197504 desert magazine 1975 april

8/14/2019 197504 Desert Magazine 1975 April

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Come visit us...atournew location74-425 Highway 111at Deep Canyon RoadinPalm Desert, California

FEATURING:BOOKS OF THEWEST . . . PRINTS . . . MAPS . . .NOTE CARDS . . . STATIONERY . . . GOLD PANS

MAGAZINE & BOOK SHOP74-425 HIG HW AY 111 PALM DESERT , CAL IFORN IA

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Publisher-EditorArt Director

Field Trip Editor. A. BARNES, Utah Associate Editor

Lapidary EditorL. BOYNTON, Naturalist

BARRETT, Circulation Manager

DuoiLMAGAZINE

Volume 38,Number 4 APRIL1975

CONTENTS

THE COVER:The Church ofLa PurismaConcepcion, in Alamos,Sonora, Mexico. Photo byJim Smul len. Seearticleon Page28.

F E A T U R E SNEVADA'S MOON COUNTRY 8 Mary Frances Strong

ARCHES ANDBRIDGES 12 F.A.BarnesDESERT KING 16 JimCornett

SOWHAT'SANAVAJOTACO? 19 Mildred HooperBATTLES OF DOG CANYON 20 JackKutz

CALIFORNIA'S LAST FRONTIER PLAYGROUND 24 Deke LoweALAMOS: THE CITY THAT REFUSED TO DIE 28 Jim Smullen

THE TREASURE OF SANPEDRO MARTIR 32 Harold O. WeightHORNITOS, CALIFORNIA 38 Howard Neal

D E P A R T M E N T SBOOKS FORDESERT READERS 6 Book Reviews

DESERT PLANT LIFE 37 JimCornettDESERT LIFE 40 Hans Baerwald

RAMBLING ONROCKS 42 Clenn andMartha VargasLETTERS TO THE EDITOR 47 Readers'Comments

CALENDAR OFWESTERN EVENTS 47 Club Activities

EDITORIAL, CIRCULATION ANDADVER TISING OFFICES: 74-425 Highway 111, Palm Desert, California 92260. Telephone Area Code 714346-8144.Listed inStandard Rate andData. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States, Canada and Mexico; 1year, $6.00; 2 years, $11.00; 3years, $16.00. Otherforeign subscribers add $1.00 U. S.currency foreach year. See Subscription Order Form inthis issue. Allow five weeks forchange ofaddress andsendboth newand oldaddresses w ith zip codes. DESERT Magazine ispublished monthly. Second class postage paid atPalm Desert, California and ataddi-tional mailing offices under ActofMarch 3,18 79. Contents copyrighted 1975 byDESERT Magazine and permission toreproduce anyorall contents mustbe secured in writ ing. Manuscripts and photographs will not Dereturned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Desert /A r il 7975


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Send orders toBox 131 8,Palm Desert, California 92260Please add 25c for postage & handling

THE KING'S HIGHWAY IN BAJA CALIFOR-NIA by Harry Crosby. A fascinating recountingof a trip by muleback over the rugged spine ofthe Baja California peninsula, along an historicpath created by the first Spanish padres. It tellsof the life and death of the old Jesuit missions. Itdescribes how the first European settlers werelured into the mountains along the same road.Magnificent photographs, many in color, high-light the book. Hard cover, 182 pages, largeformat, $14.50.GHOST TOWNS OF ARIZONA by James andBarbara Sherman. If you are looking for a ghosttown in Arizona this is your waybill. Illustrated,maps, townships, range, co-ordinates, history,and other details make this one of the best ghosttown books ever published. Large 9x11 format,heavy paperback, 208 pages, $3.95.OLD FORTS OF THE NORTHWEST by H. M.Hart. Over 200 photos and maps. Exciting pictor-ial history of the military posts that opened theWest. Hardcover, beautifully illustrated, origin-ally published at $12.50. New Edition $3.95.HELLDORA DO by William Breakenridge. One ofthe most famous law enforcement officers of theOld West describes his life and gives first-handaccounts of the famous outlaws and lawmen heknew. First published in 1928 and long out-of-prin t, now available. Hardcover, illus., 1883 mapof Arizona Territory. 225 pages, $7.50.TRAVEL GUIDE TO ARIZONA by Editors ofSunset Books. New, revised edition with beauti-ful photographs, descriptive material, historyand up-to-date maps make this an excellent tourguide to both the northern and southern sectionsof Arizona. Large Sunset format, paperback,$2.95.

INSIDE DEATH VALLEY by Chuck Gebhardt. Aguide and reference text of forever mysteriousDeath Valley, containing over 80 photographs,many in color. Included, too, are Entry Guidesand Place Name Index for the convenience ofvisitors. Written with authority by an avid hiker,backpacker and rockclimber. 160 pages, paper-back, $4.95.ANASAZI: Ancient People of the Rock, photo-graphs by David Muench, text by Donald G.Pike. This outstanding, moving publicationgives the reader the unique opportunity to seeand understand the Anasazi civilization thatexisted some 2,000 years ago. Blending withDavid Muench's suberb photography, historianDonald Pike provides a fascinating text. Hard-cover, profusely illustrated with color and blackand white photos, 192 pages, $18.95.101 BEST FISHING TRIPS IN OREGON by DonHolm. Oregonian wildlife editor Don Holm hassorted out from Oregon's major rivers, lakes,ponds and its 429 miles of coastline some 101answers in this guidebook which will serve thetourist, the beginning angler and the local vet-eran equally well. Holm has selected spots thatwill make each trip a memoral experience.Copiously illustrated with photographs, plusmaps, 207 pages, $3.95.

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RELICS OF THE WHITEMAN by Marvin andHelen Davis. A logical companion to Relics of theRedman, this book brings out a marked differ-ence by showing in its illustrations just how "s ud -denly modern" the early West became after thearrival of the white man. The difference in arti-facts typifies the historical background in eachcase. Thesameauthorstell how and where to col-lect relics of these early days, tools needed, andhow to display and sell valuable pieces.Paperback, well illustrated in color and b/w, 63pages, $3.95.FROM MAINE TO MECCA by Nevada C. Col-ley. The history of Ca lifornia's Coachella Valleyis told by the author who knew many of the old-timers and listened to their stories, sometimeshumorous, but always telling of their struggleand fortitude in developing one of the most for-midable deserts in this country. Hardcover, 245pages, $5.95.LOST MINES & BURIED TREASURES ALONGTHE OLD FRONTIER by John D. Mitchell. Thesecond of Mitchell's books on lost mines whichwas out-of-print for many years. Many of theseappeared in DESERT Magazine years ago andthese issues are no longer available. New read-ers will want to read these. Contains the originalmap first published with the book and one pin-pointing the areas of lost mines. Mitchell's per-sonal research and investigation has gone intothe book. Hardcover, 240 pages $7.50.

GOLD RUSHES AND MINING CAMPS OF THEEARLY AMERICAN WEST by Vardis Fisherand Opal Laurel Holmes. Few are better pre-pared than Vardis Fisher to write! of the goldrushes and mining camps of the West. He bringstogether all the men and women, all the fascinat-ing ingredients, all the violent contrasts whichgo to make up one of the most enthralling chap-ters in American history. 300 illustrations fromphotographs. Large format, hardcover, boxed,466 pages, highly recommended. $17.95.LOST MINES AND HIDDEN TREASURES byLeland Lovelace. Authoritative and exact ac-counts give locations and fascinating data abouta lost lake of gold in California, buried Aztec in-gots in Arizona, kegs of coins, and all sorts ofexciting booty for treasure seekers. Hardcover,$4.95.CACTI OF CALIFORNIA by E. Yale Dawson. Ahandy guide with description and illustrations ofthe principal cacti of California. Paperback, 64pages, $1.95.

THE LIFE OF THE DESERT by Ann and MyronSutton. This fascinating volume explains all thevital inter-relationships that exist between theliving things and the physical environment ofour vast desert regions. More than 100 illustra-tions in full color. Helpful appendices containcomprehensive index and glossary. Special fea-tures on endangered species, lizards and poison-ous animals. Hardcover, 232 pages, profusely il-lustrated, $5.50.PUEBLO OF THE HEARTS by John Upton Ter-rell. Named Pueblo of the Hearts by Cabeza deVaca, this Opata Indian Village played host tosome of the most famous explorers of the 16thCentury, including Fray Marcos, Estenvanico,Diaz, Coronada and de Vaca, and was at onetime one of the most important frontier outpostsin Spanish America. Although the village disap-peared four centuries ago, its fame endures.Hardcover, 103 pages, $6.00.HOSTEEN CROTCHETTY by Jimmy Swinner-ton. This delightful book by famed desert paint-er, cartoonist and story teller, Jimmy Swinner-ton, is an interpretation of a centuries-old Hopilegend. The fable, told to Swinnerton more than50 years ago by an Indian story-teller, involvesOld Man Hosteen, the Owl People, and how theywere outwitted by the pueblo children, aided bythe Termite People. Beautiful 4/color illustra-tions throughout. Hardcover, large format, 48pages, $7.50.

M - f !JEEP TRAILS TO COLORADO GHOST TOWNSby Robert L. Brown. An illustrated, detailed, in-formal history of life in the mining camps deep inthe almost inaccessible mountain fastness of theColorado Ro ckies. 58 towns are included as exam -ples of the vigorous struggle for existence in themining campsof the West. 239 pages, illustra ted,end sheet map, hardcover, $7.95.THE STERLING LEGEND by Estee Conatser.Thestory of the Lost Dutchman Mine is in a classof its own. Here the author presents the JacobWalzer story in a realistic and plausible manner.An introduction by Karl von Mueller, and a mapinsert leaves the reader to draw his own con-clusions between fact and fiction . Paperback, il-lustrated, 98 pages, $4.00.PHOTO ALBUM OF YESTERDAY'S SOUTH-WEST compiled by Charles Shelton. Early daysphoto collection da ting fro m 1860s to 1910 showsprospectors, miners, cowboys, desperados andordinary people. 195 photos, hardcover, fine giftitem, $12.50.OWYHEE TRAILS by Mike Hanley and EllisLucia. The authors have teamed to present theboisterous past and intriguing present of this stillwild corner of the West sometimes called theI-O-N, where Idaho, Oregon and Nevadacome to-gether. Hardcover, 225 pages, $7.95.

