196808 Desert Magazine 1968 August

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made lai tUtq, Oiden,Desert M a g a z in e ECCK ShcpESTEVANICO THE BLACK by John Upton Terrell.The discoverer of Ar izona, New Mexico andCibola was actual ly an African slave who wasf inal ly s la in by Indians because he l ived toow e l l , according to th is wel l documented andcontroversial book. Excellent reading by theauthor of Journey Into Darkness, Black Robes,and other histories of the West. Hardcover, 155pages , $6 .95 .100 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, $1.50.DESERT GARDENING by the editors of SunsetBooks. Written exclusively for desert gardeners,this book is c l imate zoned with maps pinpoint-irg f ive diverse desert zones. Calendar pre-sents plans for care of plant ings throughoutthe year. I l lustrated, 8 x 1 1 heavy paperback,$ 1 . 9 5 .MAMMALS OF THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS byGeorge Olin. Newly revised edit ion describesthe mammals of the deserts with artist i l lustra-tions of the an ima ls and their footprints foreasy identif ication. Paperback, 112 pages,$ 1 . 0 0 .HAPPY WANDERER TRIPS by Slim Barnard. Wel lknown 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 . Can' t 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 cook ing ideas which br inggourmet 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.SKY ISLAND by Weldon F. Heald. Informat ive,f i rs t -person narrat ive about the c l imate, wi ldl i fe, unusual guests, terrain and vegetat ionfound only in the remote Chir icahua area wheretne author l ived. $ 5 . 9 5 .

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 intr iguing Pyramid Lake, itsancient history, archeological f inds, geology,fish and bird life. Paperback. $1.95.

BOOK of the M O N T HGhost Towns

of theColorado Rockies

By Robert L. BrownWrit ten by the author of Jeep Trails toColorado Ghost Towns, this book dealswith ghost towns accessible by passengercar. Gives directions and maps for f ind-ing towns along with historical back-grounds. Hardcover.

401 pagesONLY

$6-25THE MOUTH BLOWN BOTTLE by Grace Kendrick.An author i ty on bottles, Grace Kendrick nowdelves into the history of bottle making and i l lus-strates her book with excel lent photographs shetook in Mexico where bottles are stil l being handb lo w n . Hardcover, 200 pages, $6.95.GOLD RUSH COUNTRY by the Editors of SunsetBooks. A revised and up-dated pract ical guideto Californ ia's Mothe r Lode country. Dividedinto geographical areas for easy weekendtr ips , the 8x11 heavy paperback new edit ionis profusely il lustrated with photos and maps.Special features and anecdotes of historical andpresent day activit ies. 4-color cover 96 pages.$1 .95 .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.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.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.FABULOUS MEXICO Where Everything CostsLess by Norman Ford. Covers investing, vaca-t ioning and retiring prospects in Mexico. Pa-perback. $1.50.EXPLORING CALIFORNIA BYWAYS from KingsCanyon to the Mexican Border by Russ Leada-brand. Maps for each t r ip with photographs,historical information, recreational facilit ies,campsites, hiking trails, etc. Paper, 165 pages,$ 1 . 9 5 .

OLD ARIZONA TREASURES by Jesse Rascoe. Con-ta in ing many anecdotes not previously coveredin Arizona histories, this new book covers haci-endas, stage stops, stage routes, mining camps,abandoned forts, missions and other historicallandmarks. Paperback, 210 pages, $3.00.1200 BOTTLES PRICED by John C. Tibbitti. 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 revised, 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 true, 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 equally recommendedfor research material in an area that was crossedby Anza, Kit Carson, the Mormon Battal ion,49ers, Railroad Survey parties, Pegleg Smith, theJackass M a i l , Butterfield Stage, and today 'sadventurous tourists. 139 pages, cardboardcover , $2.95.ON DESERT TRAILS by Randall Henderson, founde r and publisher 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 wantto 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.RETIRE TO ADVENTURE by Harrison M. Karr.Instead of ret i r ing to an armchair the authorand his wife ret i red to a travel trailer andv is i ted Canada, the United States and Mexico.Pactical approach to trailer l iv ing problems andtrailer clubs. After reading this book you'llw a n t to retire to adventure even though tooyoung to retire! Paperback, 121 pages, $1.95.

DEATH VALLEY BOOKSPublished by the Death Valley '49ers thesefour volumes have been selected by '49ersas outs tanding works on the history of DeathVal 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 Party, by L. Burr Belden $1.50CAMELS AND SURVEYORS IN DEATH VALLEYBy Ar thur Wo odw ard $2.00DEATH VALLEY TALES by 10 dif ferent au-thors $1.25

2: / Desert Magazine / August , 1968


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Number 8AUGUST, 1968

WILLIA M K N Y V ETTPublisher

JACK PEPPEREditor

ELTA SHIVELYExecutive Secretary

M A RV EL BA RRETTBusiness

I .LOYD SHIVELYCirculation

EV A LY N E S M I THSubscriptions

CHORAL PEPPERTravel Feature Editor

J A C K D E L A N E YStaff Writer

BILL BRYANBack Country EditorA L M E R R Y M A N

Staff Artist

EDITORIAL OFFICES: 74-109 Larreo, Palm Desert,Cal i forn ia 9226 0. Area Code 714 3 46- 814 4.Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs notaccompanied by self addressed, stamped and zipcoded envelopes wi l l NOT be re turned.ADVERTISING OFFICES: James March & Asso-ciates Inc., 1709 West 8th Street, Los Angeles,Ca l i f orn ia 90017 , HUbbard 3 -056 1 115 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,$13 .00 . Foreign subscribers add $1 .00 U. S.Currency for each year. See Subscription OrderForm 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. 358865 in U. S. Patent Off ice, andcontents copyrighted 1968 by Desert Magazine.Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs cannotbe returned or acknowledged unless full returnpostage is enclosed. Permission to reproduce con-tents must be secured from the editor in writ ing.

C O N T E N T S4 Book Reviews6 Ca lifornia 's Cool Cascades

B y F R A N K D A V I S O N8 Teel's Marsh

By ADELE REED12 Triangle Tour

By JAC K DELANEY15 Lone Pine's Escarpment

By BERNARD FAS16 Convict Lake

By HELEN WALKER18 Golden Chimney of Arivaipas

B y V I C T O R S T O Y A N O W22 When Dinosaurs Trod Utah's Verm ilion Cliffs

By EARL SPENDLOVE26 Arizona 's Towns of the Past

By LETA AND CARL YORK29 The Desert's Masked Bandit

By ROBERT H. WRIGHT

30 1800 Bolts A Minute!By GA STO N BURRIDGE32 Pipe Spring National Monum ent

By JOYCE LITZ33 Wom an's View Point36 Ma ryhil l, Washington

By LAMBERT FLORIN38 Back Country Travel42 New Ideas

By LEE OERTLE43 Letters and AnswersAUGUST COLOR PHOTOSThe oldest living things on earth, the hardy Bristlecone giantslive on the exposed and wind-swept ridges of the mountains ofCalifornia. Some of the pines are more than 4000 years old.The patriarch on the front cover was taken by David Muench,Santa Barbara, in the Inyo Mountains. Earl Spendlove illus-trates his article on dinosaurs with the striking photograph(page 22) of their tracks in the cliffs east of Kanab, Utah.Back cover photo of l ightning striking the desert is from theDESERT Magazine file. See Gaston Burridge's article onlightning on page 30.

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N e w f a c t u a le v i d e n c eo n th el e g e n d so f th e W e s t

By Brad W illiams andChoral Pepper

This book examines many little-known stories and legends thathave emerged from the westernregion of North America.Included are such phenomena asthe discovery of a Spanish galleonin the middle of the desert; thestrange curse that rules over SanMiguel Island; the discovery of oldRoman artifacts buried near Tuc-son, Arizona; the unexplained be-heading of at least 13 victims inthe Nahanni Valley; and manyother equally bewildering happen-ings. Elaborate confidence schemesand fantastically imagined hoaxesare documented, along with newfactual evidence that seems to cor-roborate what were formerly as-sumed to be tall tales.

Hardcover, illustrated, 192 pages.$5.95Send check or money order toDesert Magazine Book Shop,Palm Desert, Calif. 92260Add 50 cents for postage andhandling. California residentsadditional 30 cents tax.

B O O K . R E V I E W SFANTASIES OF GOLDBy E. B. SaylesWith Joan Ashby Henley

An archaeologist exploring the South-west for more than 30 years, E. B. "Ted"Sayles was looking for potsherds andother Indian artifactsnot for gold andsilver and lost mines. But during his ex-peditions by canoe, hack, horseback,wagon, car and airplane he was constantlyexposed to rumors and legends of lostbonanzas.

