CATHOLIC COLONIZATION
IN THE
SOUTHWEST:
ARKANSAS, TEXAS, LOUISIANA, INDIAN
TERRITOR Y AND NEW MEXICO.
BX
JAklO
■ ,B9
REV. STEPHEN BYRNE, O.S.D.
MAY l 5 1976
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois
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CATHOLIC COLONIZATION
IN THE
SOUTHWEST:
ARKANSAS, TEXAS, LOUISIANA, INDIAN
TERRITOR Y AND NEW MEXICO.
DESCRIBED FROM THE LATEST AND MOST RELIABLE REPORTS
BY
REV. STEPHEN BYRNE, O.S.D.
CHICAGO:
RAND, McNALLY AND COMPANY, PRINTERS.
1882.
Irish Catholic Colonization
association
OF THE
UNITED STATES.
INCORPORATED UNDER THE GENERAL LAWS OF THE
STATE OF ILLINOIS.
Founded '"To Promote, Encou age and Assist the Settlement of Irish
Catholic Citizens and Emi grants on the Lands in the States
and Territories of the United States. "
OFFICERS.
PRESIDENT,
RIGHT REV. JOHN L. SPALDING.
VICE-FRESIDENT,
ANTHONY KELLY.
SECI ETARY,
W. J. ONAHAN.
TREASURER,
W. J. QUAN.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
MOST REV. JAMES GIBBONS, Baltimore, Md.
MOST REV. P. A. FEEHAN, Chicago. 111.
MOST REV. JOHN J. WILLIAMS, Boston, Mass.
RIGHT REV. STEPHEN V. RYAN, Buffalo, N.Y.
RIGHT REV. JAMES O'CONNOR, Omatu, Neb.
RIGHT REV. JOHN IRELAND, St. Paul, Minn
RIGHT REV. JOHN L. SPALDING, Peoria, 111.
REV. STEPHEN BYRNE, Somerset, Ohio.
REV. D. J. RIORDAN, Chicago, 111.
JOHN LAWLER, Prairie du Chien, Wis.
ANTHONY KELLY, Minneapolis, Minn.
JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY, Boston, Mass.
P. V. HICKEY, New York, N. Y.
JAMES H. DORMER, Buffalo, N. Y.
DAN. J. FOLEY, Baltimore, Md.
W. J. ONAHAN, Chicago, 111.
P. J. TOWLE, Chicago, 111.
W. J. QUAN, Chicago, 111.
TOHN FITZGERALD, Lincoln, Neb.
(2)
St. Patrick's Colony,
PERRY COUNTY, ARKANSAS.
T^HE IRISH CATHOLIC COLONIZATION ASSO-
""" CIATION having secured from the Little Rock &
Fort Smith Railway, an extensive " reservation " of land
in the Counties of PERRY and YELL, Arkansas, is now
prepared to offer Farms in the Colony to actual settlers at
low rates, and on exceedingly favorable terms.
The report of the Committee appointed by the Board of
Directors to examine the lands, claims for the situation:
i. A rich and fertile soil, which may be cleared with reason-
able ease and economy.
2. Comparative cheapness in price, and satisfactory terms
as to time for payment by colonist, with low rates of interest.
3. Salubrity and healthfulness of the locality, with only the
ordinary reservation as to a new country.
4. A climate which admits of outdoor work by the colonist
almost the whole year.
The lands are sold at an average price of about $4 per
acre, on most favorable terms to said purchasers.
For further particulars apply to
WM. J. ONAFIAN, Secretary,
No. 7, City Hall, Chicago, 111.
OR TO
RIGHT REV. BISHOP FITZGERALD,
Little Rock, Ark.
(3)
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Arkansas 9
Texas. 26
Louisiana 42
Indian Territory 49
New Mexico 52
INTRODUCTORY.
IN presenting to my countrymen and to those of
my creed the following pages, there is not the
least intention of inducing a wholesale emigration
to the region described. There is no purpose in
view of making a speculation in the matter, nor of
disturbing the minds of those who are in prosper-
ous circumstances where they are. There is an
abiding conviction, however, in the mind of the
writer that inasmuch as the vast tide of emigration
now directing its mighty volume toward our shores
must to some extent reach the West and South-
west, so it is most advisable to give the emigrants
and settlers as much correct information as possible
in regard to these particular parts of the country.
Hitherto, and even still, Irish people and Catholics
have formed a very large part of European emigra-
tion to America. It is hardly possible to estimate
the losses sustained by these, in the fact that no
organized effort was made till lately, to direct them
in the choice of homes. The Irish Catholic
(5)
6 CA T HO LIC COLONIZA TION
Colonization Association of the United States
has for its object the remedying of this evil. Its
success in the two years of its existence is a guar-
antee of its power for good as well as the wisdom
of its founders. The present effort of the writer,
and all his efforts in this direction, have their in-
spiration in the objects and means of action pro-
fessed by the Association. He has written to the
public officials of the States described, and also to
the Bishops and some of the priests residing within
their limits. He desires to call special attention in
the outset to the following manifesto of one of the
most practical, disinterested and reliable emigration
societies in the length and breadth of the land. It
has proven itself to be all and even more than it
professes to be. This extract is from the New York
Daily Graphic, of March 3rd, 1881 :
TEXAS, LOUISIANA AND ARKANSAS SOUTHWESTERN IMMIGRA-
TION CO. — THE SOUTHWEST MOVING.
The tendency of the crowded populations of the North and
East is to look for room, greater prosperity and a more equable
climate in the Southwest. The Southwestern Immigration
Company, which has opened offices at No. 243 Broadway, is
designed to promote immigration to Arkansas, Louisiana and
Texas, whose genial climate and rich soils offer the very in-
ducements of which so many thousand Northern people are
in search. The company is organized under the general laws
of Texas, and is supported by ample means. Its officers are
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 7
practical business men and in every respect trustworthy. The
President, Colonel William W. Lang, is a Texas farmer,
having a large acquaintance with all sections of the country,
and was selected on account of his personal influence and in-
tegrity of character. This comprehensive scheme for peopling
the Southwest is free from all local bias or favoritism of
railway routes. Neither has it any speculative ends to attain v
It has no lands to sell, no trades to offer. The immigrant will
be left free to select his own home. The company's funds
will be expended in the collection, publication and distribution
of such information as will afford a fair and truthful knowledge
of the resources and advantages of the country. Citizens of
all sections are interested in this movement, as the develop-
ment of the Southwest will add immensely to the nation's
wealth, and insure additional comforts and employments to
the people. The soil is capable of an endless variety of pro-
ductions, and its marked cheapness holds out irresistible in-
ducements to the settler. The States of Arkansas, Louisiana
and Texas, with the Indian Territory — which is properly a
part of the Southwest — have a joint area of 1,082 square
miles greater than the German Empire, France and Switzer-
land ; and those countries support a population of 80,000,000.
This section — an empire in itself — lies at the foot of that great
loess region, situate between the Alleghany and the Rocky
Mountains, and its soils are formed of the washings of these
rich lands, with a depth that renders them practically inex-
haustible. It has fewer mountains, a broader area of fertile,
arable lands and less of unproductive soils than any other
equal part of the habitable globe. Minerals of every descrip-
tion are imbedded in its bowels. Forests of the most valuable
timbers cover portions of its surface; it abounds with streams
capable of furnishing water power to innumerable factories,
and the very configuration of its surface tends to temper and
equalize the climate. The variety of its productions affords
immunity against loss from the failure of a single crop, and
its extended sea coast offers an easy highway to the world's
8 CATHOLIC COLONIZATION.
commerce. Where else can a company be found combining so
many of the elements of wealth and prosperity, or able to
sustain so many people to the square mile ?
The recently organized railroad system in the Southwest
traverses the richest country on the continent, and, penetrat-
ing Mexico with her marvellous resources, it is impossible to
estimate its prospective value. This section the Southwestern
Immigration Company proposes to populate, and it is certain
that when its resources arc popularly understood a tide of im-
migration will flow into it equal to that which has made the
West the granary of the world.
This company, although supported by a number of the most
important railways in the Southwest, is not intended to main-
tain the passenger traffic of those roads, but to induce emi-
grants to go there, choosing their own routes. It is organized
in a spirit of philanthropy, and seeks first to open up this
great section to the use and occupation of man, and not on
the narrow and merely business basis too common with like
associations. If its objects are successfully accomplished no
intelligent person can question the large benefits which must
result.
The company has books, pamphlets and maps
showing the resources of the above named States,
for gratuitous distribution, on application made to
Col. W. W. Lang, President, or G. B. Duval, Sec-
retary, both of Austin, Texas, or to J. N. Victor,
243 Broadway, New York.
ARKANSAS.
THE first thought which strikes the mind in
connection with this comparatively old State
is, that its advantages for immigrants and
settlers are not sufficiently known. If one-tenth
part of the effort had been made here to herald forth
to the world the splendid resources of the State that
have been made in States further north, it is prob-
able that its population would be now double its
present number. That it is a country of great
present benefit to all who wish to better their con-
dition as agriculturists or laborers, and that it is a
land of mighty promise in the near future, no sensible
man can doubt.
The following remarks are addressed from a purely
disinterested standpoint by a person who owns
nothing in Arkansas and who never expects to own
anything there, to the toiling and poverty-stricken
millions of his race, religion and language, in the
hope that some of them may be benefited by their
perusal.
Arkansas is a part of the Louisiana purchase made
from France by President Jefferson in 1803. Its
first settlers of European blood were French ; and
their descendants are still to be found in some parts
10 CA THOLIC COLONIZA TION
of the State. It became a State in 1836. Its geo-
graphical situation will at once show that it lies in
the most temperate part of the temperate zone. Its
southern line is thirty-three degrees north latitude,
and its northern line is thirty-six degrees and thirty
minutes. Its eastern boundary is the great river
Mississippi, navigable here all the year for the largest
river boats; and its western boundary is the Indian
Territory. The State is about 250 miles from north
to south, with an average width of the same extent
from east to west. Its area is 52,000 square miles,
or 33,000,000 of acres. It is one and two-thirds
times as large as Ireland.
