Desert Messenger

April 1, 2015 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS ™ I have an extensive collection of amaz- ing things from all over the world, and the most unique and special souvenirs I have from my travels are things that were not purchased in shops or stores. Treasure hunting is often thought of as only prospecting for gold, and as something you can only do at places like beaches, forests, deserts and the like. But as you are traveling this spring and summer, you will likely fi nd yourself in treasure-rich areas more often than not, if you think a little out of the box and do a bit of research along the way. We have found many treasures in extremely unlikely places simply by taking the time to explore areas that, at initial glance, seemed like they had nothing to offer. Many small towns here in the west have histories dating back to the mid 1800's. Quite often all that is left of them today is a few houses, a couple of shops, and maybe a gas station, lin- ing the main road through the town. When driving by, they may appear to By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ Saloons, copper tiles and hidden treasure be deserted wastelands with no life and nothing interesting to see. Most people see these places out the win- dow as they drive through, or maybe run into the general store to get gas or a refreshment, and then get back on the road without even stopping for a second to snap a photo. But many times, these quaint little towns have quite a bit to offer if you are will- ing to dig into the pages behind the cover. Park, grab your camera, get out and walk around. Go into some of the buildings. Look around in some of the older, run down or abandoned parts of town. Talk to the people you meet there. You will discover trea- sures that very few will experience. We stopped at a tiny town in northern Montana a couple of years ago. The main street was deserted and there were only a couple of buildings that seemed occupied. One of them was a bar that, on the outside, seemed non-descript and rather decrepit. Although we don't drink, we decided to go in anyway, since it seemed like there was at least some activity there. We tried to peek in the window fi rst, but the glass was so dirty we couldn't see in. We noticed, though, that the glass was the thick wavy glass that is found in historic buildings. We went inside. There were a couple of local people sitting at the bar and a lady bartender that looked like she should have been in Las Vegas instead of this teeny town in the middle-of- nowhere Northern Montana. They all stopped talking and immediately stared at us. It was obvious they very rarely saw tourists. "Kin… ah… hep… ewe?" the misplaced Las Vegas-looking lady asked. We smiled and held up our cameras as our eyes adjusted to the dark dingy atmosphere. "We just were passing through and thought we would stop and take some photos", we said. They all laughed- not really at us, but more with a joyful appreciation. The Las Vegas lady said, "No one ever takes pictures here!", as she ran over to the end of the bar and fl ipped a switch. Immediately, the light revealed an absolutely gorgeous room with crystal chandeliers, handcarved woodwork and trim, thick wallpaper, old photos in ornate frames, and the most amazing embossed copper tile ceiling I'd seen in a long time. A layer of dust several decades thick coated it all, but it was still really elegant. "Wow. Is this all re- stored?" I asked. One of the old timer locals with a huge stein of beer and just a few teeth grinned ear to ear and said, "Nope. All original. 1914. Used to be a saloon and hotel. Only building in town that never burned." Then we were told all about the décor, the his- tory of the building, and the history of the town. Afterwards, we took a little bit of time to explore the ruins of the old part of town that had burned down. In amongst the 100 year old rubble we found some amazing treasures, includ- ing a copper ceiling tile like the ones in that old saloon. We spent about 3 hours in that sleepy little town that most people spent no more than 3 min- utes in, and were rewarded with some souvenirs way more interesting than anything we could have purchased. When exploring these places, fi nd out a little bit about the town's his- tory. You will get an idea of where the original business and residential districts were, when they were estab- lished, and what type of commerce or We knew we could get you to read this ad! For effective advertising, contact Desert Messenger today! Call Rain at 928-916-4235 or visit www.DesertMessenger.com MOUNTAIN QUAIL C AFE Open 7am - 7pm 7 DAYS/ WEEK 928-927-8890 & Gift Shop 490 N. Moon Mt. 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