Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-06-09

Elizabethtown, N. NJ, Jane 4.-Fron
Springer to this camp In the mountains
the distance is So miles in straight line
but counting the ups and downs it is sew
eral feet more. On reaching E'town, sc
called for the purpose of saving breath
in high altitude, the traveller stands
$500 feet above sea level, and can almost
"view his title clear to mansions in the
skies,' provided he carries with him the
price of town lot and intends to stay.
HISTORIC oIMARRoN.
The trip is made by the Hankins' stage
line over the plains from Springer to the
historic old town of Cimarron, once the
county seat of Colfax county land, by the
way, the good people of the county can
easily settle the county seat fight by NOV
ing the county seat back and not injure
Cimarron in the least) now the principal
stopping place for stages, and the future
trading center for the Bonito and Urraca
mining districts. Along the road are a
number of fine ranches which are watered
by the Cimarron river, and lend home
like appearance to the country.
uRRAoA HEREFORD RANCH.
Three miles southwest of Cimarron Is
located the residence and buildings of the
Urraca Herford ranch, owned by Mr..
Francis Clifton. This estate comprises
$4,000 acres of mesa aud mountain lands,
a considerable portion of which is under
fence and improved. Alfalfa is raised in
large quantities, and the home buildings
are surrounded by orchards which prom
ise we'll for the coming fruit season. 1t
is an easy thing to speak of $4,000 acres
of land, but it is difficult matter to
realize how much country fence around
a lot containing that many acres will en-
pass-there is plenty of room in
PICTURESQUE REGION.
From Cimarron to Elizabethtown the
road follows the river, first on one side'
then on the other, through the famous
Cimarron canon. A more picturesque
cleft in the mountains cannot be found in
any other part of the country. Palisades,
turrets, castles, chimneys, and mountains
rise on either side hundreds and thou
sands of feet; the river roars and rushes
down the canon along the side of the mar
row roadway, and altogether the effect is
enhancing. So absorbed does one be-
come in the scenery that all else is for
gotten-until the driver shouts Whoa!
and all hands at once begin to wonder
how in sam hill that team going in the
opposite direction is to be passed, with
inaccessible heights on one hand and a
raging torrent at the bottom of gulch
on the other. The question is always
settled by a few expletives and some ex
pert see saving on the part of the drivers
before the passengers on the stage fully
realize what is going on. In passing
through the canon on Wednesday gen
tleman from Missouri remarked, "There
is no need of going to foreign lands for
scenery, | feel as If / were back in the
Swiss Alps again. None of the rest of
the crowd knew anything about the Swiss
Alps, except what they had seen on the
Midway at the Columbian exposition,
but all assured him he spoke the truth
for once in his life,
ELIzABETHTowN.
Elizabethtown is mining camp or set
Element resulting from the discovery of
rich placer grounds in the Moreno valley,
on the west slope of the Baldy mountain,
which rises to he1ghth of 12,50O feet, in
the summer of 1868. At first the town
grew rapidly, but the reports of richer
gold fields having been found in other
states and territories checked the influx
of miners, allured many already there
away, and the place, for many years,
made progress backwards. Later on the
discovery of the famous Aztec mine in
the Ute district, attracted the attention
of prospectors and quartz miners to the
poss;bilit es Of the Baldy country and the
search for lodes began. In region
abounding in fissure veins it ls not diff
fcult matter to find rich mines, and a
number were located in mineral belt 70
miles long and averaging about ten miles
in width. For long time the fact that
the mineral lands were within the boun.
daries of the Maxwell land grant greatly
retarded the development of the claims
located and prevented the opening of
new ones. In April, 1887, the title of the
lands were confirmed to the Maxwell Land
Grant com psny by decision of the Su-
preme court of the United States, and
more interest was taken in the country
by miners, and short time since the
company opened the lands to prospectors
upon very favorable terms, then the rush
began again. The first excitement was
caused by the discovery of placer grounds
of large area and wondrous richness; the
present activity results from positive
knowledge that gold exists in the various
formations in all the mountains of the
mineral belt and that possession may be
obtained on liberal terms, with a perfect
title.
INCREASE IN POPULATION.
Last fall the population of Elizabeth
town and contiguous country did not ex-
ceed 400 people; today it is estimated that
that number has increased to 1900 and
every day brings many more who are
looking for homes, business locations ard
mines. Under the stimulus of rapidly
increasing population the town is grow
ing, new buildings are under construction
to accommodate the new comers, while
the hilla are dotted with the tents of those