St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-05-23
THE SECOND OLDEST CITY.
Tucson, Arizona, Ranks Next to St.
Augustine, Florida, in Point
of Antiquity.

generally conceded claim to be the old
est town in the United States, says a
writer in the Washington Star. Not so
many are acquainted with the facttha
Tucson ranks next in point of an
tiquity. This fourishing and progress
| sive American town has been evolved
from the nucleus of an American viii
lage, wherein many generations of
primitive folk, of few and simple
wants, passed through existence I'M
touched by foreshadowing of the
more complex society which was to
supersede them.
Comprised within the western limits
of the Tucson of to-day stand whole
streets of flat-roofed, crumbling, one
story adobe buildings, looking rather
dark and unsanitary as to interior, but
still teeming with dark-skinned ten
ants, who often show an unmistaka BILE
mixture Of Indian blood and who re-
tain their soft Spanish dialect and leis-
urely habits of life, apparently .un-
modified by contact with their more
strenuous American neighbors. The
women are often pretty when young,
but incline to grow too stout with
| ripper years. They are usually distin-
guished by black shawl worn over
head and shoulders, while the children
run about barefooted, with an appar-
ent insersibility to cold which visitors
| from a more northern cline are in
! clined to envy.
The Meicans and Indians who still
form a large part of the population of
resident native to the soil; every one
else seems to have come to the town
from somewhere else and to be held
there by the completely of interests
which go to build up town. Many
| are health seekers, attracted of late
years by the superb winter climate.
The town is set down in a sea level
sandy valley, 2,4Oo feet above the sea.
It is surrounded by scanty growth of
hardy greasewood, mesquite and cac-
tus. The coming of spring with rain
or two covers this arid-looHng region
with a carpet of grass and wild flow
ers. 1t would be hard to picture the
ever-changing beauty of the encom-
passing mountain ranges, with their
Jagged tops sharply outlined against
the metallic blue of the Arizona sky,
the higher peaks capped and furrowed
with snow. When the sky is softened
by clouds there are a thousand vary
ing, effects of light and shade and col
or, and in the dawn of the morning or
stepped in the gorgeous hues of sun
set, the customary blue of the noun
tain ranges gives place to the whole
gaznut of color. from opaline gray or
pink to somber purple or slaty black.
The air is usually so sharp and frosty
ut night that one wonders at the hardi-
hood of the handsome palms which
adoEn some of the gardens. However,
one to throw off wraps, and the genial,
sunny weather favors open-air excur-
sions of all kinds.
One which no visitor should fail to
take is that to the ancient mission of
San Xavier del Bac, nine miles from
the old Presidio, now the growing city
of Tucson. In answer to the asser-
liOtl' l. ou nave uO IulllS Ill tAmeI-
ica," one might point to the venerable
editice erected here through the efforts
of Franciscan missionaries on which is
now the Papago Indian reservation.
(Papago, according to the explanation
given by the Indians, means chair cut"
by which formerly those converted to
the faith were distinguished.) The
mission was established in 1867 by
Jesuit missionaries with Father Kino
as superior, and after their expulsion
by the Mexican government their place
was taken by Franciscan priests. The
date 1897, seen on one of the doors of
the church, is, according to tradition,
the date of its completion after IA
years of building. In their humility
these architects left no mark to carry
down their names to succeeding gener-
ations, differing in this respect from
many visitors who have contributed to
the debasement of the venerable pile
by writing or carving their insignif-
cant names upon it. Ths church is
built q stone and brick, and in form of
cross 81 by 1o5 feet. The mis-
SION is now in charge of sisters of st.
Joseph. On paying small fee the Wis
itor is shown into the church by an In
dian lad His first vivid sensation is
of the sudden transition from the