BY: Ben D. Wood,John E. Christensen,Marshall George, Utah

Yours Sincerely "GEOLOGIC GATE":

Yours is the one magazine we take which does not arrive often enough to suit us. In these busy days it is hard to find time to read half the magazines we receive, but the quality and interest of your articles and superb photographs are such as to compel reading, not once or twice, but several times. Since about 1923 we were in Arizona nearly every summer, until about five years ago. After an enforced absence of five years, you may, in spite of your editorial modesty, be able to figure out how much your magazine rescues us each month from that "lost" feeling which overcomes anyone who has once got Arizona in his blood and is forced to be away from its forests, mountains, cliffs and deserts too long. We have just spent the whole evening on your March number. It has convinced us that our first summer after the war must be spent in Chiricahua National Park, with, of course, our usual pilgrimage to one or both rims of the Grand Canyon, and another week of camping at various spots in Oak Creek Canyon.

Your article on the world's largest textbook is most interesting and informative. The fortyfoot geologic hike reminds me of a suggestion I once made to a college in West Texas which was in process of erecting gates at the three main entrances to the campus. The gates were to be merely ornamental stone columns at each side of each gate. I suggested that the stone columns for the main entrance be constructed from rocks in their correct geologic sequence, and that it be called "Geologic Gate" instead of "South Gate." Perhaps this has already been done at the college in Flagstaff.

Ben D. Wood, New York City. N. Y.

FRIENDLY RECEPTION:

We are grateful to the Martin Cotton Company for their thoughtfulness in sending your magazine. We have had the pleasure of receiving ARIZONA HIGHWAYS for the past year and to you we would like to say we have enjoyed it more than any other magazine that has come to our attention. It is splendid in concept and beautiful in execution. We read it every month and enjoy it. Only last night I got into a discussion of an article that appeared in the magazine several months ago on the subject of "Date Culture in Arizona." Since those with whom we were discussing the matter were tremendously interested in the facts, we got out the magazine and we read the article over again very carefully. This could be said, over the year, of a great many other articles that appeared.

I have never been in Arizona but your magazine has created within me a keen desire to make a visit. After this war is over, I would like to come out and spend two or three months leisurely viewing the scenes you so vividly depict.

D. E. McCuen, D. E. McCuen & Co., Greenville, S. C.

PORTRAIT OF A BURRO:

"So, the gentle breezes of March" brought ARIZONA HIGHWAYS to me again, as you state, late, but what matter just so it gets here.

I now have four issues of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS and I wait eagerly for it each month, for its fine feature articles and its splendid photo graphy.

It brought a kind of nostalgic happiness this month, if indeed emotions can be so fused, occasioned by the picture of the donkey on the last page.

My early life was spent in the southwestern part of this state where my father owned and operated mines in the San Juan country. He had a burro-train some hundred or more of them packed to and from the mines in the boom days of the early nineties in that locality.

You can well understand what a rush of happy and eventful recollections the old fellow look ing at me through the trees on the last page of March issue brought.

Marie E. Kittell, Longmont, Colorado.

NOTE FROM ENGLAND:

Daniel P. Brooks, 30 Crookston Rd., Eltham, London, S. E. 9.

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD:

Do we all love the land of our childhood or does Arizona hold some special charm for our hearts and minds? My great desire for many years, has been to go back to "This Land I Love," but my wandering steps have always taken me farther away, toward the cold North Land where it is 40 below for days during the winter. Now Arizona has come to me. May I quote from a friend's letter: "We were lucky children to be able to spend our childhood in such an enchanting land." I now consider myself most fortunate to be able to open the pages of your artistic and interesting magazine,and see again the old familiar places. Your Christmas issue contains masterpieces of pho tography, and you are to be congratulated on the reproductions.

We used to spend our vacations camping in the Verde Valley. As small children, riding our burros, we spent many happy hours ex ploring Montezuma Well and Castle-Tonto Cliff dwellings, digging arrow heads and play ing "Indian" in the deep caves.

Later we made a trek in a covered camp wagon from Prescott to Fresno, Calif. It took us forty days to make the trip. There were no State Highways in those days, in fact in some places there were no roads at all. We just looked for a pass in the mountains, the faintthread of a trail across a dried lake bottom, or the wisp of smoke from a distant train to guide us on our way. I shall never forget the magic of the desert night nor the glory of the flowers in the sunshine. The illustrations in your Christmas issue make these thrilling ad ventures a living experience again. I am looking forward to my next copy, knowing it will bring me the majesty of the mountains, the mystery of the desert, the bless ed music of water, warm sunshine and thoughts of friends.

Mrs. H. J. Clarke, Vermilion, Alta, Canada.

Monument Valley

Lithic towers Blueward climb To spend themselves In quiet testimonial Unto time.

Silent ghosts Against the sky Of sanguine cliffs That lived a million yearsYet had to die.

Giant tombstones Carved by rain From long-dead mountains That will someday, Somewhere, rise again.

John E. Christensen

TRIBUTE TO THE BRAVE:

May I on behalf of my brother, Sgt. Pilot Kenneth Dutton R.A.F. thank you most sin cerely for sending him your December issue of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS in which a letter from him was published.

The magazine has just reached us and it left me speechless at the beautiful photographs besides the interesting reading one finds within.

I daresay you are wondering why I, his sis ter, am writing to you. A few days ago we here at home, were informed that Kenneth was missing following air-operations and so far have had no further news of him, but we shall keep hoping and praying that someday goods news will come our way.

My brother who had the good fortune to receive his training at Falcon Field, spoke often of your lovely Arizona, his letters from there were full of the desert, the canyons, the mountains and above all the people, the people of Phoenix and Mesa who showed him, as they showed other cadets such great hospitality which couldn't be surpassed anywhere. When Kenneth returned home these grand people thought of me as well. I only wish I could repay them for all the gifts they sent. I can only say thank you, but it means more than they could ever guess.

My parents and I would like to take the opportunity of thanking all those kind people for giving Kenneth a wonderful time during his stay with them. It has been a remarkable experience for him and one he will treasure above everything else. And one day when this war is over and he is back again with us for I feel sure he will be, I know he will pay you a visit dear friends, to give his thanks personally-he always said he would.

My brother brought back several copies of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS and many a happy hour have I and my friends spent in reading and rereading them, a finer magazine would be hard to find. Oh, how much it's made me want to visit "The Valley of the Sun."

In the meantime I shall take care of this December issue for Kenneth as I have the other copies, and until he can return to Arizona and thank you himself for your kind remembrances, I must do it for him.

Yes, Kenneth returned home plus a pair of "wings" but minus his heart, your lovely state and its friendly people captured that.

To them I would like to send my very best wishes, especially those I have the pleasure of corresponding with and may they soon have their loved ones back where they belong.

To those concerned with the production of a truly wonderful magazine I say, thank you for your kind remembrance of my brother and thank you for making ARIZONA HIGHWAYS such a joy to read.

Miss Joan Dutton, 106 Eastcourt Rd. Gloucester, England.

HOME WANTED IN THE DESERT:

That certainly was a friendly gesture of yours, publishing my letter in ARIZONA HIGH WAYS. And I'm deeply appreciative. And is it pulling! Have already had responses from Wickenburg, Arizona; from Salinas, California; and from Akela, New Mexico. and this is probably just the first crest of the wave. It certainly is good to contact all these new friends through ARIZONA HIGHWAYS; gives one a warm thrill of appreciation of the great, friendly clan of the desert country. Marshall South, Saint George, Utah.