Arizona republican., 1897-10-08
THATCHER, PIMA, GERONIMO.
Gila Valley Towns West Of Stafford
 Cattle and Other Shipments.

Geronimo, Ariz., Oct. 5.-(Special correspondence of The RepubHcan.)- There are 27,316 ties on the grade between Stafford and Pima. Why I make this assertion is made clear from ths fact that I walked the grade between the points, a distance of S.3 miles. The figures may vary 250 eith- CT way. Had to call on one of the oldest inhabitants and the route lay via the railroad, so l concluded to foot it to Thatcher, where I missed the Monster" and kept Cn going to Pima, no teams being on my trail, which I might have boarded.
 Thatcher is a trifle over three miles west of Stafford, and is a town that covers lots of territory. There are seven stores, large and small on the hamlet, besides a school, big dancing hall and church. This town is the home of c. Layton, president of St. Joseph stake. MT. Layton is assoc lated with others in creamery and ice plant in Thatcher The officers are, c. Layton, president; J. G. All red, secretary; c. M. Layton, mana ger. The above plants were estab- lished two years ago. At the cream cry forty pounds of butter are made daily, though the plant is arranged to turn out 200 pounds in that time, besides cheese in good lots. They pay 70 cents per 100 pounds for mllk, most of which is obtained from thirty milkers belonging to the company. Three tons of ice is the daily produc- tion, this being sold at $1.5O per hun dred at home, Stafford, Central and Pima. The Peoples Store is a side line of the company The merchants and shippers offered to build depot but as yet the offer remains open. Trains stop only to drop mail and take on passengers.
 Central, two miles further, contains church, two stores, a blacksmith shop and several modern houses.
 Next is Pima, the AIS mile post. Here is John Mittal's grlst mill. over two years old, run by steam power of thirty-five barrels daily. Joseph East, Hiram Weech and w. T. Webb carry on mercantile establishments with fair stocks. s. J. Sims runs the only exclusive furniture store in the valley. l.. B. >Wightman is the drug gist, T. B. Norton barber; sheriff. N|AoS o iiio AAO1ht lldIuSD MdTSudl1, the saloon, hotel, livery and one of the blacksmith shops; G. W. Williams & Son artists; Mrs. L. M. Gustafson, mil linery, and there is a merry-go-round on the plaza. The town officers are w. T. Webb, mayor; Isaac Follett, J. A. Burns, L. B. Wightman G. W. Williams, council; s. J. Sims. re- corder; H. P. Wightman, treasurer; D. H. Weeck, assessor; s. E. Allen, constable and deputy sheriff, and J. J. Bull, deputy sheriff; H. G. Boyle, postmaster. There is a public hall with stage, frame building, 3Ox65 Opposite the plaza is the Mormon ward house, John Taylor bishop. The town is the oldest in the valley and the only one incorporated. The dis tillery just outside on the south is shut down temporarily. The owners are Hunt & Porter of Geronimo. w. T. Webb is building a brick of ma terial made here and will occupy the building as a new store. Pima has a Mormon settlement of 600 souls, per haps of this number sixty are not of the faith. In this ward there are 1000 Mormons. George Madden, the blacksmith at Marshall's is a model manipulator in horse shoeing.
 At Matthewsville, next station there is the Nevada roller mill of Zundell, Tyler 6 Blair The mill