El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-08-02
STAKED PLAINS
OPINION WRONG
Capt. Marcy's Report 81
Years Ago on Panhandle
Country a Mistake.
BY ERNEST C. MORLEY.

Amarillo, Tex, Aug. 2-The "Stal1ed
Plains" Of the numerous inG:an tribes
has absolutely contradicted all off
cial prophecies. In 1852 Capt Ran
Golph B. Marcy of the 5th infantry,
United States army, with Brevt Capt
George B. Mcclellan and 80 other men
began the exploration of the Red river
They had explored and duly surveyed
the Canadian river in 1913. Beginning
their exploration on May Il. 1852, they
followed every fork to its source by
the last of July. Cant. Marcy, in clos
ing his official report to the govern
ment makes this rather interesting OBJ
servation on the future of the -LIano
Estacado."
Impossible TO Roads. Says
This section is, however. trans
versed throughout. nearly its whole
'LlanO Estacado." which, as will be OBJ
served upon the map. stretches out
from the sgd to the 36th parallel 81
latitude, and is, in places, 200 miles
wide. without tree or running stream
throughout its entire surface. and pre-
sents, in my judgment. an Impossible
barrier to a wagon road; and am
fully impressed with the belief that /
route crossing this desert anywhere
between the 35d parallel of LATITUDE
and its northern limits viii never De
selected for a Pacific railway. or. in
deed a road of any description. South
of this parallel the plain becomes less
elevated above the adjacent country
and finally merges into the lands bor-
dering the Pecos and the head branches
of the Colorado"
Explorers Opinion Erroneous.
This was written for the Congress
iOnal Record the latter part Of July,
1882, by an official of unusual ability
and rare experiences from study ana
travei Capt Marcy had spent three
years before this traverSing the Can
edian, Rio Grande and other rivers OF
the southwest. 1t has every evidence
Of mature thought of a most capable
expert You viii notice that he
thought that not even a wagon road
could cross the Staked Plains. What
has two generations shown?
The Gulf to Colorado highway is one
of the best natural roadways any
where Perhaps more autoists pass
over il now than most highways OF
western America. There is an average
OF about 90 autos each day coming
from all sections going to Colorado
and the mountains of New Mexico near
Las Vegas. This stream of tourists
has been IN evidence for many weeks
Again. il can be said with all safety
that the very finest natural auto roads
in all the world cross and recross
'Llano Estacado."
1t is scarcely possible to find more
autos to the population than are to
be seen within the stretches of this
wide plain. Every village and most
every country home has a supply Of
automobiles. Amarillo. which stands
near the head of one fork of Red river,
has over 1900 automobiles. the second
largest number TO its population of
any other city in the United States.
Railroads Crisis Cross Plains.
Capt Marcy. in 1882. thought il i'm
possible for a railroad to ever build
across -Llano EStacado-" Several con-
Amarillo has three large trunk lines
The Fort Worth & Denver renders I
direct and excellent service. The
Rock Island from Memphis. Tenn. to
the west coast is fast building up n
first class road The Santa Fe system
IS making a network on the Staked
Plains. Here at the very headwaters
OF Red river the system has its general
offices for this entire section. The
fine Pullman cars which crossed to the
worlds exposition at San Francisco
last year, came over this Impossible
country When matters were serious
on the Mexican border and the national
government rushed troops from the
north, as many, perhaps. crossed the
'Llano Estacado" route as went over
any other section.
Has Pure American Population.
Capt Marcy. il 1852, thought that
none but Indians could ever live upon
these plains Within the brief space OF
one generation one of the best average
covering them The very purest white
settlement is to be seen here. There
are but few MeXicans, scarcely any
negroes and rarely ever one whose
mother tongue is too thick to speak
the English language This population
everywhere is increasing with new
Corners at an enormous rate
Farms and Cattle Flourish
Again our expert official thought
that this section could never produce
crops Two hundred miles wide, with
out a tree OF running stream through
ont its entire surface" was his report.
SIxty-three years later parts of this
very 200 miles produced an average OF
As bushels of wheat to the acre. Many
men bought lands and paid for them
with the one crop, and had some 10
srare. The vast majority of these 200
miles grow something like 40 and 50
bushels Of kaffir corn and milo maize
per acre in 1915. Instead Of the wild
buffalo and antelope which furnished
meat for captains Marcy and Mcclellan
in 1852, the Staked Plains are now
covered with the finest of white faced
HerefOrds.