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 4
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During its course through the cañon, the Salt receives several tributaries from the north, the largest being Tonto, Cherry and Cibicu creeks. These streams sometimes carry large bodies of water and are bordered by rich but narrow valleys. About thirty miles above its junction with the Gila, it is joined by the Rio Verde flowing from the north. The Salt river drains a large area of country, and, next to the Colorado, carries the largest volume of water of any stream in the Territory. After leaving
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PHYSICAL FEATURES.
the cañon it flows through the richest and most extensive body of agricultural land in Arizona. Its length, reckoning from the head of Black river, is nearly 200 miles The San Pedro, which enters the Gila at the lower end of the cañon, takes its rise in the spurs of the Sierra Madre, in Sonora, and flows north through a fertile valley, with grass-covered mesas, gradually swelling into the mountain ridges on either side. It is a slug- gish narrow stream, but carrying sufficient water to irrigate the rich bottom-lands through which it flows.
Its principal tributary is the Arivaipai which enters it from the east near the site of old Camp Grant. This stream heads in the Pinaleño range, and flowing to the northeast forms a deep and precipitious cañon in its passage through the northern end of the Galurio mountains. This cañon contains some of the wildest mountain scenery in the Territory, and has been the theatre of many a bloody encounter with the Apaches, who long looked upon it as one of their strongholds.
The Santa Cruz, briefly alluded to heretofore, is perhaps the most remarkable of the streams which go to form Arizona's system of water-ways. Its sources are in the southern end of the Patagonia mountains near the Mexican line. From thence it flows to the south through Sonora for several miles, and then making a sharp bend to the north, passes by the towns of Calabasas, Tubac and the city of Tucson. Its bed is formed of loose sand, and for the greater portion of its devious way it seeks an underground channel. From its source to Tucson, it is bordered by a valley of exceeding fertility which yields large crops of cereals and fruits, wherever the land can be irrigated. At Calabasas, Tubac and Tucson the water forces itself to the surface and the valley is under a state of cultivation. From the last named town the Santa Cruz pursues a northwesterly course to its junction with the Gila, losing itself completely in the bar- ren plain, and only appearing once at Maricopa Wells before it unites with that stream. Its entire length is about 150 miles.
The Rio Verde is formed from a series of springs in what is known as Chino valley in the great Colorado plateau, and be- tween the Juniper range and Bill Williams mountain. Thence flowing southeast it receives several small streams from the south, among them Granite creek, on which Prescott is situated. Still pursuing its southerly course the Verde passes around the northern slopes of the Black Hills receiving from the mountainous region of the east, Turkey, Oak, Beaver and several other creeks flowing from the base of the San Francisco peak. Below Fort Verde, Clear creek, Fossil creek, the East fork and many smaller water- courses enter the stream from the Mazatzal range on the east. The Verde carries a volume of water almost as large as the Gila. During its course it forms several small but exceedingly rich and beautiful valleys, many of which are under a high state of cultivation. The waters of the Verde are clear and limpid ;
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
its banks are shaded by a fine growth of cotton-wood, ash, box elder, maple, willow and many other varieties ; it is well stocked with fish, and is one of the most beautiful water-courses in the Territory. Its entire length is nearly 150 miles.
The Agua Fria takes its rise some ten miles east of Prescott, and sweeping around the northern slopes of the Sierra Prieta range, pursues a southern course, paralleled to the Rio Verde, and some thirty miles west of the latter stream. It is fed by the rains and snows which fall on the southern spurs of the Sierra Prieta basin, and drains in its course the eastern slopes of the massive Bradshaw range. It enters the Gila at the Big Bend by an underground channel, 120 miles from its mountain home.
The Agua Fria forms many beautiful farming and grazing valleys, which contain some pleasant homes. Some twenty miles west of the Agua Fria the Hassayampa enters the Gila. This stream heads in the Sierra Prieta range, ten miles south- east of Prescott. It flows south through a mountainous region, draining the western slopes of the Bradshaw and the Antelope mountains. It contains a few narrow valleys, which yield prolifically of grain and fruits. Bill Williams Fork is formed by the junction of the Santa Maria and the Big Sandy. The Santa Maria rises into the elevated plateau known as Peeples valley, lying north from the Antelope mountains. Thence it flows northward, and is known as Kirkland creek. Being joined by Sycamore creek from the Mount Hope range it turns to the west and unites with the Big Sandy. This latter stream heads in the Cottonwood range near the thirty-fifth parallel, and pursues a southerly course. Bill Williams Fork, below the junction of the two streams just described, follows a nearly straight course westward to the Colorado. The country through which it passes is a dry and barren region, but rich in the- precious metals. The upper sources of the stream contain some small but rich valleys, which produce good crops of hay, corn and vegetables. In the hills and mountains adjacent there is also some excellent grazing land.
