193907 desert magazine 1939 july

8/14/2019 193907 Desert Magazine 1939 July

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M A G A Z N E

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0/ theAs a youngster just old enough toknow what it was all about, WALTERWILHELM himself lived through thestirring events recited in this month's

story, "Doras Diggin's." The coura-

geous pioneer woman whose experiencesare described in this story is Walter'smother.Wiihelm is not a professional writer.He operates a garage at Yermo, Califor-nia, and spends his leisure time out onthe Mojave desert hunting with bow andarrow and blowgun, collecting mineralspecimens and studying the strange hab-its of the denizens of the sand dunes.He has built a sturdy jallopy that willclimb the rocks like a burroand fewmen in the southwest know the wildlifeof the desert country as well as he. If any of the readers of the DesertMagazine are curious to know who pre-pares the questions and answers for the"Desert Quiz" every month, here is theanswer. Until this issue, they were com-

STORES, OFFICES, ESTABLISHMENTSINCREASE YOUR PROFITS!N E W F R I G I D A I R E

U N I T S T O R E C O N D I T I O N E RAnswers Need of Stores and Businesses

for Profit-Making Air Conditioning Here is Air Conditioningstripped of all complica-tion. A single, compact unitp r o v i d e s c o o l i n g p o w e requal to 6000 lbs. of iceper day. Installed in a jiffy Easily moved to otherlocalities. W ith controlledcooling and controlled AirDirection. It's thoroughlyproven built and backedb y G e n e r a l M o t o r s world's largest builder ofmechanical cooling devic es.N e w Low Cost. Phonefor Free facts.

Stores in Imperial Valley, CaliforniaPRODUCT OF GENERAL MOTORS

piled by the office staff of the DM in ElCentro. This month we have a guest"quizzer" in the person of TOM WOR-TH INGTON , who has been a desert ratso many years he always has sand in hishair. Tom belongs to the school thatlearned about the desert by sleeping onitand hasn't much patience with "thoseblankety-blank tenderfeet who onlyknow what they read in the books." Will members of the writing fraterni-ty please crowd over and make room fora new recruitDESERT STEVE RAGS-DALE of Desert Center, California.Steve used to write atrocious poetryand make a profit out of itso he oughtto do very well in the field of prose.Explaining his venture into the field ofjournalism, Steve wrote: "I have mytrailer home cached in the desert cliffssouth of Desert Center. Except when itis too cold or there is rain or wind, Icook, eat, sleep and write out in theopen. For the first time in my life I amdoing just as I please - - and I pleaseto live and think and write in the soli-tude, away from newspaper, radio, andjitterbug prattle, even from the gossipof my good wife."I do not anticipate seeing the majorportion of my writing published. I sim-ply can't be bothered. But boy, oh boy!I'm having a helluva a good time writingjust what I think and what I believe tobe the truth, regardless of standardizedconcepts or orthodox conventions."

LEO A. McCLATCHY, who wroteabout his boss, Frank Pinkley, for theDesert Magazine this month, is regionalpublicity manager of the national parkservice, with headquarters in Santa Fe,New Mexico. He received his early news-paper training on the Sacramento Bee ofwhich his father, the late V. S. Mc-Clatchy, was for many years the publish-er. He did a "hitch" in the British trans-port service in the opening months of theWorld War, in India, Africa, and Egypt,and later served with the American 91stDivision in France and Belgium.

After newspaper work in Oklahoma,Texas, and Tennessee, McClatchy wentto Washington in 1921 as correspondentof the Sacramento Bee. Later he estab-lished an independent news bureau inthe national capital where for ten yearshe wrote national politics and regionalnews for a group of west coast news-papers. He did publicity work for theState of California during the Rolphadministration. He has been associatedwith the national park service, in a sim-ilar capacity, since January, 1926. He isa Stanford graduate.McClatchy is married and has threechildren: Rene and Leo, Jr., in Santa FeHigh school; and Lorette, a sophomorestudent in the University of New Mexico


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D E S E R T

J U L Y1 to 4Frontier Day celebration

at Prescott, Arizona.1 to 5Tenth annual Hopi crafts-man exhibit at Museum ofNorthern Arizona, Flagstaff.2 to 4Annual rodeo at SilverCity, New Mexico.2 to 4American Legion celebra-tion at Douglas, Arizona.2 to 4Rodeo at Reno, Nevada.2 to 4Annual Rodeo, includingRattlesnake derby, at Carls-bad, New Mexico.3 to 5Annual Pow-Wow and all-Indian rodeo at Flagstaff, Ari-zona.4Old-fashioned desert Fourth ofJuly program at Beatty, Ne-vada. Ert Moore, chairman.5 to 15Utah Boys' State, spon-sored by American Legion, atCamp Williams near Lehi,Utah.6 to 8Robbers Roost Rodeo atPrice, Utah.11 to 12Fifty-third annual con-vention of Arizona WoolGrowers at Flagstaff, Arizona.13 to 15Ute Stampede at Nephi,Utah.15 to 30 Water colors, litho-graphs and etchings by Gor-don Grant on exhibit at Mu-seum of Northern Arizona,Flagstaff.21 to 24Pioneer day program atOgden, Utah.21 to 25Covered Wagon Daysat Salt Lake City, Utah.24 to 26Horse racing program atBeaver City, Utah.ESERT MAGAZINE TOHAVE NE W QU AR T E R SJ. Wilson McKenney, who has beenissociated with the Desert Magazine sinceits inception, has purchased the Advocate,i weekly newspaper at Legrand, Califor-nia. His equity in the Desert Magazine-has been acquired by Mrs. Bess Stacy andMrs. Edna B. Clements, newspaperwomen of Calexico, California. Planshave been announced for moving themagazine and its printing plant to a newPueblo type building to be erected in El

Centre, California, within the next fourmonths. Damon Tedrick of New Con-cord, Ohio, recently has joined the staffof the Desert Magazine as advertisingmanager.

Volume 2 JULY, 1939 Number 9COVERCONT R IB U T OR SCALENDARPOETRYEXPLORERINDIAN CRAFTSPUZZLEGEMSCAMERA AR TPIONEERPHOTOGRAPHYPERSONALITYWILD LIFEODDITYWEATHERPRIZESPLACE NAM ESLEGENDFICTIONVAGABONDBOOKSLANDMARKNEWSCOMMENTMINING

DESERT TORTOISE, photograph byFred Hankins of Taft, CaliforniaW riters of the Desert Inside coverJuly eve nts on the deser t 1To a Cactus , an d other poe ms 2Trapper in the Utah WildernessBy CHA RLES KELLY 3In the Hogan of Sah-Nee , the WeaverB y M R S . W H IT E M O U N TA IN S MIT H . . . 6Desert QuizA test of your knowledge ofthe Southwest 9Trees that Turned to StoneBy JOHN W . HILTON 10"Feel" of the DesertPho tograph by WM . M. PENNINGTON . .1 4Dora ' s Diggin ' sBy WALT WILHELM 15Prize win ning pictures in M ay 17'The Boss ' a t Casa Grande RuinsBy LEO A. McCLATCHY 19My Friend, the TortoiseBy DESERT STEVE RAGS DALE 21Mystery of Si lver LakeBy WALTER FORD 23M ay temp era tures on the deser t 24An no unc em ent of July ph oto grap hic contest . . 25Origin of na m es in the Sou thwe st 26A Journey to Skele ton HouseAs told to HARRY C. JAMES 27Hard Rock Shorty of Death ValleyBy LON GARRISON 281127 A. D. in Arizona

By EVERETT RUESS 29Current rev iew s 30Prize con test for July 33Here an d The re on the Desert 34Jus t B e tween You and Meby t he Edito r . . . 36Briefs from the des ert reg ion 37The Deser t Magazine is published monthly by the Deser t Publ i sh ing Company, 597St at e Stre et, 101 Centro, California, Kntered as second class matter October 11, 1 !i:!7. atthe post office at El Centro, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.Title registered No . 358865 in V. S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1939 bythe Desert Publish ing Company, Permissio n to reprod uce conte nts mus t be securedfrom the editor in writing. Subscription rate $2.50 per year in U. S. A. or possessions.Single copy 2i> ce nt s.

R A N D A L L H E N D E R S O N , Edi torTAZEWKLL H. LAMB, Assoc ia te Edi torDAMON S. TEDRICK, Adver t i s ing Manager

Manuscr ip ts and photographs sub mi t ted m us t be accompanied by ful l re turn pos t -age. The Desert Magazine assum es no responsibil i ty for dam age or loss of ma nus cript sor photographs although due care will be exercised for their safety. Subscribers shouldsend notice of change of address to the circulation department by the f if th of them o n t h preceding i s sue .J U L Y , 1 9 3 9


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T H E S P I R I T O F T H E D E S E R TB Y R O W E N A M C D A N I E LDenver, Colorado

The spirit of the desert calls to meAnd leaves me sleepless, restless, day andnight.I close my eyes, and always then I seeThe magic of its ever changing light.I see a plain of wind-swept drifting sandWhere shrubs in stubborn desperationcling;And distant mountains robed in pastel shadesStand ageless guard above in lonely land.I long to go there in the early springAnd stay one day until the last light fades.The spirit of the desert calls, and IGive answer from a restless, yearning heart.I hasten,and behold the morning skyAflame! Colors no artist could impartTo canvas contrast the departing night,And wake the desert to another day,That rivals every miracle of earth,And leaves me breathless in the dawninglight.F.ntranced,I see the rising sun betrayThe secret of the desert's radiant birth.

