Keys Ranch, Joshua Tree National Park

It wasn’t a park or a monument yet, but a rough and desolate place to make a living. Yet this man was not deterred. No, this Russian-born immigrant would make the desert his home until his death.

This is a story of a man who built something in an extremely hostile environment; one which most of us only venture into via an air-conditioned vehicle and very little time outside of that air-conditioned vehicle. 1910, a hard working man moved from Nebraska and took up residence in what would later be known as Joshua Tree National Park.

This is also a story of a man convicted of murder in 1943, and pardoned for five years later.

This is a story about Bill Keys.

According to Ranger Dave, “Bill was an industrious man. As you will see on this tour, he never let anything go to waste and built a home for his family in this often tough desert landscape.”

Ranger Dave at Keys Ranch

I generally don’t attend tours. Not that there's anything wrong with tours, but I like to wander here and there on my own and do my own research.

Sometimes I even get the research correct. When I don’t, my readers let me know.

During my recent visit to Joshua Tree National Park, I took the Desert Queen Ranch Tour - the ranch that Bill Keys created among the Joshua trees and towering boulders on the northwestern section of the park not far from Hidden Valley.

Keys Ranch in Joshua Tree National Park

To reach the ranch, down about a half mile single dirt trail, a guided ranger tour was the only way to view this abode in the middle of nowhere.

Only way in to Keys Ranch is by a dirt road

There was a locked gate. I didn’t have a key and broke two paper-clips before Ranger Dave showed up.

"I have the key,” he announced.

“I was trying to paper-clip some papers,” I replied. “But I forgot the papers.”

Ranger Dave was a friendly sort of fellow who greeted the tourists individually. The tour is limited in size and I think there may have been a dozen visitors at this early morning gathering.

Though, I was worried my paper clip may have jammed the lock.

“Okay,” he said to the tour group. “I will drive and all of you will follow me to the ranch. Please, do not take any items from the ranch or surrounding area since this is a historical site.”

Looked like I would have to stop by a gift shop to buy Laureen, my wonderful wife, a memento of my trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

A coffee mug or a rusty door knob from Bill Keys ranch - I know what I would desire.

The road was sandy, a bit rough but any vehicle could make the short trip to the ranch without any issues.

In 1910, Bill Keys arrived in the area of Twenty-Nine Palms and found work as a custodian and assayer at the Desert Queen Mine, east of where he would later build his home. It was tough work but something Keys fell in love with.

He oversaw the mine until 1917, when the owner passed away and Keys obtained the property due to not being paid for years. The back wages came in the form of a working mine.

Some mining equipment to view

That same year, he filed for 80 acres under the Homestead Act and started his ranch, built by hand from nearby rocks, adobe bricks, and wood shipped in from Banning and other locations.

“Funny story about Bill,” Ranger Dave said. “After years of living in this area alone, he met Frances May Lawton who happened to come from a very comfortable lifestyle near Los Angeles.. They fell in love, got married and Bill drove her out here to their, her new home.”

The home was a small wooden built structure boasting a living room, dining room and a bedroom located in not the green area Frances was used to, but instead a seemingly barren desert.

The Keys main residence

“What do you think her first words were when Bill stopped his old truck and showed his young bride her new home?”

Since this is a family blog - I will not say what words may have come out of Frances in my mind.

“We will never know,” Ranger Dave quipped. “What we understand is she smiled and accepted this is where she would reside with her husband. Within a short time, she loved this alcove in the desert as much as her husband did.”

Bill expanded the house, as well as the out-buildings as his family grew.  The couple had seven children, with four reaching adulthood.

It was a tough life day to day, but as Ranger Dave stated during the tour, they were a close-knit family and loved the rough and tumble life they led here.

As Ranger Dave was stopping here and there at this or that location during the tour, I wandered a bit and snapped some photos, stared into the canyon walls surrounding the property, gazed at the house, the horse corrals, the hand dug well in front of the house, and the rest of the site.