These are the principal water courses of Arizona. Although considered a dry country, it will be seen that the Territory is. well supplied with the life-giving element. Its streams are the arteries which convey life and verdure to its surface, causes the parched desert to bloom, makes the arid waste to don its robes of green and brings to mountain, plain, valley and glen, beauty,. fertility and productiveness.
BANCROFT-WITH-S. F.
GRAND CANON OF THE COLORADO.
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The Wild Animals of Arizona-Habitat of the Bear, Elk, Deer, etc .- The Feathered Tribe of Arizona-Reptiles and Insects-The "Gila Monster "-Fish-The Cereus Gigantus and the Cactus Family-The Maguey Plant ; Its Value for Manufacturing Purposes-The Amole, or Soap-Weed-The Native Woods of the Terri- tory-The Mesquite Tree-The Iron Wood-The Native Grasses of the Territory.
HE Fauna and Flora of Arizona, are both interesting and extensive, and contain some species in each, peculiar to this semi-tropic clime, not found in any other part of the United States. Nearly all the animals indegeneous to the tem- perate zone, are found in the Territory, and its variety of fish, fowl and wild game, make some portions of it the very paradise of the sportsman.
The bruin family are well represented, and almost every wooded mountain throughout the Territory, can show a speci- men. The grizzly inhabits the White mountains and the neigh- borhood of Fort Apache; the cinnamon, the black and the brown bear are met with in the San Francisco, the Mogollon, the Sierra Blanca, the Bradshaw, the Juniper, Bill Williams, the Ma- zatzal, the Santa Catalinas, the Chiricahuas, the Huachucas, the Santa Ritas, the Galiuro, the Pinal, the Dragoon, the Pinaleño, and, in fact, in every mountain range of any size throughout the Territory. Although rarely seen so far south, some magnificent specimens of the elk family inhabit the ravines and glens of the San Francisco and Sierra Blanca. The California lion, or cou- gar, makes his home in all the mountainous regions of Arizona. He sometimes attains a large size, but is cowardly and treacher- ous by nature. The leopard is known to exist in Southern Ari- zona, and several, of a good size, have been killed. They are however, rarely seen.
The black-tailed deer is found in all parts of the Territory. It attains a large size, and specimens weighing over two hundred pounds are often brought down by the successful hunter. The early settlers depended almost entirely on the deer for their sup- ply of fresh meat, and the wholesale slaughter, at all seasons,
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
has almost exterminated this noble game in some portions of Arizona. The antelope is found in large herds on the grassy plains of the upper plateau, and in nearly every valley from the thirty-sixth parallel to the southern boundary. The coyote, or prairie wolf, roams over the deserts, plains and mesas, and his ear- splitting yelp pierces the drowsy ear of night from the Sonora line to the Utah border. Another species of the wolf family in- habits some of the mountain ranges ; they are large, gaunt and fierce, and do not hesitate to attack and kill full-grown calves, colts and other domestic animals.
The beaver is a habitat of the streams throughout the Mogol- lon and the White mountains. Its watery domiciles are also found along the Verde, the Little Colorado, the Upper Gila and Salt rivers, and the San Pedro. The Arizona beaver is not as large as his northern brother, nor is his fur so valuable. The big-horn mountain sheep is a dweller in the elevated rocky ridges of Arizona's mountain system, but is most numerous in the lofty, barren crags of the Colorado plateau. The most deso- late and inaccessible regions are the favorite haunts of this ani- mal.
