Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1876-07-01
Artesian Wells.

Dlc prosperity III ATlZOnd-dS lnuteQ
in several other Territories-is the sue
cessful sinking of artesian wells. A
general cultivation of the soil insures
a people against suffering for want of
fOod-a prime necessi ty in human ex-
lstence; and though an agricultural
may not at all seasons find
a remunerative market for its surplus
products, it is still secure from want
and much personal STEERING and gen
orally insures the best prosperity. Fol
lowing is an interesting article on the
subject from the Wallapai Enterprise,
and what it says Of its own county
will apply with mucls force to every
county in Arizona:
are 81 o..
.AA,rtesiayl,YGni France, W. from ~
well of this nature was struck. There
are now many of these wells in vari-
Gus parts of the world, the deepest Of
which, we believe, is that at GrenOble,
in France, which has reached depth
of three thousand feet and produces Il
large amount of almost chemically
pure water. There is also a well near
Berlin, in Prussia, which has reached
depth of nearly three thousand feet,
and although water has been struck,
the work is still going on.
In California these wells have been
of great value, as they are to be found
in almost every valley in the State,
making it possible TO irrigate and con
seuuentlv to cultivate large areas of
what would otherwise be desert and
barren land.
No particular formation, as geolo
gists would say, is required, as these
wells are known to exist in places
where various formations meet. The
only absolute requisite is high land
or range of mountains at no very great
distance. In valleys surrounded by
mountains these wells are invariably
found at no very great depth, and gen
orally flow with a steady, strong force
In lands bordered on one side only by
mountains, water is generally, but no
always found, as for example, on Lo:
Angeles plain, California, bounced on
one side by the San Gabriel mountain:
and on the other by the Pacific ocean
water has been found in many place:
at very little over one hundred feet
and flowing largely and steadily.
Our Territorial legislature, shown!
/ a wisdom in this important matte
rarely shown, has literally offered t
the first person successfully sinking al
arlesian well in the Territory, five thou
sand dollars in cash if the well Is owe
five hundred feet in depth, and tire
thousand dollars should the depth b
less than five hundred feet. We hav
in this Territory many large and eN
I tensive valleys, some of them NOR
than one hundred mil. long AID irnI
ten 10 twenty miles wide, with soil
! rich as any In the world, but no wai6
on the surface. These valleys are geI
orally surrounded by lofty mountains
and one of the most extensive and ce
tainly the most adapted to farming
} the great Wallapai Valley, in this coul
: ty has no outlet. Water pOurS in lara
volumes during the rainy season, troi
the mountains which surround tn
, valley, and on reaching the foot-hll
, at the border of the valley, disappear
1 in the sand.
In the center of this Wallapai vallC
are very extensive tracts of fertile Ian
which only need artificial irrigation
l. make them as fertile as the most lu
e uriant and productive valleys IN Ca
7 fornia, and water can surely be toun
There is everything to encourage u
t one sinking for profitable investme
IS the formation of the country, u
e general surroundings, and in fact
e. erything goes to show that flowing "
ter C be had at no very great dept
J. And when arteSian water is found he
" we can all see what very great
Il vantage it will be to all of us. Wal
pai valley, which is about one hundr
miles long, and from ten to thirty VIE
would support population of at lei
at one hundred thousand. Sacrlmer
Il valley. which, like Wallapai valley.
entirely within Mohave county, /
p large areas of very fertile land,
'd we want is an energetic, go-ahead m
r TO start the first well, and soon
y. county will number more people
:, thousands than it does now in tens.