Desert Messenger is your local connection for news, events, and entertainment!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/59055
Page 8 Desert Messenger celebrates the Arizona Centennial with Voices from The Past in Quartzsite, AZ Excerpts from "In the Shadow of Saguaros" by Rosalee Oldham Wheeler It was always exciting to go up into the Kofas where there were wonderful CRYSTAL HILL things to see and do, especially to hike along the washes and over the hills in search of pretty rocks. In 1947 we had a yard of honeybees near the Twelve Mile Well where the Scott's watered their range cattle. As we worked the bees, Richard our ten-year-old son went looking for rocks. We watched as he slowly made his way up a nearby hill; he seemed very busy studying the ground, every so often jumping up and down and waving his arms. When we were ready to go he came and poured out ARIZONA WESTCOAST REALTY Realtors: BARBARA COWELL 928-916-4222, Cell CAROLYN GUTHRIE 928-916-8469, Cell JOHN YACKLEY, BROKER 928-916-1195, Cell Toll Free: 1-800-889-8200 360 N. Plymouth Ave., Quartzsite • www.arizona-coast.com • 928-927-8900 360° panorama from the summit of Crystal Hill, Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Quartzsite, Arizona. Photo by Gregg M. Erickson Santa Fe Style home. 2 Bedroom, 2 bath. Of- fice with built ins. Over 1600 square feet. Cov- ered patio and deck. 2 Utility buildings. RV hookup and parking. Landscaped with ma- ture shade trees. Auto- matic watering system. Mexican Brick Fence on three sides. Very nice setup. $155,900. #8162. Well kept 2 bedroom frame built home on 1/3 of an acre. Screened in Arizona room. Carport. Metal shed. Town water and sewer. Mature land- scaping. Take a look at this one and make an offer. $82,900. #8086. We have a number of lots that are RV ap- proved with Town water and Sewer. Electricity in place. Most are zoned Suburban Ranch which will allow one main hookup plus two others. Priced from $35,000 and up. Call and get locations and prices. This property is cur- rently used as income. 2 older trailers on property and 1 addi- tional RV spot that are currently being rented. Carports. Sheds. Lots of cactus landscap- ing. All this on ½ acre. Good buy at $67,500. Owner will carry with a small down with the right deal. #8158 his bucket of rocks that refl ected many colors as they fell. Charles thought they were some type of crystal. At home Richard showed off his rocks and everyone wanted a specimen. The next time we went to check our honeybees at the Twelve Mile, Rich- ard was eager to go so he could col- lect more of the pretty rocks. After working the bees we joined him. The prisms were easy to fi nd, many on top of the ground, some in clusters, while others were a single prism. Again, we asked around about the beautiful rocks. One man said they were worth- less fractured rocks. It didn't matter to Richard. He continued to gather the sparkling rocks on the hill, bring- ing them home to add to his collection around our mesquite tree. One day Bill Keiser, a local miner of some renown, delivered a telegram and Richard showed him one of the prisms. Bill wanted to know where it had come from and Richard told him about his fi nd on a hill near the Twelve Mile Well. Bill told us these were fi ne quartz crystals of the transparent vari- ety that contained silica and valued for its clarity and lack of fl aws. Each time we went back to check on our honeybees, we noticed more and more campers near the hill. We asked how they knew about the pretty crys- tals, and they said the learned about "Crystal Hill" from an article written by Bill Keiser in the Desert Magazine. In the months that followed, sometimes there would be twenty or more people using picks and shovels. There were no more crystals on top of the ground, in fact it seemed as though the hill was shrinking. In January of 1972, the Arizona Re- public printed an article about the wonderful crystals that could be found near Quartzsite. People came from all over in search of crystals. As the news spread, the desire for crystals grew. Large holes were dug deeper and deeper into the little hill in search of the beautiful prisms. For a time, the Scott family allowed campers to use the water from their Twelve Mile Well, but the wary cattle were hesitant to come for water be- cause there were so many campers. The Bureau of Land Management SEE CRYSTAL HILL PAGE 9 Quartzsite Coachworks On Site RV Repair Now Offering Experienced Auto Mechanic Work A/C • Electrical • Plumbing • Roof Repair • All Appliances Nice Park Model with covered deck. De- tached metal garage with bungalow inside. Covered parking off the garage. Mexican brick fence on three sides. Low maintenance landscaping. Take a look at this one priced at $75,000. #8165. Looking for a pool? This Beautiful 2 bedroom, 2 bath home has a 12'x24' heated pool for year- round use, with covered patio area. Landscaped with flowers year-round. 2 utility sheds. Full RV Hookup. Mexican brick fence surrounding proper- ty with wrought iron gate. Asking $164,500. #8159. LOCATION, LOCATION. You can't get much better than this 3.85 acre parcel right on Main Street. Prime location for development. In- come producing as 61 space RV/Mobile home park. Seller says make an offer on what you think it is worth and see if we can't put a deal togeth- er. Owner will carry with the right deal. #8147. Nice clean home with covered Patio and Parking. 10' X 14' shed. Full RV hookup. Moun- tain views, Mexican brick fence surrounds the property with wrought iron gate. Owner may carry. Well priced at $119,000. Take a look, make an offer and let the owner be your bank. Additional Park Model and property next door available. #8150. CALL TODAY! 760-799-2370 RV Specialist PO Box 5082 • Quartzsite, AZ 85359 www.QuartzsiteCoachworks.com Serving the RVing Community since1977 www.DesertMessenger.com March 21, 2012