194007 desert magazine 1940 july

8/14/2019 194007 Desert Magazine 1940 July

1/46

THE

M A G A Z I N E

y, 194' 25 CENTS


2/46

nGrants, New Mexico

Dear Mr. Henderson:Opened my copy of the J un e issue of th Desert Mag azine and lo, the mountain h idcome to Mohammed. I refer to the picture ofthe "old Carrizo stage station" on page 15.Last time I layed my bedroll on the sandsat the old stage station the nearest mountain

was Coy ote." many miles southea st of thehistoric oasis.Now if you will correct the caption underthat picture to read "Water trough at the oldstage station at Mountain springs," I'd resta bit easierbeing sure that the 15 years I'vespent in snow and sunshine, on the west rimof [he Colorado desert weren't lived in vain.TIM OIXA.Dear Tim: Now that you've called itto m) attention I know yo u aye right.That picture in the June numb er couldn't

be Carrizo stage station t because the oldCarrizo stage house was o\ adobe an dthe one in the picture is oj rock. My apol-ogies to yo u and James Jasper. Mr. jaspergave me the photograph correctly cap-tioned and the error was made in thisoffice. R. H.mmmmmmmmmmmmmOnly one night in the yearOnly one place* in the world

The Smoki are dancing again. On Sin-pine-

fL .including

th et V O K l O F A M OSmoki Snal\ Dance

scented, mile-high city of Prescott, Ari-zona, the Smoki People, 300 white menand women who are preserving the ritu-als and dances of the Indians will holdtheir 20th Annual Ceremonials.The only group of its kind in theworld, the Smoki, this year, will givethe strange intriguing, dramatic chantsand dances of two famous SouthwesternIndian tribes - - the Zuni and Hopi,end the world renowned Smoki SnakeDance.

The beat of the tomtoms, therattle of gourds, the stomp ofm o c c a s i n e d f e e t w i l l t r a n s -port you to another world.Don't miss this most color-ful of Southwestern events the Smoki Ceremonials.I,

i'if i1

PRESCOTT, ARIZON A LAND OF THESMOKI PEOPLE"

Overton, NevadaDear Randal l :Just received the Desert Magazine todayand found it very interesting. In glancingover your Desert Place Names I note an error,and I trust this correction will be accepted inthe good spirit in which it is given.Bunkerville was settled January 6, 1877.Edward Bunker Sr. led in the colonization ofthis town, and incidentally, he was a memberof the Mormon battalion, a group whichmade one of the most historic marches onrecord.Outside of the li t t le town of Genoa, Over-ton and St. Joseph (now called Logan dale)are the two oldest farming settlements in thestate of Nevada, being hist settled January 8,1865. The man who led this early coloni-zation was Thos. S. Smith. St. Thomas, nowburied forever by storage waters behind Boul-der dam was named after him .GEORGE PERKINS. Glendale, CaliforniaDear Sir:There is a poem, or a portion of one, thatlias haunted me for years and I am enclosingit so it may have a chance to haunt someoneelse. It has something of the call of the desertin its lines and sounds like Stevenson, but I

am ashamed to admit I do not know theauthor . . ."They've cradled yo u in custom, they havepruned you with their preaching.They ha ve soaked you in convention.through and throughThey have put you in a show case: you'rea credit to their teaching.But can't you bear the wild? It's callingyou!Let us probe the silent places, let us seewhat luck betide us.Let us journey to a distant land I know.There's a whisper in the night wind,there's a star agleam to guide us:Fo r the wind is calling, calling let usgo!"Encouraged by your atti tude toward poetsin general and by your letter to Leon Noyesin your current issue, I send you a couple ofspasms that were written with the aid ofPisgah Bill , who only helped after considerableurging. Bill says "Poets ain't nothin' but dad-burned sun struck dudes." W. H . BURTIS.

P. S. I don't think you should encourage meto write poetry. - -W. H. B. San Bernardino, CaliforniaDear Sir:In looking over the Desert Magazine forJanuary '40, I see on page 44, an item abouta piece of jasper sent you by Olin J. Bell ofSan Francisco, and that it came up from bed-rock of one of the Golden Gate Bridge foun-dations.

A number of years ago, in 1909 to be exact,when Fighting Bob Evans brought his fleetof battleships to visit San Francisco I wasliving near Santa Rosa and came down on theexcursion train to Lime Point light house, onthe Marin county side of the Golden Gate. Inexploring around the cliffs there, I foundquite a large deposit of jasper of all colors,red and yellow predominating. I recognizedit as being.the same "a,s several large specimensI had at that time, .whic h I had found atMark West springs near Santa Rosa.There must be a vein of this jasper run-ning through these cliffs and under the watersof the Golden Gate. Think more could befound around those cliffs, but doubt if any-one woujd be allowed to explore there now,as it is a government reservation and visitorsare not allowed. Just writing this as an in-teresting note on the item.W I L F R I D M . S N O W .


3/46

D E S E R TGalesidatJ U N . 27-29 National Association ofDeans andAdvisers of Menmeetsat Hi l ton Hotel , Albuquerque.New Mexico. James F. Findlay,University of Oklahoma, presidentand chai rman.J U L Y 1-3 NewMexico association ofdentists in convention at Santa Fe.1-4 Motor boat and horse races,Pro-vo , Utah .1-5 Hopi Craftsman exhibit . Museumof northern Arizona, Flagstaff.2-4 Southwest Indian Pow wow , Flag-staff, Arizona.3-5 Cavern City Cava lcade androdeo,Carlsbad, NewMexico.3-6 Rodeo at Reno, Nevada. EdwardQuesta, chai rman.4 Rodeo at Patagonia, Arizona.4 Indian rodeo. Salt river Indianreservation, Mesa, Arizona.4 Rodeo andhorse show, Cimarron,New Mexico.4 Pioneer Days, Albuquerque, K. M.4-6 Round Valley rodeo, Springerv ille,Arizona.4-6 Annu al rodeo. Silver City, NewMexico.4-7 Frontier days celebration and non-professional rodeo, Prescott, Ariz.5-6 Historical celebration at Inscrip-tion Rock, El Mono na t i ona lmonument , NewMexico.10 Pageant depicting discovery ofGrand Canyon, staged 16 mileseast of Grand Canyon village.Harold C. Bryant, Grand Canyon

nat ional park superintendent .11-13 UteStampede, Nephi , Utah.11-13 Robbers' Roost Roundup, Price,U tah .13 State society reun ion for formerresidents of Utah, Arizona, NewMexico andNevada , in Sycamore-Grove Park, Los Angeles, Cali-fornia. C. H. Parsons, 416S.Spring St., secretary.13-28 Water colors by Millard Sheets,Claremont, California, at Flagstaff,Arizona museum.18 Cowboy s' Roun dup, Clovis,NewMexico. Cowboy ballads andlegends.19-21 Southwest district convention of20-30 dubs. Carlsbad, NewMexi-co . Wiley VanHecke, Santa Fe,district governor.19-24 Covered Wagon Days, Salt LakeCity, Utah. Rodeo. Win. J. Rack-ham, chai rman.19-24 Covered Wagon days. Salt LakeUtah. Rodeo.24 "Creat ion" to be given by SaltLake Oratorio society under direc-tion of Squire Coop, Salt Lake-City.25-26 Fiesta at Taos, NewMexico, tocelebrate St.James and St. Anne'sDays.Coronado Entrada, pageant celebrating400th anniversary of Spanish entry, willbe presented in the following NewMexico ci t ies this monthLas Vegas,July 12-13, Roswell, July 17-19.

Volume 3 JULY, 1940 Number 9COVERLETTERSCALENDARPHOTOGRAPHYDISCOVERYTREASUREADVENTUREPROSPECTINGGUIDEQUIZDIARYPOETRYWILDLIFECEREMONIALPERSONALITYARTISTFICTIONLEGENDBOTANYLANDMARKHOBBYNEWSBOOKSHOBBYPLACE NAMESMININGCOMMENT

Pinnacles in Bryce Canyon, UtahComment from Desert Magazine readers . . .

Inside coverJuly events on the desert 1Prize winning pictures in May 2El Vado de los Padres

By DR.RUSSELL G. FRAZIER 3Loot of Monterrey

By JOHN D. MITCHELL 6She Mines . A W R - r r n d Likes itBy WALTER FORD 7

Night Prospector By HULBERT BURROUGHS . 11Captain John Hance

By FRANK C. LOCKWOOD 15A Test of Your Desert Knowledge 18June at Yaauitp>~ec

By MARSHAL SOUTH 19TWILIGHT REVERIE, and other poems . . . . 21Desert Trader By GRACE P. NICKERSON . . 22Smoki Snake Priests 23Seven-Time Winner in Arizona

By OREN ARNOLD 25He Wanted to do Honest Painting

By JOHN W. HILTON 27Hard Rock Shorty By LONGARRISON . . . 28Coyrte and the Bluejays

By HARRY C. JAMES 29Hill Climbers of the Desert

By MARY BEAL 30Echo Arch By MARGUERITE SCHMIDT . . . 32Cacti Edited by LUCILE HARRIS 34Here and There on the Desert 36UNCLE SAM'S CAMELS, and other reviews . . 38Gems and Minerals, Edited by ARTHUR EATON 39Origin of names in the Southwest 42Briefs from the desert region 43Just Between You and Me By the Editor . . . 44

The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Publishing Company, 636State Street, El Centro, California. Entered as second class matter October 11, 1937, atthe post office at El Centro, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Title registeredNo. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office, and contents copyrighted 1940 by the Desert PublishingCompany. Permission to reproduce contents must be secured from the editor in writing.RANDALL HENDERSON. Editor.

TAZEWELL H. LAMB and LUCILE HARRIS, Associate Editors.Eugene A. LaMont, Advertising representative327 S. Towne Ave., Los Angeles, California. Phone MI 6441.