D E S E R T N I G H TB Y LAURA C. PETERSPasadena, California

Forgotten now the desert day.The desert night is here;Forgiven is the choking hand.The sky we thought austereAnd harsh in judgment on the earthWhile harboring gods of f ire,Is tender now, as one who loves,And robed in soft attire.Across a field of midnight blue,Her drapes, like silken net,Are woven from the asteroidsTo swathe her silhouette.And where my face was damp with heat,A cooling breath of spiceShe stirs from out reviving sage.While stars, like bits of ice,Make cool the night and banish pain,And soothe my thoughts awayFrom gods of fire with choking hands.And I forgive the day.

I N D I A N C O U N C I L F IR E SBY R U T H W A T S O NTaos, New Mexico

Council fires burning bright,Crimson fingers reaching high,Twinkling stars lean low tonight,Gentle desert breezes sigh.Huddled warriors, bronzed and st i l l ,Draw their blankets close around,Chief of tribe describes the kill,No one else dare make a sound.

Council fires glowing red,Stars are paling in the sky,Speeches wise and long are said,Desert night is almost by.

s. o. s.B Y E L L E N D E C K E R N O R T O NPomona, California

Nature gave us lovely placesOn our wind-swept desert trails.Where one finds unsightly tracesOf fragments thrown from dinner pails;Bottles, papers, orange peeling,All are scattered here and there.Please, dear travelers, have more feeling,Keep our desert clean and fair!

a GactuA,B Y L O I S F A I T H K I R B YLos Angeles, California

0 Cactus Plant, unapproachable,Product of desert land,Your life within you unquenchable,Valiantly you stand.You are symbolic of mystery,O rugged Cactus plants,1 admire your brave persistencyAnd adjustment to circumstance!

P L A C E O F T O U C H -M E - NO TB Y S. VOSBURGClaremont, California

The Devil's Gardens cacti know,Some tall and lean, some squat and low.Through ages they have flourished there,In storm and sun, dark days and fair.W ithin this maze of Touch-m e notThe plants that grow in this weird spot,Defensive stand in sturdy prideIn armor grim, sword by their side.So, touch them not, this is their home.Admire their charm, leave them alone.If you get full of barbed spineUntil you seem a porcupine,It serves you right, this is the spotTha t's known to all as "Touch-me-not."

D E S E R T V E S P E R SBY BESSIE M. MO OREFrench, New Mexico

In the golden glow of sunset, cacti, and yellowsand,A purple velvet shadow trails across the des-ert land;It touches with loving fingers the yuccacandles white,And lights each waxen taper from a spark ofsunset bright.The hour is Desert vespers, when silencealone will sayThe prayer of benediction that marks theclose of day.

O U T L O O KB Y T H E L M A I R E L A N DMcGill , Nevada

There is a time before sunsetWhen shadows look distorted.Some people look at Life that way;Their minds must be aborted.

D E S E R T S O L I L O Q U YB Y D O R O T H Y L . P I L L S B U R YAlbuquerque, N. M.

Night pegs down her old frayed tent,Ragged with star holes worn through;Hangs a pewter moon by a filamentAnd talks to herself as wanderers do.Trailing their blue and purple cloaksShadows stay their liquid paces,Eavesdropping just like mortal folksGhosts of tribes and shades of races."Land they sought but men still die in cities:Gold they sought, how pauper poor to-day:Fame and acclaim, ten thousand, thousandpities,The raucous crowds who cheer and slip away.Beauty is the soul's frontier, unlimited andflowing,The gold of seraphim, who giving have themore.The loneliness of artistry, serene and glowingWhile all the gods stand tip-toe at the door."

S P R I N G W I N D S O N T H E D ES E R TB Y L U C Y G . B L O O M F I E L DToadlena , N. M.

Spring house-cleaning t ime! Mother NatureIs sweeping the corners out,She's huffing, puffing and scoldingAnd moving things about.That sand dune she built a year agoDoesn't seem to suit a bit.Across the arroyo it must be movedBefore present plans 'twill fit.When her cactus carpet's been beaten,And the tumble-weeds whisked away,She'll dust things over with sifted sand,Before she calls it a day.H~-r methods I can't quite fathom,But before the job's complete,She'll wash things off with an April shower.Then her home will be clean and neat.

S O C A L M T H E N IG H TBY ADA GIDDINGSLaguna Beach, California

At dawn of day, so strong, enthused;By afternoon, so lost, confused;But calmly spurning all defeat,He slept in the shade of an old mesquite.He awoke to a desert starry night,And old Polaris set him right.And since that day, if morning's primeIs lost in the market slump or climb,He horns his way through the city cars,And lays his bed under desert stars.

C R E E D O F T H E D E S E R TB Y J U N E L E M E R T P A X T O NSaid the feathery Nolina to theSpanish Dagger,Because you're a Yucca youneed not swagger.Don' t be proud, and don' t besilly,For my family is also called theLily."

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Charles Kelly's hobby is the rediscovery and study ofold historical inscriptions carved on remote rock faces inm an y pla ce s in the West. T hrough these inscriptions Kel-ly has added many new chapters to the meager recordsof early day explorations in the desert country. Here is thestory of a U tah trapper w ho e sta blis he d the first tradingposts in the U intah bas in of U tah and of the record heleft behind on the rocks.

tappet in theUtah Wildetne55

Antoine Robidoux is a copy madeld B. Hoa g o\ a portrait published in Orral Mess-more Robidoux's history of the Robidoux family.

By CHARLES KELLYff SJ UT killing antelope needlessly was not by any/ / means the worst amusements practiced in Rob- ^ idoux's camp. That foolish trader occupiedhimself so often and so long in playing 'H and ,' (anIndian game), that before he parted with his new as-sociates he had gambled away his goods, his horses,and even his wife; so that he returned to Santa Fe muchpoorer than nothingsince he was in debt."The above description of Antoine Robidoux, French trader,by Joseph Meek, referring to an incident which occurred inor near the Uintah basin of northeastern Utah in the year1838, is an interesting sidelight on the character of a manwho contributed much to the history of the early West. Meek,who was himself no saint, might have been a little prejudiced

in his opinion; but even if his statement is literally true, it wasmerely an incident in the life of a man who left his markindelibly in the wilderness he helped conquer.My own interest in this little known trader and explorerbegan not long ago when a friend loaned me a rare bookentitled "History of the Pioneer Robidoux," compiled byOrral Messmore (Mrs. Louis) Robidoux. While the bookleaves much to be desired in the way of definite information,it contained one item that immediately excited my curiosi-

Inscription left by Den is Ju lien, a French trapper, prob-ably working w ith Antoine Robidoux. on a rock facealong the Uintah river about six miles south of White-rocks Indian Agency, in the Uintah basin of easternUtah. His name also appears five times a long Greenriver, dated 1836. On the right is a close-up of theRobidoux inscription, believed to be the first photographever made o\ it.

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This photograph shows {right) the cave in w hich Robidoux camped on November 13,1 8 3 7 , and the inscription he lejt at that time, also the painted Indian sun symbol laterused by coivboys as a target. This is located in the mouth of Westivater canyon, on theold Larsen ranch, 12 miles west of the Colorado-Utah line and 22 miles north oj StateLine Service station on U. S . Highw ay 50, between Price, Utah, and Grand Junction,Colorado.

ty. That item was a short quotation froma Denver newspaper stating that thename of Antoine Robidoux, with the dateof 1837, had been discovered "on theBook Cliffs near Fruita, Colorado."If such an inscription actually existed,of course I had to see it; but the chancesseemed slim that any early record of thatnature would have so long escaped thenotice of historians. The location "onthe Book Cliffs near Fruita"was so in-definite that there seemed little hope ofactually finding it without the assistanceof B. F. Thompson, the original discov-erer, who could not be located. BookCliffs extend from Green River, Utah, toGrand Junction, Colorado, furnishingspace for an unlimited number of inscrip-tions, and the town of Fruita was manymiles from the base of the cliffs.But since I was making a collection ofall such rock inscriptions of early date Icould not afford to pass up any chanceof finding one as important as this ap-peared to be; and so one hot summerday my wife and I loaded our campingequipment and started out to look forthe "needle in a haystack."We left Salt Lake City early in themorning, stopped for lunch in Green

River, then turned east toward GrandJunction through a hot and almost bar-ren desert. At last we approached theUtah-Colorado line and stopped for gasat the State Line service station, ownedby two brothers. I inquired if they hadever heard of an inscription in Frenchcarved on the Book Cliffs in the vicinityof Fruita. To our surprise and delightthey had both seen the inscription andwere able to give us exact directions asto how to reach it.Following those directions we droveback two miles on the highway, thenturned almost due north on a dim wagontrail leading toward the Book Cliffs. Atthe end of 22 miles we came to a smallranch built at the mouth of what is lo-cally called Westwater canyon. Leavingour car in the deserted corral we walkeda quarter mile into the mouth of thecanyon to a small cave described by ourinformants. When still at a distance wecould see traces of lettering on a smoothpanel of rock wall near the cave. Walk-ing closer we were overjoyed to findwhat I believe is the finest inscription(with the exception of those on Inscrip-tion Rock in New Mexico) in the entireWest. It read:

ANTOINE ROBIDOUXPASSE ICI LE 13 NOVEMBRE1837POUR ETABLIRE MAISONTRAITTE A LARv VERT OU WINTEThe translation is: "Antoine Robidouxpassed here November 13, 1837, to es-tablish a trading house on the river Greenor Uintah."The letters were large and carefully cutwith the sharp point of a knife in the redsandstone. Just below had been painted,in ancient days, an Indian sun symbol re-sembling a bull's-eye, which has beenthe target for passing cowboys. Except forbullet marks the inscription was in a finestate of preservation and fortunately un-defaced by later markings.We took the first photographs of thisremarkable record and made the first ac-curate translation. It is located on the oldLarsen ranch, 12 miles west of the Colo-rado line.Until the publication of Mrs. Robi-doux's book, scant attention had beenpaid by historians to the remarkableachievements of the Robidoux brothers.The family came originally from a Frenchsettlement in Canada, but the six Robi-T h e D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


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rs, returned to St. Louis and later

Back in 1776 Fathers Escalante and

While Louis Robidoux looked after

In his journal of 1830-31 John Work,far from M alad river in Idaho. He

scovery of the name "De nis Julien,on a rock ledge on the Uintah

(Continued on page 25 )1 9 3 9

^EAST T A V A P U T S

P L A T E A UC L I F F S

J LARSENSTATE LINESERVICE STA.

