Greetings family and friends! Today's rambling is about "the Thing", a classic roadside attraction that has been attracting visitors since the 1950's. I have also attached a well worn vintage postcard of the "Mystery of the Mojave Desert - The most Unique show in America"................Bill
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Roadside Distractions
THE THING - Mystery of the Mojave Desert
Nearly two hundred and fifty billboards spread hundreds of miles on
Interstate 10 from El Paso, Texas to Tucson, Arizona repeatedly ask
the question What is it? Travelers on the lonely highway are
encouraged not to miss the classic roadside Museum and curio shop
created by Thomas Prince and his wife Janet in the Arizona desert.
On view at the highly anticipated destination are an array of
presumably historic western items, artwork, guns, as well as the
mysterious and highly promoted display of “The Thing”. Road weary
tourists worn down by the barrage of signs have been stopping for
decades for a cold drink, a tank of gas, and to pay a few bucks to
view what is claimed to be the mummified remains of unfortunate
border crossers slaughtered by cowboy bandits in the late 1800’s and
left in the scorching desert heat. Thousands have stopped at the
roadside attraction during the decades and have willingly been
seduced to pay to see the wrapped remains tucked in a dusty display
case in a hot shed behind below an all too familiar sign, The Thing.
What is it?
Homer Tate was an enterprising individual working at times as a
miner, farmer, gas station motel and curio shop proprietor, and was
well being known for producing a wide variety of faux hybrid
curiosities, Fiji mermaids, devil babies, wolf boys and shrunken heads
for sale to the carnival, traveling circus and roadside attraction market
during the 1930’s and 40’s. Tate’s believable horrific mummified
“gaffes”, crafted from mud, paper, bones and dead animal, were
highly sought after and when properly promoted could almost
guarantee a side show entrepreneur a steady income of nickles and
dimes.
So what is The Thing? The century old mummified remains of a tragic
ending in the Arizona Desert, or believable creatures created by
Homer Tate, the”King of Gaffes”? Maybe you will want to stop and
check it out the next time you are traveling on Interstate 10 in
Arizona, but there is one thing that you can be certain of....it will cost
you a couple of bucks!
-Bill 8/23
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