The Winslow mail., 1923-01-05
A TREE COVERED DESERT
Mapped by the United States GeOlOgi-
cal Survey.

According to the common notion the
desert is a barren, tracklesS waste
covered by drifting sand, but the Pap
ago country of southwestern Arizona
is desert that is green and tree
covered and contains ponds and Gull
tivated fields. However, the verdure
is deceptive, the trees cast almost no
shade, the ponds are dry most OF the
time. and such fields as may be cul-
tivated yield crops only at Intervals.
Great areas are without water, ana
the few inhabitants of the region,
human and animal, are engaged in
continual struggle for precarlous
livelihood Rain is infrequent, but at
times it comes with devaStlng sud
denness and vigor. During these rare
periods of rain. roads that are or
dinarily difficult to traverse because
of deep sand or dust and lack of water
ing places become seas of mud.
In this inhospitable environment
the Papago Indians have lived since
the days of the early Spanish ex-
plorers and doubles long before. In
summer they cultivate corn, beans,
and squash in the broad valleys
wherever floods wet the ground; in
winter they congregate at wells oI
other watering places in the mount
aims. A few white StOckmen, miners,
Storekeepers, and Government offlcl-
ais are scattered through the area. At
the great copper mine Of Ajo, how
ever, the traveller will find modern
city of 1000 people. and outpost of
civilization in the desert
In 1917 the road from Tucson, the
county seat of Pima County, to Ajo
vas 1876 miles of rough and difficult
travelling This iourney-a whole
days trip by automobile-was at
tempted only by the experienced de-
sert traveller. By 1920 there had been
constructed over the worst parts OF
the road 80 miles of modern highway,
and the journey can now be made IN
four hours. Indeed, the road from
Tucson to Yuma, which includes this
road to Ajo, bids fair to become part
of one of the popular transcontinen-
tai routes.
The Papago country, which is south
of the Gila River and north of the
Mexican boundary, forming triangle
that lies west of Tucson and east of
Yuma, is the subject of guidebook
by Kirk Bryan, just published by the
United States Geological Survey. This
guidebook is the fourth of series
that describe the roads, wells
springs, and other watering places
of the most arid part of the United
States-an area of $4,000 square miles
in southeastern California and south
western Arizona.
The surveys made in 1917 and 1918,
under a small appropriation by Con-
gress, Signposts giving directions and
distances from watering place to
watering place were erected on the
roads at suitable points. The maps
made by these surveys form the most
valuable part of the guidebOoks, for
they are the most complete and ac-
curate maps of the region yet pub
| lished The relief of the country is
! shown by brown shading, which
brings out clearly the form of the
mountains, hills, and broad plains and
makes the maps easily understood by
any one.
The book contains detailed legs Of
! the roads in the region. including not
only those of the principal automo-
bile routes but those of branch roads
| that lead to parts of the desert that
are seldom visited and little known.
| These logs show in heavy type the
places at which water can be obtained.
There is also a list of watering places,
.s.,a.. 81 a. En4aagasssA