m b h s inside on the calendar hop ggiftift sshop sunday

Check the expiration date on your mailing label. It may be time to renew your membership.

If you are not now receiving event updates & reminders via email and would like to, contact Carole Kester at [email protected]

inside Tamma’s Magic Mercantile 55727 Twentynine Palms Hwy.

Old Towne Yucca Valley 760.369.1970

MMORONGOORONGO BBASINASIN HHISTORICALISTORICAL SSOCIETYOCIETY

GGIFTIFT SSHOPHOP

Open every day 10 to 5

Get to know the Mojave as recorded by local authors. If you appreciate local history, fill out your reading list with the fascinating work of local writers. Never have so many works on local history been available ... some in very limited editions so hurry in.

GROWING UP AT THE DESERT QUEEN RANCH by Willis Keys & Art Kidwell GATEWAY TO THE HI-DESERT: A HISTORY OF MORONGO VALLEY by Maxine Crotsenburg YUCCA VALLEY AND ITS HISTORY by Twila Couzens & May Clark HISTORIC PIONEERTOWN: HOW THE WEST WAS ONCE by Harvey Legrone THE TWENTYNINE PALMS STORY by Hazel Spell

SAND IN MY SHOE by Helen Bagley IN THE SHADOW OF THE PALMS, vol 1 by Art Kidwell THE ADOBES OF TWENTYNINE PALMS by Pat Rimmington THE STORIES OF THE PAST: EARLY SETTLERS OF THE MORONGO BASIN, booklet 1

complied by the MBHS Historical Publications Committee THE HISTORY OF MORONGO BASIN by Joan Wilson (1 set available)

Other titles available – come browse the selection

Morongo Basin Historical Society PO Box 2046, Yucca Valley, CA 92286

www.mbhs.net

Photo by Stephanie Kern

PO Box 2046, Yucca Valley 92286 • 760-364-2000 • www.MBHS.net • [email protected]

Spring 2012

By Clyde Leech

T he Model T chugged and

huffed as it steamed

slowly up the dusty,

barely defined trail lead-

ing north from Whitewater. The sun

beat down on Martin and Maude

Fuller as they rode toward a lovely

valley that was populated solely by

yelping coyotes.

It was 1914, but the Fullers

probably would not have been sur-

prised if a band of screaming Indi-

ans suddenly had swooped down on

them from one or another of the

rugged mountains that lined their

precarious route.

On the CalendarOn the Calendar

Sunday, April 22 Idyllwild Field Trip

Wednesday, May 8 A History of the National Park

Hi-Desert Nature Museum 5 :30 pm

Sunday, May 20 Old Woman Springs Ranch

F ie l d Tr ip

Wednesday, June 13

Landers Earthquake

20 Year Retrospective Hi-Desert Nature Museum 5 :30 pm

continued on Page 5

Excerpts from the Los Angeles Herald – Examiner , Friday, July 20, 1962

MIRACLE OF YUCCA VALLEY MIRACLE OF YUCCA VALLEY REFLECTS LURE OF HIGH DESERTREFLECTS LURE OF HIGH DESERT

Excerpts from the Los Angeles Herald – Examiner Friday, July 20, 1962

As Southern California’s boarders continue to expand with the arrival each

month of thousands of new residents, space in which to live and breathe becomes

of increasing importance. The high desert country of San Bernardino County is

attracting many old and new inhabitants, and new cities are growing. Typical of

the dramatic growth is Yucca Valley ...

This is Yucca Boulevard, the main street of Yucca Valley. Al Fisher, chair-

man of City Beautiful, is working with other community leaders to make it

as attractive as Palm Springs’ Palm Canyon Drive.

Ovens are hot Ovens are hot

and the weather is too.and the weather is too.

Who wants to bake? Who wants to bake?

Not I. Do you?Not I. Do you?

Figure your cost Figure your cost

for baking a cookiefor baking a cookie

Save time, work and effort Save time, work and effort

and enjoy playing hookieand enjoy playing hookie !!

Send your check to:Send your check to:

MBHS, PO Box 2046 MBHS, PO Box 2046

Yucca Valley 92286Yucca Valley 92286

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Add%20me%20to%20the%20MBHS%20Event%20Update%20&%20Reminder%20List

Spring 2012 Morongo Basin Historical Society

From the From the PresidentPresident

Every week something different happens at the MBHS Landers Museum & Research Center.

