Arizona citizen., 1871-10-14
[coMMJk1cArrD.l The Gila Bend Ditch.

to go to Gila Bend, and having heard
 something of an extensive fri igating
 ditch or canal under process of con-
 struction near there, I made it a point
 to visit the work and to make such in-
 quiries as thought of interest to the
 public, particularly those who have
 some thought of farming in Arizona,
 and are not yet located.
 Of the lands, it may be said they
 are equal if not superior in quality
 to any in the Territory, and this I say
 after having travelled over nearly all
 of the lands of the Gila and Salt
 River settlements. Of one thing I am
 certain, there will never be any such
 early or late frosts as are sometimes
 complained of in all other portions of
 the country, for the incontestable
 reason that the altitude is much less,
 and the whole valley is surrounded by
 quite high range of dry mountains,
 except on the south. There can be
 not less than 5O,OOO acres of these
 lands below the line of this ditch,
 and I think more. Much of it is now
 covered with rich grasses and weeds
 mid sides to 8 horse. My companion
 remarked as we drove along the wagon
 road of the company, By George, we
 will have to put wagon and team or
 two to running up and down here or
 we shall soon be unable to get through
 the monte." There are no sod grasses all are of the quickly growing seed
 kinds, therefore the lands will be easily cleared. All may be called
 mesquit lands, but not so thickly tim
 bered as the Florence settlements.
 There is great relief, too, in the knowledge that you are out of the Apache country here one goes where he isteth without fear and trembling at the moving of leaf or the chirp of bird. Cattle and horses run at large the year round without any care of their owner. The Ditch company and others have small lot of cattle, and if you wish to see fat beef, go there and see those cattle ever roaming the native pastures. l have seen none such in Arizona before, although I have seen much of the Territory within the last nine years. After traversing the length of the valley, I said to my companion, "Well, you have shown me many pretty things by this ride, but one thing you have forgotten" "Ah! and what is it?" asked he "Why, your farm, or the place that you intend making your farm" "Oh!" said he, "I have not located it yet" "No?" said I. "No, mo-" But are you not afraid that one of these days it will all be taken up, at least the choice places and you left without good one?" Turn round" said he, ''and look at the valley, and tell me how many farms it would make of hundred and sixty acres 7" " We'll, you say there are 5O,OO0 acres of good land, and that would make fully 300 such farms" "Just so, and if POO men were to locate quarter section each tomorrow, there would be 100 left just as good" But sir. that's not the object first to consider, it s the right to the water, that we are going for. Out of the forty or more parties interested in our ditch, there is not one who has yet located his land, and the reason why is that if we get the water right secured, with as fine 8 body of land under it, and no other good place to take water from the river can be found, as I feel certain there can not, then we have better in terests than even the lands would be-" " But why is it that your place to take water from the river is better than many others we have passed to- day? 7" Because the mountains do not | come up to the river on either side any where else on the stream as 1t does at the head of our ditch, nor is there any known solid rock bottom adjacent or near to these lands, and have ex- amined quite thoroughly" "Then you care but little about the lands 7" '' No, not exactly; but believing that the lands are quite valuable now and likely to be more so, and wishing to secure water for irrigating such quan- tity as is likely to be taken up now