The Parker post., 1912-02-03
NATURES REAL
MASTERPIECE
Grand Canyon of Arizona Panorama
of Wonderous Pictures-Water
Was the Brush With Which Nature
Worked Out Inspiring Scenes.

: Canyon of Arizona at the head of
the Bright Angel Trail, under an UNI
clouded midday sun, one gazes with
a sort of dizziness upon an immense
field of unnumbered towers and Gre
vices, colonnades and gulches, cathe-
dral-like spires and yawning chasms
In all directions, save to the rear, as
far as the eye can reach, to the ut
termoSt horizon, it is an area stud
ded with massive, pyramidal mount
aims, some more than mile high.
and yet whose caves and turrets only
reach to level with the rim on
which he stands 1t is as If one
stood upon a kindred mountain peak
instead of the rim of labyrinth OF
chasms cut into the face of a com
paratively level plateau. His gaze al
first refuses to settle upon any de
tail of the scene, but instead wrest-
, les with the grand ensemble of thr
stupendous whole. The panorama
view spread out before him, and be-
meath the level of the eye, holds him
i'm fascination and selni-unconGcious-
ness. He can almost imagine that
he looks upon the huge, crlNmblin2
ruins of an underworld city of
strange castles-a vast area strewn
with architectural forms of colossal
proportions and varied designs, pee
uliarly fretted with ornaments, and
beautifully painted with every color
known to the artists palette.
= Far beneath him, almost five mile:
5zs the CROW would fly, he may catch
a glimpse of the Colorado River as.
like a silver ribbon, it winds in and
out among these towering peaks and
spires, and then disappears farther
on, as it makes a sharp turn behind
some group of these pyramidal crea-
tions.
1t requires the whole to make the
picture complete, but to the eye OF
the artist it is probable that the col
oring OF this wonderful creation ap-
peals with the greatest force. 1t has
often been said that the Grand Can
yon is painted like a flower-and ii
is true. Nature has welded a mas
terly brush. These architectural pin
nacles and towers have been touuch
ID with colors until they glow a.
though they had been stepped in dyes
of many hues AT first glance the
scene may appear as glowing with
only a conglomeration of colors in
which no certain one is distinguish
able, but a more searching look will
reveal gray, lavender red, brown,
pink, black, blue, green, and so on.
Commencing at the extreme bottom
one will follow these eroded walls up
ward, and behold band upon band oil
vivid colors, cemented and blended
together with such harmony and
brilhancy as would cause the brushes
of skillfM artists ito halt in their imi-
tation. Trees dot the sides of the
canyon here and there and lend their
colors that change with the seasons,
toward the making of the whole OF
this picture scheme Other towers
and pyramids loom upward without
AMation OF any description, capped
s>thick rock strata of brilliant
from the canyons rim thi.
made to predominant over
Ere scene
Fleecy clouds, like phantom ships,
now and then float through the pas
sages of the labyrinth and around the
caves and turrets of these sunken
M dntains, with trailing shadows, like
charcoal mirages, that slowly as
cend and descend the walls of the
rugged peaks A purple atmosphere.
that mysterious color void that
haunts all mountainous regions;
swathes the scene with weirdnes5
and this city of geological castles. lie
bathed i'm colors as though "smold-
ering i'm faint celestial fires"
But the Grand Canyon. is con
stantly-changing picture. Its colorine
ilndergoes notifications with ever!
hour of the day and every season o.
the year One might paint picture
of the canyon at sunrise, as that gol-
den orb of the day creeps above the
line of the horizon and struggles t3~
drive the nights gloom out of this
network of gOrges4. at midday, when
dazzling sunshine caps every tower
and illuminates nearly every crevicc
and chasm; at sunset. when that rul-
er of the day. now turned to almost
blood-red gold sending elongated
shadows into the labyrinth. gradually
sinks from sight; or at midnight,
when the moon spells out these caves