New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-11-11

where-'big electric fans to keep the
cattle COOL" a waggish cowboy once ex'
planned to a London tenderfoot.
Ell Paso ("The Pass"), great border
mart Of west Texas, Is set on the
edge of a rich stretch Of the Rio
Grande valley. 1t stands at the point
Of intersection between two old high
ways, the first channels of traffic estab'
lished by white men in America. 1t Is
the only large city from "San Antoine"
to Los Angeles. a ride Of 1900 dry.
dusty miles. 1t is well served by both
American and Mexican railways, and
Its merchants buy and sell goods for
hundreds Of miles below the Rio
Grande. Despite the arid country
about 1t and Its occasional binding
d~ust-stOrms, Its climate Is exception
ally good, owing to high elevation.
The largest irrigation reservoir any
where is the great Elephant Butte
dam, which stores more water than the
world-famous Assuan dam on the Nile.
This big dam, built In the Rio Grande
above Ell PasO, at a point In New Mex
leo, holds water enough. we are told,
ito cover Massachusetts to a depth Of
six inches"
Juarez, El PasO's sister city across
the Rio Grande, like most Mexican bor-
der towns, Is known chiefly because
of It's pitched battles and Its bizarre
methods of entertaining sporty Ameri-
can visitors. A wooden bridge spans
the river here, and FL Paso street cars
loop over into Mexico-when the loop
ing is safe.
Across an Arid Wilderness.
From the point at Monument No. l
where the boundary line crawls out OF
the Rio Grande lat the southeastern
corner of New Mexico), 1t strikes west
into a wilderness Of ~singularly dry
and empty aspect. For 40 miles along
this march the traveller must carry
his own water. Near Columbus a
few small trees appear.
To the west lie the rough, hostile
foothills of the Dog mountains; near
here, In the San Luis range, the line
reaches a point 5000 feet above the
sen, marking the continental divide.
Through San Luis pass rum the old
emigrant trail.
Slightly west of the one hundred and
eighth meridian the line turns at right
angles and runs south for a few miles,
thence west again.
T.. Al. A.c nora~~AlrN roIlau thu
line strikes the first running water
after quitting the Rio Grande-182
miles to the east. In the whole TOO
mile stretch from the Rio Grands to
the Pacific this line crosses only ave
permanent running streams. and the
average rainfall throughout its length
Is only eight inches. Save the ham
lets Of Columbus and Hachita, the
New Mexico section Of the border 10
almost uninhabitsd.
Hurdiing this line In purvuit u O.
ronimo and his Apachss was for years
. favorite outdoor army sport 10 these
parts; but nowadays most ambitious
residents are mining copper, roping
and branding cattle Or fussing With IT.
rigation bitches.
Not long ago coyotes were chasing
horned toads over an empty desert
where Douglas, Aris., now stands, with
libraries. country clubs, theaters. pub
Nc baths, street ears and Q hotel that
might have been lifted bodily out Of
Cleveland or Kansas Clty. Just owe
the line from Douglas LEE drab. dusty
Aqua Preta. with it, sleepy poems and
sadeyed burros.
oistss in q Canyon.
West Of Douglas. eight miles nsrth
Of Naco. on the line. and quite hidden
in the barren Mule mountains. lies the
quaint upslde-down. busy, hustllng Bis
bee. Its main street runs up a deep
canyon, many Of its houses clnging
like pigeon cotes { steep hillsides.
OF our whole border. the California
section IL perhaps best known to
Americans because Of denser popula-
ton. excellent motor trails and prox-
unity to cities like San Diego. Los An
geles, FL Centre and the below-the-sea
border town of Calexico. opposite Mex
icali. The incredibly fertile Imperial
valley Of California sweeps north from
Calexico to the Salton sea. more than
200 feet below the sea level.
From Calexico the line runs west
past Signal mountain. up the Jacumba
pass over the Lagunas. past the his
toric border town Of Campo. through
the towns of Tecate and Tia Juana
(famous for races and gambling ca
sinos). and thence to the Pacific, a few
miles below San Diego.