Arizona citizen., 1875-06-12
LETTER FROM COL. HODGE.
SIERRA BONITA RANCH, May 2S, 1875

| tuc Oau I CuIO sdilSJ InO pICoChe "NNn1 [" valley rich in soil and with an abundance of water in the San Pedro river and numerous springs for all purposes of irri- gation. The distance from Sierra Bonita Ranch to the Tres Alamos on the San Pedro Is fifty-fve miles which we made with MT. Rockers fast team in 613 hours. The first thirty miles of the distance is along the western side of the great Sul phur Spring valley, and nearly @ south course, thence in westerly direction over low rolling mesa lands to the head of Lime Kiln canon, down which we go for ten or twelve miles to the San Pedro valley. The settlement at Tres Aamos is ln prosperous condition and extends up and down the river for some twelve miles. The river rises in the Huachuca noun tains near the Sonora line and distant by the course of the river from seventy-five to 100 miles. It empties into the Gila about the same distance to the north, making the length of the river from its head to Its junction with the Gila from 150 to 200 miles. The general course of the river is almost due north. By infor- nation obtained from the Hon. John Montgomery and others well acquainted with the whole country, l learn that from one hundred miles from the mouth of the San Pedro up, the rich bottom land of the valley Is from one to three miles wide, and thence on up to its source there are numerous stretches of bottom lands sufficiently large for small colonies of settlers. With the exception of two Spanish Mexican grants on the. upper San Pedro, the whole of this rich valley and many smaller ones leading into it is open to settlement by homestead or preemp- tion, and must within few years, as soon as fully known to the outside world, be- come centres of rich and splendid agricul- tural communities. The settlement at Tres Alamos now numbers about 100 men, forty seven women, and fifty-sIX children. The leading men in the settlement are Hon. John Montgomery J. II. Carroll, F. Berthold, H. Kimberlain, and Thomas Dembar. The four first named are sue cessful farmers, and MT. Dembar and his amiable wife keep the Station where with good food and clean bed the wayfarer forgets for the time that he is away off in Arizona on the borders of civilization. To all these mentioned, as well as all others ,trI I .,,t ,l,,. obligations for attention and kind hos pitality. Mir. McClatchy of Tucson, has an excellent farm under good cultivation on tue east side of the river.
 From a careful estimate, the product of corn, wheat and barley in the settlement the present year will amount to about 2000, ,000 pounds. The citizens have not been unmindful of the welfare of the rising generation, and have lately purchas- ed school house, and will soon have school permanently established, thus ad. ding golden link to the great chain of human progress and to the permanency of Republican institutions, for take it, that Republic without public schools, and a general thorough education of the masses, would soon sink into insignii- canoe, break up into fragments and become the tool of wicked bigots and designing politicians, or military despots.
 was charmed and delighted with what l saw in this hourishing settlement, the rich growth of corn, wheat and barley, the fine growing vegetables, the lux uriant wild clover two feet in highth, and the undoubted capacity of the soil and climate for the growth of tobacco, cotton and sugar cane, fruits and vines, which in time will make this a most prosperous and rich settlement. The most interest ing of all was the splendid San Pedro dairy ranch of H. c. Hooker under the efficient management of H. Kimberlain Esq. This was located but two months since and there are now on 1t seventy-five splendid half blood American COWS, with calves, all well broken to milk, and from which there is taken daily an average of over one gallon of milk, besides raising the calves. A fine ranch house 46x50 feet is nearly completed, splendid milk house erected over beautiful spring at a cost of S350., hundreds of rods of ditch