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VOLUME 44 NUMBER 8 September, 1981
Editor
STEPHEN SIMPSON
Associate Editors
KATHRYN KRAHENBUHI.
E. S. MITMAN
Editorial Intern
LIZA E. KAMPS
Art Director/Photo Editor
THOMAS THREINEN
Design Consultant
PEGGY FLETCHER
and think you are better served this Graphic Artists
way. GITTA PFAHL
LIZ MCDONALD
In this issue, you will notice the
Archives Librarian
heart of the stoic desert rat loosen-
JUDIPERSKY
ing up a bit and becoming more ex- Contributing Editors
pressive, more communicative. CHORAL PEPPER, Special Projects
There is more humor, more per- NORMA LEE BROWNING, Special Projects
sonal involvement. The text accom- KAREN SAUSMAN, Natural Sciences
WAYNE P. ARMSTRONG, Natural Sciences
panying the photography of Jeff
Director of Advertising
Gnass and Thomas Hewitt tells you KEVIN ANDERSEN
more about the people behind the
I WOULD LIKE to ask you to
pay more attention to this issue
of Desert magazine. Look just a
bit closer at what the writers have to
lens, the feelings and thoughts they
have, than you would otherwise get
from a straight presentation of
Advertising Sales
BILL SCHAUL
JOHN MORRISON
Advertising Coordinator
say and how they say it. I have photos. I would like to thank them TERRI BIANCO
specifically requested that they take for their willingness to com- Circulation Director
TERRY WILLIAMS
more license with their communica- municate. That is not always an
Financial Consultant
tion and expression. Our job is to easy thing for an artist to do verbal- LIZ FERGUSON
serve you, and I would like to know iy- Executive Publisher
if you think we are living up to that Desert magazine is older than JULIE BRAZEAU
responsibility. anyone on this staff. We are young Publisher
I think we are. and we are committed—and in our ED SEYKOTA
with an absence of judgemental grand and diverse as this, we cannot Desert Magazine ISSN 0194-3405, is published monthly by
comment that speaks well for jour- go wrong. Desert Communication Corporation. Editorial Office: P.O. Box
1318, Palm Desert, CA 92261. Telephone: (714) 568-2781.
nalistic integrity. These people and Thank you,
Business Office: 121 West E Street, Encinitas, CA 92024.
Telephone: (714) 436-4218. Second Class Postage paid at En-
cinitas, California and at additional offices. Copyright 1981 by
others care more about the reader Desert Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from
and communication of the subject the Publisher. Subscription rates for U.S. and its possessions,
Canada and Mexico: 1 year, $15. Elsewhere: Add $4 per year sur-
matter than they do about "sound- face, $20 per year air mail (U.S. currency). To Subscribe, Renew
or Change Address: Write Desert Magazine, 121 West E St., En-
ing like a writer." I appreciate that cinitas, CA 92024. Please allow six weeks for processing and in-
clude, where applicable, the address label from your most recent
copy. Exact zip codes are required by the Post Office. Donors of gift
subscriptions should include their own name and address as well as
those of the recipient(s). POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF
ADDRESS BY FORM 3579 TO DESERT MAGAZINE, 121
WEST E ST., ENCINITAS, CA 92024. Contributions: The
Editor welcomes unsolicited manuscripts and photographs, but
they can be returned only if accompanied by S.A.S.E. or interna-
tional exchange coupons. While we treat submissions with care, we
cannot assume responsibility for loss or damage. Payment is upon
acceptance. Writers Guide free with S.A.S.E.; Sample copy,
$1.50. Photographers: Please include technical data with each
photograph submitted.
SI-PTKMBER, 1981
SHIFTING SANDS
by Ed Seykota
On Laughter
Laughter is the spark of the soul. It gives us delight in
our days. Here are some thoughts about laughter.
Laughing is the sensation of feeling You grow up the day you have the
good all over, and showing it prin- first real laugh—at yourself.
cipally in one spot. Ethel Barrymore
Bob Hope
People who believe in little laugh at
A good laugh is sunshine in a little.
house. Leonard Feeney
Thackeray
There is almost nothing I won't
Though laughter is looked upon by laugh at.
philosophers as the property of Stephen Simpson
reason, the excess of it has always
been considered the mark of folly. He laughs best who laughs last.
Addison English Proverb
Laughter is a most healthful exer- I like the laughter that opens the
tion; it is one of the greatest helps to lips and the heart, that shows at the
digestion with which I am ac- same time pearls and the soul.
quainted; and the custom prevalent Victor Marie Hugo
among our forefathers, of exciting it
at table by jesters and buffoons, was A laugh is worth a hundred groans
founded on true medical principles. in any market.
Hufeland Charles Lamb
Excellent authority tells us that the The loud laugh, that speaks the va-
right laughter is medicine to weary cant mind.
bones. Oliver Goldsmith
Carl Sandburg
Laughter makes your hair grow.
Men show their character in Diana Cooper
nothing more clearly than by what
they think laughable. Conversation never sits easier than
Goethe when we now and then discharge
ourselves in a symphony of laugh-
No one is more profoundly sad than ter; which may not improperly be
he who laughs too much. called the chorus of conversation.
Richter Sir Richard Steele
DESERT
LETTERS
Does Anyone Care? well as Steuer's magnificent photography I wish that I could go on a desert trip or
I could not resist writing any longer. (I'm an amateur photographer, too!). so, but have given up driving. I shall
We want you to know there are many of William H. Briare, Mayor probably be leaving in a few weeks to go
us old-time desert people who are sick or Las Vegas, Nevada to South Africa to see old friends.
very unhappy about what you and your Today, I read this month's issue of Desert May good fortune be with you and the
group have done to Desert. and wish to tell you that I enjoyed it very dear magazine.
You have made it look like more than much. I was glad to see Choral Pepper Cyria Henderson
1,000 other newsstand magazines—even a and Karen Sausman's names as Con- Palm Desert, California
product evaluation on airplanes tributing Editors. Thank you for my Sagebrush Rebellion Strikes
(brother!). copies. Again
Many of us, for years, have looked for- It does not seem possible that my hus- In your editorial in the January [1981]
ward to the arrival of Desert. Now this band (Randall Henderson) is no longer issue of Desert, you imply that all western
pleasure is gone, too. Keep sending it, or alive. I have been in Palm Desert for people are Sagebrush Rebels. The truth
don't. We don't care. Oh, what's the use! several months, and can hardly believe is, most environmentalists, sportsmen,
Floyd J. Peters that it has grown so much. hunters, fishermen, prospectors, small
North Shore, California
I know what you mean, Floyd. Or
maybe I don't know what you mean.
Write and tell me—or don't write The Governor Speaks Out
and tell me. I care, or maybe I don't I have enjoyed reading Desert Those letters promise an economic
care. Oh, what's the use? magazine for many years. Your recent bonanza to some Nevadans, destruction
Playfully, editorials have added a very positive of precious resources to others. To
Editor note to the vital land issue in the West, most of us, they represent a mixture of
Rattlesnake Remedy which has become known as the Sage- benefits and liabilities. I would prefer
We are interested in the letters on get- brush Rebellion. Your support of state to have it deployed elsewhere, but, put-
ting rid of rattlesnakes, but no one men- control of unappropriated lands is en- ting personal opinion aside, I have
tioned the easiest way. When out on a couraging. Also, your continual urg- launched a massive statewide effort to
prospect near Globe, Arizona, our pros- ing of the Federal Government to use assess the impact of the proposal, so
pector and his wife stayed in a shack with common sense in regulating activities that we will be prepared should a por-
a wooden floor. The rattlesnakes under on public lands is most timely. tion of the system be deployed in
this floor were so loud that these people We in Nevada are laying the Nevada.
were kept awake. They got two energetic necessary groundwork to guarantee In the event of construction, my Ad-
full-grown cats, and in a month—no proper management of public lands, ministration is committed to minimiz-
snakes!! Just give the cats water, but no should we be successful in our Sage- ing the negative impacts of the system
• food. If there are rodents around, they'll brush Rebellion. A proposal to the to our citizens, resources and environ-
disappear too. Nevada Constitution, which requires ment. I urge your readers to demand
Like your new format! Especially liked approval by two successive sessions of through their elected representatives
the Desert Ship [Nov. 1980] article. the legislature and a vote by the general in Congress that if the MX must be
E. Foster Scholey public, would provide three important deployed in Nevada and Utah, a com-
Prescott, Arizona 86301 guarantees: prehensive, detailed and accurate en-
Desert Devotees Retention of most public lands in vironmental assessment be prepared by
I was delighted to learn of your plan to public ownership; the Federal Government with all
feature the desert areas surrounding Las Retention of permanent public access negative impacts completely overcome
Vegas in your upcoming September over any public lands that would be whenever possible.
issue. As mayor of the "Entertainment sold; and The articles in Desert magazine con-
Capital of the World," I have a great love Management of public lands in a tinue to be enlightening and entertain-
for the desert and enjoy more than 200 balanced, multiple-use manner for the ing, your photographs outstanding,
cacti I've collected for a garden at my benefit of the greatest number of your editorial positions right on target.
home. The name of your magazine sug- citizens possible. Keep up the good work on your fine
gests my favorite part of the country: the One of the greatest challenges we face magazine.
great deserts of the Southwest! is the proposed deployment of the Robert List, Governor
I enjoyed the article in your July [1981] massive MX missile system. MX: Carson City, Nevada
issue on the Santa Catalina Mountains, as
SEPTEMBER, 1981
miners and rockhounds oppose it. We do
not want a situation like the one that ex-
ists in Texas, where three whole counties
are owned and closed to the public by the
King Ranch. In Arizona, on the "trust
lands," there are more than 9,000,000
acres undergoing intensive exploitation
for the sole purpose of revenue.
Others who oppose it are ex-Gov. Mike
O'Callaghan of Nevada, Gov. Lamm of
Colorado and Gov. Babbitt of Arizona. A
Sagebrush Rebellion bill, ABJ16, failed
to pass in the California Energy and
Natural Resources Committee. The
voters of the state of Washington voted
down their Sagebrush Rebellion two to
one.
I have roamed the public lands in eight
western states for 33 years and have not
seen a Bureau of Land Management
"no trespassing" sign.
Larry Berths
Fallon, Nevada
Good Intentions
I read with interest the article Reprieve
for Brighty in the May [1981] issue. It is
unfortunate that ignorance and sentimen-
tality have prevailed over the knowledge
and experience of wildlife biologists in
persuading Congress to pass laws that
make the control of the populations of
wild horses and burros, not only in parks
but in public lands, extremely difficult if
not impossible.
The entirely predictable result is now
LAKE POWELL, LAKE MEAD AND LAKE M0HAVE offer Westerners what others come cross-
taking place:
country to enjoy...a combined 2,700 miles of scenic shoreline on which to beach, explore and
1. Uncontrolled population growth.
camp. And 230,000 surface acres of clear, sun-drenched water on which to boat, ski, swim
2. Crowding-out of native animal
and fish.
species.
These gorgeous Colorado River lakes, surrounded by Arizona, Nevada and Utah, are served
3. Over-grazing, with destruction of
by 6 Del Webb marinas (National Park Service authorized concessions). Our services include
plant cover, erosion of the land and
rental houseboats, powerboats and sailboats, boat tours, motels, housekeeping units, restaurants,
long-term if not permanent reduction
stores, RV hookups and campgrounds. All are open year-around. Not all locations offer all services.
of the carrying capacity of the land.
4. Reduction of the population by star-
For reservations, call TOLL-FREE 1-800-528-6154
vation and disease.
In Arizona, call 1-800-352-6508 or 602-264-8466
One wonders if Cleveland Amory and
the other groups will be willing to take
the difficult and expensive action Lake Powell: WAHWEAP • BULLFROG • HALL'S CROSSING • HITE
necessary to prevent one more illustration
Lake Mead: CALLVILLE BAY Lake Mohave: C0TT0NW00D COVI
of the adage, "The road to Hell is paved
with good intentions."
John R. Ledbetter, M.D.
Rogersville, Alabama For color brochure, write: P.O. BOX 29040 • PHOENIX, AZ 85038
DESERT
THE LIVING DESERT
by Susan Durr Nix
The Peerless
Pronghorn
Meet the swiftest, keenest-
eyed land animal in the world.
M
EET THE "antelope" that
played with the deer and roamed
with the buffalo in vast herds
over the rangelands of America less than
150 years ago. Meet a living fossil, the last
of a once-numerous and strictly American
family of hoofed and horned cud-chewers
whose heyday passed about 10 million
years ago. Meet the swiftest, keenest-eyed
land animal in the world. Meet the prong-
horn.
How is it you've.missed this superlative
creature until now? Unless he's an avid
hunter or lives near the Sheldon National
Antelope Refuge in Nevada, a Southwest-
erner nowadays is unlikely ever to have
heard of pronghorns, let alone seen them.
They've gone the way of the buffalo,
snatched from the jaws of extinction just in
time. An estimated 30-60 million ranged
west of the Mississippi from Canada to
Mexico in 1824; a mere 70 years later,
fewer than 20,000 were left. Pronghorns
now survive only in refuges and isolated
areas, mostly in the less populated North-
west.
Antelope is as inaccurate a name for a
pronghorn as buffalo is for a bison. Our
forefathers applied the name to these
petite, graceful animals whom we now
know to be more closely related to sheep
than to anything else. Antilocapridae (goat- of antlers is more elaborately branched
antelope) is the family name, a token of the than the last until the animal reaches its
taxanomic difficulties the pronghorn prime; thereafter they decline annually. There must be few
posed until the fossil record cleared up the The oldest buck, therefore, may have
puzzle of its confused characteristics. antlers no larger than a yearling's. discouragements in
Part of the confusion stems from the
distinction between horns and antlers.
