196806 desert magazine 1968 june

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S U N K E N G O L DU T A H ' S R E D R O C K S


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Stefo make w Ondv i 6q ,Desert Magazine BCCK Shop100 ROADSIDE FLOWERS by Natt N. Dodge. Acompanion book to his 100 DESERT WILDFLOW-ERS, this book lists 100 f lowers g row ing in the4 , 5 0 0 to 7,000 foot levels. Like the companionbook, every f lower is i l lus trated in 4-colorphotographs. Excellent to carry in car dur ingweekend t r ips for fami ly fun. Paperback, 64pages , $1 .50 .DESERT GARDENING by the editors of SunsetBooks. Written exclusively for desert gardeners,this book is c l imate zoned with maps pinpoint-ing five diverse desert zones. Calendar pre-sents plans for care of plant ings throughoutthe year . I l lus trated, 8 x 1 1 heavy paperback,$ 1 . 9 5 .GHOST TOWNS OF THE COLORADO ROCKIESby Robert L. Brown. Writ ten by the author ofJeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns this bookdeals with ghost towns accessible by passen-ge r car. Gives directions and maps for f ind ingtowns along with his tor ical backgrounds. Hard-cover, 401 pages, $6.25.HAPPY WANDERER TRIPS by Slim Barnard. Wel l -known TV stars Henrietta and Slim Barnardhave put together a selection of 52 of theirt r ips through Cal i fornia taken f rom their HappyWanderer travel shows. Has excellent maps,history, costs of gasol ine consumpt ion, lodging,meals plus what to wear and best t ime tomake t r ips . Cant be beat for famil ies planningweekend excursions. Paperback, large format,150 pages , $2 .95 .ANTIQUE BOTTLES by Marvin and Helen Davis.Paperback, full color, 62 pages , $3 .00 .COOKING AND CAMPING IN THE DESERT byChoral Pepper, Foreword by Erie Stanley Gard-ner and special section on desert driving andsurviving by Jack Pepper. A book to read cover-to-cover for anyone who travels back countryroads. Up-to-date cooking ideas which bringgourmet fare into camp with l i t t le ef for t . 12-page section of exclusive desert camping photoswith lots of ideas for places to go. Beaut i fu lhardcover book, $3.95.CAMPING AND CLIMBING IN BAJA by JohnW. Robinson. Guide to the Sierra San PedroMar t i r and Sierra Juarez of upper Baja Cali-fornia. Paper , $2.95.ALL OF MEXICO and Guatemala at low cost byNorman Ford. Excellent guide for do- i t -yoursel ft raveler . Paper . $2.00.SKY ISLAND by Weldon F. Heald. Informat ive,f i rs t -person narrat ive about the c l imate , w i ldlife, unusual guests, terrain and vegetat ionfound only in the remote Chir icahua area wherethe author l ived. $5.95.

WHEN ORDERING BOOKSPLEASE

Add 50 cents PER ORDER(Not Each Book)

for handling and mailingCalifornia residents add 5 percentsales tax, regardless of whether youar e a Republican or Democrat.Send check or money order to Desert Maga-zine Book Shop, Palm Desert, California92260. Sorry , but we cannot accept chargesor C.O.D. orders.

ROCK ART OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN byCampbell Grant. First reliable, well- i l lustratedbook wr i t ten about Amer ican Indian petro-glyphs and pic tographs. $12.95.THE DESERT LAKE by Sessions S. Wheeler. Thestory of Nevada's int r iguing Pyramid Lake, itsancient history, archeological f inds, geology,fish and bird l i fe. Paperback. $1.95.

BOOK ofthe M O N T HRETIRE TOADV E NT UREBy Harrison M. Karr

Paperback , 121 pagesONLY

MAMMALS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS byGeorge Olin. Newly revised edit ion describesthe mammals of the deserts with artist i l lustra-tions of the animals and their footprints foreasy identif ication. Paperback, 112 pages,$1 .00 .HISTORIC SPOTS IN CALIFORNIA Revised byWilliam N. Abeloe. Only complete guide to Cali-fornia landmarks with maps, photos and l ivelytext covering both historical and modern eras.639 pages , $10 .00 .OFF THE BEATEN TRACK IN BAJA by Erie StanleyGardner. About people and places in enchant-ing Baja California of Mexico. Colored photos,368 pages, $8.95.HANDBOOK OF CRYSTAL AND MINERAL COL-LECTING by William Sanborn. Describes environ-ment typical of collection sites and physicalproperties of minerals and crystals. Paper, 81pages, $2.00.REDIGGING THE WEST for old time bottles byLynn Blumenstein. Photographs of over 700bottles with artic les that tell the story and aphotograph of each. $4.25.ANOTHER WILDERNESS CONQUERED by GradySetzler. An in formal his tory of the Blythe-PaloVerde Val ley in Southern Cal i fornia. Hard-cover . $5.50.FABULOUS MEXICO Where Everything CostsLess by Norman Ford. Covers investing, vaca-t ioning and retir ing prospects in Mexico. Pa-perback. $1.50.A GUIDE TO WESTERN GHOST TOWNS by Lam-bert Florin. Includes maps and mileages of ghosttowns in 15 western states. Large format, card-board cover , $2.25.

GOLD RUSH COUNTRY by the editors of SunsetBooks. A revised and up-dated pract ical guideto California's Mother Lode country. Dividedinto geographical areas for easy weekend t r ips ,th e 8 x 11 heavy paperback new edit ion is pro-fusely il lustrated with photos and maps. Specialfeatures and anecdotes of historical and presentday activit ies. 4-color cover, 96 pages, $1.95.1200 BOTTLES PRICED by John C. Tibbitts. Up-dated edit ion of one of the best of the bottlebooks. $4.50.CALIFORNIA, A Guide to the Golden State.Edited by Harry Hansen and newly rev ised, itcontains an encyclopedia of facts from earlydays up to the Space Age. Mi le by mile de-scriptions to camping spots and commercial ac-commodat ions. Maps. Hardcover , $7.95.THE MYSTERIOUS WEST by Brad Williams andChoral Pepper. Rare book examines legends thatcannot be proven t rue, nor untrue. New evi-dence presented in many cases which maychange the history of the West. Hardcover.$5 .95 .ANZA-BORREGO DESERT GUIDE by Horace Par-ker. Second edit ion of th is wel l - i l lus trated anddocumented book is enlarged considerably. Topsamong guidebooks, it is equal ly recommendedfor research material in an area that was crossedby Anza, Kit Carson, the Mormon Battal ion,49ers, Railroad Survey parties, Pegleg Smith, theJackass Mail, Butterfield Stage, and today 'sadventurous tourists. 139 pages, cardboardcover , $2.95.ON DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, foun-de r and publ isher of Desert Magazine for 23years. One of the f irst good writers to revealthe beauty of the mysterious desert areas. Hen-derson's experiences, combined with his com-ments on the desert of yesterday and today ,make this a MUST for those who real ly wantot understand the desert. 375 pages, i l lus trated.Hardcover . $5.00.RARE MAP REPRODUCTIONS from the year 1886.Series I includes three maps, Arizona, Californiaand Nevada. Series II includes New Mexico,Utah and Colorado. Reproduced on f ine paper.They show old towns, mines, springs and trailsnow extinct. Each set of three, $3.75. Be sure tostate series number with order.EXPLORING CALIFORNIA BYWAYS from KingsCanyon to the Mexican Border by Russ Leada-brand. Maps for each t r ip with photographs,historical information, recreational facilit ies,campsites , h ik ing t ra i ls , etc. Paper, 165 pages,$ 1 . 9 5 .

DEATH VALLEY BOOKSPublished by the Death Valley '49ers thesefour volumes have been selected by '49ersas outs tanding works on the history of DeathVa l ley . All are durable paperback on slickstock.A NATURALIST'S DEATH VALLEY (Revised edi-t ion] by Edmund C. Jaeger , ScD $1.50MANLY AND DEATH VALLEY. Symbols of Des-t iny , by Ardis Manly Walker $1.25GOODBYE, DEATH VALLEY) The story of theJayhawker Par ty , by L. Burr Belden $1.50CAMELS AND SURVEYORS IN DEATH VALLEYBy Ar thur Woo dward $2.00DEATH VALLEY TALES by 10 dif ferent au-thors $1.25

2 / Desert Magazine / June, 1968


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C O N T E N T SVolume 31 Number 6

JUNE, 1 9 6 8

WILLIAM KNYVETTPublisherJACK PEPPER

EditorELTA SHIVELY

Executive SecretaryM A RV EL BA RRETT

BusinessLLO Y D S H I V ELY

CirculationE V A L Y N E S M I T H

SubscriptionsCH O RA L P EP P ER

Travel Feature EditorJ A C K D E L A N E Y

Staff WriterBILL BRYAN

Back Country EditorA L M E R R Y M A N

Staff Artist

EDITORIAL OFFICES: 74-109 Larrea, Palm Desert,Ca l i f o rn ia 9226 0 . A rea Code 714 346 -8 144 .Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs notaccompanied by self addressed, stamped and zipcoded envelopes wil l NOT be returned.ADVERTISING OFFICES- James March & Asso-ciates Inc., 1709 West 8th Street, Los Angeles,Ca l i f o rn ia 9001 7 , HUbbard 3 -05 61 115 NewMontgomery, San Francisco, Cal i forn ia 94105,DOuglas 2-4994. Listed in Standard Rate & Data.CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT: 74-109 Larrea,Palm Desert, California 92260. Desert Magazineis published monthly. Subscript ion prices: UnitedStates, 1 year, $5.00; 2 years, $9 .50; 3 years,$ 1 3 . 0 0 . Foreign subscribers add $1.0 0 U. S.Currency for each year. See Subscript ion O rderForm in back of this issue. Allow f ive weeks forchange of address and be sure to send bothnew and old addresses with zip code.

