Petrified Forests of Arizona

Page Twenty-two mineral waters into every fiber of the wood.

This process, of course, continued slowly, the pressure increasing only as the trunk hardened to resist. The min-eralization, it is said, must have been contemporaneous with the first coverlet of sediment, or ahead of it. No mere wooden tree could have withstood the impact of two miles of perpendicular stone to the square inch.

FIVE SEPARATE FORESTS

Five separate tracts, or forests, comprise the area. Forest No. 1 is located about nine miles distant from Adamana, the natural log bridge being the chief object of interest there. The log spans a chasm 60 feet wide, a trunk of jasper and agate overhanging a tree-fringed canyon.

Many curious rock formations, among which are the Eagle's Nest and the Snow Lady, also are presented in the first forest. The surrounding mesas, with their bands seamed by the erosion of countless different colors and their slopes aged, make a marvelous setting for this collection of Nature's jewels.

Two and one-half miles further south the second forest is encountered. It comprises slightly more than 2,000 acres. For the greater part, trees in this tract are intact and many of them are highly colored. A fine assortment of various sized chips, with the most delicate tints imaginable, also may be found. It likewise contains an abundance of petrified logs with well pre-served grain, as well as many with crystal hearts. The "Twin Sisters" is another interesting feature of this forest.

The third forest, or Rainbow Forest is 13 miles from Adamana. It is the largest of all the forests and contains the largest of the specimens, including several hundred whole trees, some of them more than 200 feet in length. The colors duplicate nearly every tint of the rainbow, giving the forest its name. Although the smallest of the group, the fourth forest, known as the Blue Forest, is by no means of least importance. Countless petrified logs of bluish tint are strewn over the ground. Fantastically carved rock formations and the beautifully colored "Bad Lands" are two of the chief attractions in the Blue Forest.

A. A. A. URGES MOTORISTS TO AID IN REDUCING FIRE LOSS

The careless smoker causes an annual fire loss of many millions of dol-lars on the United States and this should impress on motorists the need for pre-caution in throwing away lighted cigar-ette butts, according to the American Automobile Association.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

"Especially is that true," says the national motoring body, "in the forested areas where the careless throwing away of a lighted cigarette may cause heavy damage and imperil lives."

The A. A. A. says that property loss from fire attributable to smoking is about $45,000,000 a year, aside from the tremendous loss from forest fires.

The A. A. A. statement continues: "More than 30,000 fires are estimated to have been caused by smokers in 1927 the latest year for which statistics are available, in the forests of the country. In an effort to reduce the number of fires caused by smokers on Government lands the Forest Service has closed extensive areas of National Forest land to smoking during the forest season. On such areas, smoking is prohibited at improved camp grounds and places of habitation.

"Some of the progressive cigarettte manufacturers are becoming interested in the problem of reducing cigarette fire losses. Investigations by the Bureau of Standards on possible methods of fire-proofing the tips of cigarettes are receiving the manufacturers' attention.

"Cigarettes and pipe ashes should be pressed out and discarded only in unquestionably safe places. Matches should be broken in two before they are thrown away. Every automobile should be equipped with ash receivers for both front and rear seats, as many fires are caused by burning tobacco or matches thrown from cars along the roadsides."

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for drilling two wells will be received until 2:00 p. m., September 30th, 1929, and the publicly opened and read at the office of the Arizona State Highway Commission at Phoenix, Arizona.

All proposals must be marked upon the outside of the envelope "State Highway Contract Drilling Wells at Piedra and Wellton."

The work consists of drilling and casing a six, eight or ten inch well to such a depth as will deliver a sufficient supply of drinking water.

The location of the first well site is approximately one mile west of Piedra. The probable depth will be between 250 and 300 feet.

The location of the second well site is approximately three and one-half miles west of Wellton at the Maintenance Camp of the Highway Department. The probable depth will be between 100 and 125 feet.

