brinkerhoff was in-strumental in the change of name.

GUN LOC K Washington countyIn a train of emigrants one memberwas

especially good at fixing gunlocks and theydubbed him "gunlock." Sent out to settlethe lower country, a group from this trainselected a site and established a tiny villageon which they bestowedthe name in honorof their gunsmith.



41/46

Empire on the ColoradoContinued from page 24

ite, valueless, yet this man of vision sawn the mesquite and willow covered land-:ape a mirage of green fields and neat

mch houses. But such visions took hardish to make them become a reality. Whowould see the same vision in this God-orsaken Colorado bottomland, hundredsf miles from civilization?

One man did. Thomas Blythe, himselfvisionary and already committed to one

c ream of empire, had faith in Calloway.To aid Calloway on this project Blythe

engaged George Irish. The latter hadeen employed in the Pacific Bank andie president, Peter H. Burnett, famous1 California's history, had taken a spe-

cial interest in young Irish. When Irish'shealth broke Burnett told the lad to goen a vacation in the mountains. For anonth Irish roamed through Lake countycimping and enjoying rod and gun. Atti e end of the month he returned to SanI'rancisco but was sent out immediatelyfar two more months. This was in 1875.He returned to the bank and workedtiree more years, being sent to Guate-nala in the bank's interest in January1879. Then his health broke again andtie doctor advised out-of-door employ-r lent.

The vice-president of the bank was

Captain James McDonald, a bluff cheer-fi l man who, like Burnett, had be-fiended Irish. McDonald belonged tos;veral clubs and knew Blythe. Whent le doctor told Irish that out-of-doorvork would be the only salvation forhim, McDonald introduced Irish toIlythe, who was so impressed by theeirnestness and integrity of the youngclerk he engaged him on the spot.

Together, Irish and Calloway tackledt le problem of laying the cornerstone forLlythe's desert empire in the Palo Verdevalley.

Calloway had filed on 40,000 acres ofswamp land for Blythe and under theSwamp Land Act this tract was known asSwamp Land District No. 310. Of this1 md, 40 acres were set aside as an ex-ferimental tract, and the United Statesgovernment with paternal eye encouragedtie pioneers in every way.

In 1875 Blythe, as president and prin-cipal stock owner of the Blue Jacket Mine

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went down to the Palo Verde valley andwrote to Julia Ashcroft from BlytheCity on December 4: "This is a small

town (named Blythe City in compli-ment to m y s e l f ) " . . .His "city" at that time consisted of a

tule hut or so, a store surrounded by amesquite-wood-and-rawhide-corral, and afew acres of cleared land.

In 1879 when George Irish arrived atthe river, Ehrenberg was the only con-tact with civilization and Ehrenberg al-ready was beginning to sink back intothe earth. In the saloons and billiardhalls were fine mahogany fittings andtables, abandoned by their former own-ers. Here mail was received and supplieswere kept in a store.

Irish and Calloway worked hard. Aditch was dug from Olive lake, in realitya slough formed by overflow waters fromthe river, and more than enough waterdeveloped to irrigate fields of corn,beans, alfalfa, melons, sugar cane, andcotton. However, if irrigating on a largescale was to be done, a better canal mustbe made and a permanent headgate built.A point of rocks on the river known asBlack Point was selected and the workbegun.

Irish was very careful and explicit in

his accounts, and Blythe, acting on ad-vice of his attorney Mr. Hart, sent Irishfull power of attorney. When work beganin the rocky point, the expenditures ofcash mounted and although he had thepower of attorney, Irish hesitated andsent to San Francisco for a final approvalof Blythe.

Workmen employed on the projectwere Indians, hired for 50 cents a day.One crew worked along the line of themain ditch some distance from the basecamp near the headgates.

While waiting for word from SanFrancisco, the hard rock work had beentemporarily suspended, and the Indianworkmen had been sent down to thelower camp on Saturday evening. Sun-day morning Calloway took a supply ofbeans, flour, and sugar to the lower campwhich consisted of a brush sun shade andtent. Irish stayed at the home ranch, asit was called.

Shortly after Calloway reached thecamp a drunken Indian came in and de-manded work. Calloway told the manthat Irish was the only one who couldemploy him. This angered the Indianwho started toward Calloway with apistol. The engineer's revolver was inthe tent but in his hands was a rifle, pre-sented to him by Blythe. The Indianfired at close range, so close the powder

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43/46

On Manly's Trail . . .Continued from page8

'Stover Narrative," and found therein:his entry:

"We were hereI think three days.W e had a very sick man andhe diedand we buried him in as good styleas the circumstances would allow.We broke up again; those thathadox teams wentup ten miles to crossthe canyon; the horse and muleteams made pack saddlesout of ourwagons.We called this place MountMisery."Altogether abouta dozen wagons were

ibandoned at "Mount Misery."By read-ing Bigler's entries, Wood identifiedMount Misery"as the high ridge east

sf the Bowers ranch at the head ofBeaver Dam wash. The wagon ironshehad seen there 30 years before, werehose of the Death Valley party, althoughhie was not aware of the connection.

