The Grand Canyon of Arizona: How to See It,
by
George Wharton James
Part 4 out of 4
the bridle with his club. Friar Juan, fretted by the time that was being
wasted in talking with them, said to the captain, 'To tell the truth, I do
not know why we came here.' When the men heard this, they gave the Santiago
(The Battle Cry of Spain), so suddenly that they ran down many Indians and
the others fled to the town in confusion. Some indeed did not have a chance
to do this, so quickly did the people in the villages come out with
presents, asking for peace. The captain ordered his force to collect, and,
as the natives did not do any more harm, he and those who were with him
found a place to establish new headquarters near the village. They had
dismounted here when the natives came peacefully, saying that they had come
to give in the submission of the whole province and that they wanted him to
be friends with them and to accept the presents which they gave him. This
was some cotton cloth, although not much, because they do not make it in
that district. They also gave him some dressed skins and some corn meal,
and pine nuts, and corn and birds of the country. Afterward they presented
some turquoises, but not many. The people of the whole district came
together that day and submitted themselves, and they allowed him to enter
their villages freely to visit, buy, sell, and barter with them.
"It is governed like Cibola, by an assembly of the oldest men. They have
their governors and generals. This was where they obtained the information
about a large river, and that several days down the river there were some
people with very large bodies.
"As Don Pedro de Tovar was not commissioned to go farther, he returned from
there, and gave this information to the general, who dispatched Don Garcia
Lopez de Cardenas with about twelve companions to go to see this river. He
was well received when he reached Tusayan and was well entertained by the
natives, who gave him guides for his journey. They started from here loaded
with provisions, for they had to go through a desert country before
reaching the inhabited region, which the Indians said was more than twenty
days journey. After they had gone twenty days, they came to the banks of
the river, which seemed to be more than three or four leagues above the
stream which flowed between them. This country was elevated and full of
low, twisted pines, very cold, and lying open toward the north, so that,
this being the warm season, no one could live there on account of the cold.
They spent three days on this bank looking for a passage down to the river,
which looked from above as if the water was six feet across, although the
Indians said that it was half a league wide. It was impossible to descend,
for after these three days Captain Melgosa and one Juan Galeras and another
companion, who were the three lightest and most agile men, made an attempt
to go down at the least difficult place, and went down until those who were
above were unable to keep sight of them. They returned about four o'clock
in the afternoon, not having succeeded in reaching the bottom on account of
the great difficulties which they found, because what seemed to be easy
from above was not so, but instead very hard and difficult. They said that
they had been down about a third of the way and that the river seemed very
large from the place that they reached, and that from what they saw the
Indians had given the width correctly. Those who stayed above had estimated
that some huge rocks on the side of the cliffs seemed to be about as tall
as a man, but those who went down swore that when they reached these rocks
they were bigger than the great tower of Seville. They did not go farther
up the river because they could not get water. Before this they had to go a
league or two inland every day late in the evening in order to find water,
and the guides said that if they should go four days farther, it would not
be possible to go on, because there was no water within three or four days,
for when they travel across this region themselves they take with them
women loaded with water in gourds, and bury the gourds of water along the
way to use when they return, and besides this, they travel in one day
what it takes us two days to accomplish.
"This was the Tison (Firebrand) river, much nearer its source than where
Melchior Diaz and his company crossed it. These were the same kind of
Indians, judging from what was afterward learned. They came back from this
point and the expedition did not have any other result. On the way they saw
some water falling on a rock and learned from the guides that some bunches
of crystals which were hanging there were salt. They went and gathered a
quantity of this and brought it back to Cibola, dividing it among those who
were there. They gave the general a written account of what they had seen,
because one Pedro de Sotomayor had gone with Don Garcia Lopez as chronicler
for the army. The villages of that province remained peaceful, since they
were never visited again, nor was any attempt made to find other peoples in
that direction."
Place Described by Cardenas Unknown. There has been some attempt on the
part of students who are familiar with the country to locate the spot where
Cardenas and his men gazed down into the depths of the Canyon of the
Colorado River. The long distance travelled, according to Castaneda's
narrative, was totally unnecessary to bring the Spaniards to the banks of
the river. Twenty days' journey, through a desert region, away from Tusayan
in the direction of the Colorado River, would have brought them as far down
as Yuma or Mohave. But at these points there is no canyon. It is well known
that the Canyon system terminates near the Great Bend, some miles beyond
the Grand Wash, hence this could not have been the objective point of the
guides of Cardenas.
Dellenbaugh's Opinion. Dellenbaugh, in his "Romance of the Colorado River,"
argues that the Tusayan of Castaneda could not have been the land of the
Hopis, for, as he truthfully remarks, "an able-bodied man can easily walk
to the brink of the Marble Canyon from there in three or four days." He
also says that it has usually been stated, without definite reason, that
Cardenas reached the Grand Canyon about opposite Bright Angel River, or
near the spot where El Tovar Hotel now stands. I have never heard this
statement made by any one who has any knowledge either of Castaneda's
narrative, or of the relative locations of the Hopi towns and the Grand
Canyon.
Evidently a Hopi Stratagem. The Hopis of to-day, with whom I have talked,
insist upon it that Cardenas was taken to the barren and desolate point
near the junction of Marble Canyon, the Little Colorado Canyon and the
Grand Canyon. Here, the river may be said to come from the northeast and
turn toward the south-southwest, and the conditions are not at all like
those described by the historian. But if one accepts this modern statement
of the Hopis, he is met with the questions: Why make Cardenas travel fifty
leagues to see an inaccessible river that could be reached in three or four
days? Did Cardenas really travel fifty leagues? I do not know, but I hazard
the conjecture that the Hopis gave Cardenas as much wandering about as they
could, took him to this terribly bleak and barren spot where even to-day
one can scarcely prevail upon a Hopi or Navaho to guide him, in order that
he might be discouraged from making further explorations in the
neighborhood. The Hopis had no use for explorers or strangers. They had
suffered too much from foes, for too many decades, to welcome any one who
seemed eager to possess anything of theirs, and, in my judgment, their
treatment of Cardenas was a deliberate ruse to get rid of him. They had a
trail over which they habitually traveled, that brought them to
Huetha-wa-li, the White Rock Mountain,--opposite Bass Camp,--and on to the
Havasupai villages. Several times a year they went to and fro over this
trail. It crosses the Little Colorado where it would have been easy to show
the Spaniards the Salt Spring, to which Castaneda later refers. There is
another point on the river, some miles beyond Bass Camp, where the Hopis
used to visit the Havasupais, and that is just beyond the Great Curve,
where the river may be said to flow from the northeast to the
southsouthwest. But both at Bass Camp and at this point, the Havasupais had
made trails down to the river, of the existence of which the Hopis may, or
may not, have known. So I freely confess that, as yet, I have not settled
in my own mind at what point Cardenas and the Spaniards gazed into the
depths of the Great Canyon.
Alarcon's Discovery of Colorado River. While the main portion of Coronado's
army had been advancing eastward, a sea force sent out to cooperate with
Coronado, under Alarcon, had sailed up the Gulf of California, and had
entered the Colorado River, thus solving the problem of its exit into the
Gulf. To Alarcon, belongs the discovery of the Colorado River, which he
named the Buena Guia. He went up the river twice in boats, the second time
ascending possibly as high as a hundred miles above the mouth of the Gila.
Finally he entered "between certain very high mountains, through which this
river passeth with a straight channel, and the boats went up against the
stream very hardly for want of men to draw the same." He claims to have
passed above this place undoubtedly one of the lesser canyons of the
Colorado found below the Needles, where the Santa Fe Railway crosses the
river--and here magicians tried to destroy him and his party by setting
magic reeds in the water on both sides. Of course this failed, but Alarcon
decided to go no further. Here he erected a very high cross, on which was
carved a statement to the effect that he had reached this spot, so that if
Coronado's men should find it, they would know he had ascended the river
thus far.
Town of San Hieronimo is Established. In the mean time, a small force of
seventy or eighty of the weakest and least reliable of the men of
Coronado's army was left in September, 1540, at a town which Cabeza de Vaca
had named Corazones, or hearts, because the people there fed him on the
hearts of animals. Coronado's plan was to establish a town here, which he
or his lieutenant in charge of this portion of the army called San
Hieronimo de los Corazones. These men and the care of the new settlement
were left to Melchior Diaz, with orders to protect the road between Cibola
and New Spain, and also to attempt to find some means of communicating with
the vessels under Alarcon. Diaz, with twenty-five selected men, started for
the seacoast, went to the Gulf, across to the coast, back again up the
river, where he found Alarcon's cross, and eventually returned to San
Hieronimo, there to meet with death by an accident. Owing to the habit of
the Indians at the lower portion of the river of warming themselves in
cold weather with a burning stick, Diaz called the river El Rio del Tizon
--the River of the Firebrand.
Disaster Comes to the Spaniards. Disappointed at what he had found at
Cibola and Tiguex, Coronado now decided to go with his whole army to a
place which had been described to him in most glowing terms by an Indian.
He told of a place of fabulous wealth named Quivera, and, says the ancient
historian: "He gave such a clear account of what he told, as if it was
true and he had seen it, that it seemed plain afterward that the devil was
speaking in him." Carried away by these glowing visions of wealth, Coronado
sent Tovar back to San Hieronimo. Melchior Diaz was dead, and the little
settlement was in an excitement, because one of the soldiers had just been
killed by a poisoned arrow, shot by one of the natives. In trying to punish
this offence, owing to the folly of the officer sent by Tovar in charge of
the primitive force, seventeen more soldiers were killed by poisoned
arrows, so that the ensign hastily abandoned the place, and moved with his
sadly reduced force forty leagues toward Cibola, into a valley called Suya.
From this point, he ultimately collected the best of his men, and marched
on to Tiguex, to find Coronado already gone on his heartbreaking expedition
to Quivera.
Coronado Returns to New Spain. After long and fruitless search, Coronado
returned to New Spain, a disappointed man, disgraced and discarded. Tovar
returned with him, but doubtless later found congenial work in other
fields.
CHAPTER XXV. Fray Marcos And Garces, And Their Connection With The Grand
Canyon
Hotel and Stations Named for Spanish Priests. At Williams, the gateway to
the Canyon, the Santa Fe Railway Company recently has erected a typical
Mission style hotel, to which the name of Fray Marcos has been given. Here
Canyon visitors who stop off between trains find excellent accommodations.
At Needles, California, on the Colorado River, is another reinforced
concrete building, named after another Franciscan priest, Francisco Garces.
Both Fray Marcos and El Garces are managed by Fred Harvey, who also has
charge of El Tovar Hotel. The history of this part of the Southwest for the
last thirty years cannot be written without mention of this masterful man,
who made railway meal service a fine art. In accordance with a policy
established some time ago by the Santa Fe Company, the architecture of
their station hotels conforms to the Spanish Mission styles, as far as
possible, and they are given names of those who are inseparably connected
with the romantic history of this region.
Fray Marcos Comes to America. In the chapter "Tovar and the Discovery of
the Grand Canyon," brief reference is made to the reconnaissance undertaken
by Fray Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan friar, to determine the truth of the
reports brought into Culiacan by Cabeza de Vaca. This narrative of Fray
Marcos is taken, in the main, from George Parker Winship's introduction to
his translation of Castaneda's narrative, published in the fourteenth
annual report of the United States Bureau of Ethnology. This friar was born
in Nice, then a part of Savoy, and he came to America about the year 1531.
His contemporaries called him a Frenchman, though there is no evidence that
he was of French parentage. He was sent as one of the religious to
accompany Pizarro on his expedition to Peru, and was present at the trial
and execution of the native king, Atahualpa. From Peru, he returned to
Central America, and thence he returned on foot to Mexico. He was a man of
known bravery and character, and already was appointed to the office of
vice-commissary of his order. Thus Mendoza felt no hesitation at charging
him with the arduous mission of penetrating to the heart of what are now
Arizona and New Mexico, as far as the reported seven cities of Cibola, and
bringing back to his superiors a truthful account of what he saw. The
father provincial of the order, Fray Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo, on August
26, 1539, certified to the high esteem in which Fray Marcos was held, and
stated that he was skilled in cosmography, and in the arts of the sea, as
well as in theology.
Mendoza Instructs Fray Marcos. Mendoza drew up for him a set of
instructions as to how he should proceed. These were very explicit as to
the good treatment the Indians were to receive at his hands, and required
him to make certain scientific observations with due care and thoroughness.
