194811 desert magazine 1948 november

8/14/2019 194811 Desert Magazine 1948 November

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ANNIVERSARY NUMBER 5:-' - .

25 CENTS


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WHAT DOvouMEAN

PU T tT THIS WAV-WHICH IS BOUND TOMEAN BETTER PROTECTION FOR. YOUR.ENS I N~ AN OH- WITH A SAFETY .MARGINOF ONLY 1,000MILES,ORTRtTON WITH ASAFETY MARGIN OF 6 M O N T H S ? TRITON'S6I2EAT RESERVE STRENGTH MAKES ITYOUR 8fST.,AMO SAFEST BUY/ *

HOW CAM TRITOM

USE TR/TOM?YES. TRITON IS SO HI6M IN QUALIT1/ |T WILL

CAB. EXTRA LUBRICATION PROTECTION!

DO CAR MANUFACTURERSCAR AAA^JUFACTURERS'l^ECOA^MEN0ATI0NSO N OIL DRAINS VARy COMSiDERABLy.HOWEVER, REGARDLESS OF THC DRAIMINTERVAL YOU PREFER. , TRITON 6IVES VOUA DRIVING RESERVE OF 6 M O N T H S AM

EXTRA MARGIN OF

THE MAW REASON WHYOILSBREAK DOWN IS BECAUSE OFOXIDATON, WHICH CAUSES

ACIDS, SLUDGE AND LACQUERTO FORM. UNION OILSCIENTISTS HAVE DEVELOPEDSPECIAL, PATENTED COMPOUNDSTO COMBAT TH IS. THESECOMPOUNDS ARE SO EFFECT/VE-TRITON ACTUALLY FORMS LESSSLUD6E ANDACID IN 6MONTHS THAN OILS USED TO

f ORM IN I jOOO M ILES!

ot ice: Tr i ton is nowsold atmany indep ende nt stat ionsand garages as wetl as theregular Union Oil stations. Ifyour particular dealer doesn'tcarry Triton, ask him to stockit foryou.

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D E S E R T C A L E N D A RNov. 1Nevada day, the state's 85thanniversary of statehood, CarsonCity, Nevada.Nov. 1Eve of AllSoul's Day, cele-brated as Spanish Halloween, inSanta Fe, New Mexico, andother Spanish-American villages.Nov. 2All Soul's Day. SpanishMemorial day, in Spanish-Amer-ican villages, NewMexico.Nov. 5-14Arizona state fair, fair-grounds, Phoenix, Arizona.Nov. 6-7Annual OldTucson Days,Indian dances, cowboy events,fiesta, parade, Tucson, Arizona.Nov. 7And following Sundays, lec-tures on Southwestern subjects,Southwest Museum, HighlandPark, Los Angeles, California.N o v e m b e r m use um e xh ib it,watercolors by the Navajo artistBeatien Yazz (Little No-Shirt)who illustrated "Spin a Silver

Dollar ."Nov. 11Armistice day rodeo andbarbecue, Alamogordo, N e wMexico.Nov. 12Feast day of San Diego,annual fiesta and Harvest Corndance, Tesuque pueblo, NewMexico.Nov. 12Annual fiesta and HarvestCorn dance, Jemez pueblo,NewMexico.Nov. 13-17Ogden Livestock show,Ogden, Utah.Nov. 18-20-Nevada state farm bur-eau convention, Reno, Nevada.Nov. 19-20International Rodeo con-

vention, Reno, Nevada.

P i n o n I n c e n s e . . .Bring the delightful fragranceof the Pinon Forest into yourhome or office. The burner is aminiature model of the outdoorbaking ovens used by prehis-toric Indians, and still in use inNew Mexico pueblos. Whenthe little cones of genuine pinon

pine are burned in this tinyoven the aroma is a breath ofthe outdoor Southwest.Kills kitchen and bathroomodors and removes the smell ofstale tobacco. Pueblo Indiansburn pinon for nasal and bron-chial ailments.Burner and 15 cones post-paid to you$ 1 . 5 0

D E S E R T C R A F T S S H O PPalm Desert , Cal i f orn ia

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V o l u m e 12 NOVEM BER, 1948 N u m b e r 1

C O V E R

C A L E N D A RPERSONALITY

DESERT QUIZFIELD TRIP

POETRYJOURNALISMEDITORIALB O T A N YN A T U R E

P H O T O G R A P H YLETTERSC R A F T S

M I N I N GN E W SH U M O RC O N T E S TCLOSE- UPSLAPIDARYHOBBYC O M M E N TB O O K S

COACHELLA DATE GARDEN. Photograph byB. Freeman, Los Angeles, California.

November events on the desertLa Patrona of the Date Gardens

By LOIS ELDER ROY . . 59test of your desert knowledge

Blue Agate at Eagle CragsBy HAROLD O.WEIGHT 10

The Sand Painters, by NINA PAUL SHUMWAY 16Desert's First 11 Years 17There Are Two Deserts 21Healing Berries, by MARY BEAL 22Freak Tree of the Peninsula

By LEWIS W. WALKER 23Contest winners for September 25Comment from Desert readers 26She Sells the Incense of the Pinyon Forest

By DOROTHY L. PILLSBURY 27Current news of desert mines 30From here and there on the desert 31Hard Rock Shorty of Death Valley 34Prize announcement for photographers . . . 36About Desert Magazine writers 39Amateur Gem Cutter by LELANDE QUICK . . 40Gems and Minerals 41Just Between You and Me, by the Editor . . . 46Reviews of Southwest Literature 47

The Desert Magazine is published monthly by the Desert Press, Inc., Palm Desert,California. Re-entered as second class matter July 17,1948at thepost office atPalm Desert,California, under theActof March 3,1879.Title registered No.358865 in U. S. Patent Office,and contents copyrighted 1948 by the Desert Press, Inc.Permission to reproduce contentsmust besecured from theeditor inwriting.RANDALL HENDERSON, Editor BESS STACY, Busine ss ManagerHAROLD andLUCILE WEIGHT, Associate Editors.Unsolicited manuscripts andphotographs submitted cannot bereturned or acknowledgedunless full return postage is enclosed. Desert Magazine assumes no responsibility fordamage or loss of manuscripts or photographs although due care will be exercised. Sub-scribers should send notice of change of address by the first of themonth preceding issue.SUBSCRIPTION RATESOne Year . . . $3.00 TwoYears . . . $5.00Canadian subscriptions 25cextra, foreign 50cextra.Subscription toArmy personnel outside U.8.A. must bemailed inconformity withP.O.D. Order No.19687.Address correspondence toDesert Magazine, Palm Desert, California.NOVEMBER, 1948


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W hy Make Your Home in 7>


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Edna Langdon Cast, "Boss Lady" of the Garden of the Setting Sun.George M. Roy photo.

Jla VattonaQn5

When Charlie Cast bought a young date gardenon the Southern California desert many years ago.h is wife didn't think much of the investm ent. Shewas an Ohio girl and could not understand whyany one would l ive on the desert. But she learnedwhyand during the last 26 years has developeda w orld-wid e market for her date products. This isthe story of Edna Cast of the Garden of the SettingSun.By LOIS ELDER ROY

blistering day in July, 1920,an elderly man from Riverside,California, was bumping alongover the dusty roads that woundamong the dunes and mesquite thicketsof the Southern California des ert. Onthe touring car seat beside him was astylishly dressed young woman in atight-fitting blue serge dress with achin-high collar.Obviously, she was very uncomfort-able. Also, very unhappy, for thisbusiness of owning a date garden inCoac hella valley was not her idea. He rhusband had come west from theirWilmington, Ohio, home two yearspreviously and had become so enthus-iastic over the possibilities of the newdate industry in California he had in-vested their savings in 30 acres ofknee-high date palms near Mecc a. Hebought it without her knowledge orconsent.And now, Ed na Langdon Cast wasaccompanying her father on her firsttrip out to the desert to see the dategarden. She wasn't impressed. She

knew nothing about dates, and beinga city girl, she couldn't understand whyanyone would want to live in such ahot disagreeable place.But Charlie, her husband, was inpoor health. He felt better in the des-ert sunshine. An d nothing E dna couldsay altered his determination to estab-lish a home out there as soon as thedate trees would yield a living income."All right," she finally consented."For your sake I'll go. You stay hereand look after the business. I'll do thebest I can, and as soon as I get thingsgoing you come out and join me."It was in the spring of 1922 thatE dna Cast and her little daughterMary arrived in Mecca ready to under-take the task of putting a badly ne-glected date garden in shape.As the busy weeks passed by, E dnabecame more and more intrigued withthe subject of date culturea subjectdating back to remote antiquity. Thefact that dates are found in the tombsof ancient monarchs and that avengingarmies, because of the superior food

value in dates, had never destroyedthem , fascinated her. She learned bystudying the cultural background ofthis youthful American industry thatright there in the Coachella valley con-ditions for date culture were morefavorable than any other place in theUnited States. E xperimental plantings,she learned, had been going on since1906 when offshoots of the date palmwere brought over from North Africaand the Persian gulf region where theclimate is similar to that of thisCalifornia valley.It was not until January, 1923, thatshe was ready for Charlie to join her.From then on they were partners inevery sense of the word. E dna hadcaught the vision the roma nce ofwaving palms against purpling hills anddesert skies, whose ever widening vis-tas have never ceased to lure her oneven though the going today, in thisage of complex living, is still a bitrugged.Side by side E dna and Charlieworked and planned and dreamed.

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They prepared the fields, set outnewoff-shoots, laid pipe lines. Itwas tedi-ous labor. Dates cannot be raisedfrom seed ascan most other fruits,forthe seeds will notbreed true. Seedsof a long, light amber-colored, softdate may bring forth black dates, rounddates orhard ones, so mixed and anci-en t isthe ancestry ofthe date palm. Ifa special variety is desired, then theoff-shoots that grow around thebaseof the palm tree, like suckers oncorn,are cut from their parent tree and setout inorcha rd form. These alone wiltreproduce the parent palm identically.They are usually set out at the rateof49 palms to theacre, 30 feet apart,making seven rows, seven palms tothe row.

