Arizona republican., 1905-11-10

Trail I was told. At Jacobs Ladder" | which is flight of steps cut in the | stone, we dismounted, leading the an- imals down. In three hours we made Indian Gardens" {" where Bright An gel creek nipples and sparkles over the stones, and a little camp is situated for the accommodation of the travellers, consisting of a good sized dining room and several tent houses, furnished with Navajo rugs and little white cots. Here tourists may rest over night be- fore resuming the upward journey. Resting a few moments and regaling ourselves on the root beer which was packed down the long trail-ice and all -on the backs of the patient burros, we started onward to the river. This portion of the trail is much sleeper and more difficult. In places one scrambles and slides down an almost perpendicu lar wall, the animals being abandoned at zigzag place called the Devils. !. Corkscrew,' and it is the most excit- ing part of the days journey. The river itself at the foot of Bright Angel Trail was something of a disappoint- ment to me as I hoped to see a speci- men of the raging fierceness of its rap ids or waterfalls; here instead it is as turbid as sea of frothy mud and un- interesting. Hurriedly retracing our steps we arrived hot and panting at the camp, faint with hunger, as it was then o'clock. A fine dinner was fur nished us by Japanese cooks and Jap anese walters for the sum of 75 cents. After an hours rest and refreshments we were ready for the remainder of the upward climb, which was comfort ably accomplished in three hours When one has climbed from the river to the top of the trail, unless ne is accustomed to daily horseback riding, he is too weary to waste much time on the sunset, which is very beautiful indeed, but not so beautiful sight as midday from the rim to my thinking. This ended a day of pure delight to me; a day of a thousand; a mile stone long to be remembered, and a fitting climax to the most wonderful week in my life
 I was so deeply interested in the Grand Canyon that I naturally desired to know more of it. and have searched for and read up what history of its past I could find. Perhaps a little from that history may not be uninteresting to others.
 Pedro el Tovar came to Arizona with
 Coronado, the Spanish explorer, in Coronado, the Spanish explorer, in thus what is now known as the Grand
 Canyon of Arizona was discovered by Europeans. Last January a quarter of d million dollar hotel was opened near Bright Angel Erail named Fl Tovar.
 to commemorate the early discoverer. In 1776 a Spanish priest travelling from
 Utah made a crossing Of the river and canyon al point which still bears the name, 'Vado de los Padres" For more
 than eighty years after. the big can yon remained unvisited except by In- dians and trappers, then after military
 posts were established in New Mexico and Utah, the government attempted exploring the Colorado to open up nav
 igation. An expedition under Lieut.. Ives started out but was soon obliged
 to abandon the river and get back across country to civilization at Fort Defiance. That is the history of the
 Colorado river and canyon up to about forty years ago.
 In 1869 Major J. W. Powell undertook
 to explore the river with nine men and four boats and landed some one thous- and miles from the place of starting,
 minus two boats and four men, Later
 he made several more trips, as did oth- CT adventurous travellers, many of whom lie buried at intervals along the course of the Colorado. The Colorado
 is one of the greatest rivers of North America. Formed in Utah by the Green and the Grand it passes through | the northwest corner of Arizona be- comes the eastern boundary of Nevada and California, and flows south until it l reaches the Gulf of California, Mexico. The little silver thread" as it looks from the rim of the canyon, when
 reached is a wild, raging. roaring tor
 rent. In places the channel is narrow and very swift and, with 520 rapids, dangerous falls and extracts, is a
 pathway terrible to contemplate. John T. Stoddard in his illustrated lectures on travel and scenery, speaks
 of the Grand Canyon as "a mighty gash in natures barred breast; a gash
 200 miles in length and a mile in depth,
 from which is flowing a stream of life blood called the Colorado"
 There is but one Grand Canyon. No
 where in the world has its like been found. It has been here in all it's grandeur, exactly as it is, for what to
 us is an eternity, unknown, unseen by | human eye. It is only within a quar-
 ter of a century that the Grand Can
 on has been known to the civilized
 world. It is scarcely known now. The Santa Fe built it's branch road in here to the canyon in 1902. Previous to that travel was more difficult, journey from
 rail being made by the old stage coach
 l wonder how many of our eastern friends-away down east as we say know or realize that out here In Ari-
 zona, only a few days journey from
 them and at small expense to see, are | so many wonderful things-yes, won | ders of the world not to be equalled
 on all the globe. I am sure I knew very little of this until coming west, and often now I am amazed and won dering as some new point of interest is
 discussed in my presence, or meets my
 eye in a local paper or magazine. believe there is and can be no dispute that no other equal area on earth con tains so many supreme marvels, so
 many astounding sights, so many mas | terpieces of Natures handiwork as is | included in Arizona and New Mexico, ! or the Grand Canyon region. The larg-