Inscription Rock photo Richard Elliott
The vast Mojave Desert is a wonderland of rich, colorful history and unsolved mysteries. Jayhawker Canyon, in Death Valley National Park, is one such place, in its story behind the boulder called Inscription Rock. Deeply marred into the dark surface of the boulder are ancient Indian petroglyphs and names of early pioneers.
The meaning behind these strange drawings is unknown. There are images of big horn sheep, people, stars and sun. One peculiar petroglyph of seven connecting circles looks like a chain. Author Michel Digonett, in his book, Hiking Death Valley–A Guide To Its Natural Wonders And Mining Past, says this unusual pattern is not unique to Inscription Rock. He has seen similar petroglyphs at Klare Spring in Titus Canyon and other areas. My ventured guess as to the meaning behind the petroglyph “chain”–a “signpost” marking the nearby spring, now called Jayhawker Spring. And what of the names on Inscription Rock?
In 1849, gold-seeking pioneers journeying from Salt Lake City, Utah, bound for California’s gold fields, soon fragmented from the large wagon train, after seeing a map showing a so-called “short-cut” to California. The folly of the short-cut forced many wagons to hurriedly rejoin the main train. However, nearly a half-dozen parties continued westward, becoming lost and destitute in what would later be named Death Valley. One of those parties were the Jayhawkers.
Southeast of present-day Stovepipe Wells, the tired and starving Jayhawkers stopped to kill some oxen, burnt their wagons for making jerky, and proceeded on foot. It is believed they exited Death Valley through the canyon now named after them and that they camped by the spring near Inscription Rock. Here begins the “Rood” controversy.
William B. Rood was a Jayhawker member. On a small rock, next to Inscription Rock, is inscribed “W.B.R. 1849.” Author and historian Leroy Johnson believes Rood placed his name here, while on a gold-seeking expedition in 1869 and NOT in 1849. Johnson contends that when Rood saw the names of two members of the 1860 Dr. Darwin French party of ore seekers–”Frank Weston-March 27, 1869″ and “J. Hitchins”– etched onto the boulder, he did not want to be “upstaged” after his having been one of the original 1849ers to pass through here, so he then etched the W.B.R. 1849.
Johnson also says, that since Rood was on a gold hunting trip, he had better chisels and a hammer to place his name on the rock, compared to when, in 1849, he and the Jayhawkers were quickly fleeing Death Valley in a survival mode, and Rood probably did not have the equipment or time to make the 1849 inscription.
Rood’s 1869 expedition was bound for Pinto Peak, near Jayhawker Canyon, where the Jayhawkers claimed to have buried $2,000-$2,500 of minted gold coins at a spot they called “Summit Camp” or “Snow Camp.” Upon Rood’s inspection of Summit Camp, he told the others in the party, “The gold coin stash is missing.”
What happened to the coins? Did the Indians find the stranger’s buried stash of “trinkets?” Had another of the Jayhawkers silently returned for the loot? Or, are the coins still there, with Rood not actually recognizing the hiding spot? This and other mysteries of Jayhawker Canyon may just stay mysteries!
To trek to Inscription Rock, drive 1.5 miles west on Route 190, from the junction of Wildrose Road, to a wide, level turnout at the “Inyo 75.00″ sign, on the south side of Route 190. It is a 2-3 hour hike to Inscription Rock, over rocky and hilly terrain. No definitive trail! Aim for the distant southward conical peak and follow the base around to the mouth of Jayhawker Canyon. Inscription Rock and spring are about one-mile up the wide canyon. Carry water! Especially, DO NOT write or make graffiti on historical Inscription Rock or other rocks.
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