Bisbee daily review., 1916-02-29
LESTER LOGS SHORT
 GUT BETWEEN HACHITA AND DEFINING, NEW MEX.
Father of Borderland Finds Road Which will Shorten Distance Between Towns and Better Travelling.

c. H. Lester, Father of the Border land Route" has found another road
 from Deming to Hachita which is five 1 miles shorter than the one logged by
 the eXcursionists to Fl Paso last month and which MT. Lester considers 1 superior in a number of other respects
 He has written on the subject to Sec retary Gray of the Commercial Club and sent him a long and rough draw ing of this route.
 Writing to MT. Gray, MT. Lester
 says: Tn the early days, before the
 building of the E. r. & s. w. railway,
 trail ran about due south of Deming
 through Hachita Gap and on into Mex
 ico This trail passed to the east of
 Red Mountain and through the Rattle
 snake Hills and thence northwest to
 the present town of Horndale. This
 road was called to my attention some
 time since but as my informant said
 where it ran through the Gap it was almost impossible and there seemed no need to investigate it then, I had neFer done so until Washington's
 Birthday.
 "On this trip over the so called aban doned road I was most agreeably sur prised al the quality of the road l
 found. It is a much better road to Hachita than that via Wilma, especial ly in wet weather and is about six miles shorter. It is remarkably free from stones and soft spots. On our return from Hachita we stopped at two ranches. waited a few minutes for a lady who wished to go to Deming with us and reached Deming two hours after we left Hachita"
 MT. Lester gives the following driv- ing directions: Leaving ceming take any direct section line road to Horn dale. There are several such roads. At Horndale, instead of running into town, cross the railroad tracks. about quarter mile north; this crossing is winding road on or near a section line to point 1S.2 miles out of Dem ing. This is a section corner with lanes running in all directions. Turn left in lane running south and about four rods from the corner go through gate on right or west. Then you are immediately on the old trail run ming through Hachita Gap. Following the trail southwesterly. at 21S pass '76" Ranch, at 292 pass Klondike Ranch, at 34.1 pass Watkins Dam; 36.6 top of Hachita Pass: 369 road fork. Keep to left; 3S.2 pass Bud Williams Ranch and curve more right on the road to Hachita; 43.5 Continental Di- vide 474S feet elevation; 49.S cross railroad and immediately turn to the right; 4S.2 Hachita. elevation 45O5 feet The west approach to Hachita Pass is , a long incline and very easy. The east side has considerable grade but is an s and not hard to climb.
 Mir. Lester says that $500 would put this road in splendid condition and 1 that any one not afraid to speed up a little can run from Hachita to Deming | in a little over an hour.
 When the excursionists were in Ha- | chita they were told of another road | over the mountains on which money J was to be spent and which would then l be used and Gray believes this is the | road referred to.
 Under the title "A Trip in the Inter- | est of Good Roads" there appears in the February number Of Southern Motoring Magazine an article on the Southern Arizona Disbursements auto