197804 desert magazine 1978 april

8/14/2019 197804 Desert Magazine 1978 April

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P R IL , 1978 $1.0i

.GAZINE OF THE SOUTHWESTM

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C o m evisitus...PALM SPRINGS

A GREATSELECTIONOF BOOKSON THE WEST

HWY 111

PALMDESERT

El nr-1

HPost Office? MAGAZINEBOOK SHOP74-425 HWY 111IIMDIO

STORE HOURS:MONDAY THRU FRIDAY10:00-4:00SATURD AY, 10:00-3:00

WESTERN ARTNOTES PRINTS

MAP S GOLD PANSGREETING CARDSAN D

A LARGEASSORTMENT OF

CURRENT ANDOLD BACK ISSUES

" ' .

4

MAGAZINE BOOK SHOP74-425 Highway 111 at Deep Canyon Road Palm D esert, California


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WILL IAM and JOY KNYVETTCo-Publishers/ EditorsGEORGE BRAGA, Art DirectorSHARLENE KN YVETT, Art DepartmentMARY FRANCES STRONG, Field Trip EditorK L. BOYNTON, NaturalistIV ARVEL BARRE TT, Circulation Manager

Color Separations byHenry Color ServiceLithographed by\A olfer Printing Company, Inc.Available in Microfi lm byXerox University Microfilms

Volume 41 , Number 4 APRIL 1978

CONTENTS

THE COVER:Diamatic photo of Scotty'sC; stle, in Death Valley,C; I if., through the hugewi ought iron gates. Photob\ George Service, PalmDesert, California. See re-laied article on Page 20.

F E A T UWIL L OW H OL E OA SIS -A N AL MOST PAR KSITE 8

THE MYSTERIOUS WALLS OF THEGRAND CANYON 12CEDAR BREAKS AND THE BR IAN H EAD AGATE 16

WONDERS OFD EATH VAL L EY 20N EW WESTERN AR TIST-N O R BER TO R EYES 24

H E D R EAMED OFTR AIL S U N TR AMM EL ED 28MONITOR'S MORNING STAR LOOP 32

RESCUE BYPINE NUTS 36P A L M W A S H 40

R E S6/7/ JenningsRoger MitchellMary Frances StrongChuck GebhardtDave WetterbergJean CrowlBetty ShannonRonald M. LannerDick Bloomquist

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

NEW BOOKS FORDESERT READERS 6 Book ReviewsTRADING POST 42 Classified Listings

BOOKS OF THEWEST 44 Mail Order ItemsLETTERS TO THE EDITOR 46 Readers'Comments

CALENDAR OFWESTERN EVENTS 46 Club Activities

EDITORIAL, CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING OFFICES: 74-425Hiohway 111, P. 0. Box 1318,Palm Desert, California 92260. TelephoneAri a Code 714346-8144. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States and pos-sessions; 1year, $7.00; 2years, $13.00; 3years, $19.00. All other countriesade $2.00 U. S. currency for each year. See Subscription Order Form inthh. issue. Allow five weeks for change of address andsend both new andDes ert/ April 1978

old addresses with zip codes. DESERT Magazine is published monthly.Second class postage paid at Palm Desert, California and at additionalmailing offices under Act of March 3, 1879.Contents copyrighted 1978 byDESERT Magazine and permission to reproduce any or all contents mustbe secured inwriting. Unsolicited manuscripts andphotographs w ill not bereturned unless accompanied by self-addressed, stamped envelope.


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B A C K I S S U EB A R G A I N S !ODDS AN D ENDS

Miscellaneous Copiesfrom 1959 to 1965Package of 10$900No s e lectio ns av ailable

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DESERT M AGA ZINEP. 0. Box 1318Palm De sert, Ca lif. 92260

in thepublisher'sy o k e AST MON TH I ment ioned br ief ly theJ anticipated wildf lower display thatIJ the winter rains could produce, andmany of our readers asked just whatareas might be best to visit. A phone callto the Anza-Borrego Desert State Parkheadquarters, in Borrego Springs, Cali-fornia, revealed that they are preparedfor a spectacular wildflo we r explosionwhich could peak from mid-M arch towel l into Apr i l .

Two other popular C alifornia areas ex-pecting a rainbow of colors are the Lan-caster-Palmdale area (being of a higherelevation, the blooming period wil l belater than the lower desert), and DeathValley.

Over in Arizon a, the pattern is repeat-ing itself with Organ Pipe National Mon-ument report ing a massive carpet ofgreenery and buds.

A call to the Chamber of Comm erce inthe area you wish to visit , or Park H ead-quarters wil l assure you of being at theright spot at the r ight t ime.

But color in the Southwest is not limit-ed to f lowers. Take Southern Utah, forexample, and Cedar Breaks NationalMonument in part icular. Mary FrancesStrong visited this spectacular area lastfall and found a locale for agate as abonus! Jerry Strong captured it on f i lmfor this issue so. we cou ld all enjoy itsbeauty.

And how about that colorful characterportrayed in the work of Norberto Reyesthis mo nth. Norberto is a member of theAmerican Indian & Cowboy Art ists Soci-ety and we are proud to feature him inDESERT Magazine. Be sure to make anote to attend the American Indian &Cowboy Art ists Western Art Exhibit ancSale in San Dimas, California on April2 8 , 29 and 30. Sponsored by the Cham-ber of Com merce, it is a "m u s t" showfor lovers of f ine We stern Ar t.

WwdERERiTmps

By Slim BarnardIhe tours by the Happy Wandereis con-tain excellent maps, m ileage, historyof the areas, costs of gasoline consump-t ion, lodg ing meals, what to wear andthe best time of the year to make thetrips. A family can plan their trip anddetermine the exact amount of t ime andmoney required.Volume Number One covers 52 toursthroughout California's deserts, moun-tains, lakes and seashores. In VolumeNumber Two, Slim and Henrietta exploreArizona, Nevada and Old Mexico, , wi ththe areas rangin g from modern resortsto ghost towns.Whe n orde ring BE SURE to state Vo lumeOne or Volume Two. Both books are largeformat, heavy paperback with 150 pages.S2.95 e ach

Please add 50c for pos tage/handl ingCalif, residents add 6% sales tax

Order fromMagazine Book Shop

P. O Box 1318, Palm Desert, Calif 92260Low es t Photo Prin t Prices

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GaptttitaSunshitieA marvelous ne w book aboutJohn W.Hilton"The Dean ofAmerican Desert Painters"byKatherine Ainsworth

Just one of the many beautifully reproduced Hilton paintings included in the book.

The Man Who Captured Sunshine is a biography of arem arkable , m odern day, Renaissance Man John W. Hil ton.Though John Hil ton is bes t know n as the "Dean of Am ericanDeser t Painters , " he is also a distinguished botanist, gem ologist,and zoo logist. Hilton also is anoted w ri ter and linguist, aguitaristand singer.

The author, Katherine Ainsw orth, makes no apology for the"lack of objectivity" inw r it ing th is b o o k . . . she hasbeen a friendand admirer of John Hil ton for ove r thirty years. Katie 's latehusband, EdAinsw or th, wasJohn Hil ton's best friend for almos tas m any years. This "labor of l o v e " hasresul ted in a m agnificentbook about a m agnificent man.

Th e Man Who Captured Sunshine isinspi rat ional . . . abook w hich inspires one to overcome advers i ty, to achieveexcel lence, tostr ive for agenuine joy of living. Thereader wi l lcry,but m ore o f ten w il l f ind him se lf/herse lf enjoying the pleasure ofhearty laughter, of grand adventure. Thesignificance of this book,above allelse , lies in an im pelling force w hich inspires the readerto l ive a fu ll e r, m ore m eaningfu l , m ore joyous l i f e . . . to be adoer ,acreator , a giver.

TO PLACE ORDER:Please send check or money order ($12.95 per copy)

DESERT MAGAZINE BOOK SHOPP.O. Box 1318Palm Desert, California 92260

California residents add 6%sales tax, andplease enclose50 C for postage and handling. 5 AN ETCPUBLICATION


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*BooksforDese r tTraders

All books reviewed are availablethrough the Desert Magazine BookShop. Please add 50c per totalorder for handling and Californiaresidents must include 6% statesales tax.

T H E M A N W H OC A P T U R E D S U N S H I N EBy Katherine AinsworthForeword by James Cagney

If you wa nt to read a book that is so en-tertaining you will not be able to put itdown, then Kather ine Ainsworth 's "TheMan Who Captured Sunshine" is theanswer. It is the engaging biography ofJohn W. Hilton, one of America's fore-most desert artists and a man of manyaccomplishments. In addition to his ar-tistic talents, he is an accomplished bot-a n is t , g e mo lo g is t , mu s ico lo g is t a n dl inguist .

Hilton's adventures began early in hislife in China with his missionary parents.There, John began to paint with aChinese master. He saw his fathernearly killed by a Chinese bandit, andlater saw his father kill a tiger which wasterrorizing the vil lage where he and hisfamily l ived.

H i l t o n ' s e xp e r ie n ce s in t h e g e mbusiness, his close association with thePala and Cahuilla Indians, his struggleas an artist during the Depression, and

finally recognition through the help ofNellie Coffman is vividly described.

An "untold" side of General GeorgePatton is also revealed in the account ofhis friendship with Patton. Hilton waslargely responsible for the selection ofthe WWII training grounds near Indiowhere Patton trained his forces for theinvasion of North Africa. John, at greatpersonal sacrifice, supplied our nationwith calcite used in precision gun sightsduring the war.

