USA > Arizona > The resources of Arizona; a description of its mineral, farming, grazing and timber lands; its rivers, mountains, valleys and plains; its cities, towns and mining camps; its climate and productions; with brief sketches of its early history etc > Part 18
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now employed upon it, and it is expected to be finished by the first of January, 1885, It will reclaim from the desert and make susceptible of cultivation nearly 80,000 acres of land now a barren waste.
Most of this land has a soil equal to any now tilled, and will produce as fine crops of cereals, fruits and vegetables as any portion of the great valley. It is now covered with a light growth of sagebrush and grease-wood, which only requires to be burnt off when it is ready for the plough. This enterprise is the only intelligent step which has yet been taken to develop the latent resources of this garden spot of the Territory. It will reclaim from the wilderness and add to the domain of civiliza- tion, an immense tract of fertile land which will furnish homes for hundreds of families.
Nearly all the public lands in the valley, under the present canals and those that are projected, have been taken up. The Southern Pacific railroad claims every alternate section, under a grant to the Texas Pacific. Most of this land is vacant, im- migrants not wishing to take the risk of settling upon and im- proving it, and then being compelled to pay an exorbitant price or be driven from the home which their toil and industry had built up. Lands which have not been improved are worth from $5 to $10 per acre. Improved land from $15 to $30 per acre, accord- ing to the character of soil and location. This price includes a water-right sufficient for crop-raising. The new canal will open up a vast stretch of country which can be had on reasonable terms.
A few years ago land went begging in this valley; to-day, choice tracts in vines and orchards, near the town of Phoenix, sell readily for $100 per acre. As population increases, there is a corresponding rise in value; and it is not unreasonable to sup- pose that within a few years lands in the valleys of the Gila and Salt will command the fancy prices now paid in Los Angeles. South of the Mormon settlement at Mesa city, and extending across to the Gila river is a splendid body of rich land which at one time was under cultivation. Large groves of mesquite grow on the tract, a sure indication of the strength and fertility of the soil. This portion of the valley is well situated for irrigation, and no doubt a canal on the south side of the river will yet transform it into an immense grain-field and orchard.
Besides the great valley of the Salt, Maricopa county has an extensive tract of good land on the lower Gila. At this point the river makes a sharp turn and flows almost directly southeast for several miles, the sharp curve being known as Gila Bend. It is estimated that in this vicinity and extending down the stream there are 150,000 acres of as rich bottom lands :s can be found in the Territory, capable, by the aid of water, of pro- ducing all the grains, grasses, fruits and vegetables grown in Arizona. An effort is now being made to reclaim this vast area
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and make it productive. Four companies have been formed to construct canals and bring the waters of the Gila over the val- ley. The most prominent of these organizations is the Gila Bend Canal Company. The canal which this incorporation are now engaged in constructing, taps the eastern bank of the stream, fifty miles southwest of Phoenix. For the past ten years the river at this point has been 240 feet wide and has maintained an average depth of two feet. The canal will be twelve feet wide at the bottom, and the amount of land it will enclose is put at 30,000 acres. Work is now being steadily prosecuted on this enterprise, and it is expected the water will be on the land in time for putting in a crop in 1884.
What is known as the Webb Canal is on the other side of the river. This water-way will be about fifteen miles long and is intended to reclaim 5,000 acres of rich bottom-lands. This com- pany expect to finish their canal during the present year, and be in readiness for a crop next season. These lands, and also those of the Gila Bend company, are only twenty-five miles north of the Southern Pacific railroad, at Gila Bend station. Most of the valley is being taken up under the "desert act," but by securing a water-right, the immigrant will have no difficulty in getting land at reasonable rates. In the Webb Company canal a water supply can be had at a cost of about $3 per acre.
About ten miles above Oatman Flat, on the south side of the river, the Cox and Norcross Company have completed their sur- veys, and will soon commence work on a canal which will reclaim 10,000 acres of magnificent land. The Rumburg canal, which begins below the mouth of the Agua Fria, on the north side of the river, will, when completed, bring under cultivation 25,000 acres. All this land is of prime quality, and, where it has been farmed, has yielded as high as forty bushels of wheat to the acre. Fruit also does remarkably well and it is the intention to set out a large number of trees the coming season. Immigrants look- ing for a home in Arizona, will find few spots offering better ad- vantages than the rich valley of Gila Bend.