AGRICULTURE
Is the most promising feature of the State thus far;
and in many productions of the soil it is not
excelled, probably not equaled, in fertility and
abundance of production by any State of the
Union. This remark is undeniable in relation to
cotton and tobacco. The part of the State lying
west of the Mississippi for a distance of 120 miles,
and all the other river valleys, can not be excelled
by any land in the world. This is pre-eminently
the cotton land of the State ; and it is a veritable
gold mine to all who have the inclination and some
means of engaging in it. Land in this region has
been cultivated in cotton for thirty years, and is
still able to produce 500 pounds an acre, valued at
ten cents a pound. Cotton may probably be raised
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 11
in all parts of the State. The same is true of to-
bacco, which is generally cultivated on the uplands,
and is a splendid crop. Its cultivation begins to
attract the attention of all who have ever engaged in
it, to this State, so that it is likely soon to take the
first place in the production of this valuable plant.
Indian corn is a successful crop in all parts of the
State, and wheat and the smaller grains make a fair
crop. Vegetables in a soil so rich and a climate so
genial pay very well. Irish potatoes make two and
even three crops a year in the same ground. The
first is greatly in demand in the northern markets.
As to fruit of all kinds it is safe to say that Arkan-
sas is likely to take a most important place in a few
years. This is especially true of the western part
of the State. In all parts of America woodland
becomes more valuable every year according as the
primeval forests disappear in the march of popula-
tion, and also on account of the occupation of the
prairie land of the West. This makes an additional
source of wealth in Arkansas, as the timber of the
State is most valuable and abundant. The yellow
pine of Arkansas is largely exported to Missouri
and Illinois, and is preferred to Michigan pine.
PRICES OF LAND AND CHANCES FOR SETTLERS.
To be brief on the subject of the prices of land,
it may be put down at once that they vary from
fifty cents to fifty dollars an acre, according to
location and intrinsic value. The Memphis &
Little Rock Railroad, in connection with the Little
12 CA THOLIC COLONIZA T10N
Rock & Fort Smith Railroad, crosses the State
from east to west. These roads have a vast amount
of land for sale at from two to six dollars an acre,
on six years' time. The most favorable terms are
offered to actual settlers ; and, when we take into
account the great fertility of the soil, it will not
appear surprising that they are able to pay for their
land in one or two years. The Little Rock &
Fort Smith Railroad Company have probably done
more toward settling this State with an industrial
and contented class of people, than all other cor-
porations combined. Their able efforts in this
direction benefit the poor, the railroad and the
State. The St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad
crosses the State diagonally, from its northeastern
to its southwestern corner. It owns millions of
acres of splendid land, and offers the same general
inducements as the road just mentioned. These
two leading roads intersect at Little Rock. It is of
importance to call attention to the fact that the
lands held by the railroad companies, by the
United States and by the State, have a clear and
perfect title for all who desire to purchase them;
and, in each contract, no room is left for litigation.
It is to be hoped that all lands for sale in the State
will soon be put on the same secure basis. It is
well to remark also that it becomes more and
more popular among all classes of citizens here to
encourage and invite immigration. It begins to
appear more clearly every day to all intelligent men,
that a healthy influx of grown people in the prime
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 13
of life adds untold wealth to all new States. Every
one now sees the truth of the assertion put forth by
the superintendent of the Census Bureau of 1870,
that arriving immigrants, taken one with another,
were equal to an addition of $1,000 each to the State
in which they settled. Foreigners soon become ac-
quainted with the system of agriculture prevailing
in this country, and find it to be a sure road to
independence.
One of the greatest advantages of Arkansas for
the working classes is, that outdoor occupations of
any kind need hardly ever be interrupted during the
whole year by reason of cold or wet weather. It is
likely, too, that since this State is now so closely con-
nected by rail with the great city of St. Louis, that
the extra labor of that city, if any such there be, will
be always in demand in this State and at a good rate
of wages.
The western side of the State is generally hilly
and rolling, and is as healthy as any part of the
United States. Sheep and cattle raising becomes a
great industry in this part of the State ; and the
climate not demanding much wintering for stock,
is sure to increase it very much.
Taken all in all, it is no flight of fancy to expect
a grand future for this country ; or to suppose that
those who cast their lot of life in it will have cause
to regret.
14 CATHOLIC COLONIZATION
RAILROADS AND NAVIGABLE RIVERS.
Two of the principal roads have already been
mentioned. There are others in operation and in
course of construction, which tend to develop the
resources of the State and to give employment to
thousands of people. The Little Rock, Pine Bluff
& Mississippi Road has been in operation for years
from Pine Bluff to the river; it will be finished to
Little Rock by April, 1881. It passes through a
splendid cotton country. Then there is the Mis-
sissippi & Red River Railroad, forty miles long, hav-
ing its present terminus at Monticello, population,
1,200. The Central Road runs from Helena to a
point on the White river named Clarendon, seventy
miles. The Cotton Plant Road runs fifteen miles
from Brinkly on the Memphis & Little Rock Road
to Cotton Plant. The Hot Springs Road runs from
Malvern, a town of 500 people, on the St. Louis &
Iron Mountain Road, to Hot Springs, twenty-three
miles. The navigable rivers of the State give addi-
tional facilities to transportation of the most valu-
able character. The Arkansas river crosses the
State from west to east, and is navigable from the
Mississippi to Fort Smith on the western border of
the State. The White, St. Francis and Washita
rivers are also navigable. All who consider the
matter for a moment will at once see that such ex-
tensive facilities for transportation greatly enhance
the value of the lands of the State.
IN THE NORTHWEST. 15
MINERALS AND MINING
Have not been developed to any great extent; but
it is well known that a large business in that line
awaits the incoming tide of population. Lead is
found in great abundance, silver mining is carried
on at Silver City, thirty miles from Hot Springs.
Iron, coal, copper and zinc are found in many
places. Granite, as good as can be found anywhere,
is abundant here. The new Catholic Cathedral, at
Little Rock, is of that material. The celebrated
oil-stone quarry, from which hones are sent to all
parts of the world, is at Hot Springs.
MANUFACTURING
In this State may be said to be in its infancy at
present. But this is not likely to be so very long.
The time is coming very fast when the raw materials
of the Southern States will be turned into manu-
factured articles by Southern hands. For there is
no lack of water power in that country; nor is there
wanting energy of mind or body to inaugurate and
sustain large manufacturing establishments. It is at
least probable that the home demand will be sup-
plied at home. There is only need of capital, and
it is sure to be attracted to those fields of investment
where the largest profits are in sight. There can
be no doubt as to the improved condition of the
operatives in case the cotton growing States are
fairly supplied with cotton factories, because their
chances to become owners of the soil will be vastly
increased — and the soil itself invites possession, as
16 CA THOLIC COLONIZA TION
it is well worth cultivating. No doubt Arkansas as
a manufacturing State will rank high in a few years.
Her cotton, tobacco and wool, with her water power
and splendid means of transportation, would seem
to render this conclusion inevitable. To the writer
it seems probable also that in such a great cotton
State paper mills would be a success.
THE POPULATION
Of Arkansas consists largely of the natives and their
immediate descendants of other Southern States.
In 1850 the total population was 209,000 ; in i860,
435,000; in 1870,484,000; and in 1880, 810,000.
In 1870 the census reported 1,428 natives of Ireland
and 1,600 natives of Germany as residents of the
State. There are probably four times that number
of Germans in it now. The greatest want of the
State is now known to be at least 50,000 families of
good, honest working people to build more railroads
and to keep all of them in good order, and to settle
upon and cultivate the millions of acres of splendid
lands now lying waste. It is most probable that
even a larger number will have been added in the
next ten years.
THE PRINCIPAL CITIES
Of the State are Little Rock, on the Arkansas river,
the commercial and legislative capital of the State.
It is a fine city of 18,000 people. Its growth is not
of the mushroom kind.* Hot Springs, 5,000 resi-
* Little Rock is 135 miles west of Memphis ; 345 miles south of St.
Louis ; and 1,335 miles from New York.
IX THE SOUTHWEST. 17
dents, and more than that number of visitors at all
seasons of the year. The medicinal qualities of the
waters here are of world-wide renown. Fort Smith,
the centre of an old Irish Catholic colony, has
5,000; Helena and Pine Bluff each the same ; Hope,
1,800 ; and Morrilton, the centre of a large German
Catholic colony, 1,500.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
In Arkansas takes its date from the appointment of
the Right Rev. Andrew Byrne to the newly estab-
lished see of Little Rock, in March, 1844. The
Bishop was a most apostolic man, who shrank from no
labor or hardship when there was a question of the
spiritual or temporal welfare of the scattered Catho-
lics committed to his care. He was a warm advocate
of colonization, and made an honest, well-meant but
unsuccessful effort to carry it out practically in his
diocese. The time did not seem to have arrived
when it could be extensively engaged in ; but it is
hoped that the time has now come. In Minnesota,
Iowa and Nebraska it works well, and the secret of
success in these and other States is greatly owing to
the fact that all representative men and railroad
managers have left nothing undone to induce settlers
amongst them. The Bishop had charge also of the
Indian Territory west of Arkansas, which is fully as
large as that State. This gives further evidence of
his labors. Broken with the constant care of this
large diocese, he sank to his rest in Helena in 1862,
having lived to witness the desolation of his people
18 CA THOLIC C0L0N1ZA T10N
by the horrors of the civil war then in progress. But
the spirit of Bishop Byrne lives in his successor,
BISHOP EDWARD FITZGERALD,
Who was appointed to succeed him in 1866. The
parish of which he had been the much revered pas-
tor in Columki*sf»0hio, probably contained more
Catholics Jm^* the whole diocese of which he took
charge. Brighter days are dawning, however, and
Catholic emigrants are being attracted to this State.
This brings us to notice the arrival of several
bodies of
GERMAN CATHOLIC COLONISTS
Within the last three years. These we find princi-
pally on the line of the Little Rock & Fort Smith
Railroad, west of Little Rock. The first colony is
established in and around Morrilton, about thirty-
five miles west of Little Rock. It is guided and
directed by the Fathers of the order of the Holy
Ghost, of whom the superior is Very Rev. Joseph
Strub. It has seven churches and chapels, six
priests, two convent schools and about 2,000 Cath-
olics— all since June, 1878. The Benedictine Col-
ony still west of this, in Logan county, commenced
in March, 1878, has four churches and four priests
of the Benedictine order; also two convents and
four large schools, and about 2,000 Catholics. There
is another colony at Altus on the same road, a little
west of the last named, having a priest and about
200 Catholics. A colony is forming twenty-five
miles west of Little Rock, where there are at present
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 19
ten families. An Italian colony is also commenced ;
and it is expected will succeed in the cultivation of
the grape, silk and other Italian productions. The
most recent colony is of Germans in the northeast-
ern part of the State, in Pocahontas, near the St.