Readers will vicariously experiencegrand adventures with Hilton and hisfriends in California and Mexico. Anintimate glimpse into the lives of cele-brities and his life with his cherishedwi fe , Barbara, are to ld . You will roarwith laughter at tales of a mum mified In-dian, a magnetic rock, giant sloths, andof roisterous pranks and "mistake Burn-i ngs . " In short, you will thril l to thegrand adventure of a man who reallyknows how to live life to the fullest.

If the fine story telling is not enough,eight of Hilton's f inest paintings, repro-duced in full color in this book, shouldbe . Highly recommended reading!

Hardcove r, 274 pages, $12.95.

crookedarrowI f "THE CROOKED ARROWBy Franklin Barnett

Civil engineer, Army off icer, writer,archaeologist are all part of what makesup the life of Franklin Barnett. Nostranger to Desert readers, M r. Barnetta u th o re d "D ic t io n a ry o f P re h is to r i cIndian Art ifacts of the American South-west," which has been invaluable since1973 to archaeologists and historians ofthe Southwest, as well as a textbook inmany colleges and universities.

All of the author's experiences andprofessions came into play wit h his latestbook, a factual novel of a prehistoric In-dian hunter of the Southwest. The book,"Crooked Arrow," is based on threeruins which the author excavated. The

reports of these excavations, written byMr. Barnett, have all been published bythe Museum of Northern Arizona, Flag-staff. The artifacts recovered became thebases for the Indians' style of life, as didthe recorded history of the early Spanishchroniclers when they arrived in theSouthwest. So the locale, the way of life,their art ifacts, are all factualonly thecharacters are fictitious during thisperiod of the mid-1200s. It could becalled a love story. You might think of itas an adventure story. Love, hate, trust,distrust, bravery, fearall are found inthis fast moving story which makes fas-cinating reading amid an authentic set-t ing for a hunter l iving during this t imewhen life was cruel, hard and basic.

There has been much interest amongeducators in the Southwest to make"Crooked Ar ro w" a textbook in h ighschool and college level classes in an-thropologyan easy, clear, delightful,factual way of exploring and learningSouthwestern archaeology in a new way.

Paperback, 152 pages, $4.95.

HOUSE IN THE SUNBy George O lin

Knowledgeable desert devotees knowthe byline "By George O l i n " insureshigh quality, accuracy and readability inany volume. His previous works coveredmammals of the desert region and gen-eral interest knowledge about life in thedesert mountains and mesas.

As his earlier efforts, "House in theS u n , " is dist inguished by outstandingcolor photography, most of it from hisown camera.

This book attempts, successfully, todescribe the peculiarities of desert life,plant and animal, part icularly in the so-called Sonoran Desert, which coversmost of the southeastern California,much of Arizona and the Mexican statesof Sonora and two Baja California-

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Norte and Sur. Olin tells the reader whatis distinctive about the Sonoran and whatde;ert characteristics it shares with theother great North American arid zones.

'House in the Sun" doesn't explorenew ground, but rather attempts to ex-plain to the average reader what desertis all about. Significantly, Olin creditsanother desert naturalist with his own in-sp ration, namely Dr. Edm und C. Jaegerof Riverside, California, who by now atth


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Lone tree neareastern edge of theWillow Hole. Beardsor dead fronds onmost of the isolatedtrees are unturned.Brush in foregroundwas washed awayin heavy rainsof midwinter.W I L L O W H O L E O A S I S

A N A L M O S T P A R K S I T EH I S T O R I C P A L M G R O V E H I D D E NA L O N G O L D D E S E R T H I G H W A Yby BILL JENNINGS

Des ert/April 1978


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T UCKED INTO A windswept cornerof California's upper Coachella Val-ley is an unlikely oasis of palm, ar-rowweed and mesquite, an almost for-gotten park site known as the WillowHole.

The name might make you think pri-marily of thickets of the water-guzzlingdesert trees, and you would be par-t ially right. I t would seem more logical,however, to name the little cienega forits clump of 36 palms, in various stagesof maturity and decline, or its soldierlyranks of the dusty, gray-green arrow-woed or even the surprising stands ofyoung mesquite growing on the charredstumps of their burned-out elders.

Unlikely as an oasis because WillowHole is surrounded by sand dunes andw il l-cobbled rock hi l ls, four m iles south-east of Desert Hot Springs, at the junc-tion of old Highways 60-70-99, nowknown as Varner Road, and MountainView Road.

The marsh contains a slow-running

stream much of the winter and alkalinewater is available the year-round by dig-ging just a few feet near the roots ofseveral of the palm clusters. Severaltrees have died in recent years but newones are emerging to their their placeand the total count is little different thanwhen J. Smeaton Chase visited the placewhen he was writing his desert classic,California Desert Trails, in 1918. Theother great biographer of the arid re-gion of southeastern California, GeorgeWharton James, almost certainly passedthe Willow Hole in 1906, but his book,The Wonders of the Colorado Desert,fails to mention his visit .

Willow Hole was proposed as a com-munity park in the early 1960s by theDesert Hot Springs Park and RecreationDistrict. While the funding campaignfa i led, it at least accomplished onepurpose it prevented W illow Hole be-coming a Riverside County dump!That use had been described in thelate 1950s by the coun ty w hen a need fo r

a new lan dfil l to serve the Palm Springs-Desert Hot Springs area became appar-ent in the wake of growing populationand less room in the exist ing dumpsite.

Desert Hot Springs residents ralliedbehind Mrs. Evelyn Knudsen, then thehead of an organization called the Des-ert Hot Springs Improvement Associa-t ion. The late Ed Walker, then River-side County parks director, offered tohelp by making Willow Hole an adjunctof the 400-acre parksite he planned atthe north end of the Indio Hills.

Willow Hole had been proposed as aparksite long before, by the late HerbEcclestone, then a Desert Hot Springsresident and a leader in the old River-side County Association of Chambers ofC o mme rce . N e i t h e r Ecc le s to n e , t h eimprovement association or the countypark agency made much headway, how-ever, until a Palm Springs resident, M rs.Alberta Wagner, provided funds for apreliminary feasibil ity survey made by aRiverside architect, Jack Burg.

Old rockhouse cafeand service station

near the Willow Hole m4tc ong former State and **U.S. Highways X

60-70-99 have beenfrequently used as

movie sets but are nowrapidly melting into

the landscape . &&Old rest stop was

abandoned in about1950 beforeInterstate 10

replaced the oldtwo-lane highway.

Daae r t /Apr i l 1978 9 r


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Slope on right [above] is littered with potsherds uncove red during m idwinter rains.Federal and state laws prohibit remova l of manma de material without a special per-mit. Overall view [below] of Willow Hole, looking toward stormswept Little SanBernardino Mountains. Area is along branch of San Andreas Fault, which mayaccoun t for the abund ant, if slightly saline waters that often surface here.

Burg's d o cu me n t , co u p le d w i t hspirited support from two Indian or-g a n iza t io n s , t h e Ma lk i Mu se u m o fMorong o Reservation, and the A mericanIndian Historical Society of San Fran-cisco, apparently awakened the interestof the landlord, the U.S. Bureau of LandMa n a g e me n t . Bu t t h e p a rk n e ve rmaterialized.

Willo w Hole, it turned out, had been atradit ional res ting place for the Ca huilla,the Chemehuevi and possibly the Ser-rano Indians on their periodic migrationsbetween the San Corgonio Pass, theCoachella Valley and the High Desertbeyond. Certainly there remains ampleevidence of this occupation, in litters ofbroken potshards, stone tools, grindingholes and perhaps even the stumps ofold burned mesquite.

In any case, BLM listened, assuredthe park district that the land would notbecome a cut and cover dumpsite, butapparently never approved the archi-tectural design for a park. Now, 10 yearslater, the land is still reserved for parkuse and may eventually be so desig-nated on the final version of the BLMDesert Plan and developed by the fed-eral agency. New state laws protect thesite also, because of the known abori-ginal land uses and the earlier opposi-tion to sale or dump use from the twoIndian organizations.

Willow Hole is also protected byMother Nature, wjth inhospitable sur-roundings and its own windy micro-climate. Seldom does the wind let up formore than a few days and as a little extraprotection against private land develop-ment, the area is astride the desertbranch of the San Andreas Fault.

The county moved the landfill site twomiles to the southeast, where the EdomHill dump now serves the upper Coa-chella Valley bu t the proxim ity of thatsite has posed another problem in recentyears.

The entire north end of the Indio H ills,a sandy subrange of the Little San Ber-nardinos that f lanks the fault l ine fromDesert Hot Springs southeast to theSalton Sea, has become an unauthorize dbut apparently permitted recreationalarea, peopled primarily on weekends byhordes of motorcyclists, a growing num-ber of hang glider enthusiasts, plinkersand plain old picnickers.

On a recent visit , the writer foundWillow Hole pockmarked with target10 Desert/April 1978


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Willow Hole, looking north toward Desert Hot Springs, showing vehicle tracksleading tow ard heart of the marsh. Palms and mesqu ite ap pear on banks ofcanyon.

shooters' leavings, shotgun shells, 'cycletracks and oldbeer cans. Maybe theEiLM is notpermit t ing its developmentfor housing ortrash disposal but neitheris there any apparent patrol to protectthe wildlife and aboriginal area.

The nearby rock house service station,I )ng an oasis forboiling radiators at th esummit ofthe long grade out of the val-I jy, isgradually fall ing into total ruin, tsstone and block walls marked with graf-f i t i , unauthor ized t rash dumping f i l l ingthe three small buildings. The woodenceilings and roofs long ago becamecampfire fuel and the eerie quality thatmade the old place anatural movie setfar several film companies two decadesago hasbeen heightened.