Desert/April 7975


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California residentsplease add6% state sales taxPlease add 25c for postage & handling

DESERT, The American Southwest by RuthKirk. Combining her knowledge of the physicalcharacteristics of the land, and man's relation tothe desert from the prehistoric past to the prob-able future, with her photographer's eye and herenthusiasm for a strange and beautiful country,the result of Ruth Kir k's work is an extraord inar-ily perceptive account of the living desert. High-ly recommended. Hardcover, beautifully illus-trated, 334 pages, $10.00.THE ROCKS BEGIN TO SPEAK by LaVan Mar-tineau. The author tells how his interest in rockwriting led to years of study and how he haslearned that many especially the complex pe-troglyphsare historical accounts of actualevents. Hardcover, well illustrated, glossarybibliography, 210 pages, $8.95.FIELD GUIDE TO ROCKS AND MINERALS byFrederick H. Pough. Authoritative guide to iden-tification of rocks and minerals. Experts recom-mend this for all amateurs as one of the best.Many color illustrations. Hardcover, $7.95.DESERT PLANTS AND PEOPLE by Sam Hicks.Tells how pimitive desert dwellers find susten-ance, shelter, beverages and healing medicinesin nature. Hardcover, $6.95.GHOST TOWN ALBUM by Lambert Florin.Over 200 photos. Fascinating pictorial accountsof the gold mining towns of the Old Westandthe men who worked them. Large format. 184pages, profusely illustrated, originally publishedat $12.50, new edition $4.98.

CALIFORNIA-NEVADA GHOST TOWN ATLASandSOUTHWESTERN GHOST TOWN ATLASby Robert Neil Johnson. These atlases are excel-lent do-it-yourself guides to lead you back toscenes and places of the early West. Some pho-tos and many detailed maps with legends andbright, detailed descriptions of what you willsee; also mileage and highway designations.Heavy paperback, each contains 48 pages, each$2.00.RUFUS, by Rutherford Montgomery. From oneof America's best-loved children's nature writ-ers comes the story of Rufus, a fierce and proudbobcat struggling against nature and man. AsRufus grows and matures, his exciting adven-tures make fascinating reading for adults andchildren alike. Hardcover, 137 pages, $4.95.TREASURE HUNTER'S MANUAL #7 by Karlvon Mueller. Treasure, or treasure trove, manyconsist of anything having a cash or convertiblevalue; money in all forms, bullion, jewelry,guns, gems, heirlooms, genuine antiques, rareletters and documents, rare books and much,much more. This complete manual covers everyfacet of treasure hunting. Paperback, 293 pages,illustrated, $6.95.

PALM CANYONS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA byRandall Henderson. The beautiful palm canyonsand isolated areas of Baja California are describ-ed by the late Randall Henderson, founder ofDESERT Magazine. Although these are his per-sonal adventures many years ago, little haschanged and his vivid w riting is alive today as itwas when he first saw the oases. Paperback,i l lus., 72 pages, $1.95.NAVAJO RUGS, Past, Present and Future byGilbert S. Maxwell. Concerns the history, leg-ends and descriptions of Navajo rugs. Full colorphotographs. Paperback, $3.00.SOMEWHERE OUT THERE . . . Arizona's LostMines and Vanished Treasures by Kearny Eger-ton. A fascinating collection of 23 stories by anartist-writer, combining the most famous lostmine legends into an anthology. For all who be-lieve there's, gold in them thar hills! Paperback,beautifully illustrated, $3.50.THE GREAT AMERICAN WEST by James D.Horan. With over 650 illustrations, many in fullcolor, this is the full w estern story from the daysof the conquistadores to the 20th C entury. Manyrare photos never published before. Large 9x12format, hardcover, 288 pages, originally pub-lished at $10.00, now only $4.95.

LAS VEGAS [As It Began As It Grew] by Stan-ley W. Paher. Here is the first general history ofearly Las Vegas ever to be published. The authorwas born and raised there in what, to many isconsidered a town synonymous with lavish gam-bling and unabashed night life. Newcomers tothe area, and even natives themselves, will besurprised by the facts they did not know abouttheir town. Western Americana book lovers willappreciate the usefulness of this book. You don'thave to gamble on this one! Hardcover, largeformat, loaded with historical photos, 180 pages,$10.95.BAJA [California, Mexico] by Cliff Cross. Up-dated to include the new transpeninsula high-way, the author has outlined in detail all of theservices, precautions, outstanding sights andthings to do in Baja. Maps and photos galore,with large format. 170 pages, $4.95.MEXICO Guide by Cliff Cross. All new, revisededition with excellent information of trailerparks, hotels, camping space; tips on bordercrossing, shopping, fishing , huntin g, etc., as wellas the history, c ulture, and geography. 210 maps,675 photos, 195 pages, $4.95.TOP BOTTLES U.S.A. by Art and Jewel Umber-ger. The discovery of a rare old b ottle opens up anew understanding of life at an earlier period. Acollection of old medicine bottles takes one backto a slower, less complicated life-style. A timewhen a concoction of aromatic bitters could curealmost anything. The authors have an expertisein their field that cannot be challenged. Profuse-ly illustrated , paperback, $4.50.

THE WIND LEAVES NO SHADOW by RuthLaughlin. "La Tules," an acknowledged queenof the monte game in old Santa Fe, was acclaim-ed not only for her red hair, her silver slippersand diamond rings, but also for her dazzling wit,which made even losers at her monte carlo tablesmile as she raked in their silver. Miss Laughlinhas combined the historians's skill and the nov-elist's gift to unravel the truth about this legend-ary lady in a historical romance that has provenpopular for nearly two decades. Hardcover, 361pages, $4.95.BIG RED: A WILD STALLION by RutherfordMontgomery. There was a time when there weremany wild horse herds on our western ranges.These herds, jealously guarded by the stallionthat had won them, met with real trouble whenthe hunters found they could get good prices forthem from meat processors. Big Red tells howone stallion successfully defends his herd fromboth animal and human enemies. Illustrated,hardcover, 163 pages, $4.95.GHOST TOWNS OF THE COLORADO ROCK-IES by Robert L. Brown. Written by the authorof Jeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns, thisbook deals with ghost towns accessible by pas-senger car. Gives directions and maps for find-ing towns along with historical backgrounds.Hardcover, 401 pages, $7.95.GHOST TOWNS AND MINING CAMPS OFCALIFORNIA by Remi Nadeau. An excellentbook on California ghost towns. We recommendit highly. Paperback, $3.75.

TALES THE WESTERN TOMBSTONES TELLby Lambert Florin. The famous and infamouscome back to life in this great photo history in-cluding missionary, mule driver, bad guy andblacksmith what tales their tombstones tell.Large format, 192 pages, originally published at$12.95, now only $3.95THE BAJA BOOK, A Complete Map-Guide toToday's Baja California by Tom Miller and El-mar Baxter. Waiting until the new transpenin-sular highway opened, the authors have pooledtheir knowledge to give every minute detail ongas stations, campgrounds, beaches, traileroarks, road conditions, boating, surfing, flying,fishing, beachcombing, in addition to a BajaRoadiog which has been broken into convenienttwo-mile segments. A tremendous package forevery kind of recreationist. Paperback, 178pages, illus., maps, $7.95.FLOWERS OF THE CANYON COUNTRY byStanley L. W elsh, text; and Bill Ratcliffe, photo-graphs. Brigham Young University Press. Twoprofessionals have united their talents to presentan informative, scholarly and artistic promotionof the beauty found in flowers and plants of vastregions of the Southwest. Paperback, 51 pages,$3.95.

Desert/April 1975


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B o o k s f o rD e s e r tH e a d e r s

All books reviewed are available through theDesert Magazine Book Shop. Please add 25c perorder for handling and California residents mustinclude 6% state sales tax.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANew Revised EditionBy the Sunset Editors

This book offers a wide variety of ex-perience to both the tourist and resi-dentamusement parks, sandy beach-e s , fairs and festivals, desert resorts andwildeness areas, plus large cities. Vis i -tors and natives alike will enjoy explor-ing the many tourist attractions and side-tr ips from San Simeon to the Mexicanborder.

A walk through Pueblo de Los Angel-e s , San Diego's Old Town or Santa Bar-bara streets provides an insight into thehistory and romance of the Spanish erain Southern California. Missions, an im-por tan t pa r t o f Sou thern Ca l i fo rn iahistory, have an added interest for thetraveler.

General area maps, plus useful travelinformation accurate as of November,1 9 7 4 , cover areas as far north as Fresnoin the San Joaquin Valley and extendsouth across the Mexican border. To theeast, Death Valley and major recreation-al areas of Inyo and Mono counties areincluded. And along the coast, readerswill visit coastal towns from San LuisObisp oto M orro Bay and San Simeon. A"Must See" box at the beginning ofeach chapter lists the interesting attrac-tions of each region that visitors won'twant to miss.

Beginning with the sprawling Los An-geles region, this book includes theocean world and coastal resort towns,valleys fronting upon major mountainranges, peaceful rolling hills with quietvillages and mission memories, desertresorts and wilderness, the wind ing Col-orado River that divides Southern Cali-fornia and Arizona , and the great south-ern section of the Sierra Nevada.

In addition to the general area map ofSouthern California, other maps scatter-ed througho ut the chapters focus on localpoints of interest. Detailed street mapsof downtown Los Angeles, San Diegoand Santa Barbara can aid in planningwalking tours. Freeways in the L.A. areaare clearly marked to help motorists findtheir way around.

Although the book is aimed primari lyat the visitor and new resident, the edi-to rs have inc luded in fo rmat ion on

possible discoveries for "backyard" va-cations for those who have lived inSouthern California for some time.

Profusely i l lustrated , paperback, largeformat, 160 pages, $2.95.