Pinal, next to Maricopa, is the most important farming divi- sion of the Territory. The Gila river flows through the county from east to west, forming one of the finest valleys in Arizona. Beginning at the point where the river emerges from the moun- tains, above the town of Florence, its length is nearly fifty miles to the line of Maricopa. This magnificent valley is from one to three miles in width, with a rich loamy soil, and a climate similar in all respects to that of the Salt river. A large part of it has been set apart for the Pima and Maricopa Indians, and is therefore closed against settlement. From the line of the re- servation to the cañon it is estimated there are 25,000 acres of fine land which can be brought under cultivation. At present the area under tillage is not much more than 6,000.
There is abundance of water to irrigate at least four times the
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number of acres now reclaimed. But the present water system, if indeed it can be called a system, is most imperfect. Nearly all of the canals tap the river where it flows over gravel and sand, and where, in the dry seasons, it nearly all disappears beneath the surface. Although the volume of water has never been definitely ascertained there is known to be a sufficient quantity to flood the arca mentioned. But to bring this water over the land it is necessary that it be taken from the river bed, where it is confined between solid walls, and flows over a rocky bottom. There are several points in the cañon, above Florence, where this can be done, the entire stream carried into a ditch of sufficient capacity, and the whole of it properly utilized. That this will be the plan ultimately adopted, there is scarcely a doubt.
At present the water is in much the same condition as in Maricopa county. Those who have priority of right take out all they require, and if there is a surplus it is allowed to go to waste. Where water is the very life and soul of the land, as in Arizona, the waste of the precious fluid should be punished as an offence against the welfare of society. When a water system based upon the broad principles of equity and exact justice to all shall be inaugurated in the Territory, its agricultural re- sources will take a grand stride forward.
The land in the valley of the Gila is of a superior quality. It is mostly a rich adobe, or a heavy, dark, sandy loam. The de- tritus, which the river floods have been depositing for ages in this valley, have given a soil of remarkable fertility. A repeti- tion of crops does not seem to have the least effect in lessening its productiveness. Cercals, fruits, vegetables and grass crops grow luxuriantly and yield largely. The planting season is the same as on the Salt. The mode of cultivation is similar. The yield of grain is a trifle higher, while the cost of seeding, har- vesting, sacking, etc., is about the same. The land requires a like quantity of water; the product is of a very fine quality, es- pecially the wheat, and the prices obtained are equal to those which rule in the valley of the Salt. There are at present about 6,000 acres under cultivation, the yield of grain for 1883 being as follows :
Wheat. · 3,000,000 pounds.
Barley 2,000,000
Corn. 400
The hay crop for the same year will exceed 1,200 tons of wheat and barley hay, and over 650 tons of alfalfa. This shows an increase of nearly two hundred per cent. in the last two years. With proper irrigating facilities this yield could be increased five-fold. There is evidence that this portion of Arizona sup- ported a dense population in ages past, and the extensive ruins of the Casa Grande and the traces of large acequias, which are found in the vicinity, show that the line of cultivation extended eight miles back from the river.
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Fruit culture is receiving much attention in the Gila valley. Near the town of Florence are several fine orchards and vine- yards, whose yield is most prolific. Grapes, peaches, pcars, plums, pomegranates, figs, quinces, apples, and such semi-trop- ical fruits as the orange, the lemon, the olive and the almond, attain a strong and healthy growth. The fruit is of an excep- tionally fine flavor, while the orange and lemon seem to do bet- ter here than at any point in the Territory. The climate is most equable, and the valley is sheltered from the chilling winds of the carly spring. The Mission and the Muscatel grapes are the varieties principally grown. They yield largely and arc of a peculiarly rich and agreeable flavor.
Vines and fruit trees are increasing each year. Farmers have - begun to discover that they are more profitable, and the valley of the Gila, like that of the Salt, will yet become one immense vineyard and orchard. The Gila, near Florence, is one of the most beautiful spots in the Territory. With its green fields of grain and alfalfa, its orchards, gardens, and groves of shade trees, it is as pleasant a locality to make a home as the immi- grant could wish to find. Improved land now brings from $10 to $25 per acre, but there is a great deal of government land open for settlement. Here, as in the Salt river valley, the railroad company makes a claim to every alternate section, and, pending the settlement of the question, some of the finest land is lying idle. Farming is a remuncrative business here. There is always a good market in the mining camps of Silver King, Pinal, Butte, and Owl Heads, and everything raised commands a good price.
