194908 desert magazine 1949 august

8/14/2019 194908 Desert Magazine 1949 August

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M e m o r i e so f a n O l d R a i l r o a d. . .Garden Grove, California

Desert:

I believe there is an error in the titleover the picture of the two gentlemendriving the spike (on page 23 of thecurrent Desert). The name of the gen-tleman on the right should be CharlesClegg instead of Charles Gregg. Thesegentlemen are the authors of an inter-esting book entitled Virginia andTruckee, a story of Virginia City andComstock times and one that everylover of the old West should have onhis bookshelf.

It has numerous pictures all goodhalftones of the old railroad whichis in the process of being abandoned.These pictures are priceless, especial-ly to those who have in years gone byworked on some railroad in the West,or perhaps the V & T. Why not givethe boys a little boost in your DesertBooks section? The story is very read-able and interestingly put together.

FRANK A. SCHILLING

Desert's apologies to CharlesClegg for misspelling his name.Desert's book editor shares yourhigh opinion of the historical bookof which Clegg was one of theauthors. The review of this bookhad already been written for this

issue when your letter came.R.H.

Beauty and Tin Cans . . .Randsburg, California

Desert:We were amazed, and sorry to read

the editorial remarks in your July issueabout Randsburg. Your editor missedso much when he passed through ourtown.

Oh, we don't need pretty painted-over little houses. We like our tin cansand our unpainted "shacks." They areour home, and here we have the big-gest hearted, most understanding old-timers you've ever met intelligent,educated and refined.

We have some beautiful homes here,inside and outside, along with our relicsof gold rush days and our tin cans.We too could paint up a bit our oldcabins and shacks, but we are proudof many of these relics of an importantera in American life. Randsburg was,is , and will always be Randsburg ashack to liv%,*in and a chance to live a gold mining town a golden oppor-tunity perhaps.

Your editor did miss so much!M R S . STANLEY N. SHIRLEY*

Town That Disappeared . . .Berkeley, California

Desert:Today the dead trunk of a tree is

all that remains of what was once aflourishing little mining town whichstill appears on many Arizona maps as"Silverbell." A road leading out ofTucson is called the Silverbell road.

Silverbell was a copper mining camp.The hills around it were honeycombedwith shafts and glory holes.

It closed down 30 years ago. I livedthere as a boy. My step-father ran thelocomotive which carried the ore carsacross the desert to the Southern Pa-cific company's junction point at RedRock.

From 1919 to this date the camphas never reopened. About 1936 the

All that remains of Silverbell

smelting company which owns mostof the property in the region, tore upall the railroad tracks (both narrowgauge and standard), and sold themfor scrap.

After being gone 30 years, I re-visited the camp. One old saloon stillstands, all the rest of the houses havevanished completely, and except fora few rusty pieces of sheet metal anda few splinters of wood there is noth-ing to indicate a thriving mining townonce was located there.

KENT YARNELL

The Wreckers Are at Work . . .Winslow, Arizona

Desert:Today, I look from the windows of

our museum at a steady procession oftrucks busily engaged in hauling awaythe rim of the famous meteorite crater,which all the civilized world haslearned to know.

This crater is one of the naturalwonders of the world and I am surethat a poll would reveal that practi-cally 100 per cent of the Americanpopulous would object vigorously ifthey knew what is being done by wayof its mutilation.

Visitors to the crater seldom learnabout this desecration which is beingcarried on behind the south rim, oppo-site that from which they view thephenomenon. Many of the visitors toour museum, where all phases of thecrater are featured, protest earnestlywhen they learn of this operation.

Apparently the great majority ofAmerican citizens, judging by the ex-pressions from our visitors, are underthe impression that the crater is anational monument. Even those whocome to us after having visited thecrater, often express thisbelief. Howsuch an idea has become so wide-spread is somewhat of a mystery, forthe crater has been privately ownedsince early in the century.

This mining operation might seem alittle less objectionable if it were pro-ducing a critical material that couldnot be substituted for. But even if this

were the case, many public-spiritedcitizens would object to despoiling sucha unique natural phenomenon as thecrater. As a matter of fact, the productbeing mined is nothing more criticalthan silica, which can be obtained inhundreds of other locations in theUnited States.

H. H. NININGER,DirectorAmerican Meteorite Museum

In Defense of Randsburg . . .

Randsburg, CaliforniaDesert:

Just to let you know we live inRandsburg, and we have a pretty homeand take care of it. We have flowers,t o o , outside, and rock landscaping.

But we are sure glad to know thereis at least one pretty little place withan artistic housewife in Johannesburg.

A RANDSBURG CITIZEN

Plans for Ballarat . . .Independence, California

Desert:For your information, we are the

owners of the old ghost town of Bal-larat, which we purchased in 1937.We are now making arrangements toreconstruct this famed landmark.

RALPH WAGNER

THE DESERT MAGAZINE


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D E S E R T C A L E N D A R,M

Aug. 2Annual fiesta; old Pecosdance, Jemez Pueblo,New Mexico.

Aug. 2-3Ogden Junior fat stockshow, Ogden, Utah.

Aug. 3-17Western Navajo artsandcrafts exhibition; contemporaryrugs, silver, etc. from Western Na-vajo reservation, Museumof North-ern Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona.

Aug. 4Annual fiesta, summer corndances, Santo Domingo,New Mex-ico.

A u g . 5-6-7 Pro-Amateur GoldTournament at Reno, Nevada.$7500 prizes.

Aug. 5-7Annual Cowboys' reunion,Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Aug. 10FeastDay of San Lorenzo,corn dance, Picuris Pueblo,New

Mexico (28 mi fr Taos) .Aug. 11-14Inter-Tribal Indian Cere-

monial, Gallup,New Mexico.

Aug. 12Santa Clara Day, variousdances, Santa Clara,New Mexico.

Aug. 12-14Regional pistol matches,Prescott, Arizona.

Aug. 13-14Desert Peaks sectionofCalifornia Sierra club will climbLone Pine peak,El. 12,951 feet.

Aug. 14Smoki Ceremonials, Pres-cott, Arizona.

Aug. 17-20Sanpete county fairandrodeo, Manti, Utah.

Aug. 19, 20 & 26, 27White Pinerace meet; eight races daily plusasaddle horse race. White Pine coun-ty fair opensAug. 26, Ely, Nevada.

Aug. 19-21Annual rodeo, Payson,Arizona.

Aug. 19-Sep. 11Arizona photogra-phers. Portrait of Arizona will bethe Fourth Annual theme, Museumof Northern Arizona, Flagstaff,Arizona.

Aug. 20-21Glendale Mineral soci-ety show at Glendale Pacific Audi-torium, Glendale, California.

Aug. 25-27Cache county fair,Lo-gan, Utah.

Aug. 26-27-28Arizona Cattlemen'sAssociation convention,and squaredance festival of all square danceclubs in the state, Flagstaff, Ari-zona.

Aug. 27-28Membersof CaliforniaSierra club will make two-day back-pack trip from Idyllwildto summitof Mt. San Jacinto, El. 10,805 feet.Overnight camp willbe in RoundValley.

AugustContinuation of Life Maga-zine's traveling exhibit: "AncientMaya"series of 30 large photo-graphic panels by Dmitri Kessel,Southwest museum, Highland Park,Los Angeles,Calif.

Volume 12 AUGUST, 1949 Number 10

COVER

LETTERS

CALENDAR

POETRY

GHOST TOWN

CONTEST

MINING

DESERT QUIZ

ART

NATURE

GARDENING

INDIANS

HUMOR

EXPLORATION

CLOSE-UPS

CONTESTWINNERS

MINING

NEWS

HOBBY

LAPIDARY

COMMENT

BOOKS

IN NAVAJOLAND. Pho to by Joseph Muench,Santa Barbara.

Opinions and comments of Desert's re ade rs . . 2

August event s on the dese rt 3

My Cabi n in the Hills Phot o . . . . . . 4

They Live in a Ghost Town

By NELL MURBARGER . 5

Prizes to photographers, monthly contest . . . 9

Uranium Strike In Petrified Woo d

By JAY ELLIS RANSOM 10

Test your desert kno wled ge 14

Dancing Indians Are His SubjectsBy W. THETFORD LeVINESS . . . ,, ; , 15

Jerusalem Cricket, Weird but HarmlessBy WELDON D. WOODSON 17

Desert Garden Without SoilBy VERNIE G. REAGLES 19

Indian Country Trek

By MORGAN MONROE 22

Hard Rock Shorty of Death Vall ey 28

Underground Voyage in the Nevada DesertBy S. M. WHEELER . . 2 9 *

About the folks who write for Desert . . . * . 32 , 5 .

Results of annual cover contest ' . 33 *S# J f -

C u r r e n t n e w s of S o u t h w e s t m i n e s 34 *

F r o m h e r e a n d t h e r e on the d e s e r t . . ...... *-. 35

G e m s a n d m i n e r a l s 41 w

A m a t e u r Ge m C u t t e r, b y L e l a n d e Q u i c k . . . 45

J u s t B e t w e e n You an d Me, b y the Edi tor . . . 46

R e v i e w s of S o u t h w e s t e r n l i t e r a t u r e 47

The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Press, Inc., Palm Desert,California. Re-enteredas second class matter July17, 1948, at the post office at Palm Desert,California, underthe Act of March 3, 1879. Title registered No. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office,and contents copyrighted1949 by the Desert Press, Inc. Permission to reproduce contentsmust be secured from the editor in writing.

RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor AL HAWORTH, Associate EditorBESS STACY, Business Manag er MARTIN MORAN, Circul ation Mana ger

Unsolicited manuscriptsand photographs submitted cannotbe returned or acknowledgedunless full return postage is enclosed. Desert Magazine assumesno responsibility fordamage or loss of manuscripts or photographs althoughdue care will be exercised. Sub-scribers should send noticeof change of address by the first of the month preceding issue.

