Arizona republican., 1900-07-15
A Budget of Letters From
 Various Points
An Interesting Week at Jerome the Lively Mining Camp-The Hap penings of Prescott-The Summer Resort of Willis ms

It is but five miles from Jerome to Kir- wagen and Haskelrs ranch. The ranch is an oasis, a spring of warm water flowing continually twentytwo inches of water transforms forty acres into little Eden. Grapes, apples. peaches, melons, corn, alfalfa and walnuts grow in profusion. The rocks and stones have been gathered and hauled off the land, leaving a loose black soil as rich as any on earth. Here the Jerome gun club holds high carnival. Last Sunday the club had a shoot, the score of which has found space in these col umns. The club hereafter will have it's birds grown on the ranch and furnished as needed. J. A. .Knoblock is captain and WIG. Miller is Secretary and treas urer. These gentlemen assured the Re publican reporter that the club would be heard from next fall, when the ter ritorial tournament is held on the Je- rome grounds. There is one pump gun in the club. Said-A. N. Lyons of Knob lock & Lyons. in reply to query as to whether or not Jerome people would fla vor building a road up the Verde from Phoenix: We would certainly not at present, because the road could not climb to Jerome and consequently the town would be divided over too much ground. But in less than five years there will be such extensions made in the mines around Jerome that will ne- cessitate a city down on the Verde. Then we will want a railroad from the Salt River valley up the Verde.
 The democrats of Yavapai county have evidently settled down to watch the fight in Maricopa county between Mark Smith and Colonel J. F. Wilson. It is believed that Colonel Wilson will meet with no material opposition in this county.
 It is an old saying that one must get out of his own country to become ac- quainted with it. It is surprising the amount of speculation tlfere is in Je- rome over artesian water and oil in the Salt River valley. It is rumored in Jerome that artesian water has been struck somewhere between Tempe and Mesa and also on A. c. Mcqueen $ ranch south of Mesa. Chasing the heels of this rumor comes a louder one that | oil has been found; that oil is being prospected for; that companies are | formed that indications are better than anywhere in California, and that Tempe sweetly reposes in the arms of Fortune but shall soon awake astound- ed at its greatness.
 It has often been remarked by those who had no intention of proving their wisdom that there was oil under the gravel hills just north of Tempe. In Tempe everybody knows that Colonel Price is boring for artesian water oppo- site the butte and east of the hills but | in Jerome it is understood that this | hole is being sunk for oil. Distance lends enchantment. While Tempe might view the finding of oil at her back door with comparative indifter- ence a place as far distant as Jerome would hold a carnival to celebrate the event. There are Jerome parties in Tempe at present looking after claims in the oil fields of the Salt River valley.
 As a secret order town Jerome at present is laboring under difficulties
 When the fires repeatedly endeavoreo | to blot the town out of existence it very nearly succeeded in finishing some of l the lodges. The Red Men. Workmen and Woodmen and Odd Fellows have not reorganized since their halls ana property were destroyed. It is dlfti-
 cult matter at best to keep up lively
 lodge in Jerome on account of its tram sient population. During what the Je-
 rome people are pleased to call the heated term, but which in reality does not exist, the lodges practically sus- pend their meetings because people VII not attend while it is so warm Al | present the Knights of Pythlas ana | the Masons are the only orders holding meetings The Elks have no lodge in | Jerome but a goOdly number belong IT Prescott M. R. Harlan of Phoenix and J. w. Jackson of Prescott are in Jerome
 working up a lodge of United Moderns
 They are meeting with success.
 l A stranger to Arizona would not look on a mountain side to find some of the territory's finest buildings, yet he mus do it. Besides the most elaborate miners hotel in the world Jerome is tc have an elegant hotel for the traveling
 public. E. C. Bartlett of Tucson is the
 owner of the new hostlery and John F Tomlinson of Jerome is the superin- tendent of construction and will be pro-
 prietor when the building Is opened Iol business, The beauty of design ana | nicety of arrangement is due to Archl-
 tect R. B. Young of Los Angeles. The | building Is in course of construction; the walls of the first story being hn- ished, and those of the second rising
 rapidly. The structure is 115 feet long and forty-five feet wide and will De three stories high. There will be seven store rooms, twenty-three sleeping
 rooms, a dining room, public and prl-
 vate baths, a side bar. laundry and barber shop. The walls are massive
 and all composed of brick and stone The brick comes from Jerome Junction
 where, incidentally, it might be men,
 toned that one million brick have beer
 made this year. The stone, hand
 some sandstone with a dark, rich min
 eraI stain, comes from quarries about
 Jerome and is worked into form by cut
 ters on the ground. The cost of the
 building will be s35, 900. The entrance
 will be made through a heavy stone Earch and the upper floors will be gained