Hi-Desert Scrapbook

The Hi-Desert Scrapbook is a community-built, creatively curated assemblage celebrating the people, stories, and weird spirit of the Joshua Tree region. Part scrapbook, part family album, part time capsule, it blends short profiles of local artists, musicians, venues, and notables with snapshots, quotes, histories, memories, artifacts, essays, and ephemera — the kind of textured, layered storytelling that reflects the scrappy life out here.

The book is being assembled with help from the community — through submitted photos, memories, artwork, and stories. It’s not and not intended to be a definitive catalog or guidebook, but rather a handmade, human collection: a visual and textual poem for this place of weird beauty we call home.

Featuring Contributions From

Will Amato · Barret Baumgart · Steven Biller · Brian Bluesky · Wini Brewer · Paul Buck · Rolo Castillo · Lady Chilane · Gordon Clark · Chris Clarke · Heather Clisby · Daniel Coleman · Cole Coonce · Paul Cullum · Gary Daigneault · Shaney Jo Darden · Stacy Doolittle · Barnett English · Mendy Frye · Wendy Gadzuk · Colleena Hake · Madame Harlequin · Juniper Harrower · Gabriel Hart · Patrick “Hutch” Hutchinson · Snake Jagger · Alice Jones · Pat Kearns · David Kilburn · Brian Leatart · Brenda Littleton · Sharon Ludtke · Alexandra Martinez · Ted Meyer · Lisa Lynn Morgan · Ruth Nolan · Teddy Quinn · Brad Rassler · Robbi Robb · Deanne Stillman · Jessica Leigh Studd · Janice Taitel · Mark Todd · Lili Todd · Gary Walkow · Teresa Watson · Joan Wilson · Palo Xanto

…with many more to come, including, possibly, you.

Add Your Voice

The Hi-Desert Scrapbook is built from community voices as much as it is from our own reporting and photography. Below you’ll find a handful of questionnaires — some serious, some playful — inviting you to share your stories, memories, and experiences. We may not be able to include every submission in the printed book, but everyone who submits a sincere response will be acknowledged by name. Your voice matters here, whether or not it makes the final cut.

UFO Experiences

Close Encounters Of The Hi-Desert Kind.

The Hi-Desert has long been a hotspot for unexplained aerial and alien phenomena — strange lights, silent craft, weird encounters that defy easy explanation. George Van Tassel built the Integratron here on instructions he claimed came from beyond our world. Others have simply looked up at the right moment. If you've had a personal UFO or unexplained aerial experience in or near the Hi-Desert, we'd love to hear about it.
We're grateful for every submission and will read each one carefully. Due to space constraints, not all accounts can be included in the book — but everyone contributing a valid submission will be acknowledged by name in the Hi-Desert Scrapbook. Thank you for helping add to this community portrait.

Have you had a personal UFO or unexplained aerial encounter in or near the Hi-Desert?

Yes

Thanks for stopping by! This particular form is for personal encounter accounts. Keep an eye out for our other questionnaires — there may be one that's right for your story."

First Name

Last Name

Where were you when you saw it?

When did this occur?

Describe what you saw

Did anyone else see it?

Yes

Have you ever reported it?

Yes

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I agree to the following:

This submission is my own original work or personal experience. I have the right to share it, and I grant the Hi-Desert Scrapbook permission to reprint it in whole or in part, with light editing for length and clarity.

Furst In Our Hearts

Bobby Furst arrived in Joshua Tree in a snowstorm in 2008 with a vision, a Quonset hut, and an instinct for gathering people. What grew out of that — Furstwurld — became something the Hi-Desert didn't know it needed until it had it: a place where artists, musicians, misfits, and neighbors could show up and be seen. Did you need a place to stage your play or poetry reading, hold a benefit concert, or work out the kinks in your new band? Bobby opened his doors to you. You had a weird art project that needed bottle caps or spark plugs? Bobby had buckets of them. That was Bobby — generous to his bones, curious about everything, ever encouraging you to find your own vision, get over yourself, make it happen.

If you knew Bobby — if you performed at Furstwurld, only met him once or were a FurstWurld regular, shared a meal with him, or were touched by his unique spirit in some way — we'd like to hear from you. Your memory of Bobby belongs in this book.

We're grateful for every memory shared and will read each one carefully. Due to space constraints, not all submissions can be included in the printed book — but every valid submission will be acknowledged by name in the Hi-Desert Scrapbook. Selected memories may also appear on this website. Thank you for helping us honor Bobby's memory and his place in this community.

Did you know Bobby personally

Yes

First Name

Last Name

Where/how/when did you first meet?

