Arizona republican., 1895-10-25
An Eastern Editors Ari =
 zona Trip.
What Constitutes Entertain
 ment in the West.
Salt River Valley Especially Appre- Ciated in It's Level Land
 and Fat Stock.

w Cook in Oscaloosa Qowa) Blade: Please don't accuse me of hay ing the souvenir mania or of being a cane fend, yet must be honest, for once, and confess that saw something in Phoenix that would have made a most delightful memory piece. In company with a prominent assayist, a party of gentlemen called at one of the banks and the obliging cashier passed around small yellow brick about the size of bar of old-fashioned Kirk's soap. It was dat-bettomed, with grace . ful rounding corners, just the thing for a paper weight I liked the color of it, too, but didn't have the price" with me-notice that last-for it was gold bullion and weighed out something over $2,100. A woman who owns a mine out in the mountains, deposited this little souvenir that morning. The visiting party talked of taking dozen bricks, thinking they might be cheaper in job lots, but there was so much un- laundried linen in every mans grip that there was no room for the souven- ire. Yes, we handled $2,100 apiece that morning, not bad days business for one 1000 miles from home.
 By the time one experiences the ups and downs of life incident to travelling over the mountains, and day after days, looks out upon sand, rock and atmosphere, sometimes mixed, he is re- minded of that story, edited and pub lished by Rev. John M. Baugh, of this city, about the man who regretted, not like Bill Nye did his breakfast, that the Creator rested on the seventh day. Why in the world didn't he go on and finish up the work. There was so much left undone. But in this seem ing hurry at the time of creation there appears to have been shown considera- ble partiality. A few localities seem to have been made and all finished up just as he would have them. The Salt River valley is one of them.
 After an early breakfast, our party having been Supplemented by mum Der of the first people, ''the 400," of Phoenix, we soon augmented with the dignity of our presence, the thriving little city of Tempe. The Mexican band was out to meet us, seventy-fve teams and all the people in town "just came out a minute on the way to Sun day school. At the car steps stood charming" maidens with trays of lovely button-hole bouquets and beside them-I was beside myself-was an- other with a pin in one hand and a smile in the other. 1 was fortunately lodged with a pleasant Tempe gentle with single horse and top buggy. We off ir1a mt ely that level valley, though with all that music, the people, and especially the bouquets, never felt less in a hurry. Level? Yes, absolute level, to the natural eye. We passed quarter sec tion after quarter section where water could be started in two directions, right regularly, at one corner and be brought together again at the digonally opposite corner. Down hill, in a dry country is a great thing, provided there don't too much of it come at once. In the Salt River valley it is distributed just right
 Having grown up on the prairies of Iowa, the agricultural industries of course appeal most to my notion of prosperity. There was seen on this ride of fifteen miles, thousands upon thousands of acres of alfalfa, with per haps three harvests in stock from that very ground. Square hammed hogs, thick ribbed steers and Well-bred horses plowed their way through this luxury of fat producing crop and were content. Take away your grape patches! Fat stock is the thing that catches my eye.s9FOn we went across canals, big and little; past creameries, wineries, brick school houses and bee ranches, I, myself, being at the time beholder. At noon a general roundup was made at Mesa City, which place by the way, is soon to have a new rail- road. We were shown to the city hall Here had been arranged on display every kind of fruit that grows in this semi4ropical climate; but more at tractive than all this were the eight long tables almost breaking with their weight of good things, like chocolate cake and fried chicken, with lemon pie about every 'steen' feet. I rushed to the rescue and took all the warp out of the table legs down at my end I have read some where that, Nature exclaims, hold, enoughr' but since eat ing that dinner at Mesa City am con- vinced that nature does not hold enough. It was a regular picnic affair. The good people went to church in the morning as usual and then entertained five carloads of people for dinner as though nothing had happened We call this hospitality! Arizona people or anybody else can talk real estate to me all they want to, on these condi- tions. The second man I met was formerly of. Webster City, and later we found parties from Cedar Rapids and Muscatine. All were singing praises to their valley. The display of fruit was later presented to the guests, in small haclptS