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WILDLIFEOF THESOUTHWESTDESERTS

WILDLIFE OF THESOUTHWEST DESERTSBy Jim Cornett

Up until now several books or a largeinvestment were necessary to obtaincomplete information on the commonanimals of our southwestern deserts.However, within the pages of this bookare the life histories of everything fromants to wild burros, and more.

Insects, birds, repti les and mammalsthat you are likely to see are all il lus-trated in this handy volume, just r ightfor the glove compartment of your car.

Each of the 40 animals treated is dis-cussed in concise terms so that thereader can get at the information fast,w i th o u t wa d in g th r o u g h p a g e s o funnecessary text. A book written for thecasual observer of wildlife, Wildlife ofthe Southwest D eserts is packed with un-usual information which answers themost frequently asked questions: Is itdangerous? When wil l I see it? Wherecan it be found?

Did you know that the desert iguanacan tolerate the highest body tempera-ture of any other animal in North Amer-ica? Or that red-tailed hawks mate forl i fe, never changing their partners unti ldeath? How about the survival tech-niques of the smallest desert rodent,the little pocket mouse? These questionsare answered through interesting and en-l ightening accounts, often from theauthor 's own personal experience. Theinformation is accurate and up to date sothat you know you are getting the mostrecent f inding concerning each animal.

Paperback, 80 pages, profusely illus-t rated, $2.99.

Desert/April 1975


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sions of several basic types of coinhunting detectors, their operation andapplications, as well as tips and sugges-tions from successful coin hunters.

By combining his extensive knowledgeof electronic equipment with his long ex-perience in the fascinating hobby of coinhunt ing, the author has been able toproduce an authoritative piece of in-structive literature a classic book inthe f ie ld . Liberally i l lustrated, paper-back, 181 pages, $5.00

SUCCESSFUL COIN HUNTINGBy Charles L. Carrett

The person not familiar with the hobbyof coin hunting finds it difficult to be-lieve that coins can be found. This bookshows that any active and experiencedcoin hunter can find five thousand coinseach year! This is an average of 100coins found each weekend for 50 weeks a reasonable and obtainable goal.However, this same person will not findany coins in this same length of time ifhe does not follow the rules set downfor coin hunting.

Therein lies the value of this compre-hensive book on the subject. Over 20years of dedicated research and fieldapplication have produced the most com-plete and informative study of coin hunt-ing available to the avid hobbyist andpro fess iona l co in hunter . SuccessfulCoin Hunting thoroughly and object ivelycovers metal detector selection and use,digging tools and accessories, how todig, care and handling of coins, and con-tains a complete guide on where tosearch.

The reader will learn that the hobbyof coin hunting yields various benefits,aside from the fact that scores of coinsare worth many times their face value.Unlike some hobbies, which one memberof the family may enjoy while the othersare left out, coin hunting can be a fam-ily activity, to be participated in by theyoungest to the oldest members. Hoursspent together in the fresh air and sun-shine are obviously beneficial. And, inaddition to the coins found, many otherinterest ing and valuable treasures oftencome to light.

Charles Carrett, an electronic spec-ialist, has left his mark on the metaldetector industry with his numerousinventions. This book contains discus-Desert/April 7975

LOST TREASURES OF THE WESTBy Brad Williams and Choral Pepper

Accounts of lost treasure have firedthe imagination of even the least ad-venturous since the beginning of time.Down through history have come talesthat impelled men of all stations toabandon their careers, their studies,their way of life, even their families, toset out on searches that m ight lead theminto peril all because they could notwithstand the lure of storied treasure.

Probably no time in history has pro-duced so many such stories as the periodwhen the American far west was beingsettled, a period that abounds withsuch tales, some true and some purelylegendary. It was a time of feverish

lust for gold, of prospectors grown griz-zled and deranged from long, lonelyyears of searching in a hot and arid do-main. A time when men scratched andclawed at the earth's surface in an at-tempt to wrest the precious metalfrom it.

Today's treasure seekers set out withelectronically devised metal detectors,four-wheel-drive vehicles and meticu-lously plotted maps but the basicimpu lse is the same f ind thetreasure!

Brad Will iams and Choral Pepper,authors of The Mysterious West an dLost Legends of the West , havegathered together l i t t le-known stories ofmissing, stolen or buried wealth, allbased on at least a kernel of truth.Every tale contains substantial clues tothe whereabouts of fabled and, in someinstances, fabulous wealth.The armchair explorer, also, will bestimulated by tales of desolate anddangerous places, eccentric charactersand hair-raising adventures. He'l l f inddescribed the Spanish galleon laden withgold and beeswax shipwrecked off a re-mote Oregon beach, a gold mine w orkedby Brigham Young, a shipment of WellsFargo gold sunk in the Los Angelesharbor. Maybe some of the treasureshave already been discovered, but thenagain, maybe they haven't !

Choral Pepper, former editor of DesertMagazine, is presently a syndicatedtravel columnist and West Coast corres-pondent for Travel magazine.

Brad Will iams, who has worked as ajournalist, is the author of many booksand the creater, with J.W. Ehrlich, of aseries of suspense novels featuringlawyer Sam Benedict.

Ha rdc ove r, 184 pages, $7.95

HIATT'S INDIAN TRADINGCompanyLocations at Highway 163, Vi milesouth of Moab , Utah31808 Camino Capistrano,San Juan Capistrano, Ca lifornia


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TNevada'sMoonCountry

| HE 170-MILE stretchofHighway 6between Tonopahand Ely, Nevada, mightbecalled the "lo nlies t road." Not onetown, oreven what couldbe considered asettlement, liesalong itsentire length. Travelersrequiring gasoline or l iquidrefreshments will find only two,wide-spots inthe road W armSprings and Currant offeringthese services. Traffic problemsare absent and the passing ofanoncoming car isan event.Highway 6 s awell-engineeredroute which travels throughsparsely settled land on geologicalstepping stones up and overmountains, down and across wideby MAR Y FRANCES STRONG b a s i n s - E i9h ty miles east ofTonopah itskirts the northern edgeof Nevada's "Moon Country"avast, barren region of volcanic


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cinder cones and tremendous lavaflows.Though a small sign on thehighway directs travelers sevenmiles south to Lunar C rater, fewelect to make the side trip via adusty, desert trai l . Perhaps thecharm of the area is due to the lackof peop le. The name was enough toattract us but, after traveling sevenmiles up a gradual slope to whatappeared to be a sum mit, we wereunprepared for the reward.Stopping at the very edge ofLunar C rater, we looked down intoa tremendous caldera a Spanishterm used to describe cra ter-likebasins of volcanic or igin . It was anawesome hole-in-the-ground,possibly 400 feet deep andappeared almost new ly-formed.There had been minor sluffing ofthe talus from its steep sides andlittle evidence of wateraccumulation showed in theDesert/April 7975

photos byJERRY STRONG

Opposite Page: A gapinghole in the earth's crust,

Lunar Crater, is all that is leftwhen a sizable volcano

literally "blew its top."Above: Looking north from the

edge of Lunar Crater,volcanic cinder cones of

all sizes dot the landscape.Right: From Highway 6,

a small sign directs travelersvia a dusty, desert road to

Lunar Crater. Cinder conesare numerous in this volcanic

reion called "Nevada'sMoon Country."


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- #

* #

LUNAR CRATER,NEVADANyE COUNTY

Grandfather'sChair

Warm SpringsTonopah 72 m i .

#

*< *> .bottom. Obvious ly, this was anextremely arid region.Directing our gaze to the countryaround us, we noticed the entirearea was dotted w ith cinder conesof varying sizes. To the no rth, arather odd-shaped cone dominatedthe landscape. Later, we learned, ithad been named "G rand fathe r'sCh air." We hiked around the rim ,viewing the gaping hole from everyangle. Not electing to follow asteep, primitive trail to the crater'sfloor, we chose instead to exploredir t tracks leading easterly into abroad valley separating the craterfrom the numerous cones on a lowrange of hills .

At this lower elevation westopped and could hear the rus tlingsounds of wind overhead . Not

another sound broke the stillness inthis bleak and barren volcanicsetting. It was easy to imagine wewere on a lunar landscape. Onlydwarfed bushes of ever-present,Great Basin Sage kept the rea litythis was Nevada. It was primevalcountry to explore. Four-wheel-drive is recommended.The sun had obligingly traveledto a western point when wereturned to photograph LunarCrater. How had this landscapedeveloped? Whe n had all thevolcanic action occurred? Thesewere the questions on our m inds.Geologists tell us the cra ter'sbir th began about 2000 years agowhen intermittent temblors rockedthe land. Eventually greatpressures b uilt up deep within the

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earth as the result o f' 'sh ifting andsque ezing" the molten magma.High pressure steam escaped tothe surface throug h cracks andfissures. A gain , the regiontremb led and shook as pressureswere released. Mino r explosionsresulted which sent forth showersof cinder upon the land. Conesbu ilt up and lava oozed out of ventsin successive flows.Volcanic activity increases andwanes as pressures fluctu ate. Aseries of lava flows can build uplarge cones. This was probably thecase at Lunar C rater. Hundreds offeet of lava were superimposedover the hillside. Suddenly, theearth rumbled deep within itsbowels and , wit h an atom ic-likeexplosion, it literally blew its top.Only a deep, circular craterremained w here the volcano once

stood.It is believed that the eru ptivephase of volcanic activity whichcreated the cinde r cones andvolcano in this region wascomparatively short-lived. This isbased on the fact that the largestflow is approximately 400 feet thickand the tallest cone barely reachesover 500 feet. Comparing the irthickness and height with cindercones being formed in other partsof the world today, it could havebeen over in a matter of months.Desert/ April 1975


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This fascinating region ofmoreor less recent (geologicallyspeaking) volcanic activity is littlechanged today, though hundreds ofyears have gone by. C inders areextremely porous and readilyabsorb m oisture. They act as a"c us hi on " against the usual wearand tear (erosion) upon thelandforms caused by nfrequentheavy storms.

