Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-03-17
APETR|F|EDFOREST
II Is Located Twelve Miles
fr0ra HOlbrOOk. in Arizona.
A GREAT NATURAL BRIDGE
Being the Trunk Of Gigantic
Tree Turned 10 Solid Stone.
VAST NUMBER OF PRONE GIANTS.
All Turned to Stone. Lying silent
and sim I'm Great
Volcanic Basin.
VAST NUMBER OF PRONE GIANTS.

magazines and newspapers about the |
petrlfed forest Of Arizonn. Invariably !
they treat OF the comparatively small
number Of trees which constitute FOR
est about twelve miles from Holbrook.
That Is about as far as the average tour
ist ever gets-cnd further, In fact, than
one In hundred ever goes. To leave a
comfortable Pullman on through-bounu |
overland train, ride horseback or in |
wagon thirty to nifty miles Just TO sec |
n lot OF petrifed trees is task that few
overland travellers ever think Of doing.
But II tho guide books which are so |
thoroughly believed only illustrated some |
OF the trees they were TO see there, and
II some really accurate Information as
10 the extent OF the forest were given
hundreds would visit It every year. who
never think OF doing so now. That there
are trees there. thirteen feet thick, two |
hundred feet long and 80 beautifully |
petrihed as to present every color OF the |
rainbow, tourists do not know. That |
there IL a natural bridge, slXty-five feet
long. bridging a gulch, over which tho |
sightsecr may walk. is a bit Of news they |
do not know. ana that this natural bridge |
Il the trunk Of u gigantic tree. turned 10 |
solid stone, is also information that would |
These are facts. and It may be added !
that the traveller, II he cares to undertake |
leisurely days Journey into the real !
forest, may see hundreds Of acres OF trees, ]
mammoth In proportion. all clear Of the /
earth. varying iu length from 2lu to nftg /
feet and In thickness from the tremendous
thirteen-footor 10 snpllngs as large as n
mans arm. And surrounding 1t all,
curious mineral basin volcanic beyond Il
doubt.
It Is to be regretted that It So imprac-
tcable In q newspaper article TO reproduce
photographs by the hnlf-toue process.
such as Ia used In magazine work, Then
the reader might get Il better idea OF the
valley IN which these interesting sights
are to be seen than can be obtained from
pen and Ink tracings from tne same pie
lures But the forest "a Illustrated here
to the best possible advantage. and the
pictures certainly present features that
are entirely new TO those familiar with
tho little side show forest mentioned
above.
When Holhrook was very young town
ana a very remarkable one, In many re-
spects, made the acquaintance Of a man
named clark, who was the local bouface,
Clark had come from tho States" at
some former period. and had cast his lot
m Holbrook When the Atlantic q Pa
ciilc railroad reached that point the town
OF the morale OF It's population. The
tin-horn gambler" the monte man.
the card SHARP" and tho hard man"
were 10 be found at every turn. and fights
were more numerous than was pleasant
But Clark continued to cater 20 the wants
Of overland tourists ana business mon
who had call to stop at Holbro0k The
Indians had been peddiing pieces OF petri-
ned wood at the trains for months. since
the passenger service had been inaugu-
rated, and CLARK determined to see the
entire forest u It were possible, In order
to map out "a route for "a stage, to take
tourists through It. l was fortunate 10
20 with him, as one OF "a party OF four,
on this voyage OF discovery. Some pro-
apectors In Tho town Thought we were Oh
70 the halls IN search Of a claim, and
laughed roundly at US as We left the
town. There wasn't gold enough In that
country 10 earn onuA Aatt they SAID, anu
We were GA a Wia-Bouse chase.
Wttul4 YEA or dozen mites OF the
town, We eamo TO hlgh mesa, after as
cenains WHICH We found here ana there,
peulhed loGs, pretty We'll broken up by
exposure to thc elements Tor countless
cvnsur.es, and. AS we iourneyCd further
toward the south. found better spcci-
mems and more OF them, At the edge OF
the valley, or, rather, mesa, where we
hrst found the peirOfdctlons. We saw
where the Indians and boys had obtained
their specimens for sale at the depot.
They had taken anything and every thing
that came to hand, Tor any piece Of petrl-
Y He'd wood would sell Tor a quarter In
those days,
~ distance OF twenty-five miles from
II our starting polnt We reached the real
< pelritea Forest ana from there It ex-
r ienus many miles mo the wilderness OF
the south. Gigantic trees were now
4 found, but they were broken into frag-
mNn!a' varying IN length from three "a
fifteen feet, and all lying In one drec-
ton Il Is n grand slght when one turns
me bond In the tran and for the nrsi
time vlows this great volcanic basin.
y with It's vast number OF prone glantn, ali
II nilont and stili. Not a sign OF bird life
not rabbit or fox, not . sprig OF vege-
ipaon or ripping brook from n neigh
boring sprlrg-nothng but silence. 1t l.
sight such as can not be seen else,
where In the world. for no other potrlne-
f forest OF such vast extent has ever beer
found. There Is something to interest
one At every turn, The broken fragment,
Nj OF the trees rent asunder. no doubt
f through the action OF heat and cold show
n the most brilliant c1lors. Some OF tn,
most exquisitely blended tlnts and shade
OF light a.e shown when fragment Il
u broken OF one OF these huge pieces wifi
" hammer. The reds 2re the brightest
the yellows the richest, and the blues
green's. puppies, grays-thousaads o
shades each possess a peculiar sheer
tlltt IL indescrlbable In the hearts o
lN the trees II one takes the time an
trouble TO break them out there are 4
J. be found some OF the richest colore,
J X crystallzations imaginable. Amethyst 4
the commonest OF the stones or crystal
found. and 1t Is to be had In almost ever-
shade or purple Beautiful white erys
tails. which at one time were believed 4
he diamonds and We're submitted 10 ex
/. VI perts In the East, under the impressie,
that they were OF great value arc a,s
found IN the hearts OF these nstrine
trees. They are valuelesa, however. IN
are pretty souvenirs OF a trip 10 m
forest
4 II IL a significant fact that ncnriv nj
the prone trees show evidence OF hayin
i + fallen In one direction. The trunk
( which are exposed 10 the air are living 4
almost parallel lines. and IL portions =
them that have been broken nv mo AZ
. n tlon OF tho elements and rolled AWAY
y will In almost every case be seen Inn
the dislodgea piece was originally In m
middle OF the great trunk, and that III
waet!ng OF the earth from beneath 4
! * since It's exposure TO the air, caused
TO roll out OF the limo OF the trunk
s which II belonged And, when these d,
81 fuchcd aecuone nre found ono can almo,
X always ird tho trunk OF which II wa
L part very ciuse at hand, The vaca,
4 space Ift by the piece always dcnot,
M where 4, came from.
h4 What frst buried this forest; ITO