Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1916-09-07
GRAND CANYON
AND YOSEMITE
THE FORMER is ONE OF THE
MOST IMPRESSIVE SIGHTS
IN THE WORLD-UN-
USUAL WATER
SYSTEM

The Grand Canyon of the Colorada
river is possibly the most impressive
sight in all the world. To most peo.
pie it surpasses the snow-covere0
mountain, a slowly moving glacier or
the ocean. When you step upon the
brink at the top of Bright Angel trail
you are in the presence of a great
cash in the earth, thirteen miles wide
and mile deep. There before you
are temples, battlsheips, pyramids,
plateaus, gorges and other fantastic
| shapes and surfaces hewn out of the
solid rock in the great past expanss
OF time. The river has done much,
great aid being given by the wind,
| frost, rain, growing plants, gravity
and tributary streams.
Here piled one above the other ara
! the conglomerites, limestones, shales,
quartzites, sandstones and other for
nations as they have been laid down
| in the geologic ages. OF course the
bottom exposure is of granite forma-
i tion-the rock that was heated before
the others were deposited. 1t must
have taken long, long time for
those sedementary formations to be
laid down to the depth of almost a
mile. What washing by the waves
Of the sea, what tons carried by the
prehistoric rivers and work by the
marine life in secreting the lime!
Then came the gigantic task of the
Colorado river. The sand-laden stream
began in the long, long ago and
has been at work through the thou
sands of years cutting the cash into
the earth. Through the limestones,
sandstones, shales and other layers,
one after the other, the stream slow
ly did it's work until it is now buried
In the rock-walled gorge. The river
is now among the GRANTEES and is still
cutting and cutting, and will continue
to do so as long as there is water to
flow.
This cash in the earth is about TOO
miles long-about as far as from
New York to Chicago as a crow would
fly. This gorge is a greater barrier
than chain of mountains For 700
miles there is no bridge across and
no means of communication except at
one place where there is cable.
Here ventures into wire basket
and takes his life in his hands when
he crosses the river in the aerial
contrivance.
There are no high falls along the
course. Men have gone in boats from
the upper waters to the mouth Of the
canyon with great difficulty. There
are perilous rapids where the chan
mel narrows and many dangerous
rocks where the venturesome explorer
in passing risks his future existence
and that of his boat
No Trouble to Reach the Canyon
In pioneer times it was necessary
to cross the desert in order to reach
the top of Bright Angel trail. Not
so now. One can climb into a sleep
ing car in Chicago and after three
days can alight within few hundred
feet of the wonder. Approaching the
Grand Canyon station there is no hint
of the magnificent spectacle that
awaits the traveller After alighting
one ascends a short fight of stairs and
enters the hotel, Ell Tovar. But
few feet beyond the hotel is a low
stone parapet and just over the wall
is the canyon. There is row of seats
where visitors sit and mediate ON the
geological and time wrought wonder
before them.
At the Mercy of Mule
If you ever want to be at the mercy
of mule go down Bright Angel trail.
The animals are brought into an en-
closure in front of the hotel and after
estimating your avordupois the guide
assigns you to one Of the Missouri
specimens. Previously you have part
ed with considerable money--not
enough to pay for mule but almost.
You have been rugged out in over
alls and other togs suitable for tree
climbing or well digging, which makes
one have feeling he may be going
into the trenches at the battle front.
The women appear in divided skirts,
which do not seem to frighten the
mules, for they are probably used to
such scenery. Pity the mule which
must carry specimens of humanity
| having no small amount Of atmospher-
| Iic displacement! The guides often,
hint to the very corpulent that they
are liable, if they make the attempt