SEPTEMBER, 1929

All bids shall be accompanied by an unendorsed, certified or cashier's check not less than 10% of the gross amount of the bid, payable to the State Treasurer of Arizona, The check of the successful bidder, submitted with his proposal, will be held by the state not only as a guarantee to accept the contract upon the basis of his proposal, but also as a guarantee of the successful completion of the work and the payment of all obligations for labor or material incurred in the prosecution of the work. The aforementioned check will be released upon evidence satisfactory to the Engineer that all provisions of the contract have been fulfilled.

Copies of the Specifications, Proposal and Contract may be seen at the office of the State Engineer, Phoenix, Arizona, or may be obtained from him upon pay-ment of $2.00, which will be returned to the contractor, should the Specifications, Proposal and Contract, be returned with-in ten days after the opening of the bids.

The bidder will be required to comply with the provisions of the Specifications and Contract in the bidding and the award and execution of the contract.

W. W. LANE, State Engineer.

Phoenix, Arizona, September 19th, 1929.

EVERY SERVICE STATION SERVES AVERAGE OF 258 MOTOR VEHICLES

Every service station in the United States serves an average of 258 motor vehicles, according to the American Au-tomobile Association.

The A.A.A. bases its statement on motor vehicle registrations of 24,496,000 and a total of 94,767 service stations and repair shops.

There was a young fellow named Hall Who fell in the spring in the fall. 'Twould have been a sad thing Had he died in the spring, But he didn't, he died in the fall.

The callers looked at the plain little girl and one said to the other, " Not very p-r-e-t-t-y, is she?"

"No said the child, "but awful s-m-a-r-t."

She: "Where is your chivalry?" He: "I turned it in for a Buick."

SEPTEMBER, 1929 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Page Twenty-three HOW IMPROVED HIGHWAYS ARE PROMOTING RURAL EDUCATION

(Continued from page 15) trained teachers, richer curriculum of-

SIGNIFICANT FACTS SHOWN

ferings, and enlarged social opportu nities. Good side or local roads are helping to make all this possible. That the generation represented by the youth now in school-reared with an appre ciation of the relationship between highway improvements and education in its broadest sense-will continue the program on an increasingly larger scale, seems a foregone conclusion.

In another article in the United States Daily, Timon Covert, assistant specialist in rural education, United States Bureau of Education, presents these significant facts bearing on both sides of this subject: That these modern rural schools are proving satisfactory is evidenced by the fact that the movement toward consolidation is rather constant; that they are better schools than the small ones supplanted is rather conclusively shown by many studies of instructional results in the two types of schools.

On the other hand the following situation, typical of many, exists in a midwestern state. Three one-teacher schools, one enrolling fewer than ten pupils, and one two-teacher school, all within a radius of four miles, are practically isolated from another because connecting roads are impassable much of the time. The absence of one bridge over a small creek which runs through the territory, effectively obstructs all transportation across the stream. There is an abundance of gravel excellent for road surfacing in two of the four school districts, but little use ever has been made of it. Commerce, social activities and education facilities alike are retarded a quarter of a century in this community because roads have not been improved. Each district is obliged to maintain a school, under present conditions, although all the elementary pupils of the three one-room schools could easily be transported over good roads in one large motor bus to the larger school.

In another state there is this situation: Four small villages are located at intervals of five miles along a wellkept highway. Each village maintains an elemantary school, and in addition each village with its adjacent territory attempts to maintain a four-year high school. The combined enrollment of these four high schools is less than 200 and the number of teachers employed in them is 15.

Within a radius of a few miles of each village are many one-teacher schools. Many of these have small enrollments. The topography of the entire territory is favorable for good roads and gravel is plentiful, but little side road surfacing has been done. Seasonal changes render many roads unfit for regular use.

NORTHERN ARIZONA OFFERS WEALTH OF SCENIC GRANDEUR

(Continued from page 14) Alive and too great. It was life and death, heaven and hell.

