Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-01-24
AN INTERESTING LETTER
ON PHOENIX, ARIZONA

| territory was the most conspicuous
frontier object in the United States.
sand and cactus and desert certainly
exist and the area of settlement is
comparatively small. But the wave
of civilization has swept over and
| the old conditions have changed.
| The wild and woOlly of the border
novel is no more. At the present
| time there are just as many churches,
per capita, in Arizona as there are
| in Wisconsin,. The schools are way up
in their standing. To be sure gamb-
ling and liquor houses exist wide open.
yet it is my opinion that the result is
| less perniciouS than the system of
| ''blind pigs" and similar institutions.
Phoenix is city Of about twenty
| thousand and the big games of faro,
and craps are going on in full blast
for twenty four hours every day. Yet
this same Phoenix in the desert wilds
of frontier Arizona is the most law
abiding city in all the west.
| To be sure there is still to be seen
the vacquero with his big sombrero
and jingling spurs and the enormous
saddle with a pommel made to hold a
roped steer. He comes to town with
his outfit, including the regulation,
fifty feet of lariat hanging in neat
coil attached to the saddle. But the
| Il; civ oh
haven't seen a gun or SiX-ShOOter in
the territory connected with mans
belt. 1t would be just as absurd as
wearing one in Grand Rapids.
There is no land more peaceful than
that of which Phoenix is the metro
polls. Life and property are as safe
here as in the eastern states. The
new conner will be aStOniShed at the
liberality in the atmosphere; certain
broad western freedom from the little
| petty whims and traditions Of the
Older communities. There is certain
| tolerance in all matters, religious,
social or racial and the general "hail
| loIlO" WCll IlCb. iiSiiU IlOlII UliC' WOiu
CO. And yet the stranger soon notes
| that in all this that law and order is
supreme and needs little force for its
| maintenance.
The great salt river valley is the
land par excellence of the health
seeker. Probably it hasn't it's equal
anywhere else for those afflicted with
consumption. The air is 50 dry that
no disease can live and SO the invalldS
come from all over this and other
countries to get we'll. They live in
Phoenix and the hotels and private
| houses, at the ranches throughout the
valley and many of the more sensible
ones live in tents out on the desert,
for miles in every direction about
Phoenix. Drive along any of the
desert roads and you will seldom be
out of sight of some little colony of
ten by twelve tents, with wooden
floors and pleasant surroundings.
| This is another picture of wild
Arizona life.
The Salt River Valley is a great
desert, yet through the extensive
irrigation by means of which the
water of the river is stored and sent
through a series of canals of quite a
considerable portion of the valley.
This desert is made into the most
arabic agricultural district. The
alfalfa crops are cut five or six times
a year or the cattle are turned in to
fatten on it as it stands. Everywhere
that water is allowed to get chance,
the alfalfa shows it's violent green
and there are cattle, cattle every
where, too: great herds of splendid
COWS and the best looking horses ever
seen IN the course of my wanderingS.
Many oranges groves are seen along
the roadside and an ostrich farm not
many miles away.
The meadow lark gives us his full
throated song from every fence post
in the alfalfa field and the hooking
bird sings in the green popular trees
around the hotel and the pestiferous
house fly buzzeS in our room as though
it were mid summer. And all this,
while you people in Grand Rapids are
shoveling snow paths and going sleigh
Irlding.
And this is called the land of SUM-
shine. That is no miSnOmer. When
the sun arises above the cactus and
sage brush the scene is simply
indescribable. The affect Of the mir
rage may be seen falmost any bright,
clear morning. And all day long that
constant heat and sunshine penetrates
ones very bones and deals out life and
vigor. It's dry clean warmth, diff
| ferent from the muggy, sitting heat
of the southern state. When the
sun goes down, woe betide the unfort-
innate invalid who is caught without
warm extra garment to put on.
There is the whole secret of the sue
ceSSful SOjourn in any of these
"sanitarium" countries. Beware of
the setting sun, no where is one so
prone to catch cold and no where are
those colds so injurious as right here
in this wonderful climate, whose
benefits people come so far to seek.
| Visiting a ranch in this country is