Desert Rat Scrap Book facts for kids
The Desert Rat Scrap Book (or DRSB) was a fun and quirky magazine about the American Southwest. It was published by Harry Oliver from his home in Thousand Palms, California. Each issue, printed roughly every three months, shared stories, jokes, and legends about the desert, especially focusing on prospectors and other "desert rats."
About 10,000 to 20,000 copies of each issue were printed. Harry Oliver would publish a new one whenever he had enough new material and money to pay the printer. The DRSB was sold in bookstores and newsstands in Southern California. It was also mailed to people all over the world. The first issue came out in late 1945, and the last one was in early 1967.
Contents
How the Desert Rat Scrap Book Was Made
Unique Paper Format
The DRSB had a very special and unusual design. It was printed on both sides of thick, cream-colored paper. This paper was quite large, about 17 by 22 inches (43 by 55 centimeters).
The large sheet was folded three times. This made it look like "the smallest newspaper in the world." Harry Oliver joked that it was "the only 5-page one" and "the only newspaper in America you can open in the wind." The front and back pages were small, about 5.5 by 8.5 inches. The other pages got bigger as you unfolded them.
Issue Numbers and Pouches
Each issue of the DRSB was called a 'packet'. Several packets together made a 'pouch'. The very first issue, from Fall 1946, didn't have a number. The second issue was called "PACKET TWO OF POUCH ONE."
After that, all issues were numbered like "PACKET XXX OF POUCH YYY." They didn't always come out exactly every three months. Sometimes, more than three months passed between issues. This is why the last issue, PACKET TWO OF POUCH TWELVE, came out in 1967, more than 20 years after the first.
What Each Page Looked Like
The DRSB had a unique five-page layout:
Page One: The Front Cover
PAGE ONE was often printed with a bright color. It usually showed a woodcut (a type of print) or a cartoon. Sometimes, famous artists like Walt Disney or Hank Ketcham drew these cartoons. This page often announced the main topic or "theme" for that issue. Sometimes, a big picture would even stretch across both the front and back pages.
Page Two: The Details
PAGE TWO usually had the magazine's important information, like a newspaper's masthead. It listed things like where the paper was published ("Fort Oliver, 1000 Palms, California"). It also said how often it came out and how much it cost. Harry Oliver added funny lines, like "This offer expires when I do."
Below this, you would find an "editorial" (a message from the editor). There were also various "news" items, jokes, and interesting facts. These were printed in old-fashioned fonts and often had small pictures or cartoons of desert characters.
Page Three: More Stories
PAGE THREE continued with similar content. It often had slightly longer stories or articles. These were written by Harry Oliver himself or by other writers. Oliver was known for using his own older writings again, so some pieces might have appeared in his previous publications.
Page Four: The Biggest Page
PAGE FOUR had even more stories, sometimes much longer ones. Once, it even included a complete play! These longer pieces might also be related to the issue's main theme. At the bottom of this large page, you might find a few advertisements. These ads were for interesting places like ghost towns, other publications, or local shops.
Page Five: The Back Page
PAGE FIVE was the back of the paper. It often had a list of conversation starters, more jokes, or quotes. Sometimes, it promoted Harry Oliver's audio recordings. Other times, it featured a large woodcut picture and a short essay or poem.
One issue, called DESERT RAT HARRY OLIVER'S JOKE BOOK, was different. It was a small, 32-page book instead of the usual folded paper. This experiment didn't seem to work out, as it was the only one of its kind.
What Made the Desert Rat Scrap Book Special
Fun Themes to Explore
Each issue of the DRSB had a special theme listed on its front cover. These themes were all about the desert and its unique life. Some examples include:
- Desert Burros (donkeys)
- Death Valley
- Ghost Towns
- Indians
- Desert Folklore
- Lost Mines and Buried Treasure
- Frontier Wild Women
- Hermits (people who live alone)
Harry Oliver also wrote about other topics. These included the legend of the Lost Ship of the Desert and his "Keep the Desert Beautiful" campaign.
The Unique Feeling of Reading It
It's hard to explain how special the Desert Rat Scrap Book felt. Holding it was like holding a small booklet that then unfolded into an old-time newspaper. It was full of information, both real and made-up. It had serious parts and hilarious parts.
Everything in it showed Harry Oliver's strong and sometimes grumpy personality. There was always a new detail or a timeless piece of information waiting to be discovered. Even when it was new, each issue felt like a small time machine.
Its Lasting Influence
The DRSB had an impact on how Western-themed things were presented. Harry Oliver also designed a place called Gold Gulch for the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935-36. This design influenced how Western theme parks were built later.
The DRSB itself can be seen as an early example of what we now call "zine culture." Zines are small, self-published magazines often made by one person.
When the Issues Came Out
Dating the Issues
It was always a bit tricky to figure out the exact date of each DRSB issue. Harry Oliver published most of the issues himself, but not on a regular schedule. Later issues often reprinted older articles.
Harry Oliver stopped publishing in 1965 because of his health. In 1967, he gave the magazine to a former sailor named Bill Powers. Powers published two more issues, then stopped completely and disappeared.
The first issue was printed around April 4, 1946. For example, Packet 4, Pouch 5, was printed on April 4, 1953.
A Taste of the Contents
The DRSB was packed with many different kinds of articles and stories. Here's a small look at some of the interesting things you could find:
- Pouch One
- "Packet One" (unnumbered), Fall Edition 1946 – Included "Will Rogers Says," "Harry Oliver's Argument Starters," and "Toad Watson's Christmas."
- Packet Two, Winter Edition 1946–47 – Featured "How to be a Desert Rat and Like It" and stories about Death Valley Scotty.
- Packet Three – Had articles like "What the Desert Rats are Doing Today" and "The Desert Rat Ten Commandments."