DESERT is published monthly by Desert Magazine,Palm Desert, Calif . Second Class Postage paid atPalm Desert, Calif . , and at addit ional mail ingoff ices under Act of March 3, 1879. Tit le regis-tered NO . 35886 5 in U. S. Patent Off ice , andcontents copyrighted 1968 by Desert Magazine.Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs cannotbe re turned or acknowledged un less fu l l re turnpostage is enclosed. Permission to reproduce con-tents rrust be secured from the editor in writ ing.

4 Thirty-One Years of Progress5 Book Reviews6 San Bern ardino's Fossil Beds

By HELEN WALKER10 Trip To Leadville

By DORIS CERVERI12 Left Unbuc kled

By DAVID HURTADO and SAM HICKS15 Match less Fire

By RICHARD W. BROOKS16 Indian Flats

By ALLEN PENTON18 Tip For A Trip

By JACK DELANEY20 He's The Qwaziest People!

By ISABEL DUNWOODY22 What Makes Rocks Red

By EUGENE FOUSHEE23 Photo of Monum ent Valley

By RALPH R. PAXTON25 What to do During an Earthquake26 Sunken Gold of Clear Creek

By GEORGE A. THOMPSON28 It's Raining RainbowsBy DOUG ALLEN30 Mojave Petroglyph Legends

By JAMES HARRIGAN32 Rocks and Indians

By JACK PEPPER33 Wom an's Viewpoint34 Greenhorn's Luck

By ROBERT O. BUCK36 Kn ight's Ferry

By LAMBERT FLORIN38 Back Country Travel42 New Ideas

By LEE OERTLE43 LettersJUNE COLOR PHOTOSThe brilliant red rock country near Sedona, Arizona is featuredon this month's cover. Photograph of the spectacular area onU. S. Alternate 89 from Prescott to Flagstaff is by Robert F.Campbell, Concord, Calif. Illustrating Eugene Foushee's articleon the fantastic formations in Southern Utah is a photographof Monument Valley by Ralph R. Paxton, Carmel, Calif. Backcover photo, saguaros near Bartlett Dam, Arizona.

June, 1968 / Desert Mag azine / 3


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Thirty-one Years of ProgressDESERT Magazine is now in its thirty-first year. During those 31 years of pro-gress there have been only four changesof ownershipand during those chal-lenging years the basic philosophy andpurpose of DESERT has not changed.Ending his editorial "There Are TwoDeserts" in the first issue of this publi-cation, Founder Randall Hendersonstated:"We want to give the folks who liveon the Desertand to those who are in-terested in the Desertsomething thatwill make their lives a little happier anda little finersomething worthwhile. Inthe accomplishment of this purpose weask for the cooperation and help of allfriends of the Desert everywhere."Since Randall Henderson wrote hiseditorial in November, 1937, the deserthas changed physically in many ways; air-conditioned homes and automobiles havemade the summer months no longer un-bearable; where there was once onlywastelands, there are homes and irrigatedfarmlands. Modern highways have re-placed country dirt roads, and whereprospectors with gold pans once pulledtheir burros down washes, modern pros-pectors with metal detectors ride in 4-wheel-drive vehicles and dune buggies.But the moods and challenges of thedesert will never change. They intensifyas more and more people discover thebeauty and appreciation of nature. In theold days the desert belonged only "to usdesert rats and God, and of the twomostly to us desert rats." Today it be-longs to everyone who loves and haslearned to appreciate the vastness of theopen plains, the hidden oasis with palms

and palos verdes, alluvial fans and moun-tains and the mysteries which are theGreat American Desert of the West.As announced in last month's issue,Choral Pepper has sold her half interestin DESERT Magazine to William Kny-vett, a long-time desert dweller andformer business associate of this publi-cation. He will be publisher and JackPepper will take over the editorial duties.Although the basic editorial policy andphilosophy will not change, we will con-tinue to enlarge DESERT and add newfeatures.

Bill Knyvett DESE RT Mag azine's new partner, and Jack Pepper examine acurrent issue and discuss future plans for the mon thly publication. DES ERTwas founded 31 years ago to explore and explain the d esert areas of the West.For the past three years the July andAugust issues have been combined intoa Summer Vacation Edition. We have de-cided to again publish these issues sep-arately so henceforth there will be 12single issues a year. During the summermonths, when the lower deserts are toohot for pleasant exploring and traveling,our articles will cover the higher eleva-tions, mountains and lakes of the West.Ninety percent of the areas covered

in our travel articles throughout the yearcan be reached by passenger car overgood, back-country gravel roads. It isby leaving the paved highways and tak-ing these secondary roads you find theadventure and beauty of the desert. Whenan area can be reached only by 4-wheel-drive or dune buggy, we will make thisfact clear. We also will print more andlarger maps to aid you in finding desig-nated areas.

Here at the DESERT Magazine build-ing in Palm Desert, and through ourMail O rder Department, we" handle ap-proximately 200 non-fiction books onthe West. We will continue to select andreview new books on Western Ameri-

cana as they are published and make themavailable to you.As stated previously, we will continueto make certain changes in order to im-

prove DESERT Magazine. But thesechanges will not be made on arbitrary de-cisions by us, but rather they will bepredicated on what our readers want. Wecannot continue to grow and improvewithout your suggestions and criticisms.In every tenth copy of this issue thereis a reader survey questionnaire. Thequestionnaire is not to pry into your pri-vate affairs, but rather to give us the in-formation we need to give you a better

DESERT. If your magazine contains thisquestionnaire, please take a few minutesto answer the questions. Do NOT sign itwe do not need your name, just yourhonest opinions. But PLEASE fill out thequestionnaire and return it to us in thepostage-paid envelope in your issue. Ifyour magazine does not contain the ques-tionnaire, and you would like to haveone, drop us a card and we will send itto you. We need your help so we cancontinue to improve your DESERT.William KnyvettPublisher

Jack PepperEditor4 / Desert Magazine / June, 1968


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BOOK, REVIEWSTHE BLACK

Upton TerrellThe discoverer of Arizona, New

andCibola was not a Spanishor a Catholic missionary,ut anAfrican slave who was killed by

he lived toowell.So maintains John Upton Terrell inand well documented

The Black," whichof the Southwest.

to his viewsthe

in the disputed areas.How Estevanico rose from a Moorish

to actually leading a Spanish ex-in the16thCentury reads more

of Journey Into Darkness,By Astor and other

"Estevanico was incomparably courag-Hewas trusted andrespected by

in numerous tribes betweenof Mexico and theGulf of. . . with Cabeza de Vaca,

andAlonzo del Cas-illo, hemade thegreatest journey intohe unknown in North American his-tory . . . thefirst crossing of the Con-tinent from theAtlantic to thePacificorth of Mexico. Estevanico was one ofthe most intrepid, brave, indomitableand accomplished explorers of the NewWorld." states the author. Hardcover,155 pages, $6.95.OLD ARIZONA TREASURESBy Jesse Rascoe

In order towrite this book theauthorspent years researching through oldnews-paper files, Spanish and Mexican ar-chives, andlocal, federal andterritorialgovernment records. Included amongthe"many secret sites" in Arizona are ha-ciendas, stage stops, stage routes, min-ing camps, abandoned forts, missions andother historical landmarks. Thebook iswell written, especially the sections deal-ing with robberies and stage holdups.The book contains many anecdotes which,to this reviewer's knowledge, have notbeen previously covered inother Arizonahistories. Paperback, 120pages, $3.00.

THE MOUTH BLOWN BOTTLEBy Grace Kendrick

Many books, some good and somebad, have been published onbottle col-lecting, which now hasnearly asmanyaddicts as gemcollecting. These booksidentify bottles and list their currentvalues, but do not describe howthesebottles were made.

Grace Kendrick's new book is an ex-tensive history of thebottle-making in-dustry prior to the twentieth century.Much of the information andmany ofthe excellent photographs were obtainedby the author personally in Mexico,where bottles are still formed by themethod utilized by manever since thetime ofChrist.Author of twoexcellent books, "TheAntique Bottle Collector" and "ThePrice Supplement to theAntique BottleCollector," Grace Kendrick has been col-lecting andresearching bottles formorethan eight years. Bottle collectors willfind their hobby much more interestingafter reading this book. Hardcover, pro-fusely illustrated, 200pages, $6.95.

Books reviewed may be ordered from DesertMagazine Book Order Department, PalmDesert, California 92260. Include 50c forhandling. California residents must add 5 %sales tax. Enclose payment with order.

VUandererdO F F E Rnew book of 52 of their favoritetrips inSouthern California

. ftv frj.^' ^ B9P* '4^B

Full color cover, 104 page .$2.95 plus sales tax

Henrietta & Slim Barnard have chosen tr ipsthat they consider the most interesting. Thebook contains a map, a story of thetr ip withwhat to wear and expenses, which includegasoline, meals andmotels and all necessaryexpenses.

Book can bebought bysending check ormoney order for$ 3 . 1 0 to

SLIM BARNARD ENTERPRISES6000 SUNSET BOULEVARD

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90 028or on sale at

Desert Magazine Book ShopPALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260

PLAYS ON BOTHSTEREO ANDMOMO

Let ustakeyouon an imaginary

T R I P T H R O U G HC A L I F O R N I A IN S O U N D .

A n i d e a l g i f t for r e l a t i v e s in the E a s t .Just close your eyes and listen to the mocking birds in an orange grove thebarking of the sea lions at Point Lobos State Park the sounds of seagulls atFisherman's Wharf the cable cars of San Francisco the return of theswallows to famous Capistrano Mission hear Yosemite falls at Flood Stage andthe singing whales of Marine Land and many more sounds which will bringback pleasant memories of. your Trip through California.