SUBSCRIPTION RATESOne Year $3.50 Two Years $6.00

Canadian Subscriptions 25c Extra, Foreign 50c ExtraSubscription to Army Personnel OutsideU. S. A. Must Be Mailed in Conformity With

P. O. D. Order No. 19687Address Correspondence to Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, California

A U G U S T , 1 9 49


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m

By ADDISON N. CLARKOakland, California

W HEN cares beshroud me like a pallAnd days are gray with myriad ills,

I turn my back upon it allAnd seek my cabin in the hills.

Tis there I find m y antidoteFor worry of the sort that kills

Heartache and strife are both remoteFrom that sweet refuge in the hills.

Within its walls true p ea ce I find;Each restful day and night instills

New strength to cope with hum ankind Strength born of God's eternal hills.

O Friend of Mine, this word to youAs Summer brings her endless thrills:

Would you your shaken faith renew?Then build a cabin in the hills!

T HE D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E

My Cabin In The Hills


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Frank Hill and da ughter, J. Lou , examine old hand-forged horse and ox shoesfound among the ruins of Shakespeare.

They Live in a Ghost TownTraditions, legends, history

and ghosts in addition toFrank and Rita Hill and smalldaughter are now the occu-pants of Shakespeare, NewMexico. But this ghost tow n of thehill country has known threebooms, each time has been re-claimed by the desert. Now an-other drama is being enacted inthis same setting as a resource-ful family is making a happyhom e am id the ruins of a colorfulfrontier mining town.

By NELL MURBARGER

T IN THE HILL COUNTRY whichs southwest of Lordsburg, New

Mexico, Frank and Rita Hill andtheir lively 10-year-old daughter J. Louare now the owners and sole occupantsof what was once the largest city inNew Mexico.

Where 3000 miners and frontiersmenand their families once lived, the Hillsnow make their home in an old adobestore building, one of the few habitablestructures still standing among theruins of Shakespeare. It was here that

I came to know Frank and Rita.

The Hills are friendly people. Frank,now in his fifties, came to southwesternNew Mexico 40 years ago because hishome state of Texas "was getting toodawg-gawn tame ."

There was nothing tame about NewMexico when he arrived there. Havinglived on the range he soon found workcowpunching, breaking horses, insoil conservation, the Indian service,finally as a rancher with his own herd.He and Rita own the Lazy FH ranch"just a little place," he explains, "abo ut

16 sections."A U G U S T , 1 9 4 9


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LORDSBURGTo Douglas, Arii. ; & i i f t f h ^ ^

U .!_!_!.

''$&)'$; "MINE

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Rita is a college girl. She went touniversities in New Mexico and Ari-zona, and for a time in Mexico City.She was in pictures in Hollywood fora little while and served several toursof duty as a school teacher before shemet Frank.

The hom e in Shakespeare was Rita'sidea. She first saw the ghost town 14years ago when she was out on therange hunting stray horses. She wasintrigued by the tumbled-down build-ings, and more so when she learnedsomething of the history of the place.She induced Frank to rent the long-vacant mercantile store which theystill occupy. As soon as circumstancespermitted they bought the town as itstood; lock, stock and barrel tradi-tions, lore, history and ghosts included.

"If any town ever had a right toghosts, it is Shakespeare!" laughed

Rita, who has interviewed old timers of

the area until she knows the history ofthe place in detail.

"Here at the corner of the store," shewent on, "stood the corral gate wherethey hanged Roger Black. 'Arkansas'Black they called him. With his snappyblack eyes, curly black hair and black

mustache, I guess Arkansas cut quitea gallant figure. At least it was gallantenough to involve him with a marriedwoman.

"Rough as the town was, adulteryand horse stealing were two things itwouldn't tolerate. A citizens' commit-tee speedily took Arkansas in hand,put a noose around his neck andstrung him up to the crossbar on thestage company's corral gate. After giv-ing his neck a good stretching, they lethim down and told him to take that asa warning and get out of town.

"Arkansas was stubborn. They

strung him up again. Three times they

swung him on the rope. Each timethey let him hang a little longer, butstill Arkansas refused to leave. Thefourth time they let him dangle until hequit kicking and then the vigilanteforeman ordered them to turn himloose.

"'He's too damned good a man tohang,' he declared. 'That other bird'lljust have to take his wife and getout! '"

As we wandered through the peace-ful street which long ago echoed therumble of ox-drawn freight wagons,the crack of bull whips, the lusty shoutsof muleskinners and the clatter of Con-cord stages, Rita Hill told us the storyof this strange camp which boomedthree times, under three differentnames, and three times returned todesert.

A fine spring of water brought thefirst white men to the site of Shake-speare. Dixie goldseekers, on their wayto California in 1849, made the springa stopping point. Wagon emigrantscamped here in the '50's. Then camethe stages of the Butterfield line. Des-pite nearly 20 years' use by many trav-elers, the campsite remained withoutofficial recognition until 1867 whenthe National Mail and Transportationcompany succeeded the war-suspendedButterfield line.

Nowhere on the National route wasthere another stretch so hazardous asthat from Mesilla, New Mexico, toSan Simon, in what is now Arizona.

.Not only was this rough country butit was the stronghold of the Apaches.So two alternate routes were estab-lished through this section in additionto the main line.

The regular route passed near thepresent site of Lordsburg and onthrough Doubtful canyon. When araiding party was known to be lurkingin that vicinity, the stage could berouted either by Leitzendorfer's welland through Granite gap, or by wayof the spring in the Pyramids (nowShakespeare) and through Stein'spass.

The new stage station at Pyramidspring was named in honor of Gen-eral Grant. Johnny Evenson, who hadhelped lay out the route, remained asstation agent.

"Even before 'Uncle' Johnny's arri-val in 1867 there were buildingshere," said Mrs. Hill. "No one knowswho built them. Mexicans perhaps, orpossibly Confederate soldiers billetedhere during the Civil war."

Then W. B. Brown came to the re-cently established stage station. Hewas more interested in the mineral pos-sibilities of the region than in his jobas government surveyor.

He spent several weeks in the sur-T H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


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rounding hills gathering ore samples.He took them to San Francisco wherehe showed them to William C. Ral-ston, California banker.

Ralston had already taken millionsfrom Nevada's Comstock lode, but therich ore in the lode appeared to berunning out and when Brown's sam-ples assayed 12,000 ounces of silverto the ton of ore, the banker was readyto invest.

With Brown as guide, Ralston'sclaim-staking expedition arrived atGrant early in 1870 and laid out theVirginia mining district, named forVirginia City, Nevada.

After filing on many claims in thearea, Ralston sent representatives toEurope to contact potential investorsand the New Mexico Mining companywas capitalized at 6,000,000 pounds.

Word of the fabulous "new Com-stock" spread rapidly and the firstboom was on. Application had been

made for a postoffice at Grant, but be-fore its authorization in December,1870, popularity of the Civil war herohad been eclipsed, temporarily, by thatof the California financier. Citizens ofthe boom camp magnanimously votedto change its name to Ralston.

Even as the famous Nevada dis-covery which preceded it, this "secondComstock" offered scant opportunityto the man with pick and pan. Theore was difficult to work and much ofit low grade. Only occasional pocketsproved as rich as Brown's samples.But hopeful emigrants, lured by prom-ise of well-paid jobs in the Ralstonmines, continued to swell the camp'spopulation.

Soon after operations had started,a legal sharpshooter made the allega-tion that under New Mexico territoriallaw, the Ralston claims had been filedillegally and therefore all were opento re-filing.

Claim jumpers went into a frenzy.Injunction suits were filed right andleft and over the field spread a web oflitigation. Not a carload of ore couldmove nor a tunnel be driven until thelegal ownership could be determinedby the courts. The case dragged on.

Form er assay office, built prior to1867 when stage station was es-tablished at the presen t site oj

Shakespeare.

Former Stratford hotel. Secondstory of adobe brick and frameadded to lower story of "puddled"

adobe in the 1870's.

Former Smythe, Long & Pricemercantile store now the resi-dence of Frank and Rita Hill and

their daughter.

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Miners, thrown out of work, soughtemployment elsewhere. The boom col-lapsed, the town died. Only a few die-hards remained to await the camp'srevival.

They had not long to wait. The nexttime it was diamonds.

Ralston's diamond boom found im-

petus in the West's Great DiamondHoax of the 1870's. Two miners,Philip Arnold and John Slack, one dayappeared at the Bank of California inSan Francisco with a small bag ofdiamonds to check for safekeeping.

As they had astutely anticipated, thereport reached Ralston immediately.He wanted to know more. The men re-fused to divulge where they had foundthe stones. "Maybe Arizona, or Colo-rado . . . maybe Wyoming. Whocan say? On the desert it is difficult fora man to know his exact location . . ."

When Tiffany's pronounced the

stones genuine and appraised the lotat $120,000, a stock company was im-mediately capitalized at $10,000,000.

At that time there was no mannerin which claim might be filed on a gemdeposit, and until Ralston could haveenabling legislation pushed throughCongress, the location of the discov-ery was held in deepest secrecy. Inthat secrecy lay inspiration for Shake-peare's second boom.

Because the Bank of California fi-nancier who was leading figure in thediamond deal, had heavy property in-terests around the New Mexico town

which still bore his name, the publiceagerly accepted the rumor that sceneof the secret diamond discovery was atRalston.

Almost overnight the defunct silvercamp burgeoned into a frenzied dia-mond camp with 3000 persons millingthe streets.

"Acres of diamonds, large as pigeon'seggs!" flew the grapevine report."Emeralds the size of gooseberries!Rubies and topaz like marbles . . ."

And the influx multiplied.Then the stampede collapsed. It was

discovered that one of the diamondsbore the marks of a cutting wheel.Strange field this, which produced notonly rough diamonds but also gemspartially faceted!

Arnold and Slack made their get-away, the richer by $650,000 in ad-vances. The company foMed. Ralstonpersonally assumed all losses.

At various times Colorado, Arizonaand Wyoming h^vs all laid claim to thestage setting for the great diamondhoax, but so far as New Mexicans areconcerned the famous field was, andalways will be, at the foot of Lee'speak, a couple of miles west ofShakespeare.

