The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-11-09
BON rnaaAzAs on cHrnuAHuA
Interesting Facts About One OF Mexico's
Two Great Millionaires- Estate Worth
500, coo, 000-Largest Individual Cattle
Owner in The World
Frnm the nat.oit News.Tribune.


From the Detroit News-Tribune.
When the estate of an American CAPT
talist reaches $50, 900, 900 everybody in
the United States knows who he is, and
his name is familiar wherever newspapers
are printed and read. In Mexico, how
ever, it is different. There are men in
Mexico whose fortunes run around the
$50, 900, 900 mark, and are hardly known
out of their own States. One Of these Is
Don Luis Terrazas, of chihuahua, form
erly Governor of that State. He is the
largest individual land and cattle owner in
the world 1t would surprise the people
of Massachusetts to know that one man in
the southern republic was the sole owner
Of more land than is in that Common
wealth. They would hardly believe that
one man in Mexico could supply the whole
City of Boston with beef from his own
ranch and never exhaust his herd
Don Luis Terrazas is sole owner of one
ranch in the State of chihuahua that COM
prises IS, 900, 600 acres Of land, and has
10000, 900 acres ip other parts Of the
Republic On these ranches an average
100000 head of cattle, 200, 900 sheep
and 100, 600 horses Craze the year around
He markets over IS, 900 head of cattle
every year and third as many sheep.
This great ranch begins at the city limits
of Chihuahua and extends ITO miles north
toward Ell Paso. 1t is over 100 miles
wide and extends into the richest part OF
the Sierra Madre Mountains Over l00,.
900 acres Of his estate are in good state Of
cultivation and are well improved
The Terrazas estate is estimated at
800, 900, 600, Mexican money. Besides
his ranch interests he is the heaviest stock
holder in the Baneo Minero, Chihuahua
Agricultural and Mortgage Bank, City Of
Mexico; Banco Central Mexicanc, City Of
Mexico; Anglo Mexican Banking Com
pany, City of Mexico, and Mercantile
Bank Of Monterey, and controls the Chi
huahua wooden mills, -four factory, pack
ing company, clothing factory, brewery
and street car system, besides being one o.
the heavy owners of the Chihuahua anc
Pacific Railroad.
With all this colossal fortune, Genera
Terrazas lives a modest life. He has al
office and private bank in his palatial resi-
dence in Chihuahua, where twenty clerk
are employed to attend to his affairs. Fl,
seldom travels, preferring to take tril
to his ranch to touring the country, ant
has visited the United States but twice il
his life.
General Terrazas has led an active lifi
in the affairs of Mexico, but paid little at
tention to the rest of the world. He wa
a modest merchant in chihuahua when the
war broke out against the French in thu
sixties, and he rendered his service to tn,
Mexican Government as a common soldier
In this war he distinguished himself anC
rose to the rank Of colonel After the
war he retired to private life, but abou
ten years afterward, when the church par
ty arose in rebellion, he was again called
into service. Raising an army of volun
teers in the mountains, he attacked Chi
huahua, then the stronghold of the church
party, and after three days siege cap
tured the city and ended the war Aftel
this feat General Terrazas was made briga-
der general and placed in command of the
State of Chihuahua Soon afterward he
was elected Governor of the State, tC
which position he was reelected success
sively for twenty years. During his tern
as Governor Of the State General Terrazas
made an immense fortune. Retiring il
1890, he opened bank and began the era
of development that has made Chihuahua
one of the leading manufacturing cities Of
the republic.
Courteous, obliging and unassuming
the multimillionaire has made himself one
of the most popular men in Mexico He
gives away thousands of dollars to the pool
every year, and Is now supporting several
churches and schools. He is believer in
education, and all of his FIVE children have
been educated in the United States He
has done more to bring American capital
into Mexico than any other one man, and
the development of the mining resources
of Northern Mexico are largely due to his
efforts. He is now nearly 10 years old
and gives little of his time to his business,
leaving everything in the hands Of his
three sons.