Arizona miner., 1864-09-07

THE
= COL wooIsEY's REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR
PREscoTT, ARIZONA, Aug. 28, 1864.

\
To His Excellency John N Goodwin, Governor
! of Arizona Territory.
\ SIR I'll have the honor TO report thai m,
command, consisting Of Dinety-three men (citi.
zens) left the Aqua Fria ranch about 6 o. IN
June st and arrived at Fishers cienega at one
o'clock the following morning. distance Is miles
course n. So Il. A small party of Indians
were encamped in this cienegs, bu. escaped ia
the dark. There are fine springs ut this cienega
which Ia upon the Chavez wagon road. and will
be prominent point should that road prove
success.
On the morning Of the I'd, No marched in the
came general direction. by way Of Copper canon
to the Rio Verde. Distance ten milse The
trail down is rough bat readily made by pack an
imals. Crossing the river . mile below the
canon We continued our march east to q branch
OF the Rio Verde, striking it about eix m,les
above its mouth. This branch 70 called Clear
Fork. and 10 thirty miles in length. Il runs
from the n. H., and three m,es above whore va
camped it csiions. aud for fifteen miles It passes
through one of the toughest and most impassa-
ole canons in the Territory At Clear Fork
divided the command, sending the pack train
with thirty three men southwark to seek @ pas.
sage through the mountains, while with the re-
maning sixty men / continued in an essterly
course, towards the great Tonic Basin, where
the pack train was directed to meet &C. That
train was under command OF NJ Lewis, an expe-
rienced mountaineer, and one OF the original
Walker party Of explorers. Our way vas over .
very rough country, through which pack train
could hardly have gone. After fatigung march
Of two days We arrived at the top Of tue noun
tain or table land overlooking the gres. basin
and standing at its upper or eastern end. This
basin is occupied by Tonic and Pinal Apaches
and | confidently expected fight with them
The next morning We descended into the BASIN
not without much difficulty, and began q search
for the red-skins, but were unable TO End any
though the traces OF their recent presence were
numerous. For three days We continued the
search, beating mp the email streams and ravioes
about the BASIN but in vain. In the afternoon
OF the fifth day after leaving Clear Fork We were
ljoIDed by the pack train, upon Q stream which
we called the East Fork Of the Verde vhs
train bad followed the course OF the river abou,
eght miles, nearly south, over the foot hills and
had then struck across the mesa south easterly
about eight miles, to Fossil creek. thence south
so r., about eighteen miles, through Fossil
canon, aud over the mountain. thence east sbou,
six miles 10 the East Fork OF the Verde, where
they Joined ns. Their route is reported as prac-
ticabie for wagons This portion OF the country
is lava bed, covered with timber and excellent
grass upon the mountains. Ga the morning oil
the eighth OF June we took our march in a south
eriy direction over the hills. and at noon reached
a stream which / called Tonic creek, running
south 80 T., and being about thirty miles in
length. The rock hereabouts changes TO blue
ish granite. Our stopping place was at very
pretty cieneea, with an excellent spring of water
| 10 the afternoon we moved TO Tonic creek, abou,
mime mica and camped at eome tanks There
is no water in the creek 90 high up We con.
tinued down Tonic creek to . point about five
miles from it, mouth, where We turned east and
truck across mesa to Salt river, at point four
miles above the junction OF the cnek. On Ton
TO creek We prospected in severn. : sces for gold
and found color. but not in payshs quantities
All along il are the ruins of ancient fortiicstions
and houses, indicating former large population
The walls OF the buildings are Of stone laid il
cement which 10 yet quite firm.
/ Finding our stock Of provisions was getting
low, started pack train TO the Pine Villages
i 1t consisted OF thirty-sx animals, with an escor
of twenty three men. under command of Henri
lJaycox.
The water Of Salt river is very brackish, ans
there being but little grass at our camp wen
out With small mounted party TO hunt bette
Icamp / frat went down the run 20 the naoutl
Iof Ionto creek, where / found q large India
village, OF some fifty huts. 1t had been aban
Idoned but few hours before THIS was beyon.
doubt the head quarters OF Wspoo-i-ta, or Ri,
Rnmp, the Tenso chief The next day the Indi
ans fired the village, utterly destroying il. No
finding camp in this direction, on the followin
,lday went up the river about four miles an,
discovered an excellent point A large spring @
IpCre water crass ia abundance and ~ ercallou