The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 87

OLD AND NEW INTERMINGLE Sept. 30, 1956 SAN BERNARDINO SUN-TELEGRAM 23-0 Activities in Needles Area Ranee From Water Sports to Exploring Ghost Towns lining the brine trenches that cross the lake bed are rows of trees. Changing shadows on Sheep Hole Mountains to the south and on the Bristol Mountains north of Amboy intensify the beauty of the desert landscape, no matter what hour of the day one crosses the ter of the city makes Needles, truly an oasis to the weary travelers who brave the desert summer sun. Many of them break their journey and rest in its welcome shade until the sun has gone down. Some believe that the ancient Mystic Maze, laid out on the mesa above the Colorado River near Topock, was built by the Mojave Indians to confuse the evil spirits who might seek to harm these early explorers.

Once adjacent to U.S. Highway 66, the maze has been cut off by a new alignment from easy access. However, it is not a difficult walk from the old highway across the dotted with cabins, many of them more pretentious than the term implies. Accommodations are available for tourists at Havasu Landing on the California shore and at Site Six on the Arizona side of the lake. A blacktopped road leads to Lake Havasu from U.S.

Highway 95. The turn-off is little more than 20 miles south of Needles. A graded road gives access to Site Six, branching south from U.S. Highway 66 several miles east of Topock. Landing strips have been provided at both resorts for private planes.

A public campground and trailer park have been developed at Havasu Landing. bottoms in alternate sections. In Needles' early days mining rivaled the railroad in importance to the growing city's economy. Many a railroader's wages were spent in prospecting and working "glory holes" in the hills. As late as 1942 many of the mines in the nearby mountains were in operation and the city served as a supply center for the mines and a shipping point for ore.

Even today it takes but the vaguest rumor to bring into blooming the perennial hope of a fortune to be found in "them thar hills," as witness the forest of monuments marking uranium claims that have sprung up all over the desert hills. dry lake bed. The route follows that of the 20-mule teams that hauled rich ore to the railroad 2g oania re nanroaa iracKS to me Davis Dam, though only maze, and it is well worth the ei- line nnr-th nf Nppfiles bv boat at Amboy from the Virginia Dale mines 35 miles south. A graded road leads north from Amboy to the Kelso Dunes, sometimes known as the Devil's Playground. Covering an area of approximately 57 miles, some of the dunes reach an elevation of 500 feet above the surrounding desert floor.

Traces of the desert military training centers are still visible on the slopes rising toward the Clipper Mountains north of Danby, the site of Camp Clipper, and on the desert to the south. A graded road leads from Danby to The prospector's trail lead Jack in a-rnnnd-abont involved. This puzzling mystic! design is believed by some to lne a'coverer oi juh- By LOUISE T. COREY Nestled along the Colorado River and beginning to overflow onto the lower slopes of the Sacramento Mountains, Needles, the metropolis of the Colorado River Valley, is the center of one of the most interesting areas of the desert country. A terminal point on the Santa Fe Railway, and served by a privately owned and a municipal airport, Needles is also easily acces-' sible from the east and west by U.S.

Highway 66, and from the north and south Highways' The surrounding country offers unusual opportunities' for rock-hounds, desert explorers, amateur historians intent upon recapturing for a moment the spirit of the vanishing frontier by pilgrimages to the old mining towns, or to those who only want to restore their perspective with days spent out-of-doors in the limitless expanse of desert valleys and moun- tains. It is uniquely blessed with a beautiful desert terrain and its wonderful winter climate in combination with the many recreational opportunities of the Colorado River, which offers year round fishing, hunting in season, boating and water skiing, or the hospitality of its many pleasant beaches for indolent days in the sun. The area offers the winter vacationer many interesting ways to fill his waking hours and nights ot deep and relaxing slumber. have been intended to confuse the! cneu -averns mnes nonn oi fe. ii "7 Ti ihmhw mmm In hhl.

mm LL rH'fil fL iWsiawi NICE DAY'S CATCH These bass beauties were taken from the Colorado Rivr in the Topock Bay area south of Needles. The largest weighed 6 pounds. Though the season is open the year around, the best catches are reported in the spring and fall. Mrs. Henry Orzel, with her photographer husband when he was called to record the lucky angler's prize catch, hopes to duplicate it any day now, fishing from tne family boat.

