Walter Henderson's Lost Rock Pile - A more likely search area?

Reading all of the Post's from this site, Desert Magazine articles and now the original Walter Henderson letters is interesting and makes you want to put boots on the ground.

One statement you hear quite often is that research is the majority of the work and groundwork is the final, hopefully, conclusion.

One problem is the long distance of time, 80 years have passed since the original discovery, 30 years have lasped between the discovery and his letters documenting the event and now another 45 years have gone by.

Sadly, I will be required to make some assumptions and will try to point them out as such when I do.

There is also a lack of original source material, which appears to consist of two 'letters'. If there are more documents they could certainly shine some more light on the trek that Walter took that day in the 1930's.


The area that DK and other are currently searching seems to be too far to the Northwest to me.

TMW and some others seem to be more on track.

Here is an over all view with the current search area, Sharp Peak and El Chinero marked.




[Edited on 7-16-2015 by Fatboy]

Walter's letters do give 3 sets of instructions, 1 that covers were they started from and two that cover the area of the search.

As far as the starting point I read it as....

Travel south of La Ventana for 20 miles, which is also about 5 miles south of the road heading west a little north of El Chinero.

From there head almost directly west parking in the area of 31 25 N.

This shot shows a road north of El Chinero were some tracks are visible going west then north as shown on the map in the book The Lower California Guidebook. I drew in the road in yellow in just the general area, it does not actually follow the tracks you can still see in Google Earth. This area is about 15 miles south of La Ventana.

Now from the road north of El Chinero Walter states that they drove'...about five miles below...' this road which now places them about 20 miles from La Ventana and is shown here highlighted in yellow.

From the Mexicali - San Felipe road the letters says that '...going mmore(sic) or less directly west to the base of the hills towards what appeared a plausable route to follow over the saddle, - just us, not the model A.'

Two clues there, directly west and towards a saddle.

Here is a screen shot showing west from my estimated turn off which is highlighted in yellow.

He also states that they drove the Model A and parked at the '...base of the Sierra pintos at about 31 25 N...'
The red line is on 31 25 N.

They would have parked near where the red line and yellow are converge close to the base of the hills.

He also mentions the saddle.

In this shot you are looking west from the old Mexicali - San Felipe road towards the hills with Sharp Peak/Cerro Borrego/El Arrajal on the left side and a prominent saddle directly in front of them.

So far most everyone agrees on this and roughly where Walter parked which I show here in orange.

Now here is where we start to disagree. DK believes that Walter hiked the next morning in a Northwest direction and covered about 10 miles as the crows fly to end up that night in Arroyo Grande where they spent the night.

My reading of the letters do not disclose a direction. If they were going to hike NW why not park further north?

Then there is the distance covered that day. It is about 10 to 11 AIR MILES to Arroyo Grande from the area that they parked in.

With out trails, route finding on the way and the fact they must have been carrying packs of some sort (my assumption) with sleeping gear, food and water it would be nigh impossible to cover that distance in a day. My guess for the ground distance would by at least 15 miles and probably closer to 20 miles.

A reasonable estimate would be a pace of 1/2 to 1 MILE PER HOUR.

Furthermore he says 'In the morning we hiked up and over a pretty rugged hillside, too rugged for any vehicles at that time.'. Not over many hills or up any washes just a pretty straightforward A PRETTY RUGGED HILLSIDE.

Here is were I believed they hiked....the area in green covers about 5 miles (air miles! much further on the ground) east to west and about two miles at the widest point north to south.

The interesting thing is it is basically 1 PRETTY RUGGED HILLSIDE hike.




[Edited on 7-16-2015 by Fatboy]

I will come back to the hike later but lets look at Walter's other two sets of directions to the area.

One talks about drawing a line from Sharps Peak/Cerro Borrego/El Arrajal North 25 East for about 12 miles to another unnamed peak.

Walter states 'If we draw a line from Sharp Peak to the smaller northerly peak it will roughy follow the divide of the range. separating the watershed that flows to the Sea from that which flows to Arroyo Grande.