He was to leave letters at stated intervals, and also send back to the
viceroy reports of his progress, wherever possible. Coronado escorted him
as far as the new town of Culiacan, and on March 7, 1539, accompanied by a
lay brother, Onorato, he started on his trip.
Courage of Spaniards. When it is remembered that this journey of several
hundreds of miles was on foot,--for the rule of the Franciscans was that
all their members should travel afoot save in cases of extreme necessity,--
through a barren, almost waterless desert, roamed over, by warlike Indians,
the courage of the man is apparent. Yet he was not remarkable in this. The
history of Mexico and of all the Spanish colonies, as well as those of New
Mexico (which used to include Arizona), Texas, and California, abounds in
the names of men of equal courage and daring. On reaching Petatlan, Brother
Onorato fell sick, and Marcos had to leave him behind; thence alone, as far
as white men were concerned, he traveled to Cibola. Six Indian interpreters
and a large number of natives accompanied and followed him, and Stephen,
the negro, went ahead as his guide.
Investigates Regarding Pearl Islands. He reached Vacapa (now known as
Matapa), in Central Sonora, two days before Passion Sunday, which in 1539
fell on March 23. From this point he sent to the seacoast for some Indians,
in order that he might learn from them something about the pearl islands,
of which rumors had come to Cabeza de Vara. He remained here until April 6.
Stephen, the Guide, Is Sent Ahead. In the meantime, Stephen had pushed on
to the north, leaving on Passion Sunday, with orders from Fray Marcos not
to go further than fifty or sixty leagues ahead. If he found any signs of a
rich and populous country before he had gone that distance, he was not to
proceed further, but was to return for Marcos, or remain, and send
messengers for him, bearing a white cross the size of the palm of his hand.
If the news was very promising, the cross was to be twice the size, and if
the country about which he heard promised to be larger and better than New
Spain (as Mexico was then generally known), a cross still larger than this
was to be sent back. Castaneda says that Stephen was sent on ahead because
he and Marcos did not agree well, the negro not only showing covetousness
and the determination to acquire the turquoises of the natives, but also an
amorousness that demanded of them their youngest and prettiest women.
Messengers Bring Good News to Marcos. Four days after his departure,
messengers sent by Stephen reached Fray Marcos with a very large cross as
tall as a man. This, according to the signs established between them, meant
wonderful news. One of the messengers told what it was. He it was, indeed,
who had given the news to the negro, and he, in turn, had sent the native
on to Fray Marcos. This is what Marcos records of the Indian's story:
Report of Turquoise Stones. "There are seven very large cities in the first
province, all under one lord, with large houses of stone and lime; the
smallest one story high, with a flat roof above, and others two and three
stories high, and the house of the lord four stories high. They are all
united under his rule. And on portals of the principal houses there are
many designs of turquoise stones, of which he says they have a great
abundance and, the people in these cities are very well clothed.
Concerning other provinces farther on, he said that each one of them
amounted to much more than these seven cities."
Marcos got a very clear idea of what actually existed, though he
misunderstood the democratic community rule of the people of Cibola, under
a chief whom they had elected to the office, for the rule of an overlord.
The houses were built about as he describes, and whitewashed inside and out
with gypsum, and though the placing of turquoises in the door jambs is
discontinued, the traditions of the people clearly indicate that at one
time that was their general practice.
Messenger from the Coast Returns. Had he been a man of great impatience,
Marcos would have started off at once to discover the truth or falsity of
these reports, but he waited until his messenger who had been sent to the
coast returned, with natives of that region. These told him of pearls found
in quantity near their homes. Other Indians, with painted or tattooed
faces, chests and arms, living to the east (doubtless the Pimas or
Sobaipuris), also visited him, and told him of the seven villages with
which they claimed to be familiar.
Marcos Follows Stephen. The friar was now ready to start, and on the second
day following Easter (April 6), he left, expecting to find Stephen waiting
for him at the village from which his messenger had been sent. Instead, he
met a second cross, much larger than the first one, with messengers who
gave a fuller and completer account of the seven villages, but agreeing in
every particular with what had been told before. All this was confirmed
when Friar Marcos reached the first village, so he hastened on, doubtless
annoyed somewhat that Stephen had disobeyed his orders, and journeyed
beyond the prescribed distance. But it was perhaps well for him that
Stephen had done so. Gathering turquoises and women as he proceeded, and
followed by an increasing number of natives, the negro pushed on to Cibola.
Before arriving at the principal town, he sent forward a notice of his
approach in the shape of a gourd, to which were attached a few strings of
rattles and two plumes, one white and the other red. This was unfortunate
for Stephen, for undoubtedly it was part of the paraphernalia of a medicine
man of a tribe hostile to the Cibolans. Its receipt made the people both
angry and suspicious. The chief who received the gourd threw it upon the
ground, and told the messengers that "when their people reached the
village, they would find out what sort of men lived there, and that instead
of entering the place, they would all be killed." Stephen paid no attention
to this warning, but recklessly entered the village. He was duly received
by the chief, but instead of his being acclaimed, and a generous welcome
accorded him, he was coldly requested to remain without the walls, and
occupy a house that was pointed out to him. This for years has been the
habit of the Zuni people of our time, in dealing with strange Mexicans who
come to visit them, owing to their religious ceremonies.
Stephen Is Killed. Poor Stephen's confidence doubtless began to leave him
the following day, when his turquoises and women were taken from him, and
he found himself a prisoner without food or drink. As much afraid now as he
had been over-confident before, he endeavored, during the early morning
hours, to escape, but was overtaken and killed, together with some of his
followers. The others, to the number of sixty, returned to Fray Marcos with
the appalling news.
Indian Followers Wish to Desert. But, undaunted and unafraid, the brave
friar kept on his way. He was sent to see the villages of Cibola, and make
a report on them. He had injured no one, and intended to injure no one.
While he must be circumspect and not risk his life unnecessarily, he must
perform his duty, even though by so doing he put his life in jeopardy.
Another difficulty confronted him. The first reports of Stephen's death
were accompanied with the statement that all of his native followers were
also slain. As soon as the Indians who were with Fray Marcos heard this,
they wished to desert and return home at once; but he opened up some
bundles of presents he had with him, and by a free distribution of them
prevailed upon his escort to remain. Then he went apart to pray, and while
he was gone the ingrate Indians decided to kill him as the source of all
their troubles. It took a good deal of argument, more presents, and some
threats, to persuade them that to kill him would be the height of folly.
Before they had time to hatch up any more plots, he succeeded in getting
two of the chief men to go with him to a hilly place overlooking the city
of Cibola, which he describes as a city on a plain, on the slope of a round
height. In his report he writes:
Marcos' Description of Cibola. "It has a very fine appearance for a
village, the best that I have seen in these parts. The houses, as the
Indians had told me, are all of stone, built in stories, and with flat
roofs. Judging by what I could see from the height where I placed myself to
observe it, the settlement is larger than the City of Mexico.... It appears
to me that this land is the best and largest of all those that have been
discovered."
Marcos Returns with His Report. With "far more fright than food," says the
candid friar, he hastened back to New Spain, and made his report to
Coronado in person at Compostela. Later he wrote it officially to the
viceroy, also to the head of his order, and on September 2, in the presence
of both Mendoza and Coronado, swore to the truth of what he had written.
High Office Is Given Him. I have already (in another chapter) told of the
effect of Fray Marcos's report. It made a most popular man of him, and soon
thereafter, when the position of father provincial of his order was vacant,
he was chosen to fill the office,--the highest in the district. Henceforth
he was called to fill all the pulpits of the region. He became known as a
great preacher, and doubtless interlarded his sermons with many references
to his wonderful adventures in search of the famous "seven cities." The
result was the whole country became excited, and many went on the
expedition, the failure of which we are familiar with.
Cortez Discredits Marcos. In the meantime, Cortez was not quiet. It must
not be forgotten that he claimed all this northern country by right of
discovery, and he protested most vigorously against the sending forth of
Coronado's expedition. Just as Coronado was about to start, Cortez returned
to Spain, and there presented a memorial to the king (June 25, 1540),
setting forth in detail the ill-treatment which he had received from
Mendoza. In this, according to Winship, "he declared that after the
viceroy had ordered him to withdraw his men from their station on the coast
of the mainland toward the north, where they were engaged in making ready
for extended inland explorations, he had a talk with Fray Marcos. 'And I
gave him,' says Cortez, 'an account of this said country, and of its
discovery, because I had determined to send him in my ships to follow up
the said northern coast and conquer that country, because he seemed to
understand something about matters of navigation. The said friar
communicated this to the said viceroy, and he says that, with his
permission, he went by land in search of the same coast and country as that
which I had discovered, and which it was and is my right to conquer. And
since his return, the said friar has published the statement that he came
within sight of the said country, which I deny that he has either seen or
discovered; but instead, in all that the said friar reports that he has
seen, he only repeats the account I had given him regarding the information
which I obtained from the Indians of the said country of Santa Cruz,
because anything which the said friar says that he discovers is just the
same as what these said Indians had told me; and in enlarging upon this and
in pretending to report what he neither saw nor learned, the said Friar
Marcos does nothing new, because he has done this many other times, and
this was his regular habit, as is notorious in the provinces of Peru and
Guatemala; and sufficient evidence regarding this will be given to the
court whenever it is necessary.'"
Marcos an Exaggerator. Cortez never made any attempt to confirm his
statements, and it is well known that he himself was very reckless in his
handling of the truth where his own purposes were to be served, or the
plans of his enemies defeated. It seems a pretty clear matter that, while
the friar told the truth as nearly as possible as to what he actually saw,
he did not hesitate to let the more exaggerated statements of the things he
had merely heard have as full weight as the people to whom he told them
desired. Anyhow, he has suffered a great deal of abuse as an exaggerator,
and even worse, though it must never be forgotten that people who fail are
always ready to blame every one concerned except themselves. Bandelier
warmly defends Fray Marcos, and his knowledge is confessedly great; but
Winship thinks he treats the charge too lightly.
Poor Fray Marcos, afflicted with rheumatism, had a painful time during the
remainder of his life, and finally died March 25, 1558, in the house of his
order, in the City of Mexico. Religious Zeal of Garces. It is appropriate
also that Fray Francisco Garces should find an honored place in these
necessarily brief historical notices. Fired with a wonderful zeal for
souls, without the urging or backing of any superior save the Spirit of
God, which spoke to his own soul, he marched from San Xavier del Bac, his
station in Northern Mexico (now Arizona), across these inhospitable wilds,
merely seeking opportunities for the establishment of mission settlements,
where the natives could learn of the way of Christ, salvation from sin, and
heaven. Five times he left his mission and made entradas (as they are
called) into the interior country, anxious to expand his work and his
influence. On the third of these, he followed the course of the Gila down
to the Colorado River, and descended along its banks, possibly as far as
its mouth. His fourth journey was with the intrepid Captain Juan Bautista
de Anza, when he set forth in 1774. to discover a road from the missions
already established in Northern Mexico, over the then unknown Arizona and
Colorado deserts, to the new missions of California. The road was
discovered and, in spite of its hardships, deemed feasible, for in
1775-1776 De Anza went over it again, accompanied by the band he had
gathered together for the establishment of a Spanish colony at San
Francisco. His chaplain on this occasion was Padre Pedro Font. Fray Garces,
a fellow Franciscan, also went along as far as the Colorado River. Here he
left the party, journeyed down the Colorado to the Gulf, returned to the
Mohaves, then crossed the Colorado Desert to San Gabriel Mission in
California, back again to the Mohaves, and finally across the Arizona
desert to the province of Tusayan, the land of the Hopis.
Havasupais Guide Garces to the Hopi Towns. It was on June 4,
1776--memorable year in American annals--that Garces started under the
guidance of some Wallapais for the Hopi towns. They had given him fair
details of the country he would have to travel over. Passing by their own
home in Diamond Creek (one of the earliest approaches to the Grand Canyon),
he decided to visit the Havasupais, whom he calls Yabesuas. Those familiar
with Spanish spelling and pronunciation will readily recognize that they
are almost one and the same. The Wallapais took the priest down their own
trail into Havasu or Cataract Canyon,--a trail which made his head swim,
and where his mule had to be left behind, to be brought to him later by
another route. He also describes the ladder down which he climbed just
before reaching the place where the innumerable springs flow out of the
solid rock and form Havasu Creek. It was the same ladder descended eighty
years later by Egloffstein, Lieutenant Ives's artist, who was so heavy that
he took down ladder and all with him. Here Garces stayed five days, being
hospitably treated by the natives, who brought him melons, squash, corn,
beans, etc., and who had thriving trees of peaches and apricots.