One has the choice of several trails down to the river and the Hermit Rim Road along the rim is several miles long and runs west from El Tovar, the main hotel, to Hermit's Rest. There are many trips that may be made along the rim of the canyon.

Leaving Flagstaff on U. S. Highway 66, six miles brings one to the junction of U. S. 89 and thence through Cameron to Tuba City, the heart of the desert. Here are evidences of that proud, reticent race, the Navajos, rugs, bows and arrows and photographs.

Sixty-six miles from Tuba City Arizona Highway Department's new Grand Canyon bridge over the Colorado River at Marble Gorge. It is one of the highest highway bridges in the world and the country it has opened will be the objective of the traveler in search of scenic beauty. This supberb engineering feat is 467 feet above the river and built entirely of steel with renforced concrete floor, Turning southwest and traveling through the Kaibab Forest the next objective will be the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which stands one thousand feet higher than the South Rim.

Arriving at Grand Canyon Lodge, on the North Rim, the traveler has a magnificent view of the great abyss. The lodge is in harmony with its sublime surroundings and affords unparalleled entertainment to the guests, No trip through northern Arizona would be complete without a trip to Prescott, a beautifully located town in the mountains and pines. Prescott is known as the "Mile High City" and is the summer playground for the people from the lower valleys of the state. It has good hotels and apartments and excellent camping facilities. Many resorts are located near Prescott in the Bradshaw and other mountains, with good fishing and hunting. There are also a number of dude ranches near Prescott On June 11 the annual Snake Dance of the Smokies is held, which once seen is never forgotten; also during the Frontier Day Celebration in July cowboys gather from the entire western country for the opportunity of matching their skill for supremacy in cowboy sports.

The Hassayampa Trail, the name given by Yavapai county to the Prescott-Phoenix highway, is one of the finest in the state. Near Wickenburg and midway between the two cities are several "dude" ranches, much patronized during the winter months.

HASSAYAMPA TRAIL

At Hot Springs Junction a road branches off leading to the hotel at Castle Hot Springs. The Hot Springs are located in what is known as the old Apache Stronghold, the fierce Apaches holding the ground on account of the mysterious healing powers of the waters.

(Continued from page 12) distant as well as nearer points within the state, making Springerville their headquarters, from which point they expect to embark on fishing, hunting or sight-seeing expeditions.

SPRINGERVILLE AND THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

To those who favor "roughing it" while on vacation, a trip down the Blue River into the heart of the rugged section of the Blue Range will prove of interest. Another interesting trip is by horseback to the Valley of Dwarfed Trees, at the foot of Mt. Ord and Mt. Baldy, at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Within this park are to be found many fir and spruce trees, normal in diameter but dwarfed in height, with their lower branches spreading widely over the ground thus giving the trees a cone-like appearance.

A trip up Mt. Ord and Mt. Baldy is delightful, and from their lofty summits one may see many hundreds of miles into Old Mexico, and in the depth of summer one may find deep snow banks under the ledges near the summit of these peaks while wild flowers grow in profusion to the edges of the snowdrifts.

To the San Francisco Peaks

A MILLION years of sunny skies, A million years of rain,Have ground and smoothed your rocky slopes To add to fruitful plain; AND dim the times must seem to you When from the marshland near Came roars, as armored monsters fought That perished with the years.

HAVE turfed your sides and added prace To shape that once was bare, And clothed you with the stately pine And flowers sweet and rare..

YET many years have brought you peace, As age brings peace to man And so when turmoil grips our thoughts We seek you if we can. 'TILL but a memory must be The frightful days gone by, When pressure forced you far above The plain toward brassy sky.

AND 'neath the sheltering pines that stand Upon your green clad slopes, Our worries there will fade away In dreams of future hopes.

FOR the sighing of the graceful pines Bring thoughts that seem to say: "Oh puny man! so short your span Why worry on the way?"