The oldest bighorn ram, on the other
hand, has the herd's most magnificent set
the life of a coyote
Solid bone antlers, such as a deer's, are of horns. As fixtures, horns grow con- equal to the pursuit
shed and regrown annually. A network of tinuously. They are hollow, nourished by
blood vessels called velvet covers them as internal blood vessels and supported by a of a rump-flashing
they grow and etches well defined grooves living, bony core. Unlike antlers, they do
in the bone, clearly visible when the velvet not fork and branch. pronghorn.
dries up and falls off. Each succeeding set The horned are quite distinct from the
8 SEPTEMBER, 1981
extra hooves on the back of the leg above special muscles that literally make his hair
4* the true hoof. He is the only two-toed stand on end. The long, erect side
animal on the continent. filaments turn outward a full four inches,
Why he alone of all his family survived effectively doubling the size of the patch.
into modern times may have to do with his (The antelope jackrabbit, who shares this
superb adaptation to life on the deserts and ability, gets his name from the pronghorn
plains of the West. In these open habitats, "antelope.") In a group situation, this
shared by predacious bobcats and coyotes, display is either altruistic or selfish,
vigilance and speed are essential bovid depending on your viewpoint. On the one
defenses. The pronghorn's enormous pro- hand it warns and preserves the herd, on
truding eyes and sharp sense of hearing the other it screens and safeguards the in-
and smell are radar-accurate. Certainly no dividual. For a lone pronghorn it seems
other mammal (and possibly no other liv- clearly to be a pursuit invitation, a way to
ing thing, except some of the birds of prey) take the initiative in the chase so he is not
has such acute vision, said to be eight times forced to keep track of a predator's
better than ours. movements. There must be few discour-
It's almost impossible to take a prong- agements in the life of a coyote to equal the
horn by surprise. Once alert to danger, he pursuit of a rump-flashing pronghorn.
can rely on his powerful legs, prodigious How frustrating when its prey turns
lungs and heart, outsized feet padded around in mid stride and, patch hidden,
against rocky terrain, friction-free ground- seems to vanish!
skimming gait and remarkable stamina to Pronghorns can control their other body
make his escape. With an average max- hair in the same way, raising and lowering
imum speed of 50-60 miles per hour and a it to regulate the circulation of the air close
sustained speed of 40-50 miles per hour, to their skin. This accounts for their indif-
he is without a doubt the world's fastest ference to both sub-zero and scorching
long distance runner. His is not the frantic temperatures. A tolerance for a wide varie-
flight of the victim, but the arrogant, ty of foods, including cacti and toxic
calculated retreat of the champion who has plants, and an ability, if need be, to live
the advantage and means to keep it. Unlike without free water opened an even wider
a deer, a pronghorn never runs for cover. variety of habitats to the adaptable prong-
He stays in the open where his sight and horn. He was quick to exploit them all.
speed have the greatest scope and where Ultimately, his remarkable success was
his disruptive coloration makes him nearly his undoing. Sixty million pronghorns
invisible at a distance. Until the introduc- were an irresistable target, particularly as
tion of the rifle, no predator was equal to a bison began to disappear from the plains.
healthy pronghorn. Some were killed for food, but most for the
The advantage of the individual is challenge. Even now, pronghorns are sec-
multiplied in the herd. Pronghorns ond only to deer in hunter popularity. 0
The peerless pronghorn, whose survival has typically rest in a circular conformation, a
depended on his superb adaptations. look-out in every direction. A slight move- Susan Dun Nix is
ment or disturbance half a mile or more Development Coordi-
antlered, with the single exception of the away immediately prompts a "stotting" or nator at the Living
pronghorn. As his name suggests, his "pranking" alarm to the rest of the herd. Desert Reserve, a
horns are branched. About two-thirds of Tail raised, the lookout takes off, making 1,000-acre desert in-
the way up the black flattened sheaths, a himself more conspicuous by flashing his terpretation and con-
prong juts forward like the hilt of a knife. bright white rump patch. In full sunlight servation facility in
Technically a bovid—an even-toed, and open terrain, the flash may be visible Palm Desert, Cali-
hooved and horned grazing mammal—a for several miles, instantly alerting the en- fornia. She shares her enthusiasm for the
pronghorn is unique inside and out. He is tire area. A chain reaction sets the whole natural world not only in articles and
the only bovid with a gall bladder and the herd in motion. publications, but in educational programs
only one without dew claws; the two small Rump-flashing is accomplished by for visitors to the reserve.
DKSl'.RT 9
CHUCK WAGON COOKIN3
by Stella Hughes
10 SEPTEMBER, 1981
There is GOLD in
them 'their hills!
and it is
being found
with the
help of . . .
ALLIED
SERVICES
Over 6,000 square feet of
the most complete stock
of supplies for the professional
or beginner — plus, expert
guidance in the use and
selection of your equipment.
nngues. etc.)
Cookbooks have page after page of Chopped olive (ripe or green)
recipes for main dishes using eggs. They Deviled ham • Gold Dredges • Wet Suits
show omelets of every description, com- Mashed avocado with a dash of lemon • Metal Detectors
bined with certain vegetables that are Anchovy paste with finely minced onion • Dry Washers • Sluices
regional favorites. The southwesterner Liver sausage
Pickling eggs can be fun, and they're • Gold • Pans • Tools
likes omelets warm with chiles, red or
green, fresh or canned. Variations call for great with cold beer, or added to a picnic • Topo Maps
cheese, any kind, shredded and sprinkled basket, or halved and placed on a dieter's • Laboratory Apparatus
over the omelet before folding. Crumpled skimpy, green salad. • Mineral Lights
crisp bacon, diced tomato, minced onion Make a solution of vinegar and water, • Gold Scales
and green pepper, lightly browned and add dry mustard to taste, salt and pepper
and bring to a boil. Let cool, then pour
• Lapidary Equipment
sprinkled over the omelet before folding, is
sometimes called Spanish or Denver brine into pickling jar and add the shelled • Books • Magazines
omelet. eggs. Cover and refrigerate several days • And Much, Much More!
With all the hundreds of ways to use before using.
eggs, it's hard to believe the day would Another method is to use sweet pickle
come when you have more eggs than you juice, add some vinegar if you like, dash of Over 1,600 different
know what to do with. Well, how about salt, several slices of white onion, bring to a publications in stock. Back
Monday after Easter? Even a dozen boil; set aside to cool. Shell hard-boiled issues of magazines
surplus hard-boiled eggs, their garish col- eggs, add to solution and store in a covered including Desert!
ors a shock each time you open the jar. In 24 hours, they will be ready to eat.
My favorite way to prepare pickled eggs "If we don't have it in stock
refrigerator door, can tax your ingenuity.
is to drain the juice from one can of beets, . . . chances are you don't
What do you do with them? Here's a list:
add vinegar, some sugar, salt and pepper, need it."
Chopped and sprinkled on a fresh green
salad bring liquid to a boil and let cool before
Grated and sprinkled over any casserole adding shelled eggs. Slices of white onion
Chopped and added to white sauce, with
diced ham or crumpled crisp bacon, and
don't hurt pickled eggs, ever.
Another way is to use brine saved from a ALLIED
served on toast
Egg salad sandwiches
Pickled eggs
jar of Polish sausage. Bring brine to the
boiling point, let cool, then add shelled
eggs. Store in the jar the sausages came in.
This is a very good egg keeper.
SERVICES
Sales, Service and Rentals
Deviled eggs
Deviled eggs are an old stand-by, and I've been told of a unique method of since 1969
recipes can be found in most cookbooks. preparing eggs, as brought back by visitors
They usually say to shell eggs, cut length- to the Philippine Islands. They say the Visit our showroom located 5
wise, mash yokes well, moisten with a little natives take fresh eggs, bury them in the miles east of Disneyland, l'/2
melted butter, or salad dressing, sour sand and leave them for 100 days. Then blocks south of Katella Avenue
cream or mayonnaise and add one or a they are dug up and eaten. I understand (east of Orange Freeway, Rte 57)
combination of savory ingredients for zesty this is called balut. I've failed to find a com-
flavor. For example: parable method for preserving eggs in any 966 North Main Street
Snipped chives or scallions cookbook; old or new. I'd welcome infor- Orange, California 92667
Grated cheese mation from readers that know more on Phone (714) 637-8824
Tuna or crabmeat, finely chopped this method. They might keep forever, Store Hours: Weekdays, 10-6;
Chopped pickle (dill, sweet, mustard, depending on your taste. 0
Saturdays, 10-3.
DHSEKT 11
since I fished the Madison in Montana. travels in nothing faster than his Vibram-
By Bill Tarrant We'll go there, I thought, or hike the Pecos soled boots and usually sees nothing
Wilderness Area outside Taos, New Mex- brighter at night than the stars or a Cole-
I
' M BOONDOCK, my wife's neon: an ico, or float the Grand Canyon. man lantern.
unlikely pair. In grumbling voice, I Those were not to be. One of Dee's Now, they've got the shows, the gam-
quote the lament of Wordsworth, "The girlfriends, harried with the rush of the bling and the people to watch. You can
world is too much with us . . . getting and season, blowing wisps of hair from cheeks walk from the Aladdin to the Sahara in the
spending we lay waste our powers." I damp with perspiration, suggested, "Why afternoon and enjoy a desert trek. There's
throw my backpack over my shoulder, call don't we go to Las Vegas?" Dee started all the gossip you pick up and carry on
my dogs together and disappear into the packing. while you're there, leaving it to a
hills. So here we are. I don't know what to call newcomer who'll leave it to yet another:
My wife Dee? She glides in a cab where the jackpots are really paying off,
through Phoenix, Los Angeles or Las why Wayne Newton really bought the
Vegas, her face a radiant glow. She says, in You can be yourself in Las Aladdin, when Frank Sinatra will take
a child's wondrous way, "Oh . . . it just Vegas. It's not the place over, etc.
makes me feel like gold." of fear and loathing one Still, that's not the Desert Owl to my
We love each other, this writer of remote way of thinking.
places and this gal who fastidiously follows writer said it was. No, the primary attraction in the Desert
fashion and owns a status boutique. We Owl is Circus-Circus—not the casino, but
deal in grudgeless trade-offs to make our the place. If New York is the Big Apple, upstairs, where they have all the kiddie
marriage work. She sits in the tree stand this would have to be the Big Parrot or the games. Dee's and my favorite is the horse
beside the deer trail. I hand her clothes and Big Peacock. What else is so bright and race. Eighteen brightly colored horses, fes-
tacks and monofilament to put in the noisy? No, neither of those would be right. tooned with jockeys in riotous silks, make
boutique window. She baits the hook, I sit Las Vegas should be called the Desert their way across a green field, progressing
through the salesman's showing. She Owl. What else stays up all night, has eyes according to how well the player throws a
tosses decoys into the marsh, I wait pa- big enough to see it all and can turn its red ball into a series of holes protected by
tiently in the boutique late at night while head completely around to be sure some metal bumps.
she tallies the day's receipts. Then we nothing's gaining on it? That's where Dee comes alive. She's
leave our work behind and take a vacation. The strange thing I have to confess is found her game, if not her calling.
This year, she wants Lake Tahoe. Next that everyone can have fun in Las Vegas. "They're off," announces the conces-
year, it's San Diego. The year after that, it That's saying a lot, coming from a guy sionaire. The balls start banging and the
will be Catalina. For me, it's been too long who prefers one-course skillet cooking, horses start edging forward, or taking offin
Z I N G A R C L L 1 81
Where to Go and What to
See In and Around Las Vegas
An extensive,though not comprehensive, guide.
by Diane Hlava and Desert magazine staff
Inl980, the 11 million plus visitors to the greater Las Vegas area spent more than two billion dollars, exclusive of gambling revenue. Thereisob-
viously much more to do in Las Vegas than just gamble.
The disparity between the glitter, congestion and material wealth of Las Vegas and the solitude, silence and natural grandeur of the desert is
more pronounced in Southern Nevada than anywhere else in the Southwest. It is the most intense entertainment center in the world, with the excep-
tion of Manhattan—and it has outdoor recreation to match. The greatest spectaculars of both man and nature are in and around the city. This is
the attraction of Las Vegas. It is super-saturated civilization in the middle of nowhere, the diamond in the dunes.
Look through the following pages, enjoy the glitter of the city, then get out of town by sundown and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
dustrial building that still supplies ice to in bungalow style. Constructed by the
In Las Vegas Las Vegas businesses. 612 South Main. railroad for their employees, some of these
2. Wengert House, built in 1938, Tudor one-story buildings are being restored for
Auto Tour of Historic revival style. Once the home of banker use as offices, others as residences. They're
Las Vegas Cyril Wengert, a pioneer Las Vegan, it is located between 2nd and 4th Streets and
This trip around metropolitan Las now a law office. A good example of adap- Garces and Clark Streets.
Vegas highlights some of the historic tive reuse. 1001 South 6th Street, at the 4. Fifth Street School, built in 1936,
buildings and sites that are worth visiting. corner of Charleston Boulevard. mission style. Now the Clark County
1. Ice Plant, built in 1907, is an in- 3. Railroad cottages, built around 1910 Courthouse Annex, this school was built
on the site of the old Las Vegas High
School, which burned in 1934. 400 Las
Vegas Boulevard South.
5. Las Vegas Hospital, built in 1931,
Spanish style. The second hospital con-
structed in Las Vegas, this structure is in
transition and no longer serves as a
hospital. 8th and Ogden Streets.
6. Waite Rockhouse, built in 1932.
Constructed of mineral specimens found
in the Las Vegas area, this residence is now
shielded by a large block wall. 9th and
Ogden Streets.
7. Westside School, built in 1922, mis-
sion style. Now undergoing restoration, it
was the first school built on the west side of
Las Vegas. D and Washington Streets.
8. Kiel (Kyle) Ranch. Originally owned
by Conrad Kiel, the oldest structure on the
ranch dates to the early 1880s. Now on the
National Register of Historic Places, it's at
Carey and Losee Roads, in the city of
North Las Vegas.
9. Las Vegas Art Museum, circa 1935.
Housed in a former motel, the museum
has railroad ties from the Las Vegas and
Tonopah railroad placed along the front of
the building. Exhibits include all areas of
fine art in permanent and changing
displays. The museum shop features the
work of local artists. Located in Lorenzi
Park at Washington and Twin Lakes
Drive, it is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mon-
14 SEPTEMBER, 1981
Above, the magnificent Hoover Dam located in the Lake Mead
National Recreational Area.
Right, the Strip, where bright lights pull you into their grasp.
Below, in contrast to the Strip stands the Old Fort at Las Vegas
Springs.
sw^^ m
DESERT 15
station on the dry journey from Southern Another picturesque area to visit; the White
Las Vegas Utah to San Bernardino, California.
