The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-05-24
New Mexico.

new MEXICO
This territory has curious and won
derful history, and the trip presented a
constant series of agreeable surprises.
We are indebted to pointers on the
Southwest" issued by the Santa Fe
company, for many of the facts stated
in this article. This little pamphlet
proved invaluable to the excursionists.
New Mexico is the newest and at the
same time the oldest portion of our
country. Ne portion of the republics
wide domain possesses so much of in
terest to the antiquarian, or even the
general reader; bpt the ends aimed at
here are the practical aPd commercial
rsther than the literary and scientitic,
and only few words may be said about
the conquest by the Spaniards, what
they found and what remains there OF
the civilization upon which they made
war. Nearly a century previous 20 the
landing of the May Flower at Plymouth
Rock, Cabeza de Vaca and three COM
panions, stranded on the western shore
of the Gulf Of Mexico, set out on a tour
of exploration to the northwest through
what is now New Mexico. This expe-
dition was made in l5$0-36. 1t was fol-
lowed by several Others. INDUCED by the
reports of great cities aud VGst deposits
of silver and gold in the north. Santa
Fe, Zuni and other towns still in exIs-
tence were visited and found to contain
permanent, populous settlements Of civ
illzed people, who had evidently at
tanned that estate several centuries be-
fore the discovery of America by Column
bus The settlement of Santa Fe by
the SpSniGrds took place IN 1583-just
800 years ago. The SpanIsrds endeav-
ored, with varying success, 70 hold pos
session of the country known as New
Mexico, but frequent revolutions, re.
sulting twice in their expulsion, fol-
lowed. The people over whom the
Spaniards eventually got the mastery,
were the Pueblo Indians. whose simple
habits and ancient customs form such q
quaint feature of the picture of New
Mexico life to-day. All oyer the great
territory are the ruins of their cities and
temples.
Average breadth from north to south
is $50 miles. from east to west $40; the
surface is made up of mountains, table
lands and valleys; the table lands in
clude about two thirds of the entire area
of I2l 200 square miles; population of
the territ Try is about 10000. The prin-
clpal rivers are the Rio Grande, which
rises in Colorado and flows through the
middle of the territory from north to
south, the Pecos, which rises northeast
of Santa Fe and flows east of south
through the eastern bali, and the Cana
dian, with its numerous tributaries
which waters the millions of acres Of
grazing land in the northeast.
The climate OF New Mexico is not ex-
celled in America. The atmosphere is
everywhere dry aud pure. At Santa Fe
seven thousand feet above the level OF
the sea. the summers are very pleasant
though the mereury sometimes registers
as high as ninety Ave degrees. In win
| SOA ~ SOANOA kCNo ~ 1OAOs 0uu CScs EHeS1
the cold is not felt unpleasantly. Min.
ing. stock raising and agriculture are
the chief sources of New Mexico's
wealth. Gold, silver, copper, coal, iron
and lead are Ahundsnt, while mica, salt,
gypsum, soda lime, kaOlin. cament, sui.
phuF. plumbego, mineral paints, granite
and building stones are found in consid-
cradle quantities. Turquoise, garnets
moss agHtes and emerslds are also
found. Three hundred years ago the
SpanisTds took out great quantities OF
gold. silver and copper.
The gold ana silver product for 1882
was 81. 667 600. Of which nearly one.
third was produced in six months by
tie fHMQEs Sierra Grande properties OF
Lake Valley. The New Mexico display
of ores at the Beaver Mining Exposi-
tlon last year eclipsed ~ other exhibits
and clearly demonstrated that all that is
necessary to place this territory ia the
front rank as bullion producing coun.
try, is the development of her vast min.
eral resources. Coal has been found
nearly all over the territory, but the
most productive at present are the Raton,
Los Gerillos and San Pedro mines On
the A., F, & 8 p. rslIroaa, snd the Gal
lup and Defiance mines on the Ailsntic
& Pacific railroad. Timber abounds in