With directions given us by Wood,we drove back toward White Rock wash,sut before reachingthe rim, turned on ai'ery dim trail which soon led us to thesrink of the wash. Straight downit ran,ipparently into the bowels of the earth,:he longest, steepest, narrowest trailwehad ever encounteredin many yearsofJesert travel. Down, down,and downwe went at a snail's pace, finally readi-ng a small meadow containingan aban-doned cabin. Wallsof the canyon were

jf white volcanicash, so we scrutinized:hem closely for names. At last to ouroy we found deeply engravedthe nameOSBORN 49."We then knew we were

Ml the trail of the 49ers. We might findhe inscription Bigler saidhe made!

No other early names were foundathe "ranch," so we started walkinguphe canyon. Within a quarter milewebund another meadow "of about 50

acres," which seemed to correspond toihe place where Bigler's partyhad grazedind rested their horses. Above,the can-on narrowed, so we knew our onlynance was to search the rocks in thaticinity.

Korns. eager to locate the irons of theibandoned 49er wagons, began climbinghe steep canyon wall. Beckwith followedhe base of the white cliff, scrutinizing

every rock,but found no traces of namesor dates. I kept on up the canyon, sweep-ng the rocks with field glasses. Mostofhe rock surface was too coarse-grainedo tempt anyone to carve his name,andhe search seemed useless.At last, just>efore turning back,I discovered throughhe glasses a small surfaceof much finer>rain. "If there are any old names inhis canyon," I said to myself, "they will)e on that rock."

Breaking through the sagebrush andbushes at the base of the cliff, I glanced

along the smooth surfaceand almostthefirst thing thatmet my eye were the dimbut perfectly legible letters"H. W. B."carved in the center of a smooth panel,seven feet from the ground. I had foundthe needle in the haystack.

At my shout Beckwith cameup, butcould not be convinced thatI had foundBigler's initials untilhe saw them forhimself. Korns, on top of the ridge,waspersuaded, after much yelling,to descend.

The letters are about six inches high,and were originally very carefullyanddeeply cut,but have been severely erodedduring the intervening 89 years. The

date, which Bigler sayshe cut along withhis initials,is so far gone that it does notshow in the photograph, only tracesofthe figures remaining.But the findingofthese initials vindicatesthe accuracy ofhis old record and indicates clearlytheroute of the 49ers after they leftthe OldSpanish Trail.

The old wagon irons, whichwe failedto locate in the dense cedar growth,butwhich have been seenby several Nevadapioneers, prove definitelythe locationof"Mount Misery" and the point where

Continued on page 4i

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F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 3 9 41


44/46

Here is your desert

BookshelfAll books listed below are on sale by theDesert Crafts Shops, 597 State Street, ElCentro. Orders promptly filled. All prices

postpaid in U. S. A. but sales tax addedfor California buyers.

CALIFORNIA DESERTSE D M U N D C. JAEGER

Very readable book on the Coloradoand Mojave desertsof California.209pages, i l lustrated $2.00

DESERT OF THE PALMSD O N A D M I R A L

Well il lustrated booklet of 56 pageson the scenic wonders of regionaround Palm Springs.Paper bound 50c

DEATH VALLEYW . A. C H A L FA N T

The facts about the famous desertsink-hole, written by a veteran of theregion. 160 pages, illust $2.75

CACTI FOR THE AMATEURS. E. H A S E LTO N

The best book yet for amateur cactuscollectors. With fine color platesandi l lustration. Paper $1.00, board$1.50

INDIAN TRIBESOF SOUTHWESTD A M A M A R G A R E T S M I T H

Mrs. White Mountain Smith createsa vivid, useful handbookon our des-ert Indians. 160 pages $1.50

CACTUS AND ITS HOMEFORREST SHREVE

Leading authority on cacti presents areadable book for cacti and succulenthobbyists. 195 pages,Illustrated $1.50

BORN OF THE DESERTC. R. R O C K W O O D

Imperial Valley's saga of reclamationArt paper bound. Specialnow at 50c

DESERT MAGAZINEV O L U M E ONE

Complete file of first 12 numbers inhandsome gold-embossed binder. Agreat fund of desert information,com-pletely indexed $4.50

OUTLAW TRAILCHARLES KELLY

A history of cowboy outlaw activitiesin the intermountain region, morethrilling than fiction.337 pages,Illustrated $4.50

SALT DESERT TRAILSCHARLES KELLY

Story of emigrant travel across Utah'ssalt desert, 178 pages, illust $3.00

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OF YESTERDAY AND TODAYa monthly reviewof the best literatureof the desert Southwest, pastand present.

