OAUSA Net - October 16, 2014 - Desert Magazine

[DaveK]

The deserts of the South West are some of the most spectacular and beautiful places anywhere. Over the years, there have been untold publications which have showcased the desert, but few have done as well as "Desert Magazine". From 1937 to about 1993, this monthly magazine contained some of the very finest articles covering our deserts and for those who were not privileged to have experienced each issue, they are now available, online, FOR FREE! Our net this week will feature Desert John, our resident expert on all things Desert Magazine.

The net will be on two of the biggest outlaws of the old west, Joaquin Murrieta and Tiburcio Vasquez, whose exploits have been featured in Desert Magazine.

[DaveK]

For those interested in gaining more information on the history of each of these old west characters, there is much to discover. The exploits of many of these famous and infamous people were romanticized and it was often difficult, if not impossible, to glean the truth from the many stories which were told. Early accounts of each man were filtered through the eyes of the author or story teller, some seeing them as Robin Hood types and some seeing them as murderers and bandits. The reality, of course, was that it was the differences in the accounts of each their individual exploits which made them so fascinating. You will be surprised to learn how they each met their end and the circus like atmosphere which followed Murieta, even in death.

Each man had short publications written about them, also referred to as "dime store novels", which were printed at or near the time of their death that are as interesting to read as the ones that are written in more recent times. Example of each are:


Vasquez

Tiburcio Vasquez pic.jpg (118.65 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

Vasquez book -1.jpg (209.45 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

Murieta

Joaquin Murieta pic.jpg (13.73 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

Murieta book -1.png (293.57 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

This book is actually still available on Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/Joaquin-Murieta ... in+murieta . Here is what Amazon printed as a description of the book:

The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit, is a unique book in many ways. In 1854, it was the first novel published in California, and it is also the first novel written by a Native American. Yellow Bird was the son and grandson of famous Cherokee chiefs, and he lived a vigorous and dangerous life as an Indian. But he was also a well-educated and literate man, known in the white man's world as John Rollin Ridge. Both a novelist and poet, Yellow Bird made his living in California as a newspaperman, ending his short life in Grass Valley as the editor of the Grass Valley National newspaper, of which he was a part owner. He was just forty when he died, but he had lived a fuller life than most. The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta was Yellow Bird's only novel, but it left an enduring mark. It not only sparked a number of knockoffs but also created the enduring myth of Joaquin Murieta. In addition, it was the genesis of the "dime novel" industry of the late nineteenth-century that persists even today as the paperback Westerns found in every bookstore, newsstand, and even supermarket. It was truly a first in that regard. But it is worth reading for more than those reasons -- it is a colorful and romantic story that fires the imagination of the reader, portraying in no uncertain terms what life was like in those times.

Current publications on Vasquez
Available from Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/career-Tiburcio ... d+murderer

Vasquez book - 2.jpg (288.01 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

Current publication on Murieta:
Searching for Joaquin: Myth, Murieta and History in California, 2003, by Bruce Thorton, available from Amazon here: http://smile.amazon.com/Searching-Joaqu ... in+murieta

[DaveK]

If you have access to the past issues of Desert Magazine, you will find articles and information about Murieta and Vasquez as follows:

Murieta

1. November 1966, page 39, entitled His Head
2. August 1966, also entitled His Head

Vasquez

1. December 1964, page 11, entitled California Outlaw
2. November, 1970, page 6, entitled Mine of Monte Cristo

[Dezert John]

Greetings Everyone,
Just wanted to express my gratitude for having me on again last night, I hope you liked the show... Meanwhile, I have a couple of things for you, one, if you need any of the original Desert magazines you can find them on my site. They are all 100% free and you can download, print, email or post the entire issue or individual stories by using the icons at the bottom left of each issue. Simply go to http://www.Dezertmagazine.com and click on the " Original Desert Magazine link ". And if you like the net's you might want to click " Radio Program ", at 8AM on Saturdays for the live show, or hover on Radio program and wait for Past Shows tab to appear, for all of the past shows.I have been co-hosting a desert related show with Death Valley Jim for about 3 months now and we are doing quite well. In fact we are in the running for the best radio personality of the valley, we made the top 5!!! This week we are interviewing new Joshua Tree Superintendent David Smith and discussing his vision of the parks future. Past shows have included Carl Chavez 1960's Bodie ranger, Albert Okura owner of town of Amboy ( and Juan Pollo chicken ), Nicholas Clapp author of Gold and Silver in the Mojave, Tommi Johnston wife of the Ballarat Bandit, noted author and videographer Ted Faye and much more!!!

Remember, you can listen to the show anywhere in the world at http://www.kptr1450.com at 8AM Saturday mornings..



Thx Again and have fun!!!
Dezert John