194912 desert magazine 1949 december

8/14/2019 194912 Desert Magazine 1949 December

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A M o d e r n M o u n t in g S e t W i t h S p a r k li n g G e n s o fR U T I L E R A I N B O W D I A M O N D S

Is the answer toyour Christmas gift prob lem. O ne of these magni f i cent gemsse t in a lovely go ld or palladium ring wil l be a gift that will be worn andcherished for years toco m e .RUTILE ISTHE GEM OFTHE HOUR IT IS N O W A REALITY

After years of experiments, synthetic RUTILE is now available in cut gemsof breath taking bea uty . This magnificent sub stanc e has been given then a m e of"TITANIA"."TITANIA IS QUEEN OF ALL KNOW N GEM S"Titania gems have more f ire than the diamond.

Be the first inyour community too w n o ne ofthese beautiful newRainbow DiamondsDEALERS INQUIRIES SOLICITED

Everyone towhom youshow this new gemwill wish topurchase one ormore of them. OurSUPERCATALOG tells you of ourdiscount plan that willpermit you toown one of these new gems at nocost toyourself.Our newSUPERCATALOG described below gives you all thefacts aboutTITANIA GEMS andILLUSTRATES mountings especially selected for them.An article tells thestory behind this amazing discovery.

T h e 1 9 5 0 R e v is e d E d i t i o n of G r i e g e r ' s " E n c y c l o p e d i a a n dS u p e r C a t a l o g of t h e L a p i d a ry a n d J e w e l r y A r t s "

$ 1 . 0 0 Per C o p yThis is a 192-page book 9"xl2" in size. There are at least 60p a g e s of in-structive articles byauthors ofnational fame. There are new articles byEMILKRONQUIST andLOUIS WIENER on jewelry making. The 15-page articleon jewelry casting by the LOST WAX METHOD using thenew KERR HOBBY-CRAFT CASTING UNIT is alo ne worth $1.00. "ROCK DETERMINATIONSIMPLIFIED" by Mr. E. V. VanAmringe with illustrations andcharts helpsyou toidentify you r field trip disco veries . Two excellent field trips are m ap pe d.Everything youn e e d in MACHINERY. TOOLS. SUPPLIES andMATERIALSis illustrated, described andpriced foryour convenience .VISIT OURSHOP AND SECURE YOUR COPY OF THIS UNIQUE BOOKSent Postpaid in U. S. A., itsTerritories and Canada foronly $1.00.

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D E S E R T C A L E N D A RD e c . 2San Antonio day at La Loma,New Mexico.D e c . 3Death Valley Pageant, cen-tennial observance sponsored by

Death Valley '49ers, Inc., present-ed in Desolation canyon, cast of1,000 people, commemorating trekof the Manly-Jayhawker partiesthrough Death Valley 100 yearsa g o .D e c . 4Lecture by Dr. George WBrainerd: The Ancient Maya Citiesof Palenque and Uxmal, SouthwestMuseum, LosAngeles, California.D e c . 5-11Borrego Aviation week,featuring treasure hunt by pilots inprivate planes December 10, andglider soaring and spot-landing con-tests Sunday, D ecember 11.BorregoValley, California.D e c . 6-7 Northern district, NewMexico Cattle Growers association,Santa Fe.D e c . 10Imperial Highway associa-tion monthly meeting at De Anzahotel, Calexico, California.D e c . 11Don's Club Travelcade toGoldfield mine and King's ranch,Phoenix, Arizona.D e c . 12Feast day of Nuestra Senorade Guadalupe, Santa Fe, NewMexico.D e c . 17-Opening party at ArizonaSnow Bowl, Flagstaff, Arizona.D e c . 24La Posada, Mexican Christ-mas observance, Armory park, Tuc-son, Arizona.D e c . 24Midnight mass for PapagoIndian people, San Xavier mission.D e c . 24Christmas eve processionwith cedar torches, Taos Indianpueblo, NewMexico.D e c . 24Dances after midnight massat Indian pueblos: San Felipe, La-guna, Isleta and others in NewMexico.D e c . 25Indian dances at pueblosChristmas day and three days fol-lowing. At Jemez, Santo Domingo,Tesuque, Santa Clara and others.Deer dance or Matachines at Taospueblo in the afternoon.D e c . 26 Turtle dance, San JuanPueblo, New Mexico.D e c . 28-29American Astronomicalsociety meets at University of Ari-zona, Tucson, Arizona.D e c e m b e r C l a r e n c e E l l s w o r t h ' spaintings of western scenes andearly Indian days will be displayeddaily. Southwest museum, LosAngeles.

V o l u m e 13 D e c e m b e r , 1949 N u m b e r 2C O V E RC A L E N D A RE X P L O R A T I O NP A G E A N T R YFIELD TRIPP O E T R YE X P L O R A T I O NQUIZC H R I S T M A SC H R I S T M A SM I N I N GI N D U S T R YH I S T O R YH U M O RN E W SLETTERSL A P I D A R YH O B B YB O O K SC O M M E N T

WHITE CHRISTMAS ON THE DESERTBy Nicholas N. Kozloff, San Bernardino, Calif.

