Re: Denning Springs
Posted by Harold Ericsson on July 27, 2004 at 16:03:04:
In Reply to: Re: Denning Springs posted by Last Chance Rand on July 26, 2004 at 17:03:08:
Ernie Pyle, the famous World War Two war correspondent, was a roving reporter from 1935 to 1940 for the Scripps-Howard newspapers. A number of his articles from that period are in his book, Home Country. In Chapter XIX he describes a visit to Cave Springs and the then residents. From Cave Springs Ernie travels on into Death Valley.
The desert is always full of surprises, here is one paragraph from Ernie’s story, “Mrs. Sweetman drove Sixty miles to Barstow about once a week for mail, a hundred fifty to San Bernardino twice a month for supplies, and occasionally on into Los Angeles. She always put her evening gown and slippers in the back of the car, in case she might be invited to a formal party. She was leaving in a few days on a three-month cruise to Central America.” Mrs. Sweetman, resident of Cave Springs, does not appear to be your typical desert recluse. I visited Cave Springs in the 70s, alas, Mrs. Sweetman was long gone---but the caves were still there---and the water.
Birdman