Published Letter to Pahrump Valley Times, 11/24/06  from Bob Kelley and Friends

Tecopa boycott

Gone is the laughter and happy faces once seen in this small town called Tecopa. This small hot spring town appears to be in a economic downfall.

Driving through this place last week, it appeared to be a ghost town of its former self. Chief Tecopa American Indian and generous heroic figure and founder of this once lively place willed the county hot springs to the public with a stipulation that it would be free of charge and be open always. This treaty was also recognized by the president of united states, so they say. This is not the case today.

The treaty was broken and a company called CLM (California Land Management) has taking over this once hot spring gathering place of older disabled people and not so old visitors who made the trek to this place, sometimes from 500 miles plus – each winter season. They are a commercial business with fees they now charge and the place appears to have changed forever. The locals and not-so-locals are flaming mad and are boycotting the whole town as it looks to me and many others. There are many Web sites supporting a boycott and "the people have spoken" by not going to Tecopa anymore.

Driving through the town last week, we were eyed by the Tecopa guards as we stopped to have a look at the now fenced-off hot spring building and guard shack and almost empty parking lot, which used to be full before the takeover of this once happy hot spring.

On closer look we learned also that the waters are highly bromated and much cooler than before. The manager of this place seemed to be edgy with us and impatient to get our fee. We were in no hurry to give this guy any fee because doing so would be a part of breaking a Treaty Chief Tecopa had once had with the state. Besides, all the people we once knew were gone, and looking at this guard shack and fenced off place appeared to me in my opinion looked like a prison camp rather then a place of healing.

The CLM campgrounds had around five RV campers from what we could see. This time of the season would have no less than 70 to 100 campers or more throughout the town of Tecopa. It was, to say the least, sad, as we were. The three private commercial hot springs were almost empty also. Yes, the town is in a downhill spiral economically. I mean, anyone could see that. I wondered then how much this would affect Pahrump economically as well as Shoshone. After stopping and hearing some stories of a local resident we ran into on the way out of town, we heard that CLM patrols the town to see where RV campers are camping. He says the manager of CLM has said he dislikes a lot of what he sees in town and will change it. What? I asked. The wild bath out in BLM land mysteriously closed and was destroyed soon after this guy's arrival and he is now patrolling the town after hours, we heard.

Yes, in my opinion, this place is now like a controlled prison camp rather than a place of healing. We have been visiting Tecopa now for over 20 years and will go no more. We support the boycott of this place and will never return to this place we once loved. Tecopa is a ghost town now to us and will be thought of as when we think of this place. There is no more disabled persons' pool anymore, as we hear this room is being charged 20 bucks for a party pool.

Gone is the laughter and happy faces that we once knew, and gone are us who will return no longer as long as CLM is in charge. The other private campgrounds have little to offer us as they are too expensive for us and we hear in CLM's back pocket. Strange, their prices went up after CLM took over. We support all the people who boycott Tecopa. We also pray that Chief Tecopa will somehow come to this little town's rescue as he did once before.

BOB KELLEY AND FRIENDS