The “Desert People and Cultures” page delves into the rich and diverse heritage of the inhabitants of the desert regions, focusing on their traditions, lifestyles, and contributions to history. From ancient Native American tribes who adapted ingeniously to the arid landscape to the influences of Spanish explorers and missionaries, this page explores the evolution of desert societies. Highlighting the unique cultures of modern-day desert dwellers, including artists, musicians, and craftsmen, this section provides an in-depth look at how the desert environment shapes and inspires its people.
Spanish Explorers and Missionaries
- Bernardo Gruber & the Spanish Inquisition
(on the Jornada del Muerto Trail) - Conquistador
- Fr. Eusebio Francisco Kino
- Fr. Miguel Hidalgo – Mexico’s War for Independence
- Fr. Silvestre Velez de Escalante
- Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
- Juan Bautista de Anza
- Trails Part 7: The Juan Bautista De Anza Trail
- The Franciscan Missionary
- Mariachi
- María Jesus de Ágreda – The Fabled “Lady in Blue
- El Paso’s Mission Trail
Native American Indians
- Apache Kid
- Cochise
- Cochise and the Bascom Affair
- Geronimo
- How Geronimo Lost His Head and Found Yale
- Geronimo’s Last Hurrah
- Wovoka and the Ghost Dance (aka Jack Wilson)
- Konate’s Staff
- Kokopelli – Indians’ Flute Player
- Mangas Coloradas
- Peaches
- Pueblo Rebellion
- Wendell Chino
- Camp Grant Massacre
- Desert Shamans
- Ancient Indian Tribes
- The Puebloan Legacy
- Pendejo Cave
- Paleo-Indians
- Desert Archaic Indians
- Desert Archaic Indians –
- Spiritual Quest
- The Formative Period
- Voices from the South
- Mogollon
- Mogollon – the Magic
- Hohokam – Farmers
- The Hohokam Signature
- The Anasazi
- The Anasazi 2
- The Great Puebloan Abandonments
- Paquime
- When The Spanish Came
- Life on the Margin 1 & 2
- Sinagua
- Profile Of An Apache Woman
- The Athapaskan Speakers 1
- The Athapaskan Speakers 2
- The Outside Raiders
- The Enduring Mysteries
- Some Sites to Visit
- Salinas Basin
- Four Corners Area: Navajo Rock Art & Pueblitos
- Native American Indians Today
Prospectors, Miners, & Other Notable Figures
- A Prospector’s Life
- A Stetson Hat
- Barry Storm
- Burro Schmidt
- Cowboys
- Death Valley Scotty
- Ghosts and the Desert
- Jacob Waltz
- Panamint Annie (also known as Pannemint Annie, Mary Elizabeth Madison)
- Pegleg Smith
- Johnny Lang
- Francis Marion
- Shady Myrick
- Shorty Harris
- Shorty Borden
- Seldom Seen Slim, aka Charles Ferge, Unofficial Curator of Ballarat
- Seldom Seen Slim and Death Valley’s Ballarat Ghost Town
- Aaron Winters 20-Mule Borax Teams
- Old-Time Drugstore
- Profiles of Pioneer Women
- Walt Bickel
- Rex Allen
- Filmmaking Myth
- John Wayne
- John Ford
- William Edwin “Doc” Smith,
Daggett Area Prospector
Gunslingers, Gamblers & Cowboys
- Wyatt Earp
Looking for Wyatt Earp, Part I - Judge Roy Bean
- John Horton Slaughter
- Charles Goodnight
- Billy the Kid
- Billy The Kid Country
- Bob Orlinger
- José Chavez y Chavez.
- Eustacio Legada
- Pat Garrett
- Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce
- Pat Garrett/Billy the Kid
- Desert Saloons and Sport Gambling
- Faro – the card game
- My heroes have always been cowboys
- A Chance meeting with a cowboy
- Rex Allen: The Last of the Singing Cowboys
- Ted Binion, one-time owner of Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, NV
Famous Desert Expeditions & Trailblazers
Notable Figures of the American Southwest
- Albert Fountain
- Barry Goldwater
- Brigham Young
- Coyote’s UFO service
- Dennis Casebier
- Edward Abbey
- Eugene Van Patten
- Frank Critzer, Giant Rock
- George Van Tassel, Integratron
- Garth’s Boulder Garden
- General George Crook
- Joel Hauser
- Laurence Klauber Mr Rattlesnake
- Marshal & Tanya South
- Michel Digonnet
- Dr. Nathan Boyd
- Nellie Cashman
- Olive Oatman
- Paddy Graydon’s Mule Bombs
- Panamint Annie (aka Mary Elizabeth Madison)
- Pancho Villa
- Roy Purcell
- Scotty” MacNeish
- Stephanie Jowers
- Theodore Roosevelt
Modern-Day Desert Artists
- On the Trail of Turquoise – The Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway connects ancient mines and ghost towns reborn as artist communities.
- Today’s Desert Artists
- Burning Man
- Burning Man 2019 – Metamorphosis
- Out and About on the Playa at Burning Man 2014
- Burning Man 2014 – Caravansary
- Desert Art Out on the Playa
- Out and About on the Playa: Burning Man 2008
- Burning Man 2010 – Revelers Return to Black Rock City
- Antoine Martin – Desert Christ Park
- East Jesus – Charlie Russell
- Giant Rock UFOs
- Integratron
- Marcia Geiger – The Secret Lives of Vintage Trailers
- Noah Purifoy – Outdoor Desert Art Museum
- The Palm Springs Art Museum
- St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo
- Leonard Knight, Creator of Salvation Mountain
- Jason Tucker and the Marfa Pillars
- Victor Thall Abstract Expressionist