Which is what the red line is with the exception that the line is 16 miles long and not 12 miles. This is another assumption on my part based on the fact he was looking at a large scale paper map and judging distance and the fact that he said 'ABOUT 12 MILES.

Another point to back up the 16 mile line is that he gives the coordinates for both peaks and the longer line fits perfectly.

He also says Somewhere near the center of that line. plunging down the westerly slope , is a rather deep rock-strewn arroyo...'

Which I have marked in purple.

I also left the green shading where I believe they hiked.

Now he gives one more clue to the area with the Rock-Pile. Walter states in his letters about flying over Cerro Borrego and these are the instructions he gives. Fly '... on a norterly(sic) course toward the un-named peak bearing N 25 degrees E.

On that heading he said go '...about 5 miles northerly of Cerro Borrego, ...'

At the 5 mile mark you should '...look down and slightly to the east, but look closer at the land to westward...' and if you are flying over '...a rugged ravine plunging down from the the eastward...' you are in the right area

This shows a black line going N 25 E from Sharp Peak/Cerro Borrego/El Arrajal for 5 miles with the Rock-Pile area in blue.





[Edited on 7-16-2015 by Fatboy]

All three areas look like this on Google Earth....

Blue is the flight area, purple is the middle section between the two peaks and green is my guess on the hike area.

So my suggested search area is shown here in blue with the most likely areas in red with the larger red area my best guess at this point.

So far the only thing I have avoided is Arroyo Grande.

Which I will cover later if needed but here is my suggested search area in blue, Arroyo Grande is the redline and the area near DK's search area.

There just seems to be a big variance there if we are both using the same sources and one of the only reason that could be is probably because Walter Henderson mentions hiking down and spending the night in Arroyo Grande.

He mentions it several times in his letter....

Once on the first day and after leaving the car they...
'...walked, slept in Arroyo Grande and walked back.'

and after finding the Rock-Pile around noon he says that they then traveled....

'...thence on down into the wide level bed of the Arrowo (sic) Grande between some huge verticle walled blocks

Could he have been mistaken? Possibly and there are a few clues to support the view that he was mistaken as to the name of the wash.

Wonderful research and mapping Fatboy!

My search area is actually south and east of your pushpin. Arroyo Grande is just where the search arroyos drain into (and where Henderson camped after finding the rock pile.

The direction of the hike after leaving the Model A is indeed provided... their destination goal, which was northwest of where they parked... As for why not park further north... it was a Model A in 1930 something. No roads... and so they drove as far as they could.




The Sierra Palmitas and Tinajas is where they wanted to look for blue palms. On the following older AAA map, both those ranges , as well as Arroyo Grande and Cerro Borrego are shown...





He is also very clear that they found it in a ravine dropping down, westward into Arroyo Grande. Borrego Peak (Arrajal today) was not visible from the ravine.

Hiking 10-20 miles should not have been an issue for them. The divide of the Pinta range above the three washes I focused on is 10 miles from the Model A. The ravines down to Arroyo Grande are between 1.5 and 3.5 miles long, to their camp in Arroyo Grande. The rock pile was 1/4 to 1/3 down the ravine.

Henderson must have realized they started too far south... which again indicates they would have hiked as much north as west.... Blue arrows uphill, Red arrows are downhill routes to Arroyo Grande:



The blue arrows go up the natural saddle in the range... there could be another, going west from the Model A. An excellent alternate search area!


So, keep up the detective work... nobody is wrong here.... just different eyes and brains working on this, which is wonderful to finally have so much interest in.

The best we can do is have Jim McCoy's helicopter for a day... zip up and down each west flowing arroyo, pronto! Only if Google Earth improves its sharpness could it be easier... or there could be another option???

Keep up the good work!



[Edited on 7-16-2015 by David K]

Yes it is interesting that we all take different views of the same information. No wonder so many 'lost treasures' stay just that!

But in the spirit of keep this lively lets look at your points in your reply.....

