Life on the Black Rock Desert--A History of Clear Lake, Utah
Venetta Bond Kelsey was born in the town of Clear Lake, Utah (now a ghost town and the subject of this book) in May of 1911.  She went to school in Clear Lake up to the 8th grade; that's when all children in town ended their formal educational--unless they could find someone to live with in another town which had a high school.  Venetta went to nearby Meadow and lived with relatives and attended the 9th grade at Millard High School, then worked some in Salt Lake City, before getting married to Roland Kelsey in 1929.  They lived in the Delta area, Pioche, Nevada, Southern California, then in the middle of World War II, moved back to Utah.  Much time was spent in Utah's Uinta Basin, then in 1954, Venetta and family moved to Provo.  She later moved to Springville for a few years, then in 1992, moved back into the old family home in Provo, where she resides today.  She and her husband Roland, raised 6 children.  Venetta gathered the material for this book over a 5 year period, then her son Michael put it all together and readied it for printing.  COAUTHOR AND EDITOR; Michael R. Kelsley was born in 1943, and experienced his earliest years of life in eastern Utah's Uinta Basin; first near the town of Myton, then Roosevelt.  In 1954, the family moved to Provo, where he attended Provo High School, and later Brigham Young University, where he earned a B.S. degree in Sociology.  Shortly thereafter he discovered that was the wrong subject, so he attended the University of Utah, where he received his Master of Science degree in Geography, finishing that in June, 1970.It was then real life began, for on June 9, 1970, he put a pack on his back and started traveling for the first time.  Since then he has seen 223 countries, republics, islands, or island groups.  All this wandering has resulted in 16 books written and published by himself. Here are his books, listed in the order they were first published: Climber's and Hiker's Guide to the World's Mountains and Volcanos (4th Edition), Utah Mountaineering Guide (3rd Edition);  China on Your Own and the Hiking Guide to China's Nine Sacred Mountains (3rd Edition-Out of Print);  Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau (4th Edition);  Hiking and Exploring Utah's San Rafael Swell (3rd Edition); Hiking and Exploring Utah's Henry Mountains and Robbers Roost (Revised Edition); Hiking and Exploring the Paria River (3rd Edition); Hiking and Climbing in the Great Basin National Park (Wheeler Peak, Nevada); Boater's Guide to Lake Powell--Featuring Hiking, Camping, Geology, History and Archaeology (2nd Updated Edition); Climbing and Exploring Utah's Mt. Timpanogos; River Guide to Canyonlands National Park & Vicinity; Hiking, Biking and Exploring Canyonlands National Park & Vicinity; The Story of Black Rock, Utah; and Hiking, Climbing and Exploring Western Utah's Jack Watson's Ibex Country.He also helped his mother Venetta B. Kelsey, write & publish a book about the town she was born and raised in, Life on the Black Rock Desert--A History of Clear Lake, Utah.