Arizona republican., 1898-02-12

brought, and this is confirmed by the railroad officials who say they brought in more than they did the year previ- ous Speaking of the probable num- Der of visitors this year, railroad man said that large percentage of the visitors held return tickets to Los Angeles from the points they left in the east, and that they came up here to spend a couple of months, or per haps the entire winter if they liked it. If they held tickets to Phoenix and return 1t would be an easy matter to get the exact number of persons hold ing such tickets. Tickets to Los An geles and return are often sold in the east cheaper than to Phoenix and re- urn, which gives that place a prestig. over this valley.
 It is notable in this regard to find as many California people among guests. They are going away from the place customers are swarming to. If you have ever been in southern Cal ifornia during the winter you will not wonder at this. Their climate is full of humidity, and their fogs ard rains rob many winter days of sunshine. At one of the hotels a few days ago a man from southern California wanted to wager that there were more people here from southern California this winter than from any other one state in the country. That state has had the advantage of long advertising carried on in a lavish way while this valley is little known of in the east
 A great many tourists rent ranches when they come here in the fall, and they go into the business of ranching in earnest. Some of them never had an idea at the start of remaining on ranch more than during the winter months who became so fascinated with the charms of country life that they have remained permanently at that pursuit. Men who never hitched a team to a blow before they came here have taken up ranching and made a fair success of it. Of course the greater number of this kind fail for the reason that ranching requires more attention and hard work than they figured on at the start.
 Almost every city of any importance in the United States is repres anted ir the valley. The northern states like Minnesota, the two Dakotas. Wiscon- sin, Iowa and Michigan send a great many every year. The population of the valley is largely made up of peo- pie from those states who have be- come tired of the long cold winters And it is through their advertising that the valley is getting the most benefit. When their friends become i'll or dissatisfied they bring them here, and if they are improved in health they bring others. In this way it will not be long before the valley will ad- vertise it's own virtues throughout the world
 But the number of visitors in this valley is the all-important topic in hand. The Republican reporter had many guesses to put down in his note book. But any one can guess. No one claimed to know. Some p'ac9d the figures at 5000, others said 4000, and some went as low as 5000. To sepa- rate the actual number of newcomers nnnple who came for the first tina this winter. is no easy matter. They have been coming and going since fall. and they will continue coming in and eoine out every month in the year. Phoe- nix has entertained, perhaps. 120 COG people during the winter. but that is not the number here at the present time. There are more every dav from the incoming trains and February will probably bring more than any previous month. Very few are going away at this time. A man who has driven over the valley very extensively during the winter says there are between four and five thou sand visitors at the present time in the Salt River valley. His figures a-e as accurate as it Is possible to attain The exceptional winter in the north and east kept away large number who had figured on spending the win ter months in the south and southwest A cold snap there this month will send hundreds to the warm valleys o1 the southwest. and February and March are the worst months of a north ern winter as a general rule. The winter travel has been lighter this year than ever before, according to the railroads of the country. The Alaska gold excitement has attracted men by the thousands who have money to put into a years prnspacting. And this is the class that would have come to the south this year. The phenome- nal rush to Alaska will kill the ,ex- citement in a few months after the crowd begins to return. and things will assume their normal condition.
 There is every reason to believe that Phoenix will have a larger number of visitors each year as the virtues of the valley as a winter resort become more generally known. There is no other place quite like it in the world. We have the word of the most eX- tensive travellers in the country that this is true. People will find this out in time and as the good news is scattered over tn and the valley will fill up with visitors until our winter population will be greater than any