Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-18
The Country Between Salt
Lake and This City.
A Section Rich in All Mineral
Products.
A Letter From Conservative Min
ing Expert.
Gold, silver, Copper, Coal and Borax-
Farm Lands and What They Pro-
duce-Opportunitiesf for Far
mers and Manufactures.
[BY COL. T. W. BROOKS. ]
YoUNT's RANCH, MAsE P. o.,
NYE COUNTY, NEVADA,
December 25. 1891


NYE COUNTY, NEVADA,
December 25, 1891.
Since reading in the Los Angeles
ex-Mayor Workman in regard to the
proposed railroad which is to connect
Los Angeles with Salt Lake City via
Phoebe, Death Valley and Daggett, and
having made an extensive trip, ,zgzagging
the whole country through which the
survey of the proposed road has been
made, and having made a careful ex-
animation of the sections through which
the survey has been made, am in
duced to give to the interested public a
few facts in regard to the very numer-
GUS rich and varied resources of the
country. In word, it is an isolated
midland country, difficult of access, even
at large expense, its exploration ac.
companied by danger, hardship and
the expenditure of money. This coun-
try lies between Los Angeles and San
Bernardino, California Phoebe Nevada,
and Salt Lake City, Utah. The dis
tance is about 700 miles, and by the
usual mode of travel-by team and
wagon, is very exhausting to both man
and beast, on account of sandy roads,
mountains and scarcity of water; and
when the inexperienced traveller has
ventured into the country beyond
the reach and sound of the
telegraph machine and the whistle
of locomotive, he finds himself sur
rounded by nearly all the Inconvenience
with which nature can surround him,
and he forgets that the pioneers of the
old Comstock, Leadville and other
places where millions have been taken
out, experienced similar hardships, dis
comforts and inconvenience, and, in
absence of palace car in which to re-
turn home, he is suddenly demoralized
and untitled to do justice to the value
of ten-dollar piece, much less to do
justice in his observations and opinions,
to the immense resources OF the country.
Therefore, he curses and writes and tells
wOeful tale of God-forsaken country;
the depth and harror of Death valley,
the sweltering journey through Furnace
creek, crossing the bewildering desola-
ton of the Funeral mountain range and
through Dry Bone pass to Poison spring,
etc., etc. His whole nature, sense and
reason are poisoned to the interest and
merits of the country. But let the open
eve see, and the experienced and un-
biased mind read and realize the un-
limited immenseness of the resources of
the now forbidding, uninviting country,
and the fact must be apparent and ad,
mitted that there never has been a coun-
try 80 unjustly named or abused, nor one
that has been so incorrectly understood
or so little appreciated for its real, true
worth. 1t possesses nearly all the crude
materials necessary to health, wealth,
comfort and prosperity.
The secret of all the inappreciation
of this country, is the difficulty of get
ting to and from it, the enormous ex-
pense of and attending transportation,
or more directly the absence or want of
railroad. In regard to the induce
ments which justify the building OF a
railroad closing the gap which now in
tervenes between Los Angeles and Salt
Lake, passing through the very best
part of the country, no question can be
raised by those competent to Judge by
having familiarized themselves with the
resources and Jransportable material of
the country. In the shortest compre-
hendable manner l propose to give, as
before stated. few stubborn facts as to
the resources OF this vast empire of now
regarded as worthless country.
Just here permit me to say that there
are mauy intellectual and accomplished
people, men and women, who have had
positive and direct experience, who pro-
nounce many parts of this country to be
the coming sanitarium OF the world.
This is not mere assertion. few
have demonstrated the fact, and instead
of killing people, the dry, balmy desert
atmosphere, full OF health giving ozone,
. cures, heals and revivifies. enliyens and
invigorates. R. P. D. Brooks, of Pal
.metto, Ga, H. White, Mase P. o Ne
vada, Thos. Twadell, uf Ibex Mill, Rest
ing Springs, Col, Grafton Perry, of Lex
ington, and others who went to that
country feeble invalids. left it, or are
now there enjoying robust, vigorous
health. 1t was the fine atmosphere and
pure water that worked the marvellous
change from hopeless disease to buoyant,
vigorous health, and not the skilled
phi, sician or drug store.
In regard to the water of this county
it would require volumes to explain the
numerous qualities, medical virtues,
temperatures and compounds. There
are springs of incredible descriptions,
cold, hot and medium temperatnres !;
springs so strongly impregRated with a
dozen different minerals and acids, and
30 powerful that they destroy new
leather in five seconds. These springs
vary in depth and dimensions from one
inch to 1900, and sixty feet in depth.
AS farming county, its valleys are
not in simply an experimental stage,
and the successful results are not mere
surmises. 1t has now, and is every year
being fully demonstrated that this soil
and climate will produce in quantity
and quality above the average of any
section of California, and every variety
of field produce, vegetables, vines,
wines, fruits, etc, that is or can be pro-
duced in Los Angeles county, excepting
the orange and lemon, which have not
yet been tested. In February will make
a shipment of the latter fruit trees to
Mr.. Evans, at Armagosa.
The two pioneer ranches of South
eastern Nevada are the Pahrump ranch,
Sltuatp0 in pa u rt1 ~, hooio nv va How in