The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-03-09
A SOLDIERS TRIP
IN TEXAS MOUNTAINS
CORP. v. C. SWIHART WRITES IN
TERESTING LETTER
Tells of Vast Stretches of Barren Lands
and Majestic Mountain
Ranges
FL Paso, Texas, Feb. "a, 1871

Dear SIR Last Thursday (Feb. 22)
had the pleasure of making trip by
motor through st. Anthony's Pass in
New Mexico, and thinking that it might
be Of interest to some of your readers,
will endeavor to give you brief ac-
count of it.
Our party was composed of Capt.
Crossman of the Michigan (S3) Machine
Gun Company; Capt. Colladay of A
Company, myself and five other mon
CONS" of our company. The trip was
made in one Of the Machine Gun Com
pany's cars-a car designed by Capt.
Crossman and made for him by the
Studebaker people.
We took our guns, ammunition and,
of course. plenty of grub, for one
gets up a wonderful appetite in this
country. After leaving FL Paso We
went out past Fort Bliss and the camps
of the various National Guard organiz-
ations. Some of the camps that were
left by the guardsmen that have been
sent home are now occupied by regulars
who were in Pershing's Punitive Ex-
pedition. The largest of the Natioi ~
Guard camps is the one occupied by the
Pennsylvania boys. They were all in
one camp, and it was so laid out that
their regmental streets were all in one.
known as Pennsylvania avenue, which
stretches across the mesa for two and
one-half miles.
Soon after leaving this camp we were
far out on the mesa with nothing in
sight but mountains, sand, cactus, jack
rabbits and prairie dogs. On our left.
two or three miles away, were the
Franklin mountains; on our right moth
ing but the plains as far as eye could
reach. Ahead of US and little to our
left lay the Organ mountains. st. An
thony's Pass is in these mountains and
although we could see them all day. it
was nearly five o'clock when we ''cross-
ed the divide" 1t sure is surprising
the distance one can see here. Early
in the day Capt. Crossman called our
attention to what appeared to be a
small white cloud on the horizon direct
~ in front of us. This, he told US, was
not cloud but snow capped mountain
which was about one hundred and
twenty miles away We could see it
nearly all day until we crossed through
the pass and it always seemed to be
about the same distance away.
We had plexny of real sport durini
tho day. shooting jack rabbits ant
nrairie dogs. They were both plentiful
enough so that we could shoot then
y from the car. At one time there wer'
fen lack rabbits in sight at once-bu
not for long His long legs make th'
iock rabbit about the swiftest thing OF
four legs ever saw. His little north
ern cousin, the cotton tail, would b.
nrettv much surprised at both his siz'
and his speed.
Nearly all day we drove through sam
and cactus, without living thing il
s;cht except an occasional bunch o
,attle. About noon we were nearing
- Nc Organ mountains. They are muc
- Hiqher than the Franklin range, quit
tbickly wooded, and one can see. wit
the aid of a glass, quite bit of snoy
in the cracks and little valleys aroun
the peaks. They get their name fror
their peculiar formation. There is on
Mace especially, where there is a sue
cession of tall, slender peaks for per
baps a mile and a half that gives on
the impression of a giant pipe organ
=. Hence the name-the Organ mountains
= AS we approached the mountains tn
YIand began to rise gradually and finall
about three O'Clock we began to find a
=, occasional small cottonwood tree
shortly after we stopped in dry rive
.-..-bed to prepare our dinner. As we ha
eaten nothing since breakfast we a
did Justice to the meal which Capt
Crossman prepared for us. A meal c
fried potatoes, bacon, coffee and breac
cooked over small fire out in the ope
sHre tastes about as good as anything
Dinner over we loaded up and starte
again for we still had about sixty mile
TO cover.
About four o'clock we came to Cox
Ranch the biggest ranch in the soutl
west. 1t is thirty-fve miles long AT
twenty-five miles wide and contain
about five hundred and fifty thousar
acres. On the west side Of the moul
s~ins they have about four thousan
o.lfSes under irrigation.
NAfter leaving the ranch house we b