Exploring the Marshal South Cabin Ruins in the Anza Borrego Desert
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Marshal South was a writer and poet the became best known in the 1930s and 40s for he and his family's experiment in primitive lifestyle in the remote and unforgiving Anza Borrego desert. For nearly 17 years he called ghost mountain home in an attempt to leave the civilized world and live off what only the desert gave him.
Along with his wife Tanya and three children, South built a home on top of Ghost Mountain, far from any modern amenities. Just getting to the home took a mile long hike up the mountain, on a trail filed with cactus, snakes, and no relief from the desert sun.
In this video we travel down the three mile dirt road off Highway S-2 into the Anza Borrego State Park to hike to the top of ghost mountain and explore what is left of the home he called Yaquitepec. Along the way we talk about South's life and what ended his experiment in primitive living.
For more in depth information on the story of Marshal South, check out this great article on DesertUSA: www.desertusa.com/desert-peop...
Yaquitepec is located at: 33.00185075824831, -116.38600190377677
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Fascinating story! Back in the mid-1990s we would go out S-2 periodically with a group of friends to explore. We went through Blair Valley, traced some of the stage coach routes, visited Vallecitos station, and found some old metal quonset huts were people had lived during the Depression. Desert dwellers are a unique breed! Thank you for your extra research on this one. It was fun to revisit the area.
What a fantastic adventure you took us on Steve! "The Real Housewives' of Whatever" is a gut buster🤣! I very much appreciated the lengths you and your wife went to in hiking up the trail to show us all The Cabin of Marshall South and family! I can't imagine choosing to live there all year round with the hardships that come with that lifestyle. Had to have been brutal for Tanya and the kids. Sounds as though Marshall embraced that life though. I really appreciated the research you shared Steve. Like many in this Community, I very much look forward to any video you post for our enjoyment! Please know your time, editing and sharing does not go un-noticed or is taken for granted. Blessings From Ohio 🙏
Thank you, I appreciate it.
I've hiked up there a lot in the past, once by the light of a full moon, which was magical. Blair Valley holds a very special place in my heart, and this was a very evocative video. I was with you, every step of the way. Thanks so much!
Wow! Especially hiking there at night!
The first time I ever heard of Anzo-Borrego was from the book "Into the Wild" about the life and tragic death of Chris "SuperTramp" McCandless. McCandless met an elderly US army veteran there named Franz. He and McCandless had camped there for only a short period I believe; after all McCandless was Alaska bound. If memory serves McCandless camped near a hot springs within A-B. The hot springs may have been Agua Caliente Springs, but I'm not sure. From there he eventually ended up at "Slab City." Anyway thanx for the extended trip and story about A-B.
I remember as a kid long ago hearing the tales about people and life in another desert not too far away. These stories were dramatized on TV as "Death Valley Days" hosted first by "The Ole Ranger (I think), and then by Ronald Reagan.
Could you imagine! Dude put his wife & kids through so much. Great video.
I love these videos, they are soooo relaxing because of the story-telling and the landscape is so spectecular to me, greetings from Germany!
Thank you.
Happy Hanau. 72 to 96.
What an amazing if not somewhat crazy life they had! Wonder why his grave is unmarked! Great piece of history Steve. Really interesting. Thank you.
I think it was a money thing with the grave originally. The son had a grave marker placed there in 2005 though.
The snake appears to be a young Western Coachwhip (Masticophus flagellum.) It's a common snake in the Southwest, including the California low deserts. They're non-venomous and fast. The top of the heads, extending over the neck, are often black, like in this specimen, and the back can have a red spotted or mottled appearance. They typically keep their heads off the ground, as this one is doing. Thanks for leaving it be...
How you find these stories is as amazing as the stories themselves!
I don’t watch those shows either. I like the desert. It’s peaceful.I don’t hate people, I just like it better when they aren’t around. I enjoy my mornings drinking coffee and watching the birds,deer and nature.
Given the tumultuous state of the modern world, I often romanticize being in an off-the-grid cabin living off the land. It's unfortunate that I've lived most of my life in cities and thus "living off the land" is not in my skill set. Suppose I could get educated though.
