The Headless Horseman of Yermo

Headless Horseman of Yermo display (MojaveDesert.Net)

By Matthew Cabe
Victor Valley Daily Press

In October 1965, Don Hughes was busy clearing land in Yermo when he inadvertently unearthed what local historian and author Cliff Walker described as a “highly mineralized axe head” in an article on the Desert Gazette website.

Near the axe, Hughes found part of a jawbone and skull buried in sand. Some 30 feet away, the skeletal remains of a man and horse were also uncovered. The man was seated atop what was left of his steed. Knives stuck out of what was left of him.

The proper officials were notified and an excavation followed. When the papers got wind, the man was dubbed the “Headless Horseman of Yermo.” In a later interview, Hughes said tests dated the bones to about 1850.

Analysis also determined the man was between 21 and 23 years old. He stood 5-feet-2-inches tall.

In a phone conversation with Walker — one that was cut woefully short by bad reception — I learned the initial theories on the horseman’s heritage.

“His teeth were ground down,” Walker said, which led him and others to believe the man was of Native American or Mexican descent. Teeth like his, Walker continued, were a common attribute of “indians and vaqueros” due to a grit-filled diet.

About five years ago, though, the director of the San Bernardino County Museum informed Walker that tests revealed the horseman was not a Native American.

“He could still be a vaquero,” Walker said.

In 1972, the horseman went on display for the first time at the Mojave River Valley Museum in Barstow, but it was in the custody of the county museum and was eventually returned. Rumor has it that the county must locate next of kin. Good luck.

This appears to be a sore spot for Walker. When he chatted with the county museum’s director, he asked about the horseman’s whereabouts. “She wouldn’t tell me,” he said before the line went dead.

Experts offered historical scenarios to explain the man’s grim fate for years after the discovery. Most involved horse thieves. More than 50 years later, much surrounding the “Headless Horseman of Yermo” remains shrouded in mystery.

Mohahve Historical Society celebrates 50 years

Victorville Daily Press

The Mohahve Historical Society celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 25, with a barbecue at the Victor Valley Museum hosted by past president Jim Mustra.

After a meal, catered by Cujo’s Big Smoke BBQ, attendees enjoyed a presentation on the historic mining town of Ryan in Death Valley by the live-in caretakers, Mr. Scott and Dr. Jessica Smith. The cutting of the 50th anniversary cake bearing the MHS seal concluded the memorable event. Mohahve Historical Society would like to thank all who attended, and especially appreciated the support of three other historical societies: Searles Valley Historical Society of Trona, Wrightwood Historical Society, and Mojave River Valley Museum of Barstow.

The organization, which started as a class at Victor Valley College in 1964, meets regularly on the fourth Thursday of the month to enjoy a presentation on some facet of High Desert history, followed by refreshments and socializing. There is also the opportunity to purchase books, including the recently published “Rancho Yucca Loma” by local historian Fran Elgin.

Mojave River Valley Museum celebrating area history with 50th anniversary barbecue

Mojave River Valley Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary.

MIKE LAMB
Desert Dispatch

BARSTOW • Bootlegging was big business in the Mojave Desert during the Roaring ‘20s, according to Barstow author Cliff Walker.

The bootleggers wanted “to get far away from the sheriff and federal agents,” Walker said as he sat inside the Mojave River Valley Museum, reminiscing about the many chapters of Mojave Desert history.

“After World I, all the farmers and miners were laid off all over the place. There were marginal farms out here and we didn’t have to feed the (Europeans) anymore. So a lot of farmers were pushed off the lands,” Walker explained. “The syndicates from L.A. came out here to set up moonshine operations. Thousands of gallons of booze were made every day. Bootlegging was common thing in the desert. There were actually tunnels under the Mojave River going in where the booze was made.”

Walker should know all about it, because he wrote a book on bootlegging in the Mojave Desert. Bootlegging, however, is just one chapter of a long history blowing through the Mojave Desert. A lot of that history is captured inside the museum located at Barstow Road and Virginia Way in Barstow. The Mojave River Valley Museum Association is celebrating the museum’s 50th anniversary on Saturday with a barbecue, sourdough, Cowboy Coffee and, of course, a little moonshine.

“We will make moonshine using cabernet wine from Newberry and we are going to distill it with brandy and, or with Grappa,” Walker said. “We will give people a little cut of it. We are going to make some alcohol from whiskey grain. Dave Romero does it. And he doesn’t drink.”

Walker is on the board of trustees for the museum. Not only does he write books about the desert and its people, but he also knows a lot about the museum.

“We will be honoring the people who helped build the museum,” Walker said, talking about Saturday’s event. He mentioned Little Rainbow Girls, Lenwood Optimist Club and he recalls the Disabled American Veterans on West Main Street became one of the first organizations to donate with $100.

“People volunteered to do the labor for nothing, practically.”

He tried in vain to remember the name of the bricklayer from Hinkley who donated his time.