December events on the desert 3Valley of the Cathedrals

By CHARLES KELLY 4Death Valley Pageant 8We Found Ant Hills Covered with Jewels

By EDITH RUTENIC McLEOD 9Abandoned Desert Home, and other poems . . 12Panamint Pack Trip

By RANDALL HENDERSON 13Test your desert knowledge . 16Pom Poms at Christmas

By DOROTHY L. PILLSBURY 18Shine Smith's Christmas Party 21Current news of desert mines 22Adobe Maker of Scottsdale

By CHRISTINE B. MacKENZIE 23Death Vall ey in '49

By J. WILSON McKENNEY 27Hard Rock Shorty of Death Valley 28From here and there on the desert 29Comment by Desert readers 37Amateur Gem Cutter, by LELANDE QUICK . 38Gems and Minerals 39Reviews of Southwest literature 44Just Between You and Me, by the Editor . . . 46The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Press , Inc., Palm Desert,California. Re-entered as second class matter July 17, 1948, at the post office at Palm Desert ,California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.Title registered No. 358865 in U. S. Patent Office,and contents copyrighted 1949 by the Desert Press, Inc. Permission to reproduce contentsmus t be secured from the editor in writing.RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor AL HAWORTH, Associate EditorBESS STACY, Business Mana ger MARTIN MORAN, Circu lation Mana gerLos Angeles Office (A dvertisin g Only): 2635 Adelbert Ave., Phone NOrmandy 3-1509.Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs submitted cannot be re turned or acknowledgedunless full return postage is enclosed. Desert Magazine assum es no responsibility fordamage or loss of manuscripts or photographs a l though due care will be exercised. Sub-scribers should send notice of change of address by the first of the month preceding Issue.SUBSCRIPTION RATESOne Yea r $3.50 TwoYears $6.00Canadian Subscriptions 25cExtra , Foreign 50c ExtraSubscription toArmy Personnel Outside U. S. A. Must Be Mailed in Conformity With

P . O D. Order No. 19687Address Correspondence to Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, CaliforniaDECEMBER, 1949


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77ze.se cathedral-like pinnacles have been carved in sandstonethrough thousands ofyears of erosion

Valley of the Cathedrals . . .By CHARLES KELLY

Photos courtesy ofDr. Way ne Smithand Worthen JacksonN 1944 anorthbound military planewas reported missing somewherebetween Bryce canyon andPrice,Utah. It was notfound until nearly ayear later when two men hunting cattlecame upon the wreckage in awild sec-tion ofWayne county west of FactoryButtes.Soldiers injeeps were sent torecoverthe bodies. They were guided to thespot byWorthen Jackson of Fremont,Utah. Later, on a return visit to thesite of the tragedy, Jackson was ac-companied by Dr. A. L. Inglesby ofFruita, Utah. On his return thedoctorreported that heseen in thedistance a

group of isolated buttes ormonuments

which resembled temples and cathe-drals.Dr. Inglesby had a further oppor-tunity to become acquainted with thearea ayear later when heaccompaniedan expedition into this wild section ofUtah to investigate the report that a

To thecowboys it is just "abad place to hunt for cows/ 'but for the explorer, the photog-rapher and the rock collectorthis recently discovered sceniclandscape inthe southern Utahwilderness promises to open agreat field for newadventure.Here isCharles Kelly's story ofsome of the most fantastic rockformations in theSouthwest and some ofthe least known.

peculiar hole, believed to have beenmade by a falling meteor, was locatedthere. The mysterious hole showed noevidence of meteoric action, but theparty passed through another group offantastic formations not farfrom thosepreviously reported.Following Dr. Inglesby's directions,Frank Beckwith and I visited the east-ern section of this area in September,1945. Leaving a rough desert roadwedrove IVi miles down a dry washfloored with gypsum, arriving on thebrink of a deep gully we could notcross. About twomiles distant was apink cliff running several miles eastand west, beautifully sculptured intowhat appeared to be architecturalforms pillars, column s, spires anddecorative statuary resembling theruins of a thousand Greek temples. Onthe flat sandy desert half a mile from

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V3^ ^

West Cathedral Va lley - K - ^ ^ ^ ^ K = s r j :East Cathedral Volley - J2J \lMeteor Hole'-

this cliff stood two large natural struc-tures and two smaller ones, eroded toarchitectural forms resembling greatcathedrals.Leaving our car we hiked across thesand to photograph them and found

that on close inspection the likeness toman-made structures was even morepronounced. We estimated their heightat between 500 and 600 feet. Sincethey stand isolated and some distanceapart, they can be photographed fromany angle, depending on light condi-tions.Returning to the car after an all-daytramp, Frank and I sat on the runningboard to rest. A late afternoon sun il-luminated the two distant buttes."What do they call this place?"Frank asked."The whole area is called MiddleDesert," I replied, "but this valley hasno special name.""The buttes certainly look like greatcathedrals," Frank said. "The smallerone looks like Canterbury and thelarger one like Notre Dame.""Yes," I agreed, "they do. Whywouldn't that be a good name Cathedral Valley?""Cathedral Valley? Y es, that's good.Let's call it that."So we did and the name is used be-cause nothing else seems quite appro-priate. ,The western section, which we visit-

