Explorer, former Fire Chief Sid Hultquist to speak at Sierra Club in Victorville
The Mojave Group of the Sierra Club will resume regular, in-person meetings starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 with the program "Local History, Wildlife and Landscapes," presented by explorer, photographer and former Fire Chief Sid Hultquist.
A lifelong resident of the High Desert, Hultquist spent nearly 40 years as a firefighter. He is a former fire chief of the Apple Valley Fire Protection Department and currently serves on the board of the agency.
Hultquist was also the interim fire chief for the Barstow Fire Protection District.
With an Indiana Jones-like passion for exploration and archeology, for more than 50 years, Hultquist has hiked the remote back-country of the Mojave Desert, Nevada and other locations.
During that time, he’s taken thousands of photographs of wildlife, Native American trails, petroglyphs, flora, desert landscapes and more.
He’s also discovered items such as arrowheads, mining tools, abandoned classic vehicles, antique bottles and coins dating back to the early 1900s.
After finding an old revolver with a legible serial number, he contacted the “Office of the Colt Historian,” who sent him an official certificate to authenticate the manufacture of the firearm.
“It was made in 1903 and shipped to the Peters Arms & Sporting Goods Company in Cincinnati, Ohio,” Hultquist said. “Who purchased it from them and how it wound up in the middle of nowhere near old prospects in the High Desert is the true mystery. The company who sold the gun was gone by 1908.”
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Last month, Hultquist hiked the Salt Lake Trail, which was the first trail traveled by pioneers in wagons beginning in 1849. It was also the first road from the east into San Bernardino County.
“Most traces of it are gone, but it’s still visible in a few places along its route from Salt Lake City to Southern California,” Hultquist said. “Also stopped by a couple of houses that have mostly disappeared under the desert sands.”
In September, Hultquist started a six-day, no-cell connection adventure to Nevada, where he visited the ghost town of Belmont. He also made stops in Goldfield, Tonopah and the Hot Creek Range.
The Sierra Club meetings are held at Sterling Inn’s Regency Room at 17738 Francesca Road in Victorville. Enter on the Ridgecrest Road side of the building.
Masks are required to enter the building, and visitors should stop at the desk for a quick temperature check. For more information, call 760-245-8734.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Former Apple Valley Fire chief to speak at Sierra Club in Victorville
