Part 1 (1/2)
Adventures in the Canyons of the Colorado
by William Wallace Bass
FOREWORD
BY GEORGE WHARTON JAMES
Author of ”In and Around the Grand Canyon,” ”Arizona the Wonderland,”
”The Grand Canyon of Arizona,” ”New Mexico, the Land of the Delightmakers,” etc, etc
The more the people of the United States know of their scenic wonderlands the more interest will there be aroused as to ”who first saw” this or the other of theard to the Grand Canyon and its tributaries is growingly apparent A hundred thousand Americans see the Grand Canyon today where one saw it at the ti the hordes of people attracted to the Grand Canyon by curiosity, scenic allureained any fauides_ to its wondrous depths and rim revelations These two are John Hance and Willia before he had dreamed that the Canyon would help make him famous; I ate venison steith him when he was but a cowboy in the employ of the proprietor of the Hull ranch; I wrote the first account of those peculiar and exaggerated yarns of his that gained him his fame as the ”Munchausen of the West” It was on these yarns alone that his fa of the Canyon, east or west, twenty miles from the trail that unfortunately was named after him He never read a line of its history, and never cared to knoho first discovered it He got lost years after the Canyon was being visited by great nuuide a party to the home of the Havasupai Indians, whose ancestors made the trail which he discovered and claimed as his own
On the other hand, William Wallace Bass, who came to the Canyon some years ahead of Hance, felt its peculiar allure who has been ical history, in searching the to the intelligent interests of literary ists, students and tourists who have come to visit it than has he His library upon the subject is exhaustive and complete, and he is so well versed in soed many a scientist's opinions as to the secret of its formation and development John C Van dyke wrote truly of him when he said in his recent book on the Grand Canyon, he ”has been 'the guide, philosopher and friend' of alist at the Canyon
Unquestionably he knows the geology of the region”
Born in Shelbyville, Indiana, in 1848, he came to Arizona, by way of an hospital for incurables in New York, to die Life in the open gave hiorous and capable of more work than many a city-bred youth of 25 His life in Arizona has been a rohout, and in much of it I have either shared or been an interested spectator My first staff in 1888, under the following circustaff, with the Rev Stewart Conrad Wright, a Methodist staff had just been built, and on ive a lecture on what I had seen At the close of the talk--which undoubtedly was a pretty crude though enthusiastic attempt--Mr T G Norris, a lahoht up to me a man dressed in typical cowboy fashi+on, evidently just off from a roundup, and introduced him as Mr W W Bass, ished to talk to e of the great abyss in no qualified tero with hie, in company with a special representative, S
M McGowan, sent out to investigate the condition of these Indians
Afterwards he would take me to another, and he claimed more wonderful and scenic portion of the Canyon Gladly the invitation was accepted, and the folloeek saw on driven by Mr Bass, with Mr McGowan as my vis-a-vis
This trip was my introduction to the Havasupai Indians and the wonders of their roreater importance than this was the fact that this trip fir has ever even momentarily shaken, and the years have rendered but more firm and secure Mr Bass and I are both very human, have many of the frailities and weaknesses conification by officious meddlers and mischief-makers, we still preserve that unbroken serenity and confidence of friendshi+p vouchsafed but to the most favored of ue about y and archaeology frou we are steadily united, viz, in our devotion and love to the great canyon in or near which he has spent so great a part of his life
This devotion on his part has led to the following ofsoations in two cases are herein recorded Their value is unquestionable The narrative of Mr Hawkins bears throughout the stamp of truth, and while I was one of the first to express disbelief in the story of James White, I am now free to confess that the evidence of his truthfulness is growing powerfully within ood service to those who are interested in Canyon history by securing these stories and I am confident they will meet with a cordial reception
GEORGE WHARTON JAMES
Pasadena, Calif, April, 1920
INTRODUCTION
BY W W Bass
My interest in the Grand Canyon dates from soon after my arrival, in July, 1883, at Williams, Arizona I had come West for my health on the still uncompleted line of the Santa Fe route, then known as the ”Atlantic & Pacific” Williaman in its ”wild and woolly” reputation, but I located there and soon began to i trips (the story of which is fully told in my life history, soon to be published), I found it necessary to refer to the available maps in order to secure what inforeneral contour of the country I desired to explore I succeeded in securing a Government map, and, as it was one with the naical Survey, I supposed it was correct and reliable But, tothe dry washes and valleys I found myself farther away from the walls of the Grand Canyon than when I started The water-holes and tanks were a myth and my animals nearly famished before I could retrace my steps to where I knew I could save thee system as shown on his map was a delusion and a snare and nearly resulted in my disaster
Naturally, this incidentPowell claiion, but it remained for me to have some very positive evidence as to the reliability of his claims in another direction Up to this tiuide in soulation work on the Bill Williahly convinced as to the doubtful character of certain state other work of the same nature he claimed to have done some years previous One in particular was as to a station he said I would find on ”Red butte,”