Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1889 — SCHWATKA IN MEXICO. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SCHWATKA IN MEXICO.

AN ACCOUNT OF HIS EXPLORATIONS IN CHIHUAHUA. Beautiful Scenery and Old Ruin*—The Mormon Colony of Diaz—Considerable Influx of American Capital into Northern Mexico.

T HE Casas Grandes (the Big Houses) Valley and River, through and along which we have been traveling for fliSfsome time, is Sfiraformodby the juncfet'iL.tion of two rivers, CjUi'the S»n Miguel •’W^J|. m d Piedras Verdes, writes Lientenant Schwatka, i n the Chicago Inter Ocean. The for-

mer, the San Miguel, is the straight-line prolongation of the Casas Grandes, and seemingly the true stream, but the Piedras Verdes is the more important, as its waters are perennially replenished with branches, which head in the never-fail-ing springs of the Sierras to the west. On its picturesque bank wo uow find ourselves. Just before reaching La Ascension we came to the Mormon colony of Diaz (named by them in honor of the present President of the Mexican Republic) numbering about thirty families. A discussion of their religious tenets is clearly—and fortunately—out of my province, not only from the heavy, dreary character of it, but for the reason that everything, wise and otherwise, about Mormonism has already been put before those who cared to read it. But entirely outside of the subject of polygamy, which has so completely obscured every other poiut about these people, they have one characteristic which is seldom heard of in connection with them and their wandcr-

iDgs in the Western wilderness I rater a to iheir pioneering efforts, or the build* ii gup of new countries. They have no peer in pioneering nmong the Caucasian races. They number here about seventy-five families, a mere fraction compared with iill the available lands of the magnificent valleys of the Casas Grandes, Boca Grande, Santa Maria, and otheis, and never will predominate politically or in numbers over too others, counting the Mexican population, which is almost universally Catholic. In fact, those here seem content to settle down and be let alone, which they can attain here by the purchase or tracts of land over which thev

can throw their authority and be a little community unto themselves, neither disturbing nor hoping to I e disturbed. Corralitos was reached the hist dav. It has a very pretly, almost poetical, name, that loses much of Ts romantic character when it is known that it is named for some old, dilapidated sheep pens that once existed there. It is a hacienda of about a million acres in extent, and one of the most beautiful ones in the whole State of Chihuahua, the Casas Grandes Biver running for some thirty miles through tho estate. The true hacienda, of wnich we hear so much in Mexican narration, is really a definite area of twenty-two thousand acres, but it is used now so as to mean almost any large estate from that size, or even less, to any amount whatever under one management. Under the advance of American railways they are slowly disappearing, and will soon exist only in poetry and cbeap-John novels. The views from the hacienda are beautiful in almost every direction. The one given in the illustration is taken from the La Ascension road, about six to eight miles from the hacienda. To the east lies a range of mountains filled with seams of silver, the Corralitos Company working some thirty to forty mines, while one hundred aud fifty to two hundred “prospects” await development. It has been known since the Spaniards entered this part of Mexico. The vista along the Casas Grandes Biver is especially delightful. The Corralitos Company is mainly owned in the United States, New York ‘parties being tne principal capitalists. There is considerable influx of American capital into Northern Mexico, which is rapidly in--roasmg with a fuller understanding of the country, and daily evidence of the greater stability of the Mexican Government. This part is especially attracting attenLo.i with the subjugation of the Apaches an I the consequent opening of the fine giazing and farming lands they held in le tor so short a while ago. If half the ' deals” I hear of, even at these little vil- > igi s remote from each other, are ever b ought to a focus, American influence