Across the highway, Willow Hole sti l ldffers the haven for wild life itdid beforethe visitors. Bobcat tracks, quail, manymigratory birds and a resident popula-t ion of lizards, rodents andbutterf l iescittest tothe potential the area has as awildlife reserve even today.

Entry into thecentral marshlands isdiff icult, even for motorcyclists, due tothe arrowweed and willow thickets andordin ary passenger cars should approach

no closer than theshoulders of the oldhighway orMountain View Road. Four-wheel-drive and dune buggies can pene-trate al i t t le closer but the "H o le " itselfis probably safe from allmotor vehicles.Horsemen occasionally visit the area butpresumably have learned the marshyareas areakin to quicksand andstayaway from the heart of the little naturalpark.

Most of the surface aboriginal mater-ials have been removed time and againby pothunters, buteach fresh wind orrain storm, asoccurred repeatedly dur-ing theChristmas-New Year's holidayperiod and into January this year, turnsup dozens more artifacts.

The initial parksite proposal of 1966indicated development for family pic-nick ing, with minimal recreational facil i-t ies, might cost as much as a milliondollars over a40-year period.

Twelve years of inf lat ion, plus the n-creasing depredations of casual visitorsmight well result in a development bil lcosting twice that much today, but themillion-dollar Willow Hole park sti l lappears asan invit ing prospect. And40years from now , who knows?

Staywith thegiants.At th e clean

and newMonumentValleyKOA

campground.With individual

trailer hook-ups, ageneral store an d laundry/shower facilities.

Monument / \Valley KOA KOA\J IM m Stay atnear-by Goulding'sLodge & Trading Post. Furnish ed,air-condit ioned rooms, tami ly sty lemeals and shopping faci l i t ies.

Plus daily guided tours into theheart ofMonument Val ley. Anadventure you wont want tomiss.Goulding'sLodge &Tours

For free brochureand informationwrite Box 1-D,Monument Valley,Utah 84536.Or call (801)727-3231.Reservations are necessaryfor rooms, meals, and tours.

FUN PHOTO TOTE BAGPERSONAL andP R A C T I C A L toow n or to give. Send any sizephoto, slide or l i thograph -colororBW. (returned). We'll reproduceit , 8" x 10" on a Tote Bag ofheavy-duty, natural canvas, 14"x14" . Center snap. Built-inKeyholder. $ n . 5 O each ppd.CA residents add 6% tax. Send pho toand check ormoney order today to:BOGSIDE PRODUCTSBox 60 1, Dept. TK2 Encinitas, CA 92024

A New Uniquely DesignedS E C U R I T Y W A L L E TStopsPick Pockets 6Purse SnofchersThe Long Sought P ro tec t ion

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Big BillsValuablesCredit Cardsp - Passportravelers ChecksGenuine LeatherORDER TOD AY$9 .50 p lus . 50< t hand l i ng

Calif residents ad d 6% sales raxWARREN OF CALIFORNIAP.O. Box 3265D, San Dieg o, Cal i f . 92103

dese r t / Apr i l 1978 11


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T HERE IS A remote and isolatedpromontory on the south r im of theGrand Canyon where an archeologi-cal mystery waits to be unraveled. Here,on a massive block of limestone, de-tached from the canyon's main r im, isfound a strange block wall d at ing back tothe dawn of ant iquity. Who built thewall? When was it made? What was itspurpose? All these questions remain un-answered. The National Park Service hashad archeologists look at the site butthey have come to no firm conclusions.

Throug h eons of geologic t ime a pieceof Kaibab limestone became separatedfrom the Coconino Plateau. The splitcreated an island of rock nearly 100yards long by some 10 to 20 yards wide.The distance between this block and thecanyon rim is only 40 to 50 yards. Thecanyon rim is slightly higher than theblock and is at an elevation of approxi-mately 6,000 feet. Wh ile there is nothinglarger than an occasional ephedra bushgrowing on the block, the vegetat ion onthe nearby r im is a pinyon-juniper forest.Today the nearest source of water is aspr ing, some four miles away.

The curious rock wall was built alongthe length of this "island of rock," but12

Above and right: Two viewsof the jumbled pieces

that at one time formeda five-foot-high wall.

only on the side that faces the CoconinoPlateau. There is no wall on the edgethat overlooks Grand Canyon proper andthe Colorado River some 4,000 feet be-low. The wall is made out of blocks ofKaibab l imestone which is found every-whe re in the v ic in i t y and rea d i lyavailable. Some of the blocks weigh sev-eral hundred pounds and in places theyhave been stacked on top of each otherthree or four rows high. It is difficult toguess how high the wall was originally,perhaps f ive feet or mo re. Judging fromthe rock debris at the bottom of the cliff,the wall must have been at least par-tially eroded away over the centuriessince it was built. In some places todaythere is just a basal row of rock per-haps a foot or two high, in other placesthe wall is still three or four feet high.One thing is certain, however, the wall isman-made; it is not some geologic oddityof nature.

In the center part of the island, wherethe block is the widest, the remains of ahalf a dozen enclosed walls suggest thatbuilding structures were incorporatedinto the wal l . Nearby is a narrow crackdeep in the island which goes down 30feet to the base of the islan d. I f the tru nkof a pinyon tree were to be placed in thisf issure, the slot would be just wideenough for a person to climb through togain access to the top of the island.There is only one other route to c limb tothe top, and it is not very easy.

Desert/April 1978


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by ROGER M ITC HELL

s r -

Anyone on top of the island wo uld cer-tainly have the advantage if he were de-f e n d i n g t h i s l i t t l e " k i n g d o m " f r o mattack. The walls are perpendicular allthe way around. An invader would havea precarious and exposed climb of onlytwo routes. A few defenders could repeland hold off an army of hundreds. All

they would have to do is drop heavyrocks on those trying to cl imb up, orpush them away wit h a long stick. Thoseon the island would be vulnerable only tospears, arrows, or rocks, launched fromthe main plateau r im. Of course, theblock wall faces the main r im and wouldshield the defender from these missi les.

An aerial viewshows the hugestones stacked

right to the edgeof the limestone

promontoryin the vastness ofthe Crand Canyon.

t es ert/ April 1978 13


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RIVERSIDE COUNTY'S LARGEST4-WHEEL-DRIVE HEADQUARTERS

Accessories for All Makesn JeepJOHNSON'S 4WD CENTER, INC

7590 Cypress [at Van Bure n]P. O. Box 4277Riverside, C alifornia 92504Telephone [714)785-1330

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Suff icient (or four 50-foot r o w s . C o m p le t eins t r uc t i ons . P acke t : $2 .00 .H A R R I S O N D O Y L E

P. O. Box 785Vis ta, Cal i fornia 92083

For this reason it seems logical to thinkthe wall was b uilt for defensive purposes.

There are still many questions to beanswered. Was this complex built by theAnasazi of the Colorado Plateau Countrywho inhabited parts of the Grand Can-yon for 2,000 years and later built thevillage at Tusayan? Or was it built by thePatayan or Cohonina peoples who movednorth onto the Coconino Plateau between700 A.D. and 900 A.D.? I f the wall wasindeed a defensive fort if icat ion, whowere the invaders and why would theychoose this particular place to make astand?

Other than the wall itself, and ruins ofseveral structures, there are few otherartifacts to be found on the surface. Thismight suggest that the site was not usedvery much, or was not used over a longperiod of time. Perhaps this is becausethere is no water in the immediatevicinity. At the base of the island there isone small cavity which looks like it mighthave once been enclosed with a mud w allf o rm ing a r oden t - f r ee s t o ragecompartment. Other fissures in the frac-tured limestone might also have beenused as granaries, but there is no physi-

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14

cal evidence left today to prove thistheory. But if this was a defensive for t i -f icat ion, and if these were granaries,why w ould they be situated at the base ofthe cliff? There the foodstuffs would notbe readily accessible to eithe r attacker ordefender. Either s|de could prevent theother from gett ing to them. Under asiege situation the defenders of the is-land must have made provisions to storefood and water on top, although thelength of t ime they could hold out intheir stronghold seems very l imited.

The evidence seems to suggest thatthe island fortress was built somewherein the two century span beginningaround 900 A.D. and ending around1100 A.D. I t was during this period thatthe Cohonina culture, l ike their neigh-bors to the west, the Cerbat peoples,moved north onto the south rim of theGrand Canyon. The Cohonina culture isknown for its houses associated withwalls which form a patio or courtyard.Some of these ruins do resemble forts inappearance, although the Cohoninaswere not thoug ht to be war-l ike, or haveany particular enemies. The archeologi-cal record does not reveal any evidenceof warfare. It is possible that some Co-honina family simply chose this block of

Des ert/Apri l 1978


15/48

limestone to live on with no particularthought of defense. The Cohoninas didenjoy their privacy, choosing to live scat;tered about, rather than clustered toge-ther in vil lages as the Anasazi did. Andeven to the Cohonina, the view of thecanyon and the mighty Colorado Riverfar below must have been every bit asawe-inspiring andmagnif icent as it is toUS tod ay. It would certainly be a spec-tacular place to live, even if it was a bit ofa walk for water.

Nobody is really certain what hap-pened to the Cohonina people. About1150 A.D. they seem to have moved on.Some think they were displaced by theCerbat peoples who slowly expandedeastward. A certain number apparentlymoved down into the canyon, part icu-larly nearby Havasu Canyon, where theirdirect descendants, the Havasupai, st i l llive today.