Whether Ralston was or was not thescene of the swindle, at least it was thescene of the boom. After the bubbleburst, her 3000 people disappearedlike mist over the Sahara.

Act III of this Shakespearean dramahad as its star Colonel John Boyle ofSt. Louis. Arriving on the scene in theearly '70's the colonel discovered whathe claimed were valuable ore deposits,and taking a cue from the Midas-fin-gered Ralston, proceeded to issue stockcertificates in a big way.

Lest potential investors be prejudicedby the town's two previous mining fi-ascos,Colonel Boyle succeeded in hav-ing its name officially changed fromRalston to Shakespeare.

A pair of excitement-hungry broth-ers, Walter and Richard Hart, Yalegraduates and scions of a wealthyConnecticut family, came to open theAtwood and Yellow Jacket mines andstayed to operate Shakespeare's lead-ing assay office. Many other businesshouses were established, including thetwo-story hotel built by Colonel Boyleand named the Stratford.

Most colorful period in Shakespeare'scheckered career was in the early '80's.Indian raids were then at their worst,with Victorio and Cochise leading theirrenegade Apaches in a frenzy of deathand destruction. Shakespeare foundprotection in houses built of adobewith walls several feet thick and smallwindows which could be closed withheavy shutters. Each householder kepta pile of rocks to reinforce these shut-ters whenever Indian attack threatened.Stages often were waylaid and driversslain, and it is said that the incomingmail was occasionally so soaked inblood the addresses on the letterscould not be read.

Shakespeare at this time had neitherchurch nor school and its nearest ap-proach to a fraternal organization wasthe Shakespeare guards, one of NewMexico's first National guard units.The town also had a Law and Orderleague.

In the Grant house, an early-dayrestaurant, Rita Hill pointed out to usthe rafter from which Russian Bill andSandy King were hanged in 1881.

By shooting up the town twice in oneweek, Sandy had incurred the dis-pleasure of the Leaguers, who chargedhim with being "a damned nuisance"a capital offense in Shakespeare'slegal lexicon.

When the committee appeared at thejail to remove Sandy from custody,they found the sheriff had also a secondprisoner a handsome, debonairyoung chap with taffy-colored hair who had been in possession of anotherman's mustang. Horse-stealing beinganother prank frowned upon byShakespeare, this second prisoner was

invited to accompany Sandy King. Afew minutes later, both were swingingfrom the Grant house rafter.

The young man who had played toofree with another's horse had come toShakespeare from Animas valley,where the only name ever heard forhim had been Russian Bill. Shortlyafter the double-hanging, inquiry wasreceived from the consul general's of-fice in St. Petersburg concerning Lieu-tenant William Tattenbaum of the Im-perial White Hussars. The adventurousyoung officer, stated the consul, hadbeen traveling incognito in the Westwhen last heard from. His mother, theCountess Telfrin, of the Czarina'scourt, was anxious for his safety.

The photo enclosed for purpose ofidentification was that of the yellow-haired young man, so recently buriedin Shakespeare's boothill.

In addition to Grant house, buildingsstill standing at Shakespeare includeColonel Boyle's old Stratford hotel,its lower story still virtually as ruggedas the day it was built. While the frontof the hotel is of adobe brick, its sidesand rear portion are of puddled adobeand rock; this having been one of themysterious old buildings already aban-doned when the stage station was firstestablished more than 80 years ago.

Across the street stand three or fourother buildings including the assay of-fice opened by the Harts and the oldgeneral store where the Hills now re-side. Only these flank the main streetof what formerly was a busy frontiermining town.

Completion of the Southern Pacificrailroad through southern New Mexicoin 1881 ended the boom-town careerof Shakespeare, whose populationgradually filtered to Lordsburg on themain line, two miles distant.

Even after the decline as a businesscenter, Shakespeare's mines have con-tinued to produce through most of theyears since their discovery.

The Atwood, opened by the Hartsin the early '70's, was mined intermit-tently until 1931 when it closed, toreopen during the war. Now ownedby Augustine and Morningstar, it hasa daily production of two or three car-loads of ore carrying values in copper,silver and gold.

The 85 mine, located in 1885 byCapt. Sam Ransom, was long one of thebest producers in the area and duringits career is said to have delivered$17,000,000 in ore. It is now ownedby Phelps Dodge corporation; andwhen taken over by them several yearsago was said to be the deepest minein the state.

Banner mine, nearby, was acquiredby the Banner Mining company in1936 and since then has produced 1,-

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Atwood mine, producer oflow-grade copper, silver and gold ore since 1870,and still going strong.

500,000 tons of low-grade copper ore.Thirty-five years ago a spur track

was laid from Lordsburg to the 85mine. One train daily consisting ofan engine and one to five ore cars still clatters over the line. Its presentfreight: ore from the Atwood and con-centrates from the Banner and Miser'sChest.

In its course the little train bisectsold Shakespeare from stem to stern,cutting through the foundations offormer stores and homes, and rumb-ling over the site of the infamous oldRoxie Jay saloon and gambling hall,whose mahogany bar was made in St.Louis and, together with the magnifi-cent back mirror, was hauled west byox teams. When the old palace ofpleasure was razed after the town'sabandonment, its lumber was report-edly used in building the Christianchurch at Lordsburg.

At present, all the old buildings areserving the Hills for storage purposesand other ranch needs.

"Probably our stallion, Sealark, isthe only animal in the world with aprivate fireplace!" laughed Mrs. Hill.

The fireplace, she went on to ex-plain, is in one of the old puddled-adobe buildings with yucca ceiling,now being used as a stable.

It is the dream of the Hills eventu-ally to restore Shakespeare's buildingsas nearly as possible like the old days;basing such restoration on early photosof the town and verbal description,which Mrs. Hill is collecting from thosefew remaining old-timers who "knewher when."

Meanwhile, ranch work never findsthe Hills so busy that they won't cheer-fully drop everything to show a visitorthrough the place and relate to him theDrama of Shakespeare the town that

boomed three times and three timesdied.

P r i z e sF o rD e s e r tP i c t u r e s . . .

Many of Desert Magazine's readers are amateur photographers andit is mainly to give recognition and encouragement to this hobby thatthe magazine staff each month offers prizes for the best photographssubmitted. When non-prize winning pictures are returned to thephotographer, the judges' reasons for rejection are enclosed. This isoffered as constructive criticism and am ateu rs who ar e seeking toimprove their pictures generally appreciate this information.

The monthly contests are open to all photographers regardless ofwhere they reside, but the pictures must be desert subjects: wildlife,

human interest, canyons, sunsets, Indians, landmarks, etc. Unusualsubjects are especially desired.Entries for this month's contest must be in the Desert Magazine

office. Palm Desert,California, by August 20, and winning prints willappear in the October issue. Pictures which arrive too late for onemonth's contest are entered in the next. First prize is $10.00; secondprize, $5.00. For non-winning pictures accepted for publication, $3.00each will be paid.

HERE ARE THE RULES1Prints for monthly contests must be black and white, 5x7 or larger,

printed on glo ssy paper.2Each photograph submitted should be fully labeled as to subject, time

and place. Also technical data: camera, shutter speed, hour of day, etc.3PRINTS WILL BE RETURNED WHEN RETURN POSTAGE IS EN-

CLOSED.4All entries must be in the Desert Magazine office by the 20th of the

contest month.5Contests are open to both amateur and professional photographers.

Desert Magazine requires first publication rights only of prize winning pictures.6Time and place of photograph are immaterial, except that it must be

from the desert Southwest.7Judges will be selected from Desert's editorialstaff, and awards will be

made immediately after the close of the contest each month.

Address All Entries to Photo Editor

Palm Desert, California

A U G U S T , 1 9 4 9


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these last ten years, I've seen wholeforests of petrified wood that's beenwashed out of the Chinlee formation.Why do you want to stake a claim onit? You know we'd have a hundreddollars worth of assessment work todo on it every year to keep it?"

"You just stake out that claim,Riley Baker! I've got a hunch aboutthat canyon. I don't know what it isbut I want a claim up there."

Maggie got her claim. The buttonscame back from the rock shop pol-ished to a beautiful glowing green inwhich specks of canary yellow glist-ened like gold.

Maggie and Riley Baker came toHouserock valley in 1932 and took upan 80-acre homestead at BadgerCreek, Arizona. They planned to runa few head of stock on the open rangethere. Riley explained it simply:

"I figured that range was worthabout four head of stock to the sec-tion, and there were plenty of unfencedsections lying around that region. Itwasn't a bad deal. To me nothingtastes better than range bredbeef."

Five years later Riley built the Bad-ger Creek service station. But touristswere few and business never washighly profitable. They sold the sta-tion in May, 1948. Riley wanted tobuy somewhere else. But they were inno hurry to leave, and Maggie keptthinking about that green petrifiedwood.

"I just sort of kept feeling drawnto that canyon," she laughedself-

consciously. "I don't know why. Iliked the gem rock of course, but Ihad a feeling way down inside thatmaybe there was something else."

In January of this year, Maggie sawa carnotite advertisement by Jay G.Ransom in Desert Magazine. Merelyto see if perhaps Mr. Ransom mightnot want to purchase a few pounds ofthe green wood, she sent him a sam-ple. He wrote back immediately thatshe should have the gem stuff testedfor uranium, it being his belief thatthe yellow streaks might be carnotite.Then it was that Maggie rememberedthe hundreds of tons of dark gray logsstreaked with canary yellow. She ad-mits she was rather excited over theprospect.

"Riley," she told her husband,"what if that stuff should be carnotitewood? We'd have a fortune, wouldn'twe a rockhound's dream come true?Let's not waste any more time! We'llhave it assayed at once."

Maggie has dauntless energy. What-ever she wants done, she gets donenow, and there's no fooling aroundabout it. The first specimens of thegray wood she sent to Ransom. Thenext ten pounds she expressed to anassayer in Flagstaff.

