Jim Bark's Manuscript

[Old Bookaroo]

Please forgive me if I'm asking an obvious question - Has Jim Bark's manuscript ("Notes") ever been published?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

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[azdave35]

Please forgive me if I'm asking an obvious question - Has Jim Bark's manuscript ("Notes") ever been published?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

yes...its called the bark notes...i think there are a few versions of it

 

[Doc4261]

yes...its called the bark notes...i think there are a few versions of it

Is it worth the read??

 

[Matthew Roberts]

Is it worth the read??

I believe next to Walter Gassler's manuscript it is the best private account you could read. Many first hand stories of people, places and clues concerning the LDM. Bark tells of his explorations, some with Sims Ely, and what he discovered on those journeys.

Of course like any book or manuscript it depends on what you expect or hope to get out of it. Some will find it a wealth of information while others will be disappointed because it didn't fit their theories and ideas.

azdave is right. There are 6 versions out in print, not much difference between any of them. A 7th version is privately held by John Spangler's grandson and he isn't letting that one out into the public. It reportedly has the 40 questions Bark asked Julia Thomas and Rhiney Petrasch and their answers.

 

[Matthew Roberts]

I should have mentioned, John Spangler was the nephew of Jim Bark.
John Spangler's grandson is the man who has the seventh version of the Bark notes.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Matthew Roberts:

May I ask you to share with us some information on both Jim Bark's and Walter Gassler's manuscripts?

You mention six versions of Jim Bark's Notes "in print." May you share the titles, publishers, dates, etc.? I've looked in the readily available bibliographies and don't see them listed.

Same for Walter Gassler's work.

Thank you very much!

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[TTTeller]

Is this one of the ones you are looking for?




http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~gcun.../ruth/handwriting/Bark, Jim - Handwriting.jpg

 

[Matthew Roberts]

Matthew Roberts:

May I ask you to share with us some information on both Jim Bark's and Walter Gassler's manuscripts?

You mention six versions of Jim Bark's Notes "in print." May you share the titles, publishers, dates, etc.? I've looked in the readily available bibliographies and don't see them listed.

Same for Walter Gassler's work.

Thank you very much!

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

The Bark notes have been in print for many years but were never published. They first appeared in the late 40's early 50's and were printed by several people who had them which accounts for the 6 different versions. The original Bark notes are hand written and the later versions were typed. There is little difference between the 6 versions so no one version is better or more informative than the rest.

Many people have this private manuscript obtained by different people over the years. The Superstition Mountain Museum at Apache Junction has a copy but it is not for public sale.

Jim Bark wrote his private manuscript sometime in the early 1930's.

Walter Gassler wrote his private manuscript from about 1980 - 1982.
Like Barks manuscript, it was never published but was typed from the hand written original. Copies of it have been passed around since 1985. The Superstition Mountain Museum has a copy of Walter's manuscript but again it is not printed for sale.

At one time both the Bark notes and Gassler manuscripts were available to the public at Goldfield Ghost Town in Apache Junction but that was many years ago.

 

[Matthew Roberts]

Is this one of the ones you are looking for?

View attachment 1916857


http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~gcun.../ruth/handwriting/Bark, Jim - Handwriting.jpg

TTTeller

This is part of a letter Jim Bark wrote to Tex Barkley in 1933 while Bark was in Phoenix following up on the Adolph Ruth death in the Superstition mountains. It is copied from something Adolph Ruth had written. Bark went to Mesa to see Tex Barkley and question him about a map Barkley had found on Ruth's body. Tex was not home but Bark talked to his wife Gertrude. Gertrude promised that Tex would get in touch with Bark before Bark went back home to California.

Tex never got in touch with Bark and Bark felt that Tex was purposely avoiding him. Bark believed Tex had found the mine and was holding out on him. Bark went back home to Long Beach, California where he died a few months later.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Matthew Roberts -

Thank you very much for an informative post!

So both MSS. were reproduced, but not published. Much like Characters and Cache Planters some years ago.

Sounds like I need to find someone who purchased copies from the Apache Junction Goldfield Ghost Town and arrange a trade.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[Randy Bradford]

Matthew Roberts -

Thank you very much for an informative post!

So both MSS. were reproduced, but not published. Much like Characters and Cache Planters some years ago.

Sounds like I need to find someone who purchased copies from the Apache Junction Goldfield Ghost Town and arrange a trade.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

Characters and Cache Planters is in print, limited to 500 copies. Lots of information and about a million leads for someone willing to dig a little.