(Photo evil spirits Vho sought to detain the spirit of one recently departed. The newly released spirit passed on to the Mojave equivalent of the Happy Hunting Ground, so the legend runs, only Chubbuck and follows along the by Henry Orzel) if it succeeded in slipping away trees, the grayed weather beaten Pacific station of the same fornia Eastern to Searchlight in ngnt ot way ot the fcanta res Parker cut-off to Rice, railhead for the late Gen. George Patton's desert maneuvers. north on U.S. Highway 95 just beyond the Nevada State line, where a blacktopped highway leads to the east through a scenic route that drops down a long slope to the Colorado River and its newest dam.

Crossing the dam, a road turns off the Mojave Lake resorts. For those who do not mind driving on a gravel road, an interesting route for the return to Needles takes one south to Bullhead City to ascend a winding road to Oatman, rich gold mining center now inactive. Only a few people, their eyes fixed on that distant day "when the mines open up," live in this once bustling mining town. boards of old buildings, torn down Known as Leastalk then, it was branch was torn up in or collapsed by the force of: once the West's greatest borax lau ana the rest ot the line was removed in 1923. Though tlfe mines have been the elements, remain to tell a story of desolation.

shipping A traction road closed, the desert traveler still ranch to Barnwell, the left hand1 PS' Kngston and Cnds riches in these scenes. The road leads to Vanderbilt, ghost u' rr landscape bathed in the 1 -1 crrt I 1 ri urinfor ciinchino anri arrhpl tssex, to that unusual lind. Lacking the funds to develop the limestone caverns, which he believed rival Carlsbad Cavern, he spent many yeirs trying to interest the state in acquiring the cavern for a park. Through the efforts of Supervisor Magda Law-son, his dream was just coming into being when he lost his life in an accident. The state has completed the transaction and has closed the reverns to the public pending development of the park.

Rangers are stationed on the property to prevent vandalism. Danby, 55 miles west of Needles on Highway 66, is a mec-ca for rockhounds, a mining supply renter, and the focal point in the search for the Lost Dutchoven Mine. According to legend, a prospector found a dutchoven full of gold nuggets in an abandoned ramp. He was never able to return to the ramp nor to locate the source of the nuggets. Some say the lost mine Is in the Old Woman Mountains south of Danby.

Though the lost mine remains undiscovered, it has yielded "pay dirt" to more than one from the evil spirits. Whatever its origin, a stroll through its pathways, so cleanly and evenly defined with rows of small rocks, cannot but amaze and baffle the visitor and tease him into speculations of his own. Nor ran it fail to fill him with a healthy respect for the dedication and industry of the people who created this mystic symbol there in the desert fastness above the mighty Colorado. Within the memories of several of the city's senior residents, steamboats plied the muddy Colorado, bringing supplies to the mil- The road, once U.S. Highway port, then to Swansea, Wales, was so rich that the venture still paid.

The gold and silver discovered by the Piute Indian brought into being Vanderbilt, one of the richest and roughest of the area's mining ramps. PJch discoveries in the Searchlight district extended the Cali- leads around Boundary Cone by a cobalt sky holds a mystic challenge, a promise, almost the certainty of fabulous riches held in its rocky fastnesses. There is joy in being a part of such a landscape, in the warmth of the sun, the cool fingers of a vagrant desert breeze. A winter desert day is, indeed, treasure enough for the storehouse of the mind. Rockhounds have uncovered some interesting specimens of jaspar, agate and obsidian in the Ship Mountains near Danby.

Another popular and unfailing source of specimens is the Chemehuevi basin south of Needles on U.S. Highway 95. Creamy chalcedony roses are found in a 20-mile stretch along the highway, beginning at the Turtle Mountain road and continuing as far south as the aqueduct. Small geodes and quartz crystals have been found In the Weaver Hills south of the Lake Havasu road where the power line crosses Chemehuevi Wash, Turtle Mountains, dominated by Mopah and its twin peak, have their lost mine legend too. This is the locale of the Los Arch Mine, Following soon after the annual jt0 Topock, where the new super Colorado River Outboard Motor- ihirhwav avoids the notorious Oat- mining camp in the New York Mountains near the Nevada State line.