The Grand Canyon Is Reached. Leaving the kindhearted Havasupais, he
returned to the plateau above, and soon saw for the first time the deep
gorge of the Colorado River itself,--the Grand Canyon. He describes with
surprising accuracy of detail the break in the Kaibabs, where the Marble
and Little Colorado Canyons unite and form the Grand Canyon, and then, a
little later, he gives a true description of the Little Colorado Canyon.
From his account, he doubtless went down by the old Hopi Salt Trail into
the gorge of the Little Colorado, and thus on to Oraibi, which he reached
July 2, 1776.
Wishes to Baptize the Indians. About this time those interesting, exciting
and most important of all discussions were raging in the Continental
Congress on the eastern side of the continent, which, two days later, were
to result in the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson had
undoubtedly written it at this time, but Garces knew not the name of the
great patriot and his compeers. He was bent on a different mission. He
wished to declare to the Hopis how they might have freedom,--freedom from
sin and the fear of hell. For, as Elliott Coues (the scholarly translator
of Garces's diary, published a few years ago by F. P. Harper of New York)
expresses it: "It made him sick at heart to see so many natives going to
hell for lack of the three drops of water he would sprinkle over them if
only they would let him do it."
Garces Reaches Oraibi. His arrival at Oraibi caused great excitement,
though a priest had been at work there as early as 1650. There were four
priests laboring among the Hopis in 1680, when the great native uprising
throughout New Mexico and Arizona occurred, and all of them, with many
others (laymen and soldiers as well) were slain at that time. Then, too,
the remembrance had not died away of the total destruction of the town of
Awatobi (one of the Hopi towns of that day) in the year 1700, because the
people of that place were hospitable and tolerant of the "long gowns." The
medicine men and leaders of all the adjacent towns gathered together, and
led a force which fell upon Awatobi in the dead of the night. Every male in
it was slain, and only some of the women and girls were saved and taken to
the other towns. The place was fired, and remained a neglected ruin, until
the scholarship and labors of recent ethnologists dug up both the town and
its tragic history.
Indians Are Hostile. Poor Garces! The hostility of the Oraibis was
apparent. They refused to allow him to enter a house, and he was compelled
to camp outside, in a corner formed by a jutting wall, while his guide
sheltered his mule in a sheep corral. He built his little camp fire, cooked
his frugal meal, and slept there during the night, doubtless committing
himself and the people who refused to receive him to the protecting
mercies of God. The next day the chiefs of the town came to him, clothed in
their ceremonial costumes and feathery head-dresses, and bade him leave the
place. He held up his crucifix as an index of his mission, and endeavored
to tell them that he came solely to do them good. But they would have none
of him, and on the following day, the memorable Fourth of July, they
expelled him peaceably but forcibly from their town. He returned to the
Colorado River again on July 25, and soon to San Xavier, his mission, a
failure.
Establishes Missions among the Yumas. Now he threw his whole heart into the
two missions which the authorities had decided to place among the Yumas.
Captain Palma, a Yuma chief, who had been very friendly, had urged it
repeatedly, and now the desires of both were to be fulfilled. In 1779,
Garces went to prepare the way, and the following year the establishment
took place. The missions were eight miles apart; one was named La Purisima
Concepcion; the other, San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicuner. Garces and
Barraneche took charge of the upper mission, and Diaz and Moreno of the
lower.
Garces Is Killed. The missions were a failure from the start. The few
Spanish soldiers sent to guard the padres were obliged to utilize some of
the best lands which were tilled for their own benefit. The appropriations
from the treasury were too small to permit of anything but the rudest and
simplest of structures, and Palma and his friends soon became disgusted
with the whole affair. On July 17 the Indians, many of whom had been
hostile from the first, arose and massacred both colonies of white men, as
well as a small force of soldiers under former Governor Rivera, of
California, who was encamped temporarily on the western side of the river.
At first, Garces' life was spared, but before the day was over he and his
co-laborer were beaten to death, and his unselfish mission on earth ended.
In my book "In and Out of the Old Missions of California", I give this
interesting and tragic history in fuller detail. This, then, is the man
whose name is given to the railway building at Needles, in order that his
heroic labors for the Indians of the Colorado River region may not be
forgotten.
CHAPTER XXVI. Powell's And Other Explorations Of The Grand Canyon
In the chapters on Tovar and Cardenas, Fray Marcos and Garces, I have given
some idea of the history of the Spanish explorations of the Grand Canyon
region. In this chapter is presented an account of the brave work done by
later explorers, until now the Grand Canyon and the whole canyon system of
the Colorado River is as well known as the course of many a less dangerous
stream.
Early American Trappers. Who can know whether any of those daring souls,
the trappers of the earliest days of American history, ever penetrated to
the depths of these canyons in their expeditions after the pelts of
fur-bearing animals? These men were the true pioneers. They ever kept
thrusting the frontier line further forward. As civilization, with people,
villages, towns, cultivated lands, advanced westward, still further west
pushed the trapper. Civilization was a hindrance to his business. The wild
animals he sought fled from the presence of many men. Though the Indian had
penetrated more or less to all these secluded regions, the Indian has
enough of the reserve of outdoor life not to disturb any of the animals. It
is the imperious, self-willed, noisy white man who drives away the shy
creatures of the wild.
United States Purchases New Territory. In 1815, the small nation known as
the United States had become eager to grow, and Jefferson had made his
memorable purchase of all the territory north of the Red River, the
Arkansas and the forty-second parallel, as far as the British boundary or
Canadian line, then still unsettled, and the disputed region of Oregon.
Lewis and Clark had made their wonderful expedition, and the world, through
the publication of their report, knew a little of the immense territory now
acquired. In the previous century, the Spaniards had discovered the value
of the pelts of the fur-bearing animals of California, and a few
venturesome spirits were soon to learn that the western mountains, forests
and rivers abounded in the same profitable game. In his interesting and
illuminative American Fur Trade of the Far West, Chittenden has shed a
flood of light on these early-day operations.
Trappers Seek Riches. Padilla, Kino, Garces, Escalante, and others of the
brave Spanish padres, had penetrated into some portion of these unknown
territories, but they had gone with the vow of poverty upon them. No greed
for gold blinded their eyes to the rights of others. A hunger for the
salvation of souls was their only hunger; the glitter of the golden harps
and crowns in heaven the only glitter that attracted them. But the trappers
had a different purpose. They were a different kind of men. Rough and
ready, venturesome to the last degree, turbulent as the raging Colorado,
imperious in their high-handed dealing with all who stood in their way,
they were about to enter the conflict for the sake of gold, and gold is the
most remorseless driver, the most soul-destroying master man ever has had.
Trappers the Primary Cause of Indian Wars. It has been the trappers who
largely have given to us our notions of the American Indians of the West.
For they were the first men to come into conflict with them. They were the
first to dispute with them about water-holes and springs, about "rights,"
about "property." Is it necessary to ask what kind of a report such men
would bring of any who stood in their way? Is it necessary to know much of
human nature to know how these men treated the Indians? The trappers not
only began the lucrative fur trade of the West, that laid the foundation
for several vast American fortunes, but they also laid the foundation for a
series of Indian wars that have cost the United States more lives and
treasure than all the furs ever gathered on earth were worth. And not only
did they take the furs from the animals they trapped. The agents of the Fur
Companies (whether British or American) took them from the Indians. Read
Jim Beckwourth's accounts of how he traded with the Indians, and listen to
his own comments upon his actions. As Dellenbaugh vividly says: "Roughshod
the trapper broke the wilderness, fathomed its secret places, traversed its
trails and passes, marking them with his own blood and more vividly with
that of the natives."
The Ashley Fur Camp Is Established. Early in the last century, the trappers
were operating on the head waters of the Colorado River. Green River Valley
was discovered, and in 1822 one of the most brilliant men of the West of
that period, General William Henry Ashley (born in Virginia in 1778, went
to Missouri in 1802, and in 1820 was its first governor), went into the fur
trade with Andrew Henry, an expert trapper. Two years later, with a band of
such men as Henry, Ashley established a camp in Green River Valley, and,
with his men, set out on expeditions for furs and pelts.
Inscription at Red Canyon. When in June, 1869, Powell and his party were
passing through the fourth canyon after leaving Green River, now known as
Red Canyon, they saw an inscription on one of the huge rocks above the
river, done in black letters, sheltered by a slight projection of the rock
which acted as a cornice, reading:
"Ashley 18...5"
The third figure was obscure and some of the party read in 1835, some 1855.
Ashley Expedition Unsuccessful. It should have been read 1825. Powell was
not familiar with the history of the fur traders. Ashley was an unknown
name to him, but as Chittenden has so vividly pointed out, he, in his way,
left his impress upon our Western civilization as strongly as did Powell.
Would that it had been as nobly, as grandly beneficent. Ashley fitted up a
trapping expedition to go down Green River, in spite of its known dangers,
and, expecting to find beaver in plenty, took but little provisions along
with them. At first they did fairly well. Then, as the canyons narrowed, to
their horror and distress, as well as surprise,--for they had kept none of
the meat of the beavers they had killed,--the animals ceased to appear, and
starvation stared them in the face. For six days they were without food.
The precipitous walls of the Canyon forbade escape, and at length they
became so demoralized that Beckwourth declares they actually proposed to
cast lots as to which should be killed to make food for the others. This
fearful proposition so horrified Ashley that he begged them to hold out a
while longer, and to their joy they soon emerged from the Canyon, possibly
at a place known as Brown's Hole; where Provo, an experienced trapper, had
his camp. From here they abandoned the Canyon expedition, and doubtless
returned with Provo to Salt Lake. Powell named the falls near where Ashley
left his name Ashley Falls.
There is every reason to assume that other trappers attempted the passage
of the Canyon, for Powell found a bake oven, several tin plates, and part
of a boot in Lodore Canyon, which he imagined were Ashley's; but, as we
have seen, Ashley never went down so far.
Other Unsuccessful Trappers. In his excellent Romance of the Colorado
River, Dellenbaugh recites at length, from their own narratives largely,
the adventures of several trappers and others, whose experiences are
connected with the Colorado River,--the Patties, Jedediah Smith,
Kit Carson, William Wolfskill, Farnham, Fremont, Lieutenant Derby, Captain
Johnson, and others, who, however, never came actually into the Grand
Canyon region. Hence I shall make no further reference to them here.
My reason for giving so much space to Ashley has been merely to offer a
sample of the kind of experiences the trappers of the early days met with,
in trying to solve the problem of the canyons of the Colorado River.
Lieutenant Ives' Expedition. Lieutenant Ives' expedition, however,
reached into the very heart of this country. He visited the Havasupais in
their canyon, also the Wallapais, and traversed the weary miles across the
desert to the villages of the Hopi. Steamboats had plied up and down the
Colorado River from the Gulf of California as far as Fort Yuma--near where
the present railroad bridge crosses the stream--but Ives was instructed by
the War Department to explore the river further up, in order to determine
whether the military posts of New Mexico and Utah could be reached, and
their supplies transported by the Colorado. Instead of calling upon Captain
Johnson and chartering his steamboat, the Colorado, Ives ordered his
steamer constructed in Philadelphia, and shipped in sections via the
Isthmus of Panama to San Francisco, and thence around Cape Lucas into the
Gulf of California, to the mouth of the Colorado River. Yet he was able to
report, doubtless with a clear conscience, that Johnson's company "was
unable to spare a boat, except for a compensation beyond the limits of the
appropriation."
Ives' Report and Accompanying Pictures. Ives' report is a most
interesting document, and the pictures that accompany it, made by
Mollhausen and Eggloffstein, especially those of the latter artist, are
wonderful in their imaginative qualities. They are no more like the Grand
Canyon than are the visions of Dore, yet they afford a good idea of the
impression its vastness and sublimity made upon an artistic mind.
Starts up the River. Ives ascended the river, passing Johnson on the way in
the Mohave Valley, a few miles above the Needles. The latter had gone to
ferry Lieutenant Beale and his outfit across the river. So in reality he
was ahead of Ives, for he entered the Black Canyon to the highest point
attainable by steamers before Ives did, and thus got the better of the man
who had refused to hire him and his steamer.
Journey Is Abandoned. But Ives went on as if Johnson had never existed,
"discovered" what was already known, viz.: that the river "was flanked
by walls many hundreds of feet in height, rising perpendicularly out of the
water, the Colorado emerging from the bowels of the range," and then struck
a sunken rock, and had to give up in disgust.