Fortunately, except for thecinder pitused by the StateHighway Department, the LunarCrater area seems tohave escapedany extensive miningdevelopment. We were toldNevada intends to nclude thisnatural wonder inher State ParkSystem at a ater date. It sworthyof protection.At this time , when our naturalresources are rap idly beingdiminishe d, we should pause andgive thought to our scenicgeological treasures. Man isNature's most complex creatureand his needs for survival aremany.Energy toprovide our dailynecessities is ofnumber oneimportance. Following a closesecond are the requirem ents to

refresh man's soul. This can onlybe accomplished by conserving andprotecting a few n atural seashores,wild rivers, primitive mountainregions, na tural marshes andlakes, outstanding geologicalformations and the great deserts ofthe southwest.It is only in his vast p rimeva lland that man can be as one withhis natural environment. W ithoutthe opportunity to leave civilizationbehind for short periods oft ime,the soul w ill shrivel and die.Nevada's Moon Country givesopportunity toquietly sort one'sthoughts in apeaceful, pristinecorner ofback-country. Somehow,our priva te world w ill seem lesshemmed in . There isroom tobreathe, to stretch the legs andcontemplate the futu re. It s aplaceto pause, reaffirm our faith andgive thanks we are part of agreatcoun try we affectionately call the

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A R C H E S a n d B R I D GPMHENEVER YOU ta lk about na-t u r a l r o c k o p e n in g s a rc h e s,U J bridges and windows you have tota lk about Utah. Accord ing to therecords of Mrs. Robert Vreeland, theoutstanding expert on such phenomenain this country, there are some 600known natural spans and windows ofsignificant size in the continental UnitedStates. And over half of these are inUtah.

Thus, anyone who plans to "chase"arches and bridges and other such geo-12

logic curiosities had better plan tospend some time in Utah. Quite a bit oft ime , in fact, because although most ofthe known spans in Utah are in itssouthern half, the half is rugged, brokenand wi ld .

" W i l d " arches and bridges thosenot within established national or stateparks easily outnum ber those present-ly protected. There are also a number of" s e m i - w i l d " spans. These are withinGlen Canyon National Recreation Area,but there they do not receive the same

degree of protection that those withinparks and monuments rece ive .Strangely, this national recreation areais still largely open to the exploitationof mineral resources, and the search forand development of these resources canendanger natural spans. The explosives,massive vibratory devices, and roadbuilding necessary to seismograph sur-vey ing , oil and gas dri l l ing and miningare a definite hazard to b rit t le naturalspans of sandstone.Another hazard to the "semi-wi ld"

Desert/April 7975


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A Sampler of "Wild Ones"in Southern Utahby F.A.BARNES

Opposite Page: Morning Glory Natural Bridge is the fifthwidest natural span in the country and the only one not pro-tected within a national park or monum ent. Above left: JacobHamb lin Arch is one of four huge spans within the Escalantecanyon system. Above right: Broken Bow Arch, in the Escal-ante canyon system, is best viewed from the air.

arches and bridges of Glen Canyon Na-tional Recreation Area is the rising waterof Lake Powell, itself. Dozens of spec-tacular and unique spans have alreadybeen drowned or destroyed, and othersstill stand in jeopardy as the water levelinexorably rises toward its maximumlevel, a point that may be reached bythe middle of 1975. Gigantic GregoryNatural Bridge, on a branch of the Es-calante River gorge, is now completelyunder water. Padre Arch, a large cave-like span, recently collapsed as the risingDesert/April 7975

water in undated its base. A pair of lovelyand unique bridges cut from the mono-lithic sandstone of a narrow branch ofMystery Canyon now can be viewed onlyby the carp that proliferate in suchstagnant-water sidecanyons of the lake.

And magnif icent Rainbow Bridge, onanother such branch of the reservoir,had water lapping at its base in 1974.Still more will be there in 1975.

Experts disagree as to whether thiswill endanger this largest known span inthe world. A U.S. Geological Survey ge-

ologist who made a three-day examina-tion of the bridge before Lake Powellexisted says "no danger," but othereminent geologists point out massivecollapses in similar rock formations else-where around the lake as the risingwater wets them. They say that this one-of-a-kind natural wonder is in diredanger.

But despite the loss of many naturalspans in Utah, and the danger to others,there are still plenty of " w i l d " archesand bridges to chase in southern Utah,

13


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Window Arch is beside the Jeep trail that penetrates P ritchett Canyon near Moab.

far more than the average amateur ge-ologist or photographer will ever see.Following is a sampler of such spans.Some are huge, some are small butunique in characteristics other than size.Some are easy to locate and reach,others can be reached only via four-wheel-drive trails and hiking throughrugge d canyon cou ntry. A few are bestlocated and viewed from the air.

The spans listed and described areonly samples. There are dozens, hun-dreds more, some so remote and hard tofind that only a handful of men have everseen them. There are doubtless stillothers yet to be found and recorded byanyone. Bob Vree land 's l i s t g rowslonger with every trip he makes to Utah.

And who know? Maybe while chasingsome of the "wild ones" l isted here, you14

might find a new one, yourself. This canhappen in the wild canyonlands ofsouthern Utah.

First, some easy ones that can bespotted from paved roads. Then somenot so easy.

Little Arch can be spotted near thetop of the opposite river gorge cliffwhile driving down Cane Creek Road outof Moab. The arch is visible soon afterthe road begins paralleling the ColoradoRiver. This span, which is really notlitt le at all, can also be reached via thePoison Spider Mesa 4WD trail that be-gins at Utah 279 about three miles be-low the river portal. Jughandle Arch isbeside Utah 279 a few miles fartherdown the rive r. Thre e other spans can bereached via Utah 279. Cold Bar Arch isvisible from the road about seven miles

below the river portal. A sign indicatesits location high in the slickrock domesto the east of the road. The other two,Corona and Bowtie, can be reached by amile-long hike from this same location.Both are spectacular. Corona is alsocalled Little Rainbow because its shapeis similar to Rainbow Bridge.

Two unnamed arches can be spottedfrom U.S. 163, about 10 miles south ofMoab, on the western cliffs. The smallerone stands on the cliff skyline. Theother one, a few hundred yards farthersouth, is much larger but shows no skythrough its opening.

Cane Creek Road out of Moab alsoleads to other curious spans. About oneand one-h a l f m i les a f te r the roadchanges from paved to gravel, just be-fore it switchbacks down into a canyon, ashort but steep hike goes to FunnelArch . Farther on, miles after the roadhas become a 4WD t ra i l , crossed a highpass and descended to travel the rim ofthe Colorado River gorge, it passes with-in a few feet of an unnamed naturalbr idge. This span is made of fossilifer-ous limestone, is perfectly flat on topand spans one alcove of a deep canyon.Ancient sealife fossils can be foundnearby.

A side canyon that meets Cane CreekRoad just where the pavement ends alsoleads to several spectacular spans. Arough 4WD trail penetrates this canyon.This trail goes direct ly by Window Arch,a window-like hole in a high sandstonewal l . From this point, the top of PritchettArch can be glimpsed on the southernskyline and Halls Bridge is visible to thewest if you know where to look. It takesa knowledgeab le gu ide to lead you on thefoot trail to Halls Bridge, but the trailto spectacular Pritchett Arch, and sev-eral others in its vicinity, is well markedfarther on along the t ra i l .

About 25 miles south of Moab, onU.S. 163, Wilson Arch stands beside thehighway. Near La Sal Junction onU.S. 163, a short dirt road heads west toLooking Class Rock, a window-like archin a huge mass of slickrock sandstone.Nearer to Moab, at the top of the gradewhere U.S. 163 climbs out of thesouthern end of Moab-Spanish Valley, atruck road heads west. Six miles alongthis road, as it crosses a broad expanseof desert sandflats, a huge red sandstonepromontory juts out of the sand dunes.A branching Jeep trail angles around this

Desert/April 7975


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mats of rock. OrtQ unnamed arch can beseen on the southern side of this mono-l i t h i c r o ck . An o th e r , ca l l e d P i c tu r eFrame because of its square shape andthe view it frames for those who cl imbup into the alcove behind it, is on thenorth side of the same rock mass.

For those who like to hike, there aretwo large natural br idges near Moab,each with canyons that contain flowingstreams. Mil l Creek Canyon joins MoabValley near the town's dr ive-in theater.About two and one-half miles up thenorth fork, or left-hand branch of thisspectacular gorge, Otho Natural Bridgecan be spotted in a short spur canyonon the r ight.

Utah 128 heads up the Colorado Rivergorge out of Moab Valley. A large un-named arch can be seen in the cliffabove the road about one mile afterUtah 128 leaves U.S. 163. Three milesfrom U.S. 163, a side canyon ends atUtah 128. One and one-half miles up thiscree k-w a te re d canyon a shor t spurcanyon on the r ight leads to MorningGlory Natural Bridge, only recently dis-covered to be the fifth longest in theUnited States. The top four are Land-scape Arch (Arches N.P.), RainbowBridge, Sipapu Natural Bridge (NaturalBridges N.M.) and Kolob Arch (ZionN.P.). Of the top five, only MorningGlory is unprotected.

Jeep trails that require guides lead toother outstanding spans in the Moabvicinity. Jeep Arch, a large window-l ikeopening in a massive rock wal l , is hid-den in the rock wilderness that lies be-tween U.S. 163 and the Gold Bar Loopof the Colorado River gorge. Farthernorth and west in the same canyon wil-derness, the Gemini Twin Bridges standside by side across the upper end of aremote canyon. Sti l l farther north, tothe northwest of where U.S. 163 andUtah 313 meet, a large unnamed naturalbridge is hidden in a white sandstonewilderness in an area called CourthousePasture.

Near the southeastern corner of Can-yonlands National Park is a whole clutchof arches that just missed being includedin the park. These are up the Dry Forkof Lavender Canyon. A slender, grace-ful arch is r ight at the junction of thesecanyons, a lovely and unique double archgraces the low canyon wall about a milefarther into the Dry Fork and a hugecave-arch is another half mile on theDesert/April 1 9 7 5

left. A 4WD trai l penetrates this canyonand the arches are not diff icult tolocate.

