194103-DesertMagazin.. - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

Bess and Bob Cline and their burros Pete and Shony. The Clines have a cabin high
up in the pass and the burros are used to pack gold ore down from the Moily Mc-
Guire mine. The ore is stacked in front of the Cline home, and later packed down
to the Bante cyanide plant.
the Argus and Slate ranges stood out with
a clear brilliance that was almost startling.
Just to the south of us the walls of South
Park canyon fell off sharply, their lower
reaches hidden in deep shadow.
The bench was a good camping spot,
but visitors should bring their own water
as it is a dry camp. After taking some pictures
and cooling the motor for a few
moments, we went on. We started to climb,
and then our route suddenly dipped to the
right and we entered the shadowy canyon.
Here the walls rose steeply on either side
of us. A few flowers clinging to the ledges
were a distinct surprise as no one would
expect flowers to bloom at this altitude in
December.
We left the car and hiked down the
rough canyon floor for some distance.
Large boulders obstructed our passage.
The canyon walls were of a yellowish color
as Manly described them and the grade
was steep. It was easy to see that tired
and thirsty pack animals would have a
difficult time ascending this gorge. Returning
to the car we went on; shortly a
tent house appeared, known as Slim's
camp. The camp was formerly owned by
Ferger. It seemed to be clinging partially
MARCH, 1941
to the canyon wall, and was raised just
high enough from the floor of the gorge
to avoid (if it was lucky) any sudden
cloudbursts that might roll down the canyon.
This tent-cabin we found out later to
have been the one time headquarters of
a mine located high on the canyon walls—
and now abandoned.
Slowly the car crept up the grade. We
hadn't been out of low gear since the first
quarter of a mile from the valley road.
Directly we passed a narrow precipitous
road leading off up the cliff trail to the
left to the ranch and cyanide plant of
Henry Bante.
A short distance beyond the road left
the canyon floor and zig-zagged up the
south face of the canyon. At the top we
came into an open area in which were located
three small cabins. At 6.1 miles we
stopped the car—nearly at the end of the
road. During our progress up this steep
mountainous grade we had climbed in six
miles from 1000 feet elevation in Panamint
valley to nearly 6000 feet. The grade
had averaged from 15% to 26%, most of
it had been over 20%.
From the tent-cabin a small column of
blue smoke rose in the clear desert air. As
we approached this cabin a pleasant-faced
woman came out and at my inquiry she
said she was Mrs. Cline.
"It's not very often we have visitors
up here," she smiled, "but when they do
come they're very welcome. Won't you
come in?" she invited.
Stepping inside and surveying the neatly
arranged interior, one of the first things
that caught my eye was a copy of the December
issue of the Desert Magazine.
"I see you take the Desert Magazine,"
I said, a little surprised at finding a late
copy way up there in the mountains.
"Do you know," replied our hostess,
"that is the first copy I have ever had of
that magazine. I never dreamed such a fine
magazine about the desert and the people
living in it was being published. I'm going
to get more copies."
Our conversation naturally led to Manly
Falls and Mrs. Cline directed us up the
little footpath back of the cabin, which
she said followed the pipe line for a mile
to the falls and spring, the spring being
about 100 yards above the usually dry
waterfall. We took the trail. A burro was
watching us from a point high up on the
south canyon wall. Whenever we would
stop and call to him he would move rapidly
away, but as soon as we started ahead