Returns East across Country. Sending his vessel, the Explorer,
back to Fort Yuma under the command of Robinson, its efficient captain, the
gallant lieutenant now struck out across country, having received new
supplies and his pack-train. Under the guidance of an intelligent Mohave
Indian, Ireteba, they reached Diamond Creek, and there not only came in
contact with the Wallapais, but for the first time saw the Big Canyon, as
they called the Grand Canyon. He then pushed on east, entered Havasupai
(Cataract) Canyon, visited the Indians there, then made a wide detour to
examine the San Francisco peaks, struck east again, crossed the Little
Colorado, and reached the province of Tusayan, where dwell the Hopis. After
a short visit there, he crossed south and east to Fort Defiance, and
finally returned east with his report. When the Civil War broke out, Ives
joined the Confederate forces and was killed in one of the battles.
Ives's Prediction. As an evidence of the folly of making predictions in
regard to what the future has in store for any region, let me quote one
paragraph from Ives which always has amused me:
"This region can be approached only from the south, and after entering it
there is nothing to do but to leave. Ours has been the first, and will
doubtless be the last party of whites, to visit this profitless locality."
Yet Ives enjoyed the Canyon, and wrote some truly eloquent descriptions of
it. How surprised he would be could he come back now, approach it from the
north, cross the river in a steel cage, and find at El Tovar such an hotel
as even the city of Washington never surpassed in Ives's day. Then, taking
the Grand Canyon Railway, he could speed to Williams, and in twenty-four
hours reach the Pacific, or in four days the Atlantic. We march forward
with great strides in these days.
Powell's Preparations for His Life-Work. Even at the time of his writing
(1858), John Wesley Powell was being prepared to bring Ives's words to
naught. Born March 24, 1834, at Mount Morris, Livingston County, New York,
he found himself in 1858 at Wheaton, Illinois, engaged in making a
conchological collection for the Illinois State Natural History Society.
While engaged in this work, he also secured collections in botany, zoology,
and mineralogy. His mind now opened to perceive that all these sciences
were related to the greater science of geology, and thenceforward he
declared that this should become his lifework.
Experiences in Civil War. During the Civil War, he fought with bravery and
honor, losing an arm at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862. When Sherman
began his march to the sea, Powell was given command of twenty batteries of
artillery. He served on the staff of General Thomas at the battle of
Nashville, and was mustered out in the early summer of 1865. Even during
these exciting years, his beloved science not only never lost its
attraction for him, but he utilized every possible opportunity to add to
his knowledge. He made a collection of fossils unearthed in the digging of
the Vicksburg trenches, and from the Mississippi swamps gathered land and
river shells. In Illinois, while on detached service, mosses engaged his
attention, and he was indefatigable in studying the geology of the region
through which his section of the army passed.
Begins Geological Explorations in Colorado. After the war he declined a
lucrative political office to take the chair of geology in the struggling
Wesleyan University, of Bloomington, Illinois. He had married his cousin,
Emma Dean, in 1862, and, after a glimpse of the country in 1867, he took
her and a party that he had organized, to make geological explorations in
Colorado. This was the beginning of his work that ultimately wrested the
secrets from the mysterious canyons of the Colorado River. This preliminary
work led him on, as it were, to the greater work, and in 1869, on May 24,
with four boats, the Emma Dean, Kitty Clyde's Sister, Maid of the Canyon,
and No-Name, and nine companions, John C. Sumner, William H. Dunn, Walter
H. Powell, G. Y. Bradley, O. G. Howland, Seneca Howland, Frank Goodman,
William R. Hawkins, and Andres Hall, he set forth from Green River City.
The simple records of that trip, and a later one made in 1871-1873 (in
which Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, the author of "The Romance of the Colorado
River", was engaged, read like a romance. A condensation of them is but an
aggravation. No one interested in the Canyon should neglect to read them,
and I am now arranging to republish Powell's original monograph, together
with his monumental work on "The Canyons of the Colorado", the plates of
which I purchased at his death for this purpose.
Powell's First Expedition. In the first expedition, the party was from May
24 to August 30 passing through the Canyon system, from Green River City to
the mouth of the Rio Virgen. On the first of September, four of the men,
with a small supply of provisions, resumed their journey on the river to
Fort Mohave, while Powell and his brother returned to civilization by way
of Salt Lake City.
Second Expedition. Though chapter nine of Powell's report as published by
the Government, speaks of the "continuation of the explorations" of the
Canyon, and gives an account of the studies made in and around the region
of the Virgen River, and chapter ten contains Professor A. H. Thompson's
"Report on a Trip to the Mouth of the Dirty Devil River," there is nothing
in the volume that suggests the magnitude of the second trip through the
Canyon. This great omission Mr. Dellenbaugh supplies in his complete
narrative before referred to.
Powell's Work on the Canyon Completed. This time three boats started, the
Emma Dean, Nellie Powell, and Canyoncita, manned by S. V. Jones, J. K.
Hilliers, F. S. Dellenbaugh, A. H. Thompson, J. F. Steward, F. M. Bishop,
F. C. A. Richardson, E. O. Beaman, W. C. Powell, and A. J. Hattan, with
Major J. W. Powell, of course, as leader and director. The start was made
from Green River City, Wyoming, as before, and the date was May 22, 1871.
On the third of September, the mouth of Kanab Canyon was reached, where, on
account of high water, the trip for the time being was abandoned. The
topographical work of the survey of the surrounding country was continued
through to the winter of 1873, when the maps were completed, and Powell's
great work on the canyons and tributary country practically brought to a
close.
Wheeler's Expedition in 1871. Another interesting Colorado River expedition
was that of Captain G. M. Wheeler, made in the fall of 1871. It was
doubtless an offset to that of Major Powell, as in those early days there
were three separate geographical surveys in the field, working
independently and without common guidance. Hence it was natural that there
should have been some degree of rivalry. Captain Wheeler started up the
Colorado River from Camp Mohave, in three boats that had been specially
made in San Francisco, and with a barge loaned by the commanding officer at
the fort. Dr. G. K. Gilbert was the geologist of the party. From September
16 to October 20, they had a difficult, arduous and occasionally thrilling
journey, reaching the mouth of Diamond Creek at the latter date. Diamond
Creek is a point on the Canyon which used to be largely visited. It is
reached from Peach Springs, but the scenery is far less impressive than at
any of the more accessible points described in this book.
Brown's Unsuccessful Expedition. Seventeen years after Powell, Frank M.
Brown, a Denver capitalist, determined to survey the canyons with the
purpose of building a railway through them to the Gulf of California. The
main start was made May 25, 1889, from the Rio Grande Western's tracks
across the Green River, with six boats and sixteen men. It was a disastrous
expedition. Brown himself lost his life at Soap Creek Rapids, some fifteen
miles below Lee's Ferry, and four days later two others were drowned in
Marble Canyon. The expedition was then abandoned, the remnant of the party
climbing the Canyon walls, and finding their way back to civilization
assisted by the kindly owner of a cattle ranch.
Stanton's Boats Travel Through the Whole Canyon System. In November of the
same year, however, Robert Brewster Stanton, Brown's engineer, observing
precautions that Brown had so unfortunately neglected, prepared to continue
the exploration. He had his boats hauled on wagons to the mouth of Crescent
Creek near Fremont River, to avoid a repetition of the experiences in
Cataract Canyon; and a good start was made. The party ate Christmas dinner
at Lee's Ferry, and a few days later, slightly below where Brown lost his
life, the photographer of the expedition fell from a ledge and broke his
leg. With incredible labor, the unfortunate man was got out of the Canyon,
four miles in distance and seventeen hundred feet in altitude, on an
improvised stretcher, and then taken in a wagon which Stanton had fetched
from Lee's Ferry. The party then went on, entered the Grand Canyon, and
reached Diamond Creek March 1, where they remained ten days recuperating.
The last dash was then made in safety. The boats left the Canyon March 17,
1890, and proceeded easily and gently, until on the twenty-sixth of April
tide-water was reached at the mouth of the river on the Gulf of California.
Galloway Repeats Stanton's Exploit. On January 12, 1897, N. Galloway, a
Mormon trapper, who for years had operated on the Canyons of the Green
River, determined to emulate Powell and Stanton. He made two light boats of
rude lumber, covered them fore and aft with canvas, got a companion,
William Richmond, and on the day named left a point near the state line of
Wyoming and Utah. On the third of February they emerged from the Canyon. As
they reached the open country below the Grand Wash, they came upon the
officers who had found the bodies of two men, killed by Mouse, a Paiuti
Indian. The officers requested the use of Galloway's boats to convey the
bodies to the Needles. This was acceded to, and on the seventeenth of
February Needles was reached, the boats sold, and the Mormons returned to
their homes.
Making Photographs of Soap Creek Rapids. Later in the same year, I made the
trip by wagon from Winslow, Arizona, over the Painted Desert to Lee's
Ferry, and there, to my great delight, met Galloway. He built a boat, and
took me up Glen Canyon for a long distance, and down Marble Canyon to Soap
Creek Rapids, where poor Brown was lost. As I photographed the rapid, he
offered to "run it" in his boat if I desired, saying that, with his light
boat, there was no danger whatever. I declined, however, on the ground that
no photograph ever made could justify the risking of a man's life. As
recently as August, 1908, in coming to the Canyon by rail, I met at
Kingman, Arizona, a deputy sheriff by name of Ayres, who was one of my
party taken by Galloway up the Glen Canyon.
In the Fall of 1909, Mr. Galloway accompanied an Eastern capitalist, Mr.
Julius Stone, of Columbus, Ohio, in boats of their own manufacture, through
the Canyons, from Green River to Needles, California. They had a
delightful, though an arduous nine weeks trip. Mr. Stone secured the
finest set of photographs of the Canyons as a whole that ever have been
made.
In another chapter, entitled "The Story of a Boat," the interesting account
of the successful trip of Russell, Monett and Loper is given.
CHAPTER XXVII. Indian Legends About The Grand Canyon
Legendary lore is generally interesting. It reveals the mental qualities of
the people who make and believe it, and also shows how the child mind of
the race acts. For the aboriginal makers of legends are the child minds of
the race in active operation. There are many legends attaching to this
great Canyon. One is told by Major Powell in his "Explorations" as follows:
Legend of the River's Birth. "Long ago, there was a great and wise chief,
who mourned the death of his wife and would not be comforted until
Ta-vwoats, one of the Indian gods, came to him and told him she was in a
happier land, and offered to take him there, that he might see for himself,
if, upon his return, he would cease to mourn. The great chief promised.
Then Ta-vwoats made a trail through the mountains that intervene between
that beautiful land, the balmy region in the great west, and this, the
desert home of the poor Numa.
"This trail was the canyon gorge of the Colorado. Through it he led him;
and, when they had returned, the deity exacted from the chief a promise
that he would tell no one of the joys of that land, lest, through
discontent with the circumstances of this world, they should desire to go
to heaven. Then he rolled a river into the gorge, a broad, raging stream,
that should engulf any that might attempt to enter thereby.
"More than once I have been warned by the Indians not to enter this canyon.
They considered it disobedience to the gods, and contempt for their
authority, and believed it would surely bring upon one their wrath."
Hopi Legend of Tiyo, their Cultus-Hero, and the Canyon. One of the most
interesting legends of the Hopi cultus-hero, Tiyo, relates to the Grand
Canyon of the Colorado River, and is told by Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, the
eminent authority on the ethnology of the Hopis. It is a long story, but
the chief portions of the narrative are as follows:
Origin of Antelope and Snake Clans. "Far down in the lowest depths of the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado River (Pi-sis-bai-ya), at the place where we
used to gather salt, is the Shipapu, or orifice where we emerged from the
underworld. The Zunis, Kohoninos, Paiutes, white men, and all people came
up from 'the below' at that place. Some of our people traveled to the
North, but the cold drove them back, and after many days they returned.
The mothers, carrying their children on their backs, went out to gather
seeds for food, and they plucked the prickly pears and gave it to their
children to still their cries, and these have ever since been called the
Prickly Pear People.
"'Morning Dove' flew overhead, spying out the springs and calling us to
come, and those who followed him, and built their houses at the waters he
found, are still called after him the Hu-wi-nya-muh, or Morning Dove
People. All that region belonged to the Puma, Antelope, Deer and other Horn
people, and To-hi-a (puma) led my people, the Tohi-nyn-muh, to To-ko-na-bi
(Navaho Mountain), and the Sand people and the Horn people also dwelt in
the same region.
