The Parker post., 1913-03-08

IS WONDERFUL
ONE OF GREATEST NATURAL
WONDERS OF THE WORLD is
PETRiFIED FOREST IN EAST
CENTRAL ARIZONA

In east central Arizona is one of
the most magnificent natural won
ders of the world. the petrified for
est. In Apache county, are acres
and acres Of petrified wood varying
in size from the end of your finger,
81 trunks of trees more than ten feet
ii diameter and over 200 feet in
length The forest is divided into
five distinct tracts, all easily accessi-
bile from A3amana a station on the
Santa Fe railway. The first, or the
Rainbow forest. l.: distant about five
miles and covers about four thousand
atICS. Here one sees the broken
trI KS Of trees tossed about hap
hazard, in lengths Of some two to
four feet The wood has evrey color
Of the rainbow. 1t is in appearance
much like flint. Here a huge log
Jurs out over the traveller, and looks
much like a cannon, so much so that
some one has named it"Dewey's Cam
non" Another formation, some fifty
feet high has been named the
Eagles Nest" from the fact that
for four successive years a pair of
bald eagles built their nest on the to
which is inaccessible to man or beast.
The trunks Of trees seem to have
washed here, as in the bed of an
ancient river, and to have been cover
ed by sand and mud This covering
in time has changed to sand rock,
and the entire country around has
been elevated, and the elements have
worn away the soft earth under this
layer and allowed the petrified tree
trunks in the sand rock to break off
into lengths Of mostly about three
Leet. In many instances, these pieces
have fallen down into washed places
which are more than 100 feet
below the balance of the trees and
rocks. In other instances they are
left projecting from the sand rock
much like guns from a fort.
The Natural Bridge.
In the first forest, is the natural
bridge" which is a petrified log ly-
ing across ravine some sixty or
more feet in width, and about the
same in depth. This trunk, measur-
d by the writer, is one hundred and
eight feet long, and about five feet
IN diameter. Here the guide has his
hands full plotting the timid tourists
ever the bridge, for no one has seen
the forest who has not crossed the
Bridge" From this forest are tax
Ell most OF the specimens so much
treasured by the visitors.
Here likely you're to meet people
from all parts of the world: noted
scientists, coming for knowledge; the
ubiquitous ''glObe trotter," who comes
only to be able to say he had seen
the "forest;" the schoolmam with
her little note book and pencil; the
railroad man and his family on their
nnual vacation. | have even met
the eastern farmer who walked the
entire distance that he might see the
''World's WONDER as he expressed it
30 me.
The second forest is about three
miles south Of the first. In it the
trees are more intact, and, while
cracked across in lengths much like
timber sawed into ''shingle belts, -
they are lying pieces. Two i'm
menae trees lying side by side, the
Twin Sisters" are over two hun
dred feet in length, and about four
feet in diameter One place in this
forest is like an eastern chip yard,
where wood has been chopped and
chips thick on the ground. The color
ing here is much the same as
thousand acres
Passing southwest about five miles
one reaches the third forest. Here
the trees are much better preserved
being i'll full lengths. Many of the
trunks are from one hundred, up to
one, which by actual measurements
IS almost four hundred feet in length.
The color in this is not so bright as
in the first. The wood has more
tne appearance of agate with some
crystal mixed
During the past year John Muir
discovered two new forests to the
north and east of the others that
had not been known prior to his
writing. They fill in a much desir-
ed missing link" in scientific know
lr1@e regarding he petrified forests.
The north sigillaria forest" is by
far the most interesting, lying nine