The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-10-15
TOPOLoBAMPO.
On THE DESERT PLAINS" OF SINoLoA, I
! Sept. %. 1891.

To the Editor OF the Eagle.
Twelve miles to the south of the rive
Fuerte, and about twenty-five miles cas-
from the bay of Topolobampo, stand!
Mount Memoria. II is near the centre
of our largest tract of land, and its bas.
occupies about section of land, and it:
summit is $50 feet above the level of the
plain. drove out to it few days ago
with a number of others, and assembled
to the top of the mount to enjoy the
splendid view that is obtained from that
elevation, and / can say that one may
look in vain as far as the eye can reach,
for anything that would suggest desert
plains" 1t is one of the most beautiful
views that ever looked upon. Away
to the west twenty-five miles out in the
blue waters of the gulf of California
''Farallon De San Ignitio." rises 300 feet
out of the sea. With the sun shining on
its eastern walls it presents a striking
appearance and suggests the idea of an
ancient castle towering up grand and
formidable. Along the coast line is a
range of irregular mountains, with a
single opening which forms the channel
or entrance to Topolobambo bay, which
contains a water surface of sixty-tive
square miles. In the bay are several
fine islands, among which are Las Copas
and Santa Maria, both having splendid
beaches for bathing and where our fish
ermen make their most successful hauls,
as high as 1000 pounds of fish having
been taken at haul, with a $50 foot net.
At the eastern end of the bay are the
straits of Joshua, about mile wide and
two miles in length, and connects Topo-
lobampo bay with the more inland bay
of Ohuria (Oweary) d body of water
fifteen miles long by ten wide.
In this bay is Duck island, so named
from the immense hocks of wild ducks
that select it for nesting and where
great quantities of eggs are collected by
the colonists. On the south side of the
straits is Mount Joshua, S18 feet above
water level, and on the north side is the
site of Pacific City, which has been
plated upon the most elaborate modern
scale and approved by the Mexican Off
GERS. F. c.. Herring, of Wichita, has
been appointed city engineer and will
arrive this fall to enter upoh his duties.
Having here bird's-eye view of a scope
of country extending fifty miles on
either side, we can see the Fuerte river
empty into the gulf, thirty miles north
of the bay, and from its mouth-which,
let me say, swarms with alllgatorS-we
can see the Mexican towns of Saragossa,
Ahome, San Mequil, TerTico and MOchi-
canhui, and the Indian pueblos of Zapo-
teeo, Bateve, Assinagua, Los Bateques,
Ell Baturi and Las Fastas. The view is
entirely unrestricted from the
range of mountains away to
the north of the wide valley of the
Fuerte. Across the plain, past where
we stand, and away on to the Sinaloa
river, fifty miles to the southeast, turn
ing to the east the same wide extended
plain presents itself to the eye, with this
difference, that all over the PLAIN are
great number of conical- shaped mounts. |
It looks as if the mountains had at one
time sunk down, and this whole country
had then been filled up with a flow of
aluvlal deposit until it reached the very
top of some of the mountains, and within |
ZEN to 800 feet of the others. We arrive |
1T this conclusion from the fact that the |
and is level and fertile close into the |
1ase of these hills. But it is not the fine |
view of mountains and plains. and bays |
md rivers, and ocean and islands that |
;aptivate the eye. 1t is the vast and /
urboreous and foriferous |
mantle with which these plains and |
Mountains are clothed, that fills
he observer with admiration. /
the trees l may name
he lignumvita, mosquete, logwood, wax
rec, palo verdi, palogata, palo Colorado,
opal "a varnish tree, caper yielding
he caper sauce), and others whose names
md properties l have not learned. There
ire an endless variety of cactus, two of
which deserve special notice, the hecho
md patahaya (pataaya) both tree cactus.
They grow to the height of forty feet
md are distinguished from each other by
ne fact that the acho grows up with a
runk from six to twelve feet before
out, while the pataaya
branches out from near the ground.
they both produce great quantities of the
most delicious fruit, which the natives
-ather extensively, both for use while
resi- and for preserving. Many of the
cho variety have trunks four feet in
iameter, their tops looking as if they
would weigh one hundred tons, and
Vhen standing near one of them one is
with awe and wonder. The
runks, when sawed up, make a fair
uality of lumber, and the long straight
limbs make good posts and poles for
arious purposes. The pataaya also has
Ong straight limbs which serve many
purposes. and it yields great quantity
f a substance resembling tar, and one
f its limbs will burn in a fire.
lace, giving bright blazing light,
Or hours. When Captain O'Leary
{ the IroquOis was ordered in here by
be United States government to find out +,
nd report the woful condition of the
olonists, after finding everything all /
lght he spent two or three DAYS and
lights in the woods with the boys, camp '
* and hunting deer, wild hogs and
heasants. Every night he had to set ]
re to one of those giant pataaya5. stand
AZ dead and dry, TO see the immense
Olume of flame and smoke ascending Z
eavenward. He would dance around ;
nd whoop like schoolboy. He said it !
-as the only opportunity he ever had in 7
is life to make a bonfire worthy Of the c
anne. Many varieties of these cactus I
reduce the most beautiful flowers.
lmost all the trees that grow here pro-
uCe flowers at one season Of the year or
mother. Many of them are evergreens. /.
nd while there has been continual YER
ure ever since we came here, last De- =
ember, il is only since the rains began l
lat the fora of these plains has burst o
TO full splendoT. Towering plants In d
ldless numbers. and climbing vines that {
limb TO the tree tops and cover them
18th bloom, creating an effect which ! .
on't attempt to describe. :
Instead Of this being the desert plains D
God-forsaken country" IL comes