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 29
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On Oak creek, near its junction with the Verde, there rises a round, rocky hill, which is literally honey-combed with small rooms, and which is one of the most singular and interesting of the pre-historic remains found to be in the Territory. In fact, along the entire length of the Verde to its junction with the Salt, cliff dwellings, and the ruins of stone houses, are of frequent occurrence. They all show a uniformity in form and structure, and all about them are scattered quantities of broken pottery. Occasionally a stone implement of some kind is unearthed, but no metal instrument has yet been discovered in any of them.
In Chino valley, twenty miles north of Prescott, many inter- esting stone ruins have been discovered; several human skeletons have been exhumed from them, and also many large ollas filled with charred corn and beans. The doors and windows of these dwellings were partially walled up, evidently as a protection against a foe who had besieged the inmates, who, there is every reason to believe, met a violent death. In the vicinity of Wal- nut Grove, twenty-five miles south of Prescott, the ruins of large stone buildings are found crowning the elevated mountain tops, some of them being from thirty to forty feet square. On the Has- sayampa, and all through the mountainous country south of the Prieta range these ruins are encountered everywhere ; and were evidently built on their commanding positions by people con- stantly harassed by foes. That the race who left these ruins behind them followed the business of mining as well as farming, is proved by the gravel beds of the Hassayampa ; and the large pine trees, whose age is numbered by hundreds of years found growing where the ancient miner once searched for the yellow metal, will give the reader a faint idea of the ages that have elapsed since he occupied the land.
Prescott, the modern capital of Arizona, is built, it is believed, on the site of a pre-historic city and the many relics of its former inhabitants, which are occasionally brought to light, serve to strengthen this theory. Near Fort McDowell, above the junction of the Verde with the Salt river, are the remains of a large fortification, and near it the outlines of an immense irri- gating canal. This canal brought under cultivation a fine body of rich land. Near this point, the bones of a man, estimated to have been over seven feet tall, were unearthed. That the anci- ent race were of this gigantic stature, is hardly probable, as bones exhumed in other localities would go to show that they were not above the ordinary size. The valley of the Colorado
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Chiquito, shows traces of mounds and irrigating canals over its entire extent, and it is certain that a large population once flourished there.
Near Tempe, in Salt River valley, are found the remains of extensive buildings which are supposed to have been even larger than the Casa Grande. They are now a mass of mounds, but the foundations of one which has been traced, measures 275 feet in length and 130 feet in width. Excavations made in these mounds have brought to light several ollas filled with charred bones and many stone implements. The mounds cover a wide area, and are, no doubt, the remains of a large city. The marks of a canal are traced from the ruins to the banks of Salt river, showing how the water was brought to the ancient pueblo. All over the valley of Salt river and on the immense plain, which stretches between it and the Gila, west of the Superstition mountain, the ruins of dwellings and the lines of old canals are plainly discernable. Everything goes to show that this fine valley was at one time thickly populated ; and where to-day the American farmer has built a pleasant home and ploughs, sows and reaps with the aid of all the modern improvements, the ancient agriculturist crudely cultivated the soil centuries before Columbus sighted the shores of San Salvador.
On the Rio Bonita, about fifteen miles above its junction with the Gila, the ruins of many buildings are yet found in a good state of preservation. These structures were of a square form and were built of round stones laid in a peculiar coarse cement. On the shelving rocks along the river are the ruins of dwellings, which cannot be reached except by the aid of ropes, but were evi- dently at one time approached by a stairway cut in the sandstone cliff. At the foot of the Sierra Natues, in Graham county, there is a cave nearly 100 feet square. There is one large chamber in the centre, surrounded by small rooms with doors and passage ways excavated in the solid rock. The walls are adorned with many hieroglyphics in red and yellow paint. At the end, and nearly opposite the main entrance, a clear, cool spring bub- bles up and flows in a tiny stream through the cave to the sun- light. The rock is a soft sandstone, and must have taken years of labor to excavate, as nothing save some flint and stone instru- ments have been found in or near it.