About 1905, the fort became a resort,
Domes area in the Valley of Fire State Park.
day through Saturday; Sunday, 1 to 4 boasting the first swimming pool in Las
p.m., closed holidays. For more informa- Vegas. In 1929, the Bureau of Reclama- Museum of Natural History
tion, call (702) 647-4300. tion leased it from the Union Pacific Offering permanent exhibits on the
10. Las Vegas Artists Cooperative, built Railroad, which then owned the property, geology, biology, zoology and an-
circa 1920-1930, Spanish style. This art to test concrete for the building of Hoover thropology of the Southern Nevada and
gallery houses work by members of the Dam. By 1941, the fort was a restaurant. Mohave areas, the museum is on the
cooperative. The coop has been recog- In 1955, the site was purchased by the Elks University of Nevada Las Vegas campus
nized by the Nevada State Historic Preser- for a lodge facility. Now owned by the city at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Admission
vation conference for its contribution to of Las Vegas, it is operated by the is free, hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on
historic preservation for the adaptive reuse Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the weekdays, closed on national and state
of this former home, located at 421 South Preservation Association of Clark County, holidays. For more information, call
6th Street. The coop is open from 10 a.m. Nevada. You can visit the fort, which is on (702)739-3381.
to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, the National Register of Historic Places, Another spot of interest on the UNLV
closed holidays. For more information, and view permanent exhibits depicting the campus is a monumental sculpture by
call (702) 384-5470. role of the fort in the development of Klaes Oldenburg. Near the Judy Bayley
11. Andre's, built circa 1920-1930, Southern Nevada. Also on display is a Theater and Artemus Ham Hall, this
Spanish style. Now a restaurant specializ- Mormon living room, circa 1900, the first work is the first monumental public
ing in French cuisine, this building was of a series of exhibits of living quarters at sculpture in Nevada. A replica of an
originally a hotel. It's located at the corner the fort. In addition, demonstrations of usher's flashlight, it symbolizes entertain-
of 4th and 6th Streets. pioneer handicrafts, such as doll making, ment, and is made of three-quarter inch
button molding and bullet making are held Cor-Ten (rusted) steel.
Old Las Vegas Fort regularly. Located at the intersection of
Built in 1885 by the Mormons, and now Las Vegas Boulevard North and Washing- Local Tours
restored to its 1929 condition, it is the ton Avenue, the fort is open Tuesday Air-conditioned bus tours of Las Vegas,
oldest building in Nevada. The fort has a through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hoover Dam and surrounding points of
long, interesting history. Because of the year-round; closed on Federal holidays. interest as well as overnight bus tours of
artesian springs near the site, the Mor- For more information, call (702) the south rim of the Grand Canyon are of-
mons built a forted community as a way 386-6510. fered by Grayline, 1550 S. Industrial
16 SEPTEMBER, 1981
GAZINE
Communicating the Experience
of Life on the Desert.
The color, the beauty and the majesty of the desert are
affectionately reflected on the pages of Desert magazine. We take
you to unexplored regions, tell you little-known facts, give you
the experience of the desert as it really is. Subscribe today and
begin sharing with us the treasure that is the great Southwest
desert. 12 monthly issues just $15. Send in the attached card or
write to: Desert magazine, 121 West E Street, Encinitas, CA
92024. Kg
Subscribe Today
M
mmm
Las Vegas Valley Water District, wells in the Big
Springs area produce nearly half of the
water used in the Las Vegas Valley today.
Las Vegas as its theme. Recreating a
western town atmosphere, the park
features several historic buildings, Eureka
Road, Las Vegas, NV 89102, (702) For more information on this historic and Virginia Truckee railroad equipment
384-1234. tour, contact Jeanne Clark, Allied Arts along with restaurants, rides and shops.
If you're interested in off-strip Las Council, c/o Preservation Association of Located at 2440 S. Boulder Highway,
Vegas entertainment or cultural activities, Clark County, 873 N. Eastern Avenue, Henderson, NV 89015, the park is open
Cultural Focus Tours provides several Las Vegas, NV 89101, or call (702) Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6
unusual programs. Our Hometown Then 649-8725. A brochure with a map of the p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to
and Now looks at the history of Las Vegas tour and illustrations of each building on 10 p.m. Admission is $3.50 for adults,
through a tour of historic landmarks. the route is available for $ 1. $2.50 for children age 3 through 11.
Classic Evening offers dinner at a specially Children under 3 are free. For more in-
chosen local restaurant and a choice of a formation, call (702) 564-1311.
play, concert or dance performance. Oasis
Safari takes participants to the Lake Mead Within a One Hour Old Nevada
National Park Service Headquarters for a Based on plans of western mining
guided tour, provides an opportunity to Drive From LasVegas towns, Old Nevada is a composite of fron-
enjoy an art walk in Boulder City, learn tier communities. Entertainment in-
about solar energy research at the Energy Ethel M Chocolates cludes staged gunfights, a narrow-gauge
Systems Center and Nevada history at the View the production of specialty box train ride, plays, historical and wax
Southern Nevada Museum. Canyon/ chocolates on a tour of the Ethel M fac- museums as well as restaurants and
Ranch Country looks at such scenic spots tory. Named for the mother of owner shops. Old Nevada is 20 miles west of Las
as Red Rock Canyon and Spring Moun- Forrest E. Mars (of the Mars Candy Vegas via West Charleston Boulevard in
tain Ranch. For more information, contact Company family), Ethel M offers tours Red Rock Canyon Recreational Lands.
Jeanne Clark, Cultural Focus Tours, 749 daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. During slow Admission is $4.50 for adults, $3 for
Veterans Memorial Drive, Las Vegas, NV production times, a 12-minute video tape children 5 through 12. Children under 5
89101,(702)382-7198. explains the manufacturing process. The are free. For more information or a
adjacent candy shop, with turn-of-the- brochure, contact Old Nevada, Old
Scenic Airlines century decor and costumed staff, gets Nevada, NV 89004, (702) 875-4191.
If you're called by the wild blue yonder, you in the mood for demonstrations of
you might like to try sightseeing in an old-fashioned methods of hand-dipping Boulder Dam Hotel
airplane. Daily flights over the Grand chocolates. These demonstrations are Restored to its former 1930s splendor,
Canyon are offered by Scenic Airlines. A held daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. this 54-room hotel is decorated in the
four-hour flight over the canyon includes a Ethel M Chocolates is located at 2 Buster elegant style of that decade. In keeping
half-hour refueling stop at the airport on Brown Drive, Henderson, NV 89015, with the '30s ambience, none of the
the south rim of the canyon—$ 128 per per- mailing address is P.O. Box 18413, Las rooms have television sets. The dining
son. A day tour, lasting seven and a half Vegas, NV 89114. For more information room also features period furnishings.
hours, takes in more of the canyon and in- or to arrange group tours, call (702) Located at 1305 Arizona Street, Boulder
cludes a bus tour and lunch—$ 158 per per- 458-8864. City, NV 89005, rooms range from $25
son. Flights in Cessna 402s or 404s leave to $60. Call (702) 293-1808 for additional
every half hour between 5:30 a.m. and Southern Nevada Museum information.
5:30 p.m. Reservations are recommended The history of Southern Nevada is
during the summer. Scenic Airlines is detailed through exhibits ranging from Desert Soaring
located at 241 E. Reno Ave., Las Vegas, fossils to the atomic bomb. Housed in the For a bird's eye view of Boulder City,
NV 89119. For more information, call Boulder City depot, donated by the Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Las
(702) 739-1900. Union Pacific Railroad, the museum also Vegas, there are rides in a Blanik glider.
has a gift shop, cactus garden and nature For $24.50, you can ascend with a li-
Big Springs trail. On the grounds is the Beckley censed glider pilot in an aluminum craft.
First described by John C. Fremont in House, a railroad cottage built in 1912, Most rides last about 20 minutes and are
1844, these springs made settlement at Las now undergoing restoration. The Beckley available to adults and children age seven
Vegas possible. Several artesian springs House is the first of several historic and up. Reservations are recommended.
bubble up, creating two large ponds. The buildings to be relocated at the Southern Located at the Boulder City Airport,
run-off from these ponds creates a meadow Nevada Museum. Arriving soon will be 1499 Nevada Highway, Boulder City,
area, from which Las Vegas (The the circa-1905 Giles-Backus House, NV 89005, Desert Soaring operates
Meadows) takes its name. In the early which is being moved from the former Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to
1900s, Las Vegas was chosen by the San mining town of Goldfield. Located at sunset and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.
Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Rail- 1830 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, to sunset. For more information, contact
road as a division point, and later this NV 89015, the museum is open daily 8 Dick McKnight at (702) 293-4577, or
railroad was acquired by the Union a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Christmas Day. write to P.O. Box 637, Boulder City, NV
Pacific. Now owned by the Las Vegas Admission is $1 for adults, $.50 for 89005. Licensing instruction is also
children under 16 and senior citizens. For available.
more information, call (702) 565-0907.
Helicopter Rides
One of the many beauties of the desert, the Old Vegas Lift-off in a whirlybird. Available from
sandstone formations at the Valley of Fire Old Vegas amusement park is a com- Bauer Helicopter, Inc. are several tours of
State Park. mercial development that uses historical the surrounding area. Included are a four-
DESERT 19
MOAPA
VALLEY
INDIAN
RESERVA
FLOYD
LAMB
STATE
PARK
TOIYABE
NATIONAL FOREST
DEATH
VALLEY
JUNCTION
Southern
Nevada
Spring Mountain Ranch
Museum
RED ROCK CANYON HENDERSO
Old Nevada Ethel M
Chocota
GOODSPRINGS BOUL1
DEATH VALLEY Ghost town C
NATIONAL MONUMENT Boulder
Zabriskie Point Hotel
Devil's Golf Course
SEARCHLIGHT
G/lOSt tOWIi
SEPTEMBER, IW1
Far left, with Delicate Arch in the fore-
ground, Hewitt captures the constellation
Orion crossing the night sky.
few years back, I have been drawn central part of the learning process.
to its silent beauty and the solitude A wide-angle lens with great
which pervades," says Hewitt. aperture is better than a normal or
"Naturally, as a photographer, I telephoto lens for two reasons. The
would hope to be able to capture short focal length of a wide-angle
such a magical place." After some lens reduces noticeable movement
experimentation he found that he of the stars. Also, a wide-angle can
could, as these pages show. cover a greater area and the starlight
The transparencies that pro- is less diminished the higher it is
duced these photos were taken with above the horizon. The longer focal
a Canon 24mm fl.4 lens at 30 to length lenses would tend to record
50-second exposures. He used high- the stars as less brilliant and show
speed Ektachrome pushed one stop, movement. (Also, for every f-stop of
and shot during a quarter moon, speed one can expect to record three
which lit up the background. Any times as many stars; e.g., fl6 shows
longer exposure, Hewitt tells us, three times as many as fl 1.)
would have caused the stars to trail Hewitt also uses a level to be sure
noticeably, producing an entirely that the horizon is level in his
different effect. Too much moon- viewfinder. You can also use flash
light or even thin clouds or haze are to illuminate the foreground, but
likely to make the sky come out then you are limited to lighting
daylight blue, with mere dots for close objects only.
stars. This happened to Hewitt Tom Hewitt has pushed the
many times. The balance between limits of the photographic process
enough light for scenery and not so and come up with results we would
much that the sky turns blue is dif- otherwise never expect to see. If
ficult to achieve. Hewitt is happy to you've looked at the photos and
get a couple of good exposures per wondered how he did it, now you
is roll of film. Trial and error are a know. 0
DESERT 25
Cruising Lake Mead in a houseboat, a peaceful
respite from the chaos of civilization.
Into the
Grand Canyon
with a Mop
by Virginia Greene
Left, Boulder Canyon, one of the many sites on the Lake Mead cruise.
Above, crossing the long expanse of Gregg Basin, our houseboat headed for the grandest can-
yon of them all.
DESERT 27
Our houseboat
muddled along the shore,
THE nudging into little inlets and coves.
ROAD
AGAIN
Whether it broke along the way or it's
Our reasons for houseboating Lake around the gigantic stone Temple which
just time for a new one, let our profes-
sionals help keep your recreational in- Mead and rambling from Echo Bay on up stands 350 feet above the waters of the
vestment in tip-top condition.
Vegas Trailer Supply offers fast, reliable the Colorado River as far as our floating lake, turned left and began looking for
service and one of the largest RV parts palazzo would carry us were many. We Burro Bay, our first night's tie-up. We
and accessory inventories in the west. wanted to explore, to have fun on the would be 24 scenic miles from Echo Bay
We handle a complete line of famous
name brands, including housewares, water, to leave for four days the chaos of Marina, anxious to try our hands at cook-
chemicals, camping supplies, electrical, the marketplace. ing and sleeping aboard the boat.
plumbing, furniture, barbecues, hitches
and many hard-to-find parts. We were southwesterners—Arizonans; The sun shone, we explored the sandy
Californians. We knew the Grand Can- dunes, then opened the case of wine which
VEGAS
TRfiiLER SUPPLY
yon. We have seen it from the rim since
childhood, walked into it and struggled out
of it, ridden muleback along its precipitous
trails and fished its waters along the mile-
Frank and Bobbie had earmarked for the
trip last winter in Phoenix. Dinner was
steaks on the patio grill; desultory talk and
a midnight swim followed. We made up
Serving Las Vegas and the Southwest deep floor of side canyons. Never had we
for 28 years
the double bunks and hunted in vain for
3O76 E. Fremont, Las Vegas, NV 891O4 seen the ancient monoliths from a bathroom lights until one of the old sea
(7O2) 457-4265 Open 7:30-5:30 Mon.-Sat. houseboat. We thought of it as six people dogs remembered a houseboat has no
sharing an adventure. headlights for night running and was in-
However, this was something else. Call spired to push the switch marked
Butter Keep it a swab if you like. It was a mop to the
three women aboard. A plain mop! Blue
" headlights " on the control panel.
Voila!
Keep butter fresh, spreadable handle; clean, white strings showing much Wild burros, relatives of those patient
and tasty for days—without use; ironically carrying out the color critters that helped prospect the long-ago
refrigeration! scheme of the 46 x 14-foot blue and white mines in the area, roam the desert and
craft in which we stowed a mountain of come to the lake to drink. We had watched
stores. for them all day and hoped the moonlight
Cruising was luxurious and easy. The would bring them to us, but sleep came
brochure says even kids can drive the fully- first.
serviced houseboats. We would never Wind and rain moved into our isolated
know, because our three "old sea dogs" cove about 6 a.m. Our three fishermen
turned experienced hands to the wheel: were undaunted but came emptyhanded to
Under cloudy skies, we sedately wig- the breakfast table.
wagged our way 13 miles down the middle The squall moved on and so did we, for
Cool tap water, placed in the attractive, of Overton Arm toward Napoleon's we planned to go through Iceberg Canyon,
handcrafted stoneware "keep." will set you Tomb, where we lunched in the shadow of the narrow strip of water and high
free from refrigerator-hardened and sun- the great pebbly bluff, admired the
melted butter or margarine. An ideal gift.
sculpted rock formations that abruptly
Nevada/Arizona scenery, and com- marks the entrance to the Grand Canyon.
plimented our choice of vacation. At that point, we would be 41 miles from
Tom, Frank and I took our dinghy to Echo Bay. Another hairpin sweep of lake
Temple Bar Marina to meet Cliff and and river would take us 10 miles farther to
Marilyn Bernard, dispensers of food, Columbine Falls; seven miles beyond that,
drink, camping and fishing gear and after a right-angle turn of the old Colorado
endless information about the upper lake. River, we would be as far as we could go:
While our houseboat muddled along the white water. Before we could tie up for our
shore, nudging into little inlets and coves, second night on the lake, we had a long day
Well-priced at only $12.50. Marilyn tipped us off to scenic places of lake and river cruising ahead.
Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. along the next 47 miles, answered our Intermittent sunshine and rain followed
To order, mail only $12.50 to:
questions and gave historical background us through the narrows, 10 miles across
Butter Keep. Teluca Trading
about the area. the sand-bracketed bulge that is Gregg
P.O. Box 341. Garden Grove, CA 92642 The houseboat collected us and we Basin and around Sandy Point, a great
headed across Temple Basin, made a circle dune that sweeps into the blue waters like a
28 SEPTEMBER, 1981
In the Heart of Beautiful Coachella Valley
Moderate Rates
woman's softly tossed cape. We had seen to showers and other creature comforts at
no one else since leaving Temple Bar the Temple Bar after 10 days on the Colorado. CALL OR WRITE FOR
previous day. The isolation was as serene They were off with a huge roar of twin RESERVATIONS
as was the shadow-stained desert rolling outboards and silence on the water was
back from the shore. shattered for a long moment.
The rain moved east. Tom and Mae, We turned back and followed them at a
our Hemet friends, took the dinghy and leisurely pace, found our houseboat and
the photographer for a photo session into decided to cruise back as far as Chuckwalla
the myriad coves along the shore. At Cove, our evening refuge. We talked, as
Center Point, we were surprised to see we sat on the upper deck with diet colas,
another houseboat, for we had become beer and cheese, about places we hadn't
used to the solitude of the last 24 hours. seen on the lake and river, and we made a
They disappeared around a headland. It decision: next time.
was the last we were to see of them—a tiny The following day was hot and still. We 75-188 Highway 111,
blue and white box moving beyond a ran halfway down Gregg Basin, tied up at Indian Wells, Calif. 92260
Phone (714) 346-8113
clump of salt cedars against the dunes and Sandy Point and spent the day in the
black lava rock of the far shore. water. Water skiers and houseboats,
After a swim and lunch, Bob and I took fishermen and runabouts joined us, then
the dinghy around and down the narrows moved on. We were alone again when the
to Pierce Bay, a small, almost bell-shaped rain and hail moved across the lake and in-
collection of water where a ferry had terrupted dinner. Bobbie's enchiladas had
operated off and on for 60 years after its to wait while we closed up, mopped up
and secured the boat farther up on the
founding in 1876 by Harrison Pearson.
The houseboat followed, but pulled into beach. Thunder rumbled for a long time 132 PAGE CATALOG
God's Pocket to allow its passengers to after the rain had stopped. C A M P I N G F U R N I T U R E & GEAR —
swim, read and fish beneath great sculpted We sat late on the patio that evening, our RV A C C E S S O R I E S
monuments of multicolored stone. We last. Nostalgia was already setting in. Our
were in the beginning miles of the Grand blue and white mop dripped rainy evi-
Canyon. The blue and white mop had ar- dence of its usefulness on the stern. The
rived. friend from Phoenix spoke wistfully offish
We made our way in the dinghy to the not caught.
base of Columbine Falls, a surprising veil It was time to return. The next morning,
of natural spring water and winter snow we cooled the waffle iron and stowed it PLUS!
runoff that falls 400 feet from the rocks with uncounted other items while we EVERY ON-OFF ROAD TIRE KNOWN TO MAN!
OFF-ROAD LIGHTS — WARN HUBS &
above. Hanging gardens decorate the can- began the day-long trip back to Echo Bay. WINCHES — ROUGH COUNTRY SHOCKS
yon walls and the silence, broken only by a The dinghy was once again launched off & SUSPENSION KITS — ROLL BARS —
G.I. SURPLUS GOODIES — BOOKS &
rush of water on water, is comfortable. We Temple Bar when we felt a sudden need REALLY UNIQUE ITEMS!
drifted, watching birds dart along the sur- for that last champagne toast. The 5302 Tweedy Blvd.
face of the lake. Now and then, a fish houseboat cruised past the marina and Dept.D '
jumped and then splatted in a loud return Napoleon's Tomb. The dinghy caught it South Gate/CA. 90280
to the water. Ducks swam in a tight circle at Middle Point, where the champagne (213) 566-5171
near the base of the waterfall. Wind- was poured under a ruthless sun. Burros FREE CATALOG-SEND TODAY!
eroded sandstone rose on all sides, a appeared—dark silhouettes on the white (~~ CANADIAN & FOREIGN REQUESTS
bulwark against the ages. bluffs—and Frank caught his fish: Three 5 2. U.S. CURRENCY
We went on uplake, running in the nar- inches of optimism, returned to the Name
row canyon until we found white aquamarine waters soon after the laughter Ad tit ess
water—the end of the canyon for river- died.
City.
rafters. A group had just loaded into the We cruised on. Back to Echo Bay. Back
Separation Connection, that 35-foot all- to turn in our blue and white houseboat, State .Zip.
aluminum speedster that takes rafters back our blue and white mop. Our swab. B
JEFF GNASS
demands of carrying a heavy pack, the ex-
citement of exploring unfamiliar terrain
and climbing mountains to get shots of
remote areas. To stay in condition, I run
several miles most days. Photography in
the field is not without its dangers. Besides
Impressions of a Scenic Photographer the hazards of sheer cliffs, there are some
unfriendly desert plants. Once I backed in-
to a jumping cholla while setting up a pic-
ture. I've been wary when photographing
Text by Jeff Gnass near cacti ever since. I enjoy camping, so
with Frances G. Smith nights spent along the trail with few
conveniences are no problem for me.
Photographs by Jeff Gnass When I go out into the field, I don't
count on getting specific pictures, though I
I
T'S A CHALLENGE to capture the try to be at the right place at the right time.
elusive spirit of the desert or the By this, I mean particular localities during
freshness of a summer storm on film. certain seasons. My planning is broad and
I I feel a sense oi elated satisfaction when I general: I must be adaptable. If I expect to
do. be in Arches National Park the middle of
What is it about scenic photography that April and I learn that a storm is blowing
• - - - *
makes one accept an insecure, marginal in- through, I will drive all night and arrive
come, being away from home for weeks at ahead of schedule to capture the changing
a a time, 18-hour work days, heavy camera clouds as the storm breaks up. I try to visit
equipment on one's back and extremes of an area at the peak of the flowering season
temperature from sweltering desert heat to or the height of autumn color, though I
numbing winter cold? The answer lies in may also return at different times of year.
the challenge of creativity, the satisfaction I work out the best possible pictures
The desert is where of being able to capture a fleeting moment under given conditions. Sometimes a loca-
and share it with others. tion is worth a return visit when lighting or
many of my This is what drives artists. As a painter weather are more favorable. Other times,
photographic skills formulates a concept, I, too, think in terms
of line, shape and space. I must extract the
everything works together: There is
minimal wind, the lighting is great and
were developed. I elements of a picture from the many forms there's a lot of interesting material at hand.
return with a present, emphasizing some, playing down
others, to create visual excitement. This
Then film holders are used up quickly as
the subject is thoroughly explored with
special affection. involves not only camera position, angle
and choice of lens, but picking a time of
different lenses and varying foregrounds.
A lot of energy goes into a session like this.
day when the light is exactly right for the It usually results in a number of successful
effect I am trying to achieve. pictures and a feeling of exhilaration. The
My approach to composition is more best shots are spontaneous reactions to
contemporary than classical. I am con- ephemeral conditions, like sunlight spill-
stantly exploring the different perspectives ing through clouds. One must react quick-
offered by wide-angle and telephoto lenses. ly and precisely to such an opportunity. I
Above all, I strive for simplicity, relying on
strong composition to produce a pleasing, Opposite, Jeff Gnass shares the beauty of the
exciting picture. Henry Mountains at the Capitol Reef Na-
I love the solitude of the wild, the tional Park in Utah.
30 SEPTEMBER, 1981
1*5 SPi
JEFF GNASS
I realized I have a
strong creative
urge.
Photography offers
me an unlimited
opportunity to
express it.
32 SEPTEMBER, 1981
&&•
" ' - • • / - -. . - ' -,
portunity to express it. It also allows me to
JEFF GNASS interpret the grandeur and subtleties of
nature to others.
need my camera to be a part of me, since I prefer working with a large-format
spectacular shots can be missed when camera and have settled on a 4 x 5 because
dramatic scenes change in an instant. it gives me the image fidelity I demand, yet
Though I am proficient with my equip- is versatile enough to be handled in the
ment, I probably miss more pictures like field. The very nature of a larger camera
this than I am able to catch. makes me strive for excellence with every
When I go to a new area, I like to try to picture. There is a different rhythm to
capture its feeling or spirit first. After I'm working with a technical camera, as op-
satisfied that I've accomplished this, I con- posed to a 35mm. I find the smaller
centrate more on detail or shots that are camera more adapted for close-ups, mov-
not unique to that area. ing subjects and spontaneous situations.
There is a pattern in my daily activities. Most frequently, I use my 35mm for
The lighting for most scenes is best from flower detail and, for a change of pace,
dawn to mid-morning and late afternoon photographing wildlife.
through sunset, so I usually work during One of the less exciting aspects of my oc-
these prime hours and spend the middle of cupation is handling the necessary
the day unencumbered by camera equip- business details and developing ap-
ment, hiking, discovering what I am going propriate markets for my work. Then
to shoot later and deciding what time of day there are captions to be researched for the
is best. Even my daily routine is constantly thousands of transparencies that are even-
revised to capitalize on changing condi- tually catalogued and placed in my library.
tions. I adapt my photography to the All of this is very time consuming. I usual-
weather. On an overcast day, I shoot detail ly work long hours when I'm home, so that
or otherwise contrasting subjects, like I don't sacrifice too much of my creative
those found in a dense forest or a deep can-
yon.
time to paperwork.
Although I initially preferred to
The best shots are
My favorite type of picture is what I call photograph only the wilderness, I've spontaneous
an intimate landscape; something between grown to accept Man as part of nature and
a detailed close-up and a panorama—say, a to value the human element in some set- reactions to
subject in the middle distance. I especially
enjoy working with backlighting, because
tings. The Indian ruins of the southwest
are an excellent example of this.
ephemeral
of the dramatic relief it offers. The desert is Winter, summer; snow, rain; mountain conditions.
where many of my photography skills tops, desert floors; forest shade, seashores;
were developed; I'm always returning to constantly changing, ever new. Each offers
those arid lands with a special affection. I different settings to test one's skills, to cap-
am fascinated by the patterns in sand and ture beauty and share it through the
slickrock, the flowing lines of thin-layered medium of one's art. EH
strata, the crossbedding of ancient dunes
frozen in stone.
Beauty is a necessity. I gave up a secure Jeff Gnass is a 34-year-old freelance photog-
job and a comfortable living because I rapher. Currently working out of Northern
realized that I have a strong creative urge. California, he photographs the outdoors of
Photography offers me an unlimited op- western North America. His work appears
frequently in Desert magazine, Arizona
Left, sunset and the sand dunes at Death Highways, Nevada magazine, American
Valley National Monument, California. Forests and the Sierra Club Calendars.
DESERT 35
Dusting Tracks
with Amtrak's Desert Wind
There's no fear or loathing on the rails to Las Vegas,
just friendly people and plenty of conversation.
A
T LAST WE'RE all on board: Las Vegas. They can't wait to drop a few
mothers and daughters, grand- coins into the slots and watch the sevens by. "Come on, let's get going!"
parents, babies, couples of all come up. Their wallets are fat and they're After nearly an hour, we do. Moving out
ages, single women and men. We stored ready to go. slowly through downtown Los Angeles,
our bags in the compartment below, hur- Instead, we wait. And wait. And wait. we pass warehouses, industrial storage
ried up the stairway to choose our seats, We're bound for Las Vegas, but right now yards, run-down hotels and parking lots.
even struck up a little conversation with we seem bound to the tracks at Los It's one o'clock in the afternoon, and the
the people across the aisle. We're on the Angeles Union Station. It turns out one of sun is trying to break through the thick
Desert Wind, Amtrak's sleek new the cars has a bad axle bearing, which brown L.A. smog. The heat outside is
superliner out of Los Angeles. The an- could cause the train to derail; we sit fierce, but we're immune to it in this big
ticipation is running high. Although the waiting as the entire car is taken out of the silver coach; there's plenty of clean, cool
train goes all the way to Ogden, Utah, train and replaced. "The first time I've air coming in through the air conditioners.
before turning around, more than half of ridden a train in 36 years, and look what Soon, we're picking up speed. When we
the 200 passengers on board are headed for happens!" a woman with a shrill voice pass a young boy waving to us from the
D
round-trip fare from Los Angeles to Las can have a drink, and you don't have to EAN goes back to work, and
Vegas costs almost as much as taking a worry about looking in the rearview mirror soon the train comes to a stop in
plane: about $100. However, Amtrak's all the time for the Man." front of Pasadena station. The
five-day excursion fare of $55 (you have to At 34, Dean is one of Amtrak's youngest doors to the cars are flung open, and we
return within five days) beats the air fare conductors. Sitting down to chat with me take on more passengers. After just a few
easily, and most of the train seats are during a spare moment between Los minutes, we're under way again, gliding
roomier and more comfortable than those Angeles and Pasadena, he tells me the ride between rows of stucco houses, past the
on a jet or a bus. The Desert Wind takes to Las Vegas is always livelier than the back yards and swimming pools of subur-
seven and a half hours to run the 300 miles return trip: the excitement level is higher, bia.
from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (by car, the the people drink a little more and they're a A middle-aged woman walks down the
trip takes about six hours), but that just little harder to control. "On the way back, aisle past me, steadying herself against the
gives you extra time to have a drink or a lot of people are down, they're already constant swaying of the train by holding
DESERT 37
Conductor F. W. Dean in his domain, one of the cars of the Desert Wind.
onto the seats as she goes. The train something. Besides," he adds with a wink, and trucks are whizzing along in the
lurches suddenly and she nearly falls. "I "on the train I don't have to worry about freeway lanes, their windows glinting in
feel like I'm drunk!" she complains good- this." He cocks his head toward the full the sunlight.
naturedly. "In fact, if I was drunk, maybe I glass of beer on the table in front of him. From time to time the train curves
could walk straighter!" around a long bend in the track, and when
It's an interesting thought, and a few it does, we can see the two big V-16 diesel
minutes after the woman has moved on, I
head for the lounge car. Actually, I'd
The Desert Wind is engines, 3,000 horsepower each, that are
hauling us over the mountains. About
rather eat lunch before downing a few like a tunnel—a halfway to the summit, we overtake a long
beers, but with the dining car full and the freight train going in the same direction.
lounge car half empty, what are you going gleaming, air- We start to pass it, but as we do the freight
to do?
