Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-03-09
ARIZONA DEPENDED.
Judge D. H. Pinney, of Chicago, Tells Eastern People What He Knows
 About Us.
FD1rop Cu1cAco Tp1p1-NE-N

EDITOR CHICAGO TRIBUNE :-Your correspondent in to-day's Tribune from Phenix, Ariz., has done that country (unintentionally, I hope) a great injustice. A stranger to that country to read what your correspo1i- dent has to say would naturally come to the conclusion that the "Suwaya," the "cactus," and the "Pima and Papa go Indians" were about all that Ari- zona was made up of Evidently this is the first trip of your correspondent into a mountainous country, and he selects the odd and, to him, the new and peculiar sights which meet the eye, and, putting this into the shape of a letter, sending it along. should not notice this, except for the fact that many people i'll the East have an idea, gathered from such correspon- dence as this, that Arizona is simply the home of the cactus, the blood thirsty Indian, the cowboy and the despeIad).
 It is doubtful if any portion of this country is so little known and at the same time 80 much slandered and mis- represented as Arizona. If some "smart Alec" wants to get off some fool or ridiculous yarn or story he all most always locates 1t as happening at some out of the way place ill Arizona. The people passing through the Ter ritory on the cars who have been used to seeing the farming country of the East see only the great mountains and valleys and wonder how the people live. And having seen in advance some one or more of the fool writings of the story-teller pass on as quickly as the cars will carry them through to California and the Pacific, little dream ing that they are passing the best op- portunity for finding cheap and de- sirable farming and fruit lands that can be offered them, and thus 1t is left for the Californian to unload his property to the Eastern man, while the farming and fruit valley lands of Arizona are to-day being mostly taken by people from California, who, know ing their worth, hasten to avail them selver of the opening that exists there. 1 It must be rememL cred that Arizona is a large Territory-nearly three times the size of Illinois. If it were at all inhabited it would be immense. What is needed there is water. If the gener- al government could-as they must in time-take hold of the work and sink artesian wells at proper intervals so water in sufficient quantity can be had, it will make all those valleys which now only grow wild grass and the cactus the best fruit lands in the world. As it is, the valleys. that. are I capable of being watered are sufficient ill quality and quantity to supportRa a large population. The Salt river valley is situated in Maricopa county, I Phenix being the county town. Not less than $S00,0O0 has been expended by capitalists in building irrigating canals. The valley is about fifty miles in length and from ten to fifteen miles wide, giving an area of about 100000 acres. The surface is almost as level as house floor The valley is but sparsely settled as yet. There is nc valley in the state of California that surpasses it, and parties who are seek ing mild climate for home and de I sire fruit ranch cannot do better than to locate here. The products of the soil arc wheat, oats, barley, rye alfalfa, etc, of the cereals and grasses, while fruits of most every variety are grown there. Figs, grapes of all kinds pears, peaches, plums, apricots, necta- rines, almonds, apples-in fact, all varieties that are grown on the Pacific coast are to be found there, and acres upon acres are to be found ready fol the hand of labor to cultivate and till This valley is one among others in the Territory, but this is the largest one Phenix Is a beautiful city of 5000 in. habitants, with a society and people second to none, and what is true o the people of that city is true of the other towns of the Territory. Of course it has bad characters-and so has Chicago and other localilies-but they are punished and controlled there as as well as in any other part of the country.
 have made this article longer thar l intended, but having spent four years in Arizona and having had to trave much over the Territory, with home at that beautiful place-Phenix-] know the country and its people, ant while l have property there now still have not now and never had any de sire to boom the country or extol tho good people who live there. Bu knowing the struggle those people have made to build up and properly advertise the country, and knowing the disposition of the Tribune to give all parties justice and fair hearing I could not resist the temptation t( correct the impression which must bt made by your Phenix correspondent
 D. H. PINNEY.
 C,1ro.co Tob 1H 1eQO