Page 34 - Wood Plenty, Grass Good, Water None

"...wesoonreachedthedryriverbedthatruns from north to south through the Chino Valley; but as the water here had worn the ground more deeply than farther to the north, w e did not find so convenient a passage."
Thus Mollhausen also documents channel erosion in Chino Valley.
He continues:
"Before evening we were surrounded by cedar woods....Inthickwoods where thereisabun danceofdryfuel,you scarcelymissatenteven in the coldest weather. ..."
I have been unable to identify "mageng." They were
near the mouth of the narrow basaltic gorge through
which Partridge Creek flows, just northwest of the
townofAshFork. ringtotheareanortheastofPicachoButte],
AndTidball,remainingthistimewiththewagons, wrote of January 12:
"Travelled 4 mi. in a S. S. W. course, upon the west side of the canon.... Road quite rough, grass good. Water in holes in the canon."
Stanley on January 12 comments:
" ...bad country covered with mal pais. ...Doct. K .andmyselfwentinsearchofmagengandafter a lanorious [laborious?] walk of three miles or more, we found some very pretty plants...."
After traveling to the base of Picacho with the main Whipple wagon party on January 13, Sherburne notes:"...wood invicinityscarce."He givesnofurther descriptions of vegetation across Chino Valley or up Pueblo Creek.
Tidball, on January 13, writes:
"...struck S. Westerly across a fine rolling country for about 9 mi. at which we left the end of a range of hills to our left and struck a seriesofcanons very difficulttopass and which debouche into a valley running S .E. E n c a m p e d atNo.27withoutmuchwoodinourimmediate vicinity. Water in holes in canons near by. Grass pretty good."
Thewagonscampedonthepointofaridgeoverlook ing the convergence of Partridge Creek with Chino Valley. This site was exposed to high winds, and the wagons were moved to a camp at the edge of Chino Valley on January 16.
Reconnaissance—PicachotoAztecPass—Leaving the wagons on the easterly side of Chino Valley, just south of Picacho Butte on January 16, and headed west across Chino Valley, Whipple notes:
"The soil of the valley where crossed today proved no less fertile than it appeared from Picacho.Itmay bedenominatedarichmeadow bottom, although the surface and several water- worn channels were dry."
Whipple's description of "water-worn" channels sug gests that some channel erosion existed in the valley.
O n t h e m o r n i n g o f J a n u a r y 1 7 , h e n o t e d :
"At daybreak the ground was white with snow. Even ourwide-spreadingcedartreeunderwhich reposed a dozen persons was penetrated. ..."
Riding out with Whipple, Mollhausen notes:
extending some seventy-five miles west of Mount San Francisco, and a low range which we named the Aztec mountains [Santa Maria Mountains], there is a wide valley, (about eighteen miles by the diagonal path in which we crossed it) averaging some ten or fifteen miles in width. It is so densely covered with thebestgramagrass,thatwenameditValde China."
"The hills bordering this valley, especially on the west are densely covered with cedars, spruces, oaks, etc., which are sufficiently abundanttoserveallthepurposesofagriculture, domestic economy, and railroads."
Bigelow was in error regarding the presence of spruceattheseelevations.Hemayhavebeenreferring toDouglasfir.Hecontinues:
"Besidesthetreesalreadymentioned,we have here two or three species of cedars; one with alarge,sweet,edibleberry.Intimesofgreat scarcity of food, I believe nearly every animal in the region resorts to this fruit. P inus edulis (pinon) grows in great abundance nearly the whole length of this district. The highlands which form spurs to the San Francisco, Bill Williams and Sitgreaves mountains are covered with these trees; theirdeep green foliage giving the forests a peculiarly dark and sombre aspect, forming a strong contrast with the surround ing...grassy plains."
On January 17 the party struck the drainage now n a m e d P i n e S p r i n g s D r a w , a l t h o u g h t h e y c a l l e d it Turkey Creek at the time. Whipple notes:
"Its banks were lined with rushes, and a basin like valley was covered with a thick growth of timber—cottonwood, walnut [Arizona], and ash [Arizona mountain]. A large flock of
Dr. Bigelow gave an overview of Chino Valley: "Between this elevated plateau [he is refer
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USDAForestServiceRMRS-GTR-177. 2006.