Arizona republican., 1908-01-29
A HORSEBACK TRIP
 ALONG SALT RIVER
Interesting Journey From Roosevelt to Granite Reef Through lncomparable Scenery and Land of Historic Reminscence.

B. A. Fowler president of the Salt River Valley Water Users association, returned home yesterday after an ab- sence of two weeks at Roosevelt and intervening points It has been his purpose from the beginning to keep in close touch with the work at Roosevelt and as he had not been up there since october last he accepted Engineer
 Hills invitation to accompany him on his last trip to the dam. MT. Fowler
 says everything is moving along in an
 apparently very satisfactory manner.
 His visit was heightened beyond his
 expectations by his acceptance of an
 invitation to return home by a very
 circuitous route in an unusual way.
 He was eager to do so, and is glad he
 did, for it was a very novel and an
 educating trip.
 Walter Lubkin, whose fine views of
 Roosevelt and vicinity have been seen
 by most Phoenix people, had been di-
 rected by the officials of the re-
 clamation service to take a trip down
 the river on the north side, between
 Roosevelt and the Verde, south of the
 Four Peaks, for the purpose of pho-
 tographing possible water power sites, and places of particular scenic and
 historic interest, and in fact, any place
 that might at later period be utilized
 in ore way or another by the service
 for a practical purpose. As the route
 lay through a section of country every foot of which is marvel of landscape
 grandeur and as MT. Fowler and Mr
 Lubkin had neither of them ever pass Rn fhrDnUh m
 both were pleased at the opportunity.
 They left Roosevelt on horseback
 last Thursday, accompanied by a pack train, packer and a guide. over
 large part of the country traversed wagon could not pass without the con- structiOn of a road and in pany places of considerable area, it seemed almost impossible to construct a road. In still more precipitous places it was necessary to desert the stock and make side trips on foot to special places of interest They arrived in Granite Reef yesterday noon, having spent about five days on the road. covering an air line distance of perhaps fifty or sixty miles but actually travelling two or three times as far as that Mir ] Lubkin secured a set of plates for fifty pictures and from the appear | ance of them and the successful eX- | pOsures as well as the fact that MT. | Lubkin is as good photographer as ever carried a camera, it is expected ! the set of pictures will be a fine one.
 The party had all the usual exper- fences of weariness at times. fine 1 appetHtes all the time. an occasional | rain storm, and frequent fOrdiIes of i the river and slipping on the rocks, that go to make up such journey, and they will not be referred to fur -her. It is timely though. to speak word in praise of the natural grandeur 'f that country as it appealed to Mr Fowler He says that he has gone into 'aptures as much~as anybody over the fine scenery in the vicinity of Fish 'reek hill and the nearby canyon. but le says the scenery at the junction of fish creek and Salt River and as far IS one can see in every direction from hat point, is just as much superior to he Fish creek usually spoken of. as hat in turn, is to the ordinary Rocky Mountain view.
 Almost opposite the mouth of Fish ( reek and near to. but high above Salt iver is the old cave where Al Sieber nd his band of Apache scouts, had heir historic battle with a band of 1 Apaches and killed some ! 'here between forty and fifty of them I' n the cave, according to the stories old by the old timers. They reached 4 he mouth of this cave only after a d 1ng and tortuous climb on the hiI- ie idle. by narrow path. However the l uide found the place all right. and hey counted fifteen skulls still in the ave. Most of the residents of that z ountry have visited the place and an I rcasional traveller or tourist stumbles r pon it. The Indian fight occurred erhaps thirty years ago. and has been + ften written about. Its authenticity