Perhaps astedious asany part ofth elong process ofdate culture isthe handpollinating. The female palm bearsblossoms butthey have noodor andno sweetness. They do not attract thepollen-carrying bees or insects. It isnecessary, therefore, totake the larger,more showy male blossoms and handpollinate the female trees which alonebear fruit. It required weeks forE d n aand Charlie tocomplete this task.Themethod of pollination varies in differ-ent gardens. Some tap the male blos-some over paper-covered tables, al-lowing the pollen that sifts out tocurebefore using. This is then placed inbottles with cotton stoppers. Care mustbe taken that the pollen isgiven air sothat itwill not mold. Some gardens di-

vide the blossom up into strands,others use the whole blossom.After the Casts had completed theirfirst pollination, E dna becam e enthusi-astic andbegan preparations for thesale of her dates. She decided that ifshe were going to grow dates, theywould be themost beautiful dates inthe world. Tha t was a significant andwholly typical decision and one whichstill inspires the entire staff at theGarden ofthe Setting Sun, asthe Castgarden isnow nationally known.Deciding on a color scheme, Ed nabought quantities of expensive moirematerial with which she painstakinglycovered dozens of pound-size boxes.E ach box was supplied with sufficientpurple satin ribbon tobe tied later intoartistic bows. In the 25 years thathave passed since that first crop, pack-aging of commercial products hasprogressed far from the moire and rib-

bon but always E dna Cast has dressedup hersuperior dates in fancy pack-ages. Now they go out in attractivelycolored cellophane. Oneach packageof dates is a little message, a historicalnote, some appealing line of informa-tion to give added interest to the parcel.By the time that first crop wasready, theCast living room had beentransformed into anexotic andglori-fied sales room. The first customerswere their guests and it mattered notwhether they were rich or poor. OnSundays they would dress up informal

attire and entertain their ever-increas-ing circle of friends. ToE d n a , theGarden of the Setting Sun was alwaysher "House Beside the Road ." Inthose early days many duck hunterstraveled tothat area. E dna did every-thing shecould to attract them, forthey and the tourists whofollowedalong the old Sunkist Trail through thatpart of the valley, constituted the onlycustomers."Many people who stopped by ourdoorstep, liked our hospitality and thequality ofour dates ," E dna continued,re-living for themoment thevisionsand dreams of yesteryear. "Totakecare of ourgrowing number of cus-tomers weneeded more fruit. Withmore fruit we needed more customers!We were going around in circles! Iwell remember the first big order10cases of8-ounce baskets ofdates. Theorder came from Young's ofLos An-geles. My young daughter, waving thetelegram, came down to the gardenwhere Iwas picking dates . To me that10 cases represented a tremendousorderbut I go t itout sothat it couldmake the ten o'clock train that night."

That marked the beginning of ane wera inthe Cast business. From the un-certain though growing retail businessat their door, they were launched intothe wholesale business! Tomeet theincreasing demands fordates they hadbegun topurchase dates from neigh-boring ranchers.One ortwo good salesmen were en-Retctil sales office and main warehouse at the Garden ofthe Setting Sun.

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But by manifesting a little

La Patrona which meansliment in their language. "On e

and asked if he were ill. Shak -his head he replied: 'When L ahe work like the devil!' I

During the early days of the Agri-A" program , E dna Cast was

suits to members of the committee who

The kitchen of E dna C ast, which shealls her "date beauty parlor," containshat is said to be the largest collectionof date recipes in the world. She be-ieves that only the best dates shouldo to m ark et to be eaten fresh. Sohe smaller and less attractive fruitwill not be a loss, she has experi-mented through the years until nowher dates go into all kinds of cakes,candies, puddings, ice cream and the

delicious date butter. Regardless ofsize, every date is hand picked, handgroomed.The Cast date garden does not beginto supply sufficient fruit to provide forthe ever-expanding nation-wide sales.The long line of date products devel-oped by E dna Cast is shipped to everyState in the union and to many foreigncountries. The Garden's 30 acres canprovide only about 5 per cent of thisand there has thus been developed alucrative outlet for the crops of manyof the date ranchers of the Coachellavalley.Although she feels that her ultimategoal is still a long way off, she der ivesmuch joy and satisfaction in the knowl-edge that she has achieved, to a certaindegree, the "dream castle ideal" forwhich she and Charlie worked so hard

and for which she expects to keep righton working"to grow dates that arenot just datesto have customers whowill be satisfied."

D E S E R T Q U I Z This quiz is not primarily to see howsmart you are. Rather it is intended torefresh your knowledge of the history,geography, plant life, minerals, Indian lore and literature of the South-west. The answers to all these questions have appeared in past issues ofDese rt Ma gazin e. Ten to 12 is a fair score. Thirt een to 15 is good. Six-teen to 18 is superior. Any score above 18 is a rare exception. Answersare on page 26.1The famous 20-m ule team wagons in the early days of Death V alleymining hauled Gypsu m Gold ore Rock salt Borax2The name Harry Goulding is associated withGuide service in Grandcanyon Mining in Goldfield A trading post in Mon ume ntvalley Discovery of Rain bow bridge3Salt River valley in Arizona is served by water fromHooverdam E lephant Butte dam Coolidge dam Rooseveltda m

Apache IndianChief Winnemucca was a Paiute IndianNavajo Indian Hualpai Indian5Most conspicuous landmark on U. S. Highway 666 north of Gallup,New Mexico isM orro rock Shiprock E lephan t's FeetMexican Hat6 Panam int moun tains are visible fromSalt Lak e City Tucson ,Arizona Dea th V alley Santa Fe, New Mexico7Desert Indians formerly sought the Chuckawalla lizardAs an omenof good luck To make moccasins of its hide To securevenom for poison arrows As food8Cactus fruit most popular with the Papago Indians for food comesfrom the Cholla Organ Pipe cactus Saguaro PricklyPear9 Purpose of Fathe r Esca lante's trek from Santa Fe in 1776 was toE xplore the Colorado river Find a new route to Monterey , Cali-fornia Christianize the Ute Indians Foun d a mission atGreat Salt Lake

10If a Hopi Indian gave you some piki he would expect you to E atit Bur n it as incense Ha ng it over the doo r for goodluck Use it to charm snakes11The "Mountain Men" of the early days in the Southwest primarilywereGoldseekers Indian traders Trappers Armyscouts12Tuzigoot national monument Indian dwellings were built by pre-historicC liff dwellers Pit dwellers Pue blo dwellersCave dwellers13Sm oki people hold their annual Snake dance at Oraibi Pres-cott Flagstaff Gallup14 Hardest rock in the following list isQ uartz Corund um

Feldspar Topaz15Parker, Arizona, is entirely surrounded by theMojave Indian reser-vation Yum a Indian reservation Chemehuevi reserva-tion Colorado River Indian reservation16 The desert screwbean grows on Ironwo od trees MesquiteSmoke tree Palo V erde17 Jojoba is the name ofA desert plant An Indian tribeA Navajo chant One of the desert rodents18 Arches national monu ment is located in Arizona NewMexico Nevada Utah19The book Desert Country was written byE dwin Corle OrenArnold E dmun d C. Jaeger Charles Kelly20The All-American canal was built to bring water toNogales, Ari-zona E l Paso, Texas Imperial valley, California Gilariver valley

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View from one of the rockhound campsites. Those volcanic ash hills contain b lueagate nodules. Lucile points toward the diggings from w hich much agate withred, yellow and green moss has been taken.

Slue ate -fitSince this field trip was taken. Naval Ordnance Test station, China Lake,has closed off 864 square miles of Mojave collecting fields552,960 acresinaddition to 1100 square miles already included in the navy empire at NOTS.The area mapped here appears to be included in the announced boundariesof the new ra nge, which is posted. The navy h as not announced wh y theaction was necessary or whether the closing was permanent, but collectorsand societies should investigate before entering the zone. However, if the navycloses the area to some rockhounds it must be closed to all rockhounds andsome daywhen the desert is free againthe rocks will be wait ing onSawtooth's eroded slopes.

By HAROLD O. WEIGHTJ HU NT E D rocks in the Mojavet desert's Sawtooth mountains be-fore World War II, when ridgeswere strewn with cutting material andblue agate was found at the roadside.But none of the specimens I foundmatched the lovely orchid-amethystinegem which Sylvia Winslow displayedwhen Lucile and I visited the Wins-low's Double S ranch at Bodfish, Cali-fornia, last February.

Most of the blue stone from thisfield loses much of its color when cutaway from the matrix, or viewed bytransmitted light. This piece had no

matrix and no light could dim its color.It appeared to be part of a geode, andthe distorted crystals of calcite, whileretaining their crystalline form, hadbeen transmuted by the wonderful al-chemy of Nature to exquisite bluechalcedony.Perhaps if it had not been for thisluscious bit of chalcedony, we wouldhave hesitated to make an overnightfield trip under the circumstances. TheMojave usually is cold in February,and before we left E l Ce ntra, SlimWinslow had wired to warn that snowwas falling in the Kern river canyonand on the desert. But, he added hope-

fully, if we would be foolish enough tocome, the Winslows would be waiting.Slim believes firmly that in rock col-lecting, fortune favors the brash.Sylvia was confident she could re-locate the spot where she found herprize. She had built a little monum entat the place. And Slim interrup tedenthusiastically. Not only could wefind the place, but by picking the rightwash, we could drive to it. "I lookedthe country over," he declared. "I 'msure I can drive right there."We made an early start in the chillmou ntain air. Bu t, before leaving, we

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c/ Sylvia find good hunting in the moss-jasperof a little wash.