NEW ARIZONA BOOKSGREET ARRIVAL OF 1939

From Harvey L. Mott's "ArizonaBookshelf" column in the ArizonaRe-public comes information regardingtwonew books that willbe of special interestto desert dwellers.

HOPI KACHINAS,by Edwin Earleand Edward A. Kennard, is just off thepress of J. J. Augustin, New York. Hereis presented in text and illustration themost exhaustive study yet publishedabout those colorful images which playso significant a role in the lives of theHopi Indians.

Dr. Kennard wrotethe text, tellingin

simple languagethe vivid drama of thekachina cult as expressed in ceremonialdance, in costume and in symbol. The 28brilliant color plates are selected frommore than 100 paintings madeby EdwinEarle during many months' residenceatOraibi.

For fiction readers Clarence BudingtonKelland's ARIZONA announcedforJanuary publication, is expected to beone of the literary highlights of 1939-Kelland has made long preparationfor anovel that willbe highly accurateand in-formative. The volume will be the firstof what ultimately willbe a trilogy tell-ing the story of the state from its earlysettlement untilthe present.

ARIZONA HUMORIST WRITESABOUT BOULDER DAM AREA

Reg Manning's CARTOON GUIDETO ARIZONA which cameoff the pressless than a year ago proved to be such a"best seller" that J. J. Augustin,pub-lisher, asked Manningto go to Boulderdam and prepare a guide of the new re-creational area there.

And now Manning's CARTOONGUIDE TO THE BOULDER DAMCOUNTRY has just come from theprinterswith all the essential informa-tion about the world's greatestdam andartificial lake sandwiched into50 pagesof original Manning comicart and wise-cracks.

"Boulder dam," explains the author,"is Man's attemptto reform that notori-ous outlaw of the Southwest 'Ol' TwoGun' Colorado river.

"Dozens of sites for the proposedprison (for Two Gun) were suggested

but in the end it boiled down to twoBoulder canyon and Black canyon. Sothey compromisedthey builtthe wallin Black canyonand named it Boulderdam."

Manning's bookhas the rare meritof

being genuinely funny withouttheslightest sacrifice of accuracy. He tellsthe whole storyof the construction,andof the many scenic wondersof the recre-ational area surroundingthe new LakeMead in a series of word and pen pic-tures which leave few questions un-answered.

A visitor might spend many daysinthe vicinity of Boulder dam withoutget-ting half as clear a picture of the greatproject as may be obtained from an hourwith Manning's guide. After once read-ing the book, a visit to the dam is verylikely to be moved into No. 1 place onthe list of future vacation trips.

GEN. PERSHING WORKINGON BOOK AT TUCSON

General John J. Pershing, resting thisseason in a cottage on the edge of thedesert near Tucsonhas resumed workonhis autobiography whichhe hopes tocomplete this winter.Gen. Charles G.Dawes, former vice-president of theUnited States, willbe the general's gueston the desert later in the season.

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45/46

ON MANLY'S TRAIL . . .

Continued from page 41

yitt of the Death Valley Party left theirvagons and continued by pack train. This;pot is four miles from the head of3eaver Dam wash.

Bigler and the pack trainshad traveled

Jown the bottom of the canyon. Thevagons, unable to get down into the:anyon, continued alongthe ridge abovemd to the east until they found it im-possible to proceed further. Mostof thevagons, including those which Manlyac-companied, turned backto the rim and:ound their way out of the difficulty byIropping down into Clover creek,eventually reaching Meadow Valley washlear Caliente, Nevada.

After great difficulty, Bigler's partyinally left BeaverDam wash, whichranJirectly south, and turned west acrossViormon Mesa to approximately the site}f Carp, Nevada, where they strucktheMuddy, continuing downit to intersecthe Spanish Trail near whatis now Glen-dale. Manly, Bennett, Arcane,the Jay-lawkers and many others tooka route:rom the Muddy leading due west; butsince there is no known day-by-day jour-la l of their travels from that point,it isdoubtful if their exact route willbedefinitely traced.The finding of Bigler'snitials, however, provides a startingDiace for anyone who cares to finish:racing the old trail of 49.

DECEMBER WINNERSN PHOTO CONTEST . . .

Fred Hankins of Taft. California, won first>lace in the December camera contest spon-ored by the Desert Magazine.His picture ofVtomezuma Castle, Arizona, appearson theover of this number. This photowas takenvith a 5x7 Eastman View camera,l /l O sec->nd at f32, Panatomic film,no filter, at 3:00>. m.

Second place winner was Charles Webberif San Leandro, California, whose wildflowerpicture is to be used in a new departmenticheduled to appear in the Desert Magazinetext month.

