Bisbee daily review., 1912-03-24
Early History Northern Arizona
BY sHARLOTT NJ. HALL

The whole of southern Arizona south of the Gila river was included in the reports of Lieut.. Emory, and Of MT Bartlett and Col Graham of the survey, so that by 1854 enough rel. able information was available to en- able any traveller to know what to expect in this region. The maps which accompanied these reports were care fully compiled and are still valuable.
 At the same time northern Arizona was being explored by government eN- petitions which included topographic al engineers and collectors Of plant, animal and mineral specimens for scientific study. In lS49 Col. John Washington led an expedition from Santa Fe into the country of the Nav ajo Indians the report of Lieut.. SimB- son makes mention of the petritied forest, the remarkable prehistoric ruins. and of the Zuni villages and the Navajo Indians.
 The curious and fantastic sand stone formations Of northeastern Ari- zona were noted and crude illustra- tions from sketches in the field gave some true hint of their beauty and wonder Probably the first colored picture of the petrified ToOd of Ari- zona forests appeared in this report and is as true as many post cards oi today.
 In 1852 Capt Sitgreaves led a more important expedition down the Zuhi and Little Colorado rivers, past the San Francisco mountains, and down the Big Sandy and Bill Williams $ Fork to the Colorado river. He seems to be the first to record the name oi Bill Williams s Fork. but says that ii was gwen by the trappers who wis tied the stream in search of beaver Later his own name was given to a fine, detached mountain of the San ] Francisco group-often locally cor rupted to "Sidgrave." Its neighbor Mt. Kendrick, has fared better as to pronunciation. but the brother ofhcers
 are equally forgotten.
 l In 1853. still seeking the best line l of the long-dreamed-of Pacific rail way, Lieut.. 4. W. Nhipple was com missioned to lead az expedition along ! the 35th parallel 10 the Colorado river. The route led from Luna VII lases down the Puerce river, thence down that river some distance anf across the southern base Of the Sal Francisco peaks, through the beauti | ful forested plateau to the northeri base oi Bill Williams mountains an on io the head waters Of the Bii Sandy. That stream was followed t' Bu Williams Fork which In turn le'
 to the Colorado. From the mouth of the Fork th'
 expedition turned mp the great riFer crossing presently to the wester' hank. and followed inc MOhave rive on into California. They had to ab3n don their wagons and proved m route undesirable for a railway, bu line reports by Whipple and also b. Baldwin Mulhausen, scholarly Ger ?, man who accompanied the eXpeditlcl as naturalist and artist, are such storehouse Of rare aud valuable lnfoi . marion about central Arizona as ha Scarcely been gathered together since TJe,1t Whipple has left his nam , in Arizona in Fort Whipple near Pre-
 cott and in Whipple Peak on the low or Colorado river, and it seems U ! have beep this expedition that tran.
 Hated the Val de China into Chino Va
 Hey. and made record Of Bill Wliiiahi
 mountain as a designation alreauy T 2 use by the trappers. ., Whipple suggested that the Iitu . Colorado be known as Flax River |, because Of the blue fax flower iha ' gTew along its borders and which ha ! led some of the Spanish explorers [ D. call 1t the R!o del Limo, the 'Coiorad
 Chiquito beine likely to be confuse 2 with other streams to whom the nam
 Colorado had been given.
 I'm 1857 Lieut.. Edward f. Beale, wh ' had served his country ga.lsntly | the war with Mexico and with N
 Carson and a Delaware ludian ha
 crawled al night down the rocEy