The Sage of Garza Creek and His Ship of Life: A Case Study in Soil Education and the Intersection of Earth Sciences and History.

In central Kings County, California a rather unique burial plot exists built by an equally unique individual over the last twenty years of his life. Consisting of a large sandstone sarcophagus shaped like a ship surrounded by various pieces of sandstone, marine shell fossils, petrified wood and granite sporting carved images and poetry, the gravesite does not include the name of the deceased nor any dates. The gravesite is the visible legacy of a man named Kenzie Whitten “Blackhorse” Jones, also known as “The Sage of Garza Creek.” Garza Creek is an intermittent stream located approximately 6 kilometers west of Avenal, California.
This study details how Soil Science and associated disciplines helped solve mysteries related to Kenzie Whitten Jones’ life and death that had persisted for more than a century. Experience with soil education has taught us that an excellent method of outreach utilizes the five soil formation factors as a teaching platform and that hands-on experience is a preferred method of outdoor soils education.
Mysteries surrounding the life of Kenzie Whitten Jones were abundantly evident from information attached to a fence that protects his gravesite. The sign stated that “he died in October, 1909 while leading a horse across a creek.” According to the sign, he raised Black Morgan horses for use by mortuaries and became a recluse as the result of a tragedy that occurred in early adulthood.
Events that occurred in 1909, 1978, and subsequent discoveries during the last decade provided answers to many questions. Soil formation factors were utilized to provide an understanding of Jones’ life and as a teaching opportunity about soils.