We crossed the Rocky Mountains up the Arkansas
river and took the trail made by Col. Fremont in 1848 to the
summit of the Rocky Mountains. We then crossed over the mountains
onto the headwaters of the south fork of Grand river, and from
here we headed almost south, passing through a country that had
all been burned over. We could look ahead for miles and see
nothing but burnt hills. Game was so scarce that we could barely
kill enough to supply us with food, until we struck the north fork
of Gila river. Here we found plenty of game. We traveled down the
Gila three days, which brought us to the Pima--or as was sometimes
then called Peone--village. This village was situated in a lovely
valley about twenty miles long and ten wide. The soil was very
fertile. The surrounding mountains were very high and covered with
fine timber, while the foothills were luxuriant in the finest
quality of bunchgrass, and along the little mountain streams were
cottonwood and willows.
The Indians here were fairly well civilized, a fact worthy of
note, as they had never had a missionary or priest among them.
They also had a different mode of worship from the tribes of the
Northwest. Their place of worship was what might be called a large
shed constructed by setting posts in the ground and covered with
poles, brush and the leaves of the century plant, these leaves
being from three to five feet long and from six to ten inches
wide.
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