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 5
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The yucca plant, or Spanish bayonet, is another of Arizona's peculiar vegetable productions. It grows in all parts of the Territory, and its strong, fleshy, sharp-pointed leaves contain a fibre which makes excellent paper. On the foot-hills of the mountain ranges of the Colorado plateau the California man- zanita grows luxuriantly ; and along the dry valleys and water- courses the arrow weed and the black willow are found in pro- fusion. The former furnishes the aborigines with arrows for their rude bows, and the latter, with some resemblance to the weeping willow, bears a large purplish blossom devoid of frag-
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
rance. Among the other plants of the Territory should be mentioned the pectis, the creosote bush, and the snake weed. The first named has an odor like essence of lemon, and the last is valuable as an antidote against the bites of venomous rep- tiles. The Indians masticate the leaves and apply them to the wound which proves an effectual remedy against the poison. The aborigines use a great many plants for their curative prop- erties, and no doubt when the flora of Arizona is classified, and thoroughly known, the pharmacopoeia will be enriched by many valuable remedies from its plants and herbs.
Grapes, currants, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, and raspberries are found in the mountains and valleys of northern, central and southern Arizona. The wild grape is especially prolific. It is rich in saccharine matter, and a very palatable wine, of the color and taste of light claret, is made from it. It contains a fair percentage of alcohol, and by grafting with the domestic varieties a very fine wine grape is produced. Walnuts grow in profusion along all the wooded mountain ranges of the Territory ; and immense quantities of acorns, used by the Indians as an article of food, are found wherever the oak tree grows.
A shrub, bearing a close resemblance to the coffee-plant, is found in different portions of Arizona. The beans, of which there are generally two in the pod, has a strong flavor of domestic coffee, and when prepared in the same way makes an excellent substitute for the genuine article. Wild flax grows in the valley of the Colorado Chiquito, and in several other places on the great plateau ; the wild tobacco plant has been found in the Santa Cruz valley, and the wild potato is at home in the Santa Ritas, the Huachucas and the Santa Catalinas. It is also found in the valleys north of the Moquis villages, and is used extensively by the Navajoes as an article of food. The root is about the size of an English walnut and when cooked is dry, mealy, and of a fine flavor. Arizona has a great number of mer- curial plants and a great variety of wild flowers which bloom after the rainy season, and send forth a delightful fragrance over the arid desert and lonely plain.
Pine, spruce, cedar, oak, and juniper cover the principal moun- tain ranges of the Territory. The great pine forest of the Mo- gollon extends from the San Francisco peak to the thirty-third parallel, and has an average width of over sixty miles. This extensive timber belt contains some of the finest and largest specimens of the pine family to be found on the continent. The upper portion of the Colorado plateau has a scattered growth of scrub pine, and cedars; while the Bradshaw and Sierra Prieta ranges show magnificent forests of pine, oak, and juniper. In the ranges south of the Gila the same variety of timber abounds, while the rolling foot-hills have a fine growth of oak. There are two varieties of the oak in the territory, the white oak, which
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FAUNA AND FLORA.
people in the Atlantic and Western States are familiar with, and the black oak. The latter has an extensive growth in Califor- nia and Arizona, and also in Northern Mexico, and bears a strong resemblance to the live oak of the Southern States. Sycamore, ash, walnut, elder, maple, willow, cottonwood are found growing along the water-courses in all parts of the Terri- tory. The ash makes excellent timber for spokes and wagon tongues ; while the Arizona cedar makes beautiful cabinet-ware- its fine texture, beautiful color, and delightful odor being espe- cially adapted for the more delicate kinds of work.
The mesquite tree is among the most valuable of the woods of Arizona. It may be considered a native of the region south of the Great plateau, and is nearly always found growing in rich, heavy soils. Large groves of the tree are found in the rich bot- tom-lands of the Colorado, the Gila, the Salt, the Santa Cruz, the San Pedro, and on nearly all the principal streams through- out Central and Southern Arizona. On the lower Colorado, a short distance above Yuma, on the Gila, near Casa Grande, and on the Santa Cruz, near the mission of San Xavier, are extensive forests of mesquite, many of the trees reaching a height of forty feet, and measuring over two feet in diameter.
