197505 desert magazine 1975 may

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WILLIAM KNYVETT, Publisher-Editor

GEORGE BRAGA, Art DirectorMARY FRANCES STRONG, Field Trip EditorF. A. BARNES, Utah Associate EditorGLENN VARGAS, Lapidary EditorK. L. BOYNTON, NaturalistMARVEL BARRETT, Circulation Manager

DuvxLMAGAZINE

Volume 38, Number 5 MAY 1975

THE COVER:A double arch in TheW in d o ws s ec t io n ofArches National Park inSoutheastern Utah. Photoby James Blank, ChulaVista, Cali fornia.

CONTENTSF E A T U R E S

GHOSTS OF WHITE HILLS 8 Mary Frances Strong

WALLEYES ON THE DESERT 12 HarttWixomYAQLMTEPEC 16 Ernie Cowan

LIZARD ON THE CO! 20 K. L. BoyntonTHE STORY OF DAVIS CANYON 24 F.A.Barnes

OATMAN, ARIZONA 30 Howard NealCOYOTE ROAD 32 Betty Shannon

A TRIP INTO TIME 36 Al Pearce

D E P A R T M E N T SA PEEK IN THE PUBLISHER'S POKE 4 William Knyvett

BOOKS FOR DESERT READERS 5 Book ReviewsDESERT LIFE 29 Hans Baerwald

CALENDAR OF WESTERN EVENTS 40 Club Activities

DESERT PLANT LIFE 41 JimCornettRAMBLINC ON ROCKS 42 Glenn and Martha Vargas

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 46 Readers'Comments

EDITORIAL, CIRCULATION ANDADVE RTISING OFFICES: 74-425 Highway 111, Palm Desert, C alifornia 92260. Telephone Are a Code 714346-8144.Listed inStandard Rate andData. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States, Canada and Mexico; 1 year, $6.00; 2 years, $11.00; 3 years, $16.00. Otherforeign subscribers add$1.00 U. S. currency foreach year. See Subscription Order Form in this issue. Allow five weeks for change of address andsendboth newand oldaddresses with zipcodes. DESERT Magazine ispublished monthly. Second class postage paid at Palm Desert, California and at addi-tional mailing offices under Act of March 3,1879. Contents copyrighted 1975 byDESERT Magazine and permission to reproduce any or all contents mustbe secured in writing. Manuscripts and photographs will not De returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.Desert/ May 1975


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"Ra in B a r re l "Assorted Issues1959 to 1965

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Mail all orders to: DEPT. TDESERT Magazine

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A P e e ki n th eP u b l i s h e r ' sP o k eQ N THE evening of April 4th, in a set-t ing of starl ight and campfire smoke,were gathered a fine group of Peg-legoph i les to comm emorate Ha r ryOliver 's birthday. Harry was that greatdesert press agent who was responsiblefor the original Pegleg Mine Trek andLiar's Contest back in the1940's, asforetold in our March issue by DianaLindsay.

This was the prelude to a weekend offun in California's Anza-Borrego DesertState Park where the Pegleg Monumentwas the center of all activities. A guidedNature Walk and a four-wheel-drive tourof the Borrego Badlands were followedby the main event, The Liar's Contest,where outrageous tales of personal ex-per iences kept everyone in f i ts oflaughter.

Several hundred people braved achilly nig ht to hear Ben Stird ivan t, ofHem et, weave a tall tale of Indians andgold to place first; Sandy Eastman, of ElToro, was second as she told of a person-al encounter with a man with a woodenleg and its bruising consequences; Es-condido's Jim Huie recounted an excit-ing overnight experience in the Anza-Borrego Desert when a packrat substi-tuted his crackers for gold nuggets whichearned him third prize. Terry Brann andWarren Boynton, both o f Bor regoSprings, received honorable mentionawards, and Phil Smith, of ImperialBeach, slipped away into the night andhis booby prize is at the Desert Maga-zine office awaiting its right claimant.

It was a resounding success, so let'splan right now to all be together nextyear and see who's "The Biggest Liar ofThe m A l l . "

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ONLY $ 3 * > 0 PostpaidSend check or money order to:7)l4tAL MAGAZINEPalm Desert, California 92260Calif. Res. add 6% sales tax

Desert / May 1975


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B o o k s forD 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.

The 1 andof Little Roin

THE LA ND OF L ITTLE RAINBy Mary Austin

Ecologist, feminist and mystic beforethese terms became popular, Mary Aus-tin knew the desert as few human beingshave known it. The Land of Little Rain,f i rs t publ ished in 1903, is an ac-knowledged classic of southwestern lit-erature. It describes the plant, animaland human l i fe of the border region ofSouthern Cali fornia and Arizona, land ofthe yucca, the coyote, the buzzard, in-habited by miners, vaqueros, Shoshoneand Paiute Indians.

Mary's family moved west in 1888, tohomestead in the San Joaquin Valley,where Mary found a job teaching. Dis-couraging though the homestead effortwas, she never lost her feeling for thedesert wi th the "presence" she fe l tthere, which she described as "brood-i ng " and "al oo f." It was a t imelessand colorful world of roadrunner, burrosand prospectors: Indian campoodies w iththeir basket makers and medicine men;sheep pastures; stagecoach towns wherefaro deal ing, cock f ights, f iestas andchurch fairs were activities in the broadvalleys and spacious hills.

As early as 1903, when Mary Austinwrote the essays that became The Landof Little Rain, she had discovered theDesert/May 1975

c h a r m and i n t e r e s t of old g e o l o g i c a lridges, mesquite-coyered ranges, andsky-reaching mesas, lands without hu-man occupancy, but a part of nature'sf ramework . Vas t open spaces wereneither silent nor barren for her. Sherecognized an exchange of communica-t ion everywhere, and her search was tounderstand and participate as ful ly asshe could.

Mary Austin wrote about al l this whi leshe l ived in the "brown house under thewil low tree at the end of the vi l lagestreet." The vi l lage was Independence,Cali fornia , where the visitor m ay f ind thehouse today.

Although she is best known for herw r i t i ngs abou t S ou the rn C a l i f o rn i a ,Mary Austin was also a playwright,poet, essayist and novelist. She pro-duced some 35 books and hundreds ofshorter works during a 42-year career.In the early twentieth century she wasinstrumental in founding the Carmelcolony of artists and writers and laterlived in New York City and Santa Fe,New Mexico. Of her many works, onlyThe Land of Little Rain has been re-peatedly reissued.

I l l us t ra ted paperback . 171 pages .$2.45

Atils ofDeep Carnm

L r_ANTS OF DEEP CANYONBy G.C. and Jeanette Wheeler

The ubiquitous ant has been the sub-jec t o f in ten s ive sc ien t i f i c researchthrough out the world and the environs ofthe Colorado Desert of southeasternCali fornia provide us with a del ightfullittle handbook detailing the activities of59 specific ant neighbors families thatl ive just up the al luvial fan of awesomeDeep Canyon, si te of the University ofCali fornia's world-famed Phil ip L. BoydDeep Canyon Desert Research Center.

Ad mitte dly a scienti f ic handbook, thislittle volume is written for the seriouslayman as wel l . Serious about ants andthe teeming wildl i fe around you every-

in the low desert. The authors arec ons i de re d t he na t i on ' s ou t s t and i ngcouple engaged in ant research. Theirheadquar te rs a re in Reno a t theUniversity of Nevada's Desert ResearchInsti tute but on any given day you mayfind them far a field in the Great Basin orSonoran Deserts. They spent more thanthree years researching and writ ing thisbook.

The Wheelers warn that many similarspecies among the 59 found in theCoachella Val ley footh i l ls wi l l baff le ord i -nary efforts for iden ti f ication. It takes anexpert and a powerful microscope insome cases so the casual visitor needn'tfeel inadequate if the problem over-whelms.

The key to identi f ication for the morecommon species may be found in color,size, nesting habits and, most painful ly,as the Wheelers learned by personal ex-perience, by their bite and/or st ing.An ts of the low desert play a vita l rolein the overall ecology of their home re-gion. Some are seed harvesters; otherscult ivate l iving food containers; st i l lothers manufacture their food in muchthe same way the cheesemaker pro-cesses those delicious Old World varie-ties, with mold and bacterial action.

In short, ants live a r ich, ful l , sur-pris ingly diverse and varied existence,whether in the open desert or in thewarmth and food-fi l led comforts of yourhouse.