Manuscripts and photographs submitted must be accompanied by full return post-age. The Desert Magazine assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of manuscriptsor photographs although due care will be exercised for their safety. Subscribers shouldsend notice of change of address to the circulation department by the fifth of the monthpreceding issue.SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 year $2.50 2 years $4.00 3 years $5.00GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1 subscription $2.50 two $4.00 three $5.00Canadian subscriptions 25c extra, foreign 50c extraAddress subscription letters to Desert Magazine, El Centro, California

J U L Y , 1 9 4


4/46

ReA-ioUed(Buteo borealis calurus)

By GEORGE McC. BRADTVilla Nova, PennsylvaniaAwarded first prize in themonthly photographic contestconducted by the Desert Maga-zine. Taken at Tucson, Arizonawith a Bantam Special Kodakon support. Pan X film, f 16,1 10 second.

Spaded M&utThe following photographs were judged to have unusual merit:"Desert Ruins," b> Patricia Parks, Los Angeles, California."Three Palms," by F. H. Ragsdale, Los Angeles, California."Desert Road," by Dorothy Clayton, Needles, California."Lunchtime on the Desert," by Dr. E. R. Voss, Los Angeles, California.

Claud Pattern.By MARIA HASSELBERG

2210 Raymond AvenueLos Angeles, CaliforniaWinner of second prize in the

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


5/46

Arrow indicates the m outh of narrow Padre creek tributary where Father Escalaiite and his party cut steps in the canyonwalls to make the first recorded crossing oj the Colorado river in northern Arizona November 7, 1776. The padre and hiscompanions crossed diagonally downstream to the willow-grown bar shown in the center of the photograph.

EL Vado de los P a d r e s(THE CROSSING OF THE FATHERS)

After years of controversy it remained for a little party of explorers headedby Dr. Rus sell G. Frazie r to discover a nd es tablish be yon d a ny doubt the ex actspot at which Father Escalante and his trail-finding expedition made their his-toric crossing of the Colorado river in 1776. Dr. Frazier wrote this story for theDesert Magazine just bsfore his departure with the Byrd expedition to the Ant-arctic several months c:go.

"In order that we might get thehorses down the side canyon I havementioned, we found it necessary tocut steps with our hatchet in the rockof the mountain for a distance ofabout three yards or a little less.''~~ f HIS entry was made in his journ-

I al November 7, 1776, by FatherSilvestre Velez de Escalante, who,with Father Francisco Atanasio E>omin-guez, led the f irst known party of whiteme;n to enter what is now the state ofUtah .This group, number ing 10 Spaniardsand several Indians and halfbreeds, leftSar. ta Fe, New Mexico, to explore a routeto Monterey in California.Entering the state near Jensen, Utah,they traveled west through the Uintahbasin, crossed the Wasatch mountains,vis i ted the "Laguna" Indians a t Utahlake, traveled south along the mountainsto what is now called the Escalante des-

By DR. RUSSELL G. FRAZIERert, and then were forced by lateness ofthe season to turn back toward Santa Fewithout accomplishing their originalmission. Eventually they reached Lee'sfei ry on th e Co lora do river b ut cou ld n otcross because of the depth and velocityof the great r iver. Traveling northeastover the high and broken plateau nearthi; river they finally discovered a placewhich appeared to be a practicable ford,and after cutting steps in the steep wallof a side canyon to get their horses down,succeeded in making the f irst recordedcrossing of the Colorado river.

The exact location of that first cross-ing, known as El Vado de los Padres, hasbe:n in dispute for a number of years. Itseems to have been known and used byea 'ly Mo rmo n m issionaries on their visitsto the Hopi villages and the Navajocojntry, but through er ror has beenwiongly indicated on all modern maps.This error was first brought to my at-tention by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, a

member of the second Powell expeditionof 1871, whose interest in the history ofthe r iver continued to the end of his life.Char les Kelly, who had photographedthe supposed crossing in 1932, while ona r iver voyage, was also of the opinionthat it was incorrectly designated and didnot correspond with Escalante's descrip-tion.After examining the supposed crossingat Cane creek while on my river voyageof 1933, and after much discussion ofthe problem with Dellenbaugh, Kellyand others, I determined to locate theactual crossing, if possible, and place asuitable marker for the guidance of fu-ture travelers. After reading Escalante'sentry it seemed possible that if he cutsteps in the rock, they might still be visi-ble, and if so, the steps themselves woulddefinitely locate the actual Crossing ofthe Fathers.

Four years passed before anything fur-ther was done in this direction. Then inJ U L Y , 1 9 4 0


6/46

1937 I metByron Davies, a young manw ho had prospected in the vicinity ofCane creek. Hetold me hehad seen stepscu t in therock in a small canyon a milebelow the supposed crossing. This seemedsuch a good clue that within a fewdaysDavies, Kelly and I were headed up-stream from Lee's ferry in a boat equip-ped with outboard motor , tocheck thesereported steps with Escalante's journal.W i t h a very lowstage of water and

an underpowered motor we had greatdifficulty in negotia t ing the 40 miles toCane creek, our destination. We finallyarrived at noon of the third day, and

DR. RUSSELL G. FRAZIERPhotograph taken at Lee's Ferrywhile with theJulius F.Stone expe-dition in 193S.

immediately set out, in thebroi l ingsun,to locate thelittle canyon seen byDavies.We found it about a mile south of Canecreek. It checked inevery particular withEscalante's description. After some scout-in g we located a place where it seemedpossible to get horses down from theplateau above, and following this dimtrail we soon discovered old weatheredsteps cut in therock, thesame that Dav-ies had seen previously. Our shouts, echo-ing down thenarrow canyon, announcedour enthusiastic belief that we had dis-covered theactual steps cut in 1776 byEscalante's party. Wefollowed the littlecanyon down to the r iver and there foundand photographed the actual ford usedby that first party of white men tomakea crossing of the Colorado river. Esca-

lante's description was so accurate thatthere could be nomistake.In climbing back out of the canyon,however, we found another series of an-cient steps cut in the rock, making twoseries, onewith 12 steps and onewith25. This did not check with the state-ment that the steps were "about threeyards or a little less." After studying thematter for some time weconcluded thatsome of the oldtrading expeditions fromSanta Fewhich followed this oldSpanishtrail after Escalante had pioneered it,might have added toEscalante's originalsteps to aid in getting their pack trainsout of thecanyon. This seemed reason-able.This river trip wasmade in August .Unfortunately, theshutter of mycamerawas out of order, and all my pictureswere blanks! So in October I organizedanother party to visit the crossing andget photographs . This t ime wewent inoverland, from Cannonville, Utah, witha pack train, principally because I wanteda photograph of a horse coming down

that tricky, weather-worn flight of steps.This time I took several cameras andphotographed thehistoric trail in black-and-white andcolor.In 1938 I made another r iver tr ip withCharles Kelly andothers as a member ofthe Julius F. Stone expedition. On thatoccasion we erected a copper plaque atthe mouth of the little side canyon con-ta ining thesteps, naming it Padre creekin honor of thetwo priests. This wasmyfourth visit to thecrossing.In the spr ing of 1939 Byron Davies,our guide on the 1937 expedition, againvisited the crossing with P. W. T o m p -km s of San Francisco, well known ex-plorer of southwestern deserts. On thattr ip Davies brought back a photograph ofwhat appeared to be a badly weatheredinscription left byEscalante on thewallsof Padre canyon. Knowing that anysuchinscription would be of the utmost im-portance to historians, I immediately or-ganized another overland expedition tophotograph and translate the inscriptionif possible. I wasagain accompanied byByron Davies, hisbrother Ammon, andmy 11-year-old sonJohn Russell. It wasthe boy's first real desert expedition, buthe stood theexperience of drycamps, ahard bed and long days in the saddle likea veteran.On this tr ip weplanned not only tovisit the crossing but to strike the trailbelow and follow it to theford, checkingevery landmark with thejournal socare-fully kept bythat first traveler. Westart-ed from the old abandoned Mormontown of Pahrea and struck Escalante'strail where it crossed Wah-weep creek.We were the first, since 1776, to re-trace that section of Utah's oldest re-corded trail and check the landmarkswith the old journal . Travel ing nor th

from Gunsight butte we reached the

steep south bank of Padre creek, thenturned west for about a mile in orderto head the deep canyon and reach thepreviously discovered steps leading downfrom the north wall. It occurred to methat this detour was not mentioned inthe journal.Our little caravan cautiously workedits way down over the old trail, findingthe ancient steps a necessity for horsetravel . Without them wecould not have

made the descent safely. Both theanimalsand ourselves were indeed grateful forthe cool, clear little stream in the bot-to m of thecanyon. Wemade camp there,clearing out a space in thedense growthof cane grass, andcooked supper, intend-in g to search for theancient inscriptionnext morning. In thecool of theeveningwe took a stroll down the narrow can-yon of Padre creek toward theriver. Myyoung son and Ammon Davies weresome distance ahead when I heard themshouting. I hurried on, presuming theyhad found the inscription. Instead, they

This copper plaque marking theac -tual Crossing oj the Fathers icasplaced here in 1938 by theJulius F.Stone Expedition.pointed excitedly to a sloping wall on thesouth side of thecanyon in which werecu t six ancient steps "three yards longor a little less," leading up out of thecanyon on that side. They had at last ac-cidentally discovered theactual steps de-scribed by Escalante, which apparentlyhave never been used since 1776. Theyar e on thesouth side of Padre creek, an-swering every requirement of the recordmade at the t ime.The DESERT MAGAZINE


7/46

Although I had passed this spot sev-eral times, I had not noticed these steps.They are of course very badly weathered,and not easily seen unless the light isjust right; but they still show traces ofhaving been cut by some steel instrument.The inscription we had been searchingfor proved to be only mineral stains onthe cliff face; but our accidental discov-ery of the original Escalante steps wasmore than sufficient reward for the hardjourney.The two longer series of steps on thenorth side of Padre canyon were prob-ably cut by one of the early Spanish trad-ing expeditions from Santa Fe, possiblybefore 1800. They were already old whenfirst seen by Jacob Hamblin, early Mor-mon missionary, in 1858, according toUncle Billy Crosby, a grandson of Hamb-lin.

To thus identify the actual Crossingof the Fathers, after so many attempts,and to stand in the footsteps of the pad-res, was the greatest thrill of my life.