"We built many houses at To-ko-na-bi, and lived there many days, but the
springs were small, the clouds were thin, rain came seldom, and our corn
was weak. The Ki-mon-wi (village chief) of the To-hi-nyn-muh had two sons
and two daughters, and his eldest son was known by the name of Tiyo (the
youth). He seemed to be always melancholy and thoughtful, and was wont to
haunt the edge of the cliffs. All day he would sit there, gazing down into
the deep gorge (of the Grand Canyon), and wondering where the ever-flowing
water went, and where it finally found rest. He often discussed this
question with his father, saying, 'It must flow down some great pit, into
the underworld, for after all these years the gorge below never fills up,
and none of the water ever flows back again.' His father would say, 'Maybe
it flows so far away that many old men's lives would be too short to mark
its return.' Tiyo said, 'I am constrained to go and solve this mystery, and
I can rest no more till I make the venture.' His family besought him with
tears to forego his project, but nothing could shake his determination, and
he won them to give their sorrowful consent.
"The father said, 'It is impossible for you to follow the river on foot,
hence you must look for a hollow cottonwood-tree, and I will help you make
a wi-na-ci-buh (timber box) in which you may float upon the water.' Tiyo
found a dry cottonwood-tree, which they felled, and cut off as long as his
body, and it was as large around as they both could encompass with their
outstretched arms. They gouged and burned out all of the inside, leaving
only a thin shell of dry wood like a large drum; small branches and twigs
were fitted in the ends to close them, and the interstices were pitched
with pinion gum. All this work was done with the stone axe and the live
ember.
"The father then announced that in four days Tiyo should set forth, and
during that time the mother and her two daughters prepared kwip-do-si (a
kind of corn meal made from corn which has been dried and then ground. A
thin gruel is made of it) for food, and the father made prayer emblems and
pahos. On the morning of the fifth day the father brought the emblems to
Tiyo and laid them on a white cotton mantle, but before he wrapped them up,
he explained their significance. He also gave him a wand to be used in
guiding his box-boat, after which Tiyo crept into the box, received from
his mother and sisters the food, and then his father closed the end of the
box, gave it a push with his foot, and it floated away, bobbing up and
down.
"In one of its ends there was a small circular aperture, through which he
thrust his wand, and pushed away from the rocks which were encountered. The
spray splashed through the opening, and this he caught in his basin when he
wished to drink or to mix his kwip-do-si, and he was also provided with a
plug to close the hole when he neared the roaring waters. He floated over
smooth waters and swift-rushing torrents, plunged down cataracts, and for
many days spun through wild whirlpools, where black rocks protruded their
heads like angry bears.
"When the box finally stopped Tiyo drew the plug, and looking out saw on
one side a muddy bank, and on the other nothing but water; so he pushed out
the end, and taking his paho mantle in his hand passed to the dry land. He
had gone but a little way when he heard the sound of 'hist! hist!' coming
from the ground, and when this had been repeated four times, he descried a
small round hole near his feet, and this was the house of Spider-Woman.*
'Um-pi-tuh,' said the voice ('you have arrived,'--the ordinary Hopi
greeting). 'My heart is glad; I have long been expecting you; come down
into my house.' 'How can I,' said Tiyo, 'when it will scarce admit the
point of my toe?' She said, 'Try,' and when he laid his foot upon the hole,
it widened out larger than his body, and he passed down into a roomy kiva."
* Spider-Woman is an important figure in Hopi mythology. She it is who
weaves the clouds so that rain may come. Hence in many Hopi ceremonies,
where rain is prayed for, she is especially propitiated.
The legend then goes on to describe how Tiyo is taken and guided by the
Spider-Woman to various places, where he learned all about the ceremonies
that the Hopis now perform at their Snake Dance to produce rain. He met the
Sun and the Great Snake (Go-to-ya), and Mu-i-yin-wuh (a divinity of the
underworld who makes all the germs of life), and each taught him something
he needed to learn. Finally, after many wonderful adventures, he was lifted
out of the underworld as he sat in a ho-a-pah, a kind of wicker pannier,
with two beautiful maidens of the snake kiva, by Spider-Woman, who carried
him over the country and deposited him at his home. He married one of the
maidens and thus founded the Snake Clan, and his brother married the other
and founded the Snake-Antelope Clan. These two clans each year perform the
ceremonies that produce rain in the desert land, where still live the
descendants of Tiyo and his brother.
Wallapai Legend of the Canyon. The Wallapais say that it was one of their
cultus-heroes, Pack-i-tha-a-wi, who made the Grand Canyon. There had been a
big flood, and the earth was covered with water. No one could stir but
Pack-i-tha-a-wi, and he went forth carrying a big knife he had prepared of
flint, and a large, heavy, wooden club. He struck the knife deep into the
water-covered ground and then smote it deeper and deeper with his club. He
moved it back and forth as he struck it further into the earth, until the
canyon was formed through which all the water rushed out into the Sea of
the Sunset. Then, as the sun shone, the ground became hard and solid, as we
find it to-day.
The Havasupai Legend of the Canyon. The Havasupais also have a legend
connected with the making of the Grand Canyon, and the reader will observe
with interest the points of the story that are similar to points in the
Hopi story just given. This story was told to me by O-dig-i-ni-ni-na, one
of the old men story-tellers of the Havasupais.
"The two gods of the universe are Tochopa and Hokomata. Tochopa he heap
good. Hokomata he heap bad--hanatopogi--all same white man's devil. Him
Hokomata make big row with Tochopa, and he say he drown the world.
"Tochopa was full of sadness at the news. He had one daughter whom he
devotedly loved, and from her he had hoped would descend the whole human
race for whom the world had been made. If Hokomata persisted in his wicked
determination, she must be saved at all hazard. So, working day and night,
he speedily prepared the trunk of a pinion tree by hollowing it out from
one end. In this hollow tree he placed food and other necessaries, and also
made a lookout window. Then he brought his daughter, and telling her she
must go into this tree and there be sealed up, he took a sad farewell of
her, closed up the end of the tree, and then sat down to await the
destruction of the world. It was not long before the floods began to
descend. Not rain, but cataracts, rivers, deluges came, making more noise
than a thousand Hackataias (Colorado Rivers) and covering all the earth
with water. The pinion log floated, and in safety lay Pu-keh-eh, while the
waters surged higher and higher, and covered the tops of Hue-han-a-patch-a
(the San Francisco range), Hue-ga-woo-la (Williams Mountain), and all the
other mountains of the world.
"But the waters of heaven could not always be pouring down, and soon after
they had ceased, the flood upon the earth found a way to rush to the sea.
And as it dashed down, it cut through the rocks of the plateaus, and made
the deep Chic-a-mi-mi (canyon) of the Colorado River Hackataia. Soon all
the water was gone.
"Then Pukeheh found the log no longer floating, and she peeped out of the
window Tochopa had placed in her boat, and, though it was misty and almost
dark she could see in the dim distance the great mountains of the San
Francisco range. And near by was the Canyon of the Little Colorado, and to
the west and north was Hackataia, and to the west was the Canyon of the
Havasu.
"The flood had lasted so long that she was grown to be a woman, and, seeing
the water gone, she came out and began to make pottery and baskets, as her
father had long ago taught her. But she was a woman. And what is a woman
without a child in her arms or nursing at her breasts? How she longed to be
a mother! But where was a father for her child? Alas! there was not a man
in the whole universe?
"Day after day, longing for maternity filled her heart, until one morning--
glorious morning for Pukeheh and the Havasu race--the darkness began to
disappear, and in the far-away east soft and new brightness appeared. It
was the triumphant Sun, coming to conquer the long night and bring light
into the world. Nearer and nearer he came, and, at last, as he peeped over
the far-away mesa summits, Pukeheh arose and thanked Tochopa, for here, at
last, was a father for her child. She conceived, and in the fullness of
time bore a son, whom she delighted in and called In-ya-a, the son of the
Sun.
"But as the days rolled on, she again felt the longings for maternity. By
this time she had wandered far to the west and had entered the beautiful
Canyon of the Havasu, where deep down between the rocks were several grand
and glorious waterfalls, and one of these, Wa-ha-hath-peek-ha-ha, she
determined should be the father of her second child.
"When it was born it was a girl, and to this day all the girls of the
Havasu are proud to be called 'Daughters of the water.'
"When these two children grew up they married, and thus became the
progenitors of the human race. First the Havasupais were born, then the
Apaches, then the Wallapais, then the Hopis, then the Paiutes, then the
Navahos.
"And Tochopa told them all where they should live, and you find them there
to this day."
CHAPTER XXVIII. The Colorado River From The Mountains To The Sea
Perhaps no river in the world has so remarkable a life-history as has the
Colorado. It is formed of two great streams, the Green and the Grand. Both
have their rise in the far-away mountains, in banks of virgin and purest
snow. Hence the waters of the Colorado at their source are pure and sweet.
Yet such is the vehement force of this river, such its haste to reach the
ocean, that it cuts down and carries with it millions of tons annually of
sand and silt, rock debris and dirt until, when it reaches the desert,
through which it flows as a lazy dragon, reddish-yellow, tawny, it is the
dirtiest stream in the world. For not only does it carry the sand of its
own grinding, as it passes through the hundred miles of canyon of its
waterway, but it accepts the sweepings of vast areas made by its
tributaries. Some of these extend through barren and desolate areas,--great
stretches of the most forsaken desert lands, where the rains occasionally
pour down with deluge-like force. Cloudbursts and floods are common; for
the whole country is high in altitude, with rising peaks, where electric
storms play and rage, and the clouds drop, with a sudden sweep, their whole
burden of water to the earth beneath. At other times, the waters are
allowed to pour down in torrential rains which quickly deluge the land, and
as there are no barriers to hinder or detain, they sweep down the
inhospitable slopes to the stream beds, carrying with them all the sand,
silt, rock debris, vegetable mould and animal matter that have accumulated
since the last storm. So that while at its source it is the purest river in
the world, at its mouth it is the dirtiest and most repulsive. The
Mississippi, with many more miles of length, the Nile, the Amazon, the
Yangste-Kiang, the Hoang-Ho, are all far cleaner at their mouths than is
this insatiable dragon of the Canyon.
Carrying Power of the River. This suggests another singularity in which it
doubtless reigns supreme. Probably no river in the world, of its length,
has anything like the carrying power of the Colorado within its waters.
Notice that I say "within its waters." It is useless for carrying anything
on its bosom. No ships use its waters for beneficent commerce. Its only
carrying power is in the amount of sand and other material it holds in
solution, and carries within itself.
Its Incredible Descent. For it is doubtful whether any river in the world
has so rapid a descent from towering mountain heights to its receiving
ocean, as has the Colorado. It falls over four thousand two hundred feet
from its source to its mouth, and in less than five hundred miles of its
distance it contains five hundred and twenty rapids, falls and cataracts. A
fall or a rapid or a cataract for every mile, and a few over for good
measure. Who can conceive the peril of journeying through such a river? And
until the facts were known, how hopeless to attempt to ascend such a river,
as did Alarcon, Ives and Wheeler!
Useless for Commerce. As already stated, it is the most useless of the
large rivers of the world as a carrier of ships of commerce. No boat,
carrying produce of field, mill or mart, has ever passed up or down its
course. No whitewinged schooner or other merchantman has enlivened its
course by proudly gliding on its bosom to waiting port, where cargoes are
discharged and received. No thrilling fleet of battleships ever has seen
its banks, or ever will, for it is useless, absolutely, irretrievably,
God-ordainedly useless for all purposes of commerce, traffic, or
communication.
Dangerous and Destructive. Read the accounts of Powell's trips down its
dangerous course; of Alarcon's struggles to ascend its headlong tides; of
Ives's and Wheeler's attempts to explore a portion of it; of Cardenas's
efforts even to reach its waters from one of its banks, and of the ruthless
manner in which it has destroyed the lives of those unfortunate enough to
come within its reach. Then you will see how absolutely useless a river it
is. In this regard the Colorado River is unique. Most rivers carry
beneficent life all along their journey. They distribute fructifying
waters, from their rise to their end in the sea. Thriving towns and
villages line their banks, all surrounded by a fertile farming country. But
not so the Colorado! It has cut its way through the rocks so fiercely that
it is buried a thousand, two thousand, three thousand and even five
thousand and more feet below the surrounding country. It and its
tributaries drain away even the water that falls in gentle showers, before
it has time to benefit the thirsty land. Only by the expensive construction
of cemented cisterns and occasional dams can the rancher, stockman and
miner of the region hoard for his scantest needs enough of this precious
fluid. Even the hotels that are placed upon its brink to afford
stopping-places for the curious travelers who wish to see this river and
its unique waterway are compelled to haul their trains of water-cars nearly
a hundred miles to supply themselves with the water which the Colorado
River drains from their very dooryards and empties in reckless neglect into
the Gulf of California.