What the Wheelers learned wil l be ofinterest to any desert resident, of par-t i c u l a r i m po r t anc e t o t he na tu ra lgardener, to the casual researcher ofother wi ld plant and animal l i fe.

Hardcover, with many i l lustrations,162 pages, $8.95; paperbac k, $3.95.

G a b a n a sk P u e r t o M e j i ao n B a j a C a l i f o r n i a

16 miles from La Paz by unpaved road, one ofthe very few spots of desert and sea beautywhere you can forget about time.In an almost isolated small cove with only fivecabins, completely equipped with all the ne-cessary things for simple living. Lighthouse-keeping basis.For further information andcontact: reservations,DR. RODOLFOGIBERTR.Av .5 DEM AYO# 2 4 ,Telephone 2-03-32

LA PAZ, B.C. MEXICO


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S end orderstoBox 1318,Palm Desert, California 92260Please add 25c for postage & handlingTHE 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.THE GUNFIGHTERS, paintings and text by LeaF. McCarty.Contains 20 four-color reproductionsof some of the most famous gunfighters of theWest, together with a brief history of each.Large format, beautifully illustrated, $3.00.SUCCESSFUL COIN HUNTING by Charles L.Garrett. An informative study of coin hunting,this is a complete guide on where to search,metal detector selection and use, digging toolsand accessories, how to dig and the care andhandling of coins. A classic book in the field. 181pages, paperback, $5.00.CALIFORNIA GEM TRAILS by Darold J. HenryThis completely revised fourth edition is themost authoritative guide for collectors of rocks,gemstones, minerals and fossils. Profusely illus-trated w ith maps and contains excellent descrip-tive text. Paperback, $3.00.

AMERICAN INDIAN FOOD AND LORE by Car-olyn Neithammer. The original Indian plantsused for foods, medicinal purposes, shelter,clothing, etc., are described in detail in this fas-cinating book. Common and scientific names,plus descriptions of each plant and unusualrecipes. Large format, profusely illus., 191pages, $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.

*r 2

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 m ining camps of the We sl. He bringstogether all the men and wo men, all the fascinat-ing ingredients, all the violent contrasts whichgo to make up one of the most e nthralling 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 Arizon a, kegs of coins, and all sorts of ex-citing booty for treasure seekers. Hardcover$5.95.CACTI OF CALIFORNIA by E. Yale Dawson. Ahandy guide with description and illustrations ofthe principal cacti of California. Paperback, 64pages, $1.95.6

fir

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. H ardcover, 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 sto ry-te ller, involvesOld M an H osteen, 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.

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 "su d-denly modern" the early West became after thearrival of the white man. The difference in arti-facts typifies the historical background in eachcase. The same authors tell 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 California'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.MOCKEL'S DESERT FLOWER NOTEBOOK byHenry and Beverly Mockel. The well-knownpainter of desert wildflowers has combined hisfour-color sketches and black and whitephotographs to describe in detail so the laymancan easily identify wildflowers, both large andsmall. Microscopic detail makes this an out-standing book for identification. Special com-pressed fiber cover which will not stain. 54 full-color illustrations with 72 life-size drawings and39 photographs, 316 pages, $5.95.

JEEP TRAILS TO COLORADO GHOST TOWNSby Robert L. Brown. An i l lustrated, de tailed, in-formal history of life in the minin g camps deep inthe almost inaccessible mountain fastness of theColorado Rockies. 58 towns are included as exam-ples of the vigorous strugg le for existence in themining camps of the We st. 239 pages, illustrate d,end sheet map, hardcover, $7.95.GHOST TOWNS OF THE WEST by LambertFlorin. This popular hard-back series is nowavailable in paperback volumes. Rearrangedstate by state, lavishly illustrated, handy to takealong while trave ling. Please state which volumewhen ordering: California-$3.95; Colorado/Utah-$2.95; Nevada-$2.95; Oregon-$2.95.PHOTO ALBUM OF YESTERDAY'S SOUTH-WEST compiled by Charles Shelton. Early daysphoto collection dating from 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 intrigu ing present of this s tillwild corner of the West sometimes called theI-O-N, where Idaho, Oregon and Nevada come to-gether. Hardcover, 225 pages, $7.95

Desert/May 1975


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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 Kirk's work is an extraordinar-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 manyespecially the complex pe-troglyph s are historica l accounts of actualevents. Hardcover, well illustrated, glossarybibliography, 210 pages, $8.95.A GUIDE TO WESTERN GHOST TOWNS byLambert Florin. Prepared by the West's mosttraveled spook hunter, this complete guide listsover 400 ghost towns in Washington, Oregon,California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Arizona,Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, the Dakotas, NewMexico, Texas, Alaska and British Columbia.Mileages, road conditions, maps, superlativephotos, paperback, $3.95.JOURNEYS WITH ST. FRANCIS by Alvin Gor-don, illustrated by Ted DeGrazia. A beautifullywritten book covering incidents in the life of St.Francis of Assisi, illustrated with 22 four-colorplates by DeGrazia, one of America's outstand-ing artists. Hardcover, $6.75.

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.A LIGHT-HEARTED LOOK AT THE DESERTby Chuck Waggin. A delightfully written and il-lustrated book on desert animals which will beappreciated by both children and adults. Theskeches are excellent and, although factual,descriptions make the animals seem like humanbeings. Large format, heavy quality paper, 94pages, $2.25.

LAS VEGAS [As It BeganAs 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 w ith 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 d on'thave to gamble on this one! Hardcover*, largeforma t, 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.THE ROSE & THE ROBE by Ted DeGrazia.Text and sketches tell of the travels of Fray Juni-pero Serra in California, 1769-1784. Tremendoushistory and art appeal. Large format, 25 four-color illustrations by DeGrazia. Hardcover,$11.75.TOP BOTTLES U.S.A. by Art and Jewel Umber-ger. The discovery of a rare old bottle 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 illustrate d, paperback, $4.50.

WILDL IFE OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS byJim Cornett. Written for the layman and seriousstudents alike, this is an excellent book on all ofthe common animals of the Southwest deserts. Amust for desert explorers, it presents a brief lifehistory of everything from ants to burros. Paper-back, 80 pages, $2.99.NAVAJO RUGS, Past, Present and Future byGilbert S. Maxwell. Concerns the history, leg-ends and descriptions of Navajo rugs. Full colorphotographs. Paperback, $3.00.SOM EWHER E 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 western story from the daysof the conquistadores to the 20th Ce ntury. Manyrare photos never published before. Large 9x12format, hardcover, 288 pages, originally pub-lished at $10.00, now only $4.95.Desert/May 1975

THE WIND LEAVES NO SHADOW by RuthLaughlin. "LaTules," 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 w it,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.LOST TREASURES OF THE WEST by BradWilliams and Choral Pepper. The authors havegathered together little-known stories of miss-ing, stolen or buried wealth. Every tale containssubstantial clues to the whereabouts of fabledand, in some instances, fabulous wealth. Hard-cover, 184 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 $3.95.THE 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 BajaRoadlog 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. Welsh, 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.


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M l HEN YOU examine a map of Ar i -j zo n a , a small portion of the north-

L I J west corner of the state appears tohave been squeezed out of its bo undariesinto Southern Nevada. This configurationis caused by a natural separation be-tween the two states the m ighty Colo-rado River. It is at this point the greatriver makes an abrupt 90-degree turnand heads almost due south on the lastleg of its long journey to the Gulf ofCalifornia.

Known to explorers and prospectorssince the early 1800's, this highly min-eralized region has boasted its share of"st r ikes and boomtowns." Their tenurehas been brief. Until recently, it has re-mained a rather inhospitable land with avery small, scattered populat ion.

Today, the northwest corner of Ari-zona is coming into its own. Senior cit i -zens have found the wide-open-spaces,warm climate and fresh air to their likingfor retirement homes. Recreationists,looking for new country to explore, willf ind much to interest them along his-torical trails, or while visit ing old miningdistricts and ghost towns such as WhiteHil ls .

Once the largest " town" in north-western Arizona, the camp of WhiteHills lies at the base of a pass throughthe hills for which it was named. In 1894,its population had swelled to 1200. Thiswas two years after rich silver ore hadbeen located by Henry Shaffer of GoldBasin. However, Henry was not theoriginal discoverer. The deposits hadbeen known to the Indians and it wasHualpai Jeff who showed Henry ore fromdeposits he had discovered in 1887. Healso guided Henry to the location. Thelatter promptly filed several claims be-fore returning to Cold Basin to tell hisfriends about the new bonanza.