As curator of the Arizona State Mu-seum from 1943 until his retirement in1961, he classified his archaeologicalfinds, contributing greatly to the preser-vation of the native culture of the South-west.On his retirement he decided to classifyand preserve the rumors and legends, oflost bonanzas, he heard during his explor-ations. As a true archaeologist, he hasdocumented his personal experiences un-der the categories of PEOPLE, PLACESand PERSONAL THINGS. With thehelp of Joan Ashby Henley, he has com-piled an interesting and informative bookon lost bonanzas and legends which arepart of the excitement of SouthwesternAmericana.

His personal comments on the manystill unsolved mysteries (which probablywill never be untangled) make fascinat-ing reading and challenge the imaginationof the reader. Hardcover, well illustrated,135 pages, $6.50.

METAL DETECTOR HANDBOOKBy Art Lass ague

As a result of the increasing interest inmetal detectors, Desert Magazine hasseveral brands on display in Palm Desertnot for sale, but to show interestedreaders how they operate. Invariably weare asked, "which one is the best?" Towhich we reply, "what is the best outo-mobile, or what is the best watch?" It alldepends on the person who is using thedetector, the amount of use, and whatthe operator is looking for.Again, during a recent weekend Icovered a field trip of the Southern Cali-fornia Prospector's Club (which will be

Books reviewed may be orderedfrom the DESERT Magazine BookOrder Department, Palm Desert,California 922 60 . Please include50c for handling. California resi-dents must add 5% sales tax.Enclose payment with order.featured in the September issue of Des-ert) . Sitting around the campfire, ownersof more than a dozen different types ofdetectors were discussing the quality andperformance of metal detectors. Eachowner claimed his was the bestbut allagreed much depended upon the practiceand ability of the operator to use eachdetector.

There have been many books writtenon metal detectors. Since our readers areconstantly asking us for such a book, wehave selected Art Lassagne's Metal De-tector Handbook (Second Edition) as abasic and informative book for those in-terested in buying a metal detector. Al-though he uses certain brands to illus-strate operating procedures, he states"these instructions are in no way intend-ed as advertising or the author's endorse-ment of these methods over competitiveproducts." Desert recommends this bookfor those who are interested in metal de-tectorsand for those who have detect-ors but do not know how to operatethem or what they will do. Paperback,65 pages, $3.00.

THE MILEPOSTCovering the Alaska Highway

Each year many Desert readers desertthe desert for cooler climates, especiallyheading for Canada and Alaska. Forthose going to Alaska the most authorita-tive book is The Milepost, which is re-vised and updated each year. It gives allinformation the traveler needs to makehis trip enjoyable, plus an excellent mapand historical background on the pointsof interest. Because of its seasonal na-ture, this book is NOT handled by theDesert Magazine Book Shop. It can beobtained by sending $1.95 to The Mile-post, Box 1271, Juneau, Alaska 99801.This includes postage, but if you wantairmail return add an extra dollar.

4 / Desert Magazine / August, 1968


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OFTHE ANCIENT

This controversial book, written by ain 1957 and has now

a new revision. Slanted towardas well as the archaeologist,

thearchitecture,andbones of theSouth-

of today. Gladwintheearliest expeditions into

of Gila Pueblo andparticipateditsmost important digs. Hisinterpre-

of these early people isbased uponas he see it, which doesn't al-

the academic fuddy-in which such opinions

it is hard to

Gladwin does not believe that allearlyIndians of theAmericas were of Mon-nor that they all cameere as recently as commonly accepted.His is a fascinating book which coversthe Four Corners country andsurround-ing areas where prehistoric man leftmany testimonies of hispresence. Hard-cover, large format, well-illustrated, 383pages. $10.00.

MAP OF LOST MINES AND BURIEDTREASURES OFCALIFORNIACompiled by B. V Terry

Any map maker who states heknowsthe exact location of a buried treasureshould beout with ametal detector find-ing the loot, rather than publishing amap.

Under the trade name of Varna Enter-prises, B. V. Terry frankly admits hedoes NOT know the exact location ofthe 127alleged lost California bonanzashe lists onhis map.

"Needless to say, if lost mines andtreasures could be pinpointed exactly,they would not remain lost," hestatesonthe index of the map. He also says "therehas been noattempt toprovide informa-tion as to locations that may be onmili-tary or Indian reservations or onprivate

land. These conditions change with time.Please remember theoutlying desertandmountain areas are hazardous. Go equip-ped and well prepared."So what value isthe map? For 31 yearsDesert Magazine has published articleson lost mines and bonanzas in the West.This map gives theapproximate locationof many of these sites (plus some wehaven't covered) and gives treasure seek-

ers anoverall picture of California's lostbonanzas. It's a handy guide to immedi-ately locate thearea of a particular lostmine and to whet your appetite so youwill domore research andthen pack upand take the family for aweekend of funas a modern prospector and, whoknows, find that pot of gold at the endof your rainbow trip. Folded to pocketsize, county index, latitude and longitudelines, numbered and lettered margins,in-dexed, with rivers, lakes, ghost towns andmany other informative features. $4.00.

WEST OF THE WESTBy Robert Kirsch and William S. Murphy

This is the story of California fromthe Conquistadores to theGreat Earth-quakes asdescribed by themen and wo-men who were there. A masterpiece ofresearch, this anthology tells its story inthe rich, romantic language of the peoplewhose vitality gave birth tothe most opul-ent states of the Union. It refutes certainformerly established truisms that recentdiscoveries have brought to light andbrings to life other little known events,such asthe tale of a furtrader who foundhimself on a Hawaiian island without aship andsubsequently became anaccom-plice of a famous pirate who raided theCalifornia coast. It delves into the his-torical records of John Charles Fremontand hisromance with Jessie Benton, whobecame hiswife. Fresh accounts of thegold rush, the dramatic adventures ofBret Harte inSan Francisco and the greatEarthquake and fire areretold sovividlythe reader feels they are happening now.

All enthusiasts of Californiana willappreciate this new book. Hardcover,illustrated with valuable historical photos,523 pages, $10.00.

J" COOKING andS CAMPING! o n t h e DE SE R TCHORAL PEPPER

by Choral PepperONLY $3.95Plus 50cents mailing charges. Californiaaddresses add 20 cents tax. Send check ormoney order to Desert Magazine,

Palm Desert, Calif. 92260

J J


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C A L I F O R N I A ' SC O O LC A S C A D E S

b yF r a n k

Eagle Falls is only one of dozens of areas along State Route 89 where water cas-cades down the boulders, and pine trees keep travelers cool despite summer heat.

RAVELERS heading northfrom Souuicrn CalirOf-nia long have followedthree main routes fromtheir southland homesto Northern California

and the Pacific Northwest. These areUS 99, the most popular and direct route;US 101 for those who want a little cool-er and more scenic trip; and US 395,the "desert route."

But for those who have plenty of timethere is a fourth route that offers muchmore in the way of scenery, is coolerthan any of the other three, and opens upcountry that comparatively few SouthernCalifornians ever see.

This uncrowded highway is StateRoute 89. It leaves US 395 about 40miles north of Bridgeport and ends 360miles later near the town of Mt. Shasta.The road was opened only a few yearsago and is little known even to personsliving in the northern part of California.

Climbing steeply out of the semi-des-ert area just south of Topaz Lake at Cole-ville, SR 89 rapidly takes you up and up,over 8200 foot Monitor Pass, much ofwhich is above timber line and open onlyduring summer months. Monitor is thelast route through the Sierra Nevada tobe opened to regular passenger car travel.

Dropping down the north side ofMonitor Pass the paved road enters beau-tiful Hope Valley, one of the gems ofHigh Sierra mountain meadows, with thecrystal clear Carson River meanderingthrough it. Avid fishermen will have ahard time keeping to their daily drivingschedule after one look at the Carson.

The road next climbs over Luther Pass,drops down into Meyers Valley, then ina few minutes reaches incomparable LakeTahoe. The highest (6200 feet) of thiscountry's large mountain lakes, Tahoehas been described enough times so thatno further mention need be made of ithere; except to say that if the traveler hasnever seen it before, this might well bethe high point of the entire trip.

SR 89 skirts the west shore of LakeTahoe for some 25 miles, seldom out ofsight of the chartreuse and purple waterthat has made this lake world renowned.Finally, at Tahoe City at the north endof the lake, it parallels the Truckee Riverfor another 16 miles, where it joins In-terstate 80 near the town of Truckee.



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Emerald Bay on the Ca lifornia side of Lake Tahoe. The large lake is surrounded by pine trees at an elevation of 6200feet, m aking it one of the highest lakes in the coun try. The w aters are relatively cold, even in summer, due to its depth.

