The Arizona Miner
vol. 1, No. 1
Fort Whipple, Arizona Territory
March 9th, 1864
ROADS TO TUCSON AND LA PAZ .
The wagon road to Tucson, via Weaver and the Pima Villages ,
seems to be an entirely practicable one. The military express
goes over it in seven days, and trains make the entire distance
( 240 miles) in from twelve to fifteen. No serious delay or
difficulty has occurred in crossing either the Salinas or Gila.
It is natural that the people of La Paz should be anxious for a
good road to the new mines. The route to Weaver, first followed
the eminent civil
in December last, by Herman Ehrenberg, Esq. ,
and mining Engineer, who now lives at La Paz, and has long been
active in developing the Territory, promises to be a feasible
one. Sergeant Russell, who accompanied Captain Benson from this
Post to La Paz , describes it as running through a comparatively
level country, with an abundance of good grass, but a lack of
timber and water. To supply the latter the citizens of La Paz
are digging wells at several points- Mr. Tyson, superintendent
of the Apache Chief Mine, had completed a good one, 15 miles
from La Paz 0 The Sergeant calls it 140 miles from La Paz to
Weaver, but Mr. Ehrenberg, in a communication to the Governor
covering an excellent map of the route, makes it much lesso We
are permitted to give the following extracts from Mr.
Ehrenberg s letter. They demonstrate the importance of the
route, and also his confidence in this mining district, and are
well worthy of attention :
u To make the road valuable and serviceable for extensive travel
some money must be expended in opening more watering places than
are now found on the route, We have now a few men out to improve
those found by us, which will open the road for transportation,
but it should be made a first class road.
The route to Walker's and Fort Whipple, will not go to Weaver ,
but at a point of mountains, called Canon Water by us, and 75
miles from La Paz , it will turn in a more northerly direction
either by Rhodes Ranch, Date Creek, or at a point between the
two, thence I am told an excellent road exists.
At Cafion Water the road will also turn off for Tucson, striking
the Weaver wagon route about 25 or 30 miles south of that place 0
I estimate the distance from La Paz as follows, viz:
To Los Angeles 260 miles; to Cafion Water 75; to Weaver 110; to
Walker 130; to Tucson 250; to Albuquerque 560; (not by the foot
of the San Francisco Mountain but by a more direct line crossing
the Rio Verde, or San Francisco, near the 34th parallel, and
striking over to the Little Colorado. )
Roads To Tucson and La Paz— Continued.
To Fort Yuma 110 miles; to Williams Fork 60; to Fort Mohave 140 .
I think all attempts at reaching the Colorado higher than La
will prove a failure for all practical
with wagons
Paz ,
purposes owing to intervening mountain ranges and other
and last not least that the permanent head of
obstacles ,
navigation is in reality the town of La Paz. At a higher stage
of water boats will ascend for at least 200 miles more, and
undoubtedly enter a good mining section o
We may be mistaken in regard to the water and its quantity on
the proposed route * * * I consider the road of such importance
that half a dozen failures in wells, should not cause it to be
abandoned.
As far as regards the mineral resources of your section, I have
great faith, although I have as yet had but little time to
investigate them; but the general formation of the mountain
ranges, their massive character, grand veins, rich minerals, and
and the general
necessary to work them ,
the elements
geographical position of the section, and other reasons, force
me to this belief
Messrs . Lount, Frederick and Noyes, of Goodwin, started for
La Paz, by this road on the 3rd inst. Mr. Noyes will proceed to
San Francisco to procure a saw—mill and quartz crusher and is
expected back in July.
No comments:
Post a Comment