Williams news. [microfilm reel] (Williams, Ariz.) 1891-19??, 1903-10-31
WHERE AND WHAT
OUR TERRITORY IS
Statements Which Show She is
Not the Dry and Barren
Waste Supposed

The geographical position of Ar
izona is in the southwest corner of
the republic. 1t extends from the
109th degree of longitude, west, to
the Colorado river, and from 81 de-
grees north latitude to the 37th par
allel. 1t is bounded on the north
by the states of Utah and Nevada,
on the east by New Mexico, on the
south by the Mexican state of So
nora, and on the west by Califor-
mia and Nevada. Its length from
north to south is 1872 miles. From
east to west 354 miles and contains
an area of 113,967 square miles.
Nature has fashioned this vast
region in generous mold. Its
surface shows pleasing diversity
of massive mountains, wide plains,
extensive table lands. deep canyons
and beautiful valleys. Nearly all
its principal elevations are wooded,
while the plains, mesas and valleys
are covered with rich grasses. North
of the 34th parallel, Arizona is a
lofty plateau, with an average ele-
walton of from 5000 to 1000 feet.
I From the surface of this plateau,
pine-clad mountains rear their
towering crests from 5000 to $4,000
feet above sea level, with many de-
tached spurs and peaks. Between
these elevations are grassy plains
and mesas, beautiful valleys and
lovely mountain glens The north
ern part of this great plateau is
scanned and riven by mighty fis-
sures, deep canyons and narrow
valleys. The climate possesses that
temperate, bracing quality peculiar
to elevated regions, and is unsur-
passed for its health-giving proper
ties. This division of the territory
is watered by the Little Colorado
and it's tributaries, the Verde, Will
liams' Fork, Lynx Creek and many
other streams. Snow sometimes
falls to depth of five feet on the
higher mountains, and numerous
sparkling springs are found in their
cool recesses.
South of the 34th parallel the al
titude is from 5000 to 5000 feet
less, with marked change in the
aspect of the country. 1t may be
generally described as region of
wide grassy plains, intersected by
detached mountain ranges and dot
ted with isolated spurs and peaks.
In the southeast the descent from
the upper plateau to the lower
plains is less abrupt than towards
the California Gulf, and the noun
tain elevations more massive and
continuous. The Graham, Chiri-
cahua, Huachuca, Santa Catalina,
and Santa Rita range from 5000
to 10000 feet above the tide water.
They are heavily timbered and car
petted with succulent grasses. The
Southwestern portion of Arizona is
made up of extensive plains, heavi-
ly grassed and crossed in all direc-
tions by rocky spurs, generally des-
titute of vegetation. Water is
not plentiful in this region, but an
abundant supply can always be
found below the surface. The
mountain system of the territory is
a continuation of the Rocky and
Sierra Nevada ranges, but broken
into a number of parallel ridges
south of the Colorado. The San
Francisco peak may be considered
the apex of the Arizona system, and
from this point the ridges and spurs
follow general southeasterly course
through the territory to again unite
in the well defined chain of the
Sierra Madre, in northern Mexico.
The geological features of the ter
ritory are as varied as the charac-
ter of itssurface. The country east
and south of the San Francisco
mountain is covered with the lava
flow, which in ages past, was poured