^ TO MONTICELLO


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It isn' t possible for every reader of the Desert Magazine to go into ahogan and s i t on the f loor and watch a Navajo woman carding herwool and wea vin g a blanket but Mrs . W hi te Mo unta in Smi th ha d anopportunity to do so. She went to the hogan of one of the most ski l ledweavers in the Navajo count ry, and here i s an int imate pic ture of whatshe sa w an d learn ed abo ut one of the most interest ing nat iv e crafts inthe Southwest .

Sah-Nee she doesn't think highlyof the white man's school but sheweaves beautiful blankets. NavajoAgency photo.r HERE'S a deep canyon known asNa-Ah-Tee running between res-ervation roads which lead fromWinslow and Holbrook to the Hopi me-s a s . And here, tucked tightly under theprotecting ledge of a high brown wallof stone is the hogan home of Sah-Nee,finest of Navajo weavers in the southernNavajo reservation.Sah-Nee was born far to the northwhere Canyon de Chelly cleaves the pinecovered mountains, the Luka-chu-Kais,and as a baby her cradle board hung,swayed by breezes that stirred the pinonbranches under which the loom of hermother was always busy. Sah-Nees moth-er wove the beautiful old-time vegetable-dye rugs found today only among theweavers of that section.Sah-Nee was six or seven years oldwhen her father, Little Gambler, died,and the mother collected h er huge flockof sheep, and her baby girl and returnedto her own clan in this Na-Ah-Tee can-yon country. While the mother set up theloom and wove rugs to trade for food atthe nearby trading post, Sah-Nee herded

In the Hogan ofSah-Nee, the Weaver

By MRS. WHITE MOUNTAIN SMITHthe sheep and raced over the hills withthe sheep dogs. Then a white man dis-covered her and she was placed in schoolat Phoenix.Two or three years later the motherdied and Sah-Nee returned to live withher clan and take charge of the flock swhich were now hers. She did not in-herit her mother's loom, for it wouldhave been very bad luck to use anythingbelonging to one gone away, so the loomwith its half finished rug was buried un-der a sand bank with the Navajo woman.In time Sah-Nee married a man mucholder than herself, one chosen by herrelatives because they thought he wouldlook after the orphan girl and her in-heritance. He was a very good silver-smith and one of the best "Singers " ofthe Nine-Day Mountain Chant. Three orfour children were born, and the slimgirl is now a dignified matron who wearsher bejeweled velvet blouse and manyruffled skirts with grace and poise.

I drove my car close to the summershelter beside the winter hogan andwaited for Sah-Nee to approach. Sheknew I'd never leave the haven of mycar while her surly old sheep dog stoodwaiting hopefully for a bite of the whitevisitor. Our greetings over and the dis-appointed dog sniffing at my heels wewalked back to her loom strung betweentwo juniper trees, and settled there inthe shade on soft sheepskins.Sah-Nee's green velvet jacket wastrimmed with dozens of fancy silver but-tons and around and among them manyyards of white rick-rack braid, showingthat civilization had reached even theremote hogan of this Navajo weaver."Sah-Nee, I want to tell white peo-ple some of the interesting things aboutNavajo rugs and because I like your

weaving, I've come to you for help. Willyou tell me how you weave such beauti-ful rugs?""All right. You play you are a Navajogirl, one that has been away to school

many years and therefore knows noth-ing!" I gasped a little, but agreed to"play.""There are many things of importancebefore the rug can be started. The firstthing is to have sheep! Then you mustknow how to care for your flock. Theymust be watched and tended and guardedno matter how hot the day nor cold thenight. In summer you must be out in thesun and sandstorms and the lightningthat crashes around this country. Thesheep must have food and water even ifyou have to drive them over miles ofrough trail to find it. In winter when thesnow covers all the food, sometimes onemust cut branches off of trees and drag

them to the starving animals."They must be kept safe from coyoteswhen the lambs are born and shut intocorrals at night unless you are braveenough to stay out in the hills withthem - - just you and the sheep dog s.Twice each year they must be driven tothe Government dipping vat and putthrough the flume of stinking disinfec-tant. Then, what's left of them must bedriven home again. No matter how roughthe trail or how weary your feet, thesheep always come first. Do you thinkyou know how important are the sheep? 'I nodded, trying to visualize the lifeof a Navajo woman bound by necessityand traditions to the flocks of her tribe.Sah-Nee went into her hogan and Ifollowed. In the center of the hard dirtfloor was a fire-pit, and coals gloweddully when she fanned them with a tur-key wing. She added a few short piecesof juniper wood, stirred the mutton stewsimmering in the iron pot and added aportion of whole grained corn which hadbeen cut from the cob and dried whilesweet and tender. I looked about the

snug clean hogan. It was eight sidedwith a doorway facing the east, accord-ing to Navajo tradition. The structurewas of peeled logs gradually drawn into form the roof, and in the center a holeT h e D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


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loom in aam are seen

amb to becared for.Mularky photo.

Mud filled

riven b e t w e e n th eers and e a r s of

The hogan held no

show me some of the fine silver and tur-

silver trimming, brought out only

-ees close to the hogan. A few pots and

We went back outside to find thathad arrived. Skinny Wo man

"Skinny Woman says you may helparty, but with Sah-Nee acting as inter-preter we did very well, I guess. Skinnyoman kept up a running fire of infor-mation about rug weaving. Sah-Nee add-ed a word now and then as she turnedthe Navajo into English. The frame was

four feet wide and six long and wassimply four smooth strong strips of woodfastened at the corners. The two sidestrips were to be removed when the warpwas placed in the loom holding theframe. The tightly spun and twisted woolwarp was strung up and down, underand over, crossing in the middle. It waspulled tightly so there would be no sag-ging when the heavy wool woof waspounded in. Sah-Nee was talking as weworked:"There are four main things to re-member in making a good blanket." (N oNavajo calls her product a rug. Toher the woven covering is a blanket.)"Choosing good wool from the back ofthe sheep where it is longer and cleaner;carding, spinning and washing it we'l,using good dyes for coloring and beatingthe woof in evenly and tightly so thatthe warp cannot be seen shining throughwhen the rug is completed. When yousee one of those woolly looking blan-kets it means that the weaving was un-even and loose and that the trader tookcards and roughed up the yarn to coverthe defects." Oh, so that's why some ofthem look like they need a shave! SkinnyWoman chimed in:

"The way the wool is taken from thesheep has lots to do with nice smoothyarn. This white woman won't know any-thing about shearing so tell her that thesheep must have all four feet tied to-gether while it is being sheared. Thewool from the back must be cut off firstand laid aside by itself, and the otherwool can be put in a sack for the trader.If she wants to make a good blanket take

only wool from a native Navajo sheep.The government keeps bringing in fancylong-haired animals that are too stupidto hunt food or water for themselves, andif a coyote barks at one of them it justlies down and dies. The wool on thesenew sheep is longer and thicker and silk-ier but it catches all the dirt and trashthe sheep touches, and it is harder tospin and weave."

The women went on to tell me thatafter the wool is taken from the sheep'sback it is pulled apart with the fingersand all the burrs and bits of trash pickedout. Then yucca root is pounded into alather and hot water added. In this foamymixture the wool is soused up and downwithout twisting it any more than neces-sary. Then it is laid in the hot sand orhung on sage brush to dry.Then comes the carding with whatlooks like a pair of curry combs and thewool is left in long loose rolls ready tospin. It has never been possible to con-vert the Navajo to spinning wheels. Inthe first place most of the spinning isdone by the women as they follow theirsheep about all day long, and they cancarry the light native "spinner" withthem. The clumsy wheel would be anembarrassment loaded on a horse whenit was time to move the sheep to freshpastures, and so it is ignored by theweavers, just as the potter's wheel is anunknown object among pottery makersin the Southwest. The spinning reallytakes more time than any other detail ofthe wool preparation, but if the yarn isleft loose and lumpy then it's necessary

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Spinning yarn with a native spindle. Frasher photo.to disguise the imperfections by cardingthe finished blanket.

Sah-Nee took a smooth oak stick about18 inches long thrust through a roundthin board perhaps six inches across andfive inches from the bottom of the stick.She wet a finger and fastened the end ofa carded roll around the stick. Thenbracing it against her leg she gave thespindle a brisk twirl, at the same timestretching the yarn and twisting it as thestick spun. Then she spun the stick theopposite way and wrapped the yarnaround just above the board. This wenton until the spindle was full and thenthat yarn was removed and wound intoa loose ball while the spindle was filledagain.

Skinny Woman had been occupiedwith her charges, both of which seemedequally hungry, and she watched Sah-Nee with a critical eye when she was freeto return to us. Sah-Nee went into thehogan to stir the stew, giving me anamused wink as she laid down the spin-dle. It was snatched up instantly bySkinny Woman and how she made ittwirl and hum as she filled it quicklywith tightly spun yarn. She would showthe younger women how to really dothings! When Sah-Nee came back I toldher to ask Skinny Woman if the Navajos

learned weaving from the Hopi Indians.That practically started a civil war."Hopi! Zuni! Their women can'tweave. The men do all the work for thewomen. They make all their blankets andeven the dresses their wives wear. Theycouldn't teach a Navajo anything!" Shewrinkled her nose in a gesture of disdainand dismissed the Pueblos. "The Navajolearned to make blankets from the SpiderWoman. She taught us how. And untilyou white people made us stop we alwaysleft a spider hole in every blanket wewove. That was a place for all thethoughts we have as we weave to go outand not get twisted up in our brains andmake us crazy."

