The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-01-20
CORVALLIS MAN ABROAD.
w. A. Wells Writes Interestingly st
Tucson, Arizona and His
Visit There.

[ took the G. d E. train at Corval-
lie, with Tucson, Arizona, as my
destination, the temporary change
of location being for reasons Of
health. 1t was on Sunday morn
ing, the 18th, that I arrived here,
and went TO Hotel st, Augustine, a
building that was formerly church
of the same name, until could se.-
cure permanent apartments 10 q.
more quiet quarter. I am now at
14l South Stone avenue, Tucson,
Arizona.
Tucson is one of the oldest cities
in the United States, and a place
with a past rich in anecdutes of the.
adventures of the Spanish conquer
ors and of the American invaders
who came to the Soutbwe after the
Gadsden purchase. As early as
1649 the missionaries from Sonora
penetrated Arizona as far north as
the Gala river and established mis-
sions at Tubac and Xavier. The
old Xavier mission was established
by Jesuit priests in 1649. The old
church is very interesting struc-
ture with its decorations of the sew
enteenth century, its wall paintings
Its fantastic facade, and half ruined !.
towers. In the valley, nine miles
north of this old church, or mis-
sion, the Spaniards built post to
protect their settlements from the
Apache invasions, and the small
village, which grew up around the
soldiers barracks was called Tue
son, name which the Indians ap-n
piled to the watering place In the
valley near the town. Tucson re-
mained an outpost for almost two.
hundred yeara, peopled by the mosta
venturesome Mexicans and Spanss
iards. 4-.f- >.
In 1853 came the Gadsden pur-
chase, which added the territory in
which Tucson is located to the
United States. This was followed
by an American invasion, and Tue
500 became station for the over.
lar d mail and the largest and most
important trading post in Arizona.
distinction which she has held
! down to this day. On many occa-
sions after the American occupa.
ticn the savage Apaches terrified
the inhabitants of the town and
were driven off by the troops sta
toned at Tucson and the forts in
the valley. In 1884 the Southern
Pacific railroad was completed, the
soldiers marched away ard the
Americanizing and modenrizing of
Tucson began. Tucson, the social
and commercial center of Southern
Aiizopa, is situated on the main
line of the S. P. railway, about
midway across the territory. 1t ia
about 900 miles east of Los Angeles.
It has direct connections with Ell
Paso and New Orleans BY the s. P.
Railway, with St. Louis by the Iron
Mountain and Texas and Pacific to
Ell Paso. The city of Tucson mes.
ties at the foot of the Tucson noun
tains, on the western edge of broad
and beautiful valley. 1t has an al.
titrde of 24oo feet above sea level,
and Its atmosphere is always dry
and pure. on the north and east, at
distance varying from ten to thir-
ty miles, are mountains, reaching q
height of more than 10, 900 feet. On
account of the clearness of the air
these mountains seem marvelously
close.
During the day there is contin.
ued play Of light and shade across
them, and in the morning and ev-
ening they are bathed in food of
mellow colors, whose varying shades
one never tires of watching. Such
a wealth OF beautiful coloring is
never seen except 10 high altitudes,
with an atmosphere of remarkable
purity, and is almost beyond the
conception of one wfo has always
lived in the prosaic East. Tucson
is known far and wide for two quite
distinct reasons: First, as a pleas
ure and health resort, and second
as the center of the extensive agri-
cultural stock-raising and mining
industries of Southern Arizona. It
is claimed for the ninel colder
months of the year Tucson is an
ideal city in which to live. The cli-
mate may be compared to that of
Italy. There is but little frost. The
sun shines nearly the whole time,
and rainy days are extremely rare.
Flowers bloom during the entire
8 winter, and much of the shrubbery
Concluded on Fourth Page.