Because these ruins would be sus-ceptible to complete destruction by van-dal ism, I wi l l not disclose the site. Butthis ru in , like many others, awaits theexplorer wi l l ing to get off the beatenpath, and out of his car. This myster-ious wall is but one of the many riddlesm the Southwest which waits to bes o l v e d . Desert/April1978

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16/48

C E C J A R B R E A I < S

W HEN THE hot winds of summerscorch the lowlands and broil thedesert regions, it is time for a vaca-tion in the high country. In Utah, theycal l their southwest corner "ColorCountry." Never was a name moreappropriate! Rising abruptly from thehigh plains, nine- to eleven-thousand-foot peaks reach skyward the ir shoul-ders mantled with fine stands of quakingaspen, fir, spruce and pine.Though the vegetation adds greatly tothe beauty of the scene, it is the land

itself that gives rise to the name "C olorCountry." Here, tremendous forces oferosion have sculptured massive sedi-mentary deposits into an artistry that ismagnificent to b ehold. Red, brow n, ver-million, white and pink are but a few ofthe m ultitudinous colors to be seen in thedazzling array of picturesque geologicalformations.Color Country's three National Parks Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion aswell as the Glen Canyon National Rec-reation Area are well known, even to

those who have not yet visited theregion. A fifth outstanding area is CedarBreaks National Monument. It is lesserknown and often by-passed by vacation-ers hurrying to see "all the sights"possible.No two of these parks are alike. Eachhas its own unique forma tions, color andcharm. W hile Cedar Breaks is the small-est in size, it can take the honors forbeing the highest with an elevation of10,400 feet at the rim. The travel sea-

son is from early June to late October.16

by MARY FRANCES STRONGphotos by Jerry Strong

This is dependent upon the weather, asearly fall storms frequently close theMonument.Jerry and I had been looking forwardto visiting Cedar Breaks Monument andthe Brianhead Agate locale. We had lin-gered longer in Nevada than planned, soit was near the end of October when wearrived in Cedar City, Utah. High, thinclouds told of storms in the north and thelocal weatherman predicted one was dueto reach Cedar City. Our luck held andthe next morning clear, blue skiesgreeted us, though high, thin clouds stillremained on the western horizon. Allwas " g o " for Cedar Breaks andBrianhead.We headed east on Highway 14through the vermillion gates formed byHurricane Ridge. Cedar Canyon quicklynarrowed and high walls towered farabove us. Just below the road, CoalCreek rushed toward the plains. Alongits banks, the golden leaves of quakingaspen shimmered in the first rays of themorning sun. We soon passed the CedarCity Steam Plant. It is located on the siteof coal deposits, the presence of whichled to the origina l settlement at the can-yon's mouth. The plant is used to pro-vide additional power at peak demandtime.A variety of landscapes were enjoyedas the highway snaked its way up themountains. We drove through deep can-yons, then out on high mountain shoul-ders where the view was endless. Farbelow, we could often see the road wehad just traveled.

De se rt/April 1978


17/48

AGATE

ZL v

V . > t


18/48

The 17-mile drive from Cedar City tothe Mark agu nt Plateau climbs over 4,100feet and we found it one of the mostscenic ever taken. We were too late forthe glorious aspen color in the higherelevations but there was the beauty ofprime trees and luxuriant undergrowthto ad mite.

Left : BrianheadAgate will befound in thissmall creekand along itsbanks. Justbelow the trees,are large

^ ^ H outcrops ofH vein agate.

Below: It is funto collect in thecreek wherethe water"shows" thecolors. The

':- chunk jerry isremoving proved'' to be a beautiful

combination ofred, yellow andblack jasper inthe basic agate.

Prior to the summit, we stopped atZion Viewpoint. All one can say to de-scribe the scene is "magnif icent breathtaking." Looking south acrossmiles and miles of unspoiled wilderness,the massive rock formations of Zionstand out boldly on the skyline. We en-joyed a coffee break and tried to assimi-

late the beauty with our eyes.From the viewp oint, i t was a l i t t le over

a mile to M arka gun t Plateau where scat-tered patches of snow lay among thetrees. We junct ioned with Highway 143 the Cedar Breaks Road and fol-lowed it north. Vegetat ion began tochange as our alt imeter rose to over10,000 feet. Open, grassy meadows nowappeared between stands of EnglemannSpruce and Alpine Fir.

Enroute to the Visitor 's Center, Jerryspotted an interest ing bird's nest. Heguessed it to be that of a Goshawk andadvised me to keep the old eyes open.His guess was confirmed when wesighted one of these beautiful raptors.Generally, I do not mention such sight-ings in order to prevent any possiblenest-robbing or capture of immaturebirds for use in falconry. Since they areprotected in the Monument, I can sharewith you the thri l l of seeing one of theelusive, proud birds. The Goshawk ap-pears to be dim inish ing and may soon beremoved from the l ist of birds that maybe taken for use in falconry.

The Visitor Center is open from Junethrough Labor Day and a Park Ranger ison duty daily to answer questions andsuggest places of interest. The centerhas exhibits explaining the formation ofthe colorful escarpment, as well as in-formation about the monument's animaland plant l i fe.

From the Center at Point Supreme, ashort walk leads to the r im where, farbelow, the picturesque formations areexposed in all their magnif icence. Like akaleidoscope, the color and form is everchanging with varying l ight and asso-ciated shadows. Bri l l iant in the noon-day sun, this natural amphitheater ap-pears dark and forboding when stormc louds ga t he r ove rhead . The nam e"Cedar Breaks" was given the forma-t ion by early Mormon sett lers. They re-ferred to broken country as "breaks"and mistakenly called the large junipers" c e d a r s . "

A two-mile hike along the WasatchRamparts Trail (it begins at the Center)wil l take visitors to Spectra Point and astand of Bristlecone Pines at the trail'send. The oldest tree here is believed tobe about 3,000 years of age.

A short distance east of the Centerthere is a very nice campground and pic-nic area among the pines. The camp-ground has 30 units (trailers o.k.) and a18 De se rt/April 1978


19/48

C E C J A R B R E A I < SAl\ld M A R K A G U N T

Cedar Breaks /

Forest

lion County ndory_

daily fee of $2.00 is charged . Wate r andsanitary facil i t ies are provided. Thecampground is open from June 15th toSeptember 15th. Keep in mind the ele-vation here is 10,400 feet. Take it easyunti l you become acclimated.

Be sure to take the f ive-m ile r im driveand stop at all the viewpoints. Each wil lgive you a dif ferent perspective of theCedar Breaks formation. Watch for theMonument 's wi ld l i fe there is plenty.You wil l recognize ground squirrels,chipmunks and red squirrels. MarmotsDes ert/April 1978

and conies (pika) will be seen scamper-ing on the rocky slopes. Weasels, bad-gers and coyotes are not uncommon. Oc-casionally, a mountain l ion wil l be ob-served. Mule deer can generally be seengrazing along the r im du ring early morn-ing and late afternoon.

There are many interest ing birds inthe Monum ent White- throated S wif t ,Stellar 's Jay, Violet-green Sw allow, BlueGrouse, Golden and Bald Eagles. One,Clark's Nutcracker, is truly a bird of thevery high coun try. They are seldom seen

below 6,000 feet elevation. You can'tmiss these jaunty, handsome birds withlight grey bodies and large, whitepatches on their black wings and ta i l .They are fr iendly birds and wil l often beregular guests at your camp table.

A stop at Sunset View wil l reward youwith a spectacular vista of the amphi-theater and an almost endless panoramaof the wilderness area to the west. Theforests appear dense and lush. Not aroad mars the scene. It is land primeval

Continued on Page 3919


20/48

WONDERSOF!

T WAS A STILL, warmish, late even-ing in Mid Easter Week at Death Val-ley National Monument. I had just

conducted a double-feature slide talk atthe Stove Pipe Wells Hotel lobby andwas enjoying the quiet walk back to mytrailer. For the past several days, rip-ping winds and st inging sands had keptmost act ivit ies to a minimum, and thisnew stillness was only punctuated bysongs and laughter from the crowdedcampground. Small groups of peoplewere lounging on the porches of themotel units enjoying the sight of themyster ious sand dunes bathed inmoonbeams.

Out of the quietness suddenly came," O h , M r. Gebha rdt, M r. Gebhardt -could you please come talk to us?"

" Y e s , ma'am," I repl ied, and mademy way through the parked cars to thesmall group of men and women on themotel porch.

A question came from a lady in thecenter of the group , "W e w ere just dis-cussing your f irst sl ide talk tonight

what did you call i t?""The t i t le was 'Death Val ley Oddi-

t ies, ' a collection of strange sights andscenes most visitors do n't get to see.

"That 's exactly what we were dis-cussing, Chuck," said one digni f ied-looking gentleme n. " M y w ife and I havebeen coming here to Death Valley forover 30 years now, and many of thethings you showed in the slides were notthe least familiar to us!"

Having been through this many t imesbefore, I politely explained that I hadrecognized the fact that all visitors didnot spend large amounts of time ex-ploring the Valley as I did, and the"Death Valley Oddit ies" talk was oneway to share these experiences.