About halfway between Tahoe andTruckee is the turnoff to Squaw Valley,famous as the home of the I960 WinterOlympic Games. It is well worth takingthe two mile side trip into Squaw to seeone of the most outstanding winter andsummer playgrounds in the entire U.S.,and a ride up the tramway for an overallview of the Tahoe basin is time andmoney well spent.Heading north out of Truckee comes50 miles of the kind of countryside that

California travelers seldom see in thisday of super highways and extensiveroadside commercialization. The roadhere is winding, but smooth and safe forany type of vehicle or trailer. This ishigh range and timber land, largely un-touched except for an occasional hamlet,ranch house, and a few resorts.Joining SR 70 at Blairsden, SR 89follows the east branch of the famousFeather River until it joins the NorthFork, then climbs back up to timber

country again, passes Lake Almanor, andapproaches Lassen National Park.

Mt. Lassen is the last active volcanoin the continental U.S., having "blownits top" as recently as 1915. The peak,dominating the view from just aboutevery spot in the park, serves as a back-drop for unlimited picture possibilities.A short but steep trail from the HelenLake parking area to Lassen's summitopens up vistas in all directions, cover-ing a radius of many miles. Often, steamcan be still be seen rising from the lavaports in the crater's mouth.Midway through the park, and only ashort mile off the highway, Bumpas' Hellis easily reached by an excellent foottrail. This area is full of boiling mudpots, sulphur fumaroles, and small gey-sers.Complete facilities within the Park areavailable at Manzanita Lake, where ac-commodations ranging from hotel roomsto tent cabins may be obtained. Severalcampgrounds are located throughout thePark. During summer months reserva-

tions should be made in advance, and atleast two days planned for your visit.

Leaving Lassen, SR 89 heads north,nearly always in heavy timber, to thelumber town of McCloud, seeminglyperched on the shoulder of Mt. Shasta.Views of this impressive mountain, ris-ing more than 14,000 feet above sealevel and some 10,000 feet over the sur-rounding countryside, are breathtakingas seen through stands of huge pine andfir trees, always beckoning at the end ofthe road.

At McCloud your Highway 89 sojournis nearly over. Only 15 miles remain be-fore you reach US 99 and "civilization"at the town of Mt. Shasta. More than360 miles of stupendous mountain, lake,river, and forest scenery are behind you,miles that you won't forget for the restof your life.

But, be warned, if your schedule istight, forget it if you drive SR 89- Thereis so much to see, so many places you willwant to stop, either to take pictures orjust relax and look at the scenery, youwill never keep to your itinerary.

August, 1968 / Desert Magazine / 7


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by Adele Reed Ph otos by th e authorEVADA has many objectsof interest and beautyand things historical.Who would expect tofind some of each onthe edge of a barren,dry marsh where only lizard or rabbittracks signify life?

Our hankering to follow side roadsled us into a small deserted valley insouthern Mineral County, Nevada. Thereare two entrance roads, one turning leftfrom Highway 10 north of MontgomeryPass. The other turns left from Highway10 and is marked by a small sign, 'Mari-etta,' exactly opposite the old camp ofBelleville, identified by the remains ofthe old mill on the hillside. This roadmeanders through low hills and down acarving grade into both Teel's Marsh andthe nearby ghost town, Marietta.

The valley is surrounded by rollinghills. A vast dry lake, covering most ofthe level portion, shimmers and glares inthe sun-drenched atmosphere. A suddenbreeze sets up dust and sand whirls thatdance away to the hills, depositing min-eral bearing sand that stunts the growthof the few varieties of desert shrubs andsagebrush.We easily located the camp, which wasnamed Teel's Salt Marsh as early as 1867,by the big hump which was originallythe mill and now is partially coveredwith sand. It stands on the southeastborder of the marsh. Circling across ona well traveled road, a turn into two faintwheel tracks, leads one directly to thesite. It is tricky in wet weather, or if one

ventures away from the traveled area. It isbest to take the high road in wet weath-er. Even though we have 4-wheel drive,

at times we have been in need of shovels,boards or mats and wheel jacks.Our initial trip was so rewarding andenjoyable it has become a yearly event.The 'sea of sand' surrounding the millwas covered with various pieces of wood.Boards, box ends, pinon and cedar logsas well as odds and ends of metal, allhad felt the onslaught of the destroying,sand-bearing winds of many years, caus-ing metals to show unique erosion andwood to lose the soft portions, leavinghandsome patterns and texture. Most ofthe wood becomes creamy white, andsome pieces show rusty pattern from theold square nails remaining in the boards.The famous old black bottles found inthe marsh make a handsome arrange-

ment, as do the native juniper or shinymahogany branches.Other treasures you can find include


T E E L ' SMARSH


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Since it is 4800 feet high, Teel's Marsh can be visited either in summer or winter with the changing sands constantlycreating new moods and discoveries. Opposite page , once part of a tree and then converted into a wide board by man ,nature reclaimed the board and, with the help of wind and sand, partially returned its to its natural state. Below, withman gone, the sand once agains resumes command of the land.

Augu st, 1968 / Desert Mag azine / 9


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lovely hand-hammered brass Chinese soupor rice ladles, Chinese coins, beautifulblue rice bowls, saki jugs and opium tins.These all bear witness to the fact the earlysalt harvesting, then later borax, wasdone by Chinese coolies imported to dothe rough side of the work. What littlepersonal life they could find time to en-joy was within tiny wooden huts. We lo-calted a group of these east of the mill.They had floors, bits of matting, sidewalls and a roof of boards throughwhich, no doubt, the ever-blowing, acridsand drifted.

There is evidence of other buildingsunder the sand. A sizeable blacksmithshop stood south of the mill. We foundover 100 horse and mule shoes, rustedand eroded. Other pieces of iron, oldtools and supplies indicate it was the dis-appearing blacksmith shop. One of thegreat lures of this area is the shiftingsand will conceal, and another time, un-cover, many objects. We're always makingnew finds even though it takes a bit ofhiking in the sand. One of our best dis-coveries was an old wagon wheel rim andparts of the axle in the sand far awayfrom the main section of camp. In allprobability, the wheel had traveled therough road in and out many hundreds oftimes on wagons hauling borax. Near thewheel we found one of the 'special' gold-en amber whiskies having the two im-portant words, 'Sole Agent,' embossedbelow the company name. To the un-iniated they spell age, 1860s, and desir-ability plus!

Another building was evidently forstorage. About 15 inches under the sandsix wooden packing cases, the wood fall-ing to pieces, had held spiral pipe. Itwas shipped from England, reportedly,and made of light metal and the spiraljoints show hand soldering. The pipewas one inch and also % inch and pack-ed in five foot lengths. Large sizes ofspiral pipe, used to carry water, can yetbe seen at Belleville and Candaleria. Alarge horse corral east of the mill wasmade of ribbon wire fastened to spiralpipe posts.The swirling, blowing sand keepslocked in its depths many things of his-torical interest and all is silence and emp-tiness where once there was activity!Much of the wood has been carted awayand signs of digging on every side bearwitness to the popularity of the area.

Purple bottles and sand-blown wood, which the author found at Teel's Marsh,make an attractive home display. Below, although located near paved roads, andnear the California border, a trip into Nevada's Teel's Ma rsh is for ^-wheel-drivevehicles only passenger cars attempting it will bog down in the shifting sand.

MONTGOMERY

10 / Desert Magazine / A ugust, 1968


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10 - DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

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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.Attractively styled streamlined high impact molded case and searchcoil with gold anodized aluminum search coil rods.,. Weight under 1 V2 pounds.9. Two separate colpitts oscillators each utilizing printed circuit boardconstruction.

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Electronic 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 rug. Treasureprobe will also find modern lost items . . . 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 frequencies of twocoipitts oscillators and amplifying th e audio frequency which is th esum of the difference. The fixed oscillator is in the molded handle ofthe Treasureprobe, and is controlled by the thumbwheel tuner . Thevariable oscillator is in th e 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% stat e tax. 10-day money back gua rante e.TREASUREPROBE, Box 228, Dept. DAC, Toms River, N. J. 08753Enclosed is % Please send Treasure probes atthe low price of $18.88 each post paid.NameAddressCity and State Zip Code


12/44

Triangle Trip to a... VILLAGEby Jack Delaney

HEN the summer sunsets the dial at "sim-mer," desert dwellersdevelop an urge to goplaces and see thingscool things! An oppor-tunity to get away to it all is provided bya city, a town, and village in VenturaCounty. These three communitiesVen-tura, Santa Paula, and Ojaiform a tri-angle with cool mountains, streams, andparks in its center; and more of the same,plus ocean beaches, an 1800 acre lake,and a national forest, in the surroundingcountry.

This region is served by excellent high-ways. Ventura is 70 miles northwest ofLos Angeles along U.S. Freeway 101.From this point, Santa Paula is 14 milesroutheast on Highway 126, and Ojai is14 miles northeast on Highway 33. Thedistance between Santa Paula and Ojai,by Highway 150, is about 17 miles. Itis suggested that you drive the triangletour counter-clockwisethe scenic impactis greater in this direction.