The lounge car, near the front of the
conditioned tunnel seems to pick up speed. For a few moments
the two trains are neck and neck—the
train, is sort of an eternal party; the people that gets you freight has four engines, the Desert Wind
on the rest of the train are friendly, but the only two—but our lighter load begins to
people in the lounge car are very friendly. through the desert tell and we leave the freight behind. In a
The service is sporadic, but no one seems few more minutes we're over the pass and
to care. without ever letting hurtling down the long grade toward the
I slide into an empty booth and soon
find myself talking to an elderly gentleman
you know what it's Mohave desert. Abruptly, the greenery of
the San Gabriels gives way to desert plains
across the aisle. His name is Bill Sweeney, really like. dotted with agave and creosote.
and he's a retired ferry captain from San The dining car is still crowded, but
Diego. Bill is one of the few people on Charles Bailey, a postal carrier from Playa
board who has ridden the Desert Wind to Out the window the air has cleared, and del Rey (near Santa Monica) invites me to
Las Vegas before; this is his third or fourth the San Gabriel Mountains can be seen to share his table. Bailey is on his way to Salt
trip since the route opened in October of the north. We stop briefly in Pomona and Lake City—"I've got to get out of L.A.;
1979. "How long would it take me to drive again in San Bernardino, and then we got to clean my lungs out once in awhile,"
there instead of take the train?" he begin the long haul over Cajon Pass. The he says—and he doesn't plan to stop in Las
repeated when I asked him. "Well, it train slows, laboring up the grade. There's Vegas. "My money comes too hard for me
depends how fast you drive and how many not a house to be seen out here; only steep to lose it gambling," he tells me over
speeding tickets you get, but why should I hills covered with green chaparral. Soon lunch.
drive? My car might break down or we lumber across Interstate 15, where cars Amtrak's lunches, Bailey and I agree,
38 SEPTEMBER, 1981
are nothing special. They're fresher than unspeakable murders. modate UP's freight trains and still arrive
what you get on the airlines, but the turkey As I'm passing through the sleeping car, on time.
sandwich, for example, is about as basic as the door to one of these compartments Padded schedule or not, we're getting
it gets: a slice of turkey between two pieces unexpectedly slides open, and I wait for close to our destination now, and people
of white bread, served with potato chips. some poor innocent to fall out, clutching at start to gather up their belongings and chat
You can take snacks like cheeseburgers, a growing red stain on his shirt and gasp- excitedly. Everyone's peering out the win-
chips, soft drinks and beer back to your ing out his last breath. The fact that the dows to catch the first glimpse of Las
seat, but why do that? Eating in the dining door has been opened by a pair of tots sip- Vegas, and finally we see it, the white, box-
car is a good way to make new friends. ping canned soft drinks is a disappoint- like hotels shimmering in the distance like
"The next stop is Barstow," crackles the ment I can't quite overcome for the rest of some weird crystalline formation.
loudspeaker. "Barstow, in four minutes. If the trip. "Next stop, Las Vegas," booms the
you're getting off the train in Barstow, In the last car on the train I stop to talk to loudspeaker, "Las Vegas in two minutes,"
please check around your seat. . . . " Joe and Ann Drone and Bob and Linda and we pull up to the station as orange
We've been traveling alongside the bed Wagner, all from Evansville, Indiana. sunset is spreading across the city and the
of the Mohave River, a marshy green rib- None of them have been to Las Vegas shadows are growing long. When the
bon in the desert's arid expanse. Houses before, but they have a pretty good idea of doors of the train are thrown open and we
begin to appear, and, as we pull into what to do there. "We plan on going step out onto the platform, the evening
Barstow station, we can see a few new home, well, not millionaires, but halfway heat hits us like a wave, but not even the
passengers waiting on the platform, bags there," deadpans Bob Wagner. heat could bother us now. One middle-
in hand. A new conductor and two new "We plan on going home flat broke," aged man in shorts and a checkered shirt
brakemen are waiting there, too; they'll corrects Linda. says it all: walking on the platform
take over from F. W. Dean and crew to see Out the back window, the sun is sinking alongside the train, he's unable to restrain
us through to Las Vegas. in the late afternoon sky. A raven soars by, himself, and let's out a high, blood-
cawing soundlessly on the other side of the curdling rebel yell.
On the return trip, we pull away from
A
FEW SHORT minutes later, glass. Dust is swirling over the rails as we
we're pulling out. We won't stop pass, and for the first time on the trip I can the platform at 10:28 in the morning, near-
again until we reach Las Vegas, feel the heat of the desert coming through ly an hour and a half behind schedule, but
four hours and some 160 miles away. It's the window. In a way, the Desert Wind is the station is located at the edge of the city,
the longest stretch on the trip, and we're like a tunnel—a gleaming, air-conditioned, and it isn't long before we're moving at top
going to run it as fast as we can in an effort 300-mile-long tunnel that gets you speed. The hotels and casinos recede slow-
to make up the time lost in Los Angeles. through the desert without ever letting you ly in the distance, until finally the whole
Back in my seat, I stare out the window know what it's really like. The scenery is concrete and neon oasis disappears like a
as the desert slides by, mile after mile. It beautiful, but it's like a museum mirage behind a sun-baked desert ridge.
seems as though we can't possibly be going display—behind glass, far away. The passengers are mostly quiet, as
more than 40 miles an hour. Actually, Back in the lounge car, rear brakeman F. W. Dean told me they would be. No
we're going more than 80. You can Jack Kent is sipping coffee. Kent is a one admits to losing money, but their
calculate the train's speed yourself by veteran train man, and he's telling me silence says it for them. Twenty minutes
using telephone poles that line the route: about some of the sandstorms he's seen after leaving Las Vegas, we pass under In-
every half mile is a pole with a number on blowing through this section of the route terstate 15, then angle away from it
it, and every quarter mile in between is a when the loudspeaker announces: "Ladies southwestward across the desert. Soon we
pole with a white band on it. Check how and gentlemen, we're now crossing the are crossing a dry lake rimmed with jagged
many quarter-miles you go in a minute, Nevada state line." mountains. The sand of the lake bed is
multiply the result by 60, and you've got "It's been a quiet trip," observes Kent. dazzling white in the morning sun, and
the train's speed in miles per hour. On past runs, he recalls, ornery passengers beyond it, the desert plain seems to slope
Gauging the train speed is just one of the have tried to take over sleeping compart- down and away forever. 0
many things you can do to pass time ments they haven't paid for, and he's even
aboard the Desert Wind. Drinking is had to break up a few fistfights. "You run
another favorite diversion, so are sleeping across a lot of strange people on this train, Gordon Smith is a
and reading. You're free to explore the but you meet a lot of nice ones, too," he freelance writer based
train, too, and somewhere between says. in San Diego, Cali-
Barstow and the California/Nevada As Kent finishes his coffee and leaves, fornia. He has had
border, that's what I decide to do. Beverly Jenkins and her mother Doris articles in Westways,
The bathrooms, downstairs next to the enter the lounge car and sit down for a the Los Angeles
baggage racks, are worth mentioning; beer. "I think it's a nice ride," says Doris Times, San Diego
they've got more gadgets than a Swiss ar- when I ask. "It's my first time, but I'll take magazine and the
my knife, and with at least five bathrooms the train again. I like it." San Diego Reader.
per car, there's no waiting in line. For my "Yeah, but it's real slow," puts in Bever-
money, the most fascinating thing aboard ly. "It's takin' a long time." We've been
the Desert Wind is the sleeping car (for told we will be in Las Vegas on
long-distance travelers). The individual schedule—seemingly a minor miracle, Zeke Larsen is a free-
compartments, off a corridor so narrow considering how late we got started. In- lance photographer
you have to turn sideways to squeeze by siders say that Union Pacific, which from San Diego. He
someone coming the other way, are operates the tracks from Los Angeles to has done work for the
mysterious, curtained little nooks. It's easy Las Vegas, has deliberately padded the San Diego Reader.
to imagine, a la Alfred Hitchcock, sinister schedule of the Desert Wind so that, if Cycle World and
agents or doctors in them, plotting necessary, it can be delayed to accom- Formula magazine.
".
FROM ASHES TO
WILDFLOWER "
A promise of renewal springs
from destruction.
tern thistle is
<er in burned areas, vet
42 SEPTEMBER, 1981
become velvety hills of green. By this time,
Text and photographs by Wayne P. Armstrong leafy branches have already grown from
the bases of charred shrubs and deep-
rooted stumps.
Botanists appropriately refer to the her-
Most people view forest fires as a terrible loss of property and baceous wildflowers that appear in profu-
wildlife. I watched with horror and sadness as my parent's little sion after burns as fire-followers. There are
hundreds of colorful fire-followers that
mountain cabin burned to the ground. All the years of sweat and predictably make their appearance in
toil that went into building it were erased in minutes. burned areas in the spring. One of the
Everything not consumed by the flames was stolen by looters, most common is white phacelia, a sticky
annual. After a recent fire on the
including a wonderful old potbellied stove. Knowing that California-Mexico border, not a single
wildflowers will thrive the next spring provides little consolation white phacelia could be found on nearby
when you survey the smoldering remains, and reminisce about unburned slopes, while in the burned
areas it covered the ground. In other
all the happy times you spent here with your loved ones. At the burned areas, I found equal numbers of
time of a personal disaster, it is difficult to rationalize about the related phacelias.
beneficial effects of fire. Nonetheless, fire plays an integral role The scarcity of wildflowers in dense
thickets of chaparral and their abundance
in nature's cycle and has been doing so long before humans in- after fire has been studied extensively in
habited this region. recent years. Fires occur once in every
10-40 years. Seeds of some wildflowers
may lie dormant for decades and then ger-
I
T WAS A warm summer afternoon in amount of winter rains following the fire minate by the millions following a fire.
the foothills of Southern California. season. Unfortunately, most of the reseeding cam-
The air was still, with only the occa- One of the most amazing phenomena in paigns to prevent erosion introduce weedy
sional calls of a wrentit and scrub jay in a nature's miraculous recovery from fire is mustards and grasses, such as wild oats
nearby canyon. I looked across a distant the brilliant display of wildflowers. The and ryegrass, which compete with and
ridge and saw a funnel of black smoke ris- dazzling mass of color changes from crowd out our colorful native soil binders.
ing from the dry brush. As the late after- orange to purple, red, or yellow as one Fire breaks down the impervious seed coat
noon breezes rose, the smoke spread into a kind of wildflower gradually fades and is of some wildflowers and allows them to ab-
billowing cloud. The sun was soon blotted replaced by another. The wildflowers may sorb water. Other seeds will still not ger-
out. The air was filled with ashes and the be so dense that it is impossible to take a minate unless endosperm tissue covering
distant sounds of sirens and air horns. This step without crushing some of them. In ad- the embryonic root or radicle within the
is a common occurrence on the parched dition to the tremendous density, there is seed is removed. Heat or other unknown
hillsides of Southern California: a brush often a remarkable diversity of species. For biochemical factors may be otherwise in-
fire out of control, the beginning of one of example, one canyon I studied in San volved in breaking dormancy in some
nature's most fascinating cycles of death seeds. Chemicals present in the resinous
and renewal. foliage and fallen leaves of chaparral
The day after the fire, I walked through shrubs inhibit germination of wildflower
the charred remains of a shrub forest. The seeds. This explains the large number of
smell of smoke and ashes was so strong appropria- wildflowers that appear in recently cleared
that I coughed. In some places, the chalky chaparral that has not been burned. It has
gray ashes were ankle high. I left deep foot- tely refer to also been shown that the burned remains
prints that reminded me of photographs
from the surface of the moon. The eerie
the of shrubs greatly stimulate the germina-
tion of certain seeds. Some, such as
silence was broken only by the hissing of whispering bells, thrive in the ash and
smoldering stumps or a charred branch often grow much more vigorously than in
falling to the ground. Local gusts and wildf lowers soil without ash.
small dust devils swirled the powdery
ashes. Buzzards circled overhead. It was
that appear Studies show that many chaparral
shrubs are actually rejuvenated by occa-
hard to imagine anything ever growing
here again. However, this silent setting of
in profusion sional fires, somewhat like pruning
overgrown crowded plants. Many shrub
grays and blacks was only a temporary after burns species resprout from deep-rooted,
phase in a complex series of events. Nature underground stumps or burls. The new,
would completely restore the original as fire- vigorous growth has plenty of room and
vegetation.
Contrary to news media and pictorial
followers. sunlight, plus abundant nutrients from the
thick layer of ash carpeting the ground.
propaganda showing a sad bear, fires are Thickets of dense chaparral, with masses
not entirely destructive. This broad Diego County contained more than 200 of dead branches and leaf litter that took
generalization depends on several factors: different species within one mile. decades to accumulate, are converted into
the time interval between successive fires, With the coming of winter rains, sprigs rich ash within minutes. A common
the intensity and duration of the blaze, of grasses and annual wildflowers push chaparral climbing vine, called wild
local weather conditions and time of year through the rain-soaked, ashy soil. Within cucumber, resprouts from an enormous,
when the fire occurs, the frequency and weeks, the barren gray and black slopes potato-like tuber that may weigh up to 60
thunderstorms starts many fires in the
WILDFLOWERS higher mountains, and undoubtedly these
T
HERE ARE always some animal quite unusual. In one case, a rancher was
casualties during a brush fire. trying to burn his dead horse because he
Larger mammals and birds often didn't want to dig a large grave. In another
escape, although some become trapped or case, a man was trying to smoke bees out of
confused and frightened if their escape a tree to harvest the honey.