Please print your name and address and mai l wi th your check ormoney order.SOUVENIRS INSOUND Box 669 Flagstaff, Ariz. 86001

Name:Address : .City: . S t a t e : . - Z i p : .No. ofRecords W anted: Amount Enclosed: .

J u n e , 1968 / D e s e r t M a g a z i n e / 5


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S a n B e r n a r d i n o ' s F o s s i l B e d sodo el mundo fore-glimpse a bright andwonderful future. Butlet you and me, whilewe are alone, take along look into the past.I don't mean just a few centuries, butback so far that geologists had to devisean itinerary to classify the time. They

call it the "geological time scale."It is thought that our earth may befour-and-one-half billion years old. Forclassification purpose, geologists haveagreed that the time prior to 80 millionyears ago would be called pre-cambrian.Forward of that, the scale would begin.As the basis of our landscape is rock andits by-product ingredients, it was decidedto use these as a basis for dating the timeperiods. Exciting new discoveries are con-

tinually feeding information into the out-line of time. Today we have a more orless descriptive picture of our pre-historicpast.It is evident that our earth had anoverlay of land and sea. We are gainingknowledge of how these were character-ized by their raising and lowering, flood-ing and drying out. Complete climaticchanges followed in their wake, thus ourlandscape, as we see it today, was shaped.But who is to say that the final stamp

of approval has been given?In our own back yards are examplesto ponder. However, by venturing outinto the country, a greater awareness isachieved. One of my favorite spots for abase camp is at the Fossil Beds near Bar-stow, California. It is easily reached bytaking a left turn off the Fort IrwinRoad north of town. Here you can revelin a moonscape atmosphere while youinvestigate the past.During the relatively recent MioceneEpoch, a mere 20-million years ago, thisnow arid surface was a tropical spa.

High-rise grasses and swaying palmscovered the area. Palms shaded cool waterholes, which in turn lured a populationof birds and beasts. A variety of grasseating animals, insect eating birds,camels, and small horses were stalked bythe sabre-tooth tiger and an ancestor ofour present day bear. They lived, ate,fought, and died here, leaving their re-mains preserved in mud and volcanic ash.As you drive through the one-wayroad of Rainbow Canyon Loop, glancearound at the multi-colored formationsof mud and sandstone. Notice how thestrata is twisted and buckled, having re-sisted, then yielded, to the forces thatheaved from within. By its continualsluffing, secrets in the form of floraand fauna fossils are being forfeited.This particular area plays an importantrole in the completion of our time scaleoutline.

by Helen WalkerNext take a short drive east from yourbase camp to the Calico Mountains. Here

t o o , the color is rampant. From a distancethese hills give the impression of a patch-work quilt, the colors composed of motleyscraps of volcanic and sedimentary rocks.Calico's claim to fame was the bonanzaof silver mines that flourished in the late1800s. Today people wander throughthe famous ghost towns of these moun-tains and poke around the mine tailings,ever hopeful they may spot a piece offorgotten ore.

The eastern foot of the Calico Moun-tains lies in part of the Mojave DesertNatural Resources Preservation Area. Itis near here that the San BernardinoCounty Museum has had an archaeo-logical excavation in progress since 1964.The Newberry and Rodman Moun-

tains lie to the south, joined by the SanBernardino Mountains, Santa Monica and

Base camp in the fossil bed area6 / Desert Magazine / June, 1968


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10 - DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

ALL TRANSISTORIZEDLOOK AT THESE OUTSTANDING FEATURES

1. Uses three Silicon Planar transistors.2. Five-inch Search Coil with depth range to 18 inches.3. Completely wired (not a kit).4. Thumbwheel tuner for one-hand operation.5. 9-volt transistor battery included with each unit.6. 8-ohm magnetic plug-in earphone included with each unit.7. Attractive ly styled streamlined high impact m olded case and searchcoil with gold anodized aluminum search coil rods.8. Weight under 1 V2 pounds.9. Two separate colpitts oscillators each utilizing printed circuit boardconstruction.

NEVER BEFORE AT SUCH A LOW PRICE $1 8. 8810 DAY UNCONDITIONAL MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

NOW, for the first time all of America can thrill to the goldendream of buried treasure in real life! A true scientific electronicinstrument, transistorized, streamlined, amazingly sensitive, it ex-ceeds many high priced units in its finding ability. It is light enoughfor even a five year old, and sensitive enough for weekend adulttreasure finders! Sturdy, foolproof, high impact molded case anddetection search coil, the Treasureprobe uses high temperature sili-con transistors, one common 9-volt transistor radio battery powers itand produces a strong electromagnetic field which alters as the searchcoil passes over hidden metal resulting in a loud squeal at the ear-phone. The Treasureprobe will find large metal objects, chests, weap-ons, artifacts buried several feet in the ground. It will find smallobjects buried up to several inches. It finds all kinds of precious andcommon me tals . . . gold, silver, bronze, n ickel, copper and iron.

ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING HOBBIESElectronic treasure finding has become a fabulous hobby! Every-where in the country there are valuable and fascinating things to befound hidden by just a few inches of topsoil, sand, vegetable matteror gravel. Metal buttons, weapons, and insignia are found on CivilWar and Indian battlefields. Gold nuggets are found in the drywashes of the Sierra mountains and throughout the Mother Lodecountry. Millions of dollars worth of lost old coins are still to befound .. . in the sands of thousands of beaches, in the earth of oldcircus lots, in the foundations of old buildings, old farm houses,even in the grass of the national parks. Test it yourself with a coinunder the ru g. Treasure prob e will also find mo dern lost item s. . . the

fountain pen in the grass, lighters, jewelry . . . day or night. It willfind buried pipes and conduits. Treasureprobe is fun, it's useful, itsappeal is universal. Its price is right!!PRINCIPLE OF OPER ATION

The Treasureprobe operates by comparing the fiequencies of twocolpitts oscillators and amplifying the audio frequency which is thesum of the difference. The fixed oscillator is in the molded handle ofthe Treasureprobe, and is controlled by the thumbwheel tuner. Thevariable oscillator is in the search coil and changes its inductancewhen the search coil is brought into close proximity of any metal.This difference when amplified is heard in the earphone as an audiosignal tone. TO ORDERSend check , cas h, or money order, $5.00 deposit for C .O.D. InN. J., add 3% sta te tax. 10-day money back gua rantee .TREASUREPROBE, Box 228, Dep t. DA B, Toms River, N. J. 08753Enclosed is $ Please send Treasu reprobe s atthe low price of $18.88 each post paid.NameAddressCity and State Zip Code


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San Gabriels, which form theonly trans-versed range in thewestern UnitedStates. Through this basin, the MojaveRiver flows from west to east, atcertainseasons running under ground. How-ever, theflow is steady. During thePleistocene, orIce Age,avast series oflakes existed here which were formedand fed by flooding during a greatalluvial, orrain-fall period. This run-offalso swelled the Mojave River anditover-flowed into thevalley to formManix Lake. At its peak depth, the lakestood at a height of 1780 feetandcovered an area of200-square miles. Atthe east end itoverflowed the Cady andCave mountains, creating what weknowtoday asAfton Canyon. Thewater con-tinued on andformed Lake Mojave,then turned north and flowed into DeathValley.Along thewater edge amaterial calledtufa was formed. This occurred as thewater sloshed against the shore and, inturn, wasevaporated or dried in the sun,leaving behind the chemical substance,tufa. Fortunately for geologist, this ma-terial was organic and may be dated byradio carbon. By this means, a date of19,750 has been given tothe maturityof Pleistocene Lake Manix. The silt ofthe former beds consists of clay andsand-stone deposits and are reported in excessof 75feet deep in some areas.In plentiful supply aresamples ofchalcedony and, in smaller amounts, chertand jasper. Thechalcedony is aclue thatties together the archaeological and geo-logical factors. The source of this ma-terial was the Calico Mountains. It waswashed down the alluvial fanand de-posited above the shore line of LakeManix. Artifacts made from this materialhave been found, giving us reason to be-'lieve that man occupied this land some20,000 years ago.Today, modern freeways criss-crossthe basin. Union Pacific Railroad windsthrough thedeep floor of Afton Canyon.At high speed, onegets afleeting glanceof the hillsenough to mentally notethe splash ofbright color ofthe Calicosin sharp contrast tothe yellow and tanblur of thedesert floor. Others, ofcourse, see nothing and snooze away themiles. But once you have walked ordriven through this landscape you willbecome graphically aware of its excitingand turbulent past.

INDIAN FLATSCAMPGROUND

WARNERSPRINGS

ANY CAMPER'S BEST FRIENDS-King Winches aremade for allJeepand other 4-WD and 2-WD vehicles.