ed the following year, is more difficultto reach. Perry Jackson pioneered ajeep trail into it, but it cannot bereached by ordinary passenger cars.This section, near Thousand Lakemountain, is even larger and morespectacular than the east end, contain-ing more beautifully eroded cliffs andmore cathedrals, spires and pinnacles.Besides these interesting formations,the area is crossed at right angles bynarrow dikes of volcanic materialknown as the "Walls of Jericho." Nearone of these dikes is the "meteor hole,"60 feet across the top and about 100feet deep, the origin of which remainsto be explained.The two sections of Cathedral Val-ley, of course, have been known tocowboys and sheepherders for manyyears, and a cabin and corrals wereonce built in the western end. But noone ever mentioned the scenic valuesof the place. To stockmen it was just abad place to hunt for cows. So theoriginal discovery so far as the visitingpublic is concerned, goes to Dr. In-glesby, and the first color photographswere taken by Herman Waters. Beck-with and I took the first black andwhite pictures.The cliffs of Capitol Reef are com-posed of Moenkopi, Chinle, and Win-gate formations, capped by white Na-vajo sandstone. The Reef dips towardthe east into South Desert where theNavajo is overlaid by Carmel. This inturn is overlaid by Entrada sandstone,

Norton pilenfromC.K,

extending north into Cathedral Valley,about 15 air miles north of CapitolReef National Monument. Wherewalls of Entrada are exposed by fault-ing it has been eroded into fantasticforms. Being soft and cemented withgypsum it is dissolved by rain intolong, flow ing lines, often extendingfrom top to bottom, giving the impres-sion of architectural ruins. Unlikemany formations, there are no talusslopes, the cliffs rising from a flatdesert. The color is a light salmonpink, with horizontal stripes of darkercolor, in places capped with a stratumof white. Where this capstone has dis-appeared the softer rock below hasbeen cut into towers, spires, buttressesand intricate natural carvings.Since this wild area has never beenthoroughly explored, new discoveriesare constantly being made. On a sub-sequent visit to east Cathedral ValleyI found two more large structures ina beautiful hidden canyon, and Wor-then Jackson has found others in thewest end. In a flight over the valleylast November with Bill Lane we sawstill more cathedrals which have notyet been located from the ground.On the road to Emery, north ofJeffers ranch, is another isolated struc-ture locally called Solomon's Temple,well worth a visit, and in Jasper can-yon, a short distance further north isanother immense hidden cathedral. Astime goes by still others will be found.About eight miles east of an aban-

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Pillars of Hercules in West Cathedral V alley

doned oil well is a large area criss-crossed by hundreds of black dikes,with narrow walls standing two or threehundred feet high in some places. Atthis writing these have never beenphotographed.While this section is primarily scenic,rock hunters will be interested in alarge mound of selenite crystals justnorth of the largest cathedral in eastCathedral Valley, where good speci-mens can be obtained. In this vicinityalso are found agate nodules up to sixinches in diameter, some of very good

quality. North and a little west ofSolomon's Temple is Jasper canyon,with a whole cliff of high grade jasperin bright colors.Although Cathedral Valley is onlyabout 15 miles from Fruita by air, itlies in such a rough country that inorder to reach it one must travel 70miles by one route, and 50 miles byanother.The long route is by way of Loa andFremont, over Thousand Lake moun-tain, turning right at Forsythe reser-voir to Jeffer's ranch east of the moun-

tain, then five miles on the oil wellroad. This much can be negotiated inan ordinary car, but the remaining dis-tance into west Cathedral Valley canbe made only in a jeep. Turning souththe trail winds through a rough, sandydesert, passing several igneous dikes,then drops into a wash, and turns westto the cathedrals.To reach the eastern section it isnecessary to return to the road andfollow it almost to the oil well, thenturn right down a dry wash IV i miles.Eventually a shorter trail will be lo-These salmon-pink formations can be reached only by jeep


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cated between the two sections, whichlie only a few miles apart.The shorter road is from Fruita toCainesville, up Cainesville Wash 3Vimiles, then up a steep dugway on theright and through a very broken coun-try above, continuing about 25 milesfrom Cainesville. This road can onlybe negotiated in a jeep but it passesthrough some very wild country, wellworth seeing. This rough road eventu-ally connects with the oil well road.Whichever trail one travels it is almost

imperative to have a guide. There are

Wall Street in W est Cathedral V alleyonly two springs in the valley. Eitherway is a long day's trip; two dayswould be much more satisfactory. Atpresent Perry Jackson, of Fremont, isthe only one conducting jeep trips tothis area.

Since this new scenic section adjoinsCapitol Reef National Monument onthe north and east it should be addedto the Monument. At present it is dif-ficult to reach but a road could bebuilt through South Desert and oneast to Cainesville, making an out-standing scenic loop.

At present such a trip is only forseasoned desert rats and rabid colorphotographers who enjoy exploring ahidden land of spectacular formationsand brilliant color. When a good roadis built Cathedral Valley will becomeone of the well known scenic spots ofUtah.At this late date not many suchareas have been left unexplored andunexploited. It is a privilege to havebeen among the first to visit Cathe-dral Valley and make it known to the

traveling public.East Cathedral V alley looking north from Sculptured Cliff

r -

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Photograph from C. C. Pierce collection from painting byAndrew P . Hill about 1880.