Several weeks back, Michael Quarles from Joshua Tree dropped off a check for a Lifetime Member-ship! Welcome Michael; we hope you will enjoy all we have to offer for many many years. Then Bill, a Landers resident, showed up with a fascinating map of this area. The map was printed nearly 50 years ago when today’s Morongo Basin was known as the High Joshua Desert.

In March, Mike and Julie Landry stopped in after see-ing our website. They recently bought a nearby cabin. Julie , a retired teacher, toured the old Post Office and our rapidly changing facility. Although they regularly travel between California and Louisi-ana they still signed up to volunteer. Julie made Ruth's eyes twinkle when she offered to transcribe some of our many Oral History interviews.

On a more recent Tuesday grandmother and grand-son, Margie and Josiah, stopped in for some assis-tance. Josiah, a student at Yucca Mesa Elementary, is working on a local history project. The very knowl-edgeable Barbara Harris took him under her wing.

Thanks to the generous efforts of member Tim Long, anyone doing research at MBHS Landers will soon have access to the Internet. Not only will this allow us to access information everywhere, it will also al-low us to scan and upload documents and photos from our archives without having to take them off the property.

Between visitors, lots more happens each Tuesday. When Paul Geeson and Roxanne Miller aren’t busy arranging for the best configuration of the new re-search area, they pitch in on any number of other projects with the likes of Lois Johnson, C.J. Miller, and myself.

It’s always a few degrees cooler in Landers, pick a Tuesday and drop by and surprise us too.

Laurie Geeson, President Morongo Basin Historical Society

If you can help MBHS collect any items from the list below, please call 760-364-2000.

Computer

Scanner

Printer

Wooden Bookcase

Vert i cal Window Bl ind

Ful l Si ze Photocopier

Wooden Desk

Credenza

Share your historical treasures and collec-tions temporarily. Perhaps you have some of the following collections or others vintage items of interest to lend for use in a rotating display or exhibit? Call 760-364-2000.

Landers Earthquake Photos

Landers Earthquake Memories

Col l ect ions f rom Early Desert L i fe

Native Ameri can ar t i facts

Enamel House Ware s

Old Area Photographs

Vintage Chi ldren’ s Toys

Come see what we’ve been up to…

Tuesday’s 10:30 am to 3 pm From Hwy 62: 10 miles north on 247, right on Reche Rd., right on Landers Lane. MBHS is 3/10s of a mile

south of the Post Office, on the right.

MBHS Museum & Research Center

632 N. Landers Lane,

Landers, CA 92285

No Open House June 12 or Aug. 14 when the regular 2nd Tuesday Board

Meetings are scheduled to be held in Yucca Valley. Call ahead at 760-364-2000.

After the parade, May 26,

visit our table in the Yucca Room

at the Community Center Complex.

Spring 2012 Page 7 Morongo Basin Historical Society

NN ote the expiration date on your label. ote the expiration date on your label. Re-newing your membership prior to being in-voiced saves a lot of time and expense so

please ... renew before you’re due!renew before you’re due!

And if you elected to receive the paperless Newsletter, you’ll receive a paperless invoice as well!

Everyone Everyone makes mistakes. If your expiration date is in-correct, your address needs updating, or your email has changed, please let me know.please let me know.

New Members New Members We continue a tradition of welcoming new members each newsletter and are thrilled to count so many this issue. Welcome, we hope you’ll take ad-vantage of all the benefits MBHS has to offer.

Volunteers Volunteers I’ve served as Membership Chair and Co-Chair since January 2008. I could really use a hand . Contact me if you can volunteer a few hours weekly.

Gift Memberships Gift Memberships When you give a Gift Membership you unlock endless possibilities for discovery and learn-ing for the lucky recipient, plus you support the Histori-

cal Society’s efforts at preservation and education.

Simply complete an Order Form like the one below. We’ll write a warm Welcome Letter on your behalf and send it to your recipient and on the day of your choos-ing. Contact me if you have questions.

Go Green; Go Paperless Go Green; Go Paperless If you’re still receiving your Newsletter Quarterly via the U.S. Postal Service, try having it delivered to your email inbox instead! Paper-less subscribers save paper, postage, printing & produc-tion costs. Try it and if you don’t like it, you can go back to the printed edition any time. Contact me.

Then Go Even Greener Then Go Even Greener When you renew your mem-bership before being invoiced it saves even more time and money. Do it online now and pay with PayPal..

