The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1921-05-26
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM ARIZONA READER

Editor LEADER thought I would
write and tell your readers something
about the wonderful State Of
Arizona. It may interest some, as
know that as a former resident Of
Upton county, dearly love to hear
from there.
wonder how many Of your readers
are aware Of the existence Of a great
wonderful forest and Of being part
owner of the same in the White
mountains of Arizona? The Apache
National Forest is, or was until three
years or so ago, the largest untouched
forest in the United States. The
national government set it aside to
conserve the waste Of timber, and to
cut any green wood, no matter foI
what purpose, you have to get per-
init.
Three years ago a great big outfit
built a saw mill at a place called
Cooley, right in the midst Of the for
est called Cooley after the Apache
Indian who owned the ranch
suppose lots of your readers
imagine Arizona to be nothing but
dreary desert of hot dry sand noun
tains scattered around. Well, that is
true of part of it, but the eastern
part, or at least most of Apache
county, which is the easternmost
county, is covered with as fine tim
Der as ever stood anywhere: also it is
abundantly watered by springs You
never know where you are going to
run on to spring.
We live in the northern part Of the
forest at little saw mill. There are
lots Of these little saw mills scattered
about, but can scarcely miss the tim
Der they cut. The Cooley contrac-
tors would not build their mill until
they had enough timber promised for
90 years, which is the farthest the
government will contract for. When
/ tell you that they are Just beginning
to make a show with all that tim
Der, YOU can understand a little what
a vast forest this is. The rangers,
who take care of the forest and whose
duty it is to keep account OF the tins
Der cut, keep one man on duty all the
time at Cooley just scaling logs. They
only come here about once or twice
a month.
Well. win try to describe where
we live, which is a pretty good aver
age for all over the forest. We live
in about three miles Of Green's Peak,
which is very near 10000 feet high;
so you see it is pretty cold here yet.
It's funny: looks like the higher YOU
were the hotter it would be, but it's
the other wav round. We came from
Mesa, Arizona. Mesa is on the des-
ert, all right, and its undoubtedly hot
hotter than Upton county people
can realize. Mesa is only about 100
feet high, so you can see it was some
change. We could harly breathe, but
now we think it is fine air here in the
mountains. We left Mesa Friday
night and got to Holbrook Saturday
morning. Some contrast-so hot at
night and next morning when we
walked we could see snow most any
where. We were met at Holbrook BY
an auto and brought toySt. Johns. st.
Johns is the county seat Of Apache
county. In size it is about like Mill
ington, or not SO large, and it is the
largest town east of Phoenix. We
kept going up and up and the higher
We went we could see places still
higher So miles. Everything is
hauled into st. Johns by motor.
We came BY the petrified forest,
or rather through the edge Of it.
1t is certainly wonderful. We came
on up into the forest Sunday, travel
ing 80 miles, so we are 100 miles
from railroad. But the distantce
doesn't seem SO far to me as it used
to. Think Of bringing everything we
have distance Of 80 miles.
Some Of the people have homesteads
up here and come up two or three
times a week to water and feed their
stock. Think Of going 80 miles to
water your cows. Well, Monday, after
we came up it showed and Tuesday it
showed; Wednesday it cleared away.
The next Monday it showed and on
Friday after that. Then on April IA
came a big one. 1t is all good for
the grain, though, and every one was
glad to see it, as there had not been
much snow this winter. It has
cleared away, though, now, and the
snow is all gone except in sheltered
S. OTIS and in the deep woods.
The SOW mill is set in the middle
of a small valley. or draw, as we call
them, but here they are called parks.
II is certainly beautiful place. /
can look out Of my kitchen window
and see a picture to equal any an
artist ever painted. We have ice cold
spring water to use, and l, for one,
would not go back to hot river val
ley this SUMMER for a great price.
All the harder vegetables grow to
perfection here and we have a nice
garden started.
This is wonderful country for
health, and although everyone thinks
it is full Of Mormons and Indians,
that is not true,
MgncT rAv