"That aspect we understood, youngman, but what we meant were the con-trasts of changes you had illustrated; thechanging scene with respect to time,weather, and man. It just seemed to usthat these were common, if not alto-gether obv ious , in f luences on theVal ley 's makeup. "

"W ha t you say is true, sir, but veryfew visitors have your insigh t, and thesechanges should be understood to beappreciated. My talk usually passes overthe causes of change lightly, but the ef-fects are illus trated as they are m ore realto the visitor; they can be felt , seen, orh e a r d . "

My last remark seemed to hang therein the air, empty and unattended, and Iwas concerned that I.might have com-mitted some offense to their intell igence.I added, "I n other words, my slides drawattention to what happens as a result of aroad change, or a campground closure,or perhaps extra heavy fall rains."

" In other words, Mr. Gebhardt , " saidthe lady who had first called me over tothe group, "we were paying attent ion tothe obvious causes of change, and over-looking the details of the effects so thatwhat you illustrated appeared new to us- r i gh t ? "

"Right , ma'am. And i f you peoplecould join us tomorrow on a short hike toHole-in-the-Rock Spring, we can show


21/48

VALLEYby

C H U C KGEBHARDT

A scene in oldMosaic Canyon[right] prior to

the last fewyears of heavyrainfall whichfilled in areas

such as this withgravel. Themysterious

moving rocks ofRacetrack Playa[opposite page]leave their trail

l>ut barely scrapethe surfacesoil layer.

Des ert/April 1978 21


22/48

O/d Harmony Borax Works site, the first su ccessful borax operation in Death Valley.you in real life wha t you have seen on thes l ides . "

The entire group indicated an excitedinterest in seeing f irst-han d some of the"Oddit ies" that had been shown at theslide talk and, following belated intro-ductions, we f inally bid each othergoodnight.

Rarely are changes of any'sort subtleand undetectable in Death Valley. Forexample, if you have not been to theValley since prior to the fall of 1976, theboardwalk surrounding Salt Creek wil lbe a new experience. The primary pur-pose of the wooden wa lkway was to p re-vent further extension of the waters intoseparate tr ibutaries. People traff ic overthe years, back and forth across thecreek banks, caused many new paths forthe water which in turn threatened toreduce the main creek level. Since this isone of the homes of the Desert Pupfish,their survival was dependent on thewater level and that survival was beingjeopardized. The boardwalk now directsthe foot traffic along the best parts of thecreek, and permits the visitor to view thepupfish without any hazard to their al-ready tenuous existence.

The above-average rainfall in thepast two years (three to four inches) hascreated some new washes, expandedlarger washes into minor canyons, andresulted in spectacular spring flowerdisplays. The summer rains of 1976 wereheavy enough to close the Park to in-22

coming and outgoing traff ic for two days,but a lso brou ght about p rem atureblooming of plants in lower canyons dur-ing the month of November. This 1977-1978 winter has already appeared tobreak the California drought in mostparts of the state, and the spring visitorto Death Valley this season will be therecipient of an outstanding f lower show.A fringe benefit of good snows in thesurrounding mountain areas is the in-c reased wate r tab le leve l a l lo win gblooms to remain on the plants a litt lelonger than norm al.

The only permanent road closure thatcomes to mind is the Trail Canyon Road once upon a t ime the most beautifuloffroad adventure in the Monument. Forseveral years, heavy rains accompaniedby severe runoff from the upper canyondrove all manner of debris down-canyonto create a monstrous alluvial fan ofrubble. A couple of years ago, a hardygroup of offroad drivers from the Cali-fornia Association of 4WD Clubs cut aroad in almos t 10 miles before ra in , snowand time forced a halt. The scars of thecanyon debris can easily be seen fromthe main highway, and Trail Canyon re-mains closed to this day.

Should you venture in and around thesand dunes east of Stove Pipe WellsVillage, you will see the effects of therains of the past couple of years in thescars of lakes. Following a particularlyheavy downpour in September, one

could count at least five minor lakesamid the dunes when viewing the scenefrom the G rotto Canyon road. In areas ofclay-laden so ils, the lake beds are sheetsof cracked and jagged mud blocks.Where the soil material is predominant-ly sand with just a trace of clay, theground surface has formed into f ine curlsof dried mud as delicate as the woodcurls from a well-adjusted carpenter'splane. To see these areas best, drive ashort distance up the Grotto Canyon roadto look down upon the dunes and thesites where lakes once stood.

Changes to accommodations and ser-vices in general throughout the Monu-ment have been few except for gasolineand food prices. The campgrounds in theFurnace Creek and Stove Pipe Wellsareas have been enlarged and improvedslight ly in the past few years, but durin gthe peak visitor periods, these changesare hardly discernible. Speaking of peakvisitor periods, the energy crisis of late1973 and early 1974 greatly reduced vis-itor populat ion in the Valley ov erall. Dueto a record visitation over the EasterWeek pe r i od , t he 1973 pop u la t i ontopped 600,000 for the first time in Parkhistory. By the end of 1974, the num-ber dropped to 384,000. Evidently, thiswas a tempora ry slowdown and the mag-netism of Death Valley won out. Therecent visitor population statistics in-dicate the f igure to be back over the600,000 mark, so we should all be pre-pared to get back fn line for gas, food,and Scotty's Castle tickets! By the way,in case you hadn't heard, the servicestation at Furnace Creek Ranch hasswitched from Arco to Chevron.

The Park Service at Death Valley hasundergone somewhat of an organiza-t ional facelif t ing result ing in divisionsfor the various funct ions they perform.Of most benefit to the visitor was theformation of the Interpret ive Division.From this talented group of Service em-ployees emanates the walks and talksconducted throughout the Monument .Even though their schedule of eventsfrom years past was imp ressive, the lat-est schedules appear to have more in-depth walks and talks which are care-fully planned and interest ingly executed.

Knowing of these changes, whetherman-made or natural, is of litt le conse-quence to the visitor unless they can beexperienced f irst-hand. Regardless ofyour age, sex, or size, take advantage of

Deser t /Apr i l 1978


23/48

A late afternoon stroll on the boardwalk along the west side of Salt Creek.the many opportunit ies to accompany aPark Ranger or myself on a brief ex-plorat ion of an historical site, a naturalphenomenon, or a colorful panorama.T hen, and only then, you wil l w itness . . .

The f irst rays of the m orning sun washthe western side of the Panamints withstrong tones of pink and red. Far out onthe De vil 's G olfcourse, the salt pinnaclesbegin to glisten and sparkle l ike a f ield ofgrotesquely-shaped diamonds. The si-l


24/48

WESTERN ART

N e wW e s t e r nA r t i s t

AICAby D. A. W ETTERBERG

"Loving Care"oil,

30"x40"

Norberto A. Reyes,AICA

I B HE P AINTINGS are encha nting scenes of the Southwest; oldfl leather boots, sweat-stained felt ha ts, faces of India ns, old miners4 and ranch hands. The art ist stands among them , smiling as hetalks."T he y see my long black hair, the shape of my eyes, mycheekbones, and they ask very seriously what tr ibe I am fr o m ."Norbe rto Reyes is not an Ind ian, nor a cowboy, either. His he ritage isFil ipino, but he proudly refers to himself as "an American art istan

art ist who loves to paint the West."24 De se rt/April 1978


25/48

His love for Weste rn themes startedwhen he was a boy in the Ph il ippines.His parents f i l led his ent ire childhoodwi th plans to l ive in the United Statessomeday. His dreams turn ed to visionsof the deserts and the sagebrush ofArizona, California and Nevada, ofcowboys and Indians. Western fantasieswere played out on grandpa's farm amida natural se tt ing of horses and cows. As

an older boy he read intensely aboutWe stern lore in the l ibrary of the Un itedStates Information Service.

Aft er a taste of success as an artist inthe Phil ippines (today his paint ings hangin the Ma ni la M useum of Ar t ) , he beganhis plan to come to the U nited States, inhis words, " to partake of wha t is good inAme rica, to expand, to gr ow ."

Carry ing out the plan became

complicated by the U nited States quotasystem for imm igrants to the UnitedStates. Reyes had fine cre dentials as asuccessful artist, architect, televisiondirector and production designer. Butthese were openings f i l led many t imesover by United States citizens. The onlyopen avenue to the U nited States was asa tourist. So, with ten dollars in hispocket and 15 days on a tour ist pass,

De se rt/April 1978 2 5


26/48

Left: -"Indian Study'Charcoal,16"x20"Below:"Ranch Hand"Oil,16"x24"

Reyes arrived at Los AngelesInternational Airport in 1967,determ ined to stay.

He man aged a series of legal delaysfor his return to the P hil ippines andfi l led them with furious energy. Thisenergy, a f irm dedicat ion to purpose,and unflag ging hope overcame eachobstacle. During this pe riod he paintedfor variou s tastes: seascapes, snowscenes, barns, animals, childre n, oldpeople, nudes. Art galleries n oticedReyes' work and featured it . Famousco l lec tors -Co rne l l W i lde , Baron H i l ton ,Dennis Weaver boug ht his canvasses.

Good fortune reached a peak with twopaint ings which became instantlyfamous. In 1968 his portrait of M art inLuther K ing won f irs t prize over theentries of hundreds of other e stablishedart ists in the Southern C hrist ianLeadership Conference's MemorialContest. In 1969 his portrait honoringApollo astronauts Coll ins, Aldren andArmstrong became nationally popular. I twas displayed in major cit ies througho utthe Un ited States, shown on television,in newspapers and in magazines.

Secure in his Unite d States

26


27/48

cii izenship, gra nted in 1973, Reyes nowpoints at his studio in Canoga Park,California. His Haw aiian wife resemblesan Indian princess. His handsome littleboy and his sprightly baby girl color andsketch alongside D ad as he wor ks. Theyappear, often as Indian children, indozens of sketches and paintingsth roughou t the house.