Thank You for letting me enjoy something that I would have never found on my own. For a video by one of the sons showing the home and family in color, Google: 1947 8mm Film: Marshal South Family, Ghost Mountain, Anza Borrego Desert
Most underrated comment. Thanks for suggesting this. It’s a great video narrated by the oldest son
Thank you for the link. First I've heard of the family and was so very curious about the whole story so it's nice watching and learning from the video.
I grew up in Hemet and my dad had a (real) Jeep and eventually built a dune buggy, and so I visited most of the places you travel to back in the early to mid 60s long before they became state parks and such. A nostalgic blast from the past doesn’t even begin to describe it! Thank you for your efforts! 😍
Having read quite a bit about M.S. over the years and being regular visitors of Anza Borrego, my wife and I decided to make the journey to the homestead. While walking on the eastern end of the hill we both heard the sound of children's voices. It should be noted that Marshals mother left Australia to escape an abusive husband. Thanks for the video, the desert is beautiful when in full bloom!
Living someone else's dream when your heart isn't in it is always hard. I'm glad she got out when she did. Wish it could've been sooner. Amazing she lived to be nearly a century old after what must have been very stressful living in the desert with a jerk for a spouse and constant worry over the safety of her children.
Blair Valley is a great spot for primitive camping. So many trails out there to explore. AB is absolutely beautiful.
Yeah, we saw quite a few people camping out there on our way to the trailhead.
Right! There are two sides to any story. I am sure he wasn't perfect, but what about his perspective?! Nobody put a gun to that lady's head and made her marry him, have his kids and live with him for your years in the desert before souring on the whole adventure.
I'm a native San Diegan. We used to go out to Borrego a lot when I was a kid in the 1960's. I never heard of Marshal South or any of this! Thanks!
I live in Anza Borrego a few miles from here. Amazing video and story! Thank you!
Great video, Steve!
I wonder why Marshal chose that site. Water is available at many valley sites, some of them away from traffic.
Seems as though he wanted more than just “primitive.” He wanted privation and adversity.
Well, at least he was an imaginative writer.
Thank you for showing us!
The man wanted a home with a view. He built it.
And his ex wife took it and basically gave it away
@@AZplinkster91 That place was his self-indulgent vision...not hers!
@@AZplinkster91 His wife put three kids on the ground and spent two decades putting up with his "vision". She paid her dues.
Narcissistic "%$ who inflicted his ego upon his wife and children for 17 years. The story about the ice cream cone summed it up
Froot Loop.
As always, thank you for all the little known facts and history lesson. Please keep them coming!
thank you again for taking us along 👍🏼Yes, that must’ve been some interesting summers up there… I like your shows ,you’re a great storyteller
When my son and I went about a dozen years ago there were tin can trash piles. The locals used to say that Marshall South built a home where no Indian would have been stupid enough to build a house on top of a desert mountain with no water.
I didn't see any can piles at all, just the one larger metal can in one of the shots. I wonder who would have come up and took them and why.
My thoughts exactly! The Mogollon people certainly didn't build in that type of location . . .
He certainly wasn't a student of history, so lived his own mistakes.
I'm amazed his wife stayed with him as long as she did.
Thank you for another fine informative video Steve! I love ABDSP and spent a couple days at Borrego Springs last week. I enjoy driving up to BS via highway S-2 from Ocotillo. I have hiked up to the homestead twice and was a bit fascinated by the story of their life out there. Rider South last lived in Silver City in New Mexico and is buried there. (side note: on my way over there from Tucson, I stopped at another spot you recently featured: the McPhaul "Bridge to Nowhere" over the Gila River, so I could see the rarity of the river flowing to Yuma!)😀
Thank you. I was wondering about Rider South. I know about 10 years ago he was still giving talks about his experience there, but didn't know if he or any of the other kids were still alive.
Thanks Steve, I've learned more today about this amazing part of my local history, and one of my favorite parts of San Diego County.
Incroyable cette aventure humaine, il faut pouvoir y vivre dans ce désert. On peut comprendre les tensions familiales.
Simply said,this is one of if not the best meandering series I have ever followed,so well documented narrated and presented,well done Steve.
What a story! Thanks again, Steve, for another interesting and informative video.
Thank you.
Really a beautiful area. I spent my childhood exploring SoCal deserts and really love the terrains, plant life and animal life (including humans).