Sincerely, Carole Kester

Membership Chair, Email Coordinator 760-365-4096 [email protected]

MM EMBERSHIPEMBERSHIP RREPORTEPORT

mailto:[email protected]


WWELCOMELCOME E NNEWEW

&& RR ETURNINGETURNING

MM E M B E RE M B E R SS

Michael Quarles

with a Lifetime Membership

Dave & Kathy Ainsworth,

Dee Davis, Hollis Douglas,

and Karen Frantz

(a gift membership

from Gay Smith),

Michael & Julie Landry

Ruth & Rosemary Mcloud,

Linda Ochoa & Deborah Rucker.

Rejoining:

J. N. Mootz

Thank you all for investing

in local historical preservation

Member count

as of March 31 is 217.

GONEGONE BUTBUT NOTNOT FORGOTTENFORGOTTEN

Laura June Charter Member

former member

Burke LaSage

What inspires YOU ? Interested in genealogy? Build the family trees of early settlers who

claimed 160 acres. Some have descendants still living in the area.

Joseph Heard lived where the golf course is now. Arrived in a covered wagon, lived in a Joshua tree cabin.

Walter Harrell of the Lone Star Ranch. No known descendants. He wanted to name our town “Lone Star”.

Others to consider: Covington or Bobo of Morongo Valley; Reche of Landers; Pearce, Hardesty or Redden of Yucca Valley, and others.

Like shuffling paper? We’ve cabinets of folders in need of attention!

File newspaper clippings, Internet copies, photos, etc.

Divide overcrowded folders.

The “Index to Folders” needs updating.

Arrange folder contents into chronological order.

Redistribute folders in drawers to make best use of space.

Like doing research? Write results yourself or work with someone?

ROADS As the Basin went from rutted dirt, to gravel, to two-lane and now a four-lane highway. Is a six- or eight-lane highway in the future?

WATER Some early wells were hand dug 300’ or more. Some were drilled. Who did this? How many died? What effect did dry wells have on homesteading?

HOMESTEAD CABINS Size? Cost? Where did materials come from? Were they incorporated into larger homes later? Who built them?

HOMESTEAD LIFE 1910-1930? We know men often left their families to earn money “down below.” How did their families cope? What were their living conditions? Where did they shop for food, wash clothes, etc.? What games did children play?

THE CATTLEMEN Ranchers from San Bernardino, Whitewater and Big Bear grazed cattle here in winter. We know a little about Barker and Shay. Who were the others? How many? Who were their cowboys?

WRITE A NEWSLETTER ITEM Browse our collection of old newspapers and write a few lines about an item on a date 100, 75 or 50 years ago.

APPAREL What did homesteaders wear? Did they use mail order or make their own? What about sewing machines?

NAMES Who named our communities and streets? How were names chosen? When was Diablo renamed Church Street? And why?

There are more volunteer opportunities for those who enjoy light house-keeping, yard work or fundraising. If you’re inspired, contact an MBHS officer ... officer contact information is here ------>

MBHS OFFICERS

President – Laurie Geeson 760-366-6681 [email protected]

2nd VP – Ruth Long 760-365-3573 [email protected]

Treasurer – Jeannie Lindberg 760-369-3693 [email protected]

Secretary – Roxanne Miller 760-365-3984 [email protected]


Reserve your place now.

Idyllwild Nature Center & Preserve Sunday, April 22nd

A guided exploration with a focus on mountain ecology, habitats, flora and fauna, Cahuilla Native culture and the fascinating history of the San Ja-cinto Mountains.

Meet at Willie Boy's parking lot in Morongo Valley at 9:30 a.m. then caravan up into the mountains to arrive at the Preserve and Museum by 11 a.m.

Tour the Nature Preserve, grounds and facility. Lunch will be served at 12:30. Another brief pres-entation follows lunch. Your $10 donation covers all costs and lunch. Reservation info. is below..

Back by Popular Demand

Old Woman Springs Ranch Sunday, May 20th

Details of what prom-ises to be another fascinating excursion to nearby Johnson

Valley are being worked out. Reserve your place now. Suggested donation for this tour is $5.

Reserve your place for either field trip today ...

Contact Laurie at [email protected] or 760-363-6681 to guarantee your spot.

