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Re: Mojave Cross goes missing

Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 9:35 pm
by LeeVW
Yeah, I don't actually believe it was stolen for scrap either, but I'm glad you understand my frustration.

One of the worst cases I have seen involved the remains of a '50 Ford which had been sitting at the western edge of Harper Dry Lake for who-knows-how-long. It looked like it had been there for decades when I first came across it in 1996. I was just out that way a couple weeks ago with a friend of mine. I wanted to show him the car, as he's into the old stuff and wanted to check it out. Not only was the car gone, but there is now a debris field about 30 yards in diameter consisting of old cans, broken bits of porcelain, household trash, and lots and lots of broken glass. So the car, which had been sitting peacefully for so long, is gone and the area is a mini disaster area. Broke my heart. So we went to a nearby cabin site where there had been the sheel of an old trolley. You guessed it - GONE! Along with the old water tank. Argh!!!

Re: Mojave Cross goes missing

Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:50 am
by lara
LeeVW wrote:The way things are going, it wouldn't surprise me if the first cross was stolen for its scrap value. Since the economy went south, I have noticed literally TONS of metal being removed from all parts of the desert. Old cars are disappearing. Interesting old equipment is being removed from mines. Entire water tanks are missing from old ranch sites. It's as if a giant magnet were hovering over the desert, taking all the metal objects with it. I don't think these are organized clean-ups either, as there is still plenty of trash and other debris around - just nothing made of metal.

Lee
it wouldn't surprise me if the blm or other federal agency is behind the removal of the really large metal objects. i don't think ordinary folks have the wherewithal to remove a water tank. but the blm does and would in an effort to "return the land to its natural occurring state." i had a nps servant tell me that once for a story i was doing. they do not respect man's creations on the land as part of the natural occurring landscape despite man being part of the land. they will protect ancient people's cliff dwellings but not respect old mining towns, claims, structures and equipment left behind.

that part of our more recent history is slowly being destroyed, while littering and trashing the desert seems to go on unabated - and the garbage is left forever unless an area is part of the national public lands day clean-up effort.

i suppose the greater question is, when it is historical and when is it trash?

lara

Re: Mojave Cross goes missing

Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 10:56 am
by Desertroad
What's trash and what's not?

Before everyone just bags on the feds, please peruse the following:

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/onli ... ntents.htm

Remember - we are paying for this. Want it changed? Vote the bums out - and get some other bums that you may or may not like better - in.

Desertroad

Re: Mojave Cross goes missing

Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:27 am
by LeeVW
Lara,

You're probably right about the government (the BLM in the cases I've seen) being the ones removing everything. I have seen giant V8 diesel generators in place on their mounting pads one year, only to discover it missing the next. It takes a good sized flatbed and a portable crane to move something like that. Even if private individuals were stealing the equipment to sell, I doubt the cost and effort would be worth it.

I guess I should consider myself lucky that I have been able to see the things I've seen. Yes, our more recent history is being erased more and more every year. It pains me to think that the structures in my recent story will no doubt suffer the same fate.

http://dsb.yuku.com/topic/2695/t/Re-Yuc ... ml?page=-1

No offense against nature (I love nature too, as you can see from the story), but once the interesting things have been removed, the place looks just like the thousands of acres all around it. Being able to explore the remains of homesteads and mines gives one a real glimpse into what it was like to live out there 50-100 years ago. You get so much more out of it than you can get from books and photographs. You can FEEL the experience because you are THERE.

Re: Mojave Cross goes missing

Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 1:25 am
by Mrs.Oroblanco
Has there been any recent updates on the event???

Beth (Mrs. O)