The America we once envisioned—the land depicted in our childhood lessons—has long since disappeared. In actuality, it vanished even before we took our first steps into a classroom. Yet the myths and legends of this nation persist, captivating our imagination.
These myths include the belief that America safeguards democracy worldwide, the notion that the free press functions as a watchdog against government misconduct, the claim that the U.S. Constitution stands as the highest law in the land, and the idea that the Federal Reserve ensures price stability. The list of enduring legends goes on.
Upholding these American myths has become increasingly perilous in the 21st century. This peril not only threatens to ignite geopolitical conflicts but also endangers the livelihoods of diligent workers and the vast population of those evading responsibility, potentially leading to a significant financial upheaval.
Planning for a future that may starkly contrast with the present is no small feat. While we can’t offer definitive solutions, we suspect that merely investing in an S&P 500 index fund for the next three decades is unlikely to suffice.
The current bull market in U.S. stocks is losing momentum. Our economy, sustained by decades of rampant debt accumulation, is fundamentally unstable. When the credit cycle shifts and the facade of prosperity fades, the dreams and aspirations of countless Americans will be shattered.
However, with a bit of creativity and ingenuity, you can still navigate a path to safeguard and transfer your wealth across the impending divide. Below, we offer a gentle guide along this route.
Willie Boy
Nestled between Southern California’s San Timoteo Badlands and the San Gorgonio Pass lies a striking geological feature. The landscape is predominantly composed of loosely consolidated sedimentary rock, upheaved by dramatic seismic activity along the San Jacinto Fault to the west and the San Andreas Fault to the east.
This narrow valley, traversed by a 15-mile stretch of Interstate 10, divides two imposing peaks of the San Bernardino National Forest: Mount San Gorgonio, soaring over 11,500 feet above sea level to the north, and Mount San Jacinto, reaching 10,800 feet to the south.
The juxtaposition of snow-capped summits to the north and south, alongside the low-lying Coachella Valley desert to the east and the elevated Mojave Desert terrain descending from Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, creates a massive wind tunnel. Warm air ascends while cooler air descends, ultimately fueling the impressive San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, which generates 615 megawatts of power to satisfy Southern California’s relentless energy demands.
This winding valley and its surrounding mountains are a wild and captivating realm. It is here that a tumultuous love story from 1909 gave rise to various narratives filled with both fact and fiction, quickly morphing into legends that barely touch upon the actual events that inspired them.
It is in this landscape that Willie Boy faced what journalist Harry Lawton would later describe as “the last Western manhunt.” Here, Willie Boy was pursued by a posse and ultimately found lifeless at Ruby Mountain. Or was he?
In a letter to a friend, Lawton remarked that the story had become “so legendized that the truth becomes impossible to ferret out.”
We have revisited Idyllwild, near the face of Tahquitz Peak, in search of clarity—and perhaps glimpses of a large green fireball—on your behalf. However, getting there proved to be quite the adventure. Two of the three access roads to this mountain hamlet were washed out in last month’s storms.
As such, our only route was from the southeastern face of the mountain. Thus, as we diverted south from the Badlands along Gilman Springs Road, we reflected on the legend of Willie Boy—a curious tale we had first heard a decade ago while idly kicking rocks during a pre-bid job walk in the Coachella Valley.
Myths and Legends
According to popular folklore, Willie Boy, a Chemehuevi Indian, fell in love with Carlota, also a Chemehuevi from the Oasis of Mara in Twentynine Palms. The young couple eloped, but upon being discovered, their families separated them due to a violation of Chemehuevi customs regarding kinship.
Sent to live with a Serrano Indian family, Willie Boy gained a reputation as a diligent worker at the Gilman Ranch. However, when Carlota’s family relocated nearby for the fruit harvest, she and Willie Boy rekindled their romance, much to her father William Mike’s dismay.
On the evening of September 26, 1909, Willie Boy sought William Mike’s permission to marry Carlota. This request led to a violent confrontation, resulting in Mike’s death from a bullet wound. Carlota’s mother, Maria, did not report the incident until the next morning, providing Willie Boy and Carlota with a crucial head start as they fled into the hills.
Before long, local sheriffs mobilized a posse, complete with two Indian trackers, who swiftly set out in pursuit. Over the course of a two-week chase, Carlota died from a gunshot injury during an altercation with a posse member. The pursuit ultimately concluded with the posse claiming to have found Willie Boy’s lifeless body.
The narrative of Willie Boy was later bottled up in pulp western novels, and the story inspired a Hollywood film directed by Abraham Polonsky, starring Robert Redford and Robert Blake, titled: Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here. Songs and operas followed, further entrenching the legend in popular culture.
However, the tale of Willie Boy and his tragic end lacks one significant element: the truth.
How to Escape Like Willie Boy
“The posse never got him, you know,” Chemehuevi elder Alberta Van Fleet revealed later on. Posse members had provided no evidence of Willie Boy’s body or belongings.
One of the Chemehuevi/Cahuilla trackers recounted to his family that Willie Boy had successfully escaped and that posse members coerced him into silence about never having found Willie Boy’s body. So what really became of him?
It is believed that Willie Boy, a Chemehuevi runner skilled in traversing the arid desert landscape, survived and relocated among the Southern Paiute of Pahrump, Nevada, where he ultimately succumbed to tuberculosis between 1927 and 1935. This alternative account, shared by many Chemehuevi elders, is perhaps more believable than the widely circulated legend.
Willie Boy’s probable evasion of death at the hands of “the last Western manhunt” provides a framework that can inspire modern action. While we do not intend to belittle Willie Boy’s likely killing of William Mike, we merely point out that reality often proves stranger than fiction, and myths and legends can be unreliable—and at times, perilous.
Without doubt, America has entered a precarious era. The country that existed at the turn of the millennium has faded away. The government appears unhinged, and society is grappling with an epidemic of arrested development.
Recall that George Washington famously could not tell a lie. As you ponder your future, like Willie Boy, consider plotting an escape route to safeguard and transfer your wealth across the financial desert. Trust your instincts. Take action without delay. Your well-being may depend on it.
Sincerely,
MN Gordon
for Economic Prism
