HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE UPPER MOJAVE DESERT

Vol. 19 No. 1 January 2004

HISTORIC SITES ON NAWS

The Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert's first meeting of the new year will feature Rand Herbert speaking on Historic Sites on NAWS. The meeting will start at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, January 20, at the Maturango Museum.

Rand Herbert is the principal investigator in the Navy's effort to inventory and evaluate historic sites on the base. The historical evaluation project has been organized in several discrete phases, first focusing on predictive research, followed by site-specific efforts. The object is to allow the NAWS to continue its important mission, while protecting historic resources.

There are five general categories of resources on the base: Mines and mining, Homesteads, Transportation, Water Development, and Pre-WWII Military sites. There are a number of specimens of each category scattered around the North and South ranges, with some being represented by many more examples than others. For example, there were more than 100 homesteads in the Indian Wells Valley portion of the base; there were also many mines and processing sites (approximately 400 or so of varying degrees of complexity and richness). Far fewer in number were sites related to "old military" or transportation themes. In some instances sites fell into multiple categories. The presentation will explore these themes, and provide examples of sites in each.

Rand has been a partner in JRP Historical Consulting Services, based in Davis, since 1991. He has degrees from UC Davis and Berkeley with specialization in California and Western United States history, and since then has worked as a consulting historian on a wide variety of historical research and cultural resources management projects, as a researcher, writer, and project manager. He has managed, written, or worked on building inventory and evaluation projects for Caltrans, the Department of Defense, and other agencies or private individuals. He has also served as chairman of the California Council for the Promotion of History.

For more information, call Bruce Wertenberger at 375-2369 or leave a message at 375-8456.

The topic of the February meeting will be the history of CLOTA. Andrew Sound

BOOKS ON LOCAL HISTORY

The Historical Society is seeking ideas on appropriate books with information on local history to add to its library. The idea is to eventually make these books readily available to our members. While we have acquired a number of books over the years, we are intensifying our efforts to add to our library. If you know of books which are written on our local history, or have information within them covering events of our local history, please call one of our board members, write us an e-mail with the information, or leave a message on our office telephone (phone numbers and e-mail address on last page). Thanks in advance for your help

TRADE TOKEN INFORMATION STILL NEEDED

To date no one has come forward with an information on the J&J Cigar Counter trade token pictured in our December 2003 newsletter. Does anyone out there know where this place was located or any other information about it??? If so, please call Lou Pracchia (375 7385) or Bruce Wertenberger (375-2369).

FORMER BOARD MEMBER PASSES AWAY

It is with regret that we note the recent passing away of Fred Kletka who retired from the HSUMD board last spring. Fred had been an active board member who had been responsible for obtaining many of the speakers at our general monthly sessions. Our sympathy to his widow, Georgia Cabe Kletka and his family.

BUSINESS MEMBERS

Please patronize our business members: the Swap Sheet, Ridgecrest Moving & Storage, Granite Construction ­ Sand & Gravel, Farris' Diner & Italian Gardens and Indian Wells Valley Insurance Co.

E-MAIL ADDRESSES

From time to time situations arise where we would like to get last-minute information out to our members. If you would be willing to send us your e-mail address, we'll add it to our address list. We may possibly use it for sending you an electronic copy of our newsletter as soon as it is completed. Of course, you can now access the newsletter shortly after it is completed by looking at our web site www.Maturango.org/Hist.html To send us your e-mail address simply send an e-mail to us at: hsumd@ridgenet.net. We will respect your privacy and will not release it to anyone else.

IT'S MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME AGAIN!

Our membership year is the same as the calendar year, hence this reminder that it's time to renew your membership. Membership fees help pay for newsletter printing and postage costs, utility costs for our office building, production costs of our exhibits and various other activities. Membership costs are $15 per family and there are other categories, e.g., contributor, benefactor and patron. A renewal form is on Page 3. Please fill it in and send it off with your check today. Help us keep our treasurer busy and happy!

