The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-03-18
ARIZONA.
Tucson and Yuma--rhe Extremes of Terri
ory--Enchanting Mirages, and
Glorious Sunsets.

and miners" Everybody has mine IN winch
"there Is millions" 10 GET, and everybody is
going 10 strike it rich" especially the "Tcn
derfoot" who goes there with great expecta
tons, few of which are ever realized. But the
stories told about the discoveries Of some Of
the richest leads are to say the least, interest
ing, and shows how the tickle goddess For
tune distributes her smiles" Not long age
there Were q couple Of men arrived in one OF
the mining districts completely busted; they
hadn't "a nickle or biscuit. They wandered
around the mines and camps, and managed &c
spcNre an occasional social neal but, as Bret
| IIar,c would put it, they were far, far from
gay One day they started out on a prospect
my tour feeling rather blue They made theil
way up INTO the Apache Range, and as they
were about to give up they stumbled onto
lead or nine OF almost pure silver, eight to
eighteen inches thick In less than week
they were rolling IN wealth. and now are
mlllionaires.
But until within u very few years Arizona
was mysterious realm, about which the mos,
extravagant stories were and are being told
Spanish missionaries nearly three hundred
years ago made their way from Mexico into
this then unknown region, and we're surprised
at the boundess wealth discovered beneath
the rocks, and also in discovering evidences OF
former efforts TO work these mines. They saw
enough to convince them that the country was
rich in the precious ores. And scientific ex.
ploratlons have shown this region to be pos.
sessed of a wealth of minerals far beyond the
most sanguine expectations, and more than
even the most extravagant fancies of the early
Spaniards could have dreamed Of! But as
am not financially interested, must forbear,
and pass on to other subjects.
Taking the night train, | saw but little OF
Arizona from here west, and early in the
morning we were pulling into
YUMA.
yuma SAID an old soldier, after the con.
|ductor called the name of the next statlUn,
Yuma; then we are near the Colorado river,
close down near the Gulf of California, where
nothing lives, nor grows, nor flies, nor runs.
where the thermometer gets away up to 1873 IN
the shade, and often beats that by several
points. 1t walks right oyer the top and down
the back of the machine in August" Then
1t must be red-hot," remarked. "Well, you
bai Hotter than-well, perhaps you heard of
that place. | was stationed there once-in
Yuma-some six or eight years ago, long be-
fore railroad struck the town. We hadn't
been there but few weeks when two of our
|corporals took sick and died Their moral
character was not the best on record, and reli.
gion--thcy had none; SO when they passed in
their chips, where do you suppose they went
to-" hadn't the slightest idea. and could
not imagine. WE'LL" said he, "I'll tell you
they both went straight to-those regions that
Milton, Dante and others picture to us as be.
ing so internally hot and ali but Beecher and
Bob Ingersoll believe! But they didn't re
main long down below. Inside of forty.eight
hours they were back and about ~ o'clock
one night the hospital steward awoke from a
rosy dream, and there at his bedside stood the
two corporals. What do you wants' says he,
gruffiy. You know them hospital stewards
always get out of temper at a soldier ever
wanting anything. And repeating his inter.
rogation of asking them what they wanted,
added that he supposed they had gone to
warmer cline. They replied that he was
rlght-ther post was down there, and they
were going back, as they had but a short leave
OF absence, but wanted their blankets to take
back with them" As he finished the train
stopped ana we were in Yuma, whose lay 10
said to be about 300 feet below the level OF the
sea, surrounded by sand hills and sand beds.
All there Is Of Yuma can be told IN a very
few words. 1t stands on the Colorado river,
ninety miles from its mouth, 10 the Gulf of
California Old Yuma Is in Arizona, but Fort
Yuma, on the opposite bank, is in California,
situated on n high bluff, which overlooks the
river and the surrounding country. 1t was es.
tablishod rs n mission in 1900, but afterwards
a fort had no particular history of importance
to any one outside Its own domain. The town
is, strictly speaking, Mexican, and savors OF
all the primitive characteristics Of all Mexican
towns. 1t stands IN the midst of sandy des.
ert, on the banks of the river, and Is composed
of mud rooted adebes without floors, a few one
story buildings OF foreign style, some of which
are whitewashed and present clean appear.
ance, while others are the very embodiment OF
the filth of the greaser. There are few gen
uine Spanish houses to be seen, built in quad.
rangular form, with garden plats In the cen.
ter. With the depot and railroad buildings, a
church and sisters school, is all there Is of
Yuma. The fort stands on an eminence on
the opposite side, in California, and is reached
by a bridge that spans the Colorado at this
point The tort is merely entertainments OF
sand thrown inside which Il n kind of a