A U G U S T , 1 9 4 9

Vermilion Cliffs carnotite wood discovery, showing pieces of broken logsscattered about. Left to right: Riley Baker, one of the own ers, Bill Ho stetter,packer, and Jay G. Ransom , father of the author, w hose tip led to the

identification of the ore.

11


12/48

a

e m - ^ T W .J SS ^ , " > G O U L D I N G - S #C. W r rrp i ' 4 VTV I ( lO* M*'"

{ '">-*"-"TO LEUPP: S U S . 6 6 WINSLOW

HOLBROOK

INDIAN COUNTRYCIRCUIT

Campsites shown thus

A U G U S T , 1949 23


24/48

In a remote canyon in the Navajo National Monument in northern Arizonaare the c liff dwelling ruins know n as Keetseel.

As Dorothy often says, "That triphas everything with lots of extras !"

Gallup at Ceremonial time is a riotof color Indians, traders, tourists,artists, photographers and ranchers,where sleek eastern station wagons rubfenders with dusty desert jeeps. As weinched through town on the way to ourcampsite Dorothy stared and said,"Just look at all those Indians!"

Navajos, Hopis, Zunis, Apaches,people from the pueblos of Jemez,Santa Clara, Taos, San Ildefonso, La-guna, Cochiti and Tesuque mixed along

24

the streets with Sioux from South Da-kota, Utah Paiutes, Colorado Utesand Cheyennes from Wyoming.

This year the 28th annual event isscheduled for August 11-14 under thecompetent guidance of M. L. W oodard,Inter-Tribal Ceremonial secretary,whose personal efforts are largely re-sponsible for the world's greatest In-dian spectacle.

As we headed for our first nightcamp a few miles south of Gallup offhighway 32 in the direction of theZuni reservation we passed many Na-

vajo covered wagons. All of them wereloaded to the hubs with Indians arriv-ing for the Ceremonial.

We had just finished cleaning upcamp after dinner when, through deep-ening dusk across the high mesa,there came the haunting, never-to-be-forgotten sound of chanting Navajovoices.

Singly first then suddenly in p airs,

dozens, scores brilliant desert starsknifed through the night's gatheringcanopy as we settled down, listeningto the far-away voices intoning theirancient healing chants.

We were keeping another rendezvouswith adventure on the Indian countrycircuit.

Neither of us spoke as a goldenmoon arched above the pinyon treethat marked our camp. The Navajosstill chanted when our sleeping bagsfinally claimed us. The last thing I re-member was Dorothy's sleepy voicemumbling, "Tu rn off the moon it'sstaring at me."

Gallup's Inter-Tribal Ceremonial isunique. It is the only event where mostof the major southwestern Indiandances, chants and songs may be seenand heard with so little effort for spec-tators. Throughout the four-day Cere-monial afternoon and evening perform-ances are presented. For picture mak-ing afternoon shows are best, of course,but evening performances are morespectacular because they take placeagainst backgrounds of huge log firesthat add much to the primitive atmos-phere.

Here one sees symbolic pueblo eagledancers, the stately parade of Zunimaidens balancing beautiful potteryollas on their dark heads, awesomeApache devil dancers, the weird Na-vajo fire dance and many others.

More than 3,000 Indians gatheredas we entered the Ceremonial groundsthe following night. Against dark out-lines of rocky mesas that surround thenation's Indian capital hundreds of tinycooking fires flickered before coveredwagons thick with the dust of reserva-tion trails.

Stirring tom-tom beats throbbed out

across the moon-flooded desert night,recalling ancient rites, deep-seated intheir appeal and significance to the 18tribes represented there. Giant firesleaped to life in the arena and anotherInter-Tribal Ceremonial was on.

When we left Gallup for Ganado,Arizona, several days later the stand offat pines that line the first few miles ofthe St. Michaels-Tuba City road gavelittle indication of the mesa-studded,wind-carved desert country that liesbeyond. As we stopped to fill a waterbag (always carry water in the Indiancountry) at Hubbell's trading post inGanado I unpacked the photographicequipment we had stowed away after

T HE D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


25/48

Apache Devil dancers who take part in the annual Ceremonial at Gallup, NewMexico. Photo courtesy New M exico State Tourist Bureau.

the Ceremonial. I knew that from thereon the cameras would work overtime.Never make the Indian country cir-

cuit without plenty of film black andwhite and color. Those on their firsttrip often are amazed at the amountof film they use but it's that kind ofcountry. Go prepared; you may notfind your favorite brands of film afterleaving Gallup.

And here's a tip: when shootingcolor in the sun remember that Indiancountry light is of extremely high ac-tinic quality. It fools you; often it foolsgood exposure meters unless used care-

fully. Lens openings one-half stopsmaller than normal with color is asafe bet. If your basic sunlight expo-sure is, say, 1/50-second at f6.3 tryf8 instead. Chances are you will likethe results better. Black and whitefilms, with their greater latitude, arenot so critical, but cutting down a bitwith them will avoid burned out high-lights.

Hubbell's trading post at Ganado isone of the best known in the Indiancountry. It is said to be the oldestcontinuous business operation in Ari-zona. The Presbyterian mission hospi-tal across the road is where Dr. Clar-ence Salsbury has become famous for

his humanitarian work among theIndians.After reducing tire pressures 25 per

cent for the stretches of soft sand aheadwe were off again and soon reached thefork where the Chinle road branchestoward Canyon de Chelly, a 36-mileside trip well worth the time for anovernight camp more if you canspare it.

One of our most unusual and leastvisited National Monuments, Canyonde Chelly includes the spectaculargorge for which it was named and itstributaries, Canyon del Muerto and

Monument canyon. For miles the threeform a series of deep gorges in thered sandstone of Defiance plateau,their sheer walls a thousand feet highin many places. Remains of prehistoricIndian dwellings cling to the walls withapparent disregard for gravity.

Canyon de Chelly plays a major rolein Navajo legend and it was in the vastcanyon that Kit Carson's men roundedup 7,000 Indians for removal to theBosque Redondo in New Mexico onwhat history recorded as the Navajo"Long Walk." If you visit this beauti-ful spot and you sho uld ma ke ita point to meet "Cozy" McSparron,one of the delightful personalities

found in odd places all around theIndian country circuit.Bound for the Hopi snake ritual, we

plunged down the floor of Steamboatcanyon, so named for a large rockformation seen on the right at 68.6miles, crossed the eastern boundary ofthe Hopi reservation, and bounceddown another long grade into Keamscanyon, named for Thomas Keam, anearly Indian trader.

"Don 't forget doughnuts!" Doro -thy warned.

At the Keams canyon trading postis a Hopi cook (I hope she's stillthere) who makes the lightest, mostdelicious doughnuts we've ever tastedanywhere. After four of them withcoffee we coaxed her into packing usanother dozen for breakfast at campthe next morning and took off.

Arizona's Hopi villages are right outof a fairy tale. They rest atop threerocky mesas that jut down toward theLittle Colorado river from the Navajocountry which surrounds them. Spring-ing suddenly from the plateau hundredsof feet below, they contrasted sharplywith the canyons we had just comethrough.

On the First Mesa (the three areknown as First, Second and Third, or

A U G U S T , 1 9 4 9 25


26/48

Oraibi, mesas) perch Polacca, Hano,Sichomovi and Walpi the "sky vil-lage" where the ten-century-old snakeand antelope ceremonies may be seenthis August.

Walpi, most picturesque of the 11Hopi villages, is a subject that chal-lenges many artists and photographers.It rests precariously on the narrow tip

of steep rock that marks the southernlimit of First Mesa, appearing like anancient castle in the azure desert sky.

The H opis are Arizona's only puebloIndians. They number about 4,000and are known to have inhabited theirlofty mesa-top villages for more than1,000 years. Their unusual society, or-ganized on the clan system, recognizesdescent on the mother's side in eachfamily.

Shy but friendly people, Hopis are

preoccupied with their many sacredceremonies, centering around variousrites designed to bring life-giving rain.The antelope and snake rituals, ordances as they are commonly known,are the most impressive(Desert, Aug.'48).

These ceremonials are so grippingthat many desert lovers return year af-

ter year to witness them. If you areattending your first snake dance bearin m ind that you are welcome butnot invited. Remember also that youare a guest on private property thatapplies all over the Ind ian country and act accordingly.

It is foolish to attempt descriptionsof the dramatic antelope and snakerituals. They are emotional experiencesto which no two people react quite thesame. To fully appreciate their beauti-

ful primitive meaning and the ancientfaith they represent you must see themfor yourself.

There are few good campsites on therockbound Hopi mesas. Our favoritespot because it offers the shade offine, gnarled junipers is just off theroad to Pinyon, which branches northfrom the main route at a point 10.7

miles west of Walpi.At the snake ceremonials we metfriends from all over the desert countrylast year as we pulled in. "It's the oldsnake dance reunion," Dorothy said,waving as familiar heads popped out ofnearby tents along the Pinyon road.

Science says there can be no con-nection and who am I to argue thepoint but more often than coinci-dence can explain, a downpour followsthe rain-seeking snake dance. If this

Hopi women are expert craftsmen both as w eavers and as pottery w orkers. LenaBlue Co rn, on the left, is one of the most fam ous of th e pottery makers.

Photo by Frashers.


27/48

This is Navajo country. These columns of eroded sandstone, known as the"Elephan t's Feet" are seen along the road north of Tu ba City.

Photo by Joseph Muench.

happens, stay in your mesa-top campuntil the road dries out seldom morethan a day later.

Crisscrossing the 66-mile stretch ofroad between Walpi and Tuba Cityare some of the most dangerous washesin the Southwest. When dry they causeno trouble, but running full after adownpour they have swept heavy carsalong like twigs. So play safe if raincomes. It will not last long. Spend theextra time learning more about thecharming Hopi people and their ancientvillages. Indian service employees andtraders will know when the road isagain safe for travel.

