Marshal South

Roy Bennet Richards (24 February 1889 – 22 October 1948), better known by the pen name Marshal South, was an Australian author and poet, best known for his experiment in primitive living in the Anza-Borrego Desert of Southern California.

For 17 years, South lived with his family in a remote desert location, which he called Ghost Mountain, miles from any town or reliable water source. Richards took on the pen name of Marshal South after he moved to the United States and began publishing his works. He divorced his first wife, Margaret, shortly before the birth of their son. They built an adobe home, and used water cisterns to store rainwater. Their dishes and pots were made from local clay on Ghost Mountain, fired in a kiln near their home. They used yucca fibers to make webbing for chairs, sandals, and rope.

They called their home on Ghost Mountain, "Yaquitepec," named after the Yaqui tribe of Sonora, Mexico, and “tepec” meaning “hill” in Aztec.

Marshal and his wife Tanya had three children during the time they lived at Yaquitepec, Rider Del Sol South, Rudyard Del Sol South and Victoria Del Sol South. Tanya temporarily moved to the city of Oceanside, California to give birth to each of her children.

Works Marshal South published monthly articles for Desert Magazine from 1939 to 1948 and his column, entitled Desert Diary, chronicled his life with his family on Ghost Mountain. many of which were set in the American West. published in 2005. Peter Wild wrote a book about the South's experience on Ghost Mountain in a book called Marshal South of Yaquitepec, which was published in 2005.

The South family had an extensive correspondence with the readers of Marshal's writings. They had about 50 guests per year visiting Yaquitepec and many readers sent Christmas presents to the family each year.