Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1899-08-30
The Vsra1 Valley and Eastern Tsva-
 pal County.

promised you Be 1ver creek for my next letter.
 Ny object n writing up, or rather showing up, the resources of this eu- tire valley IS to try and induce the building of a railroad to the valley. know that railroads are not built or maintained on scenery or wild cat schemes, and as have prom .sed to show the railroad officials eyerythiug just as l shall herein describe it, l propose to only speak oi facts jass ss they exist today, and deal mostly with the agricultural possibilities of the valley. Later on. in my final wind up, 1 shall give population and speak of our schools and leave the mines aud stock intrests to others who are more competent to write of these industries, and to the railroad officials to look up the stock matter by reference to their , own books as 10 stock shipments from this section of the country, yOer the .. r. r. & F., the r. < f.. , and the Santa Fe Pacific from Flag staff.
 On Beaver creek is situated the ? MOEtezuma Well aud Montezuma . Castle, the former a depression or lake in detached mesa. IL IS about l50 or 200 feet below the top of the mesa and IS perhaps 5O0 or 6OO feet across 1t and IS nearly round. Some | thirty years ago some officers from Camp Verde went there with a canoe and unwound a coil Of tent rope and let 1t down the entire length of the coil, and I have al ways heard 1t as fact that they could not strike bottom. As to the Montezuma castles, they are a lot of buildings in the side of bluff of rock On Beaver creek built, by the old cave dwellers of God o3ly knows how many centuries ago. Charley Franklin Banta says they were there when he was mayor of Cibola st the time COrtez invaded Mexico. To my own knowledge they were there when Camp Verde was known as Camp Lincoln, 3l years ago.
 There is also on Beaver creek the Soda springs. Some two or three very strong springs that flow 500 inches Of water. in temperature they are about luke warm or the temperature of fresh milk. These springs are said 10 possess consider able medicinal qualities for Theu- matlsm aud are said by some who have tried them, 10 grow hair on the baldest of bald heads.
 Now these and the promise of my political influence for a twenty ! years extension of the tax exemption IS the only inducement have to of Ter other than the fact that there is the following: The amount owned or claimed by each farmer, l find to foot up 264O acres located, so acres cultivated, 420 acres more under present dItches, which IS susceptible of cul- tlvstIon, making a total of good ' farming land now actually under ir- ' rigation of 1910 acres. As l know ! these letters, or rather statements, [ may be questioned by some who do not realize the extent of the country we have down here, and our Sat river neighboTs may think We are using altogether too much water, want tO explain, not through fear or any expectation of interference on their part, that, when I came to the Verde valley there was not one-third as much water flowing in any of the streams as at the present time. This was caused by heavy undeFgrowIh of sll kinds and sorts of water grass, tulles, cat tail, flag. etc, and so on, and also innumersble beavers that held the stream m check by series and most complete lot of dams that held the water in terrace like lakes. one above the other for miles. That IS the reason of the name of the stream Beaver creek. As the white man and beaver are not workers together. and with the advent of stock having the free use of the range, the Beaver and all under growth of brush disappeared. lesy- ing 8 free flow of water, and long be lore there was any settlement on Beaver creek there was DO water in that stresa flowing into the Verde river after the hTst day of May, but with all these l5 irrigating ditches. each one using on aa average of l00 inches of water, cuitigating nearly : 1000 acles of land, there Is a stream of water m Beaver creek the entire year. or courSe during the dry sea son there is but little. but there is some at all tunes. On Beaver creek there are some of the finest farms in the Verde valley, and large amount of alfalfa grows besides some fine fruit farms. As these statements were voluntarily on my part and written solely for the purpose of in- ducIBg some one to build a railroad to the Verde valley. l am not going Co give any individual write-ups as l consider it IS enough to get the Tree use of the papers for the benefit of the community. As to my own trouble, labor and the little expense ! may be al, my time IS a good deal like An Indians, don't amount to very much. 1 am doing 1t all under promise of Tree ride on the rail road when she gets here.
 Riley Casner claims l60 acres; m cultivation 70 acres. susceptible oi cultivation @ acres
 Deem Hutcheson 40 acres. in cul- tivatlon 10 acres, susceptible of cul- tivstion 70 acres.
 John Skaggs l60 acres, 80 acres in cultivation, 40 acres susceptible oi cultivation.
 Chas. Hollirgshesd l60 acres, m cultivation 90 acres, susceptible of cultivation 40 acres.
 Wm J Gift l60 acres, in cultiya- ton 40 acres, susceptible of cultivs- tion 50 acres.
 ! Othe Back l60 acres, ID cultiva- ton To acres. susceptible oF cdltiva- ton 90 acres
 MaseT C.--eT l60 arres, in cultiva- tIon 40 acres. susceptible of cultiya- ton S0 acres.
 Robert Finnie leo acres, in culti- va;IOn loo acres, susceptible of cul- tivation loo acres.
 Thomas BTistow 16O acres, iG cul- tivation 40 acres, susceptible of cul- tivation 30 acres.
 The following IS surveyed land, patented or filed on in L. :. land office:
 Wm B. Black claimed 32O acres. ID cultivation 20 acres, susceptible of cultivation POO acres.
 C. F. Mdhan 320 acres, iC cultiva- ticu 200 acres.
 Wm. Schroeder an acres in culti-