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

Greeley mad in mind. At any rate,
they are trekking in that direction
And among those who have gone re-
Gently is Ralph Oman OF this city,
a son Of Mr.. and Mrs. E c. Oman
of 1925 Buchanan street Ralph grad
Uated this winter from the high
school. in the life of which he had
been active and popular during the
past two or three years. His folk
rather thought that he would continue
on and through college, but he pre-
vailed on them to let him try a term or
two, at any rate. in the school of hard
knocks; and SO he packed his kit and
hit the trail for the west or the south
west. 1t wasn't to be a pleasure jour
ney, either, as he took just enough
money along to land him comfortably
by train in Arizona. 1t was to be
work-trip, 4 f-sustaining one. And
il already is that. as he is working
a hand on an alfalfa and stock
ranch near Glendale, Arizona, which.
in turn, is a dozen miles or so from
Phoenix
En- Route.
Ralph has been writing some letters
to friends and folk at home about his
journey to and experiences in this
land 50 new to him And inasmuch a s
they picture the southwest through
the eyes OF a high school boy, a lad of
IS. these letters, or excerpts from
them, viii undoubtedly be interesting
to others as we'll
Eel Paso is some city" writes
Ralph, in describing the incidents of
his trip to his destination in the Ari-
IONA desert. or to one Of the GASES in
It that has been created by the salt
River irrigation project which was
fOstered by the federal government
TT is about five times as lively and
busiuess-liSe as Topeka or Wichita.
1t seemed as if there We're more peo-
pie on the streets there Monday night
than in Kansas City on a Saturday
night" He started to walk through
the city to the Mexican border, but
was ready to stop when he reached
three blocks from the international
bridge, as that section on the United
States side was strictly a Mexican
ueighborhod- The streets and walks
were packed with the dirtiest. filthiest
and most heathenish specimens Of
humanity I ever saw. Any one who
thinks Uncle Sam should intervene in
Mexico should give that bunch the
once over.'-they surely aren't worth
il" But Ralph went through this
bunch to the border line, and got per-
mission from a soldier on guard to 90
across, but the soldier advised him to
stay on the American side, not
through any danger from Mexican
bandits, OF anything Of that sort, but
because the other side was such a
disease-ridden pest hole that a fellow
took chances of contracting a sickness
just walking through it, And Ralph
thought the advice good enough to
heed The famous Rio GTande i'm
pressed him as being a good deal like
the Shunganunga-
An Oasis in n Desert.
There were many saloons in New
Mexico" Ralph writes on about the
sights of his trip. but after crossin z
the Arizona line, I noticed all the sa-
looms had been turned into anything
from shoe-shop to a livery stable.
1 dined AT a Chinese restaurant in FL
PasO. The cbinks have a corner on
all eating establishments.
From the time we crossed the ella
river until we reached Phoenix. there
was a remarkable change in the coun-
try. AS we proceeded down the Salt
River valley, as it is called, the
desert changed from its dreary ex-
pause of sage and cacti to green fields
of alfalfa 1t is remarkable what a
little bit of water will do to this red
clay. This valley is a veritable oasis
in the desert Mountains may be seen
on all sides: Yet in this fertile valley.
can be raised They raise alfalfa,
wheat, oranges, figs. lemons, palm
trees. cacti (giant). grapes, apricots.
cotton. corn and almost anything you
can think of Phoenix is n beautiful
city with wide streets. pretty stucco
bungalows and avenues lined with
orange. palm and wide-spreading UNI
breIIa trees Phoenix is the Invest
town OF its size I ever saw I find
that true of all these western cities.
there seems to be SO much business
and life; yet a man I was talking to on
the street in Phoenix said the town
was very dull I'd like to see it when