xplorhistcal (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} xplorhistcal) wrote,@ 2008-05-01 12:16:00 |
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My Potential Houseguest...Manson's Old Neighbor
My Potential Houseguest...Manson's Old Neighbor
I was expecting a houseguest so spent the last week or so doing a major house cleaning. Emmett Harder, who wrote These Canyons Are Full of Ghosts, and he and his wife publish the quarterly Panamint Breeze that I write for, told me in February at the D.V. History Conference that he had put a bid in for a blasting project on the Big Tujunga Dam. Emmett is in his 70's and I thought he was retired except for his writing and lecturing and his mining up in Death Valley. Since there's no place to stay in S/T, and he's coming from Devore, I offered him my bedroom, and opened up the family room sofa bed for Roger & I. My bedroom makes a nice private suite since we remodeled it two years ago. Emmett got the contract, but it turns out he only needs to come in once a week as opposed to every day like he originaly thought. A week ago he came by after checking out the project, and I gave him a key to the house in case he did need to stay over. Yesterday morning he came to set up the first blasting, and was then got to my place around 4. Since it was early he decided to go on home, but we did go to Coco's for lunch and two hours of desert conversation. His mining experiences in Death Valley, and his firsthand experiences with some of the famous desert rats from the earlier days are fascinating! Not to mention that in recent months Emmett has become even more of a celebrity. His mining claim is near the Barker Ranch where the Manson's hung out in the 60's, and he has two chapters in his book about his "hippie" neighbor's. Word had it that there were more bodies still buried on the Barker Ranch and a cadaver dog was brought in from Mammoth to search for them. Emmett was brought in to show them around the ranch. He was even interviewed on CNN. It's been in all the news on and off. We're laughing as they describe Emmett as an eccentric desert rat...well...I guess that would describe me too. Anyway, the Manson thing is interesting...Emmett has a picture in his book of one of his mining buddies with Manson and Manson just looked like a cowboy. Bugliosi wanted Emmett to testify against Manson during the trial after all of the murders, but Emmett convinced him that it wouldn't do any good for the case against him, because from his experience in Death Valley at the Barker Ranch Manson was a nice guy and he couldn't say anything bad about him. And of course now, with this renewed interest in more bodies...there's all sorts of complications....the ranch is now on national park land and the park doesn't want the land dug up. There's even talk by some that maybe it's not Manson victims bones the dog is smelling but ancient Indian bones...and that brings up even more complications.
As a side note to the Manson thing - of course Emmett knew all of the "family" members. Squeaky Fromme is one of the subscribers to the Panamint Breeze. She was all upset when she found Emmett was involved in the search for more bodies...she's afraid it will hurt her next chance for parole. Some of the "family" still hang out at the Barker Ranch once in awhile, although for the most part it's just another desert outpost that off roaders and the curious stop by to see. It's available on a first come first serve basis for campers to "camp" out in the buildings...but most are too apalled by the events that happened during the Manson reign. Mutual friends of Emmett and I, Matt & Maggie, were out near the ranch one time when a couple of the Manson members were staying up there. They were invited in by one of the women - I don't remember which one it was, but if you heard the name you'd remember it. She was still an old hippie, and really into the "back to nature" thing. She invited Maggie in to lunch and prepared a salad of "desert greenery", which of course Maggie could not refuse to eat. Maggie said she was odd, but not scary...other than the fact that her past was as a Manson girl.
So that's what I've been up to...cleaning for Emmett's visit...then so far I've had a clean house...no overnight houseguest...but some great fun re-reading Emmett's book between all of the cleaning...and enjoying two hour lunches with him on the two days he has been here. I'm disappointed...Emmett belongs to a writer's group out of Glendale Library of all places & he wanted me to meet him and his wife there on Saturday. But we've got to go to Riverside to pick up a scrapbook on that Echo Park cat Room 8. Oh well...I'll probably see Emmett on Monday when he comes to do a little more blasting up in the Canyon.But between he & I we can spin the best desert stories together...including Manson tales! I've been to the Barker Ranch twice, by the way. It's eery when you think them living out there & eventually getting caught out there ...but otherwise just like any other abandoned old place out there. Of course the thought of them still being up there once in awhile is part of the eeriness too.
Life is always interesting and I'm always amazed and where it takes me! Just think...somewhere in a jail cell Manson family members are reading my stories I submit to the Panamint Breeze and Manson's old Death Valley neighbor has been in my house!
