A Mystery of the West Is Solved

[Story]

Everett Ruess in many ways defined the template. A poet, painter and confidant to a leathery set of Western artists in the 1930s, including Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams, the 20-year-old Mr. Ruess rode off into the desert of the Southwest in 1934 with two burros and a notebook full of dreams, never to be seen again. Over the next 75 years, the West became tamer, but Mr. Ruess and his legend did not, and the lingering mystery of his disappearance only added to the romantic aura of the time and fueled the periodic search for evidence of his fate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/us...?_r=1&emc=eta1

This tale would make a good book, fictionalized or not.

[JennyLou]

Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

[Dixon Cannon]

From Wiki: Quite the character, that Ruess! Great story!

"The discovery of a grave site on Comb Ridge, near the town of Bluff, Utah, complete with bones and a few artifacts, may explain the mystery. It is now claimed that Ruess was attacked and murdered by two Ute Indians. The bones and teeth match the race, age, size, and facial features of Everett. DNA testing used DNA from Everett's nieces and nephew for comparison. In April 2009, DNA testing confirmed that the remains were of Ruess."

-dixon 'lost dutchman' cannon

[Story]

Found this quip from a book review -

A guy walks into the desert, carves "Nemo" (Latin for "nobody") in two places on the canyon walls, and then disappears. It seems as if he set up his disappearance perfectly--he'd even talked about it before--and yet lots of evidence points to him being murdered.

http://www.amazon.com/Sandstone-Suns.../dp/087905803X

and from an article last year -

Law enforcement officials discussed the challenges faced in identifying remains of a body that has been exposed to the elements in the canyon country for more than 70 years. Possible evidence that may help identify the body include dental records or materials interred with the body.

Bellson has learned much about Ruess in the past month. In addition to books, videos and on the internet, he has heard that a Navajo Medicine Man once dreamed that Ruess would eventually be found near the San Juan River.
http://www.sjrnews.com/pages/full_st...=102765&open=&

[Dixon Cannon]

This tale would make a good book, fictionalized or not.

And, alas it has!

http://authorjacknelson.com/work1.htm

-dixon cannon

[shortbow]

Great story. Obviously Johnson and Bellson are not traditionals or they would have never disturbed the body. Hope ole' Ruess isn't a skinwalker now. Looking fwd to seeing the NG article.

[Story]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Any doubt that remains found in the Utah wilderness were those of Everett Ruess, a legendary wanderer of the 1930s, seemed to be erased by a battery of forensic and genetic tests a few months ago.

But Utah's state archaeologist, who was not involved in the discovery, is raising a series of questions about whether the remains are actually those of the poet and artist who disappeared in the Escalante canyons.

Kevin Jones said Ruess' surviving dental records don't match the condition or characteristics of the teeth on a lower jaw bone that was found among the remains. The worn teeth suggest a strictly Native American diet heavy with stone-ground grains. Jones also said the shovel-shaped lower front teeth are characteristic of an American Indian's.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...TAM&SECTION=US

[shortbow]

DNA don't lie. Something's fishy here.

[Story]

One of Ruess' friends recollects his time with the artist -
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/308504