If it were lovely ppl would be living there. Snakes, rocks, cacti, maybe cougars? Not okay.
Thanks for using excellent equipment, cameras and smooth riding vehicles. Watching these videos would not be enjoyable if we bounced and jolted on the trails. Early in our marriage, we bought one of the first Toyota Land cruisers for sale in San Diego. It out performed our friend's choices of 4x4s. We had a good friend who wrote for the San Diego newspaper. Our family was often in his great photos. He still writes for the same paper, though the name has changed several times. We retired to OR and still miss the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. We still have 4-wheel drive vehicles. Time and age has not changed our interest in travel and adventure. The best education available, no matter our ages. Travel safely, Steve. Thanks for the memories. 😊
I just recently discovered your channel and I'm now a new subscriber. I really love your content. The great story telling of the history combined with your approachable and down to earth style make your videos very enjoyable to watch.
We're moving from the frozen north to AZ next year and I can't wait to go explore some of these places. Thanks for making these!!
Truly enjoy videos like this. Old history with some old ruins. Can't beat that! It is very tangi ble when I think about 120 degrees with very little water. If we think about it a little deeper, why not just make a good homestead? Your not missing the big game on TV, going out dancing and a restaurant. You just endured and made the best out of where God has brought you. Bam son!
Sad to see how little is left now since I last visited it 10-12 years ago. 🤢
I am amazed that the wife lived that "experiment" as long as she did!
So much great hikes in Blair valley !
Great video, thank you very much! I've been up to Yaquitepic many, many times, however the last time I was there was around 1999, maybe 2000. I can't believe how much deterioration there's been in the last 20 or 30 years. Just about the entire house was still standing the last time I was there. It was of course missing a ton of stuff, like windows and window frames, and a few of the walls were falling down, and the roof was completely gone. The bed frame was still in its own room off of what was probably a hallway. There were a few more things there then that I did not see in the video but can't really bring to mind. You did a great job telling about Marshall South and the family's stay at Yaquitepic. One thing, if I remember correctly, a headstone was placed in the Julian cemetery marking Marshall's grave site in the mid-1990s. I was there at the ceremony and met his son Rider. I had a ton of stuff happening in my life at the time surrounding a divorce so my memory of it is a little shady, but I do remember shaking Rider's hand. Thank you for this, Steve! Very well done.
Fascinating! I'm a SoCal native and love hearing the history of the area
Another solid tour of a lesser-known site. Thank you.
Fantastic video and story telling. Thanks. I live in Kentucky now (long story- has to do with a pretty girl) but grew up in Sandy Eggo and explored the Anza Borrego area a lot when I was younger.
This story reminds me of the novel Sheep Rock by George R Stewart which includes a tale of a poet who went to live in the desert to write poetry in solitude. The novel is really about decades/centuries of events occurring at a single remote place n the desert . Anything by Stewart is worthwhile for his stories of “place” and his old Western/ California sensitivity.
I remember reading about these guys in Desert Magazine when I was a kid.
Marshall South's son, Rudyard South, wrote a book after his mother died. Ghost Mountain Chronicles. Tells the whole back story. There was an article in the San Diego Reader back in the '80's that ripped South to pieces.
I've been there-it must have been hell living up there most of the time. Snow in the winter, crazy wind and mentally hot MOST of the time. When I got to the top my immediate thought was "what were they thinking?" Even Blair valley would have been a better option
I don't think they lived off the land- he had a job, maybe a military pension(?), savings(?) and a car to go buy groceries. Pretty sure there is zero way to be self sufficient when you have to haul water a mile up a hill.
Someone on the comments of another video about this said he spoke to the daughter in her old age. She said it was ghastly too.
Still, unless some one gives it a go, we would never know if it was possible or not. These days, with solar and wind power and other technology maybe it could be?
Interesting story, beautiful scenery, thank you, look forward to next week
As always impressed by your amount of research. What a curious family and experience they had out there. The views they must have had though! We also just had a snake encounter! Guess it is that time of the year though. 😅
Yeah, snake season is here. I actually saw another one too, under a rock in the shade, but it did not come out on the camera at all.
