Modern day economic survivalists are turning back to nature and a simpler lifestyles much in the spirit of Marshal South. See this article that appeared in USA Today on April 14, 2009: http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2009-04-14-survivalistsinside14_N.htm
www.outdoors-magazine.com posted a review of Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles. Of interest is the perspective taken here of South by a survivalist expert who says, “Marshal was certainly a good outdoorsman. One does not live ten years in the desert, nude with wife and children without being good at it. His chronicles are a treasure of primitive technology, as they certainly had to use, re-discover, or re-invent some of the old Indian ways. It does prove that one does not have to be Indian to live like one, and that men are at the end what they desire the most to be, that dreams that are lived are wonderful for the time they last.” http://www.oldjimbo.com/Outdoors-Magazine/Ghost-Mountain-Chronicles.pdf
There is an excellent trilogy of articles by Jim Hart entitled “Marshal South: Finding Nature His Own Way” on the California Chaparral Institute website that features three iconoclasts: Marshal South, Edward Abbey, and Everett Ruess. Hart best sums up the South dream as it relates to today when he writes: Wildness defines our character as a people. The challenge we face is to preserve enough of it so children 100 years from now will have the space they need to imagine their own Marshal South dream. http://www.californiachaparral.com/wildnesswithin.html
Professional writer Tom Bently wrote an excellent article for Airstream Life Magazine about Wally Byam and Marshal South. You can view the PDF of the article here: [PDF] Marshal South & Wally Byam or click here - View as HTML
William Doyle writes an online blog for Airstream Life Online Community entitled History Safari Express. He has several entries about Marshal South and Yaquitepec. He wrote an introductory article entitled “Return to Ghost Mountain”: http://airstreamlife.com/historysafariexpress/2009/01/23/return-to-ghost-mountain/ There is also a three-part series, "Desert trails and mysteries" that focuses on Marshal South, his frieze, and connections and relations with the community of Julian:
Anne Krueger writing for her column “Take a Hike” in the San Diego Union-Tribune on March 26, 2009, describes the hike to Ghost Mountain and provides some background to the family that homesteaded on this mountain: http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/mar/26/1sz26hike21222-remains-home-offer-peek-life-hideaw/
Kenneth Brantingham is a writer for San Diego Off-the-Beaten-Track Travel Examiner. On March 7, 2009, he posted this article: “Hike to Ghost Mountain and the Marshal South homestead” http://www.examiner.com/x-4820-San-Diego-OfftheBeatenTrack-Travel-Examiner~y2009m3d7-Hike-to-Ghost-Mountain-and-the-Marshal-South-homestead Brantingham also has a family site describing a hike up to Ghost Mountain and includes photographs of their trip on February 10, 2008: http://brantinghamfamily.blogspot.com/2008/02/visit-to-marshal-south-homestead.html
www.localhikes.com has a Ghost Mountain trail description written by Allen Riedel who has written for the Riverside Press Enterprise: http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/GhostMountain_7320.asp Riedel also has a write up on the Press-Enterprise website: http://www.pe.com/entertainment/thingstodo/weekendgetaways/stories/PE_WeekendGetaways2-AnzaBorrego.75d7c319.html
Guidebook writer Jerry Schad has a trip description up to Ghost Mountain from his book Afoot and Field San Diego County: http://books.google.com/books?id=AqZUHkIaSXYC&pg=PA377&lpg=PA377&dq=yaquitepec&source=bl&ots=kvcNnDi-C1&sig=2JQipK8y8KE10GEjcdNPgJ1Lgm4&hl=en&ei=BtTnSae0I5W6tgOAmtHiAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6
www.modernhiker.com also has an excellent description of the hike up Ghost Mountain that also includes the hike to Pictographs, both in Blair Valley. The site has some nice photographs of the area and the trails. http://www.modernhiker.com/2009/03/09/hiking-ghost-mountain-and-pictograph-trail/
In 2005 the California Historian published this article by Diana Lindsay compiled from the book, Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles: http://www.californiahistorian.com/articles/marshall-south.html