The lower portion of the San Pedro, above its junction with the Gila, is included within the limits of Pinal county. It is a narrow valley, with a soil of great richness and fertility. All the cereals, fruits, grasses, and vegetables do well, and return a large yield. A number of comfortable homes have been established - here, and some 500 acres have been brought under cultivation. Owing to the sheltered condition of the valley, it has many ad- vantages for the growth of fruit, and the cultivation of the vinc, pcach, apple, plum, pomegranate, quince, and other varieties is receiving much attention. There are not less than 5,000 acres of government land in this charming valley open for pre-emption ; and with a careful system of irrigation, ten times the number of acres now reclaimed could be made productive. There is a flour- ing mill at Safford, near Florence, which turns out a superior article.
The agricultural capabilities of Pinal are only beginning to be understood. It has an abundant water supply, large valleys, with a soil of durable fertility, a climate which brings health, strength and elasticity, and a home market with a demand al- ways equal to the production. That it will yet be the home of a large agricultural population, and that its beautiful and fertile valleys will once again wear those robes of verdure in which
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their pre-historic occupants decked them, there is no reason to doubt.
Graham county, which adjoins Pinal on the east, and em- braces the upper Gila valley, has some of the finest farming lands in the Territory. It is estimated that along the Gila and its tributaries, in this county, there are over 100,000 acres of fertile land which can be brought under cultivation. As nearly one-fourth of Graham county is included in the San Carlos Indian reservation, some of its richest lands along the San Carlos, Bonita, Eagle creek and other tributaries of the Gila, are occupied by these savages, and closed against the in- dustrious settler. The county is well-watered, having besides the Gila, the Francisco, San Carlos, Arivaipai, Blue, Bonita and the numerous springs which bubble out at the foot of the Graham mountains, and find an underground channel to the Gila. The largest body of arable land in the county is known as the Pueblo Viejo (old town). It extends from the upper end of the Gila cañon some thirty-five miles along the stream, until it is again shut in by a mountain range. Its width is from one to three miles, its average being about two, thus giving an area of ncarly 45,000 acres. Every inch of this valley is capable of producing magnificent crops of grain, fruits and vegetables. Along that portion near the river, the soil is a heavy, rich adobe, while back towards the hills it is a light loam of great fertility, well adapted for horticulture.
This fine valley was once densely populated, and every foot of it brought under cultivation. The ruins of towns, and the traces of large canals, are yet visible in every direction. The first settlement, by Americans, was made about twelve years ago, but, owing to its comparatively isolated situation, population increased ,slowly, and even now there are few people in the Territory who have any idea of the extent, richness, and grand possibilities of this charming valley. Fort Thomas is situated ncar its lower end, and Safford, Solomonville, Smithville and San Jose are the other settlements.
Of this fertile tract only about 5,000 acres are at present under cultivation. Several canals have been taken out, and it is estimated they carry water sufficient to irrigate three times the area now reclaimed. The yield per acre is exceptionally large. Barley gives from thirty to forty bushels, wheat about the same, and corn from thirty to fifty. Corn is found to be well-adapted to the soil and climate, the quality being equal to
any grown in the east. Potatoes yield, on an average, eight tons to the acre ; are large, solid, and, when cooked, of a fine flavor. Turnip, cabbages, beets, melons, pumpkins, onions, and all vegetables grow large, and are of an excellent quality. The yield of grain in this valley for the year 1883 was in the neighborhood of 5,000,000 pounds, half of which was wheat, and the other half corn and barley. A large quantity of alfalfa
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AGRICULTURE.
and grain-hay has likewise been harvested. The former thrives in the Pueblo Viejo, four crops being cut during the year. It sells readily on the ranch for $10 per ton.
The farmers in this valley are fortunate in having such ,good markets close at hand. The military posts of Thomas, Grant and Bowie, receive nearly all their grain and forage from here. Wheat and barley scarcely ever sells below $2 per hundred, corn the same; beans bring from five to six cents per pound, onions from four to six, potatoes from three to five, and all other vegetables at similar prices. There is no better market in the Territory, and the mining camps on the San Francisco river have made an increased demand for everything grown in the valley.
