Arizona citizen., 1875-05-08
Letters from Colonel Hodge.
RALsToN, \. M., April 24, 1875.

RalstOn the distance is fifty miles. Leav- ing Camp Bowie on the 2lst inst on friend Drachman's blackboard at 2 D. m., with McMinn for driver, had pleasant and interesting ride ot ten hours to this place. Two miles from Camp Bowie we emerge from the hills on the great San simon val ley, which is twenty-five miles wide and extends north 10 the Gila river sixty miles, and south into Sonora and Chihuahua for one hundred miles or more. On the west side of this fine valley the grass is very abundant, extending north and south as lar as the eye can reach. We cross the San simon creek at about fifteen miles from Bowie, where there was plenty Of good water, but which at times is dry. To the south few mics is a cienega, where water is abundant at all times and where there are good farming lands, but being on the reservation is unOccupied and will remain so, unless the Indians should be put tC farming at some future time. To the east the crossingof the San Simon, few miles, is the well-worn Indian trail leading from Sonora on the south, to the far north some four hundred miles. 1t has been the most noted Of all their trails in the country. The eastern side of the San Simon valley has but little pasturage. At thIrty miles we pass the southern point the Stevens Peak mountains, and wind for a few miles over low rolling hills into another valley, or what the natives call a "play a." an almost desert plain on which for six miles there is neither flower, grass nor shrub. In the day time it must look bleak indeed, but in the bright moonlight it was strangely beautiful, the moonbeamS playing over it's hard and whitened sur
 ace, which is almost as hard as marble
 This playa or plain extends north to the Gila thirty miles and south into Chihua- hua and is fifteen miles wide. After cross ing this plain a ride of a few miles and we reach RalStOn, where l have stopped over to examine the silver and copper veins which are very abundant, and meet ing e warm and hearty reception at Mir
 Chamberlain'S house--lhe stage Station,- and also from Messrs. Herring, Bailey and others who are here. RalstOn has been under a cloud for few years owing to different causes, among which was the grea; diamond swindle, as the parties eu- gagged in that were also interested here and when that bubble burst Raiston also went up, But Ralson, l am satisfied, will recover, as there are numerous mineral veins here, some of which would pay now To work, and all when ransportation is cheap and rapid. But the miners here as in Arizona, are poor, and it will take years to develop their mines unless outside capi- tal takes hold and assists them, which there is a prospect of, as one company called the "Crook Mining Company" in which Generals Crook, Sheridan, Will Hams, Belknap, President Grant, Major Brown, w. Buck and others, are interest," ed, seems disposed at an early day to thor oughly open and work it's mines of which there are some .en or twelve. They have applied for patents for four Of them and will apply soon for more. Tine formation here il partially granite, tale and slate
 mineral; the veins have mostly an east and west course. Assays O. silver bearing rock rur from $40 10 S530 per ton, and or copper rom twenty to siXty-tive per cent. II. C. HODGE.