It is true that until a few years agothis spider hole was left in every blanketbut when white buyers objected to theimperfection traders induced the weaversto stop leaving it. Now they bring agray thread from somewhere in the rugout through the border and to the edgeso evil thoughts and devil spirits willfollow that thread and not break thewarp or tangle the yarn used in weavingthe blanket.Now and then a foolish woman makesa lightning design in a blanket or copiesa sacred sand painting and then the Med-icine men have to hold a "sing" to takethe curse off of her. She is placed in the

center of a sand painting and the Medi-cine men run the pains down to the endsof her toes where a cotton string is tied.Then the twisting pains brought on bythe lightning design hop right into thestring and it is burned. That always takescare of the weaver's troubles.The warp was strung to the frame bynow and the midday meal of stew wasset from the fire. Sah-Nee made breadof flour, baking powder, salt and waterand kneaded it into a stiff ball. She putan iron skillet with lots of grease in it onthe fire and when it was hot, pinched offbits of the dough, flattened them betweenher palms and fried the cakes until theywere golden brown. A can of tomatoeswas opened, probably in honor of thewhite woman, and the meal was ready.Portions were served on tin plates, thetomatoes poured in tin cups to take theplace of the usual coffee. I asked if thechildren would be there to eat and Sah-Nee explained that they had taken thesheep across the canyon too far away toleave them."They drank lots of water before theywent away this morning and I gave themfried bread and dried meat for their food.They will be all right until they bring theflock back at sundown." I wondered whateight and ten-year-old American girlssent out on such a task would think anddo.The eating finished, Sah-Nee cleanedthe stewpot and made ready to dye someyarn. It was the brownish black fleece

just as it came from a sheep's back. Atleast a third of the Navajo sheep areeither black or brown, and while thebrown color is all right to be used "as is"it is necessary to deepen the color of theblack fleec e.The white wool is used after it iswashed. Gray is made from spinn ingblack and white together; the brownneeds no dyeing, and the red used in 90per cent of the blankets sold is boughtin packages at the trading post. I thoughtSah-Nee had bought black dye for thiswool she proposed to color but she putin a brew made from sumac leaves andtwigs and combined with it a mixture ofyellow ochre melted in pinon gum. Thewool went into the pot with sufficientwater to cover it and soon it came outa shimmering black that would with-stand years of wear and exposure to sunand rain.The day of making their own dyes haspassed for most Navajo women. Theysometimes made their yellow dye whichis a favorite color, from the rabbit brush{Chrysothamus) to which is added na-

tive alum. But only around the Chin Leecountry do the Navajo women producethe old vegetable dye blankets in num-bers sufficient for marketing.The yarn is not dyed until it has been

T h e D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


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More than a million dollars worth of

pillow tops, couch covers and sad-

ess of weave and design, uncurled"How many hours will it take Skinny

"That all depends. She is a fast weav-to another. The n if the sand

"I have no idea what the cost of the"He paid her $43.00 for the wool and

At that rate I estimated a Navajoday for her work after deducting forhe value of the materials put into a

$20.00 blanket.Sah-Nee waved to me as I left, andent out to open the corral gate for herhome-coming flock of sheep.

D E S E R T Q U I Z If you think you know your desert rather welltry this test. It includes geography, naturalhistory, archaeology, botany, history and thecommon lore of the desert country. If you get 10 correct answers you knowmore than the average student of the desert, if you score 15 correct you areentitled to call yourself a "Desert Rat," and if more than 15 are answered cor-rectly vou will be given a privileged niche in the Hall reserved for Sand DuneSages. Answers are on page 31.1Cotton was first cultivated on the desert byThe early Mo rmons Spanish colonistsPrehistoric Indians Apache Indians

2Among the Navajos, chief interest is in raisingHorses - Mules Cattle Sheep3The Colorado desert is mostly inUtah California Colorado Nevada.4The Turkey Buzzard of the western deserts is so named becauseIt struts like a turkey Its head resembles a turkey's headIt belongs to the turkey family It is a native of Turkey5Most of the petrified trees in the Petrified Forest of Arizona most closelyresemble our present dayPines Sequoias Palms Cedars6Prehistoric Pueblo Indians and Cliff Dwellers subsisted mainly onMeat diet..-.- W ild grains and berriesVegetables-- Combined diet of all three7The Desert Ground OwlDigs its own burrow Occupies a roden t's burrow .Lives in a nest Roosts in brush or trees8The locale cf Harold Bell Wright's "Winning of Barbara Worth" was inNew Mexico Death ValleyImperial Valley No rthern Arizona9The Amargosa desert is inNevad a California Arizona New Mexico10The Painted Desert of Arizona is so called because of

Indian rock paintings Colored vegetationColorful landscape Hazy atmosphere11Desert varnish is aPaint pigment Natu ral mineralized rock surface....Volcanic deposit....- Artificial polish.12Desert Indians usually bury their dead facing theEast South West North13A Navajo hogan is aDw elling place Water holeFarming plot Ceremonial chamber.14Timber rats which nest in scrub cedar on the desert ridges place cactusleaves in their nest structure toGive it strength Prevent coyotes from digging them outAs reserve food supply - Make nests waterproof15The Green, Grand and Gunnison rivers are tributaries of theRio Gra nde San Juan Sacramento Colorado16The Roadrunner is sometimes called theCuckoo bird Chaparral birdLizard hawk Gro und pigeon17Kangaroo rats are so named because of theirAbility to jump Resemblance to a kan garo o...Shape of their heads Manner of carrying their young

18Among desert Indians the normal duties of the Medicine man areTo placate the gods Conduct ceremonials for rainInsure bountiful crops Heal the sick and injured.19The dwarfed growth of desert vegetation is due mainly toLack of moisture Poor soilHeat of the sun Ho t winds20The first "Mountain Men" who came to the Southwest deserts wereSeeking adventure Chasing Indian s.Searching for gold Trap ping beaver..U L Y , 1 9 3 9


12/38

This month John Hilton takes the gem and mineralcollectors into a field that has been little exploredthe field of petrified wood. Millions of tons of fossil-ized wood are scattered over the southwesternstates, and no two specimens ever are alike. Manyspecies of trees are found in petrified formand thesharp-eyed collector will discover interesting factsabout life on this earth during the prehistoric periodwhen these trees were turning to stone.

By JOHN W. HILTONE of the most common minerals in the average col-lect ionand one of the least understoodis petrifiedwood. The collector acquires a few specimens withpretty coloring and perhaps some rather striking physical vari-a t ionsand that is all. Too seldom is thought given to thespecies, the geologic age, the chemistry, or the fascinating storyrevealed by studying the wood with relation to the place whereit is found.The t ruth is that petrified wood is found in so many differentplaces and in such a great variety of form and color and chemi-cal composition that a very large and interesting collection canbe made within this one field of minerals.An approximate idea of the variations in petrified wood

may be gained by citing a partial list of the minerals occurringin this form. Silica of course leads the list. Almost every vari-ation of quartz found in the earth's crust, with the exception ofrose quartz, had been identified in petrified wood, either as thepetrifying substance or as crystal linings in the cavities of ahol low log or l imb.Some of the gem varieties of silica which appear frequently inmineralized wood are common and precious opal of almostevery known type, agate or chalcedony, all colors and types ofjasper, amethyst, smoky quartz, and clear quartz crystals. Thelast three are usually found lining the cavities.Many metals and rare minerals are also known to occur inpetrified wood. For instance a silver camp in Colorado at onet ime milled the wood for its silver and gold content. Samples

of wood containing copper ores are rare but not unknown. Insome localities complete logs have been found in which thetexture was replaced by iron in its hematite or l imonite form.Traces of almost all the other metals have been reported andin some rare instances fossil logs have proved to be the sourceof the world 's rarest e lementradium. Replacements of woodby aragonite, calcite, gypsum, barite and all conceivable com-binat ions of these minerals and the other substances alreadynamed, would run the possible varieties of petrified wood intoalmost astronomical figures.The chemistry of petrified wood of course varies with thetype. The replacement of wood structure by calcite or otherminerals soluble in water is comparatively simple and can becarried on experimental ly in a laboratory. It is possible thatsome of the silicified types are secondary replacements of silica

Cabochons reproduced on this page are from the beauti-ful picture rock collection o\ L. R. Douglas o\ Long Beach,California.

that JUt/utned to Stone

10 T h e D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


13/38

Agate bridge in the

unofficial guidea half centuryPhotograph, courtesyWhite Mountain Smith.

Where there is direct replacement of

n contact with any organic acid such asell is formed. This jell is silicic acid

the same comp osition as opal. The slowdrying of silica jell is the source of mostof the opal found in the world. Thesefacts may explain how a log of woodmay be replaced cell by cell , preservingthe entire structure in stone.As partial proof of this theory I haveallowed porous pieces of wood to soakuntil they have become "sour" and then

immersed them in a weak solution ofsodium silicate. The weak acetic andtannic acids produced by the fermenta-tion had so completely filled the poresin the soft wood that in a few days theywere well impregnated with silica jell .When dried, this became a form of softchalky common opal .Of course this was silica impregnation

rather than replacement, but I have nodoubt that with the elements of timeand pressure such as existed through thegeologic ages, opalized wood could beproduced by this process. Unfortunately,the finest chemists and the best equippedlaboratories in the world cannot com-pete wi th Nature to whom t ime meansnothing. And perhaps after all , that isjust as well for it would be no fun col-lecting gem specimens which any chem-ist could produce with a test tube and amelting furnace.One of the most interesting angles inthe study of petrified woo d is the factorof geologic age. I believe I am safe insaying that every geologic era has pro-duced i ts mineralized wood - - a t least

"Old Faithful;' located nearthe museum in the PetrifiedForest national monum ent, isa popular photographic sub-ject for park visitors.

