St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-24
The Wonders to be Seen Be-
tween Kansas City and
the Rio Bravo.
Western Progress Rapidly
Crowding Out the Indo- t.
lence Of Mexico.
The Mesilla Valley and Its
Chances for the Grower
Of Fruit.

Las Vegas Hot Springs, your CORE
spondent found himself engaged with
custom house official at Ell Paso del
Norte.
In making a long railroad trip like
the one mentioned, which took four
days and nights, it is remarkable how
we'll acquainted the occupants OF the
through sleeper become. and really
the journey is very similar to an ocean
voyage, where one soon becomes as
we'll known to his travelling compan-
ions as to his old neighbors. Ours was
not less congenial or less typical than
other parties of the same nature, and
contained, among others, an interesting
family of Californians. en- route home
Europe, and an enterprising young man
from the East, who had spent several
years in New Mexico, formerly. and
was now returning for the girl he had
left behind him. The strictly business
man from Boston was there, who
only came out Seml-annually
to supply the Western merchants
with shoes and wished it known that he
did not hate himself bad enough to live
in that wild and uncultured county,
whilst Immediately across the aisle sat
a splendid specimen OF the shreWd jew
iSh merchant of Arizona, who was re-
turning home from the East, whittier
he had been to purchase his winters
supply of merchandise, and who caused
a smile by assuring the young Boston,
ian, in very serious way, that the
West was a good place to live in: that
one man was as good as another, and
that if he would come out there and live
a while, he would be as we'll thought
of as anybody. ''in fact" continued the
merchant more assuringly.f'you would
pc ShuSt as gOOt as me Ill no time.
Judge Beckwith, the eminent Chicago
jurist, and other members OF the Max
we'll grant syndicate occupied berths
in our sleeper. They were OH their way
to New Mexico to let the contract for an
immense irrigating canal, with which
they propose to tap the Rio Grande,
and thus carry water for agricultural
purposes hundreds of miles across their
huge land grant. And they, with other
members Of our party. were impressed
with the fact, after we reached Kansas,
that prohibition in St. Johns state does
prohibit, and it was necessary to
travel 400 miles through Kansas and
across the Colorado state line before
the syndicate could ''irrigate."
There were also two stOckmen along,
who were bemoaning the low state OF
the beef market and were much dis
couraged because they had only re-
ceived sl4 per head for four-year-old
steers in Kansas City. Well they may
be, for the same cattle three years ago
were worth $50 to $50 per head, which
indicates very clearly the condition OF
the cattle industry in the South
we t. Leaving the orchards, and we'll
cultivated farms of Eastern Kansas and
the cattle ranches of the western por-
ton of the state behind us. we passed
hurriedly across the southeast corner OF
Colorado, through the prosperous and
ambitious young city of Trinidad, over
the Rocky mountains through the cele-
DRAFTED Ration pass, and into and entirely
across New Mexico. Travellers who can
only admire antiquity and who insist
on having all objects of interest covered
with moss centuries old, will naturally
be disappointed in our new Western
states and territories, and had better
spend their money in looking up old ca
thedrals and castles in Italy or on the
Nile. Though our West has no tradi-
tons with which to regale the tourist
and no past, she presents. as if in COM
pensatlOn, the most wonderful pictures
of human progress to the Ohservant
traveller ever witnessed. You will see
such marked and wonderful strides in
the development and building up Of
country nowhere else on the
globe. Such civilization and rapid
development are only possible with
Americans of the nineteenth cen-
tury. We are. as nation, great travel
ers. but the large majority OF our clti-
ZenS have inadequate conception OF the
magnitude or extent of our great repub-
lie. About six years ago the writer
travelled this same section of the South
west as a commercial tourist and can
therefore speak knowingly of the
progress made. 1t really seems
had touched the bounteous earth
with his magic wand. and thus
without any apparent effort brought
forth thriving towns and pOpulOuS
cities where six years ago the cattle
grazed in undisturhed quietude. The
writer does not mean to intimate that a
Western traveller will have nothing but
progress" to feast his eyes upon. On
the contrary, the grandeur of the mount
ain scenery. the wide and boundleSs
eXpanse of the plains, which continually
remind one of the sea. the eternal brill
lance of the sun in the high attitudes,
the deceptiveness of the great dis
tances which lose the vision in blue
ether fifty miles away, are suffice thy
novel 10 amuse and entertain the TOUR
list OF the invalid on his journey after
pleasure or health.
The antiquarian, or chestnut hunter,
finds his first satisfaction in New Mex
1,
prOpriately named territory, since there
antedate the landing of the Puritan
fathers. and the capital, Santa Fe, is
the oldest city in North America-the
Biographies to the contrary notwith-
standing. If you don't believe 1t, go
there and be convinced. for Santa Fe has
the papers on st. Augustine and the
other old timers. After brief stop of
four days. at Las Vegas hot springs,
which is delightful resting place for
any one crossing the continent, your
correspondent came on south through
the lava beds and canons of the Coronel
mountains to the quaint and pictur-
esoue city of Santa Fe. Almost all the
towns OF New Mexico have double eX-
istence. You will find the original
adobe village not much larger than it
two hundred years ago, whilst near by.
probably only across the railroad
track. will be the new and prosperous
American town, with all the modern
ideas fully developed, the one growing
and enterprising, the other contentedly
sleeping and seemingly not in the least
Jealous of the new conner. Las Vegas
and Ell Paso are good illustrations.
About the same contrast exists between
the adobe villages and the new Ameri-
can towns as between our own Mendoza
and st. Paul.
At Santa Fe, however, you will find
the most homogeneous mixture of so
ciety in any city which the star
spangled bannerfloats over. The town
is ours, but we don't govern it, for with
the exception. f the appointments made