Ventura was one of the first settlementson the Pacific Coast. As an Indian fishingvillage it welcomed the explorer, JuanRodriguez Cabrillo in 1542. In 1602, theSpanish navigator Sebastian Vizcaino, andhis men, were met by Indians in canoeswho invited them ashore as their guests.So friendly were these Chumash Indians

they offered each man ten of their wo-men. This gesture must have establisheda record in friendliness! Cabrillo wasburied on San Miguel Island, oppositeVentura.The city was born in 1782, whenFather Junipero Serra founded the SanBuenaventura Mission. Gaspar de Por-tola commanded the first expedition toAlta California, and was its first gover-nor. Father Crespi, of Portola's party,described this area as a "good site towhich nothing is lacking." The name ofVentura was influenced by a scholarlymember of the Franciscan order wholived in Italy in the 13th century. HisItalian name was Bonaventura, whichmeans "good fortune." Few people realizethat the official name of Ventura is Sa n

Buenaventura.In the informal and unhurried atmos-phere of this city, air-conditioned by thesea breeze, you can choose your own pace.It has not surrendered the joys of goodliving to the demands of progress. Thisis a seaside resort community with milesof beautiful sand beaches, state parks, amunicipal fishing pier, and a small-boatmarina. The pier is open to the public,without chargeand no license is re-quired to fish here. It has a bait andtackle shop, cleaning facilities, restrooms,a restaurant, and snack shop.The Ventura Marina is one of the new-

est and finest small-boat harbors on theSouthern California coast. In addition toexcellent moorings and permanent slips,with water and electric connections, theMarina offers rentals of rowboats andsailboats for group and family fun. Reg-ularly scheduled sportfishing trips to theChannel Islands, with experienced skip-pers, are available. (Anacapa Island isonly 45 minutes by motor boat from theMarina.) The Channel Islands rankamong the greatest unspoiled fishinggrounds in the West.

For the fisherman who tires of oceanactivity, lake and stream angling is plen-tiful in the Ventura area. According tothe California Department of Fish andGame, there are at least 90 good fishingwaters within easy driving distance. How-ever, there are many attractions otherthan fishing and beach play in this city.An important monument to the past isthe old Mission on Main Street.

Mission San Buenaventura, the ninthand last mission founded by Father Juni-pero Serra, in 1782, was completed anddedicated in 1809. Since then it has beenused practically every day except fromDecember 1812 to April 1813, duringwhich time a succession of violent earth-quakes damaged the belfry and the frontof the church, making the Mission un-safe. Other than this, and the routine dif-ficulties faced by all of California's mis-

12 / Desert Magazine / Au gust, 1968


13/44

it has served faithfully for moreThe church walls, built by Indian labor,

Also in the museum are the old wood-

ave used wooden bells. A visit to theuseum is well worthwhile. Here can betwo of which were written and signedby Father Junipero Serra, in 1782. TheMission museum is open to the publicevery day, and there is no charge forthis interesting presentation of historicalrelics.

For another display of historical andpioneer objects (Spanish, Mexican andIndian), visit the Pioneer Museum onCalifornia Street. There is no charge, andit is open daily, except Sundays and holi-days. Before leaving Ventura you shoulddrive up to the Padre Serra Cross onMission Hill. Father Junipero Serra erect-ed a cross on this hill in 1782. The pre-sent one is a replacement on the exactspot of the original, and it is an inspiringsight (T he Mission Hill road takes offfrom Poli Street, near the Courthouse.)

In driving the triangle tour you'll for-get the past and enthuse over the presentbeauty of this region; the placidity of itslakes; the restful murmur of its streams,and the deep serenity of its surroundingmountains. From the city of Venturayou'll drive to the town of Santa Paula,the village of Ojai, and back to your start-ing point.

Santa Paula is a modern town with apast steeped in oil. Perhaps the best re-minder of this is the treasure chest ofyears ago known as the California OilMuseum, at the corner of Main andTenth Streets. The Union Oil Companyof California was born here in 1890. Itsoriginal building, constructed of woodthat was brought around the Horn, now

^F*B Bi^^r 11 = 1 i i :-i _ii

Ventura's Marina has all types of b oats and fishing trips.

1inf ^js, _ ^ - " " " " .-,,. ' '

, . - ' " ' . . - ^ ^ ^ " ^ ^ ^ ^

.1ission San Buenaventura was founded in 1782 by Father Junipero Serra.Cool waters of Santa Paula Creek in Steckel Park. It is stocked w ith trout.

Augu st, 1968 / Desert Mag azine / 13


14/44

Mission Hill in Ventura, with its Padre Serra Cross, offers a panoram ic view .

hake Casitas Recreation A rea, near Ojai, has camping and fishing facilities.houses this exhibition of historical dataand equipment related to the romance ofoil's early days in the West. The colorfulstory of how petroleum originated andhow it initiated a great Pacific Coast in-dustry, is graphically portrayed here.There is no charge.

Santa Paula is proud of its oil back-ground but, in recent years, it has de-veloped a leaning toward lemon juice; itis now known as the "Lemon Capital ofthe World!" About 45% of the Califor-nia and Arizona citrus fruit productionis shipped from here. The vast Limon-eira Company, reputed to be the largestcitrus firm in the world, is open to thepublic. You may tour this, and otherlarge packing plants, and view modernmethods of handling and packing citru.rfrait for shipment.There are at least a dozen County

parks in this general area. Santa Paulahas one of the finest, just three milesnorth of town, along Highway 150. Call-

ed Steckel Park, it is a 193 acre sampleof Nature's wonders located on SantaPaula Creek, which is stocked with troutfor fishing pleasure. Attractions includetwo recreation buildings, Softball, bad-minton, and volleyball courts, and restrooms (all electrically lighted until 10:00P.M.); and an amphitheater, an aviary,animal pens, playground equipment,horseshoes, archery, barbecue pits, tentand trailer camping spaces, and morethan 400 picnic tables.

The only charge for enjoyment of thispark is for overnight camping ($1.00 pernight). Dogs are allowed if kept on leashand properly controlled. Steckel Park hasa special attraction, the private exoticbird collection of Park Ranger AllenSmith. The display of about 200 livebirds includes many unique species fromall parts of the world. Their brilliant huesvery nearly call for the use of smokedglasses while viewing them!

You'll see Golden Pheasants of China,

L a d y A m h e r s t P h e a s a n t s of B u r m a , S w i n -hoe's Pheasants of" Formosa, Ghigi-GhigiPheasants of Italy, Firebacks of Thailand,Blue Peafowl of India, Green Peafowl ofJava, Black Swans of Australia, Gold andBlue Macaws of Argentina, and at least30 other rare species. A particularly in-teresting display is a number of EasterEgg Chickens! They lay eggs with pastelcolored shells (blue, green, yellow, etc.).

Proceed leisurely along Highway 150to Ojai, which is less than an hour'sdrive from Santa Paula. This low moun-tain route winds around a scenic paradiseto the crest, called V iew Point. Here you 'llsee the entire Ojai Valley spread out be-low. Ojai, which means "nest" in Chu-mash Indian language, is nestled in thisbeautiful, quiet, sheltered valley. It is apopular year round vacation spot for allwho love its beauty, recreational, and cul-tural offerings, and comfortable climate.A distinctive feature of the business dis-trict is the unique arcade structure front-ing the shop, which was constructed in1917 and stands today as the symbol ofOjai.

Every Sunday is Art Sunday here. Art-ists from all over the West exhibit andsell their paintings along the main thor-oughfare. Should you want more of thesame, drop in at the Ojai Community ArtCenter any afternoon from Tuesdaythrough Saturday, and see a fine displayof professional art. Also, keep the OjaiValley Museum in mind for a short visit.Here you'll see a collection of relics re-lated to the early days of the valley. Whenyou tire of seeing things and feel like do-ing things, you'll find many opportunitiesfor action.

Camp Comfort, Soule Park, and Den-nison Park are all nearby, offering pic-nicking and general outdoor facilities.Within 6 miles of the village is the 4500acre Lake Casitas Recreation Area. Itsopalescent fresh water lake, with a 40-mile shoreline, was created by CasitasDam, the largest earth-filled dam inSouthern California. In its scores of in-lets and hidden coves, you may test yourskill against bass, crappie, and catfish.

This aquamarine gem is a self-contain-ed area, supplying everything from baitand tackle, boat rentals, motors, dockspace, riding horses, snack bar and groc-ery store to camping trailer rentals and

Continued on Page 3714 / Desert Magazine / A ugust, 1968


15/44

One of the most spectacular sights in

ine.'Mt. Whitney rises to 14,496 feetnd other peaks are also nearby.The origin of this steep escarpment isdue to faulting and uplifting. Begin-ning about 130 million years ago, theSierra Nevada formed by graduallycrumpling into low mountains. Later,after much compression, the mountainsbuckled and the east side began to risealong a fault line. Gradually the moun-tain mass was pushed upward. Geologistsestimate it took around one million yearsto build this great wall.

