Antelope Valley Conservancy

P.O. Box 3133, Quartz Hill, CA 93586--3133

Serving the greater Antelope Valley region

ELEANOR SWANSON-YOUNG

1909-2001

Antelope Valley Trails Pioneer

Interview by Elaine Macdonald (2000)

When did you become interested in horses?

I started riding when I was five years old. That Christmas evening the door bell rang and my mother answered the door.  To my surprise Santa Clause was standing on the porch holding a little pinto colt in his arms.  The colt was a gift from my parents.  We took the colt back to the barn which was lighted by lanterns.  I learned to ride my pony without a saddle and had many tumbles off his back.  As I got older I started taking jumping lessons and the instructor complemented me on my balance.  I give credit for my good balance because of all the times I fell off my pony while learning to ride.  I kept riding until I was seventy-nine and a half and took a few riding lessons when I was eighty-eight and a half.

Where is your favorite place to ride in the Antelope Valley area?

The first time I rode in this area was a weekend trail ride behind Tropico Gold Mine, close to the little town of Rosamond.  I was interested in this area because of the fantastic canyons and caves and Joshua Trees.  I also liked the Gem Mountain Range which was historically a mining area.

How long have you lived in Antelope Valley area?

My husband and I moved here 26 years ago, about 1972.  It was because of a weekend trail ride that I decided to move to the desert.  When my husband saw the land that I wanted to buy, behind the Tropico Gold Mine, he said, "Are you out of your mind, living out in this forsaken place, your crazy!"  Well we did buy that land and I have been happy here ever since.

What success did you have with opening new trails.

Years ago, a friend and I were looking for a new place to hold a group ride for the Rosamond ETI Corral (Corrals are chapters of the parent organization, Equestrian Trails Inc.).  We decided to go to Red Rock Canyon.  After a couple of hours scouting the area, we stopped to have lunch near the scenic area of the rock carvings.  A park ranger came up to us and said that no horses were allowed in the park and we would have to leave.  Well!  I was stunned.  I then inquired about the motorcycles running up and down the Nightmare Gulch.  The ranger said that the motorcycles were permitted in the park.  I told the ranger that horses don't do the damage to the terrain that motorcycles do.  After seeing the rangers credentials and exchanging some pleasantries, he said that we could finish our lunch and then we had to leave the park.  I was so angry about this because I have never been kicked off a place in all my life.

One thing the ranger did say that surprised me, "You horse people did not petition the state park for horse trails in Red Rock Canyon.  The motorcycle people did. This is why they have use of the park for there sport and you don't."  I thought that we should have the opportunity to ride our horses through such a beautiful, prehistoric area.  Something had to be done.  I wrote to every horse organization in Los Angeles County asking them to write to the state parks department and lobby for trails in the Red Rock Canyon.  Many of my letters were published in the newspaper.  I also contacted Assemblyman Larry Chimbole and asked for his support.

I eventually received a letter from State Parks stating that Red Rock Canyon State Park would be open to horseback riding.  Shortly after receiving this letter, equestrian signs began to appear in the park designating where horses were permitted.  A few months after this campaign, I returned to Red Rock to check on the signs.  Low and behold I ran into the same ranger that told me to leave the park months earlier.  I said, "Do you remember me?"  He said, "Do I."  Seems that I had the whole park department in an uproar.  We both had a good chuckle over meeting again.

What would you say would be your most memorable trail ride?

The Big Merced Mariposa week ride in the back country of Yosemite is my favorite memory. The back country is absolutely beautiful.  I was able to see quite a bit of Yosemite by horseback.  This past year I have learned that the park is trying to eliminate horses from Yosemite.  This does not make sense to me.  People go to the mountains to hike and ride horses.   I am waiting to find out the final results of this issue.

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Eleanore Swanson-Young was very effective in soliciting letters of support from the community.  Because of her efforts equestrians now have use of most of the lands in Red Rock Canyon State Park Recreation Area.  We salute you, Eleanore, for a job well done.  You did make a difference.

For 20 years, Eleanore wrote a monthly column for Equestrian Trails magazine.  Eleanore stated that she tried to write stories as seen through the eyes of a horse.  Her columns were named after her horses: "Seen by Bee-seyn" and the "Meandering of Maudy." 

When asked, "How do you get a horse to write articles?" Eleanore replied, "This is one secret I am keeping to myself."