Many of the narrow valleys and cañons of northeastern Ari- zona show evidences of being once densely inhabited by a race of cliff dwellers. In the neighborhood of the Rio de Chelly and its tributaries, as also along the streams which flow into the Little Colorado, the ruins of these cliff dwellings are numerous. In the cañon of Cosnino creek, in Apache county, there was once a large settlement of this pre-historic race. The cañon is nearly 2,000 feet in depth, and averages from 100 yards wide in the bottom, to 300 at the top. Along the walls of this gorge, ledges of rock project outward from ten to twenty feet. Between these
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layers of rock seven tiers of buildings can yet be traced, many of them in a good state of preservation. Several thousand people must have made their home here at one time. From the lower tier to the bottom of the cañon is 200 feet, showing the immen- sity of time it has taken the water to wear away the rock that depth. The front and side walls are of solid masonry and are yet well preserved.
And now the question again recurs: Who were those people who built imposing structures, dug immense canals, and redeemed from the desert such vast stretches of land? From whence did they come, and what has been the cause of their extinction? Did war, pestilence, famine, or some mighty convulsion of nature de- stroy them? Nothing is left to tell the story of their existence,. save the few earthen vessels which have been found in the ruins, the stone implements occasionally met with, and the fragments of pottery which lie scattered about their former abode. As to their customs and religious beliefs, all is conjecture, but from the few hieroglyphics which they have left behind, it has been supposed they were sun-worshipers.
As to their pursuits and mode of life, it is clear they were a pastoral and mining, as well as an agricultural people. As has been before remarked, the evidence is conclusive that many of the rich gulches in the Sierra Prieta range were worked for their golden treasures, ages ago. That this unknown people, who have left such interesting remains of their skill and industry behind them, had made considerable progress in the arts of civilization, there can be no doubt; but that their condition was materially different from that of the Zuni and other pueblo Indians of the present day, there is no reason to believe. They have left nothing to show they had got beyond that con- dition which may be best expressed by the word semi- civilized.
The age in which they flourished is as yet a matter of specu- lation, but from the total absence of anything like metal tools or instruments, we may well imagine that its antiquity is great. That they were subject to constant attack, and were surrounded by enemies, would be judged from the style of their cave dwell- ings and fortifications in the mountains. These were evidently built for defense, and from the commanding positions which they occupied, it can well be imagined the people were always on guard against a sudden attack.
Some have advanced the theory that the foe, against whom they were ever on the alert, was the Apache, and that he at last compassed their destruction. But it could hardly be possible that a people, so numerous as those ancient dwellers in Arizona undoubtedly were, and so far superior to the savage Apache, would allow themselves to be overmastered by the latter. They have been called Toltees and Aztecs, and many learned theories have been advanced as to their origin and history, but all is
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conjecture and speculation, and nothing is yet absolutely known of one of the most remarkable pre-historic races of the western world. They lived and labored and passed away, and a new and more vigorous civilization has redeemed the land ; but there will always be a glamour of romantic interest attached to those early Arizonans, which the mystery that enshrouds them helps to intensify.
There is here an interesting field for the savant who desires to trace the growth of a civilization whose origin is shrouded by the mists of time, and whose crumbling monuments yet proclaim its ancient vigor and wide extent.
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WHAT CAN I DO ?
The Class of Immigration Desired-The Opening for Farmers-For the Horticultu- rist-For Stock-raising-For Wool-growing-For the Dairyman-Oppor- tunities for Manufacturing Enterprises-Openings for Investment
in Mining Enterprises-Demand for Female Labor-
A Field for Men of Energy and Industry.
