Lock - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

ABOT YERXA'S CASTLE
RISING LIKE a geni's creation
in the hills of Desert Hot Springs
is a massive four story pueblo
often referred to as "the most fantastic
structure in Southern California."
And somewhat of a geni's creation
it is. Built by a strange man with a
strange dream, Cabot Yerxa's Castle
is a monument to ancient Hopi structures
of New Mexico; a tribe whose
own existence contributed little more
to California than this architectural
legacy.
A DESERT article (Nov. 1952),
describing the project and written a
decade ago when Yerxa was 70 years
old and had already labored 10 years
on it, stated that to complete the job
would would require 10 years more.
Apparently he finished on schedule,
as the bizarre structure is considered
complete now.
This, of course, no one but Yerxa
could know. Where it begins and
ends one wouldn't dare guess. Amid
greasewood, boulders and desert sand,
the pueblo's massive walls contain 35
rooms, 65 doors and 140 windows.
It's foundation houses several caves.
Yerxa doesn't like monotony, other
than the pleasant monotony of desert
life, which, he explains, is the reason
for the castle's 30 different roof levels.
One advantage it has over conventional
dwellings is that of a cost-free
By Tom Murray
water heater. Built over a hot water
well, the pueblo's water temperature
remains at a constant 126 degrees.
To build this fantastic structure,
Yerxa labored for 19 years, aided by
only one man at a time. The pueblo
boasts an art gallery, in which hang
some of Yerxa's own oil paintings,
and a museum exhibiting Indian artifacts,
pioneer relics, and Alaskan souvenirs
collected by Yerxa when he
joined the Alaskan Gold Rush at the
age of 16.
An outstanding event in his life,
and one which may have resulted in
a sub-conscious desire for a castle of
his own, were three magic days spent
as the guest of Mexico's former President
Porfirio Diaz in the famed
castle of Chapultepec. This was in
1895. Following that, Yerxa studied
art in London and Paris, tramped
over England, Ireland and Scotland
and at various times secured employment
as a sailor, carpenter, cook, reporter,
butcher, and teamster in every
state of the U. S. and in Canada and
Mexico and Central America.
If you have time to chat and want
to be thoroughly entertained, visit
Cabot Yerxa's fabulous old Indian
Pueblo in Desert Hot Springs and
let him show you through himself.
There's nothing like it in all of America,
for Cabot Yerxa built part of
his soul in its adobe walls. ///
Carefree
COOLING
SUMMER AFTER SUMMER
YOURS WITH AN
SERIES AIR COOLER
You can relax in cool comfort,
even on the hottest days, when
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Circle V-Series Air Cooler—And
you can be sure of carefree cooling,
summer after summer, because
of the advanced design and
rugged construction of these coolers.
Ask your Arctic Circle dealer
for a demonstration! He is listed
in the Yellow Pages.
INTERNATIONAL METAL
PRODUCTS DIVISION
McQraw-Edison Company
Dept. 64D, 5OO So. 15th St.,
Phoenix, Arizona
March, 1964 / Desert Magazine / 29