The photograph shows the Sierra Ne-vada escarpment at the town of LonePine, rising above the low-dark-coloredAlabama Hills. The pointed peak nearthe left margin is Mt. Whitney. TheAlabama Hills are extremely interestingbecause patr of them is up on top ofthe scarp! That may seem strange at first,but the Alabama Hills are older than thescarp, and when the mountain mass wasuplifted part of the Alabama Hills wentwith it.

Some people think towns like LonePine and Independence along this partof the scarp will boom someday. Before

too long, they reason, the popular andexpanding sport of skiing is bound toinvade the area. Lone Pine's location isa little nearer to the great populationcenters of Southern California than aremost of the present popular skiing re-sorts. Lone Pine attracts some vacationersnow because it is the portal to Mt. Whit-ney. There are fine camping and hik-ing facilities at the foot of Mt. Whitney.Fishing, hunting, lakes, forests and oldmining camps add to the recreationalvariety of the area. The natural land-scape in the Lone Pine area is one of themost beautiful in the world.

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16/44

E s c a p e t oC O N V I C TL A K El y H e l e n W a l k e r

s the searing rays ofthe summer sun beginto scorch the grittysands of the lower val-leys, basic mechanismsof survival are trigger-edin hopes of providing continuanceof the flora, fauna, and man.Faded spring blossoms wither, andtheir swelling pods rupture, scatteringseed aloft, on drafts of hot air. Crawlingcreatures seek protection under rocks, orhide in dark crevices. A few more am-bitious dig new summer homes, burrow-ing into the hillsides or under tree roots.But man, with his advanced reasoning,escapes the entire scene. He finds relief

in the higher altitudes, where, a fewshort calendar months before, winterstorms, ice and snow chased him to thewarmth of the valley floor below. Nowhe: seeks his pleasure where the meltingsnows have provided him with lakes andstreams for fishing, exposed foot trod-den paths for hiking, and given moistureto grassy plains for camping and re-laxing.

Highway 395, in Southern California,is a main artery from which spur roadslead back into valleys and canyons forsuch recreation. As the highway continueson, beyond Bishop, it lifts over the Sher-win Grade, to the 7000 foot summit, andinto the high mesa of the Sierras. Theword "sierra" means serrated edge, andis used to accentuate the ragged razoredge of the lofty snow-crested peaks.Add to these, the pungent pines, frothyfast moving streams, quiet azure bluelakes, and you will agree that man hasmade a wise choice in his escape fromthe summer heat.

Time and violence were important

factors in the creation of the master planthat controlled this landscape. Therewere forces from withincausing up-heavals, folding and faultingexplosionsof molten material, and the flow of itslava massesinvasions of ancient seasthat drowned the peaks in their depthscutting and scarring of land and rocksurfaces by the movement of glacialmaterial as it cut through the gorges. Thestory of all these actions is written in thelandscape, and revealed in the rocks, thatawait our discovery. Just recently, newand important finds have been made. Asa consequence, the oldest rock in theSierras has been dated at 4 million yearsago. The discovery was made in the rockcliffs that rise from the south shore of

Convict Lake.Convict Lake may be reached by turn-ing off the main highway and followingthe black-topped road to its dead end.Here, encircled by the crumbling talus ofits lofty peaks, is one of the most uniquesettings of all the Sierra basins. To thenorth, the Laurel Mountains tower abovethe shores. On the south, the precipitousMount Morrison stands in back of thereddish brown cliffs that skirt the shore.It is in these rocks that the fossils of theGraptolites, a small marine animal, werefirst discovered. Other evidences of earlysea life that lived from the Paleozoic Erainclude Crinoids, also called sea lilies,Brachiopods, and their other clam-likecontemporaries. Their remains were de-

XLeeVining

^Mammoth \f x L a k u s ^ *

M a m m o t h L a k e sC 3 9 5 >

C o n v i c t

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piliCrowley_ U-ake

Bishop



17/44

in the blanket of silt and sedi-of the sea floor. They later were

mayfind in the stream beds today.The stem of the Crinoid was made up

a small disc. As the small tissuesit left the circles, which

the white and grey markings on theof the rocks.

As exciting as the geology of Convictis the more recent history which is

for the descriptive name ofand Lake. In the sum-r of 1871, a group of prisoners es-

the jail in Carson City. Theseand hardened criminals, with

of everything from horseto murder, divided themselves in

for faster travel and to con-fuse the posse. One group headed south,way into the Sierra region.

n their way, they murdered a mail rider.Their hideout was discovered and thethe dead end

in a surprise attack. With theiracks against the high mountains of Con-vict Canyon they fought a fierce battle.Somehow the convicts managed to escape.everal days later, the posse again en-countered them. This time they werecaptured and brought back to serve theirterms in the Carson jail. On the way, itis said, two of them were lynched on asnag of a tree at the mouth of ConvictCanyon.

Today, Convict Lake plays host tocampers, fishermen and back packers.There is a boat dock at the entrance tothe lake. From here the road takes off tothe left to the camp area. A narrow, butwell used, fishermans' trail winds aroundthe lake. The trail dips down to thewaters edge, and then climbs up andover obstacles. One travels through aspenand low brush, which pushes aside, asanglers come and go.

Fo r the more ambitious, Lake Mildredand Lake Dorothy trails start at the inletof Convict stream. The trails arefiveandsix miles of hard hiking. Pack trains maybe arranged for. Supplies and cabins arefound at the general store. There is alsoan excellent cafe.

In this high mesa retreat, as in othersin the High Sierra basin, youwill escapethe summer heat and find vacationing atits best.

Convict Lake hasservices for fishermen, campers and hikers with trails leadinginto good fishing spots, past cool, scenic woo dlands, g reat for an afternoon hike.

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18/44

BITTER AFTER BEING CASHIERED OUTOF THE U.S. ARMY AT FORT YUMA IN THE 188 0S,

A YOUNG MILITARY OFFICER R ENOUNCED T HE WHITE RACEAND LIVED WITH THE YUMA INDIANS AS A "SQUAW M AN ."

AS AN INDIAN TRADER, HE LEARNED OF A FABULOUS APACHEGOLD CACHE AND WAS MURDERED

AFTER VIOLATING THE CONFIDENCE OF AN APACHE CHIEF.IS THIS WHITE MAN'S FANTASY OR INDIAN LEG END

OR DOES THIS MILLION DOLLAR BONANZA STILL LIE HIDDENUNDER ARIZONA'S CROZIER PARK AREA?

WILL ANYONE EVER UNTANGLETHE COMP LICATED AND CONTROVERSIAL . . .

G O L D E NC H I M N E YO F T H E

A R I V A I P A Sby Victor Stoyan ow

the Civii Wai,Fort Yuma on the Colo-rado was a large armygarrison. The actingquartermaster of thepost was a young WestPoint graduate, said to be the scion of aprominent eastern family. In some earlynewspaper articles he is identified asThomas Maclean. He was in charge ofmuch government property, and was fairgame for the many civilian racketeers whooperated on the fringe of the ColoradoCrossing. Whether by temptation ortrickery, the quartermaster became involv-ed with these con-artists. Discovered, hewas tried for embezzlement and cashiered.Stunned and bitter, he sundered all tieswith the white race. Cultivating a friend-ship with the Yuma Indians in the barrenGila Valley, he learned their language, re-ceived blood-rites, married a Yuman prin-cess, and discarded his Christian name.He became, in other words, a "squaw-man." For several years he led a nomadicexistence with his bride in the deserts ofArizona. His withdrawal from his ownkind was relaxed only to buy staple goodsfor resale to the Indians. He becameknown to white settlers simply as "Yu-ma," and he plied a brisk if mysterioustrade throughout the many Indian tribesof the Sonora desert. He was accepted andtrusted as an adopted Indian.

Trading with Pima and Papago, Che-mehuevi and Mohave, it was inevitablethat Yuma would eventually deal withthe tigers of the desert, the Apaches, whowere the scourge of the Southwest, plun-dering far and wide. In the few periodsof relative calm, they traded with thewhites, their only source of arms andhorses. Payment for these goods was in-variably either gold nuggets or free goldin quartz.

In what is now Pinal County, Arizona,on the San Pedro River some 10 milessouth of its confluence with the Gila,there was a U.S. Cavalry post, one ofmany such garrisons established in Ari-zona to protect the territory from theApache. Originally called Fort Brecken-ridge, in 1867 it was renamed CampGrant in honor of the famous general. Itwas situated exactly where the ArivaipaCreek from the east enters the San PedroRiver.

IS / Desert Magazine / August, 1968


19/44

United States troops such as these, aided by friendly Indian guides, hunted the Apache Indians in Arizona Territory at thetime "Yuma" and his Indian wife were murdered. It is in this same type of terrain the Apache gold may b e hidden.