The fox makes his home in all parts of the Territory ; the Arizona specimen is much smaller than that known in the Eastern States, 'but has all the sagacity and cunning of his larger brother. The wild cat is seen in nearly every wooded mountain ; many of them attain a large size and have all the fierce instincts of their race. That species of the hare, known as the "jackass rabbit" is a noticeable feature of the landscape throughout the dry, barren plains and foot-hills of Arizona ; the flesh is coarse and tasteless, but that of the smaller variety known as the "cotton tail " is as white and tender as that of a chicken. Squirrels are numerous everywhere-the larger va- ricty inhabiting the wooded mountains, while the ground squirrel seeks the plains and foot-hills. The wood rat and the kangaroo rat are at home in every portion of the Territory ; gophers inhabit the valleys along every water-course, as well as the dry plains, and in places make sad havoc with growing vegetables. The Mephitis Americana is found all over Arizona. The varieties most common are of a beautiful black and white color, but here as everywhere else, distance lends enchantment to the view, and this peculiar animal appears to the best advantage the farther he is off.
Of the feathered tribe, the Territory possesses a rich and numerous variety. The ornithologist has here a field both inter- esting and instructive, while the devotee of rod and gun can revel in the delights of his glorious sport. The American eagle makes his home among the lofty peaks and deep canyons of the Mogollon, Sierra Blanca, Pinaleño, Chiricahua and other wooded ranges. It sometimes attains a large size. The wild turkey abounds in all the principal mountains of the Territory.
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It is a noble bird, very often weighing twenty and twenty-five pounds, with a flesh white, tender and exquisitely flavored. The bird is shy and difficult to kill, being often known to receive several charges of coarse shot, and then succeed in eluding the hunter. Wild duck frequent nearly all the water- courses of the Territory, and the wild goose is occasionally seen on the Colorado, the Gila and the Salt. The quail, or California partridge, is extensively distributed throughout Arizona, and seems to be rapidly increasing. They are a beautiful bird, with a flesh of delicious flavor and tenderness. All attempts to domesticate them have proved a failure.
The Arizona mocking-bird is found from Utah to Sonora, and from New Mexico to the Great Colorado. Wherever there is a spring or a grove the melody of this sweet songster breaks the stillness, and enlivens the solitude of mountain, valley and plain. Blackbirds are found everywhere, and pigeons inhabit the mountain ranges. The hawk is met with from end to end of the Territory ; some of the species reach a large size, and their partiality for young chickens is as strongly marked in Arizona as elsewhere.
Many species of the owl family inhabit the Territory, and their nocturnal serenades have been often anathematized by the weary traveler or prospector. The crow tribe are strongly represented, and wherever the industrious pioneer has made a home and re- deemed the soil, those dusky scavengers are sure to be found. There are many varieties of the thrush, and his sweet song fills with melody the mountains, valleys and glens of eastern Arizona. Humming-birds of beautiful plumage are met with in the central and southeastern valleys and mountains, as are also warblers and finches. The water ousel and the blackbird are encountered in the mountain ridges of southeastern Arizona. The persistent tap of the woodpecker is heard in every timbered region of the Territory; and the chatter of the thievish blue-jay disturbs the song of his more musical neighbors everywhere. The oriole is found in the Galiuro, Pinaleño and Chiricahua ranges; he is a beautiful bird and a sweet singer.
Larks, swallows, buntings, wrens, grosbeaks and linnets are found in all parts of Arizona. Magpies are seen in the south- eastern mountain ridges near the Sonora border. The Arizona vireo is widely distributed and is one of our sweetest songsters. Of aquatic birds, herons, snipes, sandpipers, cranes, etc., large numbers are found along the Colorado, Salt, Gila, Verde and the larger streams. In brilliancy of plumage, variety of species and sweetness of song, the birds of Arizona will compare with any portion of the Union. To give a detailed description of their habits, etc., is beyond the scope of this work, but it would be a subject both interesting and instructive.
Before closing this notice of the fauna of the Territory, some allusion should be made to the reptiles and insects which popu-
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
lar belief has long considered Arizona to be plagued with. First among these singular curiosities comes that large saurian, com- monly called the "Gila Monster." It is of the lizard species and sometimes reaches a length of two feet. It is usually of a black- ish-red color, covered with scales, and has anything but a pre- possessing appearance. It is generally found in the southern portion of the Territory and makes its home on the dry and bar- ren mesas between the thirty-fifth and thirty-second parallels and between the one hundred and eleventh and one hundred and fourteenth degrees of longitude. It is not entirely harmless; and when sitting on a rock with its mouth sending forth a greenish, frothy slime and puffing like a minature stcam-engine, it presents a formidable appearance to the new arrival.