Two crops are raised here. Wheat and barley is sown in January, and harvested in June. Corn is then planted on the same land and is ready for the sickle in October. Small grain receives from four to six irrigations, corn from two to three. The valley is beautifully situated for irrigation, sloping gently from the mountains to the river, and showing, after the lapse of centuries, the labors of the early husbandman.
There are in the Pueblo Viejo nearly 30,000 acres of fine land now open to settlement. The railroad grant casts its shadow over this beautiful spot, as on all the valleys of the Gila and the Salt. The company claim every alternate s.ction, and while their claim has not been confirmed, it keeps out immigra- tion and retards the advancement of the country.
Improved land can be purchased at from $10 to $15 per acre. Unimproved land, under a canal, at from $5 to $10, according to character of soil and location. Land can be had on easy terms, and the poor immigrant, if he is industrious, temperate and energetic, will have no difficulty in obtaining assistance to make a fair start. Land can be leased on shares on most ad- vantageous terms, or can be purchased on the installment plan.
The water supply is sufficient to irrigate every acre of arable land in the entire valley; its soil is of the richest; its climate as salubrious as any portion of the Territory. It escapes the heat of the lower valleys in summer, and it enjoys a cool, bracing atmosphere during the winter months. A light fall of snow sometimes covers the ground, but it disappears within a day or two. Its situation is delightful. South and southwest the mas- sive Graham mountain walls in the valley, and raises its lofty peak over 10,000 feet above tide-water. Its summit and sides are clothed with a heavy growth of pine, which supplies the set- tler with all the lumber required. Around its base many springs bubble forth, and flow out into the plain, forming beautiful green meadows, where herds of cattle roam the whole year. Shutting in the view on the west, Mount Turnbull rears its grand and imposing crest above the dark outlines of the Galiuro range ; to the north the barren hills of the Gila range obstruct the view,
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while to the east the serrated ridges of the Sierra Natanes stand out in clear relief against the horizon. In the center sits this beautiful valley, the line of the Gila being traced by the heavy growth of cottonwoods which fringes its clear and sparkling waters.
It is as pretty a picture as one would care to look upon; and in the early spring, when the summits of Mount Graham are yet wrapped in their snowy mantle, and when the valley smiles in all the glory of waving grain, blooming alfalfa and blossom- ing orchard, the sight is one to inspire the painter's brush or the poet's pen. To the farmer who desires to make a home in this Territory, there is no place that offers superior attractions than the Pueblo Viejo valley.
On the Blue river, a tributary of the San Francisco, in the eastern part of the county, there is a beautiful and fertile valley, containing several thousand acres, with an ample water supply for irrigation. Some 600 acres of this land have been taken up and are now under cultivation.
Yavapai county embraces the larger portion of the great Colorado plateau, and contains some very rich farming lands. The elevation is from two to three thousand feet above the valleys of the Gila and Salt, and consequently the rainfall is greater. Outside of the Verde the farming lands of the county are confined to many small and beautiful valleys, which are found through the county between the thirty-fourth and thirty- fifth parallels of latitude. These mountain vales have been en- riched by the detritus which has been washed down from the surrounding hills for ages past, making the soil exceedingly rich and fertile. They are watered by springs and streams, and many of them are under a high state of cultivation. Corn, wheat, barley, oats and all varieties of vegetables are grown and attain a strong and thrifty growth. Among the most important are Williamson, Chino, Peeples, Agua Fria, Skull, Kirkland and Walnut Grove.
Nearly all of them depend on the rainfall for raising a crop. As this is somewhat irregular, and as late and early frosts are of frequent occurrence, farming here is attended with a good many risks. Corn is the principal crop. It is generally planted in the latter part of May, and if all conditions are favorable, it is ready for the harvest in October. The farmer depends on the summer rains, which usually begin about the first of July. If the rain comes in season a good crop is harvested ; if it should come late, the crop is lost. In some of the valleys where there are running streams, irrigation is practiced to some extent, and good crops are assured every season. The average yield of corn is from twenty-five to thirty bushels to the acre. Potatoes attain a large growth and a prolific yield. Ten tons to the acre is not an uncommon crop. Alfalfa, and large quantities of hay are grown, and return the farmer a higher profit than any other crop harvested.