NO MORATORIUM INDICATEDIN MINE ASSESSMENTSUnless congress reverses the positiontaken a year ago and du ring the closingdays of June enacts legislation extendingthe moratorium on mining assessmentwork, it becomes mandatory that oper-ations be started on unpatented claimsprior to 12 o'clock noon, July 1, 1940.Last year the national legislature re-

fused to grant a 12-month morato rium,but did extend the time to September 1because thousands of miners had expectedthe morator ium to be continued and werein danger of losing their claims if someadditional time was not granted.Congress served notice, however, thatit would henceforth refuse to waive theassessment workand there is no evi-dence that it will recede from this posi-tion.The theory upon which this work isrequired is that no one should be allowedto hold mining claims for an indefiniteperiod without showing some sign of in-tention to develop them.It costs little to stake out a claim onthe public domain and secure f irst title.A ll that Uncle Sam asks is that one whotakes up the claim show his intention todevelop the vein or ledge thereon by do-ing work each year to the extent of $100.This is designed to prevent dog-in-the-manger policy on the part of those whowould appropriate mineralized slices ofthe public domain and hold it forever,neither developing it themselves nor al-lowing anyone else to do so.

Badly weathered, but still showing marks of the metal tools used to gouge themout, these steps or footholds in the steep rock wall wefe cut by Father Escalanteand members of his party in 1776 to enable their horses to reach the bottom of thecanyon where they cou ld cross the Colorado river.

J U L Y , 1 9 4 0


8/46

Somewhere in New Mexicoaccording to this lost treasurelegend more than a mill iondollars in gold and si lver andjewels l ie buried in a shallowmine shaft . Justice caught upwith the bandits who put i t therebefore they could recover theirill-gotten wealth. Perhaps it isall myth but more than onet reasure-hun ter has combed thehills in search of this fortune.

By JOHN D. MITCHELLIllustration by Gene Knight The gold and silver bullion was dump ed in an old m ine shaft with tiro buckskinbags of jewelry and church plate on top then catered with rocks and gravel.

( ? OMEWHERE along the old NewJ Mexico trail that runs fromShakespeare to Skeleton canyon isa shallow mining shaft containing richesthat would be quite astounding to theoriginal owner of the prospect hole werehe to return there.According to the story current in thisregion, the original prospector found asmall stringer of gold, but it pinched outbefore he had gone many feet beiaeath thesurfaceand the hole was abandoned.No one knows the location of this shaft,but today it is believed to contain 25mule loads of gold and silver bars andbuckskin bags of Spanish coins andjewelry.The gold and silver bullion was stolenfrom the mint and smelter, and the jewelsfrom the cathedral at Monterrey, Mexico.It is known as the "Monterrey loot," andfor a time was buried in Skeleton can-yon near the little town of Rodeo, NewMexico.The bandit gang that stole the treasureand buried it was composed of JimHughes, Zwing Hunt, "Doc" Neal andRed Curley. Hughes was the leader, andhe and his men were said to have beenmixed up in the Lincoln county war inwhich Billy the Kid was the central fig-ure.Forming an alliance with the notoriousEstrada gang, Hughes and his partnersstole 25 U. S. government mules and

then crossed the border into Mexico.They robbed the mint, smelter and ca-thedral at Monterrey and returned toUnited States territory with booty esti-mated to be worth 800,000. Shortly af-ter returning to Texas bad feeling de-veloped between the Estrada men andthe Hughes gang, and the feud ended ina gunfight in which the Mexicans werewiped out.

The treasure was buried temporarilyin Skeleton canyon and Zwing Hunt,who had been wounded in the battle, wasleft to guard it. Other members of theband continued their raids on miningcamps and stages in Arizona and NewMexico. Their last crime was the mur-der of a farmer and his son and the theftof their wagon and ox teams.Hunt had recovered from his wound,and it was decided to load the treasure,which now amounted to over a milliondollars, in the wagon and head for SilverCity.Two days from Skeleton canyon, adistance estimated between 40 and 50miles, the unshod oxen became so crip-pled from travel over the sharp rocksthey were unable to continue.That night the loot was carried up ahill and dumped into the abandonedshaft. Two buckskin bags of jewelry andchurch plate were thrown in the hole ontop of the money and bullion, and theshallow shaft filled with rocks and

gravel from the dump. The oxen wereturned loose to shift for themselves. Thewoodwork of the wagon was burned.The bandits had taken what moneythey could carry conveniently, and whenthey reached Silver City they spent itfreely. Heavy drinking led to a gunfightin which a young easterner was killed byone of the bandits, and the entire gangimmediately dispersed to the hills with aposse after them. Neal was shot and diedinstantly. Hunt was wounded and takento Tombstone where he subsequently es-caped and was reported to have beenkilled by Apache Indians.Red Curley and Hughes were over-taken and captured at Shakespeare wherethey were well known for their depreda-tions, and both were hung from a rafterin the dining room of the Pioneer House.Curley offered to take his captors tothe buried loot if the noose were takenfrom his neck, but the request was re-fusedand with his death none remainedwho knew the location of the treasure-filled mine shaft.Prospectors have searched the area,and doodlebug gold hunters have mademany trips into the region of Skeletoncanyon and as far away as El Muertospringsbut the old shaft probably hasacquired a covering of desert vegetationby now, and the recovery of the fortuneis considered unlikely unless some onecomes upon the spot by accident.

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


9/46

She jills the bucket with hand-picked ore, then climbs 40 feet to the top of theshaft and hauls it out with a hand windlass.

She Mine*and JLlke* it/ O N the summer of 1937, Grace Fin-( / ley, then 29 years old, arrived at ' Copper City in the Mojave desertof California.Since few people of the present gen-eration have heard of Copper City, itshould be explained that in the late '90sthis was a thriving town of 1000 persons,located 37% miles north of Barstow. Aprospector had discovered high-grade cop-per in the hills there, and a boom camphad been established almost overnight.But the high-grade pinched outandsince the location was too far away fromthe smelters to ship low grade ore profit-ably, Copper City became another ghosttown. Today only the walls of two stonebuildings mark the site of the old camp.Grace Finley did not even have a tentfor shelter when she arrived at the place

By WALTER FORDw lere Copper City had been. Her totalassets were a few rations, some prospect-ing toolsand an idea.

From experience gained in seven yearsof prospecting up and down Californiashe reasoned that copper ore could stillbe found in paying quantities in a loca-tion which had been overlooked by thepievious generation of miners.Three years have passed since she putuj> her lonely camp at these old diggings and she still believes in her idea. Butthey haven't been easy years.Miss Finley is reticent about those firstmonths on her claim. But when I sawthe trenches she had dug with pick andshovel under the withering midsummer

sun before she located the first ore body,I could not help but wonder how many

Grace Finley mines a ton ofcopper ore every weekand itnets her about $19.00. She livesalone in a little shack in a re-mote corner of the Mojave des-ert and is happy and confi-dent. If she strikes it rich she'llbuild a better homebut it willstill be on the desert she loves.Here's a story you'll like about a young womanwell ,you'll like her too.

seasoned desert rats would have carriedon as she did.In August of that summer, she decidedto take samples of her ore to Salt LakeCity in the hope of interesting smelterofficials there. She loaded 25 pounds ofore into a box and rode as far as Yermowith a game warden who happened to bepassing her camp. She waited all thatnight at the quarantine station at Yermobefore she was able to get a ride towardher destination. The following night shewas obliged to wait againthat time ona curb in Cedar City. She arrived in SaltLake City the following day, hot andtired, and eagerly looking forward to thewelcome she had been assured would beawaiting her. Before leaving, a Barstowfriend had told her to call upon a rela-tive in Salt Lake City, where she would

JUL 1 9 4


10/46

Miss Finley and Walter Ford, the reporter who wrote this story, are pictured atthe mouth of on,? oj the shafts.be welcome to stay as long as she re-mained there. Therelative apparentlyhadother ideas. She took one look at MissFinley and then told her that the roomswere all taken. Miss Finley laughs as sherecalls the experience. "I was tannedworn thedesert sun andmust have lookedlike an Indian. I could hardly blame herfor turning meaway."

Without money to pay for lodgings,she went to the city jail, explained whoshe was and asked permission to spendthe night there. Therequest was refusedbut with the refusal came an invitationto be theguest of thepolice force in oneof the Salt Lake City's leading hotels.The next day her story appeared in thenewspapers and from then on to the endof her stay, she was treated as a visitingdignitary. A car with a motorcycle escortwas placed at her disposal and everywant was supplied. "For months, pre-viously, I hadbeen living onbeans," sherecalls.The officials of the smelter companywhere shedisplayed her orewere so im-pressed that they gave her .in orecontractand sent a geologist back with her toinspect her claims. Once back at hermine, thegeologist's report strengthenedher conclusions. "Keep on digging," hetold her, "you've got something here."With no outcroppings, no float, itseemed uncanny that Miss Finley couldlocate such a large ore body as she un-

covered when she dug her first holes. Iasked her to explain her methods."You will probably think that I'mcrazy when I tell you this," she smiled,"and perhaps I am. I haven't decidedmyself, yet. I saw this location in adream for twonights in succession."If I were versed in the psychology ofdreams, I should undoubtedly give themfull credit without question, butbeing ofa more practical turn of mind, I cannothelp but feel that womanly intuition andthe experience gained in years of desertprospecting, aided in no small way thelocating of that first body of ore.

Lost Job in NewYorkTen years ago Miss Finley was em-ployed as a telephone operator in New

York City. Then came the depressionwith unemployment in its wake. Shetravelled west, andbeing unable tofind ajob, shedecided tomake one for herself.She went prospecting, and for the nextseven years she ranged up and down thestate looking for gold. There is hardly arange that she has not visited. Occasionalluck at panning gold grubstaked her toother locations. Twice during her wan-derings she barely escaped death.Once during theheat of summer, shestarted to walk, somewhat foolhardily,she admits, from Fenner to Cima. Shehad almost lost consciousness when shewas found about half way to her desti-

nation. On another occasion she becamelost in a blizzard near the old town ofSteadman and was saved from freezingby a prospector's dog.After her story appeared in the SaltLake City newspapers, it was re-told inmining journals and various newspapersacross thecountry. Theresult was a flowof letters which continues to this day.She showed me some of the letters.Words of encouragement were containedin most of them and not a fewfrom theopposite sex offered a wee bit moretheir hands in marriage. Apparently thesight-unseen business plays little partin thematrimonial plans of Miss Finley."Marriage is a serious proposition," sheconfided to me. "It caneither make one'slife complete or ruin it altogether."

