The Weekly Arizonian., 1870-11-26
Letter from Ralston.

for the first time, address myself to the work
 ofwriting you letter from this far-off, isolated
 mountain town, Ralston City, New Mexico
 farsGWsy and isolated from the fact that
 areary desert waste of mere than thsusand
 miles in extent, must be traversed by all those wishing to follow ths Star of Empire" before reaching this seemingly much-neglacted and
 hitherto comparatively unknown section of New exico
 Atpresent there are many eyes turned long~ ingly toward the Great West" eff which this nook and corner constitutes but g small DOT ten yet it is destined at some future day to furnish great number of desirable homes fer the toiling thousands East, whose sad and bit.- ter misfortune it has been for years past, to heal the wounds of war"-in doing which they have bscems convinced of the fact that the meagre returnG annuallyreRIizsd from the cul- tivation of their farming lands situated in the more civilized and denssly settled portions Of the continent, are insufficient to auswer the present heavy demands of government and fur- nsh comfortable subsistence besides.
 TO those, then, the great West lies open, and they will yet, not alone from eompuBien, but also through inclination, abandon their poti- eally benightsd sbodes and seek new homes n ths uudeveleped and immense field of agri. cultural and mineral wealth, Grant oouzty, New Mexico.
 A vast field of metallic treasure, which at present is being partially developed, every day furnishes stronger and more convincing proof of it's great extent and exceeding richness But unlike other, and in only one instance more favored part, this county has never yet been 30 fortunate as to become tho recipient of superabundancs of that higher order of ciyili. zatiou and refinement of enterprisDg intelIi- gent and skilfuI people, whose advent in B country ike .bia is invariably the first step to- Fard wealth progress and happiness
 Knowing the State ofCaliforniA 10 be within l -he limits of your circulation, and knowing ikeu.se that sho can truthiully boas; of that order of civilization to which l have referred, 1 also believing many of the inhabitants to be l aot only wiling but eager to migrate upon be- 1 ug convinced ofthe possibility of exchanging hair pres nt fer better condition Of things, feel desp satisfaction in hus presenting l l fair and plain statement of facts:
 Raleson possesses climate that cannot be by any country, it being neither un- comfortably warmth Summer nor disagreeably l ,Old in the Winter season the mountains and l 'aIleys afford the most excellent pas!urage the l -ear round; the climate of unrivaled salu. l ,rity, abounding in large tracts of rich land l md vast forests of fine timber, watered by nu- nerous streams, itcan juStlybe called the most 1 favored by nature, Of the favored sections of 1 New Mexico. But at present we have merely 1 scattered population, a fact owing not alone 0 the hostility of the Apache and kindred !! Fild tribes, but also from the insuticisncy sf with ths markets of the world 1 'hese causes which at present offer very great 1 npedimen;s to rapid progress in this particular ,caIity, will however soon be remedied by the uildDg of railroads and by other improve, rents. Such fairly promising to be the case, @ can reasonably expect Ralston, and the ad. lcent Gila river country, to receive, ere long, lrge immigration
 But further north the lofty ranges of noun lins present quite different spectacle, being overed with theirwhi robe of perpetual snow. rom the small streams in these mountains vels the famous Rio Grande which after 8 ng and cold career through gloomy valleys nd desolats wastes, receives into it's bosom ls many smaller streams of New Mexico, lad D with the gelden sands 0fa rich interior,
 This region now stands second ts none in pint of mineral wealth, and the time is fast pprosching when the Gila's rich and bsautis
 | valleys will resound with the diu of civiliv atien, when the shrill yell of steam will be card where now reigns solitude supreme and Ie hundreds of factories and reduction works
 Do run by it's matchIess water power will, iu
 few years, change tue entire face eff the ,untry, and make this, as its location warrants e most dsn4sly populated and richest region .
 tke West. SFY. Is