Hualpai Jeff probably came to rue theday he gave the secret away. Shafferand two of his friends, John Burnettand John Sullivan, returned to the newstr ike. Additional locations were madeand the three men began working theirseparate claims. The silver ore occurredin quartz veins traversing l ight-colored,gnessiod granite. It was this coloringthat led to the name "White Hi l ls. "Mining was easy and the ore rich, aver-aging $1000 per ton. News of the strikequickly spread to other camps and eagerprospectors began arriving daily. Manyfor tunes were made f rom sur faceworkings.

G h o s t s o fW h i t e H i l l s

Right: 40-stamonce reverberated t

crumbling foundatio' of this mill si

by MARY FRANCES STRONGPhotos by Jerry Strong

Lower rigThroughout the hilruins of stone cabi

will be founLower left: Af

80 years of weatherinwood in the shaft-he

is splintered ableached. T

ore-bucket cable sremains in pla

s , - ; ,

One man, R.T. Root, had visions ofgrandeur for the camp of White Hills. Itwould become the "mining capi ta l" ofthe region. Quickly forming the WhiteHil ls Mining Company and appoint inghimself president, Root teamed up withD.H. Moffat of Colorado. This was animportant merger, since Root would de-velop the district with capital supplied byMoffat. A 12-stamp mill was erected andthe first, deep shafts sunk. Within twoyears, the White Hil ls Mining Companyowned the camp!

The boom was on! As the populationcontinued to swell, the camp was rapidlybecoming a town. Freight wagons ar-

rived reguarly with the necessities, aswell as luxuries. All the mines were do-ing well with several reportedly earningfrom three to 12 million dollars for theirowners. It was a time of prosperity andthe townspeople enjoyed a life-style com-parable to the "folks back east."

White Hil ls' dest iny as a permanenttown seemed even more assured whenthe White Hil ls Mining Company wassold to an English firm for a millionand a half dollars. M oney seemed no ob-ject to the new White Hil ls Miningand Mil l ing Company which promptlybuilt a 40-stamp mil l . Next, an electricgenerating plant was installed to serve

Desert/May 1975


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both the town and the mines.Fire was one of the great fears of min-

ing towns. They were usually withoutadequate water a nd, once a f ire started,it developed into a holocaust. The nearestsource of water for White Hills was aspring seven miles east. A tremendousconcrete reservoir was built a mile abovethe town. Then, a wooden pipeline waslaid up and over the pass to the spring.Ano t he r p ipe l i ne de l i ve re d wa t e rthroughout the townsite. Fire hydrantswere strategically placed, which madeWhite Hills one of the few camps to havesuch modern services.

Unfortunately, the spring could notDesert/ May 1975

provide the large amounts of waterneeded; so water-wagons peddled theprecious liqu id on the streets. Booze wasnot in short supply and 12 saloons onMain Street did a brisk business.

White Hil ls also had many amenit iesdear to the hearts of the gentler sex. Afine schoolhouse and church graced thetown. In addit ion, a laundry, generalmercantile stores, ice wagons and num-erous small businesses catered to thetownfolks' every need.

Though the mines were doing wel l ,the White Hi l ls Mining and Mi l l ingCompany was in trouble. It had spent afortune developing both the town and the

mines. When the f inal property paymentcame due the company was unable tomeet it. A sheriffs sale was held andthe former owners, Root and Moffat,bought it back.

White Hil ls future st i l l looked brightwhen the Mohave County Miner fo rFebruary 6, 1897 stated it would be "thescene of the greatest excitement everwitnessed in a minin g camp on the Am er-ican continent." A year later, it was ob-vious the rich veins were playing out.People began to move away and by Janu-ary 28, 1899, the Mohave Miner was at-temp ting to strengthen m orale by reportssuch as "Cabins are f i l l ing up again.School is running smoothly with full at-tendance. White Hills is a good place tocome back to. You are welcome, return-ing prodigals. "

Even Mother Nature took a slap at thelit t le town whose bright future seemedassured. Aga in, the Mohave Miner gavethe details. "Early on the morning ofAug ust 5th (1899) a cloudb urst in thehills took the desert by surprise andpoured water down the town's streets. Ashanty in its path bade goodbye to thetown and started for the valley, and by9 o'clock the whole town was in danger.Water came tossing down like rapidsabove Niagara, the waves seeming to runfour or five feet high.

"L uc kily , the water took a path to oneside of the business section. A cabin inwhich Mr. Shallenberger was sleepingwas l if ted and whir led end for end . Aftermuch f loundering in the water he man-aged to pull ashore with his blankets.The foundation was washed away fromunder the eastside of the schoolhouseand it l ies t i l ted toward the sunrise withmud piled inside.

"At the Grand Army Extension themen got out just as the water filledthe shaft to the collar! At the AfricanMin e , with water and rocks streamingdown the shaft, the men were unable toclimb the 200 feet of ladders until atrench turned the main sheet of waterand the men escaped.

"T wo feet of soil was deposited on theroad surfaces an d six horses were neededto pull one wagon through the silt ." Theaccount in the newspaper concludes," W e m ight call their affair too much ofa good thing. For water sells at one dol-lar a barrel in White Hil ls . . . we had amill ion dollar b a t h ! "

At the turn-of-the-century, the greatboom was over. The Indian Secret Min-9


10/48

ing Distr ict need not hang its head inshame. Over 12-mil l ion dollars in silverhad been wrested from the r ich veins.Silver ore still remains in the White Hi l lsmines. Over the years there have beenmany attempts to mine it prof i tab ly.None have been very successful. It isthe same old story high operatingcosts and a low price for silver.

Our tr ip to White Hi l ls found usdr iv-ing south from Hoover Dam on a narrowribbon of asphalt marked Highway 93.We passed through a series of hil ls,then entered Detr ital Valley an ar id,creosote-coverd basin of considerablesize. It wa s a lonely road, void of traf-f ic and settlements. White Hil ls is shownon most Arizona road maps and we did n'tanticipate any problem in f ind ing it.However , we were unprepared for justhow well it would be marked.

Our map indicated the road we wantedshould join the Highway at a point des-ignated as "Bou lder Inn."When theodometer indicated we should be ap-proaching the turnoff , a few buildingloomed into view. They proved to be the" i n n " a bar andcafe. What startledus was notonly a road sign but a huge

A reservoir, designed to provide waterfor White Hills, is still in good repair.

sign above it announcing "Golden Horse-shoe Ranchos Fun n the sun retire-ment 9 miles east." Good heavens, aret i rement community out here in theboondocks miles from anycity? Wecouldn't believe it. Our interest wasaroused and we decided to take a lookafter explor ing the old mining camp.

We continued east on a wide gradedroad. "D o you suppose some of the minesare working now the price of silver isup?" I asked theother half of theteam." I t is possible, but rather doubtful.None of the silver mines we have re-cently visited have shown anysigns ofopening again," wasJerry 's rep ly. Atthis point, we entered a stand of Joshuatrees. So comm only foun d in Nevada andon California 's Mojave Desert, thereareonly a few stands in Ar izona.

After traveling just over f ive milesfrom thehighway, we reached the baseof the Whi te Hi l l s and the site of the

V'"""' f/f*

WHITE HILLS,ARIZONA

W H I T E

7 ' / I , I O ^ ' ^ w j > , i i ' / ,Golden 'Horshoes

H I L L Smil!site MOHAVE COUNTY

10

ghost tow n. Of the atter, l i tt le remainedexcept for he roof ofone collapsed bu ild-ing plus the rubble and rubbish left be-hind when a town dies. Pull ing off ontothe main, bladed north-south road, weenjoyed a coffee break while we studiedthe hi l ls. Thenearest one was coveredwith dumps, prospect holes and adits.There were somany mounds circl ing thehi l l , it looked as if giant gophers hadheld a convention.

A sign at the junction proclaimed"Buffa lo Lake Mines L td. , Wh i te H i l lsM i ne , Authorized Personnel Only, Be-yond this point." We didn't trespass butfol lowed the crossroad north a short dis-tance and turned left at a three-way fork.In less than a mile, we left the mainroad and headed into the hills on a two-track t ra i l . Mines were everywhere.There had, indeed, been considerableactivity inwhat iscalled the Indian SecretMin ing Distr ict .

