The border vidette., 1927-03-05
WONDERLAND OF HUNDRED
VOLCANOES

AL luUcISStluS SCCtAOd Va VII
liam II. Hornaday's latest book,
TALES from Natures Wonder
land" is that chapter entitled,
Land of Hundred Volcanoes"
which is located in the north
western portion of the state OF
Sonora, just south of the inter
national boundary. says the Tue.
son Citizen.
The region is described by the
author as place wherein
there is spread out. before all
that can see, an array of vast
and awesome exhibits showing
how nature does things"
When the author visited this
region, which is called Pinacate,
he was accompanied by Godfrey
Sykes, of Tucson, who was geo
grapher OF the party, and DR.. d.
II. Mac Dougal, also of Tucson.
who took some valuable pictures
and John M. Phillips. Some of
DR.. McDougal's pictures are re
produced in the newly published
book.
The interesting region describ
ed as Pinacate was not known to
the reading public until after
1907, when Mr.. Hornaday made
his exploration there, although
it was known to exist by the
Papago Indians Of Southern Ari
zona, and q very few Mexicans.
It is made up of q range of
blackbrown lava mountains. the
highest peak of which rises f..
O6O feet above the level Of the
nearty-Gulf of California. Some
of the craters which 20 to make
up this region are deep enough
to bury the top of the Washing
ton Monument, and one is stated
by the author to be large enough
to hold feet of two dozen At
lantic line steamships.
It is here that Nature stok.
ed her hidded fires. cast out
hot cinders, lava, stones, ashes
and other waste materials, and
spoiled the surface of Sonora.
A portion of the volcano pan
Drama which the scene contain.
ed, many many years ago Is
huge circular cavity with loft
rim three miles in circumference,
which. belches forth q great
volume of rolling smoke clouds
with occasional flashes of flame
Toward the south, q great
white sheet of molten, lava in
flowing from it, glowing red
where it leaves the crater and
paling as it goes"
This volcano went nameless,
the author states, until 1907,
when they measured it. mapped
it, and named it Sykes Volcano,
in honor of the geographer of
the party.
Sixteen volcanoes are in sight
in the interesting region. An in
teresting description of the re.
gion is contained in the book.
Strange to say" the book
states, "even the scanty mantle
of vegetation that Nature is slow.
ly and patiently spreading over
that awful land has attracted
scanty but bold wild animal po
pulation consisting (in 1907 OF
Is mountain sheep. 80 antelope.
80 rascally coyotes, 125 pack
rats, 10000 little elf like kan.
garoo rats and Is jack rabbits.
Special commendation of the
work of Ben Tinker, honorary
game warden of Sonora, and also
a resident of Tucson, is contain.
ed at the end of the chapter.
Tinker has been working since
the fall of 1922 to protect noun
tain sheep and prong horned
antelope all ever the Republic of
Mexico, under authority of an
executive decree issued by Pre-.
sident Obregon, which forbade
killing these animals for a period
of ten years. Mr.. Tinker's work
has included the watching of
every sheep range and antelope
plain in the whole Pinacate re.
gion.
Another Tourist Lure
Tucsonans are not awake to
the possibilities of advertising
Pinacate, Land of a Hundred
Volcanoes" as an adjacent at
traction of the city, in the opinion
of Ben Tinker. local hunter and
sportsman. This most interest
ing region may be reached by
automobile from Tucson in a
days travel, the total distance
being but $50 miles.