Show V arizona Quess questions fonis ionis answered I 1 smithville B pima co arizona dec 22 1879 editors deseret awk dear Brother brothers 6 I 1 no now w to write to you again with reference to the affairs and prospects of 0 our colony and this country in general se we have had some bome addition to our eur nr numbers lately we are tire all well and prospering the most of us have houses and we have a schoolhouse up all ready for the roof my last letter ietter which was published in your paper called forth a letter to me from a brother c containing onta ining the following list of questions I 1 have answered and thinking there might be a good many others who would like to know all about it I 1 send the questions with their answers to publication if you think it worth while question what la Is the extent of the country answer thia this is a large valley the main body of farming land la Is about 80 miles long and will average a mile and a halt half wide with benches bunches extending from three to elgha miles wide oa an each aide side of it Q what kind ot at soul boll la is there any alkali or mineral salt salts A the soil is mostly a rich sandy loam some bome little alkali but not enough to hurt anything Q what is the climate A beautiful neither extremely hot nor very cold long seasons of even temperature a cool breeza every day and cool nights all summer bummer no snow yet and but very little frost Q what amount of rains raine A the seasons vary boma soma years they have plenty of rain to raise the second crop but last season we tead to depend entirely upon irrigation Q what kind of winter winters A warm and pleasant there is never snow enough to lie on the ground half a day we work all winter Q are the people subject to fever and ague agut A no they are not except those who live close to the river and continue the use of the river water none of us have had it who live at some distance from the river and have med used well water Q what are the facilities for tim bei what kinds A plenty of cottonwood and black willow on the bottoms easy got pine in the mountains hard to get at but with labor we can make maize a road to it dwarf ash oak black and sycamore Q wais etho lie tle nna ana laud leen been survey BulveS ea ed by government if it so what proportion of it has been entered A it has been none of it has been entered Q what railroad ia is com coming ing through that portion of countr country 5 A the southern the west and anti the tho Atchison Topeka and kansas from the east Q what grant of land does the rall rail railroad foad toad get from government A every esery other or one halt half on the old survey but it Is forfeited and we do not know whether they will get it or not Q what la Is the distance dia dla tance from sait sale like city by wagon road A about miles Q what is the distance to the nearest railroad station A one hundred and seventy miles southwest Q la Is the water good or bad in the river creeks and sp springs A good in iti the river wilen when it ia Is high bad when low there are no creeks and very few springe springs Q what are tho the facilities for A good the tho well kateris wa tenia teris good and very hearthy thy we have to dig about au feet Q are there good mill sites A yes yea on the water ditches that come colne froni from the river but would have to to run a ditch from four to six mile to get fall enough Q what is the name of the river liver on which you reside A spelled glia gila gila pronounced heia hela Q are there any building rock or limes limestone tone tont A there ia Is building rock of a soft nature that can be hewn into any shape it ia Is very white no limes limestone tone toDe nearer than 25 miles Q fish and game A plenty or fish fiah in the river they bay eay there are five dif dlf different lerent kinds but I 1 haye have seen been only two kinds plenty of bear and deer herband here and lots lota oft ott of turkeys arke ys 50 miles 1 from om here Q 10 are there any mines in your vicinity A five large camps in a radius of soi sri miles Q how far are you from the capital of arizona A two hundred and twenty five or miles Q are there any market towns near you yon A yes the market ia Is good Q if the peculiar features of your country should suggest any further information please state it A there are a great many prospects of gold silver and copper mines in every d direction iree Irea tion we are 12 miles above the apache reservation there ia is a military post called camp thomas on the edge of the reservation 12 miles below here another called camp apache miles north of here another called fort grant 50 miles south another called camp buoy 55 miles southeast the river runs the entire length of this valley entering at the southeast end and running northwest that is the way the valley talley lies it is an open valley the benches are covered with a kind of dwarf locust called me meb mea skeet keet good for fire wood and fence posts the hollows running down from the mountains contain dwarf oak ash and sycamore good for axe helves hei hel veil umber timber and so on this valley is not a very good