Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-11-08
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''Hikers -Four Z Give Account 81
" Walk to Los Angele. Thru
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y Los Angeles, Calf, Oct. &c, 1922.
Editor Tribune: za . ...>t t. /. "a.
We arrived here tired but happy the
night before last, the 25th.
It seems rather strange not to have
some place in view as our destination
for the night. - - :. ..szz. sa..<
Went thru some very beautiful coun-
try during our trip, especially thru
out New Mexico and Arizona. can't
begin to do justice to it but shall
attempt to sketch picture of it in
words. -
In passing from Colorado to New
Mexico we went thru the Ration Pass.
The coloring was simply wonderful,
red, brown, yellow, gray and other col
ors, all blended together. When we
reached the summit we looked back
and saw. the road we had just come
over, and ahead at the one over which
we were to pass-one horseshoe curve
after the other winding up and down.
About the most picturesque place
we passed thru is Los Vegas, New
Mexico. The houses are constructed
in accordance with their peculiar
style of architecture and most of them
made Of adobe. It appeared as tho all
the rooms opened onto piazza. One
could easily imagine oneself in Spain.
The earth has a reddish tint which
blended with the colorings Of the
surrounding rocks and shrubbery,
makes very fascinating picture.
There are quite a few Mexican
towns thruout New Mexico and Ariz-
ona and they all seem to have one
point, at least, in common, viz: they
didn't seem to be laid out according
to any plan, no system of streets, just
one street, more like lane, after the
other and sometimes they lead into
someone's backyard; network of
narrow, short, deep-rutted streets.
Santa Fe is funny old city with
narrow streets and old fashioned build
ings. 1t doesn't have the busting at
mosphere that most cities of today
have.
Between Santa Fe and Albuquerque
we passed over mountain pass that
is steep and rather dangerous because
of the sharp curves. We heard several
motorists say that in order to make
some of the curves, they had to back
up when almost halfway around a
curve.
The forest district around Flagstaff,
Ariz., is very beautiful. The elevation
is about 10000 feet above sea level,
and it certainly was cold there, so
cold in fact, that ice cream holds no
charms for the people living in that
vicinity, so we were told by restaurant
proprietors .7"s",'
On our way to Flagstaff, we passed
thru the Leupp Indian Reservation. The
Government supports a school and
hospital there. Most of the Indians in
that district are Of the Navajo tribe,
and are not very progressive nor in
dustriOus. They move around from
one place to another in search for
grazing lands for their cattle. The
Government takes their children from
them when they become four or five
years OF age and place them in the
school at Leupp. It is made compul-
sorry because otherwise the parents
wouldn't send them to school. They
are kept at the school in Leupp for
four years and then are sent away to
school for four years. When they
come to the school they can't speak
nor understand word of English.
The town of Oatman, Arizona, is
supported mainly by gold miners. We
went thru villages near Oatman that
were entirely deserted presumably be-
cause all the gold had been mined and
the boom passed on to some other
place.
When we reached Needles, Califor-
mia, we were almost convinced that
we were in the tropic zone Certainly
couldn't blame anyone living there for
being lazy and slow. There were very
many Indians in the town l0unging
around under palm trees, most of them
squaws, dresser in vivid colors, and
many beaded %adornments, with their
feet entirely: unadorned. They made
their living selling necklaces and
beaded ornaments. The only restaur-
ant in Needles operated by white peo-
pie is the Harvey House, the rest are
run by Chinamen.' > IT,
Between Barslow and San Berna-
dino we, went thru the Gallon Pass.
The road is all paved and in excellent
condition. California's highways COM
pare very favorably with those of Min
nesota, but the same certainly cannot
be said of the highways in New Mex.
leo and Arizona, no-and not:of Iowa,
Nebraska and Colorado either. Three
big cheers for Minnesota's highways.
We can appreciate them to the fullest
extent now. They're marked more OF.
ten and more clearly and kept in far
better condition. s<s4s & n IF.
The Old Trails Highway. thru New
Mexico and Arizona is almost entirely
under construction and from all ap.
pearances in the course Of q few years
a. -. : D.. ~ - Il