1 K I N G W I N C H E S P U L L F O R Y O U .King Winches, by Koenig, provide the outdoorsman with extra power inall terrain throughout theworld . King isthe winch exclusively approved for Ford Bronco and isalso made specifically forJeep, I-HScout, and other 4-WD vehicles, and forpickups. Travel off-the-road knowing that8,000 lbs. of positive pulling power are atyour command. Move out of ravines, mud, s n o w . . .or pul l s t um ps .. . retrieve large game. Wr i te for free folder. Specify make andmodel ofvehicle.. . . K A M P - S T 0 R B O D YH A U L S FOR YOU!It doubles your storage space..Made toorder for slip-in camp-ers, Kamp-Stor body by Koe-nig fits over rearwheels andundery o u r c a m p e r .Six compartmentswith shelvingof-f e r s p a c e f orspare t i r e , guns ,c h a i r s , t o o l s , etc.Write for facts today.

j/Ut$$$4IRON WORKS, INC.m*>*& M Box 7726, Dept D-1 Houston, Texas 7 7 00 7 * UN 9-6611(713)8 / Desert Magazine / June, 1968


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N A T I O N A L G R A N D P R I X C H A M P I O N SC A R L J A C K S O N & A R M S T R O N G ' S" B R U T A L " NEWN O R S E M A N T I R E SCLEAN HOUSE AT RIVERSIDE

AS CARL SAYS "THENAM E OF THE GAME IS TIRES. DICK CEPEK'SBRUTAL NEWN O R S E M A N BY ARM S TRONG P ROV IDE D THE DURA-B IL ITY , TRACTION, AND FLOTATION NECESSARY TO W I N " .T O M O R R O W ' S W I N N E R S T O D A Y !by ARMSTRONG from VICJCCJzPEK

the

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10/44

Northern Nevada hasmany interest ing p lacess u c h a s s ee n o n . . .TriptcLeadvilleby Doris Cerveri

Leadville, NevadaEADVILLE, a small townnow ghostly and desert-ed, did not make muchof a splash in miningcircles although pro-duction of lead andsilver continued regularly each year from1910 to 1923. Like all ghost towns it isan interesting place to visit and equallyinteresting is the route leading to itwhich passes through several communi-

ties abounding with historical signifi-canceThe stretch of highway from Reno toLeadville goes through Sparks, followsthe Big Bend in the Truckee River atWadsworth, is contiguous to PyramidLake, and continues north past now dryWinnemucca Lake. Sparks, three milesfrom Reno on U.S. 40 (Interstate 80),got its start when the Southern PacificRailroad constructed a new installationand moved its round house and about

150 dwellings from Wadsworth. Al-though considered by many as a suburbof Reno and often called East Reno, itnow has a population of approximately10,000. It started out with about 1000residents, mostly former Wadsworthitesand by 1905 was the railroad terminalfor northern Nevada.From Sparks it is a smooth, scenic 25-mile drive through rugged Truckee RiverCanyon over a high-speed, four-lane free-way which by-passes Wadsworth. To pio-

neers of a century ago this portion oftheir long journey to the California gold

fields was an arduous one. The road wasso narrow and canyon walls so steep thatcumbersome wagon trains had to travelin the bed of the stream for many miles.The river was so crooked they had tocross it as often as ten times in thecourse of a mile. The present highwaywas realigned and improved throughoutthe canyon although most of it still fol-lows the Central Pacific right-of-way.Known to weary emigrants as early as

1844 was Big Bend where the TruckeeRiver turns before winding crookedlythrough this canyon. After crossing theForty-mile Desert upon leaving the Hum-boldt River they were grateful when theyreached the Truckee. Most of them camp-ed at Lower Crossing, now Wadsworth,where there was a refreshing supply ofgrass for their cattle, cool water to drink,and an abundance of fish to eat. Report-edly the Townsend-Stevens-Murphy Partyencountered the well-known Paiute guide,Capt. Truckee, at this place and namedthe river for him. Capt. John Fremontalso camped in the area before continu-ing south to complete his expedition. Be-fore the coming of the whites, Wads-worth was a seasonal village site for thePaiutes. The most disastrous conflict ofwhites and Indians in Nevada occurred inthe vicinity of Big Bend during the Pyra-mid Lake Massacre of May I860.

About 1854, William Gregory set upa trading post here known as Drytownwhich was a division point for teamsters.Later, when a railroad and supply depot

was created by the Central Pacific, Wads-worth came into being and Drytownfaded out. One might say Wadsworthstarted out with a bang for the toughlittle burg was only three months oldwhen a bartender, Charles W. Hum-phries killed one W. Merritt. No trialwas held because the victim had cussedhis slayer prior to the shooting and inthose days that was considered justifiablehomicide.The bustling town was considered oneof the prettiest in Nevada, and as it wasthe maintenance point on the CentralPacific Railroad division between SaltLake City and Sacramento, many peopleexpected it would become the largest inwestern Nevada. The Southern PacificRailroad later absorbed the Central Paci-fic, but Wadsworth continued to be avery prosperous community from 1890to 1903. As mechanical progress short-ened runs across the once perilous desert

need for a base town was less urgent.Consequently the railroad decided toclose the station and move the shops toSparks.Sleepy little Wadsworth received itssecond setback when the freeway by-passed the town, but the final blow camelast fall when the Southern Pacific wasgranted their request made to the PublicService Commission to abandon a smallrarely-used spur which was Wadsworth'sonly connection to the railroad system.From Wadsworth the road continuesfor approximately 16 miles to the Pyra-



11/44

mid Lake Indian Agency at Nixon. Afew hundred Paiutes living on the reser-vation hold their tribal council meetingshere, and there is a trading post, postoffice, school, and community recreationcenter. For the most part Nixon consistsof shacks. Recently, however, severalattractive houses have been constructed.As early as I860 prospectors probingmountain ledges a few miles west of the

south end of Pyramid Lake thought theyhad found another bonanza when theydiscovered traces of gold and silver re-sembling Comstock ore. Five town sitessprung up including Pyramid City, ColdSprings and Jonesville. For the most part,though, mineralized rock uncovered atall these sites proved of little value andthe entire district died. Pyramid Lake to-day is noted for its good fishing, primar-ily cui-ui and cutthroat trout, and as arecreation area.Winnemucca Lake, the south-west por-tion of which is included in the reserva-tion, could be called Pyramid's twin.Actually both lakes are remnants of an-cient Lake Lahontan, which once sub-merged the entire area. Until 1934 Win-nemucca contained an abundant supplyof fish, and geese and ducks lived intule marshes along its shoreline.The paved highway paralleling thisdry lake bed traverses low hills, andsage-alkali-covered flatland meets the eye

for many miles. In the surrounding areaare many curious formations and perfect-ly shaped tufa mounds, some of whichare called beehives. In the distance, andfrom both sides of the highway, spectacu-lar mountains create a panorama of awe-some scenery and desolate landscape. Atthe north end of the lake is KumivaPeak, 9240 feet high; on the left Gran-ite Peak rises 8990 feet out of precipi-tous Granite Mountains.Numerous caves are located in bothPyramid and Winnemucca Lake areas.Field workers of the Nevada State Mu-seum spent two months several years agoexploring high rocky buttes overlookingWinnemucca Lake where they excavated10 different sites. Thousands of valuableartifacts were uncovered, as well as otherevidence pointing to the habitation ofman in the Lake area dating back ap-proximately 10 to 20,000 years. Interest-ing and unusual petroglyphs, too, have

been discovered in the Winnemucca Lakearea.

Approximately 78 miles from Nixon,is th e small community of Empire. Thistown is activated by the Pacific PortlandCement Company whose huge gypsumquarry and plant is the largest of its kindin the West. From 15 to 20 carloads ofgypsum are shipped out each day and itis estimated their large deposit containsenough gypsum to last for at least 50more years.

Six miles farther down the highway isthe companion of Gerlach, with a popu-lation of about 400. This is a divisionpoint on the Western Pacific Railroad.It also serves as a supply base for mines,and a few cattle ranches scattered in thearea. One mile north of town is GreatBoiling Springs. The waters are com-fortable for swimming all year around.Fremont camped here in 1843, as didmany emigrants who followed the es-tablished route across awesome BlackRock Desert to California.Traveling approximately 18 miles inthe opposite direction from the Springsover a fairly good dirt road which skirtsthe edges of the Desert, one finds to theright about a mile off the road at theFly Ranch, a multi-colored geyser. Thisis a geological oddity standing majestic-ally in swampland. It is not a true geyser,although hot water spouts out day andnight without a let-up. It started out in1916 as a drilled artesian well. Through-out the years a large perpetual columnof beautifully-colored substance formedby a flow of heavily mineralized waterhas slowly built up. Now over 20 feethigh and still growing, it presents a most

unusual sight. At the base of the geysersmall holes and apertures constantlyburp and spit up little bubbles of hotwater.Leaving this wonder, one continuesdown the same dirt road until reachingFireball Junction. A left turn here leadsup a narrow, winding road to Leadville.Numerous mine dumps adorn steep hill-sides overlooking the Black Rock Desert.About six cabins and the ruins of a milldot the terrain. Lead and silver ore wasfound at the Tohoqua mine in quartzveins. Minor deposits of zinc and goldwere also found, as well as niter in cre-vices of rhyolite uncovered on the west-ern side of the range.

In 1920 the Leading Mining Companytook possession of the area. Productionunder this concern was $153,000 in1921, and about $254,600 in 1922. Theproperty consisted of three main claimsdeveloped by two shafts, a 1700-foottunnel, and a 500-foot winze equippedwith two 75 and one 100-horse powerand semi-Diesel engine, compressor,electric locomotive, auto trucks, 7500-foot water line, and 30,000 gallon tank.Also in operation was a 3 5-ton mill andflotation plant. All this was incorpora-ted in 1920 with capital stock of$1,500,000.Like all mining activities, ore peteredout, and production ceased. No one isliving in Leadville at the present time,but some prospecting and leasing wasdone a few years ago. Prospectors andwould-be miners never give up; thereis always the possibility of finding anew vein leading to a rich bonanza.

Big Bend of the Truckee RiverJune, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 11


12/44

LeftUnbuckled

by David Hurtado and Sam Hicks

EGENDS and supersti-tions still hang like acloud over an old sec-tion of Mexico nearthe junction of theMaicoba and Yecorarivers, tributaries of the Rio Yaqui whichdrains the Pacific slopes of Sonora andChihuahua. Here in the rimrocks ofthese river canyons dwell the Pima In-dians of the Sierra Madre. And eachnight after darkness falls, stories of trea-sure and murder are recounted aroundcampfires that pinpoint those caves per-manently occupied by the Pimas.

