HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE UPPER MOJAVE DESERT

VOL. 13. NO. 6 June 16, 1998

A SPECIAL EVENT - HSUMD Premiere of "Sand Canyon Station"

Your Historical Society board is thrilled to present a special event this month - the first HSUMD showing of "Sand Canyon Station," a 37-minute videotape we think you'll want to purchase for your collection.

The meeting will be on Tuesday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m., in the Sylvia Winslow Gallery of the Maturango Museum. In addition to the video showing, some of the "stars" of the production - Litha Mattis, Lois Carr, and Hank Schuette - will be there to talk about the making of the video and their memories of the canyon. Mark Pahuta, who wrote, directed, and edited the video will also participate, as will Charlotte Goodson, who coordinated the production.

The video is designed to interface with the walking tours HSUMD members lead each spring as part of the Sand Canyon Environmental Education Program (SEEP) - but the story it tells will also appeal to anyone interested in local history and in the story of the Los Angeles aqueduct.

See the aqueduct being constructed S learn about how the aqueduct's longest inverted siphon works S learn about the aqueduct guards of the '30s and '40s S see the community of Brown during its boom days S and relive the days when the canyon offered a rustic, but comfortable lifestyle for its inhabitants. We know you'll be as captivated as we are by this new production.

Ordering information will be available; the price is expected to be $19.95.

As always, refreshments will be served. Liz Babcock

SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING BLUE

NEW

It is unlikely that we will have a Cookie and Conversation booth fund-raising event this year. However, we still need funds. To help generate an income your Directors have approved participating in Albertson's Community Partners program with the hope that all of you will help. Your help requires that if and when you make a purchase at any Albertson's anywhere, you begin your check-out by handing a Community Partners card to the clerk. The card will computer identify you as a member of the Society and Albertson's will periodically send us 2% of your purchase. We will be sending a card to each member's address soon. Let me know if you would like an extra card.

Your Directors for the 1998-99 period have a new addition and some duty changes... Rather than list these here, I refer you to an article elsewhere in this edition. Please note that a new Director is Dan Burnett. Welcome, Dan.

The Nominating Committee members for the 1998-99 period are: Charlotte Paulsen, Bill Ward and Joan Woodman.

OLD

The bell tower material is now at the welder's shop and hopefully will be at the erection site later this month.

BLUE

With the possibility of the City disposing of the old USO-County Building, we may be asked to vacate on 60 day's notice. We use two small rooms totaling about 500 square feet, and pay no rent. As mentioned in previous newsletters, those rooms are not always environmentally friendly and therefore restrict working there. What to do? Looking to the future, it would be desirable to have facilities that included a reference library, greater access to our archives, a computer index of our archives, capability to place our photograph collection and other archived material on a computer accessible storage medium such as a compact disc (CD), greater storage space, and to have our own meeting room.

Ideally, if we had the funds, construction of a building on the grounds of the Maturango Museum would be the thing to do. As most of you probably know, our current finances are only suitable for the present mode of operation. Therefore, your Directors have formed a committee to estimate the cost for us to buy, rent or lease a suitable property containing a minimum of 1000 square feet of floor space. This effort should be completed within a few weeks.

Have a nice summer! Lou Pracchia

THANK YOU

A thank you for the latest donations to the Society's Historical files.

A gift of the original George Enos letters that are surprisingly in good condition for being 100 years old, from Elinar Monjar. (See a continuation of the publication of these letters on page 3.)

A Desert Magazine, February 1949 from John DiPol.

Harlan Reep donated a Burroughs adding machine.

MILCON reports from Katy Bell and a framed rendering of the BEQ (Bachelor Enlisted Quarters). Dot Gould

NEW BOARD OFFICERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

At its formation meeting on June 3, 1998, the HSUMD Board of Directors elected the following officers for the coming year:

Lou Pracchia,President;

Charlotte Goodson, Vice President;

Bruce Wertenberger, Secretary

and Fred Weals, Treasurer.

