HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE UPPER MOJAVE DESERT

VOL. 15 NO. 1
January 25, 2000

JANUARY MEETING: LITTLE KNOWN FACTS OF THE UPPER MOJAVE DESERT

This will be an audience participation event. There will be questions dealing with names of people and places that the audience will have a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of the local history. It is planned to be a fun evening. Come join us and learn about the history of the area. The meeting will be held on Tuesday evening, January 25, at the Maturango Museum, one week later than our usual third Tuesday. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Bring a friend!
George Silberberg

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Thank you to the Farris Family Singers who graciously shared their family with us at our Christmas party. It was fun to see and hear the many generations of the singers (including very little ones). We also enjoyed singing with them and their willingness to be open to any song we wanted to sing. What great fun we had! If you wern't there you missed a lot!

You also missed out on some great desserts!! The desserts included pies, cakes, cookies and so many extra good eats it was difficult to choose which ones to eat first. Some of us went back for seconds.

Thanks to Bruce Wertenberger and Alan Paulsen for helping Charlotte Paulsen, Director of Hospiality, in setting up the room at the museum for the party. Also thank you to the same people plus Bill and Judy Burns for staying and helping return the room to its original order. Also thank you to Gerry Pracchia and Susan Hueber for lending their crock pots for hot cider.

I'm sure I have left out someone to thank but it was not intentional. Please accept my belated thanks.

If you missed the party, plan to attend the one next December!

Charlotte Paulsen

YESTERYEAR AND THIS YEAR

Remember Little Orphan Annie and one of her favorite expressions? "Gloryosky, Sandy, Punjab saved us again!" "Arf!"

Now that we have all made the transition from one historical 999 year period to the beginning of another, the only visible evidence of change is that our calendar system now indicates 2000 AD.

Dire predictions of havoc and chaos have not materialized. But there are still those believers who advise us to give those nasty predictions another month or two to become a reality.

We are all familiar with yard sales and I think that for now Skip Gorman, who creates editorial cartoons for the Daily Independent, has aptly captured in their January 5 edition a possible result of a disaster prediction that has not occurred. It shows a despondent man trying to sell a mound of now unneeded survival supplies at a yard sale. Skip titles this
cartoon "Post Y2K Market Activity."

For our and other historical associations that preserve records of the past there still remains the task of capturing the essence of the millenium event so that people in years to come can understand how it was considered
so significant by us.

May you all experience a wonderful year 2000!
Lou Pracchia

DIGITAL ARCHIVING

Over the last few months your Directors have been actively considering how to best bring and place our archives into a digital form of archiving. Thanks to Chet Creider's son Larry, who is the Head of General Cataloging at New Mexico State University, we now are aware of basic cataloging methods. Our task now is to determine a software program suitable for our use and compatible with the archives of other societies and museums.

You may recall that a few months ago a list of computer equipment that would help in digitizing our archives appeared in this newsletter. This mention of our project and needs resulted in members Douglas Johnson and his wife Sandra, who recognize the value of historical record preservation using digital processes, making a most generous donation which has been accepted. This donation and the periodic gifts from the Women's Auxiliary of the Commissioned Officers Mess (WACOM) Thrift Shop have put us a long ways towards reaching our goal for equipment and software. However, more contributions arre needed and welcome.
Lou Pracchia

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL. $$$$$$

It is once again time to renew our memberships for the coming year. Dues are a main source of the Society's funds so it is important to pay them promptly, Send a $10.00 check for your own or family dues to Fred Weals, 554 Dana, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 or bring it to the next meeting.

NEW MEMBERS

We welcome the following new members into our Society:

Mary Adler, Phyllis Lilly, Russell Peterson, Bill Read, and Walter Hartman.

NEW INTERNET ADDRESS (URL)

Through the good offices of Carroll Evans and Janet Westbrook, we have a new, shorter Website address as follows:

http://www.Maturango.org/Hist.html

The old one still works, but this is shorter.

