DESERT CAVES

Caves such as those pictured above aren't unusual in our deserts. One finds them throughout the Mule, Big Maria, and other mountain ranges near Blythe. Those above are in the Big Maria Mountains adjacent to an ancient water course. I've seen some caves, usually in isolated locations, with very obvious trails leading to their entrances. Whether they're game or Native American trails I don't know. Perhaps someday soon I'll find out.

RUINS OF AN ABANDONED CABIN

This photograph and the next several are of the ruins of an abandoned cabin. It's about two miles northwest of the Wiley Well's Rest Stop on the I-10. There are no records of who the cabin belonged to or when it was occupied. There is, however, an attached garage on the north side of the building. From the width of the garage I'd think the cabin dates no later than the 1920s. It's a very narrow and short garage. I think even the Ford Model A two door sedan I had as an early teen would have been too wide to fit.

COOKING FIREPLACE

I assume this was the kitchen. Note the stone extensions in front of the fireplace to support a grill or griddle. A multiple room cabin such as this is a rare find. Most consist of only one or two rooms with kitchen and sanitary facilities located outside. While this cabin had no indoor sanitary conveniences, electricity, or running water, there were five well defined rooms. Also included was a bedroom closet with a rod to support its contents.

VERTICAL MINE SHAFT

During the last years of the nineteenth century and the first years of the twentieth many mines were active in the deserts surrounding Blythe. One method used to access ore was to dig vertical shafts, sometimes hundreds of feet deep. Today those shafts are still there. Most are unmarked, and some have been overgrown by the desert's vegetation. They can make hiking through our deserts hazardous for the unwary especially at night. The above mine shaft is typical. There are no warning signs, just an open hole hundreds of feet deep. If you're hiking through our desert, PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

LYN PATTERSON'S HEADSTONE

Another site of a desert interment, this one belonging to Lyn Patterson. Lyn was killed in April 1911. The characters carved into the headstone affirm he was thirtythree years old when he died. This headstone and grave are in excellent condition, and obviously receives at least occasional maintenance. A click on the picture will magnify most of the headstone to readability. Please see the photograph on the right for more details.

FLINT SCRAPER

Here's an excellent example of a flint scraper found in July 2005. It's location was a short distance south of the town of Palo Verde, about twenty-six miles from Blythe. Click on the image to enable the craftsmanship to become visible. How many hundreds or even thousands of years has this primitive stone age tool lain on the south end of the Palo Verde Valley waiting to be discovered? Well it's still there waiting now to be rediscovered. Incidently the image above is also a great photograph of Floyd Marlowe's hand.

NATIVE AMERICAN TRAIL SHRINE

Prehistoric Native Americans traded and traveled throughout our deserts. As a consequence many of their trails remain. One such trail is pictured above. Occasionally those who used the trails would pick a spot, and whenever they passed that particular location, would drop a rock there. One such location, or trail shrine, is shown above adjacent to the trail which actually changes direction temporarily to avoid it. This trail shrine was excavated in 1932 by a San Diego archeologist, Dr.Malcolm Rogers. We examined the shrine and area around it, and found pottery shards, grinding stones, a hammer and pestle, all untouched by the scientists. The location is off the Old Cibola Road Southeast of Blythe, in Arizona.

INDIAN JOE'S WATERHOLE PETROGLYPH

This is the only petroglyph at Indian Joe's Water Hole. It's been surmised it's the equivalent of a sign. Perhaps something like, "Hey, here's water."

MORE DESERT CAVES

These caves are in the Mule Mountains. Note the differences in geology compared with those shown in the above left picture. Occasionally nearly intact pottery can be found within the dark recesses of caves such as these. Several Native American trails are very close to the above caves, but sorry, no pottery was found in them. A click on either image will magnify it.

FIRE PLACE USED FOR HEATING

We've found quite a few ruined buildings in the deserts surrounding Blythe and the Palo Verde Valley. The construction details of this cabin, however, are more sophisticated than any other I've seen. Hence, I'm dedicating four picturues to this structure. This fireplace was in the living area of the cabin, and was probably used to offset the chill of our desert's cold winter nights. Note the mantle along the top, and the arch used in building it. Vandals have liberally tagged the cabin's inside with graffiti

FLOOR DETAIL

The floor of this cabin is especially interesting. Someone went to a lot of work, and displayed great pride in the craftsmanship employed in constructing it. Note the flat sided stones inlaid in cement. One might expect a rough finish in such a handmade floor, but this was very smooth. Usually if one examines the floors of cabins such as this very closely, a date inscribed in the cement is almost always found. Such inscriptions seem irresistible to those building both cabin and floor. Those dates make accurate estimations of such structures much easier. This building had none.

BIRD'S NEST

I found this picture irrestible. When the term cave dweller is used, one normally brings to mind images of prehistoric man gathered around a fire at a cave's mouth. Here is the home of another kind of cave dweller. Some bird, I think a large one, has built a nest in the mouth of this small cave located in the Mule Mountains. Please note that in addition to the floor, the cave's roof is also lined with nesting material. I only wish I'd had time to wait for the bird's return. I suspect it is probably a buzzard, but I'd have liked to have verified my suspicions. A click will magnify the image.

LYN PATTERSON'S GRAVE

A rarity, the circumstances surrounding the death of Lyn Patterson, are to some extent known. The histories of most desert graves have been long forgotten. Lyn, however, had a good friend, Jack Marlowe, that related the circumstances of his demise. Lyn was a cowboy. During the course of his work, one April day in 1911, his horse fell on him causing serious injury. In the Blythe of the early twentieth century medical attention was inadequate or nonexistent. Lyn's injuries, however, precluded the ten mile trip into town to obtain even that poor help. It took Lyn about three days to die under the warm April sun. Jack Marlowe stayed with him until the end. He then buried Lyn at the edge of the mesa west of the Palo Verde Valley. Later he saw that the grave was protected with the cement shown in the above picture. Someone, who is not known, whitewashes the site once in a while. Someone even today, nearly a century after his death, remembers Lyn Patterson with love and respect.

MORE ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS

These very old petroglyphs were found within the Palo Verde Valley. They are at the same site that the scraper on the upper left was found. It's my belief the extreme erosion these have been subjected to, is an indication of their great age. There are other examples of petroglyphs in the area surrounding these, but they are even more eroded. Some to the extent that it's difficult to determine whether they are the work of man or nature.

INDIAN JOE'S WATER HOLE

Nestled deep in the Little Maria Mountains north of Blythe is the normally dry Indian Joe's Water Hole. This year (2005) has been extremely wet, however, and this water hole and several others actually have water in them for the first time in half a century. Burros, wild cattle and horses, in addition to a myriad of smaller animals drink from this water hole creating the scum on its surface. Click on the image to enlarge it.

ARIZONA PETROGLYPHS

This sandstone boulder lies adjacent to an ancient waterhole, dry probably for centuries. It's densely populated with deeply carved petroglyphs. While known locally to a few desert buffs, to my knowledge this site's petroglyphs are unlisted. They are very similar to those we found south of Palo Verde, California earlier this year, also carved in sandstone. This site, in Arizona, is about an hour southeast of Blythe in a four wheel drive vehicle.