Bisbee daily review., 1907-03-17

from some untraced subterranean spring To the tourist the interest in Arizona is on a scale of Titanic grand eur. The canyon systems of its mount ain ranges; the indescribable grandeur which reaches it's supreme majesty in the Grand Canyon; the wonders
 of extinct volcanic action; the colossal channels cut by rushing craters; the unearthly splendors of the atmospher- is effects, and the coloring of the skies-all combine to render Arizona
 an expression of magical wonder. It
 has an area nearly equal to that of New York and pennsylvania combined with New Jersey, Delaware and Mary land added. It comprises vast .series of elevated plateaus to the altitude of 1000 feet. over which mountain ranges of broken and detacned peaks, with narrow fertile valleys lying between; deep canyons and wild gorges, diver sify the panorama. Five great rivers add another feature the Colorado, the San Juan, the salinas, the Verde, and the San Francisco; volcanoes and lava beds add their fantastic imagery, and the metamorphic rock strata. re
 cording the most violent volcanic up
 heavals, tells the prehistoric story of the fiery molten flood that swept over all this region when the earth was
 new. - Arizona was first called Primieria, from the Prima tribe; but the present
 beautiful name is derived from poet
 ic legend, that "Ari," a maiden queen once ruled the destinies of the Primas
 and "on," a valley, came from the romantic configuration of the State,
 combining into the melodious "Ari-
 zona'
 In 153S Alvar Numez de Vaca, after
 following the disastrous expedition of
 Pamphills de Naryeaz to Florida. set forth with four men to penetrate the
 vast unknown wastes to the West, and
 without compass or provisions they made their way. crossing the Missis- sippi two years before its discovery hy De Soto. reached the Moqui coun- try and finally arrived in Sinaloa with glowing tales that excited the enter prise of the Spanish conquerors and led to the founding of another expe- dition authorized by the Viceroy. Men doza. It fared forth under the leader
 ship of Padre Marco de Niza, who (in 1539) entered the country of the Pi-
 mas. passed up the valley of the
 Santa Ana and set up the cross. giving
 the country the name of the New
 Kingdom of san Francisco.
 Padre de NiZa's men were all mas
 sacred by the Moquis. but he returned
 as If bearing a charmed life, and set all New Spain aflame with his tales
 Of gold. and of glory, and the great op- portunity to extend the work of the
 Holy Cross.
 Mendoza then proceeded to organ
 ize two other expeditions, one under
 the intrepid Vasquez de Coronado and the other under Fernando Alarcon.
 Coronado visited the ruins of Casa
 Grande and at last reached the Seven Cities,'' but their fabled wealth had shrunk to the sordid actualities of in significant huts, and Coronado re- turned to New Spain in 1542, disap- pointed and dejected.
 In the meantime the expedition of Alarcon had sailed up the Gulf of California (then known as the Sea of Cortez) and he discovered the Coi- ondo and the Liba rivers, ascending Colondo in boats up to the foot of the
 Grand Canyon Then for nearly half century no further efforts. to ex-
 plore this region were made. But 1t Is interesting to note that some eighty years before the landing of the ptl- grims a Spanish expedition had pene- trafed into the country which is now
 Arizona, and have left definite record of their discoveries.
 In 1882 Antonia de Espejio explored the pueblos of the Zuni and Moqui tribes. visiting seyenty-four in all, and discovering a mountain rich in silver ore. From this time New Mexico was
 under the rule of the Spanish conquer
 ors.
 Juan de Ornati, who married Isabel, daughter of Cortez and a great grand daughter Of Montezuma. as sumed the leadership, ansl about 1865 the town of Santa Fe was founded, and within the succeeding decade the Jesuit fathers had built dozen churches and their converts composed over 14,000. A prominent padre in.
 this movement was Eusehio Francisco Kino.
 Santa Fe has the distinction of be-
 
 ing the oldest town in the United States. having been established fif- teen years before the landing of the pilgrims
 The mission church Of San Xavier del Bac was established at So early a date that it was in ruins in 1T6S, and on it's site was built the Jesuit
 one, in the valley of Santa Cruz. some ten miles south of Tucson This mis- sion is a rare mingling of Ionic and Asyzantine architecture, with dome, | two mfnarets and castellated exterior. The front bears the coat of arms of the Franciscan monks--a cross with a coil of rope and two arms below one of Cohant and the other Of St Francis de Assiz. There are four i fresco paintings and there are more
 than fifty pieces Of sculpture around
 the high altar.
 The missions of GuevayI. Zunaca- cori and san Xavier were peculiarly
 fruitful in good results. The ruins of
 Tumacacori still cover large space.
 The church Is partially unroofed: the form Ia eeeu to have been that of a