The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-14
PETRIFlgD FORESTS OF ARIZONA

| >--~tS IT TFt-Ntsfr
An endeavor is being made through the
| congress Of the United States 10 have
! lnefe sam appropriate some OF the vas-
park purposes.
! These great forests OF petrifed wood
are the largest known deposits OF the kind
In existence and the most beautiful COL
ieetions OF art ever produced by nature.
There are several Thousand acres OF
this forest scattered over several miles
| square in the desert region or northern
Arizona within easy reach OF the railroad
| ard for two hundred miles around pet
| rifactions may be found IN smaller GUAM
titles.
Holbrook mas been the way station
| where tourists usually stopped over to
| view the forest. but within the last year
| or so another way station has been es-
| tablished, called AGamanna. which -
east Of Holbrock and much closer 70 the
| forest, named after Adam Hanna. an
| CID guide and an eccentric character.
whose fame is spreading and bids fair
to rival that of Captain John Hance
OF Grand Canyon.
Adamanna Is within six miles OF the
| first forest OF petrifactions. where Hanna
| has sufficient accommodations fer linn
lied number ~ tourists. with ecccRtrici-
! ties and conversational ability sufficient
/ to amuse multitude.
| The trip from Adamarna TO the forest
| is devoid Of especial interest except pos
| sibly 10 these who have not heretofore
vaded through the sands OF the great
| North American desert Il Is an undulAt-
Zig country OF sand, dotted here ard
| there with sage brush. cactus and bunch
| grass sand has been blown ana sifIed
! into great pillows. the finest Of the sand
| having drifted into ripples like the waves
Of the sea.
| There are three distinct deposits of this
| immense forest. The first deposit, con-
s.sting Of some two or three sections. IS
tbickly covered with pieces OF shattered
tree trunks. with very few brilliant or
1 perfect crystals showing. The greater
part OF this deposit Is OF dull red
color and uninteresting. especially after
one has seen the others. The celebrated
-'Petrified Bridge is found in this first
forest. and IS the one objective point Of
al visitors.
! The bridge was formed by huge tree
which fell across allsangle Of the walls OF
the cliff. and is over 9 hundred feet above
tho valley below. spanning chssm fifty
! feet wide, its ends resting upon natural
abutments Of limestone. The earth Is
washed away from beneath II. and the
stone lodges OF the cliff have crumbled
and fallen.
The tree is nearly a hundred feet in
length, five feet in diameter az the butt.
and. save for a crack al the upper end
made By the elements. is the most perfect
tree found in any OF the deposits
A daredevil cowboy recently rode HIS
suFe-footed little broncho over this mar
row bridge to test his skill and TO win
4 small wager.
In the second deposit to the southeast Of
the first many larger pieces are found
and in a more perfect state OF prsse-va-
ton. having apparently been more re-
| Gently uncovered by the foods, though
nearly all have been broken into lengths
from two TO four feet long. showing the
bark and tie grain of the wood as natu-
! rally as do the pines Of the present day.
Many OF the pieces in all three deposits
are completely shattered. so much 80 that
il is Impossible TO tell whether they were
pstrfactions or pretty colored stones. In
this deposit there are about five sections
o. land. lying In the bottom OF a wide
canyon that winds fits way 10 the south.
covering all the main forests. widening
cut until an open level country is reached
The third deposit, still further 20 the
south In the bottom Of this canyon, is
tho largest and most perfect OF all the
forests. Here are thousands upon thou
sards Of agatized trees, scattered about
In all directions, lying broken and checked
b. the clements, relics Of bygone epochs.
beautifully and wonderfully made BY
some strange process Of nature.
Sparkling and scintillating in the clear
sunlight like precious Jewels. showing
ell the colors Of the rainbow. are millions
OF pieces of this wonderful wood. The
massive old trunks broken in half present
most delightful. and delicate combinations
OF the most exquisite colors imaginable,
blending from peariy white 10 pink, deli
cate blue. rich. deep velvety red. set of
fx~ brill al af . ha
Heart, ali framed in dark rusty rim
once the bark OF the tree.
Gnarled limbs and knots may be found
Et ar the trunks of the trees half-buriec
IN the sands. that are as perfect in grain
and appearance as when they grew and
flcurished in prehistoric times, but they
are now beautiful specimens Of petrifac-
ton.
These are especially valuable for the
reason that one unacquainted with this
unaccountable deposit can hardly brinS
himself 10 believe that these pieces could
have been wood at one time and f. only
convinced by the bark. grain and its
gnarled shape. brought out SC perfectly as
10 leave no doubt as to its arboreai origin.
You may walk FOR a hundred yards or
more upon the trunks Of these trees with
out once touching the earth; some Of the
old stumps stand up ten and fifteen feet.
With parts Of the root showing. and are
eight 70 ten feet through. The larger the
trees the more perfect, owing 10 it's being
better able 20 withstand the hot sun and
occasional rains. The smaller limbs have
either rotted away before petrifaction set
ia or were washed away BY the foods
aftsrward.
The large trees are broken into blocks
from six 10 eight feet IN length and are
as smooth as a grindstone; I saw I could
not have cut the original wood more
smooth than the elements have broken u.
TIE forest, or at least the main body
~ IL S. supposed 70 have been originally
IL pine forest similar 10 that now found
% the west 81 arizona s great pine belt
The darker cel0rs. including the dun red
and gray. from It's grain ard appearance.
are supposed T. have been cottonwood
and quakiue aspen. So FAR these three va
rleties Of Wood are the only ones found in
any q The forests.
some of the pieces are parTfy retrified.
some few others are quite soft and appear
20 have been partly barned before pctri-
faction set Ia. but the rest q the wood
r. IS hard az flint ana viii emit sparks 81
FIRE v hen struck with steel
Tho forests were first discovered by gco-
gicsl surveyors in the early soE. bet
nothing much vas known 81 thsr1 except
~ Italians and tile few whites who dared
% venture intc THAI section u the c7un-
Try. until the building o. the Santa Fa