The tree puts forth many limbs, and has a bushy appearance ; its leaves resemble those of the locust, and it bears large quanti- ties of a bean-like fruit, which are gathered by the Indians and considered by them as their staple article of diet. The fruit is dried and ground into a flour from which a bread is made that is highly prized by the natives. These beans also make a rich feed for cattle and horses, being superior in their fattening qual- ities to either corn or barley. The wood of the mesquite makes excellent wagon timber, being peculiarly adapted to this climate ; it also makes a handsome shade tree, and in all respects is the most valuable of the native woods of the Territory.
The palo verde, or green tree, is a native of Arizona. It loves the dry, gravelly mesas, the waterless plains, and the barren deserts. It seldom attains a height of over twelve feet; has sharp thorns instead of leaves ; has soft, spongy wood ; gives a poor shade, and is perhaps the least attractive of Arizona's arboreous productions. The pepper tree is found growing along many of the water-courses of Arizona. It scarcely ever attains a height of more than fifteen feet. When properly cared for it makes a handsome shade tree. The iron wood, lignum vitæ, is another wood, native and to the Arizona manor born. Its leaves closely resemble the mesquite, but its wood is much heavier, close-grained and susceptible of a high polish. When dry it is hard and brittle, and will dent the finest tempered axe. It was in allusion to this peculiar wood, and the coarse, native grass of the deserts, that the genial traveler, Ross Browne, humorously wrote, " in Arizona, hay is cut with a hoe and wood with a hammer." The wood of this tree makes an intense heat ;
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
it bears a bean similar to the mesquite, very rich in grape-sugar, and highly prized by the Indians as an article of food. In the cultivated valleys of the Territory, different varieties of shade and ornamental trees are being introduced with most gratifying results. The Lombardy poplar, the mulberry, the China um- brella tree, and many other varicties do well. There is no reason why all the beautiful flowering and shade trees of the semi-tropic zone should not, with careful cultivation, flourish in Arizona.
Of the grasses of the Territory, the most widely distributed is the gramna, which grows in every portion of the country. There are two varieties of this grass, the black and the white gramna, both of which are excellent food for stock. Cattle in Arizona, fed on this grass, keep fat winter and summer, and their beef is unequaled in flavor and quality. In the moun- tain regions the pine, mesquite, and other varieties grow luxuriantly, and afford rich and nutritious feed. In some portions of northern Arizona the alfileria, or wild clover, has been introduced by sheep driven from California, and is fast spreading all over the country. On the barren plains in the west and southwestern portions of the Territory, a coarse grass, called by the Mexicans gaette, grows extensively. Cut when green, and properly cured, it makes a fair substitute for hay.
In many of the southern valleys and foot-hills there is a grass called the " buffalo ;" it grows in bunches, and stock are very fond of it. Although Arizona has been considered a barren, sandy waste, it can show as fine a growth of rich and succulent grasses as any region of the southwest, and its capabilities as a stock-growing region are almost limitless.
COUNTIES AND CHIEF TOWNS.
Pima County-Tucson: its History, General Appearance, Public Buildings, Gas, Water Works, Electric Light, and its Educational Advantages, etc .- Yavapai County-Prescott : its Buildings, Public and Private, Delightful Situation, Trade, etc .- Whipple Barracks-Cochise County and its Early His- tory-Tombstone: Its Appearance, History, and Characteristics- Benson-Bisbee-Maricopa County-Phoenix and its Charm- ing Surroundings, Public Buildings, Trade, etc-Tempe-
Yuma County, Town and Fort-Pinal County --- Florence- Pinal-Gila County-Globe-Gra- ham, Mohave, and Apache Counties- Population of the Territory.
P IMA county was the first portion of Arizona settled by Europeans, and is one of the oldest political divisions of the Territory, having been organized by the first legis- lature, which assembled in 1864. Its original boundaries in- cluded all that vast region south of the Gila, and east of the line of 113° 20', west longitude from Greenwich, the larger portion of the Gadsden purchase. Since then the whole of Cochise county, and portions of Pinal and Graham have been taken from Pima. But it is still a good-sized domain, being about 180 miles in length from east to west, and averaging over fifty-five miles in width, from north to south, containing an area of something like 10,500 square miles. The county is bordered on the north by Maricopa and Pinal, on the east by Cochise, on the south by Sonora and on the west by Yuma county.