High Grade in Old ShaftMild mannered and soft-spoken, shebears little resemblance to thefictionalconcept of a desert rat, yet she canplacea charge and "muck out" a hole with the

best of them. Sheseems able to judge thelocation and extent of oreveins with re-markable accuracy. On one occasion Ifound her working in one of the aban-doned shafts of old Copper City. Theshowings in thehole were not impressivebu t she had run a drift from thebottomof the shaft and had struck high-gradecopper ore. The assay report which sheshowed melater stated that therock was25.47 per cent pure copper, and also hada silver content of six to 16 ounces perton.When I visited Miss Finley at themine she was bringing out ore with awindlass and bucket, a gruelling job atbest, butadded to that was theadditionallabor of ascending 40feet of ladder everytime thebucket was to be pulled out ofthe shaft.While Miss Finley was showing mearound the site of old Copper City, wecame across a number of old tin cans,laced together with wire. "That was tobe thewall of my first house," she ex-plained. "There areplenty of old cans ly-ing around and I thought that I couldjoin enough of them together to makesome sort of shelter. But it was toodiffi-

cult to make holes in the cans so I gaveup the idea." Her present home is amodest little cabin a short distance awayfrom her first claim.The original water supply of old Cop-per City is a spring in thehills directlybehind the old townsite. In recent yearsthe water has been piped to a concretetrough to provide water for the cattlethat range in Superior valley. My re-mark about the large number of quailaround the trough brought forth a storythat demonstrated the young lady's re-sourcefulness, and explained why shehas been able to make her way under

difficult circumstances.The DESERT MAGAZINE


11/46

During the early days of her venture atCopper City, she found the daily fare ofbeans somewhat monotonous. The quailwere coming to the trough every day, butshe had no firearms. Then she hit uponthe idea of attaching an old inner tube toa piece of fish cord and stretching it a-cross one end of the trough. A long pieceof heavy string was attached to the centerof the tube and she rigged up a blindwhere she could hold the other end ofthe string. When the quail perched onthe edge of the trough a quick pull onthe string sent them floundering in thewaterand there was quail in place ofbec.ns on the supper table that evening.Miss Finley stated that her ore ship-ments so far have averaged about $19 aton. That represents a strenuous week'swork. Such returns fall far short of hergoal but they do provide money for fur-ther explorations. Her objective is to lo-cate a deposit rich enough to sell to alarge mining interest. With the eternaloptimism shared by all her prospectingbrethren, that strike is rarely more thanone day ahead.

Prefers Home on DesertThinking about the time-worn tale ofprospectors, who having sold their claims,rushed to the bright lights of the city fora riotous fling at what they called "realliving," I asked Miss Finley what sheplanned to do if her claims bring herwealth. There were no dreams of Holly-wood grandeur in her answer. "I wouldlike to build a home on a location not farfrom here," she said. "The site is near aspring of cool, fresh water. The view is

perfect and I can see visitors coming 14miles away. I have the plans for my homealready drawn."Copper City is an hour's easy drivefrom Barstow over a graded road. Anadditional 15 mile drive will take onethrough a section which, though littleknown to the motoring public, played animportant part in the early mining historyof the Death Valley area. The road circleshistoric Pilot Knob and rejoins the mainroad a few miles from Copper City.Pilot Knob is a volcanic cone morethin one mile high. Its symmetrical band-ing of brown and tan makes it easily dis-tinguishable from surrounding peaks longdistances away. For years before the ad-vent of maps and passable roads, it wasused as a landmark to chart the courseof desert travelers who broke their owntrails. Sixty-five years ago the PanamintCity stage line circled its western slopeand continued on to San Bernardino. Fivemiles from Copper City the ruins of thestage station and rock corral may still beseen.From the rock corral, the road skirts

the base of Pilot Knob for three milesand then unfolds a panorama that isJ U L Y , 1 9 4 0

ROB3ERS ROOSTi.'K. $ -J-APA OF FANTASTICSTONE FIGURESGRANITEWELLS

ROCK CORRAL


12/46

breath-taking in its diversity and extent.Nearly one hundred miles away, snow-clad Mt. Whitney may be seen glisteningon the horizon. In closer perspective ap-pears the flat expanse of Searles lake,with the town of Trona just barely dis-cernible. Immediately below the summitlies Fire Hole, a huge rocky basin withcolorings so vivid that it appears to bestill glowing from the fires of past ages.Cardinal Throne, a huge volcanic but te ,rises from the center of the basin to dom-inate the scene. At the foot of CardinalThrone, a branch leaves the main roadand follows the east slope of Pilot Knob.The road passes through a section knownas Robbers ' Roost, the appearance ofwhich justifies its title and brings with-in the bounds of credulity some of thetales that have been woven around it.

Dur ing the Panamint City boom, Ti-burcio Vasquez and his gang of Mexicanbandits, fresh from successful maraudingexpeditions in other sections of the state,took up their abode in the rocky embat-t lements sur rounding Fire Hole . Fromthe topmost points, enemies could be seenmiles away. Countless recesses and cavesafforded perfect concealment from thelaw and permitted Vasquez to carry onhis depredations against passing stagecoaches at will. Occasional forays againstthe stage station a few miles distant servedto break the monotony of his regularpastime and to keep his larder well filled.

Legend of Missing StageOne of the misdeeds attr ibuted to Vas-quez and his band was the complete dis-appearance of a stage coach with all its

occupants. I first heard the story fromMiss Finley who stated that she in turnhad heard it from an old-timer who waspassing throu gh Copp er City. I latermentioned it to F. V. Sampson, Barstow'sdeser t photographer . He too, had heardthe story, but with meager details. Some-where in the fastness of the region m.'ybe hidden the conclusive evidence of thebandit 's crime. Or the story moy be justone of those yarns that are intended onlyfor campfire consumption. I am inclinedto believe the latter , but Ouien Sabe.In BaiStow I had heard some one refer:o Grace Finley as the "Copper Que en. 'I mentioned this jokingly. She laughed."Yes, if that little shack over there is apalace and that old mine dump up therea thron e, perh aps it is a very fittingt i t le . "Later as I stood on her proposed build-ing site and noted the gorgeous pano-rama spread out before me, I could nothelp but reflect that if her success justifiesthe title, Nature already has provided asetting for the throne. From an elevationof 4000 feet the rolling slopes of Super-ior valley f low downward to merge withthree dry lakes, 14 miles away. Duringthe spring months this area is one of the

wildflower show places of the Mojave

desert. Blankets of color that can be seenfor miles cover the whole surface fromthe dry lakes to the mountains.Miss Finley refers to the dry lakes asher "doo r-bells." Visitors travelling a-cross the playas send up a cloud of dustthat announces their coming a half hourbefore they arrive.The week days are busy days for MissFinley but Sunday finds her graciouslygreeting visitors that come her way. Shelikes people and conversation and is al-ways eager to share some new bit of scen-ery or botanical find with her guests. Tothe uninitiated, the desert spells only des-olation and danger and the invariablequestion is: "Why do you live out herealone? Aren' t you afraid?"Grace Finley's answers are simple and

direct. "I love the desert. There's noth-ing to fear."In the hell-roaring days of the oldWest , the mining gentry were apt tospend their leisure moments in ways notconducive to a long and lasting life. Cop-per City's young prospector f inds her re-laxation in writi ng poetry! I t 's goodpoetry, toochildren's poetry.As I summed up the accomplishmentsof Miss Finley, from her early prospect-ing efforts down to building a half-mileroad to her cabin, my thoughts went backto a part of the first editorial in the firstissue of the Desert Magazine: "To thosewho come to the desert with fr iendliness,it gives fr iendship; to those who comewith courage, it gives new courage."Grace Finley has acquired both.

i H PlaceState

"This is a contest of cowboy sports, open to cowboys who are sports-men, so if you don't think you can win without help, or are afraid ofgetting hurt, get a grandstand seat instead of a receipt for entrance,fees."This paragraph, taken from the rulesgoverning the annual Frontier Days pro-gram at Prescott, Arizonato be heldJuly 4-5-6-7gives a revealing glimpseof the type of show these northern Ari-zonans stage every year for the enter-

tainment of their guests.Located in the heart of one of the fin-est ranges in Arizona, Prescott draws itsperformers direct from the cow camps.They are r idersnot showmen. But be-cause they are the cream of the fraternity,they always put on a good show.Prescott has been holding these Julycowboy events for so many years thatonly the old-timers remember the firstone53 years ago.It is a non-professional contest. Any

rider may enter any event in which dur-ing the last three years, he has not wonas high as second place in the finals ofany of the major rodeos or cowboy con-tests in which points are recognized fornational and world championships.Prescott's show is a non-profit event,sponsored entirely by civic leaders inthe communityand its long and suc-cessful record is evidence of its populari-ty with both riders and spectators.I t is a department of the northern Ari-zona State Fair association activities. Co-

operation is given by the Yavapai Associ-

ates, representing the chambers of com-merce of Ash Fork, Jerome, Prescott, Se-l igman, the Kirkland, Mayer and Hum-boldt distr icts, the Cottonwood Progres-sive and Camp Verde Improvement as-sociations, Arizona Cattle growers, Ari-zona Mohair growers, Yavapai countycouncil ASMOA, the county agriculturalagent's office, the City of Prescott and theYavapai county board of supervisors.Arena management and direction ofthe program is in the hands of A. T.Spence, well known and liked cattlemanand cowboy, of Ash Fork.The community organization sponsor-ing the event is directed by C. C. Jack-son, of Kirkland, general chairman; A.A. Johns, vice chairman; M. B. Hasel-tine, treasurer , and Grace M. Sparkes,secretary. Active committees are servingin all branches. Dr. E. C. Seale, presidentof the Prescott chamber of commerce, ischairman of the f inance committee withJoe Heap, assistant.Situated in the rolling pine-clad hillsof the mile-high plateau that stretchesacross northern Arizona, Prescott is anatural mecca for the dwellers of the des-er t lowlands when summer months come,and because of its popularity with sum-mer vacationists, has provided comfort-able accommodations for many thousands

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


13/46

The old prospector with hispick and pan and burro is; stillroaming the deseit hills. Butthere is another kind of prospec-tor abroad in the landa scien-tific fellow who goes out in thedark of the night with a mysteri-ous contraption that identifiescertain types of rock by theway they glow when a magicray of light is turned on Ihem.Here is the story of a great min-eral discovery made possibleby one of science's most modernachievements the ultra-violetlamp.

