Arizona citizen., 1871-09-23
FINAL PROSPECTORS.


 urday, and was unsuccessful in find
 ing the placer mines said to have beer
 discovered by a man named Miner
 some ten years ago.
 The company, it will be remember ed, numbered about 25O men, and lef Camp Grant the middle of August They crossed the Gila river near the mouth of the San Carlos, and found there beautiful agricultural valley with plenty of water for irrigation
 Thence they passed up the San Car los some distance and found the bottom lands of the richest kind of soil, and the rolling hills and table lands on either side covered with the best of grasses for stock. Old acequias show that in years agone, these lands were cultivated quite extensively. From this river, they passed over high table lands, to the Rio Prieta, covered with rich grasses and we'll shaded with live oaks. This portion of the country is represented as magnificently beautiful, and we'll adapted to raj sing cattle and sheep. Near below where the Rio Prieta was reached, is a mountain of salt in its pure state. From this point downward, the river takes the name of Salt River, and its water is so strongly impregnated with salt that men and animals find their thirst increased rather than slaked by drinking it. After leaving the Prieta, the company passed down and across Salt River at point between Canon and Cherry Creeks and thence over rough country to Cherry Creek and on up to the summit of the Sierra Anchas. These mountains are rep resented as resting on sandstone which breaks off nearly perpendicularly on almost every side, and so difficult of ascent that it is not known that white men ever before reached the summit; indeed, Indian guides long familiar with these mount aims declared at the time 1t to be i'm possible to take an animal up to the top. This mountain is from 15 to 25 miles in breadth and 60 to 70 in length, and covered with dense forest of pine, oak, and other varieties of timber, Streams of cold water are frequent, and turkey, deer and bear Ire abundant. From these mountains, 5he company crossed Salt River below Cherry Creek, and proceeded to Pinto Creek in the Pinal mountains, and rom thence came over the Pinal Range to Infantry Camp and to Florence. They found vast quantities 'f iron at various points, and also an excellent appearing belt of gold and ilver bearing quartz in the Pinal mountains, but the! were not pre- pared to prospect it.
 The country everywhere is repre- ented as covered with Aztec ruins, ome of which were found near the Sierra Anchas, in nearly as perfect ondition as when abandoned by 'eople whose history belongs to the ealms of mystery and to a great ex- ent always must. Near these old two arastrars were found, nd also some pieces of silver ore howing that these extinct people were ( lot oblivious to the root of all evil. The Indians kept a constant watch n the party's movements, and after ] divided to return to the several set dement's from whence they came, cries of attacks were made from Z That portion of the arty returning with the Governor, ad one man and four horses killed. Captain Rogers in command of another etachment had his mule shot under i'm, and man by his side had t all shot through his whiskers, { raging the skin. As we hear from {