Wichita eagle., 1888-07-31
'MONG MEXICAN MOUNTAINS.
Following Trail and Rail Over Mountains
and Through Canyons-Streams,
Towns and People.

! Towns ana People.
| To the Editor Of the Eagle.
| Most of the towns out here are Next
can towns and some are very old, but
the railroads are making changes. All
| Mexican towns are located on streams
where irrigation can be carried on, and
the Mexicans understand that question
as to what they can irrigate and how
much land can be irrigated by the
streams; they have found 1t out by ex-
perience.
/ suppose that people i'll Sedgwick
county who never saw mountain can
not understand how farming can be
carried on upon a mountain, yet it is
done. Sierra Armarilla, 1900 feet high,
has a fine body of land around it under
cultivation. Chama, the next town
above, 1868 feet high, is a town
and composed of railroad and lumber
men, so that there is but little farming
there.
A lot of Apache Indians came into
Chama with their horses packed down
with deer meat, but they had not pro-
tected it from the flies SO they did not
find a ready sale; they could not see any
necessity for being so particular but the
white man could.
From Chama we followed up the
Rio Grande q Denver railroad
to Cambres, 1905 feet high. At
the station there is nothing
but the railroad building, water tank,
etc. We came to Los Pinos Point where
there is some wonderful engineering.
The point stands out very prominently
and Is 1867 feet above the sea. We stood
about 20 yards from the train as it went
north down canon; it then turns a
short curve and begins the ascent of the
Los PlnOS. 1t seems to work its way as
if it understood its business; some of the
time through snow sheds, until it finally
emerges from a shed, makes turn
around the point and goes sailing to-
wards the east. We have been watch
ing the train; saw it go by us, go around
the curve and come out hundreds of feet
above US. yet it is no farther from us ex-
cept in altitude. 1t would make grand
picture with the train rounding the
point like ching OF life, but there are
no hotels for the artist to stop at, so we
shall not get it.
We next went to Osier, 1851 feet high:
1t is railroad station with but few peo-
pie. There is signal station there.
Our next town was Coneios, on the
river Coneios This is another old
Mexican town in Colorado; but it was
town long before Colorado was
dreamed Of as a state. There are
quite a number of white people
in the town but principally Mexicans.
They have plaza an Old church and
Catholic institution of some kind did
not enquire what it ,was-one grocery
store and four saloons, all run by white
men. The town on the whole has rather
delapidated appearance, but outside of
the town everything looks finely, for
they have plenty of water and Mexicans
as rule are good farmers. There We're
some large fields of wheat. looking clean
and nice, as they pull up all the weeds
it adds TO its good appearance if not to
its yield; the women and girls pull the
weeds.
We left Coneios for Alamosa, thirty
miles north, following the railroad. The
road is straight as a line with little up
grade all the way. About fifteen miles |
from Conejos is the town of La lara |
The old town is back from the railroad !
and is like all Mexican towns. irrigating |
adobe houses, goats, dogs and I
Mexican babies; the new part near the |
railroad has been built on the high /
pressure system, very cheap buildings |
and plenty of empty ones. / saw the !
sign, Board of Trade, Turf Exchange, |
and few more high sounding titles but |
l found they were saloons, OF which |
they were well supplied.
We found Alamosa, 1886 feet high, TO /
be quite nice town of about LOO in
with good streets and some
fine buildings. For town of that size
it has the finest place for watering stock
| have seen in any western town, and
altogether it is fine town. There Is a
fine system of irrigating bitches south
and west of the town. large amount
Of land has been brought under cultiva-
tiou, but was told that the Rio Grande
did not afford water this year, SO the
crops would be nearly failure.
We next went due east from Alan1osa
TO Old Fort Garland, 1895 feet high.
Farming is carried on to perfection on
Trinehera creek. which affords plenty of
water for irrigation. There Is little about
the town that has any military signs
about it except plaza and flagstaff,
they had two with flag flying
from one of them. The old fort is de-
TO make room for improvements
which are going on.
Next we went to Placer, S,4lo feet
nigh 1t is strictly a railroad town Of
;eventy-five inhabitants: no farming
here; but you must pay toll before going
my farther. as we were at the entrance
IF Veta Pass.
After leaving Placer We follow the
abroad and the mountains seems
o draw nearer together and TO
We sleeper, leaving room for
he railroad ana trail and stream of
water that is cold and nice as water can
'e we caught some trout from it, AS
We so up the canyon grows sleeper and
n the south the mountains are higher
md wilder At times the railroad trains
ave struggle. with fhree engines at
ached, to xet up the grade. Some nHaas