HIS is the first question which the reader, who may have some thought of emigrating to Arizona, will naturally ask, after a perusal of the foregoing pages. And it is a very important one. People who desire to seek homes in new lands, and who are about to sever the ties and associations which years have woven around them, want to know what will be the opportunities for engaging in the business or calling for which experience has best fitted them, in their new home. In this chapter we will try and answer the question; and hope to be able to show that in Arizona to-day, the man of enterprise and energy will find a field for the exercise of these qualities, equal to any within the broad limits of the Republic.
And let it be understood even the following remarks are ad- dressed to people of moderate means and with some little capital. It is not the object of this publication to encourage a large immi- gration of poor people to this Territory. While a man who is in the possession of health and strength, is temperate, frugal and industrious, has the capital which insures success the world over, it is not the intention to hold out any specious inducements for such a class of immigration to Arizona. To every new country there will always come more than enough of poor men. With the opening of mines, the establishment of manufacturing indus- tries, and the full development of the varied resources of the country, there will be an increased demand for labor, skilled and unskilled. But at present the supply is fully equal to the de- mand. For those, however, who have some means, and are de- sirous of making a home in a new land, we say, come to Ari- zona.
"But what can I do there?" Almost anything and every- thing. Are you a farmer, here are hundreds of thousands of acres of as fine land as the sun ever shone on, capable of pro- ducing nearly everything grown in the temperate and tropic
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zones. Here is a climate of perpetual summer; a balmy air, a bright sunshine, and an atmosphere of wonderful purity and healthfulness. Here no freezing gales or inhospitable snows make life a burden for half the year. Here no epidemics, cyclones, plagues or floods, destroy the fruits of the farmer's toil and sweep away in an hour the labor of years.
For the husbandman nature has done everything in Arizona. The soil is fertile, the yield is large, the cost of cultivation light and the market always a sure and profitable one. The demand for everything grown is steadily on the increase; and it has been demonstrated that the farmers of Arizona are able to com- pete against their eastern and western neighbors, and can pro- duce grain, vegetables and fruits as cheaply as in California or Kansas, thus having the important item of freight in their favor, and always insuring a ready market and a good price. So, if you follow the trade of Adam, and till the soil for your daily bread, Arizona offers as inviting a field as you will find in the West. Good land can yet be had at low rates. In its broad valleys the industrious immigrant can make a beautiful home, and in a few short years surround himself with every comfort in a country where the temperate and tropic zones unite to pro- duce the most perfect climate on the continent.
" Are you a horticulturist ?" Here in the broad valleys and beautiful mountain glens of Arizona is one of the finest fruit regions of North America. Here the orange, the lemon, the olive, and other fruits of the tropics grow side by side with the apple, the peach, and the pear of a more northern clime. Here is a land where, in a few years, the thrifty settler can, literally, sit under the shadow of his own vine and fig tree, and, assured of a steady income from his orchard or vineyard, pass his days with pleasure and profit. The fruit-raising industry is yet in its infancy in the Territory, but it promises to become an im- portant branch of industry. It has been demonstrated that the soil and climate are especially adapted for it, and in a few years Arizona fruits will find their way to the markets of the east. Wine-making, fruit-canning and raisin-making are all profitable pursuits for those who have the experience and the capital to engage in them. Good land, suitable for vineyards or orchards, can be had at a nominal figure. So, reader, if you are acquainted with fruit culture, and are looking for a country with the requisites of soil, climate, and a ready market, come to the Territory. You will here find all these favorable conditions, and in a few years you will have a pleasant home and a re- spectable bank account.
" Are you a stock-raiser?" If so, here is a veritable paradise for your calling. Millions of acres of fine grass lands are yet unoccupied, and can be had for the taking. Here are no northern snows, no Texas blizzards, no disease. Here your cattle can roam over hill, mountain and plain, and keep in
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prime condition during every month in the year. Here you are not required to lay up large stores of winter feed, and do not run the risk of losing your herd by the freezing snow and storms of more northern regions. Here the increase is some- thing phenomenal, and the profits enormous. Here the quality of beef is unequaled for richness and flavor. The market is at your door, the local demand is steadily on the increase, and two transcontinental railroads give you the choice of shipping either to the east or the west. Good ranges can be had at low figures, while in many of the large, dry valleys, covered with rich grasses, water in abundance can be had by sinking.
