The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-10-02
FROM SUN.KISSED
LAND OF ARIZONA
Mrs. Helen Johnston Tells Of Her New
Home at SolomonvilIe, Ariz.,
Where She is Teaching.
MOST RIVERS AND LEAST WATER
In the irrigated District Within One
Mile of the ella River, Land
Sells From $500 Up.
Solomonville, Ariz., Sept. Fl, 1912.

most cattle and the least milk; the
most rivers and the least water, where
you can see the farthest and see the
least-Arizona."
This is the substance of toast
that was given at banquet in GER
tain California city in honor Tor dis
honor of the sun-kissed land of Ari-
iona.
We reached the promised land after
fifty-one hours ride from Denison,
leaving Denison June 3Oth. We left
Kansas City over the Rock Island to
Bowie, Ariz.-not a single change.
The accommodations and equipments
over that road are just splendid. We
took tourist sleeper and rode with
out interruption for thirty nine hours;
had everything our own way, and we
think that is the Only Road for com
fort in travelling from Iowa to Ari-
iona.
Solomonville is in the irrigated dis
trict within one mile of the ella river
on the Arizona Eastern railroad, which
terminates at Miami, eighty-siX miles
from here at mining camp. The
ella valley is strictly agricultural, al
falfa being the leading crop, but
wheat, barley, with some corn, are also
largely cultivated. Not each farm has
a barn, but some of the farmers have
immense barns, rather sheds, many of
which hold from two to three hundred
tons of hay. This summer has been
what old timers call an exceptionally
wet season and the barns have come
in very handily, but those who have
no barns just pile the hay in large
heaps and thatch it over with hay and
it rarely ever gets damaged by the
rain after it is baled The valley is
very pretty, green even in winter,
mountains on both sides, the Graham
range on the west is white with snow
from fall until May. Snow on old Mt
Graham means plenty of water for
the farmers, so this is one case in
which white head is beautiful, pleas
ant and welcome The ella range is
six miles north and the Mt. Graham
range, with the forest reserve, twenty
miles southwest The valley is COM
paratively level. The canals and the
bitches are higher so as to afford
ample fall for the water as it has
to spread over the entire farm. Guilt
waited land is worth any price from
5000 up. Water shares in the differ
ent water companies are worth from
$4,000 to $500 each. One share will
furnish water for ten acres of land. A
we'll prepared alfalfa farm will aver
age SIS clear profit per acre. If we
get anything like reasonable freight
rates with the outside world the
profits would be fabulous. The seas
on opens here at about $3.50 per ton
and usually runs to about $12, but in
some of the southern states it opens
at $40 per ton, and it is said not first
class hay at that. So you see how
high freight rates cut our profits.
The artesian district is about fiji
teen miles from here. They have
schools and a postof1ice there, also
some nice farms, alfalfa. corn and
vegetables. 1t is seven miles from the
nearest railroad. The flowing wells
are beautiful, although not all of
them are good for the vegetables, and
finding water is not certain. Some
bore hundreds of feet and never get
any water, and | have heard from
good authority of some good wells
ceasing altogether on account of blast
ing on a nearby neighbor's farm.
There is a large stretch of govern
ment land open for homesteads with
in five miles of this place. This land
extends thirty miles along the rail
road, is not within the range of any
of the canals or the river, and for this
reason no Sell!eluelltS nave peei
made, however, many homeseekers
are now beginning to file on it. The
large mesquite growth indicates wa
ter, besides the railroad company has
a pumping tank of fine water, said to
be the best this side of Ell Paso. This
well is $50 feet deep. Near where the
people are now filing is a goat ranch
on which is a we'll forty feet deep. The
railroad tank is some twelve miles
distance from where the people are
now filing Homesteaders should have
at least $4,000 or they may expect
very hard time in getting started.
The entire county lies within the
Gadsden's purchase, so many of the
towns and villages are entirely Mexi-
can, few of the Mexicans speaking the