His new, hard-earned reputation as aY\ estern artis t charms him , and he isgi ateful for the popu larity of his W esternpointings. These themes are hisfascination, and he devotes himselfentirely to them. Hitching posts, horses,corrals are done with subtleties of lightand detail which bring out their magic,their strength, their beauty.

Last year N orberto Reyes celebratedhis tenth year in the U nited States bywinn ing seven awards in Western Ar tshows, among them the Gold Med al,AICA compet i t ion; First Pr ize, May ArtFestival, Chriswood Gallery, Temecula,C ilifornia; and First Prize and Best ofSI ow, FFP Wes tern Art Exh ibit.

His p aintings can be seen at thecoming Am erican Indian and CowboyArtists Society's annual art exhibit ion inSin Dimas, California, A pri l 28, 29 and30 , as well as the D esert Magazine Ar tGallery in Palm Desert.

Right:"Throughthe Barn

Door"Oil,

30"x40"Below:"FirstBorn"

Oil,24"x36"

27


28/48

D R E A M E C JT R A I I S

U I N T R A M M E I E C IbyJEANCROWL

Whe n grub is on the boards, me lad, You're heading out into the spaceThe diamon d hitch is thrown. All filled with rock and sand,

You walk around it, check it up, A kind of heave nly hell on earth -Then it's time to get you goin'l The prospector's promised land.

28

Jim London,?1968.These lines from Jim London's poem,

Runty's Advice to Others, caught mye y e , and prompted me to decipher pagesof cramped scrib blings on the back of oldtopo maps, and charts from the Cali-fornia Division of Mines. To me hispoems well express the philosophy of avan ished spec ies, the s ing le -b lanke tprospector of the American West. J im ,who died in 1968, was one of the last ofthat breed.

I started out with a very different planfor writ ing this story but Jim sort ofpainted his own picture. When we f irstmet him, he was an elderly, wiry l it t lem a n ; f ra i l in appearance , e rect inca r r ia g e . S te e l - r imme d sp e c ta c le sperched on his nose, and an old base-

Desert/April 1978


29/48

t all cap on his long, sparse grey hair. Hewore a neat beard, and pretty scruffyclothes. First impression was not im-posing, but the smile in his eyes and hissoft-spoken manner made it clear thathere was a gentleman. He was a mildman, never profane, never noisy; butrever, never meek!

Jim first saw the western desert as achi ld, traveling with his peddler father,whom he described as a t inker. They tra-\ eled the min ing camps from Tonopah,(loldfield and Rhyolite to the Dale min-ing district east of Twentynine Palms,j 'nd on to Barstow and San Bernardinofor merchandise.

In the '30s, Jim was one of a smallCroup of desert dwellers who congre-jated at Valerie Jean, in the Coachellau alley. At that t ime he was eking out aliving selling desert agates and jasperspolished by gasoline-powered lapidaryiquipment and a pr imit ive tumbler. Thelumbler was two old t ires, f i l led with: tones and abrasives, rotated b y a gasengine. He sold the results to ranchersand homesteaders, who had no idealhat the rocks Jim picked up on theirland could be so pretty! Apparently he: old enough to keep body and soul to-gether and pay for an occasional pros-pect ing t r ip .

Even t hen, the pattern seemed to beet; in packrat fashion, Jim would meet

his needs by prevailing on someone toaccept a service or product that wasreally neither needed nor wanted, in ex-change for funds he needed. Sometimeafter the Valerie Jean era, he driftednorth to Twentynine Palms. It was there,22 years ago, that we " ac qu ir ed " J m asan elderly handyman-dependent; in-herit ing him, as it were, from anothersmall businessman. Our adoptive rela-tionship developed in the same fashionthat people acquire cats. He adopted us!We w ere one more in the long successionof his adopted families.

To give Jim due credit, he workedwillingly in exchange for money re-ceived. Of course, by the time we methim the work was usually " m ad e" work;totally unneeded by the sponsor, a kindof privately operated WPA leaf-rakingproject, to give Jim some light work tojustify the handouts he accepted as hisdue.

He might well have been the author of"Please, Uncle Sam, I'd rather do itmyself!" No government pension forJ i m ! To app ly fo r tha t wou ld beaccepting charity. Occasional hesitantsuggestions that he apply for a pensionwere met with righteous indignation.However, accepting gifts of money,lodging, cigarettes and other amenitiesof life from his friends did not seem likecharity to Jim.

Self-educated, his formal educationended with second grade. He was an ex-tremely f ine mineralogist, an excellentlapidarist and a mighty fine conver-sa t iona l is t . He read everyone 's o ldmagazines and newspapers. One of myearly memories of Jim is seeing him fre-quently at the local greasy spoon, nurs-ing an hour's old cup of coffee andstudying inten tly a borrowed high schoolchemistry or physics text.

Whe n we f irst knew J m he was livingin his old truck, sleeping in it whereverhis day ended. But the Law came to '29about the same time we di d, and J im wasterrified of being picked up as a vagrant.Could he please park his truck behindour veterinary hospital and live in itthere? He'd be glad to act as nightwatchman for our hospital and home in an era when no one in '29 ever lockedtheir doors!Wel l , of course he could. But thencame the problem of this rather dirty,disreputable old man hanging aroundthe place. So matters progressed towhere the shower in the hospital be-came Jim's. Cast-off and barely-usedclothing became his, and he taught meminera logy and lap idary sk i l ls . Foryears, 1 wou ld check Jim 's statementsagainst authoritative books; he was al-ways right and usually easier to under-stand than the books.

Original draft forLondon's poetry was

written on oldmining reports.

m

Desert/April 1978 2 9


30/48

ORNAMENTALvti/L

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Once Jim even got a job! In the late'50s, he was hired as a watchm an for themovie company making a Disney f i lm inthe Joshua Tree National Monum ent. Healmost didn't take that job. He had tohave a Social Security card, and not onlywas that government interference withhis independence, but something elsesurfaced. He confided to the friend hewas adopting at the time that he could

IN HIS STEPSBy Jim London

Holes he dug in the mountains,Some shallow, so me narrow and

deep.Blisters were most of his findings,

Little of ore worth a keep.Cold that chills to the marrow Not zero, not even a freeze

But the kind that jells the thinking,That stiffens the ankles and knees.

He has seen the joys of the desert,Enjoyed the pleasures of night,

Reveled in warmth of sunshine,Knew the gods of his desert were

right.

He lone-w olfed life in its living,Yet he had no hermit's degree.He wished no crowds around him;

The lone wolf alone is free.Now come the years in their closing;

No regrets for the wins, or the lossOf a lifetime spent in the seeking.No word of bearing a cross.

A man whose steps you now follow,But follow in high powered cars.He dreamed of trails untrammeled.

You dream of a highway to Mars.never go into San Bernardino. He haddone "something" years before, and ifthe authorities ever caught him, hewould go to prison. He also admittedthat London was "not exactly" his realname.

He was finally prevailed upon to applyfor the Social Security card. He appliedas G.C. London, and knocked about 10years off his real age on the application.When the card arrived, Jim visibly

30

relaxed. He had been positively poisedfor f l igh t from the moment he sent in theapplicat ion. Later, when the job wasover, he willingly accepted unemploy-ment pay. He had enjoyed the job andcould feel he had earned that benefit.

As a long-t ime desert dweller, whounderstood and loved his environment,he had worried about the confined wildanimals who made up the movie cast.But he approved and appreciated themanner in which they were pensionedoff. Jim was instructed to remain at thesite for at least six months, continuing tofeed the coyotes, kit foxes, rabbits,snakes and others who had played theirroles in the movie; but to leave their pendoors open. Only when a month hadpassed without any coming back fortheir food could Jim consider his jobcompleted.

W hile l iving on the movie set, J m haddeveloped an interest in pain t ing. Wit h asteady income, he bought paint ing sup-plies and equip me nt, and set out to be anart ist. He returned to l iving in his truckin our back yard and attem pted to sell hispa in t ings , some of wh ich wereappealing. A number of '29ers still own a"Calc i te" paint ing (his chosen nom deplume), silent test imony to J m's fr iendshelping him out again.

But sales were not too good in '29.There were too many professional artistsin the area. So J m d ecided to try his lucksell ing along the highway. He hit theroad, setting up along U.S. 66 in theCadiz area, traveling much as he hadyears before. He was far too old to goback to living in his truck, and heworr ied!

And indeed, old age and "sof t l iv ing "at the m ovie set made J m realize th at hecould no longer go on that way. The oldage of the truck had a bit to do w ith thatdecision, too.