Hardy folks to say the least. Not just for a man and woman who fell in love and decided to make their life in the middle of a desert but to raise and educate children here was something special.

These were tough folks - honest folks - determined folks - and resilient folks.

I gazed over the round arrasta used to break up huge pieces of quartz in the search of gold and wondered if Keys hoped to find his fortune in the nearby hills.

The arrasta at Keys Ranch in Joshua Tree National Park

He had a small crushing mill at the ranch plus a larger one not far away for local miners to use, at a small fee, to crush what they had pulled out of the earth each day.

At one time, Keys had nearly 200 cattle on his ranch, along with pigs, burros, and a very large garden which grew both vegetables and fruit.

Horse corrals and livestock pens

This family knew how to make a buck and did it honestly with hard daily work.

Frances and Bill even built a one-room schoolhouse at the front of their property and other families in the area would bring the children there for daily lessons. The county provided a school teacher who resided in a home in which Bill had built for that purpose.

Another quarter on the ranch

During the tour, Ranger Dave told anecdotes about life here for the Keys family.

“One day, the children asked their father, since they were getting older, if it was their time to have a mine of their own.”

Ranger Dave smiled. “So, Bill told his kids to dig in a certain spot and that was to be their own mine. Well, they dug and dug and when the pit was deep and wide enough, Bill moved the outhouse over the hole.”

But, in 1943 the fortunes of the Keys family would change. With a dispute with a neighbor, Worth Bagley, there was a shootout and Keys was arrested for murder after killing Bagley.

According to a book written by Art Kidwell, Ambush, The Story of Bill Keys, the case against Keys seemed rather weak.

It was proven through the court records, or at least what I took from them, that Bagley shot at Keys without provocation first and Keys returned fire, killing him.

A trial was conducted and somehow the jury found Keys guilty of manslaughter.

Steve, a fellow visitor and recently retired California Highway Patrol Officer, looked at me - “Yeah, no issues there. A solid case of self-defense.”

I nodded in agreement.

Two former cops hearing what Ranger Dave said about the case put a lot of questions in our minds.

Rumors were that Bagley may have had friends in high places who did not like Keys.

Of course, those are just rumors.

After serving five years in state prison for the murder, Keys was pardoned by the governor of California, and instead of being a bitter man,  Keys went right back to work on his ranch and mining operations.

Frances died in 1963 and Bill six years later.

A romantic story of a couple who built a home out of nearly nothing, even with all the hardships and obstacles, their love endured till the end.

A visit to the Keys Ranch must be on the list when visiting Joshua Tree National Park - the Keys story of endurance is enough for the journey itself.

 

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is just around the corner - the unofficial start of summer, but what can not be lost is the meaning of this very special day and who it commemorates. 

We at, J and L Research believe this remembrance should be year round - not just destined for one day each year.

The name Memorial Day would not be used until After World War I. Prior to that, the day honoring all those who had perished while serving in the United States Military was known as Decoration Day. It was started during the Civil War.

It was a day when citizens would place flowers on the graves of the brave men and women who had given up their lives while fighting for the freedom and very soul of this nation.

After World War I, the day was designated as Memorial Day, to honor all those who had died in all wars being fought in the name of the United States.

John Adams once stated - "Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives."

So many lives have been lost to uphold what our founding Fathers desired. A homeland that welcomes all, gives opportunities for all, and respects all, no matter our individual backgrounds or places of origin.

During a recent outing, while researching for my weekly Beyer's Byways column, I ran across a gentleman by the name of Ray.

Ray had escaped China and obtained his immigration papers in 2014. He became a United States Citizen in 2021.

"I am so proud," he told me. "To be a citizen in the most free country in all the world. You know, my friends who are still in China wear baseball caps that have Los Angeles on them. They all want to join me in this land of the free."

I simply nodded.

"You know," Ray continued. "We do not have freedoms in China like you have here."

"I know," I responded.

And on this Memorial Day, let's all bow our heads and give thanks for those soldiers of all branches who willing gave their lives to allow us the chance to live in this wonderful country. 

