The weekly Arizona miner., 1878-05-17
ARIzoNA SCENERY.

R. J. Hinton, of the San Francisco Post,
 in his Hand Book to Arizona" has the fol-
 lowing Interesting description of Arizona's s
 scenery, rivers, mountains, etc.:
 Arizona may be described as one of the
 most marvellous portions of the American
 continent, equaled perhaps, but not sur
 passed, by the wonderful Yellowstone region.
 whose striking features of mountain. chasm.
 geyser, and strange color-tones Moran's
 brush has made familiar. The western
 Sierras can be divided into three great divi-
 sions-the parks, basins and plateau. Lying
 between the Rocky Mountains on the east
 and the Sierra Nevada on the west. the
 transverse chains form great basins, of which
 that of the Salt Lake is the chief within the
 bounds of the United States. The park sys
 tenn IS found chiefly in that portion of the
 Rocky Mountains embraced by a part of
 Wyoming and the whole of Eastern Colo
 rado, reaching down along the north west edge of New Mexico and extending over to the eastern portion of Arizona, where, at the head of the Gila, Rio Verde, Colorado Chiquito, Puecero and Rio Francisco. several small parks, bowl-like gems of exquisite scenery, are found. Arizona exhibits the plateau system in its greatest features. One half of the great Colorado plateau lies with Tn its borders, occupying about two-fiiths of Its are,, It forms an irregular triangle from the point where the Rio Colorado enters it i to the northwest eastward nearly to the | Rib Grande, and northward into Utah, fall | ing away at the San Juan in Colorado and | merging into the great ranges that form the | Rocky Mountains. From the northern | line it stretches south, on the east as far as the Rio Giia, which breaks from and through its lower bench-the Mogollon. | From its extreme southern point the outer eGge of this massive range of almost con- tinuous mountain trends to the north h.west Tor nearly three degrees of latitude. Its southern ana eastern D int may be set down at 109 degrees of longitude Its northern md western, within the territory of Arizona, 1t about ll5 degrees. The Colorado plateau consists of three mountain benches, having ln average altitude of from 4.000 to 6,0OO eet above the sea, the surface of which is a level, with occasional peaks md bluffs of strange fantastic forms and
 tartling heights This great formation is uttered on the north by the Rio Colorado. which cuts its way. westward through the nightiest of chasms and canyons. It is en- cred on the northeast edge by the Rio San Iuan, forming region famous now for its ilver deposits, and it is also pierced by the )oloradosC sChiquito. the Verde. the Saa Fran , isco. Salina, or Salt, and the upper forks of , he Gila River. These rivers make more r less deep canyons and narrow valleys: the stter are adapted to stock and agriculture. ; The summits of the plateaux in many places 1, urnish nutritious food for stock. ss
 The mountain ranges of Arizona make . ne Fits understandable features, rivalling 2 ven in the grandeur of their formation the Z 'onderful canyon system which finds in the curse of the Colorado, the Gila, and the
 olorado- -Chiquito the most magnificent off
 illustrations, with regard either to the tightly forces that have been and still are s ! work to produce them, or the amazing i laiesfy of scenery which thev disnlav