The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-04-20
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Coffospondohoo NJ fhe Herald
ToiGaosA. bona Aaa County, New Mos
ico. April 5ih 1851 llolng IN ibis distant /
rnft II Unco's Sans domnlons, and find
ing much 10 interest me, I thought II moro
than probable YOUR readers would like to
know something Of This at present little
known section NJ country now. Just begin
ing TO attract attention through its mining
Interests,
This place Is about 40 miles northcas;
Of vi Paso, and 70 miles east OF Las cruces,
In tins county, on the Atchison, Topeka,
n Santa Fc railroad. II Is abont 333
two degrees north latitude, with climate
always mild in winter and never very not
in summer. 1t is q Mexican town OF 400
or 800 Inhabitants, only ten or twelve.
Of whom are Americans, and OF
course the Language, customs, habits
and peculiarities of thepeople are all es.
traversed by innumerable acquias,
small bitches, fed by melted snow
\ from the mountains and which bitches are
skillfully used to irrigate all the land cul,
tiyated in the vicinity. The fruits raised
here are apples peaches, pears, apricots,
| figs, grapes melons, ETC., there being some
as pretty little orchards as one would wish
|
| make good crop. Wheat corn, barley,
pumpkins, potatoes and vegetables of va
rious kinds are raised here and in the
canyons above here successfully. The val
ley adapted to cultivation on this side of
the Sacramento mountains | presume Is
ten or twelve miles long by ten or
twelve wide. Whether the supply
of water is sufficient 'or this quaint
ity of land l do not know, but
it is conceded that more intelligent
system OF water management would enable
the people to cultivate much more OF the
soil than is at present used.
To one of your readers who has never
seen Mexican town it will no doubt, APP
pear very strange to be told how they live.
friioes, native beans, with bread of second
or third class flour, constitute. their ordi,
nary diet. Or course they use quantities OF
red pepper, an article of food so common
with them that no meal is complete with
out it. The house is of adobe, sun-dried
clay made into square pieces from two TO
three feet long, eight inches thick anu
t.eIye inches wide. Their houses
are all one.story, about fifteen to- twenty
feet high, flat-rooied, covered with
dirt. The interior is very squat, dirty ana
| uniuviting, but many of them plaster and
white-wash the inside and put In windows
and doors, and they make very comfort
|
| for comfort far excels the board houses OF
| Texas. In the house you will find perhaps
a short bench rarely u chair, and when the
women sit down it is upon the dirt floor,
as this is the only kind used Sometimes
there is bedstead in the room, and II SO
the men of the household sit on that and
| give thoir visitors the bench. Immediately
thew all begin folding their cigarettes, wo-
men and men, and then the women, as
with us, show how handy they are with
their tongues. Two of them will talk at
once in such a slulce OF
bad Spanish as would make LIE
Sage ashamed of himself, or drive Don
Quixote, in fit of desperation, to another
| tilt with the wind mills They are always
polite, pleased to have an American visit
Them, and show you all their possessions.
In the yard, about the first thing that strikes
your attention, is a sow chained to peach
tree, and perhaps three or four hens, II IN
early spring, staked out like mustang
ponies in Texas. Numerous holes in the
ground from which they have made adobes,
somes scattering, Dyes (earthen Jors) TWO or
three dogs, and the usual quantum OF dirty
children, complete the backward
picture They don't set very high
| value on their word, and if Regulus had been
Mexican instead of Roman, the fine ex.
ample of preferring death, to breach OF
| plirhted faith would never have illustrated
one carefully and fully as you may, and ten
chances to one when you come to settle,
the don understands it altogether different
I from what you do. You say, well, l won t
settle apy other way than that agreed
upon-you may take that or nothinH%
| "Bueno," says the Mexican, and alter
good deal of disputing he comes to terms.
This is about the center of the mining
district from White Oaks, sixty miles
north, to the Organ and Heria mountains,
| sixty miles south. On the east OF town, at
distance of twenty-five or thirty miles, IS
the Sacramento range, rising in some places
1 to an altitude of IL, 800 feet, and being at
this time draped in snow. The natives say
the snow never melts till about the middle
of July. This range of mountains contains
a great deal of silver, copper, ETC., though.
! in consequence of the vicinity OF Indians
there being about 400 on the reservation,
| twelve to twenty miles from here,) there
| has been comparatively little prospecting
M TO this time. There is one copper NINE,
| however, within ten miles of here which
has been bonded for $4,000. In hismount-
ain range, in the canyons and gorges, are
also magnificent groves of pine TIMBER, The
trees growing $50 to 200 ieet high. This
timber being all there is for a stretch OF
many hundred miles in any direction, in
the no distant future will be very valuable.
But by far the greatest curiosity in this
country the immense deposit of gypsum,
almost in pure state, only fifteen. miles
west of here, which extends sixty miles in
| length by twenty-five or thirty in width,
| the hills averaging in height twenty-five or
thirty feet. 1t makes q splendid white
wash and when baked makes a very super
ior article of cement. Think of the inn
mense wealth, now, idle, which the car OF
progress will in a few years reach and con-
/ vey 10 the markets Of the world for the ben
| eht of mankind IL the hranco-Iexas
company can afford 10 put up and work ex-
pensive machinery at Sweetwater to reduce
the crude gypsum around that place, how
much more valuable is this which is al
ready refined by nature, and ready to be
used by the plastic hand Of commerce in
any OF its acquired departments.
Yours truly