The highway through Walker pass ,

Pilot Kno b and the E agle Crags,But the lure of blue chalce-

The Sawtooth mountains and Eaglef Ran dsburg . The rangeiterally is circled by desert roads, mostof which date to early days of miningin the Mojave . The old 20-mule team

route from the borax mines of DeathV alley to the shipping point at Mojavefollows the western flank of the moun-ains to Pilot Knob and Granite wells,

at their southwestern tip. Pilot Knobhas been a guide to prospectors andfreighters since desert travel began.North of the Sawtooths run twin rutswhich pass close to Leach and Sara-toga springs and link Inyokern andTrona with Shoshone and Baker. Theroad on the east of the mountains oncejoined Barstow and Hidden springsbut don't try to follow it to Hiddensprings today! On the south, a little

used trail crosses from Granite wellspast the faint ghost of Copper City andIndian springs, to the Barstow road justmen tioned . It is passable for expertdrivers and high-clearance cars.The collector can follow two routesinto the Sawtooth-Eagle Crags fields.That from Barstow via Superior drylake is bladed more than half way, al-though washboard. The other, leavingpavement where the Johannesburg-Trona highway crosses the Trona rail-road, has more dips and twists, but isnavigable by a reasonably good driver.

This point can be reached by highwayfrom Johannesburg, oras we camefrom Inyokern by haphazard dirttracks which local inhabitants use as

cutoffs between the Trona and Inyo-kern pavements.We zeroed the speedometer wherethe road left the Trona highway, justsouth of the railroad crossing andheaded easterly through the valleynorth of the Lava mountains. At 6.5miles, the road passes close to a groupof limestone humpscalcareous tufamounds built by algae when the valleywas part of an old lake. They appearto be small editions of the better knownPinnacles south of Trona.Our road, which had been bladed atsome time, washboarded through typi-cal Mojave desert scenery. There weregreat stark mountains with huge allu-vial fans at their canyon mouths, beingbled away by erosion until the broadvalleys between were half filled withsand and gravel. The desert was bar-ren, when compared with the tree-linedwashes of the Colorado desert, butbasins and slopes were spotted thicklywith rabbit brush, E phed ra, desertholly, galleta grass and cholla cactus,and the ever-present creosote.We twisted up through a series ofsandy hills, then down again and aftera straight run across wind-whipped

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that routeand off he goes.When we finally stopped, Sylvia

E very rockhound h as his own ideal be found. W hen a group reaches

ll. The wind rushed across theenthusiasms but rockhounds

As we hunted through the afternoon

safely away. But none of them ap-roached the beauty of the prizeSylvia had discovered. The re wasmuch light agate and chalcedony scat-tered about, some moss jasper and sa-genite. And there always was anotherhill, another ridge to look beyond.With darkness approaching, the needfor a protected camping place becameparam ount. Of course it is impossibleto get away from a desert wind whichblows successively from all points ofthe compass, then straight down. Butthe washes where we were huntingwere too open. If we backtrac ked, wecould follow a rockhound road backinto deeper canyons. So we droveback down to the green outcropping,around it, and up the wash there. Amile farther, keeping left, Sylvia founda spot in a narrow cut between twohills and facing a third. Cam p was

made in the gathering dusk.The Winslows have equipped theircar to take some of the roughness outof overnight camp s. One of the bestfeatures is a large cabinet with com-partments which contain gasolinestove, dishes, pots and pans, silver-wa re, and food. Th e front of the cabi-net drops down on the truck tailboardto form a table. The stove can be usedright in its compartment, lined withasbestos. And when supper was ready,we gathered around the table on benchand seats made from boards and 5-gallon army wate r and gas cans. Aftermeals, the front can be snapped intoposition, the "kitchen" lifted out, andthe Winslows sleep in the pickup bed

Sylvia Winslow takes time out from rock collecting to make an oil sketchof the Eagle Crags.on air mattresses inflated with anengine tire pump.One thing I miss in a Mojavecampthe ironwood whose dead logsmake such fine pungent fires for camp-ers on the deserts of the Colorado river.Such a long-burning fire would havebeen a great treasure that night. Butby collecting dead branches of creosotefrom plants on the surrounding hillswe soon had our fire going. The creo -sote mak es hot, brief flames. But webuilt the fire against a sheer cliff wherewe received full value from reflectedwarmth and heated rocks. So we

warm ed up and talked desert androcks, while the never-ceasing windmade the flames roar up the cliff andwe warmed one side after another, ro-tating after the fashion of chickens onroasting spits.It took long to remove the chill ofthe afternoon's collecting. If someonehad forced us to hunt rocks in thatfreezing wind, to dig specimens withcold fingers, we would have felt might-ily abused. Instea d, we were elatedand healthily tired. Some people whoare not infected with V irus R, wa tch-ing collectors arrive home exhausted

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and dirty with rock sacks over shoul-ders, pockets pouched like packratcheeks, and a few "special finds"clutched in grimy fists, flatly declarethat we are crazy.Well, insanity is relative, meaningdifferent things to different people.But if rock collectors are insane, it is

a type of lunacy which the world couldus e inquantity. Most intelligent peoplein this uncertain mechanized age,falsely called civilized, actually are dis-placed persons. In what may theirtrust be placed? How can they buildtoward a future which will be safeagainst the ravaging demons of un-rest riding the world? They turn to thehills which seem eternal. They turnto the desert where an outer solitudeand timelessness can bring peace andperspective to minds in turmoil.A nd too many of our peopleno

matter what their job or professionactually are doing piece work. Theyare units in a great pattern. No matterhow important even vital theirwork there is within it no sense ofcreation and completion. But in rock

collecting, shaping, polishingalmostall the important factors of our speciesinheritance which have been straight-jacketed by modern life are given re-lease and satisfaction. There is thespirit of adventureof the huntofdiscovery. Most important, there is thetaking of a rough, waste piece of rockan d of working with it until the gem-stonean expression of the personal-ity of its creator through choice ofmaterial, shape and treatment iscomplete.

Many modern men and women findmore satisfaction in that than theydo in the most complicated efforts oftheir professions, because they, indi-vidually, have accomplished somethingreal and tangible and permanent. Andin directly consorting with Nature inher most savage and sometimes dis-agreeable moods, the physical body istoughened, the mental fiber strength-ened for a return engagement with thedaily problems of life.

And that is why it is vitally import-ant that areas remain open where wecan grunt and sweat and become ac-

ROAD LOGFrom Johannesburg,00.0 Dirt road crosses Johann esburg-Trona highway, just south ofTrona railroad crossing. Headeasterly on dirt road, towardLeach springs. Turnoff isabout 10 miles from Johannes-burg, 19 miles from Inyokern.5.5 Road Y, keep right.6.5 Road branch right to miniaturepinnacles, similar to those inTrona area.15.4 Road branch right. Keep left,on main road.17.0 Road branch right. Keep left,on main road.27.3 Road crosses, marked to LeadPipe springs. Keep ahead, left.29.3 Join Granite wells road. Keepleft.30.2 Road Y. Keep left.30.4 Deep ruts just right of road,mark route of old 20-mule

Trona Highwayteams from Death V alley toMojave.31.2 Road Y. Keep right.33.4 Road cross. Keep ahead towardLeach spring. Left branch isto Lone Willow, Ballarat, rightbranch toward Lead Pipe.38.3 Road right, marked Rainbowsprings. Keep ahead.40.2 Poor trail right. Keep ahead.40.3 Take road branch up washright, SE, leaving Leach spring-Shoshone road for Barstowroad (unmarked).44.7 Take branch road , right, fromBarstow road. Follow rock-hound road up small wash,keeping to right of green out-crop. Barstow road goes to leftof outcrop.44.9 Road Y. E ither branch dead-ends shortly. We kept left to45.7 Camp in narrow wash.

From B arstow00.0 Barstow. Cross river bridge to 27.6hill with water tower.00.8 Turn left on Mojave road.1.4 Mojave road branches left.Keep ahead on paved CampIrwin road.7.9 Leave pavement for dirt road,left to Superior lake (N).13.8 Williams Well road, right. Ke ep 39.0ahead on main bladed road.13.9 Coolgard ie roa d, left. Keepahead on main road.20.8 Branch right. Keep ahead.24.5 VX ranch cross road. Keepahead. 4 8 425.3 Road angles right. Kee p ahead,unless Superior lake is muddy. 48.626.3 E nter Superior dry lake.

28.831.135.4

39.444.7

Leave northern edge of Su-perior dry lake.Road Y right, then left. Keepahead on main bladed road.Road Y left, keep ahead onmain road.Cross road. Keep ahead, north.Indian Springs road, left. Keepahead, main road.Branch right, keep left. St.Louis ranch may be seen to-ward Eagle Crags, left.Branch right. Keep left on mainroad (N).Over summit, dropping intowash in collecting area.Turn left off main road, round-ing bright green outcropping.Road Y, either will lead torock camps, EOR.

quainted with our inner selvesandwhere we can have the personal satis-faction of finding and creating.When we had exhausted the fire-wood possibilities of the surroundinghills, we crawled into sleeping bags.The wind had swept the sky clear. Thestars shone with an intense, cold bril-

liance in the metallic blackness of thenight. The wind continued, rockingth e car with uneven pulsations.When morning came there was froston the windshield and thick ice on thewater bucket. And the wind wasblow-ing. But a breakfast of bacon and eggsan d hot coffee, and a brief warmingperiod by another greasewood fire putus in the rock hunting spirit.The Eagle Crags and Sawtoothmountains seem to be made up of al-most every variety of rock formation.There are basaltic lavas, tuffs, rhyo-

lites, granites and apparently somesedimentaries. There is much volcanicmaterial which tentatively hasbeen as-signed to the Tertiary period and somelater flows. And all throughout thearea around camp where we searchedthat day, we found material of interestto the lapidary. There was red andbrown moss jaspermuch of it of finecutting grade. There were agates shading from white to blue, from tinynodules the size of a pea to largechunks. There was much white chal-cedony in seams and weathered pieces.We found, in place, seams and chunksof agate surrounded by red, yellow andgreen moss. In the volcanic ash thatcrops out in the canyons were a fewlarge nodules, and geodes with crystalcenters. There is some sagenite andbits of plume. Calcite seams and no-dules and inclusions we found in manyspots.What a country for rockhoundsthis E agle Crags-Lead Pip e Springs-Brown mountain area must have been30 years ago when it was the heart ofShady Myrick's domain. Shady was a

prospector. Only, here, instead ofgrubbing for gold and silver he huntedrocks. He had "gem mines" as hecalled them, and brought out loads ofmyrickite, named for him, and blueand golden chalcedony. Shady, one ofthe pioneer rock lovers, has been deada long time and hundreds of collectorshave marched and counter-marchedacross these eroded canyons. But stillthere is much beautiful material wait-ing for those who, like Shady Myrick,love to seek. But it is a wild and lonelycountry, one wash looking much likeanother. With camp and car usuallyhidden in some canyon, it is advisablefor the rock hunter tohave himself andhis camp well-located at all times. It isabsurdly easy to become lost.14 THE DESERT MAGAZINE


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ix

ikBy NINA PAUL SHUMWAYIndio, California

The crowd comes surging 'round like thirsty sheepThat bleat and jostle at a waterhole,To see these scions of a mystic raceDepict in sand the cabala of Soul.Spellbound by beauty in the strange design,Awed b y the gen ius of the artist h andWhence slips the colored sand in finest line,The crowd may starebut never understand.For these are keepers of all tribal lore.The mysteries a doubting world deniesOld faiths it lost in striving to be wiseDream in the starless midnight of their eyes.