Many of the old mine buildings are still standing. The camp cemetery lies along a hillside to the right entering the town. Barnwell was the first terminal of the railroad built by the Atlantic Pacific from Goffs up Lanfair Valley. The branch line was railed the California Eastern Railway Co. Ore was shipped over this branch line from the Mormon mines to Needles for smelting at the Monaghan Murphy smelter.

man and Goldfield grades by run ning south of the mountains. Boundary Cone, named by the surveyors who have used it for a boat Marathon, held the first Sunday in October each year, a big two-day Thanksgiving rodeo, sanctioned by the Rodeo Cowboy brings some of the big name performers to Needles to I itary outposts of the region and I to the railroad construction which location point for many years, is: was soon to put them out of business. One of the liveliest of the across the valley from the Cali-i RELIGIOUS GROUPS AID BARSTOW DEVELOPMENT pick up extra points for world f0rma-Nevada State line. Of an steamboat landings was La Paz, championship standings. Solder formation than the sur- The marathon has done much rounding land, it may have beena lew nonn ox in I1IIl.1V lllgllKUJ IV ft iro Later the road was extended! Religious groups are among jits members are represented on to publicize Needles as an un usually fine desert recreation cen Colorado River.

A rich placer a placer field which once yieldedjfrom Barnwell to Leastalk, then: the most valuable community as-the boards and on committees of writer of Western fiction. Mineral wealth does not confine fabulous nuggets of gold then on to Ivanpah, one of the rich- sets and in Barstow, with 23; many other local organizations. muian i goldfield. La Paz was literally Indians descending from heaven by the floods that came down on the peak of the it uaH est and most orderly of the gold churches, these groups have con was lost. Mopah Spring, which itself to the gold for which men awajr 111.11 -'rt" '(-' yearn, but often lies undetected iboasts a small stand of Welling- ter.

Locally sponsored river cruises are shared with out-of-town Heading up the Colorado River from Needles towards Davis Dam, the cruise passes below the he cruise passes below tne; ulated in an earlier change of Needles has many beautiful; Ah that remain tndav nf! in some unlikely guise awaiting ton palms, is a watering hole motels and several hotels where- diseernine eve. The emDtv iknown to prospectors. A lnntrpr ciHo Inn frnm NpeHles tributed much to the city's development. All major denominations are Many church improvements are being planned, with several churches planning new buildings and expansions of their facilities. and silver mining camps.

The discovery of silver in the 1880s closer to shipping and supply centers helped seal the fate of this mine reopened in 1870. In 1952 the Molybdenum Corp. of America was working on fabulous rare earth deposits on the south slope of the Clark Mountains. the traveler will Cnd pleasant 0 adobe scattered panse of Bristol Dry Lake is a ZlZmLrelSrll7S overnight eX1 through a new growth of mesquite. case in point.

Here two chem-orado ISear tPnHPd stav. Several resorts on; ritc frt r.hi,.oio fr-. .1 n- 1- -1 tended stav. Several resorts on ical plants extract chemicals from extensiv the Colorado River Valley River valley. The Catholic church is represented by St.

Joseph's church and by the Mont St. Joseph School for children of grade school age which is now in its second year with a capacity enrollment. The Mormon faith is well represented and its members are active. Recently a movement to organize a Jewish religious group was undertaken and it is believed that desert area residents of the Jewish faith will soon have a spir- brine. Amboy, largest community between Needles and Barstow, lies The Barstow Ministerial ine uiioriun wver uuei ui.ut of th(? frpignt that for the enjoymentof a local supplies t0 the Arizona mil-traveling clientele.

litary outposts from La Paz. the site of old Fort Mojave, hardly discernible on the mesa above the river, it is not uncommon to catch the limit of trout. Bass, catfish, bluegills and other fresh wa follows the abandoned branch railroad line from Goffs up the Lanfair Valley through Vanderbilt to Ivanpah. All remains of a thrifty farming, community at Lanfair are the high cement foundations of the city hall and of the mercantile store. Stumps of fruit composed of ministers of Protes- The Ivanpah that in time denominations, takes an ac- ion the edge of Bristol Dry Lake.

