Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-08-09
BY TRAIL TO CALIFORNIA
Edward l.. Vail Writes of his experience in Driving Cattle Across the Colo
 rado Desert.
StockInan

Stockman.
 EMPIRE RANCH, July 2, 1890
 EDITOR SToCKNTAN: At the request Of | fseveral readers of the Stockman for in | formation regarding the trMl to Callfor- | mia, l send you the following: From | Tucson as a starting point the distance l to the next watering place (CharcO | i Yuma) is 10 miles, where water can be | had at Molna's ranch. Then along the | old stage road to Florence canal Is about | 30 miles; at times water can be found Tn tanks near the road, and have since been | told by Charles Proctor that there Is a better trail by passing to the southwest of PicachO Peak. We followed the | Florence Canal to Casa Grande and the old stage road to Maricopa. Here we watered our cattle in tanks along the railroad which had been left by recent rains If we had found no water there we should have gone to the Cfila river, about 10 miles north. Before leaving old Maricopa, which is 1 miles west of the present station, we watered all our horses and filled up our barrels it a Mexican ranch. The distance from here to Gila Bend is about 50 miles, and there was no water on the way for our stock, but we made the drive in two days and one night; our cattle grazing well and did not ! suffer much for water. The best place to water stock at Gila Bend Is just above the ferry
 From Gila Bend we followed the old stage road along the Gila to Yuma swimming the Colorado river abuot , miles below Yuma. We froundi very poor feed on the Gila, as last summer was a dry one7and up to the time we passed the Winter had been no better,
 After crossing the Colorado river we followed the river on the west side for about IS miles; thence went south and westerly through some Indians villages to Willow Lake. which is supposed to be in the bed of New River and the last water by the lower trail on this side of the desert. We could find no one who knew whether there was any water on our road this side of Carrizo Creek, and MT. Turn CT and your correspondent. after an un- successful hunt for water ahead, returned to camp inclined to believe the Colorado desert as bad as it was generally reported.
 We were therefore greatly pleased to find that Col. D. K. Aliens surveying party had camped at Willow Lake during our absence. The Colonel gave us some valu- able and accurate information regarding our route and the distances to the vari- ous lagIInas on the desert, and reported feed good nearly ali the way to Carrizo Creek. Colonel Allen IS in the employ of the International Company of Mexico, having been about eight months on the Colorado desert exploring it in the in- terest of his company, and l doubt if there Is a man living who knows the country better.
 From Willow Lake to New River statinn -al444l4 2h- tl4@-vaA4-A~l ming nearly northwest Here we found
 water for all our cattle and good pasture. Our horses and a part of cattle had had
 water in a small tank about 9 miles back.
 Resting our stock one day here, we next drove to the Mesquite lagunas two miles northeast of Indian Wells station; thence
 to a large laguna which was discovered
 about miles northwest of Indian Wells.
 This lake was nearly half a mile long and
 we saw a large flock of ducks on 1t. We
 left this lake about o'clock in the after
 noon and drove until 10 p. m; starting
 again at daylight next morning, arrived
 at Carrizo about sundown.
 Our cattle improved in condition from
 the time we left the Colorado river as the
 feed on the desert was better than We
 found after leaving Red Rock. The la
 gunas found on the desert are the rain
 water which collects in the lowest places
 and is held for many months by the clay
 soil. In former years, during the high
 water in the Colorado, New River was , filled with water which ran back into the desert as far as Indian Wells; but the
 great floods which occurred in 1882, q
 think left bar in the mouth of New
 River which has prevented the water of the Colorado from entering New River as it formerly did, and in consequence the old laguna at Indian Wells was dry when we crossed the desert.
 Jnclosed extracts are from letter re- , ceived from Colonel Allen, informing me
 that the bar in New River has been broken or anew channel opened by the floods of [ last month.
 } Arrangements have been made among l several of the leading stockmen of Ari- zona for the establishment of a perman- ? ent trail to California. It is proposed to build ferry boat to cross the Colorado river; the plans for the same are now un- 7 der consideration and the money subscrib- . ed to build it. Thousands of cattle have @ been driven over this trail, and though l many years have passed since the Texas 9 drovers traveledit, their old bed grounds I are to be seen everywhere after leaving : the Colorado river. John Lang crossed a the desert successfully with a herd of = steers in January last on the upper trail e in March, as we were told there was more t feed and water that way.
 e Following are the extracts from the |. letter of Colonel Allen to Mr Vail re- F ferred to in the foregoing:
 e Glad to know that you succeeded so t well in your work with the cattle. We t saw your dust for or 3 days-at least e my men did. I did not believe that you is would have any trouble in finding water > You ought to see that same country now > From Hall Hanlon's, just below Fl Rio n the first station west of Yuma for 4 It miles, the whole country Is under water e from inches to 319 feet. Right where
 you watered your cattle near our eamI tt I came over the land with a boat las h week. Animals have to swim all the e streams (arroyos) to Indian Wells, The lf whole country will be lake in fact it t h all lake.
 d "Probably for the next two years ther I will not be much difficulty as to feed an( G. water on either of the roads or trails iron r, Yuma west across the Colorado desert d As general thing, l believe the suppl, I. can be depended on for 1000 head 0
 cattle from November till April. The tw'
 best and surest places to dig wells, if nee
 essary to do so on the road between Al
 BOuOneS duu OdrIllO creek, would De q
 Seven Wells, provided the feed Is as gooC l. as I think 1t will be after this flood. Thi D. is on the North trail On the south in should try the mesquite low lands 9 mile Id west of where you camped near us, ant le Alamo Is 15 miles northwest of ther at where l think water can be had withou lt digging very deep.
 le Barbecue.
 ld -
 4s Prescott Courier
 as Fridays train, which conveyed tn CT Prescott delegation to the barbecue, ar n1, 1ir1nd nt Chino nf 1n m ftnr o.nl..o