Yields No Electrical Power. Other rivers throughout California and the West
are yielding millions of volts annually of electrical energy, for the
lighting and heating of cities, the turning of mill-wheels, and the
running of electric cars; but the Colorado, though possessed of a potential
energy greater than any ten or twenty of these rivers combined, so far has
refused to yield up a single volt. Again and again engineers have estimated
and suggested, but the great facts remain that it is so uncertain, so wild,
so impetuous, so sure to rise when unexpected, so sure to fall when relied
upon, that, as yet, no one has been found venturesome enough to try to tame
and harness its fierce energy.
Waters to be Diverted by a Dam. Yet in spite of these serious charges I
make against the Colorado, it is peculiar in that it is the most useful of
the large rivers of the world in another domain. The United States
Reclamation Service has spent millions of the people's money in making it
of use. At Laguna, a few miles above Yuma, it has built a huge dam larger
than any similar dam in the world--that diverts these once turbulent waters
into irrigating ditches to convey their life-giving power to thousands upon
thousands of acres of desert land. The Blythe Estate is doing the same
thing a hundred or more miles higher up, near Parker, on the Santa Fe, and
already towns and settlements are springing up on those desert wastes. The
California Development Company began this work, four miles below Yuma, in
1900, and in four years had converted that great sink of the Colorado
Desert into the richly fertile domain now known as the Imperial Valley,
where today are many growing towns.
Opportunities for Swimming. Though the current of the Colorado is so
strong, there are times and places where it affords one who is not
over-fastidious as to the color of the water, an opportunity for an
excellent swim. But care must be exercised. At the foot of Bass Trail,
there are two or three rocky recesses where one may go in and swim, within
the arms of the protecting rocks, without danger. It is not well to swim in
the earlier months of the year, when the water is excessively cold. Several
times in January and February I have been overcome with temptation, and
have jumped in "merely for the plunge." The sensation is one of being
skinned alive, and one plunge is all that one cares for. Yet on emerging
and dressing, how fine one feels after it. The great melting time of the
snows on the mountains is the end of May, June and early July. It grows
warmer in July, and from then on to December one may enjoy it. In September
and October it is generally deliciously warm, and I have gone in half a
dozen times a day. A good swimmer can cross the stream, if he does not lose
his head, for the current is powerful, and one is borne down far faster
than he imagines, and it is much further across than it seems to be.
Several times, when I have wanted to cross, and there was no boat, I have
swam across to the other side, wearing my shirt and trousers and carrying
my boots slung around my neck. But it is, hard work and scarcely worth the
risk.
An Exciting Swim. Last year at the foot of the Red Canyon Trail, I had two
most delightful swims--one on the night of the arrival of our party, the
other by starlight next morning. Though there is an ugly rapid at this
place, one may go up stream far enough to get away from danger, for a
half-moon-shaped mass of rock affords safe shelter, and deep enough water
for swimming. The night swim was so refreshing that I could not resist the
allurement to take another in the morning, before we left camp. The order
had been given for an early start, which meant breakfast at earliest dawn,
so that I had to go down to the river while the stars were yet shining. The
water was quite warm, and as soon as I felt myself in its soothing embrace
a half-dreamy mood came over me, and, throwing myself upon my back, I
yielded to it, quietly pushing myself, as I thought, against the stream,
but heading for the other side. Though conscious of the enjoyment of the
exercise, and the delicious sensation of the water around my body, my
thoughts ran away with me, and I suddenly awoke to myself and the full
significance of my surroundings by finding myself more than half-way across
the river, in the swiftest part of the current, which was rapidly carrying
me down to the rapids. For a few moments I was dreadfully alarmed. My heart
stood still, and the surprise of it almost paralysed me. I remember
distinctly my thoughts and reasoning. They were somewhat as follows: "The
current on the south side is far less strong than on this side. Therefore
it will be much easier to go back than to try to reach the north shore,
which seems to be and is so much the nearer. If, however, you can't make
it, what then? You'll go into the rapids. If you are dashed headlong or
sideways against any of the five hundred and one waiting rocks, that will
doubtless be the end of you; but there is a good chance that you may get
through without hitting anything. A minute, or two minutes at the most,
will see you through the rapids to calm current beyond. You can hold your
breath that length of time, so that the spray and wildly tossing waves of
the rapids, the froth and spume, will not get up your nose and choke you."
In the meantime, I had fixed my eye on an immense square block of rock,
that rested just above the dangerous rapids, and close to the southern
shore. I knew if I could reach the shore inside that rock I was safe, so
striking out vigorously, and aiming for a point far above it, I swam as
strongly as I knew how, making every stroke tell, refusing to be alarmed or
confused by the terrifying roar of the rapids, which now seemed but a step
away. I did not have to test my method of going through the rapids. I
reached the shore in safety, walked back to camp, had a good breakfast,
made all the more appetizing by my swim and the consequent danger, and in
half an hour the ride up the trail and my companions were absorbing all my
attention. To all of them, save one, this recital of my morning's adventure
will be new.
Dangerous Unless Known Well. That the river is more dangerous than most
people imagine, the bleaching bones of many a poor wretch who has been
drowned in its treacherous waters fully attest. More than one prospector,
cattleman, or even cattle and horse "rustler" (as in Arizona parlance a
cattle and horse-thief is known), with too great self-confidence, has
attempted to cross on a log, in a leaky skiff, or in a canvas boat, and ere
he was aware of his danger, the current had swept him out of reach of all
help. It is a river to know ere you risk yourself upon or in it.
Getting Animals across the River. Who could begin to recount the fun and
frolic, and at the same time the worry and vexation we have experienced in
taking horses, mules and burros across this surly river. We have crossed at
all times of the year, at high water and low, when the water was cold
enough to give one cramps merely to look at it, and when it was comfortably
warm. Sometimes we had no trouble; then we felt how smart we were, and it
made us happy; at other times the animals seemed to be "possessed."
Sometimes it is the horses that are afraid; at others it is the mules; and
sometimes the burros; generally all three together. The modus is to put
your strongest rower in the boat, and then a man with plenty of nerve in
the stern to handle the rope and the animal to which it is attached,--when
you get the latter into the water. As many persons as then can be assembled
get behind the animal to persuade it to enter the water. The boat is ready
to go as soon as the animal is "in," but yet it prefers to be "out."
Yellings, shoutings, pushings are of little or no avail, and the gentle
pleadings of the man with the rope are as effective as Mrs. Partington's
sweeping back of the Atlantic with a broom. Vigorous measures must be used,
so a concerted movement is projected. At a given signal the boat is to be
pushed off, the oarsman ply his oars with power, the man in the stern is to
pull with energy, and a man at each flank of the animal is to push, while
every other being is to do his or her part by a shout or a boost. One man
swings a riata to help scare the animal in, and the boat pulls out into the
current. We all stand and watch. What is the fool horse doing? Scared at
first of going into the water, he now is making desperate efforts to climb
into the boat. His rope is held as tightly as possible, but the beast swims
frantically from one side to the other, endeavoring to climb aboard. His
knees thump the boat, and his chin occasionally rests on the gunwale, but
active interference thrusts him back. In the meantime, the current is
taking the boat well down the river, but we are not alarmed, for we have a
good half-mile stretch, with convenient sandy places on the north side, on
which to land. Now the horse settles down to steady hard work, and at last,
catching sight of the tiny beach, he breaks away from the boat and strikes
out for himself, reaching shore before the rower.
Back they come for another. Now we try two burros. Firmly they brace
themselves, and refuse to be pushed into the tawny flood. Then they dodge
and run and tangle each other up with their neck ropes, patiently
strangling each other with desperate insistence. At length they are pushed
in, and off they go. After a good ducking, they come up with a snort and a
bounce, a look of martyr-like meekness in their eyes, as they settle down
to the inevitable. No animal on earth can teach man more than a burro in
this regard. He accepts what can't be helped, makes the best of it, and
gains happiness out of every patch of thistles and grass he can push his
nose into. So, as we look into the eyes of these burros, as they rapidly
"paw" the current, we can see a look of expectation and content which
plainly says "Cheer up, brother, this will soon be over, and on the north
side we'll get better feed than we've been having lately."
A mule's desperate plunges to escape generally aid us to get him into the
water, for he loses his balance and is easily pushed in. But his look of
dazed surprise is comical when, after such a plunge, in which he sinks
below his head, he arises, snorts, blows the water out of his nostrils, and
begins to look about him. The burro part of his nature, however, soon
settles him down, and he pulls out for the shore, glad to rejoin his
companions.
Once in a while an animal breaks loose, gets halfway across, becomes
confused, and not knowing which way to go, is carried down to the rapids
and dashed to death.
CHAPTER XXIX. Climate And Weather At The Grand Canyon
Difference between Rim and Canyon. The climate at the Grand Canyon refuses
to be defined in a paragraph. What is true of the country along the rim is
not true of the banks of the river itself. The midway region, half-way down
the trail, likewise has a climate all its own. For as you go down in
summer, the thermometer goes up; and as you come up, in winter, the
thermometer goes down. The difference of nearly a mile in altitude between
the surface of the Colorado River and the rim of the Canyon is equivalent
to going hundreds of miles north and south on the level. Hence it is that
when it is winter on the rim, it is like spring down in the depths; when it
is spring on the top of the world, the heat below is tropical.
Weather not Extreme. Bear in mind, though, that neither the cold of winter
nor the heat of summer, in northern Arizona, are as frigid or as torrid as
the readings of the thermometer may seem to indicate. The cold or heat is
not felt to such an extreme as in the East. A minimum of humidity is the
basic reason for this wide difference between, for example, the July or
January climate of New York, and the July or January climate of the Grand
Canyon. Extremes that in New York drive people to the cool seashore or
To California's winter warmth, here bring no discomfort. You don't feel
the weather changes so much, just because the air is so much dryer.
Mild in Summer and in Winter. Again, the altitude of the Grand Canyon
rim--in places nearly a mile and a half above sea-level--makes the summers
cooler than the latitude would indicate. It is ten degrees cooler, in July,
at Flagstaff, Arizona, than at Salt Lake City, three hundred miles north in
Utah. In turn, the southerly location of this titanic wonderland causes the
winters to be milder than in Colorado, Utah and Montana.
Average Condition. Visitors should bear in mind that the Grand Canyon is an
all-the-year-round resort. Unlike the Yellowstone and many other far west
scenic playgrounds, one may visit there with comfort any time of the year.
While certain periods are more favorable than others for outdoor life, each
season has its distinctive joys.
As a rule, this part of Arizona is a true land of sunshine. Sunny days are
largely in evidence.
As a rule, the air is dry. Even the rains don't soak it through.
As a rule, except on the edge of the rim, the wind velocity is under the
average.
As a rule, one may ride, walk or loaf outdoors, without fear of
overexertion. The air is like wine, it builds one anew.
Yet the weather is not perfect. You may strike a small sandstorm in
midsummer. You may hit a blizzard in midwinter. A torrential shower may
drench you. A fervent sun may unduly tan you. But these deviations from
Paradise come only occasionally; they are the bitter that makes the sweet
more sweet.
I can safely promise you, nine times out of ten, pleasanter weather than
you would find if at home. And that is the best test.
Rest-cure. Those who visit the Canyon oftenest and stay longest find the
least fault with its weather. For myself, I never complain; rather I always
look forward with great joy to an outing here. For besides being an
unparalleled scenic spectacle, the Grand Canyon is the greatest of
rest-cures. I know of nothing better for tired nerves and worn-out bodies
than to summer or winter along its rim, and down below where the river
runs.
Because the weather one year never is like the year before or after, I
cannot accurately forecast what you will find of heat or cold, wet or dry,
when you visit the Canyon. Even the "weather man" is not infallible in his
predictions. I only can outline a reasonable average, resting upon
observations made during a score of years.
Winter Months. From late in November to the end of April, snow may be
expected at any time on the rim, though many of the most delightful days of
the year occur in these months. Snow usually does not fall until after
Christmas. Some years the winter is almost snowless; other years there is
enough snow to make fine sleighing. June and July are the warm summer
months, with August hot; but the heat is likely to be tempered by the rain.
From the middle of July to about the end of October, rains may be looked
for at any time, and the days after the rains are generally cool, delicious
and altogether desirable. Now and again, both before and after a rain, the
air will be moist and sultry, somewhat as it is in the East, but this
condition is so rare as to cause surprise. Generally the air is dry, and
the sun shines warmly, so that "catching cold" is infrequent.
