The Phoenix herald., 1879-07-23
PLANCHA DE PLATA. Translated Expressly for The Phoenix Herald. The Indians Subdued by General
 Crook of Arizona.
Situation of the Mines
 How to Reach Them.

The hostile Indians having been
 by the combined forces of General
 Crook, of Arizona, and those of Mex
 ico subjugated and removed to dis
 tant reservations, he did not have
 much difficulty in finding the places
 from whence had been taken the
 large masses of silver, and under
 his pro lection many prospectors and
 miners worked the old mines and dis
 covered new ones. The district pros
 pccted extended only two miles
 They did not find any placers of sil-
 yer but found many lodges of chlor-
 idle of silver, which few feet from
 the surface became wider and appear
 cd to contain silver in large Quanti-
 ties but they did not find any native
 silver. It must be borne in mind that this expedition was not prepared
 for work of any kind, their only ob-
 ject was to find pure silver or placer mines. So i'll a few months they abandoned the district. There re mained but one man who continued working some months, sinking a shaft in q ledge which he named La Alezia," to a depth of 45 varas. He reduced the ore 50 obtained in very imperfect manner by means of arastras, in order to defray his cX penses, but having gone to this depth and not finding native silver as he expected he also left. Some prospectors arrived there last sum- mer put up some arastras and com menced working the earth which had been eXcavated from Las Oji- taS," in the search after native silver One by one others also came. Two or three months since small party of Americans arrived who are slow ly discovering the lodges opened by General Serna. Such in brief is the history of Las Planchas" as taken from the archives and as related by those who took part in the more re- cent expeditions.
 SITUATION.
 ''Las Planchas de Plata" are situ- ated in the Arizona Range of moun- tains, a range of mountains com near the frontier of the United States and Mexico longitude III. That part of the range extend ing into Mexico contains two bran ches of the Magdalena River, a river of some importance whose source is in this range and which runs south east towards the Gulf of Corte z. In the northern part of this range there are two branches of the Santa Cruz River which flows northwest until it joins tho Gila River and 0n it's banks we find the old pueblo of Santa Cruz and the town of Tucson. Las Planchas" are situated to the east of the ridge which divides the two principal branches of the Mag dalena six or eight miles from the line, four or five miles to the east of 'Agua Caliente," seventy-fve miles north of Magdalcna, Sonora, seventy miles northeast ot Altar and twenty-five miles southeast of "Oro Blanco" (on the American side of the same range) 101$ miles to the southeast we find "Agua Sarca" a village on the main road from Tue | son to Magdalena. From this point | is probably at present the road of 1 the district. From Tucson | to Auga Sarca by wagon road is eighty miles, from Magdalena it is forty-five miles. The roads from | these points are excellent. From | Agua Sarca." Elevation 2,S00 feet,) | -herc is trail a little rough, leaving he main road and passing through l fine valley course north 54o west six and a half miles from here he course to Las PlanchaS' Is nearly west, the distance being ,bout three miles. The trail never ,heless is somewhat winding al hough of q good grade for teams ID to the summit where the cleva- ion is 4,55O feet, from there two niles down the valley we find the amp called bT the earlier discover ITS. Las Planchas." This descent $ little steep in places but pas able in it's present state for all kinds if teams. In 1871 they took large i pads in Las Planchas' by this road nd although each train had to dis oin, light wagon and two horses