104 SADDLE AND CAMP 



canon by water drawn from the springs to irri- 

 gate the land. 



A half hour's ride from the farmer's station 

 up a trail cut in the steep cliff sides brought us 

 to Tuba itself. 



This oasis, with its green orchards and gar- 

 dens, its lawns and rows of stately Lombardy 

 poplars, appeals to the traveler, set here in the 

 midst of desolation, as one of the most beauti- 

 ful spots on earth. 



The place was formerly known as Tuba City, 

 and was originally settled by the Mormon elder 

 John D. Lee and his followers. Lee was the 

 leader of the band of Mormons and Indians that 

 attacked at Mountain Meadows, September 

 22, 1857, a caravan of emigrants, who were 

 crossing the Mormon country en route to Cali- 

 fornia. Men, women, and children — even lit- 

 tle children that would hardly have been old 

 enough to tell the story of what they saw — 

 were slaughtered indiscriminately and without 

 mercy. The story of this cold-blooded, utterly 

 heartless butchery is too horrible to describe. 

 After the massacre the horses and cattle belong- 

 ing to the emigrant caravan, as well as all else 

 of value, were taken possession of by the band 

 of murderers, who fled southward into the 

 desert, and for many years Lee hid himself 



