M A G A Z •: - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

Desert Place Names
For the historical data
contained in this department
the Desert
Magazine is indebted to the research work done by the late Will C. Barnes,
author of "Arizona Place Names;" to Betty Toulouse of New Mexico, Hugh
F. O'Neil of Utah, Marie Lomas of Nevada, and Charles Battye of California.
ARIZONA
FILIBUSTER Yuma county
Stage station listed by Hinton as 44
miles east of Yuma. From here the famous
Henry A. Crabb party of filibusters
set out for Sonora in 1857. Crabb, according
to McClintock, had 68 men, all but
one of whom were captured and shot by
the Mexicans. Crabb's head was cut off,
preserved in mescal and sent to Mexico
City in an olla. Idea of the illstarred
expedition seems to have been seizure of
enough land in Mexico to give each member
of the party a good-sized piece and
then to have all of this occupied zoneannexed
to the United States. Postc i
writes of this place:
"Filibuster camp next we reach,
This camp can novel lessons teach.
Some brave, strong men, long years ago
From here invaded Mexico."
CALIFORNIA
WHIPPLE MOUNTAINS
San Bernardino county
This range was named in honor of
Lieutenant Whipplc, U. S. Army, who
made surveys through the desert regions
in the 1850s. Whipple Barracks, once
an important army post at Prescott, Arizona,
now a federal government hospital,
also was named for this officer. Chemehuevi
Indian name for these mountains is
Wee-ah'-To.
SHORTY'S WELL
Inyo county
In Death Valley, named for old-time
prospector who was buried about two
miles away alongside his friend Jim Dayton.
Plaque on a monument erected by the
national park service at the graves says:
"Bury me beside Jim Dayton in the
valley we loved; Above me write: 'Here
lies Shorty Harris, a single-blanket prospector.'
Epitaph requested by Shorty
(Frank) Harris, beloved gold-hunter.
1856-1934. Here lies Jas. Dayton, pioneer,
perished 1898." Says the American guide
series, Death Valley volume: "Shorty was
a very short, chunky man, with shiny gold
caps over his front teeth. He was a familiar
figure as he stumped along with his
burros, covering the whole Death Valley
region on foot. Although he worked many
claims, he never made much money. His
two most famous strikes were Rhyolite
and Harrisburg. Dayton drove one of the
first 20-mule teams. He was called sailor,
though his seafaring seems to have been
limited to cooking on a Sacramento river
boat."
NEW MEXICO
FAIRVIEW Sierra county
Named and organized as a town in
1881, taking its name from the beautiful
surrounding country, located in a small
valley of heavily wooded hills.
LA CUESTA (lah kwes'ta) Taos county
Sp. "the slope." This town is built on
the side of a hill, thereby receiving its
name from accepted long usage. The Indians
term it "the red slope" because at
the base of the hill is a deposit of fine red
pigment which they use for painting their
moccasins and pottery, and their bodies in
preparation for their dances.
NEVADA
JEAN Clark county
Pop. 50; altitude 2864. On U. P. rr
southwest of Las Vegas. Mining district
for silica sand in the vicinity. Settled 1905
and named for Mrs. Jean Fayle, only white
woman resident at that time.
DIANA'S PUNCH BOWL
Nye county
A gigantic, boiling spring with a rim
150 feet in diameter and 50 feet high, located
in Monitor valley to the south of
Potts ranger station. It is one of the most
important and scenic hot springs in the
Nevada national forest area. It was named
for Diana, moon goddess and protector
of forests and animals. Mountain sheep,
antelope, mule deer, sage hens and grouse
are found in the nearby game refuge.
Monitor valley and the punch bowl may
be reached from Austin or Tonopah.
UTAH
SULPHURDALE Beaver county
Alt. 6,015; population 65. Derived its
name from sulphur mines in the vicinity.
In 1918 the name was changed temporarily
to Morrisey, for the man who operated
the mines a few years.
SUGARVILLE Mi Hard county
Alt. 4,550; pop. 240. So named because
of the importance of the sugar beet
industry. First called Omaha for Omaha,
Nebraska, later renamed Alfalfa at a time
when alfalfa was the most important crop
raised by the settlers.
THIS SUMMER
FOR FINEST
• SWIMMING
• SAILING
• FISHING and
• PLAYING
I N
SEE.
NEWPORT
BALBOA
BALBOA ISLAND
LIDO ISLE
CORONA DEL MAR
NEWPORT HEIGHTS
ALL ON. . .
CALIFORNIA'S
SMARTEST ) orFAN
RESIDENCE ) OUfc * w
AND BEACH ) and
RESORT ) BAY
Write for "TREASURE MAP
FOLDER"
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Box 118 — — Balboa, California
If you're coming to see the
DESERT WILDFLOWERS
Be sure to visit our shop
while in the Coachella Valley
DESERT:
SUN RIPENED DATES
Dates. Tangerines. Grapefruit. Refreshments,
fruit juices. Prompt attention to
mail orders.
T H A Y E R D A T E S H O P
Operated by H. L. Waldo
On Highway 99, 2'/2 mi. W. of Indio.
Just 30 minutes from Palm Springs.
EARTHBOUND
I
S THERE a strange, ethereal
mental cord that binds the
ciousness of those departed
frni i this world with those wl
renr ain? Is psychic phenome
a fa rce or fact? Let the Re
crucians (not a religious orga
ization), reveal the satisfy?
truths about these mysteries
self to you. Write for free intr
ductory Sealed Hook. Addrcs:
Scribe M.V.T.
1U ROSICRUCIANS
SAN JOSE (AM(IIIC) CALIFORNIA
MAY, 1941 33