The western portion of Pima, bordering the line of Sonora and extending along the Gulf of California, is a series of wide rolling plains, with detached mountains and isolated peaks scat- tered over its surface. These mountains are rocky and rugged ; the plains are covered with a sparse growth of grass and shrubs, and in some places with mesquite wood. Water is generally scarce in this uninviting region; and did not every mountain, and peak, and butte, contain rich deposits of the precious metals, there would be few attractions for the white man in this portion of Arizona. South of Tucson the country is made up of grassy plains, rolling hills and lofty mountains. East to the line of Cochise, it is of a similar character, while to the north the dry
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
plains are crossed by the massive chain of the Santa Catalinas. South and cast the county is crossed by the Santa Rita, the Patagonia, the Whetstone, and the Atascoso ranges. The Santa Cruz flows through the county from its source in the Patagonia range to the boundary of Maricopa, and is the only running stream of any consequence in Pima.
The history of Pima county is the history of Arizona up to its organization as a Territory in 1863. Its carly settlers had more than their share of the hardships, dangers and vicissitudes which were the lot of old Arizonans. For years after its acquisition from Mexico, it was practically without any government, the only semblance of authority being on the Rio Grande, over 300 miles away. Its valleys and mountains have been moistened by the blood of many an adventurous pioncer, and for years its ad- vancement was retarded by a handful of red demons. But Pima has passed through those dark and carly days, and stands in the bright sunshine of progress and prosperity. The railroads, already in operation, have greatly assisted in the development of her grand mining and grazing resources, and those projected will do much more. Her condition is a prosperous one, and immigration and capital are every day making it more so. The total valuation of property in this county is $4,903,362 ; total indebtedness, $530,000 ; rate of taxation, $2.90 on each $100. The population of the county, according to the census of 1882, was 17,427.
Tucson, the oldest and largest city in the Territory, is situated on a gently sloping mesa, on the right bank of the Santa Cruz, about two hundred and fifty miles cast of the Colorado river, and three hundred miles north of Guaymas, on the California gulf. The situation is a commanding one. North and west, the wide plain is overlooked by the massive chain of the Santa Catalinas, while to the south the peaks of the Santa Ritas loom up dim and shadowy through the purple haze. To the east, the low and irregular range of the Sierratas borders the river valley and over- looks the town. On all sides the view is bounded by lofty and rugged mountains, and in the center of the wide plain the old town sits like a relic of the past which has been rudely awakened from the slumber of centuries by the rush and roar of modern civilization. Tucson is said to be a Pima word. It is pronounced Chook-son, by that people, and means " Black creek." Its carly history is involved in obscurity, but it is known that an Indian rancheria stood here, before the Spaniards established a military station, to protect the Mission of San Xavier. This was in 1694, so that the history of the town may be said to date from that time. During the long years of Spanish and Mexican rule, and up to the breaking out of the California gold fever, Tucson was an insignificant village. The rush of adventurers to the new Eldorado, infused a little life into the sleepy o d place, and it be- gan slowly to improve, until the building of the S. P. R. R.
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COUNTIES AND CHIEF TOWNS.
Since then, Tucson has made rapid strides in the path of pro- gress and prosperity. The old landmarks are gradually disap- pearing, and the spirit of improvement and enterprise is seen in the many fine public and private residences which are visible on every side. The old and the new civilization have here met, and the town is in that transitory condition, where the one-story, flat-roofed adobes and the narrow, crooked streets are giving way to handsome structures and broad, roomy thoroughfares. But it yet retains many of the peculiar features of a Spanish-American town, and the division known as the Barrio Libre, with its tortuous lanes and alleys, its uninviting adobes, with their cool, roomy courtyards in the interior, its motley population of Mexicans and Indians, and the mellifluous chatter of la lengua Castellana, looks like a bit of old Mexico trans- plánted to the Northern Republic.