A C O L U M N OF black smoke and the age of steam-powered trains. Some are box car.
the mournful cry of the whistle railroad buffs, others are interested in The train climbs into mesa country, and
beckon me. I round the corner of history. A considerable number ride out of the view is panoramic. Smoke and the
the depot. There on the narrow tracks sits curiosity: They have never traveled by smells of the surrounding vegetation fill
locomotive number 487, gently panting train. A few seek the glories of fishing and the air. The track curves and the entire
steam. An anachronism in this age of backpacking in the high country; the train train becomes visible ahead. To the north,
supersonic travel and instant communica- stops to pick up or discharge hikers at south and west extend the San Juan
tion, engine 487 is perfectly suited to its several places along the route. Still others, Mountains, a branch of the Rockies. To
job. Having given more than 50 years of like me, ride for reflection. Preferring rail the east lies tiny Antonito. As we climb
faithful service on the Denver and Rio to any other kind of travel, I'm eager to higher, aspen and pine become more com-
Grande Railroad, it now ferries tourists begin the trip across 64 miles of circuitous mon, and as far as I can see there are no
across the rugged mountains for the Cum- track from Antonito, Colorado, to Chama, fences or other evidence of human pres-
bres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. New Mexico. After the arid environs of ence. I imagine the land looks as it did
DESERT 45
a Mexican combination plate—is quickly
Railroading line makes the tunnel a favorite location of
film companies.
Once out of the tunnel, we overlook the
devoured. There's just enough time to take
a few pictures before four whistle blasts
Rio de los Pinos, 600 feet below the call us to board the train. During lunch,
when the Denver and Rio Grande Rail- tracks. A tame ride at less than 10 miles an the crews have been busy switching engine
road crews began constructing the track in hour, anything much faster would be hair- 487, the locomotive from the westbound
1880. raising. The terrain is rugged. At Phantom Colorado Limited, to the back of the east-
I feel very much at home as the train Curve, a wall of rock rises straight up. bound New Mexico Express. Like the
chugs around the many bends in the track, This curve is so named because passengers engines, we switched trains after lunch.
following the topography. The only and crew traveling at night reported that The engine that hauled the New Mexico
sounds come from the train. At nearly the canyon wall reflected the train's lights, Express to Osier is coupled to the rear of
every curve, the engineer sounds the whis- creating eerie images and ghostlike shapes. the Colorado Limited. Because Osier's
tle, lending an air of urgency to the trip. Struck by the beauty of the wilderness location provides just enough room for a
Perched on the side of the mountain, the area, most passengers travel in near short span of double track and a siding, but
first structures since Antonito come into silence, enjoying private thoughts and not enough space for a roundhouse, the
view. This is Sublette, the first stop. emotions. As we near Osier, Colorado, the engines are switched for the return trips.
Sublette is one of many section camps that
J
housed the men who maintained the OINING A new group of people on
tracks. In its prime, Sublette bustled with the New Mexico Express, we con-
activity, its population swollen to about tinue our westward journey. The
100 by loggers and businessmen. Only At nearly every terrain changes from steep slopes and deep
three original buildings stand today. Still canyons to a gently rolling countryside,
visible in a few places, logging roads wind curve, the covered with grass and an occasional stand
through the surrounding area. A bunk of trees. Cattle dot the hills and dirt tracks
house of chinked logs is the oldest building engineer sounds wind through the area. Preferring the open
on the line. Peeling paint and warped
timbers tell of long, hard winters. At 9,000
the whistle, air, we try riding in the gondola car, but in
addition to having no seats, now the car is
feet, aspens cover the slopes. In the late lending an air of directly behind the engine. After a few
September sun their brilliant orange, red minutes, the eye-burning, acrid-smelling
and gold leaves shimmer and shine. urgency to the trip. smoke is too much for Helen and me, so
Underway again after taking on water, we retreat to the somewhat sheltered en-
the train climbs higher; I watch hawks vironment of the semi-enclosed cars. Ed
soar. The solitude is comforting, although and Cradoc, blessed with more stamina
I'm with a group. We are quiet, enjoying lunch stop, conversation picks up. Built on (and eyeglasses), remain in the gondola a
this time to be alone. Marking our pro- a knoll, Osier looks southwest over the Rio while, then move the length of the train,
gress at intervals of a mile, posts declare de los Pinos. At this point, the name is taking pictures of the terrain. Many more
the distance from Denver. Milepost something of a misnomer; the River of the people are riding the New Mexico Express
311.30 along the Toltec Gorge marks the Pines flows past few pines. A forest fire than rode this morning's train from An-
entrance to the first tunnel on the line. raged west of Osier in 1879; the trees are tonito. Seeing so many families enjoying
Called Mud Tunnel, it's 349 feet long. only slowly returning. I see that the New the ride is an encouraging sign for the sur-
The interior is completely timbered. Fac- Mexico Express, up the four-percent grade vival of this scenic line as well as for
ing the inside with timber was necessary to from Chama, has just arrived. Osier is the modern rail travel.
shore up the soft material through which halfway point on the trip; after lunch, most Later, the train crosses the Rio de los
the tunnel passes, but the wood makes the passengers will retrace the morning's route Pinos on the Cascade Trestle and I look
tunnel something of a fire hazard. In the to their point of origin. We will change down a frightening 137 feet; this trestle has
past, sparks from the locomotive started trains here, riding the New Mexico Ex- no guard rails. The span is 409 feet long
fires that smoldered for days. The press to Chama. and has been in use since 1889. The after-
remoteness of the Cumbres and Toltec Lunch—a hot, barbecued beef buffet or noon begins to turn cold, so Helen and I
La J a r a / t 0 Alamosa
ANTONITO
"CHAMA 295
Tres Piedras
84 285
X San Juan
Espanolaov° Pueblo CHAMA
LSanta Fe
A
4$ SEPTEMBER, 1981
With the locomotive that brought us to Osier coupled to the New Mexico Ex-
press, we continue our southwestern journey through the San Juan Mountains.
don our parkas and scarves. Rolling on, the speed of the train. Soon we pass a hunt-
watching the shadows lengthen, the ex- ing lodge, and as the train winds down the
istence of this wild land is incongruous in track, the modest buildings become
the context of the 20th Century. For me,
the land and the train are a means of
The train climbs smaller and smaller, until they resemble
miniatures. Less than five miles from
spiritual rejuvenation, a way to put my city into mesa country, Chama station, the end of the line, I stand
life in perspective. at an open window as the train trundles
At the Los Pinos water tank, we stop to and the view is across 100-foot-high Lobato Trestle. Cap-
tivated by the patches of bright light filter-
take on water before the climb to Cumbres
Pass. Winter snows are heavy in this high
panoramic. ing through the aspens and cottonwoods
valley; for several miles, the remnants of that fill Wolf Creek ravine, I know the
snow sheds have been visible. Blocking memories of this day will linger. 0
traffic at the summit, Cumbres Pass, the
train crosses New Mexico Highway 17. At
the sight of the road and the automobiles, I Ideas on planning tonito to Santa Fe via Highway 285.
Travel time from Santa Fe to Chama is
realize the end of the trip is near. How nice your own rail trip. about three hours. The route over Cum-
it would be, I fantasize, to lodge the night Planning to experience the entire rail bres Pass takes about 50 minutes, and the
in a railroad hotel in Chama and continue trip is worth the effort. To enjoy the time from Antonito to Santa Fe is approx-
on to Durango or Silverton tomorrow. A 64-mile Cumbres and Toltec Scenic imately two and one half hours.
blast of cold air brings me back to reality. Railroad route, we traveled in two cars The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic
I'm content to stay on the train during our from Santa Fe to Chama viaU.S.Highway Railroad operates from about mid-June to
20-minute stop. The crew prudently tests 84, (see map) a distance of about 107 miles. mid-October. Reservations are a must, as
the brakes before beginning the steep de- At Chama we parked one car at the depot passenger loads are hard to gauge. Trains
scent into Chama. and took New Mexico State Highway 17 leave Chama, New Mexico and Antonito,
Working harder than it has so far today, over Cumbres and La Manga Passes 48 Colorado, Friday through Tuesday at 10
engine 487 strains as it, and the brakes, miles to Antonito, Colorado. Boarding the a.m. and return to the point of origin by 5
hold back the train during the downhill train in Antonito, we disembarked at p.m. For more information, contact Cum-
run. Traveling at less than 10 miles per Chama, and once again drove Highway 17 bres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, P.O. Box
hour, the train descends four vertical feet to Antonito. There we picked up the other 7889, Chama, NM 87520, or call (505)
for every 100 feet of track. This is a steep car and traveled the 110 miles from An- 756-2151.
descent, one that makes it hard to control
DESERT 47
TRACES IN THE SAND
48 SEPTEMBER, 1981
Life On The Pacific Edge
The Seacoast experience:
You know it . . . you live it.
Celebrate this experience with us each
month; subscribe to Seacoast magazine.
Send in the attached card or phone
455-9384.
DESERT 49
From watering hole to stopover
between Salt Lake City and San
Bernardino to the sparkling city of
today—a short history of how the
glitter got there.
M
Y DEARS, have you heard? door each year, the Lady with enough
She's at it again! Puttin' on clout to sway the state and federal
airs, I call it. Sprucin' up, legislatures.
paintin' her face, flashin' that 'pleased Oh, she's a coquette, all right, a bit racy
t' meetcha' look. Why, it's a scandal, that's with her fancy skirts, painted cheeks and
what it is! And at her age. But then, it's not brassy ways. She has a cadence, a beat, a
surprising I suppose, when you think of rhythm. She moves to it. There in the
her beginnings. Everyone knows where desert of southern Nevada, she welcomes
she comes from, who her folks were." them all—the tourists and ranchers,
"Some of the best, I've heard." schoolteachers and scientists, clerks and
"The best! Why, my dear, they were the gamblers who come to her doors each year.
rag-tag of the lot! Drifters. Loose on the It's always been that way. Folk have
desert. Lookin' for heaven knows what!" always come to Las Vegas—even 'way
So they were, those kinfolk of that Lady back before there was much there.
with the pizazz, that Las Vegas: a parade of They came on foot, skirting mesquite
rusty, crusty characters. Earthy folk, who and raising little puffs of dirt as they
snaked their way across the flat, parched scuffed along.
landscape and paused for a moment beside They came on horseback, in wagons and
a desert watering hole where dragonflies
and hummingbirds darted among the
reeds.
Drifters? Not a bit of it. They knew They came on
where they were headed. They called it
westering, or they called it surveying, or foot, oi\
prospecting, soldiering, homesteading,
railroading, or trapping.
horseback, in
"Well, it just isn't seemly (at her age,
too) to be always lookin' for a good time.
wagons, those
Why, it's positively . . . naughty . . . That's kinfolk of the flirt.
what it is—naughty!"
Las Vegas, Nevada. Naughty? Risque?
Full of excitement and youthful vigor?
"Maybe it's just plain optimism, or suc- by mule train through the blinding glare, laid down their packs and their pickaxes
cess. She's come a long way, you know. watching dust devils whirl across the lone- and Bibles, and they sat down to rest in the
Waited a long time. And she's hung on, ly trail before them. grass beside the pools of gushing water.
too, until she finally made it." Moving. The place was known as Las Vegas (The
"But, my dear, she's just a little in- Westering. Meadows). It was an oasis in what was
terloper, tryin' to pass herself off as . . . as The route was hard, and it was long. commonly thought of as the longest,
. . . important!" They came, those rusty, crusty characters, crookedest, most arduous pack mule route
She is important, this Las Vegas, this across the remote desert valley at the edge in the history of America.
Lady with a past. The Lady with enough of the Great Basin, and at the foot of the Las Vegas remains an oasis, a watering
glitter and energy to draw millions to her serrated mountain range they halted. They hole for a continuing parade of colorful
50 SEPTEMBER, 1981
folded, so went Las Vegas, with its begin-
nings rooted in the ancient culture of the
Anasazi, those early Indian farmers whose
lifestyle was distinguished by large com-
munal buildings, embellished by an elab-
orate complex of arts and crafts and by a
rich ceremonial life.
W
HEN T H E Anasazi left the
area in the 12th Century,
neighboring Paiutes came to
live off the land. They lived in temporary
encampments around the springs of Las
Vegas, hunting, gathering and foraging
along the banks of the Muddy and Virgin
Rivers, and in other well-watered places.
Then the white man came, shouldered
aside the Indians and made way for a
parade of westering trappers, traders,
government explorers, freighters, mis-
s i o n a r i e s , gold r u s h e r s and other
overlanders bound for California.
They watched duststorms spawn daz-
zling sunsets; watched the sun sear the
rocky, sandy landscape with a pounding
fury in summer. They endured the cold
wind of winter as it raged from higher
mountain ranges to the west; they ex-
perienced the miracle of April wildflowers
decorating rainwashed arroyos with a
brief, rarefied magic. Some stayed; most
moved on to answer a call beyond the
mountains.
In 1776, Francisco Garces and Spanish
missionairies of the Franciscan Order ap-
proached the Las Vegas region to open a
trail between New Mexico and California.
They found too many hardships and
turned back toward the east and the south.
The first whites of definite record to
cross the southern Nevada deserts were
American fur men. Jedediah Smith and a
brigade of 15 trappers in 1826 followed the
Virgin River to its mouth, crossed and
rode along the Colorado River until they
reached the future site of Needles, then
turned and headed directly west to the
Mission San Gabriel near Los Angeles.
Significantly, Smith's trek opened the way
from the central interior west to the Pacific
Ocean. It was along this route that the
Lady's kinfolk would trek for a century
and a half. It was at The Meadows that the
sunstruck, weary travelers found rest and
water.
The Old Spanish Trail, as it came to be
characters. They come from all over the Top, Las Vegas in her early beginnings. called, was the primary commercial con-
world, winging in on the great multicol- Above, 1910 and she's building up. Shown nection between Santa Fe and Los
ored planes, arriving by bus, train, motor- here is downtown Fremont Street. Angeles. Traders used the route more than
cycle and auto from anywhere in the fur trappers, who in 1829 organized
United States. They arrive each year by ture of the bizarre and the beautiful, of themselves into caravans for the three-
the millions—12 million, more or less— nature in the raw, of the ultimate in month trip.
and they seem, in their contemporary sophistication. It has the distinction, also, John C. Fremont rode to the springs in
manner, not out of place in the long of having developed in the most predict- 1844 and fixed Las Vegas permanently on
parade. able manner, this painted Lady with the the map when he published it in his great
The place has long been a curious mix- youthful vigor. As American history un- report, detailing his second and most
DESERT 51
LADY LAS VEGAS
notable exploration of the West.
Indians and trappers, traders and ex-
plorers, emigrants, horse rustlers, robbers
and soldiers and traffickers in the Indian
slave market beat deep ruts through the
powdery earth.
