The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-12-31

the wagon roads follow the lines O.
least resistance, irrespective of tbs
scenery. Nevertheless, no traveller
over either route will ever forget the
wide outlook over the gaudy, super
heated sands, the fantastic sky lines
the black, grim volcanic craters an6
basalt cliffs, the orange and carmina
bad lands" of the Painted desert.
Its coloring Is as rich as that Of the
Grand canyon, and more varied. The
prospect is limited only by the powers
of human vision. The winds and
storms and rushing waters of ages
have chiseled basalt, clay and sand
stone into images, columns, monu
ments, towers and strange, fantastic
forms that have no names. Irrespec-
tive of its coloring. it would deserve to
rank among the worlds wonders. Yet
its coloring is the greatest wonder of
all. Here may be seen a red wall 500
feet high and 100 miles long. Yonder
is a coal black cliff of hardened lava
rising from valley floor of snowy
alkali. From any vantage point, one
may survey glowing landscape that
shows 100 shades of pink, gray, red.
chocolate, carmine, crimson, mauve,
brown, yellow and olive. Near Indian
Wells is a seemingly interminable line
of tall rock sentinels, all garbed in diff.
ferent hues, on guard in this land of
enchantment. No wonder the Spanish
explorers, when they first beheld it
more than $50 years ago, named 1t "El
Pintado Desierto."
Nine miles north of Adamana is
Dead River canyon, from the rim OF
which one obtains a view of the Paint.
ed desert that can hardly be matched
for scenic interest. The drive re-.
quires not more than two hours, over
a road that derives more than ordinary
interest from the circumstance that 1t
crosses the old Central Overland stage
route. the far western extension OF
the historic Santa Fe trail. Although
this has not been traversed for more
than quarter Of century, the deep
ruts worn by the wheels of the stage
coaches, freighting caravans and prai
rie schooners of the emigrants, bound
for the far-off land of gold in the excit
ing years that began with 40, are still
plainly visible.
Just on the brink of the canyon is
an ancient cedar tree, the only one for
miles around. Tradition has it that
here was the famous rendezvous and
camping place of band of despera.
does and cattle rustlers that terrorized
this part of Arizona for many years.
Hence the spot is locally famous as
the Robbers Roost"
To describe even the small portion
of the Painted desert visible from
Robbers Roost is as hopeless as ia
describe an Arizona sunset. AS far as
the eye can carry Is a succession of
buttes, terracen and castellated hills
that seem to display all the colors of
the rainbow. Pervading all is the mys
tic purple haze of the arid lands that
blends chaos itself into a symphony of
color more celestial than of this sordij
earth. Away off to the northwest is a
black, f1at-topped mesa, beyond which
lies the land of the Hopi Indians. To
the north is the land of the Navaios-
the American Bedouins. But this Is
desolation itself, uninhabited even by
the hardy tribes that fir 1 in the desert
a congenial home. At mes feet is the
sandy, boulder-strewn bed of a forgot.
ten river whose healing flow ceased
ages ago, when this gorgeous land of
thirst bore a far different aspect
green with tropic vegetation and melo.
dious with the songs of birds. From
the parched desolation rise simmer
Ing heat waves, so that one shrinks
from the descent into the canyon as
from fiery furnace.
However, 1t is not as bad as II looks,
A circuitous path leads to the CANYON
floor, over glittering beds of gypsum
and thick deposits of mineral paint.
Near the bottom the edge of vast de.
posit f silicified wood is reached.
This is not the famous PetrifieG forest
OF Arizona. which is Is miles south.
but in many respects it is not less
wonderful.