In addition to the prize winners, the fol-owing photographers submitted w o r kof;pecial merit: Juanita Schubertof Azusa, Cal-rornia; LaVell Cooleyof Long Beach, Cali-ornia, and Clarence Tansey of Tujunga. Cal-fornia.

DEATH VALLEY GUIDETO BE PUBLISHED . . .

"Death Valley Guide," producedby theFederal Writers Project in northern Cali-fornia and being published by HoughtonMifflin, will contain complete informationon trails and roads in this national monu-ment, as well as giving its fascinating his-tory and a description of its varied sceneryand ghost towns. Customsof the 50 Sho-shone Indians who still live in Death Val-ley are told.

The Desert Trading PostClassified advertising in this section costs eight cen ts a word, $1.60 minimum

per issueactually about 10 cents per thousand readers.

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F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 3 9 43


46/46

Q uit jBetween l/fMi-'andf

By RANDALL HENDERSON

y / E W YEAR'S eve I camped in a broad sandy arroyo just/[ / below that narrow slit in the Vallecito range known as

Split Mountain canyon. This is one of the many sceniclandscapes in the new Anza State Desert park. Visitors havebeen going to this region in large numbers during the past

year as a result of the publicity given to the native elephanttrees found in this vicinity.Friends were there with me and we gathered driftwood and

barbecued our steaks over an open fire. There are two ad-vantages in that kind of a camp dinner. It not only makes anappetizing meal, but the steaks can be served in sandwiches,with coffee in paper cupsand there are no dishes to wash.

After the meal was over we sat in a circle around blazinglogs and listened to Dr. S. U. Sverdrup of the Scripps Insti-tute of Oceanography of La Jolla tell of his experiences withAmundsen in the icy deserts of the Arctic region.

A dark shadowa little desert foxcircled the camp justbeyond the glow of the fire. We caught a fleeting glimpse ofhim at times. Later in the night when we were snug in our

blankets he raided the commissary. But he was welcome towhat he foundwe were trespassers in his domain and hewas entitled to some compensation.

We rolled our sleeping bags on the ground among thesmoke trees in a wash that was as clean and unmarked as ifwe were the first humans ever to reach this spot. Recentrains had washed away all evidence of previous visitors.

And that is my idea of a perfect New Year party.

I wish that more of our people in the Southwest, especiallythose whose homes are in the cities, would find the oppor-tunity for camping trips in the desert country. Crowded to-gether in the metropolitan areas, folks acquire the notion that

the world revolves around the petty activities of the humanrace.Out in the silence of a secluded desert canyon where a

New Year, or a thousand of them, matters little in the greatplan of the universe the human actor becomes just anotherlittle ant on a big anthill.

It is a good thing to have our egos deflated once in awhileand much less painful to let old Mother Nature dothe job in a perfectly natural manner than to have the oper-ation performed by our associates in the business and socialworld.

According to rumors drifting across the river from Arizona

My guess is that Reg's humor will capture the hearts ofthe Californians, just as it already has won the undying loyal-ty of the folks in his own native state. State lines are for poli-ticiansthey don't mean a thing to a man with Reg Man-ning's sense of humor.

* # *The Southern California desert was drenched with rain in

Decemberand according to all the signs there should be acolorful display of wildflowers before the end of March.

I can give expert testimony that the sand is moist to adepth of at least 18 inchesI had to dig my car out of it acouple of weeks ago. Oh, I'll admit that none but the dumbesof drivers will get bogged in damp sand. Of course I couldoffer a lot of excuses. The truth is that I have been stuck inthe sand so many times I have become callousand no longeregard it as a disgrace. Some of my travel companions evenaccuse me of doing it on purposejust to show off my tech-nique in digging 'er out.

Santa Claus was good to the Desert Magazine. We addednearly a thousand new and renewal subscriptions to our listduring the period preceding Christmasand the outlook fo1939 is very bright indeed. We're grateful for the interestand loyalty of all the good friends who have made thisgrowth possible.

Today we have every state in the union on our subscrip-tion list. Mississippi was the last blank state on our circulationmapand then just before Christmas my old-time neighborCol. Eggleston of Calexico, came into the DM office and or-dered the magazine sent to one of his friends down amongthe bayous, and that made it 100 percent. For that, I canforgive the colonel for all the verbal grenades he tossed inmy direction during those political feuds of former days inmy old home town on the border.

* * *There's only one cloud on the editorial horizon for 1939

If the supreme court of the land, or some other all-powerfuagency will determine once and for all whether to spell iNavajo or Navaho; Mojave or Mohave; Saguaro or SahuaroPiute, Paiute or Pahutethen my New Year will be filledwith nothing but sunshine. In a magazine which has occasion to use these names many times every month of the yearthe difference of opinion among the various authorities ato the proper spelling is most annoying.

While we are on the subject of spelling, Guy L. Fleminof the California Division of parks told me the other day tha

193902 desert magazine 1939 february

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