Fears and tragedies that have befallenthe Pimas since the coming of the Span-iards are revived, and somber visions oflegendary ancestors of great strengthand wisdom, of years of tribal feastsand famine, live again in the minds ofthese rugged, simple people.The Pimas have always dwelled incaves and few members of their tribehave ever known the comforts of an-other kind of shelter. Outside of a fewblackened pots and pans turned upsidedown on the rocks that ring their camp-fires, a modern Pima's cave looks exact-ly like the one that housed his great-grandparents a hundred years ago. Afew palm mats, some blankets and ametate supplement the smoky utensilsnear the fire; and these are all the fur-nishings ever found in a Pima cave, re-

gardless of whether it houses a familyof four or fourteen.On cold winter nights a blazing firelights and warms each cave and thePimas gather in groups to recall the hap-penings of days gone by.It is then, as firelight dims and hud-dled figures move closer to the glowingcoals for warmth, they tell and retellage-old stories in their native tongue.One famous Pima story of more re-cent vintage, however, is a distinct de-parture from their serious time-wornlegends, and it causes great peals oflaughter to burst forth from first onecave and then another. This is basicallya true account of one of their own, aslightly built, fleet-footed tribesmancalled "Chico Coyote."All Pima men are hunters. The wo-men daily weave palm baskets and som-

breros which they sell to stores in thelittle mountain villages. These peopleplant no crops and they rarely own anylivestock other than the burros they usefor the purpose of packing mountainousloads of palm fronds into their isolateddwellings.Near the apex of this particular pointof Mexican geography, formed by thejunction of the rivers, a series of cattleranches that can trace their origin backto antiquity stretch along the east bankof the Yecora River. These ranches ofSan Jose, Orocones, Cebadillas, Valle-

citos and Mestenas are connected by oneof Mexico's oldest mule trails. This isthe ancient avenue which runs fromthe once wealthy Sahauripa mining dis-trict south to Alamos, silver center andone-time capital of Mexico's NorthwestTerritories.Adjacent to the deeply worn muletrail at Rancho Cebadillas a mound ofrocks ornamented with three wooden

crosses looms large in memory of threemen who were murdered there by ban-dits. These men were in charge of amule train packing a record shipmentof silver bars and other supplies from theDolores Mine near Sahauripa to Alamos,normally about a six day trip. After kill-ing the packers, the bandits made off withthe entire mule train and cargo.Th e highj ackers were never caughtand no part of the silver treasure theylooted was ever recovered. It was as-sumed by many that the bandits quicklydrove the pack mules into a steep can-yon only a few miles from Rancho Ce-badillas, cached at least a large part ofthe silver, then killed the mules to avoidfuture detection.Local ranchers, many years later, re-

ported finding bits and pieces of packequipment in the same steep canyonwhich was generally conceded too treach-erous a place to ever take any kind ofanimalslet alone heavily laden packmules. And, as in the case of all lost



13/44

treasure stories, time and conjecture havesince added to the mystery of the Silverof Cebadillas.In order to feed their families whenwild turkey and deer were scarce, hungryPimas in the past frequently resorted tobutchering cattle that belonged tolocalranchers. Chico Coyote was definitelyone such Pima, and he was admired byhis friends and relatives for his unfailingability to select only the finest beef ani-mals to slaughter. Chico Coyote was anoutstanding hunter and tracker, and hediffered from his tribesmen inmanyways. He never wore pants only abreech-clout, had shoulder-length hair,a long ragged shirt and astrong leatherbelt cinched about his waist throughwhich his sheathed machete was thrust.In warm weather Chico Coyote alwaysslept in aforked tree. Before driftingoff in dreams he would buckle the beltaround an appropriate arm ofthe tree,so he wouldn't fall in case he tossed orturned in his sleep.

Whenever Chico Coyote butchered acow, which was altogether too frequent-ly ifthe other hunting was bad,hewould lasso her with apiece ofcruderope he'd freshly made from palm fiber,haze her into an inconspicuous place and

then cut her throat. He would deftly re-move the choicest cuts, sling them onhis back and deliver the steaming meatto the caves ofhis family and friends.Chico Coyote's method of killing beefbecame atrademark inthe mountainsbetween the Maicoba and Yecora Rivers,and was occurring with adevastating de-gree ofregularity. The ranchers ofthisarea customarily shot Pimas who werecaught killing cattle, but Chico Coyotewas so elusive they finally complainedof their losses to Juan Nievas, Chief ofthe Judicial Police of Sahauripa.After a long surveillance, during which

time Juan Nievas lived, thought andacted like a Pima, he finally caught Chico

Coyote inthe act ofbutchering afatcow. He promptly arrested him, took himto Sahauripa and threw him in jail, whereplans were made to keep Chico Coyoteout of circulation for along, long time.

In the Sahauripa jail Chico Coyotewas fitted out with a new long shirt anda pair ofclean white trousers, equallylong. He was allowed to keep the pre-cious beltminus his machete, of courseand he dutifully threaded itthroughthe loops ofhis out-sized pants andcinched it tightly about his slender waist.Chico Coyote was not happy intheSahauripa jail. He was given to absolutesilence and refused tofraternize withthe other prisoners. Neither did the foodappeal to him and he only picked, bird-like, athis daily ration, then left hisplate for the other inmates to clean up.On the rare occasions when he caughta glimpse of the outside world he gazed

longingly atthe majestic Sierra Madreto the South.Whenever itwas possible for himtodo co, Chico Coyote spent long periodsof time staring atthe jail guards. Hewould scrutinize their facial featuresand carefully study their mannerisms. Iftwo guards appeared before him, side byside, Chico Coyote's eyes flew from oneface to the other, then back again likethe flashing lights of a computer makinga scientific comparison.After weeks of silence and careful ob-servation, finally, one day at the Sahau-ripa jail, Chico Coyote spoke. Usinggood Spanish, much tothe amazementof those around him, he warmly address-ed jail guard, Guadalupe Raimerz.Ramirez, obviously flattered by ChicoCoyote's friendly overture toward him,responded and the two visited briefly.On the following day Chico Coyoteagain spoke in friendly tones to Guada-

lupe Ramirez.Eventually, when conditions in thejail met Chico Coyote's approval,hevisited atgreat length with GuadalupeRamirez. He told Guadalupe thatheknew where the silver treasure of Ceba-dillas was hidden. IfGuadalupe couldsomehow arrange for Chico Coyote's re-lease he would, in return for Guadalupe'skindly action, guide him to the precipi-tous canyon where the treasure was al-ways assumed tobe hidden, and thereshow him acave. In that cave, he wouldshow Guadalupe Ramirez several wooden

F R O MGOLDAKIUR I C H E S !

w i t h t h e A l l N e wC O M M A N D E R ' 7 2 0

Treasure Locator!T h e ' C o m m a n d e r ' 7 2 0u n s u r p a s s e d fo r l o c a t i n gb u r i e d t r e a s u r e , c o i n s , C i v i lW a r r e l i c s a n d fo r b e a c h -c o m b i n g , f e a t u r e s th e" T e l l - T o n e " S i g n a l . L o c a t e sa n y m e t a l o b j e c t u n d e r d i r t ,s a n d , m u d , r o c k , e tc . Noc u m b e r s o m e c o r d s c o m p l e te l y t r a n s is t o r iz e d ,b a t t e r y p o w e r e d .

EFFECTIVE DEPTH RANGE(Under Normal Conditions)

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Gentlemen: Please send free literature on Goldaktreasure locators.G I enclose $1.00 fomy American TreasureHunters' Guide (reg. $2.00 value).NameAddressCity

L State Zip CodeJune, 1968 / Desert Magazine /13


14/44

pack boxes of the type originally used tocrate two square five gallon cans. Each ofthese wooden pack boxes was stuffedwith silver bars standing on end. Lyingacross the boxes of silver were two .44caliber rifles, with quantities of ammuni-tion for them spilling forth from rottingcardboard boxes. Also there were themusty remains of many aparejos andriatas, but through the years the rats hadwreaked havoc upon the tallow-lubricatedand sweat-salted pack equipment, andChico Coyote doubted that it would everserve any useful purpose again.

The men parted company in the jail,but Chico Coyote did not have long towait. In the dead of night Guadaluperattled a giant key in the door of ChicoCoyote's cell.

Guadalupe Ramirez explained to theother prisoners that the jail authoritieshad effected Chico Coyote's release be-cause of time served and his excellentbehavior. The prisoners accepted theexplanation in silence and shook theirheads knowingly as Chico Coyote wasled into the darkness of the long cor-ridor. Outside the jail Guadalupe'shorse, saddled and equipped for thetrail, pawed the ground nervously.

Without attending to further legalformalities at the jail in connection withChico Coyote's release, the two men trot-ted briskly out of Sahauripa. Guadalupewas comfortably astride his horse, whileChico Coyote jogged lightly along onfoot just ahead of the horse. The nooseof Guadalupe's rawhide riata was pulledsnug against the neck of Chico Coyote,to remind him of the bond of friendshipand understanding that existed betweenthe two men. And, as if an occasionalsharp tug on the riata were not sufficientto impress on Chico Coyote just who wasin command, Guadalupe would catchChico Coyote's eye from time to time,

then caress the handle of his six-shooteror pat the stock of his booted rifle.