Several handsome public buildings and many attractive pri- vate residences have been erected within the past three years, and many more are in course of construction. The county court-house is an imposing structure of brick, faced with stone and surmounted by a handsome tower. Its cost was $75,000. The Catholic cathedral is a large building, ornamented with a handsome façade and lofty spire. It is built of brick and stone. The Congregationalists have a commodious place of worship, the . Methodists have a neat, brick church. The Presbyterian church is a tasteful building, and the Baptists have also a cred- itable place of worship. Tucson contains the largest mercantile houses in the Territory. Some of them carry immense stocks of goods, and do a heavy trade with Sonora and Northern Mexico. Water is brought to the city in iron pipes from a point on the Santa Cruz, seven miles south. The streets, stores and private residences are well-lighted with gas. The electric light has lately been introduced, and the mast from the summit of the court-house tower casts a brilliant light over the city. Herdic coaches traverse the city in all directions, and are a great con- venience to the public. A handsome opera-house has been erected near the railroad depot, and two variety entertainments are always open, and well patronized.
The secret societies are in strong force, and all appear to be in a flourishing condition. The following orders are represented: Arizona Commandery No. I, Knights Templar; Tucson Chap- ter No. 2, Royal Arch Masons; Tucson Lodge No. 4, Free and Accepted Masons; Santa Rita Lodge of Perfection, No. I, Scot- tish Rite, F. & A. M .; Tucson Lodge No. 3, Knights of Pythias ; Arizona Lodge No. I, Ancient Order of United Workmen ; Ari- zona Legion No. I, Select Knights, A. O. U. W .; Pima Lodge No. 3, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Aztec Lodge No. 1, American Legion of Honor; Tucson Lodge No. 4, Independent Order of Good Templars; Arizona Lodge No. 337, I. O. B. B .; Division No. 28, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; Tucson
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
Typographical Union, No. 210. A public library has been es- tablished, and is under the control of a Board of Trustees selected by the City Council.
The educational advantages of the city are excellent. The public school has been graded, and a corps of competent teachers are employed. A handsome and commodious high school is now in course of construction on Military plaza. It will be ready for occupancy by the first of December and will cost $50,000. Every branch of business is represented in Tucson. There are two flouring mills which furnish an excellent article from Arizona wheat. Two breweries, manufacture large quan- tities of home-made "lager," a favorite beverage with the thirsty Tucsonites during the summer months. While inclined to be a trifle hot for about three months in the year, the climate of Tuc- son from the first of September to the middle of May, is as near perfection as can be found anywhere. Although the ther- mometer sometimes reaches 110° during the heated term, yet so pure and dry is the atmosphere that a person feels more com- fortable than he would in the eastern cities with the mercury at 80º. Sunstrokes are unknown and no injurious effects are oc- casioned by the heat of the summer months.
The city is steadily advancing in wealth, population and busi- ness. Real estate commands a good price, while choice resi- dence lots bring as high as $500-fifty fect front. The adobe, or sun-dried brick, is peculiarly adapted to this climate, and when properly finished and plastered, makes very handsome buildings. Brick of a good quality is made herc, and there are many attract- ive residences of wood. A gray, porous rock of volcanic origin, is found near the city, and will eventually come into general use for the construction of public and private edifices. The new Catholic church will be built of this material, and when finished will be an ornament to the city, Large smelting works will soon be erected here which will purchase ores from the surrounding districts, and will not alone benefit the town but the mining in- terests of the county.
There are many pleasant drives in the neighborhood of Tuc- son. The old church of San Xavier is only nine miles up the Santa Cruz, and is a favorite resort of tourists. Fort Lowell, at the base of the lofty Santa Catalinas, is seven miles away, over a hard, smooth road. Opposite the city the valley of the Santa Cruz presents a beautiful appearance with its green fields and groves of cottonwoods. Four newspapers are published in the city. The Star and the Citizen are both dailies, and in their appearance and make-up will compare with any south of San Francisco. The Index is a weekly, devoted to the mining and other resources of the Territory, while El Fronterizo supplies the Spanish-speaking population with the current news once a week. The population is about 10,000.
Situated on the main highway between the east and the west,
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COUNTIES AND CHIEF TOWNS.
with one transcontinental railway passing through it, and with branches projected, and in course of construction to the rich min- eral and agricultural regions north, south, and west, Tucson has every reason to feel secure in its brilliant future. It must always be the center of trade for an extensive country. Its merchants and property-owners are showing their faith in its future by the many improvements which are being made on every side. One of the oldest towns in the Union, it has awakened from the leth- argy of centuries, and entered on a new career of prosperity.
