Nevada Backroaders

Hello Folks,

Some of you know about the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Society in Goffs, California. For those of you who don't, here's the description from their web page (http://www.mdhca.org/):

"The mission of the Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association is to research and conserve the natural and cultural history of the Mojave Desert region for the purpose of preserving and sharing these resources in perpetuity. We accomplish this through operation of a research center, library, and archives, restoration of significant structures, conservation of historic open space, interpretation of backcountry trails, and production of educational guidebooks and historical publications in concert with government agencies and people of good faith everywhere."

This place is a gold mine (pun intended) for anyone interested in the history of the east Mojave, and we see a lot of that on some of our Jeep trips. Many of you probably know about them as the publishers of the Mojave Road Guide, and the Guide to the East Mojave Heritage Trail.

The society is always looking for volunteers to help with everything from pulling up weeds, to cataloging old maps, to helping erect a working ten-stamp mill. In particular, they are currently looking for anyone who can come and stay for awhile. They can provide a stipend, and they have simple living quarters. They also have RV hookups. If nothing else, they need people staying there to provide "presence". There are innumerable, irreplaceable, things at the center, and over the past few years, thefts at other locations in the Mojave have become common. Thieves are even stealing from stopped trains, and there was an armed holdup at the Kelso visitor center recently. However, there have never been any thefts at the MDHCA, because there are always people around. The more people, the safer it is.

I know many of you Jeepers are interested in history, and I know many of you have RVs. Granted, summer isn't the most pleasant time to be out in the desert, but give it a thought anyway, for now, or for the future. If you want more information, contact Dennis Casebier (goffs@eastmojave.net - Phone 760-733-4848) or Hugh Brown (heb_90621@yahoo.com - Phone 760-733-4482).