Daylight came and Guadalupe broughtforth tortillas and machaca from his sad-dle pockets. Chico Coyote ate his sharewith gusto and, out of enthusiasm overhis release from jail, was the epitomeof appreciation and friendship. He assur-ed Guadalupe that the rawhide noosearound his neck was no longer necessary.During the following two days themen visited volubly as they traveled deepinto the Sierra Madre. Chico Coyote wasa veritable encyclopedia of knowledgeand he fairly bubbled with enthusiasm ashe explained to Guadalupe about thekindness of the Mother Mountains and ofthe use of each medicinal or edibleplant they encountered on the trail. ChicoCoyote would point out deer and wildturkey tracks, where they were barelydiscernible even to the trained eye, and

explain what they were doing, wherethey were going and why. It seemed toGuadalupe that there was nothing con-cerning the mountains, the plant life, orthe wild life, that Chico Coyote didn'tknow. He knew without the slightesthesitation where the best feed and watercould be found; he had an intelligentanswer for every question Guadalupeasked and a logical explanation for everypoint of interest that he discussed.But Guadalupe was still suspicious andwhen they made their first overnightcamp he tied Chico Coyote securely toa tree.By the end of the second day the menhad arrived at the head of the canyonwhere legend maintained the silver treas-ure was hidden. Chico Coyote had al-ready described to Guadalupe how thecountry lay; and he explained that onthe following morning they would haveto leave the horse on the crest of the

ridge and descend on foot to the cave.In the meantime, they would make theircamp.Chico Coyote rustled firewood, un-saddled the horse and spread Guada-lupe's blankets with care. Guadalupebusied himself with the task of ration-ing out tortillas and machaca. The firewas started, and Chico Coyote was nevermore relaxed. In the light of the dancingflames the men ate their rations as ChicoCoyote described in detail the pleasuresof life in a Pima cave. Ah, those fun-loving, pretty little muchachas!

Chico Coyote stopped talking abruptly,stood up and unbuckled the strong beltwhich supported his over-sized jail pants.If the Senor would excuse him he wouldstep out of the circle of firelight forjust one moment. He would be rightback.Guadalupe drowsily nodded his assent,his mind still envisioning the fun-lovinglittle muchachas, the comfortable cavesand the pleasant, clean aroma of wovenpalm mats.Chico Coyote slipped into the shadowof the nearest tree, ran silently to theedge of the canyon and leaped gleefullyinto the darkness and freedom.Now, on cold winter evenings whenstillness creeps into the great canyonsof the Sierra Madre of Mexico andcampfires pinpoint the Pima Caves, thehush of night is regularly broken byshrieks of laughter. The happy echoes

reverberate from canyon walls to valleyfloor, then back up to the highest ridges,as the story of Chico Coyote's escapespreads from cave to cave.Then, after firelight and laughterhave died, the Pimas' thoughts turnagain to the Silver Treasure of Cebadil-las and there is always speculation as towhere the riches were actually hidden,and why they have never been found.Many Pimas believe Chico Coyote wastelling the truth when he described thecave, the silver bars standing on end in

the packboxes, the .44 caliber rifles andammunition which were known to havebelonged to the murdered muleteers.It is generally conceded by them thatChico Coyote never attempted to person-ally recover the treasure because of hisstrong dislike for things of monetaryvalue. He claimed the Creator had en-dowed him with intelligence, with greatagility and endurance, then placed himin the Mother Mountains where he hadalways been provided for by nature. Ac-cording to his philosophy, no man shouldask for more .



15/44

A MATCHLESS FIREPhotos and text by Richard Weymouth Brooks

H E "Solar CigaretteLighter" is a small3x4 inch parabolic re-flector with a prongedmetal finger fastenedin the center . The

gently. If you are

you are getting the fire going,

kit. June, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 15


16/44

Springtime . . .Visit to Indian Flatsby Allen Penton

HE average pe r sonthinks of the desert interms of the great basinareas such as the Mo-jave. These areas arebeautiful in s pring, butthey provide only a part of the spring-time wonders to be found in the greatsouthern California desert regions. Manysuch experiences, and often very differ-ent than in the low desert areas, are tobe found in the less arid high desert. Afavorite spot of mine, particularly in thespring, is Indian Flats in California'sSan Diego County.Indian Flats is in a small and little-known portion of the Cleveland NationalForest that borders the Anza-BorregoState Park on its northwest corner. Thearea is at the end of the Lost ValleyTruck Trail, approximately fourteenmiles north of State Highway 79 andWarner Springs. The road is graded and,depending on the amount of rainfallsince the last reconditioning, is eitherpassable to conventional automobiles orto off-the-road vehicles on ly. From StateHighway 79, the road goes steadily up-ward and through very rough, rocky andsparsely vegetated country.

It is no wonder then at the surpriseencountered when rounding a hugehouse-high boulder and entering IndianFlats. The area is a level fertile meadowdotted with oak trees. In the spring, it islushly green with a stream of clear, coldwater. In the meadow is a perfect ex-ample of how improved campsites canbe blended into natural settings withouttoo severely detracting from their beauty.The twelve campsites are widely separ-ated among the trees, with only one ortwo others visible from any one.

Indian Flats is flanked on the eastand north by ancient, boulder-strewnhills. On the west is an excellent view ofPalomar Mountain in the distance. From

any slight vantage point, the fertile val-ley below and Lake Henshaw can be seenin the distance to the southwest.The wooded meadow continues northalong the stream for one-quarter of amile beyond the campground beforeterminating abruptly at a rocky ridge. Inthe spring this field is ablaze with Gold-field blossoms, blended with undertonesof minute white and lavender flowers.The elevation is approximately 3600 feetso the flowers do not appear until aboutone month later than in low desert areas.Here you find typical desert flowers butin a setting of a wooded mountain mea-dow, complete with stream. On all sides,though, is a very rugged countryside,more typical of what would be expectedin high desert.On the opposite end of the meadowfrom the campground the stream flows

from a cleft in the rocks and over asmall waterfall. The pattern of erosion

on the rock cliffs indicates the forceful-ness of water flow that sometimes mustoccur. Once on a visit after a generalspring rain, we observed the violence ofthe otherwise gentle waterfall. The waterwas spurting from the cleft in the rocks,as if from a nozzle, into the then swiftlyrunning, three foot deep stream below.A hike above the small waterfall is adifficult but interesting adventure. Thestream courses through a maze of bould-ers and rock formations and down num-erous small waterfalls into occasionalsmall pools. From the many small springsalong the stream it is probable that thereis at least some water in the stream yearround.At several spots upstream from thefirst small waterfall there are sedimen-tary deposits of rock where beautifulspecimens of rose and smoky quartz and

even some small pieces of crystal clearquartz can be found. As the crow flies,

76 / Desert Maga zine / June, 1968


17/44

thorough search further up the streamtoward the Anza-Borrego Park Boun-dary could result in the finding of somegem quality mineral finds. The fact thatthere are no gem locations noted in thegem collectors handbooks for this par-ticular area could be because of its re-moteness and the limited accessibility ofthe terrain. This, and the total absenceof roads in the six to eight miles fromIndian Flats to the Anza-Borrego Parkboundary and probably at least that dis-tance beyond, results in very few visitorsto the area.The setting at Indian Flats, with itsabundance of water, game and shelteramong the trees and its remoteness fromany similar area, causes one to considerthat its name is truly derived from itsprevious inhabitants. We plan somedayto return with the express purpose ofsearching far out from the campgroundfor Indian artifacts or petroglyphs amongthe many rock formations and small cavesto be found in the surrounding hills.For the gem hunters, the trip to orfrom Indian Flats can be even more in-teresting by a stop in an area along theroadside from about one-quarter to one-half of the way in from State Highway79. In this area we found many excel-lent specimens of black and dark greentourmaline very near the road. Thecrystals that we extracted from the rocksranged from one-eighth of an inch toone inch in thickness. It is not too diffi-cult, with a little care in pecking awayat the rocks, to extract some nice speci-mens of the preferred terminated tour-maline gems.Indian Flats is particularly beautifulin the spring and is an excellent example

of the gentleness of many high desertareas. The enjoyment is magnified bythe fact that its remoteness preventsovercrowding despite the presence ofone of those modern day miracles, animproved public campground. If you dogo to Indian Flats, plan to stay thereovernight. On a clear day, the late after-noon sun causes the rocky peak to theeast of the campground to become ra-diant with hues of gold and pink. It, initself, is an experience well worth thetrip.

TOVICTORVILLESAN BERNARDINO

June, 1968 / Desert Magaz ine / 17


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A TIP FO R A TRIPby Jack Delaney

HAT does a barber doon his day off?" I triedthis question on Vince,while he was mowingmy hair and runningthe edger around myears. His enthused reply was, "We enjoytaking one-day tripsthere are so manyinteresting jaunts available within ashort distance of our desert."

"Name one," I suggested, fully expect-ing him to name twenty. To my surprise,he limited his recommendation to justone, which is quite an achievement for abarber! His idea was that a loop tripthrough San Timoteo Canyon providesan interesting couple of hours as an en-joyable relief from the heat of the des-ert. We conducted a dry run on his pettrip and are in accord with his recom-mendation.

Should you feel the need for a respitefrom the toasty summer temperature ofthe Southeastern California desert re-gions, just drive west on Interstate 10Freeway to the San Timoteo CanyonRoad off-ramp, beyond Beaumont, crossthe Freeway on the overpass and con-tinue straight ahead. A sign at the begin-

ning reads, "Desert Lawn Drive," butthis road will lead you through SanTimoteo Canyon.After the first couple of miles theroad enters the canyon where you'll en-joy the quiet countryside, picturesquefarm houses, pastoral scenes with horsesand cattle on the green hillsides; and,after crossing the San Bernardino Countyline, miles of citrus orchards. It would bea good idea to take your lunch and stopin a particularly scenic spot and have apicnic. The canyon offers many ideal lo-cations for this popular pastime.One such place is called Fisherman's

Retreat. It consists of five man-madelakes, stocked with rainbow trout, bass,bluegill, and catfish. No license is re-quired for fishing here. Around the lakesare picnic facilities, lawns, spaces forcamping, trailers and campers, and apart-ments and cabins to rent. The whole set-ting is loaded with shade trees and fea-tures a quiet, close-to-nature atmosphere.Also, for those who enjoy horse-play,this recreation center has a stable ofhorses, that may be rented by the day.Less than half a mile away, along the

same road, is another rest stop, similar

Above: El Casco Resort, one of severalRecreational sites having man-madelakes stocked with trout. Below: thesingle room San Timoteo school ismore than 100 years old and today

is a Sunday school.