Sages and prophets of the Navajo,Regal the hand-wrought silver that they wearInset with turquoise of most precious blue.Sleek-bound the jetty luster of their hair.Grave their bronze faces, dignified and fine;Strong in the humble pride of freeman's birth;Remote within the veils of poet-mindThat paints its magic patterns on the earth.Bequ eathed to them the Desert-Mother's giftOf secret worship phrased in tinted sandAs mesas and mountains invoke their godsIn the multi-hued mazes of Navajo land.

Ah, they themselves are symbolic designsMan-forms in her work of transcendent art;A higher prayer than scrolls her painted cliffs:Life's deathless impulse in the Desert-heart.16 T H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


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Patterned after the architecture of the desert's ancient pueblo dwellers, this isDesert's new home at Palm Desert.

A 7it5t II If eat* . . .This is the story of Desert Magazinethe story of a little group of desertnewspaper people who envisioned a monthly publication which would stressthe cultural side of life on the Great American Desert, and who kept their faiththrough years of financial strain and eventually won commercial successwithout sacrificing the idealism of their dream.

Photos by Alice M. Hartman, Indio, CaliforniaE story of Desert Magazinebegins with Ol' Breezy. A relicof the big - whee led tourin g

terrain. Ol' Breezy's metallic

Mail orders

Ol' Breezy's owner was J. WilsonMcK enney. As an apprentice reporterjust out of Compton Junior College,he went to work for the daily Chronicleat Calexico, California, in 1932. Wil-son spent his weekends roaming thedesert in his pet jallopy.Then, at the suggestion of RandallHenderson, publisher and editor of theChronicle, McKenney began writingweekly feature stories about his tripsfor the Monday edition of the news-paper. These desert stories soon be-

came the most popular column in theChronicle."If folks like this desert copy sowell, why not give them more of it,"reasoned the Chronicle's editor. "Per-haps a whole section of the newspapercould be devoted to the lore of thedesertpossibly an entire publicationa magazine."Thus the idea began to take root.The editor frequently accompaniedMcKenney on his camping trip?Around the campfire at night they dis-Book shop and service office

E M B E R , 1 9 4 8 17


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cussed the possibilities of a magazinedevoted entirely to the history, geo-graphy, archeology, natural sciences,personalities and general lore of thedesert country, including the Indiantribesmen who play such a colorful rolein the Southwest scene.The editorial possibilities appearedunlimited. But would such a magazinegain enough circulation to attract ad-vertisers? They surveyed the desertfield, which they defined as the statesof Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mex-ico and the desert sector of Cali-fornia.Within these geographical limits thecensus of 1930 reported a populationof 1,086,430. Probably many personsnot residing on the desert also wouldbe interested in such a magazine. Po-tentially, the field seemed adequate.A dummy copy was prepared. Pros-pective subscribers were enthusiastic

over the idea, advertisers lukewarm.In the meantime considerable studywas given to the selection of a loca-tion for the offices and printing plant.It must be on the desert. Phoenix,Tucson, Palm Springs and Las Vegas,Nevada, all were under consideration,and trips were made to Tucson andPhoenix to feel out the local sentiment.The final decision favored El Centro,California.As practical printers, "Mac" and"R. H." felt that the economy ofoperating their own printing plant

would be essential to the success ofthe project. Even with that advantagethey were sure it would be months,perhaps years, before a new regionalmagazine of this type would pay itsown way.A profitable commercial printingbusiness would help pay the deficit.So , in 1936, with Tazewell H. Lamb,Bess Stacy and Edna Clements, news-paper associates, as co-investors, Hen-derson bought the plant of the ElitePrinting company at El Centro. Earlyin 1937, McKenney became an activeassociate at the Elite, and preparationsbegan for the first issue, to be pub-lished in November.With such mailing lists as wereavailable, announcements were sentout soliciting charter subscriptions.The publishers were gratified whenmore than 600 persons subscribed inadvance of the first printing. The firstprinting was 7,000 copies. Some ofthese were put on the newsstands, butmost of them were given away assample copies. Today the Desert Mag-azine has a standing offer of $5.00each for those first copies, and a wait-

ing list of people who want them.Some of them have been sold at manytimes that figure. Even the originaldummy copies, 100 of which were

Following is a b r e a k d o w n of Desert 'spaid circulation by s t a t es :California 16374Arizona 1768N e v a d a 1036New Mexico 748Colorado 673Oregon 534Utah 482Washington 469Illinois 433Texas 295New Yoik 262Michigan 236Idaho 219Ohio 212Pennsy lvan i a 156Montana 140Kansas 140Iowa H7Ind i ana 100Massachuse t t s 95Missouri - _ 95Wyoming 89New Jersey 84Wisconsin 73Oklahoma 74Nebraska 63Minnesota 54Connecticut 53Florida 43Maryland 38V irginia 28Tennessee 27Maine 26Arkansas - 19Georg i a 18Kentucky 18Vermont .. 18South Dakota - 17North Carolina 17Louisiana - 15West V irginia 15New Hampshi re 14North Dakota 14Mississippi 13A l a b a m a 12South Carolina 7Rhode Island - 5Delaware 4Washington , D. C 44Foreign I ll

25602Advert ising - 18Complimentary 24E x c h a n g e s 5825702Newsstand Rets. & Resv. Stock.... 51326215Average Press Run for pas t 6 months2 6 2 15

printed, have become a prized col-lector's item.Desert's first subscriber was JasperL. Travers of El Centro. The secondand third were Mrs. Argyle McLachlanof Calexico and Paul Cook of Phoenix.Travers has since died, but Mrs. Mc-Lachlan and Paul Cook are still on thesubscription list along with more than300 other charter subscribers. JohnBurk of the Anza hotel in Calexicowas the first advertiser to buy space.State Senator Ben Hulse, Caterpillardealer in Imperial valley at that time,was the most liberal advertiser of thepioneering period, and Mr. and Mrs.

Lee Anderson of Coachella valley es-tablished and have continued to holdthe record as the most liberal donorsof gift subscriptions each Christmasseason.The subscription list has grownslowly but constantly, without use ofpremiums or "college boy" salesman-ship. It was the theory of the publish-ers that such a magazine must succeedon its editorial meritnot on pressurepromotion. Where many of the na-tional publications pay as high as 90percent commission for selling sub-scriptions and rely on advertising fortheir profits, Desert has maintained anindependence of editorial viewpointwhich is possible only when the essen-tial supporting revenue comes fromreaders. In 1947 Desert's income fromcirculation was $55,987.10, from ad-vertising $14,852.06. Desert's fine newpublishing plant at Palm Desert is amonument to reader interest andloyalty.Desert Magazine was published at afinancial loss for nearly five years.When the profits from the commercialprinting business failed to make upthe deficit the staff went without sal-aries, or drew only enough for neces-sary expenses. When the time camethat the business office would not sup-port two families, Wilson McKenneywithdrew and returned to the news-paper field. Today Wilson is the pub-lisher of a thriving weekly at Yucaipa,California, but his interest in the mag-azine he helped found has neverwaned.The turning point came early in1942, nearly five years after the mag-azine was started. In June that yearthe books showed a profit for the firsttime. Two months later, Henderson,who had been an air pilot in WorldWar I and was a member of the re-serve, was called to active duty.During his service of nearly twoyears in Africa, Desert Magazine wascarried on successfully by associates.Bess Stacy assumed the business man-agement, Lucile Harris, now Mrs.Harold O. Weight, took over the edi-torial responsibility, and Evonne Hen-derson Riddell, daughter of the pub-lisher, became circulation manager.Under the direction of these associatesthe magazine continued to gain pres-tige, circulation and financial stabilityduring the war years.On duty together for a short periodon the African Gold Coast, Randalland his brother, Cliff Henderson, alsoan officer in the Air Force, discussedplans for the building of a new com-

munity somewhere on the desert, withthe magazine as the nucleus.These plans began to materialize in1945 when Desert's editor on his re-

18 THE DESERT M AG AZ IN E


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Circulationm 2

Mailing room

r a suitable location on which toThe staff pre-to set up the new print shopbe avail-not only to house the offices andbut wherebe provided for the staff.was to be made for af-a des-and an arts and craftsThe Palm Desert cove at the basethe Santa Rosa mountains over-ooking the floor of Coachella valleyas selected as the ideal site. Good

was available here, a well-a backdrop of,000-foot mountains, a paved high-ay to bring paper and supplies fromto the main travelrteries of the desert Southwest, anda field where commercialusiness could be developed to keepruns.Cliff Henderson formed the Palm

