Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1903-08-01

project Of recent years is doing more
to attract attention and capital to
Nevada than the building of the Salt
Lake, Los Angeles and San Pedro
railroad, the greater part of whose
route passes through the domain of
the Sage Brush state. From Cali
entes, the terminus of the Oregon
Short line, where construction work
begins, till the road crosses the
southern border OF the state into
California, is a vast area of mineral
and agricultural country that for ex-
tent and fecundity has no equal in
the west. The following extracts,
from an article recently written and
published in the Salt Lake Tribune
by X. R. Casper, give an idea of the
possibilities and capabilities of the
section;
The writer, accompanied by one
man, left Salt Lake over the OREGON
Short line to Calientes, a distance of
1913 miles. At Calientes we. pur-
chased our horses and loaded our
supplies and started forth over as
fine a stretch of desert nearly 200
miles long as there is in the country.
For much of the way the survey for
the new railroad, which, by the way,
is along the old Mormon trail used by
the pioneers of the early fifties in 60
ing to and returning from California,
is followed. Caientes is the station
through which communication is had
with Phoebe, which lies thirty miles
north, and which is taking on new
life, with every prospect of rivaling
its former prosperous days. Further
below a power plant is connecting
the famous town of De Lamar with
the new road.
MEADOW VALLEY WASH.
Calientes lies at the head of the
Meadow Valley wash The first
ranch we came 10 was Carson's,
twelve miles away, and then Kier-
mans, fifteen miles farther on, the
latter one of the prettiest places in
Nevada. lying deep down in the can.
van, where even the fruit trees were
ii bloGah. Near here are some very
promising copper prospects which
viii bear examination. Seventeen
miles farther on are what is known
as the Pockets, and rineteen miles
beyond we came to Cain springs
Thirteen miles still farther on we
reached Moappa, on what has been
very improperly called the Muddy"
1t is in fact one of the headwaters of
the Virgin river, and is as clear as
crystal. 1t lies in quite large val
ley and the stream is of sufficient
size to admit of its use for irrigation
purposes in the valley. The soil is
good. At all of these places we
found good people and plenty of feed,
which, of course, we had to buy.
OASIS IN THE DESERT.
At Moappa the survey crosses the
Muddy, and the first stop is at the
Desert Well, twenty-one miles west,
very properly named, because it is in
a desert and the water is so filed
with gypsum as to be unfit for cook
ing purposes even, and no self-re-
specting horse will drink it unless he
is very thirsty From the Desert
Well to Las Vegas is twenty-six
miles, which is veritable oasis in
this desert. 1t consists of several
thousand acres, with great abund-
ance of water for irrigating and
other purposes, and belongs to Sena-
tor Clark.
MoRMoNs WERE HERE.
1t has history, too. When it was
a trackless waste the early Mormon
settlers came across it and planted |
1T with cottonwood trees, which have
grown to enormous size. They set
out vineyards and fruit trees and
made it blossom like the rose, and
they constructed baptismal fount,
WHICH mas oeen permitted to degen-
crate into frog pond. These early
pioneers deserve much credit for
what they did.
At present it is a garden spot,
md anything that will grow in semi
ropicol climates will reach perfec-
ion here. 1t will undoubtedly be-
ome an important station on the
ew system, and with the expendi.
ure of money may be made into
esort which it will be pleasant to
isit, especially on account of the hot
prings, which are believed to have
ledicinal properties.
ROAD NEEDS LITTLE. S
From the Vegas ranch to Cotton
God is twenty-one miles, and from
lere TO GOodsDrinps sevantaen +