East of Camp Grant in the fastness ofthe Mescal Mountains dwelt the smallestof all Apache tribes. An offshoot of theWestern Coyoteros, they were commonlyknown as the Arivaipa Apache. Comparedto the Chiricahuas and Mescaleros, theywere small fry indeed, a fact which hadprofound effect on the personality of theiryoung chief, a brave in his early twentiesnamed Eskiminzin. Eskiminzin, in Apachelanguage means "Big Mouth," a monickerwhich, as the facts unfold, was wellfounded.

Yuma, in his periodic visits to the An-vaipa "rancheria," or camp, recognizedthe inferiority complex and egomania ofEskiminzin, and began to capitalize uponit. Eskiminzin, like other Apache chiefs,had access to ore containing free gold. Healso had a yen for fine guns, horses, sad-dles, and whiskey. One day in 1870Yuma, sensing that the time was ripe,played his gambithe would give the"hief all these goodies if the Apachewould show him the source of his gold.

Big Mouth agreed, stipulating Yuma

could take all the gold he could carryfrom the source, but only onceandwould never tell another living soul aboutit. If any other Apache discovered theconspiracy, it would go badly for the chiefand for Yuma.Early one morning Yuma and Eskimin-zin took on an ostensible deer hunt. Thesetwo conspirators from alien cultures sil-ently crossed the dry San Pedro nearCamp Grant and ascended a long ruggedridge in a northwesterly direction forthree miles, until they reached the crestof a low but undulating range of moun-tains overlooking the San Pedro valley tothe east. They maintained a northerlycourse for six more miles, and came to thehead of a very steep ravine. There was aledge on the eastern side of this gulch, in-dented with a slight cup-like depressionabout eight feet across.

Eskiminzin did not look at Yuma, butstood away, scanning the horizon. Word-lessly, in his inscrutable Indian fashion,the chief moved his arm in the directionof the ledge. Thus, in his mind, he ab-solved himself forever from ever having

said a word about the secret. Yuma beganto scrape at the depression, and suddenlycame upon the top of the chimneyrosequartz with enough free gold so that thepoint of his knife couldn't fit betweenthe chunks. He took samples, hastily re-placed the shale over the depression, andjoined Eskiminzin, who was patently ig-noring the whole operation. When theyreached the San Pedro once again, Eskim-inzin went to his rancheria to enjoy hisnew trappings. Yuma went directly toTucson, 65 miles away.

Yuma knew he had something big.Time was of the essence, and he neededhelp. He found a man in Tucson calledCrittenden. Crittenden had a mouth atleast as big as Eskiminzin, if not bigger.Yuma and Crittenden went to the SanPedro, avoiding contact with any andall people, although Crittenden later saidhe felt that many eyes were upon him. Hewas probably 100% correctand the eyesweren't friendly ones.

The men went directly down to the SanPedro to a point about 10 miles north of

Augu st, 1968 / Desert Maga zine / 19


20/44

Arivaipa Apaches held in chains at Ca mp Grant. A ccording to the author, this peaceful group of Apaches were, with-out provocation, slaughtered by a group o f "vigilantes" wh o took the law into their own hands. The atrocity wasdenounced by General Ulysses S. Grant as "a stain on the escutcheon o f Ame rica." A court m artial and jailing ensued.-Camp Grant. They then led their horsesup a ridge or mountain to the west, acrossits crest, where halfway down the westernside they came to the steep ravine withthe ledge and the queer depression. Ac-cording to Yuma, this was the type of for-mation which was hard to locate in theblind, but one which neither flood norlandslide could obliterate.In the dead of night they dug up 30pounds of the quartz, this time with axes,they packed the rock into their saddlebags, and returned to Tucson. Crushingand assaying the ore in Tucson, the valuecame to $1200 for the thirty poundsinother words, it assayed at $51,000 perton. This could hardly be kept quiet, andthe town exploded. The two adventurersdecide to play it cool and lay low for awhile. But just as every army worth itssalt has its intelligence system, so theApaches had their spies in Tucson.

The payoff didn't take long. Yuma tookhis squaw, in company with a group ofPapago Indians, to the westacross Papa-goria, that vast expanse of desert whichis still largely uninhabited today. On theirthird day out, just beyond the GrowlerMountains, the group was overtaken bythe Apaches, who killed Yuma and hiswife.Although the Apaches and Papagoswere enemies, the raiding force made noattempt to harm the Papagos. The Papa-gos buried Yuma and his squaw nearGrowler Pass, and later related the inci-dent to a Franciscan priest at the San Xa-vier del Bac mission.

Crittenden, not knowing what had hap-pened to Yuma, came out of hiding inlate 1870 and decided to go back to thebonanza alone. He went via Camp Grant,and this time made no attempt to concealhis plans, relating both his and Yuma's

experiences to all who would listen. Thepost commander at that time was Lieuten-ant Royal Whitman, who had just ar-ranged a workable accord for peace andharmony with Eskiminzin in which theArivaipa Apaches would remain in theirrancheria, and Camp Grant would pro-vide the impoverished tribe with the ne-cessities of life. Unfortunately, Whitmandid this without clearing it with the com-mander of the Department of Arizona,General Stoneman. It can be presumedthe Lieutenant did not take too well toCrittenden's unabashed plan of goingafter Eskiminzin's gold.Crittenden took off for the location,and was never seen again. Ten days later,one of Whitman's patrols found Critten-den's horse, half dead, tethered ten milesdown from the San Pedro, and later hisColt .45 was found nearby, its ammuni-tion expended. This apparently deservedonly a brief and cryptic line or two in the



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Morning Report ofCamp Grant.Early in 1871 the depredations of theApache nation ingeneral against Ameri-cans and Mexicans reached anuntenablestate. The Arivaipas, however, were notinvolved inthe action. They were havinga hard enough time keeping alive, andthe arrangement between WhitmanandEskiminzin was, slowly but surely, bear-ing fruit, as usually itdoes between small-

unit commanders on a working level.Nevertheless, agroup ofTucson civilian"vigilantes"Americans andMexicans,and Papagos, decided tostage a reprisal.The target they singled out was the Ari-vaipa rancheria, the nearest, weakest, andleast culpable of theApache enclaves.Avoiding anddeceiving Camp Grantpatrols, these "heroes" surrounded theAvivaipa camp atnight, and atdaybreakcommitted what hasbecome known asthe Camp Grant massacre. Itwas ablood-bath in which thewhites slaughteredevery Apache adult they could find27Arivaipa children were kidnapped andtransported into slavery inMexico. Onlysix ofthese innocents w ere ever recovered.This atrocity was denounced by UlyssesS. Grant himself as a "stain on the escut-cheon ofAmerica." Lieutenant Whitmanbecame the scapegoat forthe affair, firstfor having made aprivate, albeit progres-sive deal, with the Arivaipas, and second

for not having prevented the massacre. Hewas summarily relieved, court-martialed,and imprisoned.Perplexing is the fact that Eskiminzinwas not at home during theraid. WasBig Mouth out"deer-hunting," asoncebefore? Noone knows, butanyway, heescaped theslaughter. Hewas later ar-rested and put towork on a chain-gangat Camp Grant. The reason for this isobscure, but it was byorder of GeneralO. O. Howard, thepresidential envoy

sent toclear upthe Apache mess.I became interested inthe golden chim-

ney afew years ago after I'd read an 1887article inthe Phoenix Gazette on the sub-ject, which concluded in part: "In thecase of the 'Yuma' gold mine, there issolid foundation infact, and one ofthesedays some lucky prospector will stumbleon this immensely rich deposit ofore . . .it cannot beover thirty miles from thejunction of the Gila and the San PedroRivers."

Using Yuma's waybill, I consulted two

USGS 15minute quadrangle maps ofArizona: Winkelman, and Holy Joe Peak.I began towonder if Yuma had flunkedthe course in Terrain Appreciation atWest Point. There is no ridge goingnorthwest from anypoint on the SanPedro. However, there is a ridge thatruns west from thesite of oldCampGrant, and three miles after it takes offfrom Lookout Mountain (thewesternpicket-station for Camp Grant) it ap-proaches thesummit of Antelope Peak.Going north from there along the crestof this somewhat dubious range, onepasses Cedar Mountain, andeventuallyone can once again see theSan Pedrofrom the top ofsome promontories calledthe Horse Hills.

Getting there onwheels is somethingelse. State Highway 77from Mammothto Winkelman traverses old Camp Grant,bu t tocross the San Pedro from the east,even in a 4-wheel drive, you must go toWinkelman andcross theriver onto awinding trail laughingly called RomeroRoad. Romero Road crosses theHorseHills. From the west, Romero Road canbe reached from Florence, along the oldBaskerville Road, orfrom 20 miles northof Tucson on route 80, cutting offto theeast along Brady Wash. Both of thesewestern approaches cross the "tracklessbasin" of which Yuma spokean areacut byhuge barrancas like CottonwoodWash inwhich, during the thunderstormseason, you can quickly lose vehicle andall under twenty tons ofwet sand. Thereare many deep prospect holes withnothing atthe bottomperhaps the workof those seeking thefabulous chimney.There are two old mines onthe westernslope: Silver Queen, andAntelope, andthe old Ripsey Mine further to the north-west. These mines had long ago yieldedscheelite, wolframite, and other tungstenoresbut nowhere in theHorse Hillscould be found the ledge, the depression,and the beautiful quartz of Eskiminzin.

