Bisbee daily review., 1908-02-09
Sonora, Empire in Itself, With Mines of Fabulous Wealth, Invites American
 Enterprise and Capital to Sure Profit
(Iron ore.)

l are gathering aDOut our own Ire side" For centuries the rebellious
 subject of Spain, for a century more
 the wayward ward of MsA D, now Ike all artless Bohemian da lshters, tbe
 pride of the mother government whose
 stern but kindly hand held the vir- tlous but truant sister Tn fond parental emtlsee
 For centuries Sonora was the cut post of Spanish and, subsequently,,
 Mexican territorial authority. and the
 base of operations from which Mexi- co.'s power was subsequently extended ] to California, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado Coronado considered
 himself at home until he crossed the ! boundaries of Sonora and plunged into
 the unknown wilds beyond the search | of the utopian Fl Dorado Springs which were presumed to restore for | tune, youth and every desideratum | ''deYoutly to be wished"
 Sonora as a military base, and
 Arizpe as the capital a great provin-
 cial empire was turned to form, in cluding besides the original state,
 Arizona, California, New Mexico and Colorado.
 | Fronteras was the military outpost, beyond which the individual adven- | turer was presumed to reckon single handed with the hosts of barbarism. ] But the power of primitive firearms told much and the patient, inexplicable potency of faithful teaching of the pious fathers told even a greater
 story until vast area, filled with the sons of sun worshipers, with the
 sons and daughters of the "invincible" Montezumas adopted the letters of the Spanish language and religion
 completely surrendering their original institutions, faiths, traditions and
 autonomy to the Latin stranger.
 The term Sonora fin the contempla- tion Of him who has spent time and attention on the subject, suggests vast lness, immensity, breadth and infinite expanses, rugged mountains whose fastnesses are only half explored, and a mining field of bewildering extent and remarkable richness.
 Thousands of antigua workings are in evidence throughout the length and
 breadth of the state, and at every step old workings from deep cayernous "gambusinon work down to mere gashes in the landscape almost en-
 tireIy obliterated by the action of the elements are encountered and hun
 dreds of modern propositions of great
 CT or less value have been discovered
 first by the hardy adYenturers in the days when Sonora was supposed to be
 the rim of the world.
 It is inconceivable, the weird, the
 tragic and extraordinary experience lof those rugged souls as across desert and mountain, through forests and
 chapparal and cactus and fiood and
 thirst and hunger, they forced their
 way until the ledge was found, and day after day the meager pittance was earned while the treasure was borne away across the sea to enrich 8
 greedy and imperious monarch on a
 feudal throne.
 Now that modern conditions are
 rapidly obtaining with the certainty
 of complete possession of these nlimit } able fields at no remote day, the most
 extrayagant predictions regarding the l. future of the state are liable to fal short of the early realization.
 General Situation.
 : Under the head several matters art : of so nearly equal importance, that l none are entitled to conspicuous pref erence. Among the all, however railroads constitute the most signiti ' cant subject. The American railroad } that mighty materialistic iconcclast : which has opened up, transformed ana
 developed more wilderness, yastel , wiIds and greater areas of natural re ) sources than all other agencies com } bined, has not overlooked this gardeI of opportunity, and as ecah and every line creeps further into the interior : the result spurs the powers and iii \ telligencies behind it to greater effor r and broader calculations.
 l Year ago the Santa Fe built tht Sonora road from Nogales to Quay 1 mas. which was qulckly absorbed bI ] the far-seeing policy of the Huntington ? management. For years the operations 3 lof that branch were of light conse r lquence and the superficial observel r was disposed to question the wisdom y of the enterprise. During the las '- two years, however the sudden evoIu F ton of the Hartman plan explain; t the situation.
 : At the obscure station of Empalma t nine miles north of Guaymas. great ac f tivfty suddenly became apparent ant s- material began to accumulate on t scale that set the public agog with ex > pectaticn. Following fast on the heel
 
 plan was suddenly unfolded. d Its primary object was the constTuC f tio nof a mighty artery of trade ant n transportation from Guaymas to Guad l. aIajara, crossing successiyely tn e states of Sonora, ginaloa, Territory o > Topic and Jaliscc. connecting with } branch of the Mexican Central a e Guadalaiara. The main line cut g across an important part of Sonor d and traverses the entire length of sins t loa, touching the gulf at Mazstlan an o along with it's numerous feeders oper 1- ing up a country of extraordinary e1 e tent with resources varied and illimit s able.
 VI At Corral. about 100 miles in a d Il rect line southeast of Guaymas, tn e most important junction on the syI y tem has been established. Runnin g. north from that point and almos D parallel with its original Sonora line n the Cananea, Rio Yaqui & Pacific, a e the Southern Pacific system is know s in Mexico, a line with numerou IS branches has been projected and pa n italy constructed as far as Nac0zar n where it connects with the Ferr IS Carrill de Nacozari of the Phelpi e Dodge system, affording a direct ou e let for its Inland traffic. The mai s line is in operation to a point a littl s. distance south of lamos near the lin a of Sinaloa. Construction work on tn a. Yaqui river branch has been partial - suspended of late between Nacoza
 and Cumpas, but nearly onehalf