Cecile
------------
Well behaved women rarely make history - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
www.explorehistoricalif.com
My Potential Houseguest...Manson's Old Neighbor
I was expecting a houseguest so spent the last week or so doing a major house cleaning. Emmett Harder, who wrote These Canyons Are Full of Ghosts, and he and his wife publish the quarterly Panamint Breeze that I write for, told me in February at the D.V. History Conference that he had put a bid in for a blasting project on the Big Tujunga Dam. Emmett is in his 70's and I thought he was retired except for his writing and lecturing and his mining up in Death Valley. Since there's no place to stay in S/T, and he's coming from Devore, I offered him my bedroom, and opened up the family room sofa bed for Roger & I. My bedroom makes a nice private suite since we remodeled it two years ago. Emmett got the contract, but it turns out he only needs to come in once a week as opposed to every day like he originaly thought. A week ago he came by after checking out the project, and I gave him a key to the house in case he did need to stay over. Yesterday morning he came to set up the first blasting, and was then got to my place around 4. Since it was early he decided to go on home, but we did go to Coco's for lunch and two hours of desert conversation. His mining experiences in Death Valley, and his firsthand experiences with some of the famous desert rats from the earlier days are fascinating! Not to mention that in recent months Emmett has become even more of a celebrity. His mining claim is near the Barker Ranch where the Manson's hung out in the 60's, and he has two chapters in his book about his "hippie" neighbor's. Word had it that there were more bodies still buried on the Barker Ranch and a cadaver dog was brought in from Mammoth to search for them. Emmett was brought in to show them around the ranch. He was even interviewed on CNN. It's been in all the news on and off. We're laughing as they describe Emmett as an eccentric desert rat...well...I guess that would describe me too. Anyway, the Manson thing is interesting...Emmett has a picture in his book of one of his mining buddies with Manson and Manson just looked like a cowboy. Bugliosi wanted Emmett to testify against Manson during the trial after all of the murders, but Emmett convinced him that it wouldn't do any good for the case against him, because from his experience in Death Valley at the Barker Ranch Manson was a nice guy and he couldn't say anything bad about him. And of course now, with this renewed interest in more bodies...there's all sorts of complications....the ranch is now on national park land and the park doesn't want the land dug up. There's even talk by some that maybe it's not Manson victims bones the dog is smelling but ancient Indian bones...and that brings up even more complications.
As a side note to the Manson thing - of course Emmett knew all of the "family" members. Squeaky Fromme is one of the subscribers to the Panamint Breeze. She was all upset when she found Emmett was involved in the search for more bodies...she's afraid it will hurt her next chance for parole. Some of the "family" still hang out at the Barker Ranch once in awhile, although for the most part it's just another desert outpost that off roaders and the curious stop by to see. It's available on a first come first serve basis for campers to "camp" out in the buildings...but most are too apalled by the events that happened during the Manson reign. Mutual friends of Emmett and I, Matt & Maggie, were out near the ranch one time when a couple of the Manson members were staying up there. They were invited in by one of the women - I don't remember which one it was, but if you heard the name you'd remember it. She was still an old hippie, and really into the "back to nature" thing. She invited Maggie in to lunch and prepared a salad of "desert greenery", which of course Maggie could not refuse to eat. Maggie said she was odd, but not scary...other than the fact that her past was as a Manson girl.
So that's what I've been up to...cleaning for Emmett's visit...then so far I've had a clean house...no overnight houseguest...but some great fun re-reading Emmett's book between all of the cleaning...and enjoying two hour lunches with him on the two days he has been here. I'm disappointed...Emmett belongs to a writer's group out of Glendale Library of all places & he wanted me to meet him and his wife there on Saturday. But we've got to go to Riverside to pick up a scrapbook on that Echo Park cat Room 8. Oh well...I'll probably see Emmett on Monday when he comes to do a little more blasting up in the Canyon.But between he & I we can spin the best desert stories together...including Manson tales! I've been to the Barker Ranch twice, by the way. It's eery when you think them living out there & eventually getting caught out there ...but otherwise just like any other abandoned old place out there. Of course the thought of them still being up there once in awhile is part of the eeriness too.
Life is always interesting and I'm always amazed and where it takes me! Just think...somewhere in a jail cell Manson family members are reading my stories I submit to the Panamint Breeze and Manson's old Death Valley neighbor has been in my house!
Cecile
------------
Well behaved women rarely make history - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
www.explorehistoricalif.com