At 180.5 miles we reached TubaCity, important Navajo trading pointestablished in 1877 by Jacob Hamblin,now headquarters for the west Navajojurisdiction. Rockhounds and those in-terested in prehistoric reptile lifeshould make the short side trip to thedinosaur tracks and Devil's PumpkinPatch between Tuba City and U. S.89 , north of Cameron.

There two natural wonders maybe seen just across the road from eachother. The enormous three-toed im-prints in white calcareous sandstoneare estimated by some scientists to

have been stamped a hundred millionyears ago by dinosaurs. Directly over

A U G U S T , 1 9 4 9

the little knoll across the road an un-usual display of conglomerate geode-like rocks closely resemble petrifiedpumpkins. Many rockhounds havebeen rewarded with interesting speci-mens while prowling the area.

Another striking example of rockartistry is the Elephant's Feet, justnorth of Tonalea on the way to Ka-yenta. Large columns of eroded sand-stone to the left at 206.9 miles arealmost perfect duplicates of king-sizeelephant feet and legs.

Navajo National Monument, west ofthe main route between Tonalea andKayenta (entrance road well marked)

is another "must" side trip. Beautiful,somber Betatakin ruin in the Segibranch of Laguna canyon is one of thefinest acheological sites in the West.Jimmy Brewer, Monument custodian,and his hospitable wife Ida will bidyou welcome. An able archeologistand man of many hobbies, Jimmyknows the Indian country like the backof his hand. It is customary to partiallyrepay the Brewers' hospitality by ask-ing when you leave if there is mail youcan take into Kayenta for them.

The massive rock formations thathave made Monument valley the back-ground for eight major motion picturesbegan looming up just past Kayenta.

Brilliant-hued monoliths stretched to

the horizon in every direction, moregrotesque and fascinating with everymile we traveled toward what is per-haps the most isolated but best knownlocation in the Indian country Harry Goulding's Monument valleytrading post.

Harry and his wife "Mike"(Desert,Aug. 48) are as much parts of Monu-ment valley as the eroded buttes forwhich it was named. It would not bethe same without them. We spent sev-eral days with them, exploring inHarry's specially equipped desert sta-tion wagon, visiting Navajo friends, in-specting old Indian ruins, studyingpetroglyphs and burning up enoughfilm to stock a small photographic shop.

We had a long visit with "Big Boy,"the jolly Navajo who taught the Gould-ings his difficult language in return forEnglish lessons when they first cameto the valley 24 years ago. "None of uswere very sure what we were saying,"Harry related of those early days whenthey were living in tents while buildingtheir trading post, "but we ha d a lot offun, often sitting up half the nightmaking funny noises at each other andlaughing."

Monument valley is our nominationfor America's most photogenic spot.

27


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Many artists and photographers visitthe Gouldings to try their hands at thestark drama and bizarre coloring naturehas created there.

And somewhere in a hidden canyonknown only to the Navajo people is arich "lost" silver mine that only twowhite men have seen at the cost oftheir lives. In 1880 two prospectors,

Mitchell and Merrick, stumbled on thefabulously rich mine, said to yield al-most pure silver.

They brought out all the high-gradeore they could carry, returned for more.But their every move was watched byunseen Indians who attached sacredsignificance to the silver deposit fromwhich they made ceremonial jewelry.The prospectors never returned fromtheir second trip. They were attackednear a large butte that today bearsMitchell's name because he died in-stantly beneath it. Mortally wounded,Merrick struggled on to another butteabout three m iles away, where his pu r-suers later found his body.

The second butte was named Mer-rick. Between the two lies one of ourfavorite Monument valley campingspots. With our fire casting leaping

00.08.0

21.325.454.661.076.2

102.1

114.1

120.4

127.7

136.0178.1180.5

203.9206.9209.8

234.5

254.6273.5278.2

301.0304.5

315.4327.7

353.5

374.9

post;

an d

Gallup, New Mexico.Junction of U.S. 666 with N.M. 68.turn left (west).Arizona line.St. Michaels.Gdnado (trading post; gas).Junction with Chinle road (Can-yon de Chelly 36.1 miles).Steamboat Canyon.Keams Canyon (tradinggas).Polacca-Walpi (antelopesnake dances).Mishongnovi (antelope and snakedances).Oraibi (trading post; gas) CAU-TION! Check road ahead.Hotelvilla.Moenkopi.Tuba City (trading post; gas)10.2-mile side trip to dinosaurtracks an d Devil's Pumpkin Patch.Tonalea (trading post; gas).Elephant Feet (left).Junction with Rainbow Bridge

Lodge road. (Lodge 54.3 miles).Junction with Navajo Nat. Mon.road. (Betatakin 16 miles).Kayenta (trading post; gas).Utah line.Junction with Goulding's road(trading post; gas 2 miles).Mexican Hat (trading post; gas).Junction with Goosenecks road(Goosenecks 4.8 miles).Snake Canyon.Bluif (stores; gas) St. Christo-pher's Mission.Blanding (Natural Bridges Nat.Monument 51.1 miles).Monticello (Arches Nat. Monu-ment 60 miles north; Mesa VerdeNat. Park 70 miles east onU.S. 160).

black shadows that danced a ghostlytableau on the massive rocks we talkedfar into the night of Mitchell and Mer-rick and the lost mine that yields al-most pure silver.

While running down the Mitchell-Merrick story we once talked with an89-year-old prospector in Durango,Colorado, who showed us a sample of

magnificent silver ore he said Mitchellbrought back from his first Monumentvalley trip. "I sure wanted to get alook at that Indian mine," the oldtimer said, "but I had a pretty fair goldclaim up near Hesperus peak in themdays and couldn't get away right then.After I heard what happened to themfellers I figured it was a good thing Icouldn't!"

We had hoped to spend some timewith Norman Nevills, the celebrated"white water" boatman of the SanJuan and Colorado rivers, but he wasnot at his Mexican Hat lodge when wearrived. We left our regards with hismother and went on to the Goosenecksof the San Juan, where the torturedriver makes a series of symmetricalbends through the bottom of a1,200-foot canyon.

Our next camp was atBluff, Utah,where we enjoyed the simple warm hos-pitality of the Rev. H. Baxter Liebler

(Desert, Oct. '48) at St. Christopher'sMission to the Navajo, an Episcopaloutpost in the tradition of the oldSpanish missions.

Father Liebler and his loyal littleband of unpaid assistants are doinggreat work among an isolated group ofNavajos whose living conditions wereamong the worst on the sprawling res-

ervation before he established his mis-sion. Under trying primitive conditionshe, Brother Juniper, Helen Sturges andothers at St. Christopher's have accom-plished seeming miracles for those theyserve additional examples of theforceful, magnetic personalities foundin the Indian country.

We hated leaving them, bu t time wasrunning out and several basket-makerruins west of Blanding remained to bephotographed before turning home-ward at M onticello.

As we reluctantly drove away fromthe little stone and 'dobe chapel, wherea crude but sturdy wooden cross standsimaged against the rugged canyon back-ground of St. Christopher's, Dorothylooked back a long time. Finally, al-most in a whisper, she said, "I wantto make this trip each August as longas we live."

Yes, we'll be back on the Indiancountry circuit again in August.

HardRock Shorty

ofDeathValley"Huh!" said Hard Rock Shorty

as he unscrewed the cap on the bat-tery of the dude's shiny new car.

"Dry as a bone. No wonder shewouldn't start. Things get that wayout here 'n Death Valley. This des-ert air really is dry most o' thetime, that is. But when it gets hu-mid, mister, it's the derndest humid-ity yuh ever seen.

"Like two weeks ago, when thatwind come up outa the southeast.Pisgah Bill and me had been settin'out here on the porch nice and com-fortable in the shade with the ther-mometer right at 120. About noonwe felt that damp wind begin toblow and we knowed we wuz in forit. It was the worst humid spell I'vesaw in 40 years.

"See that pup lying over by thewall? Well, I lost his mother durin'those three bad days, and durn near

lost the pup too. When they'd opentheir mouths to pant, the moisturewould form on their tongues so fastthey couldn't swallow it. The olddog choked and drowned right outthere on that dry sand before Inoticed. I got to the pup just in time.He was half dead, but I rushed himout back and hung him on theclothesline, head down, and thewater run out of his mouth as fastas it formed on his tongue. He hungthere for two days before I daredtake him down.

"But inside the house it was worse.When I got up early the first morn-in' I shet the windows and doorstight like I allus do against the heat.About ten o'clock in the mornin'

Pisgah Bill come over and we wentinside to get a drink o' cool waterand eat some salt. We'd been sweat-in' so hard we'd lost 15 poundsapiece. The store was still full o' thathumid air, an' when I opened theice box the cold air hit that wet air,condensed the m oisture, and we hada cloudburst right there in the room.

"Afore I could git the door openthe water was up over the counter.It rained a half hour, ruined tensacks o' flour, four sacks o' beans an' if Bill an' me hadn't been deniedgood swimmers we'd a drowned."

28 T H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


29/48

UndergroundVoyage in theNevada Desert

In Nevada's Elko county agreat stream of water gushesfrom the hole in the side of amountain. Early day explorerstold strange tales about this sub-terranean stream, and at leastone man lost his life in attempt-ing to penetrate the dark pass-age. The writer of this story was

sent by the Nevada park com-mission to learn the truth aboutCave creek cavernand here ishis report.

yardd

By S. M. WHEELERN underground voyage in thedesert? The reports could notbe wrongyet as I stood in theof the Nevada state highway

lgdepartment at Elko in the early

hours of that clear August morning Ihad my doubts. The small woodenboat we were to use on this strangeadventure was being loaded on a trailer.

The Nevada state park commissionhad asked me to explore and report on

This photograph was taken by the explorers in the fourth passage describedin the story. Photo cou rtesy Nevad a state park comm ission.

A U G U S T , 1 9 49

a cave located at the base of the east-ern slope of Ruby range in southwest-ern Elko county. My companions wereH. B. Harris who had been in the cavepreviously, and J. J. Gregory who hadresided for years on a ranch near thecavern.

