Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-11-03
TO THE RIO pECos.


west OF Colorado City the traveller secs a
vast expanse of smooth, level country, the
soil rich, red and deep, covered with heavy
coat Of imesquit aud gamma like the Pan.
HandIe 10 the north in general. This
beautiful soil is strongly impregnsted with
salt to whicl, many would doubtless object
but the grasses are luxuriani, sweet and
juicy nevertheless. The general contour Of
the route until we reach the billowy brakes
OF the Rio Pecos like the nrid rand.hills Of
the far.off Arkansas or the sterile wastes
ofwestern Kansas is the same. notonous.
Far away to the left we descry
"sIeNAL MOUNTAINS"
the distant twenty or thirty miles in How
ard county. single detached cone shaped
peak which can lie seen for many miles in
every direction and WAS quite servicible, it
Is said, TO Mr.. Lo aud Co az n signal sta
,ion and spot from which to spy OUT the
land in their bloody forays aud predatory
descents upon their fellow tribes upon the
border.
As we journey westward the soil denotes
greater sterility. In places, the soil is COW
cred with good grass and indicates great
fertility, but gradually II loses its attrac-
tions, becomes arid and vaiulcss. Finally
there is no soil, no timber, no grass, not
anything but little scrnggy species Of a
tlorny and most disagreeable bush called
"cats-claw" and the bad smelling 'grease
wood" so common in the Rocky Mountain
regions. Springs and streams of water are
lacking almost everywhere now until the
Pecos Is reached.
These fat lands-mauvaise terrcs-nre
very similar. Long, low hills or ridges
bounding long stretches of this arid land
all increase of rain fall would render this,
generally speaking, n fertile regon--nre
here tn be seen and can he accounted for
only by the action Of water. These ridges
follow the turns and sweeps of the present
streams with occasional breaks or gaps in
them and here aud there single detached
cone or penk rounded into peasing and
graceful outlines indicating clearly the nc
ton of water in their formation rather
than the npheavel or sinking down of the
surface from higher plane by volcanic
forces.
AS tnr Ms / have seen without nh excep.
tion, the streams-sonrces of the rivers of
the great Southwest, tho often fed by
springs are hui the continuation or outlets
of the innumernble canyons or "dry river'
beds, and these terminate higher up on the
mountainous highlands, the Llnno Eata.
cado. and sterile regions formerly denomi
nnted, "The Great American Desert" the
pluteanx proper of the Rocky Mountains,
the backbone of the continent.
A MIRAGE.
r., tha laval n1aina hara TINT o;nuu1 l., y
natural phenomenon, the mirage, appeared
with wonderful dislinctness. Beautiful
lakes with margins well defined and waters
like the azure sky were rippling and
cleaning in the distance, dotted here
and there with lovely isleis could be seer
rising out of their pellucid depths. Then
again, in another direction could be seen a
beautiful river glinting in the suns ray.
gracefully winding about the bases of the
low hills, flowing apparently out-over the
green grassy PLAIN stretching nway to the
horizon. Yet il was all an optical delusior
that vanished a. We approached |
''THE SAND HILLS"
Near the 103d meridian there In pecu
linr range or elevation known MS the "Sant
Hills" II crosses the Texns line it'll,
north OF The s. E. corner of New Mexico
is about five miles wide and extends south
erly to the Pecos. The outer edge of thes
"Hills" is composed so dunes of cream col
ored sand. These dunes range from so t,
800 feet in height, are almost destitute o
vegetable life. and can be seen long dis
tance over the plateau. In the center o
this belt is range of low white san,
mounds which are supposed to have bee
in some pnst geologic age, the bed OF
large stream. blackberry, willow, am
shin, or water oaks-trees of large siz
here grow here and innnmerable lagnna
of pure water are found in this belt. Goo
water can be found anywhere in the San
Hills by digging from two to eight feet.
The general sameness prevails IN thi
terra incognita until at last the valley G
the Pecos is reached. We first descend in
to wide canyon or deep valley and ar
struck with its smoothness, its splendi
grasses-the gamma in all it's glory, eigl
to ten feet in height, sufficient TO hide
man on horse back, its great fertility, wit
not a bush or n tree TO be seen anywhere
In the bluffs OF this valley, forests of ceda
very large and very tail are found. I'll,
river itself is peculiar. There is nothing /
indicate to the traveller that there ia gre,
river 800 miles long flowing through th
valley until Its very brink is reache,
Like the greater part of Texan rivers II
deep with preoipilous banks and exceeding
ly tortuous. In fact, the Pecos is said TO
the crookedest river in the world. Til
water is dark. tnrbid u mixture of sa lir
.nlphnr, lime soda ard other alkaline mil
erals, the Lord knows what, nearly inf
for drinking, washing or making stean
II rusLes n0iselessly by over a smooi
| channel nj the rate of from five 10 nj Z mil,
mn hour and varies from four totwenty fiy
feet in depth. All the valley lands of III
Pecos and its tributaries, especially I'll
Toyah, are fertile and easily irrigaie,
The Toyul nni,es near the line Of the #.
p. r. r. where il crosses the Pecos. "T,
yah" in the Mescalero Indian lnngnat
, means water yet it, the river, is not ne v,
fniling, is meagre and of n poor qnalit
and at Toynh station an arlesian we'll h;
been sunk TO secure an abundance of NJ
ture's great solvent.
A.. C. RussELLE.