Amargosa Valley’s sacred lands enveloped in rich history

Imagine living among the Paiute people. Their days were filled with basket-weaving, building adobe homes, fashioning bows from mesquite, hunting, tending to crops of carrot, onion, and bitterroot.

As a rite of passage, members of the tribe would go on a pilgrimage up and over the holy Nuvagantu, or modern day Mount Charleston. It is believed that was where the Southern Paiute were created.

Many places are sacred to the Paiute tribe, like the mysterious Mojave landmark, Devil’s Hole, which descends deep into darkness and far into folklore.

The Shoshone people are said to have sealed up the mythical monster Dzoavits in the ominous pupfish-filled cavern. Dzoavits, legend goes, was a demon ogre who stole the sun and kidnapped children.

The hairy monster’s reign of cannibalistic terror came to an end when it was fooled and trapped in the cave. According to folklore, The Great Spirit in the Sky answered their prayers.

This beast may have been a metaphor for other tribes, such as the Navajo and Ute, who often conducted raids on the Paiute, taking many as slaves. This continued until Mormon settlers arrived in the mid 1800’s.

All was well until another monster desecrated the land east of Amargosa. During the summer of 1969 Charles Manson and his followers stumbled upon Devil’s Hole at Ash Meadows.

The cult camped for three days outside Amargosa Valley, casting strange shadows on the desert’s stark landscape by dancing around the fire and breaking the eerie silence by chanting. Charlie just meditated.

Then the epiphany hit. Charlie had been making predictions of societal collapse. The Helter Skelter murders he and his merry band of psychopathic sycophants had committed were intended to accelerate the coming race war. Charles said his gang of hippie outlaws could hide out in the cave during the coming apocalyptic battle and emerge to wrestle power from the exhausted victors.

Manson was caught hiding in a bathroom by a park ranger near Amargosa in the fall of 1969.

Legend has it that a few years earlier Marta Becket got a flat tire while driving past the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel. She fell in love with the former borax mining hub and put on song and dance shows until 2012.

During this time, lots of ghostly activity was observed. Marta believed the spirit of a former business partner, Tom Willet, inhabited a cat that would interrupt her performances at the Opera House.

Guests at the Opera House have reported that some rooms are haunted. Room number nine, specifically, is said to have the most otherworldly activity. Guests report that while they sleep, something holds their legs and feet down. Other guests report hearing the doorknob turning. Yet, they open it and find no one there.

Legend says these apparitions include former hotel guests, old borax miners, or perhaps Paiute ancestors whose graves were disturbed with the construction of this complex. It’s still a mystery.

The English poet, William Blake, once wrote, “Nothing lasts but nothing is lost.” The most often-communicated message in the Bible, “do not fear,” should be understood here. The Great Spirit in the Sky loves all. You’re not insignificant. You’re not alone.

Eric Coleman is an artist based in Pahrump. He is also a screenwriter and an actor. He is the cartoonist for the Pahrump Valley Times and Tonopah Times-Bonanza. Follow him on his YouTube channel The Traveling Cartoonist at https://tinyurl.com/2swrkmpm. For map information, contact Mr. Coleman at ericjamescoleman@gmail.com.