- Packet Four, The Windy Number – Explored "Water Witches," "Haywire Weather," and "Wind, Wind, and More Wind."
- Pouch Two
- Packet One, The Burro Number – Focused on donkeys with "Jose and the Burro" and "Burros, An Interview."
- Packet Three, Along The Border Packet – Included "So You Are a Hermit" and "Hell in Texas (song)."
- Packet Four, 2nd Anniversary Packet – Featured "How Editors Get Rich" and "The Sad Tail of Arty Packrat."
- Pouch Three
- Packet One, Hot Weather Packet – Talked about "Lost Mines" and "Gold Is Where You Find It."
- Packet Two, Death Valley Packet – Had stories about "Shorty Harris" and "Death Valley Scotty's Record-Breaking Dash."
- Packet Three, Moonlight on the Colorado Packet – Explored "The Spanish Galleon at the Bottom of the Salton Sea" and "Alligators in the Rio Colorado."
- Packet Four, Treasure Packet – Asked "Where Is Pegleg Smith's Lost Mine?" and discussed "Sidewalks of Silver."
- Pouch Four
- Packet One, Good Old Desert Fun – Included "A True Desert Turtle Story" and "The Burro Led Men to Gold and Silver."
- Packet Two, Desert Magic Packet – Featured "Singing Sands of Fort Oliver" and "The Magic of Desert Air."
- Packet Three, Injun Stuff, Indian Packet – Focused on Native American topics like "Indian Cradleboard" and "Indian Signs You Should Know."
- Packet Four, Desert Rat Harry Oliver's Joke Book – This special issue was mostly short jokes about "Hot Weather," "Burros," and "Death Valley."
- Pouch Five
- Packet One, Kindness to Animals Packet – Included "Smart Roadrunner" and "Campaign For Burro Protection."
- Packet Two, Frontier Wild Women Good & Bad – Featured stories about famous women like Lotta Crabtree and Lola Montez.
- Packet Three, Death Valley & Nevada Packet – Discussed "No More Frontier" and "The Withering Winds of the Mojave Desert."
- Packet Four, Cool Desert Summer Packet – Had "My Dog Whiskers, Worse Than Death" and "Campaign For Burro Protection Mounting."
- Pouch Six
- Packet One, Don't Fret Packet – Included "The Last Chief of the Paiutes, Tecopah" and "Death Valley Scotty, Prospector and Showman."
- Packet Two, The Contentment Packet – Featured "The Desert (poem)" and "Mule Decides to Quit Army."
- Packet Three, Mixed Up Packet – Had "A Dog's Editorial" and "The Enchanted Station Wagon."
- Packet Four, Shaggy Dog Edition – Included "Saint Frijole" and "Death Valley Scotty, Prospector and Showman" (fourth part).
- Pouch Seven
- Packet One – Focused on burros with "The Burro As I Know Him" and "Burro Flapjack Race."
- Packet Two – Featured "Scotty's Castle" and "I AM A SECESSIONIST" (about the Desert County campaign).
- Packet Three, Haunted Ghost Towns Packet – Included "Randsburg's Dancin' Skeletons" and a one-act play.
- Packet Four, The Pack Rat Edition – Had "Toad Watson's Christmas" and "The Clown of the Rat Family."
- Pouch Eight
- Packet One, Bunk-House Edition – Featured "All's Not Gold That Glitters" and "Mischievous Burros."
- Packet Two, Don Quixote Edition – Included "How to Be a Local Wit" and "The Handsome Horned Toad."
- Packet Three, The Happy Scramble Edition – Discussed "Salton Sea Leaks" and "Gold Miners Make Strike in Sky."
- Packet Four, The Voice of the Desert Packet – Had "Mutiny at the Fort" and "The Big Wind."
- Pouch Nine
- Packet One, Power of Positive Bologna Packet – Included "Abe Lincoln's Dry Wit" and "The Last Man to Fight Buffalo Bill."
- Packet Two, Second Childhood Packet – Featured "The Belled Burro" and "How Old Is Old?"
- Packet Three, Your Animals And You – Talked about "Calico Ghost Town, A Bit of History" and "Smuggled Chinese Girls."
- Packet Four, Tepee (Etiquette) Packet – Included "Indian Signs" and "Shoshone Indians First Aid Kit."
- Pouch Ten
- Packet One, Simple Lasting Desert Fun – Featured "Peg Leg Smith, The P.T. Barnum of Desert Ghosts" and "My Modesty Has Gone with the Wind."
- Packet Two, A Handbook for Rangers & Guides – Included "Museum Nonsense" and "Press Agent for a Ghost."
- Packet Three, Man and Animal in Tug-of-War – Had "Smart Animals and Stupid People" and "17 Happy Years in the Life of a Desert Dog."
- Packet Four, Editor's 75th Anniversary Edition – Featured "My Year With Pancho Villa" and "Simple Life in Desert Castles."
- Pouch Eleven
- Packet One, Editor's 75th Anniversary Edition – Focused on "Peg-Leg Smith's Gold" and "The Spanish Galleon of the Salton Sea."
- Packet Two, Desert Beautiful Edition – Included "SHAME! Look What YOU Did!" (about desert cleanup) and "King of the Desert Rats."
- Packet Three, I Become a Symbol – Featured "The Peak of Saint Hyacinth" and "Old Harry (letter to Walt Disney)."
- Packet Four, Animal Intelligence – Had "The Sad Tale of Arty Packrat" and "The True Story of Scotty."
- Pouch Twelve
- Packet One, Teepee Tales – Included "Council Fire" and "Indian Signs."
- Packet Two, 21st Anniversary Packet – Featured "Death Valley: Tales From Old Ballarat" and "Smart, Those Burros."
