The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-05-25

oldest existing civilization in the
United States, the home of the Pueblos
We rapidly passed down the Ration
Pass and passed through a broad val
ley soon reaching Glonetta Pass where
grows the mountain pine and fir. We
arrived in Los Vagas for dinner. Los
Nagas is beautiful city of asout $500
1t is widely known as health resort
The Harvey Hotel called Colorado is q
large and beautiful structure. Near
here six miles distant. the noted Hot
Springs are located.
Twenty miles from Los Vagas and
only one mile from the railroad is sit
uated the fat top mountain called
Starvation Peak. Two or three gigan.
tic crosses upon the summit gives the
black mass an air of solemnlty quite in
keeping With the tradition connected
With it. The tradition is that about
the year 1910 the Navajo Indians a.
tackled the Camanche Indians and de-
feated them The Camanches fl ID
from their town called Bernal and took
refuge on the top of this mountain but
they were beseiged by the Naval ,es
b.low until they all died of starvation.
1t is said that these crosses were after
ward erected in their memory. This
is also the region OF the noted Peniten-
ties Indians or the ordrr of the Peni-
tant Brotherhood. They suffer terri
bly, imposed tortures. Their wounds
are cut open afresh each year. The
scourging consists of striking the back
with cruel whip often made of soap
weed or cactus drawing blood at every
stroke, or of the Penitentes staggering
under the weight OF heavy crosses
which they bear until exhausted.
These crosses weighing from 200 to 500
pounds are placed on the shoulders and
on each arm extended, a sword is tied
in such way that they cannot relax
their support without plunging the
point of the sword into their side.
The climax of the fortunes are reached
in the crucifxion. when men are
actually bound or nailed upon cross
and suspended for half an hour in an
agony which frequently proves fatal
They say. that many now live in New
Mexico who bear the marks of the
cruel spikes.
The next place of note was G 'orreta.
A battle took place on the ground
where the town nov stands between
Kearney;s army of the west and the
Mexicans, in 1S47.
Our next town of interest was Albu-
querque. Thi: is an important rail
road town and one OF the largest
places in New Mexico. Its Indian
museum is the largest in the west.
Here you can see the Indians making
their blankets and baskets and even
weaving the cloth. Everything is
typically western. The.public institu-
lions located here are the university of
New Mexico. Governmental Indian
school and Methodist college, also
the largest and finest Harvey house in
the west. We left Albuquerque at
1890 p. m Friday evening and when
we arose the next morning, we were in
eastern Arizona having crossed the
continental divide during the night.
The scenery in Arizona is much like
that of New Mexico at least where che
Santa Fe crosses. II is land both
new and old The numerous examples
of ancient ruins, of the cliff jewellers
and Puebloes who inhabited this re-
gion many centuries ago proves that
this is no lately explored region. Old
missions are located here dating back
to 1855. 1t is land of terraces and
tremendous chasms of towering noun
Jains and burnt out volcanoes, lava
beds and deserts scattered over with
cacti of one hundred varieties, the
center of the beautiful pine forest near
Flagstaff. This forest supplies the
territory with choice lumber. At
Holbrook we come near the petrifiad
forests. This is a tract of about 1000
acres in extent, Of innumerable petri-
Fl ID franks of trees and their fragments
These vary in size from splinters to
huge trunks ten feet in diameter Here
are millions of tons of cornelian, agate
amethyst, topaz and chalcedony. Some
Of these trees are over 100 feet in
length.
Near Flagstaff about eight miles
distant, are the numerous cliff DIV IL
ings Their houses are built in rough
walls of rock and rooms are divided by
walls of rock laid in mortar.
We reached Williams about 800 D
m. swhere we took the branch line
north to the Grand Canyon which
place we reached at 100 Saturday
evening.
To describe this wonder of the world
would be impossible no words can
describe, no language can portray, no
painter can paint, this marvellous ma