Year: 1879

|
in Shakespeare, the first place in
the world called after this famous
man. And is it not strange that
posterity have SO far forgotten al
most the worlds most famous son,
for we have only two others to
place by his side, namely, Homer
and Dante.


Travelling for the last two years
through the wild, wide West, in
the interest of other journals, | am
induced to give some of my old
friends in the Golden State de-
scription OF this now world famous
camp and its surroundings, through
the medium of your journal. hop
ing it may interest them, and per-
haps be of some paramount benefit
to those who contemplate jour-
ney to this E Dorado.


After spending two winters in
the torpid hills and SHOWS of the
Rocky Mountains, and in Colorado
in particular, | ran the blockade
through hostile, murderous Utes
and Apaches and arrived at my
destination at last, the most sea red
biped on this Western Hemis-
phere. with the hair on top of my
head still there.


My first object was to take cur
sorry view of those much talked of
mines; to see with my own eyes
the tangible shape and form of the
great lodges; to see the ore on top
of the surface; to see if one.fourth
of what was said of late about the
vastness and richness of those
mines were true; and being rather
skeptieal myself in regard to such
wild rumofs of the kind, having
good cause to be SO from previous
experience, l confess was never
so surprised in all my life. My ex-
pectations were not only realized,
but l was perfectly bewildered at
what saw, the magnitude of the
mining region and the vast guam
| tity of the mineral.


The formation is of the oldest
kind, pronounced by geologists to
be older than the Comstock, while
the deposit is far greater and equal
ly as rich. Standing on one of the |
submits of the range, full view
of some of the grand ledges appears
running through the range as far
as the eye can see, and diverging in
numerous directions like the
| bro oboO pf hura frao


The main ledge. few hundred
yards from town, is the first object
of interest to the stranger or tour
list. There it stands, stately, scar
and sublime since Creations dawn,
rising, Phpnix-like from the ashes
of it's formation, proudly cresting,
crowning the top of the hill,
straight and perpendicular, a per-
feet natural wall or barrier, rising
to about from thirty to forty feet
from the surface, and presenting
fine appearance. The ore on the
top of the ledge, by breaking a
piece off with o hammer, will run
from 100 to 200 ounces of silver
alone, Independent of the gold and
copper; the latter metal more than
pays for its reduction.


Hundreds of years to come will
not exhaust the boundless resources
of Shakespeare. The mines are equal
to any capacity that will be brought
10 bear on them. Were L never so
felicitous 1 could scarcely hope to
convey an adequate idea of the
great, vast mineral resources of
Shakespeare, and the fine, rich
quality of the same. 1t will suffice
when [ say that I have never seen
their equal, and it is doubtful If
even the great Comstock can favor
ably compare with it.


Such is my candid, conscientious
opinion of Shakespeare, and such
will be the universal opinion of the
world one year from now.


Shakespeare, too, is very happily
situated, on the southeastern slope
of the Pyramid range, at an eleva-
ton of 1880 feet above the sea, Is
miles east of the Arizona line, in
close proximity to the Gila river,
80 degrees north latitude, with a
noble valley--or plain rather-at
our feet, stretching away to the
Burro mountains on the north and
east, and capable of feeding millions
of cattle, sheep and horses, which
Will be required to sustain the great
population that will be here in a
| few months. The climate is the
purest, most exhilarating and
bracing to the lungs and system
that | have found in America or in
any other country.


| l., o.
yards above the main street and
looking away in the distance the
prospect is charming to the eye, the
whole scene and landscape is de-
lightiul to the heart, and q person
realizes his fondest ideas of q noble
and beautiful picture. That is the
scene that greets the stranger
such is the grand panorama.


| Two lines of railroad will meet
here-the California Southern Pa
citic from the west, and the Atchi-
son, Topeka and Santa Fe from the
east. The former will be built to
this place by way of Tucson, Ari-
zona, by the lst of April next.
Then there will be such rush to
this place as will throw the excite
ment of '49 in California, and the
no less recent one of Leadville, in
the shade. Mills, smelters and re-
duction works of every description
will go up Immediately, as soon as
transportation facilities are afford
ed. There are two large corpora
tions ut work here already, with
vim and vigor, with q large force
of miners, mechanics and engineers.
Every person appears to be on the
alert, buoyant, joyous and happy,
anticipating glorious future-and
SO we'll they may. Houses are GO
ing up as rapidly as the material
can be furnished, and in one year
from now this town will be large
city, far riyaling every other place
in this Territory. built on the hi0h-