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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1879)
August, 1879, THE WEST SHORE. 333 TUCSON. ARIZONA We learn from "Hintou'i Handbook to Anona" and other touroot, thit the oarly origin of Tucaon it obscure. It ii claimed that tha valley waa settled about the year 1 . which would make it the oldeet city in the United Statea except Santa Ke, which was tattled in 1555. Three milea below Tnoaon, and one mile eaat of the miaaion of San Auguatin are the ruina of an old town, but no clew can be obtained at to ita origin, hiatory, or the date and circum tancea of ita deatruction. The landa near Tuoaon are very rich and were once extensively cultivated, but the Apache compelled the people to abandon their ranchea and aeek aafety within the town. The climate ia one of conaiderable range; lie cuent froata at night in winter, aucoeeded by weather comfortably warm during tha day. The aummera are quite hot, with a sufficient fall of temperature at night to make comfortable atmnanher are seen beee el hie be.l Tin. great plain or plateau in which juat ahnva this plaoe the Santa I'rua ainki for many milea, to enter by a subterranean channel the I Ida rivar, near Maricopa Welle, ia oertainly over I miles in ita greatest length and not leas than .V) at ita widest, which, from the trend of the encircling mountain ranges, ia iu this vicinity. Unking north and west the eye rests iiion tbo deep blue faint ouUines of rangea at a disUnoe of at leaat 75 milea. Nearer and in the wonderful fore shortening, which ia one o( the moat charming slfects aeen here, to the eaat and weal may be seen the I10M cones of the I'icacho and I lesert peaks. They ataml out in the translucent sky 1 and the luminous suurise nr sunset, with their ' wonderful combination of colors, so vivid and startling aa to defy even the brush of Turner himself, aa if one might walk over to them lie i tween breakfast anil tha gray glooming which ! unbeaten that the night nas paaaed. Nearer and cloaer, until their serrated summits teem aiiout to bow down to us, on the eaat, trending from the northwest to the southeast, ia a bold and remarkably well-defined mountain range known aa the Santa Cntalinn, which sweep in a m tb. e." '! I TUe atill stands' aa the reuraeentatlve of tha old sami Spamah ludiau civilisation) for the Mviioaua oomprise two thirds of the raaidsut population, and "the ( "hurch" oocopl, with Ita office, the place of honor customarily assigned to it In the laying out of a SMunth American town - the principal portion of the chief plat or grand square thereof. A map of Aritona will ahow the value of thia pnlnl at trading post, awl will indicate also ita (utiire Importance, ptuvulod always the radroeda going aaat ami south shall pass through it. Tucson la now the central' point on the overland route, and for eommumea lion with Sonore. It is tha aaat of the nearest I nited Statea Custom llouae thereto. The engraviug 011 this page, Ukeu from "Picturesque Anions," published by ihal'oa tiuent Stereoscopic Co., of New York, rear, santa Tuoaon at it appeared in 1177. rttww that time we underatand that tha city baa gmwu oonaidarably, though, of ooures, this alia and surrounding nave not changed. Ilixaiiu Pirns Ron Viaduct. A construction has been tmidoyed in the Uytdale slesuiug. The spring and fall are quite variable. A little stream flowe put tha town, tha water from which kaept the alley uarenniallr green. How like a Jala wtonjana it lookt when you lost aee it in thia enchanted atmosphere: th intensely blue sky overhead, th plain above It covered with parse grata and fan tat tic cectua, that hide the sand and make tha earth look verdant) th low, white dome and the pictur etquc buildings clustering about it. tha adolie garden walla, with arched gateway, sometimes whitened, sometimes left 10 their native mod color, toned down by age and the glare of the ran; a tell maaquit tree, or a group of oottno wood ttnving heavenwanl from among th adoh houses; Saddle mountain, with ita ever changing tints and it ttrung lights ami shades in tha far distance, and Sugar loaf or Sentinel hill to In immediate Uft (hi th plain bslwssw town tad th Sugar loaf, the rami of what ia any other country I abould proanoa to have bass a monastery, lift thtmaalvea from th fresh dewy green vttttrahlt. gray and stately aunts wild via creeping stealthily in at the fractals window, and oat again at the luoflsat top. Tnoaon ia seen to b located aboat two-thirls of th way southeast, oa a hug plain or nlatea. ahieh 111 man ti many vary striking feetare Th, womtertul effects of tie clear and rarlfted CITY OK TUCSON, AlllONA. bold aemi circle, framiug the Saute Crut valley 1 in a maative way. The range lowers and a pant 0int jutt to tha aaat of Tuoaon. The conlinu ing portion of the rang is sometime called the Hun 011 mountains. It looks wonderfully and fascinatingly beautiful tha deep shadows and purple tone in which the sunst clothed its aides, while the mirage, which a. vompniii sun lis and sunset in thia latitude, and ptayi each "fantastic Imka" to startle our vision with, gave to the summit line ami peak tups new ami shifting images and lorma. It is dinVull to realise as one looks at the lands, ape here, that aim of th green bald in which Teuton la set Ilk a dark pebble In an emerald Under have oreo under continuous lultivalmn fur over 13V yean. C.temporaoeosly th 1'ilgnmi landed at Plymouth Hock, ami that other fateful cargo hat been placed the banks of lb lam-, riser, in V irgiaia, tha Spanish oonqaerort of Maaloo had established a uraudto at thia point, and the Jait Path, ra had ratted the symbol of I bust laaity. and erected hoatat wonhip amid m ag In bee and la th vary heart of a wilder nas. Th town of Taotoa than baaaatt the preside, of Talqoaua. North of Una potal there waa no settlement or laiemon, aor wat of It alia, th I'atrta da Kan Dingo being the neareet in that direction Taatoa was than, aa viaduct on Uis railroad lues Christian and r'fcdriksbald, earning a tingle rail otat tha llyee rivulet m Norway, in llie snap of reeking piers, th object of which la to protect th structure from the aifeete of atpsastca and as. tracliuu due te alteraliutia of tetnparaiara, Th piers which support the suparstraatar are af luught-iroa with a latUea wurh wab, la tha longitudinal direction of th lad act, whwh la Of eat In length, User it only a singi eulaam between each span, pi its tit lag ao stability la use II, ami th upper and at thai column a allowed to move along ttitts th spretretare alien th later aa naiad and uatraeU. Th to was and of cash pssf resit oa a hiagasl shoe, an thai breaking strains are avoided, ami la land la alwayt readareil ita ami la th mm column. The movement of lb Iron week In a longitudinal dlreatwa Is treaafarred to the aa aim latent, aa which are tha aawaaary tad plate ptos dad with roller, aa tan ta abut meat lb tuperetructar it kept In plae by a rUadsbos M'ltfc that arrtagiaiiat a taaaital etpanaaost fotal la tha rail la an, eases?, at th steepen and pUifurea are qalte UwUpemUal of th tips sen aad oMUraetSoa af th iruawarh. Thi tana who baaed a sella arid h waa maklag a target.