place for stock as they have to go to the river for water and the farms lie open all along the river on both sides there are no fences in the valley therefore we are obliged to herd our out stock about 75 or miles from here southwest Bouth south west wesl there is as good a stock country aa as can cau be found anywhere in the west there are no meadow lands along the river where we can cut hay all the hay bay is cut on the benches the riv river or is easily forded corded almost anywhere there is no quicksand or miry bot bottom torn it is all hard bottom there is no rock rack or coaree coarse gravel on the farm land lande hogs hoga do well here they fatten easily on squashes which grow here with very little attention as do all vines and vegetables bees do splendid here lucern does well I 1 would advise every one to bring plenty of lucern seed aa as they cannot get it here they mee wee the very best of wheat here there is bub but very little smut in the wheat if any one comes here to build a mill we wish one thing to be understood we want DO no one but good latter day we want the mill to be erected on strictly business coop cotor co bor tor op principles we want all who nirh to take shares in the mill to ha han v B the privilege of doing so by ja jinn for them thern in labor or material there is one good grist mill eight miles from here it belongs t to 0 outsiders and they are very extortionate in their charges iffe if we take ibs lbs of wheat there to be ground they take out 10 lbs iba for waste whether it is clean or dirty and then charge for grinding the tho remaining 90 and will allow only two cents per pound for wheat thus taking about ono one half of the wheat to pay for grinding the other half we do not want people to think that this is a paradise for it takes a great deal of hard bard labor to got a start here aa as well as anywhere else respectfully your brother WM K R legislation bair SALT lai lal nake LAKE E CITY december Dd cember cembor editors despret we aws in the proper organization of society legislations and laws are an absolute necessity the government or state is ii the parent of the nation its duty Is to protect the citizen at home homo and abroad in his individual rights nights and also alao coald to aid ald him by wise legislation to make lawful individual enterprise a success wholesome and just leg legislative iaia iala measures enable him to enjoy freedom peace and happiness anti anil opens the door to spiritual and temporal prosperity the state is an incorporated body of elect citizens train up a child in the way he should go through the protection of jaw human sympathy and parental care the child arrives to manhood then the state expects the man to do his duty as an honi orabie citizen to perform proper labor for support still however under the foat fostering ering care of the state A cosmopolitan policy will pave the way for the universal reign of righteousness when every man inan in every evory land will meet a brother and a friend and every one will lunden lunder understand stand and love his neighbor to the endl endi I 1 when a good law la Is passed all good citizens will obey it it la is quite possible that modern governments will exert their power to do good in behalf of the people more than they have in times past the tho can not only at ald aid d the husbandman to till the soil and cause by gods blessing the wil berness to blossom as the rose but can purchase and garner a portion of the harvest against the time ot at famine as did joseph in egypt phere phero will be seed time and barvest harvest while the rainbow ia Is been zerl in the cloud clou dP I 1 abundance will crown the labor of the thrifty for a time but we have to prepare for the future a time when it will bo be no longer visible individually we view the present with an eyo of faith from thib this standpoint we speak on the water question the just shall live by his faith and good works we ye can see a 9 bright blight future for th the people of utah operation cooperation co ot bf intellect capital and labor will per form gondera in developing oar our material resources no hand need be idle no one will want for bread by prudent legislators every en will be given to home I 1 is manufacture to home Indus industries trigs of every department of trade and commerce and agriculture there is vast wealth in the virgin boll soil of utah underneath the bage cage brush 9 and the roots of rank weeds we shall find gold and sliver silver oil and wine peaches and apples corn and fine flour silk and cotton health and happiness liberty and life oar legislators fear god and they have regard for man they will study the interests of their constituents good legislation tends to cooperation co to brotherhood A great and intelligent people inhabit the vales of at these irocky mountains brave and law abiding peaceful and industrious personal rights are respect respected and legitimate enterprises for the public weal in a operative cooperative co form are fostered by our home rulers kulers encouraged and sustained by a united community yours very truly INDEX |