So back to our hospital at Pill Hi l l .Jim we ll knew we had a f ive-acre home-stead with a t iny cabin on it . A fter a fewdays of hints too broad to be ignored, weoffered the cabin (pretty primit ive hous-ing, but housing) to Jim for his tempor-ary use. Temporary turned out to be thelast 11 years of his li fe. He spent thoseyears paint ing and, f inally, writ in g hispoems, wh ile a succession of friend s con-tinued to provide most of his basicneeds, from flu shots to cast-off brushesand half-used oil paints.After his death in the winter of 1968-

Desert/April 1978


31/48

1569, when we cleaned out the cabin its contents mostly Desert Magazine,Ai izona Highways, andCalifornia Divi-sion of Mines publications we foundh i . poems. Among them Old Runty,cl


32/48

S TATE ROUTE 89 over Monitor Passwasn't built for those in a hurry. Itpacks a lot of climbing and an evensteeper descent into 17 kinky miles. Butit is uncrowded and passes through someof California's most rugged, unspoiledscenery.Completed in 1954, the Monitor Passroute closed a gap in California's high-way system. It provided a direct link be-tween Markleeville, the tiny hamlet thatserves as Alpine County's seat of gov-ernment, with Bridgeport, the onlyslightly larger seat of Mono County,without the necessity of traveling out ofthe state. Weather providing, that is.For Alpine County is aptly named. Thisis high country with the actual pass at8,314 feet. Winter comes early and fre-quently lingers until late spring.But once the snow has melted a mass-ive carpet of wildflowers tints the hill-sides and meadows. Lavender larkspur,sunny yel low buttercups, and wildonions, shading from a delicate pink tocreamy w hite, are but a few of the manyspecies which mingle in a palette ofrainbow colors.Although the highway offers a goodglimpse at nature's spectacular dis-play, the show off the road is evenbetter. To reach the back country youcan take either the Morning Star or theLeviathan Road. Both are dirt roadswhich join together north of the highwayto form a loop drive through ToiyabeNational Forest lands. In addition toscenery and w ildflowers , the loop windsthrough some of Alpine County's color-ful mineralized mountains and past thesites of early day mining operations.

Both roads are graded from time totime, but it is advisable to check on cur-rent conditions at the Markleeville Ran-ger Station. One stretch of the MorningStar Road is especially rough and rocky,and at times not recommended for ordi-nary passenger vehicles. Even our Jeeponce bogged down in a snowdrift, pre-venting us from making the entire loopduring a 4th of July outing.Six miles south of Markleeville, StateRoute 89 turns east and begins its as-

cent of Monitor Canyon. During the firstfew miles the highway closely parallelsthe waters of Monitor Creek. The Morn-ing Star Road takes off from the high-way approximately two miles up the can-yon and is indicated by a Forest Servicesign.This spot was also the location of theonce bustling mining camp of Monitor,although it now teases the imagination topicture a two-story hotel, a saloon, anewspaper office, and a dozen or soother buildings squeezed into the narrowconfines of Monitor Canyon. Establishedin 1862, the town was named for the

famous ironclad ship which had been vic-torious in the Civil War battle of Hamp-ton Roads.The camp thrived during the 60s and70s, its economy bolstered by activity inthe Moni tor-Mogul mining dis t r ic ts .Communications to the outside worldwere established via a telegraph linefrom Genoa, Nevada, and for a whilethere was a daily stage line, againweather permitting. The editor of itsweekly newspaper, the Monitor Argus,boasted that Monitor was the best be-haved town in the state, his opinionbased on the fact that there had been no

32 Des ert/April 1978


33/48

byBETTYSHANNON

f ights, no f ires, no horse races, and nodrunks dur in g a 4th of July celebrat ion.Indeed, a unique achievement for a f ron-t ie r m in ing camp!

After 25 years of development, un-resolved dif f icult ies with ore reductionand red ink on the books caused mostmining operat ions to gr ind to a hal t . A l-though gold and silver had been foundthroughout both distr icts, much of it oc-curred in a complex copper arsenic orew h i c h d e f i e d t r a d i t i o n a l m i l l i n gmethods.

With the exception of several proper-ties most of the ore discoveries had also

A frozen cascadeof brightly coloredtailings marksone of AlpineCounty's richestmines, theMorning Star.proved to be of a low grade. Althoughlumber was readily at hand and therewas plenty of water power to drive thestamps, dri l ls, concentrators, and hoist-ing works, the abundance of these re-sources barely compensated for themetallurgical problems with the ore, thearct ic win ters, and the rugge d landscape.

Monitor 's populat ion dr i f ted awayduring the 1880s and the post off iceclosed in 1888. A decade later, however,a Dr. Loope, representing a group ofeastern investors, brought new money toMonitor Canyon. The town was revi ta-l ized brief ly, and renamed Loope in

honor of its new benefactor. Two hotelswere st i l l standing in 1920, but duringthe ensuing years pract ically all evi-dence of Monitor has disappeared.Several miles from the site of M onito r,on a steep hil lside above the MorningStar Road, a frozen cascade of brightlycolored tail ings marks the location of theMogul Dist r ic t 's r ichest mine, the Morn-ing Star. A weathered structure thatonce housed the blacksmith shop standsin front of the tunnel entrance.Work began on the Morning Star in1863. Init ially it was developed b y a 225-foot shaft and the 1,200-foot t unne l .

However, the ore deposit , which yieldedcopper, si lver, and a l i t t le gold, likeother deposits in the distr ict , was di f f i -cult and expensive to w ork. Some of therichest ore was shipped half way aroundthe world to Swansea, Wales for pro-cessing, and in spite of the high cost oftransportat ion this tact ic proved prof it-able to the Morning Star's owners forseveral seasons. The Morning Star hasbeen credited with a total production of$600,000 du ring the f irs t quarter centurythat it was worked.However, it and adjacent propert ieshave continued to attract attent ion peri-odically up to the present t ime. Orefrom the nearby Alpine Mine was sent tothe Panama-Pacific Exposition in SanFrancisco in 1915 where it assayed over$100 a ton in gold and silver. A new tun -nel had been driven on the M orn ing Starclaim in 1914 and addit ional tunnel workwas done there in the 1920s. Curtz Con-solidated, which owned the claims onMorning Star Hil l at that t ime, erectedseveral new buildings, including a bunkhouse for 35 men, an off ice, and a mil l of50 tons capacity. A com pany ownedpower plant on the east fork of theCarson River provided power for themining and mi l l ing operat ions.

A few years back we camped over-night at the Morning Star. I t turned outto be a delightful spot to enjoy the won-ders of nature. Hummingbirds hoveredat arm's length, drinking the nectar ofSierra Forget-me-nots. At sunset wewatched a huge buck browse in the mea-

Des ert/ April 1978 33


34/48

dow below. With the onset of dusk aPoorwil l swooped down from the hil lsideabove, hungrily scooping up the mosqui-toes which buzzed above our heads. Andlong after the stars had appeared thef lying insect trap continued to serenadeus with i ts sof t "Poor-wi l l -o" call. Butsince that memorable summer eveningthere has been a renewed interest in theminerals st i l l within Morning Star Hil land several years ago a new No Tres-passing sign appeared on the property.

Beyond the mine the road climbssharply and within the brief course off ive or six miles it meanders through apatchwork of three dist inct plant com-

Left: A swallowtailbutterfly sips nectar

from a Snow Plant.Right: The ore car

trestle and tailingsdump at the

Morning Star Mine.Below: The MorningStar's blacksmith shop.

mun it ies. The open slopes are typical ofthe Nevadan or Great Basin biotic zonewhere sagebrush is the predominantplant. But for a few brief weeks the drabhil lsides are transformed into a mil l iondots of brilliant color by masses of sul-phur f lowers, Indian paintbrush, Segolilies, and at least a half dozen otherspecies.

Groundsel, Western wallf lower, andthe leathery wild peony are a few of theneighbors found in the shadows of the

forested areas. One of the west 's mostunusual and probably its most dramaticp lant , the saprophy t ic Snow P lantpushes up through the humus of thefores t f loo r much l ike a s ta lk o fasparagus. But there the resemblanceends. The all scarlet plant produces nochlorophyll, but l ives entirely on de-caying matter. Since its numbers arerelatively limited and it is so easy to spotamong its somber forest surround ings, itis protected from pick ing and wanton de-struction by a state law.

Wild ir is, pungent wild onions, butter-cups, and shooting stars are among theflowers which compete for every inch ofgrowing space a long severa l smal lstreams and in the meadows. On one tr ipover the Mo rnin g Star Road I counted 27d i f fe rent spec ies o f w i ld f lowers inbloom, all within several yards of theroad.

At the junct ion of the Morning StarRoad with the Leviathan Road a r ightturn wil l take you back to the highway.Tha t 's a distance of about three m iles. Aleft turn leads to the Leviathan Mine. Asign indicates tha t the road to the m ine isa private road, but on our most recentouting the road was open to the public.

The Leviathan Mine was f irst workedas a copper m ine in the 1860s. A litt legold was also recovered from the copperore. Two tunne ls, one 600 feet, the other1,000 feet in length, marked the init ialdevelopment of the mine.34 Des ert/ April 1978


35/48

In 1931, after years of lyin g id le, theLrviathan was reopened. Only this t imeinterest in the mine shifted to itsd( posits of sulphur. The Leviathan Sul-p mr Com pany ex t racted mode ra teamounts of the yellow mineral during1"33 and 1934. In 1952 Anaconda Cop-pi r Company acquired the property. Ay< ar later th e b ig copper company be-gan mining in earnest, convert ing to an0|>en pit operation. The sulphur wastrucked to Anaconda's plant at nearbyY ;rington, Nevada, where it was used inthe manufacture of sulphuric acid need-ed for the treatment of low-grade copperoies.

Once again the Leviathan is silent, ag gantic, gaping wound in the earth.P ^rhaps, in time, the scar will heal. Butfcr now its ocher walls are barren andsterile, the devastation a mute contrasttc the living forest on the rim above.The Morning Star loop drive offers adelightful opportunity to enjoy severalh'>urs in the back country. For a longerslay there are some good, but unim-p oved campsites in the wooded areas.The wildf lowers are usually at their bestthe last week in J une or the fir st week inJuly. But should you miss the f lowers,N other Nature puts on another spectac-ular show in the fa l l . Stands of quakinga: pen wi nd up the season with a lastglorious blaze of color. Then the MonitorP iss country goes to sleep for the long,Icng winter.

