<<Picture Index	Stake 1083 - Skidoo Townsite 1916	Next Picture>>
Dane Coolidge, courtesy of the Arizona Historical Society, number 309
Dane Coolidge roamed through the Death Valley region, searching for material for his fictional books on the western frontier. He arrived in Skidoo about the time of its abandonment in 1916. He climbed a low hill to the east of town and photographed what remained of the once bustling mining town. In the process, he captured some undisturbed vegetation in the foreground. The species present are mostly Coleogyne ramosissima (blackbrush) with scattered Grayia spinosa (hop-sage) and Ephedra nevadensis (Mormon tea). Isolated stalks of Stanleya elata (Prince’s plume) appear in the foreground. (Dane Coolidge, courtesy of the Arizona Historical Foundation, number 309)