Desert corporation and acquired 1500acres in the cove for community de-velopment. The corporation set aside40 acres for magazine purposes ongenerous terms. In the meantime theHarry Williams architectural office inPalm Springs had been preparing plans,an d a contract was let to the R. P.Shea company of Indio for construc-tion of a building to house offices andprinting plant and a seven-unit lodgefor members of the staff. The esti-mated cost was $140,000 for the twobuildings.In 1946 the magazine was incorpor-ated. The capital stock is owned by

employes, their families and friends,with a substantial quota of shares heldin reserve for future employe invest-ment.Twenty acres of the site are re-served for Desert Magazine, and build-ing lots are available for employeswho desire to erect their own homes .The other half of the 40-acre tract isbeing reserved for shops and homesfor artists and craftsmen who will be

invited to participate when plans havebeen completed for this phase of theproject, probably a year from this fall.Desert Magazine from the first hasrefused to accept liquor or other ob-jectionable advertising. When schoolteachers began writing in that theywere using Desert in their Natureclasses, tobacco was added to thetaboo list. Applicants for advertisingspace, unless they have establishedrecords for integrity, are required tofurnish references.While Desert's reader support hasremained loyal through the years, cor-porate and community advertisers haveremained lukewarm. The Union Oilcompany of California has been a not-able exception. Union executives, rec-ognizing the important role Desert isplaying in the development of travelin and to the desert country, have beenconsistent users of space in this mag-azine.Practical business men are inclinedto be cagey in the face of idealism.The tradition has emerged that senti-

Bindery Composing and press room

N O V E M B E R , 1 948 19


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merit is sissysomething that has noplace in the competitive struggle fordollars. Cultural projects are all rightfor philanthropistsbut have no placein commerce. Desert Magazine hasproved to the satisfaction of its publish-ers at least, that this is a false conceptthat the cultural and the commercialmay be made an effective teamthatit is not necessary to sacrifice ideals toearn fair profits.Like most periodicals, Desert Mag-azine has a well-defined formula forthe guidance of its writers. Althoughits non-desert-dwelling readers nowoutnumber its desert subscribers, theeditors hold fast to the policy thatDesert is published primarily for des-ert people. Manuscripts from tender-foot writers, no matter how successfulthey may have been in other fields,often are rejected because they lackthe "feel" of the desert. The maga-zine's staff seeks constantly to go be-hind the obvious things of the desertand report factual matter which is newand interesting to desert people them-selves.Many well-written essays come tothe editorial desk on a wide varietyof desert subjects. W ithout exceptionthey are returnedfor the reason thatDes ert does not use essays. It is thegoal always to keep Desert very hu-

Randall Henderson, Editorman . Fo r after all, the most interest-ing subject on the desert is the peoplethemselves.Chamber of commerce secretariesoften are exasperated by the editors'unwillingness to publish "write-ups"of their com mun ities. Some of themare not far-sighted enough to realizethat the publication of such materialwould soon destroy interest in the

THANK YOU for submitting this mate rial. It ha s rece ived the careful con sideration ofour editorial staff, and is being returned to you for the reasons checked below:

Subject is not esse ntially of the desert -Your manuscript lacks the "feel" of the desertWe accept only typewri t ten copyWe do not use this type of mater ial .We are not in the market for fictionSimilar material is on hand or in preparationSimilar material has been used previouslyIl lust rat ions are inadequateNot sufficient hum an or pers ona l interest ...Copy is too general; lacks particularizationOur limit for fea ture s of this typ e is wo rdsWe are oversuppl ied wi th poet ry at presentThis is not poetry, i t is merely rhymeOur poetry limit is 24 linesWe use only contributed poetryNo return post age w as enclosed . We will hold the materia l subject to yourinstructions

Our editorial staff is always glad to consider material within the desert field. How-ever, Desert Magazine has a "well-defined editorial formula and it "will often save timeand disappointment if contributors before sending in manuscripts will study the magazineto determine its style and field.

Feature material should have a st rong personal , human-interest slant . Text should bebuilt around a single personality, episode or geographical location. Particularize.Desert Magazine is publ ished for desert people who are al ready famil iar wi th the obviousthings of the desert country. Avoid generalities. Y/e prefer copy written from the view-point of participant rather than onlooker.

Al l manus cripts, to be considered, must be accom panied b y clear sha rp photogra phs,strong in light and dark contrasts, on glossy paper 5x7 or larger.Payment for feature material i s one cent a word and up. For photographs we pay$1.00 to $3.00 each.

magazine, and therefore its usefulness.Desert's mapped travelogs bring tensof thousands of people into the desertcountry annually. It is the attitude ofthe publishers that communities whichwant to make capital of this stimulatedtravel have the opportunity to do soin the advertising columns.Most of the material appearing inDesert Magazine comes from free lancewriters and photographers. Everyday's mail includes from two or threeto a dozen manuscripts from writerswho believe they have material suitablefor this publica tion. W hen these ar-ticles show promise, Desert's editorsdevote much time and correspondenceto helping the contributor make neededrevisions. Desert does not buy fiction(except the Hard Rock Shorty yarns),does not use serial material except onrare occasions, and limits its featurestories to 3,000 words.

The accompanying reprint of themagazine's rejection letter may be ofinterest to readers as well as to aspir-ing contributors.During the 11 years of publication,Desert's staff has acquired a fine sourcelibrary of material bearing on nearlyevery phase of non-commercial desertactivity. This library has become in-valuable for the reason that people allover the world write to this office forinformation pertaining to the GreatAmerican Desert. While these lettersmost often pertain to road conditionsand accommodations for travelers,they also cover almost every conceiv-able subject. Th e same mail that bringsa letter from a prospector asking aboutmining restrictions in the nationalparks, or about a market for his newlydiscovered gem material, may also in-clude an inquiry from a college pro-fessor asking what species of fish arefound in the desert waterholes. Des-ert's staff is supposed to know every-thing, and thanks to a good libraryand close contact with travel agencies,is able to answer most of the querieswhich come in.

According to one survey conductedby the business office, Desert's readersin one year traveled 7,000,000 mileson trips mapped or suggested to themby Desert Magazine.Thirty-eight percent of the readersare professional people teachers,artists, lawyers, doctors, engineers.Twenty-five percent are ranch andbusiness executives.In the first issue in November, 1937,the purpose and ideals which were togovern the editorial policy of DesertMagazine were published under theti t le "There Are Two Deserts." Thiseditorial is reprinted on the followingpageas a reaffirmation of the cul-tural standards which have and willremain the goal of Desert's staff.

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(Reprinted from the first issue of Desert Magazine Nov. 1937.)NE IS A GRIM desolate wasteland. It is the home ofvenomous reptiles and stinging insects, of viciousthorn-covered plants and trees, and of unbearableheat. This is the desert seen by the stranger speeding alongthe highway, impatient to be out of "this damnable coun-try." It is the deser t visualized by those children of luxu ryto whom any environment is unbearable which does notprovide all of the comforts and services of a pampering civ-ilization. It is a concept fostered by fiction wri ters w hodram atize th e trage dies of the dese rt for the .profit it willbring them.

But the stranger and the uninitiated see only the mask.The other Desertthe real Desertis not for the eyes ofthe superficial observer, or the fearful soul of the cynic. Itis a land, the character of which is hidden except to thosewho come with friendliness and understanding. To thesethe Desert offers rare gifts: health-giving sunshinea skythat is studded with diamondsa breeze that bears no poi-sona landscape of pastel colors such as no artist canduplicatethorn-covered plants which during countless ageshave clung tenaciously to life through heat and drought andwind and the depredations of thirsty animals, and yet eachseason send forth blossoms of exquisite coloring as a sym-bol of courage that has triumphed over terrifying obstacles.

To those who come to the Desert with friendliness, itgives friendship; to those who come with courage, it givesnew stren gth of chara cter. Those seeking relaxation findrelease from the world of man-made troubles. For thoseseeking beauty, the Desert offers, nature's rarest artistry.This is the Desert that men and women learn to love.Nearly every creed and industry and locality has itsjournalexcept the Desert. Here, within the boundaries ofArizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah residesa great family of human beingsthe highest type of Ameri-can citizenshipwith a common heritage of environmentand interest and opportunity, yet residing for the most partin regions that are remote from the so-called culturalcenters.This is the last great frontier of the United States. It willbe the purpose of the Desert Magazine to entertain andserve the people whom desire or circumstance has broughtto this Desert frontier. But also, the mag azine will carry asaccurately as possible in word and picture, the spirit of the

... one is fascinating, mysterious

. . . one is grim, desolatereal Desert to those countless men and women who havebeen intrigued by the charm of the desert, but whose homesare elsewhere. This is to be a friendly, personal magazine, written forthe people of the Desert and their friendsand insofar aspossible, by Desert people. Preference will be given to thosewriters and artistsyes, and poetswhose inspirationcomes from close association with the scented greasewood,the shifting sand dunes, the coloring of Desert landscapes,from precipitous canyons and gorgeous sunsets.

The Desert has its own traditionsartliteraturein-dust ry and commerce. It will be the purpose of the D esertMagazine to crystallize and preserve these phases of Desertlife as a cultu re distinctive of arid but virile America. Wewould give character and personality to the pursuits ofDesert peoplescreate a keener consciousness of the herit-age which is theirsbring them a little closer together in abond of pride in their Desert homes, and perhaps breakdown in some measure the prejudice against the Desertwhich is born of misunderstanding and fear.It is an idealistic goal, to be sure, but without vision theDesert would still be a forbidding wasteland uninhabitedand shunned. The staff of the Desert Magazine has under-taken its task with the same unbounded confidence whichhas brought a million people to a land which once was re-garded as unfit for human habitation.We want to give to the folks who live on the Desertand to those who are interested in the Desertsomethingthat will make their lives a little happier and a little finersomething worthw hile. In the accomplishm ent of this pur-pose we ask for the cooperation and help of all friends ofthe Desert everywhere. THE STAFF.

