Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-11-28
SEEN FROM PIXIES PEAK.
Description of a Climb Up the
Mountain.
Views That Are Beautiful and Yet Ter.
rible..Peaks Never Scaled
by Man-.The Indians
OF the Valley.

O'SA w <hhiAoho ouu toOk al du-
vantage of the opportunity to catch
some glimpses of the Rocky Mountains.
Neither tongue, pen nor brush can
adequately portray the awful grandeur
of the vast, solitary peaks, or the ever
living beauty of the fertile vallies.
Arizona is an olden land with a modern
history. Throughout its canyons, val
lies and mountains there is ample evi.
dence in the ruins left by its former
occupants that it was once the home of
semi civilized race unknown to us
even through tradition.
The lengthening shadows of time
give us but dim conjecture of who
they were, whence they came and
what the causes of their extinction.
Cabesa de Voca is the first European
who, with some Spanish sailors, passed
through here in the sixteenth Gentry
on their way from Florida to the Pa
cific. He is said to have discovered the
pueblos Of Mosquis, then tribe of In
dians more civilized and numerous
than now, and he called it the country
OF the seven cities, from the number
OF pueblos visited by him, and con-
tanning from 10000 to $4,000 people.
But they could give to Cacbesa no infor-
nation concerning the ruins of rude
civilization which he then noted, and
which can today be seen throughout
this land. There are yet evidences of
irrigating canals, leading off from the
rivers, from thirty to forty miles in
length.
In the immense cliffs of the rivers
can be seen the partially ruined habi-
tations of the unknown cliff dwellers,
built Of cemented stones, used number
less centuries ago. Explorers have in
them found beautiful pottery, large
casks or vases yet filled with cereals in
perfect preservation, implements Of
stone for household and outdoor use.
Like Pompeii, it seems the lives of
these Adamites went out all at once.
They left their works asone who should
walk from his home and never return.
Near Flagstaff I visited one of these
once cities. 1t must have been city
of 10000 people. We walked over
their dust. A few feet distant on the
wooded, grassy level, one could have
not dreamed of the awful chasm 80
near with its ruined dwellings suspend
ed over the precipice and the bones Of
stampeded animals bleached far, far
below. Northward is the Grand Can.
yon of the Colorado. You walk among
the wild grass, jeweled with flowers
and cannopied with trees, making with
the playful breezes, accompanying
music with the feathered songsters-a
place that lulls the tired soul and
weary brain Of man to a sweet repose.
You come abruptly to the brink OF
the great river, mile and quarter
below. There is simmer in the
dark depths. 1t Is the river. 1t ap.
pears but a span in width. At the
base of the canyon flowers bloom in
December. On the peaks above is
eternal snow. In the vallies of this
canyon dwells tribe of about 200 In.
dians. By q detour we visited one Of
their villages. These people, while
living in town, own ranches out along
the valley, which they till and pasture.
They are the Supies. They are world
to themselves. They never asked the
Government for help, and never troub
led the white. They have fruits and
vegetables introduced centuries ago by
Spanish Jesuit priests. The history oi
this whole region-east and west anG
in the vallies of the Great Divide is
First came the white trappers, hunters
and gold seekers; then the shepherd
then the cattlemen, with their herds
and much maligned COW boys; now th,
cultivator of the soil. He has come tc
stay.
There is yet trail from Manitou,
Colorado, to Pixies Peak, but 1t is no
the old trail. The cogwheel road, with
its steam mountain climbery, has al
most destroyed it. But let me speak o.
the old trail, the Indian trail of lonl
ago. The trail where the curves were
such as that in rounding one on my
broncho, could neither see his heat
nor tail. Wiry, devilish, but withal
sure footed, unkillable, the broncht
is, with his brother, the burro, the an
cient mountain climber. Let hin
alone; he knows his business. He viii
not brook interference. He will star
off on a wild daredevil gallop along ,
precipice, to look over which make
ones hair rise. Ascending, ha(
frequently to put my arms about hi
neck to keep his company.
Decending, put my feet against hi
neither jaw, clung to his tail and won
dered where I was "at." We starte,
from Manitou, the Western Saratoga
with its iron and soda and sulphu
springs. 1t is thirteen miles to th
summit. 1t was summer in Manitou
We followed q canyon up, up, up thi
great wart on the body of the earth
along the boisterously beautiful stream
Ruxton, with its pure, limpid, spark
ling water, laughing, leapiug, singin
here, frothing, foaming angrily there
until it becomes q little fussy stream
then, tributarily above timber line,