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.