PaulW - I agree with you that it seems an 'odd' area for the Spanish to be at that time so I am looking for a 'Rock-Pile' and not a 'Spanish Captain's grave'.

I believe if the Rock-Pile is where Walter Henderson said, then it is probably not Diaz's grave.

BajaGeoff -

Had to reread the letters to see that! Thanks! Exactly what a discussion should accomplish!

Great... thanks for your interest! I have been posting this Diaz Grave story by Choral Pepper here for many years. BajaLou really wanted to search for it, so in a way, this is for him, too!

I am so happy that TW and XR Phil did the initial ground expedition up Arroyo Grande cataloging the washes they saw coming in from the Sierra Pinta. Then a big thanks to PaulW for his hike into Arroyo B from Arroyo C.

Now Fatboy is really getting all the details anylized, great!

Arroyo Grande is such a major wash and passage from San Matias to the Colorado, documented by Arthur North and Edward Nelson in 1905-1922 expeditions and publications, that I do not believe Henderson was confused about its locvation. Borrego Peak is a major point of reference. We noted it while on the Pole Line Road, from a great distance away. I think Henderson did as well... BUT, until we find the rock pile, it is anyone's guess, yes?


Cerro Borrego/ El Arrajal

What is clear from the three arroyos we explored so far (A, B, D), that no troup of Spanish soldiers and Indian guides rode or walked through here with a injured captain in tow.

Last Arroyo Grande Search

Two days after Christmas 2016, Baja Geoff and I drove up Arroyo Grande from the mine wells west of La Ventana on one final Arroyo Grande-side based search.

Geoff had seen a possible target on Google Earth and it was on a ledge above the southern-most of the west flowing arroyos going into Arroyo Grande.

Here is the location (red circle) of our last search. I added a blue (uphill) and red (downhill) arrow of Henderson's possible route to this place...



HERE IS a REPOST from my 2017 Expedition #1 trip report covering our search for the "rock-pile"...


The first day I caravaned with Baja Geoff as he has become very intrigued by the Melchior Diaz 1541 Grave Mystery, as told in this article: https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/searchin...

Geoff has been going over Google Earth in the region myself and four other Nomads explored in April 2015 looking for possible sites. He had a hot target he wanted to see, and it was very near where we could get our Toyota trucks to, northwest of San Felipe.

After that search and camping one night with Geoff, I continued on south on my trip while he returned to run operations at Baja Bound.

DAY 1 (TUE. JAN. 27, 2016):

I meet Geoff near El Centro and we drive down Hwy. 5 to La Ventana (1 km. south) then turn west and go 28 miles to the target wash and the object Geoff GPS'd was on a steep bluff, just beyond our trucks. He saw a round or oval object 8-10 feet in diameter overlooking the land to the west, just as Walter Henderson described in his 1967 letter to Choral Pepper.

It was a lot higher up from the arroyo than Google Earth indicated. I managed to climb to the top, sometimes on all fours, sometimes sliding back 2 feet for every three forward, but made it. Geoff had attempted another route up, but it quickly proved impassable.


Our two trucks from the top of the bluff... looking west.

Looking east, there was the 10 ft. wide object...


Not a pile of rocks like for an important grave of a 16th Century Spanish explorer, but a mesquite tree!

Here is from the other side of it, looking west...



Further east and higher up, I saw an exciting object!


See it?


Could that be a cave? Frigatebird and I found a cave on the last Diaz Grave search, just north of here. Remember...



Bummed that the grave or 'rock pile' still alludes us, we drove up the wash and made camp where we Nomads had back in 2015... Geoff made the most awesome beef stew for the trip and breakfast burritos the next morning!




Geoff says the shrubs on top of the mountain are moving? Is the wind blowing up there, I wonder? I will see if the zoom on my camera helps...









The herd of Borrego's were feeding on that shrub and watching us far below.

Packed up the trucks and headed north in Arroyo Grande...





Even with the heavy rain just days before, the sand did not stay wet and there was very little mud.