J U L Y , 1 9 3 9 11


14/38

These flattened logs,graphed in the Petrifieiest national monumenevidence of tremendou.sure at some earlywhen the wood stillpliable form.

every era since plant life evolved to thepoint of primitive trees.The specimens in your cabinet mayinclude palm or cycad woods that grewon this earth a hundred million yearsa g o , along with twigs from one of thelime-bearing springs where the petrify-ing process is going on today.The number of species of fossilizedwood available to the collector is almostas great as that of the living woodsfound in the world today. Conifers seemto predominate, with pine, fir and red-

woods in the lead. Large forests of petri-fied hardwoods are known, however, andin certain places in Humboldt county, Ne-vada, I have collected sticks of petrifiedsagebrush that were almost identical asto bark and grain with the shrubs nowliving in that same desert region.Many of our desert plants are of ex-tremely ancient lineage and have changedlittle through the ages. Notable amongthese are the Joshuas and yuccas on ourMojave desert, and they have been foundin petrified form. On the other hand,cactus with a woody core which wouldseem to lend itself to the petrifying pro-cess, does not seem to occur in any ofthe fossil beds. This may be explainedby the fact that cactus, as we know ittoday, is a comparatively recent memberof the plant world. Its ancient ancestorswere fleshy tender things growing mostlyon the trunks of tropical trees with fernsand orchids.The polished surface of your speci-men, or a microscopic slide from it, willaid greatly in comparing the grain of thewood with the living material, thus mak-ing it possible to determine the genus orgeneral group to which the specimenbelongs. Once this is known, the col-lector can reconstruct more accurately

his mental picture of the conditions pre-vailing at the time and place the woodwas submerged. The character and grainwill give definite clues as to whetherthe specimen grew in a dense tropicaljungle, on a cool wooded highland, oron the arid brush covered mesa.Other interesting clues for the col-lector to study are the surface markingson the bark and the borings or evidenceof fire or decay that occurred before thepetrifaction set in. Anim als in prehist-oric times behaved much as they do to-day. Twigs have been found perfectlypetrified with the tooth marks of somerodent of the muskrat type plainly visi-

b l e . Bears and cats scratched their clawson the bark of trees to sharpen them, asthey do today, and marks have beenfound on the fossil logs to verify thisassertion. The bark of new specimensshould always be studied carefully be-cause many interesting bits of informa-tion may be gleaned. Lichens and mossessometimes leave their imprints in thebark of petrified trees. In other instancesone side of the log may appear to beflattened due to decay on the undersideof the log before the remainder of itwas preserved by the petrifying process.Sometimes it is possible to see the pat-tern of the fungi involved in the decay-ing process.In some forests all or part of the barkhad been burned away and the charredappearance of the partially burned loghas been preserved to bring down to usthe picture of what occurred. In the opalfields of no rthern N evada are remark-able examples of petrified trees that hadbeen damaged by fire. Here the logs werecaught in the flow of volcanic mud andcarried some distance from their source,

later to be replaced by the opal silicacontained in the mud.The story of what took place in thelava flow is all very plain to one who hasworked in the opal mines as I have done.Layer after layer of the wood-bearingmud has been deposited there, sometimesseparated by beds of volcanic ash, andoccasionally by sandstone of sedimentaryorigin.Finally the entire area was covered bya layer of black trap rockapparentlythe result of the final eruption. Only cer-

tain ones of these layers contain opal olcommercial quality, but all of them carrysome form of petrified wood, and insome instances bones of prehistoric ani-mals.Once the sandy surface is removed, thevolcanic character of the deposits is evi-dent. All through the clay are scatteredbits of pumice and charcoal. The lattechas been unaltered through the passingof time, and can still be burned. Hereand there are found bits of volcanic rockwhich must have been red hot when theywere catapulted into the mud, for thepath of their downward progress is visi-ble as a porous streak, due probably tosteam generated at the time. Through allthis material are scattered bits of opal-ized wood in all stages of petrifaction.It is not uncommon to find pieces ofwood with common or even gem opalappearing in one end of the specimenand the other end tapering into purecharcoal.In connection with the surface mark-ings on petrified wood it might be wellto clear up several points. Some forests

are of the driftwood type, having beenwashed up on the shores of ancient lakesor seas or buried in the sandbars of pre-historic rivers. In other places trees havebecome fossilized where they grew and12 T h e D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


15/38

the stumps are still in their original up-right position with the roots extendingbelow the surface and sections of thelimbs scattered over the ground aboutthem.Visitors in the petrified forest areas,especially in the Holbrook, Arizona,field where large num bers of full-lengthlogs are to be seen lying on the ground,invariably comment on the fact that thelogs frequently are broken into sectionsof more or less uniform length. Presum-ably this was caused by erosion of thesoil on which the log rested. As thefoundation was removed at the exposedend of the log the weight of the sectorsuspended in air became so great thatit brok e off. Since long tru nks are usual-ly oi: rather uniform composition, thecontinued undermining of the log by theforces of wind or water eventually causedanother sector of about the same lengthto break. The process was repeated withthe result that today one finds rows ofthese rather uniform pieces lying in anorderly line across the desert.

This phenomenon has given rise to abit of campfire fiction concerning a raceof prehistoric men who sawed the logsinto tidy length, in some cases even leav-ing piles of petrified sawdust.One of the current stories in Nevadaconcerns a Basque sheepherder who oc-cupied his leisure time by carefully cord-ing a pile of these logs of the samelength. He even went so far as to usepetrified tree limbs as the stakes in whichhis "cordwood" was racked. Finally theday arrived when a tenderfoot from SanFrancisco appeared on the scene andwas shown this pile of cordwoodrackedup by a thrifty aborigine so many mil-lions of years ago that the wood had allturned to stone. The stranger gasped hisamazement and promptly returned to hishome city and passed his hot tip alongto a newspaper reporter. The reporterrushed out to Nevada with notebookand cameraand then his face turnedred. The hardy Basques of that regionstill chuckle over the incident.Although by no means common, Ihave seen petrified logs containing thelittle tunnels of wood-borers and otherinsects. In most cases only the holes re-main, but specimens have been found inwhich the mummified remains of theborers themselves encased in the chalce-dony-filled ducts are still to be seen.Another interesting occurrence is thepresence of woodpecker holes in petrifiedlimbs. Specimens have been found con-taining the cavity in which the bird hadits nest. Along the Colorado river are a

number of small petrified wood areas inwhich these cavities occur. While I amsure that not all the holes found in petri-fied wood were made by prehistoricwoodpeckers, I have examined speci-

mens in which the cavities appear to bethe work of some member of the birdfamily.One cannot travel far in any of ourdesert states without encountering speci-mens of petrified wood. Often the col-lector makes the mistake of passing upfields where there are no b right-huedcolors or where gem material seems tobe lacking. All petrified wood is inter-esting, and even in the drab-toned speci-mens there are fascinating discoveries tobe made by the real student of mineral-ogy and geologic history.

The Nevada field probably has pro-duced the most remarkable specimensof opals found in any petrified forestarea. One gem from this area weighedsixteen and three-quarters ounces andwas nearly as large as a building brickwhen discovered. It proved to be thelargest and most perfect black opal in theworld and was appraised by Geo. F.Kuntz at $300,000. It now reposes in oneof the country's largest collections andprobably sets an all-time high for a pet-rified wood gem specimen. Other gemsI have seen from this field have sold foras much as $1000.From the standpoint of economic im-portance the famous petrified forest nearHolbrook, Arizona, holds first place.Thousands of tons of wood have beencarried away from this area and made in-to gems, beads and art objects. Greatslabs of it have been cut and polished

to decorate the rooms of palatial homes.Fortunately, the federal government hastaken charge of this field and it is nowwell protected. Despite the large amountof wood removed before federal custo-

dians were sent there, the forest today isa vast depository of beautifully-coloredstone logs and stumps and fragmentsa gorgeous collection which all the prow-ess of man could never duplicate.A large amount of wood from Arizonacontinues to find its way into the jewel-ry and novelty markets, but the supplyis now gathered by Indians and ranchersfrom areas not included in the nationalmonument reserve.On e of the most beautiful types ofmaterial from the fossilized trees is called"picture wood." These specimens usual-ly have a red or gray background onwhich appear tree-like designs in black.When the background is of brilliant redor orange it takes little imagination tosee the trees silhouetted in a raging forestfire. Other stones resemble the desertlandscape at sunset, with giant cactistanding in bold relief against a vividbackground.Generally it is the history of mineralspecimens that they become lower inprice as they gain wide distribution. Thisis not so in the case of petrified wood,however. Today there is greater demandfor polished slabs, bookends and jewelryfashioned from this material than at anytime since its discovery.I can suggest no more interesting ob-jective for the summer vacationist than avisit to the high plateau of Arizona orUtah or the coastal or mountain regionof California and Oregon where a start

may be made toward the securing of apetrified wood collection. A shelf or acabinet of well selected fossil wood hasboth beauty and infinite possibilities forstudy in the realm of the prehistoric past.