D E A T H V A L L E Y P A G E A N T . .For those planning to witness thehistorical pageant in Death ValleyDecember 3, the following informationis furnished by Death Valley 49ers,I n c . :

TIMEProgram is scheduled for 2:00p . m. and will last approximately 2 V 2hours.PLACE Desolation canyon, 4V zmiles from Furnace Creek Inn. ParkService will erect directional signsas a guide to visitors.ADMISSIONFree!PARKINGWell organized automo-bile parking facilities will be avail-able near the pageant grounds.SEATIN G Steel -grandstand seatingwill be available for 6,000 people.A crowd of 10,000 is expected.Seating will be on a basis of firstcome first served. Persons havingcamp stools may find them useful.A cushion and a blanket will provide

added comfort.

CLOTHINGWarm outdoor clothingis recommended and visitors are urg-ed to dress Western style. Wea therprobably will be fine. It could becold and windy.ACCOMMODATIONSAll space atFurnace Creek and Stove Pipe Wellshotel already has been reserved. Nohousing accommodations will beavailable in the Death Valley Na-tional Monument for visitors.CAMPINGElaborate plans are be-ing made for those who will want tocamp out Friday and Saturdaynights, December 2 and 3. Therewill be free water and wood in limit-ed supply, also sanitation facilities.Chuck wagon grub will be availableat moderate cost. Campfire programsare planned, with group singing andsquare dancing. Campers shouldbring their bedrolls, with plenty ofblanke ts. It is suggested they bring

extra water and food and cook their

own. Directional signs will pointthe way to the camp grounds. Aflashlight and a tarpaulin should beincluded in the camp outfit. Airmattresses provide added comfort.GARAGE, GAS AND OILThere isa garage at Furnace Creek Inn, andgas and oil are available both thereand at Stove Pipe Wells hotel.AIRPLANES Landing field nearFurnace Creek Inn will accommo-date light sport planes.BUS SERVICENo regular bus serv-ice is scheduled but charter servicefrom Las Vegas and Los Angelesmay be arranged through travelagencies.PROGRAM Will include an 86-piece symphony in a special suite"Death Valley 49er" written anddirected by Ferd e Grofe. Cho rus of200 voices is rehearsing for event.Production manager is Larry Shea.

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Close-up of a n ant hill showing tiny pebbles of feldspar and lava.We Found Ant HillsCovered W ith JewelsProbably the oldest miners in North America are the harvester ants.In northern Arizona the Navajo Indians gather tiny garnets from anthills in certain parts of the reservation. And now com es this story ofsouthern Oregon where the ant hills are piled high with bits of crystal-line feldsparknown as sunstones or "Lakeview diamonds.'"

By EDITH RUTENIC McLEODWERE returning from anagate - hunting trip in centralOregon when one member ofour party suggested that we spend anextra day in the field and try to findthe feldspar area where the ant hillswere reported to be covered with tinysunstones, known to some collectorsas "Lakeview diamonds."It is not an easy field to locate. I

D E C E M B E R , 1 9 4 9

had made two previous attempts, with-out success. But I knew the stoneswere there for I had seen many ofthem.They vary slightly in color and trans-parency, ranging from the true sun-stone of yellowish hue with pink sheento the brilliantly clear yellow and tanstones and an occasional one with afaint greenish tint. The clear stones

are equal in beauty and brilliance tozircon. The name sunstone has beengiven to those of yellow-wine colorwith the faintest suggestion of milki-ness.In this third attempt to locate thefield, we drove to the village of Plushin Lake county, not far from the Cali-fornia bound ary. Plush is said to havegotten its name from the broken Eng-lish of an old Indian who played pokerwith the cow hands in the early daysof cattle raising in this region. Heknew his cards better than his English,and when he got a full hand of dia-monds or spades it was always a"plush."

In Plush we met a woman who had9


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BLUEJOINT.LAKE../

STONE ' / / ^

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HART MT.G A M EREFUGE

BLIT7EN

visited thesunstone field thepreviousday, andfrom her we gotexplicit di-rections for reaching the area. We fol-lowed graded and unpaved roads in anortherly direction and eventuallycrossed a dam in Rabbit creek andfrom there it was less than four milesto ourdestination.The glitter of little sunstone frag-ments around ant hills attracted ourattention, and we spent the morningpicking up these tiny pebbles one byone. But this was not the best partof the field. Late r we continued alonga drywash to a point further northand eventually came to a place wherewe could scoop up sunstones by thehandful. Theones on thehills werevery small, butscattered over the areawere larger stones suitable for cabo-chon cutting. Many of them areflawed, andnearly all of them dulledon thesurface byweathering.

We had heard ofpyrope, orpreciousgarnet, found on the ant hills in theNavajo reservation in northern Ari-zona. TheIndians gather them oneby one and sell them in bottles totourists.But here many of the anthills were75 percent gemstoo small forcabo-chons, but nevertheless of gem quality.They arecollected by western harv-ester ants who live in large colonies.Their mounds, 4 to 12 inches highand from 2 to 3 feet in diameter, areeasy to locate for they denude theimmediate area. Within a radius of 3to 6 feet around thehill the groundis devoid of vegetation and packedhard.The anthills in this part of Oregon

The author's companion s on this collecting trip Agnes and Ernest Thorp.Sunstone collecting area in the backgrou nd.

