Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-12
now It IS A Garden.
A Grand Transformation Scene
in the Desert.
The Change Seen by an Old Pros
pector.
The Great Change Wrought in Six.
teen Years = Tho Cocopah
a Cnnntrv : Pley-G-c..a
.A for Imps.

John Callaghan, miner Of Indio, IL
in the city. He has just rstusned from
. trip to the wonderful Cocopah couuefy
and . trip through the New River terri
tory on the lower Colorado. He tells Of
great transformation scene which has
taken place since his visit to that Sec
| tion sixteen years ago. i
In 1879 Mr.. Callaghan made trip
down the Colorado from Yuma, going
nearly to the gulf. He went across
country as far a. Indian Wells. ''At
that time, said Mr.. CaIlaghsn, ''as lar as
the eye could reach it Was nothing but q
desert waste. In the Cocopah territory
one occasionally saw group OF teepees
or an adobe and . little garden, but the
country beyond was stretch OF desert,
toftthe most part sand, With here and
there patch of mesquite or bunches OF
cactus. Now large numbers Of the
Cocapah Indians have deserted the
country, and the country to the south
west 10 illuminated ut night with the
fires Of hundreds Of small volcanoes; |;
EARTHQUAKES are Of frequent occurrence,
and where you once saw 9 melon and
corn patch the earth is filed with hs-
eures. A
Sixteen years ago the New river
country was vast desert, whore neither
man nor beast could live The New
riyeris new country, reaching TO the
guilt. and I suppose : portion Of IL was
"a old river bed or IN arm Of the gulf,
hence it, name bat IL surely looked like
q 60dforsaken country when I visited 1t
in 'z6. North Of this low desert Was =
long row of sand hille. reaching from
Pilot Knob, on the Colofado river. to
Indian Wells. They hadn't vestige Of
vegetation sixteen years ego and looked
e. II they might have been banked mp
BY the sea. On the north of these hills
b . barren, parched desert, reaching
down into the Salton basin. The country
was 90 forbidding and water 90 scarce
that prospectore were glad to get away
from It, albeit there was and is consider-
able mineral In It. Last week when /
visited this region / could hardly believe
myeyes. During the high water of the
Colorado Ia l800-91 the river overhowed
its banks and gradually cut : new cham
mel leading OUT on to the desert 1t =
roint now called Hardy's Colorado.
The New river country filed up and
became vast sea, the sand hills on the
north gave way and the water poured
down into Salton basin. When the
Colorado went down the water dried up,
but the new channel was cut 30 deep
that . large portion of the river pours
into it unless running very low. The
effect of this water on the des-
ert and surrounding country has
been magical. Where several years
ago was . vast stretch of unin-
viting desert you see miles Of rich YER
dure, myriads of rare and beautiful
flowers, and here and there q lake of
fresh water. From Hardy's Colorado
almost to Ealton has the desert blos-
somed az the rose. Cattle men from
Arizona and Lower California are turn
ing their herds into the country to fat
ten, and the prospector finds water in
abundance in the hills and is no
longer afraid. Mines that were de-
serted years ago are now being
worked with fruitful results. The
Cocopah country, on the other hand,
has become . playground for the imps
Of Satan with its lake OF ink and hum
dreds of smoking volcanoes. Some
| water is NOW running into Ealton, and
| it will probably rise again. But, my
| friend, you ought to know what won
dsrful transformation has taken place
on that desert. You could not believe
| the entire climate has been changed,
for now the weather 10 usually delight
full and we have plenty Of rain"