B y H U L B E R T B U R R O U G H S] U L, Y , 19 4 0

Equipped with a portable 75-pound generator and a large ultra-violet ray lampespecially constructed by Thomas Warren (left) of the Ultra Violet Products Co.,Oliver Adams (right) p rospected for tungsten and made what promises to be oneof the greatest mining discoveries in the past 2 5 years.N igh t P rospec tor

( y ULY 22, 1937, was a typically hot/ summer day on the desert west of,y Adelanto, California. A dusty:oupe strained through heavy sand onhe seldom-used road.

"Mirage Valley is right!" thought Oli-.er Adams as he forced his boiling car

on toward low1 Shadow mountain, shim-mering in the midday heat a few milesahead.Suddenly the tires sank into deep sand.Adams tried to dig out, but it was use-

less. The sun beat down pitilessly uponhim. His water was low.11


14/46

*> r'f

Shadow mountain near Mirage valley in theMo jape desert is 40miles northwest of Vic-torville, California, and about 40miles south of thefamous Atolia mine, second only toMill City, Nevada, asthe most productive tungsten deposit in theUnited States, and oneof therichest concentrations of scheelite in theworld. Thewhite area in therange to theleft of themiddle of thepicture marks thelocation of theShadow mountain mine whichmay prove even richer than theAtolia mine.Fortunately for Adams he had seen a group of menwork-ing a small mining claim a fewmiles bad.After a gruellingwalk he reached their camp. The men whogave him waterand towed his car from the sand were the Baxter brothers,working a small tungsten mine on the sotth side of Shadow

mountain in Mirage valley.Strange twist of Fate, reminisced Adams later, that thisincidentgetting stuck in the sandshould be the first of aseries of events that eventually led to an important discovery.It was several weeks later that Adams picked up a news-paper and read a small item stating that th; mineral scheelite,in which tungsten is found, is one of "hose rocks whichfluoresce under ultra-violet light. A lso that mining menwereusing small ultra-violet lamps to test tungsten concentratesin their mills.Tungsten! Wasn't it tungsten those twomothers weremin-ing out near Shadow mountain that hot July day? Then Ad-ams had another idea. If scheelite fluoresces in ultra-violetlight, why not go out to Shadow mountain and actually pros-pect for it at night? As far as he knew it had never beendonebut why wouldn't it work?Eagerly he prepared for his Shadow mauntain adventure.He waited for a moonless nightdark soI hat the fluorescentscheelite, if he found it, could be seen. Unlike old-time desertprospectors with pack burros, pick and shovel, Adams wasequipped with a small portable ultra-viole: lamp and batter-ies. Across thenorthern slopes of Shadow mountain hetrudg-ed one cold winter night.From one rocky outcropping to another he worked. Pre-sently a lifeless rock began to glow. Here ;ind there tiny dia-monds of beautiful bluish-white light sparkled. He chippedaway some specimens of the rocks.Next day in Los Angeles an assayer told Adams that thedull grey rock hebrought in was scheelite containing a goodpercentage of tungstic acid.

Naturally he was excited. But at that time he had no con-

ception of the extent or importance of his discovery. He didknow, however, that the U-V lamp he had been using wasfar too small. Its feeble rays would not travel effectivelymore than a fewinches. It forced him to prospect almost onhis hands and knees.To solve this problem he went to Thomas Warren of theUltra Violet Products corporation. Said Adams, "I want anultra-violet searchlight. I want to send a beam of light allover those mountains. Have you got one, or can you makeme one?"Such a lamp was, of course, out of thequestion. But TomWarren did construct the largest ultra-violet lamp that hadever been made.Armed with this big portable lamp and a 75-pound gener-ator, Adams soon learned that his discovery onShadow moun-tain was a real "gold mine" of tungsten ore. Theground atnight actually sparkled with scheelite crystals.Several months later after preparatory mining operationshad been launched, Adams felt that the time was ripe to an-nounce his discovery to themining world. Heinvited a groupof leading California mining engineers to meet him at theShadow mountain site at three o'clock onewinter afternoon.He told them about his discovery; of the use of ultra-violetrays to find scheelite.It was mygood fortune to be present that afternoon. ButI'll confess I was not impressed with therock Adams pointedou t as he led the way to various places on Shadow moun-tain. Heshowed us ore that hesaid was rich in tungsten. Tome it looked no different from therest of the rocks coveringthe hillside. In fact I overheard some of themining engineersexpress similar skepticism. Certainly no human eye couldpick and identify tungsten-bearing scheelite. Everyone knewthat the only reliable way was the tried and true assaymethod.Adams told us wewere walking upon and looking at whatwas probably the richest tungsten deposit in the United

12 The DESERT MAGAZINE


15/46

States. He pointed to several areas which re said were es-pecially rich. Visibly they were no different from o thers. H ewarned us to remember these areas when night came.I'm certain many of those engineers were disappointedafter making the long trip from Los Angeks. But it wouldnot be courteous to leave now. Their host had prepared afine evening meal.Adams had planned that party carefully. As soon as dinnerwas over and darkness had come, he annaunced that wewould now see the main attraction of the day. He started themotor of his 75-pound electric generator attached to a stretchercarried by two men. Tom Warre n of the Ultn Violet Productscorporation brought out two of his large bell-shaped ultra-violet lamps and attached them by long cords to the generator.Adams led the way with a flashlight. He stopped first infront of a big rock cairn he had shown us in daylight. Atnight it looked even less interesting. He turned out his flash-light. It was a signal to Warren.The ultra-violet lamps glowed a bluish-purple. As the raysstruck the cairn, the dull and lifeless pile ol rocks became asparkling galaxy of bluish-white stars. Thousmds of scheelitecrystals fluoresced beneath the magic ultra-violet light. Andit did seem like pure magic.Th e un interested min ing engmeers therr selves began tosparkle back to life. We walked furtherto the lifeless bedsof "ore" we had seen in the afternoon. Variojs areas gleamedbrighter than others. They were the ones Adams had saidearlier were particularly rich in tungsten.

Mountain That Sparkled Like jewelsEverywhere we went the ground sparkled like a tray ofbrilliant jewels. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.I had known, of course, that certain minerals possessed afluorescen t quality w hen subjected to ult ravio let rays. Buta veritable mountain of glittering lights! It seemed incredi-ble.Tom Warren told me of the uses to which these invisible-rays have been put. Scientists have long knawn that certainminerals radiate a faint colored light when subjected to ultra-violet rays. This phenomenon they called "fluorescence." Phy-

sicists explain it in this manner: U-V rays of comparativelyshort wave lengths cause electrons in the ato ns of the fluores-cent mineral to leave their orbits ever so sligitly. This orbitaldisturbance results in a loss of energy which nanifests itself inthe form of visible rays which we recognize s light.Tests have shown th at some 300 different substances fluor -esceeach with a light of its own characteristic color. Thisoffers scientists a means of identifying unknown minerals. Inmany cases a trained observer can also tell by this fluo rescentcolor exactly what part of the world the mineral came from.Chief source of ultra-violet rays, of course is the sun. W eall know of their importance to health in causing the skin toproduce Vitamin D. The rays are produced artificially inquartz glass tubes filled with argon gas and mercury vapor

through which a current of electricity is passed. The principle-is identical with that employed in neon light).These artificially produced rays are more easily controlledthan those coming from sunlight. Their fluorescen t-stimulat-ing quality thus has many practical uses, ringing from thefluo roscope for examinin g broken bones, to criminology andlaw.Oliver Adams made an amazing discovery one night whileprospecting with the U-V lamp. As he walked slowly along,the lamp suddenly illuminated fluorescently a beautiful nug-get of pure tungsten-bearing scheelite. It was the largest solidpiece he had ever seen. Excitedly he reached for it. To hisamazement the "nugget" scurried away! Nc one yet knowswhy scorpions fluoresce almost the same colo: as scheelite.An experienced U-V lamp operator working in the field isquickly able to ascertain the value of the deposit. He can

Above A six-foot monumen t oj apparently ordinaryrocks marks one o\ the claims oj the Shadow mountainmining company.Beloiv The same pile oj rocks at night under the ultra-violet lamp shines like a tho usand glow-w orms. Eachlittle crystal oj tungsten-bearing scheelite jluoresces witha bluish-white light.J U L Y , 1 9 4 0 13