Photo by Stephen Willard

, k' I

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By MARY BEALan aromatic wine to a remedy for a host of'ailments; from a gourmet salad-dressing ingredientto angling rods and flutes, the Elder has served gen-erations in most of the temperate regions of our country.In the Old World too it was highly regarded. In earlyEngland it was considered a storehouse of medicine forthe country practitioner, both for internal ailments andwounds. Some of the old herbals recommended theflowers for remedies, although the fusions of the leavesand bark also were in favor. The concoctions were takenfor liver and intestinal complaints, as a blood purifier,astringent and a mild anodyne. The juice of the berries,beaten up with lard or thick cream made an excellentointment for burns and scalds. The fine purple juiceof the sweetish, acidulous berries also was "very highlyesteemed for making Elder wine, a powerful, warming, andenlivening article for family use." Elderflower water wasa choice toilet preparation, made from the pickled flowers

and layers of common salt.In our country we find much the same usage of theElder. Housewives consider the berries excellent for pies,preserves and jellies, and Elderberry wine is brewed bycountry folk for its tonic properties. Indians found manyuses for all parts of itfood, antiseptic washes, remediesfor internal ailments, even to check hemorrhage of thelungs. Charles Francis Saunders in his Western WildFlowers and Their Stories gives an interesting account ofthe making of flutes from Elder stems by the California In-dians, and of other Indian lore concerning the Elder.If you'd like a delectable salad vinegar, try adding agenerous handful of ripe Elderberries to a bottle of whitevinegar. But you must gather your berries as soon as theyare ripe, or only nearly so, if you expect to get ahead of

the birds. Once the berries are eatable, birds can stripthe bushes almost in. a twinkling. Other animals too relishthe berries but it's the birds that really harvest the crop.Among other benefits conferred by the Elder is the pro-tection of delicate plants from caterpillars with a decoctionmade from the leaves, as reported by some gardeners.Not least in usefulness is the wood, white, fine and ex-ceedingly tough and hard, valued for angling rods, tops,skewers and pegs, and especially prized by the maker ofmathematical instruments.The common name Elder, or Elderberry, is universalbut in botanical parlance the genus is classed as Sambucusand is a member of the small Honeysuckle family. Thecommon western Elder that ranges from British Columbiato Mexico and Lower California, and eastward to theRockies, also has established itself in the deserts of Cali-fornia, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas,either the species or its varieties. Naturally a stream lover,or of other moist situations, on the desert it makes itself athome along watercourses and drainage slopes and canyons,usually in foothill or mountain areas, up to several thou-sand feet elevation. Frequently it is called Blue Elderberry,which interprets the scientific name,

Sambucus coeruleaYou may know this Elder as a small tree, for it oftendevelops that form and stature, varying from a largemany-stemmed shrub 8 to 12 feet high to a tree 20 to 30feet in height, the trunk a foot or more in diameter. Thelarger branches are dark and finely furrowed, the others

smooth and hairless and very pithy. The pale-green pin-nate leaves have 5 to 9 ovate to oblong-lanceolate leaflets,hairless or nearly so, sharply saw-tooth, with pointed tips,

The common Blue Elderberry, Sambucus coerulea,appears in many guises from medicine to tabledelicacy. Beal photo.usually rounded at the base and lopsided. The numerouscreamy-white flowers are small but grow in ornamental,flat-topped clusters, that are like decorative mats of richlace, 2 to 6 or 8 inches across, the individual corollasdeeply 5-lobed. Flowers may be found from May to Augustaccording to the altitude. The fruit is a small berry-likedrupe, bluish black but veiled with a dense whitish bloomwhich gives a cerulean blue effect.

The Blue Elderberry displays differences that have ledto the segregation of a few varieties, which some of theleading botanists class as separate species. Here they arelisted as varieties, for simplification.1. Variety arizonica, which has leaves with only 3 to 5leaflets, smaller flower clusters and smaller fruits. It oftentakes a round-topped tree form, with stout spreadingbranches.2. Variety velutina, with branchlets and underside ofthe thick leathery leaves finely hairy, often densely so,especially the branchlets, the flowers yellowish, in flatclusters 4 to 16 inches broad.3. Variety mexicana, with leaves persistent, 3 to 5leathery leaflets, usually ovate to elliptical, sometimessparsely hairy, the "bloom" on the berries less dense thanthat of the species. Usually a fair-sized tree, up to 35 feettall, the trunk sometimes 2 feet in diameter. Often plantedas an ornamental. This variety (or species) replaces thevariety (or species) arizonica in some botanical works.Known as Desert Elderberry and Mexican Elder.4. Variety neomexicana, New Mexico Elder, has nar-rower leaflets, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, tapering toa long point, the flowers in more delicately lacy, very openclusters. It grows in Arizona as well as New Mexico.

22 THE DESERT M AG AZ IN E


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A Cirio forest grows about another strange plant in-habitant of the desert, the Elephant tree. No two Chios are alike. This queer contortionist ap-parently lost all sense of direction.

Tteak Ttee ok the J^enln5uLaBy LEWIS W. WALKER N L A N D from the tow n of Rosa r io^ r and for 300 miles southw ard inBaja California, the traveler en-counters one of the desert's oddestgrowthsthe Cirio or Boogum tree.E ven when grow ing normally, its singletrunk towering 50 feet into the air, it isa weird sight. Bu t in every grove ofthese trees there are a few which

sprawl unbelievably, apparently havinglost all sense of direction. And thoughthese queer plant contortionists all fol-low one of several general patterns, itis practically impossible to find anytwo alike.The first few years of a Cirio's lifeare spent as a ball about the size of asmall coconut. It is almost as wide asit is high, and from the grey bark num-erous twigs protrude, each armed withrigid spines. These twiglike branchesresemble the ocotillo, the Cirio's closestrelative, but otherwise all visible signs

of relationship have been obliterated bythe evolution of time. This peculiar ballwith armored branches gradually elon-gates and tapers to a point at the top.N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 8

You might doubt that there isa "Boogum" tree, even after youhave read its strange story. ButLewis W. Walker brought backphotographs to prove the exist-ence in Lower California of oneof the desert's most peculiarplants, which starts life as a balland ends it as a bleached yellowskeleton.The base is not idle during this verticalgrowth. It also spreads until the wholeplant, on reaching a yard in height,resembles an upside-down ice creamcone.

Just below the surface horizontalroots radiate in all directions, and bythe time the Cirios attain their 50-footheight the root pattern is practicallysolid beneath the soil. The effect ofthe underground root system may beseen plainly. The ground for manyyards on all sides of the scatteredgroups is bare in comparison withareas where Cirios are not growing.When the Cirio dies, it skeletonizeslike a giant cholla. The long straightshafts bleach to a yellow-white, whenthe bark and the inside pulp has rotted

away, revealing a circular wooden walloock-marked with thousands of smallholes.Some of these skeletons have beensawed into sections and hung on wiresby quarry workers at the onyx mine atE l M arm ol. Whe n filled with spagnummoss and kept damp they make beau-tiful rustic garden baskets which, ifmore plentiful, would be in populardemand here in the States.Occasionally even the living trees de-velop hollow centers, and these arequickly preempted by wild honey bees.Some of these hollows have been foundwith over 100 pounds of honey storedwithin. Several residents of PuntaPrieta, the heart of the Cirio country,make their entire livelihood by robbing"Boogum" hives.A few areas in the 300 mile beltwhere the Cirio is found have becomeinfested with a picturesque parasiticlichen, similar to Spanish moss. Inthese localized areas the forests arebeing ravaged by slow death, but newplants are in constant view as thoughready to take the place of those nowblighted and doomed.

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The Cirio ofBaja California is a relative of theOcotillo, and thetiny branchletsare somewhat similar but there all resemblance ends.

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Ui& MonthA/aaaja Il/eaoeb

Lewis M. Jones of Bisbee, Arizona,took first place in the September photocontest with the portrait (right) of an88-yearrold weaver of Lupton, Arizona.The picture was taken in August, 1948,with an Eastman post card camera,1/25 at f.22.

Ben Pope of Dinuba, California, roseat four in the morning and drove untilth e sun was behind the butte to shootthe sunrise picture (below) which wassecond place winner. The photo wasmade about five miles from Kayenta,Arizona, w ith a Medalist camera, 1 sec.at f.l 1,Plus X film, yellow filter.

Special M&ut"Mesa V erde" by Willard Luce,

Provo, Utah.


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Rattlesnake Behavior . . .Dear Desert: Boise City, Oklahom a

G e m s ofthe Juarez M ountains . . .Dear Desert: Whittier, CaliforniaIn a recent issue of Desert, Randall Hen-derson described his visit to the old mile-high placer mining district in the Juarezmountains in Lower California, referringto the old mining camp, La Milla.In 1906 a couple of gold miners fromLa Milla came to Los Angeles to sell theirgold and buysupplies. They brought withthem a bag of transparent stones which hadlodged behind theriffles in their sluice box.I happened to be the first lapidary theycontacted, andrecognizing the stones as zir-cons of a color generally known as hya-cinth, I bought the lot. They cut into thebrilliant stones for which zircons are noted.Those were still horse andbuggy days. Icould notleave mybusiness and the minersnever returned. I did not get any definitelocation information as I had no thoughtof trekking that distance to hunt zircon.Now, with speedy autos and good roads, afew weeks vacation in high mountain coun-try might be more than a mere dream.The striking feature of the rough materialwas that there was no complete crystal inth e lot. While of nodule shape, all edgeswere sharp, as though freshly broken. Al-though washed from gravel, there was nota single water worn surface in the lot.They gave every appearance of havingbeen crushed.The best clue to theexact location wouldbe to look for old mine workings whererunning water permitted the use of a sluicebox. Also, it would be worth while to runstream gravel through a sluice box. Whoknowsone may find both gold and zircon.