There is yet room for millions of cattle in Arizona, and no business which the new-comer can engage in promises larger or surer returns. The stock interests of the Territory are only second in importance to its mineral wealth; and the fortunate man who is in possession of a good range and a few hundred head of cattle has found a short and easy road to fortune. He can sit in the shade of his hacienda, enjoy the good things of life, and see his wealth increase on every hill and valley that surrounds him. If you are a stock-grower, come to Arizona and grow up with the country. There is no shorter, surer or safer road to wealth.
"Are you a wool-grower?" The remarks on cattle-raising will also apply to the business of sheep husbandry. The northern portion of the Territory is especially adapted to sheep. The grass keeps green and nutritious the entire year; sheep are remarkably free from disease; the increase is very great; the quality of the wool excellent, and the profits from the business are remarkably large. Rail communication gives you cheap and rapid facilities for sending your product to market. There is money in sheep in Arizona; and there is room for five times the number now in the country. If your line is wool, you will find few regions of the west better suited for your business, and none where the risks are less and the profits larger.
"Are you in the dairying business?" If so, you cannot do better than come to Arizona. Although grass and other feed is plentiful and cheap, butter is worth from fifty cents to one dol- lar per pound, and even at these figures, three-fourths of the butter consumed in the country is imported from California and the east. The grasses in the mountain regions and on the Upper Colorado plateau are sweet and nutritious and make a finely flavored article, while in the cultivated valleys the alfalfa, which keeps green all the year round, makes very fine feed for cows. The country should produce all the butter required for home consumption, and that at a handsome profit to the dairyman. There is always a steady demand and a good price; and those who are engaged in the business are making money. Cheese could also be profitably manufactured as cheaply and of as good a quality as that made in California. Heretofore the dairying
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business has been neglected in Arizona, but there is a fine open- ing for men who understand it.
If you are desirous of engaging in manufacturing interprises and have the requisite capital to do so, Arizona offers as de- sirable a field as you will find in the west. Outside of lumber and flour there are no manufactories in the Territory. Every- thing else that is worn or consumed is brought from abroad. Thousands of hides are annually shipped away, and sent back again in the shape of boots and shoes. This one item alone is one which could be turned to profitable account by men who have the skill and the experience. There is no good reason why all the leather needed in the country should not be made here at home.
The raw material in abundance is ready to hand ; the water- power is here, and the tanning material also. As has been stated before, there are among the native plants and shrubs of the Territory several rich in tanning qualities, which, it has been demonstrated, make as fine leather as any manufactured on the coast. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are annually sent out of the country for foot-wear, nearly all of which could be kept at home if tanneries were established. Leather can be pro- duced here as cheaply as abroad, and the number of men to whom steady employment would be given would be another source of prosperity to the Territory. Capital can find no safer investment, or one which will yield more lucrative returns than the establishment of tanneries in Arizona.
Millions of pounds of wool are sent out of the country every year, and yet every woolen fabric used or worn is imported. Here is another profitable opening for the investment of capital. Why should not the raw material be manufactured here, and the money now sent abroad be kept in circulation at home? There is no good reason why it should not. The wool grown in the territory is of a good quality, suitable for the manufacture of blankets and woolen goods of every variety. Every facility for the successful prosecution of such an enterprise is at hand. There is water-power in abundance, and labor can be had as cheaply as in California. The cost of shipping the raw material out of the country and bringing back the manufactured article, will be in favor of the home-producer. Here is an opportunity which is not often found, The outlay required for a suitable " plant" will not be large, while the profits will be sure, and the market steadily growing.