16/46

even estimate what the value will run per ton solely on thebasis of the color a nd brilliance of the schc elite crystals.Old-time tungsten miners handling the ere for years werenever ce rtain of their scheelite dep osits w thout rec ourse tolengthy and costly assays. The time and money saved by theuse of ultra-violet rays over those old methods of analysisare incalculable. In actual mining operations the lamp instant-ly differentiates rich ore from the unproduciive.The Shadow mountain mine is the first ever to have beendiscovered and surveyed for actual mining by the sole use ofultra-violet rays.The Shadow mountain discovery may prove to be thelargest tungsten deposit ever found in this country. The valueto the U. S. of such a find is difficult to calculate. Because ofi ts high melting point and great hardness, tungsten is inval-uable in the manufacture of high-speed tool steels, electriclight filam ents, radio tubes, contact points fc r motor ign itions,a.irplane and automobile valves, and even phonograph nee-dles. The superiority of tungsten steel ovei old carbon steelresults in a conservatively estimated annual savings in theU. S. alone of close to $4,000,000,000.Of greater immediate importance, however, is the use oftungsten for the manufacture of war materials. Without tung-sten these vital products could never be produced in greatquanti t ies at high speed. In 1937 the wor d armam ent race

resulted in an all-time world high for tungsten productionwhen 42,250 tons were produced as against the former highin 1918 of 35,200 tons. What the consumption is during thepresent world crisis is impossible to calculate, but it must betremendous. During the first World War the price of tung-sten rose from $7.50 per unit of 20 pounds of concentrate toover $35.00. A few producers sold tungsten as high as $100.a unit.The United States is one of the world's largest consumersof tungsten. It imports between 60% and 90% of i ts require-mentsmost of which comes from China and India, world's

largest producers.If tha t foreign s upp ly of tun gste n we re cut off, it is que s-t ionable whether this country could produce enough of i tsown to meet a war-t ime emergency. Hence the national im-portance of Oliver Adams' Shadow mountain discovery. Atpresent the reserve supply of mined concentrates in the U. S.is large. Because of this the price of tungsten has not risengreatly with the coming of the European war. But when thatsupply is gone, and if conditions abroad are such that thenorm al supply from China and Ind ia is cut off, w hat the n?Perhaps l ike Oliver Adams, other modern night-t ime pros-pectors with the infallible ultra-violet lamps may uncoverupon our deserts more unsuspected tungsten deposits whichwill make the U. S. independent of a foreign supply.

SIDEWINDER SAM By M. E. Brady

'Huh! Hollywood stuff!"

taEach month the Desert Magazineoffers two cash prizes for the bestcamera pictures submitted by amateurphoto graph ers. The first award is$5.00 and the second $3.00.Pictures are limited to desert sub-

jects, but there is no restriction as tothe residence of the photographer. En-tries may include Indian pictures, rockformations, flowers and wild animals,canyons, trees, w aterho les - - in facteverything that belongs to the desertcountry.Following are the rules governingthe photographic contest:1Pictures submitted in the July con-test must be received at the Desert Maga-zine office by July 20.2Not more than four prints may besubmitted by one person in one month.3Winners will be required to furnish

either good glossy enlargements or theoriginal negatives if requested.4Prints must be in black and white,3V4X5V2 oi larger, and must be on glossypaper.Pictures will be returned only whenstamped envelopes or photo-mailers areenclosed.For non-prize-winning pictures acceptedfor publication $1.00 will be paid for eachprint.Winners of the July contest will beannounced and the pictures publishedin the September number of the maga-zine. Address all entries to:Cont es t Ed i t or , Deser t M aga-z ine , E l Cent ro , Cal i f orn ia .

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


17/46

Only the hardiest travelers went to Srand Can-yon a half century ago. The approach roads wererough and the trail to the bottom of the gorge wasa nightmare. But Capt. John Hance was there asguide and packer and to make sure that thetourists got their money's worth he entertainedthem with tall tales of his exploits in that region.John Hance is dead nowbut his reputation fortrue western hospitality and wild yarns stilllives.

daptn 41 tn ee

He Built Trails and SpunYarns a t Grand CanyonBy FRANK C. LOCKWOODAuthor of

' 'Pioneer Days in Arizona""The Apache Indians'' ,.This photograph of John Hance taken in 1884. Photoreproduced by M. M . Evans from an old print in posses-sion of George Hockderfjer.

AID Buckey O'Neil l , "God madethe canyon, John Hance the trails .Without the other , nei ther wouldbe complete." And a distinguished travel-er , Chester P. Dorland, wrote in theguest book in which visitors used to re-cord their impressions after seeing thecanyon: "Captain John Hance,a gen-ius, a philosopher, and a poet, the pos-sessor of a fund of information vastly im-portantif true. He laughs with the gid-dy, yarns to the gullible, talks sense tothe sedate, and is a most excellent judgeof scenery, human nature and pie. Tosee the canyon only, and not to see Cap-tain Hance, is to miss half the show."

Early Arizonans asked no questionsabout a comrade's past. I have talkedwith many of Hance's old fr iends, butnone of them can say with certainty whatstate Hance came from. If anyone ques-tioned him concerning his past, he wouldgo straight up into the air , and reply thathe did not like ancient history.A few years ago, fearing that the

Hince tradition might perish, I invitedthree very distinguished gentlemen who

knew Hance in the heyday of his fame,tc dine with me. The conversation thatcening revolved about Captain JohnI-ance and his stories of the Grand Can-yon. My guests were Dr. D. T. Mac-Cougal, Godfrey Sykes, and Dr. A. E.Eouglassscientists all three, yet racon-teurs and artists, too. The symposium de-veloped something after this manner:LockuoodDr. Mac Dou gal, can youc; 11 up a picture of Hancehis personalappearance, and habits?MacDougalI wo uld say he was aweathered, hard-bitten, hard-boiled man--not so very talla sharp facethetop of his head rather square. His voicewas a sort of high falsetto as he ap-proached the climax of a talelike Ted-d/ Roosevelt's voice. He was very spareand erect, and he walked on his heels. Ihive seen him going down the canyonwith a load on his back, putting his heelsdDwn hard, and looking back over hisshoulder saying to those behind, 'Yes,

y-s, yes.'Lock-wood- When was the Hance trailopened?

MacDongalI went down it in 189 1.It had then been in use for several years.Hance always took people down on foot,and at that time his trail was the onlyone into the Grand Canyon. The fact ishis whole livelihood was dependent onthose who went to his camp and stayedthere. One would arrive at his place andspend the night, and Hance would packthe grub down for the tr ip. However, hewouldn' t carry the blankets.LockwoodDid he operate independ-ently, or was he employed by some com-pany?MacDougalHe was on his own atthat time.LockwoodW hen did he become aprofessional liar and story-teller?MacDougalOh, when he was born!Here is an example of the instantaneouscharacter of his imagination. I remembermeeting him in Flagstaff about two yearsafter my first visit to the canyon. I raninto him on the street close to Donahue's

saloon, and said, Ho w are you, Mr.Hance? I was up to your place recently. 'J U L Y , 1 9 4 0 15


18/46

How long are you going to be intown?' he asked.To make conversation, I said, W ell,how is the canyon?'Oh,' he said, 'they are filling it up.''Well, that's interesting,' said I.'Yes,' he continued, 'those tourists that I take out kick so much grav-el into it that they're filling the thing up.'I don't believe he ever told or thoughtof this before.I saw Hance at the canyon again in1903. He was then employed by the hotelpeople, just a privileged guest. Later on,he was given his own cottage and bedand meals by the Harvey company sothat he would stay around and entertainthe sightseers. On this occasion I saw himin the middle of the room talking to var-ious people. Walking over to him, I said,'My name is MacDougalI went downyour trail some years ago.'What did you think of the canyon?'he asked. I replied, Every time I return,it is grander than I remembered it.'

'Now, what do you think of that?Hc.nce asked triump hantly . Some ofthese old guinea hens' (he waved hisarms around including the groups oftourists around him) 'think there's noth-ing to it!''Well, Mr. Hance,' I continued, 'howhave you been?' Oh,' said John, I havehad lean yearsall these years I've livedon expectations and mountain scenery.'I heard him tell this soap story to theguinea hens' at El Tovar. He began bysaying that upon one occasion the snowbecame so heavy up at the rim of thecanyon that there were no longer anyvisitors and he decided to go down toFlagstaff and spend the winter.Said he, "It was a delicate job to knowjust when the winter was actually begin-ning. Each season I timed my departurewith references to two things: the low-ness of my grub supply, and the nearapproach of a heavy snowfall. One nightwhen I was all set to get out, a terriblestorm came. It lasted two or three days.I contrived a pair of snowshoes and start-ed from camp. After half a day's travelwith these snowshoes, fashioned fromsplit pine, I fell and hurt my ankle sobadly that I could not go any farther.However, I managed some way to workmy way back to the cabin.When I got there, I found there wasnothing left but half a jar of sorghummolasses and a box of Babbitt's BestSoap. I prepared a mixture of soap andmolasses in a skillet, slicing the soap in-to flakes, and adding a few shavings froman old boot leg to make the mixture astasty as possible. Ladies and gentlemen,that was all I had to eat for a week, whenthe snow melted. I tell you frankly, andI expect you to believe me, I have neverliked the taste of soap from that day to

this.'Every morning he would tell that story

Picture of Capt. Hance in 1912.Photograph, courtesy Fred Harveycompany.at the breakfast table. There would be aduad silence after he had finished, thepeople not knowing whether to laugh01 not.

LockwoodCan you tell us one oftr e stones he used to tell about the can-yon, after he was employed by the Harv-ey hotel as official guide?SykesHere is a botanical item. Hewas guiding a party down the trail oneday and there was a young lady in thecompany who was interested in botany.As she went along she was picking leavesfrom the various trees and plants, andwas examining them and talking aboutthem. Finally she said:You know, Mr. Hance, the tree is awonderful organismit really breathes.'John thought a moment. "Why, yes,'h_> said, 'it does.' Again he reflected.