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fish, plus picnic facilities, cabins forrent, trailer and camper spaces, andlenty of shade trees. This resort hasbeen in existence for about 60 years. Anumber of improvements are scheduledfor the near future, such as the additionof two more lakes, and expansion of thecamping area.Between these two recreation spotsyou'll see a quaint small structure thatis a hundred years old. This is the oldSan Timoteo School. As a one-room in-stitution of A-B-Cs, it served the areafor many years. The building is still ingood condition and is being used pres-ently as a Sunday school. You'll wantto shoot a picture or two of this gem ofyesteryear.

While you are in a nostalgic mood,continue your drive along San TimoteoCanyon Road until it ends at BartonRoad, which crosses it at right angles.Turn right on Barton Road and proceedabout two blocks, and you'll see a Cali-fornia historical landmark that datesback much further than the ancientrchoolhouse. This is the old San Ber-nardino Asistencia which served, origin-ally, as a branch of the San Gabriel Mis-sion. It is located on what was known asthe San Bernardino Rancho of MissionSan Gabriel, established in the year 1819-As was the case with other CaliforniaMissions, San Bernardino Asistencia livedthrough a turbulent past. Originally, itwas constructed by Franciscan Fathersaround 1830. In 1834, Indians attackedthis outpost and stole the ornaments andsacred vessels of the chapel. Later, theyreturned and killed 14 of the ChristianIndians and carried off many others asprisoners. In 1842, the property wasgranted by the Mexican government toDiego Sepulveda of Los Angeles, as partof Rancho de San Bernardino. In 1851,the entire rancho was sold to the Mor-mons, who had come from Salt Lake toform a colony in the valley.

After several other changes of owner-ship, the buildings of the Asistencia fellto ruin. The people of San BernardinoCounty purchased the land and fully re-stored this important memento of thepast. Here, you'll see two museum build-ings, a chapel where frequent weddings

are held, an administration building,beautiful grounds and several inspiringbells, one of which was brought herefrom Spain. The museums offer manydioramas depicting the pioneer periodof our history and items pertaining tothe Indian, mission, and rancho eras ofearly California. This attraction is opento the public daily (except Mondays)and there is no charge.

Backtracking on Barton Road will takeyou to Loma Linda via the back door.You'll pass the beautiful new hospitaland the Loma Linda University. Drivethrough town to Interstate 10 Freeway,enter in the direction of Redlands, anddrive to your starting point, the SanTimoteo Canyon Road off-ramp. Thiswill complete the loop trip. The totaldistance is only 38 miles; but by drivingat a leisurely pace and enjoying frequentstops, you can extend this pleasant inter-lude into the paved road back countryfor several hours.

So I suggest the next time you haveyour hair cut, after discussing the wea-ther and the Dodgers with your barber,ask him for a tipa tip for a trip.

The San Bernardino Asistencia wasoriginally a branch of the San Gabriel

Mission dating back to 1819.

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He's the Qwaziest People!HERE'S no question butthat the Roadrunner isthe desert's whackiestbird. He doesn't looklike a bird. He doesn'tlive on seeds, worms,plain everyday insects, although he willstoop to it if his gourmet taste can't besatisfied. He can fly, but he prefers to bea pedestrian, and he doesn't follow the

flock. He does make the most of thetricks Nature played on him and hemakes slaves of all humans he adopts.The Indians knew him first. Theyscratched facsimiles of his crazy tracksby graves of their departed to confuseevil spirits. Born with four toes on eachfoot, two pointing forward, two back-ward, "X" literally marks the spot. SomeIndians trimmed cradle-boards with hisfeathers to ward off evil spirits fromtheir newborn.This most contrary bird has wings,but does he spend time in the sky like

by Isabel Dunwoodyhis bird brothers? Not him. The onlytime he flies is when flushed from hisnest or frightened. Bailey's Birds of NewMexico reports, "The roadrunner gavethe most perfect example of volplaningwhen it took off from a 50-foot highcliff and glided down a canyon an eighthof a mile, never flapping a wing, noteven when it alighted on a rock."

He has a better use for his tail than hiswings, as it acts as his brake, evidentfrom the cloud of sand that results fromhis sudden stops. His tail also depictshis moods. If he is undecided, it slowlypumps up an down; if nervous, it opensand shuts and when he is on the run,it streams straight out behind him.

Mother Nature, in a spirit of fun,chose a mixed-up halloween dress for thecomical roadrunner. She painted blueand orange circles, clownlike, around thebare spots of his inquisitive eyes, then,in a surprise switch, added a Pinnochio

beak that seemed to grow and grow untilit reached two inches. For plummage,she gave him a speckled Jacob's coat ofmany colors metallic green, purple,black, white and brown. Intuition or-dained this whacky bird would rule allthe land he surveyed, so she sat a jaunty,bristle-tipped crown squarely atop hisarrogant head. In justification for hisoutlandish features, she gave him superbeyesight to spot a skittering lizard and astrong bill to tenderize it for swallowingwhole. His mixed-up plummage meltsinstantly into his desert surroundings todiscourage lurking predators. As a specialbonus, El Paisano was gifted with a de-lightful zest for living and zany charac-teristics to make him the exciting birdhe is.

When you first become acquaintedwith the cocky little fellow, he mightbe making a mad dash across desertridges, swerving around a floweringcactus, or contentedly sitting in the



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shade of a mesquite bush. Racing downa desert road in hot pursuit used to bea favorite pastime, a trait which gavehim his name, but with today's high-ways and fast cars, he doesn't try itso often anymore. Clocked at 18 milesper hour, he will chase anything thatmoves. Aggressive and fearless, he usesanyplace on the desert as a "drag-strip."When he isn't darting about, like hishuman neighbors, he loves to bask inthe sun, spreading his feathers to catchevery last relaxing ray.While El Paisano is generally a"loner," he is not a perennial bachelor.In the spring his fancy turns to thoughtsof a lady fair. Around and around heturns, in wild zigzag circles, until heconvinces a nonchalant mate of his fi-delity. Although his song is loud andcoarse, it is the lilt of a lark to his chosenlady roadrunner. Their home might be

a low yucca, a crumbling adobe wall, oreven an old packing crate. In a strangesort of birdland birth control method,the nest might contain an unhatchedegg, a baby and a fledging all at the sametime.In the roadrunner's feathered breastlies a fierce parental protectiveness. Ifhis babies are threatened, like the pos-sum, he covers this anxiety with pre-tence, agonizing with a suddenly brokenleg, his crest alone telegraphing his emo-

tion. Only after the enemy has departedis his leg good as new. All other mem-bers of the bird-kindgom flutter a brokenwing.

In spite of his unconventional behav-ior, when it comes to brains, you can'tpell this comical bird short. Systematic,he has been known to pass certain pointsat definite times. He may dislike thehampering of communal life, but oncehaving chosen his preferred mesquite orraltbush thicket, he settles down to re-main year after year, his ranges fromCalifornia to Southern Utah, Colorado,Kansas, mid-Texas and lower Gulf CoastSouth through Lower California andinto Mexico.

Since almost everything about thisroadrunner is surprising, it figures thathis gourmet tastes would be somewhatstrange too. Delectable tidbits for himare crickets which he unearths by clever-ly overturning stones and mudcakes;small horn toads, mice, cactus fruits,grasshoppers, spiders, snails that hecracks open on a rock, and oh yes, occa-sionally rattlesnakes. Everything goesdown whole after he has hammered themwith his unique bill. And his etiquettedoesn't come from a bookif swallow-ing a lizard means some if it must trailfrom his overloaded beak.

When the smell of spring is in the

desert, it is time for a favorite snack.Honey bees gathering nectar from Supineand primroses disappear like caviar at acocktail party. However, the desert'sready pantry is willingly by-passed fora piece of raw hamburger begged fromhis human neighbors.In Thousand Palms, California, anenterprising roadrunner begs from doorto door, using at least three aliases. At the

Edgar Marrotte's home, he is Pete. Peteshows up regularly for his handout. Oncea little too anxious, he decided on acheese hors d'oeuvre. Unfortunately thecheese was in a rat trap and Pete stillwears a twisted beak from his sad ex-perience. A short distance from the Mar-otte's, he is known as Joe, and still fur-ther along, he does his trick-or-treating asOscar, just three more names added tohis long repertory. He and his fellowroadrunners are also known as the Chap-arral Cock, Ground Cuckoo, El Paisano,as Mexicans affectionately call him,meaning Countryman, and the high-toned listing the Encyclopedia gives him,"Geocyx Californianns." Mostly he issimply called "The Roadrunner."

No matter what his name, the zanyroadrunner is always popular. Roadrun-ner, Arizona is named for him. He isthe state bird of New Mexico, protectedunder Federal status. He has been sculp-tured, put on postal cards; and in Scots-dale, Arizona, there is a line of sports-wear named for him.

He likes to be near human neighborsand can become a household pet. Mexi-cans consider El Paisano a good omen ifhe chooses to live close by. The Marotte'sof Thousand Palms love to tell how heclimbs up a ladder to sit on the roof, ordash by a hanging bell, pausing to ringit. With his over-abundant love of mis-chief and fun, however, he is apt to be-come a tormentor, especially of competi-tive pets such as dogs. He nips theirpaws. At the Desert Museum in Tucson,Arizona, they have to change roadrunnerpets now and then because some get tooplayful and nip at children's bare toes.Mostly his breathless whistle or loud coois warmly welcomed.In every respect the roadrunner, El

Paisano, Pete, Joe, Oscar or whateveryou choose to call him, is a whim of na-ture from his comical looks to his whackyhabits. To know this zany fellow, so fullof the joy of living, is to love him.