E . C.KNOP F Billy the Kid's G a n g . . .V enice, CaliforniaDear Desert:It is possible that a find I made whiledoing some research in old NewMexicannewspapers may be of interest in connec-tion with therecent item that Billy the Kidmay still be alive. According to the SantaFe Review, January 11, 1884, GovernorSheldon issued a proclamation offering$500 apiece, dead or alive, for membersof Billy theKid's gang, who had just riddenover from Mexico and shot up the bordertown ofSeven Rivers inLincolnnow Eddycounty. The biographies of Billy have it

that after hisdeath thegang dispersed andsettled down to law-abiding lives. This ac-count seems to dispose of that theory. Itmay be, therefore, that Billy escaped intoMexico with hisgang intact andcarried onthere for several years before he finally"met thegirl" and settled down.HENRY WI NF RED S P LI TTER

By TANYA SOUTHLittle thoughts with purpose great,Glorious your rising fate!Push the shining stars aside,Part thegates of heaven wide.You are young and strong and free.Heights above immensityWait with virgin space to greetYour swift soaring, winged feet.

Your rattlesnake quiz of some monthsback, onwhich I made 95 percent, bringsto mind the strange behavior of a rattlerI observed several years past. Du ring the68 years that I have lived on the GreatPlains at the foot of the Rocky mountains,I have studied thebehavior of thousands ofprairie, timber, velvet tail and prairie dia-mond back rattlesnakes and this was theonly one of which I have personal knowl-edge which struck without warning.On a beautiful sunny afternoon in lateNovember mygrandson and I were lookingfor Indian flint arrowheads along Carrumpacreek in northeast New Mexico. Whilewalking across a barren spot of sand andgravel with myattention drawn to my left,1 heard the gravel rattle just to my right.Although I was wearing heavy, 18-inchshoes which would have protected me, Ijumped through instinct from many yearson the plains. The snake, a medium-sizedprairie diamond about 2V4 feet long, musthave struck blind as he hitthe ground six oreight inches to the side of my footprint.Many times, while a boy, I would dis-turb the hog-nosed snake until it wouldspread its head and upper portion of itsbody to two or three times natural width.No w the rattlesnake proceeded to do this,spreading head andneck and a fewinchesof the upper portion of his body to ap-parently 21/2 inches broad and almost asthin as cardboard. Never having seen arattler behave that way before, I shoutedto mygrandson to bring the camera. Butthe rattler seemed to feel the show wasover andassumed hisnatural form and de-fensive attitude and no amount of prod-ding could lure himinto this performanceagain. I wonder if any of Desert's readershave seen any other rattlesnake soperform?W M. E.B A K E R

Los Alam o s Is a C r e d i t . . .Los Alamos, New MexicoDear Desert:In answer to the letter byKathryn Prov-encher, inSeptember Desert, the Los Alamosproject hascaused very little disruption tothe Santa Fe region. The New Yorkerarticle is definitely misleading onthis point.The charming, narrow, crooked streets ofSanta Fe do bear increased traffic. Theyhad been overcrowded in thepast, butnowthe county commissioners have begun a by-pass road, which will benefit Santa Fe agreat deal and will solve many traffic prob-lems without sacrificing the charm of thecity.The Pueblo Indians have been changedby this newsource of local income. Manyhave been able tomake substantial improve-ments to their homes, and thus have im-proved community health. Their dignity isnot lost through working with their hands,which is always a respectable way of earn-ing a living. They arewonderful neighborsand friends to us, whowork with them.The women who work asmaids in Los Ala-mos are not conventional maids. They arefellow housekeepers with their employers.They are our hosts when we see Indiandances; they are guests at many of ourrec-reational functions. One of our architectsand several engineers are local Pueblo men.The laborers and others have lost noimport-ance in their homes.Mr. Tafoya, who wore thecook's hat andapron Kathryn Provencher mentioned, isstill an important man at Santa Clara. Heis also a popular man at LosAlamos. Hehas made many friends here for hispeople.

The Indian arts of pottery have not suf-fered. Many of us have learned more ofthe Indian arts through close association.All of us are gaining a little social staturethrough these close associations of Anglo,Indian and Spanish. Recently I read a socialstudy of San Ildefonso, a book I would haveenjoyed inmy younger "Indian study" days.I nowfind it rather distasteful, as it is adiscussion and criticism of the lives of myfriends.Being close to Bandelier, Puye ruins,the Valle Grande and other little knownbut worthwhile places of pleasant recrea-tion, we have lost some of our naturallaziness andhave been led into a healthierand more sensible way of living. Probablywe strangers toNew Mexico owe more thanothers to the man whodecided upon thislocation, but all of us are grateful to him.New Mexico is not worrying about itsnew city. It is a credit to the state and tothe organizations that are building itKELLY CHODA Meteorite Pictographs? . . .Pasadena, CaliforniaDear Desert:The June-July issue ofPopular Astronomycontains an article calling attention to thepossible meteoric interpretation of certainpictographs. It occurred to me that manyreaders of Desert mayhave taken picturesof Indian pictographs and petroglyphs andthat a study of them might reveal addi-tional examples of meteors. 1 would ap-preciate theopportunity of examining printsof anypictures of that nature your readersmight have, and I will return them if de-sired. Even if none of thepictographs looklike meteors, a negative result is something.My address is 99 S. Raymond, Pasadena,California. JOHN DAVI S BUDDHUE Hotcake Art ist . . .

Longmont, ColoradoDear Mr. Henderson:Yes, as yousay, flipping hotcakes "takescourage, faith, good timing and perfectrhythm." One really becomes an expertwhen he can throw a hotcake up the fire-place, then runoutside and catch it in theskillet. If you don't believe it, just try itsome time. You say it cannot be done?Want to bet? Butwhen you try it, don'ttrip over the doorsill. R A L P H C U L V E RANSWERS TO QUIZQuestions are on page 91Borax.2A trading post inMonument val-

ley.3Roosevelt dam.4Paiute Indians.5Shiprock.6Death V alley.7As food.8Saguaro.9Find a newroute to Monterey,California.10Eat it.11Trappers.12Pueblo dw ellers.13Prescott.14Corundum.15Colorado River Indian reserva-tion.16Mesquite.17A desert plant, often called goatnut.18Utah.19Edwin Corle.20Imp erial V alley, California.

26 THE DESERT MAGAZINE


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Nancy La ne w ho created a business founded on fragrance. On the table in frontof her is one of the miniature ovens, or homos, which is as distinctive a symbol ofthe Southwest as is the scent of the pinyon burning inside of it. E. B. Ellison photo.

She SelL the JJncen5eon the J^inuon roteitThe desert or semi-desert lands of the Southwest may look like misersto the uninitiated. But dow n through the ag es a ma zing gifts ha ve com efrom the miser's dusty pocke ts. The Red Man su stained himself withthose gifts. The White Man ha s found be auty for his heart, pe ac e forhis mind and a vast expe ctation. The utilization of one of the abundan t

gifts has just come to light in the high mesa land around Santa Fe.A woman depleted in health and purse has founded a flourishing busi-ness on the fragrance of pinyon forests that speckle the hills of highdesert country.N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 8

By DOROTHY L. PILLSBURYy | / A N C Y Lane grew up in Washing-/ ton, D. C , the daughter of adistinguished family. Later shewent on the stage. Still later she feltthe pull of Santa Fe, made her homethere and started painting. Becominginterested in the large Spanish popula-tion of the state she worked for thestate health department and served inthe state legislature.

Then came bad days when ill healthhalted her widespread activities andcut off her income. At last when shewas able to think of work at all, sheconsulted with her friend, Miss BillyTobe r. "W hat I have to do ," she saidweakly, "is to find some little businessI can operate from my home. All I27


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Nancy Lane and Billy Tober beside one of the trees noted for the pineyfragrance of its wood. Los A lamos Times photo.can work now is two or three hours aday."

Miss Tober, whose hobby is creatinghandmade furniture, thought awhile."Smell this," she urged, picking up ahandful of pinyon sawdust that layaroun d her work bench. It was softand sticky with pitch. It had a cleanpiney fragrance. It was the distinctivearoma of dwarf pinyon forests. It wassun on adob e. It was rain on shortneedled green boughs. It was the in-cense from hundreds of squat littlechimneys around Santa Fe.The girls thought of the silverfeathers of pinyon smoke that hangover the old town from October toJune. They thought of nostalgic long-

ings the memory of that fragrancebrought to all who had experienced it.They thought of the tourists who wenthome with their cars loaded down with28

hunks of pinyon wood and of expressboxes that were shipped east by train.They thought of distant friends whobegged for gifts of pinyon greens atChristmas. They remembered boys inuniform who had written from the endsof the earth, "Put a sprig of pinyon inyour next letter. I can smell it and seethe whole country.""Why not make pinyon incense," de-mand ed Billy Tob er. With the saw-dust from her work bench they starteda business. Obviously a binder had tobe found to hold the sawdust togetherin little cones for burning . On Na ncyLane's cook stove they experimentedwith binders that would not take from

the fragranc e. Da y after day messes ofsawdust and binder were cooked,sniffed and discarded . At last theyfound the perfect binder which is now

a carefully protected trade secret.Then came the problem of a suitableholder for burning the pinyon incense.It, too, must be of the country. NancyLan e designed the perfect holder. It isan exact replica in miniature of theadobe beehive ovens used to this dayin Indian pueblos and Spanish villages.The natives call them homos. She de-

signed the box that holds the adobeoven and a supply of pinyon cones anddecorated it with a print of one of herown paintings.Today the business is strictly whole-sale, but in its beginning the origina-tor took some boxes to Taos to try outthe retail trade. One day a Taos In dianwrapp ed in his sheet stalked in. Heplunked down the price and walked offwith burner and incense cones. NancyLane pursued him up the road towardthe pueblo, wondering what on earth

an Indian wanted with incense. To herquestion he replied, "Use smokingpinyon under blanket."By inquiring around, Miss Lane gotthe explanation. For countless agesthe Pueblo Indians have used asmoldering pinyon log under a blanketas a remedy for coughs, colds andbrea thing difficulties. Th e smok e fromher incense cones answered the samepurpose with less bother.She had never considered the medi-cinal properties of her product. But

medicinal or not, today her best cus-tomers are people in hospitals and sickrooms. Aside from the aromatic pineyfragrance, sick people like to watchthe tranquil design of blowing smokethat floats out of the little adobe ovenby their bedside s. It seems to bring ina glimpse of sun filled spaces.A few months ago twenty-four thou-sand cones a month were considered asatisfactory output. Toda y, the yearand a half old business has jumped toeighty thousand cones a month withmore orders coming in than can befilled immediately.After housing her factory in a bed-room, a kitchen and a garage, NancyLane finally gave up her home to thedemands of her growing business."Pinon Studios" as she now calls herplant is just a step off of Santa Fe'sfamous Camino del Monte SolStreetof the Sun Mountaina couple ofmiles from the old plaza. The C aminois a street where famous artists paintand where Mary Austin had her "Be-loved House" and wrote of the South-

west.Around Pinon Studios grows thethe yellow flowered chamisa. Upand down the surrounding tawny hillsT H E D E S E R T M A G A Z I N E