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are an excellent guide for prospectors.The pebbles on the surface disclose thecharacter of the country rock. In thisparticular area some of the hills wouldassay as much as 75 percent feldsparcrystals, the remainder being the nat-ive rock, lava. In other places vol-canic cinder, pumice and sedimentaryrock prevails. '.In size the sunstones range fromone quarter of an inch down. It isamazing that the tiny insects couldcarry a stone equal to its own size. Itwas noted that the larger pebbles werearound the edge of the hill.Evidently the feldspar has weather-ed out from ledges or outcrops of ba-salt. But these formations have longsince been leveled and no indicationof their existence remains in the sandy,brushy plains. Basaltic outcrops show,however, in the sides of the gully andthere is evidence that men have at onetime mined there. In fact they say

this place was once well posted with

Enlarged sunstoneslabradorite feldspar.mining claims, but "Lakeview dia-monds" never made anyone rich andthe country is abandoned to coyotes,jack-rabbits, lizards and an occasionalband of wild horses. During WorldWar II some of these horses wererounded up and sold. Range cattlegraze in parts of the country.

The soil is soft and sandy, the onlyvegetation is sagebrush, greasewoodand rabbit-bushno trees, no water,no grass, no flowers. At least therewere no blossoms at the time we werethere but there undoubtedly are someflowers and grass beneath the bushesin the spring. Yet there are places inthis desert country where one sees thelovely little evening primrose, its bigwhite, pink-tinged petals open full tothe heat of the sun, closing towardssunset.

To the west, very distant, is a long,blue-gray range of mountains; to theeast, almost equally distant, is HartMountain and Bluejoint Rim, one of

the four great faults that extend acrosssoutheastern Oregon. To the southis a low group of hills called the RabbitHills and farther south another groupnamed Coyote Hills. The Coyote Hillsare chasing the Rabbit Hills north.According to Richard Joel Russellin his book Basin Range Structure andStratigraphy of the W arner Range,Northeastern California, the rhyoliticcenter of the Coyote Hills is the olderformation and younger basaltic lavascovered them and have since weather-ed away from the tops of the hills,leaving cuestas of basalt around therhyolitic center dome, with basalticlavas extending out over the plains(our sunstone locality).The accompanying map is an ac-curate guide to the locality, but if eel-lectors are in doubt they may alwaysget accurate directions at Plush. Thefield is limited, but the ants are busyday after day mining new gems forthose who come this way.

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AbandonedDesert Home

In MemoriamBy JOHN WHITAKERMenlo Park, CaliforniaOh rock ribbed tresses of the earthOnce torn from this great deep declivityThrusting your serried peaks ahighAs if to reach the blue infinityOf that vast turquoise and azure domeThe home of man's Divinity

What did you skattle from, what turmoildeepWithin the breast of mother earthWould cause you such unrest?To wrest apart your agate flanksYour marble shanks to twist in tormentLike the damned, or Heaven's thriceaccursed.What scalding torrents purged thy veinsTo scorch the very tissues of your heart?What great sobs shook your breastAnd tore your body clear apart?And then Hell's flame came upTo melt and cement theeInto a skeletal flow'rFo r man in awe to scanAghast, at thy great tortured majesty! e THE DESERT AT NIGHT

By KATHERINE BUOY KEENEYPortland, OregonOu t in the silence of the desert night,Born of its solitude, the cacti standArms lifted prayerfully. The granuledsandLies motionless beneath the stars' dim light.The new moon's sickle gleams slimsilver-whiteAs earthward falls a stara shiningbrandCleft from a starry sheaf by Luna'shand.The watching cacti eye its soundless flight.Its radiance fades . . . is lost . . . itdisappearsAs desert heralds nowproclaim the dawn:A serpent swift uncoils its lengthand makesStrange hieroglyphics on the sand. One hearsThe chirp of sleepy birds' low antiphon.

A pale glow rims the hills . . .the desert wakes!

N O R MA N and DORIS NEVILLS(Victims of an Airplane CrashSeptember 19, 1949)By H O L L I S T. GLEASONCohasset, MassachusettsMid the whirl of seething waters,In the echoes of the canyonsWhere the wren with notesdescendingFills the air with sparkling music,We revere the lustrous manhoodOf our peerless Norman Nevills,Boatman of the Colorado,

Rider of the San Juan Rapids.We may view his face no longer,Tawny sinews of his shoulders,As he plies the heavy oar-bladesDown the surging rock-strewn torrent,As he rides the wild white horsesWith his "Yogi" shout of triumph,Bringing in his boat to havenNestling safe beside thewillows.Nor will Doris Nevills greet usAt the ending of our journeyWith her sunny smile of welcomeAs the boats lodge in their cradles;Bu t the spirits of these true onesShall live on with us foreverIn the days and years to followIn the land of the hereafter.

By TANYA SOUTH'Tis what is closest to your heartThat forms your warp and woof ofFate.Not work alone, but, too, the partThat dreams and love can instigate.No outer Influence can guideYour soul to grasp the greater Laws,Save you within are keeping stride,For highest purpose, finest cause.