It takes both Jeeping and strenuoushiking to reach the big arch in the headof Hellroaring Canyon, a long side-canyon that branches from the GreenRiver gorge north of Canyonlands Na-tional Park. The Green River also offersglimpses of many other " w i l d " arches tothose who are taking five-day white-water raft tr ips through Desolation Can-y o n . One span on this trip, a huge oneon the canyon skyline, can be first seenfrom more than 10 miles away. Itsbroken, sagging span is clearly visiblefrom the river level for mile after mile.

Farther to the west, Grosvenor Arch isa well know " w i l d " arch that can bereached by a dirt road that travels be-tween U.S. 89 and Cannonvil le, Utah.The canyon vastness to the east andnorth of this area contains countlessother natural spans.

Among the better known of these areseveral in the Escalante Canyon system.The larger of these Broken Bow,Coyote, Jacob Hamblin and Stevens are within Glen Canyon National Recrea-tion Area, and are hence poorly pro-tected. These spectacular spans can bereached only by lengthy treks down thebranching Escalante Canyon system, al-though knowledgeable air tour pi lotsthat operate out of Moab, CanyonlandsResort and Page can provide aerialviews of all four in one flight.

This list could go on and on. Evenif a minimum size opening, say, 10square feet, is set for defining an archor bridge, there are still over 300 suchspans within southern-Utah, and morebeing reported all the time. Perhaps halfof these are protected within the nationaland state parks that dot southern Utah,but the others are not. Most of thosethat are unprotected are within landunder the jur isdiction of the Bureau ofLand Management. Rarely can thisunderstaffed federal organization pro-vide any protection for the natural won-ders it administers. For lack of funds,manpower and policy, natural spans,ra re pa leon to log ica l f inds andarcheological sites lie open to vandalismand the careless damage done in connec-t ion wi th minera l search anddevelopment.

For example, mineral claim stakeswere recently placed directly under the

graceful span of Corona Arch. The nextsteps after making such a claim are tobulldoze a crude jeep trai l to the claim,then start digging and blasting. There islittle the BLM can do to prevent thisdestruction under existing laws.

The moral to this story is to seesouthern Utah's " w i l d " natural spanswhile you can. The current nationalenergy shortage is spuring the search forcoal, oil, gas and uranium, and thissearch is proving to be a hazard to thenatural spans and other wonders to befound in the unique canyon country ofsouthern Utah.

See these while you can, then, an dwho knows? Maybe you wil l f ind an archnot yet recorded. It you do, the namingis up to you. The rule of thu mb fol lowedby serious "ar ch co llector s" such as BobVreeland is, " the f i rst in pr in t ." So i fyou f ind a "new" span, check f i rst wi thauthorit ies to make sure it is, indeed,new. Then if it is, name it and reportyour find to a newspaper and the gov-ernment agency administer ing the landwhere you made your f i nd .

Then drop a note to Desert tel l ing al labou t "your " arch. We would be glad tohear about it.

But when you come to Utah to huntarches, don't make the mistake one be-fuddled visitor to Arches National Parkmade when she asked a ranger "Arethere any unknown arches her e?"

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H E C OM MO N KIN GSN AKE is amost unusual reptile. He's loadedwith quirks that both amaze and be-fuddle scientists who study his looksand investigate his behavior.

Found nearly everywhere in the south-west deserts, this adaptable fellow is asmuch at home in irr igated farmlands ashe is in rugged canyons or wind-blownsand hummocks. Yet localit ies where


17/48

moisture is present, such as oases anddesert streams, offer the most favorablehabitat.

A remarkable feature of the CommonKingsnake is his great variab il ity in colorand pattern. In western Texas he's blackwith yellow spots. In Arizona, along theMexican border, he may be black w ith no

spots. In southern Nevada one findsblack kingsnakes too, but in that areathey're encircled with scores of whitebands. To add to all this confusion, wefind the most amazing patterns in theAnza-Borrego region of California's Col-orado Desert. Some kingsnakes therehave a single white stripe running theirentire len gth, whereas others have whitebands; both on a solid black back-ground. Since these two snakes live inthe same region it isn't surprising thatfor nearly 40 years herpetologists be-lieved the two snakes to be separateand distinct species. Then in 1936,Lawrence Klauber of the San Diego Zoohatched both striped and banded king-snakes from the same brood, thus prov-ing the snakes were the same species.

The differences were simply pattern var-iat ions like those found in many animals.Common Kingsnakes, known as Lam-propeltis getulus to the herpetologist,have the unusual habit of eating theirow n kind. Being true cannibals, theymay swallow any other kingsnake thathappens along. The larger of the twowill engulf the smaller, which mightvery well be a brother, sister, or evenits own offspring.

This obviously poses some interest-ing problems during springtime whenmales and females get together for re-productive purposes. Fortunately, how-ever, mating takes precedence over eat-ing. There seems a tendency for thesesnakes to be less inclined to swallowother kingsnakes during the spring

In a one-on-one confrontation between a Comm on Kingsnake and a Sidewinder,there is almost a misma tch. In the upper left photo, the Kingsnake encircles hisvictim. Then the Sidewinder p repares to strike back, but do es little harm a s his op-ponent is immu ne to the venom . With the Sidewinder subdue d by constriction, afirm a nd fatal hold is mad e by the Kingsnake on the rattler's head . . . and finally, agraphic exam ple of: "Heads I win, tails you lose!"

Desert/April 7975 17


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This litt le Kingsnake has just hatched from h is egg and is on his own while two un-hatched eggs appear in the background.months. An adult male kingsnake wasonce placed in a cage with a very largefemale, nearly a foot longer than him-self . As the month was April, the twosnakes wasted no t ime in intertwiningtheir torsos, in the normal style of amor-ous serpents. Afte r a few w eeks as cage-mates the male was removed to morespacious quarters. Several months laterovercrowding in other enclosures neces-sitated that the two lovers be reunited.Knowing how well the two snakes gotalong, the keeper simply dropped themale into the cage with his mate. Thenext morning when the keeper returned,he was dismayed to f ind only one king-snake, a very content and swollen fe-male. Apparently hunger had under-mined the romance as the female had de-voured her mate!

Kingsnakes are oviparous. That isthey lay eggs. Six to eight weeks fol-lowing copulat ion the female wil l layfrom four to nine pure white eggs whichshe will deposit deep in some abandonedrodent burrow. Her sense of obligat ionto her young ends at that point as shecrawls out of her offspring's lives for-18

ever. Reptiles show no interest in theiryoung after bir th , quite unlike birds andmammals who care for their young unti lgrown.

Upon hatching, the 10-inch miniaturesof the adult form wait until dusk beforestr iking out on their ow n. Life is hazard-ous at this stage and it is the luckykingsnake that reaches maturity. Busyhighways, hungry birds of prey, and theintense desert sun work against thekingsnake who is struggling to survive.For tunate ly fo r the newly hatched" K i n g , " he crawls from his shell inearly fall when newborn sidewinder rat-tlesnakes are just emerging. If theseserpents me et, the stage is set for one ofthe most unusual battles in all of natureas kingsnakes will devour venomousrepti les.

Such a confro ntation w ill usually takeplace at night when both snakes are ac-tively searching for food. Th e king-snake identifies the rattler with histongue, an organ of smell. From thatmoment on, the poisonous serpent isdoomed as the kingsnake immediatelybites the sidewinder and surrounds it

with suffocating coils. Struggling to freeitself, the sidewinder strikes repeatedlyat the head of the kingsnake, but to noavail. Our " K i n g " is undaunted by theimbedded fangs and deadly venom andsimply shirks loose the sidewinder'sgr ip-

Although immune to the effects ofpoisonous snakebites, the kingsnake pre-fers not to be bitten. Lengthy fangsthrust deep into muscle tissue must bepainful and can puncture the heart orlung of the kingsnake. Such an injurycould be fatal.

To avoid being bit ten, our three- tofour-foot fr iend lunges for the head ofthe rattlesnake. Securing such a hold,t he k ingsnake throws severa l co i lsaround his toxic foe and begins con-stricting. This squeezing action is thesame method used by the huge boas andpythons of the tropics, but in this casethe prey is seldom killed. The tight loopsprevent the sidewinder from fully ex-panding his lungs and thus he's simplysubdued through exhaustion. In such astate he is helpless to defend himselfand is f inally swallowed whole whilest i l l al ive.

Kingsnakes certainly do not feed ex-clusively on rattlesnakes. A wide assort-ment of animal life is preyed upon in-cluding birds and their eggs, small ro-dents, l izards, and, of course, othersnakes, including the venomous coralsnake and copperhead. When chancedupon in the f ie ld , a venomous serpentwill be eaten but is not necessarily pre-ferred over other types of prey.

Size is an important factor in de-termining what kinds of food wil l betaken. Kingsnakes prefer small rodentsbut have been known to swallow muchlarger animals. There is an authen-ticated record of a four and one-halffoot kingsnake swallowing a f ive foot,three inch rat snake. This may seem animpossible feat but the kingsnake man-ages it by overlapping the vict im into a"U-shaped" curve in his stomach. Need-less to say digestion of such large preytakes several weeks.

It 's not dif f icu lt to understand why ourrept i l ian f r iend is cal led "k ingsnake."With powerful coils and resistance tovenom he can overpower nearly all of hisscaly relatives, be they deadly or largerin size. Without a doubt, the CommonKingsnake is t ru ly the "K i n g " of thedesert reptile s.


19/48

S o . . .W h a f s aN a v a i o

T a c o ?

Travelershave their

first taste ofthe tacoand thinkit's great!

T RAVELERS IN northern Arizona whofind eating places hard to come by,often stop at Tuba City's Nava-HopiKi tchen, look at the sign advertisingshrim p, hamburgers and chicken, step inand ordera Navajo Taco.

It happens like this. The tourist entersthe restaurant, readying himself for anondescript meal of hamburgers andfrench fr ies. But around him there is aspicy aroma and other diners are eatinga novel, mouth-wa tering concoction.Querying, "Whazzat?" he is in formedthat the delectable food item is a NavajoTaco. Sothe tourist takes the taco.