According to my information, a sub-terranean stream flowed from the

mouth of the cave, a stream known asCave creek. It first came to my atten-tion while delving through the files ofNevada newspapers at the state libraryin Carson City. I came across a Well'shigh school girl's prize essay publishedin the Elko Independent of June 9,1931. She had taken this cave as hersubject.

From other sources I gained addi-tional data. In theUnited States Geo-logical Exploration o f the FortiethParallel (1877) the following refer-ence was made:

"It is noteworthy that in this heavyand elevated limestone mass runningstreams are entirely wanting. Thewater, however, reaches the surfacealong the base of the range in numer-ous springs extending from Hasting'sto Fremont's (now known as Harri-son) pass. These springs supply Rubylake. They are all clear cold water,with temperatures varying from 45 to48 degrees. Cave spring, about sixmiles to the south of Fremont's pass,runs a considerable stream, comingout directly from the limestone throughan opening sufficiently large to admita man into an interior lake-chamber10 by 12 feet and 10 feet in height.A narrow winding channel connectsthis chamber with still another andlarger one beyond , with its limestone floor covered with water. It is worthyof exploration, but, as far as known,has never yet been visited."

Thompson and West, in theirHistoryof the State of Nevada (1881), givethe following highly imaginative de-scription: "There is a subterraneanlake in Ruby mountain that is thesource from which flows, into the val-ley of the same name, the little streamknown as Cow creek. The entrancetothis hidden sea of the Mountain

29


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Gnome, is through a natural tunnelabout six feet long, that is large enoughto admit only one person at a time.The entrance leads to the margin of abeautiful sheet of clear, cold water150 feet long by 50 feet wide. At its

further extremity is a sandbar 50 feet

across, beyond which is a rock parti-tion that comes down within two feetof the water's surface. Beyond thispartition lies another, smaller lake,from the farther side of which leadsoff a narrow cave with perpendicular

sides, through which the water flows

into the lake. This lake has been ex-plored for some distance until an ab-rupt turn was reached, when the ex-plorers, fearing to proceed further, re-turned, and left the mysteries of whatlay beyond a secret still. The torch-light in passing over subterraneanwaters in a boat unveils a scene ofweird and enchanting beauty. From

the cavernous, overhanging walls,reach down immense, white, gem-decked stalactite sentinels, pointingtoward the unrevealed depths of thatbeautiful, silent, silvery sheet of waterthat hides from the visitor the remainsof one who lost his life in 1865, whileseeking to learn these hidden mys-teries. Should it not be called 'GnomeLake'?"

We soon learned how inaccurate theabove description is. There are practi-cally no stalactites, none worthy ofnote, and the "lakes" are simply wideportions of the channel.

In The History of Nevada (1913)by Davis is the following: "Ruby val-ley is the longest in the state. Theranches are all along one main high-way 75 miles in length. The oldest set-tlers now living in this valley areThomas Short, William Griswold, andIsaac Woolverton, the latter havingcome in 1869. For many years ThomasShort had possession of the Cave Creekranch in the southern end of the val-ley. Here a great underground lake ishid away behind the hills. A river ofclear ice-cold water has cut its waythrough the rocks. This cave was ex-plored very early in the settlement ofthe valley by a soldier who was soelated over his first success that heattempted the second time to go fur-ther into the secrets hitherto concealedfrom human eyes. His body was foundat the opening of the entrance nextday. A few years later A. G. Dawleyand Thomas Short, in search of theorigin of some valuable mineral theyhad located, attempted a thorough ex-ploration of the cave by taking withinthe narrow opening material out ofwhich to construct a boat. They passedfrom one huge cavern to another per-haps a quarter of a mile beyond thefirst opening when at last they wereconfronted by a large chamber re-sembling a pipe organ. This theytermed the "Great Organ." Of lateyears no one has had the courage toenter. The entire cave has not yet beenexplored. The underground river andlake is one of the natural curiosities ofthe state and is of more than passinginterest.

"The first white man to bring out areport of what he had seen within thecave was Hon. A. G. Dawley, now re-

siding in Elko county."30 T HE D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


31/48

We left Elko earlyin the morningofAugust 25 and followed the road alongthe south forkof the Humboldt river.After passing through Jiggs,in Hunt-ington valley,we turned southeastatthe fork of the roads and climbed overthe Ruby range through Harrison passin the Humboldt national forest. Drop-ping down into Ruby valley nearthesouth end of Franklin lake,we turnedsouth on the county road from Deeth.We drove about 12 miles and parkedthe cars just before crossing Cavecreek, a tumbling stream which pouredout of the side of the mountain andflowed a short distanceto lose itselfin Ruby lake whichis more of a marshthan a lake.

The cave entrancewas not visiblefrom the cars, being screenedby agrowth of brush alongthe watercourse.Red pointed out the approximatelo-cation only a few yards from wherewe stood.The steep slopeof the moun-tain rose majestically towarda fewfluffy white cloudsin a brilliant bluesky.

A short distance awaywe foundH. H. Dill, ranger for the Wildlifeservice, building a small cabin. Dillhad a 10-foot metal boatin the caveand suggested thatwe use it. We wereglad to accept his offer, for the caveentrance was narrow and there might

. be difficulty getting our own boatthrough it.

Just above the water an openingabout the size and shape of a narrowarched doorway led into the cave.Dill estimatedthe stream flowat fromsix to ten second feet.

We stood a minute to watch theclear cold water tumble downthe slope.Then we lighted our carbide lampsand filed throughthe narrow passageleading back into the mountain. Toavoid the strong current,it was neces-sary to side-step alonga pole a dis-tance of ten feet to where we foundthe bow of the boat wedged intoacrevice.

Extending to the left "of the openingby which we had entered was a lowpassage averaging about20 feet widewith a vaulted ceiling rising10 or 12feet above the water. To the right op-posite the entrance, was a small sanddeposit forminga shelf againstthe wall.

There wereno seats in the boat, sowe sat in an inch of icy water in thebottom of it. We shoved off into theunknown, our lamps casting longfin-gers of light over the surface of thewater. So crystal clearwas the streamthat we appeared to be suspended inspace. Jagged, submerged rocks,pro-truding from the walls could be seenbeneath the water, but the boat passedover them without evena scrape.

Paddling slowly alongthe channel

for about 50 feet, we came to anothersandy shelf in an angle wherethe tun-nel bent back sharplyto the right. Werounded the turn and glided an esti-mated 70 feet to where the walls re-ceded and the ceiling rose to formwhat provedto be the largest and mostimpressive room.It was at least 70feet long and 75 feet wide, withits

domed ceiling lostin the shadows overour heads. This probablyis the roomreferred to by Thompson and West as"150 feet longby 50 feet wide"and byDavis as being "perhapsa quarter of amile beyond the first opening."Wefailed to see anything that couldbecalled a "Great Organ."

As we approachedthe far end thereappeared to be no exit. However,aswe drew nearthe end of this magnifi-cent chamber, our attention was at-tracted to the only formationof note.High on the wall in the northwestcor-ner sat a small figure resemblingaChinesegod with its arms folded acrossits abdomen. Thenour lights revealeda very shallow arch rising onlya fewinches above the water, below and tothe left of the quaint little guardian.

As a precautionary measure,we leftGregory on a sandbar beforeRed andI attempted to force our way throughthe shallow opening.The water inplaces was 14 feet deep.

The bow of the boat was well abovethe top of the arch but by shifting ourweight forwardwe were able to lowerit sufficiently to tuck it under the rock.Then we stretched ourselveson ourbacks on the bottom. By pressure ofour hands againstthe roof, we pro-pelled ourselves alongthe three feetthat constituted our low bridge. Inmaking the passage there was onlyabout an inch of the boat above thesurface and we fervently hoped thatthe water level wouldnot rise beforewe got ready to return.

Once clear, we were in an awe-in-spiring channel200 feet longand aver-aging about 10 feet wide. Overhead,the walls drew close togetherbut eventhe powerful beamof a five-cell flash-light failed to penetrate the blacknessto where they joined.

Reaching the end of this long,nar-row corridor,we came to another sandshelf in an angle where the passagecut sharplyto the left. This is the turnreferred to by Thompson and Westas the end of earlier exploration.Thetunnel we were now in was very simi-lar to the first we had passed through.The sharp shadows castby our lampsgave us the impression of glidingthrough silent and deserted theatricalsets.

At the end of another 70 feet wecame to the usual sand shelfand an-other turn, this timeto the right.

One hundred sixty feet fartherandwe arrived at the end of our voyage.We were now over 600 feet, by boat,from the entrance.

There was no visible inlet for thewater which seemed eitherto risethrough the sandy bed or to flowthrough underwater channels whichitwas impossibleto see from above. Dillinformed us later that the water levelremains constantand the stream ap-parently is fed by seepage from lakeshigh in the Ruby range.

We returned to the great out-of-doors, picking up Gregory on the way,after having spent abouttwo hoursunderground. Followinga brief warm-ing-up period,we made two more tripsto photographand map the cave.

Although the ranch where the caveis located was taken over by the fed-eral governmentin 1937 as a bird ref-uge, there is no provision herefor visi-tors and until such timeas safety pre-cautions have been arranged unofficialexplorers are requested not to attemptthe subterranean passage.

FERNANDEZ AMENDMENTWILL IMPROVE SCHOOLS

Approval of an amendment to theproposed $90,000,000 rehabilitationprogram for Navajo and Hopi Indians,an amendment offeredby Representa-tive Fernandez of New Mexico, is astep toward recognitionof Indians ascitizens and represents a major victory

for the Navajo councilin its fight foraccredited schoolson the reservation,council leaders believe.

The bill and amendment have beenapproved in committeeat Washington.

Fernandez' amendment providesthat all Indians in the Navajo andHopi reservations shallbe subject tolaws of the state and shall have accessto state courts"in the same mannerasany other citizen."

