The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1913-10-10
A Letter From
Wilcox Arizona
Editor TIE Times:-

Paciti } If that fellow will ever settle
down for life in one place.
Well we never know o2e month
what the next ona will bring forth.
But from what l have seen of other
places: aud from what l have obser-
we'd during my brief residence here
at Wilcox, Ariz., | have a lingering
suspicion (as uncle Josh says) that
the remainder of my life will be
spent here on the ranch raising al
faIfa, live stock etc.
When l was a young boy attend
ing Maryville Coll. re, it was then a
great dream of mine to get into a
large city and have a weekly salary
coming in the whole year around
besides various pleasures that | i'm
agined | could enjoy if living in
large city.
But after a few years trial of this
sort of life, it then became a greater
life dream to get out on nice farm
where | could enjoy the qui and
get away from the busy city life once
more, and for once be my own boss.
But the question at once arose,
how could l get that farm when
land was selling around Los Angeles
at from $500 to $1,000 per acre? l
saw back then that a large farm
there was out Of the question with
me, and [ did not feel like settling
down on from one to five acres.
So | resolved to stay in the city
until | was able to OVID the ranch |
dreamed of.
Now | own it, and unless some
great change takes place either in
me or in our surroundings l now
and forever bid farwell to the rust
ling bustling city life. Twelve years
of it is enough for me.
This is called Sulpher Springs
Valley. 1t is situated in Southeast
ern Arizona, in Cochise County.
Wilcox is located in the center of it
232 miles from Ell Paso, Texas, 80
miles east of Tucson, 200 miles east
of Phoenix, and $40 miles east of
Los Angeles.
The Valley is 100 miles long, and
from 10 to 20 miles wide, contain
ing over one million acres of rich
bottom land,
It's altitude is over 1000 feet,
which tempers the summer heat and
its Southern latitude eliminates the
winter.
The dry, pure atmosphere, the
soft southern breeze, the absence of
death dealing tempests and chilling
northern blasts, combine to make
conditions as nearly perfect as can
h. found OIL earth,
At from s to 30 feet we have an
abundance Of pure cold water, and
the wells are inexhaustable,
Numerous pumping plants are
now in operation, ranging in capac-
ity from 100 to 2000 gallons per
minute.
[ n operate my plant by burn
ing the cheap grade of oil at cost
of about .05 cts per hour, and throw
a steady stream of 800 gallons per
minute.
This will irrogate 800 acres of
land and we can cut from five to
seven crops Of alfalfa each season
which sells readily at SIS per ton.
Around Los Angeles, they lift
their water from 5 to 20 times as
deep, at a much greater cost, and
sell their hay when it is plentiful
for even less money.
Land here sells at from $40 to
s25, per acre (uDimproved) and
you know prices in California.
Land set to alfalfa here brings 500
per acre.
The rainfall here averages about
IA inches per season. So corn and
many other crops can be grown
without irrogation.
Wilcox il located on the main
line of the Southern Pacific R. R..
and has been one of the greatest
points for cattle and horses
in the entire West.
We have four churches. a splendid