Arizona Sketches.docx

Arizona Sketches.docx

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ArizonaSketches

ArizonaSketchesbyJosephA.MunkCHAPTER

I.AROMANTICLAND

II.MYFIRSTTRIPTOARIZONA

III.THEOPENRANGE

IV.RANCHLIFE

V.THEROUND-UP

VI.RANCHHAPPENINGS

VII.AMODELRANCH

VIII.SOMEDESERTPLANTS

IX.HOOKER'SHOTSPRINGS

X.CANONECHOES

XI.THEMETEORITEMOUNTAIN

XII.THECLIFFDWELLERS

XIII.THEMOQUIINDIANS

XIV.AFINECLIMATE

CHAPTERI

AROMANTICLAND

AstrangeronfirstenteringArizonaisimpressedwiththenewnessandwildnessthatsurroundshim.Indeed,thechangeissogreatthatitseemslikegoingtosleepandwakingupinanewworld.Everythingthatheseesisdifferentfromthefamiliarobjectsofhishome,andheisfilledwithwonderandamazementatthemanycuriousthingsthatarebroughttohisnotice.Judgingthecountrybywhatiscommonbackeast,theaveragemanisdisappointedandprejudicedagainstwhathesees;

but,estimatedonitsmerits,itisfoundtobealandofmanyattractionsandgreatpossibilities.

Ahastytripthroughthecountrybyrailgivesnoadequateideaofitsintrinsicvalue,assuchalimitedviewonlyaffordsasuperficialglimpseofwhatshouldbeleisurelyandcarefullyexaminedtobeproperlyunderstoodorappreciated.Atthefirstglanceitpresentstheappearanceofadesert,buttoonewhoisacquaintedwithitspeculiaritiesitisbynomeansdesolate.Itfurnishesastrongcontrasttotherollingwoodlandsofthefareast,andtotheboundlessprairiesofthemiddlewest;and,thoughitmayneverdevelopontheplanoftheolderstates,likeCalifornia,ithasanindividualityandcharmofitsown;anditsendowmentofnaturalwealthandbeautyrequiresnoborrowingfromneighborstogiveitcharacterorsuccess.

Ithasgrandscenery,asalubriousclimate,productivesoil,richmineraldepositsandrarearchaeologicalremains.Italsohasadiversifiedfaunaandflora.Thepeccary,Gilamonster,tarantula,centipede,scorpionandhornedtoadarespecimensofitsstrangeanimallife;and,thenumerousspeciesofcacti,yucca,maguey,paloverdeandmistletoearesamplesofitscuriousvegetation.Itis,indeed,thescientist'sParadisewheremuchvaluablematerialcanbefoundtoenrichalmosteverybranchofnaturalscience.

HithertoitsgrowthhasbeengreatlyretardedbyitsremotepositioninUncleSam'sdomain;but,withthecomparativelyrecentadventoftherailroad,theinfluxofcapitalandpopulation,andthesuppressionoftheoncedreadedandtroublesomeApache,anewlifehasbeenawakenedthatisdestinedtoredeemthecountryfromitsancientlethargyandmakeitalandofpromisetomanyhomeseekersandsettlers.

WhentheSpaniardsunderCoronadofirstenteredthelandmorethanthreehundredandfiftyyearsagoinsearchofthesevencitiesofCibola,theyfounduponthedesertsufficientevidenceofanextinctracetoprovethatthelandwasoncedenselypopulatedbyanagriculturalandprosperouspeople.Whenorhowtheinhabitantsdisappearedisunknownandmayneverbeknown.

Itisevenindoubtwhotheywere,but,presumably,theywereoftheAztecorToltecrace;or,perhaps,ofsomecivilizationevenmoreremote.

ThePuebloIndiansaresupposedtobetheirdescendants,but,ifso,theywere,whenfirstfound,asignorantoftheirancestorsastheywereoftheirdiscoverers.Whenquestionedastothepasttheycouldgivenointelligentanswerastotheirantecedents,butclaimedthatwhatthewhitemansawwastheworkofMontezuma.Allthatisknownofthisancientpeopleiswhattheruinsshow,astheyleftnowrittenrecordoreventraditionoftheirlife,unlessitbesomeinscriptionsconsistingofvarioushieroglyphicsandpictographsthatarefoundpaintedupontherocks,whichundoubtedlyhaveameaning,butforlackofinterpretationremainasealedbook.Thedeepmysteryinwhichtheyareshroudedmakestheirhistoryallthemoreinterestingandgivesunlimitedscopeforspeculation.

Arizonaisalandthatisfullofhistoryaswellasmysteryandinvitesinvestigation.Ithasafascinationthateveryonefeelswhocrossesitsborder.Paradoxicalasitmayseemitisboththeoldestandnewestportionofourcountry--theoldestinancientoccupationandcivilizationandthenewestinmodernprogress.InnaturalwondersitboastsoftheGrandCanonofArizona,thepainteddesert,petrifiedforest,meteoritemountain,naturalbridge,Montezuma'swellandmanyothermarvelsofnature.Therearealsoruinsgalore,thecaveandcliffdwellings,crumbledpueblos,extensiveacequias,paintedrocks,thecasagrandeandoldSpanishmissions.Anyonewhoisinsearchoftheoldandcurious,neednotgotoforeignlands,butcanfindrighthereathomeinArizonaandthesouthwest,agreaternumberandvarietyofcuriositiesthancanbefoundinthesamespaceanywhereelseupontheglobe.

