Louis L’Amour, like his character William Tell Sackett, walked the canyons, caves, deserts and mountains of Southern California soaking in the history and lore of the South West. His eye for detail and memory for terrain guided Tell through the Mojave and into the Los Angeles Basin in the novel MOJAVE CROSSING. http://www.louislamour.com/novels/mojave.htm
William Tell Sackett . . .
“The railroad had come to Los Angeles with its steam cars, and looking back I could see a train standing at the depot. Main Street led from the depot through part of Sonora town where some of the poorer Mexican and Californios lived, mostly in white-washed adobe houses. The Plaza was set with cypresses; this side of it was the Pico House and the Baker Block, two of the show places of the town. Most of the streets where folks lived were lined with pepper trees, but when we got away from the irrigation ditches it was almighty dry. Because of the bad drouth the last two years, things were in poor shape. The grass was sparse, and there was little else but prickly pear.
With Roderigo leading, we cut over to the brea pits road through La Nopalera-the Cactus Patch* — to a small tavern kept by a Mexican. Roderigo swung down and went inside, whilst I sat my horse outside and looked the country over.
*(The area now known as Hollywood)
Only the faintest breeze was stirring, and the air was warm and pleasant … it was a lazy, easy-going sort of day when a man felt called upon to laze around and do not much of anything. Only we had something to do.
West of us lay the Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas,** but looking along the edge of the mountains I saw a faint smudge of blue smoke, indicating where our destination lay. This was the adobe house of Greek George . . . the very same place where Tiburcio Vasquez had been shot and wounded as he scrambled out a window, attempting to escape.
**(Now the Beverly Hills area)”
In the photo, Louis L’Amour explores a cave in Soledad Canyon which had been used as a hideout by the notorious bandit Tiburcio Vasquez.
