Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-09-01
SENTINEL PEAK.
A Trip to the summit-The TraiI-A Mag nifisent Panorama.


 quarry. Following this trail to its high
 est point the summit Is easily reached
 over. a lot of sr4all boulders. Here are
 three distinct traces Of some kind of for
 tIfcations. The most complete is cir cular wall of boulders about three feet
 thick, enclosing an area about eIght feet In diameter. North of this circle is
 small wall about two feet high and some
 ten feet long. East of the circle Is the
 evident ruin of another. The walls of
 the latter are all torn down. Just
 enough remains to trace its identity-aud likeness to the larger circle.
 | There IS a level area on the summit of
 some four hundred square feet, though
 at 6 distance the hill looks peaked on
 top. Several greenwood trees (palos
 verdes) as high as n mans head are
 growing around the summit and the
 crest of the hill.
 The sides of the hill are covered with
 thick GroWths of prickly pear, saguaras
 or sentinel cactus, ocatIllg, Ga cactus that
 grows in the shape of long slim pole,
 used for fenclng), mesquite, greenwood, l and herbs of various kinds.
 On the summit of a little spur to the
 north Is the new-mRde grave and monu- ment of a son of Mir. Warner. On one of the rocks of the circular fort are
 scratched the initials F. NJ. c. D. They l are supposed to represent NRsby's dem
 ocratic war cry-"POst Master Or Die" There was nothing else to be seen save
 few bits of broken glass. mementoes of
 some parties who refreshed themselves
 with soda or beer.
 | Who built this fort is unknown There was considerable work done here Tradition says that sentinels here kept
 watch for Apaches and guarded the l ancient town just at its base around the
 old ruins. If SO those old sentinels must have had microscopic eyes, for the
 wagons, loaded with passengers to Sll- | yer lake, looked like small spiders creep ing their slow length along, while the | MeXicans cultivating Dear the old ruins looked to be m size no larger than Gull l liver's lllliputs. However, a man with
 a telescope might have besn of some l service here.
 As to the signal fires, which are said to have been burned from its summit,
 the wood must have been all packed up l the mountain, as there IS not a chip or
 stick of any kind around. The paisanos
 kept no record, why should they? It IS
 always a quien sabe case with them ! They exist happily without books, jast
 as lots of Americans think they might without machinery and railroads
 There are good arguments against all | three.
 Standing on the circular fort a pano- rama presents itself to the eyes, which well repsys one for the trouble of ascent. From thegray walls Of San Xavier church on the south to the Wocdpile on the ] north the bottom land of the Santa | Cruz river IS spread ont like a baldric of green over the body of the white | desert sands. Silver lake to the south | flashes in the unlimited sunlight It is prettily fringed with trees Two or three smaller bodies of water are noticed | nearer the bases.
 4 farm well walled in, containing several ruined adobe buildings is notice able just to the south. Further on to the south Mount WrIghtson rears it's head high into the heavens, while be- yond in the blue haze may be seen the mountains of Mexico.
 To the southwest are the distant peaks N. West are the hills of the Tucson sierras. Gleason's quarry and its well constructed road attracts attention.
 Turning to the north, the queer shaped summit of Plcacho, forty-five niles dis tant. appears. The Santa CItalinas, with their pine clad tops, loom up like the Sierra MRdre, of Los Angeles, and the great mass If rocks known as "the Church" looks more ecclesiastical than ever. Their base Is skirted by the we'll wooded bottoms of the Rillito creek. l The Fort Lowell road and the new grade | of the narrow gauge railroad company are plainly seen through the desert | greasewood.
 To the north tue white stone walls of the County Hospital rise in fall view. Between the hospital and town the num- erous vegetable gardens, with their patches of differently tinted green, look Ike beautiful mosaic work. At .he base of the hill Is Warner flour mill. A little further out on the plain, surround ed by corntields, vegetable gardens. or chards, vineyards and grain fields, indI- l eating fertile soIl. stand the old ruins. 1 There are three distinct buildings. One is nothing more than a mound, beneath | which IS n cavity used as a achicken roost. Of the second but two walls stand, which | look as though they were liable to tumble | down at any time. The third is quite | well preserved. The walls of the sec | ond story still stand. From its numer- ous arched windows, it seems to have | been lodging house of some kind. The | first story Is used as a stable and dwell | ing. An old, round stairway leads up to | the second story. The joists are fine Catalina pine. The paisanos call It La Iglesia, or church. Who built itg When | was It built? Nobody answers these questions. The paisanos shrug their shoulders and say, quien sabe?
 Across the belt of green Is the mud walled houses of Tucson. In our i'm agination We liken It to Jerusalem or Damascus, for the residences of those oriental municipalities in the pictures We have seen have a striking resemblance to | the ancient and honorable pueblo. The courthouse and the railroad buildings. with their metallic roofs glimmering in l the sunshine, first attract the eyes. The i same color ot houses and ground makes , it difficult to distinguish the outlines of the houses, except where some, like the Palace Hotel. Masonic Hall. Pearson block or the CITIZEN office, Overtop the ( others in their immediate vicinity. q While ascending the peak large ed fox, with a bushy tail. jumped up n sight on the trail right above us. it the sight of reporter hunting for tems, he pricked up his finely pointed d 'ars. and disappeared behind tho rocks ike an actor taking back somersgult. The south side of the mountain IS D aid to contain many graves of Apaehes I nd Papagoes. In the vicinity is a cave T There the Papagoes once laid away their ', ead-to be eaten by coyotes. An cleo ' ric mast of 5000 candle power on the a ummit would enable farmers to carry Ii n harvest all night, and tighten the ii hole Santa Cruz valley. Between this eak and the mountain west. in the tile flat, bloody fight between n paches and Americans is said to have si iken place, some of our townsmen yet eing alive who partook in it.
 Drill-It appears that on Wednesday,