19/46

would do anything for him. One day hedecided that this steed could jump theGrand Canyon, and he determined tomake him do it. He believed that the all-important thing was to get a good startbefore taking off. So he went back threemiles and ran his horse full speed to therim. The take-off was very successful." 'But,' said Hance, 'I wasn't half wayacross before I saw that he couldn't makeit. We hadn't taken a big enough start.'"Well, what happened?"" 'Oh, I just turned him around andwent back.' "In the Captain's cabin hung a pair ofsnowshoes that his guests used to viewwith admiration. One day a heavy fogcompletely filled the gorge. A group oftourists were hanging about the rim try-ing to see down into the canyon. Hancecame along and took a look into andacross the depths."W ell, " he remarked, the canyon'sjust about right to cross.''Wh at do you m ean?" ' someoneasked." "Why, I can put on my snowshoesnow and go right across on the fog." '"He then told how one time he hadgone over thus, and had stayed too long.The fog went out and left me onthe other side, without food or drink. Ihad been marooned three or four dayswhen it returned, though not so thick asbefore. I had grown very light by thistime and got across all right, though thefog was so thin in spots that several timesI thought I was going to hit the bottom.I sure did fill up when I got back on thisside.' ""Hance was once out hunting his packanimals. Trailing them over to where

This picture was made by Emery C. Kolb about 1917. The men are (left to right)Dick Gilland, Jimmie McMurdo, Capt. Hance, S. D. Pippin and Leo Krauskop.cane up with a band of Supai Indianswho were hunting rabbits with bows andai rows. They came across the track of ano d bear that had wandered out that way,and one of the hunters shot an arrow in-to him. The bear at once took after theIndian; but he was no sooner in pursuitthan up rode another brave and discharg-ed an arrow at him. Again the bearwheeled to chase his latest assailantoily to receive a shaft from a third In-dian who now entered the fray. So itwent for a long time, until the enragedFedhorse wash enters the canyon, he

This is a picture of the Hance camp atHarvey Grand Canyon in the '90s. Courtesy Fredcovpany.

beast looked like a huge porcupine, andbellowed and frothed with fury." In chasing back and forth,' saidHance, they got up near where I was,and the bear was now so mad that I be-gan to think he might take after me. Andsure enough, after me he came. I madea dash, with the old bear right behindme. Every minute I thought he'd get meby the pants. I sighted a big pine ahead

with a limb about 30 feet up, and Iconcluded I would have to get that, orthe bear would get me. So I made a bigjump for that limt>the biggest jump Iever made in my life. I missed it entirely!That is, I missed it going up, but 1caught it coming down.'One of Hance's oldest survivingfriends is Mrs. Elizabeth B. Heiser ofFlagstaff. Of German extraction, lowlyorigin, and endowed with an original andpungent gift of language, she is scarcelyless colorful than Hance himself. In the'80s she shared the rough life of the cow-

man and the prospector, and was oftenin the saddle with thema brave andvaluable comrade. Naturally, therefore,her diction is blunt and racy with astrong smack of the soil and the corral.It cannot, of course, always be renderedverbatim. Hance was her near neighbor,and they were loyal friends to the iast.She recounts his deeds and interprets hispersonality with almost lyric fervor."I met him first about 1890. At thattime he lived in his own cabin and hadhis own trail. Me and Heiser had a fewcattle up near the canyon and I was outon the range with the men a good deal.The way Hance came to go out there

J U L Y , 1 9 4 0 17


20/46


21/46

No t m an y of the luxuries of civil ization maketheir way to the arid summit of Ghcst mounta inw h e r e T a n y a and Marshal Sou th ar.d their twosmal l sons are living virtually a Swiss FamilyRobinson ex is tence - - but they do have "s t raw-ber r ies ." Not the kind of ber r ies you or I wouldb u y at the market , but a delicate little fruit thatg r o ws on spiny cacti . In his diary this month Mar-shal tells how so m e of the food problems in theirdesert existence are solved.

DESERT DIARYat I

By MARSHAL SOUTH

r HE Ghost Mountain strawberry crop is ripe, and thismorning Rider begged sohard that w= laid aside otherwork and went out on a gathering e


22/46

dared to be themost satisfactory was the sane as that whichwe useourselves in winter and on other occasions when weemploy firethe flattened side of a square, five gallon coaloil can.Lumholtz, earnest scientist as he wis, knew his des-ertand his tortillas.Perhaps one of the chief virtues of the tortilla is the factthat it is, under all conditions, largely uncooked food. It mustbe whisked from the fire before it is scorched to a chip.Therein lies its tastiness and healthfulness. Andnever, neveractempt to use a rolling pin in making tortillas! Theoretically,pressing the dough out to a flat, wafer-lile thinness on aboard by such means may be all right. But actually it is dis-astrous. The resultant product, when baked, is a dreadfulthing, as tasty as a piece of old leather. A tortilla must bepatted out byhand, patted lovingly andwit! thediscernmentand care of anartist. Then, when thelimp disk of dough is ofthe correct wafer-like thinness, it must be dropped quicklyupon thesizzling hot iron sheet, let stand lor just the rightnumber of seconds, flicked expertly over, t Dasted for a likespace on the other side, then whisked off. Somade, it is adelectable morsela little cake over which the gods mightfight.Tortillas should be served and eaten whi e still fresh andwarm if possible. There is significance to the words of theMexican songof Villa days:" . . . I come to thywindow,Porfirio DiazGive him, for charity,Some cold tortillas . . . "Nevertheless the tortilla, even when cole, is pretty goodtoo. Those that we sun dry never fail to hive the attentionof enthusiastic and appreciative appetites. Particularly if Tan-ya mixes a little honey in the dough, as she often does.The big rock is gone. It was the last of foura hunchedgranite quartet of graduated sizes that, ever since the daysof our first tent pitching, crowded upon the north flank ofthe home site. In those first days they looked too formidableto battle with. We had no tools. And their size made mockof our puny strength.But steadily, as thehouse hasgrown, wehave cast thought-

ful eyes upon them. And plotted. Now the) are vanquished.Onethe smallestwe left where it was. It nowforms partof a foundation wall of what will be a bg fireplace. Thesecond largest succumbed to persistent, gnaving attacks witha heavy hammer. The third was doomed from the day weproudly brought home our first set of miner s drills and ironwedges.The fourth was different. Huge and squa: and flat-toppedlike anAztec altar it defied even thedrilling for a long time.Drilling holes by hand with steel drill and singlejack is along process. And thegranite was tough; many times it de-fied the wedges to split it. But, bit by bit, the big rock hasbeen going. Now the last great, unmanageable fragment hasbeen broken into blocks that can be boostec out of the waywith the iron bar.We feel a little sorry for the old monarch weatherer of somany thousands of years of desert wind anc sun and storm.But our regret is overbalanced by satisfacticn at the greaterspace his going gives us. Rider and Rudyard however aregenuinely depressed. When granite rocks are drilled a fasci-nating white powder of pulverized stone is saooned from thedrill hole. This, with much chatter and consultation, is col-lected and carefully saved in bottles and cmslater to beused in all sorts of weird experiments, concoctions and mix-turesand so nomore powder. Rudyard is accusingly glum.And Rider, eyeing his hoarded store of battled rock dustwith much the eye of a thwarted miser, has already begunto ofler suggestions as toother rocks that "ought to bebrokenup."But the ear of the driller is deaf to hints. Over thegravellie the jumbled remains of the huge monolith. They have to

be laboriously rolled away before the newwalls can go upand the roof beams of the north room can span the space.Somehow the site looks like a quarry just now and the airis still fragrant with the scent of aromatic shrubs and sagethat therolling fragments have crushed.But already Tanya is planning where thebeds shall standin the newbedroom, when it is built. SEASONAL FLOODS IN SOUTHWESTBELOW NORMAL ACCORDING TO FORECAST

Seasonal flood run-off in theColorado river this year willbe between 40 and 50 percent below normal, according toestimates of the U. S. Bureau of Agricultural Engineering,based on snowfall reports in thewatershed of April 1.The government report quoted thefollowing figures show-ing depth of accumulated snow, and water content of thesnowpack in the Rocky mountain headwaters of the varioustributary streams:The accumulated snowfall onMarch 31st was below normalin all areas. Therange wasfrom 72percent below normal onthe RioGrande to 22 percent below on theNorth Platte.With normal weather conditions hereafter, theseasonal flowin thevarious rivers, expressed in percentage of normal, willbe approximately as follows: North Platte, 78; South Platte,57 ; Arkansas, 50;Rio Grande, 28; SanJuan andDolores, 44;Gunnison, 68;Colorado, 56;Yampa andWhite, 67. Ascom-pared with 1939, theflow in thevarious rivers this year willbe as follows, in percentages: North Platte, 84; South Platte,57 ; Arkansas, 48; RioGrande, 33; SanJuan and Dolores,90; Gunnison, 81;Colorado, 56;Yampa and White, 69.At theclose of March theaverage depth of snow, with wa-ter content, both in inches, on thedifferent watersheds was asfollows: North Platte, 21 and 6.60; South Platte, 12 and6.79; Arkansas, 10 and 2.29; RioGrande, 5 and 1.64; SanJuan and Dolores, 10 and 3.35; Gunnison, 21 and 6.52;Colorado, 19 and 6.17;Yampa and White, 24 and 8.69.The water content, in inches, on the corresponding datelast year was as follows: North Platte, 8.05; South Platte,4.72; Arkansas, 5.36; RioGrande, 4.27; SanJuan and Do-lores, 3.42; Gunnison, 7.54; Colorado, 9.79; Yampa andWhite, 11.77. ANCIENT PITHOUSES TO BEEXCAVATEDBY UNIVERSITY OFARIZONA STUDENTSSummer school students at the University of Arizona arelooking forward to important archaeological discoveries thissummer when they will beexcavating prehistoric Indian pit-house ruins in Forest Dale valley of the Apache reservationin eastern Arizona.Directed by Dr.Emil W.Haury, head of thedepartment ofanthropology, they will excavate for twomonths in an areadenned for the first time a year ago by the university class asa stage of Indian occupation hitherto unknown. Over 700years of human occupancy can bestudied at thelocation of theruins which lie south of Showlow. While these pithouses,dwellings dug into theground, are not so spectacular as cliffand pueblo types, they are of an earlier period, said to datefrom 700 A. D. to 1400.Students are to be spared none of thedetailed work of ex-cavation. They not only dig, but clean and repair objectsfound in the pithouses. They interpret the significance ofbuildings and artifacts, and gain theexperience in field workneeded for independent archaeological work. After studying,mapping andphotographing theruins excavated, thestudentswill refill thepits in order to preserve them against erosionand for future generations of archaeologists.At a cost of $100 for twomonths, including tuition, lodg-ing, board, and tools, thestudents will camp at the ruins site.The country is beautifully wooded and cool, at an elevationof 6,500 feet. They will live in tents.