The county of Yavapai occupies the greater part of the Col- orado plateau, and is the largest political division of Arizona, containing an area of 30,015 square miles, or more than one-fourth of the entire Territory. Yavapai was one of the four counties organized at the first session of the legislature in 1864. Orig- inally it included the whole of Apache and portions of Maricopa and Gila. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by Apache county, on the south by Maricopa and Gila counties, and on the west by Mohave. Its physical features may be described as an immense table-land elevated from 4 to 7,000 feet above the sea-level, and crossed in all directions by lofty mountains, adorned by beautiful valleys and grassy plains, and seamed and riven by deep cañons and rocky gorges. The San Francisco peak lifts its snow-clad crest toward the clouds near the eastern line of the county; the Bill Williams range stretch across it near the center ; while the Sierra Prieta, the Black Hills, and the Brad- shaws crown its south and southeastern border. These mountains are well wooded, and those south of the thirty-fifth parallel arc rich in minerals of every variety.
The county is watered by the Verde, Little Colorado, Hassa- yampa, Agua Fria, Kirkland Creek, Santa Maria and many other small streams, while beautiful, clear springs are found in the mountains, valleys and glens. The climate is cool and bracing during the winter months, and in summer is one of the most delightful in the West. Of that portion of the county north of the Colorado, but little is known, but it is understood to be a continuation of the plateau, crossed by rugged moun- tains, riven by deep cañons and gorges, and generally destitute of water.
The first permanent settlements were made in Yavapai, in 1863. A party of prospectors from New Mexico under the leader- ship of old Joe Walker, discovered gold in paying quantities on the Hassayampa and Lynx creek. About the same time, a band of treasure-hunters from California, made the wonderful discov- ery at Antelope peak. Soon after these discoveries the Territo- rial government was established at Fort Whipple, and a rush of adventurers came from the east and the west.
Valuable mineral discoveries were found in nearly every" mountain range, ranches were taken up, quartz and saw mills were brought in and many flourishing camps were established.
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
But here, as elsewhere, the hostile Apache stood in the path of progress, and persistently opposed the advance of the whites. Population slowly increased until 1874, when the savages werc removed to a reservation. Since then Yavapai has made rapid strides in wealth, population, and material development. Many valuable mines have been opened, thousands of cattle and sheep have been driven in, and the completion of the Atlantic and Pacific railroad has opened to the world her vast and varicd resources. The population according to the census of 1882, was 27,680. The total value of taxable property is $6,000,000; indebtedness, $184,000; rate of taxation, $3.25 on the $100.
Prescott, the Territorial capital and the largest town in Yavapai county, is situated on Granite creek, in a beautiful glade among the foot-hills of the Sierra Pricta range. The town stands on a sloping bench above the creek, thus giving it excellent drainage. It is walled in on three sides by mountain ranges. To the west and south the pine-clad Prieta's bound the horizon ; while to the north the massive Granite mountain, and its outlying spurs, shut in the view. To the east, rolling, grassy hills stretch away to the Black Mountains, while in the distance, the San Francisco peak, like some ghostly spectre, rears aloft its snow- capped head. The view is enchanting, and the situation of the town among the most charming to be met with in the Territory. It is in latitude 34° 30', and in longitude 112° 30', west from Greenwich, and is about 5,600 feet above sea-level.
The climate is delightful, and the cool, bracing air, laden with the odor of the pine woods, and the clear cold water make it a most desirable place of residence. In the center of the town is a large plaza where stands the county court-house. It is a handsome structure of brick and stone, two stories in height, with a mansard roof crowned by a handsome tower from which the "town clock " sends forth the hour, day and night. The streets are laid out with the cardinal points of the compass. The principal business is done around the plaza. The houses arc principally of wood and brick, and the place has the appearance of a homelike eastern town. On the hills surrounding the plaza, many neat and comfortable homes have been built, which com- mand a charming view of the town and surrounding country. Prescott has some large and handsome mercantile houses, built of brick, which carry heavy stocks and do an extensive trade with the surrounding country. There is also a well-arranged theatre and a public hall, where amateur theatricals are frequently given.
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