Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1870-11-05
What fruits 3?
The chairman.

L L 4
are some peaches raised in Tucson.
ought to say that the reservations O.
the Pima and Maricopa Indians con
tain exceedingly rich lands. I wa.
shown q field there which, according
to the tradition of the Indians, has
been cultivated annually for a hun
bred years. A cropof wheat produced
upon it last year was a first-clas;
crop. Large quantities of grain are
raised by the Pimas and Maricopas
and sold to traders, and, in turn, SOLD
to citizens and to the government fol
supplies. 1t may not be known tc
you that nearly all the grain now
consumed in Arizona is produced there,
including that for the troops. The
price of grain is not half as much as
it was three years ago.
The chairman. What is the price
of wheat?
Mr.. Mccormick. The last time
was in Tucson I think it was four
cents pound, but L believe it has
been sold as low as two and half
cents by contract. That is not con-
sidered very high in that country.
From the valley OF the San Pedro to
the thirty second parallel, and between
the thirty-second parallel and Sonora,
the country east of Tucson to the New
Mexican boundary is much of it an
exceedingly good grazing country.
Great herds and droves of cattle pass
through every year from Texas to
California by the thirty parsl-
lei. I have talked with many of the
drovers, men from Texas, and they
agreed with me that there was no bet
ter grazing lands anywhere in Texas
than they had found upon the line Of
the thirty-second parallel in Arizona,
east Of Tucson. There are two noun
tain passes, one called the Apache
pass, and the name of the other es-
capes my mind now, but those are the
only really difficult passes, I think,
for grading upon the thirty-second
parallel in that Territory.
The chairman. How high would
the road be obliged to ascend to pass
those mountains!
Mr. Mccormick. / can only tell
by comparison. I have been over this
road from Fort Yuma to San Diego,
and General Hunter says there will
be nothing higher than q grade Of
eighty feet to the mile there.
Mr.. Hunter. The engineer so in
forms me.
Mr.. Mccormick. And I know upon
this road through Arizona there are 30
higher to pass than those
between the Colorado and the Pacific
on the same parallel.
The chairman. What is the char
acter Of the country through the
southern part of New Mexico?
Mr.. Mccormick. Colonel Ghaves,
the delegate from New Mexico, is
present, and can tell you that better
than [ can.
Hon. j. Francisco 0haves. It is al
very good agricultural country wherev-
er there is sufficient water. For in
stance, bordering upon the Mimbres
River, where there IS sufficient water !
the San Simon, San Pedro, and Gle
mega dc Los Pinas, which are about
the only streams Of any consequence.
that the road would cross. There are
several little springs.
The chairman. Is that stream nav
igable?
Mr. Cnaves. No, sir, not at all.
The chairman. Is there not a great
restitution OF water all along on that.
line, both through Arizona and New
Mexico?
Mr.. Chaves. There are no large
streams, but there is sufficient water.
have driven through there ever since
1852. L was one Of a party travelling
across there at one time with one hun
lred and ten thousand head Of sheep.
IRVING them to California. [ sup.
pose We We're the first party that ever
went across that portion Of country.
where the proposed railroad route is to
go with wagons; and the mountain
passes are SO very easy to cross that
we had no trouble at all in crossing
some twenty-five or thirty wagons
that we had along with US to carry
OUR provisions, except to cut down the
trees and occasionally roll away some
heavy rocks.
The chairman. Is there any TIM
Der in that part .. New Mexico: /
Gr. Chavu3. Yes, sir; there is a