The amendment also provides thatstate curricula shallbe installed andfollowed in the Navajo schools.If thebill becomes law, Indian educational

policies willbe written intothe law forthe next 10 years insteadof being dic-tated by the Indian Bureau educationdepartment in Washington,now head-ed by Dr. Willard Beatty.

CampingFee Policy Opposed . . .Opposition to the new forest service

policy of charging camping feesin pub-lic campgrounds has been expressedby the newly-organized Arizona North-land Associationof Chambersof Com-merce. Senators McFarlandand Hay-den of Arizona have been askedto in-vestigate legalityof the ruling.

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mncRZint

CLOSE-UPS

"Our nomination for the world'smost fascinating region," says MorganMonroe, "is the area bounded by thecontinental divide, the Tehachapimountains in California, the great SaltLake desert, and the Mexican border.That's our beat and we love it." Doro-thy Monroe, who collaborates with herhusband on many of his writing assign-ments, shares his enthusiasm for thedesert Southwest.

Morgan's story, "Indian CountryTrek" takes readers of this issue ofDesert over a loop trip which includescontact with Indians, traders and mis-sionaries in the most colorful region ofthe continent.The Monroes are writers andphotographers who carry their bed-rolls when they travel. "We are no-madic by nature," says Morgan, "will-ing to trade a house for a pair ofsleeping bags on the desert at any timeon the slightest provocation and wedo."

At one time they published theirown newspaper in an eastern state,but the lure of the West finally broughtthem to New Mexico and until recentlyMorgan was on the staff of the HobbsDaily News-Sun. Recently he left hisposition to devote all his time to freelance writing and reporting, and to abook about the Southwest which isnow in preparation.

Last year the Monroes collaboratedon a series of illustrated feature stories,"What Is the Navajo Problem," whichwere given wide circulation andbrought hundreds of offers of relief forthe critical Indian situation.

Two of Monroe's stories won Asso-ciated Press "top ten" honors in Colo-rado last year. One was a series onprospecting and mining radioactiveminerals in the Colorado plateau area.

Dorothy is 38, Morgan 40, and theyhave been married 17 years. Their hob-bies are anthropology, archeology,rocks and minerals, Indians, and anyphase of outdoor life in the Southwest.

Like many other magazine writers,Nell Murbarger began her journalisticcareer on a country newspaper. Buttowns and even cities are toosmall for the gypsy spirit of this younglady who grew up on the midwesternplains made famous by Wild BillHickok, Calamity Jane and DeadwoodDick.

Morgan and Dorothy M onroe, pictured above inspecting carnotite samplesnear a trading post on one of their Indian country trips. Carnotite is the

yellow mineral that yields uranium oxide and vanadium.

And so she gave up a promisingnewspaper career to roam over thewestern country and write magazinearticles about its history, wildlife,frontiersmen, landmarks and scenic

beauties. She travels alone much of thetime and camps wherever she happensto be when the sun goes down. She hascamped in nearly every county westof the Rocky mountains.

Her home base is Costa Mesa, Cali-fornia, but more than half the time sheis out in the open country the cowcountry, the mining camps, ghosttowns, deserts and mountains. And itwas on one of these trips that she gath-ered the material and took the picturesfor the story of Shakespeare, ghostmining camp of New Mexico, in thisissue of Desert Magazine.

Miss Murbarger is a member of theLas Vegas, Nevada, gem and mineral

club, and often accompanies the clubon its annual cross-country field trip.While her livelihood comes from herwestern articles, she turns to poetryfor relaxation.

W. Thetford LeViness, whose firstDesert Magazine article, the story ofthe Indian artist Joe H. Herrera, ap-pears in this issue, lives in Santa Fe,New Mexico, where he serves as rov-ing reporter for several eastern news-papers.

LeViness was born in Baltimore in1913 and after doing undergraduatework at St. John's college won hismaster's degree at Columbia. He camewest to Santa Fe in 1939, and has awide acquaintance among the artistsin New Mexico.

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Exploring caves has for many yearsbeen both the hobby and duty of S. M.Wheeler, who wrote this month's storyof his underground voyage at Cavecreek in Nevada.

Wheeler served for several years asarcheologist for the Nevada state parkcommission and in that role was activein the excavation of many sites in Ne-vada for archeological purposes. Hewas the discoverer of Etna cave southof Caliente.

His interest in archeological workdates back to 1933 when as a youngWest Point officer he was assigned toduty with the CCC then engaged inrecovering artifacts and prehistoricdata at Lost City near Overton, Ne-vada, before the site was inundated bythe waters of Lake Mead.

M. R. Harrington of Southwest mu-seum, was in charge of the Lost Cityexcavations, and it was through hisassociation with Harrington thatWheeler became interested in arche-ological work. Later he studied fortwo years at the museum.

Wheeler is 47 years old, and is anAmerican citizen although born inCanada. He was a member of the WestPoint class of 1926, and later resignedhis regular army commission and ac-cepted a reserve appointment. Heserved nine tours of active duty withthe CCC between 1937 and 1939.

The Wheelers make their home inNorth Las Vegas where Mrs. Wheeleris dietitian at the Clark County Gen-eral Hospital.

"It took two years to decide that I

liked California," writes Vernie G.Reagles to theDesert Magazine staff,"but only one trip to the desert to fallin love with its pastel hills and purpleshadows."

Miss Reagles is a nurse, and whenDesert's editors accepted her story"Desert Gardening Without Soil," shewro te: "The thrill of a lifetime myfirst check for a magazine article."

She was graduated from the Illinoistraining school for nurses many years

ago, and served in France duringWorld War I and later in the army ofoccupation in Germany. Since then herprofessional work has taken her tomany states and finally to Californiaand a sojourn on the desert at Twen-tynine Palms. It was there she becameacquainted with Mira Coffin and herchemical garden, and secured the ma-terial for the story which appears inthis issue.

"Out on the desert," she wrote, "Itook a new lease on life and thoughtit would be fun to write of some of thewonderful people and the interestingthings they do."

June Cover ContestWinner Announced .

Readers of Desert Magazine maylook forward to some beautiful coversin the months ahead most of themselected from entries in the June CoverContest.

First prize was won by Don Ollis,Santa Barbara, California, with MarthaBurleigh, Glendale, California, takingsecond place, but there were so manyunusually good photographs submittedthat the Contest judges chose five otherphotos for Special Merit awards.

Don Ollis, whose name by nowshould be familiar to lovers of South-west photography, took first place withhis unusual picture of a Navajo shep-

herdess with her goats, taken in M onu-ment valley, Arizona. Choosing a notuncommon subject, Ollis with unusualtreatment has achieved a strikingphotograph admirably suited for coverreproduction. He took the picture inMay of this year with a 4x5 SpeedGraphic, using 5" Ektar lens, SuperXX film; 1/50 second at f.ll.

A beautiful view of Havasu Falls, inHavasu canyon, Arizona, won secondprize for Martha Burleigh. It was chos-en because of its composition, scenic

beauty and adaptability for use as acover illustration. Camera data: takenat 1:30 p.m. with Eastman Medalistcamera; Ansco Supreme film; 1/100second, f. 11 .

Future issues of Desert Magazinewill also carry cover photos by thosewho earned Special Merit awards.They are:

Walter Pittenger, Tucson, Arizona;Beauty Among Thorns.

Nicholas N. Kozloff, San Bernar-dino, California;Desert Snow.

Don Ollis, Santa Barbara, Califor-nia; Mojave Asters.

Harold O. Weight, San Diego, Cali-fornia; Chuckawalla.

Don Ollis; Sunrise in MonumentValley.

Some excellent photographs had tobe passed over by the judges becausethey did not meet specified cover re-quirements. Some were horizontalprints, instead of vertical; others wouldnot accommodate the Magazine's mast-head.

Desert's annual cover contest willbe held again in June of next year.

FIRST SOCIAL SECURITYPAYMENTS TO INDIANS . . .Payment of social security benefitsto reservation Indians, long a contro-versial issue in New Mexico and Ari-zona, has apparently been settled withNew Mexico making the first actualpayments and Arizona prepared tofollow suit.

Carrying out provisions of an agree-ment reached several months ago inSanta Fe, New Mexico's welfare de-partment mailed out first 100 checkstotaling $1200. Welfare Director Mur-ray Hintz said the checks went to aged,blind or dependent children. Under

the Santa Fe agreement, needy Indianshave been added to New Mexico'swelfare rolls pending passage of leg-islation to take care of them. Theagreement provides that the interiordepartment's Office of Indian Affairsis to help the Indians as much as itsfunds will permit. New Mexico andArizona have agreed to supplementfederal payments with necessaryamounts.

Indian office funds are exhaustedfor this fiscal year and the states arenow meeting the deficit until new fed-eral funds are available, a federal se-

curity agency official explained. How-ever, Welfare Commissioner Harry

Hill of Arizona said his state cannotpay any Indian claims until the Indianservice first makes its payment so thatamount of the state contribution canbe determined. Discrepancy in thesetwo positions was not explained.

T R U E O R FA L S EQuestions Are on Page 14.

1False. Rattlers are sluggish whenthe weather is cold.

2False. Burros were brought toAmerica by the Spaniards.

3False. The ghost mining town ofBallarat is in California.

4True. 5True. 6True.7False. Bright Angel trail goes

from the South Rim to the bot-tom of Grand Canyon.8True. 9True.

10False. The Little Colorado atCameron is dry much of the year.

11True.12False. Cochise was an Apache

chief.13False. Sangre de Cristo moun-

tains are in New Mexico.14True.15False. Casa Grande pueblo, now

in ruins, was built by prehistoricIndians.

16True.17False. Azurite is a copper ore.18False. According to legend, the

Seven Cities of Cibola were inNew Mexico.

19True. 20True.

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Clark County, Nevada . . .How much is uranium ore worth?