will predominate in Northwestern Chihuahua in a few years. The Mexicau Government encourages the element, for there is now no foir of a second Texas movement, the Americans who are here, and presumably those who will come, preferring the Mexican Govemmefit to that of the United States over them in the peculiar interests which naturally arise here, such as gient grazing interests, the colonization of large tracts, railways, etc., our laDd laws forcing people inio minute matters that do not exist here. Twenty-five or thirty miles south of Corralitos we came to Casas Grandes, said to be a town of 3.000 people. We saw about ten people a* we drove through the seemingly deserted streets. It is the niO't important town in the valley, both historically and in numbers. It takes its name, meaning “Big Houses,” from the ancient ruins just in the suburbs of the present place, which contained the largest houses of any found in this part of Mexico when it was first visited by Europeans many centuries ago. Here we left the river and struck out inland to the southwest to the Mormon colony of Juarez Like all distances in this part of Mexico, there is Dot a sign of civilization between, not even a camping-place, although the country traversed is a fine one for grazing cattle, with numerous valleys where farms could be made remunerative, and where three or four dozen houses ought to b& seen if a tenth of the country’s resources were developed. . Tfce scene from the top of the ridge between the two rivers was an especially beautiful one, seldom surpassed in the most picturesque part of the United States. Far to the west were the grand Sierra Madres, crested with snow, while nearer were great shaggy hills covered with timber, a most delightful sight to eyes deprived so long of it in such masses; and yet still nearer were rolling lands covered with yellow grasses and tiaversed by little streams, where it seems a hundred houses ought be nestling with thousands of cattle on the grassy hills. Above

all is a sky that defies both poet and painter to describe. Juarez is a bright-looking little Mormon town of some thirty-five families, almost Alpine in aspect as viewed from the steep bank overlooking it. The next day we started to visit the ancient ruins on the Tapasila, a branch of the Biedras Verdes, and i.s beautiful a little valley as I ever saw in my life. I expected to find a well defined set of ruins at a certain point, so one can imagine my surprise somewhat when I found that the country, and especially (he valleys, was covered with evidences of ruins. There was a high hill called the Picacho de Forreon, whose southern face had been occupied by cliff-dwellers, while at our feet was a m iss of reddish rubbish that indicated an old ruin of the later people, while twelve miles up the Tapasita warn a massive ruin of stone; but to reach it ruins were in sight continually the whole way. We were surely in the midst of an ancient yet dense population, and the fertile resources of ihe country will yet again some da/ sustain another such, oven far more civilized. Just before our arrival a pot or jar had been taken from one of the ruins, and was given to me by a young man of the colony, Mr. Ellis Johnson. It is like so many jars that come from Casas Grandes and other better known ruins, and that have already figured in works on Mexico, but it is exceptional from tho most of them in having upon it the figure of a bird, tnimais of all kinds being heio upon their decorated surfaces. It is jopres nted here with full and quarter view, the-double picture being of the same pot or jar. The bird soems to correspond nearer to tho chappaial cock, or California road-runner, than any other bird of this part of the.world. The geometrical designs are the most common, and of these the zig-zag, star-like ones are the most constant. Many other things bad been found in this mound, including human bones of the original makers, and

no doubt the same, with local variations, can be found in all. I believe I do not exaggerate when I say that we found 100 to 150 ruins in the Piedras Y’erdes region, most of them merely mounds to indicate what they once were; and not one-tenth of which had received notice by pen or pencil before. Their anciert ditches could be made out along the hillside, which showed that they had once cultivated the lich soil of these valleys. They well understood tho value of water, too, for around the bases of the small stieamless valleys coming into the watered ones were dam-like terraces, evidently to catch and retain the water after showers until it was probably needed in the irrigating ditches. On the top of high hills adjacent were fortified

places apparently where thov must have tied in times of danger from other tribes. They were a wondierfal and interesting people. The third sketch is on the Tapasita near the principal rnins, which mast have been a city of these people. The only life we saw here was a mountain lion, 01 f 'anther, that came trotting along the valey until it saw us and turned back to the mountains. Frederick Schwatka.

ON THE ROAD FROM ASCENSION TO COPRALITOS

ANCIENT MEXICAN JABS.

VIEW ON THE TOPASITA.