The Silence and The Sun

An historical account of the people, places, and events near old Route 66, and railroad communities in the Eastern Mojave Desert, California

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Book cover titled "The Silence and the Sun" by Joe De Kehoe, featuring images of a road, a sheriff's badge, an abandoned building, and a desert landscape in the Eastern Mojave Desert of California.

Celebrate the Centennial of Route 66 with the 3rd edition of The Silence and The Sun.

In 1999, Joe de Kehoe began transcribing oral history tapes for the Mojave Desert Archives, adding great value to the Oral History Program. In the early 2000s, Joe began conducting oral history interviews on his own, gaining access to collections of historical photographs in private hands. His geographical focus was roughly along old Route 66 in the California Desert. This work, which spanned a decade, resulted in his writing and publishing The Silence and The Sun: An historical account of people, places and events on old Route 66 and railroad communities in the Eastern Mojave Desert, California. The latest edition contains all the material in the first editions and more - newly discovered historical photographs, new stories, and contributions from Steve Reyes, Francis Blake, and Roger Hatheway.

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Dilapidated wooden house with a rusted metal roof in a desert landscape.
A desert landscape with sparse vegetation in the foreground and a large mountain range in the background under a clear blue sky.
Desert highway with Route 66 shield painted on the road surface and a small roadside building in the background, under a cloudy sky.
Long stretch of Route 66 highway in a desert landscape with cracked asphalt and sparse vegetation, with distant mountains under a cloudy sky.
Old, abandoned wooden watermill with large metal wheels in a desert landscape with rocky terrain and sparse shrubs under a clear blue sky.
A barren desert landscape with sparse shrubbery and small bushes, surrounded by rugged brown mountains in the background under a clear blue sky.
Train tracks running through a desert landscape with mountains in the distance, under a partly cloudy sky.
Old, dilapidated wooden house in a desert landscape with sparse bushes and clear blue sky.
A straight road extending into the distance through a desert landscape with sparse vegetation, with mountains and a partly cloudy sky in the background.

Buy The Book

Looking to buy The Silence and The Sun? You can find it at select retailers or order directly online through the Trails End Publishing website.

Please note, the book is not available on Amazon due to previous customer service issues.

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Book cover titled 'The Silence and the Sun' showing a desert landscape with mountains, a dirt road, and a clear blue sky, with images of a roadrunner, Route 66 road sign, and an old wooden building at the top.
Golden anniversary badge commemorating 100 years of Route 66, with text and a shield emblem.

About the Author

“Joe de Kehoe is relentless about history. A retired geologist ... de Kehoe loves nothing more than to hang out with ghosts for days at a stretch in the mind-melting Mojave Desert of eastern San Bernardino County.” - Kevin Gerrity, The Bakersfield Californian Staff Writer

Find out more about Joe de Kehoe's history, expertise, and passions.

Man standing on rocky ledge overlooking a deep canyon with rock formations and a blue sky.
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Tarantula in Ward Valley, October 2010
Tarantula in Ward Valley, October 2010

Tarantula in Ward Valley, October 2010

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Rattlesnake; Carbonate Gulch; Old Woman Mountains
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In all of the years I have been traveling back roads in the desert I have only seen two rattlesnakes, one in Ward Valley, and this one in Carbonate Gulch. 

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The House on the Hill
The House on the Hill

From about 1962 to 1967 Helen Mae and  Ervin Smith lived in a cabin made of railroad ties near  the pass between the Piute Mountains and the Old Woman Mountains, near Weaver’s Well with their six children in what they referred to as “The House on the Hill”.  During this time Ervin worked at the Mobil Station in Essex for Eunice Gallanari and Helen worked as a substitute postmaster for Rose Stringham at the Post Office in Fenner and also filled in at the Essex Post Office.

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My Desert Tortoise Episode
My Desert Tortoise Episode

One weekend while camped in the Mojave Desert at an abandoned mine on the side of a low hill – it was at one of my favorite spots because the tailings from the mine provide a nice flat space to park my Jeep and set up a tent.  The mine faces east, is high enough on the hill to provide a nice view of the desert, and the morning sun strikes the camp early.  

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