East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-03-31
RICHARD M. TURNER WRITES
INTERESTINGLY OF Ell PASO

age creeps upon us, the pleasure will
grow in recalling them TO mind.
Al; l want to see you again before
die, and hope to some day get back
there. that we may go over the old
points together again. And Yet. my
life seems so full-so full that it
seems that it is always impossible.
Let us hope that such meeting may
be soon, and that your dear Mother
may still be alive to receive me; for
she was and in memory is a foster
mother to me.
Yes. 1 have been a Mason SO long
that can hardly remember when it
was not so. Have passed through all
the chairs and was at one time a
Deputy Lecturer for a field covering
most of southern New Mexico. Was
in line for Grand Lodge Honors when
closed my law office-sick-and left
the State. and have never been back
in the work. Was then word perfect
Have at different times belonged
to other orders but have dropped all
but Masonry.
The Turner family has been some
thing of a nervous wreck for some
years; however, am in perfect health
again. or was until three months ago.
Now have an ear trouble which is
distressing me very much.
Let me revert to further word of
information about this country. 1t is
barren and the most God forsaken
looking country on earth, except
Egypt-and many of more wealthy
friends tell me that it is a dead
ringer for Egypt. but it reaches out
and gets us after few years and we
like it. Then / have asthma in the
cold countries and do not have it
here; so am a prisoner in a way; but
a willing one. The Rio Grande-
Grand Rivers far from being
grand. In fact it is dry at certain
periods of the year; at others a raging.
roaring. cantankerous lion in its
wrath.
The desert has its beauties, and the
desert rat" of whom you read. is
reality. This has been said to be
country where distance is deceiving
and the eve is a liar 1t is the coun-
try of sunshine. silence and adobe"
We have on the desert and in our
mountains. the most profound silence
that abounds anywhere on this earth.
And We love II, and, leaving, grow
homesick for it.
But the most beautiful and inter-
esting part of the desert is in Ari-
zona. have travelled its silent places
and noted its beauties
which were unseen on earlier inspec-
tions. Ones first visit to the desert
is lost; he sees nothing but monotony
on every hand: later he
begins to recognize anr welcome its
changing fauna and flora; its wild
life. and its prickly blossoms: to be-
gin to distinguish between the differ
ent varities of cacti. and wonder how
their beauty and fragrance had been
lost on you before.
And the mountains here. No sign
of tree or verdure in sight. Dry.
DesoIate. Yet when you reach the
high mountains you find streams of
water and good
pine timber. Occasionally you find
trout, if you know the country. and
always good deer hunting, and wild
turkey. And the mountains are form
ed entirely different than our north
ern mountains.
Here you have box CANYONS. with
sheer walls perhaps two thousand
feet in height. with a stream of wa
ter-mountain water. between these
WailSs anu uInDeT. 1Ou may nave u
travel five, ten miles to get a trail
out of this canyon. On one occasion
I came down a ridge to a perpendicu-
lar wall about thirty feet high. with
the road at its base. A road 80 feet
away and yet 1 was compelled to ride
back to the top of the ridge and come
down the next one. and finally. after
travelling about ten miles. came down
within fifty feet of where 1 had turned
back. tell this because you are an
outdoor man and will understand. OF
course a footman Is alright, but man
on horse, as I was, must simply go
back.
The two great industries of this
whole southwest country are live stock
and mining. The southwest furnishes
the greater part of the copper. We al
So have other metals. all of them
a bout,
Al. am tired and not well. and an,
going to close. have INDUCED my
self in the pleasure Of a long talk
with you and shall now rest.
Ny very best love to you and yours
Yours as ever.
r. NJ. TURNER.