Show AN EARY EARLY experiment the following appeared lp in the tele graphic dispatches of this pap paper erthree three or ir four weeks ago oot oct 23 governor hughea Hughs of arizona had an important conference with minister romero of mexico touching improvements of the colorado river would add to its importance as a channel of commerce the governor represented to romero that colorado was the second largest stream on the pacific coast he said that with secure jetties betties at the mouth and with some dredging along the course ot of the stream it could be made navigable for miles far up sip into arizona and nevada tapping rich mineral deposits in the moun ains and fine agricultural and horticultural regions in the lower country he pointed out that mexico along the gulf of california possesses large forests of fine timber and immense deposits of coal in both of which the southwestern portion oatha of the states stat as is deficient Gover governor hor hughes thinks the government of the united states would make improvements necessary within its boundary if the mexican government would undertake todo to do as much within mexican territory the lower miles of the river being in mexico minister romero was very much impressed with the representation made by the government he said he would recommend his government to give the matter attention he thought the best befit way to proceed would be for the two governments to join in the appointment of a commission to 10 anve mitigate the whole question the item recalls an interesting attempt on the part of the mormon peo ato bearly thirty years ago pione pioneers ere us they thou theu and of pioneering spirit as they always have been to utilize the ih great colorado for purposes of if navigation it was was before the days daya or die calir ad before the days even when there was wart any tangible prospect proa i the cital rital highway being cast up in the near future the biffl cuttles or of travel across the pla plains iniss and tue enormous expense connected with we the bringing in not of su supplies aplies but f people also early led lea tile the aromi prominent tient mil milus us of the to seek a remedy that should result in more rapidly bui liling up this country and in easing the burdens of the people auther southern utah lis ha i been colonize daud there was a grow growing iLig feeling that thai the stilbern stuL ibern bern route into california with wilb all its disadvantages would still become the popular one during the greater pare of the year what mure more iglai natural ural therefore than that the mormon people should have given much titi ought to wo the opening up ot of this water route by means of which daiy imports could be more cheaply brought luto southern utah and tience possibly sent to Californi bl ludeen at cue nm lima tile the bringing in or of the whole was seriously thought of via the auli of Valio rula and the mighty river that fl into it IL I 1 he be late anson call of davis county was the mau chosen to wake make the he requisite explorations and proceed to we ali e establishment of a pst post at tile point that could be rega rags ded as the head of bavi navigation gation he was called upon this mission at the october and on december 26 25 ot of that year tie he sent a report of his to hi toelau george A smith through whose courtesy it was published in the DESERET NEWS several accounts of the place selected were prin printed teJ in the NEWS the farist being bein on january iuis cults first report gives the date of the arrival as december Is 2 1 1864 aud deb eribes the head bead of gaviga liun or 01 the river IB as beilin one tulle mile bl b low lov the narrows aud and just juat above tie the mouth ol of black canyon about two and a half miles below this point are shoals and but these were not thought bought sufficient to interfere very materially with navigation the next hext report wa 4 sent by isaac aso hunter to bishop A 11 raleigh and was wall callville Call ville the pame kiven the new station february ary 4 1865 in this the writer de cie the warehouse then being built there as an up to the square and likely to be in two wo or three days as aa also the resi residence deice of anson call a building 18 x 20 feet which would be completed about the 1 I 1 ime r on marob march so 8 1860 1865 the news speak ing editorially on the subject of call calls a landing as the place was waa sometimes called sald said we are satisfied that the colorado route to and from salt bait lake city will receive a thorough trial thial with flattering prospects of becoming sooner or later commercially beneficial 12 this view was taken in connection with the anticis ted railroad across the continent more particularly pending the completion of that road and ip in view of a promised trade with the sandwich islands about the of march 1865 captain thomas E in con venation with albert carrington then editor of the baws gave an account of the be opposition he be as well as others encountered in attempting to take freight in steamers or barges above hamdya landing on the colorado the people at this place seemed to be jealous of the prospects of the mormon post he says saya be started for callas jalpa landing anding Ij with about one hundred tons of freight of which feet of lumber formed a port portion ioD but learning that anson call had returned to his home in davis county utah he left hi his boat and cargo and came on to salt bait lake part of his freight he be had previously discharged at la paz pax according to his estimate the distance from hardys to calls landing anding Jj was 98 miles owing to the difficulty in procuring wood fortne for ane boats he be thought it would take almost a month to make the trip from the mouth of the colorado to calls land ing the rapids being the worst feature of the Journey the mercantile association of salt lake city pawed passed resolutions about this time to do all in their power to demonstrate the feasibility of tb the colorado route from southern california to this city A letter dated june 1869 written by joe JOB W young giving an account of his travels through our dixie incidentally mentions that some of the rock salt taken from the mountains between st thomas and the colorado river had been taken down that stream in barges to port fort mohave and other places the approach and advent of pacific railroad appears to have given the be place its quietus for it finally anally seems beeme from an article published in we the NEWS of june 1869 that callville Call ville hid b ad then been abandoned or left unprotected as from the mail carrier of st george it was learned that three horse thieves from st S t ge rge had bad made their way to the station wrenched four large doon 1 from the warehouse there constructed a r ft with them and leaving their horses bones and surplus luggage upon the bank had bad launched out upon the turbulent stream whether they survived the perilous journey journe v was not known elder eider andrew jenson who kindly points out these theme references in early resumes of the furnishes the following additional information when I 1 visited old st thomas on the he muddy in lincoln county novada nevada in 1892 1 I learned that the walls of ahr the old warehouse at calls landing were still salil standing ng there are botand never were any facilities for a farming settlement at that point as an the surrounding country on both sides of toe the colorado river is barren sandy broken and absolutely useless lov lor agricultural purposes there la is a small flat bat consisting of a 8 few sores acres near the landing covered with a weed known in that country as mea keet et me equit and around a point some distance below the landing there la is another flat embracing several hundred acres but it was not brought under cultivation by the mormon settlers the only object had bad in view in locating calls landing was to take advantage of the facilities for navigation up the colorado river the only buil buildings diage of importance ever erected there were the ware house standing about twenty feet from the bank of the river and a dwelling house for the accommodation or of the people who had bad charge of the landing no mention to is made of 01 calls landing Lian in the georja of the muddy mission Mis siou 21 |