MBHS MBHS PPRESENTSRESENTS FFIELDIELD TTRIPSRIPS

Volunteer: The chairperson positions for “MBHS Presents” 2nd Wednesday Programs and for “MBHS Field Trips” are open. If you can spare a few hours a month, please consider being of service.

$5 Donation at Door Hi-Desert Nature Museum next to the Yucca Valley Library

MBHS popular 1st Wednesday has been replaced by “MBHS Presents,” a program

of community interest presented at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum on the 2nd Wednesday of every month beginning at 5:30 p.m. Please join us; membership not required.

Wednesday, May 8th

History of the National Park A National Park Ranger will give a brief history about the beginnings of the park. Who pushed to make it a Monument and what U.S. Presi-dent backed it all the way.

Wednesday, June 13th

LANDERS EARTHQUAKE: A 20 Year Retrospective with Dr. Sally McGill, UC San Bernardino

Dr. McGill was here immediately following the quake and has done a great deal of fascinating research on the subject. This presentation will included screening of a rare 20-minute video -- out takes of media coverage of the 7.3 lateral strike slip that occurred in the early morning hours of June 28, 1992.



TTHEHE OORALRAL HHISTORYISTORY PPROJECTROJECT

VVERNETTEERNETTE LLANDERSANDERS and the

OONENE--RROOMOOM PPOSTOST OOFFICEFFICE The following excerpt is transcribed from an Oral History Project

video interview with Vernette Landers and conducted by Dale Noel.

This part of the recorded interview took place in what is now the

MBHS Landers Post Office Museum. The one-room building originally

served Landers as a rural contract postal station. Dr. Landers be-

came its first Post Mistress on May 2, 1962. She held a Ph.D. in

linguistics. Some 36 years later she purchased and moved the 400

sq.ft. structure to her property 3/10s of a mile away. This was

shortly after May 2, 1998 when the present Post Office opened

with great fanfare. Today the cabin is a designated historical site.

LANDERS: Okay, my name is Vernette Landers. In 1959 I married Newlin Landers who was the founder of Landers, California. He had tried desperately to get a U.S. Post Office. He had been denied because the head postmas-ter general decided that it was an area of government recreational tracts and there wouldn’t be any permanent population there. It wasn’t required to be a permanent resident to have a government recreational tract. So there wouldn’t be enough demand for a post office, therefore, he denied it. ... I was working for the school district in 29 Palms [Morongo Unified School District] in 29 Palms, as Dean of Girls. One of my counselees - clients - was Prudy Under-hill’s daughter. Prudy introduced me to Congressman Shepherd to ask him if he would help me get a post of-fice for Landers. Congressman Shepherd said, well, he wanted to be sure that I was serious about this mat-ter. So he said, “If, you will find land with a building on it and agree not to put any other business on it, and you will take charge of that post office for 10 years at $1 a

year, then I will try to help you get a post office.” He did what he said he would do and Hilda Hardesty, who was the postmaster at Yucca Valley, helped me start the Landers Rural Station out here in Landers.

First I had to get the building and on the [SW corner]; catty corner from where we lived the Kelley’s were liv-ing. Kelley’s had a residence there. It was just an old de-sert cabin, it had no plumbing or anything like that. There was a privy outside. I was able to purchase it from them because they wanted to leave the area and it made a perfect spot for the Landers Post Office.

MBHS: This is the building we are in right now? And that was in

1962, was it?

LANDERS: That was about 1961. Klingbeil said that nothing would ever destroy that cabin. He had spent so much of his life putting it together. It was true because it survived an earthquake, a demolition and now it’s re-stored right here on this property. At first, you know, we had a privy, so the Sheriff’s department complained be-cause there was so much crime going on in the privy! They used it for a dope deposit place and whatever! So we had to put in a septic tank and it had to be one that you could drive over so it had to be a commercial sep-tic. After we got the commercial septic in we needed water and the County required that, since it was a Fed-eral building, that it be a commercial well and that meant a twelve incher, which we were able to get through the efforts of Cliff Sufty, the well driller, and it was tested by Leslie Hosegood, the civil engineer in San Bernardino City. It tested at 500 gallons a minute. After we did that, the County decided we needed curbs and gutters “to grade.” I said, “Well, what does ‘to grade’ mean?” He said, “Well it means you set to grade for the whole area.” He said, “You can only go so many feet,” I think it was eight feet, “and you must stop and get the County to come out and OK that much before you proceed with other sections that you are going to put in on these three corners.” So, we went through all that. The County didn’t come out very often, so you would lose your crew and have to pick them up again after your inspection. While you were waiting for that inspection, you leased or rented, whichever they called it, the sawhorses and the lanterns from the County.

