Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-07-12
VISITING THE WALES,

10 the Editor OF the New Mexican.
SANTA FE, July u, '90.-According tc
promise | give you brief account of my
recent excursion into the "vales" of the
Jemez mountains.
We set out from Santa Fe in Mr.. Reas
er's two-horse large delivery wagon
drawn by two strong mules. We were
determined to take the wagon over the
mountains if the pass could be made with
out too much delay and too much sacri-
fee of the comfort of the more delicate
members OF the party; but we had made
arrangements for transportation by burros
should the other method prove imprac-
ticable.
We went slowly and by short journeys.
The first camp was just beyond Pojoaque !;
the second under large cottonwood on
this side of the Rio Grande opposite
Espanola. From the Santa Clara In
dians we procured nine burros at Is cents
a day for each. The next camp was
mile above the old saw mill on the Santa
Clara creek. Beyond this lie the only
serious obstacles to travel by wagon. A
rough trail on the steep declivity of the
mountain presents such difficulties that
nearly every one who has ridden over
it without carefully scrutinizing the
surroundings is ready to deny
the possibility of making
wagon road through the canon without
great expenditure of labor and money.
The impression is erroneous. A good
road can be made through even that part
of the gorge, easily, and at comparatively
trivial expense. A good road can be
made all the way from the old saw mill
to the sulphur springs, fifteen miles above
the Jemez hot springs, at no greater cost
than $500. Through acanon much longer
and much more difficult Of passage the
county of Bernalillo made road last
year, for $500e- to- oansart, the
springs, and to make an outlet eiEH.!ohur
ranchmen who live below Murray's hot
spring in the valley of the San Antonio.
The money was sent to DR.. Shields, of
Jemez, and he saw that it was wisely en-
ployed in the work for which it was ap
propriated. Santa Fe county and kio
Arriba ought to make road to connect
the saw-mill with the Sulphur springs and
with Murray's hot spring.
The region made easily accessible by
such an improvement is one of the
most picturesque and wonderful, and
may be one Of the most pro-
ductive of all that are comprised
within the bounds of New Mexico.
Beyond the gorge lies not single OBJ
stacle to easy construction of road to
connect with that made by Bernalillo
county. The ascent to the divide, on this
line, is very gradual and the travel lies in
grassy meadows and glades, or through
woods where the trees, although often
very large and beautiful, do not stand very
thick. On the other side, q short descent
through woods and gades brings you by
the valley of the La lara, to the treeless
valley of the San Antonio. From
the lower part of this the eAcursionists
may cross the hills, easily traversed, to
Waton's sulphur springs, or may thread
the canon, easily penetrated, to Murray's
hot spring. We went to both. From
Walton's Mr.. Thomas and the writer rode
to Jemez hot springs and back in one
day, and spent four hours at that place.
/ wish l mad time 10 speak Of the Won
ders and virtues Of the different springs,
which will some day make that
region famous; of the variety and
beauty OF the wild flowers that
deck the meadow just above Murray's;
of the peerless valleys o fthe mighty pines
and frs, many Of which are between
three and four feet in diameter, and
tower more than 100 feet; of the trout
streams and their speckled tenants; and
of the game, abundant but timid, that
invites the pursuit of the hunter.
G, G. S.