The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-05-15
THE SECOND OLDEST CITY.
tucson, Arizona, Ranks Next 20 ST..
Augustine, Florida, In Point
VI Antiquity.


many are acquainted with hefactthat
Tucson ranks next in point Of an
tiguity. This fourishing and progress
sive American town has been evolved
from the nucleus Of an American VII
lage, wherein many generations of
primitive folk, OF few and simple
wants, passed through existence un-
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 fat-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 unmistakable
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 insensibility to cold which visitors
from more northern cline are in
clined to envy.
The Meicans and Indians who still
form a large part Of the population Of
Tucson appear TO be the only adult
resident natiYe to the soil; every one
else seems to have come to the town
from somewhere else and to be held
there by the complexity Of interests
which 60 to build up a town. Many
are health seekers, attracted Of late
years by the superb winter climate.
The town is set down in sea level
sandy valley, 2,40O feet above the sea.
IL is surrounded by scanty growth of
hardy greasewood, mesquite and cac-
tus. The coming Of spring with a rain
or two covers this arid-loolxing region
with 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
gamut of color. from opaline gray or
pink to somber purple or slaty
black.
The air is usually so sharp and frosty
at night that one wonders at the hardi-
hood of the handsome palms which
adorn some Of the gardens. However,
/ at midday it is hot enough to induce
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 Preside, now the growing city
OF Tucson. In answer to the asser-
ton: "You have no ruins in Amer
ica," one might point to the venerable
edifce 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 "hair cut"
by which formerly those convertedto
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 contributedto
the debasement of the venerable pile
by writing or carving their insignif-
cant names upon it. The church is
built Of stone and brick, and in form Of
cross q by los feet. The mis-
sion IS now in charge Of sisters Of st.
Joseph. On paying small fee the vis-
itor is shown into the church by an In
dian lad His first vivid sensation is
Of the sudden transition from the
warm, sunny air outside to the cold,
vauh-like chill Of the dim interior. His
next impression is Of the forid decora-
tion Of the grand altar and chapels,
with profusion Of tarnished gildings
in the Moorish style, quantities Of arti-
fcial flowers, ropes of gay-eolored
ti&uepape trimmings of cotton lace;
apostles and saints carved from wood,
now decaying and leaving their holy
yisages rather snub-nosed and fat
tened by the hand of time.
No doubt to the eyes Of the simple
Indians, for whose worship. it must be
remembered, the church was de-
signed, It seems very temple Of splen-
dor and beauty.
A small butte adjoining the church
and crowned By a cross shows on its
top the crater Of an extinct volcano.
The reservation numbers about 500