Louis & Iron Mountain T?{y1ayiA ■A'; nas ^een sa^'
this road has a vast a . pacnirjf ^ £ llwSj]%tfal e , and the
terms are good. JjMarost disintel^SMpwind intel-
ligent eye-witnessjJfe^S.11 thl^fitejko rhfet^t, "The
Irish are letting i'^leB^t^o^OT^imslfc out of
their hands by n^Qbolofyzing ;tfce '^bthtve*." No
doubt the main &f^wbac\js-J;freK Ridged ufhealthi-
ness of the climate. But A^a^sj^i^^!v/ver been
subject to epidemics. . The uplal^^gt^nly parts of
the State are, for some people, lasno^^mlthy than any
place in the United States ; anathe river lands be-
come more healthy as settlements and cultivation
advance. The present Catholic population is at least
10,000. Those of the Irish race who have sought
homes in the State are generally doing very well.
All particulars will be cheerfully and promptly
furnished by application to the following addresses :
Little Rock & Fort Smith Railroad office, Little
Rock, Arkansas ; St. Louis & Iron Mountain Rail-
road office, same place ; Mr. A. Helmich, Little
Rock; Mr. P. McGreeny, Fort Smith; Very Rev.
Joseph Strub, Morrilton, Ark.; also to the office of
the Memphis & Little Rock Railroad, Little Rock,
Ark.*
* The above, written for the Catholic Review by Rev. Father ,
appeared in that p.iper in January, 1881.
20 CA T HO LIC COLON I ZA TION
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
I call my readers' special attention to a pamphlet
written by Col. W. D. Slack, of Little Rock, which
is a very full and complete description of the State,
and especially of that part of it through which the
Little Rock & Fort Smith Railroad runs. The pam-
phlet is a model of its kind. It is entitled, Homes
in Arkansas, and may be had gratis by writing to
Col. Slack.
The following are extracts from the pamphlet :
COTTON.
This is a " cotton country," not because it alone will grow,
but because it will grow, and on the Upper Arkansas to per-
fection; and wherever it will grow, men will cultivate it, be-
cause they expect to make it profitable. Sometimes they fail,
but generally succeed. Of course a man may plant on specu-
lation; he may invest in hope of great profit and speedy for-
tune, and fail, as most do who strike for a fortune. When
we speak of success, we suppose farmers to be acting as sensi-
ble men, and under these conditions when they produce at
home what they can produce cheaper than they can buy abroad,
and an exportable crop on which they can realize money.
Cotton has always been the great staple export of Arkansas,
and is the great agricultural staple of the world. It bears the
farthest transportation, and commands cash in any market ;
it is raised here as profitably as in any other section of the
country, and has no superior in quality.
Governor Conway did not exaggerate in his annual message
to the Legislature in 1858, when he said : " If we had labor
enough to cultivate all the cotton lands in the State, Arkansas
alone could supply annually the markets of the world with as
much cotton as has ever been raised any year in all of the
cotton-growing States of the Union." This is equally true
to-day.
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 21
An ordinary family, say one man and two girls, may produce
easily, in addition to other crops, ten to fifteen bales of cotton.*
One-half the work is picking ; at this women and children
are more profitable than men. The work is light, requiring
only nimble fingers.
What we say of this crop will be well understood by resi-
dents in the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and
Tennessee. We ask them to consider the advantages here
presented for its culture, where, instead of a bale from four or
five acres, and sometimes from seven to eight, our best lands
produce sometimes two bales, and always one, per acre, and
the uplands one-half to one bale. Is it not wise to dispose of
worn-out soils at any price and remove to new lands and fresh
and inexhaustible fields ?
The culture of tobacco is extending to all portions of the
Union, and ranks next to cotton as an article of Southern ex-
port. It has not been a leading crop here, simply because
cotton claimed that rank, but it has been most successfully
grown on almost every kind of soil in the valley. Soils affect
the quality of tobacco more than any other product. It is
quality, not quantity, which gives value to the production, aad
the large amounts of potash and nitrogen in our soils favorably
affect its growth. The culture of wheat and tobacco is always
profitably combined, in rotation, and with the increase of
wheat-growing and flouring mills, tobacco will become a staple
crop here. The tobacco already grown here compares most
favorably with the best specimens raised in Virginia and
Kentucky.
HEMP
Does as well here as in Kentucky and Missouri, according to
the tests made of it.
* A bale of cotton is worth from f 40 to $50, according to quality. The
crop of Arkansas in 1880 is estimated at 900,000 bales, which, at $40 each,
would make it worth $36,000,000.
22 CA THOLIC COLONIZA TION
Wheat produces largely on the bottoms — sometimes as high
as sixty bushels per acre. An average yield throughout the
State may be set down at from thirty-five to forty-five bushels,
and on uplands at from twenty-five to thirty-five bushels, and
when well handled, more. It weighs about five pounds more
to the bushel than northern wheat, and the quality is superior.
The best flour made at St. Louis is from southern wheat, and
the best bread made in New York is from southern flour.
CORN.
" The bottoms are also peculiarly adapted to the growth of
corn. From sixty to eighty bushels per acre is not an unusual
crop ; and it is the opinion of good farmers that, let the same
system of culture prevail here that has been adopted in Iowa and
Wisconsin, and the crop of maize can be safely calculated to
average sixty bushels to the acre. The corn is not as flinty
here as in the more northern States, and is considered better
for feeding purposes." — Lewis.
There are thousands of men in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and
throughout the Northwest, who can never forget the magnifi-
cent crops of corn they saw in the Valley of the Arkansas in
the fall of 1863.
RYE, OATS AND BARLEY
Have been cultivated to a greater or less extent since the settle-
ment of the State, and do well everywhere.
PEAS, BEANS, POTATOES, (OF BOTH KINDS) AND TURNIPS
Are sure and profitable crops.
FIELD PEAS, PUMPKINS, PINDERS, CLOVER, TIMOTHY, HERDS,
And all the different grasses, are cultivated to some, and may
be to any extent ; so also of millet, Hungarian grass and
sorghum. These all yield freely, and have only failed to
receive much attention because the natural pasturage has not
suffered them to be necessities. Much has sometimes been
said of the hay crop of the North and its value. If we have
TV THE SOUTHWEST. I&
not an abundant hay crop, it is because we have an ample
equivalent. We keep move cattle than are kept in the places
which yield the largest amount of hay at the North, only we
do not give it a money value, because it costs us little. In-
deed, this is one of the great agricultural features of this
country. In some States men feed their cattle a large portion
of the year on land that cost them $50 or more per acre,
and for the remaining part out of hand, with food gathered
under a broiling sun. If this is profitable, then surely land at
$5 per acre, and pasturage free for nine months in the
year, and but little aid the other three, must give a more
satisfactory return. If a man can live feeding stock north of
forty degrees, then he should make his fortune at the business
in the Valley of the Arkansas. Wherever any attention has
been paid to cultivation, the crops have been most abundant.
GARDEN VEGETABLES,
Of all the varieties known to the best seedsmen of the country,
succeed well. The immigrant from the North may bring
all his favorite seeds with him. They all grow well here, with
many that do not there.
Of all kinds (with the exception of the cranberry, which it is
known has not been tried here) grow in profusion. Apples,
peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and grapes reach great
perfection, and excel those of the most favored portion of the
Union. Whortleberries, blackberries, strawberries and rasp-
berries grow wild throughout the State.
Indeed, without going into particulars, it is enough to assert
that all of these crops, fruits and vegetables are more success-
fully cultivated here, with equal treatment, than in any other
State, and many of them much more so ; and intelligence will
point out to every farmer the general and special branches of
agricultural industry to which his land and his taste may be
best adapted, assured that success and remuneration will
follow all well-directed efforts.
24 CA THOLIC COLONIZA TION
Labor is the great want of Arkansas. The foregoing pages
have been chiefly addressed to men supposed to have means of
establishing themselves in the place of their choice. But there
are great numbers not so situated ; and to those who seek to
meet present wants by daily labor, the farmer will furnish em-
ployment all the year. There is no point on the river or on the
road, where a steady man may not find occupation three days
after arrival, at any time of the year. Mechanics of every kind
are greatly needed. Brick, wagon, plow, boot, shoe, harness,
furniture and chair makers, gin-wrights, engine drivers, millers,
tinners, tanners, tailors, potters, saddlers, hatters, coopers and
all other branches of mechanical industry can at once find
locations suitable for their avocations. The progress of the
country is greatly retarded by this want of skilled labor, and
the raw material for almost every trade may be found here in
profusion.
The chances for immigrants and settlers are ex-
cellent in almost every part of the State. I am just
now in receipt of positive information to the effect
that the Irish Catholic Colonization Association has
concluded negotiations for 60,000 acres of land in
the counties of Perry and Yell, a short distance west
of Little Rock, and south of the Arkansas river.
In Logan county, west of Yell, the German colonies,
under the direction of the Benedictine fathers, are
very successful, so that this last move seems ominous
of good. The lands are owned by the Little Rock
& Fort Smith Railroad, of which Col. Slack, already
mentioned, is Land Commissioner. His treatment
of the German colonies is highly spoken of, and fur-
nishes a guarantee of his good offices to the expect-
ed Irish settlers. The road with which he is con-
EV THE SOUTHWEST. 25
nected runs westwardly, near the north bank of the
Arkansas river, from Little Rock to Fort Smith, 165
miles. The company own lands in fourteen coun-
ties on either side of the road, and these counties
now contain more than one-fourth of the whole pop-
ulation of the State. For health they can not be
surpassed. Coal is found in several counties of the
land grant. The description already given of the
State in general applies here. The lands, we
understand, are from two to eight dollars an acre,
on six years' time, with six per cent, on deferred pay-
ments. Longer time may be had if desired.*
The Colonel gives the following information in
his excellent pamphlet about government land in
the State :
The only lands of the General Government in Arkansas now-
subject to entry are those under the homestead acts of Con-
gress. Any person may obtain eighty acres of these lands
within railroad grants and one hundred and sixty acres else-
where, and soldiers one hundred and sixty acres anywhere, upon
the condition of improvement and settlement thereon for five
years. After such residence a title is made to him upon the
payment of a small fee.