We stopped frequently to look overmines and the ruins of oldstone cabins.Several sizable piles of bleached andsplintered planks indicated the sites oflarge buildings one might have been aformer dining hall . Pieces of old glassand soldered cans were seen but nowhole bottles.

The road gradually curved south. It ledus by a number of mines to a side roadwhere wecame across theoriginal mil lsite; then, back to the three-fork junc-t ion. We hadtaken the circle tour!Desert/May 1975


11/48

"W e st i l l haven' t found the ruins of a40-stamp m i l l , " I remarked to Jerry."Perhaps we had better check out theroad running south," he responded. Indoing so, we passed two buildings notvisible from the main road. Just beyondthem we stopped at a couple of long,narrow concrete vats into which waterhad been piped from a tank on the hi l l .Sacks of l ime, many spil l ing their con-tents from w eathe ring, were st i l l stackedalong the edge of the vats.We speculated about the set-up andcouldn ' t f igure out themining techniquethat had been used. When Jerry climbedthe hil l to take some photographs, hecalled to me, "Dr ive beyond the vats.Boy, wil l you be surpr ised. " I did, andwas.

Hidden from view was the darndestarray of pipes and tanks a Rube Gold-berg nightmare! Now we could under-stand the system. Crushed ore wasscreened, leached out with l ime, thenrun through a series of cyanide tanks.We counted 16 small inter-connectedtanks and four large ones. We learnedlater this had been an unsuccessful op-eration by a Canadian company in the1940's. Just south of the tanks was theold mill site we hadbeen seeking and ahuge tai l ings dump.

There hadbeen an absence of trafficalong the White Hil ls Road, even thougha sign at the townsite stated, "JoshuaForest Golden Horseshoes SubdivisionDesert/May 1975

3 miles, Trailer Park, Campground, Pic-nic Area, Telephone." With our curios-ity still aroused, we slowly headed eastup thepass. Mo re mines andadits wereseen on the hil ls. Short ly, a low, veryflat hill seemingly out of place cap-tured ourat tent ion. As we drove along-side it proved to be the old concrete res-ervoir. Oval-shaped with tarred sides, itwas still in good condit ion. Continuingup the pass, we observed many, intactsections of the wooden pipeline.Leaving the hi l ls, we entered a highvalley and a forest of large Joshua trees.The change in f lora from the westernside of the White Hi l ls was amazing.Lush and green grew a t remendousvariety of desert plants.

Several attractive, old mining bui ld-ings greeted us at thesubdivision office.Owners Hal andJackie Brown proved tobe gracious hosts. In the t radit ion of t ruewestern hospitality, wewere soon enjoy-ing a welcome cup of coffee in their at-t ract ive mobilehome. We learned it hadbeen their dream to leave the br ightlights of San Francisco to settle in abeau-t i fu l and remote area of Arizona.

A litt le over a decade ago, their dream

was realized. Happiness and content-ment they have found and by subdiv id-ing their property, others of l ike mindhave come to jo in them. Hal has de-veloped a deep interest in the history ofthe region inwhich he l ives. Four-wheel-drive tr ips and research in mining ar-chives have given him a knowledgeablebackground of early act ivit ies.

Explor ing the old mining camp ofWhite Hi l ls had been most rewarding.This was the type of country we love vast expanses ofprimeval desert land. Aswe came down from thepass, westoppedto take one ast look. Sharply outlined inthe distance were rowafter row of hillsmarching across thesilent land. Under acanopy of bright blue sky, dotted withpil lowy mounds of clouds, it seemed asif we "cou ld see f o rever . "

Meet ing people whoshared our deepreverence for this lonely land hadbeenan added bonus. They, too, had beenwi l l ing to give up the f r i l ls of civil izat ionto seek a better way of l i fe. To do sobrings a precious gift from thedesertan inner peace and contentment foundonly when you if e wi th , not just on, thisGreat Planet Earth.

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12/48

WALLEYESbyHARTTWIXOM

1 WATCHED AS the angler cast a"black bomber" lure into the cur-rent. He let it drift deep into a longrif f le, then began a sporadic retr ieve.Seconds later the surface sprayed fur-iously as a large tail lashed out at thewor ld . Then a large head appeared,threshing violently. Soon the line boredeep toward snags on the opposite bank.The form broke water twice more.

Finally E.V. Stapley eased the fishonto a jutt ing sandbar.

" See , 1 old you we've got some nicewalleyes in this country," he smiled.

E.V. "E b b " Stapley is conservationoff icer for northern M il la rd County at the12 Desert/May 1975


13/48

Upper left: A favoriteplace to fish the

Lower Sevier River,just downstream from Delta.

Lower left: Bucktails andstreame rs are

excellent offeringsfor lunker walleyes.

Right: Typical walleyewill run about

three to four pounds.

edge of Utah's Great Salt Lake Desert.The major commu nity in this area, Delta,appears to be part of that desert on mostmaps. The facts are that the elevation islow for the arid west at some 3,000 feet,and desert- type plant l i fe surrounds thisoasis. Maps also show some blue repre-s e n t i n g D e l t a - M i l l a r d A s s n . D a m(DMAD), Sevier River, Cunnison Bendand others. But in this terrain fewanglers even bother to give such irr iga-tion catchalls a second look. If there wereany fish at all they would have to be ahardy brand of carp.

I thought so, too, until people likeStapley, long time native of this desertDesert/May 1975

country, insisted that walleyes plantedseveral years ago and al l but forgotten,were flourishing. We met him at hishome in Delta. He led us first to Gunni-son Bend, but no str ikes. We figured itwas too low and warm for f ish, even thetolerant walleye. Besides wasn't thewalleye an eastern fish? Who ever heardof them in the western desert?

But Stapley proved his point on hisfirst cast on the Sevier just belowDMAD. The wal leye was a n ice, fa t ,healthy three and one-half pounder.

Actually, Utah and other westernstates l ike Wyoming are beginning toblossom with excellent walleye fishing.

RTFor example, the Utah Fish-Game Div i -sion planted young walleyes in UtahLake some half a dozen years ago, andthe second year spawners began to showup in the feeder Provo River. By the nextyear fish were being taken in the Provoup to six pounds. Now 10-12 Ib. fish aretaken occasionally du ring the Mar ch r un.Average was four-six lbs.

Few were taken in the lake, possiblybecause fishermen were using trouttechniques for them. Even those whofished Utah Lake regular ly fai led to turnup any walleyes. But tagging studies bybiologists indicated the lake had a fair

13


14/48

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populat ion of them . Wh at 's more, not a l lwere spawning in the streams. A fairshare were laying eggs around theshoreline of various islands around thelake. Then f ishermen found the answer:dead minnows f ished slowly around thewalleye haunts. Dedicated anglers be-gan taking dozens of big f i sh .

The same thing happened in Wyom-i n g . Keyho ld Reservo i r and o the reastern Wyoming waters too warm fortrou t began to move from barren to boomstatus. Would trout f ishermen spendtheir t ime for wal leyes, or were the f i sh-game departments just wasting theirt ime? The answer was defini tely prowalleye.

Studies show that competition is keento best the state walleye records, and itcon t inues to go up each spr ing ,

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sometimes several times in a week asfishermen learn more about their habitsand habitat. The shores of the ProvoRiver during the mid-March spawningrun are now crowded with anglers inknown walleye hot spots. Yet, troutwaters nearby, open year around, arenot nearly so jammed with f ishermen.

The walleye seems to have found ahome in the West. He is being taken nowin most of the western states, with wide-spread introduction during the past f iveyears. He is gaining a reputation as a toptable fare, and ferocious striking poweron art i f icials, albeit a l i t t le low on f ight-ing stamina.

He is now found throughout most ofUtah. Some of the waters whe re the big-eyed true perch (not pike) has been in-troduced include Yuba Reservoir andsmaller waters in central Utah, lakesalong and on the Bear River in northernUtah and some in the southern port ion ofthe state. Seldom does he crowd out anytop game fish already there. In fact, he isa bonus f i sh , for he lives where even themost tolerant of trout, the brown, won'tthr ive.

In the Sevier River, for instance, thebrownie lives in rapids along canyoncountry 70 miles east of Delta, but onlythe walleye thrives along lower sectionsof the stream. This means that popula-t ions l iv ing in "marginal or unproduc-tive waters of the West can now enjoygame fish angl ing," in the words of onefishery biologist. In some waters likeBoreham he's replacing trout.