OLD PHOTOS ­ COMING SOON

We have a number of old photos of public activities from the 1950's which were donated to us by Larry Fox. Soon we will begin to publish them one at a time, asking people (our old-timers) for help in identifying the people in the pictures. Look for them in upcoming issues.

NEW MEMBERS

It's been some time since we have welcomed new members. Recent additions to our membership rolls include Beth Steiber, Todd Farr and Robert Kalloch.

HISTORICAL ARTICLE

( Below is another article from our great local historian member, John Di Pol, drawn from his library of local history books. Ed.)

BANDITS AND SHOOT-OUTS

Holdup at Coyote Holes

Coyote Holes, located to the west and south of the present day Highways 14 and 178, was a watering site known to early day prospectors and miners. It was situated at the confluence of important stage and freight roads from the Kern River country over Walker Pass, the Owens Valley ­ Los Angeles road and roads from the mining country in the Coso, Argus and Panamint Mountain areas.

Freeman S. Raymond, as a young man, left Boston in 1849 to join the California gold rush. For the next 22 years he worked at various jobs, prospected and drove stage. In 1873, seeing the potential economic value of the Coyote Holes site, he acquired the land (160 acres). At that time there were no permanent settlements in Indian Wells Valley. Raymond quickly built a complex of house, barn, stage station changing station, etc. He not only provided services to the stage passengers and the freight lines, but also raised hogs and cattle and had a "pretty good liquor business going on the side," as one surviving grandnephew attested. Raymond's Station, as it was called in the early years, Freeman's Station in later years following the establishment of a post office, operated for 36 years up to the time of Raymond's death in 1909. The history of Freeman's Station is an interesting story of its own. But, for today, let us focus on the happenings of February 25, 1874.

It was a Wednesday at Raymond's, a usual business day, when its routine was disrupted by the sudden arrival of a group of horsemen, led by the notorious bandit Tiburcio Vasquez. Vasquez's banditry ranged far and wide throughout California, from Southern California up to San Jose and Sacramento. He had served a prison sentence in San Quentin, being released in June 1870. However, his operations continued after his release, primarily in the northern part of the San Joaquin Valley. He was not known to have operated in the Northern Mojave Desert, however it is logical to surmise that the thriving business of the Inyo mines, Darwin, Panamint, etc., would draw his attention.

In any event, his attack upon Freeman's was unexpected. A stage and one freight wagon were in the station. The bandits gathered the men together, stripped them of their valuables, broke open the stage's strong box but found no money. Mrs. Raymond attempted to flee from the house with a bag, but tripped and fell. A stage passenger had pulled a gun. Shots were fired, with the only casualty being the stage passenger who was wounded in the leg. The bandits remained for several hours during which time the Darwin stage arrived, later followed by another freight wagon. The historical record is not clear as to how much money and valuables were taken from the stages and freight, nor whether any bullion was absconded. Raymond
later claimed that Vasquez took a bag with $1,300 from him, funds that he had assembled to take to the bank in Bakersfield. Also, it is not clear what was in the bag which Mrs. Raymond attempted to flee with: jewelry, keepsakes, the $1,300? Was that bag also taken by the bandits, or did Mrs. Raymond hide it in some fashion when the shooting started? Mysteries, ah, mysteries!

By late afternoon, Vasquez and his men departed, taking six of the stages' horses. He was captured on May 14, 1874 and executed on March 19, 1875.
John Di Pol

(Postscript: A more detailed description of Freeman's Station and the Vasquez raid can be obtained by reading FREEMAN'S, A STAGE STOP ON THE MOJAVE, by E. I. Edwards, KERN'S DESERT, by Irma Peirson and DESERT COUNTRY, by Bob Powers. Also the large twin rocky buttes to the west of Coyote Holes, now called "Robbers' Roost," takes its name from the Vasquez raid.)