Walker said original plans called for a 30-by-30-foot outdoor building. But he said the fundraising went so well that the plans were changed to building a 20-by-20 enclosed building with a patio in 1967. The museum opened in 1968. As time went along, the patio was enclosed and other expansions were constructed.

Walker says there’s a need to raise more money for more expansion and add climate control to protect the old photos, law papers and Desert Dispatch editions that go as far back as 1910.

“As you can see, there is no wall space to put anything,” Walker said. “It’s so crowded. We need a better place for people to do research.”

The museum is free and open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum pays its bills by accepting donations and selling memberships, and some people have put the museum in their wills.

More money is also raised by selling “the best collection of Western books anywhere.” Walker also mentioned there is a good collection about women in the West.

“We write books too,” Walker said. “I have 12 books published. One of mine was written for the centennial. ‘The History of the Mojave Desert’ has been sold out for the past 20 years. So that’s not making any money for the museum, but it’s getting reprinted again.”

Patricia Schoffstall, who is the museum’s treasurer, authored the “ Mojave Desert Dictionary” which first came out in 2010. The second edition was published this year.

Walker said the books and the operation of the desert is done for one main reason.

“We’re doing this to save the heritage of the desert for the future.”

Saturday’s celebration will start with an open house from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will feature some new displays, such as the “Old Spanish Trail Display.”

The barbecue will be held form 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dana Park, with adults charged $9. The fee is $8 for seniors and children over 6 years old. Children under 6 are free with any paid dinner.

Blacksmithing at Mojave River Valley Museum

An old blacksmith's shop is the newest exhibit at the Mojave River Valley Museum.

By Trevor Summons
The San Bernardino Sun

I was leaving the city of Barstow the other day, when I thought that I would just stop in at the Mojave River Valley Museum. It had been two years since I went there and it’s always an interesting place to visit.

I was glad that I did as the president of the organization, Robert Hilburn, was on hand to show me their latest acquisition. It was a blacksmith shop that originated in the 19th century and was now in full operation again.

Initially, I was surprised because I expected to see a large fire in a corner, but the shop here has a wheelbarrow-type container that was the main fire source.

“We use a mixture of coal and coke,” Hilburn explained.

He himself is an experienced metal worker and knows about the blacksmithing art.

“Coal burns hot, but then there is charcoal that burns even hotter,” he explained. “For the best heat you have to have coke.”

Coke is a refined form of coal that has had the impurities removed. When a current of air is passed through the burning embers, the heat intensifies enough that metal can be worked and reformed.

Hilburn puts on regular demonstrations in this compact workshop, but for my interest, he showed me some tricks with cold metal.

Rolling a rod of metal on an anvil, he showed me how a blacksmith would hit the rod where the light shines beneath it.

“That’s where the term ‘beating the daylights (out of you)’ came from,” he said.

The Mojave River Valley Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Before the collection exhibits were gathered, most of the items were stored in people’s garages. An offer from the San Bernardino Museum allowed the use of a building, the writing of a catalog and storage of a wide range of artifacts.

If you would like to see a demonstration of the blacksmith’s work then it’s necessary to make an appointment. They will be happy to oblige.

Old Spanish Trail Association chapter formed in Barstow

Last November, Old Spanish Trail Association Chairman Mark Henderson directs workshop participants in principles of trail identification and stewardship near where historians believe the old trail lies along the Interstate 15 in Barstow. (Staff photo, Brooke Self)

SHEA JOHNSON
Desert Dispatch

BARSTOW • A local Old Spanish Trail Association chapter is a reality as the 11th one in existence has officially started in Barstow, according to inaugural President Tim Baggerly.

The chapter formed Friday, made up of volunteers who help to preserve the trail and educate the public about it.

The trail, a successful 19th century trade route connecting New Mexico and California, runs through Barstow.

Becoming official allows the chapter to tie into relationships with federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and state and local parks, said Dennis Ditmanson, the Old Spanish Trail Association manager.

Those relationships could also hold funding implications, Ditmanson explained.

This past weekend, Old Spanish Trail Association representatives from outside Barstow — the association is active in six western states including Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado — came to the Mojave River Valley Museum to meet with local chapter members and federal agency partners for their spring national board meeting.

Reba Grandrud, president of the Old Spanish Trail Association, said she was pleased a chapter now existed in the area.

“Having (a chapter) here is really important,” she said, “to be right on the trail.”

The Barstow chapter consists of 36 members. There are approximately 450 members of the association nationally, Ditmanson said.

Aside from 10 national chapters, the Old Spanish Trail Association boasts a chapter in London as well.

The Barstow chapter of the Old Spanish Trail Association will next meet Saturday at the Mojave River Valley Museum. Members of the public are invited to join.

For more information, contact Tim Baggerly at 760-954-7488 or baggerlyt@aol.com, or call Pat Schoffstall at 760-256-0006.