The weekly Arizona miner., 1872-01-20
ALMOST FORGOTTEN NOTES.

the day upon wkich the writer reached DIS sanctum. from a long tour through south western Arizona, and letter from ocar friend on the Colorado, which letter was re- eeived by last mail, brings to mlnd me ra'"- CT unpleasaut fact that the incidents, etc., etc, of our pleasant trip have not, to the disappointment of friends, "yet appeared m the MISEar, We'll, well, we have not been unmindful of this, as yet, unperformed duty. Circumsfances-too numerous to mention- have consrircd to keep us from performing IL. linen, too, humanity is greatly inclined to lazincss, and this atom of the "sea" thereof is no exception to the general fule. Serl- ousIy. however, press Of other business has, until now, "persuaded" us from attempting to ret awayn with this labor. But, when friends and supporters call upon us to render sn account of matters and things seen by us, on the tour in question, it bchoOyes us to awake arise, or be forever "cussed, and as we would not like to hear ourself "cusscd, we make a
 BEGIsNISG,
 By informing all who may care to know that, on the evening of October 2S, 1871, as the pale moon sat higa in the Heavens with sen tineI stars above, below and on every side of her, C. H. Veil and ourself might have been seen, as the novclists say, seated in buggy, behind two fine roadsters, whose heads were turned westward, and whose limbs,-nlmble as those of coyotes-kept moving rapidly oyer the hilly road leading westward from Prescott.
 Oh! it was delightful night. Clear be- yond comparison, and just cool enough to force us to call into service, great coats, blan kets and gloves. And what scenery did we pass on the way! Huge mountains, whose rounded sides told us plainly that the mate rial of which they were composed was gran ite, stood on every hand their tops silvered by the light of the moon, their dark sides covered with noble pines, oaks, etc, and pre- scnting rather gloomy, but inspiring, ap- pcarancc. Inspiring from the fact that they had been moulded into shape by the power of the Creator, and gloomy, because of the spectral shadows cast from one mountain to another, from tall trees to burly rocks, which, at every step, confronted us, and kept us in mind of the ncver-to-bc forgotten idea--in Arizona, at least, that from behind any of said rocks, out of any of said shadows might whiz bullet or arrow,--or shower of eth CT or oth,-which would prove fatal alike to ourselves and the noble animals which were using their strength to get us along on our journey. We, at least, thought of this danger, and firmly did we grasp our loaded rifles; keenly did we direct our sight at sus- picious looking places and objects. Anon, as we proceeded, points where attacks had formerly been made by savages of this Ter ritory, upon unsuspecting white men, came into view, as did also numerous graves in which reposcd brave, noble, seli-denying American pioneers who had fallen by accur- sed hands, while hewing pathway, through the wilderness, for civilization. Houses, in small valleys, nestled under superb noun tains, were occasionally passed; some ol which sheltered slumbcring mortas who, for the past eight years, have watched and wait cd for Death, ut the hands of the red ficnds incarnate who have plundered them of ami mals, crops, etc, and caused them more un- easiness than would be borne by any other people than Arizona pioneers. Mint Valley Is soon reached and knowing ,h.t nigh, rough and dangerous divide is to be crossed before we again strike level, open ground, wc'stop at the house, thinking to have chat with its proprietor, Mir. Mckee, and to warm our benumbed fingers at his fire. But, to Out kt.di ttSaIpOfuttHCut, Ubth Ol dog or voice of man greeted us upon alight- ing, and look around the premises satisfied us that the drouth of the past three years, together with the pressure from Indians, had forced Mac to desert a spot so dear 10 him. He was gone; sure, and this knowledge made us sad, for naugkt more depresses the spirit of mountaineer than the sight of deserted mountain home. An! the cabin was there, and so, too, was that magnificent pile of rocks, Granite Mountain, with its bleached 'cheek-bones," # we may be allowed the expression; its high and mighty peaks its corrugated sides, and noddins trees, all. or nearly all, bathed in mild, silvery light, from the fully developed Moon which now stood straight over thus grand old mountain. and flooded it with light. 1t was picture to i'm press one with reverence for the Sublime ar tist,-the author of all that is or ever has been. And the solitude of the scene would have been complete had not band of cattle. belonging to some train, encamped close bv. passed in review, driven by some faithful herder towards an encampment on the Will lamson Valley road
 THE CROSSING or THE DIVIDE
 Was accomplished in good time, and clad were we when the last of its favorable points TOT ihuians to attack party, was left behind. and We were, once more travelling. now ovcr rolling ground, and again through valleys set like jems in the foothills. and supnorrin, awealth of nutritious grasses. stately oaks and other highly ornamsl,sal trees.
 "roNro sPRIscsn Was soon passed and on We bound.a. ar rlsins Ut Ed. F. Bowers place, in Skull Val Icy. between l2 and o'clock at night, hay .ng made the distance from Prescott--s5 miles, In five hours.
 Anu nere, let us say, that for farming anu ss-,ne purposes the foot-hill portion o' .se country traversed by our road, is not eas'iy surpassed. Grass. grass, meets the eye on every hand. This, too, after three dry years had swept oyer it. To make all of fsh's sec aon subservient, for the purposes named, wells will have to be sunk, and the never ialiing supply Of water now resting, unem- pioyed, upon the bedrock, brought to the surface. When this shall have been done, Tue Toad from Prescott to Skull Valley will
 haed with houses, and horses, cattle, sheep.
 all be numbered by thousands.
 SKULL VALLEY,
 V sr, y.., sls~a t-- Cot bslic ss