MBHS: Let’s see now. You bought the cabin; you went through all

of that because everybody wanted mail out here. OK? And so, here’s

this little cabin sitting there and it was just a one room?

LANDERS: Uh-huh; one-room cabin.

The complete interview and other Oral History Project interviews

are available to the MBHS Landers Museum & Research Center.


TIME:

04:57:34

AM

DATE: SUN-

DAY

06/28/1992

MAX.DURATION: 247 S

ECONDS

MAGNITUDE: 7.3

AFTERSHOCKS: 20,000

TYPE EVENT: RGT LATERA

L STRIKE SLIP

This June marks the 20th year since the devastating Landers Earth-

quake. It was the most powerful to strike the contiguous U.S. in 60

years. To mark the occasion the Morongo Basin Historical Society is

planning a thorough look back at the fascinating events on the day of

the quake and in the weeks and months that followed. To do this we

need community input. If you have an eye witness account, photos,

artifacts or any other relevant material, we’d like to document and

possibly borrow for use in a presentation. Contact MBHS at 760-

363-6681 or via email to: MBHS. [email protected]

Miracle Miracle

of Yucca Valleyof Yucca Valley

Nor would a stagecoach, appearing suddenly to

block their brass trimmed vehicle, have been much of a

shock. Less than 30 years before, the trail had been a

main line of the famed Butterfield Stages.

The young couple were stopped however, only by

frequent demands of the Model T’s radiator for water.

Finally, some 18 miles above Whitewater, they reached

a plateau.

Stretching below, nearly as far as they could see,

was the floor of the great valley. It was a desert valley,

but unlike desert lands separated from it only by the

mountains, it was not a barren, sweltering wasteland.

Everywhere on every side, seeming to occupy every

square foot of soil, were green and growing things that

looked to be the work of some gigantic, prehistoric Sal-

vador Dali inspired by a Hollywood gag writer.

These were Joshua Trees and yucca plants, later to

become famous with the manzanita as symbols of the Hi

-Desert.

Old-timers, some of whom are said to communicate

with occupants of flying saucers similarly attracted to

the region, say the trees and giant rocks come alive at

twilight and assume the form of breathing things.

Martin and Maude, who were to learn all this, built

a tenthouse and became the first permanent non-Indian

residents of Yucca Valley. (Editor’s note: The statement is inac-curate; other non-Native American families had settled in Yucca Valley

as far back as 1910.)

ONLY NEIGHBORS WERE COYOTES

Coyotes were their only companions at first. Later

came cattle, roaming the open range. The nearest home-

stead was miles away. Conveniences were non-existent;

there was no supermarket around the corner, nor, indeed,

was there a corner.

“But it was a good time,” the widowed Maude

Fuller said the other day, “and I wish I could live it all

over again.”

There’s more of interest in the full article which is avail-able at the MBHS Museum & Research Center in Landers. -- Edited by Bob Connors, MBHS Past President

continued from Page 1 Among early de-velopers was Al Anderson, who remains active in Yucca Valley af-fairs. Joshua trees and yucca plants share honors with clear, smogless air as trademarks of Yucca Valley. Population stands at 5,500.

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Landers%20Q


WWELCOMELCOME E NNEWEW

&& RR ETURNINGETURNING

MM E M B E RE M B E R SS

Michael Quarles

with a Lifetime Membership

Dave & Kathy Ainsworth,

Dee Davis, Hollis Douglas,

and Karen Frantz

(a gift membership

from Gay Smith),

Michael & Julie Landry

Ruth & Rosemary Mcloud,

Linda Ochoa & Deborah Rucker.

Rejoining:

J. N. Mootz

Thank you all for investing

in local historical preservation

Member count

as of March 31 is 217.

GONEGONE BUTBUT NOTNOT FORGOTTENFORGOTTEN

Laura June Charter Member

former member

Burke LaSage

What inspires YOU ? Interested in genealogy? Build the family trees of early settlers who

claimed 160 acres. Some have descendants still living in the area.

Joseph Heard lived where the golf course is now. Arrived in a covered wagon, lived in a Joshua tree cabin.