Share a memory or thought

Do you have a photo of Bobby, or of yourself with Bobby, that you'd like to share? Please only submit photos that you took yourself or that you have the rights to share. Snapshots are welcome — polished or grainy, old or recent, all are valued. Maximum file size: 10MB. Accepted formats: JPG or PNG.

Image Upload

Choose File

Photo caption and credit

One last thing — permissions

Before you submit, I need your OK to publish what you've shared.

I give Will Amato permission to publish my words and photos in the Hi Desert Scrapbook (print and digital editions) and in materials promoting the book. I confirm the photos I've submitted are mine to share. I understand that space is limited and not everything submitted will appear in the book — but everyone whose contribution is included — in the book or in spirit — will be credited.

Sky Village Memories

Sky Village Memories

For over fifty years — first as the Sky Drive-In, then as the swap meet — Sky Village was where the Basin ran into itself on weekend mornings. It closed in December 2024, but it's not gone if we write it down. Share a memory, or a couple of meaningful snapshots. They don't have to be fancy or polished — just true.

First Name

Last Name

Share a memory

Do you have photos to share?

Yes

Upload image one

Choose File

Photo one caption

Photo one credit

Do you have another photo to share?

Yes

Upload image two

Choose File

Photo two caption

Photo two credit

One more? (Three is the limit — if you have a whole shoebox, say so in your memory and I'll contact you.)

Yes

Upload image three

Choose File

Photo three caption

Photo three credit

One last thing — permissions

Before you submit, I need your OK to publish what you've shared.

Ships In The Desert

Photo, Wendy Webb Ogier

Ships In The Desert

They arrived full of promise — weekend lake trips, river runs, the dream of open water. Then life happened, the boat stayed, and the desert slowly made its claim. If you've got a vessel going nowhere fast in your yard, your neighbor's yard, or spotted one baking or disintegrating in the sun somewhere in the Hi-Desert, we want a photo.

We're grateful for every submission and will read each one carefully. Due to space constraints, not all accounts can be included in the book — but everyone contributing a valid submission will be acknowledged by name in the Hi-Desert Scrapbook. Thank you for helping add to this community portrait.

First Name

Last Name

Where is this vessel located?

Please submit a clear, well-lit photo of the vessel. Horizontal/landscape orientation is preferred. iPhone photos are perfectly fine — just make sure the image is in focus and taken in decent light (this applies to night-time photos as well of course). Maximum file size: 10mb. Accepted formats: JPG or PNG.

Upload your photo

Choose File

I agree to the following:

Love Your Cholla

Making Peace With The Cholla

Making Peace with The Cholla

It's covered in spines, it launches itself at you, it has ruined more than one hiking trip and reduced grown adults to tears. And yet — here it is, still standing, still spectacular, the fearsome spiked presence we love to hate in the middle of a landscape we've grown to love. But could it be that our hate only makes them angrier? Is it possible to come to an understanding with these vengeful, aerodynamically gifted nightmare shrubs -- to show them respect, even love? If you have a message to the cholla — an apology, a short poem, a kinky valentine, a grudging note of respect — here is your chance.

First Name

Last Name

Your personal message to the cholla

I agree to the following

Desert Saints

Every community runs on people who just show up. They're not looking for recognition — that's partly what makes them remarkable. The teacher who stays late, the neighbor who checks in, the stranger who stops to help, the volunteer who's always somehow already there. You know who they are. You've been grateful for them, maybe more than once. Here's your chance to say so — and to make sure their name ends up somewhere lasting. Tell us about someone in the Hi-Desert who deserves a moment in the light.

NOTE: We're grateful for every submission and will read each one carefully. Due to space constraints, not all accounts can be included in the book — but every valid submission will be acknowledged by name in the Hi-Desert Scrapbook. Thank you for being part of this community portrait.

Does the person you're nominating live or work in the Hi-Desert/Morongo Basin area?

Yes

First Name

Last Name

Nominee Name

Their Name / Title

Image Upload

Choose File

Why they deserve recognition

I agree

Desert Saints celebrates people living and working in the Hi-Desert and Morongo Basin. Thank you for thinking of someone special — unfortunately we can only include locals in this one.

Hi-Desert Prompts

If you’d like to contribute, or receive updates, please fill out the email form below.

About The Editor
Will Amato is a Yucca Valley–based editor and designer. A former music critic and animation-studio art director, he runs the small press Another Sun Books, designs websites for artists and writers, serves as secretary of the Morongo Basin Historical Society, and drinks a lot of coffee. The Hi-Desert Scrapbook is his independent, self-funded portrait of the Morongo Basin and its people.

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