Show THE UPPER GILA An Opening for Large Settlement Settle-ment Editors Herald i UPPER GILA RIVER GRANT Co NEW MEXICO August 2218S2 J Thinking your readers would like to hear something about the country coun-try down here in New Mexico and what is going on in this territory ter-ritory I drop you a few lines Grant county is a mining and stock raising country principally and what little land there is in this county is situated along the Rio Members and the Gila river There is here on the Gila tottom about 4000 acres of tillable land and on the Rio Members about 3000 acres all of which is fine bottom bot-tom land Corn and potatoes are our principal crops We cannot grow small grain to an advantage owing to no mills tiuU the summer rains sprouting it in the field 1 think this is a good fruit climate but the old settlers have not taken any interest in that direction The crops look fine we have had plenty of rain but not half so much as last season This is one of the finest grazing countries in the United States both for winter and summer sheep cannot can-not destroy the grass and kill it out like on other grazing plains I have been familiar with There are mineral belts all through this country and it will not be long before be-fore this county will be ahead in her mineral developments of her sister counties Silver City is the county seat of Grant county and there are about 2500 inhabitants in it about equally I divided Ijefcween whites and Mexicans Mexi-cans Tl e < Mexicans as a general thing are a poor class of people and principally follow freighting wood chopping and stock herding ilver City has several large wholesale and retail bricK with iron front stores besides there are four bankingfhouses in itJThe Denver Rio Grande Railroad will soon reach the cIty Goods are very reasonable but produce is high At present merchants pay for farm produce Corn 2c to 3Mc per pound Irish potatoes 3c andjic per pound butter 50c per pound eggs 50 cents per dozen chickens from 6900 to 1200 per dozen beef on foot 5Mcto per pound American milch cows from 50to 875 per head Land sells here on the Gila river at from 1000 to 1500 a claim of 160 acres The improvements improve-ments on a claim of land consist of a ditch or an interest in one and a rude house after the Mexican style a corn crib and perhaps a shed for their work stock and when this is said all is said There is a good opening here for a large settlement of enterprising emigrants from Utah There is more water for irrigation here than there is land The timber along the river is principally cottonwood the largest 1 have ever seen I Besides there are black willow walnut wal-nut and ash This valley is about 140 miles above Smitihville Arizona and on the same rJser And we are about 100 miles 1 orth of the line of Old Mexico The Indians stole some stock about sixty miles below here oil the Gila some lime since and kil ed a few Mexican freighters in their road There have been some I few letters of enquiry from Utah sent to me asking if the raid was made in this valley and in answer to such I would say that there never was any stock taken out of this valley either by Indians or stock thieves since I came here there lis a rugged mountain between be-tween here and San Carlos agency that prevents Indians from escaping With stock from this country Respectfully THOS J CLARK |