"Huh! They must think they own these roads!" By SID MILLSJ U L Y , 1 9 3 9 13


16/38

ARTISTRY Photograph by Wm, M. Pennington

feel ok theBy JOHN STEWART MacCLARY

Even in the days of Coronado the Zuni women's pottery drew expressionsof admiration from white-skinned invaders. Without even a primitive potter'swheel to aid in shaping the ware, Zuni women fashion clay utensils of amaz-ing symmetry. Decorative designs add fascinating contrast to even the mostformal background.The making of pottery is an ancient art among the Zuni. Their ancestors

may have acquired it fromor have taught it toother ancient tribes ofPueblo Indians. Who knows?Well-informed persons say the source of clay used in the vessels isgu ard ed in tribal secrecy. That fact should preserv e the rare artistry frommechanized exploitation and mass production.



17/38

"That's no place for a woman," the old desertrats told Dora Wilhelm when she announced shewas going into the Piute mountains to develop asilver mine. But Dora had not been through Gold-Held and other boom mining camps for nothingand so she hitched her mules to a buckboard andheaded into one of the most barren regions onthe Mojave desert. In the story of this coura-geous woman you will get an intimate picture ofthe problems and hardships involved in pioneer-ing the west a half century ago.

ota 5 JJ

rr

By WALT WILHELM

7 / OU told me one time that a mine was just a hole(J in the ground owned by a damned liar," the pros-J pector said, "but I've really struck it rich, and I'mhere to keep my promise. You'll probably back out on wanting the claim though, when you find out where it's located."He was talking to Dora Wilhelm, a woman who had spentyears developing mines."Back out nothing," she answered, "I didn't back out atGoldlield and that was a tough camp. I didn't back out inIdaho. I snowshoed to the Thunder mountain strike." Thenas she examined his samples under her mineral glasses shesaid, "This is rich ore, Jim. Where is your prospect located?""Down in the Piute mountains near the silvery Colorado.One of the hottest and dryest spots on the Mojave desert ofCalifornia 17 miles from the railroad, no water, and rattle-snakes by the thousands.""Water or no water, snakes or no snakes I'm ready to lookat your claim. You have to take your mines where you findthem."Several years before Dora had befriended the prospectorat Goldfield, Nevada. In return for her kindness he promisedto give her first chance at any claim he discovered. He kepthis promise and as a result a very rich silver camp was namedafter a woman."Perhaps I'd have more money today," Dora Wilhelm said,"if I'd promoted and sold mines, but I can't do that. WhatI always want to do is produce. Give employment to minersand watch them dig. The prettiest money in the world is thekind you dig from the ground with your own hands."By train they traveled to Milligan, a siding on the SantaFes Parker cutoff line. The remaining 17 miles through thecactus wilderness was made astride the prospector's burros. Ittook nine hours to make a trip one way. At the propertyDora found that development work hadn't progressed beyond

the grass roots. The small cut where the prospector made-thediscovery wasn't any larger than a badger hole, but Doraliked the formation. She believed there was a mine in thatmountain. She made a deal for the claim then and there.The long ride home passed quickly because these two vet-

i

Dora. Wilhelm is past 70 now, but she loses nooppor-tunity to go into the hills on a prospecting trip.erans of the desert ta'ked each other's language. "How didycu happen to prospect in this part of the country?" Doraasked him."A Chemehuevi Indian used to sell silver trinkets to touristson the train. A squaw told me that he got his pretty rocksfrom that section so I've been looking for the spot eversince.""How many years have you spent prospecting?""Well, about 20 all told, but that means that I've onlylooked for mineral about five. I've spent five of the 20 yearslacing high top boots, and the other ten looking for mylocoed burros."

Dora was eager to get back to the property and prospectit thoroughly. At that time the automobile wasn't safe fordesert travel, so in August 1911 Dora and one of her youngsons started for the claim by mule team. There were no roads.They followed the trail along the railroada trail that camelcaravans had traveled 40 years before.Near the little station of Amboy one of the mules wasbitten by a rattlesnake. Dora cured the animal with a remedywell known among Indians and desert folks. The treatment

J U L Y , 1 9 3 9 15


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19/38

By TAD NICHOLSRoute 2, Box 194Tucson, ArizonaThis p h o t o g r a p h w asawarded first prize in the judg-ing of pictures submitted in theMay contest of the Desert Mag-azine. Taken with a ConleyView camera, Conley anastig-mat 6.8 lens, one second, f64,red filter, late afternoon sun.

SpecialThe following entries submit-ted in the May contest of theDesert Magazine were givenan "exceptional quality" rating

by the judges."A.rizona Trail to TontoCliff Dwelling," by Alice MarieRoberts of Los Angeles."End of the Trail," by JimLeonard of Los Angeles."Sa guaro Cactus," by M. E.Bemis of Phoenix, Arizona.

now- Gamed.ta tU eBy FRED HANKINS226 Mt. View AvenueTaft, CaliforniaThis picture was award-ed second prize in theMay contest of the DesertMagazine. Taken with anEastman View camera,panatomic film, 1/25 sec-ond at ill with Kl filter.This pattern is formed byyucca spikes showingthrough one of the raresnows which fall in thedesert country.

17


20/38

To the men in the U. S.Park service FrankPinkley is generallyknown as "the boss.''

Casa Grande ruins asthey appear today, pro-tected by a rooj erectedby the U. S. Park ser-

vice.

18


21/38

Frank Pinkley came out from Missouri nearly 40 years ago to becomeU ncle S am 's caretaker at the ancient Cas a G rande Indian ruins in Arizona. He has been there most of the time sincebut today his title isSuperintendent of Southwest National Monuments and he is the chiefguardian of 26 of the historic and scenic federal park reserves in thestates of Arizona, Ne w M exico, U tah and C olorado. Here's the story ofa public official who isn't afraid to poke fun at the "brass hats" in Wash-ington.

lan de Ru.ln.5By LEO A. McCLATCHY

CT~ RANK PINKLEY, custodian of/ a grou p of Uncle Sam's prehistor-ic ruins in the Southwest, wasreminiscing about his desert experiences."About the only thing I ever did thatwas really smart," he said, "was to goout in the desert and pick a darned goodruin, and sit down by it for 30-odd years.Eventually a lot of other folks decided itwas a good spot and built a railroad anda paved highway and some telephone andtelegraph lines out to my pet ruin. Final-ly they started a town near byand nowwe have all the comforts of civilizationplus many thousands of visitors everyyear.'And that is just what happened. Itwas about 40 years ago that young Pink-ley came west from his native Missouriand pitched a tent on the Arizona desertnear crumbling walls of the prehistoricIndian pueblo known today as CasaGrande ruins.He had been employed by the general

land office as caretaker at the ruins. Itwas midsummer and he found the in-side of a tent at that season of the yearwas about as habitable as a Turkish bathroom. He sought refuge in the old ruins,under what remained of the roof, bu tthe owls which had established theirhomes in the dark recesses of the ancienttemple resented his intrusion and usedtheir sharp beaks and talons to expresstheir disapproval.Of course the rules of the federal gov-ernment required that "encouragementand protection" be given to all wildlife.And so he moved back to the tent. Butthat was unbearable, and when he hadperspired away all but his last 100pounds of weight, he hitched his two In-dian ponies to the buckboard and started

for Florence. There, with some of hisown funds, he bought enough materialsto build a comfortable cabin. In hismonthly report to Washington he de-scribed his new home as "a one-roomhouse."In due time, congratulations for hisinitiative came from Washington, and hewas advised that the rent would be $5.00a month. So that he might devote full

time to his caretaking and not be re-quired to set up a bookkeeping system,he was informed it would not be neces-sary to send in the rent money every 30daysWashington would take care ofthat by deducting the amount from his$75 monthly pay check.As years passed he enlarged his cabinand every time he added another roomthe federal government added another$5.00 to his rent. Eventually he was pay-ing $20.00 for the privilege of occupy-ing a house built with his own handswith materials bought out of his own

savings. Fortunately, Frank Pinkley hada sense of humorotherwise he mightnot today hold the title of Superintendentof Southwestern Monuments.When he wasn't tacking additionalrooms on his cabin, Pinkley spent hishours familiarizing himself with theruins, and became deeply interested inthe subjects of archaeology and geology.Before long he had acquired a fund ofknowledge which provided an interestinglecture for visitors. When the touristbusiness lagged he took his buckboardand drove over to Florence to get them.

If they didn't want to see the ruins, atleast they could come to Casa Grande tosee the place where Uncle Sam collectedrent from a man living in his own house.Today Frank Pinkley has 26 national

monuments under his supervision. Theyare located in the states of Arizona, NewMexico, Colorado and Utah, and com-prise about one-third of the nationalmonum ents in the Un ited States. Al-though his time is now largely occupiedwith administrative duties, in past yearshe has personally guided nearly a millionpeople through the interesting areas inhis jurisdiction.His administrative building is at theCasa Grande ruins, near Coolidge, Ari-zona. The governm ent has erected amodern structure for him and the head-quarters staffand charges him no rentfor the use of it.Originally the Casa Grande pueblowas a four-story building, constructed of"caliche", the sub-soil of that region. Itwas erected between 1300 and 1400 A.D. and probably served as a watchtowerfor the Indian village of which it waspart. Fr. Francisco Kino visited it in

1694, and noted that it was then aban-doned and in decay."When I first arrived here," said Pink-ley, glancing at the modern equipmentof his office, "there was little evidence ofthe white man's culture. An old bachelorhad homesteaded the section south of meand a widower was camping in an an-cient adobe in the section to the north.There was another old man who haddriven horse-cars in New York City inthe early '60s. We comprised the whitepopulation of this region."An other o ld-timer lived four or fivemiles west of the ruins. He came past mytent occasionally on his way to town andmoaned over the fact that the 'govment'would give a kid like me $75 a monthwhile he, a veteran who had 'fit withGrant in the swamps around Vicksburg,'couldn't even get a pension. I felt sorryfor him until one day another veterantold me the last notation in the old coot'srecord reported his desertion from thearmy."The Casa Grande-Florence stage for-merly passed this way and Jim Rogers thestage driver could neither read nor write.When he had no passengers I used toride out along the trail with him andread and write his letters for him. Hewas in love with a girl who was partMexican and part Indianbut the ro-mance was later broken off. That showswhat a poor writer I am."As a matter of fact, Pinkley's writingstoday are perhaps the most lucid and en-tertaining records to be found in any ofthe government publications.His "Ruminations by the Boss" in hismonthly printed reports sparkle withhumor and original expression. He pokesfun at the "brass hats" in Washington,deals frankly with his own predicamentswhen he finds himself in "the official

