El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-27
RESOURCES OF DURANGO Varied

political division Of the southern re-
public. which says:
Durango is surpassed in the number
Of its mining properties, aggregating
more than 1000, by only two states in
Observation-Disclosures and Sonora Its
natural resources include silver, gold,
lead, tin, copper, sulphur and rubies.
1 The states wealth is not confined TO
minerals. however. for there are extern
siVe forests Of valuable timber and the
agricultural resources are capable of
almost unlimited development, while
100000 head of stock find rich pas
turage on its fertile table land.
The Nazas river, which empties into
Lake Habas. is the principal waterway
OF the state. It is known as the Nile
OF Durango. In the spring, as the snow
meltS, the river mandates its valley.
leaving rich deposit of silt brought
down from the mountains. After the
waters have receded. the land bursts
into bloom like a miniature Egypt cot
ton, barley, and wheat growing in great
luXuriance. while the whole landscape
assumes the aspect of q flower garden.
Tree That Cures Illness.
One OF the most interesting trees to
be found on the mountain slopes of Du-
range is asspecies Of pine. the needles
OF which She Indians and Mexicans boil
and use as a remedy for stomach trOu-
bles. Its taste is like that Of anise seed.
The wood Of this tree is much used by
the Indians in the manufacture of their
primitive violins
zone of the products indigenous to
Durango. but one of which the state
does not boast. is a venomous species
OF scorpion whose sting is almost in
variably fatal in the warm regions OF
the state, but which is more painful
than dangerous in the higher and cooler
attitudes. In the vicinity OF Durango
city $4,000 Of these reptiles are killed
a 10 81 Inc
a business of destroying them. collect
ing from the municipality a bounty Of
one centavo per scorpion.
Durango the Clown OF Sunshine"
"At an elevation of 5000 feet the city
OF Durango, capital Of the state, enjoys
maIchless climate which has earned
it the sobriQuet. town of sunshine 1t
is one of the Oldest Spanish settlements
in the republic, having been founded
by Capt Ibarra two years before the
followers of Don Pedro MendendeZ de
Aviles initiated the permanent coloni-
cation of the United States at st. Aug
Justine. The site of the present city
was reached by the adventurer and
silver seeker Mercado. who in 1852 dis
covered the famous Iron Mountain. of
the suburbs. When Ibarra arrived
with his colonists the country was oc-
cupied by nomadic savage tribes.
"One of the old customs of the Du-
range district is the funeral ceremony
for children. An angel is being buried,
is the explanation which a native will
give of a gay procession headed by
woman bearing aloft on a board a
bundle bound in white. The parents of
the child are obligated to give it
joyfully to heaven. to the accompani-
ment Of music and dancing. If there
Is weeping the baby cannot enter para
disc until it has gathered all the tears.
Battle That Brought Peace
zone of the places of historic inter-
est which American troops may have
seen is the town Of Santiago de Pap
asquiaro said to derive its name from
'paz quierO. meaning 4 want peace.
The phrase alludes to the defeat of the