Bisbee daily review., 1908-02-18
EARLY RECORD OF
 SONORA COUNTRY

l In 1706 came priestly soldier into | the land of Sonora-Father Ensebino
 Francisco Kino. With him came a | guard, soldiers of the cross, faithful | followers who spread the teachings of | Christianity. Also, there came, after the outposts of civilization were estab- | d-missions-where gathered h. dian, Spaniard and peon, hundreds of | gambussinoS seeking the riches of l Sonora, known to exist in the noun
 tains to the north. Tales of fabulous wealth, of virgin silver and sheets of native metal reached the ears of
 the men of Durango and Culiacan.
 They rushed to the missions of the snorth to gain the ear of the Indlan converts, who might guide them to the
 silver section. These primitive mn CTS pushed out from the early mis- 1 sions. using the peon habitatlons as a base, into the rugged hills that
 promised wealth.
 | All through the vast country known | today as Sonora do you find the eyi- | dence of the labors of these early miners. Section after section is GOV cred with antiguas worked in the dark
 days of poverty, rude appliances, dis tant from civilization and withal, l cuept attack from bloodthirsty Apa- ches. Those who are fortunate enough to stand in the zig-zag, open cuts on a vein of metal, stripped, with ragged walls to uncertain course by these crude miners of long ago, uo- | gether with a sight of the cdumbling | tools of ancient make, will stand aghast at the daring perseverance and ingenuity of those hardy seekers after | wealth.
 Soon there came a time when the | Jesuits began the mingling of mining
 with their religious duties-no doubt 1 because of the funds necessary for the erection of the many stately edi- fees throughout Mexico, many today,
 especially in Sonora, falling ruins,
 masses of crumbling earth with grass
 grown approaches.
 Perhaps with a view to protecting
 their converts and parishioners-as is found from the early records of Sonora
 in 1769 that the Spanish government claimed a heavy interest in all the bullion produced in Mexico-seyeral notable instances are mentioned espe- cially the product of the celebrated
 Plancha del Plata and the storing of plate and bullion by Jesufts under the altars of many missions in So nora
 On the banks of the Arizpe river in eastern Sonora, the soldiers of the cross came to beautiful valley wooded hills and grass covered slopes. Indians in peaceful pursuits met them 1 I-the followers of Kino were i'm | pressed with the beautiful surround ings and the Inducements offered by the peaceful tribes. The gambussinos | noted the mineral indications-thus came to life the pueblo of Arizpe and
 soon there existed another outpost Of i civilization.
 l Years of toll and perseverance I brought forth a Christian community, marked by a sacred place of worship, magnificent edifice, massive and i'm pressive, yet witha1 this ancient city was tlse seat of strife and bloodshed, revolution and disorder. prosperity and poverty.
 The Jesuits were banished in Feb ] ruary, l768. and their work taken up ] by the Franciscans. Strife and blood shed continued until the final revolt of the Mexican people declared re public. From that time on the state l ly edifices began to decay. Records of mines were lost, production went out like 8 quenched flame, churches | were footed, mines abandoned and a state of chaos existed throughout So nora. Arizpe was only one of the many pueblos of Sonora affected. The crumbling church today tells mute tale, but tradition brought down by the friendly Yaqui. gives an insight i to the prosperous community of long ago and the possible solution to the ' wealth obtained from the many an l tiguas near the city of Arizpe.
 | We know the mineral wealth of La | Chispas and the Carmen, four miles south, the Tatche, two miles south | east, the Babicanora, five miles south, | and. the Santa Rosalia, seven miles | west, but we wonder what wealth is locked up in the famous Fl Sobaro, l distant about one and a half miles to
 the east fro mthe city of Arizpe.
 To the east of the city and across | the green fields, in the rolling hills,
 that break away from the high and mighty peaks that stand as silent sen l tinels, lies the mysterious Fl Sobaro. ! Vending your way among the loose | ty clad Deons that stroll among the fat-roofed adobes of the city, you fn- | quire about the Fl Sobaro. With
 pended head he will cross himself and
 mutter prayer for the lost gambus-
 sinos With your Yaqui mule driver | you question the location of Ei So | baro. He will bow to the east and make the sign of the cross. To the pious bretheren of the city, you ques.. tion the story of sheets of virgin sil-