Many smaller species of the lizard family exist in Arizona and are generally found in the most barren and desolate locali- ties. The horned toad, another branch of the family is met with on all the plains and barren uplands. Rattlesnakes of several varieties are seen, but they are not near so numerous as ver- acious (?) travelers would have their readers believe. On the upper plateau and in the elevated mountain regions, they are rarely met with. The same will apply to tarantulas, scorpions and centipedes. These poisonous insects are scarcely ever found in the wooded mountain regions. In fact, it has been said, and with truth, that Arizona has fewer venomous reptiles than any portion of the continent, and this has been attributed to the dry, pure atmosphere which wraps her mountains and plains.
The fish found in the waters of the Territory have some strik- ing peculiarities of their own, which may be of interest to the reader. In the Colorado there is a large fish known as the "Col- orado Salmon." The taste is something like the sturgeon, but the fish is coarse and devoid of flavor. Some weighing seventy pounds have been taken near Yuma. In the Gila is found a fish resembling a sucker; it is well-flavored but very bony. The "Colorado Salmon" is also found in this stream. In the Salt river a fish called the "humpback" is found in large numbers. Although well-flavored it has too many bones to be of much valuc as a food fish. In the Verde is a fish known as the " Verde trout." It sometimes reaches a weight of five pounds, has an excellent flavor, but is so full of small boncs that it is not likely ever to come into favor. The same fish is also found in the Salt River, but the change does not affect its bony peculi- arities. In the streams which form the headwaters of the Col- orado Chiquito, as well as those of the Salt and the Gila, trout are found in abundance. In the cool and sparkling streams which flow down from the winter snows of the Mogollon and the Sierra Blanca, these beautiful fish find a permanent home. They are equal in flavor to the best Eastern or California brook-trout, and magnificent specimens, weighing as high as four and five pounds, are not unfrequently taken.
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The Territorial legislature has created a fish commission, and made an appropriation of several thousand dollars for the pur- pose of stocking the rivers and lakes of the Territory with carp and other varieties suitable to the climate. Spawn have been placed in the Colorado, Gila, Salt, Verde, Agua Frio, Colorado Chiquito, and other streams. Many individuals have also ar- ranged large ponds on their premises, and stocked the same with the young fish. So far tried, the carp thrives and increases with wonderful rapidity in the waters of Arizona. The temper- ature of the streams in the southern part of the Territory-al- though a trifle warm during the summer months-has no injurious effect on this fish; and although many of them are destroyed each year by the native varieties, who look upon them as interlop- ers, they multiply at so rapid a rate, that in a year or two they will swarm in every stream.
The flora of Arizona, like all else relating to the country, has many distinct peculiarities of its own, and embraces many varic- ties found nowhere else in the United States. Here the vegeta- ble productions of the tropic, the temperate and the frigid zones grow side by side, presenting a picture often strange and anoma- lous. Arizona is the land of the cereus gigantus, called by the Indians and Mexicans the sahuaro. This is the largest species of the cactus family, and sometimes attains a height of forty feet. The body of the sahuaro is made up of thin pieces of wood, arranged in the form of a cylinder, covered and held to- gether by the outside skin or fibre. This fibre is a pale-green, and the trunk is fluted like a Corinthian column. Near the top, large arms, in shape like the main trunk, put out from it like the branches of a candelabrum, the whole being covered with sharp, prickly thorns. A beautiful purple blossom decks its top, and in the latter part of June a pear-shaped fruit ripens, and is much prized by Mexicans and Indians. The fruit tastes a good deal like a fig, and is exceedingly palatable.
This singular plant is found on the waterless plains and rocky, gravelly mesas in every portion of the Territory, and is one of the most curious objects which greets the eye of the traveler. The sahuaro is short-lived, and the elements of decay are at work ere it has fairly began to grow. It first begins to rot at the base, and at last topples over. The Mexicans use the nar- row ribs of wood for roofing their adobe houses, building fences, etc. The nopal, or prickly pear, is another species of the cactus, extensively distributed all over the Territory. Its fruit, known as the tuna, is both palatable and refreshing, and second only to that of the cereus in its saccharine qualities. Its height is from four to six feet, with large fleshy leaves, which, in their tender state, are cooked by the natives and taste not unlike string beans. Like all the cactus family, it is a mass of sharp thorns which men and beasts carefully avoid. Another variety is known as the "vinegar cactus," so called from a small, deep-red berry,
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
exceedingly acid in taste, which it bears. The Indians use this fruit as an anti-scorbutic.
