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Show Of this vast area, as big as all New I Kngland with Indiana added, two-thirds two-thirds is mountainous. The state Is traversed by the main chain of the Rocky mountains, the oft-quoted oft-quoted "backbone of the continent." the huge roof-tree of our republic. Prolific mot her. of rivers, this great watershed gives rise to the Rio (irande, the two Plattes. the Arkansas, many "lesser lights" and the Colorado, that, in Arizona, passes for 200 miles between those sheer red walls that constitute con-stitute one of the scenic wonders of the world, and Hows at last into foreign for-eign seas. There are about 0.000 miles of running water, born of snow and tilled willi lish ; fiK lakes, large and small, some distinguished with a famous fa-mous name, others still asleep in mountain moun-tain hollows, almost unknown. It is a strange country. The very name is a memento of the passing race that, first of Europeans, saw these serene, reddish-brown peaks leaning against the sky. The name means red, light brown, ruddy, florid and may even be a synonym for joyousness. Life is more than an existence in Colorado. Colo-rado. Nature seems ever beckoning one to come and romp with her. The sun shines with almost the sanie regularity regu-larity as the dawn appears. .Colorado is one of the greatest heritages of the American people. UTAH "THE PROMISED LAND." FIRST settled in the summer of 1S47 by lirigham Young and his little band of Mormons, numbering less than 150 souls, Utah is fast coming into its own. Utah is 7.000,000 acres larger than all of the New England states combined, and there isn't much, if, indeed, there is anything within reason rea-son that the imagination of man' can conceive or his heart wish for that the state does not yield or cannot offer. "Tis said that Utah contains enough iron ore to rebuild most of the steel structures in the country; sufficient black marble to build a column from the earth to the moon ; salt enough to supply the world for 60 years ; the greatest copper mine in all the world; enough coal to supply her population for 60,000 years; clay and sand enough to make the world's supply of brick for many years ; 4,000,000,000 feet of lumber lum-ber and sandstone and granite In quantities equal to the rebuilding of the majority of the buildings in the United States. Gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc to the value of $97,000,000 were mined in Utah during one recent year. Goodly Good-ly quantities of agricultural products and fruit are also produced. Utah's climate is neither hot, cold, dry or wet, but rather a happy medium with a touch of salt air added for good measure. Her fertile valleys remind one of Italy, her pointed mountains hold a touch of Aip J;j?nuty and great painters sr.y that her sunsetsSife. the most beautiful In the world. THE GRAND CANYON IN ARIZONA. THE late George Fitch said "Arizona was made by nature in a frivolous and contradictory mood, a few million years ago, just to show man, when he arrived, what she could do when she felt like it." The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River the most wonderful geological and spectacular phenomenon known to man is in Arizona. Discovered by Spanish explorers in 1540, it has been an object of wonder and admiration ever since. In approaching it your first surprise Is that you are not prepared pre-pared for it. Its beginning is so very abrupt. In one jump from the edge you could go down 2,000 feet. Viewed from the rim, looking down, It is a stupendous panorama an unbelievable unbe-lievable abyss, 3,000 to 5,000 feet deep, 10 to 13 miles wide and 200 miles long. Its sides are lined with countless and varied ornamental architectural features, fea-tures, the whole beautifully tinted and colored and marvelously horhionious. Seen from the bottom, looking up, it is so big that it amazes and bewilders one. On every side are endless processions pro-cessions of caves, terraces, pinnacles, towers, bultes, cliffs and peaks storm-carved storm-carved and weather-stained many of them higher than any mountain east of the Rockies, yet none of them level with the top. Globe trotters say that nothing else In all the world even remotely re-motely approaches this spectacle. The color combination seems to shift with every movement of the sm. clouds or your position. There is a trail to the bottom and a road around the rim. (Copyright. 