Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-07-21
SAFFORD.
The Oldest Settlement in the County
 of Graham.
An Interesting Letter on Its Settlement, Resources, etc.

Stafford is one of the oldest settle ments in the county, and derived its name from Governor Stafford, It IS ID Graham county and is located on the Glsdsen Treaty Purchase, one mile south of the Gils river. It IS situated only a fev miles from the intersection of the Ssrd parallel of latitude with 33rd degree of longitude; and was the county seat until the spring ot loS5. The county seat was then removed 10 Solo knoxville, five miles distant. The near est railroad station Is Bowie, which Is forty miles south. A daily stage passes through Stafford from Bowie, elso FL. Thomas,
 The altitude IS 360O feet above the sea level. The two extremes Of the ther- mometer are l12s ID the shade and oS or I0a above zero. The average ram Tall IS F inches and the snow fall in the valley is very slight.
 Twelve miles north Is the Gils noun tain range running nearly parallel to the river. Mt. Graham, which Is the third highest peak ID the serntory, lies about seven miles west. Its height IS lO576 feet. Stafford Is in the Pueblo Viejo valley, which is thiriy-hve miles lonR, and from six to ten miles ID width. The valley is level, beng cover. ed mostly with mesquite, and can boas' of & natural curiosity m the form ot the Hot Springs, twelve miles below Ssf- ford. | The nearest Indian reservation IS SHr Carlos, fifty seven miles west, The tribes on the reservation are the 1umas Tontos and Mojsves. There are some off the reservation, and the number or is uncertain as there have been so manI removals in the last year.
 The last rad was about tgo year ago. | In minerals the surrounding noun tsins are rich, containing gold, silver copper and iron,
 Agriculture and stockraising are th' principal occupations of the people Flour and lumber are the only article manufactured.
 All crops are raised by irrigation The soil is generally fertile and often sf fer harvesting the small grain corn I planted, the same ground yielding .w' crops in one year.
 Fruits, such as apples. peaches, figs plums, pears, quinces. grapes, sprlco's and such berries ss blackberrIes, straw berries, and rsspberries are successful. raised,
 Stafford Wes fast settled by J. ( Glosby in 1874, who is also the oldes inhsbitsnt, He was born In Saratoga New York, and is sixty years of sge. H is engaged in the mercantile business.
 There are ID Stafford two stOres,
 schoolhouse, gristmill, post office an
 blacksmith shop. The dwelling house number about thirty-three, and ar constructed chiefly of adobe.
 The most common varieties Of tree are oak, pine, cottonwood, willow, me.
 quite, walnut, ash. cedar and hsckberrI There are several varlties of cactul including tree, nIght-blooming, yucca C Spanish bayonet and pTickly pear, } The domestic animals are horses, shee cattle, goats, hogs, mules and burros and among the vIld animals are beE mountain lion. coyote, wild cat, fox bel yer, and raccoon. Wild birds are nJ merous of which may be mentione linuet, two kinds of red birds, blue!s. } meadew-lsrk, qusIl, Eood-peoker. pil con, dove; owl, hawk sDd crow,
 Sucker, trout and GIls salmon sboun
 in the rIver. The reptiles horned-tOs rsttlesnske, bu!lsnske and Gila mor
 ster.
 The earthquake which visited Atiz- . ns in the Spring of 1883 vas quite SC . we're at this place, and since then hRV ' been felt several slight shocks, EMMA GROESBECK . ALICE l. HUNTER Age 16. Teacher Stafford, Graham Co.