Shortly after my first unsussessful tripto find theledge, I raninto a formerMarine buddy whom I hadknown inKorea. He is anApache (not Arivaipa)w h o , after the Korean War, went to col-lege and today is a prosperous business-man. Since heprefers to remain anony-mous, Iwill call him Apache Smith. Fromwhat he told me I decided to have anothercrack atfinding the gold.

Continued on page 34

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D i i v i o s A U R S T R O C J

VERMILION CLIFFSb y E A R I SpEiNidlovE

IK E a breaker on astorm-tossed sea, a bril-liantly colored, canyon-cut plateau rises out ofthe grey desert of south-western United States.

For a hundred miles, from Zion NationalPark on the west to Lee's Ferry on theColorado, this giant red wave rolls andtumbles back and forth across the Utah-Arizona border. The edge of the plateau,known as the Vermilion Cliffs, is charac-terized by a massive slab of vermilioncolored sandstone, resting on steep,rough, red and blue shale slopes.

Written in the water-laid layers ofshale and sandstone are the first pages ofa fantastic chapter of geologic historyThe Age of Dinosaurs! Here, preservedfor posterity, are tracks made by thestrangest animals the world has everknown as they ambled over the ancientmud flats and flood plains, long beforethe dawn of history.

I first saw these prehistoric imprints atPipe Spring National Monument, innorthern Arizona. Leonard Heaton, form-er caretaker at the Monument, also toldme of two men in Kanab, Utah whocould show me tracks in that area. Later,with Boyd McAllister as a guide, I fol-lowed Highway 89 a couple of miles tothe north of Kanab and stopped justsouth of the bridge over Kanab Creek. Afew hundred yards to the east, in a sand-stone outcropping on a low ridge, I saw

the largest tracks I have yet seen in theVermilion Cliffs. Two hours later, in anarrow canyon a mile north of Kanab, Isaw the smallest.

The large tracks, almost two feet indiameter, were made by a huge beast thatsloshed across a saturated sandbar thatwas apparently covered by a thin sheet ofwater. Water immediately filled the de-pressions left by the tub-like feet andblurred the details of the footprint. Therew a s , however, no question as to theirauthenticity. The trail of depressions

could be traced across the rock, and inplaces one could see where the great tailhad dragged through the water-rippledsand. Apparently this big lizard used histail to balance himself in an upright po-sition as he splashed over the sandybeaches and riverbanks in an age that hasbeen lost in antiquity.

The small tracks were somewhat of ashock to me. The word dinosaur had al-ways brought mental pictures of giganticman-eating reptiles and it was hard torealize that tracks, less than an inch long,

_ . v % _ . ^



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Tracks made by dinosaurs as they ambled over a prehistoric mud flat. Thesetracks are in a limey layer of sandstone near the top of the Verm ilion Cliffs.Tracks vary in length from 8 to 18 inches, and the reptiles took 4 to 5-foot steps.were also made by dinosaurs.

These tiny tracks looked like they hadbeen made by a three-toed house cat. Theanimal that made them was certainly nolarger than a cat, probably about the sizeof a cottontail rabbit. The stride of thislittle reptile measured less than fourinches from the toe of one footprint tothe heel of the next. When it walkedacross the rock, it apparently walked onall four feet for imprints of two sizeswere found together. The smaller tracks,made by the front feet were either rightbeside the larger ones, or had been oblit-erated by them. Evidently, when thisLilliputian lizard walked on all fours,its hind feet stepped on or near thetracks left by its front feet, just as is thecase of our present day four-footed ani-mals.

On another day, J. S. (Jody) Johnsonand I drove 14 miles east of Kanab andclimbed to the top of a high cliff a coupleof miles north of the Page Highway.There, where wind and water had ex-posed a limey layer of sandstone, were big,bird-like tracks of two sizes. The eight-inch tracks of the smaller animal wereabout four feet apart. The larger dino-saur took giant five and a half foot stepsas he strolled over the wet sand on feetthat were 18 inches long.Whether the two animals were dif-ferent species, or whether the smallertracks were made by a young animal ofthe same species, is a matter of conjecture.One thing is certain, neither were in a

hurry as they ambled, side by side, overthat prehistoric mud flat.On that long-forgotten day when these

particular reptiles wandered along whatis now the Utah-Arizona W


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was 50 feet from the end of histo his great, terrible head

he held 20 feet above the ground.he moved about on three-toed,

his main weapon wassix inches long.

he was on earth, this bloodthirstyHe wasking of

he surveyed.This violent, vicious, meat-eater wasby any means, the largest dinosaur.

. . . the Brachiosaurus,he Diplodocr/s, and Brontosaurus werell larger than he was.Some of these100feet longand weighed a half a hundred tons! Thewell known Brontosaurs, (from theGreek, bronto sauros, meaning "thunderlizard") had reverted to walking on fourlegs and spending much of his life wal-

lowing in the shallow water to supporthis tremendous weight. The search forfood to satisfy an appetite that matchedhis huge body was a never ending task.His head was small, scarcely more thana swelling at the end of a long-snake-like neck. The brain in this tiny head ishardly worth mentioning. It did littlemore than work his jaws, and it is doubt-ful whether he knew enough to come inout of the rain without being told. Likemany of theother prehistoric giants withpea-sized brains, the Brontosaurus had anover-sized ganglion toward the base ofhis spine, and probably did his bestthinking with the seat of his pants, so tospeak.

What rang the death knell for theseMesozoic giants? To date, no completelysatisfactory answer has been given. Wehumans generally say, in our superiorway, that these stupid idiots were unableto adapt themselves to a rapidly changingenvironment, to a changing food supply;or that they were unable to compete withanimals of greater intelligence. Wepointwith pride to puny man who, becauseofhis ability to think and express histhoughts, is able to rule the world. W etend to forget, however, that the dino-saurs reigned supreme for almost 120million years, andman, intelligent thoughhe is, has been on earth for a little overa million years, and has already created ameans for hisown destruction.

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B I L E T A I O H IP H O T O S B I

The popular Smith Hotel in the town of Crittenden inHREE miles north of the ured these boom ing towns and mineslittle town of Patagonia needed a closer shipp ing center and whenin southern Arizona by the railroad officials ag reed, Crittendenthe side of Highway 82sits a rock house peaceful and homey.The windmill is turning and you mightsee Helene May working among the flow-ers in her yard.

When Mrs. Helene May was born with-in these same walls some 70 odd yearsago, the sign over the keystone read,"Smith Hotel." It was the heart of thelively shipping and supply center of Crit-tenden, a town established by Mrs. May'sfather, John Smith, in the early 1880s.The new Territory of Arizona was araw and rugged land at that time. Fortswere too scattered for ample protectionfrom the Apaches and the rich silvermines in nearby Patagonia and Santa RitaMountains already had a long and bloodyhistory. The railroads had just started inthe Territory in 1878 and the nearestshipping centers were many miles awayfrom the mines, over rough wagon roadsto Nogales or the newly establishedTombstone.

Helene May's father, John Smith, fig-

was born. When a depot, water tank,pump house, section house, cattle pensand ore platforms were being built, JohnSmith was building the stone hotel, andbeside it, the kitchen and dining room,separate living quarters, and then a storeand post office. Restaurant, saloons, liv-ery stables, blacksmith shops followed.The 'gee' and 'haw' and other colorfulexpressions of jerkline operators rang outin Crittenden day and night as heavy orewagons pulled by 20 or 36 horse teamstrundled into town.Crittenden and the Smith Hotel werein business. Teamsters, tired, dirty andhungry, washed and then sat down at thebig table in the Smith dining room wheremeals were served for 50(. Four or fivesalt cellars were spaced along the table,and coffee was served in the big, oldhandleless mugs that weighed one poundempty.

"Helped keep their hands warm," Mrs.May told us, and then, as an afterthought,"helped keep the men in line, too! Therewas some of them that got hit in the

the 1880s.head with a coffee mug!"

In the Smith Hotel, there were sixdownstairs rooms that rented for 50(t anight. "But," explained Helene May,"mother carried in all of the water andcarried out all of the slops." Upstairsbunks were 25 in the big, open roomfilled with cotseach with its own bed-table and candle. The men had to comedownstairs to the general washstand andthe outdoor toilet.

Crittenden's citizenry grew to around500 people. Wagons that brought in orepulled out with supplies. Everything fromfoods and liquors to machinery or tim-bers headed from Crittenden to themines, on wagons or pack horses. Heavy12" x 12" timbers were slung betweenmules for the trek.