HISTORICAL WRITINGS

This is the final istallment of the story written by W. K. Foley in 1961 detailling the seven day trip of the Bernard and Josephine Foley family to the Inyokern area where they settled close to the Vernon Carr family. Helen Carr Moore evidently passed on a copy of this narrative to someone and it eventually found its way to the Historical Society. (Ed.)

In recent times the railroad to the north had been built and soon came the influx of people for the completion of the huge gravity-flow aqueduct. Any willing worker was qualified for hire, many from Los Angeles and towns along the line. Local characters of dubious kind or unsavory past were to be part of the moving camps. With this admixture of citizenry a town was built and by our time of entry to its dusty road it was in its decline. In hope for better times to come there remained a few buildings, one of which maintained a barrel of water. The valuable liquid was sold by the pail to needy travelers and usually to motorists having driven over hills and
through much sand. A hot summer's day aided the process of changing good water to radiator steam. This was "Cinco" and the folks remembered my plea by the hour, "When do we get to Cinco?" The dreary settlement would make no difference to we youngsters if the storekeeper's counter maintained a colorful candy jar.

Carrying our own adequate supply of water we moved on a short distance and paused for lunch, finding some shade in thrifty greasewoods. Traveling on for several miles we met with delay to realize our dog was missing. In final preparation for the trip Dad had obtained a bright, young dog to train, his having the marks of a "pointer." Mother named him "Blitzen" as
a suitable title for the promising pooch. Though pinning our hopes on his lightning dexterity and brilliant future we were soon to accept his limitations. Though swift in movement he was no retriever nor acted with great intelligence or bravery. On this afternoon's travel he was missed from his place in the wagon or along the road, and we last remembered him at time for lunch and was by then an hour's travel away. Continuing on would have been slight loss, but by this day he had won our affection, and we circled the team to retrace the miles and awaken his snooze in the greasewood shade at the side of the road. By then he was inseparable to us boys and had unwittingly won himself security for the rest of his days.

We avoided the old teamsters' route through Red Rock Canyon with fresh water at Dove Springs. The narrow passage for some distance followed the arsenic stream bed and the desert floods had made it barely passable. The alternate route bearing to the west took us into the desert mountains and Jawbone Canyon. Rising above the canyon floor and graded into slanting walls the road was found to rise quickly and switch back sharply at several points to bring us out on what seemed a thousand feet above. With great
exertion the team ascended, but paused to rest when the breaks (sic) were set and a wheel was blocked for safety. This was one of our experiences as travelers, never to be forgotten, and it seemed as one of the barriers of separation from the city life we had known. In a new land of isolation we were to share with others in courage and resourcefulness.
Evening approached as we pulled off the road this being what we considered our first dry camp. The strenuous haul at the end of our day had exhausted the animals, and they were released from their harness for feeding and rest. The water containers were alarmingly low, and we measured the remaining cups with care. This was our first serious happening and neglecting the thirst of a tired team was a mark of gross ingratitude. At this crucial point Dad was lamenting a lack of foresight having shipped ahead our two oaken water barrels now packed with household goods. How luxurious would have been the presence of one brimming with just plain water!

We traveled early next morning, making distance before the day grew warm and found the road followed the aqueduct route. One could perish, we reasoned, and yet hear the rumble of rushing water encased within walls and sealed from our reach. Dad had known of openings somewhere on the line and as we drove to carefully survey the scene we finally located an available
hatch. He raised the heavy lid and lowered the bucket to capture a bit of the racing torrent. To us boys it was a frightening scene as the quivering rope defied an attempt to withdraw it. The animals drank deep and we all rejoiced at the essential for life now made abundant again.