That is almost like asking how long isa piece of string, but three old-timersof the Gold Butte mining district inClark county can give you a definiteanswer. They are being paid $2.50 apound. Bill Garrett, Art Coleman andBob Perkins have for some time beenmining a uranium-bearing ore knownas samarskite which runs 10 to 11per cent uranium by far the richesturanium ore yet found in Nevada.They sell it to the Fisher ResearchLaboratories at Palo Alto, California.The three live on a small ranch neartheir find and mine the ore as theyfind time. There is not a large supplyof the mineralized material. Normallyore this rich in uranium would bringfrom $700 to $900 a ton. But the re-search laboratory is paying for it atthe rate of $5000 a ton. It is used inconnection with the manufacture ofGeiger counters and other equipmentused in prospecting for and testinguranium ores, minerals and preciousmetals. A sample of samarskite ifplaced in direct contact with a Geigercounter will burn out the tube in shortorder. It is a black mineral, heavy,could easily be mistaken for pitch-blende.Tonopah Times-Bonanza.

Tombstone, Arizona . . .Famed Tombstone, one-time rip-

roaring boom city of the old WildWest and known as "the town tootough to die," may witness a revivalof mining activity. At least the famousold camp is due for a good going overby geologists and modern prospectors.An option has been granted AlexanderM. McDonald, Salt Lake City, by theTombstone Development company,owners of most of the property onwhat is known as "the hill." If geolo-gists' reports are encouraging, drillingwill follow.Tombstone Epitaph.

Wickenburg,Arizona . . .A location on Calamity wash near

Wickenburg is being considered as sitefor a proposed 200-ton ball type milloperating on the flotation system anddesigned to handle the full output ofcopper ore from Camp B m ine on Con-stellation road, and also available forcustom milling. Edward T. Webb andH. K. Thomas outlined their plans forthe proposed mill at a recent meetingwith leading business men of Wicken-burg.Wickenburg Sun.

Goldfield.Nevada . . .Additional copies of Albert H.

Fay's "Glossary of the Mining andMineral Industry" are now availablefor distribution by the Bureau ofMines. This mining dictionary containssome 20,000 definitions of miningterms standard, technical and purelylocal terms. Copies may be obtainedfor $1.75 from: Superintendent ofDocuments, U.S. Government Print-ing Office, Washington, D.C. Gold-field News.

Ely, Nev ada . . .Ending 12 years of continuous un-

derground operations, the Consolidat-ed Coppermines corporation at Kim-berly was to halt work June 30,according to General Manager E. J.O'Connor. The official said the mine isclosing because underground opera-tions cannot be continued "under pres-ent market and operating conditions"without financial loss.The EurekaSentinal.

Battle Mountain, Nevada . . .Rich manganese dioxide ore has

been located and is being developed inPershing county by Bill Parsons, wellknown miner. A sample submitted toa Reno assayer showed 82.5 per centmanganese dioxide content. The de-posit is located on the ridge of theSonoma range between Grass valleyand Buffalo valley, is difficult to reach.Battle Mountain Scout.

Randsburg, California . . .The Desert Museum at Randsburg

is being rapidly expanded so that it isincreasingly valuable to miners, pros-pectors and rockhounds. New speci-mens are being added continually tothe ore collection, and new maps and

reports are available in the referencelibrary. It is claimed that both old-timers and inexperienced prospectors,as well as gem collectors, can learnmuch of practical value by visiting themuseum.Randsburg Times-Herald.

Moab, Utah . . .

Suspended in January because ofheavy snow, work has been resumedon a group of carnotite mines nearMoab on Polar mesa. Had and GlenLile are leasing the group from theU.S. Vanadium corporation. A roadto the property has been opened.Inyo Register.

Tombstone, Arizona . . .The biggest pumping station in the

world, installed before the turn of thecentury, was examined here recentlyby geologists of the Anaconda Coppercompany. It still is located on the 600-foot level of the Boom shaft, where itpushed to the surface as muchas7,000,000 gallons of water in one day.The pumps in the Boom mine were inoperation until 1911. The huge pumpforced water to the surface in a 14-inch column.Tombstone Epitaph.

Farmington, New Mexico . . .Oil development in the San Juan

area has been climaxed with a new oilstrike at Boundary Butte, when Eng-lish No. 4 hit oil at around 1500 feet.Earlier in the year No. 2 encounteredthe same oil pay. No. 2 has been pro-ducing 50 barrels of oil daily. No. 4is expected to exceed this production.

No. 3 encountered a flow of water,but English No. 1 is the deep test thatdeveloped 30 million cubic feet ofnatural gas, and is shut in awaitingbuilding of a big pipe line before goinginto production.Times Hustler.

Austin, Nevada . . .A two-stamp mill has been installed

in Kingston canyon by Philip andLouis Meyer, "the mountain boys," towork a claim at an elevation of8,600feet. They last worked the claim byhand two years ago, but the rock is

hard, working it by hand is too slow tobe profitable. The ore is free milling,however, and with the stamp mill theyexpect to obtain and ship gold in pay-ing quantities, reducing the ore on thespot to eliminate heavy freight costswhich eat up profits at many mines.Reese River Reveille.

Flagstaff, Arizona . . .Possibilities for the finding and pro-

duction of uranium in northern Ari-zona are "enormous," according to thestate department of mineral resources.The department includes in the "hot"area: Ash Fork, Seligman, Williams,Flagstaff, Winslow, Holbrook andKingman. A lack of state funds is re-tarding the development program.Coconino Sun.

Important mining industry prob-lems, both in the economic and legis-lative fields, will receive serious con-sideration by leaders in the metal andnon-metal mining industries when theygather in Spokane, Washington, Sep-tember 26-28. The meeting is spon-sored by the American Mining Con-gress.

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ARIZONAPliocene Age Bones Found. . .

FLAG STAFF Bones of pre-his-toric animals have been excavated inthe white sandstone walls of Slatecreek near Walnut Grove, southeast ofPrescott, by members of a paleontho-logical expedition sponsored by theMuseum of Northern Arizona and theArizona State museum. A party of fiveunder leadership of Dr. Charles A.Reed has uncovered bones of a smalltype of camel, a primitive horse and adog-like animal, all of Pliocene age or roughly seven million years old.They serve to date strata formed duringan early stage of development of theColorado plateau. The site near Wal-nut Grove was discovered last fall byRobert Ray Vyne of Prescott.Gal-lup Independent.

Navajos Ask for Priest . . .

ST. MICHAELS H undreds ofCatholic Navajos and other Indianssettled along the Colorado river arepleading for a brown-robed priest tolive among them. A letter to the su-perior of the Franciscan Navajo mis-sion at St. Michael said in part: "Someof us have been here for two yearswithout attending church. We feel anurgent need for our religion. We begyou to do everything you can to sendus a priest." It is impossible at thepresent time to fill the request, Fran-ciscan missionaries say. "We simplydo not have enough padres to keepabreast of increasing demands on this30,000-square mile (Navajo) reserva-tion," said the Rev. Elmer Von Hagel,O.F.M.Gallup Independent.

Lifting Liquor Ban Decried . . .WINSLOW Removal of the ban

on liquor sales to Indians would be"almost criminal in nature," in theopinion of Roman Hubbell, Indiantrader in the Navajo country. Hubbellhas written to Albert A. Grorud, spe-cial assistant to the senate committeeon interior and insular affairs, askingthat the committee reconsider its ap-proval of prohibition repeal. He saidhe considered the committee's action"so serious a mistake it should be re-scinded." The senate committee re-cently approved a measure which wouldremove the ban on sale of liquor toIndians off the reservation, but wouldretain liquor prohibition within reser-vation boundaries.Gallup Independ-ent.

Ruins Pre-Date Coronado . . .BENSON Believed by many arche-

ologists to be the Southwest's oldestmission, Quiburi mission about ninemiles from Tombstone is to be markedby the Tombstone chamber of com-merce. Recent excavations by the Ful-ton Foundation of Texas Canyon andindependent researchers have laid bareancient walls and foundations that pre-tdate Coronado's explorations of Ari-zona. When the earlier Spanish expedi-tion into Arizona was made in 1539 byFray Marcos de Niza, he found thearea just west of Bisbee settled byfriendly agricultural Indians of theSobaijuri tribe. These people built cozyhomes by excavating shallow cellarsand thatching them with ocotillo wandsand bear grass. They farmed along theriver and at the mouths of canyons,gathered mesquite beans and edibleacorns of the white oak. Pottery shardsare still found in abundance in thisarea. Their city was called Quiburi, waslocated on a hill above the San Pedroriver three miles north of Fairbank.Built of adobe, the city covered a hun-dred acres and was protected by a wall.The Sobaijuri Indians accepted Chris-tianity and built a mission for Spanishmissionaries. Later these peaceful In-dians were wiped out by the Arivaipaband of Apaches, their city was razed,their farms laid waste. But the ruins ofancient Quiburi can now be visited.San Pedro Valley News.

Aged Chief Drives Spike . . .MAVERICKApache Indian tribal

chief Tipah, 112 years of age, drovethe copper spike marking completionof the McNary-Maverick 67-mile rail-road. Chief Tipah was a soldier in theseventh cavalry under General Crookin the Indian wars of 1860-70. Thetown of Maverick, logging communityin the White mountains of Arizona, isin the heart of the country which wasonce "no man's land" during the warswith the Apaches in the last three de-cades of the nineteenth century.Coconino Sun.

Chee Dod ge Grave Marked . . .ST. MICHAEL'S Franciscan

Fathers at this key Catholic Navajomission have placed double-markersover the grave of the late Henry CheeDodge, renowned Navajo tribal leaderburied at nearby Government ceme-tery. The gray granite monuments areinscribed in English and Navajo. CheeDodge was 86 years old when he diedJanuary 7, 1947. A man of unusualpersonality and powerful leadership,he was acknowledged as the dominantinfluence in the widely-scattered Nava-jo tribe. Although the Navajo recog-nize no chiefs, he was called"Chief"or "Headman."Gallup Independent.

Ft. Huachuca Gets Buffalo . . .COCHISE COUNTY One hundred

thirteen buffalo have been moved fromHouserock valley, north of the GrandCanyon, to Ft. Huachuca in Co-

chise county by the Arizona game andfish commission. Rou ndup of t