Marble Hill press., 1920-12-02
ALONG OUR TURBULENT
BORDER

HNn EFkINi AH NtE sNhffH NflfFHfh -
NOR" frequently mentioned or more
widely misunderstood perhaps. than
'Hr Mexican border" writes Frederick
S.mpich, formerly American consul NJ
Nogslrs. M.t. 10 the National Geo.
graphic society
Prom the Gulf ~ Mexico up 20 ~
faso. along the Texas frontier. the
lto Grands forms the boundary De-.
tween the United States and Mexico
thence 20 the Pacific coast the line Is
marked by stone nr iron monuments
isave short break az the Colorado. f..
=" set that one il supposed 90 b. Wis.
lh'e from another BY this plan sol.
a.rr. miner or cuWwuu tyy,. ard q
smgsrlcr tool run always ty'l which
slide NJ the l.H" be- is on 1r, II wholly
lost md be- comes suddenly 90 a mon.
um.u' b" soon can get onen'cd
Adventurous, cUlurful aud full ~
contrasts as IL Is. ih, Sspm.i, trip
along this crooked. historic line is
rough and difficult and has been made
by few people
THE EIo GaBiy part ~ This border
has cuused both Uncle sam auI Mex
leo much work aud mental anguish.
During bad floods the IlHe a. formed
by the river squirms around W So a..
tonlShlns and lively o manner that
what is Mexican soil one day may be
In Tsyas the next. and vice versa.
Railroads cut this long border line
at brownsville Laredo Eagle Pass
and r. Tsso, Tex; 81 Douglas. Naco
ard NuEaics IN Arizona. ana at CHlcY.
leo and Tia iuaua. IN California only
four of thrS. railroads. however. are
main lines ~ through traffic that pcnc-
trate the interior ot Mexico, these
start st Laredo, Eagle Pass, FL rasc
and Nugalcs
"No section of the border has seen
50 much Of adventure. tragedy and
turbulent activity as Texas The flags
Of France. Spg- and Mexico have
waved owe, it; for time 1t flew its
own Lone Star and also the Confed-
crate flag.
AS you follow the border west,
oaks pines and underhrush decrease.
aridlty increases and cacti lift their
thorny heads Border counties like
Brewstcr, Preside and FL Paso are of
amazing area--larger than some OF
our small Eastern states. Wiudmills
are everywhere-"big electric fans TO
keep the cattle cool waggish COW.
boy once explained TO a London ten
derfoot.
'El Psso is the only large city from
San Antoine to Los Angeles, a ride Of
1880 dry dusty miles.
The largest irrigation reservoir
anywhere is the great Elephant Butte
dam. which stores more water than
the world, famous Assuan dam on the
Nile.
From the point at Monument No
l, where the boundary line crawls out
OF the Rio Grande Tat the southeast
corner OF New Mexico), 1t strikes wes,
into a wilderness of siugularly dry
Huu empty dSIftl VI W Ulllbs dlbnb
this march the traveller must carry his
own water.
To the west lie the rough. hostile
foothills of the Dog mountains; near
here, in the San Luis range, the line
reaches point of 6,6o0 feet above
the sea, marking the continental di.
vide.
I'm the San Bernardino valley tht
line strikes the first running water
after quitting the Rio Grande--19.
miles to the east Here rises the
famous YaQui river, that long, crooked
stream that meanders through the vaSt
state of Sonora and through
the turbulent Iaqui Indian zone, final
ly emrtying into the Gulf Of Califr
mia below GuaymaS
SIN the whole 70o-mEe stretch from
the Rio Grande to the Pacific this line
crosses only five permanent running
streams, and the average rainfall
throughout Its length is only eigh
inches.
Save the hamiets OF Columbus ant
the New Mexican section O
this border II almost uninhabited."