Indian fried bread (a dough consistingof f lour, baking powder, salt and water,pat-a-caked into a flat circle and deepfried ) is the basis for the Navajo Taco.The crusty, piping-ho t bread issmothered with home-made chil i concarne, topped with cheese and shreddedlettuce with a couple of green chili stripsadded for a final f i l l ip .

A mini-taco, about six inches indiameter, sells for $1.00. A regular-sizedtaco, about twice the size of the mini(which tourists refer to as the maxi) sellsfor $1.50. (Prices stated were effectivedurin g the summer of 1974.)

Some travelers in Arizona have beenknown to detour off main H ighway 89and go 12 miles do wn the road (onHighway 164) to Tuba City just to tastethe tantal izing taco Other tourists

byMILDREDHOOPERjourneying to the Hopi villages orfol lowing the Navajo Trai l to Monum entValley have discovered the Tuba Cityfood rendezvous and plan to route afuture tr ip which wil l include theNava-Hopi Kitchen.

The Nava-Hopi Kitchen is open everyday during the summer m onths, exceptfor an occasional day taken off byemployees for celebrations. Therestau rant is gene rally open six days aweek during the winter m onths. D

At the Nava-Hopi Kitchen in Tuba City, Arizona, hamburgers, chicken, shrimp andmilk shakes are advertised. But the specialty o f the house is a Navajo Taco.

Desert/Anril 7975 79


20/48

ITHE sweltering heat of an Augustafternoon in 1878, Captain CarrollHenry halted a small troop of cavalryat the mouth of a narrow canyon in NewMexico's Sacramento Mountains. Hismen slumped wearily on their horses;their sweat-stained uniforms were cakedwith dust from the long ride across theTularosa Basin. Several of the trooperswere already reeling from sunstroke. Allwere suffering from the effects of pro-longed thirst.

Earlier, Captain Henry had shared hislast canteen one tepid swallow perman. Now, he turned in his saddleand stared back over the wasteland hiscolumn had just crossed. The blazingirradiance of White Sands seemed tof loa t near the hor izon. Somewhere

among the shimmering desert heatwaves, Henry knew the pack mules ofthe supply train were following histracks. He realized now the mules couldnot reach his troop before dark.

He turned his attention to the canyonahead. The Indians' trail led unmistak-ably into its narrow confines. With awave of his arm, Captain Henry orderedhis troops forward and the exhaustedcolumn stumbled on.

In the canyon, not a breath of air wasst i r r ing; high walls and bluffs rose up tostifle all breezes from the outside. Henrywould later write it was like ridingthrou gh a furna ce, that never before hadhe felt the heat so intensely. Deeper inthe ravine, the passageway narrowed.Great ochre-colored walls towered above

Frenchy's cabinand canyonwalls.Photo byLaDonna Kutz.

the trail and the soldiers eyed with ap-prehension a drop of several hundredfeet just to the left of their horses'hooves.

A growing sense of uneasiness passedthrough the ranks. The trail was now sonarrow that the men found themselvesstrung out in single f i le. Though theIndians' tracks led clearly, almost in-exorably onward, there was not a sign ofmovement nor a sound to break the sti l l-ness. Captain Henry hesitated briefly,l istened, then pushed on.

Suddenly, there was a burst of gun-f i re . Men toppled from their mounts andhorses fell screaming down the slopes.Simultaneously, from the heights abovecame a thunder-l ike rumble. For onepuzzled moment, the cavalrymen froze,then a terrible realization swept overthem as several tons of bouldersbounded down from the clif fs, crashinginto the line of horsemen. Panic seizedmen and beasts alike; the soldiers jerkedfrantically at the reins as their ter r i -f ied, rearing mounts pitched over theside.

A second volley ripped through thechurning figures and echoed off theclif fs. Captain Henry's unfortunate com-mand f ired back blindly at the a ttacker'sthey could not see. Desperately, theyfought their way back down the treach-erous trail and out of the gorge, sur-vivors of another ambush in Dog Canyon.

This was neither the first nor the lasttime Dog Canyon's primeval silence wasbroken by gunfire. Probably no othersingle locale in the West has repeatedlyseen so much violence. Between 1859and 1881 , at least three m ajor enga ge-ments and several smaller skirmisheswere fought in this spectacular ravine.

Later, during the bit ter range wars ofthe 80's, the Canyon again became abatt legro und . Death was always as mucha part of Dog Canyon as were its cliffsand shadows. It is not surprising thatall of the battles were ambushes, fornowhere in the Southwest can one finda place better suited to this deadlygame.


21/48

Canon del Perro (the Canyon of theDog) lies five miles east of Valmont,New Mexico. Here, on the edge of 500square miles of desert, the ruggedSacramento Escarpment suddenly rises,creased and cut by deep canyons. Fewof the canyons have water; Canon delPerro does. It also has walls 2,000 feethigh and it ends in a box. At the vert i -cal headwall, there is only one way on upand out of the Canyon a precariouspassage by the Eyebrow Trai l . Do gCanyon is a natural trap.

On February 8, 1859, 32 men, underthe command of Lieutenant H.M. La-zelle, left Fort Bliss, Texas, to trackdown a band of Apaches w ho had stolena herd of cattle and some mules threedays ear l ier . Lazel le and h is mencovered 165 miles in seven days. Theyfound no water along their route. Duringthe sixth day, "the soldiers had a swal-low of water, the horses none." At noonon the seventh day, the trail led intoDog Canyon.

The troopers rode unopposed for twoand a half miles up the gorge. Then theymet a group of 30 warr iors, painted andarmed but carrying a white flag of truce.The Apaches asked the purpose of thewhite men's mission and upon learningthey were accused of rustl ing, informedLazelle they had not stolen the cattle.Some "bad men" d id i t , they said,adding that they had chased the bad menaway and recovered the cattle.

Unconvinced by the tale, Lazelle ig-nored the white flag and launched anattack. Immediately, he and his menfound themselves caught in a witheringcross-fire from above. Beleagured fromboth sides and the front, Lazelle had nochoice but to retreat. Gathering up asmany of his wounded as possible he ranthe gauntlet out of the canyon, losingseveral more men along the way.

Not all of Dog Canyon's battles werewon by the Indians, however. In 1863,General James H. Carleton orderedColonel Chr istopher " K i t " Carson toco mme n ce a ca mp a ig n a g a in s t t h eApaches. In a sweeping pincer move-Desert/ April 7975

ment, Carson sent Major Wil l iam Mc-Cleave's company south from Fort Stan-ton while Captains Roberts and McKeebrought their troops up from El Paso.They planned to meet at Dog Canyonand combine forces in an attack onApache rancherias in the Sacramentos.

McCleave reached the canyon first.On March 27, he encamped his 79 menand horses, and sent scouts into theravine. They were quickly back withnews of a nearby Mescalero camp, stillb l i ss fu l l y unaware o f the so ld ie rspresence.Major McCleave wasted no time inpressing his advantage. The elementof surprise was on the side of thecavalry now and they mounted an attackwhich swept ruthlessly through the

by JACK KUTZwic k i u p s . Th e Ap a ch e s ' r e s i s ta n ce ,which resulted only in wounding onecavalryman, was quickly broken. TheIndians fled and the troopers cut down25 of them as they scrambled up theslopes.

Once they reached high ground, theApaches rallied and staged a counter-attack that wounded Lieutenant Frenchand one enlisted man. McCleave's menwere flushed now with fighting spir i t.They charged straight up the ruggedslopes, f ighting from boulder to boulder,ki l l ing three more Indians and routingthe rest. A few days later, the entireApache band appeared at Fort Stantonand surrendered to Colonel Carson.

Troubles between the White Man andthe Apache were far from resolved.

The fierceold Apache

Chief Nana.Photo from

NationalArchives.

21


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Wh e n r e se r va t i o n l i f e p r o ve d i n -tolerable, the Indians once again took tothe war path. Throughout the bloodyyears that fol lowed, Dog Canyon con-tinued to play an important role.

When several settlers were ki l ledalong the Rio Ruidoso in May of 1866,Fo r t S ta n to n ' s p o s t co mma n d e r ,L.C. Murphy, dispatched several com-panies of cavalry to scour the country-side and annihi late the marauders. Thetroopers found no Indians but near DogCanyon, they came upon a magnificentstray horse of racing quality. This wasproo f enough fo r Murphy tha t noApaches were in the Sacramento area.No Indian raiders, Murphy pointed outin correspondence with Carleton, wouldoverlook such a fine stallion when it wastheirs for the taking.

Two days later, painted warr iors rodeout of their hiding place in Dog Canyonand stole the oxen at Nesmith's M i l l , th ecattle at La Luz and brazenly attackedthe vi l lage of Tularosa.

Year after year, the fighting ragedacross the Southwest, until one by one,

the Apache tr ibes met defeat. In 1881,Nana's raiders became the last hostileApaches to camp in Dog Canyon.

When the aged Nana fled to Mexico,the canyon at last stood quiet andempty. Only deer drank from its t inytr ickle of a stream. Then, in 1884, aman of an entirely different sort enteredthe sultry ravine.

No one will ever know what drewFrancois Jean Rochas to the Canyon ofthe Dog . No one ever learned w hy he lefthis native France, his family and friendsto spend his life scratching out a sub-sistence living, alone in a desolate,desert gorge. To the people of the Tula-rosa Basin, he was simply Frenchy, thehermit of Dog Canyon.

Frenchy was eccentric, no doubt aboutthat. But he was also a man of greatdetermination and rare courage. His firstbattle in Dog Canyon was a fight againstthe land. Frenchy built a crude cabin ofnative stone. He planted and hand-watered a garden and a small orchard.He even managed to graze a fewcattle.

Oliver Lee,who foughtthe last battleof Dog Canyon.Photo fromVincent Leecollection.

Frenchy won his first battle. The sec-ond took place in July of 1886.