Larry McCaffery’s review of Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles that appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune on January 30, 2005, entitled “Print the Legend”: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050130/news_mz1v30south.html
Don Harrison wrote an interesting perspective on the Souths based on Tanya South’s Orthodox Jewish background. In “Idealism vs. pragmatism— a family struggle on a mountaintop in the Anza-Borrego Desert” Harrison points out where Marshal South made references to the Jewish faith. See: http://www.sandiegojewishworld.com/dhh_weblog/2005-blog/2005-02-blog/2005-02-19-book_review-marshal_south.htm More on Tanya’s faith: http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/dhh_weblog/2005-blog/2005-02-blog/2005-02-19-reaction-marshal_south.htm
Here is historian Phil Brigandi’s review of Peter Wild’s two books, The Randall Henderson Years (2004) and Marshal South of Yaquitepec (2005) – scroll down: http://www.socalhistoryland.mysite.com/article_3.html
David Baumann wrote an insightful article entitle “The Ruin on Ghost Mountain” that was published in Fred Woodworth’s The Mystery and Adventure Series Review in the Spring 2000 (#33) edition. It is posted at this website: http://www.threeinvestigatorsbooks.com/The_Ruin_on_Ghost_Mountain.pdf
Peter Rowe’s article, “Write or wrong: the legend of Ghost Mountain,” appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune on January 14, 2004. Rowe was one of the first to tell about the in depth research that led to the publication of Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20040314-9999-news_mz1c14rowe.html
Joe Orman has a website that details his early morning vigil on Ghost Mountain waiting for sunrise. He also has excerpts from Desert Magazine articles as well as South chronologies: http://joeorman.shutterace.com/Ghosts/Ghosts_01.html
This Flicker site offers several interesting photos of Ghost Mountain and Yaquitepec—the ruins of the Marshal South house: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking/sets/72157603562436150/
Don Endicott has some great photos of Rider South and a Ghost Mountain hike taken on January 23, 2005 posted at this site: http://www.geocities.com/dlejr/ridersouthhike2005/index1.html
YouTube has a short 2 minute and 35 second film entitled “Ghost Mountain and the ruins of the Marshal South house” dated December 28, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEjjMAnKfmU&feature=related
www.desertusa has a posting from Tim McCrerey describing his night on Ghost Mountain: http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/oct/stories/ghostmt.html
Bert Gildart, writer and photographer has a piece entitled “Lessons from Yaquitepec” on his website: http://gildartphoto.com/weblog/2008/02/01/lessons-from-yaquitepec
Writer and photographer Ernie Cowan documented the attempted restoration of Yaquitepec by the Orange County Chapter of the Associated Blazers of Southern California in his article “New Life on Ghost Mountain” that appeared in the April 1977 edition of Desert Magazine. Click on to the magazine and scroll down to pages 20-23 to read the article: http://www.scribd.com/doc/2404431/197704-Desert-Magazine-1977-April?page=23
The Sun Runner edition of February-March 2009 has an article entitled “Off the Beaten Path” that includes Ghost Mountain: http://www.thesunrunner.com/Desert_Destinations/Off_the_Beaten_Path_2009/off_the_beaten_path_2009.html
Emmy award-winning filmmaker John McDonald worked closely with historian and author Diana Lindsay (Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles) in creating an enchanting and thought-provoking portrait of the South family living on Ghost Mountain that is daily shown at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center. The 15-minute visitor center film – Ghost Mountain: An Experiment in Primitive Living – is available for purchase on this site. Photos taken from the shooting of this film are found at http://www.mcdonaldproductions.com/yaquitepec/. After completing this film in 2005, McDonald then went on to work on a longer version of the story entitled The Ghost Mountain Experiment: A Film About the Original Hippie Family. This film is also available for purchase on this site. For more information about the complete uncensored director’s cut, see: www.ghostmountainmovie.com.