One of the most valued varictics of the cactus is called the bisnaga, or "well of the desert." It is of a cylindrical shape, covered with sharp thorns, and is found growing on the dry plains and foot-hills. By cutting out the center of the plant a bowl-shaped cavity is formed, which soon fills with excellent water and affords the thirsty wanderer a refreshing drink. The "grape cactus " is another variety of the plant. It grows to a height of from four to six feet, with numerous branches bearing clusters of fruit of the tuna variety, and reminding one forcibly of grape clusters. This cactus also bears bunches of large thorns, capable of penetrating the strongest leather. On the elevated plain be- tween Florence and Pinal there is a regular forest of this un- sightly plant.
The Cholla is another variety of cactus. It seldom reaches above a foot in height, and most generally is found in little bunches, nestling among the grass. Many a thoughtless traveler who inadvertently sat down on this prickly nuisance has risen with a suddenness only cqualled by the volume and emphasis of his remarks on the occasion. The ocotilla is, by some, classed with the cacti family. It is a beautiful plant, growing in clus- ters of straight poles, from ten to fifteen feet in height, and cov- ered with coarse thorns. In the spring it puts forth green leaves and scarlet blossoms, and is one of the most attractive objects the eye rests upon on the table-lands of Arizona. This plant is extensively used for fencing in portions of the Territory where there is a scarcity of wood. There are many other varieties of the cacti family in the Territory, but there is a sameness among all, which would be of little interest to the reader. They are a marked peculiarity of the country, and a never-ending source of wonderment to the newcomer.
The maguey, or mescal, sometimes wrongly called the century plant, is the most useful of all the natural vegetable products of the Territory. It flourishes on the foot-hills, elevated table-lands, and often on the mountain sides. It prefers the southern slopes where it receives more sunshine, and seems best adapted to a dry, drift soil. In the neighboring republic of Mexico, large tracts are devoted to the cultivation of the plant, which is a considerable source of revenue to the country. The Mexicans make from it a distilled liquid known as mescal, and containing a large percentage of alcohol. It is as clear as gin, has the strong, smoky taste of Scotch whisky, and will intoxicate as quickly as either. From the fiber of the plant the Mexicans also manufac- ture a coarse cloth and paper of an excellent quality. The plant is of circular shape, its center being in appearance something like a cabbage head, surrounded by long, sharp-pointed green leaves, fleshy and stiff, their edges being covered with thorns. From the center of the head springs a slender pole, eight to
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FAUNA AND FLORA.
twelve feet in height, and crowned with short branches, bearing small, yellow flowers. These flowers are shaped like a tiny cup, and when in full bloom are filled with a syrup, having a sweet, strong taste. The head of the mescal is the most valuable part, and was looked upon by the Apaches as their chief article of food.
In preparing it for use, the outer leaves are peeled off and the head placed in a primitive oven made of round stones, sunk in the ground, which have been heated by a fire of mesquite wood. The mescal is placed on these stones, covered by the hot ashes and earth, and roasted ; after which it is taken out and a few outside leaves being removed is ready for use. It is sweet and nutritious, tasting like a boiled beet. The Apaches likewise make it into flat fibrous cakes which constituted the only com- missary carried by war parties during the long and bloody struggle against the whites. The Indians also make from it a syrup of which they are very fond, and by fermentation an in- toxicating drink called tiswin. It will thus be scen that the maguey is a most valuable plant, and, with proper cultivation, can furnish the raw material for many industries which could be profitably engaged in here.
The amole, or soap weed, is another of the valuable plants indigenous to Arizona. It grows in profusion on all the dry plains and rolling uplands of the country, and reaches a height of from two to three feet, with long and narrow leaves, which will make excellent rope, paper, cloth and other fabrics. The roots are used by the Mexicans as a substitute for soap ; a heavy lather is made by agitating the crushed roots in the water which is said to be superior to ordinary soap for the cleansing of flan- nel fabrics. It is also used as a hair-wash, and is said to keep it clean, soft and glossy. The hedeundilla, or grease wood, is found on the hills, table-lands and plains over the entire extent of the Territory. It is a bushy shrub, growing to a height of from two to eight feet, with dark-green leaves, and in the early summer, produces a yellow blossom ; by rubbing the leaves be- tween the hands an unpleasant odor is produced and a greasy substance adheres to the fingers. A gum exudes from the plant, which resembles much in color and quality, gum-Arabic. It is an evergreen and seems to be indigenous to this country.
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