Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-10-11
A REGION OF
LATENT WEALTH
Colonel ], Francisco Ohaves Speaks
Of Some Of the Undeveloped Re-
sources Of Valencia County.
SALT, SULPHUR, GOLD, ETC.
Vast Deposits Of Iron and Ooal-An Al
most Inexhaustible Timber Belt-A
Good Rahge-Water is Easily De-
veloped-Artesian Water.

Colonel j. Francisco Chaves, super
| maintains flourishing ranch near
Progreso in Valencia county, not far
from the surveyed route of the Santa
Fe Central railroad, in speaking of the
| resources of that part of the territory,
said to New Mexican representative:
my ranch is in an open plain, about
ten miles north of the foot of the
Gallinas mountains. At every place
where wells have been sunk for water
within a territory eight miles south
and east Of my ranch, there is a layer
of peculiar, hardened clay, almost as
hard as stone. 1t is found from
small depth to - feet beneath the sur
face. The same deposit is found five
miles west of the house and about four
or five miles north. This deposit when
taken from depth has very solid
appearance, but it will not spaul like
rock. The action of a boring drill
grinds it into a fine gritless powder of
the color of red lead of dark and dull
to be ochre or another variety of min
eral paint, there is an ineXhaustible
amount.
''The salt lake of that section, from
which salt has been taken from time
immemorial, is situated in a higher
ridge about fifteen miles in length, run
ming due north and south This ridge
commences about five miles north
from my house. 1t is bounded on the
north by an open plain in which the
road or pass to Pedernal peak or
mountain is located. This plain has
many depressions or deep pits, filled
with water during the rainy season.
Most of these produce alkali, but one
or two of them, besides the salt lake,
produce common table salt On the
east of the ridge is the plain which as
cends gradually to Pedernal peak
This is broken by deep pits or dry
lakes similar to those on the plain to
the north of the ridge. On the west of
the ridge is the Dog lake or Laguna
del Perro and several other lakes or
detached depressions. On the south is
the plain in which my ranch is loca-
ted. In this ridge, especially in the |
south and in the west there are ex-
tensive deposits Of sulphur. 1t is |
developing will develop sulphur in
every part Of the ridge. The country |
is volcanic and stones larger than an
inch in diameter are difficult to find in |
the whole ridge. 1t is very likely that |
digging or boring will develop mex
haustible deposits Of good salt.
'The Manzano mountains. at the |
most twenty miles from the line of the |
Santa Fe Central railway, |
have seen very little and certainly no
systematic prospecting, for any kind Of
have seen ore from those |
mountains tested at the blacksmiths |
forge which showed almost pure cop
per. There are also indications Of |
gold and silver. Iron exists in immense |
quantities, and I am assured that there |
are large veins Of coal Of good quality. |
There has been some prospecting for
coal, but the poverty of the prospectors
always drove them to some other
means Of making a livelihood.
"The timber in the Manzano noun
tains is well night inexhaustible and
all the hauling for ties and bridge tim
bers will be done over comparatively
good roads and on down grade to the
line of the railroad
"On the plain east Of the railroad,
water can be developed by digging
down no more than 25 feet. 1t is abun-
dant and of good quality, except after
passing the southern boundary of the
ridge mentioned as the salt lake ridge,
where the water is very hard and
somewhat brackish, but splendid for
cattle, sheep or horses. 1t is drinkable, !
but not palatab1e, and will not cook
beans or wash clothes, nor can soap be
used with 1t.
"The grass on the range is not ex-
celled by that in any other part of New |
Mexico. No attempt has been made
to find artesian water, but firmly be-
lieve that artesian water can be found |
and In that case no better country can
be found anywhere in the whole terri
torv,