SEE PAGE 56.
TOWN OF YUMA, FROM FORT, ARIZONA,
BANCROFT LITH-S ...
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The climate is not adapted to fruit, and, except in some sheltered nooks, every effort at horticulture has been a failure. The season is too short, and the late spring and early autumn frosts are fatal to the successful growth of any but the hardiest varieties. In some localities, where the conditions are favorable, and where the trees are sheltered from the chilling winds, ex- cellent apples are produced ; and in the Walnut Grove valley peaches of a fair quality sometimes mature. These valleys have been settled for years, and many pleasant homes have been made in them. Besides farming, many of the settlers have turned their attention to stock-raising and dairying. The butter produced from the succulent grasses, so abundant in this region, is the best in the Territory, and will compare with the finest California.
The climate is cool and bracing in winter, and not too warm in summer, resembling that of the Atlantic States. In the early summer, when the crops are in bloom, and when hill and plain are carpeted with wild flowers, these beautiful vales look like emerald gems set in a wilderness of hill, plain and mesa.
There are thousands of acres with a soil capable of producing - all the cereals and vegetables if there was a water supply. With flowing wells the agricultural interests of Yavapai would receive an impetus which would place them second to no other county of the Territory.
The valley of the Verde is the finest body of farming land in this county. From its source in Chino valley to its junction with the Salt, it passes through several cañons, and again widens out into stretches of rich bottom land. These spots will average from two hundred yards to a half mile in width. The soil is a rich black mold and a sandy loam of great fertility. There is an abundance of water for irrigation, and fine crops are insured every season. Corn does remarkably well in this valley, as high as sixty bushels having been raised to the acre. Some of the farms have produced corn crops for the past sixteen years and yet the soil seems to have lost none of its vigor and productive- ness. Fruit can be grown here, it being much lower than the surrounding plateau, and well sheltered from chilling winds and early frosts. At present there are about 3,000 acres under cultivation along the Verde, and there are nearly as many more open to occupation. The number of acres under cultiva- tion in Yavapai county is about 6,500.
Besides the farming lands we have alluded to there are many small valleys in the Sierra Prieta, Bradshaw, Bill Williams, and other mountain ranges. These secluded glens grow the finest of vegetables, and sometimes good crops of corn. The potatoes raised in them are the best in the Territory. No irrigation is practiced, the rain and snow-fall being all-sufficient.
The farming lands of Pima county are mostly confined to the valley of the Santa Cruz and the Soniota. The former stream,
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which takes its rise in the Huachuca mountains, and enters the Gila east of the Sierra de Estrella, has some peculiarities which are all its own. For more than two-thirds of its course it dis- appears in the sands. Where it flows on the surface, the land has been brought under cultivation, and produces large crops of grain, fruits and vegetables. The soil is exceedingly rich, and of wonderful durability, portions of it having been cultivated for centuries. Near Tubac and Calabasas, and opposite Tucson, and the old Mission church of San Xavier, the stream forces its way to the surface, and the valley in the vicinity is in a high state of production. The Santa Cruz drains a large area of mountain country, and no doubt beneath its sands there flows a large volume of water. A project is being agitated among some citizens of Tucson to force to the surface this underground river, divert its waters into suitable canals, and convey it over the adjacent land. If such a proposition should assume tangible shape, it would be the means of making thousands of acres pro- ductive which are now dreary wastes.
The limited area now under cultivation yields fine crops of wheat, barley and vegetables, Grapes and all varieties of fruit are also grown, and in yield and quantity will compare with any portion of the Territory. The valley of the Santa Cruz was the . first land cultivated by Europeans in Arizona. Wherever the Mission fathers gained a foothold, their converts were first taught the peaceful arts of agriculture. Fields were ploughed, and the vine and other fruit trees set out, and so unerring was the judg- ment of these old padres, that nearly every spot they chose for the founding of a Mission has become the site of a flourishing town; climate, soil and situation being, in nearly every instance, as perfect as could be wished. And so it is with the Santa Cruz valley. The lands tilled by the neophytes of the Missions, over 200 years ago, are yet as productive as when first touched by the plough.
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