,20 The DESERT MAGAZINE


23/46

Pkotografb, Courtesy The Wigw am. Utchjield Park, ArizonaG R A N D C A N Y O N

B Y I R E N E W E L C H G R I S S O MWhit t ier, Cal i forniaI came upon it suddenly,And I could only feelImmensity and mysterySuch splendor was unreal .Sheer cliffs abruptly fell away,Cloud shadows in retreatRaced down to purple depths that layA mile beneath my feet.Vast walls in pink and garnet hues.With topaz set between,Were veiled in mists of changing bluesAnd iridescent green.The river rushing through its bedTo carve a deeper way,Was but a distant silver threadCaught in the net of day.The buttes that l ifted, sharp and boldAgainst the azure sky,Were lofty pinnacles of gold

And temples soaring high.The lit t le cares that fretted meWere lost in shining spaceMy heart exulted I might seeThe light of g'ory's face.

DESERT FRESHETBY W . H A R R I S O N B R E W E RCasper, Wyoming

Gravelly water, running redAlong a li t t le-traveled bed,Hasten not, nor dare to dreamYou'll be a brooklet or a stream.Clouded remnant of a shower.Your life is short. Within the hourYou'll be but a crooked lineDamp pebbles in a new design.

By C H A S . A . S M I T HPhoenix, Arizona

C ood-night old Sol, we've had a glorious day,^nd both of us should take a li t t le rest.S3 lie down gently o'er the purple hillsThat reach from Las Estrellas out to the West.I> ow thou art gone but still o'er desert wideThe twilight of thy golden day I see;S >, when my time shall com e to lay me dow n,A [ay those I love have mem'ries sweet of me./ n d when the curtain of the night shall fall,When sweet oblivion blots out care and pain;With faith renewed I'l l face the glorious East,And wait thy coming at the dawn again. PIONEERS TRIUM PHANT

B Y L O U I S A S P R E N G E R A M E SMecca, CaliforniaBy the high road, and the low road,And along the winding trail ,They came with high adventureAnd a faith that could not fail.To the Valley of the Sunrise,To the land of dune and sage.To write a glorious chapterOn a new and glorious page.They laced the sand with silverAnd hung the rainbow there.Till achievement crowned adventureIn the beauty that we share.

CREED OF THE DESERTBY J U N E L E M E R T P A X T O N

A long-tailed lizard with nary a sighLazed in the sun just blinking one eye.He was tired of hustle, fedup withscurry;So he lounged in the sun and forgotevery worry.

G O L D O F C A L I C OBY C A R L C . G O O D N E RBarstow, California

Still stand the brave old hills of Calico;Untroubled now, they dream of other days.When men who followed on that lure of goldMade of their rainbow peaks a shaftedmaze.The blast of powder and the ring of steel;The shout of drivers in the long, dark night;Of grim-faced men who knew both want andwealA woman's hand to tend a cabin light.Where are the men who labored here, anddreamed ?The women for whose love these deedswere done ?Ever they follow on that golden lureUntil they reach a blest oblivion.Their l ives, the priceless gold of Calico;Their memory, a treasure rich and fine,For they who wrought that golden long agoPassed on to us our heritage of time.The gold they mined will vanish with theyears,But not the gold of priceless human worthThat, purged of dross, refined by pain andtears,Is richer than all treasure dug from earth.Theirs but the fleeting bauble of a day.While ours the deathless meed of theirbequest,That we might follow where they blazed theway,And share with them the glory of the West!

TWILIGHTB y O L I V E M C H U G HSalt Lake City, UtahThis velvet pause is desert twilight,When earth finds respite from the blare of

dayAnd we may live alone with lovelinessWhile beauty crowds the commonplace away.J U L Y , 1 9 4 0 21


24/46

Photograph by P. V. Sambson

ttadetB y G R A C E P . N I C K E R S O N

Many strange storiesboth fact and fictionhave been told about the little denizen of thedesert comm only known as the packrat. Heoiten invades the camps and cabins of desertdwellersbut he is never a thief. H e a lwa y slugs in a stick or stone or some other object toreplace the one taken away. If he gets the bestof the bargain sometimes, it merely is becausehe has not been educated to civilized standardsof value.

M O N G desert dwellers he is known as pack or trad ;rat. To the scientists he is Neotoma. Hopi Indianscall him Kee-hua'-cahl'-a.But regardless of the name, he is one of the desert's mostinteresting and intelligent little creatures. The name packratis not entirely fairfor he is not a true rat W . A. Chalfantsays:"Despite the name commonly given him, the neotoma isslid to have no family connection with the house rat (Mi/sliattus). He will not remain in a habitation when the otherspecies appear, t hou gh he m akes it his bus ness to drive off

other small rodents."The neotoma is unlike the common rat in appearance. I thas a gentle rabbit-like face, large black eyes and bat-likeears. Its soft grey fur resembles that of the Andean chinchilla,which stands high among animal aristocracy because of thebeauty of its furry coat.Th e neotoma is a rode nt. It has two l.rge incisor teethin each jaw, separated by an empty space from the molarteeth, as has the squirrel, marmot and beaver.Because of the arrangement of teeth whicli has given themthe ability to cut and carryand they certainly do cut and car-rythe neotoma has been dubbed packrat. Du e to its tenderskin and small size, it is a mystery to science how these littleanimals carry the vicious joints of the cholh cactus so oftenfound p laced in position to guard their nests.

According to environment the neotoma differ in theirmethod of nest building, having ever in mind protectionfrom their natural enemies. Those in the desert, or scantilytreed region, often select sites beneath large rocks, or amongbayonet pointed yucca or cacti.The nests are made of a strange mixture of materials, ,yet are well arranged, clean and without odor. Large nestshave been found to have several hallways or tunnels connect-ing a number of compartments, each for a distant use. Onecompartment for storage of food, one for sleeping and a nest

for the young, another for excreta.The neotoma is attracted to bright shiny objects and some-times within a nest is found an assortment of pretty buttons,cuff links and even gold nuggets for which he has traded,without the consent of the former owner, a pebble, a stick orsome other worthless thing. Occasionally, when on a tradingexpedition it leaves valuables and takes things of less value.This strange habit of trading has given the neotoma thecommon name of trade rat.Like many of the other small denizens of the desert, thepackrat is seldom seen except at night. W ith th e twilighthours, it comes forth in quest of food, and where it has ac-

cess to a camp or cabin may be heard at any hour of the nightrummaging in pantry or foodbox.22 T h e D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


25/46

Smoki Snake. /-^tle6t5 ateeatmnq tkeh

/ RO M the Smoki pueblo in Prescot:, Arizona, come the/ beat of tom-toms, the stomp of moc:asine d feet, the highweird notes of ancient chants. The Jmoki people are pre-paring for their annual dances.At sundown on August 4 they will emerge from their kiva ingorgeous costumesand then the thousands of visitors who go tothe mile-high city in northern Arizona will witness one of themost remarkable pageants staged in America.The Smoki are amazing people. Actually trey are a grou p of 300w.nite men and womendoctors , mechanic , merchants , lawyers ,r ich men, poor men---everyday citizens of Prcscott. Belonging to anorganization whose inner councils are secret, they have dedicatedthemselves to preserving and perpetuating the ancient chants, dancesand rites of the Hopi and Zuni Indians.This year they will give their 20th annuil performance. Theirprogram includes the Snake dance of the Hopi, the Shalako, theDance of the Birds, the Zuni Weaving dance, and other r ituals.They do not use venomous snakes as do tie Hopi, but in everyother respect the presentation is as true to the native ceremonials aslong weeks of careful preparation can make it.This is no mere burlesque. The Arizonans endeavor to surroundtheir ceremonial with the same atmosphere of reverence as do thenative tr ibesmen. I t requires long rigorous training to prepare forthese annua l performances. M embe rship in he Smoki tr ibe is notan obligation to be assumed lightlyand the visitor at the greatplaza where the dances are held is awed to silence as this strangedrama of the primitives unfolds before him.It is a drama that remains deep in the consciousness of the spec-tator long after the last dancer has returned to the kiva and the

rattle of gourds and the rhythm of moccasined feet have died away.

PhotographsSmoki Snake

priest, and theplaza where the

Smoki danceswill he heldAn "list 4.


26/46

W 6 S T C R I I F T

A u>XMA,iO44A.The great outdoors is more enjoyableif you live in comfort ! New models1 6 , 18, and 21 ft. long. Travel themodern, streamlined Westcraft way!

W R I T E FOR FR E E C AT AL OGA D D R E S S D E P T . GG E0R G T. H U L L

S O . C A L I F O R N I A D I S T R I B U T O R5614 West Was hington

Los Angeles California

FIRST_ ^ T a l k o v e f a c c o m m o d a t io n :b y t e l e p h o n e ! S a v e t i m e . m i le s .d i s a p p o i n t m e n t . T h e c o s t i s s m a l l .

I0II IEII Hl ira ill l TELErlllE COHHir

Oceanside,Gdlif.

FOR AN ENJOYABLE, ECONOMICALVACATION visit OCEANSIDE . . . acharming city of homes by the sea. Twomiles of municipal beaches, wonderfulpier, surf and live bait fishing. Threelarge lakes and other recreational facili-ties nearby. Home of famous San LuisRey and Pal a Missions. A delightfulplace to spend your vacation, the sum-mer or make your home.For furt her information and folder writeCHAM BER OF C O M M E R C ECceanside , Cal i fo rn ia .

A .Garvey, California

Dear Editor:Your "True or False" feature of the Desert Magazine is a wonderfully edu-cational set-up for the academic students of desert lore. It must be said that itis one of the best brain testers current. However for us roughnecks with a men-tality ranging in the lower brackets something like the following might be inorder:DESERT QUIZ: Here ' s a chance for youdesert brain trusters to winsome valu-able prizes. If you get all the answers r ight you maysend in $2.50 and receivea year 's subscription to the Deser t Magazine. If you get half of them you areentitled to a two-year subscription by sending in $4. If you don ' t get any ofthem right the Desert Magazine, upon the receipt of only $5, will enter yoursubscript

194007 desert magazine 1940 july

Documents