Walter Harrell of the Lone Star Ranch. No known descendants. He wanted to name our town “Lone Star”.

Others to consider: Covington or Bobo of Morongo Valley; Reche of Landers; Pearce, Hardesty or Redden of Yucca Valley, and others.

Like shuffling paper? We’ve cabinets of folders in need of attention!

File newspaper clippings, Internet copies, photos, etc.

Divide overcrowded folders.

The “Index to Folders” needs updating.

Arrange folder contents into chronological order.

Redistribute folders in drawers to make best use of space.

Like doing research? Write results yourself or work with someone?

ROADS As the Basin went from rutted dirt, to gravel, to two-lane and now a four-lane highway. Is a six- or eight-lane highway in the future?

WATER Some early wells were hand dug 300’ or more. Some were drilled. Who did this? How many died? What effect did dry wells have on homesteading?

HOMESTEAD CABINS Size? Cost? Where did materials come from? Were they incorporated into larger homes later? Who built them?

HOMESTEAD LIFE 1910-1930? We know men often left their families to earn money “down below.” How did their families cope? What were their living conditions? Where did they shop for food, wash clothes, etc.? What games did children play?

THE CATTLEMEN Ranchers from San Bernardino, Whitewater and Big Bear grazed cattle here in winter. We know a little about Barker and Shay. Who were the others? How many? Who were their cowboys?

WRITE A NEWSLETTER ITEM Browse our collection of old newspapers and write a few lines about an item on a date 100, 75 or 50 years ago.

APPAREL What did homesteaders wear? Did they use mail order or make their own? What about sewing machines?

NAMES Who named our communities and streets? How were names chosen? When was Diablo renamed Church Street? And why?

There are more volunteer opportunities for those who enjoy light house-keeping, yard work or fundraising. If you’re inspired, contact an MBHS officer ... officer contact information is here ------>

MBHS OFFICERS

President – Laurie Geeson 760-366-6681 [email protected]

2nd VP – Ruth Long 760-365-3573 [email protected]

Treasurer – Jeannie Lindberg 760-369-3693 [email protected]

Secretary – Roxanne Miller 760-365-3984 [email protected]


Reserve your place now.

Idyllwild Nature Center & Preserve Sunday, April 22nd

A guided exploration with a focus on mountain ecology, habitats, flora and fauna, Cahuilla Native culture and the fascinating history of the San Ja-cinto Mountains.

Meet at Willie Boy's parking lot in Morongo Valley at 9:30 a.m. then caravan up into the mountains to arrive at the Preserve and Museum by 11 a.m.

Tour the Nature Preserve, grounds and facility. Lunch will be served at 12:30. Another brief pres-entation follows lunch. Your $10 donation covers all costs and lunch. Reservation info. is below..

Back by Popular Demand

Old Woman Springs Ranch Sunday, May 20th

Details of what prom-ises to be another fascinating excursion to nearby Johnson

Valley are being worked out. Reserve your place now. Suggested donation for this tour is $5.

Reserve your place for either field trip today ...

Contact Laurie at [email protected] or 760-363-6681 to guarantee your spot.

MBHS MBHS PPRESENTSRESENTS FFIELDIELD TTRIPSRIPS

Volunteer: The chairperson positions for “MBHS Presents” 2nd Wednesday Programs and for “MBHS Field Trips” are open. If you can spare a few hours a month, please consider being of service.

$5 Donation at Door Hi-Desert Nature Museum next to the Yucca Valley Library

MBHS popular 1st Wednesday has been replaced by “MBHS Presents,” a program

of community interest presented at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum on the 2nd Wednesday of every month beginning at 5:30 p.m. Please join us; membership not required.

Wednesday, May 8th

History of the National Park A National Park Ranger will give a brief history about the beginnings of the park. Who pushed to make it a Monument and what U.S. Presi-dent backed it all the way.

Wednesday, June 13th

LANDERS EARTHQUAKE: A 20 Year Retrospective with Dr. Sally McGill, UC San Bernardino

Dr. McGill was here immediately following the quake and has done a great deal of fascinating research on the subject. This presentation will included screening of a rare 20-minute video -- out takes of media coverage of the 7.3 lateral strike slip that occurred in the early morning hours of June 28, 1992.



From the From the PresidentPresident

Every week something different happens at the MBHS Landers Museum & Research Center.

