El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-26
Surveys and Reconnaissance in the
Great Southwest by Officers of
the United States Army a
Half Century Ago.

REPORT OF A RECONNAISSANCE
OF A ROUTE FROM THE RED
RIVER TO THE PECOS. WHICH
LATER BECAME AN IMPORTANT
STAGE ROAD BETWEEN THE
EAST AND WEST.
The general features of the country
now change; mountains rise on the
right and left: n limestone formation
has generally Disappeared: and the
hills wear a sombre appearance. from
the dark rocks Of the primitive forma-
tons. The distance from the OJo de
Leon to the Limpia is near forty miles:
and no water intervening can be relied
on, though at certain seasons it may be
found.
At the point where the road strikes
the Limpia, it is q small stream, ris-
ing from its rocky bed. and, flowing
a short distance, soon appears.
The hills were here. in August, cloth
ed in yerdure as green as If 1t were
early spring. The country is beaut1-
ful; and the mountains. covered with
green grass to their submits, present a
pleasing appearance
Leaving the valley. HI road enters
the Wild Rose pass. But few places
caA present anything more lovely tnan
this little valley. surroundede as 1t ap-
pears to be by a wall of vertical rocks,
rising a thousand feet in altitude
these rocky walls partly forming the
sides of mountains that rise still high
er. and overlook the valley from every
Doint. From here b road leadso e
4 spur in the mountains, and deScenos
on the other side. and, continuing up
the e of the stream several miles,
through a deep. narrow anon, leads 10
a more elevated plain. in which this
little stream takes it's rise. h canon
in some places is not more than two
hundred yards in width. Columnar
basaltic rocks. hat rise one behind the
other to many feet in altitude, form its
sides. and present a singular appear
ance-
The mountains of the Sierra Diablo
do not form a single continuous rloge,
but rise in irregular order. on
mountain. and peak on peal covering
an immense extent OF country. form
ing innumerable small shaded valleys,
deep canons. n ravines, hat wind IN
a cjrcuitouS course around their base.
The viewed from the top OF
one of the highest mountains, presents
to the eye of the behOlder. in every d.
rection. hills. in their pristine gran
deur. as countless as the pillows of the
ocean. Far and wide these ten thous-
and single conical rise, IN
.tersecting each other at their base, or
higher up heir sides, forming an I'M
passable barrier, a not some convul-
sion or nature seemed partly to have
opened the pass and canon through
which the road runs.
The first encampment on the plain is
called tine Painted camp.
grass is abundant. and wood plenty.
The Limpia here. though near Its
SQUIRE. affords much more water than
where it was first met. 30 miles below
A little distance up the stream there
was growing a small field of corn.
planted by the Indians; and on its
banks were some of their lodges. con-
structed of willow sticks bent in the
form of an arch, and interlaced at the
TOP. From Painted camp. the road
continues over the plain. and is re-
markably goodFor several miles it runs
through a prairie dog town; and over
the whole country hey inhabit. the
heritage is kept closely cropped by
those little animals. and the fresh grass
springing up gives it the appearance of
a bright lawn.
Ii tLC AooA w hDeA
tant, beneath a large boulder of gran
lite, water may be found; but it was
unfit for use when we passed 1t, hav-
ing been completely trodden up with
mud by the animals of the advance
trains.
The first reliable water is at Smiths
run, 26 miles from the Limpia. The
last six miles of the Dad runs on
ground covered with small angular
fragments of rock, rendering 1t very
rough. This creek is found in a ravine
at the base of a high range of noun
tains on the right; and to reach it the
road turns off the direct course near
two miles. The grazing is good, and
wood is found in abundance.
The bottom lands of the Rio Grande
valley, on the American side, to the
lower end of the island, a distance of
40 miles. are in many places fertile.
Timber is thinly scattered over the
whole extent. The road up the lower
part of the valley leads owe a sandy
soil. and is not good; the grass is
coarse. and the grazing but ordinary.
The road crosses yer a shallow ford
to the island, and. passing through the
village of San EliZario, Socorro, and
Isleta, to the main land at the
upper ford. and continues hence to the
intersection of the Santa Fe roa at
the rancho opposite Ell Fascinating
the distance from San Antonio six hun
bred and s~eventy-three miles. The
worst portions of the route are found
on the San Pedro and up the valley of
the Rio Grande.