Late Fall Most Pleasant. In my varied experience at the Canyon, I have
found the months of September, October, and November most agreeable in
spite of an occasional hot day in September. January and March are often
perfect months, and while there may be a little (or much) snow on the rim,
I regard the winter as the most delightful time for trips into the Canyon.
The snow may make the trail slippery and disagreeable for the first mile or
so, then one reaches the dry and snowless region where, practically, snow
never falls, yet where the heat from radiating rock walls is tempered and
subdued by the coolness from the snow above.
May Good for Visitors. May also is a good month for visitors, with more
possibilities of agreeable days than February or April, though the warm
days begin to come on apace soon after the middle of the month.
Fog in the Canyon. Upon rare occasions, fog banks sink into the Canyon
deeps, and even now and again completely hide it from view. Do not let such
a sight disappoint you. The fact is, you are being highly favored. If you
will but exercise patience, you will see many marvels when the sun begins
to work upon the fog. Slowly the great mass begins to show signs of
uneasiness; large and small masses become broken off, and struggle as if to
ascend; then, stretching apart as one stretches a mass of white
cotton-batting, they are speedily dissipated into mist, and disappear.
Below, in the deeper reaches, the fog rolls and tosses as if sleeping
uneasily in its rocky bed. Great detached masses of rock that the eye had
not been able to discern before are now made clear, the white fog behind
them revealing their outlines in startling clearness. Indeed a fog may be
called "the great revealer of the inner mysteries of the Canyon." It
certainly shows forth more of the separating walls and canyons, and the
detached buttes, than the most observant can discover in a month, without
its presence.
Clouds and Rain. There are times, in August and September, when rain is to
be expected, that the whole heavens are patched over with clouds. The sun
shines on and through them, and the atmosphere becomes murky and sultry to
unpleasantness. Then, suddenly, there is a change in the temperature of the
upper air, the moisture is condensed, and refreshing rain falls to cool and
cheer the earth that before was parched and thirsty.
A Battle Royal. One morning I watched a battle of the clouds over the
Canyon. The wind had been blowing hard all night. About five o'clock I
arose, attracted to the rim of the Canyon by a great black cloud that
seemed banked up and resting on the north rim, covering, as with a blanket
of blackest smoke, the long, visible stretch of the Kaibab Plateau. By and
by the sun shot piercing beams of golden glory underneath the cloud, yet,
strong and powerful though they were, they could not penetrate the cloud
itself. There was the great wall of the Canyon; fierce, fiery,
crimson-golden rays shooting in thin streaks above, banked over and pressed
down upon by a towering mass of angry clouds. The wind blew strongly and
fiercely from the east, bringing fleecy-edged clouds with it. Down in the
Canyon the effects were wonderful. The walls reflected the anger of the
clouds, and the fire of the sun. Here and there a wall, a tower, or a
pinnacle would be lit up with a golden glory, but all around was smoky and
forbidding. It even seemed as if a grayish black smoke was ascending from
the depths beneath, through which the sun--invisible behind the cloud
above--shot lancelike beams, which silvered the smoke and made it a little
more gray. On the far western walls, rich purples and reds appeared. Then,
suddenly, a soft and fleecy cloud appeared in the clear blue of the morning
sky, floating towards me. It was awe-inspiring and yet startling, for it
came like a giant battleship, resistlessly and silently shouldering its way
along. Entranced I watched it, almost inclined to run, so as to give it
free course, for it was low down and apparently very near, and moving with
more than ordinary speed. Suddenly another cloud appeared, travelling after
the first. As it came, the earlier one veered to the north, and began to
cross the Canyon, losing some of its serenity and calmness of manner as it
did so; for now, either as the result of conflict from within, or silent
influence from without, it began to writhe and change its shape. Ugly
angles were thrust out from its hitherto smooth sides, and sent waving and
tossing aloft. While this was occurring, the second cloud veered, and when
I gazed again, after withdrawing my attention for a few moments, the two
were one, the subtle yet powerful forces in the air having wedded them.
Together they slowly floated north and east. In the meantime, other clouds
had been coming from the east. They sailed along serenely until they came
within what appeared to be a few hundred yards of me, and then suddenly
they veered to the north, crossed the Canyon, and joined the vast army of
clouds that lay in solemn quietude, waiting for the decisive battle of the
day. I went away from the rim for an hour or so, and when I returned not a
trace of a cloud was to be seen.
A Beautiful Fog Effect. Another morning I saw the Grand Canyon as one hears
an exquisite poem, a soft strain of music on violin, 'cello or oboe, or
sung by the human voice. It was no longer terrifying and awe-inspiring; it
affected one as beautiful flowers do, as the blessing of an old man or
woman, as the half unconscious caress of a sleepy child whom you love. It
was poetry personified; the spirit of beauty revealed; the inner glory of
an artistic mystery unveiled.
There had been rain nearly all night, preceded by considerable wind. The
clouds had massed together across the Canyon on the Kaibab. Winds had
seemed to blow from every direction, but mainly from the southeast, and
there were a few "sunshiny showers" in the late afternoon. The rain began
after the sun had gone down, and it descended easily but steadily nearly
all night. At six o'clock in the morning, not a glimpse of the Canyon could
be had. It was completely buried, wrapped, enveloped in clouds. About nine
o'clock these began to move. The rain ceased, tiny patches of blue shone
through the clouds overhead, though east, west, north, south they were
still black and lowering. It was cold almost to chilliness after the warmth
of the preceding days, so there was no haste, no hurry, in the dispersion
of the cloud blankets that covered the rocky walls and plateaus below.
Slowly they began to rise, then to stretch out and become attenuated. Tiny
gusts of wind played with them, and tossed them hither and thither. Banks
of smoky gray lay over certain portions, but there was no regularity, no
evenness, either in the clouds themselves, or in their disposition. East
and west thick masses hid all vision; immediately at our feet the clouds
filled the lower canyons below the plateaus, with a glorious, fleecy,
silvery white, that tempted one to walk upon it into the realms of
fairyland and wonder. Fleeces of irregular shape, but a mile long and two
miles wide, slowly lifted themselves from a horizontal position to a
vertical one, thus converting themselves from blankets into curtains. Yet
behind and through them,--as a coy beauty half reveals, half conceals, her
charms,--so the walls and buttes, the pinnacles and buttresses, took on a
new and delicate beauty, a subtleness of charm and refinement that only
such a veiling could produce. Every moment the panorama changed. This was
veiled completely, that entirely uncovered, while other features were dimly
discernible, or so softened by the fleecy, attenuated clouds that they
seemed the airy fabrics of a child's dream of oriental splendor. Now as
filmy steam, then as densest vapor boiling up from a world-deep cauldron of
unearthly beauty, the moisture moved, here catching rapidly ascending
currents of air, there lazily floating with serenest ease. It was hard to
tear oneself away, and the mind still lingers and will often again recur to
it, as one of the many never to be forgotten experiences of this most
wonderful place.
CHAPTER XXX.The Grand Canyon For Pleasure, Rest And Recuperation
Unchanging Value of the Canyon. Many people think of the Grand Canyon as a
show place, which, once seen, does not need to be revisited. Never was
there a greater mistake, for its resources are inexhaustible, even though
one visit it annually for a lifetime. The business man invests in stocks
and bonds. A panic may wipe out their values and ruin follow in a
night-time. But a visit to the Grand Canyon is an investment that yields
interest manifold and compounded, as long as the faculty of memory remains.
Better still, there is no middleman in the deal. The ticker does not reel
off the changing values. You yourself are the banker, and the joys of
beholding and possessing are permanent.
Its Mental and Spiritual Influence. The first impressions, maybe, are
productive of physical and mental excitement. But when the traveler comes
into complete harmony with the Grand Canyon's sublime features, bodily rest
and mental tranquillity are sure to follow. Of course, we get out of Nature
what we bring to her mentally and spiritually, but of no other place can it
be truly said that the play of external forces has so sure a charm, so
direct an influence. A man big mentally cannot be satisfied (when away from
his work) with a place inferior to that with which he is habitually
acquainted. Thus many a man, wise and thoughtful in all the other relations
of his life, will go to some inferior place for his holiday, and return
home dissatisfied. He has chosen unwisely. He has associated with that
which is beneath him. Man's scenic environment and its influence over him
are as much a matter of scientific knowledge, as the influence of his
heredity or his food. A wise man, therefore, puts himself, at vacation
time, in relationship with that scenic environment which will best minister
to his welfare. Nature is God's provision for supplying man with his needed
rest and recuperation.
Its Restful and Strengthening Qualities. Some prefer the forests, others
the mountains, others the sea, others the plains, others the solitudes of
the desert. Among them all in power to recuperate man's exhausted energies,
the Grand Canyon stands supreme. "I come here again and again, because
nowhere else do I find such rest and strength," said one of the leading men
of California to me, in the rendezvous of El Tovar, only a short time ago.
My own life and experience is a proof of this statement. For nearly twenty
years I have been visiting the Canyon annually, and for many years there
were few conveniences, such as railway and hotels. Now these are provided.
One may leave his office in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago or Kansas
City, and in a Pullman car ride direct to the Canyon, where a few steps
will lead him into one of the most perfectly equipped, yet homelike hotels
in America. And there, without effort or fatigue, he comes face to face
with this rest-giving, strength-producing Canyon. As soon as a man or woman
learns this, you can scarcely get him, or her, to wait the coming of the
regular holiday period. The appeal of the Canyon is as strong as the "call
of the wild," and that man or woman needing quiet is wisest who yields to
the call, and yields often, going to the Canyon in perfect faith that it
has within itself recuperative powers which it is ready to give in full
measure to those who are in need.
Ways in Which to Recuperate. To those who recuperate best by contact with
Nature out-of-doors, the suggestions contained in the chapters devoted to
the various outing trips will be useful. Those who wish to lounge and rest,
surrounded without by all the sublimity of this unequalled scene, and
within by all the comforts and luxuries of a modern hotel, will find that
the Grand Canyon absolutely satisfies their most exacting demands. Easy and
gentle drives, with perfect equipment; over forest roads, in the restfully
stimulating atmosphere of Arizona, at an elevation of nearly seven thousand
feet, soothe tired brain and nerves. More vigorous horseback exercises,
taken through the park-like glades and reaches of the Coconino Forest,
produce perfect digestion and the restfulness of dreamless sleep. The sun
tans you. You breathe a pure, thin air, laden with scent of pine and cedar.
Your lungs expand, your muscles harden. Soon you are "fit for a king."
The Mecca of the Traveling World. There are many canyons, but the Grand
Canyon of Arizona is the Mecca of the traveling world; and El Tovar always
has the housing of the choice spirits who have run the gamut of tourist
delights in other lands. This home-like inn shelters men of letters,
scientists, geologists, artists and business men. Any night, in the year,
on the rim of this wonderful abyss, there will be found a miniature city,
with its life and sparkle, its fellowships and social converse, its bustle
and abandon, and, best of all, the simon-pure democracy inherent among
traveled men and women.
In magical contrast with this human centre, is the near by solitude, for
one may in a moment step from the companionship of men to the isolation of
the desert or mountain--at will you may be one of the crowd or a hermit.
CHAPTER XXXI. The Story Of A Boat
The Utah. Near the rim of the Canyon, at El Tovar Hotel, is a steel boat,
sixteen feet long, scarred and battered, showing signs of the roughest
usage, named the Utah. Here is its story:
Loper Plans to Explore the Canyon. For ten years after Galloway's first
trip was made, no one was found venturesome enough to risk the dangers of
the Canyon journey until the man who built the Utah and his two companions
resolved to "dare and do." These men were Charles S. Russell, of Prescott,
Arizona, Edward R. Monett, of Goldfield, Nevada, and Albert Loper, of
Louisiana, Missouri. Russell was thirty-one years of age, Monett
twenty-three, and Loper thirty-eight years.
The plan originated in the mind of Loper, in a mine in Cripple Creek, in
1899. Six years later, Loper had been attracted to the San Juan River, a
tributary of the Colorado in Southeastern Utah, by the excitement created
by the discovery of placer mining there. He confided to Russell his belief
that the Colorado River offered much greater chances of richer placer
mining.
Difficulty in Finding Companions. The men planned to make their start in
the spring of 1905. But they presently discovered that the undertaking they
had faced so lightly presented almost insurmountable difficulties. At the
outset, the men found it was necessary to have at least one more companion
if they were to accomplish their undertaking, and four men were preferable
to three. But the most daring of the men they met in the mines refused to
consider such a trip.