Several weeks back, Michael Quarles from Joshua Tree dropped off a check for a Lifetime Member-ship! Welcome Michael; we hope you will enjoy all we have to offer for many many years. Then Bill, a Landers resident, showed up with a fascinating map of this area. The map was printed nearly 50 years ago when today’s Morongo Basin was known as the High Joshua Desert.

In March, Mike and Julie Landry stopped in after see-ing our website. They recently bought a nearby cabin. Julie , a retired teacher, toured the old Post Office and our rapidly changing facility. Although they regularly travel between California and Louisi-ana they still signed up to volunteer. Julie made Ruth's eyes twinkle when she offered to transcribe some of our many Oral History interviews.

On a more recent Tuesday grandmother and grand-son, Margie and Josiah, stopped in for some assis-tance. Josiah, a student at Yucca Mesa Elementary, is working on a local history project. The very knowl-edgeable Barbara Harris took him under her wing.

Thanks to the generous efforts of member Tim Long, anyone doing research at MBHS Landers will soon have access to the Internet. Not only will this allow us to access information everywhere, it will also al-low us to scan and upload documents and photos from our archives without having to take them off the property.

Between visitors, lots more happens each Tuesday. When Paul Geeson and Roxanne Miller aren’t busy arranging for the best configuration of the new re-search area, they pitch in on any number of other projects with the likes of Lois Johnson, C.J. Miller, and myself.

It’s always a few degrees cooler in Landers, pick a Tuesday and drop by and surprise us too.

Laurie Geeson, President Morongo Basin Historical Society

If you can help MBHS collect any items from the list below, please call 760-364-2000.

Computer

Scanner

Printer

Wooden Bookcase

Vert i cal Window Bl ind

Ful l Si ze Photocopier

Wooden Desk

Credenza

Share your historical treasures and collec-tions temporarily. Perhaps you have some of the following collections or others vintage items of interest to lend for use in a rotating display or exhibit? Call 760-364-2000.

Landers Earthquake Photos

Landers Earthquake Memories

Col l ect ions f rom Early Desert L i fe

Native Ameri can ar t i facts

Enamel House Ware s

Old Area Photographs

Vintage Chi ldren’ s Toys

Come see what we’ve been up to…

Tuesday’s 10:30 am to 3 pm From Hwy 62: 10 miles north on 247, right on Reche Rd., right on Landers Lane. MBHS is 3/10s of a mile

south of the Post Office, on the right.

MBHS Museum & Research Center

632 N. Landers Lane,

Landers, CA 92285

No Open House June 12 or Aug. 14 when the regular 2nd Tuesday Board

Meetings are scheduled to be held in Yucca Valley. Call ahead at 760-364-2000.

After the parade, May 26,

visit our table in the Yucca Room

at the Community Center Complex.


NN ote the expiration date on your label. ote the expiration date on your label. Re-newing your membership prior to being in-voiced saves a lot of time and expense so

please ... renew before you’re due!renew before you’re due!

And if you elected to receive the paperless Newsletter, you’ll receive a paperless invoice as well!

Everyone Everyone makes mistakes. If your expiration date is in-correct, your address needs updating, or your email has changed, please let me know.please let me know.

New Members New Members We continue a tradition of welcoming new members each newsletter and are thrilled to count so many this issue. Welcome, we hope you’ll take ad-vantage of all the benefits MBHS has to offer.

Volunteers Volunteers I’ve served as Membership Chair and Co-Chair since January 2008. I could really use a hand . Contact me if you can volunteer a few hours weekly.

Gift Memberships Gift Memberships When you give a Gift Membership you unlock endless possibilities for discovery and learn-ing for the lucky recipient, plus you support the Histori-

cal Society’s efforts at preservation and education.

Simply complete an Order Form like the one below. We’ll write a warm Welcome Letter on your behalf and send it to your recipient and on the day of your choos-ing. Contact me if you have questions.

Go Green; Go Paperless Go Green; Go Paperless If you’re still receiving your Newsletter Quarterly via the U.S. Postal Service, try having it delivered to your email inbox instead! Paper-less subscribers save paper, postage, printing & produc-tion costs. Try it and if you don’t like it, you can go back to the printed edition any time. Contact me.

Then Go Even Greener Then Go Even Greener When you renew your mem-bership before being invoiced it saves even more time and money. Do it online now and pay with PayPal..

