The Newtown bee., 1904-06-03
CANYON OF
 ARIZONA.
As Seen Through the Eyes of an Esteemed Newtown
 Gentleman,
E. L. JOHNSON.

E. L. JOHNSON.
 Some among those who have taken the time to read the letters pertaining to our. Southern California trip may have tired ere this of reading so much of mountain peaks, canyons, plains, valleys, ranchmen and desert, and wonder why there is not more told of city, and city life. While it is pleasant, interesting and wonderful to see the developing and building up of cities along the Pacific coast, it is more fascinating to me to go outside and see how the other half of the "builderS of the nation" live and do. If it is in- teresting to visit Western cities it is no less interesting to traverse the long stretch of country that lies between, where men, and women too, are Strug- gling with the forces of nature to build homes for themselves and for those who shall come after them. One of American progress until he traverSeS some, at least, of the vast area that lies west of the Rocky mountains, and I learn more in travelling over what lies between, than from the cities themselves.
 "The greatest thing human soul ever does in this world," says Ruskin, 'is to see something and tell what he saw in a plain way" I never realized the force of that saying so much as in these later days, when something grand looms up before me, making me wish that others might see the same. Since our last letter, we have made the trip to the Grand Canyon of Ari- zona, and this letter will be made up in part of incidents of our trip to and from the world wonder, as we'll as of some points of special interest of the which thus far has been what we have called our home, to the Canyon is 525 miles, and the only possible way to reach it is by the Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, runni1e from San Francisco to Chicago. We left Redlands Monday evening, May g, on our outward trip. AS our train moves from the station we soon leave the beautiful gardens and ranches of orange groves and flowers, pass the Mexican quarters on the borders, pass through the older secton of the town, called Lugonia, where also orange trees abound, but the soil being of more sandy nature it is found that olives, apricots, plums, strawberries, lemons and grapes are more profitable and so are more abundantly cultivated Beyond LugOnia the soil changes and we find the land given up more to the raising of barley and alfalfa, which with careful irrigation will produce five or SiXtonS to the acre at five cut. tingS of six weeks between. Dairy men are now in the midst of their first cutting of grass for curing. We pass through the extensive dairy ranch o1 which 1 made mention in my last let ter, and found several teams and mi. chimes cutting and putting into huge stacks their first crop of this seasons alfalfa hay. We sooh pass through the city of San BernardinO, which is an ole city as reckoned in Southern CalifOr. mia, having been settled by the Nor mons from Salt Lake City in the tifties l on the mountain side big arrowhead 1 a natural freak that is seen for many miles around. History records tha Brigham Young sent a colony out iron Salt Lake to the Southward with or ders that they were to travel unti l they reached some place where the, would receive sign from heaven There they must stop and pitch theil camp. They jOurneyed until they say this arrowhead on the mountain side which they took for the sign and re mained in this land of promise unti they were ordered back to Utah. Som of their descendants are still living her but not as distinct branch of tha sect. It is a busy city and the count seat of San Bernardino county, with
 courthouse built of stone, of fine arch lecture, and from whose tower Ol svnfr ,1n The town has an ample water suppl fruit culture and growing of grain an alfalfa. Here are the shops of tn Santa Fe road, which give employ ment to many men. There was
 strike on the whole system as we wen through, and the boiler men went oU that morning as we were waiting fC the limited express. With two pc
 feet monsters of engines and eigl , heavy coaches of Pullman and tOuris cars we move out through the Sant Ana and San Gabriel valleys tn;
 stretch out before we enter the CajC pass, for we must reach the summit |, San Bernardino'range through this ol and only pass that nature has held e abeyance until the call for a railrOt |, a should come. In these valleys we sa y Uuc RICdUCOU CuA OI Snll4O1 PO
 pies of our lives. Acres covered wit
 the golden bloom as if carpet of go
 was spread out before us. And he
 we must correct an error in form
 letter when either the writer or ty,
 setter made it read of the Californ - poppy, "the color of a purplish pink
 when it should have read ia golden y
 low" In the mountain climb we ;
 cend 27OO feet in 25 miles, and req
 the summit at an altitude of 38l9 fe
 and as we slowly climb the mounta
 flank a scene of beauty and grande
 opens before us. At this high altitu g we again find our old friend of o
 short camp life in the mountains, t
 glossy foliage make it the queen amO
 the straggly growth that covers ma
 mountain sides. It is one of natur
 lovelieSt scenes, as our train slOV
 winds in and out among the terrac n. ridges, the peaks of which reach far
 into the blue sky. "Old Baldy" - highest peak of all, overshadowed
 as we rolled by, and it's snow clad pc
 looked beautiful to us as from an al
 tude of 12,O0O feet it sent down uI . us, swelling under the summer sun,
 snow chilled breezes.
 Sentiment never stops a railr(
 train and when we reached the Sum1
 we soon began our descent. We h; ,,. left the paradise, just the other s U. W of the range, and we are surprised of find ten miles beyond the summ!
 little station, Hesperia, where railr' f trackmen have their homes, and lit
 vineyards, and a few cottonwood tr
 that show some green because of . tie bit of water that they can uti
 at times. Had we known what
 beyond we might have looked lii
 more intently, for it proved almost
 last bit of green we saw the balanc,