ARIZONA 



ARIZONA 



Detached mountains extend across the state 

 in a general northwest-southeast direction and 

 divide it into two principal physical regions of 

 almost equal area a northwestern phiteau and 

 a southwestern lowland section. The plateau, 

 which has an average elevation of 5,000 feet, is 

 in no sense a table-land, but has a highly-dr 



1 surface of hills and deep-cut canyons. 

 Through these in former times great rivers must 

 have ilow.-d. for only streams of considerable 



Mowing for a long time could have carved 

 these deep chasms in the solid rock. To-day 

 rivers, with the exception of the Colo- 

 most important river of the state, 

 tly dry or flow only during the brief 

 rainy seasons, but far below the surface of 

 many of them is a regular flow of water which 

 may be drawn out by pumping and used for 

 irrigation. 



The lower, southwestern section has a dis- 

 tinct slope from the mountain ranges, which 

 divide it from the plateau to the Gila River. 

 a slow, shallow stream flowing to the Colo- 

 rado. This latter river drains the entire state 

 into the Gulf of California. The lowland is 

 not an actual plain, but is broken everywhere 

 by short, isolated chains of mountains, which 



abruptly from the level surface. Here and 

 tin -rr shallow tributaries of the Gila find their 



among the buttes and mesas, but tin - 

 dry for a large part of the year. 



The southern mountains arc flat -topped and 

 of no gr . but in the north then- aiv 



lofty, outstanding p aks. Of these a number 

 are over 10,000 fret high, and one, Mount 

 Humphreys, an old volcanic p- U.794 



Scenic Wonders. In the northwotrrn part of 



thr Mate tin It the most inarvel- 



ous riv ; tin- world tin- ( liand < 



y..n ill" tin- Col.. i \heiv iii 



thi-e volumes. This formation, wrought by 

 th< r through the ages, is no more 



Mkable for its steep cliffs ami the tumbling 

 iron In d than foi -h of 



brilliant coloring which glows in its rocks. 

 Had Arizona nothing to offer to tl. 

 but this one sight, it would \M 11 ivpay a jour- 

 ney across the cont num. Hut tl 

 wonders no less noteworthy in their \\ ay. In 



of the state, 

 side of the Colorado stretches the 



the most alluring drs i 

 tin- world," as one di-tmgui>hed tu\.l.r has 



Pltlk. Mllr. yellow. Will!.-. l,o\\- 



arc its sands, its clays and its rocky 



ledges, and all the colors have an especial 

 brightness in the clear air and steady sunshine. 



To the northeast, in Navajo County. 

 Holbrook, is one of the strangest forests in the 





 ARI/ON v 



SCALE OF MILES 



eo do 100 



Ai:lZ 'NA 



Map shows boundaries, principal rivers. 1 

 tion of important minerals, principal cities, the 

 veil Iam. petrified forest and hi.^l. M point 

 of land in the Mate. 



world a fon>t of stone. The trees, some of 



which are iifty feet long and from four to five 



in diameter, are not standing, but lie on 



tin- around, for the most part at the foot of the 



Ifl in which th<-y wen- earlu r rmbeddrd. 



V little particle of the wood i 

 replaced ly a particle of silica, and the \ 

 and markings all >lmw perfectly. Hut the 



: ing in these .: , "T and chalcedony 



logK is far more varied than that of the living 

 wood, and eiitiTpriHiig vi.-itors were not. long 

 in finding that the stone when polished could 

 be used for all the purposes for which onyx 

 or tinted mail monk emplo\. 



sections were removed, and it I" .dmt 



tha? derful formation would in time 



be cntu.ly d, I'mted States go\ - 



fore, determined to save it, and 

 made of it a forest reserve of a new 

 a fossil forest reser 



Climate and Vegetation. No part of the 

 Uni' a has more sunshine than has 



