heir southward trend, and forms the southern rim of the Great Basin. This depression was once a vast

s, which are "brightly colored as if painted by artist Gods, not stained and daubed by inharmonious hues but beauti

ve extinct volcanic field. The whole country is covered with cinders which were thrown from active volcanoes centuries ago. The track of the

ve been named by a company of soldiers who camped on the spot while out hunting Indians, when the country was new. It happened to be on the Fourth of July and they celebrated the day by unfurling Old Glory from the top of a pine tree, which was s

icinity when the domestic ice supply runs short. The cave is entered from the side of a ravine and its opening is arched by lava rock. How the ice ever got there is a mystery unless it is, as Mr. Volz claims, glacial ice

is report of a biological survey of the San Francisco mountains and Painted Desert, states that there are seven distinct life zones in a radius of twenty-five miles runni

stage line, when it was running, carried passengers through in one day, but after the railroad was built from Williams to Bright Angel the stage was abandoned. However it is an interesting trip

rancisco mountains and intersects with the winter road that runs east of the peaks at Cedar Ranch, which was the midway st

than five thousand feet and in distance is about halfway to the Canon. Here cedar and pinon trees take the place of the taller pines. Cedar Ranch is on an arm of the Painted Desert, which st

No signs of severe windstorms are seen in broken branches and fallen trees. If an occasional tree is found lying prostrate it was felled either by the woodman's ax or one of nature's destructive forces, fire or decay, or both. But the large n

ngs in Walnut Canon. Along the wayside a signboard points the direction to the Bottomless Pit, which is a deep hole in the ground that is only one of many such fissures in the earth found on th

ed rocks that are of volcanic origin. Black cinders cover its steep sides and its brow is the rim of a deep crater. Between Sunset Peak and O'Leary Peak is the Black Crater from which flowed at one time thick streams of black lava t

ome of the roots are entirely bare while others are half buried in cinders. They are from an inch to a foot thick and from ten

View is Cedar Spring, forty miles distant. Until recently all the water used at the canon was either packed upon burros from springs down in the canon or

ing directly into the river it flows in the opposite direction. Only after a long detou

to stop at the Bright Angel Hotel and look over the guard rail on the cliff down into the canon gives merely a glimpse of what there is to see. A brief stay of one day

miles up the canon. An all day's stage ride from Flagstaff to the canon was tiresome, but the two

ng and lachrymose effects that have been described by some emotional writers, but

n is built on such a grand scale and the eyes not being accustomed to such sights it is impossible to comprehend it--to measure its dimensions c

ustomed to the new order of things. But even a cursory view will always remain i

ws and descend into yet deeper depths below. The canon is not a single empty chasm, which is the universal conception of a canon, but consists of a complex system of sub and side canons that is bewildering. Out of its depths rise an infinite number and v

o much greater than what it seems to be, which is demonstrated by the blue haze that fills the canon. The nearby buttes are perfectly disti

fferent strata of rocks have the appearance of a

t view point on the canon. From this point about thirty miles of river can be seen as it winds in and out deep down among the rocks. The Colorado river is a large stream, but as seen here a mile below and several miles out, it dwindles into insignificance

g across a bend in the canon from Grand View Point to Bissell's Point the distance seems to be scarcel

Hance trails, which are at intervals of eight and twelve miles apart. They are equally interesting and

back to the rim. It was built single handed by Captain John Hance, who has lived many years in the canon. The trail is free to pe

ious manner in which he relates his stories makes it sometimes hard to tell whether he is in jest or earnest. His acknowledged skill in mountain

went over the cliff in an awful leap. He expected to meet instant death on the rocks below and braced himself for the shock. As the fall was greater than usual, being over a mile deep in a perpendicular line, it required several seconds for the descending bodies to traverse the intervening space, which gave him a few moments to think and plan some way of escape. At the critical

tain a better view the party essayed to squeeze through the opening, in which attempt all succeeded except one fat women who stuck fast. After vainly trying to extricate her from her uncomfortable position he finally told her that there

urned to the spot and found the result satisfactory. The blast had released the wo

idently very much relieved, and replied "Why, sir, I fe

ay down on the bank to take a drink. Being very thirsty he paid no attention to the quality of the water, but only knew that it tasted wet. The water, however, grew thicker as he drank until it became balled up in his mouth, a

ogether due to any one cause. Scientists say that it is the work of water erosion, but to the layman it seems impossible.

ection of least resistance. If water ever made the Grand Canon it had to climb a hill and cut its way through the backbone of the Buckskin mountains, which are not a ra

ncy like any other river. After a time the river bed began to rise and was gradually pushed up more and more by s

nneled until it cut its way through to the surface. As improbable as is this theory it

the earth and acted by producing lateral displacement rather than direct upheaval. Whenever that event occurred the fracture which marks the course of the Grand Canon was made and, breaking through the enclos

le. Many of them are perfectly dry and apparently never contained any running water. They are all so much alike that they were

strata and show but little dip anywhere. Indeed, the rocks lie so

ost a perpendicular cliff from one to three thousand feet high which extends from east to west across central Arizona and divides the great northe

ature's universal leveling process. Even the floods of water which pour through them during every rainy season with an almost irresistible force carry in more soil than they wash out and every freshet only adds new soil to the old deposits. If these canons were all ori

endicular walls of solid rock like the Grand Canon. It is a long, narrow valley sunk deep into the earth and has great fertility and much wild beauty. It measures from a few feet to a mile in width and drains a large scope of rough coun

of the Aravaipa creek. It flows through many miles of rich alluvial land and empties into the San Predo river. The valley was set

deep in the earth the narrow valley at the bottom of the canon can only be seen from above. When viewed from some favorable point it has the appearance of a long green ribbon stretched loosely over

andeur, sublimity and beauty, and will att

an Francisco Mountain Region and Painted De