Ahh, I see.
I did see some pictures of a set of stones once that had quite different markings than the "public" stones. I was told these were the original stones. If I can find the pictures I'll dig em up. Thanks for the info btw. You are correct, it's the truth I/we seek at all times
I'm thinking that was back in the 60's because I believe he told me that he let Glenn Magill study them. If so, that would have been around 1966. I will get copies of the photos and all the details tomorrow.
The neighbor I need to talk to about the maps, and get copies of his photos, was admitted into the hospital this AM for some tests concerning a medication he is taking. It will be a few days before I will be able to get together with him.
Well my neighbor refused to be admitted to the hospital.
I had to laugh when he told me that too many people didn't survive "Routine Procedures".
So anyway I got the info I wanted today. Well, sorta.
Some people freeze up when they see a notepad, Pen, camera and tape recorder. I can understand that. I'm one of them.
He told me to go talk to his son, (Who is himself in his 60's) because he had the photos and could remember the details better than he could.
Here is what I got from the Son. The stones were not on display there for two years like I thought I was told before. It was more like two weeks. Travis Marlowe (Clarence Mitchel) hung around all most all day every day they were there, to make sure nobody handled them or removed the tape to take photos.
The Son also told me that I was welcome to scan the 8X10 photos he took of the stones (without the tape on them) but when he went to get them, he discovered a problem. They were normally kept in a folder in a 4 drawer filing cabinet, that resides in a lean-to shed with no wall on one side. When he went to the drawer the folder should have been in it was not there. After looking through all the other drawers suspecting that it had been misfiled and not finding it in them either, he noticed a few folders sitting on top of the file cabinet.
The top folder was the one the stone map photos were in. When he opened it, everything in it was welded together into a solid mass. Apparently from being rained on and then sitting in direct sunlight for no telling how many years.
I asked if there were negatives that more photos could be made from? There were negatives, but they were welded into the solid mass of material from the folder. After finding them and separating them from the mass, they were totally faded out and blank, just like the photos.
About all we really have is his recollection of what the stones looked like to determine that the stones on display at the SMHS Museum are the exact same stones that he had possession of back in the 60's.
He thinks he let someone else have copies of the photos he had made from the same negatives, and will let me know if he ever remembers who that was.
For anyone interested in hearing the story directly from the source. The father is 96 yr old Ray Ruiz, who owns and runs the Ray Ruiz Marina across the Hwy from the Goldfield Ghost Town. The Son is Louis (Louie) Ruiz (Step Son actually) that runs the Bluebird Mine Gift shop and Snack bar on the same property.
They are both very interesting people to talk to. Barry Storm used to sit on the porch all day, and sell books out of the trunk of his car in the Bluebird parking lot . Crazy Jake rented a small trailer from Ray when he first came to Arizona. Before buying the Bluebird property, Ray owned a fleet of tractor/trailers that hauled fruit, and Marty Robbins was one of his drivers for about 5 years before he made his first "HIT" record. Ray and Marty actually go back a lot farther than that. There was a time when they were young that they both picked cotton side by side in the fields. You name a Dutch Hunter from Storm's time forward (maybe even a few before) and they will have a story about him sitting on the porch at the Bluebird. Rays memory isn't as sharp as Louie's, but you will never believe that he is 96 years old when you listen to him talk.
Ray is a Full blooded Cherokee Indian born in Oklahoma, on the same reservation where Geronimo was living when he died. Ray came to Arizona via horse and wagon,as a small boy and being an Indian he says he was considered as Government Property at that time, and by law had to live on the Reservation here. They (The Indians) could leave the reservation to work or shop during the day, but they had to be back on the Reservation by sundown.
Louie is a Viet Nam Veteran that came home carrying two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
These guys are both very approachable and will talk your ears off if you don't have an excuse to get away.
They WILL both play with you and spin some yarns, but if you ask them straight out, if the story they just told is true, (and it isn't) they will grin and admit that it is not. But, If they tell you that it is the "Gospel truth". I would believe them.
Sweet!