A country that the likes of Ray choose to live in.

Winslow, Arizona - Where the Eagles Landed

My lovely spouse Laureen and I were driving somewhere. Not sure where, since we drive a lot, usually with a purpose, when suddenly a tune began to play on our vehicle’s radio which I hadn’t heard in quite a while. The Eagles were suddenly belting out a song with front man, Glenn Frey singing about taking it easy. 

“Wow, you know where I’d like to visit?” I asked Laureen.

And soon after we found ourselves in Winslow, Arizona, and I was standing on the street corner next to a metal piece of art. Actually, the art was a full-sized bronze sculpture of Jackson Browne. Laureen had sauntered off to stand next to a metal representation of Glenn Frey, about thirty feet away from the corner of Route 66 and North Kinsley Avenue.

Laureen Beyer with Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey co-wrote the famous song, ‘Take it Easy’ back in 1972. Actually, Browne had started writing the lyrics in 1971, but was in a bit of a pickle on how to complete it.

The rumor is that Browne had been working on his first album and had these words stuck in his head – “Well, I’m a-standin on a corner in Winslow, Arizona . . .” – and that is far as he had gotten.

The story goes on to suggest that Browne had been stranded in the town of Winslow when his vehicle had broken down. At some point, a woman in a pick-up truck had driven past Browne and lent a helping hand. 

Laureen Beyer standing by the red pick-up in Winslow

We all love legends.

It turns out that Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne resided in the same apartment building in Los Angeles, and being struggling musicians, had started up a friendship in the club – ‘Starving musicians and actors guild of greater Los Angeles.’

Browne played the beginning of the unfinished song and Frey nodded.

“Man, let’s put a woman or women in it, and then we’ll have a hit record,” Frey may have suggested.

So, the following lyrics were born - “Such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me.”

Browne liked the sound, Frey liked the sound and the Eagles released the song on their debut album, cleverly entitled: Eagles.

That is pretty awesome, since the song never would have been written in the first place if Browne hadn’t known Frey when they were struggling musical artists.

In fact, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, out of Cleveland, Ohio, the song – ‘Take it Easy’ released in 1972 actually helped shape the sound of rock and roll as we know today.

But, for such creative minds, couldn’t the band had come up with something a little more original for their debut album? Something like:

‘The Eagles have landed.’

‘Fly like a bunch of Eagles.’

Or, ‘We can play great songs but can’t come up with a name for our first album except the name of the band.’

In all transparency, according to my research, it may have been that Browne had been stranded at a Der Wienerschnitzel in Flagstaff, rather than the quaint little town of Winslow.

But, I can’t even imagine the lyrics of that song.

‘Well, I’m a-standin on a corner in Flagstaff, Arizona with a chili dog and fries. My shirt a mess, and such a fine sight to see, a car hop with a handful of napkins.’

Nope, wouldn’t make it in the top billion hits. We’ll stay with Winslow, Arizona for this column.

So, after doing the touristy kinds of things – posing next to the statues for photos, standing in the middle of the street for photos, asking people to take photos of us, taking photos for them, and then taking a bunch of selfies – we were exhausted.

It was time to truly take it easy, and we did.

We were staying at the La Posada Hotel in Winslow and believed an adult libation while sitting in one of the many beautiful gardens would be a resplendent way to take it easy.

Welcome to the La Posada Hotel

It was.

La Posada Hotel was built in 1930, by Fred Harvey of the famous railroad Harvey House chain, and designed by one of his favorite architects, Jane Colter.

In fact, it was Fred Harvey’s vision to create the first restaurant chain, and used that chain and the railroad depots they were situated by, to draw huge groups of tourists to the Southwest. 

This hotel was to be a shining example for all to see and experience, and Harvey spared no expense on his dream. Well over two million dollars was spent on the hotel and the grounds when it was built in depression era 1929 – that is well over a zillion dollars in today’s money.

