Salt River herald., 1878-12-28
NOTES ON ARIZONA.
Early History of the Territory
 Pleasant "Reminiscences.

didn't the Government let the Indians have it:" (the territory, not the buck boartD and other interrogatories of a like character The tenor of such an ejaculation would enormously elicit the conclusion that this star in our constellation of States and Territories was only painted gem-an Arizona diamond" so to speak. This conclu- sion must not be entertained. Indeed, Arizona is a marvel of beautiful study. It is to me like novel, where the good and the bad are ble-ded in a so- norous and rapturOus manner; and, like facinating chapter or lesser part of said fiction, one likes to dwell upon the delightful portions and skip the the dreary passages thereof. There are even pages of Bulwer's Last Days of Pompeii which I always skip, just asI would prefer to do Arizona witl- out her execrable blackboard.
 EARLY HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
 The tract of land purchased from the Mexican government by Mir Gads. den, under the treaty of December 30, 1853, and originally called Arizona, formed part of Sonora. It was 460 miles in length, about 130 in width, and contained 10000 square miles, or nearly 2G,O0O,O0O acres. The present Territory of Arizona embraces all that purchase, except what lies to the east of the 109th degree of longitude, and also a portion of northwestern New Mexico sufficient to constitute a sec ton ofcountry of 12O,912 square miles, or 17,3S3, ,6S0 acres.
 Uutil the last session of the 37th congress, Arizona was embraced with in and under the laws ofNew Mexico, although many efforts Lad been made for separate organization. Senator Gwin of California, offered bill in the Senate, on the 17th of December, 1851, making q separate organization, but it was defeated On the 3d of April 1869, Senator Green of Wiscon- sin made several efforts to secure what MT. Gwin failed to get, and his bill was also defeated.
 Again during the Seth Congress, en- ergctic efforts were made, and at the second session of the 37th Congress, Sth of May, 1862, the organic act un- der which inc organization has been perfected, was passed by the House of Representatives. At the third session of that Congress, the Senate, on the 20th of February, 1863, passed the. .act and lt received the approval of Presi- dent Lincoln few days after
 In March, 1863, the President made the following appointments of officers for the Territory, as provided for ,n the act, namely: Governor, John A. GurleY, of Ohio; Secretary, Richard c. Mccormick of New York; Chief Justice, John II. Goodwin of Maine; Associate Justices, Win. T. Howell of Michigan, and Jos P. Allyn Of Con- necticut; District Attorney, John ri tus of Pennsylvania; Marshal, Milton B. Duflield of California; Suprintend ent Indian affairs, Chas. D. Poston of Kentucky. These appointments were all confirmed by the Senate in extra session.
 TWO FACTS GENERALLY UNKNOWN.
 It is generally understood that Pres colt was the first Capital of Arizona .. Technically and really this is not SO. In fact, the government of the Terri tory was formally inaugurated at Nay aio Springs. 10 miles west orZuni, on the 29th day of December, 1863, and here it was that Goodwin (who had been made Governor on the death of Gurley) issued his proclamation Mccormick made a speech. and hois- ted the Stars and Stripes; Rev. H. W. Read made prayer; q salute of fiji. teen guns was fired from two anvils, and the crowd sung the Battle Cry of Freedom" Subsequently, the seat of government was erected at, or near, what is now Prescott
 Another fact not generally known is that the Prescott Miner is some months older than the town itself, hay. ing been established at the first site of Fort Whipple, g miles north of Pres colt, and again the old office of the Miner was the first building erected in Prescott And still again, the HiR- CT put up the first hrick building in the Territory. These are pleasant "reminiscences.
 THE TOPOGRAPHY or ARIZONA.
 It is estimated by those with whom l have cOnveTsed, and who, from ob servation and so forth, know what they are talking about, that three-fif. ths of the Territory is composed ol mountains, one-flfth of sandy. sterIlC deserts, and one-fflh of arabic lands This is a pretty fair estimate, al though the latter is being increased through systems of irrigation; besides at least One-tenth of the mountain ranges arc good pastoral lands, anC more than One-tenth are well timber ed. The mctaliferous region may b summed up as containing nearll 19.OOO square miles or 12, ,160, 900 acres This large area contains every dc scriptiOn of metals known to exis