Best methods of taking the westernwalleye appear to be much like hiseastern and mid-western counterpart.Lead-head or jig fl ies are a favorite. Bestcolor seems to be yellow. But red andother bright hues also attract the f i sh .Spinners are also successful. They wil lalso take bait.

When actual ly spawning he is in shal-low water, often at the tail of holes. Butwhen resting he is taken deep. Thismeans many snags, but veteran walleyef i s he rme n t ak e a l ong p l e n t y o fequipment.

Wil l he be introduced to more waters?The answer appears to be yes.

Desert areas in particular seem tohave irr igation water that can be usedand rechanneled into downstream lakesw i t hou t bo the r i ng t he w a l l e y e . H es hou l d be p l an te d more f r e que n t l ythroughout the Great Basin in part icularDesert/May 1975


15/48

as tappears thefishermen w\\\ seekhimout. Andthat is beginning tohappen,even if the inaugural was less thansensational.

At f i rs t hewas looked upon with cur-iosity, asperhaps were the i rst carp n-troduced into the United States in thelate 1800's. But thewalleye hasattractedthe attention ofmany anglers once theyea t the white, delicious meat. There areno special fees for walleye fishing inUtah. Contact the Utah Division ofW i l d -l ife Resources, 1596 West North Temple,Salt Lake City, fordetails on licenses andannual regulations. Don't overlook thewinter , e i ther , asapr ime t ime togoafterhi m temperatures on the Sevier aredesert-warm and you can is h at at imewhen things aretoocold forhigh-eleva-tion trout. This marble-eyed f ish, thewalleye, also feeds voraciously after darkan d the Beehive State's year-aroundfisheries such as theSevier arealso open24 hours a day.

Canoeing, rockhounding and campingf i t inwel l atYuba State Park, anddownthe entire Sevier. While to the un-in it iated itmayappear as ro l l ing "waste-l and , " there is a profusion of wildf l o wer s andmu l t i - h u ed r o ck out-croppings. All of the deser t 's wi ld andstarkly charismatic lore is here, includ-in g the trilobite. Delta rock shops dis-play many of these fossil insects from thePaleozoic era. Remn a n ts f r o m th i sper iod, when the" l ion - l i ke" t r i lob i teslorded over the lower insect world,sometimes grew tomonster size in Mil-lard County much larger than theusual oneor two inches long.

The lower Sevier isalso anarea ofr ichwestern history. A party of emigrantshere killed a well- l iked Utechieftannamed Moshoquop. The Utes tookouttheir revenge ashort time later bydoingin eight members of aU.S. governmen-tal survey party, including their leader,J .W.Gunnison. This area isalso southofthe pony express route from Utah toCal i forn ia . Itproved " Ind ian co un t ry" toCallao.

There ismore: coyotes, bobcats, ante-lope, golden eagles, ground squirrelsweasels, anoccasional mule deer, ancthose cheerful bastions of hedesert, hehorned lark. All of th is , andwalleyes tooWhi le a relative newcomer, he is con-verting many who spent their vacationsin the mountains tosee and enjoy thedesert.Desert/May 1975

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Desert/May 1975


17/48

by ERNIE COWAN

G HOST MO UN TAIN - An appropr i -ate datel ine. As a chil l winter windsweeps across this rocky knob, rat-tling weathered boards of an old house,it is easy to imagine why they call thisplace Ghost Mountain.

Here , in a corner of A nza-Borre goDesert State Park, stands the crumblingruins of an unusual home, hardly morethan a ghost itself. Now lifeless and cold,this adobe, wood and tin building wasonce warm with a family f ire that burnedfor 15 years as a modern fam ily sou ght toescape to a pr imitive l i festyle.

The house on Ghost Mountain wasknown as Yaquitepec, or "home of theYaqui Tr ibe." The man who gave it thatname sought to live as the Yaqui Indianshad l ived.

That man was Marshal South, whobrought his wife , Tanya, to the m ountaintop in 1932. During the next 15 years,three children would be born to theSouths and they would learn to liveand su rv ive in the i r ha rsh deser tenvironment.

The story of Yaquitepec and MarshalSouth is a mystery in many ways, but be-cause South wrote a series of articles inDesert Magazine during the 1940's,some interesting insight into life onGhost Mountain is available.South died in 1948, a year after thefamily left the mountain. The reasonthey left is not clear, and Tanya South,who now lives in San Diego, refuses totalk about her years on the 3,000-footdesert peak.

I did talk with Rider South, the oldestof the three South children. Now an air-craft mechanic in San Diego, he hassome graphic memories of his years onGhost Mou ntain . His most vivid recollec-tion is of a great brush fire that burnedfor more than a month on Granite Peakto the west of their desert refuge.

Rider recalls that the family feared thefire might sweep across the desert anddestroy their home. South even men-tioned such a fire in one of his DesertMagazine articles.

The South story at Yaquitepec beganin 1932 when Marshal and Tanya closedtheir home and with al l their belongingsheaded into the desert for what Southcalled "an experiment in pr imitive l iv-i n g . " They were both well educated, hea writer and she a teacher.

Randall Henderson, the late editor,publisher and founder of Desert Mag-azine, wrote these words about theSouths in February 1942, 10 years aftertheir arr ival at Yaquitepec.

" A l i tt le-used trai l led them to the footof Ghost Mountain. There they left theircar, cl imbed to the summit and amid therocks and agave and junipers selectedthe site for their new home. It was manymiles to the nearest water, they had noshelter except a tarpaulin. But there theyhave remained, and through the yearshave been able to collect enough rain-water to build a modest 'dobe cottage.Three South children have been bornsince they went to Ghost Mountain.There are more comforts now than in the

The crum bling ruins of Marshal S outh's desert retreat high atop Chost Mountain. Notein the lower left corne r the sundial m ade by inserting a steel rod into a piece of granite.

Desert/ May 1975 17


18/48

early days. But except for an oaccasionaltr ip to town fo r a few necessities for theirchi ldren, they fol low closely the patternof life of the Indians who were roamingthe desert when the white men came."

Litt le has changed on Ghost Mo untainsince the Souths first called it home. Thesame mile-long trai l winds up the westside of the mountain which stands senti-

nel at the far eastern end of Blair Val-ley. A road, passable to most cars, headseast from County Highway S-2 and theLitt le Pass Primit ive Campground, anddead ends at the trailhead to Yaquitepec.

It's an easy and gradual climb up themountain as you wind your way pasttwisted junipers and mounds of boulderspi led with character. As you reach the

crest of the mountain, a vast panoramaopens to the east and it 's easy to see wh ySouth chose this location for his home.

Here in a saddle are the ruins of theonce-neat l i t t le adobe home. At f i rstglance you may hardly notice it, sincemuch of the house was made from thedesert itself, the rocks, the sand andplants.

An d as the elements and man takethei r tol l , Yaquitepec is slowly returningto the soil. But Yaquitepec was once afunctional home. Its tin roof acted as awater collector, draining the occasionalrainfal l into gutters that carried i t intoasphalt-lined tanks for storage. BeforeSouth bui l t the tanks, water had to behauled on their backs a long distancefrom the nearest source.

For the most part, the Souths l ivedfrom the land. They grew much of theirown food in l i t t le terraced plots betweenhuge boulders that cap the mountain.And they fol lowed the ways of the In-dians, gathering seeds, roots and plantsfrom the desert for food.

They made their own pottery, too. Foryears they made it as the Indians had,using the f ire from mescal trunks oryucca stalks to cure their ware for use.

The first of the South children to beborn on the mountain was Rider, in 1934.He was fol lowed four years later by Rud-yard, and in October 1940 by Victoria.South obviously loved his ch i ldren , the irantics and the things about l i fe he was

/Above: View to theeast from Yaquitepec,Left: Richie Cowanwalks through whatwas once aconcrete-lined pondthe Souths would fillwith rainwater.Right: The Southkitchen in Yaquitepecwith baking oven onleft and largewarm ing fireplaceat right.

Desert/ May 1975


19/48

teaching them, because a major part ofhis articles in Desert Magazine were de-voted to them.

Life at Yaquitepec was not easy, how-ever. It was more than just a long vaca-tion and sunny days of playing with thekids. They had to work to survive andwhen they were not work ing , the Southsheld school to educate their chi ldren.

