The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-06-26

shifted the whole economic and i'm
migration history of Arizona and prob
ably of northwest Mexico. too. But
this plan was not approved; Uncle
Sam found himself with a remote, IN
explored savage land, hard TO reach.
So, instead of our american Egypt
having a seaport on its border. IL re-
mains a landlocked region Of long
rail hauls.
This inaccessibility, the character
of the country itself, and its savage
inhabitants kept Arizona for decades
the most backward Of all our terri
tories.
Buying Arizona was folly, Eastern
people said; its arid wastes were use
less. Yet surveys began to show that,
for all its evil deserts. ii had big rich
spots of much value: also, now that il
belonged to US, we were free 70 make
roads across il. to tie up Texas with
southern California.
Nearly Isolated for Years
Yet for twenty years after the Gads-
den purchase Arizona communicated
with the outside world largely by wa
ter. Ships ran from San Francisco
to the mouth Of the Colorado river.
via the Mexican ports of Mazatlan.
La Paz, and Guaymas.
A semi-monthly mail and passenger
stage line was started in 1857 from
San Antonio to San Diego; but ar
times it cost the government S65 10
carry each letter, a year later the
historic Butterfeld stages began run
ming between st. Louis and San Fran
CISCO An early writer says: This
was one of the grand achievements
of the age, to span the continent by a
semi-weekly line Of stages. under
bonds to perform, by sole power OF
horsefesh, a trip of nearly $500 miles
within the schedule of % days"
1t was the trek of people from the
South to the West after the Civil war
that began to give Arizona population
Previous to that, white men saw little
of it, except the regions about Tue
son. the ella Bend, and Yuma. which
Today passengers on fast trains
through Arizona complain If the show
er in the club car is not cool, or IL
the BARRIERS razor is dull. Getting
laid out" for two hours at pace Ike
Tubac with a broken engine is called
hardship.
Arizona really began 70 grow up
with the development Of her mines
by Americans.
Quest for gold first took white men
there. Legendary gold-roofed temples
of Cibola 1ured Coronado. He didn't
find a golden Cibola. But fer genera
tons Spain helped pay the huge cost
of her glittering European armies with
gold and silver from Arizona and Som
ora mines.
Along half-forgotten trails. where
swarthy, bearded men in clanking mail
drove Indians to slavery in the mines.
fantastic legends never die. Credulous-
ly, modern Arizona still repeats tales
of lost mines, Of faded maps be-
queathed by dying monks, OF heavy.
brass-bound treasure chests still hid
den somewhere in ruins OF ancient
missions.
Not a rocky canyon in this vast
geological kaleidoscope which is Arr
IONA but echoes now or has echoed 70
the whack of the prospector's hammer
and the hoarse evensong OF his burro-
From the Tough Nut, the Glory
Hole, and other claims incredible
wealth was taken, before a subter-
ranean river drowned the miners out.
More than s1o0,OO0OO0 worth of cop
per has been taken from one Arizona
mine.
Future Seems Assured.
Fears that when mines were worked
out Arizona might decline In wealth
and population have been allayed since
the World war. There are two rea-
sons: First, the increase Of farm set
tiers under new irrigation projects;
second, discovery of ways TO mine
and smelt copper at lower cost
Where low-grade copper ore occurs
in great masses near the top OF the
ground, as at Bisbee, miners simply
blast and use steam shoyels. More
than 100000 tons of rock have been
broken by one "shot"
One can grasp the size Of Arizona's
mining industry when 1t is known
that the state employs more than
25,O00 men and digs each year 6I5.-
100000 pounds of copper, 100000
pounds Of lead. 100000 ounces Of
silver, and 100000 in gold. The an
nual mineral output sells for more
than s1O0,O00,000.
Inevitably, mining viii decline; but
by that day Arizona believes her In
creased farm, fruit, live stock. and
other growing industries win preserve
her economic balance.
Today there is the great Yuma prof.
ect; the big new dams at Horse Mesa
and Mormon Flat, and the new null
tiple-dome Coolidge dam on the CHA
river, near San Carlos. The last named
stands in a box canyon. eighty miles
above the lands 1t waters. At present
about 4, 400 Pima Indian farmers, with
$1,000 acres, are the chief benefciar-
les. But, to make the project practical
economically, 1t also waters an equal
area owned by white farmers zeaR
Florence and Casa Granda.