Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-09-27
THE NORTHWEST.
FROM NEW MEXICO.

Something About Our Undeveloped
Possessions in the Far Wes:-1he
People, Climate, and Other Points
of Interest.
Special Correspondence.
LAS VEGAS, n. NJ, Sept 10, 1888.
Your correspondent ended hiseXplor-
ations of the Western country last sea-
son at the southern border of Colorado,
after having pretty thoroughly can
vassed the resources, characteristics.
and prospects of that State. Agreeable
to promise, have returned to the field,
and, taking up the work where | left II,
have started on tour of investigation
through the adjoining Territory o. New
Mexico. The last point of importance
in passing out of Colorado into New
Mexico, on the Atchinson, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railroad, is Trinidad, which,
though in Colorado, is essentially q
New Mexican town and supported by
Mexican trade. 1t lies just at the foot
of the mountains, and the famous Span
ish peaks are in full view. The first
settlement here was in 1861, but the
town got no start until 1866. There are
now between three and four thousand
inhabitants, large percentage of whom
are MeXicans, though the leading bus
mess men are from the States. The
trade done here is largely with sheep
growers, whose occupation is the pin
cipal industry of this region. Leaving
Trinidad the train enters the mountains,
going up the Ration Pass to The tunnel,
which is sixteen miles distant. This
tunnel is 1000 feet long, and is the gate
way to New Mexico, travelling by rail.
You are in Colo uQ when you enter it
and in New Mexico when you come out.
On both sides of the road here coal
mines in abundance are seen, from
which medium quality of btuminous
coal is delivered at eighty cents per ton
on the cars. The scenery along here is
very grand, rivaling in some places the
canon of the Arkansas and the Garden
of the Gods.
The eastern boundary line of the Ter
ritory of New Mexico is 345 miles long
and the western 800 miles. The aver
age breadth of the Territory is 335 miles
and its area 12l, POI square miles, or IT,
SOS, $40 acres. Its surface is composed
of valleys, plains, and lofty mountains.
Entering from Colorado, the Rocky
Mountains are found in two distinct
ranges; the eastern range, highest and
most rugged of the two, entends only to
the vicinity of Santa Fe; while the west
ern range, known as the Sierra Madre,
extends to the southern limit, forming
q connection with the Sierra Madre of
old Mexico. Many of the peaks of the
eastern range are above II 900 feet high
and crowned with perpetual snow. The
great inter-mountain plateaus have an
elevation of from 5000 to 5000 feet, and
the valleys, of (which the Rio Grande is
the most important are from 5000 to s.
600 feet above the sea. Nearly two
thirds of the Territory lies east of the
Sierra Madre range, and the southeast
ern portion, or "staked plains," is high,
level, and comparatively unproductive.
South of the eastern range, between the
Pecos and Rio Grande Rivers, is series
of valleys, comprising the most valuable
portion of the Territory from an agri-
cultural standpoint. The most impor-
tant river in New Mexico is the Rio
Grande del Norte, which rises in Col
Orado and flows south between the two
ranges of mountains; and the second
river in size in the Pecos, which rises in
the eastern range, within the Territory,
and, flowing south, joi MS the Rio Grande
in Taxas. To much of the geography
and topography of the Territory | have
gathered at the outset, largely from Mr..
Chas. S. Gleed's little work on the sub
ject. ~
In 1880 the TerritorN of New Mexico
contained about 1O0 000% MeXicans, 25,-
600 Indians and $4,000 Americans.
Since the Atchison Topeka q Santa
Fee road completed its connection with
the Southern Pacific the American pop
ulation has increased rapidly and very
likely it now comprises fully one-third
of the total One of the chief draw
backs to emigration is the uncertainty
concerning private land grants. The
Spanish kings and the governors of
New Mexico used to cede to their fa-
vcrites, for purposes ofcolonization and
for gain, large tracts of land now known
as private land grants. When the
United States took New Mexico by con-
quest it was agreed by the treaty signed
in 2S4S. to sustain all the property
rights. The law of Congress of August
3, 1854, extended the territorial and
civil jurisdiction over the additional
territory acquired by the treaty of 1854,
WHOASoy VhO uCttUJ VI SudiSiouPC LII
dalgo, became operative, through the
Gadsden purchase. Before perfect til
tie can be secured the grant must be
confirmed by Congress. Up to the
present time forty-siX grants in New
Mexico have been confirmed. How
many grants there are that have not
been confirmed and not presented is
not known. 1t is due to all that some
thing should be done by Congress at
once towards establishing acommission
which would have authority to exam
inc into the original papers, and having
all the powers and jurisdiction ofa Ter
ritorial court, would be able to deter
mine, with great degree of certainty,
the difference between fraudulent and
a perfect grant. 1t is an open secret in
New Mexico that large number of the
grants which have been confirmed, are
and were fraudulent in every particular.
PHoNO.