J U L Y , 1 9 3 9 19


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H o w m a n y of t h e s e M o n u m e n t s h a v e y o u v i s i t e d ?Here are the 26 Southwestern national monuments under jurisdiction

MonumentPostoflke1ARCHESMoab, Utah2AZTEC RUINSAztec , N. M.3BAND ELIERSanta Fe , N.M .4 CA NY ON D E CHELLY-Chin Lee , Ar i .5 C A P U L I N M O U N T A I N - C a p u l i n , N .M .6CASA GRANDECool idge , Ar iz .7CHACO CANYON-Chaco Canyon.N.M8 C H I R I C A H U A D o u g l a s , A r i z .9 E L M O R R O R a m a h , N .M .10GILA CLIFF DWELLINGS-Cl if f , N.M .1 1 G R A N Q U I V I R A G r a n Q u i v i r a , N .M .1 2 H O V E N W E E P C o r t e z , C o l o .13MONTEZUMA CASTLE-Camp Verde14NATURAL BRIDGEBlanding ,Utah15NAVAJOTonalea , Ar iz .16ORGAN PIPE CACTUSAjo, Ar iz .17PIPE SPRINGMoccasin, Ariz.18RAINBOW BRIDGETonalea , Ar iz .19SAGUAROTucson, Ar iz .20 SUNS ET CRATERFlagstaff , A riz.21TONTORoosevel t , Ar iz .

22TUMACACORINogales , Ar iz .23 WA LN UT CANYON Flags ta ff . Ariz .2 4 W H I T E S A N D S A l a m o g o r d o , N .M .2 5WUPATKIFlagstaff , Ariz.26YUCCA HOUSECortez , Colo .

In Charge "'.Harry Reed, cust.T. C. Miller, cust.G e o . Sholly, act.-cust.Ted Cronyn, cust.Homer Farr, cust.A. T. Bicknell, cust.L. T. McKinney, cust.Frank Fish, cust.R. R. Budlong, cust.no custodianGeorge Boundey, cust.T. C. MillerEarl Jackson, cust.Zeke Johnson, cust .J . W . Brewer, Jr. , rang.no custodianLeonard Heaton, act.-custno custodianno custodianDavid JonesG. G. Philp, rang.L. R. Caywood, cust.Paul Beaubien, Jr., archTom Charles, cust.David Jones, ranger.T. C. Miller

T O T A L S

of Fran c Pinkley:8 Visitors Acres

1,44820,21414,6191,57330,20033.7616,2719,1453,2081053,11316810,64574 141 16,2002,24522220,4226,9224,98515,28913,526110,8052,754172

319,164

33,680.0025.8826,026.2083,840.00680.37472.5021,512.3710,694.80240.00160.00610.94285.80520.002,740.00360.00330,670.0040.00160.0063,284.003,040.001,120.00

10.001,873.00142,987.0033,865.009.60760,907.46

dog house." Certain it is that no othergovernment official is as outspoken as he.For instance, in a notation directed tothe park rangers who serve as guides atthe various monuments, he said: "Wehave no cause whatever to look down onany class of visitors. If there appear tobe dumb ones among them now and thenI am willing to bet two to one the faultlies with the man who is talking to them.At least, that was the way cold logicworked it out in those cases when thespeaker couldn't reach his partyand Ihappened to be the speaker."

He recalls, with a laugh, his own in-ability to give a satisfactory answer to aquestion asked by a woman from Texas.She had just completed a tour throughsome of the ancient houses where pre-historic Indians had lived."Why on earth do you suppose theymade their homes away out here so faraway from the railroad?" she wanted toknow.A school teacher, evidently day-dream-ing on a tour of the Casa Grande ruins,was told that when the archaeologistswere working there a few years before,they found the body of an Indian boy 18or 20 years of age buried beneath thefloor."Oh, how interesting!" she ex-claimed, "and - er - was he dead?"Pinkley's jurisdiction now includes adomain of more than 1,000 square miles,scattered over four states. During the pastyear, over 300,000 people visited these26 southwestern monuments, and there

were about 27,000 field and museumtrips guided by rangers. A ranger notonly has to be a walking encyclopedia he must serve as a portable first-aid sta-tion. Recently, in New Mexico's El Morronational monument, two girls sat downon porcupine quills they were carryingin hip pockets of their slacks. The rangerused a pair of heavy pliers in the re-moval proceedings.

"The Boss," as Pinkley is knownthroughout the southwestand in Wash-ington, toonow has a considerable forceof rangers. All of them, like himself, arecivil service employes under the nationalpark service.A ranger has to live in whatever quar-ters happen to be available at the monu-ment where he is stationed. At the Wu-

patki ruins in Arizona, Ranger DavidJones and his wife have been living inrooms that were built about 1100 A. D.It is believed to be the oldest house inthe world to be now occupied by whitepeople."It makes me smile," said Pinkley,whenever they revive that old contro-versy between Santa Fe, New Mexico,and St. Augustine, Florida, as to whichhas the oldest house in the United States.These Wupatki walls were built whileold men were still talking about theirpart in the last crusade."Rangers in some of these ancient areashave to be constantly on guard to wardoff treasure-hunters."Recently," explained the Boss, "there

was a party digging for $49,000,000 ingold bullion just west of the TumacacoriMission in Arizona. They are being di-rected by a person who gets his informa-tion through an Indian spirit who, de-spite his long sojourn in spirit land, talksa garbled version of our modern slangfrom the streets of Los Angeles."At Gran Quivira national monumentin New Mexico, there is a story aboutthe padres digging down through thesanctuary floor of the old church 40 or50 feet through solid rock. There, youwill find a passage going to the eastunder the hill. At the end of the pas-sage will be a bell. Sight through a holein the bell-clapper to find the locationof another passage where a plug is lifted,and there in a little room all the bullionis buried. It is not explained why thehard-pressed priests dug a hundredthousand dollars worth of tunnels tobury the treasure when they could havegone out in the freshly turned earth ofthe garden and done a better job of hid-ing it. I don't believe the padres werehalf as dumb as some of these treasurestories credit them with being."

You're probably wondering what hap-pened to that house Frank Pinkley rentedfrom the government. W ell, Pinkleydoesn't live there any more."The government finally decided tobuy it," he explained. "It had cost me$1,200 and was appraised at that price,but I told the Secretary of the Interior hecould have it for $600, since I didn't

want to gouge him on the deal. A billwas introduced in Congress for the $600,but they filled two or three pages of thecongressional record fussing about it. Iremember that, because Carl Hayden readone of my letters into the record, in whichI offered to play them Seven-Up for thedarned house, winner take all. Congressdid n't take me up on that, and finallypaid the $600. Since I moved out of thehouse into other quarters, some years ago,my part of the deal is closed. But it worksout that I built the house, sold it to thegovernment for half the appraised value,and paid them about five times its cost inrent."

The place continues to be regularlyoccupied, and is producing monthly rent-als to the government.Asked whether he plans to retire short-ly, and possibly try his hand at buildinganother home, the Boss laughed heartily."After all is said and done," he em-phasized by slapping his table desk,"handling the public is a grand gameand one I never tire of. In our work, wefind visitors easy to interest, and the in-

terest once aroused, easy to maintain. Imay retire one of these days. I don't knowwhether I'll build a home or not. If I do,I'll try to keep the government fromfinding out about it."20 T h e D E S E R T


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My 7tiend,the /ottofaeI will pay One Hundred ($100.00) reward for conclu-sive proof of deliberate torture, crushing or killing of aDesert T ortoise within a radius of 100 miles of Desert Cen-ter, California, if a c c o m p a n i e d by indisputable proof ofthe identity of the guilty party, provided he is of legal age.

(Signed) DESERT ST EVE RAGS DALE.By DESERT STEVE RAGSDALE/ / Y 30-odd years' residence on theyj/l desert, studiously observing allliving creatures, both wild anddomesticated, including that half-bakedquadruped called Man who, havinglearned to walk on his hind legs is nowa bipedhas convinced me that the des-ert Tortoise is not only the most inter-esting, but the most harmless and there-fore endowed with the greatest wisdomof all God's creatures.If Man would pattern after the Tor-toise there would be no murderous wars,no destroying of his own species, nomore heartaches for those bereaved. Un-controlled passions with accompanyingevils would no longer exist. It wouldseem that man, having completely failedin promoting his own true well-being,and having lost the art of true livingif he ever possessed itnow enviouslyseeks to destroy from the earth, the sky,and the sea all the living creatures whichin their natural environment continue toobserve Nature's laws.

