Year: 1874

one hundred miles. We saw


some large wagon trains en-
route; all the parties are well
armed with Henry rifles and


Colts revolvers. At night the


wagons are coralled and every


precaution taken; as Arizona
is known to be the home of the
dreaded Apache. The coun-
try from La Paz to Wicken-
burg is principally mesa land,
with little or no water, except
that which is obtained by dig


ging wells; some of them are
two hundred feet in depth, and
the station-keepers sell it at one
to two bits per drink for each
animal. We camped out one
night after leaving the mesa
Entering gloomy canyon we
pitched our tent on a little ma
ked spot which was surrounded
by chapparel. 1t was two miles
away where we procured water
for cooking purposes, and never


shall l forget the walk as we
trudgcd along, bucket in hand,
for the spring. The moon
shone brightly and the silver
stars twinkled, but We kept a
profound silence, for we did not
know how soon the Indians
would be upon us. At length
we arrived at the spring and
succeeded in procuring the nee
essary amount Of water; but


just as we got ready to make
our return-"whiz" went some
half-a-dozen bullets close to our
ears. 1t is unnecessary to in
form the reader that we returned
to camp with empty buckets,
but otherwise unharmed. The
driver hitched up his team and
after proceeding about five miles
we picked out a camp and re-
mained until daylight.


WICKENBURG.


The next day we arrived at
Wickenburg. This place is
mining town and contains about
five hundred inhabitants. There
are two quartz mills in opera
ton, and l was informed that
the mill which crushed the ore
from the Vulture Mine netted
the owners the snug little sum
of one hundred and twenty
thousand dollars, each, monthly.
Two-thirds of the territory is Il
desert; the remaining third, the
portion, is all that
heart could wish. Timber in
abundance; never-fa in g
springs Of pure, cold water;
soil exceedingly fertile, and
climate not to be surpassed in
the United States.


The Tonic Basin is perhaps
the best portion Of Arizona
All along the base Of the San
Francisco and the White Noun
tains the land is good for agri-
cultural or mining purposes
1t is also good stock country,
and it is strange that the enter
Yankee has not emigra-
ted to Northern Arizona and
developed that portion of the
Union. | know of no place in
the great west which would
make a more desirable home for
the hardy sons of toll. The
peach, the pear, the plum, the
apricot and all the California
fruits can be raised to perfec-
ton here. Indian corn, Irish
and sweet potatoes, and all the
cereals yield enormous crops.
The gold mines have attracted
attention, ,andthou-
sands of miners are doing well.


After seeing the sights around
Wickenburg and the adjacent
for three weeks,we again
took the stage and returned to
La Paz, where we took the
steamboat Moiave, for Arizona
journey of one hundred
and eighty-three miles down
the Colorado Of the West. We
tied up the boat at night on the
California side of the river
The channel is continually
changing and shifting, and the
government should make an ap-
preparation for the purpose of
the bottom of the river
calked. Castle Dour, a high
peak on the mesa, can be seen
for a hundred miles in every di-
rection. JOHN a. WoMACK.