* I heartily and earnestly recommend those of my readers who wish
further information regarding the colony lands, to correspond with Mr.
W. J. Onahan. Secretary of the Association, Room 7 City Hall, Chicago,
111. ; also with Col. W. D. Slack, Little Rock, Ark.
TEXAS.
COMMENCING to write about this great State,
and filled with a deep and sincere desire to
elevate the industrious poor, I feel a sensa-
tion of delight in the conviction that it is indeed
for them a land of promise. Texas is truly the
Empire State of the South ; and, in view of its im-
mense size, of the whole United States. Its area is
274,356 square miles, or 175,000,000 of acres ; so
that it is six times as large as the State of New York,
and more than twice as large as the whole British
Empire, including England, Scotland, Ireland and
Wales. If Texas were as thickly inhabited as
Massachusetts her population would be as large as
that of the whole United States, which is 50,000,000.
The general description of Texas shall be as brief
as possible. It is bounded north and northwest
by New Mexico and Indian Territory ; east by
Arkansas and Louisiana ; and south by the Gulf
of Mexico and the Republic of Mexico. It lies be-
tween the following lines of latitude and longitude:
twenty-five degrees fifty minutes and thirty-six
degrees thirty minutes north ; and ninety-three
degrees thirty minutes and 107 degrees west from
London. The extreme length is 810 miles, and
extreme breadth 750 miles.
CATHOLIC COLONIZATION. 27
The surface of the State consists of three grand
divisions : Eastern Texas, extending from the Sabine
river to the Trinity ; Middle Texas, from the Trin-
ity to the Colorado ; and Western Texas, from the
Colorado* to the Rio Grande. The coast, for a
distance of from thirty to sixty miles inland, is flat.
Beyond this is a rolling country extending 200 miles,
and consisting of prairies, high and well watered ;
sufficiently wooded also, and covered with a rich
vegetation. Then comes a hilly and mountainous
district; and then an elevated table-land. The
Llano Estacado, or Staked Plain, covers an area of
50,000 square miles in Northwestern Texas, and has
a general elevation above the level of the sea of
2,500 feet ; it is scantily wooded, and subject to se-
vere droughts. There are certain points of elevation
reaching from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. The Red river
is the boundary between Texas and the Indian Ter-
ritory for 400 miles; it is navigable some distance
above Shreveport. The Sabine is the boundary be-
tween this State and Louisiana. The Rio Grande
del Norte (Great River of the North) separates Texas
from Mexico. This river, rising in Colorado, passes
southwardly through New Mexico, and enters the
gulf at Brownsville, Texas. It is 1,800 miles long,
450 of which are navigable. There are many other
considerable streams in Texas, all flowing to the
gulf in a southeastwardly direction. In the rainy
season steamboats ascend these streams a distance
of from 100 to 350 miles.
* Another river of the same name falls into the Pacific ocean.
28 CA THOLIC COLONIZA TION
Eastern Texas is heavily timbered ; in the prairies
we find many u islands " or clumps of wood.
Along the river bottoms the soil is of exhaustless
fertility. The prairies also have a rich and very
productive soil. The pamphlet* alluded to in the
introduction will be found most satisfactory on all
these points, and it is truly of much value to all who
wish to obtain a thorough knowledge of this great
State. Considering the great extent of the State, the
climate is necessarily different in different parts.
Outside of the flat lands near the coast, it is remarka-
bly healthy and uniform. Ice seldom forms ; and cat-
tle thrive all winter without artificial shelter or food.
The cold " spells " of November, December and
January are sometimes severe but of short duration.
The lowest temperature observed was seventeen
degrees above zero.
The agricultural productions will be seen by the
following extract from Col. Lang's pamphlet :
Returns from sixty-eight shipping points give the following
aggregate results of Texas produce. While these figures do
not reach the entire production, they indicate its magnitude :
Value.
Cotton, 951,093 bales $38,043,720
Cattle, 502,190 head 8,241,903
Horses, 37,860 head 473i25«
Wool, 14,568,920 pounds 2,913,784
Hides, 28,104,065 pounds 2,810,406
Lumber and Shingles 1,349,691
Wheat, 2,500,000 bushels 2,375,000
Cotton seed and oil cake 506,063
Sugar and molasses 433i9°°
Miscellaneous products 672.364
$57,820, 141
These figures are for 1878 ; none later are available.
* Col. Lang's.
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 29
1 think the State can rival Louisiana in the production of
sugar — South Carolina in rice, and can produce as many
oranges as Florida, as much tobacco as Virginia, and as much
hemp as Kentucky or Missouri.
We produced in 1878, 951,093 bales of cotton, valued at
$38,043,720. The world consumes about 12,000,000 bales
annually, which Texas could grow on 19,000 square miles, or
if Texas were to turn her attention to it she could grow as
much cotton as fourteen worlds like this consume.
She can produce six million bales, which is half the world's
consumption, without interfering with her other crops.
The cattle interest ranks next after cotton. The Commis-
sioner of Agriculture reports the number of cattle in Texas at
4,464,000, with a money value of $39,640,320. The number
of cattle driven north over the trail was 257,431, which, esti-
mated at $13 each, would have a money value of $3,346,603-
The number of cattle shipped by rail was 244,765 head ; these
are valued at $20 each, or $4,885,300, making the total num-
ber of cattle sold 502,176, with a money value of $8,241,903.
In i860 Texas contained only 753,365 sheep, ten years later
these had decreased to 714,351 ; yet in 1879 she had advanced
to the rank of the second wool-growing State, and had
5,148,400 sheep, valued at $9,730,476. California, which alone
leads her, has 7,646,800 sheep. In 1879 her wool clip was
14,568,920 pounds, valued at $2,913,784.
The commerce of Texas is very considerable and
is constantly increasing. Seven hundred miles of
sea coast with some good harbors and a vast country
of great fertility back of it, leave no room for doubt
regarding the coming greatness of her commerce.
For the year ending June, 1874, the value of imports
was $4,366,000, and of exports, $21,639,000.*
It is not to be expected that manufacturing in-
terests should be extensive in so new a State, where
• Both may be doubled in 1881.
30 CA THOLIC COLONIZA TION
nearly all the labor and capital are naturally invest-
ed in agriculture and commerce. It is nevertheless
a fact that the manufacture of lumber, beef-packing,
cotton goods, saddlery, flour, etc., are very flourish-
ing. The water power is splendid in various places ;
and it may be asserted without any fear of exaggera-
tion, that the coming twenty years will place Texas
among the most advanced manufacturing States.
The wonderful energy displayed in the construction
of railroads in the last few years, points directly to
this result.
RAILROADS.
The increase of railroads in this State since the
close of the war is most extraordinary. It speaks
volumes of itself for the enterprise of the people,
and the immense progress of their country. In
1865 there were six lines of road in the State, in
the worst possible condition, and comprising in all
330 miles in actual operation. Sixteen years have
brought a wonderful change in this particular.
There are now twenty-six different lines of road,
making a total of 3,442 miles. About 560 miles of
this total are of the narrow gauge description ; and
2,900 miles of the standard gauge. No State in the
South, and probably no State in the Union, can
show anything like this in the matter of railroad
construction ; and the utmost energy still prevails in
extending the lines already existing, and in project-
ing new lines. The Texas & Pacific will, in a very
short time, have made connection with California ;
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 31
and the Houston & Texas Central aims directly
at the trade of Kansas, Nebraska and other States,
which constitute the very heart and centre of the
grain producing regions of our country. A glance
at the map will at once show that Omaha, Nebraska,
is less than one-half the distance from the tide-
water at Galveston or New Orleans than at New
York or San Francisco. The same truth holds
good, even to a greater extent, when we speak of
Kansas City or St. Louis. The development of
the railroad system of Texas, therefore, to the west
and north, through other States and Territories, is
likely to make a complete change in the trade and
commerce of the nation. The word from Texas at
present is : " that good wages ($1.75 and $2.50 per
day) are waiting for any number of willing hands,
and that there is a scarcity in all kinds of labor,
skilled and unskilled." The wages of mechanics
are entirely higher than the figures here set down ;
the above rates are for common labor.
HISTORY AND POPULATION.
In the year 1685 the celebrated French discov-
erer, Robert de la Salle, seeking an entrance into
the Mississippi, was driven by a storm to Matagorda
Bay and landed near the present town of Lavaca.
He fortified the place and called it Fort St. Louis.
Sickness and hostile Indians soon obliged him to
abandon the place ; and his subsequent assassination
by his own followers is well known. In 1689 the
Spaniards attempted to make a settlement almost
32 CA THOLIC COLONIZA TION
in the same place ; but without success. Between
the years 1690 and 1720 the pioneers of all the
settlements of these vast regions, namely, ten
Catholic priests, were more successful. They estab-
lished several missions, the massive and extensive
remains of which -in this our day, clearly attest their
energy and devot-edness. In the course of a century,
however, tjrese^re gradually abandoned, and Texas
in 1 82 1 was&Jmpst as much a wilderness as when
it had beem visited by La Salle in 1685. This was
the year J^8 21-). in which Mexico threw off the
Spanish yoke and Texas became tributary to the
new Republic.
At the same time citizens of the United States,
under the direction of Stephen F. Austin, a native
of Virginia, began to make permanent homes in the
country. He was a true leader among men ; kind
and gentle in private life, wise in council and brave
in conflict. A large following of his own people
was the consequence. But in a few years the Dic-
tator of Mexico forbade any Americans to settle in
Texas. This brought on a conflict in which, after
several severe and bloody engagements, the Texans,
as the Americans and their allies were called, gained
a complete victory on Jacinto river, under Sam
Houston, on the 20th of April, 1836.
It was during these troubles that a considerable
Irish colony, under Col. James Power, sought and
obtained a foothold in Texas. They suffered much
from yellow fever before arriving at their destina-
tion ; but those of them who survived, and their
IN THE SOUTHWEST.
:w
descendants, are among the most prosperous people
of the State. They gave the name^of "SaruEatricio"
to a county of Southwestern Te^S,batv(rj£^Xx)f
them occupy the adjoining J»ujt?y of ^efugi6V^/)V
nephew of the leader, Mr.Jpfiom'^
present one of the greatwsw ca
United States. They were fi^
Ireland.
