Arizona Cantaloupes Yield to Antelope as Bus Climbs

[Page 1] Arizona Cantaloupes Yield to Antelope as Bus Climbs By CHARLES G. GRIFFO ATOP DOBBINS level, looking out over 14,817 acres of Arizona--the gol-darnest and a other offspring of nature I've I've had my arm twisted again! was an adventure because, as Mrs. festivities in the same category as out novocaine. when you have four kids along to overrule you.. "Why not t go to a nice cool movie," I suggested. "Naw, we wanta see the heerglophics," says Martha. "The what?" I asked. "The heerglophics . "You mean the hieroglyphics," ask. "That's it," says she. She had been reading a guide book. So we went to South Mountain Park, which is the largest city park in the world.

It was during a layover in Phoenix the 6,000-mile Greyhound bus trip I am taking with four of the children while Mrs. G. stays home in Indianapolis. We took along a picnic lunch consisting of a couple of stock ham and cheese sandwiches, purchased at the hotel and a thermos at the hotel and a thermos of soft drinks. But picnicking wasn't what was prime in the minds of Chuck, 9, and Gregory, 4½. "There's a gold mine up there," says Chuck. "I I want to find gold." "I need the dough," he adds. We borrowed an automobile and were off. There is a gold mine in the park, a small mine used for exhibition purposes. We visited it but discovered no gold. They did discover rocks and filled their pockets.

the Hieroglyphic Canyon, it was different. the pictures, symbols and inscripGregory in discovered just what tions etched on the huge rocks by the ancient Hohokam Indians looked like. "That's what Vincey did to our wall in the bedroom with those crayons," said Greg, pontifically. write walls with crayons,' Vincent is 'says 2-year-old Mary, Sand at the wall-writing stage. He's at home and couldn't defend- himself. Actually the wall doodlings of the Hohokam tribe that f founded a flourishing civilization about the 11th century in the desert country was their way of expressing, "Vince themselves, was too," I. told the Gregg. kids. says These Indians were farmers and settled themselves in the valleys of the Gila and Salt rivers near here.

The name Hohokam comes from a Pima word meaning *the vanished ones,' which is actually what happened to the tribe. All that is left to remember them by is the hieroglyphics etched into the canyon walls and found on pottery dug up from ruins, I continued. Archeological investigation has shown that the primitive Cochise Man occupied southeastern Arizona about 20,000 years ago be- Jr., -Here we are 2,300 feet above sea of park and that seems like halt conglomeration of rock, sand, cacti ever seen. We went on a picnic! And this G well knows, I rank such outdoor having my uppers extracted with- off in is line and get the belt the now a Plan fore the drought came and made most of the area a desert.

When I explained this to the boys the natural answer came from Chuck. "You mean the Sheriff of Cochise," he says. I tried to explain about the coming of the Navajos, the Hopis and the Apaches and the building up the 15 Indian tribes that at one time ruled the land. And of the coming of the Spaniards missionaries. I tried to explathe history. But it didn't work. "School's out," says Martha, bored. "When are we going where Wyatt Earp used to live?" asked Chuck. Tombstone is next on the schedule, then north to Grand Canyon country.