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mmrfm ' ' / ;The pinyon sawdust is compressed in little cones with a binder that is atrade secret. E. B. Ellison photo.

march battalions of little pinyon treeslike soldiers in grey-green uniforms.They march as if in a planned settingup to the nearby Sangre de Cristomountains.In what was once the living room ofMiss Lane's house, sit Rositas, Mariasand Carmencitas around a work table.They measure out the prepared saw-dust and force it through a hand pressthat forms the cones. These are placedto dry on tin trays. Shelves that en -circle the room hold tier on tier of dry-ing cones. All about are packing cases,

boxes and bales ready for shipment.What with the great cans of pinyonsawdust and the hundreds of dryingcones, it is almost like working in the

midst of a forest. Yo u almost expecta pinyon jay to spread his blue wingsand squawk, "pinyons, pinyons."Conventions meeting in the South-west have grabbed the pinyon coneswith delight. By the five thou sand lotthey order little celophane bags filledwith sawdust and holding half a dozencones as favors for the people attend-ing. A verse on the bag advises,

"Light a cone,Blow out the flame,New Mexico is in your home."An d it is the truth. All you have todo is to close your eyes and you willsee fiesta in Santa Fe with the old wood

cook stoves smoking fragrantly aroundthe plaza. You will see St. Francis E veprocessions winding through the crook-ed narrow streets lighted on either sideby little pyres of pinyon wood. Youwill see Christm as E ve bonfires ofpinyon burning redly in many a brownwalled placita.Not only have the dwarf pinyon for-ests befriended all comers in an aridland, but they have woven themselvesinto the fabric of a region. They a reits essence and its fragrance. The y arebut one of the many gifts from dusty

pockets of what the uninitiated call themiser lands of the Southw est. Nan cyLane has good reason to think theyare not misers at all.N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 8 29


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m i n e s f l n o m i n i n eSalt Lake City, Utah ...New regulations governing the leasing ofpublic lands for phosphate prospecting willnot be adopted until the first part of 1949,according to Roscoe E . Bell, assistant di-rector of the U. S. bureau of land man-agement. Major regulation changes wereexpected to include provisions to allowprospecting of land for phosphate prior toexecution of a land lease; a provision todouble present acreage in any one leaseholding by an individual or corporation;allowance for leasing of related mineralsas well as phosphate; and a measure to in-crease acreage of public land which maybe used for manufacturing plant sites from40 to 80 acres. Salt Lake City TribuneRound Mountain, Nevada ...W. J. Loring of Tonopah and J. R.Midgley and John C . Kelly of V irginiaCity have executed a long term lease withPerry and John Henebergh of RoundMountain for the Rainbow claims ownedby the brothers. The claims, located in theRound Mountain mining distirct, are to bedeveloped for the various minerals ex-posed, including uranium and associatedmetals. The Heneberghs developed theirproperty as a gold prospect, and discoveryof uranium ore was made accidently. Tonopah Times-Bonanza. Randsburg, California . . .Several lead and silver properties arebeing worked and shipping ore both insideDeath V alley and in the area just west ofthe monum ent, it is reported. In the monu-ment, Skidoo, Queen of Sheba, Harrisburgand Lippincott silver-lead mines are oper-ating as well as the Chloride Cliff goldproperty and the Warm Springs and Ibextalc deposits. In the Panamin t valley, theMinietta and Defense mines are being work-ed. The Jorgens custom mill in Wildrosecanyon is not operating, due to the lull ingold activity. Randsburg Times Mina, Nevada ...The Douglas brothers of Fallon, whohave been working on property south andeast of the Simon lead-silver mine, north-east of Mina, reportedly have made arich gold find. According to meager de-tails available, the gold occurs in a whitequartz of vug-hole nature and where thequartz fractures, the gold is literally plast-ered over the rock. Assays running $1000a ton were said to be common whilepicked pieces go to $10,000. Size and depthof the orebody was not known. TonopahTimes-Bonanza Coaldale, Nevada . . .A plant, estimated to cost $25,000, isbeing installed on Columbus marsh for thedeclared purpose of recovering gold, plat-inum and mercury from the clays of thelakebed. The machinery, specially builtfor the purpose, is being financed by SanFrancisco people and is on property ownedby Leonard Becker-Jurgen. A feature of theplant is that the clays, apparently a finedust when dry, are to be ground to stillgreater fineness. The plant, while only apilot mill, reportedly will treat one ton ofclay every 10 minutes. Five men are atpresent working on the project. Possible re-covery of minerals from Nevada dry lakebeds has been a much-debated subject inthe past. Tonopah Times-Bonanza

Salmon, Idaho.. .The only large known cobalt deposit inthe United States, it is said, lies in theBlackbird district of east central Idaho,where the Calera Mining company is cur-rently attempting to mine it for commer-cial purpose s. This country is the biggestconsumer of cobalt in the world and, atpresent, the Belgian Congo enjoys a virtualmonopoly on the market. Harold H. Sharp,president of the Howe Sound company, ofwhich Calera Mining is a subsidiary, de-clares the concern plans to erect the nucleusof a town on property already selectedeight miles from the mine, to house ex-panded mining and milling crews. Minershave known for 50 years that cobalt existedin the district, but they dumped it into themountain streams because they were aftercopper and the Anacond a Mining andSmelting company, where their ores wereconcentrated, penalized them for high cobaltcontent. Humboldt, Nevada, Star San Francisco, California . . .From Alaska to Africa, Canada to Cali-fornia, gold miners are complaining thattheir costs have risen in world-wide infla-tion while the price of their product is stillpegged by Washington at the pre-war level.Gold was set at $35 an ounce by the U. S.treasury in 1934, and has not been changedsince. Results of the cost-price squeeze, itwas said, are shown in falling productionand closed mines. In 1940 miners took4,800,000 ounces of gold from the lands ofcontinental United States. Output in 1947was just over 2,000,000 ounces. The Home-stake Mining company, biggest U. S. goldproducer, reports the cost of processing aton of gold-bearing ore is up 50 per centfrom the 1941 level. Humboldt, Nevada,Star Ely, Nevada ...Appointment of Arthur J. O'Connor asgeneral superintendent of ConsolidatedCopper Mines corporation, Kimberly, hasbeen announced by C. I. Cook, generalmanager. O'Connor was promoted fromchief engineer, and succeeds the late PaulJ. Sirkegian. O'Connor has been with Con-solidated Copper nearly 22 years and is agraduate of the Michigan School of Mines.Harold Bishop has been appointed chiefengineer of the corporation. Salt LakeCity Tribune Washington, D. CWhen a Denver mining man asked thetreasury department for regulations re-garding the buying and selling of gold, hereceived this information from LelandHoward, acting director of the mint: "Thisis to reply to your letter concerning state-ments in the press that it is lawful to sellplacer gold in the open markets of theworld. Such statements are inaccurate andmisleading. While under section 54.19 ofthe gold regulations, gold in its naturalstate may be purchased, sold and trans-ported within the United States withoutthe necessity of obtaining a treasury li-cense, such gold may not be exported with-out a license. The treasury grants suchlicenses only for the purpose of sending thegold out of the country for refining orprocessing and subject to the condition thatan equivalent amount of gold in refined orprocessed form be returned to the UnitedStates."Battle Mountain, Nevada, Scout

Vernal, Utah . . .Utah's first commercial oil well report-edly was brought in September 18, aboutthree miles west of Jensen . Initial flowfrom the E quity Oil company's N. J.Meagher N o. 1 was 300 barrels a day. Thewell is located on the Ashley dome, andproduction is from the Weber sands at4152 feet, the same strata which furnishesthe oil at Rangely, Colorado. The discoverymarks the first successful well in manyyears of investigation in eastern Utah, mademore intensive during the past five yearsby oil discoveries at Rangely. President J.L. Dougan of E quity, an independent firm,has searched unsuccessfully for oil in Utahfor the past 25 years. A day after the firstoil reached the surface, the flow had drop-ped to a steady six barrels an hour, 150barrels a day. Vernal Express Goldfield, Nevada ...The old Bullion and Benton lead-silverclaims on Montezuma mountain, whosewritten history reportedly can be tracedback to 1863, are producing again for GenePerry and Ted Johnson who have leasedthe property from Roscoe Wright and Mar-tin P. Brown. A shipment of galena to theInternational smelter in Salt Lake City re-portedly went 15 per cent in lead and car-ried 35 ounces of silver to the ton. Theclaims are located 22 miles west of Gold-field.Goldfield News Austin, Nevada . . .A road is being constructed to the Stokesantimony property at the head of Dry can-yon in the Big Creek area. The road willfollow a switch-back pattern making theclimb to the mine practical for heavyvehicles. When it is completed, equipmentwill be added to permit removal of theoverburden and allow open pit mining ona large scale. The prop erty, leased byTony Romano, has been sub-leased to PhilCox of Placerville, California, who is de-veloping the mine. During World War I,there was heavy antimony production fromthe Big Creek district. Reese RiverReveille Goldfield, N ev ad a. . .Initial tests on the 100-ton mill of theNewmont Mining corporation are expectedto be run in October, having been held upawaiting arrival of some

194811 desert magazine 1948 november

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