Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1932-02-11
SPLENDID LETTER
FROM HOWARD A. COULSON

Under date OF Jan. 25, Mr.. How
ard A. Coulson, who with his family
is spending the winter at Tucson.
Ariz., writes most interestingly OF
that place, as follows:
Dear Durbin:-When a fellow is
shut up in the house all day on ac-
count of bad, windy, cold, snowy
weather, after coming some 2,20o
miles from a garden spot like Nor
gan county, Ohio, to dry dusty,
sandy, spot like Tucson, Ariz., he
just naturally wants to take it out
on some one. So why not you?
Tucson, Ariz., is great town
right out in the very heart of
desert Here we are almost sur
rounded by mountains Just to
look around it would seem there is
no way out only over the noun
tains. In fact, it does take some
right good grades to get out in any
direction, except south, and who
wants to go to Mexico? Phoenix
is some 1900 feet lower than Tue
son. Tucson is 2,400 feet above sea
level In going to Phoenix from
here you have to go some 1000
feet higher before you cross the
ridge to go down into the valley in
which is located the wonderful.
green irrigated lands around Phoe
nix Tucson is the county seat of
Pima county. Being the county
seat Of county like Pima is some
job. The area of this county is
something like 10000 square miles.
about one-fourth the size of the
state of Ohio Over half of the
people of the whole country live
right here in Tucson. One-third OF
the county is Indian reservation.
On the Papago Indian reservation
just south of Tucson is the Mission
San Xavier founded in 1900. The
Mission is still used by the Papago
Indians. The Franciscan Fathers
hold services there for the Indians
every week and there is quite an
Indian village (San Xavier) around
the Mission We went through the
Mission which is still just as it was
originally built It is made of brick,
which the guide told US We're made
right on the grounds. 1t took some
IS years to build, and its walls are 6
feet thick. 1t is almost entirely of
The original decorations are on the
walls, and while dim, yet you can
make out the pictures of small ami
mails claimed to be the work of the
Indians. 1t is said to be one of the
best preserved of the entire chain
Of Missions erected by the Spanish.
There is quite an Indian school
close by. Until 1847 Tucson was
the Spanish military headquarters
and was a walled town. Il is claim
ed to have been the only walled
town in North America. You can
still see evidences of the old wall.
The Mexicans make up large per-
cent of the population of Tucson.
This Mexican population is quite in
teresting. They are badly mixed,
and Indian and negro features are
very much in evidence in a great
many cases. And the eyes are Of
ten inclined to show the slant of
the Chinese. I noticed down in the
foreign quarter of the city they
have Chinese Masonic lodge.
Chinese groceries are very much in
evidence and are patronized to
some extent by the white popula-
ton. The MeXicans are not SO we'll
thought of right now. Their care
and education is quite an expense
at this time, and several of the
Mexican border towns have up
signs that say Mexico for MeXi-
cans They do not have very
good feeling for the United States.
When Americans go over into Mex
leo they have to be very careful.
Any excuse is used to arrest the
American car. 1t IS the car they
take and hold until the fine is paid,
and it is the money they want.
For miles around Tucson in ev-
cry direction is the desert. Some
say the wonderful desert. But it
sure enough is desert. Miles out in
this desert you will see lovely,
lonely big homes built by some of
the rich people. Harold Bell
Wright has big ranch home some
six miles out. Many of these homes
ouo ax,od ,,r lsIxo 10 aac onI o,o