I know this is an older video, but I’m just now finally getting to it. This was a fascinating story to me!! So I searched “Marshal South Family” on CZcams and a channel called “peahix” has some videos of old 16mm and 8mm film of this family! One of them has the older son commentating on the footage. Super interesting stuff!!
Personally, I think Marshall was certifiably crazy. There is no way I would subject my family to that kind of hardship. Living off grid is one thing, but he picked the worst of locations.
Great video.
Many of us (including me) often dream of living off grid, but the reality would be really difficult.
No kidding. I’m looking for an off grid property but it’s got to have water. I can make my own power but water is the real issue.
Thank you, Mr. Adventures! I love your videos.
Thank you, I really appreciate all your support.
WOW Steve, what a story. I guess they were happy to start with but like you say must have been very harsh living conditions and it got to them in the end. Fantastic video.Thank you
Although I can't say I'd ever want to leave my beautiful Oregon and go to this site in person, the virtual trip was fantastic. Thank you for the take-a-long. Happy Trails!
The Anza Borrego is so beautiful, but living up there is nuts! I wonder if any of the kids are still living. Thanks much for this.
I lived near there for a few years.I loved spending time i Anza Borrego SP. Especially when it had rained and the wildflowers bloomed. Thank you.
17 years there, could only have been done with an extraordinary woman as you described his wife as having been. My head is bowed in respect to her.!
She was stupid and would admit it herself. There's being agreeable, then there's subservient.
I watched my parents in the 70's, I know all about it.
It's amazing that Mrs. South hung on to that brutal, isolated existence as long as she did, through the searing heat of 17 summers and the bone-chilling cold of just as many winters. I've tried my own hand at primitive living, in less forbidding circumstances, and can appreciate how challenging daily life must have been atop that mountain.
Just consider the question of water. A conventional rule of thumb when estimating daily water needs is 30 gallons a day, per person, for all purposes. Maybe the South family could have eked by with half that amount. But almost every ounce would have been lugged up that steep trail, probably by the children. At 8.3 lb/gallon, by 15 gallons by 5 people, that's 620+ lbs. to be lugged up the mountain every single day - a rugged chore indeed.
.
And what of the South children? Did any of them ever have anything to say (or write) about their primitive upbringing? I hope they got their fill of ice cream once they returned to the civilized world.
Thanks for sharing this small glimpse of history, involving real people.
Another enjoyable video, love what you're doing please keep it up !!!
Thanks!
Thanks for taking us along I really Enjoyed the show
40 plus years ago the site was much more preserved, but the park chooses to let most native and non-native sites decay. I'm surprised at the condtion of the trail as you climbed ; several years ago the trail was little more than ruts down the hill. At 75 I'll never see it again so thanks for the memories. If you drove north up S-2 from I-8 at Ocotillo you passed by our winter home in Canebrake. You would love the history but residents want to stay anonymous. Good video and we enjoy your series. I notice no drone footage because the park does not allow it. I got my FAA certification and I'm annoyed I can't cross the road to take pictures of the flowers.
I can't believe that trail of ROCKS! You must have strong legs!!😊
There's a map you can buy of Anza Borrego State Park at the visitors center and/or State Park store in the town of Borrego Springs. At one point, it was $10.95, I don't know if the price has gone up. It's pretty detailed, and there are points I want to check out on the map. This is one of them. I was going to one day, but I could hear guys that were a bit shady, so I left before I did.
Also, there was a video of this family at the visitor center. One of the sons didn’t want to be interviewed because he was so traumatized by it.
I think only the oldest of three ever really talked about it.
I lived in Thermal for four years. We went through the Anza-Borrego often. It's beautiful there. I love that it is Not full of people and businesses that will destroy it out there.
Wow. It's interesting how many plants are growing there. Crazy The different types of cactus.
17 years is a LONG camping trip. Been there, good video.
Been binging these videos of late, it's so nice coming home from work and seeing a new upload c:
Very interesting and informative too. Thank you Steve so much for this video
THANK YOU STEVE AND WIFE,,FANTASTIC STORY..C U NEXT WEEK,,,SAFE TRAVELS..
Very well presented. Congrats
Pretty amazing at the things you find and explore! Thanks pal.
Thank you for another cool adventure and part of Southern CA history.
nice work like always
Thank you.