Main entrance to the La Posada

And Colter had the run of the whole operation, from the design, to the gardens, the linen to be used by the diners, and even the uniforms the staff would be wearing. Colter believed it to be one of her most glorious achievements, and today, La Posada is considered one of the most impressive and beautiful buildings in the entire Southwest.

With the construction of super-highways and the lack of railroad travelers, the hotel only lasted twenty-seven years before it was closed to the public. Most of the interior furnishings were auctioned off in 1959 and by the early 1960’s much of the hotel had been gutted – being used a bit here and there by the Santa Fe Railway as offices.

In fact, in 1994, the railway decided to abandon the property all together and have it demolished.

Those railroad kingpins – where is their love of history?

But, after the National Trust for Historic Preservation learned of the possible demolition by the Santa Fe, the eighty-thousand square foot building was placed on the endangered list.

“Tear down La Posada? Never!” Allan Affeldt may have exclaimed to his wife, the internationally recognized artist, Tina Mion.

“But, Allan, we don’t know anything about running a hotel, let alone renovating it,” Tina likely responded.

“Well, it’s a really cool building, so let’s see what we can do to preserve it,” Allan may have been overheard replying to Tina.

And preserve this architectural marvel they did. 

It took three long years of negotiating with the railroad before Allan and Tina were allowed to purchase the run-down hotel. They moved in on April 1, 1997.

Though it was April Fool’s day, the couple knew it was no joke and a lot of work was ahead of them. Then came along their third partner, Daniel Lutzick who took the role of General Manager.

What they accomplished in restoring a building which had been virtually abandoned since 1959 and fallen into almost complete disrepair, is stunning.

Today, La Posada is one of the most sought-after hotel destinations in the United States. It has been rated in the top twenty for hotels in the Southwest by Conde Nast Traveler, and has received numerous other awards marking this as a worthwhile place to visit.

Besides a first-class hotel and with a tasty restaurant, The Turquoise Room, La Posada is also a showcase for unique artwork, much of which was created by co-owner Tina Mion. In fact, the entire complex is a living museum, with artifacts from the early days when Fred Harvey owned the hotel, to Native American history, as well as the history of celebrities who had spent time there in the early days of the hotels creation.

Such early big names such as: Gene Autry, Howard Hughes, Charles Lindbergh, Dorothy Lamour, Clark Gable, just to name a few.

It was the place for the rich and famous to plop down after a long day’s drive along Route 66 heading east or west.

But getting back to the town of Winslow –a small town located in Navajo County, Arizona with a population of nearly ten thousand citizens.

The famous corner in Winslow, Arizona

It boasts a main street which brings back the nostalgia of the early days of Route 66, with businesses lining both sides of the street. There is a homey feel to the downtown area, with restaurants and brew houses within walking distance from just about anywhere.

Downtown Winslow, Arizona

“I like this town,” I stated to Laureen, while we sauntered down the sidewalk.

“You like any town with a local brewery,” she responded.

I nodded. “You gotta have your priorities.”

Winslow is also the gateway for so many outdoor activities – Meteor Crater, the Homolovi Ruins, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, the Apache Death Cave, and so many other places lie within a short drive.

There is a lot to do in this little berg.

Just be careful in Winslow, as John Beyer learned

One such place brought a tear for both of us. That was the 9-11 Remembrance Gardens. It is just on the outskirts of town, heading east on Route 66. A flag which was flown at the Pentagon flutters not far from two large steel beams from the World Trade Center, twisted and broken. These were donated to the town, and the park which was built around the beams, was dedicated on September 11, 2002. 

The city of Winslow paying their respects

Actual beams from the tragedy in New York City on 9/11

These beams are the largest entrusted to any community in the nation, and it is the community of Winslow who truly got behind the effort to create this memorial. Everyone from elementary and ROTC students, to local business owners, volunteered to pitch in to build and maintain this garden.

These beams stand tall and strong in that place for all to see – and for all to never forget.

That alone, is reason enough to visit Winslow.

Even John Beyer had to get into the act