The following duties and responsibilities were

decided upon:

Programs, Charlotte Goodson with help from the entire board;

Hospitality, Fred Weals, with help from the entire board,

Membership, Fred Weals and Lou Pracchia;

Public Relations, Liz Babcock;

Newsletter, Chet Creider with Bruce Wertenberger helping;

History and Collections, Dot Gould;

Liaison with Maturango Museum, Dick Moe;

Exhibits and Displays, Liz Babcock;

Oral History, Charlotte Goodson;

Director-at-Large, Dan Burnett.

A NOTE OF APPRECIATION

Once again an Historical Society Annual Dinner passes into memory. The recollection of the delicious food at this dinner will likely linger for a long while. A special thanks goes to Dana Lyons for her considerable help in putting the menu together and suggesting particular recipes. Dana, the results of your time and talent inputs into the evening's plans were immensely appreciated by us all! Our only regret was that you couldn't be there to enjoy it with us.

Charlotte Goodson

CORRECTION

In a recent listing of contributors to the vestibule cases in the Museum the name of Edmond Dial was incorrectly spelled. The contribution was made in Mr. Dial's memory by his widow, Alma, and son, John. Our apologies.

BELL PROGRESS

Preparations for the installation of the Little Lake bell donated by the John Pate family are going well. A site has been selected on the east side of the Maturango Museum, the tower has been designed, materials for it have been purchased. The materials and the bell have been given to the welder to fabricate the tower. We hope for installation soon. There will be a dedication program.

BEANS, BACON AND SPUDS

In the April 1998 newsletter, we began publishing the story of George Enos as documented in letters written by him to his mother during 1897-1900 after he left home to seek his way in the world, first in the Hesperia, California, area. We are indebted to Elinor Monjar of Reno Nevada, a relative, for sharing these letters with us. The spelling and punctuation is as used in the original letters. Ed.

Continuing from the April issue: "We staid in town Friday night and Saturday afternoon, making our headquarters in an old house and eating with our employer. He brought us out here yesterday afternoon, with our grub and a barrel of water. He has to haul water out here from town. He will be out every day after a load of wood and will bring us things as we need them. Our bill of fare is flap jacks, honey, beans, bacon and spuds. We have a shanty 12 by 14 ft. It was awful cold during our stay in town, the wind blew a gale and as cold as Wisconsin January wind. The wind does not blow here so much as it is sheltered by the mountains.

The snow lays in great patches on the north side of Old Baldy. They raise apples, cherries, grapes, apricots and I do not know what else up here. There is going to be a big crop. The animals are deer, coyotes, wildcats and jackrabbit. Have seen nothing but the last. It is quite warm here today. We have no fresh meat or butter here. I don't believe there is a cow in the township. the wood we are to cut is all small and brushy. We went out and tried it last night. It goes pretty good. I think I can cut a cord and a half a day all right when I get into the job. Address your letters to box 33. The Indians come in here to cut wood a good deal but there are none here at the present.

Let me know if anybody leaves any money for me with you. They raise fine crops of alfalfa here in spite of the dryness. One of our neighbors, five miles cross country is boring a well. He is down about 300 ft. and not a sign of water yet...

This all I know to write about now, may think of more later. Will write you more next Sunday.

Geo.

Later, home, thought of nothing more. Will send this in by the boss tomorrow."

George receives the two letters Mary has written and on the 27th he replies with another long, informative letter full of events which have take place over the week...a 'long tramp' across the country and mountain, shooting a rabbit for supper, the chance to get to the "city" by hauling and loading wood on a railroad car for extra pay. The days are comfortably warm and the nights cold enough that a fire is "welcome mornings and night." The news from Hesperia is that the wind is "still blowing hard than ever." The timber they are cutting is small and brushy, but the finer timber will come later. (Monjar)

To be continued in the fall issues of the newsletter.

LAST NEWSLETTER UNTIL SEPTEMBER

There will be no newsletters in July and August. Newsletters and programs will start again in September.