Canyons of the Colorado | Page 7

wife and would not be comforted, until
Tavwoats, one of the Indian gods, came to him and told him his wife
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 Tavwoats made a trail through the mountains that
intervene between that beautiful land, the balmy region of 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 trail. Then he rolled a river into the gorge, a mad,
raging stream, that should engulf any that might attempt to enter
thereby.

CHAPTER II
.
MESAS AND BUTTES.
From the Grand Canyon of the Colorado a great plateau extends
southeastward through Arizona nearly to the line of New Mexico,
where this elevated land merges into the Sierra Madre. The general
surface of this plateau is from 6,000 to 8,000 feet above the level of the
sea. It is sharply defined from the lowlands of Arizona by the Mogollon
Escarpment. On the northeast it gradually falls off into the valley of the
Little Colorado, and on the north it terminates abruptly in the Grand
Canyon.
Various tributaries of the Gila have their sources in this escarpment,
and before entering the desolate valley below they run in beautiful
canyons which they have carved for themselves in the margin of the
plateau. Sometimes these canyons are in the sandstones and limestones
which constitute the platform of the great elevated region called the San
Francisco Plateau. The escarpment is caused by a fault, the great block
of the upper side being lifted several thousand feet above the valley
region. Through the fissure lavas poured out, and in many places the
escarpment is concealed by sheets of lava. The canyons in these lava
beds are often of great interest.
On the plateau a number of volcanic mountains are found, and black
cinder cones are scattered in profusion. Through the forest lands are
many beautiful prairies and glades that in midsummer are decked with
gorgeous wild flowers. The rains of the region give source to few
perennial streams, but intermittent streams have carved deep gorges in
the plateau, so that it is divided into many blocks. The upper surface,

although forest-clad and covered with beautiful grasses, is almost
destitute of water. A few springs are found, but they are far apart, and
some of the volcanic craters hold lakelets. The limestone and basaltic
rocks sometimes hold pools of water; and where the basins are deep the
waters are perennial. Such pools are known as "water pockets."
This is the great timber region of Arizona. Not many years ago it was a
vast park for elk, deer, and antelope, and bears and mountain lions were
abundant. This is the last home of the wild turkey in the United States,
for they are still found here in great numbers. San Francisco Peak is the
highest of these volcanic mountains, and about it are grouped in an
irregular way many volcanic cones, one of which presents some
remarkable characteristics. A portion of the cone is of bright reddish
cinders, while the adjacent rocks are of black basalt. The contrast in the
colors is so great that on viewing the mountain from a distance the red
cinders seem to be on fire. From this circumstance the cone has been
named Sunset Peak. When distant from it ten or twenty miles it is hard
to believe that the effect is produced by contrasting colors, for the peak
seems to glow with a light of its own.
In centuries past the San Francisco Plateau was the home of
pueblo-building tribes, and the ruins of their habitations are widely
scattered over this elevated region. Thousands of little dwellings are
found, usually built of blocks of basalt. In some cases they were
clustered in little towns, and three of these deserve further mention.
A few miles south of San Francisco Peak there is an intermittent stream
known as Walnut Creek. This stream runs in a deep gorge 600 to 800
feet below the general surface. The stream has cut its way through the
limestone and through series of sandstones, and bold walls of rock are
presented on either side. In some places the softer sandstones lying
between the harder limestones and sandstones have yielded to
weathering agencies, so that there are caves running along the face of
the wall, sometimes for hundreds or thousands of feet, but not very
deep. These natural shelves in the rock were utilized by an ancient tribe
of Indians for their homes. They