By E D I T H R U T E N I C M C L E O DKlamath Falls, OregonSomebody once lived in this wind-guttedhouse,Surrounded by sagebrush and restless sand;Somebody's dreams were built aboutHis home in this western desert land.Bu t the end of the cycle of green drewnigh,An d the summer sun blazed hot in the sky.His life-giving well and springs dried up,And he drained to the dregs a bitter cup.Drought and demanding want defied,He struggled on though hope had died;As cattle grew gaunt and grain scorchedin the sunAnd the desert laughed aloud "I've won".With twitching fingers the desert toreAt roof, foundation, window and door;'Till in laughing fury it tore apartNot only a homebut somebody's heart.

STRANGE LANDBy VALDA CAMMACKTecopa, CaliforniaCan you judge before you know?Can you say before you go?"There's nothing here but dying land,Struggling brush, blinding sand."Have you lived and loved as I,Ou t on this desert where secrets lie?D o you know of the beauty that comeswith the years,The little flowers' call for heaven's tears?Do you know of the strangely colored rock?Little trails where wild things walk?D o you know the sunset's golden glow,On the hidden spring where waters flow?Have you seen the earth change with therays of the sun,From a rose-casted hill to a blue-purpledone?Think before you say, "I like it not."Remember the happiness to the knowerit's brought.

DESERT* RAINSBy H A Z E L PH I L I PS T R E I B L EInglewood, CaliforniaThe desert stretches past our viewWith but a lonely bush or twoTo act as shady bowers.And on this far-flung sandy spaceOf desert flowers, there's not a trace,To cheer our passing hours.But gentle falling winter rain

Will make the desert bloom againWith myriad, lovely flowersThat only once a year are foundUpon this dry and barren groundAnd freed by magic showers.DESERT'SPEAKSBy PA U L W I L H E L MThousand Palms, CaliforniaTo you who find my doorfrom friend andhomeExiled from all but dreamsthese sands toroam;Then, Comrades, come! and find the un-named thingAt edge of your immortal wanderings,The quest forever unattained, your flameShall bare the essence of my lovely nameWhite Beauty!burning fire of my sand

soul,Itself your vision and itself your goal!12 THE DESERT MAGAZI NE

D eath V alley

Wa rp & Woof


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Left Russell Johnson (left) andGeorge Palmer Putnam along theold trail that leads up Cottonwoodcanyon.

Below High up in the Panamintsthe riders found a valley with afine forest of Joshua trees.

During the 100 years whichhave elapsed since the gold-seekers of '49 faced thirst andstarvation in Death Valley man ygood roads hav e b een construct-ed and facilities provided for thecomfort of thousands of visitorsannually. But much of the DeathValley Monument is still inac-cessible to the motoristand itis for the purpose of makingDesert Magazine readers betteracquainted with more remoteareas of the Monument that thisstory is written.

Pa na mint Pa ck Trip . . .By RANDALL HENDERSON

in December, 1849, WilliamB. Roods stopped beside alarge lava boulder near the baseof the Panamint mountains on the westside of Death Valley, California, andcarved his name and the date.Roods was a young member of awagon-train of California bound gold-seekers who turned south at Salt LakeCity to avoid the snows in the highSierras, and tried to reach the goldfields by a more southerly route. Theynearly perished in the sterile Amar-gosa, Death Valley and Panamint Val-ley region.Roods and his companions were indesperate need of water and feed fortheir oxen. Some of the animals haddied, and others had been killed toD E C E M B E R , 1 9 4 9

provide meat for the famished emi-grants.There are springs in the Panamintmountains, but in 1849 white menwere totally ignorant of the region,and the straggling emigrants from eastof the Rockies knew not where to lookfor them.But the Jayhawkers, the M anly-Ben-nett party, the Georgians, the Missis-sippi boys, Captain Towne's companyand the Wade partythese are thenames given by historians to the sep-arate groups which made up the bandof more than 100 men and women andchildren who crossed Death Valley in1849-50 finally won their waythrough in spite of the hardships.I first saw Roods Rock in May thisyear when I accompanied George Pal-mer Putnam on a two-day ride from

Stove Pipe Wells hotel up Cotton-wood creek and then over the summitand down one of the forks of LeMoignecanyon.The Putnams, George and Peg, withan associate, purchased Stove PipeWells hotel in the heart of Death Val-ley two years ago. It was while ex-ploring in the Panamint range westof the hotel that George discoveredthe scenic beauty of the Cottonwoodcountry, with its fine stream of waterflowing from a spring near the head ofthe canyon. There he hopes to de-velop wintertime pack trips, using sev-eral alternative routes to and from theCottonwood headwaters, a rarity inentertainment for Death Valley vis-itors.George invited me to join him on atwo-day reconnaissance that would in-