Following the ore wagons back intothe Patagonia or Santa Rita Mountainsback into Arizona history, we find todayone of the most interesting pockets ofghost towns in the west; all quiet andpeaceful now, undisturbed and at restlike benign madams, basking in the sunand remembering other years.Southern Arizona is often thought of

as a winter vacationland, but the little26 / Desert Magazine / A ugust, 1968


27/44

own of Patagonia, the gateway to thetain area, has an elevation of 4044 feet,from which you go up to 6000 feet ormore. Perfect for a balmy summer vaca-tion or for vacationing anytime of theyear with the possible exception of theheart of the winterand preferably, along visit for this land is like a deeptreasure chest.

Going toward the Mexican borderfrom Patagonia, the first ghost town isHarshaw, followed within approximatelythe next 25 miles right down to the bor-der by Hardshell, Mowry, WashingtonCamp, Duquesne, Lochiel. Or headingnorth from Patagonia is the old town ofSalero. Through both ranges are assortednameless adobe ruins, old lonely adobechimneys and many, many old minesalong the side roads and old trails.Harshaw boomed to life around 1879,a mill town founded by David T. Har-shaw, for the many rich silver mines inproduction nearbythe Hermosa, Trenchand World's Fair. Shortly before Critten-den was born, Harshaw was in full swing.Besides a 20-stamp mill, Harshaw's mainstreet ran the equivalent of about ninecity blocks with hotels, liveries, black-smith shops, restaurantsall of stone,adobe or frame. Spread throughout thetown were 15 saloons and the town's

2000 plus population supported its ownnewspaper, the Arizona Bullion.During Harshaw's short and livelyboom, it was subjected to a series of de-vastating flash floods and a major fire.Supply wagons and mail were interceptedby Apaches who razed and massacred.But this was all part of the Arizona pic-ture at that time and as long as the minescontinued to produce, Harshaw took an-other drink and bounced back. The 1880mill report of the rich Hermosa mine two

miles south of Harshaw gave a fourmonth run as $364,654 in silver. Duringits 18 months of continuous operation,the mine shipped approximately $1,300,-000 in ore and kept an average of 200men on the payroll.In late 1881, all of the large mines be-

gan to run out of ore. The mill shutdown and practically all of the approxi-mately 200 buildings in Harshaw werevacated. A sprinkling of habitation hasremained in Harshaw through the suc-ceeding years. The main street today,however, still wears the stamp of the

Boothill of the boomtown of Harshaw. Many graves have names of Spanish andMexican residents, who lived here in the middle of the G adsen Purchase era.

mRemains of Arizona's towns of the past invite exploring, but be careful of anyabandoned mine shafts. Lower, old adobe chimney is a lone desert sentinel.

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boomtown among its ruins, adobe hutsan j stone fc/uiWmgs. Its 'koothill' besidethe road bears names of those who livedand died at Harshaw in the '80s, aftercontributing their bit to Arizona's color-ful history.

Mowry is the oldest of these ghosttowns, completely deserted and in remark-able condition considering its advancedage. This mine was reportedly discoveredin 1857 by Mexican prospectors who lo-cated rich veins of silver in old shafts.Nestled in a beautiful mountain valleyare Mowry's adobe ruinsstorehouse,stores, homes, bunkhouseplus the rustymine ruins and the honey-combed hillsof deep, open chasms and shafts, old andtreacherous.

Sylvester Mowry, of the Mowry mine,was an early champion of Arizona, aWest Point graduate, delegate-elect toCongress, and an eloquent speaker andprolific scribe. Pertinent excerpts fromhis works fan the imagination and adda new dimension to browsing in the Pata-gonia and Santa Rita Mountains. Refer-ring to Jesuit missionaries around 1687,Mowry says, "The reports of the immensemineral wealth of the new country, madeby Jesuits, induced a rapid settlement.There are laid down on the map beforeme more than forty towns and villages."The map was drawn by the Jesuits in1757."The notes . . . contain the names andlocalities of more than a hundred silverand gold mines which were worked withgreat success by the Spaniards. The sur-vey of the Jesuit priest about 1697 wasrepeated in 1710 with renewed discover-ies, and consequent accessation of popu-lation," he wrote.Telling of Spanish occupation toaround 1820, Mowry says, "The mis-sions and settlements were repeatedly de-

stroyed by the Apaches, and the priestsand settlers massacred or driven off. Asoften were they re-established. The In-dians, thoroughly aroused by the crueltiesof the Spaniards, and forced to labor inthe silver mines with inadequate food,finally rose, joined with tribes who hadnever been subdued, and gradually droveout or massacred their oppressors. A su-perior civilization disappeared beforetheir devastating career, and today thereis scarcely a trace of it left, except scarce-ly visible ruins, evidence everywhere ofextensive and hastily-deserted mining

1 1 1 1 1 1 I i i ii 11 i >sJi f f t i l u t i j . - ' < r;_ 2

Above, Helene M ay stands in front of her home and birthplace, once the SmithHotel. Earthquake caused removal of the uppe r story. Lower, only the wallsof a home remain at Hardshell.

operations, and the tradition of thecountry."Today, virtually every canyon bearsdim traces of trails or wagon roads, ofcamps, settlements and old mine dumps,making it an ideal area for back-packingor a day's hike. It's a pocket of historyforever affected by the Apache's 300 yearwar against Papagos, Spaniards and thenearly 'gringos'founders and developersof the ghost towns and of Crittenden, apage of Arizona's history before and

shortly after she became the Territory ofArizonaa time when the Apache great-ly outnumbered the white man.Every trace of Crittenden was carriedaway in flood waters except for theSmith Hotel. All that remains today ofthe once busy railroad into Crittendenis a toothless ridge through the grass.The Smith Hotel, Helene May's birth-

place and home, is her treasure chest ofmemories of the old westand herhouse by the side of the road. 28 / Desert Magazine / Aug ust, 1968


29/44

HE history of the desertSouthwest is liberallysprinkled with colorfulaccounts of outlaws andmasked bandits. Butthose days are gone for-ever, and no one expects to meet any ofthese rootin'-tootin' renegades today.Now they live only on the TV screenat least, most of them.

Actually there is one still at large, andhas been for years. Today he is still themasked bandit he was a century ago. Butalthough this outlaw may terrorize many afellow creature, he does not intimidatepeoplemostly because he is not bigenough, but also because this character isonly a small bird.

He is called Loggerhead Shrike by orni-thologists, but nicknamed "butcher bird"or "masked bandit" by early pioneers.The shrike's head markings whichmake him appear to be wearing a mask,and his strange habits, have earned himthe reputation of an outlaw. He is an

odd bird and difficult to label. He canhardly be called a songbird because hissong is a harsh squawk that is most un-musical. The shrike is not exactly a birdof prey, either. Although he catches preymuch like hawks and owls do, he doesnot have their sharp talons.This feathered bandit is no largerthan a robin but he is much bolder. Youwould not expect to see such a bird dartfrom a tree and snatch up a mouse or asnake. But that is just what the shrike

does. Since he does not eat seeds, he mustcatch small animals for food. Most of hisfood is insect life such as beetles andgrasshoppers but he will not pass up liz-ards, small snakes or rodents.As he perches on a limb or a fence, hiseagle-eyes scan the countryside for a pos-sible meal. If he does not soon spy amouse or grasshopper he may settle fora small bird.The shrike has often been accused ofdaying sparrows and other songbirds,but he usually goes after easier prey.Catching a beetle is a much easier task

than running down a bird. But like mostanimals, the shrike will attack anythinghe thinks he can overpower if food be-comes scarce.

One of the strangest things about thisbird is his habit of hanging his prey ona thorn or the barbs of a wire fence. Ofcourse, he often eats his food at once ifhe is hungry, but he always puts part ofhis daily catch on a thorn or wire barb.It is especially common during the nest-ing season to see a barbed wire fence ora thorny thicket decorated with a dozengrasshoppers that the shrike has impaledthere.

For many years it was not understoodwhy the masked bandit had this curioushabit of impaling his prey. Many peopleaccused him of doing it simply for mean-ness, but further study has shown that heis not really such a savage villain.Since the shrike does not have strongfeet with sharp claws, it is difficult forhim to tear his food into bite-sizedpieces. So the smart little butcher bird

anchors his prey on a thorn. Then he cantear it with his beak.It is still not known why he sometimes

leaves some of his food hanging on thethorn. Perhaps he just flies off to chaseanother grasshopper or a mouse and willreturn to eat it later.

b y R o b e r t H .The shrike's table manners may not bevery dainty, but he is always welcome on

any farm or ranch that he selects for hishome. The insects and rodents he catchessave the farmer many dollars in cropdamage.The masked bandit is especially helpfulin controlling insects when he has hun-gry little mouths to feed. These birdshave large families, usually six eggs percl

196808 Desert Magazine 1968 August

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