Arizonaisalandofstrongcontrastsandconstantsurprises,whereunusualconditionsprevailandtheunexpectedfrequentlyhappens.

FromthehighColoradoplateauofnorthernArizonathelandslopestowardthesouthwesttotheGulfofCalifornia.Acrossthislongslopeofseveralhundredmilesinwidth,numerousmountainrangesstretchfromthenorthwesttothesoutheast.

ThroughthemiddleoftheTerritoryfromeasttowest,flowstheGilarivertoitsconfluencewiththeColorado.Thisstreammarksthedividinglinebetweenthemountainswhichdescendfromthenorthandthosethatextendsouth,whichincreaseinaltitudeandextentuntiltheyculminateinthegrandSierraMadresofMexico.

Thetravelerinpassingthroughthecountrynevergetsentirelyoutofthesightofmountains.Theyriseupallabouthimandboundthehorizonnearandfarineverydirection.Inridingalonghealwaysseemstobeapproachingsomedistantmountainbarrierthateverrecedesbeforehimasheadvances.Heisneverclearoftheencirclingmountainsfor,asoftenashepassesoutofoneenclosurethroughagapinthemountains,hefindshimselfhemmedinagainbyanewone.Thepeculiarityofalwaysbeinginthemidstofmountainsandyetnevercompletelysurrounded,isduetoanarrangementofdovetailingoroverlappingintheirformation.Hiswindingwayleadshimacrossbarrenwastes,throughfertilevalleys,amongrollinghillsandintoshelteredparks,whichcombineanendlessvarietyofattractivescenery.

AnArizonalandscape,thoughmostlyofadeserttype,isyetfullofinteresttotheloverofnature.Itpresentsastrangelyfascinatingview,thatonceseen,willneverbeforgotten.Itstirsaraptureinthesoulthatonlynaturecaninspire.

Lookingoutfromsomecommandingeminence,awidespreadinganddiversifiedlandscapeispresentedtoview.Thoughhardandrugged,thepicture,asseenatadistance,lookssoftandsmoothanditsdetailsofformandcolormakeanabsorbingstudy.

Theeyeisquicktonotethedifferenthuesthatappearinthefieldofvisionandreadilyselectsfivepredominatingcolors,namely,gray,green,brown,purpleandblue,whichmingleharmoniouslyinvariouscombinationswithalmosteveryothercolorthatisknown.Themostbrilliantlights,sombreshadows,exquisitetintsanddelicatetonesareseenwhich,ifputoncanvasandjudgedbytheordinary,wouldbepronouncedexaggeratedandimpossiblebythoseunfamiliarwiththeoriginal.

Theprevailingcolorisgray,madebythedrygrassandsandysoil,andextendsineverydirectiontothelimitofvision.Thegrammagrassoftheandregiongrowsquicklyandturnsgrayinsteadofbrown,asgrassesusuallydowhentheymature.Itgivestothelandscapeasubduedandquietcolor,whichispleasingtotheeyeandmakestheidealbackgroundinapicture.

Intothiswarpofgrayiswovenawoofofgreen,spreadinginirregularpatchesinalldirections.Itismadebythechaparral,whichiscomposedofavarietyofdesertplantsthatarenativetothesoilandcanliveonverylittlewater.Itconsistsofliveoak,pinion,mesquite,desertwillow,greasewood,sagebrush,palmilla,maguey,yuccaandcactiandismostlyevergreen.

Theadmixtureofgrayandgreenprevailsthroughouttheyearexceptduringthesummerrainyseason,when,iftherainsareabundant,thegraydisappearsalmostentirely,andtheyounggrassspringsupasbymagic,coveringthewholecountrywithacarpetoflivinggreen.Inthemidstofthebillowygrassmyriadsofwildflowersbloom,andstandsingleorshouldertoshoulderinmassesofsolidcolorbytheacre.

Uponthefarmountainsisseenthesombrebrowninthebarerocks.Thewholeregionwasatonetimeviolentlydisturbedbyseismicforceandtheglowofitsquenchedfireshasevenyetscarcelyfadedaway.Largemassesofigneousrocksandbroadstreamsofvitrifiedlavabearmutetestimonyofthechange,when,bysomemightysubterraneanforce,thetumultuousseawasrolledbackfromitspristinebedand,initsstead,loftymountainsliftedtheirbaldbeadsabovethesurroundingdesolation,andstandto-dayastheyhavestoodinmassivegrandeureversincetheancientdaysoftheirupheaval.Ruggedandbleaktheytowerhigh,ortaketheformofpillar,spireanddome,insomeseeminglywell-constructededificeerectedbythehandofman.Butthemountainsarenotallbarren.Vastareasoffertilesoilflankthebarerockswherevegetationhastakenroot,andlargefieldsofforageandextensiveforestsofoakandpineaddvalueandbeautytotheland.

Theatmosphereisastrikingfeatureofthecountrythatisaspleasingtotheeyeasitisinvigoratingtothebody.Overallthelandscapehangsaveilofsoft,purplehazethatisbewitching.Itgivestothesceneamysterious,subtlesomethingthatisexquisiteandholdsthesensesinamagicspellofenchantment.

Distancealsoisdeceptiveandcannotbeestimatedasunderotherskies.Thefar-offmountainsarebroughtnear