For ten years Texas was an
acknowledged as such by foreigi
i st of March, 1845, she was an
States, and became one of the States. Her history
during the Mexican war and afterwards is a part
of our national annals.
Special attention is called to the growth of pop-
ulation in this State. In 1806 it was only 7,000;
in 1836, 52,000; in 1850, 212,500, of whom 52,000
were slaves; in 1860,604,000; in 1870, 818,500, of
whom 253,000 were free colored; and in 1880,
1,592,000, of whom 394,000 are free colored. The
wonderful increase of the population, especially of
the white population, will be noted. It is a sure
index of great prosperity and a healthy financial
and industrial condition. The division of popula-
tion by sexes gives 839,000 males and 754,000
females. The different nationalities as taken in the
last census are not yet ascertained.
The chief cities of Texas are as follows :
Galveston, the commercial capital, on a bay of the
same name, is a beautiful city of great trade, and has
a population of 22,250. It grows rapidly.
84 CATHOLIC COLONIZATION
Austin, the seat of government, is an elegant city
of 11,000 people, on the Colorado river- 160 miles
above its mouth.
Houston, so named after Gen. Sam Houston, is on
Buffalo Bayou, forty-five miles north of Galveston,
and grows rapidly. It was founded in 1836, and
has a population of 19,000.
San Antonio, founded by the Franciscan priests
in 1694, still retains the ruins of their church and
convent. It is a very thriving city of 21,000 people.
Dallas is also a flourishing city of 10,000 inhabit-
ants.
There are many lively towns of from 5,000 to
10,000 people in various localities, all of which are
centres of trade more or less brisk.
The chances for immigrants and settlers are not sur-
passed, perhaps not equaled, in any State or Terri-
tory of the Union. Those who have some capital and
a taste for stock raising have a splendid domain here
awaiting their industry and enterprise. Those who
have but small capital and wish to settle on the land,
have the very best chances on all the lines of rail-
road; and, in fact, everywhere in the State. I take
the following extract from Col. Lang's pamphlet :
Homesteads may be acquired in any portions of the State
where vacant land can be found. Each head of a family is
entitled to 160 acres, and each single person eighteen years
of age to eighty acres, by settling upo^, occupying and im-
proving the same for three consecutive years. The applicant
must, within thirty days after settling upon the land, file with
the county surveyor a written designation of the land he de-
IN THE NORTHWEST. 33
sires to secure, and must have it surveyed within twelve months
from date of such application, and the field notes and applica-
tion forwarded to the General Land Office. When the three
years have expired from date of original settlement, proof that
the applicant and his assignee, if he has sold, have resided
upon and improved the same as required by law, must be filed
in the General Land Office. This must be sworn to by the
settler and two disinterested witnesses before some officer
authorized to administer oaths. Patent will then issue to the
original settler or his assignee if proper transfers are filed.
The following is an extract from a private letter
to the writer from a most intelligent and reliable
witness of things as they are in Texas :
Rev. Stephen Byrne,
Dear Father: You ask my opinion of Texas. Well, I
must say that I do not think this State can be excelled any-
where for immigrants, laborers and working people generally.
Those who want to buy land can get all they want — and that
good land — for fifty cents an acre and upwards, according to
the locality and the settlements around it. The State has
millions of acres surveyed lately and now offered for sale at
Austin for fifty cents cash an acre. The railroads also have
large quantities of land which they offer for sale on very favor-
able terms. There is a splendid chance for laborers and work-
ing men as there are several roads being built and others pro-
jected. Common laborers get from $1.75 to $2.50 a day,
according to the kind of work they perform ; and, what is still
better, they need lose scarcely any time the year round, for the
cold amounts to almost nothing. Besides this, living is cheap
in this country. Any information I can give you I will send
with pleasure.
Truly yours,
JOHN HIGGINS,
(Formerly of Perry Co., Ohio.)
San Marco, Texas, Nov. 14, 1880.
30 CA T HO LIC COLON IZA TION
Still another extract from the valuable pamphlet
already alluded to will show the munificent pro-
visions made in Texas for school purposes :
Great as are the manifold attractions offered by the climate,
the soil, and other physical advantages of Texas, none of them
equal the princely provision which the fathers of the Republic
made for the education of the millions of youth who will, in
the near future, be numbered among her population. The
far-sighted statesmanship of those who laid the foundation of
the " Lone Star" Republic, provided for the education of gen-
erations yet unborn a more generous revenue than is enjoyed
by the schools of any State in the American Union. Nay,
more than this, as we read the page on which these princely
revenues are dedicated to education, we shall see that neither
Oxford nor Cambridge have such royal endowments as the
sages of Texas gave to the University of Texas.
There is a permanent School Fund of $3,500,000. That of
Massachusetts is only two-thirds as large.
These lands have been set apart for educational purposes:
Acres.
For a university 1,221,400
County school domain 2,833,920
General school domain 50,000,000
Total 54)&55,320
It is hoped that what I have to say regarding the
condition of the Catholic Church in Texas will be
taken in good part by any of my readers who may
not belong to that religion. It is for Catholics I
write especially, as they are the only people whom I
could expect to recognize me as an authority on
these matters, I being a clergyman of that church,
extensively known in several parts of the United
States, but mostly in the Eastern and Middle States.
There are two dioceses in Texas and one vicariate
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 37
apostolic. The oldest diocese is that of Galveston,
established in March, 1842, with the pious, humble
and truly apostolic Bishop Odin at its head. The
present Bishop is the Right Rev. C. M. Dubuis,
D.D., a worthy successor of Bishop Odin. The
diocese comprises all that part of the State between
the Sabine and Colorado rivers. It is reported by
the Catholic Almanac of 1881, to have fifty priests;
forty churches ; five ecclesiastical students; twelve
academies for young ladies ; one college ; two char-
itable institutions; and 25,000 Catholics.
The diocese of San Antonio was founded Sep-
tember 3rd, 1874, with Bishop Pellicer as its first
chief pastor. It comprises all that part of Texas
lying between the Colorado and the Rio Grande,
except that part south of Arroyo de los Hermanos,
on the Rio Grande, and the counties of Live Oak,
Bee, Goliad and Refugio. Bishop Pellicer being
dead, the Right Rev. J. C. Nerary, D. D., was
consecrated this summer (1881) to take his place.
The report for the year is: thirty-eight priests;
fifty churches and eight chapels ; six clerical stu-
dents; two young ladies' academies; two colleges,
and twenty-five parochial schools ; three charitable
institutions. Catholic population about 48,000.
The Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville com-
prises that part of the State lying between the Rio
Grande and the Nueces rivers. The Right Rev.
Dominic Manney, D. D., to whom I am indebted
for a most useful and practical letter, which is em-
bodied in the previous remarks, is the spiritual head.
38 CA T HO LIC COLO XI Z A TION
In this diocese we find the counties of San Patricio
and Refugio settled, as already remarked, by Irish
immigrants, nearly fifty years ago. The Bishop's
residence is in Corpus Christi, a seaport town of
4,000 people. The report is : priests, twenty-two;
churches, twelve, and chapels, twelve ; colleges, one,
and convents, two ; Catholic population, 40,000, of
whom at least 37,500 are Mexicans.
As a confirmation of what has been said, I insert
for the benefit of my readers an eloquent and truth-
ful article taken from one of the leading journals
of the State :
TAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF TEXAS.
From the Austin Daily Statesman, of December 16, 1880.
Study of the map of Texas and of Northern Mexico,
together with a knowledge of the vast agricultural, grazing
and mineral resources of these two countries, makes it matter
of wonder that the capitalists of the world have just now been
convinced of better prospects in the outlay of money here
than anywhere else in the civilized world. Poor information
and war and prejudice have operated, one after the other, in
closing the avenue of progress to Texas ; but suddenly light
has been sheJ upon the State, and recognizing the grandeur
of so vast and so rich an empire, the moneyed men of the
world are engaged in a scramble to see who shall first reap
rich rewards in the expenditure of means. Railroad enter-
prises, under modern dispensation, lead the way in developing
countries, and after these come the industries, one upon
another, until the waste of one year becomes in another the
scene of life and busy industry. Only a few years ago that
vast section lying between the immediate valley of the Mis-
sissippi river and the Pacific coast was a barren, desolate waste,
the home of the wild man and the bison. Capital spanned the
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 39
continent with a railway, and now industry is developed along
its line, and the country upon which the rains of heaven
failed to descend now grows with verdure, and nature heeds
the wants of progressive man. Not so is it with Texas.
Here, through all time, have been the grandest and richest
pastures of the world ; here is an empire of 275,000 square
miles, where vast forests have grown luxuriantly for ages,
where plains were covered with a perfect jungle of grasses,
until herds grazed them down; where natural fruits and
flowers abounded and bloomed before man knew their value
or enjoyed their fragrance. Such has been beautiful and
bounteous Texas since, ages ago, the waters receded from
these hills and these valleys and plains — an Eden, where wild
bees gather sweets from limitless flowery plain?, desecrated
alone by the footprints of nomadic tribes, that have dwindled
into insignificance before the march of the white man. And
it is this fascinating land, that progress, in its march across
the American continent, has for a time neglected. Feeble
but resolute hands at first took hold of Texas. She was in
the care of brave men and patriots, who disenthralled her and
introduced her into civilized society ; men brave and true and
wise, but poor, and to these was Texas left. Under their
care she has prospered ; the savage men, who shed the blood
of innocent women and children, have been driven by them
beyond the Rio Grande, and a million and a half of people
live under these azure skies, contented, happy, and, above all,
independent, in the midst of plenty. Such is Texas while it
meets the consideration of men who own their hundreds of
millions, and who seek an outlet for the vast sums of money
that have been hoarded in the great cities of the North and
of Europe, awaiting profitable investment. One after another
these moneyed kings, hearing of the undeveloped wealth of
this Lone Star empire, have ventured beyond Red river and
the Sabine on tours of inspection, and one after another have
they departed, determined to establish here the base
of fabulous fortune. The wires told us, only a day or two ago,
10 CA THOLIC COLON IZA TIuX
of the destruction, upon the banks of the classic Hudson, of a
vast conservatory, belonging to Jay Gould. The building was
valued at $150,000, and in one half hour the fierce element
that melted its crystal walls, scorched into ashes plants and
trees and flowers, gathered from all countries banded by the
central zone. While this beautiful work, pleasing in all that
pertained to it, was being melted away, Mr. Gould was rearing
in Texas monuments to his name and fame that will last while
civilization holds sway in America. Day after day the wires
have been telling us of his grand plans, conceived in the de-
velopment of Texas; and but yesterday it was announced that
he is to assume control of a great continental line of railway,
that now partially threads its way beneath the base of Mount
Bonnell, and winds into the hills and valleys beyond the beau-
tiful Colorado, as it moves onward to the palm groves of Mexico
and to the halls of the Montezumas. This man is making no
idle venture in an outlay of many millions. He sees that
Texas and Northern Mexico will afford production, giving em-
ployment to vast railroad enterprises, and having confidence
in the future prosperity of this country, and, feeling that in-
vestments are safe under the eye of our State government, he
pours treasure into our midst ; and Mr. Gould is by no means
alone. Scott and Huntington and Taylor and Peirce, railroad
kings that command the treasure of New York and Boston
and Philadelphia and San Francisco, join him in expending
energy and money on vast railroad works in Texas. A few
years ago, the feeble whistle of a solitary railway locomotive
was heard upon the banks of Buffalo Bayou, at Houston.
