The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-12-19
The Stone Forests Of Arizona,

. The Stone Forests Of Arizona.
N. Y. Evening Post.
! Lithodendon City as yet does moi
: figure on the maps of Arizona. II
, dwells in the mind eye of mixed LOT
composed of laymen and scientists, who
have pitched several tents on the banks
of the Lithodendron river, and, baptiz-
ing the spot with the limpid waters,
have christened it Lithodendron City,
only to Jump the claim on the following
morning and found another city of the
same name at night, perhaps thirty
miles away, SO that Lithodendron is al
most anywhere along the banks of that
river that flows quickly along, like
some laggard that has fallen behind the
times and, as if abashed, is stealing on
through the scenes that bear the stamp
Ut long ago.
One evening, as Lithodendron had
been founded for about the fifthieth
time, Milesian gentleman, who form
ed one OF the assistants to the scientific
corps OF investigators, was requested to
bring in some wood for the practical
purpose of boiling coffee Half an hour
passed, and then the wood-cutter ap-
peared with wild look on his honest
countenance. '.Now, amt it curious
thing" he commenced, pointing to the
AK. that looked as if it had been dulled |
purposely with file. ''D'ye know,
general, fOrnist in the old dart, Father |
Malone, long life to his Worship told
me av a country beyond the says where
the trees and the cattle were all turned
to stone It's jokin' We air. SAYS /.
'Ye' II live to see the day I'm not, says
Father Malone; and more power to him,
I've done that thing. I'll produce me
resignation av yer honor'n give me pin
and paper and some one to write; I'm
on the home track the very night.
Matterp Look at the AK! Divil piece
OF wood butts turned to stonel The
first bit av a tree found, | laid off me
coat fetched it a blow, when it flew
out OF me hands, and the tree let out
stream av light half a mile long. |
tried live, an each one was harder than
the other, and in the bush was stone
birds a-sleepin' on the limbs, and each
twig weighed ton"
Fat was thus the first to discover a
feature of the valley that formed one of
the quests of the party, namely, the
famous fossil forests that have been the
wonder of every one who has visited
this region.
The slope of the river, here about fif-
ty feet in height, presents remarkable
appearance. Not a green object is to
De seen, but all about, strewn here and
mere, some erect and others PROSTATE,
he myriads of pieces of strong trees,
limbs, trunks and branches of fiint-like
lardness-the remains of a once mighty
crest. SO thick are these in some
places that one can almost imagine that
his is the bed of some creek with all its
,olished boulders laid bare, only that
he remains have all the structural
eauties that characterized them when
i've. The cause of the wholesale de-
OF the stone forests is I'M
oubtedly due to the extremes of heat
nd cold that have snapped them off
nd hurled them to the ground. The
oil here is soft and sandy, with some
ay, perfectly adapted to the preser-
alton of the remains. The size of
'me of these trees shows that many of
lem might have compared with the u
ltant sequoia of the National Park. II
ne trunk was 225 feet long and about
'e feet in diameter, and so finely pre-
rived and photographed in the rock,
it were, that until the ak glanced
ON its flint-like bark and sparks of
e followed, one could hardly realize
e change that had taken place The
inks that are broken show remark
lie features and company, it is said
IS been organized to cut them up into g
rious articles of ornament, which,
hen polished, present marvelously
autiful surface. The color of the
'od is preserved, and veins of the rich M
red run here and there, anon chang Ill
to yellow, gray or blue. The re-
lrkable coloring has given
to some curious and erroneous i'm
essions in the mind of the noble red
m principally Navajoes) that sum-
II in the locality. They have legend
It their forefathers were vast and
xerful race and that they conquered
Mighty giant that lived on the Litho- =.
,dron. The fossil trees they consider
bones or parts of the skeleton, and
red stains and even the lava beds.
blood which ran from him