The oasis at Las Vegas Springs,
sometimes called Big Springs, had cotton-
woods and willows shading the springs,
which gushed with a force strong enough
to keep a swimming man afloat and sup-
plied warm, palatable water for drinking
and bathing. Close by was a wealth of mes-
quite for firewood; there was plenty of
grass for stock. Meadows extended for
several miles, marking the limits reached
by the spring waters as they spread across
the valley floor.
Wagons began to roll.
Mormons led companies of wagons
south from Salt Lake City and west to
California along the Old Spanish Trail,
finally called the Mormon Trail. Trail
guides Jefferson Hunt and Elijah Ward
piloted their charges for a flat rate of 10
dollars per wagon to Los Angeles, camp-
ing at the springs in the desert. Very late in
1849, renowned pathfinder Major How-
ard Egan spent a few days there, then
moved on.
The parade of characters stopping at the
springs took on greater variety when Mor-
mons and miners stepped onto the trail.
Most of those who traveled the corridor
to the Pacific in the mid-1800s were Mor-
mons, who soon turned their hand to
building settlements from Salt Lake to San
Bernardino.
In 1855, a group of 30 missionaries,
headed by William Bringhurst, estab-
lished a colony at Las Vegas to convert the
Indians to the Mormon way of life. On
June 14, 1855, the missionaries began to
lay the foundation of the first settlement at
The Meadows, which they would occupy
for two years, and which was located about
three miles below the springs. It was usual-
ly referred to as the Mormon Fort, later as
the Las Vegas Ranch, and for 50 years was
the heart of Las Vegas.
Miners and short-term entrepreneurs
made quick trips to the site of the aban-
doned fort, but it wasn't until 1865, when
Octavius Decatur Gass reoccupied the fort Top, the temporary depot, 1905. 1869; Gass developed part of the valley,
and put in crops, that Las Vegas became a Above, later that same year construction was then left for Southern California in 1881
permanent settlement. Gass began farm- finished on the first permanent depot. and sold the ranch to Archibald and Helen
ing and cattle ranching and the develop- Stewart who, at the time of Helen's death
ment of the Las Vegas Valley was begun. territory. in 1926, deeded 10 acres to the govern-
The Lady was coming into her own. A great many people had passed through ment for use by the Paiute Indians. They
Gass was active in Arizona political af- the Las Vegas country; now many stayed. still occupy the area, directed by the
fairs, for part of Nevada fell within those Prospectors fanned across the desert and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
territorial boundaries, and he raised a into the mountains; the army maintained a They came on foot, on horseback, in
strong voice in decisions affecting the new post at The Meadows between 1867 and wagons, those kinfolk of the flirt.
52 SEPTEMBER, 1981
15, 1905, to several hundred eager bid- heeled slippers, piled up her hair, rouged
ders. The building of the town began a day her cheeks and lips. She climbed into the
later. driver's seat of a fast Packard roadster and
Tents went up first, "mansions of airy rode to The Meadows—the first night club
canvas," said one reporter, then shacks, and casino, featuring a "spectacular
and within weeks Las Vegas had lost its review." Other clubs were built in quick
sleepy, pastoral, backwater character and succession.
had become a boomtown in the desert. In the summer of 1940, Tommy Hull
Saloons—The Gem, Arizona Club, Red opened the first luxury hotel—El Rancho
Onion Club, The Arcade—grew fastest; Vegas—despite taunts that he was crazy for
flush times had arrived, spawned by great building two and a half miles south of
new silver and gold mining fields to the town in the midst of sand, greasewood and
south. Rail spurs brought business in and mesquite. Tommy Hull had something.
meant the end of nearly 50 years of dif- The beginning of the famed Las Vegas
ficult, isolated pioneering in a hostile, hard Strip. Tourists. Show people. Gamblers.
land. Kinfolk.
In 1909, Clark County—named for Nellis Air Force Base was begun in 1941
Senator Clark—was separated from Lin- and a $150-million magnesium refinery
coln County and Las Vegas became the plant went into production in 1942, bring-
county seat. Two years later, the town was ing huge payrolls and spending power to
incorporated, but remained a pretty small Las Vegas. Millions of dollars went into
place until the automobile revolution permanent housing, schools and local in-
reached southern Nevada after World dustry, and it wasn't long before the
War I. Greater Las Vegas area—out there beyond
The city was a major stopping place be- the bright lights—was called home by
tween Salt Lake City and San Bernardino. 330,000 people, more than half of the
Hotels, restaurants, garages and general population of the entire state.
stores appeared. By 1930, the census Las Vegas had everything: outdoor liv-
reported 5,165 people in residence. ing in a perfect desert setting, plenty of
The town was standing in the wings of water for power and recreation, stupen-
yet another major production: Hoover dous entertainment and a strictly-
Dam was about to put the century-old controlled gaming industry. It became the
water-hole into a new role. glamor resort and gambling capital of the
The "greatest dam in the world" was world.
dedicated by President Roosevelt on The town has kept its Old West touch,
September 31, 1935, and with it came but with its crystal chandeliers and flocked
flush times for Las Vegas. The rest of the wallpaper, its padded leather and polished
country suffered the Depression, but Las mahogany, the baroque interiors and
Vegas enjoyed the benefits of 5,000 new hearty oil paintings of simpering nudes, it
dam employees and their huge monthly is a far cry from its rude beginnings at the
old watering hole among the willows and
cottonwoods.
Rail spurs brought Splendiferous she is. Hostess to
millions. The darling of all who parade
business in and through, who enjoy the show and who live
meant the end of their lives where dragonflies and hum-
mingbirds once darted among the reeds.
nearly 50 years of Las Vegas. That girl-about-town. That
Lady with the youthful vigor, out for a
difficult, isolated good time, daughter of those rusty, crusty
characters who sat down to rest beside the
pioneering in a pools of gushing water. 0
hostile, hard land. Virginia Greene, na-
tive Arizonan, adopt-
payroll. ed Californian, has
On January 30, 1905, through the ef- A further boom came in 1931, when the spent much of her
forts of Senator W. A. Clark, who was Nevada legislature returned legalized lifetime exploring the
ranching in the valley, the historic Mor- gambling to Nevada after an absence of 22 deserts, mountains,
mon Trail between Salt Lake City and Los years. Residency for divorce was lowered canyonlands and waterways of the South-
Angeles became a route for rails. Las to six weeks, repeal of prohibition came in west. Three years ago, she marked the
Vegas entered another era. 1933, and the entrepreneurs of the enter- last of the English theme papers, turned
After one false start, the railroad com- tainment industry began to ply their trade in the final grade report and moved with
pany chose a location on the east side of the with a Midas touch. her husband from Palm Springs to Pa-
tracks, where it planned the Las Vegas The dam town became a club and show cific Grove, California, where she works
townsite. Lots were sold at auction on May town. The Lady slid into her high- as a novelist and free-lance writer.
DHSRRT 53
United States and beyond, Clark con-
sidered Montana his residence for many
years. He helped draft the state's first con-
stitution and served as its United States
Senator. His stately three-story home in
Butte, completely restored and known as
Copper King Mansion, is on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Well-groomed and gracious, Clark
entertained lavishly. With his wife Kate,
elegantly attired in a Paris gown and
jewels, standing at his side, he welcomed
guests to regal parties in the third-floor
ballroom of his mansion. With such a flair
for entertaining, it's a pity Clark is not
alive today to see the lucrative industry
entertainment has become in what was,
only three-quarters of a century ago, his
Las Vegas townsite.
In 1905, Las Vegas was a railroad town.
To Clark, it was merely a part of his far-
reaching plan to build a railroad from Salt
Lake City to Los Angeles. The story goes
that he bought the old Las Vegas Rancho
as a place to service his trains as they
crossed the desert; that he divided the
property into lots and moved in his
employees, creating the town of Las
Vegas. That's pretty close to the truth.
Clark built the San Pedro, Los Angeles
& Salt Lake Railroad entirely with his own
resources. No bonds were sold, no stocks
issued. It was unprecedented in the history
of railroad construction. It is said that
Clark paid his Mormon construction
m
Although Clark purchased the townsite In 1921, when Clark was 82 years old,
much earlier, there was little development he sold his interest in the railroad to the
of Las Vegas before the actual arrival of the Union Pacific, thus ending that portion of
railroad. As the line approached, a com- a remarkable one-man dynasty. He died
Arizona Carolyn Watts, (714) 462-3116. tion, contact Barbara Lanctot, (312)
Sept. 19-21: Arcosanti celebrates Sept. 26-27: The Sequoia Gem and 322-8859.
the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mineral Society is holding their annual
Pierre Teilhard deChardin and the 10th show, Harvest of Gems and Minerals.
anniversary of the ongoing Arcosanti Hours: Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Missouri
project. There will be a wide variety of Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show is Sept. 9-11: The second Biennial Con-
nationally and internationally regarded being held at the Red Norton Recreation vention of the National Association of
performing and visual artists and musi- Center, 1120 Roosevelt Ave., Redwood Civilian Conservation Corps Alumnae
cians. Also experts from the U.S. and City, CA. For more information, contact will be held in Kansas City, MO. It is
abroad discussing Teilhard, aesthetics, Carol Meeds, 3406 Saratoga Dr., San open to all enrollees, military officers in
science, history, theology, philosophy, Mateo, CA 94403. charge, forestry personnel who super-
politics, economics and person. For addi- Sept. 27-Oct. 9: The colorful and in- vised the work programs and office
tional information, contact Arcosanti trig jing rock art of the Southwest will be workers in district offices who worked
Events, 6433 Doubletree Rd., Scottsdale, explored by a group led by Ken Hedges, during the years of 1933 to 1942. For in-
AZ 85253. San Diego Museum of Man curator. formation on how to join and convention
Register by the end of August. For com- attendance, write to R. Wallace
plete information, call the Museum of Reynolds, Exec. Director NACCCA,
California Man, (714)239-2001. 7900 Sudley Rd., Suite 418, Manassas,
Sept. 1-28: Images of the Spirit World, a Oct. 3-4: The Prospector's Club of VA 22110.
major new exhibit assembling representa- Southern California, Inc. is holding its
tions of rock art in a variety of media is be- 14th Annual National Prospector &
ing featured at the San Diego Museum of Treasure Hunters Convention. It will be Nevada
Man. The exhibit is a collection of art held at Galileo Hill Park in California Labor Day Week: Go to Virginia City,
works dealing with rock art: paintings, City, CA, which is approximately 15 NV for camel races. Ten or more camels
photos, reproductions of rock art and miles NE of Mojave. The latest in pros- compete each Labor Day Week and reaf-
pastel drawings. The show will also pecting and treasure hunting equipment firm their reputation as the least lovable
feature a slide exhibit. For more informa- will be displayed and demonstrated. animal in the world. Call (702) 847-0311
tion, call (714) 239-2001. Beautiful displays of coins, gold, relics, for exact information, as dates may vary.
Sept. 4-6: The seventh annual Gem & etc. will be exhibited in the treasure Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mineral Show, Treasures of the Earth, display competition. The event will also Sept. 9-13: Help Nevada celebrate its 50
will be held at the Parkway Plaza Mall, El feature prominent speakers, champion- year anniversary of gaming at the Nevada
Cajon, CA. Hours: Friday and Saturday, ships, activities for the kids and many State Fair in Reno. It will be a "good old
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 more opportunities. A great weekend days" celebration with traditional home-
p.m. Dealer space is open. For informa- outing for the entire family. Most displays making and livestock exhibits and judg-
tion, contact Horace Scott, (714) require advance reservations and the ing; cookie bake-off; arm wrestling;
443-8272. deadline is September 21. For further in- frisbee and talent contests; home-arts
Sept. 19-20: Fossils for Fun Society, Inc., formation, contact Bill Smillie, 10501 demonstrations; Country Western enter-
will present its Second Annual Paleo- Ilona Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064. tainment and a special exhibit honoring
Panorama at Country Club Centre, El this anniversary.
Camino & Watt Avenues, Sacramento, Ongoing: Get a good introduction to the
CA. Fossils collected worldwide will be Illinois desert environment at the University of
on exhibit. Exhibits only. No dealers. June 3-Sept. 8: The Field Museum of Las Vegas Museum of Natural History.
Hours: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30
Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For information, Shore Drive, Chicago, IL is featuring an a.m. to 5 p.m. Many exhibits on the
contact William Usrey, 6628 Salida Way, exhibit on the Hopi Indian. This exhibit biology and geology of the area.
North Highlands, CA 95660 or call (916) celebrates America's oldest continuously
332-7017. surviving culture and features large-scale
Sept. 19-20: A show by the San Diego models of Hopi religious ceremonies, New Mexico
Bromeliad Society will be held at Room hundreds of kachinas and a hall filled Sept. 5-6: In Hatch, NM, join the 10th
101, Casa del Prado, Balboa Park, San with candid photographs by Joseph Annual Hatch Chile Festival. A chile
Diego, CA. Hours: Saturday, noon to 5 Mora. Shortly after these photographs lover's delight; ristras, sacks and baskets
p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Plant were taken, cameras were banned from of peppers for sale. Features include a
sale featured. For information, contact Hopi public dances. For further informa- skeet shoot, black powder shoot, horse-
56 SEPTEMBER, 1981
/li\ caste! RESORT ** HOTEL
Utah
Sept. 5-6: The Moab Chamber of Com-
merce is sponsoring a four-wheel-drive
overnight campout. This will take place
on several trails leading out of Moab.
Campers should bring their own food and Real Trouper
supplies. Chamber will provide guides. When today's young serviceman joins the Armed Forces, he brings with him,
No charge. For more information, call many times, a wife and children. And it's not always easy for the family . . . there
Donna Jordan, (801) 259-7531. are moves to new cities or countries, making new friends, adjusting to new
cultures, perhaps even learning a new language.