Mostly their days were f i l led with ad-ding to their home, making candles,gathering f irewood or food, teaching thechi ldren, mi lk ing the goats, making pot-tery, or tending the crops.

South wrote with humor about thesmall acreage they had planted in crops,but open ground is scarce on GhostMounta in andwhat l i t t le they did cult i -vate provided them with agood supply ofsuch thing s aschives, beans, lettuce andradishes. The garden was a great sourceof pride to the fami ly .

Bu t it was not all work at Yaquitepec,either. South often wrote about those"vacation days" when someone wouldmention picnic and all work would bedropped for a trek off to some remotecorner of their desert world to exploreIndian caves, follow an old Indian trai l orlook for desert animals.

W h i l e the South years at Yaquitepecare not far removed in t ime, they are farremoved in style. It is perhaps that factthat makes the South story so interest-in g tovisi tors whocl imb the rocky moun-ta in . That m ile-long cl imb takes youback

only 30years in t i me , but to a l i festyle asol d as the Indians cal led Yaqui.

In the October 1942 issue of DesertMagazine, readers of South's regular"Desert Refuge" feature were saddenedto learn that the family was leavingYaquitepec. They had locked their neatl i t t le home and were sett ing off to theeast in search of a place with morewater. Yaquitepec could not supply whatwas needed for a family of f ive with twogoats and two burros.

Dur ing thenext year the South familyheaded east into Arizona, Nevada andUtah in search of a more abundant, buti so la ted , homes i te . They spent thewinter in a l i t t le Utah val ley, l iving in anabandoned house with the consent of itsowners. But that was not the place theywanted to call home. Their real home,Yaquitepc, was stil l calling them back.

In the spring they continued theirjourney, but their search for a locationbetter than Yaquitepec wasfut i le . In thefal l they returned to Yaquitepec. Thewinter rains that year were plenti ful andthe cisterns on Ghost Mountain werekept ful l and the problem of water wasno longer a major one.

The last few years of the South fam-i ly 's l i fe continued as in the past. But in1947 the family left the mountain and ayear later South died and with him aspiri t that had l ived on the mountaindied, too.

Now, nearly 30years later, Yaquitepecis near ru in . The adobe walls are melt-ing away and vandals are speeding theprocess. Park rangers are hoping some-thing can be done to save Yaquitepecfrom ru in .

Bud Getty, manager of the half-mil l ion-acre state park, has put out a callfor help. He is hoping there are groupswho might be interested in adoptingYaquitepec as a project.

"W e have no money now for restora-tion or even preservation." says Getty."But Yaqui tepec is an important part ofthe desert 's history and it should besaved f rom s l ipping away."

A few groups have responded to Get-ty 's p lea, and it is hoped they wil l beable to save Yaquitepec from furtherdestruct ion, and perhaps eventual ly re-store it to how it was when the Southfamily l ived there.

It real ly would be wonderfu l if therewas once again a l ittle life on GhostMounta in . I

Desert/May1975

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20/48

LizardtheGo!

byK. L. BOYNTON1975

m HE DESOLATE desert f lats, heat-I l l r idden and spare of vegetat ion, is^ home for the whip tail l izard Cnemi-

dophorus tigris. This is the same litt lenumber w ith the slim body and very longtail who, because of his exceedingly fastfootwork, is also known as the race-runner or swift Jack. "Speed" couldwell be'his middle name, too; speed notonly in leaving unpleasant situations be-hind in a cloud of desert dust, but for thefast tempo at which he goes about hisnormal day. Alert and chuck full ofenerg y, this lizard is so successful at des-ert l iving that his kind is found in abun-dance from southeast Oregon to fardown Mexico way.

Like many another small desert dwel-ler, the whiptail 's survival is based on ahole in the grou nd. Mayb e he dug it him -self whiptail fashion: scraping the dirtaside with his strong forefeet and clawsand turning around periodically to shovean accumulated pile out. Such a lizard-made hole, about one to two inches indiameter and slant ing well downwards,is long enough to accommodate his body-t a i l l e ng t h com f o r t ab l y . More t hanlikely, however, his residence is asecondhand one, excavated by a priorowner, probably some hard working

Photo byGeorge M. Bradt


21/48

Whiptailssomet imeslose theirtails when

attacked bypredators.This lizardnearly lost

his, but thebreak was not

serious. Asecond tail

has nowgrown fromthe wound.

Photoby

Jim Cornett.desert rodent.

In this undergrou nd palaccio, C. tigrisspends the inactive part of his life. Herehe hibernates in winter; here, l ikewise,he sits out the high heat of the mid-summer days. It is, of course, hisboudoir, i ts doorway plugged up t ightagainst unwelcome visitors and the chillof night. When the morning sun has be-gun to warm up the ground surface out-side, he opens his door and comesslowly out to bask and soak up some ofits heat himself. Being a member of thecold-blooded brotherhood , he was short-changed in the way of body heat-makingmachinery of his own. He has to de-

Trie powerfulclaws and feet of

the whiptail aid himin digging up insects

and larvae.Whiptails

are found in allhabitats from

wind-blown sandhum m ocks to rockydesert m ountains.

Photoby

Jim Cornett.

pend, therefore, on the sun and groundradiat ion to bring his temperature upbefore he can really get going, his 100degree F. temperature at emergence be-ing too low for activity. At last, the sunhaving done its stuff and his tempera-ture finally up to a working 104, thewhiptail is raring to go.

Rushing here, there, he's after break-fast: bugs, beetles, flies, wasps, ants,sowbugs, butterf l ies, termites, spiders,scorpions, insect eggs, larvae, anythingin this line is on the menu. Equippedwit h a keen sense of s me ll, he probes hissnout into everything, digging for tastybits to be had underground, scraping

with a business-like front foot, and care-fully inspecting the dirt as he turns itover. Keen of eyesight, he looks over thesparse shrubs and vegetation for cater-pil lars, cl im bing swift ly to pick off any hespies, hidden as they are against thefoliage. But hungry as he is, he's con-stantly alert and watchful, ready to takeoff instantly with surprising speed if anydanger threatens.

Biologist Kenneth Asplund, working inColorado and Baja California, regardedthese whiptails whizzing about theirdaily affairs and noted their rapidbreathin g. He knew there must be some-thing special here, and indeed his sub-

. ' -

* - '

Desert/May 1975 21


22/48

sequent tests showed that these lizardshave the h i g h e s t s u s t a i n e d o x i d a t i v em e t a b o l i s m a m o n g r e p t i l e s . T r u e , thed e s e r t i g u a n a can t a k e up o x y g e n at af a s te r ra te for two m i n u t e s . The w h i p -t a i l , on the o t h e r h a n d , w i t h its a b i l i t yfo r s u s t a i n i n g a h i g h m e t a b o l i s m d u r i n ga c t i v i t y , has the s t e a m for the a l m o s tc o n s t a n t m o v e m e n t t h a t m a r k s his day.

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that the bigger individuals among hiswhiptails could even raise their tempera-ture one to two degrees above air temp-erature. Was this the beginning of evo-lutionary selection for heat retention?Yet, the l izards themselves seemed tomake l i tt le use of this abil i ty. They didnot emerge in the morning any earlierthan the smaller individuals, nor didthey speed up that f irst morning warm-up period by any activity. He ponderedthis for a long time, concluding finallythat since overheating is the worst prob-lem in a desert, selection for the reten-tion of heat among the l izards dwell ingthere might actually be repressed. Whatmight happen if they were moved tocoo ler c l imes was i n t e r e s t i n g tospeculate.

Anyhow, these in the desert, workingdaytimes as they do, must cope withso a r i n g temp er a tu r es a r o u n d th em.They areable to keep active during theday chiefly by shuttling back and forthbetween the open sunshine areas andwhat poor shade is afforded by thesparse vegetation. The ground tempera-ture between the two areas is always dif-ferent. As long as the ground tempera-ture in the sunlight was under 118 de-grees, the l izards could hotfoot aroundon it busy at their affairs, frequentlypopping back into the shade with itsmuch cooler ground. As the day ad-vances , however , th ings get h o t te rall over and the ground in the shadeunfortunately warms up, too. When thetemperature there reached 104degrees,it was too hot to provide cooling re-lief, and the l izards retired unde rground.