Steve most grateful for this video. been following Marshall for decades now. I probably have a video under dgunde13 from this trip I've made multiple times. I also love the left turn off S2. hate even reveal it. a riparian stream running thru the Anza???? used to ride the mt bike down and up from Sunrise. Pedro Fages/?? gotta leave early because the uphill back is brutal. Douglas Friend of Afoot and Afield guy.
I have never heard of this man or the family, I am really enjoying your channel. ❤
Another wonderful adventure. Thank you for that. I wonder what happened to their children.😊
Another great video. Thanks
Thank you.
That was a very cool story! Thanks for telling us about it.
Yes it had to been hard place to live awesome video thank you so very much for sharing ❤️👍👍👍
One of your best yet
Excellent adventure. thanks for sharing
I really enjoy your videos, nice job!
That was a harmless gopher snake.
Also on CZcams is a short video from 1948 wherein Ryder South narrates the footage of some people visiting the Souths. The video clearly shows the bedframe and i have to say it looks pretty much how you found it!
Love your series. I hope you do not run out of locations to explore. Great job.
I doubt I could ever run out of places to go, the trouble is finding the time.
@@SidetrackAdventures I posted the last comment under my wife's name, Deborah, it's the default on my CZcams! My name is Tom Page and I truly enjoy the effort, history and personality you bring to your series. It is the most un-hyped, honestly delivered series I know of. Incidentally, I am a credentialed artist with several sculptures of Nobel Prize; Bob Dylan, Dr. Peter Agre winners under my belt and 50 years of creating art. I do appreciate the Double Negative construction/destruction??? Art can be made out of anything and anywhere. It can be seen on the walls of concentration camps to remote parts of nature. Keep up the good work. I wish/hope this was your full time gig.Also, greetings to your family and their participation. Adieu
I wonder what happened to the children. Thanks for the great video. ❤
The S-2 Highway was a dirt road as well. Since the monsoon season is part of the desert, that road was highly suspect as well. I've traveled and off-roaded out there for 40 years and have heard and read about the Sweeney Grade, which was part of the original road. Nothing in the desert in those times was easy.
Thanks for the history 👍
Fascinating!
Hell of a spot to live with kid's, great view but hard scrabble life
Thanks for sharing.
Excellent video, Steve. Your storytelling and editing just keeps getting better !!!
Thanks Steve. Great Video.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks! Awesome stuff as usual - I too was born near Adelaide in South Australia!
Great video, Steve. What an adventure.
Thanks! That is an interesting story. You might say that is a stark contrast to the way most other people lived at that time.
Thank you for this video. Very well done.
Sounds to me like the dude was certifiable. To subject one's family to such harshness and isolation is unforgivable.
This was fantastic, stunning desert scenery. Whatever happened to the kids?!
They went on to have normal lives. The oldest son wrote about his experience there and gave talks on it, someone mentioned the other two never talked about it.
@@SidetrackAdventures When people do not wish to revisit their past...you know how miserable they must have been!
Amazing story….enjoy the little known history you dig up Steve. Being a Ca native it is always fun to find out more about the characters that lived here! Keep up the great work! Dick
Nice video, can appreciate the work you put into getting up to their cabin site, thanks.
Cacti and succulents are very long lived and grow slowly so I wouldn't be surprised if most of those plants were deliberately planted there by the family. The density of interesting plants indicates to me that you're walking through a man-made cactus garden.
You do not want to walk into one of those Jumping Cholla cactus.
Some looks like Blue Agave.
The best for making Tequila?
Looked like a big patch just as the house came into sight, at the top of the hill....
As others have pointed out, the isolated life style must have been brutal. But I can't imagine what it must have been like for the children, they so easily could have broken a limb, and how in the world were they able to watch over the kids during the day as they played outside and especially if one was bitten by a rattler.
If they survived that life style, they must be hardy souls, indeed!
Great job
Thank you!
Beautiful desert & cactus flowers. Don't think I would want to live there without some modern amenities though....
My dream home! ❤
This was a good one! Well done.
That's a coachwhip snake aka red racer. They're very fast and eat lizards, birds, whatever they can catch. Non venomous. I have a few on my property and have seen them swallow a sparrow and a desert iguana.