I showed Geoff were the Pole Line Road reaches Arroyo Grande (17.5 miles from Hwy. 5) and it was a great short time with Geoff exploring Baja for a common fascination we have... the mysteries of the past!

Walter was using Howard Gulick's map, in his 1967 letter to Choral Peppe, to describe where he and his friend went.

Now, on 1930-era maps, Arroyo Grande is hard to mistake as it is pretty prominent and named. Arthur North explored it in 1905, by name and mentioned the petroglyphs in it.

That Walter describes the rockpile as in a ravine that drops down, westward, pretty much limits where to search. The Sierra las Pintas (Pinta) has several west flowing ravines.

The reason I began my searching in the northern washes flowing west into Arroyo Grande is that Walter wrote he and is friend wanted to get to the Sierra las Tinajas (to find blue palms) and they realized they drove in (west) from the San Felipe road, too far south.

So, when they parked, they would hike northwest instead of west. UNLESS, he realized he was too far south AFTER they hiked to the top of the Las Pintas range... and dropped into Arroyo Grande. ???

The key missing part of the story was how did they walk BACK to the Model A, exactly??? He mentions the base of Borrego Mountain and that they obviously did not return using the same ravine the rock pile was in.


Now, here is a map that Walter may have had...
It was published in 1919 by Edward Nelson (researched in 1905).
It clearly names El Borrego Mountain, Arroyo Grande, Arroyo El Tule (Jaquegel), etc. Sorry, this blow up is a tad blurred...



[Edited on 4-3-2017 by David K]

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Walter was using Howard Gulick's map, in his 1967 letter to Choral Pepper, to describe where he and his friend went. [/rquote Yes, and think about it for a minute, say that you go to a place you believe is Arroyo Grande and years later someone shows you a map and asks, where did you go? You are going to find Arroyo Grande ON THE MAP and say I went there, but it does not mean you were actually there, only that you believe you were there. Quote: Originally posted by David K   Now, on 1930-era maps, Arroyo Grande is hard to mistake as it is pretty prominent and named. Arthur North explored it in 1905, by name and mentioned the petroglyphs in it. 15 years later and with access to the same maps Walter would have had plus any newer ones made since 1933 Randall Henderson still went to the wrong canyon, not once, but THREE TIMES! Quote: Originally posted by David K   That Walter describes the rockpile as in a ravine that drops down, westward, pretty much limits where to search. The Sierra las Pintas (Pinta) has several west flowing ravines. Yes, and if you look at the area I marked as a possible search area, you will see a spur of hills flowing North/South which means the drainages are East/West just as Walter described. Along with the secondary directions of flying from Sharps peak to an unnamed peak which you do not discuss. Quote: Originally posted by David K   The reason I began my searching in the northern washes flowing west into Arroyo Grande is that Walter wrote he and is friend wanted to get to the Sierra las Tinajas (to find blue palms) and they realized they drove in (west) from the San Felipe road, too far south. So, when they parked, they would hike northwest instead of west. UNLESS, he realized he was too far south AFTER they hiked to the top of the Las Pintas range... and dropped into Arroyo Grande. ??? The impression I get is they realized they were to far south AFTERWARDS, if they knew it at the time why even continue? Why not get back in the car and drive closer, since they would have to drive North to get closer and North was the way home anyways? Quote: Originally posted by David K   Now, here is a map that Walter may have had... It was published in 1919 by Edward Nelson (researched in 1905). It clearly names El Borrego Mountain, Arroyo Grande, Arroyo El Tule (Jaquegel), etc. Sorry, this blow up is a tad blurred... Or not had or misread or....? [Edited on 4-3-2017 by Fatboy]

Quote: Originally posted by kevin_in_idaho

I was listening to NPR the other day and someone that was some type of Archaeologist stated that you can get high resolution (nasa?) satellite maps of just about any area in the work for $15? You guys seem to have the right spot, I wonder if these maps would help? I'm not sure of the map scale so they may be too focused?