As much as we think of Cabot Yerxa as Desert Hot Springs’ quintessential pioneer with a quirky personality and a vision beyond his lifetime, he acknowledged many of the other singular “characters” that provide a rich history to homesteading days. The following portrait of one of those individuals comes from stitched-together, edited sections of Cabot’s “On the Desert Since 1913” …

Last week’s newsletter advised readers, via Cabot Yerxa’s “On the Desert Since 1913” columns, on how to use a stick to carry a rattlesnake home. So it makes sense to follow that up with his further thoughts on the value of a stick. He wrote the following after listing important items to carry for a walk in the desert (in …

As noted in last week’s newsletter, Cabot Yerxa kept an assortment of reptiles — tortoises, snakes, and lizards — as “pets.” Should you, too, wish to populate a snake pit, don’t bother looking for a how-to video on YouTube. As a public service, we offer below Cabot’s advice on how to capture a rattlesnake. First, lift the snake and put …

As people familiar with Cabot Yerxa know, he had great respect for and loved watching wildlife. He also kept a variety of desert creatures — e.g., snakes, tortoises, and chuckawallas — for the enjoyment and education of visitors to his pueblo museum. In 1956, his “On the Desert Since 1913” columns for the Desert Sentinel newspaper included the following (excerpted) about tortoises. …