Glimpses of America: A Pictorial and Descriptive History of Our Country's Scenic MarvelsBuel, James W. (James William)
History
Glimpses of America: A Pictorial and Descriptive History of Our Country's Scenic Marvels
Buel, James W. (James William)
United States -- Pictorial works
HANCE’S TRAIL, GRAND CAÑON OF THE COLORADO.—Between the beetling crags
and along the serpentine windings of the river, we obtain in this
photograph a fine view of some of the wonders of the Grand Cañon.
The beauties of the scene would be largely enhanced if the varied
hues of the red and orange and amber tinted cliffs could be painted
by the camera with the same accuracy that it gives to all the other
surroundings and characteristics of the picture. This much to be
desired result is largely accomplished, however, in the splendid
colored photograph of a similar scene in this connection, and which
in fact gives a better idea of the splendors of the Grand Cañon than
any photograph in a single color could convey.
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[Illustration: ROTARY SNOW-PLOW.]
In many places, Major Powell found overarching cliffs, formed by the
river in making a sharp bend eating away the shale and gypsum of the
base. Occasional inlets were observed, cut by creeks that have been
dried up for ages; and following up one of these deep aroytas a little
way, he came to a natural stair-way of small and regular terraces that
led up fully 500 feet, to an oasis of vegetation, out of which burst a
spring that lost its waters before they had run a hundred feet down the
parched cliff. Just below this point a beautiful glen was found, where
the walls of the cañon appeared to almost meet above the deep and quiet
river, which, though narrowed, had an unobstructed channel. The cliffs
were of a marvelous beauty, appalling in height, but as variegated as a
bed of poppies, with their strata of white, pink, saffron, gray and red.
Passing out of Glen Cañon, the party came directly into the jaws of
another chasm, where the river had excavated an amphitheater of mammoth
proportions, and then plunged into a gorge where both the walls and bed
of the stream were of marble so pure that they shone with an iridescent
splendor, and the now lazy river reflected its walls until looking down
was gazing into the heavenly depths. Just below was Cataract Cañon, the
entrance to which was indicated by a lofty cliff that, from a distance,
shone like a crystal mountain, but which, on closer inspection, was
discovered to be the source of many springs whose waters glinted in the
sun like jewels.
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[Illustration: PORTION OF THE ANCIENT PALACE AT CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA.]
[Illustration: PART OF THE ANCIENT CITY WALL AI CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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