Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-25
IRON HORSE PAVES
WAY FOR COMMERCE
West Coast Receives Big Boost
Through Extension of Great
Railroad System
COUNTRY IS IN ITS INFANCY
Arizona Mining Man Believes the
Region Is Today What Cal
ifornia Was in 49
COUNTRY is IN ITS INFANCY
BY ETEs RANDOLPH

BY EFEs RANDOLPH
The main line Of the railroad en-
ters the state of Sonora at Nogales
and runs thence directly south to the
port of Guaymas on the Gulf of Cali
fornia, thence southeasterly, skirting
the coast line through the entire
states of Sonora, Sinaloa, the terri
tory of Tenc, and through the state
of Jalisco, as far as the city of Quad
alaiara, where a connection will be
made with the National railway of
Mexico with the City of Mexico. This
region was one of the first on the
American continent to be settled by
Europeans. 1t was from this section
that the famous expedition of Corona
do started in 1889 in search of the
"Seven Cities of Cibola," in which
search he passed through what is
now Arizona and New Mexico. A
detachment from this expedition un-
der Alvarado came up the Gulf of
California and discovered the mouth
of the Colorado river in 1910, and al
so penetrated at that time waat is
now a portion of Southern California.
While it is one of the oldest sections
in America in point of settlement by
Europeans, it was also one of the most
primitive in point of development by
reason of its isolation and lack of
modern methods of communication, un-
til the lines of the Southern Pacific
Railroad company of Mexico was con-
structed.
JUST IN INFANCY
It may be said that the states of
Conora, Sinaloa, the northern part Of
Jalisco and all of the territory of
Tepic, ins the matter of material de-
velopment have scarcely yet reached
the point attained by California in the
early fifties. Their future develop
ment will proceed with much more
rapid pace than did California in the
first quarter of a century after the
discovery of gold and the influx of the
famous "forty-niners."
California was then isolated from the
world and remained so for many years
afterward. To reach it from the CEN
ters of population involved an ex-
pensive journey of six weeks via Pan
anna, or a six months tedious and per-
ilous tramp across the continent, in
which the sufferings of passing through
the desert regions were unavoidable.
With the completion of the lines of
the west coast route, the states of
Sonora, Sinalia, Jalisco and territory
of Tepic, will possess one of the most
perfect and complete modern systems
in America. The line is already COM
pleted to a point about 90 miles south
of the international boundary line, and
all of this immense and fertile terri
tory is today within thirty hours jour-
ney from Tucson and may be seen as
a comparatively small cost from the
windows of a Pullman car.
Through daily train service from
Tucson to Mazatlan, which is at the
nf Cn1f in 40 Q
been in operation for more than nine
months.
LARGE VIRGIN AREA
The state of Sonora contains an area
of 1900 square miles, Sinaloa $4,000
square miles, Jalisco 31,75O square
miles and the territory of Tepic 1880
square miles, making the total area of
the states which these lines make
tributary to Tucson $4,000 square
miles, an area about equal to that of
the entire state of California. These
four Mexican states have a combined
sea coast line of about 1100 miles.
Within the next five years they will
show a growth and development as
great as that of California during the
first twenty-five years of its existence
as an American state.
The lines of the Southern Pacific
Railroad company OF Mexico, COM
pleted and under construction, will
compose a system of 1855 miles. The
main line from Tucson to Guadalajara
will be about 1900 miles in length.
There are numerous branches from
this main line-one of the most i'm
portant of which diverges at the cross
ing of the Yaqui river, siXty-nine miles
southeast of Guaymas, and follows
the Yaqui. Bavispe and San Bernar-
dino rivers to the international boun-
Diary line at Douglas, Ariz The length
of this branch will be about 800 miles
1t penetrates the region which the
Braon Humboldt characterized as "the
mineral storehouse of the world" Its
development heretofore has been re-
tarded by absolute lack of transport
tation facilities and the presence there
in of bands Of Yaqui Indians.
IRON HORSE COMES
The railroad will now furnish the
needed transportation facilities and
our past experience teaches that In
dams are never 81 menace after the
coming of the railroad. In fact, since
the railroad has been under construc-
tion the Yaquis have ceased to be
hostile.
Another important branch is that
from Nogales to Cananea, now COM
pleted and which connects Tucson
directly with the mines at Cananea,
conceded to be one of the greatest
copper mines in the southwest.
On the 18th of April, 1909, late Gen.
Francisco Canedo, governor of the
state of Sinaloa, drove the last spike
in the completion Of the main line as
far south as the city of Mazatlan.
This was as important an event in the
development of the west coast of Mex
leo as the memorable driving by the
late Senator Stanford of the golden
spike on the Central Pacific, which
completed the first transcontinental
connection between New York and San
Francisco.
The road is at present completed to
point about 225 miles to the south of
MazaSlan. Construction of the line is
now in progress from this point south
and also from Guadalajara north, and
the work at each end is being pushed
to completion with all possible dis
patch. The gap between the two ends
now being constructed is about 200
miles. When this is closed it will mark
an epoch in the building of railroads
in North America.
Its completion will establish a direct
and continuous route connecting the
CITY of Mexico Guadalajara and other
important points in the republic of