One morning, while Frenchy workedin his garden, a horsethief by the nameof Morr ison crept down from the rocksand opened fire on the old man. Thefirst shot knocked Frenchy to the groun dand the second shattered his arm but,somehow, he made it back to his cabinand dragged himself inside.Throughout the long day, Morr ison satin the shade, waiting for Frenchy tobleed to death. After dark, he kickedopen the cabin door and Frenchy's pistolroared. The tough little Frenchman wassti l l very much al ive and Morr ison ranoff through the night, howling in pain.

Frenchy had won his second battle.The third and hardest lay ahead.

The old hermit continued to l ive alone,jealously guarding his land. The broken-down walls of his cabin stand there tothis day mute reminders of Frenchy'ssimple l i fe.

Beyond the canyon, on the desert'sedge, there was once another home.This second house was a much granderstructure than Frenchy's. It boasted oflong shady porches, elegant doors andbig rooms spread out under an expensivetin roof. The land around it had beencalled the Dog Canyon Ranch and theman who built it was destined to leavehis mark on both the land and the historybooks. His name was Oliver Lee.It was a name that came to be feared,hated and respected, a name shroudedin mystery and cloaked in terrible sec-rets. Oliver Lee gained a reputation sofearful that it has been said childrenbroke into tears when they saw him onthe street.

No one stood in Oliver Lee's way forlong. In 1888, he clashed with anotherpowerful rancher, John Good, over theproper ownership of several calves.

A few weeks later, Lee's partner,George McDonald, was found murderedat the upper spring in Dog Canyon. Lee'sbunch retaliated and John Good's son,Walter, soon turned up dead on therippled dunes of White Sands. Follow-ing the funeral, Lee and his gunmenopened fire on the mourners and therange war was on in earnest.

N ig h t r i d e r s p r o w le d th e r a n ch e s ,houses were burned. Oliver Lee was ar-rested, tr ied and acquitted for no onewould testify against him.

John Good knew he was beaten.Within the year, he sold out and moved


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away. Lee's dream of an empire hadcome true; now,only one manstill heldout against him a cranky old French-man waiting alone in a l ittle cabin inDog Canyon.

Three days after Christmas in 1894, acowboy named DanFitchett rode out topay Frenchy a visi t . He found the oldrecluse dead on the f loor of his cabin, abullet through his chest. Beside him washis old r i f le along with three emptycartridges. Frenchy Rochas had diedf igh t ing .

There were those who swore it wasOliver Lee who rode up to Frenchy'scabin that night, but none would swearto it in court. Lee's power continued togrow and his name was l inked to moremysteries thedisappearance of Alber tJennings Fountain, thedeath of Pat Gar-ret. Leeonly rose higher. Hewent on tobecome a State Senator and died of oldage in 1941. It seems ironically f i tt ingthat the last battle of Dog Canyon wasfought by Oliver Lee.

In 1899, an Otero County schoolteacher, J.C. Smith, challenged Lee'sclaim to Frenchy Rochas' water rightsand held the land for several years. InDestvt/Anril 1


24/48

Catifornias Last

F s

J P ^ J * * , *

* ' * ,


25/48

by DEKE LOWE

BS YOU ENTER Baker, California on1-15, a road sign states "Gateway toDeath Val l ey. " A famous Death Val-ley pioneer and desert character, DadFairbanks, along with Burr Failings, arethe fathers of this well known oasis.Their hospitality was legend in the1920's. Today, their descendants stilloffer Old West hospitality in ultra-modern facil it ies that replaced the oldh a n d -c ra n ke d o n e p u mp g a so l in estations.

Following a fairly level route, it avoidslong uphill grades and sharp steepdescents and has been the most favoredroute into Death Valley long before itbecame a National Monument.

It is also the gateway to "California'sLast Frontier Playground" just beingdiscovered. This playground has a sur-prising variety of interest. Not of the reg-imented organized variety, but a vastquiet uncrowded desert space. It mustbe your decision whether to seek semi-precious gemstones, frolic over the sanddunes in a buggy, follow old Indiant ra i ls , browse around old long aban-doned mines or ghost towns and per-haps discover something so differentthat no ordinary reasoning will explain.

Baker attracted nation-wide attentionrecently when strange toothlike clay ob-jects were discovered on the dry sun-baked floor of Silver Lake. The localresidents could offer no explanation.

Panorama of Amargosa Valley, w ithTelescope Peak and the Panamintsin the background.Desert/April 7975

Rumors of outer space activity or a wel l-planned hoax spread quickly. The ef-fects of viewing the strange objectswere mind-boggling. No amount of logiccould explain their purpose or how theygot there.The fun and mystery evaporated sud-denly when an art group explained theyhad hand-fashioned and placed them torepresent candle f lames. As an art pro-ject it was great as a mystery it wassuper for a while.Nor theast o f Baker is Turquo iseMounta in . In the 1890's, Tiffany of New

York mined turquoise of exquisite qual-i ty from old Indian diggings. The oldmines are exhausted, but thin veinletsof f ine turquoise may stil l be found in avast area nearby.On weekends there is a parade ofcampers, trucks and motorhomes towingd u n e b u g g i e s . O r i g i n a t i n g f r o m a l lpoints in Southern California and Ne-vada, they converge on the DumontDunes, located 35 miles north of Baker,for a weekend of ecstatic fun.This is a sport enjoyed by all of thefamily. From a distance the groupscamped over the sands resemble thewagon trains that travelled and restedhere over 100 years ago. The Old Span-ish Trail and the Mormon Trail followedthe Amargosa River and forms the north-ern boundary of the dunes.In October 1973, the Bureau of LandMana geme nt attem pted to close an area,including Dumont Dunes. One groupfrom Nevada, the Las Vegas Sand Gam-

blers, opposed the closure. They en-gaged a mining engineer and f i led min-25


26/48

ing claims over the entire area. There iean air of uncertainty among the dunebuggy organizat ions about the futureplans of the BLM.

A call to the Riverside office of theBL M p rovided some answers from a verycooperat ive Information Off icer. Thereason for closing any area is to protectanimal or vegetat ion of a unique nature.

He stated the n orthwest po rt ion of theDunes are wide open and wil l remainso . The southwest port ion wil l be forespecially designed use. No vehicles ex-cept on access roads and controlledcamping sites. Other uses may be des-ignated after a fact-f inding group, com-posed of users, residents, and BLM per-sonnel, study their effects. Sperry Washis open all the way. The only closedarea to wheeled vehicles as of now isthe Amargosa River in Tecopa Canyon.Hiking is permitted and is posted. KelsoDunes, southeast of Baker, are totallyclosed. Maps are available at the BLMoffice in Riverside on request.

Farther along Highway 127 is the Te-copa Loop. According to local Paiutes,Tecopa means "wi ld cat w ater ing place ."It is located on the Old Spanish Trailblazed by Antonio Armijo in 1829. Hisdiary states, "Arrived at the Amargosa(bitter water) and there were Indiansliving on the banks but they werepeaceable."The evidence of several Indian cul-tures is st i l l there. Along the higher

hil ls bordering the r iver are numeroussleeping circles. A network of Indianand game trails lead out across the hillsto springs such as Saratoga and IbexSprings in Death Valley. Also to thespr ings at Shoshone and Rest ingSprings. Near some of these springsone may f ind rock hunting blinds. Alongthe trails are scattered rock road signsor religious shrines. If one is observant,he may notice an acre of ground withperhaps two dozen or more crude rockmosaics. They are so ancient the sunhas baked a patina that blends them intothe landscape. An early cuture buriedtheir dead in rock-covered graves. NearTecopa is a sacred mountain with adozen of these prehistoric burials.

Some of the trails were closed. A rowof rocks placed across the trail indicatesthis condit ion and a branching trail de-tours. Near Shoshone, on an acre of des-ert pavement, an Indian maze is outlinedin rocks. There are compartments of var-ious sizes and shapes and what appearsto be wings leading into the maze. Whatis it? A game? A ritual? Or could it be amap designating tr ibal grounds?

In Greenwater Canyon, near DeathValley Junction are petroglyphs, camp-sites, trails and pas where seeds andnuts were ground. Rarely does one findan artifact, but the pleasure is in seekingout and photog raphing these samplesof bygone artistry.This hobby can be combined with rock

and gem collect ing or exploring hisold mines or ghost towns.

The Gunsight and Noonday M ines andthe original town of Tecopa are eightmiles from the present Tecopa. Openedin 1865 by Mormon miners, the minesprovide historic rock or abode buildings,dump sites, a graveyard enclosed by awooden fence held together by squarenails and a mil lsite where the mil l hand?lived in caves. These places are con-nected by a system of old deep-ruttedwagon roads and can be easily over-.looked unless one enjoys the ruggedter ra in and fo l lows them to the i rconclusion.

On the Spanish Trail you w il l be wa lk-ing where Kit Carson, Pegleg Smith,Fremont and many others of long agowalked Chief Wakara, Ute chieftain,and the Mountain Men drove herds ofstolen horses and fought skirmishes withtheir Mexican pursuers along this t ra i l .In 1844, Kit Carson and Alex Godeytracked a band of Indians with stolenhorses and surprised them at IbexSprings.

Tecopa is still a watering place. On oldmaps, just off the Spanish Trai l , is"Bo i l ing Spr in gs." This is the presentTecopa Hot Springs. The natural hotwaters have attracted a large populationseeking relief from arthrit is, muscularaches and other ailments.

At one t ime, the Hot Springs were for"Snowbirds" only. However, wi th air

Sleeping circles by Amargosa River. Collapsed rock hunting blinds.


27/48

AI I IIP

Ml

i r

El.

Sim HB H :,'>

The Lomita Lobos on the Dumont Dunes.conditioning the year around healthseekers increased. Now there is a medi-cal cl inic with a ful l- t ime nurse and avisiting doctor, also an ambulance ser-vice and a fire department.