There is a large and increasing demand for paper, rope, mats, etc., all over the United States. Arizona has the raw material in any desired quantity for the manufacture of such articles. The leaves of the mescal and of the amole, or soap weed, contain a fibre from which a very good quality of paper, rope and coarse cloth can be made. The Indians, in their crude way, have been making the two last articles ever since we have any knowledge
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of them. Late experiments have demonstrated that an excellent quality of paper can also be produced. The price of this article has risen very rapidly within the past few years, and as the de- mand has increased, various substitutes, such as wood pulp and straw, have been used in its manufacture instead of rags. But they have not given satisfaction, and the product has not been of a first-class quality. But from the native plants of Arizona, an article of superior texture and finish can be produced; and there is enough raw material in the Territory to supply the peo- ple of the United States with all the paper they require for years to come. On every valley, mesa and mountain-side, the mate- rial is found growing in profusion.
Mexico has already begun to realize what a treasure she has in her mescal fields, and besides making them a source of large revenue to the State, has fostered and built up several profitable industries from them. There is no reason to doubt that the ancient race who once had their home here, utilized these plants, and made from them cloth, ropes, matting and other fabrics. But little attention has yet been paid to the grand possibilities of this branch of manufacturing industry in Arizona. Such valu- able raw material will not much longer be allowed to remain idle. The cultivation of the mescal plant, and the manufactures which will grow from it, will yet be a leading industry, and many articles useful to man will be produced from its valuable fibre.
Soap, candles, matches, several lines of furniture, straw-goods and wooden-ware, can be profitably manufactured, and the , capital required will not be large. It is well-known that straw from irrigated grain is much tougher than that grown by rain- fall, and for the coarser variety of straw goods is unequaled. . These are some of the enterprises which present themselves to a man of means and energy in Arizona. Who will be the first to engage in some of them, reap this virgin field and glean a golden harvest?
The grand opportunities for the investment of capital in mining enterprises have been alluded to in another place. There is no mining region on the globe that has yielded better returns for capital invested than Arizona. This is indisputable. Taking the total amount invested within the Territory, and then com- paring the dividends with the assessments, she can make a better showing than any country on the coast. In ne irly all other mining regions the amount required to get a dollar out of the ground has in nearly every instance equaled, and in most cases exceeded, the dollar ; but in Arizona the reverse has been the case, dividends have been the rule and assessments the ex- ception.
In this short chapter we have told many of our readers what they can do in Arizona. It is presumed they are in posses- sion of some surplus cash, and in a position to take advan- tage of the many opportunities which we have pointed out to
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them. For those who have only strong hands, stout hearts, tem- perance and industry there is always an opening here as in every land under the sun. A man may be poor in purse, but so long as he possesses the qualities we have mentioned he is sure to make his way in the world; and while Arizona does not wish to encourage people without any means to come here, she will always have a welcome for those who bring to the development of her grand resources, health, strength, industry and sobriety. For immigrants of such character, who are not afraid of work, and can "rough it" in a new country, there are grand opportun- ities which they can hope to find nowhere else.
In the foregoing, nothing has been said about the inducements which the Territory offers to women. The right of the weaker sex to compete with man in almost every walk of life is now generally conceded, and the people of this Territory cheerfully accord them such a privilege. As will be seen by the census, there is a great disparity in the sexes in Arizona. Female labor is scarce, difficult to be had, and commands a good price. In the towns and settlements Chinamen have taken the place of women, and nearly all domestic service is done by them. This labor is of a character performed by women in civilized coun- tries, and would be done by them here, if there were a sufficient number to be had. The difficulty of obtaining female domes- tics is a constant source of annoyance to people throughout the Territory, and if a family is fortunate enough to secure one, she is sure to be taken in the matrimonial net in a short time.
It is safe to say that 400 or 500 female servants-cooks, chambermaids, nurses, etc .- could find steady employment in the Territory, and at wages ranging from $30 to $40 per month. For women who are not afraid to work, and are willing to cast their lot with Arizona, there are opportunities here to better their condition which they can never hope to find in the crowded centres of population.
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