Zzyzx. The word looks like something Einstein scribbled while trying to prove his famous theory of relativity. But it’s not. It’s a place in Death Valley in southeastern California. The only reason anyone goes there is because of a rare and bountiful spring located at the girdle of chocolate-colored mountains. The Spaniards were the first. Then, in 1860, the U.S. Army had a fort there. It was called Hannock’s Redoubt. Fame came to the area when Curtis Howe Springer arrived. According to some people, Dr. Springer was a flamboyant maverick. Others just called him a charlatan or a con man. Dr. Springer became a minor celebrity because of his gift of gab. He was a radio evangelist at radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh in the 1930s. The business of saving souls destined for Hell was booming, and ...