Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1922-12-30


Arrest important point reached on
Janty. 1t was established by two
others, Joseph and Edward Dex-
E, They left San Francisco in the
ring of 1901 with saddle horses and
* animals, In Visalia they found
blacksmith shop and a few houses
2urtenant to the business of stock
wing, then the sole industry OF
+ section. Then they came over
Greenhorn mountains. through
alkers Pass and up through Owens
ley. Edward Dexter thought that
re were some stockmen in the
lower part of the valley, but no one
ras met until they reached Putmans.
now Independence. Some Indians
we're found in camp at Bishop creek
1ut as it happened to be a peaceful
}eriod among the Indians, although
roubles were threatening even then.
hey experienced no difficulty. Al
aintly marked wagon track was fol-
owed north to the site of Benton,
where the brothers saw their first hot
ipring. The riders did not under
stand until they tasted the water
themselves, why the horses refused to
rink.
Foreseeing future travel to the
Ovens Valley country the brothers
decided to make toll road via Adobe
md began on it in the spring of 1865
The lnyo war was in full swing and
the brothers found the undertaking.
9erilous. Edward Dexter ingeniously
,ontrived to make the Indians CON
iider him a medicine man, which
gained him immunity from attack. An
other brother, T. w. Dexter, had ar
eiyed in the meantime and participated
IN the work. 1t was but an under
saking Of hardships, beginning with
fighting through six feet of snow to
get out of Aurora, One of the men
was frozen and lost some OF his toes
The party came through to the hot
'prings, tBenton,) where the Indians
had destroyed the trifling beginnings
made by the white men,
To meet the need for water in
The 4S mile journey il was decided to
sink a we'll. A test shaft was sunk
ending in volcanic matter. Another
try was made with hard tools bought
with the money earned by Edward
Dexter in the Aurora mine. The shaft
went down two hundred feet with
aevcr a sign OF water One Saturday
night means and patience reached
heir limit and the brothers were
ready to quit A man named Samuel
the spot, the other apparatus needed
to hoist water from the 250-foot hole
The well was a success i'll everything
except recompense to its projectors.
Edward Dexter wrote, in an account
which the Register editor personally
obtained from him: Il conclude that
pioneering doesn't pay. unless you hap
pen to hit the right channel OF bust
ness, which in this case we failed to
do
While the Dexters never realized
adequate returns for their outlay
and energy, the wells were a valued
factor on the road, until home vandel
of the class that would cut desert
pipe line or destroy road sign, threw
the cable to the bottom. The place
IS still on the map, but OF no I'M
portance compared to its former use
Glover, with them, said he would
drive one more drill hole and then
quit If no results were found Dexter
worked the air pump for half an hour
while Glover made what all supposed
would be the last shift. The man
beow shouted Hoist me up quick or
I'll drownr Before the bucket
started the water was up to Glover
waist. He brought up can OF quite
warm water, which was found to be
good. Then the Dexters finished
their road, and themselves wove wire
cables 500 feet long, and also made, on
fulneess.
Dexter took such part in the ar
fairs of Aurora during vigilante and
Civil War days that he had, UP to the
time of his death in San Francisco
a fear of vengeance from those he had
antagonized. For that reason, all the
Information that he furnished to the
writer of this article, regarding the
history of that period, was over
previously arranged fictitious name.