Interesting enough, the smaller indi-viduals seemed to have the advantage inthat they were able to be out in thesunshine for longer periods, the largerones being forced to cool off oftener inthe shade. Besides, the l ittle ones couldutilize smaller bits of shade, even sha-dows only slightly wider than their ownbody. All in all, it seems that smallerbody size is a selection advantage sincethese smaller lizards can occupy agreater diversity of habitat in a desertregion where temperature is a problemand vegetation so scarce.

C. tigris is offbeat in having no blackperitoneum the l in ing of the body cav-ity in fact, as Anatomist Wi lbur May-hew pointed out, this is the only day-time genus of l izard without one. Sincesuch a l ining acts as a shield, keeping

22

shortwave ultraviolet radiation frompenetrating thebody, it would seem thatthe whipta i l would be in bad trouble.No t so. C. tigris has heavy deposits ofblack pigment in its skin, which appar-ently are just as effective in excludingshortwave ultraviolet l ight. Hence itsabil i ty to stand so much direct sunlight

Biologist Elinor Benes, knowing thatthe retinas in the eyes of these daytimelizards are composed entirely of conecells (the kind of photoreceptors es-pecially adapted to high light conditionsand color vision), wondered just howgood their color sense was. Did they useit in selection of their food in naturalconditions? So she r igged up some col-ored discs and put 10 C. tigris to work-ing, dividing them into two teams of f iveeach. One group was rewarded with amealworm if the proper red disc waschosen; picking the green disc gavethem an electric shock. The other teamhad the reverse problem: pick the r ightgreen disc for theworm; the red one wasthe shocker.

Eleven different pairs of test colorswere offered each group andeach lizardhad to score five right answers in a rowwithout error with a no-test weekendthrown in. Each test got harder becausethe colors were closer in tone each time.The l izards worked at their own learn-ing rate, and as was to be expected,some were very smart and some verydumb. At that it took an average of 31days for each pair of discs to be learnedr ight. The test went on dur ing the win-ter, and discr imination between thecolors was obviously harder althoughdaylight coming into the lab seemed tohelp much more than additional elec-tr ic l ight. Sti l l , the l izards finally cameup with perfect responses even thoughthe colors got closer together.

All went well unti l the l izards came toproblem #10. Only one was ever able todo that one r ight, and it took far moret r ia ls . Nobody could do #11. The hueswere now adjacent ones, and too closefo r any of the lizards to see thedifference.

Looking over the performance of herscholars, Benes concluded that C. tigriscan indeed make fine distinctions in col-or differences, since all of them easilyaccomplished the tests as close as threesteps apart on the color chart, althoughthey were never seen simultaneously.Moreover, since the l izards can do th is ,Desert/May 1975


23/48

and further transfer what they learnedfrom one disc to the other, they cantransfer what they learn in the f ie ld .Once an insect with red markings, forinstance, proved unpalatable, the nextone that looked like it would be rejectedon sight.

S o , with food-gett ing pretty wel l inhand, and the business of temperatureregulation ditto, i t would appear thatC. tigris, no matter where it l ived,could do all right. In fact, Biologist EmilPianka, trudging about the Southwest,marveled at the way they thrived undersuch differen t but equal ly diff icu lt condi-tions as the cold high desert flats of theGreat Basin and the low scorchers far tothe south. Whiptai ls al l , but how did thenorthern and southern populations solvethe specific problems peculiar to theirparticular brand of desert? From his longand careful study some interesting factsemerged.Things are different between the two.The whiptai ls in Texas, for instance, ma-ture in one year. It takes the Nevadabunch two years to grow up. The socialseason runs from A pri l to late July in thesouth; only May and June in the

north. Thus, in the Great Basin with itsshort season of frost-free days, the whip-tails can only turn out one batch ofyoungsters. Two famil ies a year, on theother hand, is par for Texas whiptai ls.Nor are the sizes of the families thesame: the northern whiptai ls, interest-ingly enough, turn out bigger clutches.

In a way, the northern whiptai ls aretougher, being active at lower air tem-peratures than the southern, but strangeto report, many of them in the GreatBasin aestivate during the midsummer.This is perhaps because of the greatdaily range in temperature there, yet it isseemingly a silly thing to do since theiractivity season is so short. The mainproblems that face the northern bunchare due to the physical environment. Onthe other hand, the southern contin-gent 's bad problem is mainly biological:heavy compe tition for food insects from agreat many more kinds of birds andlizards that also live there. There isalso more trouble from predators, as wit-ness the many southerners minus partsof their tai ls. Tasty morsels, these wh ip-tai ls, they are objects de lunch for themore numerous predatory birds and

snakes dwell ing ab out them , to say noth-ing of the big leopard lizards 80 per-cent of whose diet is made up of itssmaller l izard neighbors.

Anent al l this, the team of biologistsC . J . McCoy and G.A. Hoddenbach, incomparing condit ions with their Colo-rado and Texas whiptails, came to theconclusion that the one breeding cycle inthe north was the result of severewinters, plus the short late spring whichproduced less food for the emergingladies to eat. Hence egg formation wasdelayed. The greater number of eggs inthe northern clutches was the whiptai lclan's answer evolved to make up forthe one-family per year l imitation set bycl imate.

Regardless of where they may re-side, what with being so plastic and ad-justable themselves and having thespecific answers to specific habitat si tu-ations, the whiptai ls, as a tr ibe, arewell equipped for desert l iving. That 'swhy C. tigris, rushing around his dai lyaffairs, is very apt to live out his three tofour year l i fe span. And, i f he's alert,quite likely to keep his long tail intactby dint of his migh ty fast footwork. H a l l ' s G r o s s i n g M a r i n a

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24/48

i


25/48

PRINC is the best t ime to visit beau-tiful Davis Canyon, when its decidu-ous trees are bright green and itssandy sage-flats are carpeted with brightwi ld f lowers.

Autumn is a good t ime, too. Then, thecottonwood groves that cluster along itsstreams or near its springs brighten thecanyon with blazing gold, and rabbit-bush and other fall-f lowering desertplants add their own shades of yellow tothe vivid scene.

Summer, f rom mid-J une through A ug-ust, is warm in Canyonlands NationalPark where Davis Canyon is located, butthere are many who prefer to travelthen, when the southwest desert landsbelong to the life-giving sun.

The rim of Davis Canyonoffers lovely views to the north.Photo by author.Desert/May 1975

by F.A.BARNESThe story of Davis Canyon, and sev-eral similar canyons nearby, is the storyof l ife and non-life wor king toge ther over

eons to produce a unique and charmingresult. This concerted effort began long,long ago with some very involved geo-logical events. Somewhat simplif ied,here is what happened.Many mill ions of years ago the regionnow known as the Four Corners area was

disrupted by a long chain of violentevents. Immense subterranean pres-sures forced molten magma upwardthrough mult iple laminations of sand-stone, sediments, shale and limestonebut never quite broke through to becomesurface volcanoes. Instead, the sheermass of the thick crustal layers forcedthe magm a to f low latera lly from the cen-t ra l "wel ls , " beneath harder layers ofsandstone, thus producing vast under-g round "mushrooms" o f porphyr i t icrock.

The surface of the land above thesenot-quite volcanoes was fractured and

25


26/48

South Sixshooter Peak guards thelower end of lovely unspoiled DavisCanyon. As this labyrinthinecanyon comp lex approaches theAbajo foothills, the branchingside-canyons grow deeper and narrower.

heaved upward into monstrous geologic"pimples." The land al l around theseunborn volcanoes was t i l ted , slanted up-ward by the magma intrusions far below.

All this happened long before the ad-vent of mankind upon this planet, buteven so life was present, adding its tinyincrement of effect to the cataclysmicevents. But in that era, the forces of ge-

ology and weather held center-stage inthe drama that was to climax in theDavis Canyon of today.

During the next long period of time,thousands of feet of rock eroded awayfrom the Four Corners region, slowly ex-posing the tops of the subterranean vol-canoes. Patient but persistent weather-ing a lso e roded the coo led-magma

masses into barren, conical shapes.These shapes, once far undergroundbut harder and more erosion-resistantthan the surrounding sandstone, nowstood free and ta l l , mountain rangesthrust ing up from lower red sandstonedesert land.

The more gently sloping land aroundthese soaring peaks of porphyrite, wherethe sandstone layers had been tilted byintrusive magma but not terr ibly frac-tured, became a land of canyons. Eonsof water runoff from the mountain high-lands cut deeply into the sloping sand-stone strata that lay on the mountainflanks and formed a series of deep andcolorful gorges that radiated out fromthe mountains like spokes of a wheel.