Near the end of our day's travel the road led down a wide brushy basin that carried storm waters of Walker's Pass. Nestled near its bed grew trees and greenery watered by springs through all the year. To early travelers this was a welcomed haven where stable and store with rooms and meals provided for their wants. Little was left of the original buildings, and we wondered how long since grandfather's oxen had watered and rested here. As though nature's planning had foreseen the needs for a spring in the desert,
this was where travelers from the north, south and west could make their stay. To those of early times this was known as "Coyote Holes." The Walker Pass road led west to Visalia passing through Kernville, now inundated, and over the Green Horn mountains to central California. Grandad freighted on this route for the government hauling supplies to Fort Independence in Owens Valley. This outpost was maintained as a protection for settlers against Indian uprisings. Trials were common to those pioneer people and among them the desperado striking fear and surprise. We recalled Grandad's experience at Coyote Holes when Vasquez, the outlaw, held all in suspense. He and his vandals rode in and stayed over for the stage's arrival to ransack the strong box and rob the passengers. In later years he rode posse in search for the renegade.

I well remember our campsite on the level ground and in shelter of a concrete viaduct. We slept the night with the novel thought of the
confined waters of the Owens River flowing over our heads. Typical of the friendly people we met was the nearby rancher who upon our arrival and seeing we youngsters brought us a pail of cool, fresh milk. In later years the name became "Freeman" and the highway bridge spans the gulch some distance below the old crossing.

Journeying onward and nearing our destination the colorful scene of the Sierra Nevadas came in view. Traveling down the westward slope we could see beyond to a growth of trees at the mouth of Indian Wells Canyon. This was another important watering point on the Overland Route. The forty-niners and later prospectors from eastern lands made toilsome travel to this garden spot high on the western rim of the valley and lying in the shadow of Owens Peak. The first inhabitants of the area were Indians of the Piute tribe whose relics we found in and around our land. Indian Wells was a likely name, but for the great valley below with its vast expanse of
native growth there would be need forty years of toil to bring about a "Promised Land."

As the final step of our travels led us down into the level country we looked to the west and to the timbered peaks and knew that sooner or later we would vacation amid their lofty pines and native streams. The few miles travel on the section road brought us to our future homesite. The land survey had been made and with the arrival of materials the construction would begin for our desert home. For three happy and eventful years this would hold our attention and center our new world with warmth and security. Our one hundred and sixty miles of adventure was completed in seven days and two hours. (Conclusion)

BONANZA TRAIL

Linn Gum, Branch Chief for Minerals at the local BLM office, has agreed to speak to the Historical Society soon about the BLM's development of the Bonanza Trail. This four-wheel drive trail leads the explorer to a variety of mines in the Ridgecrest area. In the meantime, he is looking for information on the Gerbracht Camp, Colorado Camp and the early days of the Bickel Camp. If you have any such information, please call Mr. Gum at his office telephone (760) 384-5450.

DIRECTORS

Lou Pracchia,	President, Co-Dir, Mbrshp	375-7385	ldpracc@ridgecrest.ca.us
Liz Babcock,	Dir.Exhibits & P.R.	375-7900	lizbab@ridgenet.net
George G. Silberberg	Vice President,Co-Dir. Programs	377-5241	ggs@ridgenet.net
Bill Burns	Dir. at Large	375-8566	bburns@ridgenet.net
Bruce Wertenberger	Secretary, Liaison to Mat. Mus Bd	375-2369	brucew@ridgenet.net
Susan Hueber	Dir. History and Collections	375-2165	hueber@ridgenet.net
Fred Weals	Treasurer,Co. Dir. Programs & Mbrshp	375-5249	weals@ridgenet.net
Charlotte Paulsen	Dir. Hospitality	375-8217	apaulse1@ridgenet.net

Bruce Wertenberger and Chet Creider (375-5725) Bulletin Co-Editors e-mail:ccreider@ridgecrest.ca.us

Janet Westbrook, web misstress jwest@ridgecrest.ca.us

HSUMD Web site: http://www.Maturango.org/Hist.html

Annual dues are $10.00 for the calendar year.
Payable now.

January Meeting
Little Known Facts about the Upper Mojave Desert
Maturango Museum, Tuesday, January 25, 2000