After awhile this iron horse had a companion, and then
another and another. Now there are over 3,000 miles of com-
pleted railway in the State, and the iron charger has scared
the Indians and buffaloes from the western plains. In twelve
months Gould will span Texas with a new railway from the
Red river to the Rio Grande ; Scott will have spanned the
plains of the Northwest, and his locomotives will be skirting
the salt lakes that lie adjacent to El Paso ; Huntington's rail-
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 41
way trains will be awakening echoes along the mountain-
hemmed valley of the Upper Rio Grande, and Peirce will have
broken up all the praiiie dog towns of the West. It is
whispered, too, that Vanderbilt, seeing reason to add to his
$150,000,000, will start from Memphis with a grand trunk
line, destined to penetrate the heart of Texas, and the rich
silver mines of Mexico, and that he, too, like Gould and Hun-
tington, will add another iron link between the two oceans.
Besides these, there are a hundred other railroad schemes now
occupying, and soon to occupy, attention in Texas, among
which, neither last nor least, is the little narrow gauge, that
has been making a vain attempt to carry Governor Hubbard
out of Tyler. In 1880 there are 3,000 miles of railway in
Texas, 1,500,000 people, and $350,000,000 of property. In
1S90 there will be 10,000 miles of railway, 4,000,000 of peo-
ple, and $2,000,000,000 of property. Such will be the result
of one decade, secured by the recognition that Texas is one
of the garden spots of the world.
LOUISIANA.
BEFORE entering upon a particular description
of this State it may be remarked, in general,
that its most notable features are the great
commercial city of New Orleans, the cultivation of
the sugar cane, and the semi-French language and
character of the people. It is not usually set down
among the States to which a large emigration of the
more northern Europeans is directed. It is yet true
that commerce and the genial temperature of the
winter months form attractions of much force for
people of all countries. To those of southern birth
or who are acclimated, no country can be more
agreeable.
Louisiana lies between the following lines of lati-
tude and longitude : twenty-nine degrees and thirty-
three degrees north ; and between eighty-nine de-
grees five minutes and ninety-four degrees west from
London. It is bounded north by Arkansas and Mis-
sissippi ; south by the Gulf of Mexico ; east by the
State of Mississippi ; and west by Texas. The coast
line, measured by its various windings, is 1,250
miles in length. The area of the State is 41,346
square miles, or 26,400,000 acres.
CATHOLIC COLONIZATION. 43
No State in the Union has so flat a surface ; the
highest elevation not being more than 400 feet.
One-fifth of the surface lies below the high-water
mark of the rivers, and was often overflowed before
the construction of levees. The Mississippi flows
by this State and through a part of it a distance of
800 miles. In very high water it has many outlets,
the principal of which are Atchafalaya, Bayou
Plaquemine, La Fourche and Grand river. It is to
the fact that the great river (the father of waters)
has its estuary in this State, that the wonderful im-
portance of the trade of New Orleans is due. The
grand system of navigable rivers, having, as we may
say, its focus or centre here, comprises about 16,000
miles of navigable waters.*
The soil of the delta of the river is considered
the best in the world for the production of the sugar
cane. In 1870 the sugar produced in the United
States was reported at 87,000 hogsheads ; and of
these, 80,000 were produced in Louisiana. In the
* A pamphlet on the Mississippi river and its tributaries gives the
following interesting statement of the mileage of the navigable portion
of each of the following named rivers above its mouth: Missouri, 3 219;
Mississippi, 2,161; Ohio, 1,021; Red, 986; Arkansas, 884; White, 779;
Tennessee, 789; Cumberland, 609; Yellowstone, 474; Ouachita, 284;
Wabash, 365 ; Alleghany, 325; Osage, 303; Minnesota, 295; Sunflower,
271; Illinois, 270 ; Yazoo, 228 ; Black (Ark.), 112 ; Green, 200; St. Fran-
cis, 180; Tallahatchie, 175; Wisconsin, 160; Deer Crtek, 116; Tensas,
112; Monongahela, no; Kentucky, 105; Bartholomew, 100; Kanawha,
94; Muskingum, 94; Chippewa, 90; Iowa, 80; Big Hatchie, 75; St.
Croix, 65 ; Rock, 65 ; Black (La.), 61 ; Macon, 60 ; Boeuf, 55 ; Big Horn,
50; Clinton, 50 ; Little Red, 49 ; Big Cypress and Lake, 44 ; Big Black,
35 ; Dauchitte, 33. Total number of rivers, 33 ; total number of miles of
navigation at present, 15 710.
44 CA TI/OLIC COLO XI Z A TION
same year the State ranked fourth in the production
of cotton, and third in rice.
The climate is remarkably equable and genial.
The heat of summer is not so excessive as is gener-
ally supposed and sunstrokes are much more
common in places much farther north. The mean
temperature for the summer months is eighty-two
degrees, and for the winter months fifty-five.
Many of my readers will be surprised to find that
manufacturing is rather extensive in this State.
The census report of 1870, gives 2,557 establish-
ments, employing 30,000 hands, and producing
goods to the amount of $24,000,000. Boots, shoes,
carriages, wagons, brick, cars, cotton goods, tobacco
and segars were the principal articles manufactured.
The State has about 700 miles of railroad in opera-
tion.
HISTORY AND POPULATION.
On the 7th of April, 1682, the Chevalier de la
Salle discovered the mouth of the Mississippi. New
Orleans was founded in 17 18. The territory was
ceded to Spain by secret treaty, in 1762. The
Spanish yoke was borne with the utmost reluctance
by the French colonists ; and many sanguinary up-
risings mark the period of its history. It was ceded
back to France in 1800. It is worthy of remark
that the Spanish "Governor and Captain General "
of Louisiana in 1769 was Don Alexander O'Reilly,
whose official title and designation runs: "Lieu-
tenant General of the Armies of His Majesty, In-
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 45
spector General of Infantry, and by commission,
Governor and Captain General of the Province of
Louisiana." Napoleon did not consider it politic to
retain the new possession ; and he was much in
need of money in the prosecution of his European
policy. Yet he scouted the idea of yielding it to
England. To his ministers he said : " The English
have despoiled the French of all their northern pos-
sessions of North America, and now they covet
those of the South ; I am determined that they
shall not have the Mississippi. To deprive them
of all prospect of ever possessing it, I am inclined
to cede it to the United States." Accordingly
negotiations were entered into with President Jef-
ferson, by which all of the vast region stretching
from the Gulf of Mexico to the lakes, and from the
Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, was ceded to
the United States for the sum of fifteen millions of
dollars. Napoleon, pleased with the bargain, said :
" By this cession of the Territory I have secured
the power of the United States, and given to Eng-
land a maritime rival who, at some future day, will
humble her pride." Scarcely ten years passed when
his prediction was fulfilled by the naval victories
of the war of 1812, and by the battle of New
Orleans, January 8th, 1815. Louisiana was ad-
mitted into the Union as the eighteenth State,
April 8th, 181 2.
The population in 17 12 was only 420, of whom
twenty were slaves ; in 1763, when the Spaniards
took possession, 14,000; in 1803, 60,000; in 1850*
46 CA T HO LIC COLON I ZA TION
780,000, of whom 332,000 were slaves ; in 1870,
727,000, of whom 364,000, (more than one-half),
were free colored. For this year (1870) there are
reported as living in the State 17,000 natives of
Ireland, and 19,000 Germans. Most of these are
found in the city of New Orleans.
In 1880 the population is reported as follows:
Total, 940,000, of whom 469,000 are males, 471,000
females ; 886,000 natives of the United States, and
54,000 of foreign birth ; white 455,000, and colored
485,000. It will be noticed that the colored popula-
tion of Texas and Arkansas is only one-fourth of
the entire population, whereas it is here more than
one-half. The climate and the nature of the agri-
cultural productions of the State account for this.
The principal city is New Orleans, which is also
the greatest commercial city of the Southern States.
The trade of the immense valley of the Mississippi
is, to some extent, concentrated in this city, a fact
which is being more and more realized every day.
The export trade of New Orleans is greater than
that of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston com-
bined. In 1874 the value of imports was $14,500,000,
and of exports $93,250,000. It is 100 miles from
the mouth of the river, and is called the " Crescent
City " from being built on a bend of it. In high
water the surface of the river is above the level of
the city, which is protected by levees from five to
thirty feet high. Population of the city in 1870,
191,000; in 1880, 216,000. There are many splen-
did hotels and other buildings in New Orleans.
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 47
The Catholic Church has had a foothold in
this State from the time of its first settlement.
When it was purchased from France in 1803, few
persons within its limits professed any other form
of religion. While under Spanish rule, a Bishop
was appointed to New Orleans in 1793. It was the
Right Rev. Luis Penalvaz Y. Cardenas, of
whom there is a short biography in Clarke's Deceased
Bishops of the United States.
