The Placer herald., 1858-03-20
The Proposed Territory of Arizona.

cation Of the people of the Territory-will
be read with much interest at this particular
time. 1t contains, as will be seen much val
liable information in regard to the nature
and resources of country for which we
paid ten millions of dollars, but more especi
ally because the President in his message
particularly calls the attention of Congress
to Arizona, in recommending the organization
of a. Territorial Government, and for the
construction of railroad to California with
the Atlantic States through it.
Lieut.. Mowry will present this memoir to
Congress at the earliest day possible, and ex-
poets to be admitted as the delegate Of Ari-
zona, agreeable to the election Of the people
who have sent him.
The new Territory Of Arizona, better
known as the Gadsden Purchase, lies between
the thirty-frst and thirty third parallels of
latitude, and is bounded on the north by the
Gia river, which separates it from the Terri
tory of New Mexico; on the east by the Rio
Bravo del Norte. (Rio Grande,) which sep
arates it from Texas; on the south by Chihua-
hua and Sonora, Mexican provinces; and on
the west by the Colorado River of the West,
which separates it from Upper and Lower
California. This great region is six hundred
miles long by about fifty miles wide, and
embraces an area of about thirty thousand
square miles. 1t was acquired by purchase
from Mexico, during the mission of General
Gadsden, at cost of ten millions Of dollars.
In the original treaty, as negotiated by Cen
eral Gadsden, more southern boundary than
the one adopted by the Senate of the United
States in confirming the treaty, was conce-
ded by Santa Anna.
The proposed boundaries of the Territory
OF Arizona are the thirty fourth parallel of
latitude, with New Mexico on the north,
from the lO3d meridian west to the Colora-
do; Texas on the east; Texas and the Mex-
can provinces of New Mexico and Sonora on
the south, and California on the west. The
new Territory would thus contain within its
borders the three largest rivers on the con-
tinent west of the Mississippi-the Rio
Grande, ella, and Colorado of the West,
and embrace 10000 square miles.
The Gadsden Purchase is attached, by act
of Congress, to the Territory Of New Mex
ico At the time of its acquisition there
was scarcely any population, except a few
scattering Mexicans in the Mesilla Valley,
and at the old town of Tucson. in the centre
of the Territory. The Apache Indian, supe
rior in strength to the Mexicans had gradu-
ally extirpated every trace of civilization,
and roamed uninterrupted and unmolested,
sole possessor of what was once a thriving
and populous Spanish province.
The missions and settlements established
by the Jesui,s and Spaniards were repeatedly
destroyed by the Apaches, and the priests
and settlers massacred or driven off. As Of
ten were they re-estabished The Indians,
at length, throughly aroused by the cruel
ties of the Spaniards, by whom they were
deprived of their liberty, forced to labor in
the silver mines with inadequate food, and
barbarously treated, finally rose, joined with
tribes that had never been subdued and
gradually drove out or massacred their op-
pressors.
Every expedition within the past few years
has confirmed the statements of the ancient
records in regard to the mineral wealth of
the Territory. The testimony of living Mex
leans, and the tradition of the country, all
tend to the same end Col. A. B. Gray,
Col Emory, Lieut.. Mchler, Lieut.. Parke,
the Hon. John R. Bartlett, late of the Uni
ted States Boundary Commission, all agree
in the statement that the Territory has i'm
mense resources in silver and copper. Col.
Emory says, in his report:
"On account of the gold mania in Cali
fornia, kept the search for gold and other
precious metals as much out of view as pos
sible. scarcely allowing it to be matter OF
conversation, much less Of actual search.
Yet enough was ascertained to convince us
that the whole region was teem;ng with the
precious metals. We everywhere saw the
remains of mining operations conducted by
the Spaniards, and more recently by the Mex
icans."
The agricultural resources of Arizona are
sufficient to sustain large mining popula-
ton, and afford abundant supplies for the
great immigration which will follow the de-
velopment of its mineral resources The
whole valley Of the Gila, more than four
hundred miles in length, can be made, with
proper exertion, to yield plentiful crops
The Pimos Indians, who live in villages on
the Gila. one hundred and seventy miles
from its mouth, raise large crops Of cotton
wheat and corn, and have for years supplied
thousands Of emigrants en- route to Cafor
MIA. A town will probably grow up just
above the Pimos Villages, as there is rict
back country, and the streams afford vau
able water power for running mills.
The valley Of the Santa Cruz traverses thu
Territory from south to north, sinking nea
the town of Tucson, and probably finding
its way to the Gila, as subterranean stream
This valley, of the richest land, is about on
hundred miles long, in many places of grea
width, and has on each side of it many ricf
valleys of limited extent, watered by streams
from the mountains, WHICH flow into the
Santa Cruz. The valleys and ranches o
Arivaca, Sopori, Calabazas and Tucson, ar
those at present most thickly settled. Thes'
| l. III +bo fr,;ta Lnovn to a southern