El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-23
Surveys and Reconnaissance in the
Great Southwest by Officers of
the United States Army a
Half Century Ago.

REPORT OF A RECONNAISSANCE
OF THE ROUTE FROM SAN AN
TONIC TO Ell PASO. MADE WITH
REFERENCE TO TRANSPORTING
STORES AND EQUIPAGE OF A
BATTALION OF THE THIRD IN
PANTRY. EN- ROUTE TO THE
POST AT THIS POINT.
In February last. Lieut.. Whiting. of
the Engineers. and Lieut.. w. F.
Smith, Typographical Engineers. left
San Antonio for Paso del Norte. to ex-
plore the country and ascertain if it
were possible to open a o for militia
ry and commercial purposes between
the two places. During their absence,
the train to transport b government
stores and the property of a battalion
of the 3rd infantry to Ell Paso was
got in readiness. n ordered to pro-
ceed by way of Fredericksburg; but
when on the eve of starting, the return
of the engineers. and their favorable
report, induced the general command
ing to change the route, and direc-
lions were given for the expedition to
proceed by way of h military station
On the LeOna.
Late in May the trains were started.
and ordered to encamp on the Leona,
and there to await the arrival of the
troops under order to move on the LIST
of June. The day fixed for their de-
parture proved exceedingly
BILE. the rain fell in torrents, which. ad-
ded to those that had fallen a few avs
previous, rendered the extremely
bad. The command. however, moved
g. ~ It'll ~ 4hn
Leon creek. The following day a vio-
lent thunder storm arose early in the
morning, and the command remained
in camp.
On the morning of the third they
moved to the San Lucas springs: and,
before the tents were pitched. again
the rains began to fall The prairies
were now inundated-the roads SO bad
hat it was with difficulty the COM
pany teams, overloaded as they were,
could move.
On the morning of the 4th 1 left the
troops encamped for the day, and NOV
ed on to C~astroville. 25.42 miles from
San Antonio. The road from San An
tonic to Castroville runs through a
generally level prairie, covered with a
luxuriant growth of grass; the soil is
good. and country well adapted to Gull
tivation and grazing. The town is sit
uated on the west bank of the Medina
river, and contains about 500 inhabit-
ants. mostly German emigrants. The
place presents but few signs OF i'm
prOvement, and idleness and poverty
are more visible than industry and
wealth; houses are falling to decay,
and the rich lands lie uncultivated.
The Medina is a clear, bold stream.
about thirty yards wide. flowing be-
tween banks that rise nearly fifty feet
in height on either side. 1t empties in
to the San Antonio river o twelve
miles belO wthe town of San Antonio.
From C~astroville the road leads over
some gentle hills. and thence through a
tract of land pretty well timbered. until
it opens out into what is here known
as a "hog-wallow' prairie. We found
the road. owing to the rains, as bad as
can well be imagined. Beyond this
prairie is a slightly elevated ridge from
the top of which, spread out before
him, the traveller sees the beautiful val
Ieys of the Quihi and the Hondo. pent
in by the blue hills in the distance. The
vale yof the Quihi is sparsely covered
with timber, principally mezauite and
oak. The land is extremely rich. and
affords at all seasons of the year, ex-
celIent grazing. In midsummer the
: stream ceases to flow, but the water at
intervals collects in never-failing pools.
The village of Quihi is a German set
Element, being a bTach TO the main one
at C~astroville, and consists OF only a
few m~iserably u uts-distance from
C~astroville. ten miles.
Six miles further on the road Is the
town of Vandenberg. a third settlement
made by the same colony; it consists of
some twenty-one log houses or huts.
The country aroupnd is beautiful and
productive. and nothing but industry
is required to make it TEEN with all the
productions of agriculture. The near
est water is the Hondo, our miles dis
tant. On reaching it, however. we
found it but the dry bed of a river.
with occasional ponds of water. Ris-
=. ing from the Hondo, the road stretches
over a prairie country to the Seco.
crossing a "hog-wallow" that we found
nearly impossible.
The Seco, at this esason, like the w
previous streams. afforded no water.