Smyrna times., 1879-04-02
Arizona.

The following is private letter received
by Mrs. II. P, Massey from brother who is
employed by the Government as a surveyor
in Arizona Territory.
You will doubtless besurprised to re -eive
letter from me away out here in the land
of the old Aztecs, yet such is the fact.
Here am and have been for some months.
| had always desire to travel over this
country. Last April l pulled up stakes in
Texas and started across the country, and
had quite journey. We were eighty or
ninety days travelling, yet we took it
leisurey, looking at the country, hunting,
&C., and travelled nearly eighteen hun.
dred miles. We crossed what used to be
on the atlas at school the "Great American
Desert" 1t isn't there now, yet there are
| some places that are desert enough-spaccs
of 10 and so miles without water being
quite common.
This is a new yet an old country People
| civilized have lived and died here thousands
of years ago, and finally have been swept
| from the country, but where to or by what
| agency no one has yet been able to dis
! cover. Ruins of buildings are quite COM
mon that once must have stood four or five
stories high. lrrigating canals from ten to
thirty miles in length (some as wide as
thirty feet can be seen plainly to-day.
The climate here is almost tropical. !
have not seen any ice this winter thicker
| than a knife blade, and that early in the
morning. Now ut my writing the "cotton"
woods are in full leaf, and you hear some
complaining of the heat. There is scarcely
any rain tall--not more than once or twice
a year. Everything that is raised is done
by irrigation and almost anything will grow
in this manner. They raise very good
wheat and barley which is the principal
| products, but when it comes to paying from
| fifteen to twenty cts. TO- for such articles a.
beans. onions, potatoes, &C., know they
do not do we'll where there is only partly
settled country to supply. There is one
thing | must say for Arizona, it grows the
| largest cactus that l ever yet have struck
| wish you had couple Of the species
know as the "sword or giant" l have
seen them fifty feet high, standing like a
huge cucumber with the small end down
and the flesh about as soft, except in the
centre, where it is as hard as wood. CUES;
the old Ancients beat anything yet in the
manufacture of crockery-ware. The whole
country is covered with fragrants of it and
what they wanted with so much am at
loss to imagine.
Mining is also carried on here, but have
come to the conclusion that when a mar
owns silver mine he is pretty bad off.
don't know of but one or two in the Territory
that are paying their workmen let alone
dividends. | don't think the country vii
hold me long. think l shall skip back tt
Texas again, but in different part from
where | was last. My health was misera6l,
there, having had the chils and fever fo
nearly year in succession. l have no
been troubled with them since came here
don't think shall 60 back before mex
spring.
Now have told you about all know
about Arizona. Not. to be sure, there
much to know any where. The world AM
the peoples are all about the esame-all human
and above all desperately selfish.
c. i. P.
PHENIx, March %, 1879.