This is a far cry from the day whenthe old-time hardrock miners used tocome for the 14 day "tobacco cu re ."From 1865 to the 1930s these springswere used almost solely by them to " bo ilout." Some, on arr ival, quit tobacco andswore the hot water boiled out the nico-tine and other impurit ies through theirskin. On checking with two doctors re-cently, both agreed. The 108-degreewa te r p r o mo te s b e t te r c i r cu l a t i o n ,cleansing the blood, and perspirationcleanses the pores and body tissues.Therefore, i t seems the withdrawal t imeof the narcotic is greatly speeded byfrequent bathing in the hot waters.Smokers take note, but please don'tstart a rush for the treatment unti l youhave checked with your own doctor.

Many of the Hot Springs users stayat Shoshone, a short drive north onHighway 127. Incidental ly, Dad Fair-banks, one of Baker 's pioneers, startedShoshone when he moved from thebusted boomtown of Greenwater in 1910.

Shoshone has always been a supplypoint for the Death Valley miners. It isalso a good starting point to visit theold copper camp of Greenwater. The re-mains of Zabriskie tow n site and the OldAmargosa Borax Works are close by.Desert/April 7975

Recently, there was a stir of excite-ment when a winter traveler brought ina mass of metal weighing 50 poundsfound in a tin can dump at Greenwater.It was gray and malleable and wasthought to be pure silver. An old pros-pector examined it carefully and pro-nounced it to be an alloy. This proved tobe true. It was type-metal from theG r e e n wa te r Chuckwalla n e wsp a p e rwhich stopped publication in 1908.

Shoshone is where the vanishing spe-cie "The Old Time Prospector" is mak-ing his last stand. They gather at theGold Mine Rock Shop and swap stories,compare ore samples and plan prospect-ing tr ips. There is sti l l gold in "themthar mounta ins." Ask and they mightshow you some.

Enroute to Death Valley Junction andclose to the main road is the Windcave.From an opening in the l imestone m oun-tain a rush of air gushes out. The open-ing is almost perpendicular and narrow.Efforts to descend have failed. An under-ground r iver, the Amargosa, passes afew hundred yards to the east. The popu-lar theory supports, the belief th at theWindcave is an entry way to a large un-derground cavern, with the Amargosaflowing through. Perhaps some day thepassage wil l be enlarged and the mys-tery of the Windcave wil l be solved.

At Death Valley Junction there is ahum of activity. The huge mission-stylebuilding that encloses a large plaza on

Ore bin at the Noonday Minethree sides had been in a decline formany years. Built by the Pacific CoastBorax of 20-Mule Team fame, it housestheir general offices, store, hotel, dormi-tories, hospital and even a theater. Inthe manner of the Spanish Mission, i tfurnished every need to those employedthere. Today the entire complex is beingrestored to its former elegance.

Peter Simon, owner of the Bonnie andClyde auto, Pops Oasis, Jean, Nevada isthe new owner. He collects old towns aswell as old autos. He is sole owner ofboth Jean and Death Valley Junction. Amem ber of the off road organ izationSNORE, he plans a race soon betweenhis two towns.

The Amargosa Opera House is operat-ing to a ful l house. Marta Beckett,famed baller ina, is a very dedicatedartist. Many hours of practice daily in-sures the perfection and beauty of hermovements and perfect t iming so thatduring a performance one sits en-thral led. The sudden turning on of thelights at the conclusion is a physicalshock as one returns to reality.

Tom Wil l iams, manager of the OperaHouse, has added responsibi l i t ies, but i tis mostly a labor of love. He is resi-dent manager for Peter Simon and is incharge of the restoration.

Death Valley Junction, of course, isalso a gateway to Death Valley and thenorthern boundary of California's "LastFront ier Play grou nd."

27


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, - j . . . , . . . . . .

H Iff* ' _ o ^ .

< * 3 M B .

aiiiirT--

j * *B * * - M H a i i ^ :Left: Looking down on Alamosfrom Guadalupe Hill.Below: An oldcolonial home in ruins.Opposite Page: The Almada homeon the plaza is nowHotel Los Portales.

A l a m o s :T h e %

t h a t R e f u s e dt o D i ebyJIMSMULLEN

28

I'S THE PLACE that produced morewealth in silver for Spain's Charles IIIthan any other region in the empire;it 's the home of the Mexican jumpingbean; it is where, according to disputedlegend, a daughter of the Almadas,wealthy residents, on her wedding daywalked over a path of silver bars to hercarriage because the plaza was muddy;it 's a city where grand houses extendedfor full city blocks; it 's the place fromwhere t iny groups of men and women setout to found the cities of San Franciscoand Los Ang eles; i t 's a city tha t knewthe terror of Indian uprisings, f loods,plagues and upheavals of revolution; and

Desert/Aoril 7971


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i t s a place whe re progress turned awayand it was almost dissolved into adobedust l ike many others.

But i t was a city that refused to die.The place is Alamos, Sonora, Mexico,

hardly a city in today's defin it ion. Buther story is f i l led with drama that couldbe shared with a town many times hersize.

Alamos is 30-odd miles east of Hwy. 15from Navojoa in the foothills of the SierraMadre Occidental. In a tropical zone un-l ike the semi-ar id area that surroundsher, Alamos is easy to ignore as thetraveler moves south on his way toMaza tlan and Guadalajara. But once vis-ited and explored, Alam os proves to be a

place that allows a rare backward lookover the centuries to what Mexico was.

While most other surviving towns andcities of Mexico have moved forward instep with the 20th Century, Alamos pur-posefully lags behind. Only recently hasthere been more than one or two tele-phones there, and it was part of life toline up for long distance calls from theplug-in switchboard just outside the can-tina at Los Portales Hotel. Now directdial ing has intruded with micro wavecommunications tapping the l i fe style.

But all is not lost. The tempo of thingsis casual, insuring a resistance to change.This has been typical of Alamos history.Deser t/A r il 7975 29

One guarantee is that physically Alamosmust stay as it was in the Colonial timesbecause the State of Sonora has declaredthe town a monument, meaning that nohigh rise structures can break the sky-line and that each stone dislodged mustliterally be put back in place. The pavedroad leading from Navojoa to Alamoscomes to an end at the edge of town,giving way to cobblestones and history.There have been changes in Alamos,ever so subtle. Like the coming of thegringo. It was back in the '50s, not longafter a Pennsy lvanian named W . LevantAlcorn discovered Alamos for himself.That was in 1947, and once having seenAlamo s, he determined to begin a careerof rebuilding the old Colonial homes.Other Am ericans fol lowe d, purchased oldruins, refurnished them to their or iginalsplendor and with this Alamos wasreborn.

But hundreds of years ago, Alcorn waspreceded to the area by other men withother motives. There was Diego de Guz-man, a Spaniard who, in 1533, only adozen years after Cortez' conquest, wasseeking Indians for the slave trade. Hefol lowed Indian trai ls and undoubtedlystopped at the place where two arroyosmet and rested under the cottonwoodsa f te r wh ich A lamos was even tua l l ynamed. Guzman found the Yaquis mostunwilling delegates for the slave busi-ness. Following a battle that left manyof his men wounded, it is very possiblethey returned to the place of the two

arroyos to nurse their wounds.Anothe r individ ual, Cabeza de Vaca, is

said to have come through the site ofAlamos from Flor ida, being the firstEuropean to go through Arizona. Onreaching Mexico City in 1536, he gave areport to the Viceroy of the Seven Citiesof Cibola where " go ld and si lver could beplucked from the ground." The Viceroywas eager to claim those cities and sentan expedition led by a Franciscan priest,Fray Marcos de Niza, to investigate.Much later, de Niza returned in fr ight,after losing many men in battles with theIndians. En route, a resting place wasthe native vi l lage of Calimaya where thearroyos met, and when he reached Mex-ico City, his report was that there wereindeed Cities of Cibola where men with"l i tt le shovels of gold removed sweatfrom their bodies."

Next it was Vasquez de Coronado'stu rn . With a large body of soldiers, hemoved north in quest of the golden cities.His log tells of stopping at the two ar-royos in 1540. The locale now was calledReal de los Frailes for the white rock for-mations that resembled hooded monks.

The Seven Cities of Cibola never ma-terialized from the dreams of their seek-ers. But the legend's l ine with Alamoswas most prophetic. Time would pass,however, as nearly a century went by be-for the Jesuits established a mission atthe site of the present Alamos church.That was in 1630 and from then on thewealth of the region revealed itself,


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Today's friendly Indians have Easter ceremonial dance. For hundreds of years theirdances meant something else.though there were no men removingsweat from their bodies with "l i t t leshovels of g o l d . " Instead, it was silverfrom the local mines.

Most intr iguing f ind was the discoveryat Aduana in 1683. Indians saw a beauti-ful maiden on a tall cactus. Attemptingto rescue her, they rolled large stones tothe base of the plant. Looking up, theydiscovered she had vanished. Then,glancing down to the spot where thestones were dislodged, they saw out-croppings of silver ore. To them, thiswas a miracle and the founding of amine at Adua na. Later a church was bu ilton the site of the cactus, and was calledNuestra Senora de Balvanere. A giantcactus, st i l l growing, appeared in theadobe wall as if to confirm the Indians'belief. Although never recognized by theCatholic Church as a miracle, the Bishopin 1737 ordered the celebration of theFiesta of Nuestra Senora de Balvanereon November 21, an event observed tothis day.

This was the t ime, when beckoned bythe discovery of silver, that Eluropeanswere drawn to Alamos. Their houseswere primit ive, scattered at random,much resembling the Indian huts underthe cottonwoods. Many were close to treeplatforms where their inhabitants couldtake refuge from rising waters in thearroyos.

Records show that the name Alamoswas adopted in 1686 and the area wasbecoming well known. Father Eusebio30

Kino , in his task of estab lishing missions,stopped there in 1687 to acquire funds.

In that year, there were problems.The Tarahumara Indians (known as thefastest humans as they hunted deer byrunning them down) struck the areafrom their stronghold in the mountains.Alamos became the headquarters of thede f end ing S pan ish so ld ie r s . Gene ra lAndre de Rezebal ordered a watch towererected on a high hill where a bell wouldbe rung warning of an Indian attack.The hill became known as Cerro de laCampana, or bell hi l l .

Next came an assay office in 1690 andAlamos became headquarters for trainsof a thousand m ul

197504 desert magazine 1975 april

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