Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1899-08-23
The Verde VailsY ard Eastern Sasa-
 pal County

send men tO look over the various routes that mentioned, aud It IS with this object iu view l now ask space in the J0uRNAL-MISER 10 show up the resources and possibilities that IS within less than thirty miles of the present terminus or the Pres eott and Eastern road, and 50 you will not shut me oh, when my work is half done. ] shall state will have tO write siE letters 10 order to show the officials Of the road that 1t Is to their advantage as well as Co our citizens tD run their road into Verde val Icy, and shall eonhne myself tO facts in every particular and shall only show up such a state of affairs as the L. :. land office and the Ofic- isl records of the recorders office and the assessors books Ot this county will verify, and t0 begin with l will mention Oak creek. Accord ing to the L. :. land office records at Prescott there is 4640 acres of land patented and filed on, oB Oak creek, aud by a personal visit and exam ination 1 find there IS liSj acres in actual cultivation, and on inquiry and close examination l find under the present ditches already con structed there Is fully $500 acres Of good land that can be fsrmcd on Y individual or private ditches and six company ditches now in use. in a distance of about twenty miles, eI- tending from a point about ten miles above and north Oi Camp Verde, where Oak creek empties into the Verde river to and including the Red Rock country. Allowing loo inches for each individual ranch ditch and 500 inches for each of the company ditches, find there is al ready appropriated for agricultural purpOs .s and in actual use 47U0 inches of water, and so far as l can see there IS nO perceptible falling of in the size of the streams. And very few people know that there is one spring or rather several springs that come out of the mountain al an elevation of 60 or 70 feet above the bed of Oak creek that affords 5000 inches of water have been told Dy men Who seem tO be con veTsant with the situation and under stand the mode of handling elecs tricitY that If this vast body of water was utilized 1t would afford all the power needed to handle all ore and electric hghts at Jerome, mining town ot about 4OC0 inhabitants with over 1000 men on the pay rolls, and said to be the largest and richest mine m the world, but as farming is my forte I shall only tell you what l hear others say about the mines, and In addition to tbe ditches al ready mentioned l will say there is ore ditch or conduit surveyed from the big springs aud in process oi construction, that when completed will cover about 1000 acres and afford water power for l.. M Turner's mill. This mill was built at the springs by MT. Turner about three years ago but Is only used for making corn meal and graham four, but it ,s Mir. Turner's intention 10 move it to the lower end of the big ditch, now being built and to aud 10 it a full roller process. He already has on hand at the proposed new mill site a PeltOn wheel and 325 feet of l2-ineh If gauge steel pipe. The new mill site IS as near as 1t can pos sibiy be located in the center of the farming community of the Nerce valley and within about l4 miles of Jerome. Mir. Turner has so far been able to paddle his own boat, but as the machinery for a roller mill is an expensive affair he IS going to sell stock or rather ask that farmers help to start the enterprise, and for such help be will repay every cent in the way of toll or null stuff from time to time, as his means will admit of. That be will faithfully keep his word no better proof can be offered than that he was the trusted friend at all times of Rodgers & Wingfeld. and at the time of their assassina tion he was selected by the relatives of both parties to carry on and con duct their business at this place,
 and with a mill under his manage ment in the Verde valley where there IS a population of 10000 people, in- cluding Jerome, l think it a safe | investu.ent and one of the very nee essary institutions for this valley,
 which has several thousand acres of virgin soil and an over abundance of water at all times for irrigating purposes. Where four good crops | of alfalfa can be cut every year, and possessing every advantage of Salt river valley and not nearly so oPpres- sive in the way of heat, and where there is uo likelihood of water ever being scarce, and in a good fruit and vegetable section of Arizona, with the exception of tropical fruits.
 have thus far given you only the agricultural outlook oi Oak creek. ! will close by saying there IS plenty of good land on Oak creek and a never failing supply of water, but the land lays on the higher or sec ond bottom. It takes larger and longer ditches therefor. Capital or cooperation IS all that is necessary to reclaim it. IhaYe been a resident of and near ;." -'-- f0r thlty-one years aud AuUw tEe sltua- tiou just as herein stated. l have omitted from this letter the number of fruit trees and vineyards, of which there are several thousand of the former and several acres of the lat ter.
 Next week will give you a write up of Beaver creek and also send a list of all settlers aud henumter of acres under cultivation. And be- sides will show why and wherein we need the railroad, even at an exten- sion of the tax exemption for a pe- riOd of twenty years more. But of this 1 expect to be opposed by Bro. Rodgers oi the Courier and a few old nossbacks, who through pure prejudice will not acknowledge that our present mining activity owes its ALL to the railroad. We of the Verde valley are too far from the railroad to be benefited and too near to ever expect a railroad from any other source. l can get on a saddle horse and show the railroad officials a good, practicable route from Mayer to Jerome over a couu- try where there are DO heavy grades