A county directory, published in 01 apt iiitr ciii.vuii, wu11.11 iarc its name from the wild grape- came the terminal of the Calilor-; tive interest in community affairs, nia Eastern Ltye is nearly 20; This organization sponsors the 1904, tells of "a vast acreage! The Amboy Crater, extinct vol- ter fish abound irom ieecues iolVjnes which are nourished by a i 1 V. nnnn ricoc nut nf ha rlocort flmr Parker Dam. snrincr Sn its sheer rock walls is lak" u11 lnc vy uic Kuv-, spring its sneer rock waiis, nendin construction of southwest of the town. This mass miles north present Union; annual Easter Sunrise Service and itual center, 1 a iavorue picnic spot, is on; A. i a large HTigaiion aam a lew miics i wi amaiia many the River beyond the end of KT itnrK Thc ott.mt ti, the blacktopped portion of River Kd.

and to the west oi tne new, hundred thousand canic rock hard on their alignment. Here are found some, i excellent ancient picture of nvalin8 produc- and the temperature inside the excellent, ancieni pinure wru-, warm ings. Founded as recently as 1882 by railroad interests. Needles has a rich past. It is known that Friar Francisco Hamoncil- perial Valley." in the winter.

While no such irrigation darn' The crater showed "activity" of has been built in the area. con-la the 1930s when so trol of the seasonal floods of theihien b00' students labored to the Colorado River bv the construe-! of the crater, each one car- Cruising south from Needles to Lake Havasu is a trip of great scenic beauty. Passing under the railroad and highway bridges at Topock, the boats enter narrow canyon walls, their sheer cliffs rising towards the distant sky. Devil's Elbow, Split Rock, Picture Rock, Mojave Rock and Blankenship Bend, names of some of the points passed, are clues to the scenic wonders to be encountered before the river widens to form the upper reaches of Lake Havasu. Alert naturalists of the party-are often rewarded with glimpses da Garces traveled up the Col- jtion of Hoover, Davis and Parker jr'inS an old rubber tire for the orado River and that he men- Dams, and the river control bonfire they lighted inside the tioned passing "the Needles," 'dredging project of the Bureau When the black smoke be-the peaks south of Topock from Reclamation in the Needles -j-ea 'Ban rolling out of the crater near which the city takes its name, jbas achieved in part 4he results a trip of exploration in 1775.

forecast more than 50 years azo. i Desert Representatives if lr NORVAL HANEY STAN WHITE Victnrrille Barstow Area 129 Palms Joshua Tree Are' ki- i hit I i yfirM: IM of beaver, muskrats, waterfowl With the taming of the Colo-radio, many thousands of acres have been cleared and the lush When Fred Harvey added the massive Harvey hotel at Needles to his chain of railroad hotels, he named it El Garces in honor of or the bighorn sheep that come down from their craggy homes to green of river bottom growth panic resulted and to this day the subject is a sore one with some of the residents of the community who believed the volcano was about to awaken. A blacktopped military highway branches south across Bristol Dry Lake, connecting Amboy with the U.S. Marine Training Center at Twentynine Pahns. I'nique lighting effects on the dry lake result in the optical illusion that the mounds of earth drink at the river's edge.

The. the friar. The hotel is now closed; has been changed to the differ- beavers of the Needles area, un-jan(j the Santa Fe offices occupy usual and distinctive in coloring, i its former spacious public rooms are protected and no furrier willed lobbies. To outward appear- ent greens of alfalfa, grain, and cotton. Even greater development is expected upon approval of long term development leases of the Indian lands which checkerboard the river risk the penalties attached to buy ances, however, it remains a ma jestic memorial to Friar Garces ing their pelts.

The Lake Havasu shoreline is and its adjoining park in the cen- COMPLETE ESCROW and TITLE INSURANCE UM A completely home-owned Title Company serv- San Bernardino County. With the most I modern equipment to satisfy your every title I PHONE requirement, cmiani 1 til rM 't a A TO COURT San Bernarilino, Calif. burg. It was a monumental task, but as far as visitors can see, it was more of a hobby than a seeking after valuable ore. YEARS OF LABOR The late Burro Schmidt spent years and years of hard work to dig this tunnel near Rands-.