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Inscription left on a lava rock on the west side of Death V alley by amember ofthe Jay hawker party 100 years ago.elude notonly Cottonwood but someof the other little-known canyons ofthe Panamint range. This rideitturned out to be about forty mileswould take us above the 5000-footlevel, and we arranged it inMay whenthe wildflowers at the higher eleva-tions would be at their best.I drove toDeath Valley by way ofTrona and the new highway then underconstruction but nowcompleted, byway of Wildrose canyon. When Itold Ann andGeorge Pipkin at Wild-rose service station about ourCotton-wood plans, Ann exclaimed:"That's thecanyon where thepetri-fied snakes arefound." Then she ex-plained that one of the prospectorshad assured her hehad seen stone rep-tiles along Cottonwood."Sounds like one of Hard RockShorty's tales," George remarkedwhen I arrived at Stove Pipe a fewhours later andasked himabout thefossilized reptiles. "We will probablysee some rattlersbut I am notplan-ning to addthem to myrock collec-tion."Th e sun had not yet appeared overthe Funeral Range to the east whenwe started ourtrek thenext morning.We had a pack animal to carry lightbedrolls and food for two days. Rus-sell Johnson, our guide and packer,works for theRock Creek Pack Trainin theSierras during thesummer. Inwinter Herb London, whoheads theoutfit, keeps a string ofhorses atStovePipe Wells forguest horseback riding,with packing foradjacent mines on theside.

Fo r anhour we rode across the levelfloor ofDeath Valley, and hen begana gentle ascent of a rock-strewn ba-jada to the entrance of Cottonwoodcanyon 12 miles northwest of StovePipe Wells hotel.At some point along that ride wecrossed theroute followed by theJay-hawker party 100 years ago thismonth. Itwas just a fewmiles to thesouthwest that William Roods hadstopped tochisel hisname in thelavaboulder.On the limestone north wall of the

canyon shortly after we entered it, wesaw the dimfigures of some Indianpetroglyphs. Being an exposed sur-face they were badly weathered andcould beidentified only at close range.Cottonwood is a wide open type ofcanyon with a sandy floor and notmuch vegetation. A jeep could makethe trip over much of the route wecovered the first day. Occasionally thehills would close inand form aprecip-itous portal, but even in these rockygateways there were nogreat accumu-lations of boulders such as are foundin many of the desert barrancas.Desert holly grows plentifully here,and we saw an occasional barrel andbeavertail cactus. Oth er species inflower at the time of our trip weresalmon mallow, phacelia, potato flow-er, Mojave aster and Indian paintbrush. Higher up, indigo bush wasa mass of purple blossom.The hillsides were covered with boul-ders, browned by desert varnish, andmany outcroppings of basalt werepassed along theway. This is one ofthe fewcanyons in theDeath Valleyarea where prospectors have found fewminerals to interest them.We were taking a short cutacross awide sweep of thecanyon, following atrail over a boulder-covered bench,when weheard our first rattler. Hewas coiled beneath a bush and as wedid notdismount we gotonly a partialview of him, butthere was nomistak-ing the buzz that came from the shrub.Russell thought it was a side-winder,and I expressed theview that it wastoo big forthat species. We agreedonone pointthat it was notpetrified.Later we saw a 3-foot king snake

This stone house still stands in the ghost m ining camp in L eMoigne canyon.

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The spring in upper Cottonwood canyon has been awatering place for prospectors and cowb oys for 75 years. George Palmer Putnam, author and traveler, who withhis wife Peg now ope rates Stove P ipe W ells hotel.wriggling up the sandy slope to avoidbeing stepped on by the horses.At noon we stopped in the shadeof a basalt wall for lunch, and earlyin the afternoon came to the firsttrickle of waterthree miles below thespring. From this point on we thread-ed our way among the cottonwoodswhich gave the canyon its name.At three in the afternoon we cameto a dense grove of cottonwoods andwillowsand one of the finest springsin the Death Valley area. In yearspast this place has served both as acattleman's camp and a miner's water-hole. Bev Hunter still runs somestock here although it is within theboundaries of the Monum ent. He washere befare the Monument was estab-lished in 1933 and thereby acquiredcertain squatter's rights.

Two cabins in a bad state of repairwere unoccupied. In a little cove nearthe spring is a well-concealed corral,said to have been used in years pastby rustlers who found this remotespring a good hideout. A wagon road,

said to be the first road through thePanamints, came this way in the 'sev-enties. Supplies were hauled throughhere to the Gold Belt mining districtto the northwest. The road has notbeen used for many years and has allbut disappeared.Water comes to the surface here inseepages over an area of four or fiveacres, and we found excellent pasturefor the stock along the creekbed.The elevation at the springs is 3700feet, and that night we found it neces-sary to crawl inside our sleeping bagsfor warmth, despite the fact that thetemperature during the day had beenabove 90 degrees.George Putnam as publisher-writer-explorcr-soldier and world traveler hasincluded many interesting assignmentsin his busy life, and as we relaxed bythe campfire I asked him about someof his experiences."Everyone who is not shackled sol-idly to the city," said George, "at sometime nurses a dream that he'll getaway from the pavem ents. I contrived

to put my dream into practice. A doz-en years ago, with book publishing be-hind me, I came to California andfound a unique home in the Sierraat 8300 feet altitude.""And how about Death Valley?" Iasked him.George chuckled. "A friend of minesays that I read a book I had writtenand believed it."Anyway, the Putnams ended upowning Stove Pipe Wells hotel."It seems," said George, "that thedesert attracts a very high type ofhum an beings. Most of our guests areeager, thoughtful people who are in-terested in many thingsnot the leastof which is the art of living full andexpanding lives. At the Stove Pipewe entertain camera clubs, mineral so-cieties, artists, naturalists and just plaindesert enthusiastsand it is like a con-tinuous house party."In addition to his former boo k-pub-lishing activities (as head of G. P. Put-

nam's Sons of New York and Lo ndo n),George is the author of ten volumesD E C E M B E R , 1 9 4 9 15


