Nogales international., 1935-02-02
ALTO PATAGONIA

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enough ahead so that the Nogales
hunters will be able to hunt deer
in upper Josephine Canyon during
the next hunting season.
Thanking you in advance I re-
main
Yours truly,
III. H. McCUTCHAN
BOX 207, Patagonia, Ariz. "
MIR. Bonds Letter
Mr.. Bonds letter, headed, IAN
APPRECIATION, reads as follows:
Sir: The county road running to
Alto from Patagonia is at last done,
there being only a few odds and
ends Of clay spots to surface.
This road has had many ups
and downs, its history going back
to Civil War days, it being in part
an old military road of those days.
Even in the days of the antiguos
is must have been frequently trav-
elled by the aboriginal tribes, and
certainly by the earlier Spanish
metal seekers, and later by the
Apache3 in their raids through this
section Of the state.
upon one of my claims an old
opening was found TO hold several
stone implements. used By the pre-
historic people, and several more
extended works hereabouts are even
vet known as the Jesuit mines. All
Of such openings show ore OF good
tenor. proving that 1t was metal
the prospcctors were after. They all
without exception so far as I have
seen them were veins carrying both
silver and copper or gold and cop
per bringing evidence Of the met
ais then most esteemed.
"There are many old traditions
about the ores found here, some OF
which are authenticated by ac-
counts of taxes paid thereon to the
rulers of the day.
THE legend of the Salero mine
is more or less true that 1t was
given it's name by a visiting bishop
on account Of large salt-cellar
made out of native silver, by the
padres in honor of his coming. The
road passes within a stones throw
of the old smelter built by Raphael
Pu1npelly in the first year of the
Civil War to obtain lead and silver
SO much needed at the time. In
fact the road Is dotted with old
mills and smelters and other min
ing works. An old mill site is to
he seen where this road leaves the
railroad and Sonoita Greek, few
miles from Patagonia.
"IGle vista of San Ignacio de
sonitac was adjacent, and this
name persists in the form OF Son
o.ta for the creek purling and rlppl-
ing by, one Of the few all year
streams of this valley.
sWhere the road leaves this
stream is the well known Dripping
Sp.ine' which will be remembered
by many an old timer for the de-
liGhtful draught of sweet cool water
en- the sunniest days OF the dry
time: Just over the ridge into the
Souaw Greek valley there are In
distinct remains Of mines and bene-
ficiating works, SO old that no one
now knows who built them.
I'm my first days we used to
travel down Squaw Greek to Its
junction with the Sonoita, and
thence up the latter to where the
present road is met. A little furth-
pr on is a symmetrical peak which
though small well deserves the
name it bore years ago: FL Como.
Passing this on the left IS one OF
the large lodes of the country, call
ed the Montezuma, by the pros
pectors to whom that name s1gh-
fled untold riches. Along this lode
was an old work that John Magee
who mined hereabouts in the eight
cen sixties called the Aztec mine,
and which he had been told by ar
Indian. had actually been worked
bv the Aztecs. Thee was plant
for treating this ore on one OF the
creeks, but this can not be seen
from our road.
"a little further on a branch OF
this road to the right or southeast
side goes up to the Mohawk Mine
and Mill, opened and equipped by
Mr.. Fred Kollberg, who now has a
gold mine in California. The main
road however leaves this branch and
runs nearly westerly to its juno
ton with the older road on ASH
Cree,-. This is approximately on the
route of the old Telephone ROAD
but recently resurveyed by our
county surveyor, Mr.. w. H. Roper
who has brought out the superb