It became an archdiocese in 1850. The present
Archbishop is the Most Rev. Napoleon J. Perche,
D.D.; his coadjutor is Right Rev. F. X Leray,
D.D., transferred from the see of Nachitoches in
1879, to that of New Orleans. Before the late civil
war the church of New Orleans was in a most pros-
perous condition; and its generosity to burdened
churches and institutions in other parts of the
country was most praiseworthy. The reverses of the
war have greatly embarrassed this see ; but there is
much reason for hope in the future. No city is better
provided, according to its population, with churches
and institutions of all kinds than New Orleans. The
Catholic Almanac for 1881 has the following report
of the archdiocese, which comprises southern Lou-
isiana: Churches, built, eighty-nine, building, five;
chapels and stations, thirty-four ; priests, 162 ; cleri-
cal students, ten; ecclesiastical institutions, two;
literary institutions for young men, six ; female
academies and schools, thirty-six ; boys' schools,
fifteen; total number of pupils, 9,000; hospitals and
orphan asylums, seventeen; convents, thirty-four;
48 CA T HO LIC COLONIZA TION.
benevolent institutions, sixteen. Catholic popula-
tion, 250,000.
The diocese of Nachitoches comprises northern
Louisiana, and became a bishop's see in November,
1853. Its present chief pastor is Bishop Leray, al-
ready mentioned. The report of this diocese for
1 88 1 is the following : Churches, nineteen ; chapels,
fifteen ; priests, seventeen ; religious, thirty-five ;
convents, four ; academies for young ladies, four;
schools, eleven. Catholic population: white, 25,000 ;
Indian or colored, 5,000.
The chances for laborers and settlers are excel-
lent in all parts of this State. What has been writ-
ten in regard to Arkansas and Texas may be prop-
erly applied to this State. There is a great demand
for working people of all kinds, skilled and unskilled.
Col. Lang of Texas supplies special information
about this State as well as his own.
INDIAN TERRITORY.
A QUESTION naturally arises in connection
with this subject, namely : Why introduce
to your readers a district set apart, as it
would seem, by the Government for the exclusive
possession of the Red men? The answer is easy :
The exclusive character of the Territory can not
long continue — is in fact broken into even now.
There are many whites already among the tribes,
and trade seeks and finds many footholds among
these wards of the Government.
The Indian Territory lies west of Arkansas and
north of Texas, being separated from that State on
its entire southern border by the Red river. It is
situated between latitudes thirty-three degrees thirty-
five minutes and seventy degrees north ; and between
longitudes ninety-four degrees twenty minutes and
103 degrees west from London. The average
elevation of the Territory above the level of the sea
is 1,250 feet; there are no high mountains. The
Territory is very well watered by several large and
small streams, all flowing in one direction, that is,
eastward. The Arkansas drains the northeastern
part of the Territory, and has many tributaries here,
50 CA T HO LIC COLON I ZA T10N
such as the Canadian, Neosha, Verdigris, etc. The
Red river, as stated, forms the southern boundary.
The area is 68,000 square miles, or 44,000,000
acres.
The mean temperature for January at Fort Gib-
son in this Territory has been found to be thirty-
nine and five-tenths degrees; of July, eighty-six
degrees; lowest, eleven degrees; and highest, 106
.degrees. Much fertile land is to be found in the
river valleys.
The population in 1873 was 72,428, of whom
17,217 were Cherokees (Indians), 16,000 Choctaws,
6,000 Chickasaws, 13,000 Creeks, etc. There are
2,500 whites and 6,500 negroes also in the Territory.
Each of the civilized tribes provides for the support
of public schools, and education progresses most
favorably. In course of time the Indians now
occupying the Territory will become entirely civil-
ized, and it is expected that all Indians east of the
Rocky Mountains will find a home here. There* is
certainly room enough for them all; and when we
consider the foundations now laid in the construc-
tion of civilized life amongst the tribes now included
in the Territory, the best results may confidently be
expected.
Greatly to the honor of Catholic France and the
Benedictine Congregation of Primitive Observance
in that country, we find in the Territory a Vicariate
Apostolic in charge of these fathers. Its head is
Right Rev. Isidore Robot, O. S. B., Abbot of the
Sacred Heart, Indian Territory. This is his post-
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 51
office address. The date of his institution is May
14th, 1876, before which the Territory was under
the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Little Rock. There
is an Abbey, a monastery of the Sisters of Perpetual
Adoration, a boarding school in charge of the Ben-
edictine Fathers, and a boarding school for girls un-
der the Benedictine Nuns of the Perpetual Adora-
tion. The number of Catholic Indians reported in
the Almanac of 1881, is 3,200 ; of whites, 600.
The postoffice address is: Sacred Heart Mission,
Indian Territory.
It is worthy of note that the eastern part of the
Territory is traversed from north to south by the
great railroad known as the " Missouri, Kansas &
Texas Railroad." When it crosses the Red river it
becomes the " Houston & Texas Central," passing
through the great State of Texas to Galveston.
NEW MEXICO.
NEW ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA OLD EUROPEAN SET-
TLEMENTS, PARTIALLY ABANDONED, AGAIN BE-
COME PROMINENT.
ON last St. Patrick's Day, March 17th, 1881,
a train was formed in Kansas City, Missouri,
the objective point of which was San Fran-
cico, over a road then for the first time opened. It
seemed a little strange that at least some part of the
enthusiasm evoked by the completion of the Union
Pacific on May 10th, 1869, was not manifested on
this occasion. But the novelty of reaching the
Pacific shore at the heels of the iron horse had worn
away, and the new enterprise was thus shorn of its
merited publicity. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe Railroad is the new link of iron thus connecting
the Atlantic and Pacific shores. Silently and with-
out parade this great work has been accomplished ;
and the train of cars above referred to made the
through trip from the Missouri river to the Golden
Gate in four days and eighteen hours. The country
through which this road and its connections pass is
worthy of the deepest study.
CATHOLIC COLONIZATION. 53
First of all, starting at Atchison, on the Missouri
river, we travel about sixty miles to Topeka, the
capital of the State of Kansas ; thence to Hutchin-
son on the Arkansas river, about 170 miles distant,
you pass through a rich country, generally well set-
tled and of great promise. Through the valley of
this river you soon pass by St. Dominic's colonies ;
and, after about 200 miles of railroad, still further
west, you turn southwardly into New Mexico. This
is the country to which the attention of thousands of
far-seeing and enterprising men is now turned. In-
asmuch as Texas and Colorado have been long
before the public, and have been variously described,
we will not dwell upon their respective resources at
present.
WHERE, THEN, IS NEW MEXICO? AND WHAT IS IT?
New Mexico is a Territory of the United States
since September 9th, 1850. It is bounded north
by Colorado, east by the Indian Territory and
Texas, south by the Republic of Mexico and Texas,
and west by Arizona. It lies between latitudes
thirth-one degrees twenty minutes and thirty-seven
degrees north; and between the 103d degree and
109th degree west from London. It is 395 miles
long from north to south, and 355 miles wide.
Area, 121,000 square miles, or 77,000,000 acres.
Considering its southern latitude we might
suppose it to be of a climate closely resembling
that of the torrid zone ; but the great elevation of
the country modifies the heat most perceptibly.
54 CA THOLIC C0L0N1ZA TION
The general elevation of the Territory above the
level of the sea is 5,400 feet. The eastern part
consists of the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plain,
which extends into Texas, and has very scanty
vegetation of any kind. Broken mountain chains
extend through the Territory from north to south,
the elevation of which varies from 6,000 to 10,000
feet. The Sierra Madre chain in the west is the
water-shed between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Between these chains of mountains is the great
valley of the Rio Grande, which is considered to be
the vast crater of extinct volcanoes.
THE RIVERS
Of New Mexico are the Rio Grande, which rises in
Colorado, and having traversed the Territory from
north to south, falls into the Gulf of Mexico at
Brownsville, Texas; the Canadian river drains the
northeastern part of the Territory, and falls into the
Arkansas ; western New Mexico is drained by the
Gila and Little Colorado.
FORESTS.
Extensive growths of evergreens, such as pine, fir,
spruce and hemlock, cover the mountains, whilst
along the water courses we find cottonwood, syca-
more, oak and walnut in great abundance.
SOIL AND CLIMATE.
In the river valleys and on some of the mesas, or
table-lands, we find as rich soil as any in the world ;
but in all New Mexico it may be truly said that irri-
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 55
gation is necessary for the production of good crops.
Excellent grazing lands are to be found in all parts
of the country, and cattle need no artificial shelter in
winter. The mean temperature of Santa Fe, which
is near the centre of the Territory, has been for
several years about fifty degrees. The mean for
July is about seventy-two degrees, and for Decem-
ber twenty-five degrees.
MINERAL RESOURCES
Constitute the great present attraction to New Mex-
ico. Gold was found there early in the history of
the country by Spaniards and Indians. The mines
were for a long time abandoned by reason of Indian
hostilities. This cause, along with the absence of
railroads, has operated adversely against mining
interests, even in the last few years. But now a new
era seems to dawn upon the country, and the rail-
road already mentioned traversing the whole Terri-
tory from north to south, will bring about a com-
plete change for the better in a few years. The city
of the Holy Faith (Santa Fe) is now connected by
rail on the west with San Francisco, and on the east
with the vast chain of railroads converging at Kan-
sas City and Omaha.
I have before me the report of Governor Lew
Wallace, of Sept. 23, 1879. Briefly it may be sum-
med up as follows : " The agricultural resources are
of the most encouraging character when irrigation
shall have been successfully applied. At present the
cultivation of the soil is in a most primitive state;
56 CA T HO LIC COLONIZA TION
the old wooden plow of the past still being generally
in use. The river valleys are wonderfully fertile ;
but the land grants of the past greatly impede set-
tlement. The wonder is that eastern people do not
turn their attention now to the agricultural resources
of this region." " One gentleman near Mesilla, in
Dona Ana county, is reported to have cleared
$ro,ooo a year for the last twenty years by the fruit
production of twenty acres of land." " Cattle and
sheep raising is only in its infancy here. There is
need of improvement in the stock; and Indian dif-
ficulties, now almost settled, must entirely cease
before stock raising shall have attained its full de-
velopment. All other conditions are most favorable.
Even as matters now stand, a full report of the cat-
tle raising of this Territory — a report which can not
now be obtained — would astonish all who are not
acquainted with our country. New Mexico is prin-
cipally sought on account of the health-restoring
qualities of the climate; but her grand resources in
other respects must needs command attention."