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of his own, as well as collaboratingin the preparation of a score of otherbooks. Thebest seller among his owntitles was "Soaring Wings", the biog-raphy of his former wife, Amelia Ear-hart , 'who met death in a tragic flightaround the world in 1936. "HickoryShirt" is the title of a recently pub-lished novel, fiction backgrounded on

the discovery ofyears ago Death Valley 100The Putnam travels haven't beenconfined to deserts. George headedthree major Arctic expeditions. Hewas identified with many famousflights (on his office wall hangs a pic-ture of Lindbergh, below it a canceledcashed check for $100,000, first roy-

T R U E O R F A L S E Here's themonthly I. Q. test forthe desert fraternity. But youdo not have to live among thedunes and cacti to make a passable score. The questions cover a widerange of subjectshistory, geography, Indians, minerals, botany and thegeneral lore of the desert country. These monthly lists of questions aredesigned both as a test of knowledge for the desert student, and as acourse of instruction for those whowould like tobecome better acquaintedwith the Southwest. 12 tp 15 is a fair score. 16 to 18 is superior. Onlysuper folks ever do better than 18. Answers on page 37.1The floor of Death Valley is below sea level. True False2Some of the richest placer gold strikes in the Southwest have beenmade in sand dunes. True False3Geronimo was a notorious Navajo war chief. True False4The Mormon leader Joseph Smith never saw the Great Salt Lake.True False5The.largest city visible from the summit of Charleston, Nevada, isLas Vegas. True False6A rattlesnake held up by the tail cannot strike. True False7Papago Indians of Arizona harvest the fruit of the Saguaro cactusfor food. True False8Salt River valley inArizona gets its irrigation water from the Coloradoriver. True False9Ranchers along the shores of the Salton sea use the sea water for do-mestic purposes. True......... False

10The University of NewMexico is at Santa Fe. True False11Pioche is the name of a historic mining town in Nevada. TrueFalse12Organ Pipe National Monument in Southern Arizona derives its namefrom the fluted rocks in that area. True False13The Jicarilla Indian reservation in New Mexico belongs to theApaches. True False14The famous Palm Canyon near Palm Springs, California, is a Na-tional Monum ent. True False15Feldspar is a harder mineral than calcite. True False16Ocotillo is a species of cactus. True False17Mark Twain once worked on a newspaper in Virginia City, Nevada.True False18The junction of the Green and Colorado rivers is in Utah. TrueFalse19Woodpeckers sometimes make their homes in Saguaro cactus.True False20The famous Lost Dutchman mine has been found and is now a largegold producer. True False

alties on the book "We", and in thewar he was with the first B-29s, with16 crossings of the famous Hump be-tween China and India. "That wasat 23,000 feet altitude," he told me."It sort of makes our Sierra seem in1significant."This globe-trotting desert converthas had his share of tropic expedition-ing as well, and with all that wealthof varied experience behind him, hehas chosen for his home Death Valleyfor the winter and the Sierra for thesummer!Next morning we were up at day-break, and by 6:45 Russell had thehorses saddled andpacked. Weclimb-ed out of Cottonwood canyon andgained altitude steadily, heading fora high ridge to the south. A fewmilesout of camp, as we crossed a plateau,we saw a lone Joshua tree, and thenmore andmore of them appeared. To-ward noon we passed through one ofthe finest Joshua forests I have seen.Although the season was late, someof them were still in blossom.Russell, leading the way, selectedeasy grades for the horses but ourcourse was always tohigher elevations.Going up a sandy arroyo we heard thebuzz of another rattlesnake. After 38years on the desert, I still feel mypulse quicken when I hear that warn-ing signal.The snake was in a thicket and wecould not see it. I wanted to find outwhat species of rattler we were meet-ing in the Panamints so we dismount-ed. We poked around in the thicketbu t got only a fleeting glimpse of thereptile until Russell got his lariat fromthe saddle and threw a loop over thebush and pulled it away. The mark-ings were those of the prairie rattler,which is generally about three feetlong. This one was about 2Vz feet.

Toward noon we made a steep as-cent to the top of the ridge which hadbeen our goal all morning. The windwas blowing but we found shelter ina natural park of juniper trees andstopped for lunch. My altimetershowed an elevation of 6700 feet aswe crossed the ridge.Heat waves simmered on the floorof Death Valley far belowbut on therim of the bowl the air was dry andcool, andmany species of wild flowerswere at the peak of their blossoming.From the ridge we zig-zagged downinto a rocky canyon which has neithera trail nor an official name. The ter-rain was so rough we walked and ledthe horses much of the way. Wewerein one of the tributaries of LeMoignecanyon.John LeMoigne, for whom it wasnamed, is said tohave been a Basque.His property in LeMoigne canyon ap-

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194912 desert magazine 1949 december

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