Plans Begin to Materialize. It was consequently not until April of 1908
that their long-laid plans began to materialize. Loper met Monett, a boy in
appearance, seemingly not strong, and unusually quiet, as he did his day's
work in the Mohawk mine in Goldfield. But that Monett was not a boy--in
courage at least--and not as weak as a casual glance suggested, was
presently evidenced. Loper notified Russell, then foreman of the mine near
Prescott, that the third man had been found. A meeting was arranged at
Green River early in September.
Boats Are Made. Three boats were made, with stout wooden frames, covered
with hulls of steel plates. Each boat was decked over, fore and aft, with
sheet steel covers, bolted down by means of a row of small bolts along each
gunwale. Covers, on decks, reached from each end to the bulkhead placed
near the center of the boats, thus leaving an open compartment, three and
a half feet long, for the oarsman. All the loads were placed under cover,
and securely lashed to prevent shifting. The boats were also provided with
air-tight compartments in each end, and under the seat, containing
sufficient air to float both boat and load, should all the other
compartments be full of water. The boats were named the Arizona, the Utah,
and the Nevada. Each was equipped with provisions for three months.
The Start. The start was made down the Green River, September 20. Four days
later, the trio had reached the junction of the Green and Grand Rivers, the
beginning of the Colorado, having covered a distance of one hundred and
twenty miles. From this point to Hite, a small town near the Arizona line,
the first bad water was encountered in the forty-one miles of Cataract
Canyon. Loper's boat met with disasters here dashing on a rock and tearing
a long rent in its side--and giving warning of the inferiority of these
thin metal boats to the stout oak craft used by the Powell party. The party
managed to reach Hite, however, towing the damaged boat, and there made the
necessary repairs.
Loper Stays at Hite. Loper had acted as photographer of the expedition, and
had the camera and the plates in his boat, when it was filled with water.
Examination showed that the plates were ruined, and the camera shutter
badly rusted. It was decided that Loper should remain behind at Hite, and
await the arrival of a new shutter for which he had written. It was agreed
that he need not be thus delayed more than two weeks, and should be able to
rejoin his companions at Lee's Ferry, a Mormon settlement of three
families, one hundred and forty miles below Hite, within twenty-one days.
Russell and Monett Start. Accordingly, Russell and Monett pushed ahead, and
put in many days prospecting along the shores of Glen Canyon. After
forty-three days of waiting at Lee's Ferry, Russell and Monett decided that
if they were to complete the trip before their now rapidly decreasing
supply of provisions was exhausted, they must start on without Loper, for
whom they had waited more than twice the time agreed on. Friday, December
13, had no terrors for the intrepid pair, and on the morning of that day
they started on down the river, with the sixty-six miles of Marble Canyon
in front of them, an introduction to the two hundred and seventeen miles of
the Grand Canyon below.
Their Remarkable Nerve. In telling of this stage of the journey, Russell
seemed to lose sight entirely of the remarkable nerve both men showed in
starting down through what is admittedly the wildest stretch of continuous
bad water in the whole river. And that, too, without the third companion,
who at the outset had been considered absolutely indispensable to the
success of the party. Instead, he emphasized rather his belief that Loper
had elected to face no more dangers, and had voluntarily remained behind at
Hite.
First Seven Days Passed in Safety. In seven days they had passed the length
of the roaring stream, in its descent through perpendicular walls of
marble, reaching up to an average height of two thousand five hundred feet,
and had come through the worst rapids to that point, without damage to
either boat. At one stage there are fifty-seven falls of from sixteen to
twenty feet in a distance of nineteen miles, according to Stanton's
records, in which was kept an accurate count of all the rapids in the
river.
Enter the Grand Canyon. They entered the Grand Canyon December 20. For the
first fifteen miles below the entrance of the Little Colorado, and the
beginning of the big Canyon, they found comparatively quiet water. But from
this point, on to the beginning of the first granite gorge, their way was
threatened with the worst falls they had met thus far. The good luck which
had attended them from the start, however, still prevailed, and they
managed to shoot their way safely down over the almost continuous cataracts
for five long days. Christmas found them only fifteen miles above Bright
Angel. In describing the manner of their celebration, Russell remarked
casually that they certainly "hung their stockings"--to dry. From beginning
to end of their journey, the adventurers were obliged to depend entirely
for fuel on such driftwood as they could find lodged in eddies and on the
rocky shores. More than one night they spent in clothes soaked through with
the icy water of the Colorado, with no fire to warm them. Their Christmas
camp, however, was on a narrow strip of sand, with a greater supply of
driftwood at hand than they had found at any point along the river.
Dangerous Rapids. Beginning immediately below this camping place, and
continuing for ten miles, the river dashes madly through that stretch of
foaming water called by Stanton the "Sockdologer." To make matters worse,
Russell found it impossible to follow his usual custom of "picking a trail"
through the rapids. Ordinarily the elder man climbed along the precipitous
sides of the Canyon beside each cataract, leaving Monett above the rough
water in charge of the two boats. From his vantage point, Russell could
pick out the most dangerous places, and chart a course through the rapids
accordingly. But throughout these ten miles of granite, the walls are sheer
and smooth for the first fifteen hundred feet of their rise. Russell could
find no foothold, and the men for the first time faced the necessity of
"shooting" unknown waters.
Russell's Method of Shooting Rapids. As always, Russell led the way in his
boat, swinging it into the boiling current stern first--his own method of
taking each cataract making the frail craft respond to his will, when
possible, by a forward pull on one or the other of his oars. For half an
hour the men were hurled down the seemingly neverending length of tossing
waters. After the first minute, the cockpit in which each man sat was
filled to the gunwales with icy water, in which the oarsmen worked, covered
to the armpits. Hundreds of times great waves totally submerged them, the
little boats each time staggering out from under the weight of water, only
to plunge into more.
Russell Gets Safely Through. With less than a quarter of a mile still to be
covered, before the less turbulent water below was reached, and just as
Russell was sweeping around the last great curve beyond which he could see
the placid water, he heard his companion in the rear cry out in alarm.
Before he could turn to see the cause of the cry, he was driven round the
curve. Mooring his boat to the bank as quickly as possible, Russell half
climbed, half waded along the shore of the river, and made his way back up
the side of the rapids.
Monett in Danger. Monett, his boat wedged tight between two jagged rocks,
a foot below the surface of the sweeping water, was hanging desperately to
the gunwale of the little craft, his body straightened out horizontal by
the rush of the water about him. The boat was completely wrecked. But
Russell, when he threw a rope to his companion, was astounded to see the
boy work his way slowly nearer the boat, and begin to tie its contents
securely with the line intended for his own salvation.
Rescued with Difficulty. Against the roar of the rapids, it was useless for
Russell to call to his companion to let the provisions go and save himself.
Four times the lad let Russell drag sides of bacon and sacks of beans
through the thirty feet of roaring water between him and the shore, before
he finally caught the rope and was dragged to safety. He had been in the
water for more than twenty minutes, and was nearly exhausted when Russell
lifted him to his feet.
Loss of Boat. The loss of the boat seemed at first to mark the end of their
attempt to equal the record of their predecessors. But Monett insisted
that they try his plan of straddling the stern of the remaining boat. "If
we strike too rough water, I can always swing overboard," he urged. "And
we've needed a drag that wouldn't get fouled on the rocks all along."
Reach Bright Angel. It was noon, January 6, when the trail party from the
hotel on the Canyon's rim at Bright Angel, forty men and women, eating
their luncheon at the river shore, saw two men swing out of the rapids two
hundred yards up the river, and row leisurely toward them. In the thirty
years that tourists have visited the bottom of the Canyon at this point, it
is safe to assert that not one ever saw a sight like this.
Rest for Three Days. Two horses were placed at the disposal of the miners.
Their clothes were torn and soaking wet, their faces covered with an
undisturbed growth of beard of one hundred and ten days' accumulation.
While they had planned to climb out of the Canyon at this point to mail and
receive letters, they had no intention of remaining. With all their
provisions now confined to the limited quarters of one boat, and with other
incentives to push on with all speed possible, it was with difficulty that
they were persuaded to remain at the hotel three days.
A Fresh Start. January 9 the entire community, guests and employees of the
hotel, accompanied the two men to the river edge, and bade them an
enthusiastic farewell. With a responding shout, the miners pushed off into
midstream and headed down river. For the first time in their four months'
fight against the river, the adventurers faced water too wicked-looking for
them to dare. It was out of the question for both men to try to ride in the
little rowboat, and the shores on each side afforded no foothold, after
half the length of the rapids was passed. Russell would not leave Monett
behind to shoot the rapids alone in the boat.
Attempt to Lower Boat through Rapids. Accordingly they took out all the
provisions and camera (the latter obtained at El Tovar), and tried to lower
the boat through the rapids by means of along rope, to which they clung
from their station on the shore. The force of the current was so great,
however, that to save themselves from being dragged into the water they
were forced to let go the rope. The little boat shot down the whirling
cataract, and the men saw it pounded against two sharp rocks below.
Boat Is Lost. To lose their boat at this point meant death. They could not
climb out of the Canyon. Their only chance was to follow and overtake the
boat, now floating slowly down the still water below the rapids, the
forward air-tight compartment filled with water and only the stern showing.
Russell made the plunge first, followed quickly by Monett. How they managed
to live through these rapids is a mystery. But they struck the still water
together, neither having suffered a scratch. The shores continued to be so
steep they could not climb out of the water, and they kept on in their
chase of the boat. When they were within one hundred yards of it, they saw
it swept over the top of Boucher Rapids, and at the same time discovered a
landing place on the south shore. They gave up the boat as lost, and spent
the night where they were, with no matches with which to light a fire.
Boat is Recovered and Men Resume Journey. Thursday morning, as Boucher came
down his trail to go to work, he found the two men, who had climbed down
beside the rapids at daybreak, engaged in hauling the badly battered boat
out of the water. They had found it being swept round and round in a big
eddy at the foot of the cataract. Two holes in the boat's bottom amidships
bore witness to its trip over the rocks. The men persuaded Boucher to go to
the blacksmith shop at El Tovar, and secure the necessary material for
repairs. He did so, and after everything was again on good order, the
intrepid fellows pushed off again, and continued their wild and exciting
ride down to tidewater. Past Bass's Trail and under his cable crossing,
past the mouth of Havasu Creek, and Diamond Creek, where over forty years
before, Wheeler's party had camped; down the gorge up which Wheeler had
climbed with incredible labor, they finally reached the Grand Wash, and
entered the placid water below Black and Diamond Canyons, soon to find
themselves at the town of Needles, where they were welcomed by the cheers
of practically the whole community. A banquet was tendered them, and the
one remaining boat of the expedition secured as a memorial of their
adventurous trip.
CHAPTER XXXII. The Grand Canyon A Forest Reserve, Game Preserve And
National Monument
Made Forest Reserve in 1893. For several years prior to 1893, the author
and some of his Grand Canyon friends sought to have this scenic masterpiece
preserved from desecration as far as possible. In that year President
Harrison issued a proclamation declaring it a Forest Reserve, and outlining
the boundaries to be included.
Homesteads. It is interesting to note that, up to the time of the issuance
of this proclamation, any citizen of the United States might have located a
homestead on one hundred and sixty acres of land in the Grand Canyon
region. The only two old-timers who had taken advantage of this provision
of the law were John Hance and P. D. Berry. The former located at or near
the head of the trail that bears his name, and Berry at the head of the
Grand View Trail. Both men built log houses, Hance's being a somewhat rude
structure, while Berry's was a substantial building. The Hance cabin was
already built when I first visited him in 1889, and Berry built his in the
years 1896-1898.
Game Preserve in 1906. On November 28, 1906, President Roosevelt issued a
proclamation setting aside that part of the reserve north and west of the
Colorado River as a Game Preserve. To further safeguard it and protect the
cliff dwellings of the ancient inhabitants from the vandalism of
irresponsible excavators, who ruthlessly knocked down the walls of
buildings of permanent interest, President Roosevelt, on January 11, 1908,
declared it a National Monument, and on June 23 of the same year, the Game
Preserve was enlarged to include the whole of the Forest Reserve.
Forest Reserve Divided in 1908. Still another proclamation was issued by
President Roosevelt on July 2,1908, which divided the Grand Canyon Forest
Reserve into two parts, the section north of the Grand Canyon to be known
as the Kaibab National Forest, and that on the south as the Coconino
National Forest.
All these proclamations may be had by addressing the Chief Forester,
Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C.
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