The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-18

:
shows 10, 20. 80 and so cents, and a
shave IS cents. Phoenix has four
swell hotels-better than any in To-
peka or Wichita Everything IS so
stores. curio shops, haberdasheries.
etc. There are many swell bar-roons
| in Phoenix which have been turn I'd
into restaurants, candy stores, etc.
There are many Disguised looking ex-
barkeepers now dispensing root beer
and longing for the good old days. 3"
a Melting Pot
Glendale. where Ralph stopped
with friends for a week or so before
going to the ranch where he had OBJ
tanned employment. impressed him as
being a mighty fine and lively little
town, supporting a newspaper, pic
ture show. and a board Of trade He
found two Chinese stores there, a
Mexican bakery and a Russian store
At Mesa. about ten miles from Glen
dale, there are many Mormons- East
OF Glendale is a settlement of Holy
Rollers, while a bunch Of Italians oc-
cupy another portion of the valley,
and before the state went dry,
liquorally speaking, they were culti-
waiting vineyards for making wine
OF Spanish because he found that 1t
is almost as common a language with
all the people as English
sun and Irrigation
Ralph helped his Glendale friend
for a couple of hours on a little out
door job and one result of which was.
he writes: 7 had as much sunburn
as I got in Topeka all last summer I
never did see such an energetic sun.
and they call this winter" An auto
mobile trip Of about $50 miles between
10 o'clock in the morning and about
the same hour in the evening. opened
the eyes of the Topeka boy to the pos
sibilities of irrigation. and he OBJ
serves. incidentally. that distance is
nothing to the people out there be-
cause the roads are like asphalt and
the weather always fine.
This is a wonderful country" he
goes on, and it is amazing to see what
changes a little bit of water can bring
about when put on this desert land.
We followed the main irrigating ditch
for about 40 miIe-on one side is
desert land. with here and there a
little hut holding down a desert
claim and many herds of desert CATTLE
while on the other side were rows OF
small ranches on which they grow
oranges era pefruit, cotton, almond
trees Call in bloom now), olive trees.
pepper trees. and anything under the
sun There are many alfalfa fields in
which many cattle and sheep are kept
for fattening. The valley is almost
Identical to the Imperial valley of
-
sort and we passed many swell hotels
out in the desert with their tennis
courts and golf links Yesterday was
Arizona grapefruit day and in Phoenix
you could buy them at the rate of 40
for a dollar. Cheap. eh2 All the
people out here are tanned the color
Of Mexicans. but about the only sign
Of frontier life is the widebrimmed
Stetsons which everyone wears the
year round
Every Man Carries Own Bed
In due time RaIph's employer was
ready for him. and Of his early ex-
periences as a ranch hand, and. by the
way, he is on the only ranch in the
neighborhood where Sunday is OBJ
served as a day of rest, he writes:
"Out here it is the unwritten law for
every man to carry his own bed, and
it is a very common sight to see q
man go trudging up the road with his
bed on his back. Consequently, had
to buy a pair of blankets. 1 bunk in
the second story of a water-tank tower
which resent Ies a lighthouse There
is a small room underneath the tank,
and another man and I sleep there
This is certainly a country where every
man has to look out for himself I
have to take care of my own bed and
handle my own washing Greatly
The bed, by the way. if I may call it
that consists of several big boards
built into the side of the room and a
bunch of quilts for a mattress It will
certainly be nice and soft.
The Boy With the Hoe.
''I reached the ranch Wednesday"
writes Ralph in a letter dated on a
sunday from '-Somewhere-in-Ariz -
and I have been working ever since.
Heaving sugar at McCord & Kistler's
is certainly child's play compared to
twentieth century ranehing in Ari-
IONA I don't believe ever worked so
hard in my life as I did the last three
days. We (my bunk partner and y
arise at $50 A. m, dress between
shivers. and proceed to the barnyard
where number of horses are cur
ried. fed. harnessed. saddled, etc We
get breakfast about $50, and usually
are at work by o'clock It is day
light by this time, although still very
chilly. And after the work is over
in the evening. we have to wash the
horses necks, feed all the stock, etc.
again. My partner, who started to
work on the ranch the same day did,
expresses his qualification at getting
to sleep so long-until $50. We had
quite an argument about the 'lateueSs
Of such a getting-up hour. but he ex-
planned that he had been working on
dairy farm where he was used to
getting up at $3.50 and helping to milk
90 cows Seth (the bunk partner)
blowing lately, while I have been
doing everything under the sun Mr.
L.. Cthe ranch owner) seems to
think that I know nothing about farm
work and I guess he's about right
However. I've certainly been trying to
learn and working aWfully hard. The
first day he gave me a hoe. and show
ed me a peculiar kind of weed, and
gave me instructions to cut every one
down I saw, il I had to go over the
entire ranch,-and 1 guess I did
dug a grave about four feet deep in
adobe soil to bury a dead goat in I
planted potatoes and dug irrigation
bitches. All of my work so far has
either been with a hoe or a pick and
shovel. and I've certainly been tired
My arms and neck are blistered and
my ears and nose are peeling off It
certainly gets hot here during the