The Penn's Grove record., 1885-01-31
stone Forests.

Llthodendron City as yet does not
figure on the maps of Arizona. 1t
dwells in the minds eye Of a mixed
lot composed of iaymen aud scientists,
who have pitched several tents on the
banks OF the Lithodendron River, and
bsptizing the spot with the ImPid
waters, have christened 1t L~ithodendron
City, only to Jump tue claim on the
following morning and found another
city of the same name at night, per-
maps thirty miles away, 80 that Lltho-
dendron is almost anywhere along the
banks of that river that flows quickly
along, like some iaggard that has fallen
behind the times and, as if abashed, Is
stealing on through scene> that bear the
stamp Of long ago,
one evening, as Lithodendron had
been founded tor about the fftieth
time, a MIlesian gentleman, whoformed
one of the scientific corps Of investiga-
tors, was r. quested to bring in some
wood for the practical purpose OF boil
ing coffee. Half an hour passed, and
then the w~ood-cutter appeared with a
wild look on his countenance. NOV,
ain'tit a curious thing, ne commenced.
pointing to the K that looked as If it
had been purposely dulled with = file,
Dye know, General, torninst in the
old dart, Father Malone, long life to bis
worshipl told me av a country beyand
the says whore the trees and the cattle
we're all turned to stone. It's iokin'
We air. says I. Yell live TO see the
day I'm not, says Father Malone; and
more power to HIM, I've done that
same thing. iii produce me resigna-
ton av yer honor'll give me pin and
paper and some one to write; I'm on
the home track tho very night Mat
teri Look at the axei Divil a piece OF
wood butts turned into stOnei The first
bit ay a tree l found, l laid of me coat
and fetched il a blow, when it flew out
of me hands, and the tree let out a
stream of light half a mile long. l tried
FIVE, an each one was harder than the
other, and in the bush was stone birds
a-sleepIn' on the limbs, and each twig
weighed a ton"
Pat was thus the first to discover a
feature of the valley that formed one OF
the quests of the party, ma nelly, the
famous fossil forests that have been the
wonder of everyone who has visited this
region.
The slope OF the river, here about
fifty feet III height, presents q remsrka-
BILE appearance. Not a green object Is
to be seen, but all about, strewn here
and there, some erect and others pros
trate, lie myriads of pieces of strong
trees, limbs, trunks and branches OF
AfnN lTGn hoNAuaaa- thu rannaIna nf a
once mighty forest. So thick are these
in some places that II can almost i'm
agine that this is the bed OF some creek
with all its polished boulders laid bare,
only that the remains have all the
structural beauties that characterize
them when alive. The cause of the
wholesale destruction of the stone for
estsis undoubtedly due to the extremes
of heat and cold that have snapped
them off and hurled them to the ground.
The soil here is soft and sandy, with
some clay, perfectly adapted to the
preservation of the remains, The size
of some of these trees might have
compared with the extant sequoia OF
the National Park. One trunk was
225 feet long and about five feet in
uldLu6bSiS dhu 81 huStJ PiOoOA
photographed In the rock, as it were,
that until the axe glanced from its tint-
like bark and sparks of fire followed,
one could hardly realize the change
that had taken place. The trunks that
are broken show remarkable features,
snd a company, it Is said, has been or
ganized to cut them up INTO various
articles of ornament, which when pol
: ished present a m~arvelously beautiful
~~lrface. The color of the wood is pre-
serN~3' md veins of the richest red
run mere and there, anon changing 10
yellow, gray or hlua The remarkable
coloring has given rise to some curious
and erroneous impressions in the mind
of the noble red men principally Nav
aioes) that summer In the locality.
They have a legend that their fore
fathers were a vast and powerful race
aad that they conquered a mighty giant
that lived on the L~ithodendron. The
fossil trees they consider his bones Q r
parts of the skeleton, and the
and even the lava beds, tha -
Ao blood WHOM
ran from him.