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HOW DID THE MESAS ANDBUTTES OF THE WEST FORM?

WHA T CAUSES CANYONS?JOURNEY WITH A GEOLOGIST

THROUGH SPECTACULARSOUTHEASTERN UTAH

AS HEEXPLAINSTHESE NATURAL WONDERS

W H A TM A K E SR O C K SR E D ?

byEugene

Foushee

H A T makes the rocksred, green or blue?"Would you b e l i e v eiron? That question isone of the most com-monly-asked by travel-ers in thecolorful Four Corners country.And, believe it or not, the answer is"iron." It would seem more logical ifiron made the rocks red, copper madethem green, and cobalt made them blue.But surprisingly enough, iron producesthose colors, plus all gradations in be-

tween. The oxidized state of the ironproduces the reds, and the reduced stateof the iron produces the blues, greens,and grays. That is to say that theoxidizediron has a higher ratio of oxygen to ironthan does thereduced iron.The de Chelly sandstone buttes ofMonument Valley and the great redwalls around Moab are composed oftiny sand grains cemented together andstained with the oxidized iron or hema-tite. The Chinle (Painted Desert) and

Brushy Basin (between Blanding andBluff, Utah) claystones include manyblue, green, and gray layers which arecolored by the reduced iron oxides, suchas Goethite (named in honor of theGerman poet!). Occasionally one mightnotice where a plant root hasgrown intored claystone and the root is surroundedby a fewinches of light green clay. Thislight bleached zone results from themild plant acids reducing the oxidizedred clay coloring. This is just anotherstep in the continuous process of chemicalweathering and erosion."How did the monuments in Monu-ment Valley getthere?""Were they harder than the surround-rock?""Did they just getpushed up?"It's a long story and we need to ap-

preciate there are a great many subtlefactors at work, changing the face ofthe earth at an incredibly slow rate.

Inasmuch as most rock features werenot named by geographers with precise

word definitions, some confusion has re-sulted as to the exact meanings of theterms: mesas, buttes, monuments, etc."Mesa" was a descriptive term broughtto the southwest by the Spaniards,whowere referring to the flat-topped rockformations or "tablelands." In general,mesas arelarger than buttes.

The typical monuments of FisherTowers, near Moab, Utah, MonumentValley, and theValley of theGodscon-sist of horizontal beds of massive, rela-tively hard sandstone overlying beds ofrelatively softer sandstone. The softersandstones form the talus-covered slopesbeneath the vertical walls of the sand-stone.

Try topicture theentire region coveredwith these horizontal sedimentary layers.Then came therivers with their attendantside canyons and smaller washes. Thesecanyons steadily, but slowly, increasetheir length by eroding headward. Thisheadward erosion proceeds logically bydissolving and washing away the clay-stone, removing the support of themas-sive overlying sandstone. This createsalcoves or arch-like caves. The cave oroverhang enlarges until the roof col-lapses. Then the canyon has advancedthe depth of the cave, and the processbegins once more. A network of canyonsgradually dissects the barren expanse ofsandstonewhich might be many milesacross. Thecanyons widen outuntil theygradually become broad valleys. In thiswidening process sometimes the thindividing walls separating the valleyscrumble. When this happens, great mass-es of rock are left standing isolated-and the true mesas areborn. Soactually,mesas are left there. Of course, all theerosive forces continue changing thefaceof theearth so that it is never really fin-ished. What we see is in reality just acouple of frames out of a very long mo-tion picture. Earlier in the movie therewere no monuments; now there aremesas, monuments or buttes; later in thepicture these will be gone also.If there is a well-developed jointsys-



23/44


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*%m

Valley of the Gods in Southern Utahtern in the massive sandstone, thesevertical joints or planes of weakness canbe important factors in influencing can-yon or valley development, and particul-arly in the creation of spires or needles.The two sets of vertical joints at rightangles to each other tend to leave highshafts of rock bounded by four flatfaces with sharp corners. Obviously, theold erosive forces will not leave thosecorners sharp very long. They roundthem off by a process called spheroidalweathering, leaving, for example, thedramatic spires which are called TheNeedles in Canyonlands National Park.The fins and thin spires in the ArchesNational Monument are also dominantlyshaped by two sets of vertical joints.

Usually canyons simply grow fromwashes that start channeling the rainwater rather than from such dramaticforces as faults and joint systems. Subtledifferences in hardness, cementing agents,porosity, permeability, and grain size willtend to influence the growth of canyonsand hence the shaping of mesas.

Shiprock, Agathlan, Alhambra Rock,and Boundary Butte are special cases inthe Four Corners country. They are hardigneous rocks which were intruded intosofter sedimentary formations. With lotsof time for erosion, the surroundingsedimentary rocks have been washedaway leaving the black, ragged igneouscores rising above the landscape."How about those crazy Goosenecks?"The Goosenecks of the San Juan are

classic examples of incised meanders.Originally that portion of the river hada low gradient, with slow-moving water.This resulted in the great meanders sim-ilar to those caused by sluggish coastalrivers. The water through the meander(or gooseneck) was speeded up, perhapsby regional uplift, resulting in rapiddowncutting of the channel. The down-cutting has continued until now theriver's meanders are incised 1000 feetdeep. To see what is the future fate ofThe Goosenecks, we can go thirteenmiles west of Bluff and two and one-halfmiles south of Highway 47 on an un-marked trail to another gorgeous view ofa gooseneck. But where is the river thatis supposed to be down there cuttingaway on the channel? The San Juan hasfinally broken through the narrow wallthat had separated two loops of theriver; the gooseneck has been cut off;the channel left dry; and the seven hun-dred foot high cone-shaped mesa thatwas inside the loop now stands like acastle with a dry moat surrounding it.Fantastic! And the river flows on.

The annual All Tribes Indian DayCeremony will be held this yearon June 15 at Bluff, Utah. One ofthe most spectacular events inthe West, it includes horse races,Indian dancing, sand painting andmany other contests, attractingvisitors every year from through-out the United States.



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W h a t T o D oD u r i n g A n E a r t h q u a k e(Just keep calm and don't get shook)

Since Southern California has hadwe

the Na-. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey will

of interest. Like they say,what everget shook.

The likelihood of your being injuredin a major earthquake in the UnitedStates is exceedingly small. About 1500persons have died during earthquakes(or earthquake-generated tsunamis andfires) since this country was settled, andalmost half of these were killed in the1906 disaster in San Francisco, Calif.But when a major earthquake doesstrike, the results can be severe, as wit-nessed by the 116 deaths in 1964 inAlaska, 28 in 1959 at Hebgen Lake,Montana, 115 in 1933 at Long Beach,

California, and 60 in 1886 at Charles-ton, South Carolina.Other major earthquakes in theUnitedStates, which resulted in few if any fa-talities due to sparseness of population,occurred in Missouri in 1811 and 1812and at Yakutat Bay, Alaska, in 1899.What do you do then when the earthshakes beneath your feet and your housebegins tosway? Dive under a table, desk,doorway, or any covering that will pro-tect you against a falling ceiling. DON'Trush into the street where you may bestruck by falling cornices and chimneysand other flying objects.If you are outside, try to get into anopen doorway or into the middle of thestreet, if it is a wide one. But be carefulif you head for the center of the street.Cars can be just as deadly as an earth-quake.The most disconcerting feature of adestructive earthquake is the repeated

occurrence of aftershocks, which normallyfollow all large shocks. However, it isvery rare for an aftershock to reach theintensity of the main earthquake.Last of all, do not reoccupy a seriouslydamaged building without the approvalof local authorities. Just because thebuilding withstood the main shock doesnot necessarily indicate it will also with-stand strong aftershocks.

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June, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 25


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after several of the men had been in-jured by swiftly moving floating logsand debris the search was abandoned.Later, when thestream was only a quietbrook, some of theMormon men return-ed. Though they searched both banksand even thebottom of all but thedeep-est holes, no trace of the missing chestor its golden treasure was found. Thebanks of the crossing where they hadcamped were washed away, hundreds oftons of sand and gravel having beenwashed downstream. With heavy heartsthey returned to their newhomes andthe incident was forgotten by all excepta few old-timers who had heard thestory of the Mormon's fruitless search.During the following years a few whoheard the story tried to find the losttreasure but by then the creek hadchanged so that no one was sure justwhere the old crossing hadbeen and intime the story was forgotten. That is,until 1910when theRedding Free Pressreported Drestelhorst's find!When theold-timer's story of the lostMormon gold wastold most of the menaround Redding quickly became pros-pectors and daily they panned alongClear Creek in search of more of thelostcoins, but none were successful. It soonbecame apparent that without the exactlocation of Drestelhorst's find thesearchwas almost hopeless and by then all trace

of the old prospector hadbeen lost. Nodoubt thewooden chest had long sincerotted away, allowing the coins to becarried along by thestream, and settlingin the sand and mud along the creekbottom. By the time the "city prospec-tors" had their hands well blistered theylost interest inthesearch andClear Creekreturned to nature, with its only visitorsbeing deer andmountain quail.Over theyears high waters and floodshave probably carried thecoins along for

some distance, dropping them along quietstretches of water or into deep holes.With the coins being hidden under thesand andgravel of thecreek bottom theold-timers had little chance of findingthe lost Mormon gold but with today'smodern electronic treasure finders search-ers have a cinch if they can locate theold Mormon crossing. The coins wouldnow be worth many times their $40,000face value and to collectors even more.According to an old adage all that glit-ters isn't gold, but in Clear Creek it justmight be! D

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