DESERT 57
THE DESERT ROCKHOUND
by Rick Mitchell
Collecting Sites park, petrified wood can be found about nothing when you consider the quality. If
The area around Las Vegas is well-known nine miles from the highway and continu- you don't make advance arrangements,
to prospectors and rockhounds. There are ing one more mile. Be sure to stop a few you will be turned back by the guard.
agate, jasper, opal, turquoise, onyx and times within this mileage to look for This is an outstanding collecting spot,
countless other minerals available within some. but not recommended for the summer
a 50-mile radius of town. One of my South of Las Vegas is one of my due to intense heat.
favorite locations is less than an hour's favorite places to collect onyx. This spec- The mine dumps southwest of Las
drive from Las Vegas and offers tacular material contains every color of Vegas offer the collector a wide variety of
chalcedony, agate, onyx, common opal in the rainbow, hence the name rainbow mineral specimens. If you are interested in
shades of pink, red and orange and onyx. The patterns are as varied as the minerals, take Interstate 15 south from Las
petrified wood. colors. There are bands, zigzags, lace Vegas to Jean, about 31 miles. Proceed
To get to this prime collecting site, take designs, whorls and even some with den- another five miles toward Goodsprings
Interstate 15 north from Las Vegas to the drites and tiny circles. It is hard. Some and you'll start seeing a number of roads
turnoff to Valley of Fire State Park (33 cut and look more like agate than onyx. heading in all directions. As you continue
miles). Go another four miles. You'll see The lapidary craftsman can make every- on the main road, take any of them.
a dirt road heading to the right. Take it, thing from stunning cabochons to book- Chances are, you'll end up at a mine.
and continue nine miles to the collecting ends and clock faces from this showy
area. Chalcedony can be found all over, stone.
for quite a distance. One can pick up To get there, take Interstate 15 south
beautiful black, white and brown onyx from Las Vegas approximately nine miles
there, as well as some small but well- to the turnoff to Pahrump. Follow this
colored pieces of carnelian. road, bearing to the left at the intersec-
tion, 28 miles. Just past Milepost 37, take
the left turn to Tecopa. Continue another
12 1/2 miles, turn left and proceed to the
mine.
tl
^
-—=r
—
j
1
Mine dumps, southwest of Las Vegas, for
collecting mineral specimens.
/
\ Often found on the dumps are wulfenite,
\ 1 ll N galena, calamine, smithsonite, malachite,
chrysocolla, chalcopyrite, tenorite,
Chalcedony, agate, onyx, opal and petrified
wood collecting site, north of Las Vegas. 1 spalerite and cerussite. The contents of the
dumps vary from mine to mine. Be very
•Make advance ai'an (.menu
58 SEPTEMBER, 1981
jGOOD
jDESERT
iBOOKS
Just Circle
Indicator Attachment, which provides a the rockhound. The sites are arranged by Your Choice
large dial readout, indicating the angular states, towns and mines, each in alpha- To Order
position of the spindle relative to the lap. betical order. Important information such
Desert,
No modification of the head is necessary as fees, hours of operation, address and/or The American
and it can be attached in less than a telephone number and what can be col- Southwest
minute. This device adapts to Ultra Tec lected is included. This is a handy book Ruth Kirk.
faceting heads only. For more informa- for those willing to pay a fee to collect. An extraordinar-
ily perceptive
tion, contact Ultra Tec at 1025 E. Send $4.95 to Kindler, P.O. Box 12328, account. Highly The
Chestnut, Santa Ana, California 92701 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19119. recommended. i/iur
Garrett Electronics is marketing a new The 1978-79 edition of Minerals Year- Hb. beautifully RlffllKllw
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Pocket Scanner. I have tested one and am book, Volume I: Metals and Minerals, can
Roadmap to California's Lost Mines and
very excited about its potential for quick be purchased for $15 from the Buried Treasures Comp. by Varna Ent. Two
analysis of mine dumps for metallic con- Superintendent of Documents, Govern- sides. Northern/Southern Calif. Size is 38" x
tent as well as traditional metal detector ment Printing Office, Washington D.C. 25". Scaled. Detailed locations of place
applications. It is simple to use and very 20402. Your order should specify the title names not on other maps. $5
Western Nevada Jeep Trails Roger Mitchell.
compact. This tiny device measures only as well as the stock number, which is Many 4WD trails never in print before —
6 1/2" x 3" x 1 1/2", making it easy to 024-004-02021-1. The publication con- takes in Bullionvile, Carson City loop. Jack's
carry, even when hiking quite a distance. tains 1,063 pages, and is primarily of in- Spring Canyon, Candalaria, Lida Wash. $1.25
For more information, contact Garrett at terest to those involved in mining, but is The Baja Book II Tom Miller/Elmar Baxter.
Highly recommended. Includes 50 mile-by-
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75041. There is a chapter on new developments Detailed with over 100 illus. Pb. $8.95
The Crystalite Corporation, 13449 and government policies, as well as 72 American Indian Food and Lore Carolyn
Beach Avenue, Marina Del Rey, Califor- chapters on nonfuel minerals. Each Neithammer. Plants Indians used for foods,
medicinal purposes, shelter, clothing, etc.
nia 90291, now produces a diamond clock mineral is discussed with regard to its Large format, 191 pgs, many illus. $5.95
face drill with a 7/16" diameter. It domestic production, price, consumption Chili Lovers' Cookbook Al & Mildred
features a new cutting surface that is said and new technology to obtain and process Fischer. Two cookbooks in one. The best of
to be very effective, giving the drill longer it. chili cookery and a variety of taste-tempting
foods made from/with chili peppers. Pb. $3
life and allowing it to cut faster than con- Lost Legends of the Silver State Gerald B.
ventional counterparts. Newsletters Higgs. 16 legends of the golden age ot
The Perfectone Company is now A new newsletter dedicated to fossil Nevada, with rare old photos. Hb, $7.95
manufacturing 60 different animal molds hunters is being distributed, free of Chuck Wagon Cookin' Stella Hughes. Reci-
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Anza-Borrego Desert Guide Book Horace
For more information, contact Perfectone covers collecting, presentation tips, per- Parker, Revised. Classic reference to our
at 5546 West Oakland Park Blvd., Fort sonalities and other related news items. If largest desert park, published in 1957, and
Lauderdale, Florida 33313. you would like to examine a sample copy, now completely updated. Pb., many photo-
graphs, and 2 maps. 154 pages. $6.95
Foredom Electric Company recently send a first class stamp to Fossil Report,
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The fifth edition of Carol Kindler's book, chased at $5 each. Orders should be sent Charge My VISA Mastercard Amex (circle
Dig It, is now available. This edition has to Ge-Odyssey Gem Publications, 3532 one) Card # OR,
been completely revised and discusses Katella, No. 210, Los Alamitos, Califor- MY CHECK IS ENCLOSED FOR $
253 fee-collecting locations of interest to nia 90720. fh Please check this box for our complete catalog
of books on the desert and Southwest D
DESERT 59
'II all agree there's nothing like enthusiasm and surprising productivity
the great outdoors, whether it be a walk of the weekend prospector. All profiles
down that gorgeous desert drywash, are unique, but always highlight What
hiking up a mountain trail, or stolling to look for, Where to go to find it, and ftOUSCACHE!
along the beach. But what most people How to bring it back. Sample articles
don't know is that just below the sur- include recovering gold, dating bottles,
face of that dry wash is gold—precious getting the most from your detector,
metal that can be recovered easily, and collecting and preserving surface
cheaply, and with no damage to the Indian relics and Civil War artifacts.
environment. Few hikers realize that Last but not least, you'll find docu-
that rusty can laying on the trail could mented leads on caches from coast to
be the key to finding old bottles nearby, coast—the countless hoards that still
many worth hundreds of dollars each. await discovery. So take advantage of
And the most accessible riches are the this special subscription offer today,
untold gold and silver rings, coins, and enter the fascinating world of
chains and assorted jewelry laying just treasure hunting!
under those beach sands, waiting to be
found!
Sound exciting? IT IS, and for the
whole family too! Where does TREA-
SURE MAGAZINE come in? Written
and edited by experts, it has been the
undisputed leader in the field forovera
decade. A typical issue contains in-
depth product reports on the latest
metal detectors, drywashers, sluices
and gold pans. Alternatively, regular
reports show how to build your own
low-cost equipment. You'll read inter-
views with people who have literally
struck it rich; world-famous treasure
8ft
hunters who take on the big ones, from Enclosed find $11.00 for a one year sub-
the Lost Dutchman mine, to the Egyp- scription (12 Issues) to TREASURE magazine,
tian pyramids. And you'll share the at a savings of $7.00 off the regular newsstand
price. Send to:
NAME
Send to: TREASURE MAGAZINE ADDRESS
P.O. BOX 28816 CITY
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92128 STATE ZIP _
THE TRADING POST
BOOKS AND MAGAZINES THE TACHE-YOKUTS, Indians of the San Joa- BEEF JERKY-Best in the West-make your
BOOKS! Western Americana, desert, our special- qnin Valley, their lives, songs, and stories. 2nd ed. own. Send $2 to Jerky Recipe, P.O. Box
ty. First editions, photographs, rare and unusual. 1979. Printed. PB $8.50, HB $12.95 plus tax. 23555-M148, San Diego, CA 92123.
Send $2 (refundable): Parnassus-by-the-River Shipping $1. Cassette tape of 1940 Tache songs,
Bookshop, Box 146, Tehama, CA 96090. $5. Marjorie W. Cummins, 2064 Carter Way, MAPS
Hanford, CA 93230. Quantity discounts available. ADVENTURER'S MAPS-Impervious to acids,
FOR SALE: All issues of Desert magazine—$300. alkalis, mildew. Adheres to metals. Cannot be
D. Reber, 2347 1st Ave., San Bernardino, CA torn, unless cut. Will last indefinitely. 2945
92401 COSMETICS Kiet/.ke Lane, #21, Reno, NV 89502.
JOJOBA NORMALIZING Beauty Creme with
Aloe Vera, Comfrey, Jojoba Oil, Ginseng, more. OLD STATE, railroad, county maps. 70-110
WESTERN Americana Books. Used, out-of-print 2-oz. $5 postpaid with sample packet jojoba beans. years old. All states. Stamp for catalog. Northern
& rare. Write for catalog. Mitchell's Book Shop, Nature's Nursery, P.O. Box 237, Avenal, CA Map, Dept. DM, Dunnellon, FL 52630.
17 Washington St., Santa Clara, CA 95050. 93204.
MISCELLANEOUS
FOR SALE: 45 Desert magazines—odd issues FOOD AND RECIPES TRY A DRYWASHER! Guaranteed to recover
from 1941 to 1966. Make offer. 520 Toyopa Dr., DESERT TEA — Ancient wild desert herb. minerals, gold. A hobby that pays for itself. Visa,
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Sometimes called Mormon or Squaw Tea. MasterCard welcome. Write to Nick's Nugget,
Delicious iced. Finest quality. Great reputation!! P.O. Box 1081, Fontana, CA 92335 or call (714)
Four oz! package (200 cups): $4 postpaid. Desert 822-2846.
ALASKA GOLD-Prospecting, Mining and In- Mountain Tea Co., 21590 Forster, Fort Bragg,
vesting—An Overview. Based on 40 years ex- CA 95437. DRINKING WATER nailers with or without
perience. SASE for abstract. Yukon Exploration, pumps. For rent or lease. Aquarius Water Equip-
507 Third Ave. Unit 468, Seattle, WA 98104. ment. Phone (714) 637-0078.
GOODBYE, CHALKY-tasting powdered milk!
Hello, Meadow Fresh! Delicious milk WANTED: Old stock certificates, bonds and
substitute—75% sweet dairy whey—nutritional pre-1910 cancelled checks. Please describe.
AL WA YSSTAR T Before Daylight. A book of true superiority—no cholesterol—$1.20 per gallon, or
cowboy stories, guaranteed delivery. $6.60. Barlow, Box 10532, Eugene, OR 97440.
less—chocolate, too! Exceptional money-making
Claude Farquc, 1609 South Louisiana, Crossett, distributorship opportunities! Samples. Carl
AR 71635. Strand, 9407 Broadmoor PL, La Mesa, CA 92041. PROSPECTING / TREASURE
FIND GOLD. How, where. Free information.
Write: del oeste Press, Box 597-1), Tarzana, CA
HOW TO WIN Recipe and Cooking Contests. HONEY FROM PRODUCER. One gallon, $16.; 91556.
S3.95. Griffith Book Co., P.O. Box 2197, Chula Two gallons, $26. All posipaid. Prairie Hills
Vista, CA 92012. Honey, R.R. 1, Britton, SD 57430. PIRATE TREASURE, coin reproductions, neck-
laces, wall plaques, bookends. Free folder. The
Treasure Galleon, P.O. Box 3552, Indialantic, FL
3290 3.
Y U U K r i \ j could be run on this page at modest cost —
only 75$ per word per issue (1 or 2 issues), 70$ per word per issue (3-5 TREASURE—Locale quarter mile away with
ultrasensitive locator, brochure free. Research
issues), and only 65(t per word for the same ad in 6 consecutive issues. Products, Box 270270-BUC, Tampa, FL 33588.
We need copy on the 10th of the second month preceding issue.
METAL DETECTORS, treasure locators. Write
to: (ioldak, 626 Sonora Ave., Glendale, CA 91201.
TO: Desert Magazine Trading Post
121 West E St., Encinitas, California 92024 RESORTS
SHANGRI-LA LODGE, Big Bear Lake-Moun-
tain and high desert adventureland. Private
Here is my ad. cabins, pool, spa. P.O. Box 2801, Big Bear Lake,
It is words long (10 words/$7.50 minimum). CA 92315,(714) 866-2115.
I want it to run in the issue(s).
Cost: words x times x <t = $ SEEDS AND PLANTS
RATE BRING THE DESERT to your home with cactus
as your plant hobby. Healthy nursery grown
Enclose check or money order (U.S. funds) with order. plants. Catalog 50^. Nichols Cactus Nursery,
Depl. I), 570 South Hughes, Fresno, CA 93706.
COPY
JOIN THE CACTUS of the Month Club. For
your first surprise cactus send $2.95: California
Cactus Pad, 88 McK.ee St., Dept. 1), Ventura, CA
9 5001.
12 DIFFERENT Cacti; Satisfaction promised. $8
to El Ranchito, 3816 West Sahuaro, Phoenix, A/.
85029.
Desert magazine is famous for showing you the places in the American Southwest. We
give you beautiful expanses of earth and sky, mountain and canyon, river and mesa. The
land is so overpowering that it is easy to miss the faces. With this in mind, we culled a couple
of photos from our archives to give you some of those faces: those who were in this land long
before us, who made life a little easier, a little more hospitable for those of us who follow.
Here are the faces of 20 young men, taken circa 1880. Is this what you imagine when
thinking of those days? Some are stylish with beards and mustaches, some are baby-faced.
All are dressed for their roles in frontier society. Whether in the service of putting out fires or
firing up the dance hall, they all contributed to what we would finally enjoy.
It is not hard to see ourselves in these photos, to wonder how well we will age, how well
we will have served.
The music is gone, the fires are out, but the faces remain. It is to them that we pay tribute.
62 SEPTEMBER, 1981
&&
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IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO HOLTVILLE SANTEE HOLBROOK
CALIFORNIA
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