One such mountain range, of the sev-eral that exist in the Four Corners re-gion, is the Abajo Mountains of south-eastern Utah. Canyonlands National Parklies to the north of the Abajos, and thesouthern end of this spectacular parkcontains several of the radiating canyonsthat were formed by the Abajos. One ofthese canyons is called Davis.

Life began playing a more importantpart in the creation of what Davis Can-yon is today when the Anasazis, the"ancient ones," began to sett le there.Archeologists are not certain when thisprehistoric race of American Indians f irstarr ived in that part of Utah, but theyare fairly well agreed that the last ofthem disappeared mysteriously around1250 A.D., or even earlier in somelocalities.

What matters, however, is that man-kind did arrive in this unusual land, an dleft i ts mark when it departed hundredsof years later. Until that period, life had

This undercut rock ledge wasonce walled and com partm ented forfood storage, while thosewho used it for this livedin rockand log dwellings on anothersheltered ledge high above.

Desert / May 1975


27/48

This Anasazi granary perched on a ledgebelow a n arch has two levels and two

tiny ports. Note the sticks built into them ud-and-rock walls of the structure.

These m ay be part of the internal floor,or handholds to aid access from

beneath the arch opening.

played a minor part. Trees and otherplants had sometimes helped, som etimesslowed the process of erosion, had car-peted the mesa tops and canyon f loorswith ha rdy species. Native anim al life deer, bison, coyote, fox, badger, rodentsand countless other aerial and landboundspecies had worked with the plantl i feto create soil out of sand, to establish athin but tough web of life across thesemi-arid desertland that dominated theregion.

When the race called Anasazi steppedinto this dry but lovely desert-canyonparadise it made no great impact, but itdid leave a few remnants w hen i t f inal lyretreated. While there, whi le dwell ing inDavis Canyon and others nearby, theAnasazis pursued their peaceful, ag-rarian ways. They planted small gardensof corn, beans and squash in clearedpatches of the sandy canyon bottom.They foraged for pinyon nuts, edibleroots and other such local foods, andhunted the deer and desert sheep andsmaller game that abounded.They also built rock homes and foodstorage structures on the ledges and inthe caves of the colorful, eroded sand-stone cl i f fs that wal l Davis Canyon, andmany of these curious dwell ings andstructures sti l l stand today, tel l ing si lenttales of a stone-age civilization now 700years extinct.

It takes a four-wh eel-drive vehicle, orsome easy backpacking, to explore DavisCanyon. The crude vehicle trai l that en-ters the canyon leaves U tah 211 about sixmiles east of the park boundary in theNeedles District of Canyonlands NationalPark. Utah 211 heads west from U.S. 163

between Moab and Monticel lo, Utah.There is a gate and visi tor registration

book where the Davis Canyon tra il leavesUtah 211. Altho ugh the beginning of thistrail is outside of the park, there is asign where the park boundary is crossed.Lower Davis Canyon is not in the park,but the most spectacular part of thisnine-mile-long canyon is within Canyon-

lands, and Park Service rangers makeperiodic patrols for the protection and aidof park visitors, and to check on the manyarcheological s i tes there. Both federaland state laws protect such sites fromdamage, and prohibit the removal ofart i facts.

The trai l into Davis Canyon wandersacross redrock desertland at the base of

These five faces decorate the wallof a large sandstone alcove in Davis

Canyon. Th ere are m etate-likedepressions in the sandstone slabs

below the pictographs.Archeologists believe the site

to be a shrine.Desert/May 1975


28/48

dark red sandstone difh and rhe soaringspire of South Sixshooter Peak beforedropping into a winding, sandy drywash.It then fol lows this wash , with only minordetours around seeping springs and rock-strewn narrows, for the rest of its travelsup the several main branches of thecanyon.

Beyond where the vehicle trai l ends ineach branching arm of Davis Canyon,hiking is necessary. These hikes reachplaces of interest that vehicles cannot,and are the highlights of any tr ip intothis lovely canyon complex.

Near the park boundary in Davis Can-yon there is a beautiful grove of cotton-wood trees. Flowering shrubs, grassymeadows, a tr ickl ing stream and loomingredrock cliffs nearby make this grove afine place for camping. Such primitive,informal camping is the only kind avail-able in Davis Canyon.

Exp lor ing fro m such a camp is a never-ending delight. Dozens of side canyonslure hikers with the promise of gracefularches or Anasazi ruins in lofty alcoves.Some such arches and ruins can bereached by careful cl imbing, but othersmust be appreciated from below. Binocu-lars are a must for exploring Davis Can-yon, and photographers wil l f ind tele-photo lenses quite useful.

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canyon seems nothing special from thocanyon floor, but upon closer examina-tion becomes a rare triple-arch. It re-quires a steep climb to reach this ero-sional novelty.

Most of the natural spans in DavisCanyon are modest in size, but make upfor this by sheer numbers. One, thatseems more bridge than arch, is only al i tt le above the wash bottom near the endof possible vehicle travel. Beside thiswash, and near the bridge, is an im-mense juniper tree. The base of this an-cient tree is at least six feet in diameter,ma king it a giant of its species. J unipersrarely exceed two or three feet in di-ameter in this region.

There are several archeological high-l ights in Davis Canyon, but some are dif-ficult to locate. None are marked on the15 minute topographic map of the area,the Harts Point, Utah, quadrant, so al lmust simply be hunted. This seeking,however, is part of the thrill and adven-ture of explor ing this remote and beauti-ful canyon complex.

One such place to look for is a deep,elevated cave-like alcove on a narrowside canyon near the park boundary.Within this alcove a perfectly preserved,square-walled granary stands on a ledgebeneath a lovely natural arch. Both archand rock struc ture can be gl impse d fromthe canyon floor in just the right loca-t ion, and binoculars help study this al-mo s t i n a ccess ib l e n a tu r a l - h u ma ntreasure.

Another highlight is a rel igious shrinewithin an obscure rock alcove in sight ofthe main wash. H ere, four painted facesstare enigmatically from a smoothedsandstone wal l , and a number of metate-like impressions can be found in the rockslabs that stand precariously on a ledgebelow the pictographs. Archeologists tel lus that such shrines played importantparts in the lives of both extinct andcontemporary Amerind cultures.

A third archeological novelty to lookfor is on a branching canyon far up Davis.Here, a series of stone structures standon ledges high above the wash bottom,and the rem nants of ground-level granar-ies can be seen under low ledges. Butthe curious aspect of this site is a rarelog structure that stands among the rockdwellings. Even archeologists are be-mused by this unusual artifact. Theauthenticity of this Anasazi log cabin,however, is beyond question. It is al-

28

most impossible to reach without specialcl imbing equipm ent, m aking one marvelat the effort that went into its con-struction.

But small pieces of log that have fallenfrom the elevated ledge furnish proof ofthe cabin 's age and origin. The choppedends of such pieces were obviously cutwith stone axes, not sharp metal edges.Of course it is possible, but unlike ly, th atthe log cabin was built by Indians otherthan the Anasazis, but archeologistscontend that once the Anasizis departedthis area, it was only rarely penetratedby later tr ibes, and then almost exclu-sively by bands of nomadic Utes bent onhunting or foraging. Early Navajos alsoentered the general region some 200years ago, but their wood structuresare unique and easily identif iable.

There is one highlight of Davis Can-yon, however, that is easily found, andthat is i ts outstanding natural beauty.The canyon walls are red and whitelayered Cedar Mesa sandstone. Somesuch walls are sti l l topped with the darkred and brown deposits of youngergeologic strata, with these covered by adense pinyon-junipe r fores t. Other CedarMesa walls are barren, weathered intospires and fins and domes of colorfulrock.

The winding, branching, labyr in th inecanyon floor is narrow here, broad andset with sage flats there. Big cotton-woods tell of springs or subsurface mois-ture. Dozens of long or short side can-yons angle off in all directions, invitingexploration on foot. Some of these aredry, some have tiny springs or desertstreams. Some end soon in gigantic,echoing alcoves of solid slickrock, othersseem to wander on forever between closecanyon walls.

But whatever your interests, naturalbeauty, Indian history, arches, wildl i fe,w i l d e r n ess h i k i n g , g eo lo g y , f o u r -wheeling or just random explor ing in aremote place that

197505 desert magazine 1975 may

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