The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-05-03
CHAPTER X.
The New Rndman-

There are no more beautiful valleys
anywhere than those cut by the waters
of primeval floods through the foothills
OF the great snOw-cOvered Rocky noun
talns. The eroSions and washings of
untold centuries have flung out In front
OF the granite ramparts of succession
or lower elevations like the bastions of
a fortress. At first scarcely to be dis
tingutshed from the main range in
height and ruggedness these ravelins
and escarpments gradually decrease in
altitude and size until they turn into
series of more or less disconnected.
softly rounded hills, like outflung
earthworks, finally merging themselves
by gradual slopes into the distant
plains overlooked by the great peaks
OF the mountains.
The mOnotony of these pine-clad,
wind-swept slopes Is broken even in
the low hills by out -thrustings of stone.
sometimes the hard igneous rock, the
granite of the mountains, more fire.
quentiy the softer red sandstone of a
period later, yet ineffably old. These
clIflS buttes, hills and mesas have
been weathered into strange and fan
taStic shapes which diversity the land
Scape and add charm to the country.
The narrow canons in which the
Snow-bed streams take their rise grad
ually widen as the water follows its
tortu0uS course down the mountains
through the Subsidlng ranges and out
among the foothills to the sandy, arid,
windy plains beyond. At the entrance
of one of the loveliest of these broad
and verdant valleys, a short distance
above Its confluence with n narrower.
more rugged ravine through the hills.
lay the thriving little town of Coro-
nado
Some twenty miles back from the
town at a place where the valley was
narrowed to quarter of mile. and
separating 1t from the paralleling ra-
vine, rose huge sandstone rock called |
Spanish Mesa. It's top, some hundreds
OF feet higher than the trce-clad base |
OF the hills, was mainly ieyel. From |
Its high elevation the country could be
seen for many miles, mountains on one
hand, plains on the other. 1t stood
like an island in IL sea OF verdure. Lit
tie spurs and ridges ran from 1t. To-
ward the range it descended and con-
tracted into Il narrow saddle vulgarly
known as ''hOg-back," where the
granite Of the mountains was hidden
under deep covering of grass-grown
earth which formed the only division
between the valley and the gorge or
'avine, before the land, widening, rose
ntO the next hill.
The people came from miles awev
o see that interesting and curious
mesa. much more striking in its ap-
'earance than Baldwin's knob, the last
0othill below 1t. TranscOntinental
raveiers even broke journey to visit
t. The town proSpered accordingly,
specially as 1t was admirably situated
IS place of departure for hunters, ex-
'lorcrs, prospectOrS and adventurers
Who sought what they craved in the
Wild hills. There were one or two good
otels for tourists. unusually extensive
eneral stores of the better class.
here hunting and prospecting parties
ould be Outfitted, and the high-living
cattle ranchers could get
hat they demanded. Besides all
lese there were the modest homes of
ne lovers of the rough but exhilarating
nd health-glving life of the Rocky
fountains. OF course there were MI
lerous saloons and gambling halls,
nd the town was the haunt of cow
0ys, hunters, miners, Indians-the old
ronticr with a few touches Of civilian
on added!
What was left Of the river, which v
al made the vaIley--and during the f
lfrequent periods Of rain too brief to t
known as the rainy season, it really v
we'd up to the name of river-flowed v
lerrily through the town, when II q
owed at all, under the name of Picket h
'ire. When the railroad came the
icket Wire had been first studied In v
lie hope Of finding practicable way d
yer the mountains, but the ravine on r
he other side of the mesa had been Il
,und to offer shorter and more prac- D
cable route. And, by the way, this 4