The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-31
FROM TOPOLoBAMPO.
Another Chatty Letter About the Back
Door of the World.
On THE Rio DEL FUERTE, !
MARCH /, 1891. (

MARCH 1, 1891.
| To the Editor Of the Eagle.
There are many matters in this coun-
try Of interest to Americans that ought
to be noted down and presented to the
reading public, that one is at some loss
to know how to condense and still pre-
sent them in an intelligent manner in
short newspaper article. In fact, In my
previous letters have been compelled
to leave out many things that would
have been of interest, for want of time
and space. The customs and methods
of the native people are never ending
source of curiosity. The houses-or
rather cages-they live in; their home
made pottery and housekeeping utensils;
their spinning and weaving, making OF
various kinds of mats from bamboo,
palm leaf and magnez, their home made
plows, made from forked stick. But
it would be hard to find people who
can make so much out of the material at
their command with nothing to do it
with. Their asses, cattle, sheep, goats,
ponies and poultry are all pets, and they
live together in the most friendly rela-
lions. l frequently see couple going to
market, the woman pacing along in the
middle of the road with load on her
head and the man following be-
hind on mule or a burro.
Many of the staid DANES pay
friendly visits to our camp
and call around to see the different fam
lilies. They shake hands with everybody
accompanied by the most endearing
phrases, which most of our folk only
understand by the manner in which they
are expressed. Some of them still retain
very plainly the evidences of their Aztec
origin. But the majority of them are
rather fine looking, robust women, with
the invariable black hair, black eyes and
fine white, sound teeth, and nary one of
them ever pulled corset string. Many
of the young ones come to camp and
join in the dances with our young folks.
The women are only permitted to par
ticipate, and they seem to enjoy it high
ly, and fling themselves from one atti-
tude to another in the most graceful
manner, while their young men stand
around and look on. This is a rule es-
tablished; why, don't know.
The manufacture of mescal is one of
the chief industries of this region, and
gives employment to large number of
the inhabitants. There are about twenty
five distilleries in this valley which form
,f 10.
ported into the mining regions in the
mountains, and hauled to the
coast and shipped to Guaymas, Lower
California, and other points. Speaking
of mining, it may not be generally
known that the Sierra Madre mountains
in northern Sinaloa contain the richest
mineral deposits on the continent. Boss
Sheppard's famous silver mine at
Batopelas, the richest silver mine in the
world, is only 1875 miles from here.
There are hundreds of mines being
worked in radius of $50 miles from
this place. Gold, copper, and iron ore
exist in large quantities. The greatest
part of this mineral wealth remains I'M
developed, because, owing to the want
of transportation and proper facilities
for reducing the ores, only the very
richest ores could be mined with any
profit. One OF our colonist. who has
been here some time, and who is married
to a Mexican lady, tells that on trip he
had to make hundred miles inla nd, he
had a stretch of valley pointed out to
him that contained very rich placer
diggings, and that many MeXicans when
in want of little money went and dug
out enou gh gold to relieve their present
wants, but were too Indifferent to the
acquisition of wealth to follow it up as
an occupation. We have an expert
prospector and practical miner from
Colorado and some others acquainted
with mining here in our company, who
will start out on tour of prospecting in
the near future. We are in possession
of information lately received to the
effect that John l.. Young, at the head
of mining company, has obtained the
confessions for the Deming and Pacific
which terminates at Topolo-
bampo. Deming is 500 miles almost
directly north of this point. There is
sixty miles of the road already graded
and large amount of the material piled
up at Deming. This road passes through
some rich mining country and several
very fertile valleys. 1t is expected to be
pushed on to completion as rapidly as
possible The latest reports from Albert
X. Owen are that he had his negotia-
tons nearly completed for the building
of the Texas-Topolobampa railroad, but
fears are entertained that the death of
Secretary Window will in some way in
terfere with the progress of the enter
prise for time, as he was one of Mr..
Owens best friends in rendering him as
sistance for the carrying out of this i'm
portant project. But we consider our
selves sure Of one or both of these roads |
before long.
The commencement of operations on
this ditch was source of great amaze !,
ment to these primitive natives. A peo- |
r1lo who Yloyr fbpir land NTH fn-l-aJ