" As to minerals, this Territory is immensely rich.
Gold presents itself in all forms; it is found in
placer mines and in quartz mines. Few persons are
aware of the number of mines in successful opera-
tion. It is found principally in the region east of
the Rio Grande." " The silver-bearing localities of
New Mexico are too numerous to be specified in a
paper like this ; the metal is to be found in almost
every considerable mountain range in the Territory.
Coal beds are of inexhaustible richness in several
IN THE NORTHWEST. 57
places. Iron, copper and lead can be worked with
profit and success also in many districts."
" As to the population of the Territory it is not
easy to give exact figures. It may be put down at
125,000 as a*certainty ; many claim 150,000. The
emigration of Americans following the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad is astonishing and
likely to increase." " The climate is extraordinarily
healthy. The principal diseases are rheumatism and
catarrh ; consumption is almost unknown."
This is the deliberate verdict of the Governor of
New Mexico, whose position enables him to know
the condition of the country probably better than
any other person ; and it is truly encouraging.
Your readers being mostly Catholics, will be in-
terested in the fact that almost the entire population
of the present time is of their faith. Numerous
churches of one, two and even three hundred years
old are met with in various places. The schools
are nearly all Catholic. The venerable Archbishop
Lamy has presided over the spiritual interests of
the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for thirty-one years.
The archdiocese comprises all New Mexico ex-
cepting Dona Ana county. He is assisted by fifty-
two priests, a number of Christian Brothers and
several communities of female religious. There are
six convents, four colleges and one hospital. The
Catholic population, including 10,000 Pueblo or vil-
lage Indians, is 120,000.*
* The foregoing article appeared in the New York Catholic Review of
June gth, 1881.
58 CA T HO LIC COLONIZA TIOiV
The following is the report of an interview-
between a representative of the Cincinnati Enquirer
and the Hon. Col. William Breeden, formerly
Attorney General of New Mexico and now a mem-
ber of the Territorial Senate. He has been a
resident of the Territory seventeen years. The
interview bears the date of June 9th, 1881, and will
be read with interest as corroboratory of what I
have stated above. He says :
" New Mexico is a good country ; there is at present a de-
mand for live men with capital, but a large influx of men
without money would be injurious. The principal interest or
products of the country have been sheep and cattle. It is
favorable to sheep raising. On account of the mildness of its
climate the sheep can run at large the year around and find
forage. There is a great extent of unsettled, open country,
tolerably well grassed, and there being very little rainfall after
the grass matures, it cures on the ground without losing its
strength, so that sheep and cattle live on it well during the
winter, and no feeding is required."
11 Where do you sell your wool ? "
" Chiefly east, in St. Louis and Philadelphia. There are
not less than four million sheep in the Territory. At present,
common unimproved wool brings from IOC. to lie. per pound.
The sheep are generally small, native sheep. Considerable
effort has been made in the past few years to improve the
quality of sheep, and a good many fine sheep have been
brought in. Most of the sheep owners who have the means
are importing fine rams, and grading them up in that way.
Another thing, sheep suffer very little from disease. "
CATTLE INDUSTRY.
'•What of cattle?"
IX THE SOUTH WE ST. 59
" This has only become important in the last ten or twelve
years. I can say that almost without exception all engaged in
this business have done well — many grown rich in the business.
They are improving their stock very rapidly. Only last week
two car loads of young bulls of Canada stock came in."
" How do owners distinguish their cattle ? "
11 Each man has a brand, which is registered. The great
thing in the first place is to select a spot where there is a good
water supply. Here the cattle range — there being no fences —
for miles about."
LAND TITLES.
" How are your titles to land in New Mexico ? "
"There are a large number of grants of land made by
Spain and Mexico, many of them very large. Th? largest in
the Territory comprises about one million seven hundred and
fifty thousand acres. It was known as the Maxwell Grant,
and was originally granted to Beaubien and Miranda, and is
now held by a Holland Company, of which Frank R. Sherwin
is President. This grant is in the northeast part of the Terri-
tory and extends into Colorado, taking in the towns of Cimar-
ron, Springer, Elizabethtown, Rayado, and the small towns of
Dorsey and Elkins. There is a great deal of agricultural
land in the grant, well timbered, good grazing country, as well
as valuable mining interests. Coal and plumbago are found
on the grant.
" Other large grants are the Mora, Santa Clara, Las Vegas,
the Montoya, the Beck, the Anton Chico, the Tierra Amarilla,
and many others. Under the present regulations the Spanish
and Mexican grants are required to be proved before the Sur-
veyor-General, and submitted to Congress for confirmation.
Forty-nine in all have been confirmed, so that any one buying
under these has a perfect title. These forty-nine include most
of the very large grants. Each of these confirmed land grants
is recorded, with a plat of the survey, in the office of the Re-
corder of the county where the land is situated. Confirmation
by Congress settles all questions as to the extent of grants.
CO CA THOLIC COL ONIZA TION
"Another question that has disturbed the people a good
deal has been whether the grants from Spain and Mexico car-
ried the minerals where there was no reference to the minerals
in the grant. As to the grants by Congress there is no ques-
tion, as they are an absolute quit-claim by the Government of
the United States to the owners of the grant, and the confirm-
ations were all without any reservations."
WILL NEW MEXICO BE A STATE ?
"What is your population, and the feeling in regard to
your coming in as a State ? "
"There is some dissatisfaction in regard to the late census.
The Supervisor did not have means enough to take it accu-
rately, and he so reported to Washington. He found about
112,000 people. We believe that we honestly have from
130,000 to 140,000 people, and are increasing rapidly. I think
a large majority are in favor of a State government."
" What is the objection to a territorial form of government ? "
"We have no power. A man is sent from Washington,
who knows little, and, as a general thing, cares very little
about the people or their wants. Beyond this, we need capital
to develop the country, and we must have a State government
and laws to protect such capital. A Territorial government
does not have this power. This is the great argument with
the thinking people. We know the Territory has great
resources, and we need capital to develop them. The laws
are well enforced now, but a State government would inspire
confidence among the people abroad."
" What have you to say of the mining interests?"
" Mining interests have not attracted much attention until
the last two years. Since that time many valuable mines have
been discovered, and are being discovered every day. There
has never been a geological survey of the Territory."
" What are some of your mines ? "
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 01
'' The San Pedro Mine, forty-five miles from Santa Fe,
probably is one of the most valuable mines for gold and
copper. It is on the San Pedro grant, and is owned by a
Boston Company. George W. Ballou, who formerly pub-
lished a magazine, is the President and General Manager.
This Company has put in thirteen miles of six-inch pipe to
bring water from the reservoirs in the mountains to wash the
earth, which is rich in gold, from the grass root to the bed-
rock. They put in this pipe by hydraulic placer mining, and
have spent $700,000 already in the past year. Silver mining
is carried on extensively at Silver City, and there have been
promising discoveries at Hillsboro, San Simon, Black Range,
Lake Valley, White Oaks, Nogals, Cerillos, Hell Canon,
Picuris, Arroyahando and many other points."
MEXICAN PEOPLE.
"How are the Mexican people? Are they not treach-
erous ? "
" They are a good people ; kind and hospitable as a general
thing ; law-abiding, and have as high a respect for the laws
and constituted authorities as any people I have ever known.
They are thoroughly American in their sentiments and feel-
ings, and as loyal to our Government as any citizens under
the flag. They are much more fair and liberal to us than we
are to them. They take an active interest in politics. The
church there does not exercise much influence in politics.
LEGISLATURE.
" Our Legislature consists of a Council, which has now
twelve members, and the House, consisting of twenty-four
members. They meet every two years, and sessions have
been forty days, but were extended by last Congress to sixty
days. Congress will probably have to interfere in reference
to the organization of our Legislature, as thirteen members
have been elected, under the old law, to the Council, and
62 CA THOLIC COLONIZA T10N
twenty-six to the House. Congressman Tom Young, of Cin-
cinnati, had charge of the matter in the last Corgress, but
for some reason failed to secure any action.
"lam frequently asked if it is not a relief for me to get
into the States in summer. It is just the contrary. We never
suffer from the heat in any part of the Territory, while at
such points as Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Taos, Silver City, and,
in fact, all the mountain region, the summers are delightful.
As to cold, we never suffer from cold weather, and at Albu-
querque, Socorro, Las Cruces, Mesilla and the valley of the
Rio Grande and Pecos, south of Santa Fe and Las Vegas, the
winters are as fine as in Florida. There are no prevailing
diseases of any sort. There has never been a case of diph-
theria in the Territory on account of the rarity of the atmos-
phere, and consumptives get fat. As soon as the hotel
accommodations are supplied, it can not fail to become a popu-
lar resort for invalids and tourists.
" MEDICAL SPRINGS
Abound in the Territory. Sulphur, iron, soda, iodine springs
are found. These springs are all hot, and are very effective in
cases of rheumatism. I have known men to be carried in the
arms of attendants, so crippled up were they from rheumatism,
and after several baths were cured. The most important of
these hot springs are Las Vegas Ogo Caliente, sixty miles
north of Santa Fe ; the Jamez, fifty miles west of Santa Fe,
and Hudson's, near Silver City.
RAILROADS.
"Our great road is the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe,
which branches at La Junta, Colorado, one branch going to
Santa Fe and the other to Pueblo, Colorado. The main line
is now completed three hundred miles below Santa Fe, and
within about forty of El Paso, where it will unite with the
IN THE SOUTHWEST. - 0^3
Mexican Central and run to Chihuahua, and thence to the
City of Mexico. This road will be finished by the 4th of
July. By connection with the Southern Pacific, of California,
this Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad completes a
through line to San Francisco, now in full operation."
Colonel Breeden leaves shortly for the East, and returns
to New Mexico in about ten days.
The time is not distant when one or two of the
railroads projected in the South, and destined to
reach the Pacific coast, will pass through New
Mexico. It is a necessity ; and will greatly advance
the development of the Territory.
4S756
CATHOLIC THEOLOGICAL UNION
BX1410.B9 C001
CATHOLIC COLONIZATION IN THE SOUTHWEST
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3 0311 00041 1186
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48756
Byrne, Stephen
author CATHOLIC COLONIZATION
title _s TEXAS, LOUIS IMA,
3 0311 00041 1186
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