LAS CKUCES—Continued, tlieir settlements ami planted tlieir missions before Plymouth and the Atlantic coast settlements were thought of.
CAMPBELL HOTEL is good: leads. Also AMADOR and DON BERNARDO. Frequently fill early. Free camp space. Inf.—Chamber of Commerce.
RIO GRANDE RIVER, crossed westward.
THE DESERT NOT DESERTED
In far West Texas and across New Mexico and parts of Arizona and California are arid areas crossed by the Old Spanish Trail often referred to as deserts. They are not deserted. Cities of refinement reach hands across these lands for many love the mystery and life and sunshine of the Southwest, while the soils need only the magic touch of water to spring into life ns fruitful as the oases of Biskra or the garden spots of Arabia. Mountains rear their crests with friendly greeting and nature plays her undcflnable colors on their rugged sides. The snnds are redeemed by the graceful mesquitc, the tangled visnaga, the bayonet shaped yucca and its bouquet of white bloom in spring, the cacti of a hundred mystic types and. their delicate flowering, the iron wood blossoms, the flaming flower of the ocatillas that grow mysteriously and proudly among the rocks. Strangeness, mystery and vastness; it Is the dwelling place of the Great Spirit!
Irrigation is spreading its broad mantle, Joining with sunshine and fertility, and the sands leap to life and send products of Incredible variety to the tables of the frozen north. Ft. Stock-ton and Baimorhea. Texas, are gardens in the desert watered by great springs. The Rio Grande Valley thru Ft. Hancock, Fabcns, Ysleln, Juarez, El Paso. Mesliia and Fas Cruces is redeemed and enriched by the big Elephant Butte reservoir in New Mexico, 110 mi. nortli of El Paso, Southern Now Mexico is still unredeemed but underground reservoirs readied by shallow wells underlie great areas. On westward Mormons are irrigating along the San Pedro IUver. Irrigation is around Tucson. Westward at Florence tlie great Coolidge Dam is building to transform more areas of hot snnds into semi-tropical gardens of wealth. The Sait River Valley around Phoenix and its green fields and colorful life breaks on tlic desert traveler like a benediction; the Roosevelt reservoir that mothers it all seems a distant snerament. Over In California the sandy bed of the old Salton Sea is now the Imperial Valley growing green gold. The desert Is not deserted. A great highway gives comfortable travel thru it and travel service is plentiful along the way. Soft, fine drinking water prevails in this sandy country with but a few places not so fortunate.
*DEMING. An interesting city in the midst of an apparent desert but those plains are underlaid with abundant water for irrigation and the sands are fertile. Mines, forests and cattle ranches are around. Three railroads. Pure, soft drinking water is characteristic of this country—and most of the Old Spanish Trail territory.
PARK HOTEL leads. HOTEL BAKER, lower priced, good. Five cabin and apint. camps. Free camp space, also cabins, 20 mi. west at Gage; Camp space at Wilna. Inf.— Chamber of Commerce.
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. 32.5 mi. west of Deming: 27.5 mi. east of Lordsburg. Elevation 4.584 ft. East, the water goes to the Atlantic; west, to the Pacific.
*LORDSBURG. A railroad division point. Lead, copper and silver mines in the surrounding country. IIOLLEN and VENDOME hotels, fair. Two cabin camps.
GRANITE GAP. Elevation 4,400 ft. West of Lordsburg 2S ini., east of Rodeo 20 mi. Cut thru granite mountains that rise in beauty out of the desert. The ocatilla, the spindling cactus of the arid, rocky places, is seen in this section: its flowers in spring a scarlet flame and one of the mystic beauties of the desert.
RODEO. A railroad station village. Mining and ranch interests around. Country hotel. Camp space, camp house.
NEW MEXICO-AKIZONA STATE LINE
2 ml. Went of Rodeo
ARIZONA—501 MILES
Road Conditions
XT bu,,t and we"
Description of Country
The scenery thru the eastern part Is varied and interesting— nmjestlo mountains nml rich mlnlns districts; deserts that attract by their yirled cacti tri-oaths ami deserts turned to Breen fields by Intention. Most of Bucheye dry sands nnd n drab country arc traveled to 1 uma hut small hotels, uuto service, camp sites and robin ramps lmve developed alone the any. The people are hospitable. The drive is an interesting experience.
Arizona Is but 15 yrs, old ns a state. Its Industry, minion agriculture, education, road and city building are examples of American enterprise. Numerous ranch resorts are In the nmum tains nnd vnllejs. In summer tl.e elevation cools the temperature. In winter southern sunshine instead of snow and lee.
Old History
The Santa Cruz Valley—Tucson, Nogales, nnd into Mexico— was one of the great seats of mission and colonizing effort by the Spaniards. Numerous missions were in that territory. Some still reniuin in Mexico south of Nogales. The beginning in Arizona was in 1G92. Tlie Mission San Xavier del Bac, 9 ml. south of Tucson, was apparently founded in 1700. The building, which still stands and functions as a church, restored after years of disaster and neglect, was one of the finest structures erected by the padres in the New World. From the Santa Cruz Valley mission works were extended across Arizona to Yuma, down the Glia Valley of the Old Spanish Trail of today. From this base also the expedition started that founded San Francisco in 1770. The great mission chain along the California coast bad been started in 1709 at San Diego.
In tills Arizona, New Mexico and Northwest Texas country Coronado nnd Ills princely expedition spent three years, loiO-13, searching for tlie Cities of Gold and the land of the Gran Qulvlra.
33
DOUGLAS. A tliorolv modern city, the smelting center for the copper mines of the Plielps-Dodge and the Calumet & Arizona companies at Disbee. The monthly production 21,000.000 lbs. Near is the Chiricaliua National Monument in the Coronado National Forest where Nature and her genii have fashioned fantastic figures in the rocks. Ranch camps and resorts in the mountains. Across the Mexican border fence is Agua Prieta with a pleasant welcome to the traveler. HOTEL PALOMAR, the leading hotel. HOTEL WINTON, lower priced, good. Three good cabin camps. Inf.—Chamber of Commerce.
DISBEE. Plielps-Dodge and the Calumet & Arizona copper mines; three of the greatest in the country. Production reaches $57,000,000 monthly. Bisbee is built in a canyon with the houses over one another, clinging to the canyon walls; a never-to-be-forgotten picture. The Warren District around these mines including Bisbee embraces over 15.000 people. The crowded highway thru the crooked canyon is essentially the city of Bisbee. Mountain spring water at Bisbee. Cattle and goat ranches in the mountains and vallevs, mountain and ranch resorts for a stop-over. COPPER QUEEN HOTEL leads. GOLDIE HOTEL, modern rooms. Two cabin camps. Free camp a Lowell, l mi. east. Inf.—Chamber of Commerce.
DISP.EE SUMMIT 3 mi. west of Bisbee. G.030 ft. high* est point on the Old Spanish Trail. The highway here is a beautiful piece of engineering, easily driven, while tne mountain peaks and canyons are impressive pictures.
Three other OST summits are: S.5 mi. west of Van Horn; Texas. 4.030 ft.—the Continental Divide between Denim,, and Lordsburg. N. M. 4.5S4 ft.—7 mi. west of Boulevard. ^ California 4.103 ft.
‘TOMBSTONE. Once a turbulent city asL.m|fOon0 000
t!>e riches in silver buried in tile mountains, $40-000,OTl were taken from tlie mines. One pocket produced about