Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1907-10-27
LITERATURE ON PHOENIX
NOT OBIAINABlE
MIR. Hunter, a PhiladbIphia Engineer,
Wishing to Locate in the West.
Searches For Information.


J. Andrew Hunter. a civil engineer
/ from Philadelphia accompanied by his
| wife. is spending some time in the
| valley looking over the country with
view to locating somewhere in the
southwest country. They have just
returned from a trip to Roosevelt and
the Granite Reef dam. where nr. Hun
ter inspected the work and was very
much impressed with both projects.
Mr. Hunter has been the chief of the
bureau of Highways in the Quaker
lefty. but owing to the reform element
being downed and the machine COM
ling into power he lost his position.
which was a political one. This Of
course he expected in the course OF
human events as the tide generally
turns sometime.
I'VE came from New York to New
orleans by boat said Mr.. Hunter TO
ia Republican representative yesterday.
"and have seen much of the country
in our travels. but the grandest and
most impressive Of all was the one
over the government road to Roosevelt
and the panorama We saw at Fish
Greek Hill. AriZonilns should herald
to the traveller through adequate adj
vcrtising that fine mountain road and
get the people coming this way. Gran
! tie Reef also is finely conceived and
well executed undertaking under the
government forces
Regarding Roosevelt Mr. Hunter
said that while Contractor ORourke
was losing something by floods. that
looking from the brighter side, not so
much time was being lost after all.
The spillway was being cut out and
all the stone quarried could be used
for the construction n the dam. The
contractor was getting a big supply of
stone on hand and when he got good
opportunity it will be surprising how
fast that dam will be built Like most
engineers Mr.. Hunter took Il great deal
Of interest in the details and plans
of construction and after investigation
was satisfied that it was going to be
a fine piece Of construction. built of
cyclopean masonry. 80 per cent stone. !
Mr. Hunter does not believe that /
this valley is properly advertised |
Asked his reason he said that but few |
Philadelphians know much about |
Phoens; except as health resort. and |
do not associate the great Roosevelt |
project with the Salt River valley and !
this city. There is little Informal /
ton obtainable in that city. Quoting /
his own experience he related that |
when he took a notion to look over /
the new districts in the west he i'm
mediately began to search for litera-
ture on the country. Nothing could
he find on Arizona. He learned from
the Engineering News that the Roose-
welt dam was one of the government
projects for reclamation of land but
just what land he did not know ex-
actly He searched the city libraries
but there was nothing there except
stories Of pioneer life. At the railroad
offices there were no pamphlets that
told anything about this country.
Plenty OF literature was obtainable on
the south. along the Seaboard line. and
the Gulf states, booming that country
as a place for homeseekers, and Of
great opportunities. In addition he
found a magazine issued on the South
and distributed free to all the city
libraries Of the east. The South he
said is drawing a great tide of immi-
grafton by this method and the coun-
try is reaping the benefit and devel-
Oping at a wonderful rate.
He still kept up his search and at
last sent to Washington, addressing
the secretary of the interior and OBJ
tanned Gov. kibbey's report on the re-
sources and prospects of the territory.
What finally determined him, how
ever. was a letter from his brother,
who is a mining engineer in New
Mexico. advising him that Arizona was
he best country he knew OF in which
% locate at this time as it was Just
developing and had great future
Acting On that advice he came out
bringing Mrs. Turner along To See the
He does not believe most
people would have been as persistent
Is he was in obtaining information.
The board of trade or some other
organization of business men should
wake up and get out some literature
m the Salt River valley. venture
here is not one in q thousand in the
asst who knows that the Roosevelt
esorvoir will water vast and fertile
alley which is tributary to Phoenix
think you people have been too much
n the habit of trying to get some
hing out OF the fasteners and not
living them anything in return. Let
he east have some knowledge and
many Of the false and exaggerated no.
ions now prevalent in their minds
bout Phoenix and the territory will
e swept away like cob,sebs in a sum
her shower. Phoenix and the valley
as a great future ami the east needs
0 know it,