Sincerely, Carole Kester

Membership Chair, Email Coordinator 760-365-4096 [email protected]

MM EMBERSHIPEMBERSHIP RREPORTEPORT


Check the expiration date on your mailing label. It may be time to renew your membership.

If you are not now receiving event updates & reminders via email and would like to, contact Carole Kester at [email protected]

inside Tamma’s Magic Mercantile 55727 Twentynine Palms Hwy.

Old Towne Yucca Valley 760.369.1970

MMORONGOORONGO BBASINASIN HHISTORICALISTORICAL SSOCIETYOCIETY

GGIFTIFT SSHOPHOP

Open every day 10 to 5

Get to know the Mojave as recorded by local authors. If you appreciate local history, fill out your reading list with the fascinating work of local writers. Never have so many works on local history been available ... some in very limited editions so hurry in.

GROWING UP AT THE DESERT QUEEN RANCH by Willis Keys & Art Kidwell GATEWAY TO THE HI-DESERT: A HISTORY OF MORONGO VALLEY by Maxine Crotsenburg YUCCA VALLEY AND ITS HISTORY by Twila Couzens & May Clark HISTORIC PIONEERTOWN: HOW THE WEST WAS ONCE by Harvey Legrone THE TWENTYNINE PALMS STORY by Hazel Spell

SAND IN MY SHOE by Helen Bagley IN THE SHADOW OF THE PALMS, vol 1 by Art Kidwell THE ADOBES OF TWENTYNINE PALMS by Pat Rimmington THE STORIES OF THE PAST: EARLY SETTLERS OF THE MORONGO BASIN, booklet 1

complied by the MBHS Historical Publications Committee THE HISTORY OF MORONGO BASIN by Joan Wilson (1 set available)

Other titles available – come browse the selection

Morongo Basin Historical Society PO Box 2046, Yucca Valley, CA 92286

www.mbhs.net

Photo by Stephanie Kern

PO Box 2046, Yucca Valley 92286 • 760-364-2000 • www.MBHS.net • [email protected]

Spring 2012

By Clyde Leech

T he Model T chugged and

huffed as it steamed

slowly up the dusty,

barely defined trail lead-

ing north from Whitewater. The sun

beat down on Martin and Maude

Fuller as they rode toward a lovely

valley that was populated solely by

yelping coyotes.

It was 1914, but the Fullers

probably would not have been sur-

prised if a band of screaming Indi-

ans suddenly had swooped down on

them from one or another of the

rugged mountains that lined their

precarious route.

On the CalendarOn the Calendar

Sunday, April 22 Idyllwild Field Trip

Wednesday, May 8 A History of the National Park

Hi-Desert Nature Museum 5 :30 pm

Sunday, May 20 Old Woman Springs Ranch

F ie l d Tr ip

Wednesday, June 13

Landers Earthquake

20 Year Retrospective Hi-Desert Nature Museum 5 :30 pm

continued on Page 5

Excerpts from the Los Angeles Herald – Examiner , Friday, July 20, 1962

MIRACLE OF YUCCA VALLEY MIRACLE OF YUCCA VALLEY REFLECTS LURE OF HIGH DESERTREFLECTS LURE OF HIGH DESERT

Excerpts from the Los Angeles Herald – Examiner Friday, July 20, 1962

As Southern California’s boarders continue to expand with the arrival each

month of thousands of new residents, space in which to live and breathe becomes

of increasing importance. The high desert country of San Bernardino County is

attracting many old and new inhabitants, and new cities are growing. Typical of

the dramatic growth is Yucca Valley ...

This is Yucca Boulevard, the main street of Yucca Valley. Al Fisher, chair-

man of City Beautiful, is working with other community leaders to make it

as attractive as Palm Springs’ Palm Canyon Drive.

Ovens are hot Ovens are hot

and the weather is too.and the weather is too.

Who wants to bake? Who wants to bake?

Not I. Do you?Not I. Do you?

Figure your cost Figure your cost

for baking a cookiefor baking a cookie

Save time, work and effort Save time, work and effort

and enjoy playing hookieand enjoy playing hookie !!

Send your check to:Send your check to:

MBHS, PO Box 2046 MBHS, PO Box 2046

Yucca Valley 92286Yucca Valley 92286

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Add%20me%20to%20the%20MBHS%20Event%20Update%20&%20Reminder%20List

m b h s inside on the calendar hop ggiftift sshop sunday

Documents