D< s e r t /Ap ri l 1978

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36/48

R e s c u ebyP i n eN u t sM A S T W OODLANDS of low p ines andw junipers are scattered across the| mountains and mesas of the Am eri-

can Southwest. The pines are calledpinon pines, because of their largeedible seeds or nu ts, pinones in Spanish.The common pine of the southern Rock-ies and the Colorado Plateau is known tobotanists as Pinus edulis, or the pinon.Further west in the Great Basin is foundPinus monophylla, the singleleaf pinon.Pinon nuts are large up to a h alf inchin length and so ft-shelled. They aretasty and nutrit ious, and were an im-portant source of food to the Indians forthousands of years before the arrival ofthe white man.

But these nutrit ious pine nuts havealso played a part in the history of wh iteexplorat ion in the West, and may havesaved the l ives of some prominent earlytravelers.

The f irst Europeans to taste the nu t ofthe pinon pine were also the f irst whitevisitors to the Southwest. They wereAlvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and histhree companions, who from 1528 to1536 wandered westwards across thecontinent from their shipwreck on theGulf of Mexico.36

by RONALD M . LANNER

In his book, Naufragios y ComentariosCabeza de Vaca later told of the Indiansof southern New Mexico:

They a te pr ick ly -pear f ru i t sand pine nuts: there are in thatcountry small pine trees and theircones are like litt le eggs, but thenuts are better than those of Castilebecause they have very thin sh ells ."The Castilian pine nuts that Cebeza de

Vaca mentions came from the Italianstone pine, a tree of southern Europe.They are a rich protein source and a de-l icious confect ion of Mediterranean cui-sines, but their shells are extremelythick and cannot be cracked in the teeth.

When the Spanish adventurers cameupon the nut-gathering Indians, theywere hungry and exhausted, and at leastone historian has credited the avail-abil i ty of pine nuts with their verysurvival.

Almost two and a half centuries later,another party of Spaniards was nour-ished by the nuts of Pinus edulis. In 1776the Franciscans Fray Francisco AtanasioDominguez and Fray Silvestre Velez deEscalante struck north from Santa Fe insearch of a safe route to the Californiamissions. Their route, as described in

Escalante's journal, led into westernColorado, across Utah, and (in abandon-ment of their original plan) south andeast into Arizona and back to Santa Fe.

On September 4, 1776, the explorersaccepted chokecherries and pinon nutsfrom three Ute women and a chi ld . Laterthey met other Indians gathering pinenuts along the edge of the Great Basin inUtah, but the fr iars had l it t le interest inthese tr ibes and repeatedly inquiredabout other tr ibes that grew corn fortheir subsistence. Corn-planters wereconsidered more civi l ized and thus moreeasily converted to the Faith.

But by mid-October the Spaniardswere low on food and were su ffering dis-comfort from the cold. They had to con-centrate on salvation of the body as wellas the soul. On the nineteenth, Indians,who called themselves the Yab uinca rir is,brought the hungry aliens many bags ofpine nuts as well as grass seeds andcactus fruits. Even this good luck had itscosts, if we can credit Escalante's diag-nosis, for a few days later Lorenzo Oli-vares, having become uncontrollablythirsty from eating too many pine nuts,stayed out of camp all one night insearch of water, causing his companions

Desert/April 1978


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Pinon-juniper woodlandscommonly clothe the slopes ofNevada's Mountain ranges.

" m u c h w o r r y . "By October 23, the party was sick from

grass seed and weak from hunger, butw is able to buy a few day s' supp ly ofpine nuts from local Indians. Escalante'sjournal for October 29, written while hew is camped on the Colorado River,poignantly expresses the plight of hisparty:

Not knowing when we mightleave this place, and having con-sumed all the flesh of the firsthorse, and the pinon nuts and otherthings we had purchased, we or-dered another horse killed.Even tually, part ly on the strength theyderived from further supplies of pine

nuts, Escalante's party arrived safelybi'ck in Santa Fe.

Their familiarity with pine nuts stoodthe Spaniards in good stead, as shownal .o by the experience of Juan Cristo-bal , a boy of 10 or 12, in 1808. Juan'svillage in New Mexico had been attackedb> Apaches, and the boy taken captive.Fo r a month he lived as a prisoner, butWe s fina lly able to make h is escape. ItWe s early October. For alm ost a week hewandered furt ively through the wood-la ids, subsisting on ripe pinons. On Oc-

tober 7 he was found by a column ofSpanish soldiers under Captain Fran-cisco Amangual. The soldiers were not asearch party. They were exploring aroute from San Antonio, Texas, to SantaFe , and came upon the boy purely bychance.

Pine nuts have not saved Spaniardsonly, but Anglos further north as wel l .The history of the settlement of Cali-fornia might well be very different if notfor the nut of the singleleaf pinon, Pinusmonophylla. Here are the words of JohnBidwel l , who led the f irst emigrantwagon train to California in 1840:

We were now camped on WalkerRiver, at the very eastern base ofthe Sierra Nevadas, and had onlytwo oxen left . . . Looking back onthe p la ins we saw someth ingcoming . . . To make a long storyshort, it was the eight men who hadleft us nine days before. They hadgone farthe r south than we, and hadcome to a lake, probably CarsonLake, and there had found Indians,who supplied them plentifully withfish and pine nuts . . . The men hadeaten heartily of fish and pine nutsand had got something akin to cho-lera morbus. We ran out to meetthem and shook hands, and put our

frying pans on and gave them thebest supper we could. Captain Bart-leson, who when we started fromMissouri was a port ly man, was re-duced to half his former gi r th . Hesaid, "Boys, if ever I get back toMiss ouri I wil l never leave thatcountry. I would gladly eat out ofthe t roughs with my hogs."History does not record whether Cap-

tain Bartleson ever got his wish, but if hedid, he had pine nuts to thank for theopportunity.

The most dramatic rescue attributedto pine nuts occurred in the mountainousarea of northern California.

Winter came early to the Sierra Neva-da in 1846. On October 28 of that year,f ive feet of snow was hinderin g the climbof a beleaguered group of California-bound emigrants the Donner-Reedparty. Already weak from hunger andplagued by deaths, these pioneers weresoon to be halted by the early storms andforced into winter quarters at DonnerLake. The tragic story of this band hasoften been to ld, but historians havefailed to emphasize that the ult imaterescue of the survivors more than 40men, wom en, and children was by thegrace of a half-a-cup of pine nuts.

On December 16, 1846, 15 of theparty, call ing themselves the "ForlornH o p e , " made a desperate final attemptto cross the Sierra for help from theCalifornia sett lements. Carrying only sixdays' supply of food they blunderedthrough the deep drif ts on improvisedsnowshoes until they came upon an In-dian vil lage on the tenth of January.Several of them had perished on theway. For a week they rested under thecare of the friendly Indians. But even aweek's rest and their diet of acorn breadbrought scant improvement to men andwomen ha l f -dead o f hunger andexposure. The leader of the Forlorn

Dis e rt/April 1978 37


38/48

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Hope, Wi l l iam H. Eddy, wassickened byacorn bread and unable to keep it down.Years later Eliza P. Donner Houghtontold how Eddy gained back his strengthon January 17, 1847:

. . . the chief with much dif-f iculty procured for Mr. Eddy, a gil lof pine nuts which the lat ter foundso nutrit ious that the fo l lowingmorn ing, on resuming t ravel , hewas able to walk without support.After leaving the vil lage, Eddy alone

of theparty wasable to continue with In-

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dian guides. He covered 18 miles thatday to reach the cabin of Colonel H.D.Richey, and for six of those miles thet ra i l was marked with his blood. A reliefparty was immediately formed whichnext day rescued the six surv iv ing mem-bers of the Forlorn Hope. A later reliefparty penetrated the snows of DonnerLake the fo l lowing month. Thesuccess ofthe rescue efforts can be at t r ibuted tothe nutrit ive value of a handful of pinenuts. The Donner party may have beensaved by the nuts of local diggerpines [Pinus sabiniana), or of singleleafpinon traded from the nearby Washo.

Why didn't these hard-pressed emi-grants collect pinon nuts along theirr ou t e t h rough Nevada? Dur ing theheight of the pinon season they passedPilot Peak, the Ruby Mountains, Bat t leMounta in , and the Humboldts. On Oc-tober 19 they were at Wadswor th , at thefoot of the Virginia Range. At any ofthese places they could have gathered astock of pinon nuts that would have seenthem through the winter , but they didno t try. Their journals never mentionpinons. Were they ignorant of the valueof pine nuts, despite the experiences ofearlier travelers? Did their host i l i ty tothe Indians they encountered along theirroute discourage the Indians from offer-ing pinons in t rade, as they had donewith Bart leson and Fremont? We canonly speculate on their failure to live offthe bounty of the nut pines.

W hat about today? In this era of ultra-processed, plast ic-wrapped, hydrogen-a te d , h o m o g e n i z e d and syn t hes i zedfoods, is there a place for wild nutsgathered f rom, the cones of l i t t le desertpines? Can the Indian's staff of l i fe st i l lsave westerners in extremis?

Kel ly Warren would say yes, wi themphasis. Kelly was a 14-year-old deerhunter who got lost on the SanCarlos In-dian Reservation in Arizona. It was thefa l l of 1974. For four days he wanderedin thewoodlands, l ike J uan Cristobal 166years before. And, l ike Juan Cristobal,he lived on the pinon nuts he was able toshake from the cones until he was re-united notwi th theSpanish cavalry but with his parents.

So

197804 desert magazine 1978 april

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