The only real enemy of the Tortoisewe people of the desert call them dryland turtles or terrapinamong all pre-datory animals, is Man.With merciful wisdom, Nature pro-vided the Tortoise with an almost im-pregnable shella sort of portable houseand therefore the Tortoise is alwaysat home, morning, noon and midnight.Protected from the cruel talons of thehawk, from the fangs and claws of thecoyote and bobcat, the desert turtle hadlittle to fear from the carnivorous beastsof his habitat.But not so when civilization moved inand brought that boastful, so-calledChristian creature who tortures and kills,not for food, but for the mere pleasureof shooting a gun or driving a speedingautomobile.Many times after a rain, I have stoppedalong the desert trail to remove desertturtles from the highway, only to findthat several of them had been shot orcrushed. The car tracks plainly showed

that the driver had swerved the wheeldeliberately for the purpose of runningover the harmless animal.We desert natives, because of our in-timate knowledge of the tortoise, holdthem sacred. We study them and admireand love them and we resent thethoughtlessness or wanton cruelty ofthose who kill them, or what is oftenworse, pick them up and take them outof the warm desert sand of their naturalenvironment and hold them captive inthe humid fog and mucky weather of thecity areas, forcing them to subsist on un-natural food or starve.Were I the head man of the DesertTurtle clan I think I would try to acquirethe defensive habits of my cousin, thewater turtle, and clamp my jaws downon the meddling fingers of those humanswho tried to pick me upand then hangon and listen to my tormenter roar withpain. That seems to be the most effectiveway to make man pause and think.Some of the thrill-drunk crowd fromJ U L Y , 1 9 3 9 21


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the big city wanted to go in partnershipwith me and hold a tortoise race at Des-ert Center. I was to supply the racingstock and they were to guarantee fabu-lous gate receipts.My answer was "N o! d it,n o ! " And I wanted to plant a kick onsomebody's pants for emphasis. I may getdown so low as to rob banksbut heavenhelp me if I ever need bread so badly asto win it by exploiting these helpless littlecreatures of the desert.To the readers of the Desert Magazinewho are not acquainted with the deserttortoise family, I would like to tell some-thing about my little neighbors in theChuckawalla valley.

During our short desert winters theyhibernate, burrowing into the warm drysand, kicking the sand out behind themas they work their way in, and then clos-ing the portal against cold air.They propagate in early summer bylaying eggs, similar in size and shape topigeon eggs, then covering them withtwo or three inches of sand. By naturalincubation in about 14 days the youngare hatched, and immediately dig theirway out to the sunshine which is neces-sary to toughen their shells.When hatched, they are about thesize of a half dollar and can move as

fast as when fully grown. They doublein size annually for the first few years,depending on the food supply. After theyreach four or five inches in size thegrowth is slower. Observing tortoiseswhich I have identified by marking theirshells, I have learned that in some in-stances they gain as little as one or twoinches in 10 years.Before paved highways came to thedesert, 25 or 30 years ago, I frequentlymet healthy old tortoises 15 inches acrossthe back. In recent years I have seen fewover eight or ten inches. One of themis casually feeding on desert vegetationnear my trailer car beside a rocky buttethree miles from Desert Center, as Iwrite this.At first he came close to my writingtable and remained motionless for 10minutes. He looked up at me with anexpression that might have been eitherpity or contempt. He seemed to be say-ing, "You old fool, why are you thuswasting your time? We turtles need nowritten precept to keep us out of jail,nor any written word to tell us how toenjoy the gifts of Natu re's God. "I tried to argue with the little fellow.I told him what a superior creature Iw a s . He nodded his head from side toside, opened his mouth in a skeptical

grin and then turned and left, casting alook of pity in my direction as he de-parted.There are a dozen lizards scamperingamong the rocks, a couple of chucka-wallas feeding at my feet, some birdschirping in the ironwoods nearby, and awhole colony of ants busily excavatingtheir summer homeand I suspect thatthe whole menagerie shares the turtle'spity for my futile efforts.

In my tramps over the desert I havefound tracks which indicated that coy-otes and other predatory animals hadmauled and rolled tortoises over thesandy desert - - but I have never foundone that appeared to have been injuredfrom any cause except the hand of man.They are vegetarians and secure bothfood and water from the green plantsthat grow in the sandand apparentlylive to a ripe old age. In their naturalhaunts they appear to be immune to sick-ness or disease.In my humble opinion the measuresponsored by Assemblyman Paul Richieof San Diego, and enacted by the 1939California legislature for the protectionof the desert tortoise is more importantthan nine-tenths of the bills offered ineither the state or national capitals inrecent years.

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25/38

The desert of the Southwest is a land of many lakesbut most of themare dry- Storm water from the adjacent mountains f i l l them occasionally, butthe thirsty earth and the evaporative power of the sun soon absorb theirmoisture. Here is the story of a desert lake that has broken all known prece-dent s . Not only has i t retained i ts water for over a year , but strange to say, i tis filled with fish.

one morning last fall residentsof the little desert village of Sil-ver Lake, California, awoke to

I had visited the lake several timesnone of them could be substanti-

"Sure there are fish in the lake," he

By WALTER FORDreplied. "Came down with the rains lastMarch. I saw it rain frogs down in Texaswhen I was a kid but I never thought I'dsee the day when fish fell out of theclouds!"

A short time ago I visited Mrs. GusJohnson, who runs the general store atSilver Lake, and obtained authentic in-formation concerning the lake. She statedthat none of the residents of Silver Lakeknew fish were in the lake until after aheavy west wind had blown the waterfrom the lake into depressions above thenormal water line and left hundreds ofcatfish and perch floundering in its wake.Mrs. Johnson traced the origin of thefish to trout hatcheries in the San Ber-nardino mountains, approximately 125miles away.During the heavy down-pour of March1938 the rain-swollen streams whichfeed the Mojave river rushed down fromthe San Bernardino mountains, followedthe ancient river bed to Soda Lake, thence

across the highway at Baker and intoSilver Lake. As one stands at the level ofthe present Silver Lake and gazes towardSoda Lake to the south, his immediateimpression is that the latter is many feetlower than Silver Lake, despite the factthat the connecting wash between thetwo lakes clearly indicates the flow ashaving been from Soda Lake to the north.This illusion, Mrs. Johnson stated, makesit difficult for visitors to believe thatSilver Lake was actually filled from theMojave river.

In this seeming sportsman's paradise,I wondered at the complete absence offisherm en until M rs. Johnson suppliedthe answer: "The fish will not bite!" AsI stood on the shore and noted the fre-quency with which they jumped abovethe surface a far simpler method of catch-ing them seemed to be to just wade outand scoop up what one needed.The old Arrowhead Trail lies underseveral feet of water at the north end of

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the lake. In former days it was the onlyconnecting link between Southern Cali-fornia points and Salt Lake City butsince the advent of the paved highwaythrough Baker it has been used but little.With the traveling time between SilverLake and coast cities now a matter of afew hours it is difficult to realize thatonly as far back as 1924 the requiredtime was 17 hours. That, Mrs. Johnsonsaid, was the minimum time over roadsso sandy that at times it was necessary todeflate tires to get sufficient traction. Shetells of one trip from Los Angeles when

her car broke down between GarlicSprings and Silver Lake. With her threesmall children she started to walk andmade the distance of 18 miles to SilverLake in 11 hours.Until the Boulder dam transmissionline was started, the little settlement ofSilver Lake was merely a station on theTonopah and Tidewater railroad. Duringthe construction period of the line whenthe population was augmented by hun-dreds of workmen, it took on the aspectsof a thriving community. Today it ap-pears to be dozing in the desert sun

waiting for the era of prosperity due toarrive with the construction of a secondBoulder dam power transmission line."After that," Mrs. Johnson laughinglyexclaims, "I shall probably give it backto the Indians!"There are conflicting stories as to whenSilver Lake last held water but local resi-dents give the date as 1922, and the onlyprevious time within their memories as1 9 1 6 , when the Tonopah and Tidewaterrailroad which ran across the lake bedwas forced to rebuild on higher ground.The former roadbed may still be seen ex-tending above the level of the presentlake. Estimates as to when the lake willdry up are many and varied, rangingfrom a few months to several years. Theoriginal depth in March 1938 was 12feet and although the lake has survivedone summer, the rate of evaporation is sorapid that unless there is some inflowfrom storms it may soon vanish complete-ly. Undoubtedly, in future years it willfill again but the strange phenomenon offish in a "dry" lake may never be re-peated.WILLIAMS TO RETURN TOFIELD ENGINEER ING WOR KRoy B. Williams, assistant commission-er of the reclamation bureau at Wash-ington, has been named chief construc-tion engineer of the important Friantdivision of the Central valley project inCalifornia, and Harry W. Bashore, con-struction engineer of the Kendrick projectin Wyoming, is taking over Williams'duties in the Washington office.

Weatliel

24

MAY REPORT FROM U. S . BUREAUA T P H O E N I XTemperatures DegreesMean for month 78.8Norm al for May ... 75.0H igh on Ma y 29 ___ 105 .0Low on May 24 56.ORainTotal for month 00.0Nor mal for May 0.12WeatherDays clear 23Day s partly cloudy __ 5Days cloudy 3G. K. GREENING, Meteoro logis t .

F R O M Y U M A B U R E A UTemperatures DegreesMean for month 79.0No rma l for May 76.2Hig h on May 29 - 107.0Low on May 12 ._ 57.0RainTota l for month 00.069-year avera ge for May - 0.04W e a t h e r -Days clear 29Days partly cloudy 1Days cloudy 1Sunshine, 429 hours of sunshine out of possi-ble 430 hours.Colorado riverMay discharge at Grand Can-yon 2,424,000 acre feet. Discharge at Parker567,000 acre feet. Estimated storage behindBoulder dam 23,500,000 acre feet.T h e D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


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(Continued from page 5)of that city and had takenfor trading expedi-of his own. No doubt he waswork-

in 1831he left his name on the cliffs alongIt may be that Robidoux hadin that section earlier, but if so heno record. Another Frenchman, whohis name to Duchesne river, prob-bly was another of Robidoux's men.Unfortunately, Antoine Robidoux leftno written records of his explorationsnd what little we know of his activitiesis gleaned from the journals of othercontemporary trappers. Although hetraded and trapped in the Uinta

193907 desert magazine 1939 july

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