Graham guardian., 1919-02-14

guarded each corner and ther'
were two entrances, defended
| by immense doors of heavy tim
bers, invariably Closed at night
ISome of the old walls was late
used in the construction of mod
ern buildings.
| In December, 1916, Lieut.. Col
st. George Cooke, commanding
the Mormon battalion, composed
of 500 courageous Mormon sol
diers who were marching to the
assistance of General Stepher
Kearny, then hard pressed by
the Mexicans in California, issuec
the following order:
| HEADQUARTERS MORMON. BAT
TALON,
CAMP ON THE SAN PEDRO,
December 13, 1916
Thus far on our course we have
followed the guides furnished us
by the general (Kearny). These
guides now point to Tucson,
garrisoned town, as our road,
and assert that any other course,
is, a hundred miles out of the way
and over a trackless wilderness
of mountains, rivers and hills. We
will march then to Tucson. We
came not to make war on Sonora,
and less still to destroy an impor-
tant outpost of defense against
Indians; but we will take the
straight road before US and over
come all resistance. But shall |
remind you that the American
soldier ever shows justice and
kindness to the unarmed and un-
resisting? The property of in
|dividuals you will hold sacred.
The people of Sonora are not our
enemies.
By order of Lieut.. Col. Cooke.
(Signed) P, C. MERRILL,
AdjutaIt.
Reaching Tucson the nexc day,
the command passed through the
gate into the walled city, where
upon Colonel Cooke raised the
American flag and then made a
short speech in which he stated
that no one would be harmed, as
his troops would not in any way
interfere with the private prop
erty and the civil rights of the
citizens.
To the unsophisticated ten
derfoot, the deserts of Ari-
zona present nothing attractive,
whereas Familiarity with them
reveals that they bear upon their
bosoms, flora of gorgeous beauty.
Much has been written of the
"arboreal Arizona deserts, for
these deserts bloom with flowers.
The prevailing hue of the desert
is not monotonous; for there are
ever-changing color-tones of the
sky and far-away mountain peaks
that form the rim of your world.
The rich'purple tones in the dis
tant hills, the pearl gray touches,
and the deep translucent azures
in the arching heavens make up
myriad glints of light and color
that may not be set upon canvas.
Within the State is the largest
area of recent volcanic action to
be found on the continent, re
cent" being employed in it's geo.
logical sense. In the State is the
largest and most interesting cave
dwelling; the most extensive
''pinus ponderosa" forest in the
United States, and in the forest
are hundreds of small parks
gems of exquisite
scenery.
Major j. W. Powell, whose la
oors as an explorer and geologist /
we're of incalculable value to the
people, left a rich
egacy by his early explorations
If the Grand Canyon. Scarcely |
ess fearless and prominent were
he subsequent journeys and ex-
olorations through the canyon
made by Lieut.. Wheeler in 1871,
R. B, Stanton, in 1890 and the
Kolb brothers in 1912.
The total number of Indians
maintaining tribal relations in
he State is about 44,000. The
Navajo Zone of the bold est and |
most sagacious of tribes) is dom
ciled in northeastern Arizona.
The Navajos were willy foes and |
;heh raids and depredations were
Usually victorious. After the ac-
luisition of the great Southwest |
by the United States, the Navajo |
warriors killed many citizens.
Several attempts were made to
,ubdue the Navajo, but no one
succeeded until 1868, when Colo
,el Kit Carson drove them into
Mexico, where they were held as
prisoners until 1867, when they
we're permitted to return to their
I'D haunts in Arizona, where a