The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-07-05
SIGHTS IN NEW MEXICO
AND ARIZONA.
A Highly Interesting and Instructive
Latter from j. G. barnett. Form
eriy OF this City.

Il
eriy OF this City.
To the Editors OF TIE NEWS;
Seeing in q late issue of The NEWS /
short letter from an Emporium, who is
sightseeing in the west, thought II
might interest some of your readers 10
hear about New Mexico and northern
Arizona, especially along the line Of the
new Trans Continental railway, shortly |
TO be opened for tsaVel-the Atlantic &
Pacific railway. As you are aware, the
general officers Of the road are located
at Albuquerque. This town is not alone |
noted throughout the west for its re-
markable growth, but also for the ener-
~, push and hospitality Of its citizens.
just three years ago the ground upon
which the new town Of Albuquerque
now stands was Mexican farm, cult
waited by irrigAtiDg bitches and
acequas. Large green fields of alfalfa
covered most OF the ground where now
stands busy, busting, thriving town Of
over 5000 people. 1t il now the county
seat of Bernalillo county. and is assun-
ing to be the capital OF the territory of
New Mexico. EAI
The A. & r. machine shops and car
shops are located here. Starting from
Albuquerque this road runs almost due
west to the Colorado river, which is
now being spanned by u substantial
wooden bridge, soon TO be replaced by a
more lasting one OF iron and stone.
The town is divided into old and new
towns. The Mexican, or old town, has
been settled for oyer two centuries and
its ancient cathedral, built by the old |
Spanish Dons. bears evidence of Its
age. The sold bell" in the tower bears |
the inscription of its birth, 1898" 1t
Is composed of combination of metals |
not the least part OF which is gold. 1t
has witnessed many and many an Indian |
fight and has tolled for ages the warn
ing notes which Indian camp fires de- |
noted and gathered together the scatter |
ed settlers for common protection against |
the noble red man. But this is all
changed now, The advent of that great
civilizer, the railroad, has driven the
savage from his haunts and now the
peaceful pursuits Of commence and
trade reign supreme and the almighty
| dollar is the sovereign coin. The old
town is entirely built of adobe houses
with thlck, heavy walls and low fiat roofs.
The streets, ah wei, / should say, the
winding COW paths between the houses
are merely so much space LEFT for breath
ing purposes. All Mexican towns have
their plaza, and this Is NO exception
All the trading is done at the stores
which usually form the four sides of the
plaza. Here the gay and festive ''bull
puhcher' and "mule whacker' congre-
| gate to discuss the wool market and
Whit their cigarettes.
Leaving Albuquerque and her bust
ling, busy throng, we start west on the
| line OF the A. IL =. for a short trip
through Arizona. The cars are as good
as on any of your eastern lines, and al
though not making such fast time as
your "Cannonball" and "Thunderbolt''
trains, we arrive at our destination in
due time. After a pleasant nights ride
and refreshing sleep on the soft side
of two cushions, we hear the welcome
voice of the brakeman announce, GWEN
" minutes for breakfast" at Manuelito,
so called after the Navajo Indian chief
In whose dominions VIC are taking our
morning meal. The hotel building,
though only 8 feet by so and numbered
al, 14O, A. 81 Pr" should not be judged
by its outward appearance. We fully
not to be despised, and that outside ap-
pearances were often deceiitul.
i After leaving Manuelito we came TO
the town of Holbrook, Arizona. We
notice about dozen new buildings in
process of erection and several nice
stores, apparently well filed with large
stocks of groceries, etc. Fifteen miles
from this place, IN southwesterly di-
rection, is situated the celebrated Petri-
fed Forest, visit to which will amply
repay any one. There are really two
petrified forests, one about ten miles
and the other fifteen miles from Hol-
brook. They are study for the geolo-
gIst. Located in a level valley sur
rounded by undulating hills of gray
sandstone are to be found acres and
acres of ground covered with petrified
rock of all colors, the predominating
being bright scarlet. l saw one tree
1870 feet long whose entire root, branches
and trunk were one solid mass of petri-
cation. Others were scattered round in
all directions, principally in blocks or
. secti )ns about two to four feet long and
!; from one TO three feet in diameter. A
} great many of these boulders contain
crystals of the most beautiful colors-
white, smoked and lilac, and sparkle
most brilliantly when exposed to the
} SUMS rays. They have to be broken
open with blasting powder, as the crys-
tails are always on the inside Of the
trees, occupying the place of the pith in
the live tree.
To me 1t was like city of the dead,
to see this petrified forest with its huge
masses OF petriiication lying in all man.
ner of shapes and positions just as they
, were left hundreds, aye, perhaps thou
sands of years ago. The great cOnvul-
sions of nature which must have taken
place to cause these wonderful results
leave no trace of the principles or
modus operdndi by which it was effected.
So leaving this nut. for the geologist
} to crack, give you my impressions of
what / saw there. What strikes
me more forcibly is the tact
that the surrounding sandstone cliffs
are In nowise affected by petrihcation
There are no rivers or creeks or canyons
in this vicinity, no high, towering rocks
from which these petrifications could.
have fallen. They lie in a fiat open
valley and from whence they came who
can say? gathered quite good col.
lection of these petrihcations which will
form part of an exhibit at the celebrated
TertiO- Millennial to be held at Santa Fe,
commencing July LIST. After a hard days
work ON this celebrated "rock pile" we
returned TO the hotel and wooed sweet
i slumber-nature's reward to honest toll.
In my next will tell you something
of what saw along the line of the A.
& p. and my trip up Clear creek.
JIG. b.
|
Noble Red Men. tt4a
L NanShn Tribe No T n II n