1919. Western Newspaper Union) 1 The Wonders j 1 of America Dy T. T. MAXEY j , v MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK. IN 1SS8 there was discovered in Montezuma county, southwestern Colorado, the greatest prehistoric ruins iu litis country. A thorough examination examina-tion of the canyon of the Mancos river disclosed the fact that It contained con-tained extensive examples of the mysterious mys-terious remains of an extinct race. Uncle Sam decided to preserve and set aside nearly 50.000 acres as a national park Mesa (Spanish for high tableland) table-land) and Verda (meaning green, from the cedar trees). Many narrow canyons with high, sheer walls open into the valley. In their sides are many of the best-preserved specimens of cliff dwellings known. A large human population lived in these cave-huts on the sides of these sandstone cliffs. They believed be-lieved that they were dependent upon the gods to make the rainfall so their crops would grow and worshiped the sun as the father of all and the earth as the mother who brought till material blessings. Apparently they possessed no written language and recorded their thoughts only by means of symbols. Cliff Palace, the largest dwelling a community house had over 200 dwelling dwell-ing rooms, in addition to many sacred rooms called kivas. Sun Temple, a mysterious ruin, shaped like a letter I), is over 120 feet long and 64 feet wirle. As the population of this community Increased the floor of the caves was covered with rooms, and finally they emerged from the caves altogether and builded pueblos on top of the mesas in the open country. A visit to these ruins is much like going back into another world. THE WHITE HOUSE. THE home of the president of the United States, generally known as the White House, first became known as such when it was painted white to cover (be marks of fire after being partially burned by the British in 1814. Tlie foundation of this world-famous structure was put down in October, 1792. It was the first building erected In Washington. The site was picked by President George Washington, wdio also laid the corner stone. The building was first occupied by President John Adams, during the summer -of 1800. It is two stories and basement, and contains 31 rooms. It is surrounded by a spacious lawn and gardens, which are Inclosed by a huge Iron fence. Whether viewed through the heavy foliage of the giant trees or across winter's mantle of snow, it always looks restful and dignified. The White House naturally has been the scene of many tragedies and comedies, come-dies, much joy, and also has had Its share of anxiety and grief. If holds a peculiar interest for the people of sill nations, those of the United States In particular. It is a point of pilgrimage pil-grimage for thousands and thousands of people annually, who come to admire ad-mire its decorations and paintings, study the relics of past occupants and, If opportunity offers, grasp the hand of the first citizen of the land. To a greater degree perhaps than any other holding in the world, people of all ages and ranks have mingled under its roof. YOSEMITE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. THIS beautiful valley now a part of Yoscmite National park, by the way is one of nature's most wonderful wonder-ful works of nrt. The valley is only eight miles long and less than two j miles wide. The park embraces a domain do-main about 30 by 48 miles. Here the supreme artist has chiseled and etched and painted an outdoor gallery of masterpieces mas-terpieces unlike any other in the world. The It dians termed the place the Heart of the Sky Mountains and called it "The Yale of the Ahwanee," and themselves Ahwiineeches, or "Children of Light." The excelling features of the Yoscmite Yo-scmite are Its waterfalls and sheer, bold cliffs. Snow-waters from high mountains have found a wonderful variety and beauty of courses down the mountain walls to the Merced river In the valley below. These peculiar peaks strikingly resemble huge domes and range in height all the way from l.'JOO to C..00O feet. The falls which descend their rugged sides range in height from 350 feet Vernal falls, which is only 35 feet wide at the- (opto (op-to beautiful Yoscmite falls, which, in three leaps, plunges half a mile and is said to be the highest waterfall in the world with anything like the same volume of water. Standing on the summit of Sentinel Pome, the magnificence of the vista of the valley that hursts upon the eye compels silence. Perhaps no valley in the world combines so much that Is so sublimely beautiful. It is "a lute of Paradise." sure enough. THE MOUNTAIN KINGDOM OF COLORADO. AMoNt, all tlie mountain kingdoms, Colorado "the Perpendicular state" stands easily first m physical adornment. In Colorado 100,000 square miles contain 155 mountain peaks that are more than 13.000 feet high. Colorado Colo-rado contains 103,025 square miles. j |
