The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-11-29
the long haul through q comparatively un.
settled country and the lack Of return
MINHRA1 WRAlrn oP ARIZONA.

be known OF her mineral resources. Ari.
zona Is o big country but very, very thinly
settled indeed. With ia. 1000 square miles
Of territory she only had 40. 900 inhabitants
In 1880, or scarcely more than one.third oil
one person to each square mile. And yet
the great traveller and scientist Humboldt
declared in his day that "the wealth OF the
world will be found in Arizona and New
Mexico" II is claimed that recent deyel.
opments seem to be tending toward the
confirmation Of his opinion. There was
found in Arizons, when It was a part OF
Mexico, the largest nugget OF silver ever
discovered anywhere, lump weighing
2,T00 pounds, and It is now the fourth in
rank Of the precious metal States and terri
tories, in the order Of Colorado, California
and Nevada. Now that two lines, OF rail-
road at least cross her territory from east
to west, supplemented by some local lines,
It Is expected that very important mining
developments will take place. The second
line to cross her territory Is the newly COM
pleted Atlantic & Pacific road, starting at
Albuquerque, in this territory, and going
through to Mahave, California.
Speaking of this road leads me TO refer
TO my very pleasant stop over at Albuquer.
que, where met with two former Wheel
ing boys who are prosperously and promi.
nently engaged in business there viz
Mr.. Alb Wilson, who Is caahier OF the new
A. & P. railroad, and his brother, W. X.
P. Wilson, who Is cashier Of the Centra!
Bank. To these old acquaintance am
indeed much indebted for good time In
the way Of sight seeing in and around the
wide awake and fast growing little. city in
which they have found such pleasant and
profitable positions. One Of our excursions
was to the Indian village Of Laguna, 90
miles from Albuquerque, on the A. & T.
road. This Is an ancient pueblo OF tho
Pueblo tribe, dating back no one knows
how many hundred years, but tradition
says to the era Of the early AZ
tees, whose descendants they claim to be
ANCIENT LANDMARKS.
As showing how very ancient they may
be, 1 will note single circumstance con.
nected with my visit: The pueblo, or val
ley, is built on stone ledge, or lava beds,
and on the eastern edge OF the lava beds is
a spring, to which the village Indians go
for water, which they carry in pottery urns
on their heads. The path they tread over
the rocks Ia worn from three to i've inches
in depth in the solid rock; and the path
was thus worn by bareiooted children
and adults, or by feet encased in soft moe
casins. How leng do you think 1t took
their feet 10 wear path Of this depth In
solid rock? Your readers who have been
to Washington CITY, and have passed up
the steps leading TO the Old Capitol, that
have been there since the days of .Jeffer-
sons administration, on which millions
upon millions Of feet have trod-and not
bare feet or moccasined feet, either,
but feet encased in heavy leather.
with nails on the bottom-know how
little worn those steps are considering the
friction to which they have been subjected
for eighty years. Judge then how far
back must be the time when the feet Of
the Indians at Lsguna Pueblo began to
tread this pathway 10 their spring. The
old Indians among them have traditions Of
the Pueblo that have come down to them
from time immemorial. More THAI this,
the first Spanish invaders, away back in
1910, found these pueb!os in tue Valley OF
the Rio Grande above and below Albu-
queIque. was in an adobe house in
Santa Fe, In which a Mexican family still
live, which the spaniard Coronado noted
In his chronicles Of 1910.
You must know that am now writing
from prehistoric region, close to the 10
cali,y on the Pscos river which tradition
says was the birth place Of Montezlma,
the great prophet, priest and king OF the
Aztecs. He was the Messiah Of the ances-
tors OF these Pueblos, aud 1t Is said. that
sacred fires are still kept burning in the re.
cesses OF the mountains in expectation Of
his second advent, as he commanded when
he went away 10 the far interior to found q
great capitol where the City Of Mexico
now stands.
There is 80 much that could write on
this subject, for this country is full oil ira.
dition, that must defer further account Of
my contact with 1t until another letter.
A. ". c.